Nanoencapsulation of coffee aroma in alginate-pectin beads: Characterization, molecular mechanisms, and EEG response.

The impact of different bitter taste compounds on the retronasal perception of coffee aroma was investigated. A sorted napping experiment was carried out on thirteen compounds at iso-intense bitter concentrations. Differences in perceptual bitter sub-qualities among the compounds were reported by Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) and Multiple Factor Analysis (MFA) analyses. Seven exemplar compounds were further selected to investigate the impact of taste sub-qualities on cross-modal flavor interactions. In general, the different bitter compounds, when paired with a coffee aroma isolate, significantly modified the perception of the retronasal coffee aroma profile. Interestingly, the three bitter compounds endogenous to coffee had the most similar impact on the coffee aroma profile. Further sensory analysis of these sample sets indicated no significant effect of the bitter compounds on the orthonasal perception. Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis of the volatile composition of the samples headspace also indicated negligible impact of the bitter compounds on aroma release. Altogether evidence of cross-modal interactions occurring at a higher cognitive level were demonstrated in a complex food sample, supporting the importance of multi-modal sensory integration on flavor perception.

<p>The quality of coffee is strongly affected by its aroma, so that instrument for aroma testing is necessary especially for quality control. In this research, coffee aroma was tested using electronic nose and then correlated to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The green beans of robusta coffee (<em>coffee canephora </em>var.<em>robusta</em>) originated from Sumatra was used as a testing sample. The roasting temperature was varied to be 180 °C, 195 °C, and 210 °C, while the roasting time was set to be constant at 20 minutes. After the roasting process, the coffee beans were grounded using a coffee grinder. The feature of the response signal for each gas sensors of the electronic nose to ground coffee aroma, was extracted using two methods; i.e. gradient multiplied by signal peak and average value. The principle component analysis (PCA) was applied to discriminate the aroma of ground coffee with varied roasting temperature. The scoreplot of PCA analysis shows a clear discrimination of each coffee aroma, produced by different roasting temperature. From the GCMS analysis, it is clearly confirmed that more aromatic compounds detected when the roasting temperature increase. It is correlated with the discrimination result using electronic nose. The loading plot interpretation provides information that TGS822 and TGS826 are the most affecting sensors for discrimination of coffee aroma with varied roasting temperature. In the future, the electronic nose is potentially applied in coffee industry for quality control during process.</p>

Background: Two natural steroids derived from cholesterol pathways are testosterone and progesterone, androgen and antiandrogen receptor binding. Steroid androgen antagonists can be prescribed to treat an array of diseases and disorders such as gender dysphoria. In men, androgen antagonists are frequently used to treat prostate cancer and hyperplasia. Sex hormones regulate the expression of the viral receptors in COVID-19 progression, and these hormones may act as a metabolic signal-mediating response to changes in glucose and Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS). The objective of the present study is to use artificial intelligence (AI) applications in healthcare to predict the targets and to assess biological assays of novel steroid derivatives prepared in house from the commercially available 16-dehydropregnenolone acetate (DPA®) aimed at achieving the metabolic stability of glucose and steroid brain homeostasis. This suggests the introduction of aromatic or aliphatic structures in the steroid B-ring and D-ring. This is important since the roles of 5α-reductase and ROS in brain control of glucose and novel steroids homeostasis remain unclear. Methods: A tool prediction was used as a tuned algorithm, with the novel steroid derivatives data in web interface to carry out their pharmacological evaluation. The new steroidal derivatives were determined with neuroprotection effect using the select biomarkers of oxidative stress on induced hypoglycemic male rat brain and liver. The enzyme kinetics was established by the inhibition of the 5α-reductase enzyme on the brain myelin. Results: We used novel chemical structures to order the information of a Swiss data bank that allow target predictions. Biological assays suggest that steroid derivatives with an electrophilic center can interact more efficiently with the 5α-reductase enzyme, and by this way, induce neuroprotection in hypoglycemia model. All compounds were synthesized with a yield of 30–80% and evaluated with tool target prediction to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying a given phenotype or bioactivity and to rationalize possible favorable or unfavorable side effects, as well as to predict off-targets of known molecules and to clear the way for drug repurposing. Apart, they turned out to be good inhibitors for the 5α-reductase enzyme. Conclusions: The probed efficacy of these novel steroids with respect to spironolactone control appears to be a promising compound for future hormonal therapy with neuroprotection activity in glucose disorder status. However, further research with clinically meaningful endpoints is needed to optimize the use of androgen antagonists in these hormonal therapies in COVID-19 progression.

