pH-Dependent Selective Colorimetric Detection of Proline and Hydroxyproline with Meldrum’s Acid-Furfural Conjugate

Activated 2-furfural gives intense color formation when reacted with amines, due to a ring opening reaction cascade that furnishes a conjugated molecular system. Unique colorimetric characteristic of this reaction makes it an interesting candidate for developing chemosensors operating in visible range. Among many activated 2-furfural derivatives, Meldrum’s acid furfural conjugate (MAFC) recently gained significant interest as colorimetric chemosensor. MAFC has been explored as selective chemosensor for detecting amines in solution, secondary amines on polymer surfaces and even nitrogen rich amino acids (AA) in aqueous solution. In this work, the pH dependency of MAFC-AA reaction is explored. It was found that proline gives an exceptionally fast colored reaction at pH 11, whereas at other pHs, no naked eye color product formation was observed. The reaction sequence including ring opening reaction upon nucleophilic addition of cyclic amine of proline resulting in a conjugated triene was confirmed by NMR titrations. The highly pH dependent reaction can e.g., potentially be used to detect proline presence in biological samples. An even more intense color formation takes place in the reaction of natural proline derivative 4-hydroxyproline. The detection limit of proline and 4-hydroxyproline with MAFC solution was found to be 11 µM and 6 µM respectively.

Effect of Edible Onion (Allium cepa L.) Film on Quality, Sensory Properties and Shelf Life of Beef Burger Patties

The production of edible film from onion (Allium cepa L.) to be applied as packaging is attractive, due to its chemical properties and biodegradable characteristics. Thus, we tested the hypothesis that edible onion film can positively influence the sensory properties, quality and increasing shelf life of beef burgers patties. The experiment was designed in a 4 × 2 factorial scheme, with two treatments (beef burgers patties with or without edible onion film) at an interval of four storage times (0, 3, 6 and 9 days) at 4 °C. The uncoated burger patties (control) suffered the most intense color modifications during the storage (p < 0.05). The luminosity index was higher (p < 0.05) in the control at all storage times, except at day 6, and redness, yellowness and chrome were higher (p < 0.05) in the edible onion film patties at all storage times. The pH of the beef burger patties was lower (p < 0.05) at all storage times when the edible onion film was applied. For the texture profile, only the chewiness was affected, as the inclusion of the edible onion film improved the chewing of the beef burgers patties over the storage time (p < 0.05). Additionally, there was an inhibition of the microbial growth of mesophiles and psychrophiles with the application of the edible onion film in beef burgers patties. The use of edible onion film improved the perception of panelists for the variables texture, color, flavor, odor and overall appearance, and increased the preference of panelists. The edible onion film is recommended for preserving beef burgers patties, as it delays the proliferation of unwanted microorganisms, stabilizes and improves the color parameters and sensory attributes, and increases the overall acceptance of the consumer.

Recent Advances in Biopolymer-Based Dye Removal Technologies

Synthetic dyes have become an integral part of many industries such as textiles, tannin and even food and pharmaceuticals. Industrial dye effluents from various dye utilizing industries are considered harmful to the environment and human health due to their intense color, toxicity and carcinogenic nature. To mitigate environmental and public health related issues, different techniques of dye remediation have been widely investigated. However, efficient and cost-effective methods of dye removal have not been fully established yet. This paper highlights and presents a review of recent literature on the utilization of the most widely available biopolymers, specifically, cellulose, chitin and chitosan-based products for dye removal. The focus has been limited to the three most widely explored technologies: adsorption, advanced oxidation processes and membrane filtration. Due to their high efficiency in dye removal coupled with environmental benignity, scalability, low cost and non-toxicity, biopolymer-based dye removal technologies have the potential to become sustainable alternatives for the remediation of industrial dye effluents as well as contaminated water bodies.

New System to Increase the Useful Life of Exhausted Barrels in Red Wine Aging

In recent years, consumers of red wines have demanded aged wines with intense color and a well-integrated fine wood bouquet. Traditionally, wines with these characteristics have been obtained from aging in oak barrels. This type of vinification incurs high costs, including costs associated with the acquisition and use of oak barrels. After five or six vinifications, these barrels are no longer capable of providing an adequate contribution of wood compounds to the wine, because of the exhaustion of their transfer capacity. An alternative to extend the life of these barrels is the introduction of toasted oak staves inside the barrel. In this study, a comparative analysis of the aging of a red wine in new and renewed barrels was developed by inserting toasted staves and analyzing the wine in its different stages, as well as its physical, chemical, and colorimetric characteristics. This study confirms that the use of insert staves anchored in exhausted barrels helps to prolong the useful life of barrels, while maintaining quality assurance.

