1H NMR-Based Chemometrics to Gain Insights Into the Bran of Radiation-Induced Colored Wheat Mutant

Recently, wheat has attracted attention as a functional food, rather than a simple dietary energy source. Accordingly, whole-grain intake increases with an understanding of bioactive phytochemicals in bran. The development of colored wheat has drawn more attention to the value of bran owing to its nutritional quality, as well as the antioxidant properties of the colorant. The present 1H NMR-based chemometric study evaluated the compositional improvement of radiation-induced mutants in purple wheat by focusing on the predominant metabolites with high polarity. A total of 33 metabolites, including three choline derivatives, three sugar alcohols, four sugars, 13 amino acids, eight organic acids, and two nucleosides, were identified throughout the 1H NMR spectra, and quantification data were obtained for the identified metabolites via peak shape-based quantification. Principal component and hierarchical cluster analyses were conducted for performing multivariate analyses. The colored original wheat was found to exhibit improvements compared to yellow wheat in terms of the contents of primary metabolites, thus highlighting the importance of conducting investigations of polar metabolites. The chemometrics studies further revealed mutant lines with a compositional enhancement for metabolites, including lysine, proline, acetate, and glycerol.

Measurement of complex shear viscosity up to 3 GHz using an electrodeless AT-cut quartz transducer

An experimental method is proposed to determine the frequency-dependent complex shear viscosity of liquids based on the quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation method. An AT-cut quartz transducer without metal electrodes is immersed in a sample liquid and the transducer is electrically coupled to the circuit through the dielectric response of the sample itself. After correcting for the apparent change in the resonance properties due to the dielectric coupling of the sample, our method is able to determine the viscosity of liquids of high polarity and low viscosity at frequencies as high as 3 GHz. The method was then applied to ethylene glycol and the viscoelastic relaxation in the GHz regime was observed. Furthermore, it was also applied to room-temperature ionic liquids to show that the dielectric correction of the resonance properties is valid for conductive liquids.

TECHNOLOGY OF PRODUCING COMPOSITE PAVERS OF CONTINUOUS ACTION

Rational use of natural resources, and the involvement of wood waste generated in the logging and wood processing industry in the production of new products useful for society and the economy, is an urgent task of modern production. The use of wood flour of various fractions does not allow the most complete binding of the polymer to wood particles, since the cellulose polymer has a high polarity. This problem can be solved by soft contact thermal modification, as a result of which there is an increase in strength indicators and a decrease in the degree of water absorption. Thermomodification leads to a decrease in the hydroxyl groups of cellulose, which contributes to an increase in the binding with the polymer, its deeper penetration into the pores of the modified crushed wood particles. The paper presents a technology that allows to obtain composite paving stones from thermally modified flour, thermoplastic polymers with chemical additives and modifiers, continuous action.

Imidazoles as Potential Anticancer Agents: An Update on Recent Studies

Nitrogen-containing heterocyclic rings are common structural components of marketed drugs. Among these heterocycles, imidazole/fused imidazole rings are present in a wide range of bioactive compounds. The unique properties of such structures, including high polarity and the ability to participate in hydrogen bonding and coordination chemistry, allow them to interact with a wide range of biomolecules, and imidazole-/fused imidazole-containing compounds are reported to have a broad spectrum of biological activities. This review summarizes recent reports of imidazole/fused imidazole derivatives as anticancer agents appearing in the peer-reviewed literature from 2018 through 2020. Such molecules have been shown to modulate various targets, including microtubules, tyrosine and serine-threonine kinases, histone deacetylases, p53-Murine Double Minute 2 (MDM2) protein, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), G-quadraplexes, and other targets. Imidazole-containing compounds that display anticancer activity by unknown/undefined mechanisms are also described, as well as key features of structure-activity relationships. This review is intended to provide an overview of recent advances in imidazole-based anticancer drug discovery and development, as well as inspire the design and synthesis of new anticancer molecules.