<b><sc>Abstract.</sc></b> Aroma is an important quality indicator of specialty coffee. Currently, the aroma quality of specialty coffee is assessed by well-trained personnel, introducing potential subjective cognitive bias in the assessment procedure. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of building aroma predictive models using machine learning methods on analytical chemical data of coffee aromas. Based on 183 specialty coffee data sampled using headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), this study developed the aroma classification models to identify five targeted coffee aromas using artificial neural network (ANN), convolution neural network (CNN), and residual network (ResNet). The results showed that the model that coupled CNN with the normalized GC-MS data demonstrated the best predictive performance and obtained a 0.799 average accuracy and a 0.536 average recall. The proposed methods provided a promising practice to predict specialty coffee aroma in a relatively systematic and objective way. Further studies will be focused on improving model performances by enlarging the current dataset, and model interpretation methods will be applied to deduce the relation between aromatic chemical compounds and the model prediction mechanisms.

Arabica coffee is a sub-tropical agricultural product in China. Coffee undergoes a series of thermal reactions to form abundant volatile profiles after roasting, so it loses a lot of reducing sugars and amino acids. Adding carbonyl compounds with amino acids before roasting could ensure the nutrition and flavour of coffee. The technology is versatile for the development of coffee roasting process. This investigation evaluates the effects of combining maltose and lysine (Lys) to modify coffee aroma and the possibly related mechanisms. Arabica coffee was pretreated with a series of solvent ratios of maltose and Lys with an identical concentration (0.25 mol L-1 ) before microwave heating. It was found that the combination of maltose and Lys significantly (P ≤ 0.05) influenced quality indices of coffee (pH and browning degree). Ninety-six aromatic volatiles have been isolated and identified. Twelve volatile profiles revealed the relationship between fragrance difference and compound content in coffee. Moreover, coffee aroma was modified by a large number of volatiles with different chemical classes and character. Thus, our results suggest that the combination of reagents changed overall aroma quality through a series of complex thermal reactions, especially the ratio of Lys/maltose over 2:1. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Headspace volatiles of freshly brewed drip coffee were investigated by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and gas chromatography/olfactometry (GC/O, CharmAnalysis) analyses. For this purpose, a solid-phase microextraction (SPME) sampling method for the headspace volatiles of freshly brewed drip coffee was developed. SPME fiber coated with divinylbenzene (DVB)/carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was selected from 6 types, and sampling time was determined at 2 min. The headspace coffee volatiles stayed constant in proportion for the first 2 min to keep the freshness of the brewed coffee aroma. Using this sampling method, the headspace volatiles of freshly brewed drip coffee (Ethiopian arabica coffee, roast degree: L value; 23) were examined by GC/MS and GC/O analyses. From the GC/O results, 1-(3,4-dihydro-2H-pyrrol-2-yl)-ethanone (nutty-roast odor) and 4-(4'-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butanone (raspberry ketone, sweet-fruity odor) were newly detected as components in the aroma of coffee.

