Effect of Long-Term Potato Starch Retention with Citric Acid on Its Properties

The present study aimed to determine changes in the properties of starch triggered by its long-lasting (1, 2, 4, 7, 10, or 14 days) retention with citric acid (5 g/100 g) at a temperature of 40 °C. The starch citrates obtained under laboratory conditions had a low degree of substitution, as confirmed via NMR and HPSEC analyses. The prolonging time of starch retention with citric acid at 40 °C contributed to its increased esterification degree (0.05–0.11 g/100 g), swelling power (30–38 g/g), and solubility in water (19–35%) as well as to decreased viscosity of the starch pastes. Starch heating with citric acid under the applied laboratory conditions did not affect the course of DSC thermal characteristics of starch pasting. The low-substituted starch citrates exhibited approximately 15% resistance to amylolysis.     

Development of Piezoelectric Immunosensor for the Detection of Probiotic Bacteria

A Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM) based direct immunosensor was developed for real-time detection of probiotic bacteria. To optimize the immunosensor system, model measurements were carried out with bovine serum albumin (BSA) and anti-BSA IgG (a-BSA) antibody. During the model experiments, two kinds of self-assembled monolayers were created to compare their efficiency on antigen binding. Sulfosuccinimidyl 6-[3-(2-pyridyldithio)propionamido] hexanoate (sulfo-LC-SPDP) and 16-mercapto-hexadecanoic acid (MHDA) cross-linking agents were used for immobilizing anti-BSA antibody onto the gold surface of the AT-cut quartz wafer. Two different measuring procedures, flow-through and stopped-flow methods, were applied, and the frequency responses obtained by both analytical methods were compared.

After the model experiments probiotic bacteria, Bifidobacterium bifidum O1356 and Lactobacillus acidophilus O1132 serotypes were detected from buffer solution and from real samples (spiked milk samples, acidophilus, and bifidus milk samples).

Using the novel immunosensor, the target bacteria could be detected in the range of 10⁴–10⁷ colony-forming units (CFU)/ml within 60 minutes. The selectivity of a-Bifidobacterium bifidum and a-Lactobacillus acidophilus antibody coated sensors were also tested.     

The effect of resistant starches on fat oxidation in healthy adults as measured by a 13CO2-breath test

A resistant starch (RS) mixture (MIX) consisting of fibre of potatoes (FP) and wrinkled pea starch (WPS), and high amylose maize starch (HAMS) were supplemented in adults to evaluate their effects on fat oxidation by means of a ¹³CO₂-breath test. Sixteen subjects received a regular diet either without or with the supplementation of MIX and HAMS in randomised order. After administration of a [U-¹³C]algal lipid mixture, exhaled air was collected over 14?h in 0.5- and 1-h intervals. The ¹³C abundances were measured by nondispersive infrared spectroscopy. In comparison to the dry run (DR), supplementation with MIX and with HAMS increased the cumulative percentage dose recovery: (DR: 16.7?%, MIX: 16.9?%, HAMS: 18.0?%), but without statistical significance. The colonic degradation of MIX and HAMS to short-chain fatty acids tends to lower the formation of carbohydrate-derived acetyl-CoA and contributes to a postprandial lipid oxidation increase by using fat-derived acetyl-CoA as a compensatory fuel source.     

Microbial Reduction of Lepidocrocite γ-FeOOH by Shewanella putrefaciens; The Formation of Green Rust

Dissimilatory iron-reducing bacteria (DIRB) couple the oxidation of organic matter or H₂ to the reduction of iron oxides. The bacterial reduction of a most common well-crystallised ferric oxyhydroxide, -FeOOH was investigated using DIRB Shewanella putrefaciens, strain CIP 8040. Experiments were conducted in the presence of neither organic buffer nor phosphate, with formate as electron donor, bicarbonate, and anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate (AQDS, a humic acid analogue) that influenced the extent of ferric oxide bioreduction. The production of Fe²⁺ was followed with time. The solid phases obtained after bacterial iron reduction were analysed by transmission Mössbauer spectroscopy (TMS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Biogenic formation of green rust 1 compound, which contains carbonate anions, [Fe^II ₂Fe^III ₂(OH)₈]²⁺[CO₃ ^2–]^2– was observed. TMS was used to follow the evolution of the green rust abundance during the bacterial culture.     