Seawater as an alternative to dye cotton fiber with reactive dyes

The textile industry is a sector completely dependent on water for its full functioning; on the other hand, water represents a very high cost in the production process. The textile chemical processing area is mainly responsible for the large consumption of water. On the opposite side of this high consumption there is an evident water crisis worldwide. That fact has led to many problems to textile companies, mainly for the preparation, dyeing and printing sectors. This present work focuses on an ecologically friendly alternative for cellulosic fiber dyeing processes using seawater. Dyeing cotton fabrics with reactive dye in three primary colors (blue, yellow and red) was performed, and the results compared with processes using distilled water. Samples dyed with seawater exhibit good uniformity, intense color (color strength – K/ S) and excellent washing and rubbing fastness properties compared to the conventional process. It was possible to observe also that the use of seawater did not affect the mechanical properties of the substrate. Thereby, it was verified that the use of seawater presents as a potential and important alternative to applications in the textile dyeing process.

CHARACTERISTICS OF DAHLIA CAV. VARIETIES RESEARCHED UNDER CONDITIONS OF THE EXPOSITION AREA OF VINNYTSIA NATIONAL AGRARIAN UNIVERSITY

The results of studies on the use of decorative ornamental plants of flower and ornamental plants Dahlia Cav. in Vinnytsia Region at their level of adaptation to growing conditions have been presented. The assessment of the collection of the genus Dahlia Cav. at the exposition site of the Vinnitsa National Agrarian University, it has been determined that the collection is dominated by varieties of individual garden groups such as cactus, nymphae and decorative. In order to expand and replenish the collection of the genus Dahlia Cav the exhibition area VNAU conducted a selection of varieties that are representative of a set of indicators such as plant height, shape and size of inflorescences among the dahlia assortment. Dahlias are easy to grow and bring life to your garden with their intense color, strength, and ability to keep flowering until the first frosts. Dahlias like well-balanced and composted soil, and full sun. With 42 different species and thousands of cultivars, dahlias offer plenty of variety. Variations in color, flower form, size, and foliage make it easy to find one you'll love. The rich variety of their flower colors shapes and sizes added to their extensive blooming season, have turned dahlias into popular addition to our landscapes. There are thousands of varieties of dahlias and they are all classified by the shape, size and color of their flowers. Flowers can be very small in diameter. They offer an impressive range of colors such as pink, purple, red, scarlet, orange, yellow, white and can be stripped or tipped with another color. They can be single-flowering (orchid-flowering, anemone and collarettes) or double flowering (cactus, semi-cactus, formal or informal decorative dahlias, ball and pompons). Dahlias have wide height range. There are many different ways to use dahlias in the garden. Shorter dahlias mix well with annuals or shorter perennials, while taller varieties will grow well with perennials and ornamental grasses toward the rear or center of borders. Their lower stems tend to be unattractive and the plants are heavy (especially the large flowered dinnerplate types); so without staking, they tend to flop. Plant the smallest varieties in containers. Dahlia flowers are brightly colored. They can also look surprisingly good with grasses, as the contrast is total-big bright flowers against finely textured grasses. Good cutting dahlias tend to be the larger varieties because of their longer stems. Key words: dahlias, collection, garden group, flowering, container culture.

Evaluation of the use of pequi pulp flour in breaded meat

Processed meat foods may be associated with poor eating habits, but the aggregation of vegetable ingredients, such as pequi (Caryocar brasiliense), makes the formulations of these products healthier and more nutritious. Thus this study aimed to characterize the chemical composition of breaded chicken prepared with pequi pulp flour in breading, as well as to evaluate the technological and sensorial properties of the breaded chicken. The pequis pulp from the region of Montes Claros - MG was dehydrated to obtain flour used in predust, with substitutions of 0%, 25%, 50% and 100% of the breadcrumbs flour. Meat products were chemically evaluated for moisture, lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, and ashes, technologically with measures of specific volume, yield, color difference, chromaticity, and tone of the breaded chicken, and sensorially by the evaluation of the intention of consumption and acceptance. As a result, pequi flour added lipid and protein content, improved yield, allowed higher specific volumes, and more intense color tones to the breaded. In addition, these presented good sensorial results and without significant differences among the studied formulations. It was concluded that the use of pequi flour in the production of breaded chicken can provide nutritional and technological enrichment to these products, without adversely affecting their sensorial characteristics.

