Fouling and cleaning of membranes in the ultrafiltration of the aqueous extract of soy flour

The aqueous extract of soy flour is an emulsion/suspension of proteins, lipids and carbohydrates. The foulant deposit formed on the surface of polysulfone membranes in the ultrafiltration of this complex extract was investigated from several aspects including thickness, physical structure, chemical analysis and rheological behaviour. SEM studies showed the thickness of the foulant deposit was approximately 0.2 μm for 50000 MWCO membrane and 0.4 μm for 100000 MWCO membrane. The structure of the foulant deposit consisted of lipids in a globular form of 0.2 to 1 μm diameter adhered to, and supported by, a protein-polysaccharide matrix. Rheological measurements were conducted on a sample of the foulant deposit collected from the 100000 MWCO membrane. This foulant deposit exhibited pseudoplastic and viscoelastic properties which totally resisted the surface shear stresses in the flat-plate module. Recovery of the water flux of the fouled membranes was achieved by a four-stage cleaning procedure comprising successive stages of washing with sodium hydroxide, protease detergent, sodium hypochlorite and flushing with water.     

Studies on mass production of transformed Panax ginseng hairy roots in bioreactor

The growth properties of Panax ginseng hairy roots transformed by Agrobacterium rhizogenes were compared between flask and aerated column or stirred bioreactor. In flask cultures, sucrose, initially 30 g/L, was nearly exhausted after 45 d of culture. The pH of the medium dropped from 5.5 to 4.96 after 10 d, but afterward it gradually increased to 6.4. After 45 d, hairy roots grew about 16-folds. The growth rate of hairy roots in air-bubble column or stirred bioreactor cultures was 1.13 (1.11) to 1.23 (1.20) g fresh wt (dry wt)/(g of cells·d), respectively. For both bioreactors, growth was about three times as high as in the flask cultivation.     

Determination of δ‐[L‐α‐aminoadipyl]‐L‐cysteinyl‐D‐valine in cell extracts of Penicillium chrysogenum using ion pair‐RP‐UPLC‐MS/MS

δ‐[L ‐α‐Aminoadipyl]‐L ‐cysteinyl‐D ‐valine (ACV) is a key intermediate in the biosynthesis pathway of penicillins and cephalosporins. Therefore, the accurate quantification of ACV is relevant, e.g. for kinetic studies on the production of these β‐lactam antibiotics. However, accurate quantification of ACV is a challenge, because it is an active thiol compound which, upon exposure to air, can easily react with other thiol compounds to form oxidized disulfides. We have found that, during exposure to air, the oxidation of ACV occurs both in aqueous standard solutions as well as in biological samples. Qualitative and quantitative determinations of ACV and the oxidized dimer bis‐δ‐[L ‐α‐aminoadipyl]‐L ‐cysteinyl‐D ‐valine have been carried out using ion pair reversed‐phase ultra high‐performance liquid chromatography, hyphenated with tandem mass spectrometry (IP‐RP‐UPLC‐MS/MS) as the analytical platform. We show that by application of tris(2‐carboxy‐ethyl)phosphine hydrochloride (TCEP) as the reducing reagent, the total amount of ACV can be determined, while using maleimide as derivatizing reagent enables to quantify the free reduced form only.     

Comparison of Liquid–Liquid Extraction,Simultaneous Distillation Extraction,Ultrasound-Assisted Solvent Extraction,and Headspace Solid-Phase Microextraction for the Determination of Volatile Compounds in Jujube Extract by Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry

Jujube extract has a unique flavor that has been used as a common fragrance due to the volatile compounds. In this study, the volatiles of jujube extract were isolated by liquid–liquid extraction, simultaneous distillation extraction, ultrasound-assisted solvent extraction, and headspace solid-phase microextraction, and analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Altogether 92 compounds were identified by the four methods, of which 53 components were identified for the first time; however, only 21 compounds were identified by all these methods. The performance characteristics of the four pretreatment techniques were compared by principal component analysis which showed that the volatile compounds obtained by liquid–liquid extraction and ultrasound-assisted solvent extraction were similar both in categories and in content; whereas, the volatiles extracted by simultaneous distillation extraction, ultrasound-assisted solvent extraction, and headspace solid-phase microextraction greatly varied. The results indicated that a multi-pretreatment technique should be adopted in order to obtain the most complete information about the volatile compounds in jujube extract. The ultrasound-assisted solvent extraction method exhibited excellent repeatability and recoveries, and was very suitable for quantitative analysis. Although the recoveries and reproducibility of headspace solid-phase microextraction were inferior to the other methods, it was more sensitive than other methods.     

HPLC determination of four active saponins from Panax notoginseng in rat serum and its application to pharmacokinetic studies

Four main active saponins (ginsenosides Rg1, Rb1, Rd and notoginsenoside R1) in Panax notoginseng in rat serum after oral and intravenous administration of total saponins of P. notoginseng (PNS) to rats were determined using a simple and sensitive high-performance chromatographic method. The serum samples were pretreated with solid-phase extraction before analysis. The calibration curves for the four saponins were linear in the given concentration ranges. The intra-day and inter-day assay coefficients in serum were less than 10.0% and the recoveries of the method were higher than 80.0% in the high, middle and low concentrations. This method was applied to study the pharmacokinetics following oral and intravenous administration of PNS.     

