Experimental design approach for petrochemical waste water treatment using solar assisted photo Fenton process

In this study, the effect of photo-Fenton process on the treatment of petrochemical waste water treatment was investigated. The influence of process conditions were determined by factorial design. Optimization of the process conditions were performed by central composite design. Under, optimized conditions lab scale and solar assisted pilot scale of petrochemical waste water treatment was performed. Three factors namely initial pH, H₂O₂ concentration (mM) and Fe²⁺ concentration (mM) executed the essential role in petrochemical waste water treatment. Central composite design resulted in the prediction of optimized value as 6.5 initial pH, 15.65 mM of H₂O₂ concentration and 2.09 mM of Fe²⁺ concentration. Under these conditions, the reduction in chemical oxygen demand (COD) percentage reached about 68.67 ± 2.8% after 280 min in pilot scale of solar assisted photo Fenton process of petrochemical waste water treatment. Thus, experimental design combined with advanced Fenton process can become a feasible unconventional method for petrochemical waste water treatment.     

Food metabolomics: Latest hardware—developments for nontargeted food authenticity and food safety testing

The analytical requirements for food testing have increased significantly in recent years. On the one hand, because food fraud is becoming an ever-greater challenge worldwide, and on the other hand because food safety is often difficult to monitor due to the far-reaching trade chains. In addition, the expectations of consumers on the quality of food have increased, and they are demanding extensive information. Cutting-edge analytical methods are required to meet these demands. In this context, non-targeted metabolomics strategies using mass and nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers (mass spectrometry [MS]) have proven to be very suitable. MS-based approaches are of particular importance as they provide a comparatively high analytical coverage of the metabolome. Accordingly, the efficiency to address even challenging issues is high. A variety of hardware developments, which are explained in this review, have contributed to these advances. In addition, the potential of future developments is highlighted, some of which are currently not yet commercially available or only used to a comparatively small extent but are expected to gain in importance in the coming years.     

In situ 13C solid-state polarization transfer NMR to follow starch transformations in food

Convenience food products tend to alter their quality and texture while stored. Texture-giving food components are often starch-rich ingredients, such as pasta or rice. Starch transforms depending on time, temperature and water content, which alters the properties of products. Monitoring these transformations, which are associated with a change in mobility of the starch chain segments, could optimize the quality of food products containing multiple ingredients. In order to do so, we applied a simple and efficient in situ ¹³C solid-state magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR approach, based on two different polarization transfer schemes, cross polarization (CP) and insensitive nuclei enhanced by polarization transfer (INEPT). The efficiency of the CP and INEPT transfer depends strongly on the mobility of chain segments—the time scale of reorientation of the CH-bond and the order parameter. Rigid crystalline or amorphous starch chains give rise to CP peaks, whereas mobile gelatinized starch chains appear as INEPT peaks. Comparing ¹³C solid-state MAS NMR experiments based on CP and INEPT allows insight into the progress of gelatinization, and other starch transformations, by reporting on both rigid and mobile starch chains simultaneously with atomic resolution by the ¹³C chemical shift. In conjunction with ¹H solid-state MAS NMR, complementary information about other food components present at low concentration, such as lipids and protein, can be obtained. We demonstrate our approach on starch-based products and commercial pasta as a function of temperature and storage.     