Intestinal Transport and Biotransformation of Resibufogenin and Cinobufagin in Chan Su via HPLC/APCI-MS~n

In vitro models of human colon carcinoma cell line(Caco-2 cell monolayer) and human intestinal bacteria were used to investigate the intestinal transport and biotransformation of resibufogenin and cinobufagin in Chan Su by HPLC/APCI-MSn. The experimental results of Caco-2 cell monolayer demonstrate that the apparent permeability coefficients(Papp) of resibufogenin and cinobufagin are higher than 10-6 cm/s, which indicates that both resibufogenin and cinobufagin have a good absorption in the small intestine....     

Thermal Denaturation of Bacterial Cells Examined by Differential Scanning Calorimetry

Thermal stability of vegetative cells of Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli and Lactobacillus plantarum was studied by counting viable fractions and determining DSC curves of their suspensions. DSC curves in the 5–99°C range showed a series of endothermic transitions between 50 and 60°C, where the heat destruction of cells occurred. Heat denaturation of DNA required a higher temperature than cell killing. Thermal death was strongly influenced by the pH, composition and NaCl content of the suspending buffer. A mathematical model developed by us enabled comparison of DSC peak temperatures and temperatures required for loss of viability.This revised version was published online in November 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Changes in fungal and bacterial populations in soil treated with two triorganotin(IV) compounds

The effects of two triorganotin(IV) compounds, diphenylbutyltin bromide (Ph₂BuSnBr) and triphenyltin chloride·triphenylphosphine oxide (Ph₃SnCl·Ph₃PO), on soil bacterial and fungal populations were compared with that of Thiram and the commercial triorganotin fungicide ‘Brestan’ (triphenyltin acetate, Ph₃SnOAc). Soil fungal populations were reduced most by Thiram, then by Ph₃SnCl·Ph₃PO, Ph₂BuSnBr and Ph₃SnOAc, in that order. Following the application of the compounds, there was a marked increase in the bacterial population in soil, the increase being greatest with Thiram and least with Ph₃SnCl·Ph₃PO. The triorganotin(IV) compounds were less harmful to soil fungi than Thiram. In Thiram-treated soil, recolonization was slower than in soil treated with the triorganotin(IV) compounds. More species of fungi were tolerant to and persisted after application of the triorganotin(IV) compounds compared with Thiram. Among the fungi that were tolerant to the triorganotin(IV) compounds were cellulolytic species such as Trichoderma.     

A switch-on fluorescence assay for bacterial β-lactamases with amyloid fibrils as fluorescence enhancer and visual tool

Herein is described the development of a novel switch-on fluorescence assay for detecting β-lactamases. The fluorescence assay comprises two components: solid beads coated with a β-lactam antibiotic, which is linked to an environment-sensitive fluorophore (dansylaminothiophenol, DTA), and amyloid fibrils of hen lysozyme (acting as fluorescence enhancer and visual tool). In the presence of the clinically significant TEM-1 β-lactamase, the DTA-antibiotic complex on the solid beads is hydrolyzed, thus releasing the DTA dye into solution. The DTA dye is only weakly fluorescent in solution but gives strong green fluorescence upon binding to lysozyme fibrils. These strongly fluorescent DTA-bound fibrils can be easily visualized by the naked eye upon illumination of the sample with a simple UV lamp. The fluorescence assay can detect TEM-1 at low concentration (0.01 nM). In contrast, no observable fluorescence appears when the fluorescence assay is performed on samples without the TEM-1 β-lactamase.