Fat content in fermented milk beverages: determination by the Gerber method

Fermented milk beverage is a product containing milk, whey and/or other ingredients, fermented by specific microorganisms and/or added with fermented milks. Fat determination in this product is important to quality control and inspection. The Gerber method is used worldwide as a simple and rapid method for fat content analysis in raw and processed milks. In Brazil, Roese-Gottlieb is the official method for analysis of fat content in milk beverages. However, the use of Gerber method for fat content determination in fermented milk beverages is widespread throughout the industry in the country. Several authors have tested the use of Gerber method for some dairy products, but there is no report on this evaluation for fermented milk beverages. In this context, the objectives of this work were to determine the fat content of fermented milk beverages by the Gerber method and evaluate the performance of this test, using Roese-Gottlieb as a reference method. Thirty samples of fermented milk beverages were analyzed by both methods. The fat contents ranged from 1.25 to 2.40% by the Gerber method and from 1.24 to 2.50% by the Roese-Gottlieb method. There was no difference (p > 0.05) between the methods. The Gerber method can be used to determine the fat content of fermented milk beverages, without prejudice to the results obtained.

Are We Playing a Moral Lottery? Moral Disagreement from a Metasemantic Perspective

If someone disagrees with my moral views, or more generally if I’m in a group of n people who all disagree with each other, but I don’t have any special evidence or basis for my epistemic superiority, then it’s at best a 1-in-n chance that my views are correct. The skeptical threat from disagreement is thus a kind of moral lottery, to adapt a similar metaphor from Sharon Street. Her own genealogical debunking argument, as I discuss, relies on a premise of such disagreement among evolutionary counterparts.In this paper, I resist the threat from disagreement by showing that, on some of the most influential and most attractive theories of content determination, the premise of moral disagreement cannot serve any skeptical or revisionary purposes. I examine and criticize attempts, made by Gilbert Harman and Sharon Street, to argue from disagreement to relativism by relying on a theory of content determination that involves a principle that, within certain constraints, maximizes the attribution to us of true beliefs. And I examine and criticize Robert Williams’s attempt to show there is moral disagreement by relying on a theory of content determination that involves a principle that instead maximizes the attribution to us of rationality. My overall aim is to defend commonsense moral realism via a careful look at the theory of content and concepts.

KARAKTERISASI SIMPLISIA DAN EKSTRAK KULIT BATANG SEKILANG (Embelia borneensis Scheff.)

The Sekilang plant (Embelia borneensis Scheff.) Is one of the plants used by the Dayak community for fishing, leech repellent and as an ingredient for hair care. Empirical use of plants can be developed into products based on natural ingredients. This must be supported by research data. As a first step, the simplicia and ethanol extract of the stem bark were characterized. The research objective was to determine the specific and non-specific characteristics of the simplicia and the extracts of the bark of the sekilang. The research stage includes plant determination, collection of raw materials, manufacture of simplicia, extract preparation, organoleptic, microscopic testing, phytochemical screening, determination of water soluble extract content, determination of ethanol soluble extract content, determination of water content and determination of ash content. Microscopy test results of sekilang stem bark showed the presence of fiber fragments, stone cells, and oxalate crystals. The average water soluble content for simplicia and sekilang bark extract was 7.5% and 80%. The average ethanol soluble content for simplicia and extract was 6% and 30%. The average moisture content for the simplicia and extract was 9.5% and 12%. The mean total ash content for simplicia and extract was 5% and 8.5%. The mean acid insoluble ash content for simplicia and extract was 1% and 0.5%.

