Heat Triggered Release Behavior of Eugenol from Tobacco Leaf

Fragrance is a commonly used substance in a number of commercial products, and fine control over the release behavior of the fragrance is essential for its successful application. Understanding the release behavior of the fragrance is the key to realizing the control of its release. Herein, we use tobacco leaf as the model substrate and investigate the mechanism of eugenol release from tobacco leaf. Our results show that interaction between eugenol and tobacco leaf is weak physical adsorption, and the eugenol release from tobacco leaf substrate is a temperature-dependent process. Further analysis on the release behavior reveals that eugenol release is closely associated with the morphology change of tobacco leaves under heating conditions. Our results provide insight into the release mechanism of fragrance from polymer substrate and may be useful for the future design of fragrance release systems.

Analysis of Floral Fragrance Compounds of Chimonanthus praecox with Different Floral Colors in Yunnan, China

In order to better understand the floral fragrance compounds of Chimonanthus praecox belonging to genus Chimonanthus of Chimonanaceae in Yunnan, headspace solid-phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to analyze these compounds from four C. praecox plants with different floral colors. Thirty-one types of floral fragrance compounds were identified, among which terpenes, alcohols, esters, phenols, and heterocyclic compounds were the main compounds. Interestingly, the floral fragrance compounds identified in the flowers of C. praecox var. concolor included benzyl acetate, α-ocimene, eugenol, indole, and benzyl alcohol. By contrast, the floral fragrance compounds β-ocimene, α-ocimene, and trans-β-ocimene were detected in C. praecox var. patens. Cluster analysis showed that C. praecox var. concolor H1, H2, and C. praecox var. patens H4 were clustered in one group, but C. praecox var. patens H3 was individually clustered in the other group. Additionally, principal component analysis showed that α-ocimene, benzyl alcohol, benzyl acetate, cinnamyl acetate, eugenol, and indole were the main floral fragrance compounds that could distinguish the four C. praecox with different floral colors in Yunnan. This study provides a theoretical basis for further elucidating the mechanism and pathway of the floral fragrance release of C. praecox.

DURABLE MULTIFUNCTIONAL FINISHING OF COTTON USING -CYCLODEXTRIN-GRAFTED CHITOSAN AND LEMONGRASS(CYMBOPOGON CITRATUS) OIL

Multifunctional finishing of textiles enhances the value of products by adding desired biological and functional properties. The purpose of this study was to extract essential oil from lemongrass and apply the extracted oil to traditional cotton fabric as finishing. Lemongrass oleoresin was obtained by extracting fresh blades of lemongrass for 16 h using a Soxhlet extractor, employing n-hexane as solvent, by the AATCC Method 30-25. The pad-dry technique was applied to impart fragrance to cotton fabric by using a finishing formulation containing lemongrass oil and β-cyclodextrin-grafted chitosan. The ester bond formation between β-cyclodextrin-grafted chitosan and cellulose was confirmed by FTIR spectroscopy (FTIR). After finishing, the fragrance release rate was evaluated by UV-visible spectroscopy. The fragrance release rate of the finished fabric was found to be durable up to 18 washing cycles and the fabric presented excellent antibacterial property and antioxidant activity. Standard test methods were used to evaluate the physical properties of the treated fabric.

Cloning and Functional Assessments of Floral-Expressed SWEET Transporter Genes from Jasminum sambac

Sugar transporters of the SWEET family mediate cross membrane movement of mono- and disaccharides and play vital roles in diverse physiological and pathophysiological processes, including sink–source relationship, pathogen responses, reproductive growth, and development. However, it remains to be determined how these transporters function in non-module plants of agricultural significance, given the evolutionarily diverse traits. In this study, we combined transcriptome analysis, rapid amplification of cDNA ends-cloning (RACE-cloning), expression profiling, and heterologous functional assay to identify SWEET genes that may have potential roles during flower opening and sexual reproduction in Jasminum sambac . During the anthesis, the floral organs of J. sambac express seven SWEET homologous genes from all four clades of the family. JsSWEET9 and 2 are significantly upregulated when flowers are fully opened, up to 6- and 3-fold compared to unopened buds, respectively. The other transporters, JsSWEET1, 5, 10, and 17 are also accumulated slightly at stage associated with fragrance release, whereas only the vacuole transporter JsSWEET16 showed small decrease in transcript level after anthesis. The JsSWEET5, a clade II member, is capable to complement yeast cell uptake on most tested sugar substrates with a preference for hexoses, while the clade I transporter JsSWEET1 mediates merely galactose import when expressed in yeast. Our results provide first evidence for further investigation on sugar transport and allocation during flowering and reproductive processes in J. sambac.