OPTIMIZACIÓN DE LA EXTRACCIÓN Y PURIFICACIÓN DE UNA β-CAROTENO 15,15’-MONOOXIGENASA RECOMBINANTE A PARTIR DE CUERPOS DE INCLUSIÓN

Los forrajes utilizados en la producción de ganado bovino en el trópico tienen altos niveles de β-caroteno, que produce canales con grasa de color amarillo y demerita su valor económico. La pigmentación amarilla se debe a la actividad baja de la enzima β -caroteno 15,15’-monooxigenasa (BCMO1) en el intestino delgado e hígado. Un uso biotecnológico de esta enzima podría escindir al β -caroteno en dos moléculas de retinal, eliminar la fuente de coloración y optimizar el valor comercial de la carne del ganado bovino alimentado en pastoreo. El objetivo de este estudio fue obtener una enzima BCMO1 recombinante con actividad similar a las enzimas nativas, a partir de bacterias transformadas con el gen que codifica la b-caroteno 15,15’-monooxigenasa de Gallus gallus (gBCMO1). La enzima se obtuvo por sobre expresión a partir de una Escherichia coli XL1-Blue transformada con dicho gen, y se purificó por Cromatografía rápida de proteína líquida (Fast Protein Liquid Chromatography, FPLC); se midió la actividad in vitro del proceso por Cromatografía de afinidad por metales inmovilizados (Immobilized Metal Affinity Chromatography, IMAC) y el producto final se detectó por Cromatografía de líquidos de polaridad alta (High Polarity Liquid Chromatography, HPLC). Una proteína de aproximadamente 63 kDa se obtuvo, la cual presentó una actividad enzimática de 2993 (± 108.2) pmol mg-1 de proteína h-1 (n=3). La proteína aislada se puede evaluar como aditivo en estudios in vitro con el fin de disminuir la coloración amarilla de las canales de bovinos.

Perbandingan Interaksi Karbon Aktif dengan Polaritas Minyak Nabati terhadap Karakteristik Pembakaran Premixed

Crude oil consumption has increased since the discovery of crude oil-fueled engine technology. However, the increase in crude oil consumption is not offset by the productivity of the product. This results in a reduced availability of crude oil. One solution found was to use alternative fuels from vegetable oils. Several researches have proven that vegetable oils can be used as fuel. The results of the research found potential in jatropha oil and palm oil. However, jatropha oil and palm oil contain glycerol compounds which can affect the results of its combustion, because glycerol can absorb heat and result in firing more difficult. Based on that, modification and development are needed to support the use of jatropha oil and palm oil as alternative fuels by studying oil polarity and adding catalysts for coconut shell-activated carbon. Jatropha oil has low polarity (C18) which is more volatile than palm oil which has high polarity (C13). The variation used in this research is the addition of activated carbon with a concentration of 0 ppm, 200 ppm, and 400 ppm in each oil. The addition of activated carbon will facilitate evaporation because oil molecules become more reactive more freely.

Application of GC in the Analysis of Carbohydrates

In the mid-1970s and before, Gas Chromatography was the leading technique for analysing carbohydrates in foods until when HPLC start to dominate. Never the less, GC still offers advantages for many applications of food technologists in carbohydrates. The efficiency of the detection of these molecules is reduced as a result of the high polarity and un-volatility of sugars. To overcome these problems, the sugars can be derivative by removing the active hydrogen such as -OH, consequently increasing volatility and improving detectability. Acylation reaction is the most commonly used method of derivatization.

Integration of Improved Methods for the Treatment of Wastewater from a Soft Drink Industry

Beverage companies produce a large amount of wastewater in the cleaning step of returnable glass bottles. This study aimed to investigate combined processes (coagulation/flocculation, adsorption, and membrane separation) to treat the effluent from the washing machine of returnable soft drink bottles. Tests were conducted with aluminum sulfate, ferric chloride, and tannins (TANFLOC®) powder as coagulants/flocculants in different concentrations. After choosing the best coagulant, new tests were repeated by adding activated carbon. Based on the coagulant's best condition and activated carbon mass, the treated samples were subjected to a separation step with the ultrafiltration membrane (UF). The best treatment condition was the combined methods (TANFLOC + activated carbon + UF membrane), which showed a removal efficiency of 63.64, 54.92, and 64.98% for Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Total Organic Carbon (TOC), and Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), respectively. The BOD values are due to the presence of sugars in the effluent since its characteristics, such as high polarity and size less than 1 kDa, are unfavorable for the coagulation and UF processes, respectively. However, BOD removal efficiency was approximately 5% higher than the minimum required by legislation, which requires at least a 60% decrease in the raw effluent.