Physicochemical and sensory properties of papaya fruits of elite lines and hybrids

This study aimed to evaluate papaya elite lines and hybrids as to fruit physicochemical and sensory characteristics, thus identifying the most promising ones for the market. Fruits from improved genotypes of the Solo group (CMF H10.60, CMF L78, and UC 14) and Formosa group (CMF L10, UC 10, and UC 12) were evaluated, and the commercial cultivars Golden and Tainung nº 1 were used as controls. The following physical and physicochemical evaluations were performed: fruit length and diameter, fruit inner cavity diameter, fruit weight, fruit and pulp firmness, soluble solids, pH, titratable acidity, Ratio (soluble solids and titratable acidit relation), and firmness of peeled and unpeeled ripe fruits. Sensory tests were performed with 50 papaya consumers. In general, the improved genotypes of the Solo and Formosa groups showed similar physical and physicochemical characteristics to the Golden and Tainung n° 1 controls. The CMF L78 line of the Solo group and the UC10 hybrid of the Formosa group showed similar fruit firmness and ratio characteristics compared to both commercial cultivars. The three new genotypes in the Solo group showed superior sensory characteristics to the commercial cultivar Golden. The internal preference mapping of this group revealed a higher preference for the genotypes UC 14 and CMF L78, for having fruits with more intense color, stronger flavor, and firmer texture than the others. In the Formosa group, the UC 10 genotype outperformed the cultivar Tainung nº 1, with a global acceptance percentage of 96.15%, due to a more intense aroma, color, and flavor. The CMF L78 line of the Solo group and the UC 10 hybrid of the Formosa group have excellent physicochemical and sensory characteristics and are therefore promising alternatives to replace both commercial cultivars (Golden and Tainung nº 1).

О влиянии сахаросодержащих компонентов на качество игристых вин

В статье представлены результаты исследований по влиянию различных сахаросодержащих компонентов, используемых для приготовления игристых вин, на их качество, в том числе типичные свойства. Показано, что практически все исследуемые опытные игристые вина, приготовленные с использованием различных сахаросодержащих компонентов виноградного происхождения, имели более высокую дегустационную оценку по сравнению с контролем (приготовленным с использованием тиражного ликёра). Установлено, что игристые вина, выработанные на основе недобродов, имели более высокие показатели пенистых свойств, лучшую насыщенность диоксидом углерода, высокое содержание общего и связанного диоксида углерода, более высокую массовую концентрацию фенольных веществ и интенсивность окраски. Красные игристые вина, приготовленные на основе недобродов, содержали меньшее количество альдегидов, по сравнению с контрольными образцами, приготовленными с использованием тиражного ликёра. Образцы игристых вин, приготовленные с использованием сусла виноградного концентрированного, имели более высокую массовую концентрацию титруемых кислот, что обусловлено концентрированием в процессе вакуумирования сусла не только сахаров, но и органических кислот и ряда других веществ экстракта. Использование ликёрного виноматериала при приготовлении красных игристых вин практически не изменяло массовую концентрацию фенольных веществ, но внесло новую гамму в букет и вкус игристого вина. Следует отметить, что каждый из исследуемых сахаросодержащих компонентов виноградного происхождения имеет свои преимущества и недостатки. И в зависимости от поставленных задач может применяться для приготовления высококачественных игристых вин.The effects of various sugar-containing components used in production of sparkings on their quality were studied. Practically all study sparkings manufactured with the use of various sugar-containing components of grape origin had higher tasting scores compared to controls where tirage liqueur was used. Sparklings manufactured from materials in which fermentation was not allowed to complete were superior in foaming properties and saturation with carbon dioxide, in addition to high levels of total and bound carbon dioxide, increased levels or phenolic substances, and a more intense color. Red sparkings from materials with incomplete fermentation had lower aldehyde levels in comparison to controls. Sparklings manufactured with the use of vacuum must were higher in titratable acidity since, besides sugars, vacuumization involves concentration of organic acids and other extract components. The use of liqueur wine material for manufacturing of red sparklings practically did not change the levels of phenolic components but added new aromas and flavours. Each of the study sugar-containing components of grape origin has advantages and disadvantages and can be used to manufacture quality sparklings with different tasks in mind.

Studies on Colchicine Induced Chromosome Doubling for Enhancement of Quality Traits in Ornamental Plants

Polyploidy has the utmost importance in horticulture for the development of new ornamental varieties with desirable morphological traits referring to plant size and vigor, leaf thickness, larger flowers with thicker petals, intense color of leaves and flowers, long lasting flowers, compactness, dwarfness and restored fertility. Polyploidy may occur naturally due to the formation of unreduced gametes or can be artificially induced by doubling the number of chromosomes in somatic cells. Usually, natural polyploid plants are unavailable, so polyploidy is induced synthetically with the help of mitotic inhibitors. Colchicine is a widely used mitotic inhibitor for the induction of polyploidy in plants during their cell division by inhibiting the chromosome segregation. Different plant organs like seeds, apical meristems, flower buds, and roots can be used to induce polyploidy through many application methods such as dipping/soaking, dropping or cotton wool. Flow cytometry and chromosome counting, with an observation of morphological and physiological traits are routine procedures for the determination of ploidy level in plants.