The primary objectives of this study were to investigate how different solvent types and solvent ratios affect both the extraction yield and quality of essential oil derived from coffee beans, with the ultimate goal of optimizing the process for higher yields and superior quality essential oil. This research was conducted in the Research Laboratory of the Chemical Engineering Study Program, where carefully weighed coffee bean samples served as the experimental material. Extraction was performed using two different solvents: 96% ethanol and n-hexane. The Soxhlet extraction technique was employed for a period of three hours, ensuring thorough extraction of the essential oils from the coffee beans. Following extraction, the mixture of coffee and solvent was subjected to distillation in order to separate and remove the solvent, thereby isolating the concentrated essential oil. Subsequent evaluation of the extracted essential oil included determining the percent yield, assessing organoleptic properties, and performing oil component analysis through Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). The findings demonstrated that 96% ethanol provided a substantially higher extraction yield compared to n-hexane. Notably, the essential oil obtained using n-hexane appeared yellow to brown in color and possessed a very weak to weak coffee aroma. In contrast, the oil extracted with 96% ethanol exhibited a deep black color along with a slightly strong to strong coffee aroma, suggesting a richer and more desirable flavor profile. Furthermore, GC-MS analysis revealed that the total peak area of oil components extracted with 96% ethanol was 21.04%, whereas that extracted with n-hexane was only 0.95%. This pronounced disparity clearly highlights the superior efficiency of ethanol as a solvent for extracting high-quality essential oils from coffee beans. These results underscore the significant impact of solvent selection on both the yield and quality of coffee bean essential oil. Ethanol, in particular, shows promising potential for industrial applications in the production of coffee flavorings and fragrances. This study provides valuable insights into optimizing essential oil extraction processes and facilitating the enhanced utilization of coffee bean towards various commercial purposes. Key words: Solvent, Coffee, Ethanol, N-Hexane, GC-MS, Oils, Solvents, Soxhlet, Industry

New 5α-reductase inhibitors: In vitro and in vivo effects

Aroma profile of malbec red wines from La Mancha region: Chemical and sensory characterization

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder associated with memory impairment and cognitive deficit, which is characterized with low levels of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter, in the brain of the patients. Histopathological hallmarks of AD include deposition of β-amyloid (Aβ) plaques and formation of neurofibrillary tangles. According to the cholinergic hypothesis, the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) catalyzes the hydrolysis of acetylcholine and the inhibition of AChE improves the levels of acetylcholine in the brain, enhancing cholinergic functions in patients. AChE inhibitors (AChEi) can alleviate the symptoms of AD, even though they do not halt or reverse the disease progress. Currently, most of the drugs approved by the US-FDA for the treatment of AD are AChEi. For example, galanthamine is a natural alkaloid obtained from Galanthus spp. Huperzine A, an alkaloid found in Huperzia spp., is an AChEi commercialized as a dietary supplement for memory support, used to treat AD symptoms in China. Extent reports on pathology of AD have made it important to discovery regarding mechanism of disease and potential therapeutic targets. This issue focused on the medicinal chemistry aspects of new natural products used for treatment of AD including the mechanism, the molecular aspects, as well as the new strategy of using natural products for AD. The research on discovering new inhibitors of AChE has been focused on the compounds of both synthetic and natural origins. Murray et al. summarized natural AChE inhibitors from plants and their contribution to AD therapy, especially those published in the period from 2006 to 2012. More than 200 naturally-occurring compounds from plants were listed as potential new AChE inhibitors. Orhan specifically focused on the compounds with AChE inhibitory potential from natural sources including plants, animals, and microorganisms along with a brief summary of the conventional AChE-inhibiting natural compounds already in use. Ansari and Khodagholi comprehensively reviewed the molecular mechanism aspects of natural products as promising drug candidates for the treatment of AD. They focused on some natural products with potential neuroprotective properties against Aβ with respect to their mechanism of action. Most of these compounds have remarkable antioxidant properties and act as free radical scavengers. Some of these compounds improve cell survival and enhance cognition by directly affecting amyloidogenesis and programmed cell death pathways. Ansari and Khodagholi also concluded that although neuroprotective compounds from natural sources are attractive therapeutic alternatives fro AD, poor bioavailability and low clinical efficacy are the major problems. Using novel pharmaceutical technologies and medicinal chemistry to look for novel formulations or to design new compounds based on natural templates are new strategies of using natural products for AD. Due to its multi-faceted pharmacology, natural curcumin have been used for the treatment or prevention of neurodegenerative diseases such as AD, Parkinson’s disease (PD) and brain tumors. Lee et al. fully summarized the neuropharmacology and neuroscience of curcumin. The therapeutic benefits of curcumin for AD and PD appear multifactorial via regulation of transcription factors, cytokines, redox potential and enzymes associated with NFκB activity. Lee et al. discussed the pharmacology of curcumin and provide new perspectives on its therapeutic potential. They believe a multi-targeted and pleotropic therapy exhibits higher success in the treatment of AD and PD. Tanaka et al. carried out a systematic review of the studies that have analyzed the effect of Ginkgo biloba extract on PD. They gave two hypotheses for the positive effect of G. biloba extract on PD, namely the reduction or inhibition of monoamine-oxidase activity and the neuroprotective effect against 6-hydroxydopamine, 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine and MPP+ toxins.

