Use of Microwave Maceration in Red Winemaking: Effect on Fermentation and Chemical Composition of Red Wines

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of microwave treatment of crushed grapes on the yeast population of the must and on the development of alcoholic fermentation, as well as on the extraction of different compounds from the grapes such as polysaccharides and amino acids that can affect the organoleptic quality and stability of the wine. This study demonstrated for the first time the effect of the microwave treatment of grapes on native yeast species and their diversity, producing an increase in fermentation kinetics and a decrease in the lag phase. The microwave treatment produced a positive effect on the extraction of amino acids and polysaccharides from the grapes, resulting in significantly higher amounts of the main amino acids of the must and some major volatile compounds in the treated samples. The polysaccharides most affected by the microwave treatment were the PRAGs, the main polysaccharides liberated from grapes during the maceration.     

Sargassum fusiforme Polysaccharide-Based Hydrogel Microspheres Enhance Crystal Violet Dye Adsorption Properties

In this study, a polysaccharide-based hydrogel microsphere (SFP/SA) was prepared using S. fusiforme polysaccharide (SFP) and sodium alginate (SA). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) demonstrated that SFP was effectively loaded onto the hydrogel microsphere. Texture profile analysis (TPA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) showed that, with the increase of SFP concentration, the hardness of SFP/SA decreased, while the springiness and cohesiveness of SFP/SA increased, and the thermal stability of SFP/SA improved. The equilibrium adsorption capacity of SFP/SA increased from 8.20 mg/g (without SFP) to 67.95 mg/g (SFP accounted 80%) without swelling, and from 35.05 mg/g (without SFP) to 81.98 mg/g (SFP accounted 80%) after 24 h swelling. The adsorption of crystal violet (CV) dye by SFP/SA followed pseudo-first order and pseudo-second order kinetics (both with R² > 0.99). The diffusion of intraparticle in CV dye was not the only influencing factor. Moreover, the adsorption of CV dye for SFP/SA (SFP accounted 60%) fit the Langmuir and Temkin isotherm models. SFP/SA exhibited good regenerative adsorption capacity. Its adsorption rate remained at > 97% at the 10th consecutive cycle while SFP accounted for 80%. The results showed that the addition of Sargassum fusiforme polysaccharide could increase the springiness, cohesiveness and thermal stability of the hydrogel microsphere, as well as improve the adsorption capacity of crystal violet dye.     

Development of Non-Hydrolysable Oligosaccharide Activity-Based Inactivators for Endoglycanases: A Case Study on α-1,6 Mannanases

There is a vast genomic resource for enzymes active on carbohydrates. Lagging far behind, however, are functional chemical tools for the rapid characterization of carbohydrate-active enzymes. Activity-based probes (ABPs) offer one chemical solution to these issues with ABPs based upon cyclophellitol epoxide and aziridine covalent and irreversible inhibitors representing a potent and widespread approach. Such inhibitors for enzymes active on polysaccharides are potentially limited by the requirement for several glycosidic bonds, themselves substrates for the enzyme targets. Here, it is shown that non-hydrolysable trisaccharide can be synthesized and applied even to enzymes with challenging subsite requirements. It was found that incorporation of carbasugar moieties, which was accomplished by cuprate-assisted regioselective trans-diaxial epoxide opening of carba-mannal synthesised for this purpose, yields inactivators that act as powerful activity-based inhibitors for α-1,6 endo-mannanases. 3-D structures at 1.35–1.47 Å resolutions confirm the design rationale and binding to the enzymatic nucleophile. Carbasugar oligosaccharide cyclophellitols offer a powerful new approach for the design of robust endoglycosidase inhibitors, while the synthesis procedures presented here should allow adaptation towards activity-based endoglycosidase probes as well as configurational isosteres targeting other endoglycosidase families.     

A promising methyl ester of pectic acid polysaccharide in biomedicine and pharmaceutics applications: Oxidation of methyl ester of pectic acid by alkaline hexacyanoferrate(III). A kinetic and mechanistic orientation

The oxidation of methyl ester of pectic acid (pectin) (PEC) by a hexacyanoferrate(III) ion at a constant ionic strength of 0.1 mol dm⁻³ has been investigated spectrophotometrically. The oxidation rates were found to increase with increasing the alkali concentration, indicating that the nature of reaction was base catalyzed. The agreement of [pectin] dependence of the rate constants to the Michaelis-Menten kinetics proves the formation of 1:1 intermediate complex prior to the rate-determining step. The deviation of the pseudo–first-order curves from linearity after 65-70% of reaction completion indicates the interference of some oxidation products during the reaction progression. The oxidation process was proceeding via a free-radical intervention mechanism. The activation parameters have been evaluated, and a suitable reaction mechanism is suggested and discussed.     

细茎石斛多糖的降血糖活性作用

观察细茎石斛 ( Dendrobium moniliforme ( L .) Sw .)多糖对多种模型小鼠血糖水平的影响 ,探讨其降血糖作 用机理 .采用昆明种小鼠分组 ,分别以细茎石斛多糖 (100 mg· kg - 1 、200 mg· kg - 1 )、格列苯脲片 (50 mg· kg - 1 )、盐 酸苯乙双胍 (50 mg· kg - 1 )或生理盐水灌胃 ,测定各正常小鼠、肾上腺素性糖尿病和四氧嘧啶性糖尿病小鼠的血糖 水平 .结果 100 mg · kg - 1 、200 mg · kg - 1 两个剂量的细茎石斛多糖均能显著降低肾上腺素、四氧嘧啶引起的糖尿病 小鼠的血糖水平 (p < 0. 01) ,提高四氧嘧啶性糖尿病小鼠的葡萄糖耐量 (p < 0. 01),但对正常小鼠的血糖水平无影 响 .细茎石斛多糖具有明显的降血糖作用 ,是一种值得开发利用的降糖植物多糖.     