Separation of amino acids in plant tissue extracts by capillary zone electrophoresis with indirect UV detection using aromatic carboxylates as background electrolytes

Summary Amino acids in extracts of plant tissue were separated and detected by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) with indirect UV detection. Various aromatic carboxylates such as salicylate, benzoate, phthalate and trimellitate were investigated as background electrolytes (BGEs). A BGE of benzoate gave the best resolution and detector response. Amino acids were separated at a highly alkaline pH to charge amino acids negatively. Separation was achieved by the co-electroosmotic flow (Co-EOF) by the addition of the cationic surfactant myristyltrimethyl-ammonium bromide (MTAB) to the electrolyte. The condtions affecting the separation of amino acids, including electrolyte pH, concentrations of both benzoate and MTAB, were investigated and optimised. Separation of a mixture of 17 amino acids at pH 11.20 with indirect UV detection at 225 nm was achieved with a BGE of 10 mM benzoate containing 1.0 mM MTAB at pH of 11.20. Detection limits ranged between 10 and 50 μM. The proposed method was demonstrated by the determination of amino acids in extracts of Eucalypt leaves with direct injection of samples.     

Comparative effects of gamma irradiation and phosphine fumigation on the quality of white ginseng

The hygienic, physicochemical, and organoleptic qualities of white ginseng were monitored during 6 months under accelerated conditions (40°C, 90% r.h.) by observing its microbial populations, disinfestation, and some quality attributes following either gamma irradiation at 2.5–10 kGy or commercial phosphine (PH₃) fumigation. In a comparative study, both treatments were found to be effective for disinfecting the stored samples. Phosphine showed no appreciable decontaminating effects on microorganisms contaminated including coliforms, while 5 kGy irradiation was sufficient to control all microorganisms related to the quality of the packed samples. Irradiation at 5 kGy caused negligible changes in physicochemical attributes of the samples, such as ginsenosides, amino acids, fatty acids, and organoleptic properties, whereas phosphine fumigation was found detrimental to sensory flavor (P<0.01). Quality deterioration occurred in the commercially-packed samples was in the following order: the control, 10 kGy-, phosphine-, and 2.5–5 kGy-treated samples. Accordingly, irradiation at <5 kGy was found to be an effective alternative to phosphine fumigation for white ginseng.     

Study of the effect of Wuzhi tablet (Schisandra sphenanthera extract) on tacrolimus tissue distribution in rat by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method

A liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS) method was developed and validated for determining tacrolimus (FK506) in rat tissues to study the effect of Schisandra sphenanthera extract on FK506 tissue distribution. After a liquid–liquid extraction with ethyl acetate, FK506 and ascomycin (IS) were subjected to LC‐MS/MS analysis using positive electrospray ionization under multiple reactions monitoring mode. Chromatographic separation of FK506 and ascomycin was achieved on a Hypersil BDS C₁₈ column with a mobile phase consisting of methanol‐water (containing 2 mM ammonium acetate, 95 : 5, v/v). The intra‐ and inter‐batch precision of the method were less than 8.8 and 9.8%, respectively. The intra‐ and inter‐batch accuracies ranged from 97.5 to 104.0%. The lowest limit of quantification for FK506 was 0.5 ng/mL. The method was applied to a FK506 tissue distribution study with or without a dose of Wuzhi (WZ) tablet. Most of the FK506 tissue concentrations were slightly increased after a concomitant WZ tablet dose, but the whole blood concentration of FK506 was dramatically increased 3‐fold after a concomitant WZ tablet dose. These results indicated that the LC‐MS/MS method was rapid and sensitive enough to quantify FK506 in different rat tissues, and strict drug monitoring is recommended when co‐administering WZ tablet in clinical use. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Py-GC/MS分析烟用添加剂黄芩浸膏的热裂解产物

采用在线热裂解气相色谱-质谱法(Py-GC/MS)法研究了黄芩浸膏热裂解行为。在氦气氛围中,将黄芩浸膏分别在300、450、600、750和900℃下进行热裂解,并以GC/MS对其裂解产物进行定性和半定量分析,并用黄芩浸膏进行了卷烟加香试验。结果表明:①黄芩浸膏在这一系列裂解温度下检测到的挥发性热裂解产物分别为12种、19种、40种、55种和46种;②黄芩浸膏低温区(300℃～450℃)裂解后产生大量醛类、酮类、酯类和呋喃类物质,这些物质是构成卷烟香味的重要物质,能改善卷烟吸味、减轻刺激性;③在高温区(750℃～900℃)产生大量的芳香族化合物,如苯、甲苯、乙苯、萘等。该研究为香味物质在卷烟燃烧过程中的挥发性物质提供了例证。     

盐酸提取-液相色谱-原子荧光联用技术检测水产品中甲基汞等汞化合物

建立了HCl提取,高效液相色谱与原子荧光联用技术测定水产中无机汞、甲基汞、乙基汞形态的分析方法。对前处理方法和液相色谱的最佳参数进行优化,实验表明,3种汞化合物的线性范围为0~100μg/L,相关系数(r)均优于0.9990,检出限在0.3~0.6μg/L之间,汞化合物各形态的RSD均小于5%,加标回收率在78.8%~116.8%之间,标准物质(GBW10029),(GBW09101B)中汞形态的测定值均在标准值范围内,参加甲基汞FAPAS国际比对,测定结果的Z比分数为1.0,故本方法适用于水产品中汞化合物形态的分析测定。