Comparisons of Chemical Profiles and Gastroprotective Effects of Citri Sarcodactylis Fructus Pre- and Poststeam Processing

Background. Citri Sarcodactylis Fructus (CSF) is widely used as folk medicine in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The dried and steam-processed CSF (SCSF) has been employed for harmonizing the stomach over thousands of years under the guidelines of TCM theory. However, little is known about the differences in chemical compositions between CSF and SCSF. Moreover, the gastroprotective effects of CSF and SCSF on ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injuries in rats have yet to be investigated. Consequently, the present study aimed to investigate the chemical differences and gastroprotective effects of CSF and SCSF, providing some experimental framework for the development of CSF and SCSF. Methods. The chemical compositions of CSF and SCSF extracts were determined using an ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS), and their gastroprotective effects of different doses were assessed in rats with ethanol-induced gastric injuries on the levels of oxidative stress and inflammatory cytokines. Results. A total of 42 components were identified in CSF and SCSF, and most of them were flavonoids, limonoids, coumarins, and glycosides. There were no differences in the compositions between CSF and SCSF, but the relative contents of the components were different. Among them, nine screened compounds were considered as potential discriminating markers responsible for the differences between CSF and SCSF. Besides, pretreatments with CSF and SCSF markedly improved the gastric mucosal injuries in rats for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. And SCSF exhibited a better gastroprotective effect than CSF. Conclusion. The compositions of CSF were unchanged after steam-processing, while the relative contents of their components were changed. These changes may be the major reasons for the differentiation of their efficacies. In addition, CSF and SCSF could alleviate ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injury through the enhancement of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. SCSF exhibited a better gastroprotective effect than CSF, which emphasized the necessity of steam processing.

Effects of superheated steam processing on common buckwheat grains: Lipase inactivation and its association with lipidomics profile during storage

Background: Buckwheat deteriorates easily during storage, resulting loss of nutrients, rancidity flavor and poor consumer acceptability. Superheated steam (SS) was used to inactivate lipase of common buckwheat grains in this study, in order to retard lipid hydrolytic rancidity and maintain lipid nutrition of common buckwheat.Methods: Buckwheat grains were treated with SS at 110-200°C, for 0-7 min and SS treatment parameters were optimized by moisture content and lipase activity. The changes in free fatty acid (FFA) and lipase activity of SS-treated and untreated buckwheat during 12 weeks storage at 4°C, 25°C and 50°C were determined. Meanwhile, the effects of SS treatment on fatty acid compositions and lipidomics profile of buckwheat before and after storage were also evaluated. Moreover, the associations of hydrolytic rancidity with lipase activity and lipidomics profile were analyzed.Results: SS processing at 170 °C for 5 min was proved to be an effective method for buckwheat stabilization. Better stabilities based on lower FFA accumulation and lipase activity were observed in SS-treated buckwheat samples during storage. Meanwhile, SS could suppress oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) in buckwheat, significantly retard the increase of saturated fatty acids (SFA) and the decrease of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) during storage. Moreover, the lipidomics profile results indicated that SS processing could retard the increased hydrolysis and oxidation of sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerol (SQDG), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylserine (PS) and lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) during storage.Conclusion: Thus, SS processing could effectively inactivate lipase, suppress UFA oxidation, change glycerolipids (GLs) and glycerophospholipids (GPs) subclass metabolism, and consequently retard hydrolytic rancidity and lipid nutrition loss of buckwheat during storage. This work was first time to demonstrate the application of SS processing for the effective quality control of buckwheat during storage.

Substantiation of basic stages of gluten-free steamed bread production and its influence on quality of finished product

Development and introduction of high quality gluten-free products is one of the priorities of food industry. Feasibility of producing gluten-free steamed bread based on rice and corn flour using flaxseed, sunflower, sorghum and quinoa flour additives is proved in the article. Recommended ratios of flours are established: Frc:Ffs 95:5, Frc:Fsn 95:5, Fcn:Fqn 85:15, Fcn:Fsg 90:10. The parameters of dough kneading are studied and the influence of additives on relative elasticity, plasticity and resilience is established. Use of additives leads to a decrease in irreversible relative deformation of dough for 36 – 68% and relative plasticity for 16 – 18%, to increase of its elasticity relative resilience up to 2.3 times. Dough fermentation process is investigated. It is established that amount of carbon dioxide accumulated in gluten-free dough increases by 10 – 30%. Process of acid accumulation during fermentation is studied. A flow chart for the production of gluten-free steamed bread is proposed. The parameters for the production of gluten-free steamed bread were established and justified. Product is prepared in a single-phase method, adopted in practice of baking bread. The duration of dough mixing is 10 – 15 min, fermentation 20 – 35 min. Steam treatment is carried out under atmospheric pressure. Recommended steam processing time is 35 min for bread based on rice flour, 30 min for based on corn flour. In comparison with the traditional technological scheme, it is recommended to use a double boiler instead of an oven.

Simultaneous Identification and Dynamic Analysis of Saccharides during Steam Processing of Rhizomes of Polygonatum cyrtonema by HPLC–QTOF–MS/MS

The sweet rhizomes of Polygonatum cyrtonema are widely used as a tonic and functional food. A sensitive and rapid analytical method was developed for simultaneous identification and dynamic analysis of saccharides during steam processing in P. cyrtonema using HPLC–QTOF–MS/MS. Fructose, sorbitol, glucose, galactose, sucrose, and 1-kestose were identified, as well as a large number of oligosaccharides constituted of fructose units through β-(2→1) or β-(2→6). Polysaccharides and oligosaccharides were decomposed to monosaccharides during a steaming process, since the contents of glucose, galactose, and fructose were increased, while those of sucrose, 1-kestose, and polysaccharides were decreased. The high content of fructose was revealed to be the main determinant for increasing the level of sweetness after steaming. The samples of different repeated steaming times were shown to be well grouped and gradually shift along the PC1 (72.4%) axis by principal component analysis. The small-molecule saccharides, especially fructose, could be considered as markers for the steaming process of rhizomes of P. cyrtonema.