Search results for " Analytical Chemistry"
showing 10 items of 1315 documents
Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica L.) as a functional food additive in egg pasta: Enrichment and bioaccessibility of Lutein and β-carotene
2018
Abstract The use of stinging nettles as an ingredient in egg pasta has been evaluated with respect to food enrichment with carotenoids. Bioaccessibility of lutein and β-carotene has been estimated by dynamic simulation of the digestion process, with particular attention to duodenum and colon stages. Higher bioaccessibility for the two carotenoids occurs between 2 and 24 h of colonic fermentation and it is around 35% for lutein and 10% for β-carotene. However, the results reveal that the food matrix has a significant role in carotenoid release during the digestion process. In general, nettle enriched pasta has a lower carotenoid bioaccessibility than dietary supplement at duodenum and after …
A critical evaluation of Amicon Ultra centrifugal filters for separating proteins, drugs and nanoparticles in biosamples
2015
Amicon(®) Ultra centrifugal filters were critically evaluated for various sample preparations, namely (a) proteome fractionation, (b) sample cleanup prior to liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) measurement of small molecules in cell lysate, and (c) separating drug-loaded nanoparticles and released drugs for accurate release profiling in biological samples. (a) Filters of supposedly differing molar mass (MM) selectivity (10, 30, 50 and 100K) were combined to attempt fractionation of samples of various complexity and concentration. However, the products had surprisingly similar MM retentate/filtrate profiles, and the filters were unsuited for proteome fractionation. (b) Centrifuga…
Reactions of Flavonoids with o‑Quinones Interfere with the Spectrophotometric Assay of Tyrosinase Activity
2016
Flavonoids are important food components with antioxidant properties and many of them have been described as tyrosinase inhibitors. Oxidation of quercetin, kaempferol, morin, catechin, and naringenin by mushroom tyrosinase and their influence on the oxidation of l-dopa and l-tyrosine was studied. Reaction rates measured spectrophotometrically and by oxygen consumption differed substantially. All tested flavonoids reacted with 4-tert-butyl-o-benzoquinone and/or 4-methyl-o-benzoquinone, although at different rates. These reactions generated products whose UV-vis spectra either overlapped or did not overlap with the spectrum of dopachrome. They therefore strongly influence the kinetic analysis…
Devices containing allyl isothiocyanate against the growth of spoilage and mycotoxigenic fungi in mozzarella cheese
2018
Filter paper and stickers containing allyl isothiocyanate (AIT), as well as pouches containing mustard meal and water for intrinsic production of AIT, were tested against aflatoxigenic strains of Penicillium digitatum CECT 2954 and Aspergillus parasiticus CECT 2681 in sliced mozzarella. Slices were inoculated with either fungus, packaged in plastic bags or plastic trays with one antimicrobial device (2–16 µL/L of AIT). Control groups presented visual growth of P. digitatum after 19.0 ± 1.5 d in bags and 26.1 ± 2.1 d in trays. A. parasiticus was visually detectable after 41.4 ± 1.7 d and 28.4 ± 1.5 d in trays and bags, respectively. AIT‐treated samples did not present visual fungal growth fo…
Determination of melatonin in Acyrthosiphon pisum aphids by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.
2015
Melatonin is a hormone mainly involved in the regulation of circadian and seasonal rhythms in both invertebrates and vertebrates. Despite the identification of melatonin in many insects, its involvement in the insect seasonal response remains unclear. A liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method has been developed for melatonin analysis in aphids (Acyrthosiphon pisum) for the first time. After comparing two different procedures and five extraction solvents, a sample preparation procedure with a mixture of methanol/water (50:50) was selected for melatonin extraction. The method was validated by analyzing melatonin recovery at three spiked concentrations (5, 50 and 100 p…
MetProc: Separating Measurement Artifacts from True Metabolites in an Untargeted Metabolomics Experiment
2019
High-throughput metabolomics using liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry (LC/MS) provides a useful method to identify biomarkers of disease and explore biological systems. However, the majority of metabolic features detected from untargeted metabolomics experiments have unknown ion signatures, making it critical that data should be thoroughly quality controlled to avoid analyzing false signals. Here, we present a postalignment method relying on intermittent pooled study samples to separate genuine metabolic features from potential measurement artifacts. We apply the method to lipid metabolite data from the PREDIMED (PREvención con DIeta MEDi-terránea) study to demonstrate clear remova…
Self-packed core shell nano liquid chromatography columns and silica-based monolithic trap columns for targeted proteomics.
2016
Self-preparation of nano liquid chromatography (nLC) columns has advantages regarding cost and flexibility. For targeted proteomics, we evaluated several approaches for particle-packing nLC columns and manufacturing fritless silica-based monolithic trap columns (50μm inner diameter). Our preferred approach for nLC column preparation was to magnetically stir Accucore core shell particles (C18 stationary phase) in ACN/water (80/20, v/v) suspensions during pressure-driven filling of polymer-fritted standard fused silica capillaries. The columns were ready for use about one hour after preparation had begun. They had comparable peak capacities (peptides) to commercial columns, and satisfactory w…
Orange proteomic fingerprinting: From fruit to commercial juices.
2015
Combinatorial peptide ligand library technology, coupled to mass spectrometry, has been applied to extensively map the proteome of orange pulp and peel and, via this fingerprinting, to detect its presence in commercial orange juices and drinks. The native and denaturing extraction protocols have captured 1109 orange proteins, as identified by LC-MS/MS. This proteomic map has been searched in an orange concentrate, from a Spanish juice manufacturer, as well as in commercial orange juices and soft drinks. The presence of numerous orange proteins in commercial juices has demonstrated the genuineness of these products, prepared by using orange fruits as original ingredients. However, the low nu…
A combined physical-chemical and microbiological approach to unveil the fabrication, provenance, and state of conservation of the Kinkarakawa-gami ar…
2020
AbstractKinkarakawa-gami wallpapers are unique works of art produced in Japan between 1870 and 1905 and exported in European countries, although only few examples are nowadays present in Europe. So far, neither the wallpapers nor the composing materials have been characterised, limiting the effective conservation–restoration of these artefacts accounting also for the potential deteriogen effects of microorganisms populating them. In the present study, four Kinkarakawa-gami wallpapers were analysed combining physical–chemical and microbiological approaches to obtain information regarding the artefacts’ manufacture, composition, dating, and their microbial community. The validity of these met…
Fast UPLC/PDA determination of squalene in Sicilian P.D.O. pistachio from Bronte: Optimization of oil extraction method and analytical characterizati…
2017
Abstract A fast reversed-phase UPLC method was developed for squalene determination in Sicilian pistachio samples that entry in the European register of the products with P.D.O. In the present study the SPE procedure was optimized for the squalene extraction prior to the UPLC/PDA analysis. The precision of the full analytical procedure was satisfactory and the mean recoveries were 92.8 ± 0.3% and 96.6 ± 0.1% for 25 and 50 mg L−1 level of addition, respectively. Selected chromatographic conditions allowed a very fast squalene determination; in fact it was well separated in ∼0.54 min with good resolution. Squalene was detected in all the pistachio samples analyzed and the levels ranged from 5…