A novel system for purge-and-trap with thermal desorption: Optimization using tomato juice volatile compounds

A system for purge-and -trap with thermal desorption was developed and optimized to moniotor aroma compounds at ambient temperatures. Canned tomato juice volatiles were used as a model system to develop and evaluate the method. Volatile components were first adsorbed on insert-traps packed with Tenax-TA polymer, then thermally desorbed directly inside a gas chromatograph injector. Volatile matgerials occuring in Very low amounts could be entrained and subsequently chrfomatographed, with sensitivity limited by the purity of the sweep gas. Quantitative measurement of tomato juice volatiles was linear with sample size upn to 100 gram samples. The amount of trapped volatiles was proportional to trapping time; howver, low-and intermediate-boilers broke through the trap after one hour while high-boilers continued to be retained. Apurge gas flow rate of 20ml/min gave optimum results mediate-biolers. Optimum recovery of volatile compounds was obtained with a desorption temperature of 200°c for 5 min. Coefficients of variation from triplicate runs were relatively small. The method showed promise for a simple, sensitive, and reproducibel flavor volatiles collection system for the accurate analysis of tomato compounds.     

Tomato steroidal alkaloid glycosides, esculeosides A and B, from ripe fruits

Major novel steroidal alkaloid glycosides, named esculeoside A (1) and esculeoside B (2), have been isolated from the pink color-type and the red color-type, respectively, of the ripe tomato fruits of Lycopersicon esculentum MILL. for the first time. The structures of 1 and 2 have been characterized as 3-O-β-lycotetraosyl (5S,22S,23S,25S)-23-acetoxy-3β,27-dihydroxyspirosolane 27-O-β-d-glucopyranoside and 3-O-β-lycotetraosyl (5S,22S,23R,25S)-22,26-epimino-16β,23-epoxy-3β,23,27-trihydroxycholestane 27-O-β-d-glucopyranoside, respectively.     

Relationship between Chemical Characteristics and Sensory Evaluation of Koikuchi Soy Sauce

Understanding the effect of chemical characteristics on sensory evaluation elucidates the classification of soy sauce quality. In this work, 16 koikuchi soy sauces (the major form of Japanese soy sauce) from the Akita Prefectural Miso and Soy Sauce Products Committee were comprehensively studied. The results suggested that good quality soy sauce should possess a color with relatively high +a* and +b* values. Moreover, the ratio between the +L* value and +C* value had a negative influence on the external appearance. Furthermore, the soluble salt-free solids content of high-ranking soy sauce was much higher than that of low-ranking soy sauce, especially in the top three ranked soy sauces (at greater than 40%). The salt content not only negatively affect the soy sauce taste, but also played an essential role in improving the soy sauce flavor. Further study of the amino acid content showed that the glutamic acid content in high-ranking soy sauces was significantly lower than that in low-ranking soy sauces. In particular, the interaction between proline and glucose was also observed to improve soy sauce aroma. Finally, the principal component analysis was performed to reconfirm the main attributes for the sensory classification.     

悬浮液进样-火焰原子吸收光谱法测定番茄粉中的铜

本文将悬浮进样技术应用于原子吸收法分析中 ,成功地测定了番茄粉中的铜。此法快速、简单、准确。样品在 10 5± 2℃下烘干 4 h后 ,研磨过 2 0 0目筛 ,然后加入 5— 10 m L 0 .15%琼脂悬浮液 ,混匀后直接上机测定。测定结果与传统湿法一致 ,两种方法的相对误差小于± 0 .96 %。 t检验表明无显著性差异。     

Development and validation of a cellular biosensor detecting pesticide residues in tomatoes

Two of the most important categories of pesticides used in agricultural practice are organophosphates and dithiocarbamates. Their extensive and inappropriate use has rendered their reliable monitoring at trace levels more and more necessary. This study presents the construction of a rapid and sensitive cellular biosensor test based on the measurement of changes of the cell membrane potential of immobilized cells, according to the working principle of the Bioelectric Recognition Assay (BERA). The cells were immobilized by entrapment in a sodium alginate bead and directly applied in different pesticide dilutions and agricultural samples. The pesticides used were the organophosphate insecticide diazinon and the dithiocarbamate fungicide propineb. Two different cell types, N2a (neuroblastoma) and Vero (fibroblast) were used as the biosensory elements in order to investigate their differential response against the pesticides. In this way, we hoped to increase the selectivity of the assay. Based on the observed patterns of response, we demonstrate that the sensor can be used for the qualitative and, in some concentrations, quantitative detection of the pesticides with a high degree of reproducibility. The lowest detected concentration was 3 nM. Finally, for the investigation of the effects of different pesticides on the accumulation of cytosolic Ca²⁺, we conducted a fluorescent assay on N2a cells treated with tomato sample extracts, which were replicates of the E.U. proficiency test sample. The tomato samples were either organically grown or contained 14 different pesticides. The experimental results showed a higher increase of the intracellular Ca²⁺ concentration in cells treated with non-organic samples compared to the cells treated with organic samples.     