高效液相色谱-四极杆-飞行时间质谱快速筛查鉴别食品中非法添加的62种中药材北大核心CSCD

建立了高效液相色谱-四极杆-飞行时间质谱快速筛查鉴别食品中非法添加的62种中药材的方法。依据卫生部关于进一步规范保健食品原料管理的通知(卫法监发[2002]51号)中可用于保健食品的物品名单,确定食品中可能非法添加的62种中药材原料清单,再从62种中药材中筛选其特征组分,获得不同中药材对应的特征组分清单。62种对照药材经甲醇超声提取后,于Thermo Accucore aQ色谱柱(150 mm×2.1 mm,2.6μm)上分离,在电喷雾正负离子扫描模式下,分别以0.1%(v/v)甲酸水溶液-乙腈和水-乙腈为流动相梯度洗脱,进行一级质谱和二级质谱全扫描检测,采用Library View软件建立不同中药材对应的特征组分的一级精确质量数据库和二级碎片质谱库。样品同法处理后上样分析,采用Peak View软件将样品高分辨数据与自建数据库中的质谱图、精确分子离子质量数、碎片离子质量数、保留时间等相关参数进行快速筛查鉴别分析。该工作通过建立“中药材-特征组分”对应清单,构建了食品中易非法添加的62种中药材中共388种特征组分的高分辨质谱库,每种中药材包括5~10种特征组分,通过对实际食品样品配制酒、代用茶及饮料进行筛查分析,1批次配制酒样品与淫羊藿中药材的7种特征组分匹配一致,推断该配制酒样品中加入了淫羊藿中药材。该法可实现无标准品情况下中药材的定性筛查,具有高通量、准确、简便、快捷的特点,解决了食品中非法添加中药材难以识别和确证的难题,可以实现食品中非法添加中药材的快速筛查鉴别分析。     

Development of the Self-doping Porous Carbon and Its Application in Supercapacitor Electrode

The massive discharge of biomass wastes not only causes waste of resources, but also pollutes the environment. Therefore, converting biomass wastes into carbon materials is an effective way to solve the above problems. Here, using biomass waste pig nails as raw materials and K₂CO₃ as chemical activators, the N-doped porous carbon(KPNC) is prepared by direct pyrolysis. As an electrode for supercapacitors, the electrochemical tests of KPNCs showed that they exhibited good electrochemical performance and excellent cycling stability. When the current density is 0.2 A/g, the specific capacitance is up to 344.6 F/g. Moreover, it still maintains 97.6% initial capacitance retention after 2000 cycles at a high current density of 5 A/g. Above exceptional electrochemical performances may be ascribed to an appropriate porous structure(S_micro/S_total=80.31%, V_micro/V_total=76.19%), high nitrogen contents(4.44%, atomic fraction), oxygen contents(9.13%, atomic fraction) as well as small internal resistance. The above experimental results show that the conversion of pig nails to porous carbon can reduce the waste of resources and alleviate environmental pollution.     

Preparation of Catechin Nanoemulsion from Oolong Tea Leaf Waste and Its Inhibition of Prostate Cancer Cells DU-145 and Tumors in Mice

Anti-cancer activity of catechin nanoemulsions prepared from Oolong tea leaf waste was studied on prostate cancer cells DU-145 and DU-145-induced tumors in mice. Catechin nanoemulsions composed of lecithin, Tween-80 and water in an appropriate proportion was prepared with high stability, particle size of 11.3 nm, zeta potential of −67.2 mV and encapsulation efficiency of 83.4%. Catechin nanoemulsions were more effective than extracts in inhibiting DU-145 cell growth, with the IC₅₀ being 13.52 and 214.6 μg/mL, respectively, after 48 h incubation. Furthermore, both catechin nanoemulsions and extracts could raise caspase-8, caspase-9 and caspase-3 activities for DU-145 cell apoptosis, arresting the cell cycle at S and G2/M phases. Compared to control, catechin nanoemulsion at 20 μg/mL and paclitaxel at 10 μg/mL were the most effective in reducing tumor volume by 41.3% and 52.5% and tumor weight by 77.5% and 90.6% in mice, respectively, through a decrease in EGF and VEGF levels in serum.     