Solution properties of exocellular polysaccharides of rhizobium leguminosarum. Static and dynamic light-scattering: Characterization in dilute solution

Three polysaccharides, Rhizobium leguminosarum 8002 EPS(I), Rhizobium trifolii TA1-EPS (II), Rhizobium leguminosarum 127K87 EPS (III), produced by bacteria of Rhizobium genus have been investigated by static and dynamic light scattering combined with chirooptical measurements. All three polymers have the same backbone but differ in the length of the side chains and in the content of minor substituents. An isothermal conformational transition coil → helix was observed with I and II by adding salt (NaCl). The molecular parameters of the polysaccharides in the ordered state were determined by light-scattering data. Increasing the ionic strength a shrinking of the helix was observed accompanied by a corresponding decrease in the radius of gyration. An extraordinary chain stiffness in terms of Kuhn segment lengths was found in both cases, similar to that already observed for other microbial polysaccharides. In the case of III no disorder → order transition was induced by the salt, and the scattering behavior corresponds to that of a rather flexible polymer with a characteristic ratio C_∞ = 24. The incapability of III to form a helical structure is attributed to the effect of the very long side chain. The analysis of the time correlation functions revealed typical flexible chain behavior for all three polysaccharides. This behavior for the two ordered polymers is in agreement with a recent theory by Maggs and is due to bending modes of the rods. ©1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Determination of the compositions of polysaccharides from Chinese herbs by capillary zone electrophoresis with amperometric detection

In this paper, capillary zone electrophoresis with amperometric detection (CZE-AD) was applied to determine the compositions of hetero-polysaccharides from Chinese herbs, Angelica sinensis and flax by analyzing their hydrolyzed monosaccharides: fucose, galactose, glucose, arabinose, rhamnose and xylose. Under the selected optimum conditions, the six monosaccharides could be perfectly separated within 25 min and showed significant current responses at copper electrodes. The linear ranges of the six monosaccharides were all from 5.0 x 10(-6) to 2.0 x 10(-4) mol L(-1) and their detection limits were lower or near 1.0 x 10(-6) mol L(-1) (S/N = 3). Experiments showed that the Angelica sinensis polysaccharide was composed of fucose, galactose, glucose, arabinose, rhamnose and xylose (mole ratio 1.0:13.6:15.0:8.7:21.3:3.7), and the flax polysaccharide was composed of galactose, glucose and arabinose (mole ratio 1.0:4.98:1.1). The purity of these polysaccharides leached by the introduced leaching method was 98.3 and 97.6%, respectively. Analyzing polysaccharides by this method has some merits of speed, simple instrumentation and operation, high sensitivity and high reproducibility.     

Previously undescribed antioxidative azocinyl morpholinone alkaloid from red seaweed Gracilaria opuntia with anti-cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase properties

In vitro antioxidative and anti-inflammatory bioassay-guided fractionation of the methanol: ethyl acetate crude extract of the thalli of red seaweed Gracilaria opuntia collected from the Gulf of Mannar led to the isolation of a new morpholine alkaloid 3-(2-ethyl-6-((3Z,7Z)-1,2,5,6-tetrahydroazocin-5-yl)hexyl) morpholin-6-one. The substituted azocinyl morpholinone recorded significant 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazil free radical scavenging activities (IC₅₀ ~ 0.086 mg/mL) compared to the commercially available antioxidants, butylated hydroxyanisole, butylated hydroxytoluene, and α-tocopherol (IC₅₀ > 0.20 mg/mL). The title compound showed greater cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitory activity (IC₅₀ 0.84 mg/mL) in conjunction with in vitro 5-lipoxidase inhibitory activity (IC₅₀ 0.85 mg/mL) than non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). The test compound had better selectivity index (COX-1/COX-2 ratio) (1.17 mg/mL) compared to aspirin (0.02 mg/mL), Na salicylate (0.73 mg/mL) and ibuprofen (0.44 mg/mL). The animals challenged with the substituted azocinyl morpholinone significantly mitigated the carrageenan-induced paw edema in time-dependent manner till the end of 6 h.     

Structure–property relationship study of the HPLC enantioselective retention of neuroprotective 7‐[(1‐alkylpiperidin‐3‐yl)methoxy]coumarin derivatives on an amylose‐based chiral stationary phase

The enantiomer separation of a number of racemic 7‐[(1‐alkylpiperidin‐3‐yl)methoxy]coumarin derivatives, some of which show outstanding in vitro multitarget neuroprotective activities, was successfully achieved on a polysaccharide‐based chiral stationary phase, bearing amylose tris(3,5‐dimethylphenylcarbamate) as a chiral selector, in normal polar mode (methanol and acetonitrile as the mobile phases). The majority of the screened selectands, especially those bearing 1‐(3‐X‐benzyl)piperidin‐3‐yl moieties, showed baseline enantiomer separations, and compound 8 (X = NO₂) was the best resolved (α = 2.01; R_S = 4.27). Linear free energy relationships, usefully complemented by molecular docking calculations, have the key role in enantioselective retention of aromatic interactions between π‐donor moieties in the chiral selector and π‐acceptor moieties in selectand, strengthened by hydrogen bond interaction between a hydrogen bond donor in the chiral selector and the hydrogen bond acceptor group(s) in the selectand. Statistically, reliable equations highlighted the importance of the substituent's size and substitution pattern (meta better than para) to affect the enantiorecognition of the title compounds. The chromatographic data support the scalability of the optimized experimental conditions for preparative purposes.