Characteristics of Soy Protein Prepared Using an Aqueous Ethanol Washing Process

Currently, the predominant process for soy protein concentrate (SPC) production is aqueous ethanol washing of hexane-extracted soy meal. However, the use of hexane is less desired, which explains the increased interest in cold pressing for oil removal. In this study, cold-pressed soy meal was used as the starting material, and a range of water/ethanol ratios was applied for the washing process to produce SPCs. Washing enriched the protein content for the SPCs, regardless of the solvent used. However, we conclude that washing with water (0% ethanol) or solvents with a high water/ethanol ratio (60% and above) can be more advantageous. Washing with a high water/ethanol ratio resulted in the highest yield, and SPCs with the highest protein solubility and water holding capacity. The water-only washed SPC showed the highest viscosity, and formed gels with the highest gel strength and hardness among all the SPCs at a similar protein concentration. The variations in the functionality among the SPCs were attributed to protein changes, although the effects of non-protein constituents such as sugar and oil might also be important. Overall, the aqueous ethanol washing process combined with cold-pressed soy meal created SPCs comparable to commercial SPC in terms of composition, but with varied functionalities that are relevant for novel soy-food developments.

Screening of miRNAs in plasma as a diagnostic biomarker for cardiac disease based on optimization of extraction and qRT-PCR condition assay through amplification efficiency

Background Although quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) is a common and sensitive method for miRNAs analysis, it is necessary to optimize conditions and minimize qRT-PCR inhibitors to achieve reliable results. The aim of this study was to minimize interference by contaminants in qRT-PCR, maximize product yields for miRNA analyses, and optimize PCR conditions for the reliable screening of miRNAs in plasma. Methods The annealing temperature was first optimized by assessing amplification efficiencies. The effects of extraction conditions on levels of inhibitors that interfere with PCR were evaluated. The tested extraction conditions were the volume of the upper layer taken, number of chloroform extractions, and the inclusion of ethanol washing, a process that reduces PCR interference during RNA extraction using TRIzol. Results An acceptable amplification efficiency of RT-qPCR was achieved by the optimization of the annealing temperature of the tested miRNAs and by the collection a supernatant volume corresponding to about 50% of the volume of TRIzol with triple chloroform extraction. These optimal extraction and PCR conditions were successfully applied to plasma miRNA screening to detect biomarker candidates for the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction. Conclusion This is the first study to optimize extraction and qRT-PCR conditions, while improving miRNA yields and minimizing the loss of extracted miRNA by evaluations of the amplification efficiency.

Synthesis and Anti-Inflammatory Activity of 1-(2,5-Dihydroxyphenyl)-3-Pyridine-2-Yl-Propenone (AEW-1) Compound

Chalcone compounds and some n-hydroxychalcone compounds exhibit anti-inflammatory activity. Chalcone derivatives 1-(2,5-dihydroxyphenyl)-(3-pyridine-2-il)-propenone showed a stronger bond to the COX-2 enzyme than 1-(2,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-3-pyridine-2-il-prophenone, 2′,5′-dihydroxychalcone, 4-chloro-2′, 4′-dihydroxichalcone, and several NSAIDs when they were tested for molecular docking computing using MOE software. It shows that compounds 1-(2,5-dihydroxyphenyl)-(3-pyridine-2-il)-prophenone. Computationally have better anti-inflammatory activity. Synthesis of compounds was by reacting 2,5-dihydroxyacetophenone and pyridincarbaldehyde (without solvent, K2CO3 catalyst) under microwave radiation (radiation strength of P6 / equivalent to 41oC) within 4 minutes. The purification used ethanol washing: aquadest (10:90) and ethanol recrystallization. The structure of the synthesized compound was determined by mass spectroscopy, ultraviolet and visible (UV-Vis), infrared (IR), 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, DEPT, and 2-dimensional NMR spectroscopy (HMQC, COSY, and HMBC). Anti-inflammatory activity test used rat foot edema method, which was induced by carrageenan. The structural elucidation showed that the compound synthesized was 1-(2,5-dihydroxyphenyl)-(3-pyridine-2-il)-propenone. The compound has a red color, a melting point of 190oC, and a purity of 94% by liquid chromatography. The compound had % DAI (Percentage of Anti-Inflammatory Power) of 50.05 ± 16,244 which was not significantly different from % DAI of ibuprofen (57.22 ± 20.134) (p> 0.05).

Bioconversion process of source-separated organic waste for ethanol production

Production of biofuel such as ethanol from lignocellulosic biomass is a beneficial way to meet sustainability, energy security, and environmental goals. Lignocellulosic biomass such as source-separated organic (SSO) waste is particularly attractive since it is widely available, often at a negative cost, reduce the land depletion from using food-based biomass for ethanol production and reduce the amount of generated waste. Therefore, in order to meet the future fuel demands and cope with increasing volume of municipal waste this study was a first attempt to use SSO as a feedstock for ethanol production. The main objectives of the study were: a) to compare standard and modified celluloseorganic- solvent-based lignocellulosic fractionation (COSLIF) pretreatment of SSO waste for ethanol production in terms of enzyme savings, sugar formation and ethanol yields; b) to produce ethanol from SSO by using modified COSLIF pretreatment and fermentation with two different recombinant strains: Z. mobilis 8b and S. cerevisiae DA2416; and c) to develop experimental kinetic model capable of predicting behavior of batch SSCF on SSO waste with different SSO substrate concentrations using Berkeley Madonna program. Based on the obtained results, it was found that SSO is an excellent feedstock material for ethanol conversion. The efficiency of modified COSLIF pretreatment was improved by 20% compared to standard method using ethanol washing of pretreated SSO samples during the experimental procedures instead of acetone. On average, glucose yield from SSO samples pretreated by modified COSLIF was about 90% compared to 10% for untreated samples. S. cerevisiae DA2416 outperformed Z. mobilis 8b on ethanol yields during the fermentation process, with 0.50 g ethanol/g potential sugar fed on SSO in less than 5 days, with a 96% cellulose conversion, totalling in 150 g/L ethanol produced. A kinetic model with newly integrated values of experimentally defined SSO feedstock constants was proven to predict the ethanol yield accurately with substrate concentration ranges of 20 g/L - 50 g/L. Model prediction at higher substrate concentration (e.g. 100 g/L) deviated from the experimental values, suggesting that ethanol inhibition is a major factor in bioethanol conversion.