Study on the Effect of Different Extraction Methods in Four Pharmacopoeia on the Content and Structural Transformation of Ginsenoside and the Optimization of Extraction Process

Background: In recent years, ginseng products are widely used in various fields. More and more people pay attention to the extraction methods and quality evaluation of ginseng. At present, China, the United States, Europe, Japan and Korea have the quality standards and content determination methods of ginseng. However, due to the different treatment methods adopted before the determination of ginseng samples, the content limits of the index components, such as ginsenoside Rb1, Rg1 and Re are also different. There have been literature analyzed the similarities and differences of ginseng content detection methods in pharmacopoeias of different countries, but the comparison of the effects of different methods on ginsenoside content and structural transformation has not been reported.Methods: In this paper, ginsenosides in ginseng were extracted according to four national Pharmacopoeia, and analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively by UPLC-Q-Exactive-MS and HPLC-UV. Finally, a simple and feasible extraction method was optimized by response surface method. Results: Twelve kinds of ginsenosides in ginseng were quantitatively analyzed by using the methods of four national pharmacopoeia. Among them, the contents of Rg1, Re and Rd were high, and they were the highest by using unheated J/KP (Japan/Korea Pharmacopoeia) method. Ten kinds of ginsenosides were determined by heated CP (China Pharmacopoeia), USP (the United States Pharmacopoeia) and EP (European Pharmacopoeia) method, and seven kinds of ginsenosides were determined by unheated J/KP method. In the following UPLC-Q-Exactive-MS study, 34, 36, 21 and 19 ginsenosides were identified by CP, USP, EP and J/KP method, respectively. In the optimization of ginsenoside extraction process, an efficient extraction method was selected from the solvent, extraction time, solid-liquid ratio and other factors. In conclusion, through the qualitative and quantitative comparison of CP, USP and EP samples after heating, it can be seen that ginsenoside heating will increase the content of rare saponins, and the heating time is directly proportional to the content of rare saponins. Conclusion: The pretreatment method has a significant effect on the content determination of ginseng. The analysis of the preparation method and process optimization of the four Pharmacopoeia can provide important reference for the revision of ginseng standard.

Antioxidant activity, carbohydrates and protein in sorgum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) plants as a development of economic functional food materials during the COVID-19 pandemic

This study aims to determine the content of antioxidants, carbohydrates, and protein in Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) as an economically functional food ingredient during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research stages include the manufacture of sorghum seed extract, Antioxidant level testing using the DPPH test, carbohydrate content testing, and protein content determination using the Kjeldahl method, the Kjeldahl method consists of 3 stages, namely: the destruction stage, the distillation stage, and the titration stage. The results showed that Sorghum had an IC50 value of 88.8970 ppm, carbohydrate content of 71.8 g, and protein content of 9.68%. so that sorghum has the potential to develop functional food during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Development and certification of reference standards for phenolic content in biologicals, based on comparison of results obtained by GLC, HPLC, spectrophotometric, and colorimetric methods

Phenol is used as a preservative in a number of biological products. Methods that are used for quantitative determination of phenol differ a lot. Current requirements for accredited laboratories include continuous internal quality control. Reference standards with a certified content of the analyte are an effective metrological tool for ensuring such control. The aim of the study was to develop and certify reference standards for phenolic content in biological products, based on comparison of results obtained by GLC, HPLC, spectrophotometric, and colorimetric methods. Materials and methods: diluent for allergens by (candidate reference standard), 2.5 and 5 mg/mL phenol solutions, and 2.5 mg/mL 2-phenoxyethanol solution were used in the study. The experiments were performed using spectrophotometric, colorimetric, HPLC, and GLC procedures. The statistical analysis of results included calculation of the arithmetic mean, standard deviation, coefficient of variation, and analysis of variance with Student’s t-test and Fisher’s F-test. Results: the results of phenolic content determination by the spectrophotometric, colorimetric, and HPLC methods were statistically comparable. The F value obtained for equal sample sizes (n = 40) was F = 0.9343, given the critical value Fcrit = 3.96. A reference standard certified by one of these methods can be used to control the consistency of phenol determination by a relevant method. The results of phenolic content determination by the GLC method showed statistically significantly differences: F = 17.47, given Fcrit = 3.96, which demonstrated the need for certification of another reference standard. Conclusions: two reference standards were certified in the study: reference standard 42-28-449 with the certified phenolic content of 2.56‒3.32 mg/mL, to be used with the spectrophotometric, colorimetric, and HPLC methods; and reference standard 42-28-451 with the certified phenolic content of 2.92‒3.28 mg/mL, to be used with the GLC method.