Radial basis network analysis of color parameters to estimate lycopene content on tomato fruits

With the purpose of estimating the lycopene concentration in tomato food samples, in an non-destructive way, several types of linear models of color parameters have been tested using individual values of L*, a* and b* values, (a*/b*), (a * ²/b * ²) and chroma parameters from tomato juice and fresh tomato fruits obtained with two different apparatus (Minolta CR-200b triestimulus colorimeter and HunterLab LabScan XE). Lycopene concentrations of fresh tomato and tomato juice (used as an input) were analyzed by UV-Vis spectroscopy. For all linear methods applied, the best one to estimate the lycopene concentration in tomato was the L*, a* and b* values of tomato juice measured with Hunter colorimeters (adjusted correlation coefficient, and mean prediction error, MPE < 6.59%). Four different RBEF models were designed firstly using three color parameters (L*, a* and b*) designated as “Lab case”, and secondly individually by the (a*/b*), (a * ²/b * ²) and chroma parameters. The lycopene concentration estimations were carried out with the lowest MPE and highest values possible. In order to test the reliability of the non-linear models, external validation process was also performed. From the testing of the all non-linear models applied, the RBEF Lab case model was the best to estimate lycopene content from color parameters (L*, a* and b*) using Minolta or Hunter equipments (MPE lower than 0.009 and higher than 0.997). This was a simple non-destructive method for predicting lycopene concentration in tomato fruits and tomato juice, which was reproducible and accurate enough to substitute chemical extraction determinations, and may be a useful tool for tomato industry.     

Ultrasonication--a complementary 'green chemistry' tool to biocatalysis: a laboratory-scale study of lycopene extraction

Lycopene is bequeathed with multiple bio-protective roles, primarily attributed to its unique molecular structure. The concomitant exploitation of two of the green chemistry tools viz., sonication and biocatalysis is reported here for the laboratory scale extraction of lycopene from tomato peel. The coupled system improved the extraction by 662%, 225% and 150% times over the unaided, only cellulase ‘Onozuka R-10’ treated and only sonication treated samples respectively. The sonication parameters (duration, cycle and amplitude) during the coupled operation were optimized using response surface methodology (RSM). Derivative UV-visible spectra (i.e., dA/dλ and d²A/dλ² against λ), FTIR analysis, and DPPH scavenging test suggested that the reported extraction protocol did not affect the molecular structure and bioactivity of the extracted lycopene. The influence of sonication on the probable structural modulation (through UV-visible spectral analysis) and activity of the enzyme were also analyzed. A plausible mechanism is proposed for the enhanced extraction achieved via the coupled system.     

Improved Sensing of Capsaicin with TiO2 Nanoparticles Modified Epoxy Graphite Electrode

The presented research focuses on the electrochemical determination of capsaicin, a lipophilic alkaloid which originates hotness in chili peppers. An electrochemical sensor based on epoxy‐graphite composite with the modification of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoparticles is developed for the determination of this alkaloid. The measurements were carried out in glycine buffer at pH 2.5 using cyclic voltammetry. Two linear concentration ranges were obtained from 6 to 75 μM (R=0.99) and from 12 to 138 μM, with a detection limit of 5.34 μM and 11.3 μM capsaicin, for 1^st and 2^nd oxidation peak, respectively. The main advantage of developed sensor is its repeatability and robustness against fouling; the relative standard deviation (RSD) value was 2.53 % (n=10). This voltammetric sensing procedure has successfully been applied to quantify capsaicin in various real samples such as hot chili sauce and pharmaceutical preparations.     

Simultaneous determination of ethyl carbamate and 4‐(5‐)methylimidazole in yellow rice wine and soy sauce by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry

We developed a new method, based on alkaline diatomite solid‐phase extraction followed by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry, for the simultaneous determination of the toxic contaminants ethyl carbamate (EC) and 4‐(5‐)methylimidazole (4‐MEI) in yellow rice wine and soy sauce. The optimal extraction conditions were defined. With the application of alkaline diatomite solid‐phase extraction, damage to the capillary column by organic acids was greatly reduced. With deuterated EC used as the internal standard, the linearity of the calibration curves for EC and 4‐MEI was good with correlation coefficient above 0.99. In a spiked experiment with EC and 4‐MEI in yellow rice wine and soy sauce, recovery of the added EC was 80.5–102.5% and that of 4‐MEI was 78.3–92.8%. The limit of quantification and limit of detection for EC were 6.0 and 2.0 μg/kg, respectively, and for 4‐MEI were 15.0 and 5.0 μg/kg, respectively. The validation results demonstrate that the method is fast, simple, and selective, and therefore is suitable for simultaneously determining the presence of EC and 4‐MEI in fermented food.     

凝胶色谱净化-气相色谱法测定酱油中7种防腐剂

建立了凝胶色谱净化-气相色谱法测定酱油中山梨酸、苯甲酸、脱氢乙酸、对羟基苯甲酸甲酯、对羟基苯甲酸乙酯、对羟基苯甲酸丙酯、对羟基苯甲酸丁酯共7种防腐剂的方法.样品经过乙醚提取,凝胶渗透色谱净化,毛细管柱(Rxi-17,30 m×0.25 mm×0.25μm)分离后,FID检测器检测.7种化合物在10.0～400.0 mg...