Bioconversion process of source-separated organic waste for ethanol production

Production of biofuel such as ethanol from lignocellulosic biomass is a beneficial way to meet sustainability, energy security, and environmental goals. Lignocellulosic biomass such as source-separated organic (SSO) waste is particularly attractive since it is widely available, often at a negative cost, reduce the land depletion from using food-based biomass for ethanol production and reduce the amount of generated waste. Therefore, in order to meet the future fuel demands and cope with increasing volume of municipal waste this study was a first attempt to use SSO as a feedstock for ethanol production. The main objectives of the study were: a) to compare standard and modified celluloseorganic- solvent-based lignocellulosic fractionation (COSLIF) pretreatment of SSO waste for ethanol production in terms of enzyme savings, sugar formation and ethanol yields; b) to produce ethanol from SSO by using modified COSLIF pretreatment and fermentation with two different recombinant strains: Z. mobilis 8b and S. cerevisiae DA2416; and c) to develop experimental kinetic model capable of predicting behavior of batch SSCF on SSO waste with different SSO substrate concentrations using Berkeley Madonna program. Based on the obtained results, it was found that SSO is an excellent feedstock material for ethanol conversion. The efficiency of modified COSLIF pretreatment was improved by 20% compared to standard method using ethanol washing of pretreated SSO samples during the experimental procedures instead of acetone. On average, glucose yield from SSO samples pretreated by modified COSLIF was about 90% compared to 10% for untreated samples. S. cerevisiae DA2416 outperformed Z. mobilis 8b on ethanol yields during the fermentation process, with 0.50 g ethanol/g potential sugar fed on SSO in less than 5 days, with a 96% cellulose conversion, totalling in 150 g/L ethanol produced. A kinetic model with newly integrated values of experimentally defined SSO feedstock constants was proven to predict the ethanol yield accurately with substrate concentration ranges of 20 g/L - 50 g/L. Model prediction at higher substrate concentration (e.g. 100 g/L) deviated from the experimental values, suggesting that ethanol inhibition is a major factor in bioethanol conversion.

The Effect of Different Cleaning Methods on Needles for Assessing the Atmospheric Heavy Metal Retention Capacity of Three Coniferous Trees

Urban air pollution has received increasing attention in recent years. To investigate the interaction between several heavy metal elements and the degree of atmospheric pollution, the leaves of three evergreen tree species—Chinese juniper (Juniperus chinensis L.), dragon juniper (Juniperus chinensis L. ‘Kaizuca’), and cedar (Cedrus deodara (Roxb. ex D.Don) G.Don)—were collected from main road intersections in the urban area of Tianjin, China. Two different treatments—water washing (WW) and ethanol washing (EW)—were used, and the contents of Cu, Mn, Cd, and Zn were measured in both washed and unwashed (UW) leaves. It was found that the heavy metal contents within Chinese juniper and dragon juniper were ranked as Mn > Zn > Cu > Cd, and the metal accumulation index (MAI) value was higher for dragon juniper. For the three plants, water washed off 5.36% to 58.58% of the total heavy metals in the needles, while ethanol washed off 16.08% to 71.60% of the total. Both washes were more effective for Cu, Zn, and Cd, and especially for the element Cd. Ethanol could clean off 38.64% to 71.60% of the total Cd from the leaves. Ethanol had a better elution effect compared to water, and the trend of the Cd content in the leaves of the three plants showed a change after the use of different washing methods, which suggests that the water washing may have masked the real difference.

Pollutant Absorption as a Possible End-Of-Life Solution for Polyphenolic Polymers

Tannin- and lignin-furanic foams are natural porous materials that have attracted high interest in the scientific and industrial communities for their high thermal and fire-resistant properties. However, no interesting solutions have been proposed for the management of their end-life as yet. In this study, the phenolic-furanic powders derived from the foams were analyzed for their capacity to remove different pollutants like neutral, cationic, and anionic organic molecules from wastewater. It was observed that the macromolecules produced from initially bigger fractions were more suitable to remove methylene blue and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) while contained absorptions were observed for riboflavin. Acidified tannin powders were also prepared to understand the role of the flavonoid in the absorption mechanism. The latter showed outstanding absorption capacity against all of the tested pollutants, highlighting the key-role of the flavonoid fraction and suggesting the limited contribution of the furanic part. All adsorbents were investigated through FT-IR and solid state 13C-NMR. Finally, the powders were successfully regenerated by simple ethanol washing, showing almost complete absorption recovery.

Application of Metal-Organic Frameworks for Purification of Colored Waste Water of Food Industry

Aluminum-, iron- and titanium-containing metal-organic frameworks based on terephthalic acid was prepared and was characterized using BET, XRD, TGA and FT-IR techniques. Sorption of food dyes Indigo carmine, Tartrazine and Ponceau 4R with synthesized metal-organic frameworks was investigated in wide range of pH. It was established that the sorption of all dyes is better in acid media. It is found that the used metal-organic frameworks can be easily recycled at least five times, via ethanol washing. Metal-organic frameworks can be used as effective and easy regenerable sorbents for wastewater treatment from organic dyes of food industry.