Survey of Phenolic Acids,Flavonoids and In Vitro Antioxidant Potency Between Fig Peels and Pulps: Chemical and Chemometric Approach

In the present study, chromatic coordinates, phenolic acids, flavonoids and antioxidant capacity assessed by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate (ABTS) and lipid peroxidation inhibition capacity (LPIC) essays and their relative IC50 were investigated in 25 fig cultivars growing in Morocco. The aims of this study were to determine (i) the variation in these compounds among light and dark-colored cultivars, (ii) their partitioning between fruit peel and pulp and (iii) to display network connections among these variables. Twelve phenolic compounds (PCs) were isolated in peel extract versus eight in pulp samples. Anthocyanins, mainly cyanidin-3,5-diglucoside and cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside, were the predominant compounds in peels, where the mean concentrations were 75.90 ± 18.76 and 77.97 ± 18.95 µg/g dw, respectively. On the other hand, (−)-epicatechin and cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside were the major compounds in the pulp extracts, where the mean values were 5.23 ± 4.03 and 9.01 ± 5.67 µg/g dw, respectively. A two-dimensional hierarchically clustered heatmap was applied to the dataset to explore correlations in the dataset and similarities between cultivars, without dimensionality reduction. Results showed that anthocyanins, particularly pelargonidin-3-O-rutinoside, cyanidin-3,5-diglucoside and cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside, were the main contributors to the peels’ free radical scavenging capacity. This capacity was particularly higher in the peel of dark-colored figs compared to the fruit pulp. The local cultivar “INRA 1301” showed the most promising phenolic profile due to its very high levels of almost all detected PCs, especially (−)-epicatechin, quercetin-3-O-rutinoside, quercetin-3-O-glucoside, cyanidine-3,5-diglucoside, cyanidine-3-O-rutinoside and pelargonidin-3-O-rutinoside (54.66, 141.08, 35.48, 494.08, 478.66, 12.56 µg/g dw, respectively). Having the darkest figs in the collection (L* = 25.72, c* = 22.09 and h° = 20.99), this cultivar has also combined promising IC50 values, which were of 19.85, 40.58 and 124.78 µg/mL for DPPH, ABTS and LPIC essays, respectively.     

Messung der Oberfl?chenspannung nach der Methode des maximalen Blasendruckes unter Verwendung eines Druckme?wertangebers (Transducer)

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Messung der Oberflächenspannung nach der Methode des maximalen Blasendruckes unter Verwendung eines Druckmeßwertangebers (Transducer)

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

A new accurate calorimetric method for the enthalpy of fusion measurements up to 1000 °C

A new metrological approach is proposed by the Laboratoire National de Metrologie et d’Essais to lower the uncertainty of measurements of enthalpy of fusion from 23 to 1000 °C. It consists, as in our previous works, in putting the studied sample inside a calibration crucible and in performing the heat calibration of the calorimeter by electrical substitution at two temperatures before and after the temperature of fusion of the sample during the same low-rate heating run. The novelty lies in the “electrical compensation” of the endothermic reaction of fusion. The quantification of the electrical energy needed to melt the sample, which can be measured with high accuracy, and the integrated remaining heat flow rate divided by the calibration factor (sensitivity) of the calorimeter at the temperature of fusion, leads to the determination of the enthalpy of fusion of the sample with low uncertainty. This methodology reduces the influence of the uncertainty component associated with the area of the peak of fusion by comparison with the former procedure when no electrical compensation was applied. The relative expanded uncertainty (k = 2) associated with the enthalpy of fusion measurements, performed using this facility and this new procedure, has been assessed to be < 0.2% for tin and indium and to be about 0.3% in the case of silver.

     

Determination of trace elements in Syrian medicinal plants and their infusions by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence and total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometry

X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and total-reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) techniques suited well for a multi-element determination of K, Ca, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Rb, and Sr in some Syrian medicinal plant species. The accuracy and the precision of both techniques were verified by analyzing the Standard Reference Materials (SRM) peach-1547 and apple leaves-1515. A good agreement between the measured concentrations of the previously mentioned elements and the certified values were obtained with errors less than 10.7% for TXRF and 15.8% for XRF. The determination of Br was acceptable only by XRF with an error less than 24%. Furthermore, the XRF method showed a very good applicability for the determination of K, Ca, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Rb, Sr, and Br in infusions of different Syrian medicinal plant species, namely anise (Anisum vulgare), licorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra), and white wormwood (Artemisia herba-alba).     

Dependence of the magnetization on the interface morphology in ultra-thin magnetic/non-magnetic films: Monte Carlo approach

Using Monte Carlo simulations, we have studied the dependence of magnetic properties on interface morphology in magnetic/non-magnetic (M/NM) multilayers. Our aim is to relate macroscopic magnetic properties of the multilayers to their concentration profile at the interface. Our model consists of an alternate staking of magnetic and non-magnetic layers with disordered interfaces. We have considered different concentration and the existence of local magnetic domains at the interface. The results indicate the crucial dependence of magnetization amplitude with interface multilayers atomic composition and the spatial arrangement of magnetic atoms. In particular, we show that isolated islands at the interface leads to the apparition of super-paramagnetic behavior.