Electrochemical Peptide-Based Sensors for Foodborne Pathogens Detection

Food safety and quality control pose serious issues to food industry and public health domains, in general, with direct effects on consumers. Any physical, chemical, or biological unexpected or unidentified food constituent may exhibit harmful effects on people and animals from mild to severe reactions. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), unsafe foodstuffs are especially dangerous for infants, young children, elderly, and chronic patients. It is imperative to continuously develop new technologies to detect foodborne pathogens and contaminants in order to aid the strengthening of healthcare and economic systems. In recent years, peptide-based sensors gained much attention in the field of food research as an alternative to immuno-, apta-, or DNA-based sensors. This review presents an overview of the electrochemical biosensors using peptides as molecular bio-recognition elements published mainly in the last decade, highlighting their possible application for rapid, non-destructive, and in situ analysis of food samples. Comparison with peptide-based optical and piezoelectrical sensors in terms of analytical performance is presented. Methods of foodstuffs pretreatment are also discussed.     

Effect of Botanical Extracts on the Growth and Nutritional Quality of Field-Grown White Head Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata)

Nutraceuticals and functional foods are gaining more attention amongst consumers interested in nutritious food. The consumption of foodstuffs with a high content of phytochemicals has been proven to provide various health benefits. The application of biostimulants is a potential strategy to fortify cultivated plants with beneficial bioactive compounds. Nevertheless, it has not yet been established whether the proposed higher plants (St. John’s wort, giant goldenrod, common dandelion, red clover, nettle, and valerian) are appropriate for the production of potential bio-products enhancing the nutritional value of white cabbage. Therefore, this research examines the impact of botanical extracts on the growth and nutritional quality of cabbage grown under field conditions. Two extraction methods were used for the production of water-based bio-products, namely: ultrasound-assisted extraction and mechanical homogenisation. Bio-products were applied as foliar sprays to evaluate their impact on total yield, dry weight, photosynthetic pigments, polyphenols, antioxidant activity, vitamin C, nitrates, micro- and macroelements, volatile compounds, fatty acids, sterols, and sugars. Botanical extracts showed different effects on the examined parameters. The best results in terms of physiological and biochemical properties of cabbage were obtained for extracts from common dandelion, valerian, nettle, and giant goldenrod. When enriched with nutrients, vegetables can constitute a valuable component of functional food.     

Valorization of Apple Peels through the Study of the Effects on the Amyloid Aggregation Process of κ-Casein

Waste valorization represents one of the main social challenges when promoting a circular economy and environmental sustainability. Here, we evaluated the effect of the polyphenols extracted from apple peels, normally disposed of as waste, on the amyloid aggregation process of κ-casein from bovine milk, a well-used amyloidogenic model system. The effect of the apple peel extract on protein aggregation was examined using a thioflavin T fluorescence assay, Congo red binding assay, circular dichroism, light scattering, and atomic force microscopy. We found that the phenolic extract from the peel of apples of the cultivar “Fuji”, cultivated in Sicily (Caltavuturo, Italy), inhibited κ-casein fibril formation in a dose-dependent way. In particular, we found that the extract significantly reduced the protein aggregation rate and inhibited the secondary structure reorganization that accompanies κ-casein amyloid formation. Protein-aggregated species resulting from the incubation of κ-casein in the presence of polyphenols under amyloid aggregation conditions were reduced in number and different in morphology.     

Pomegranate By-Products as Natural Preservative to Prolong the Shelf Life of Breaded Cod Stick

This work evaluated the efficacy of pomegranate byproducts, specifically peel powder, as valid preservatives for food quality. Ready-to-cook cod sticks breaded with pomegranate peel powder were prepared. Shelf-life tests were conducted on breaded cod sticks during refrigerated storage (17 days) at 4 °C, monitoring the pH, microbiological and sensory quality. In addition, the nutritional quality of both the breaded and control samples was assessed. The results highlighted that active samples showed higher phenol and flavonoid content and higher antioxidant activity compared to the control fish, suggesting that pomegranate peel powder was responsible for a significant increase in cod stick nutritional quality. Furthermore, the cod stick active breading led to a delay in microbial growth without affecting the sensory properties; rather, it helped slow down the sensory attribute decline during the refrigerated storage. The data suggest that using pomegranate byproducts in breaded cod stick was effective in prolonging its shelf life, as well as improving its nutritional quality. Therefore, pomegranate peel powder can be considered as a potential resource as natural food preservative.