Neurological disorders are important causes of morbidity and mortality around the world. The increasing prevalence of neurological disorders, associated with an aging population, has intensified the societal burden associated with these diseases, for which no effective treatment strategies currently exist. Therefore, the identification and development of novel therapeutic approaches, able to halt or reverse neuronal loss by targeting the underlying causal factors that lead to neurodegeneration and neuronal cell death, are urgently necessary. Plants and other natural products have been explored as sources of safe, naturally occurring secondary metabolites with potential neuroprotective properties. The secondary metabolites α- and β-asarone can be found in high levels in the rhizomes of the medicinal plant Acorus calamus (L.). α- and β-asarone exhibit multiple pharmacological properties including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiapoptotic, anticancer, and neuroprotective effects. This paper aims to provide an overview of the current research on the therapeutic potential of α- and β-asarone in the treatment of neurological disorders, particularly neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), as well as cerebral ischemic disease, and epilepsy. Current research indicates that α- and β-asarone exert neuroprotective effects by mitigating oxidative stress, abnormal protein accumulation, neuroinflammation, neurotrophic factor deficit, and promoting neuronal cell survival, as well as activating various neuroprotective signalling pathways. Although the beneficial effects exerted by α- and β-asarone have been demonstrated through in vitro and in vivo animal studies, additional research is required to translate laboratory results into safe and effective therapies for patients with AD, PD, and other neurological and neurodegenerative diseases.

Evidence for dissociable cognitive and neural pathways from poverty versus maltreatment to deficits in emotion regulation

A sampling method to isolate headspace volatiles of freshly brewed drip coffee using a solid-phase microextraction fiber (fiber type: divinylbenzene/carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane) in a short time (2 min) immediately after extraction has been developed. Volatile compounds and potent odorants obtained from each headspace aroma of various arabica coffee extracts (3 production countries: Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Guatemala; 3 roasting degrees for each country: L26, L23, and L18) using the sampling method were examined by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and GC/olfactometry (GC/O, CharmAnalysis). The results of principal component analysis (PCA) using the data of GC/O analysis showed that the aroma profile of Ethiopian coffee was discriminately different from those of Tanzanian coffee and Guatemalan coffee. In addition, it was suggested from the factor loading of the PCA that 4-(4'-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butanone (raspberry ketone; sweet-fruity odor) characterized the aroma profile of freshly brewed Ethiopian coffee. Therefore, the 4-(4'-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butanone was quantified in the 9 kinds of coffee extracts. Ethiopian coffee extract of the lightly roasted degree (roasting degree: L26) contained the highest amount of this component, while it was only a little over the reported threshold. In the sensory test, the headspace aromas of Tanzanian and Guatemalan coffees in which 4-(4'-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butanone was added were, respectively, discriminated from not added samples, and "sweet" odor was selected as an odor description that assessors found similarity between the added Tanzanian or Guatemalan coffee aroma and the Ethiopian coffee aroma. It was suggested that 4-(4'-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butanone made some detectable change on total aroma profile even though the added amount was only near threshold level.

This work evaluated the use of roasted coffee oil (RCO) and the effects of ultrasound (US)-assisted emulsification on RCO-in-water emulsion properties, the changes in the composition of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of roasted coffee aroma during US and microencapsulation by spray drying, and VOCs release profile upon instant coffee reconstitution. VOCs were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and the release profile was monitored in real-time by Proton Transfer Reaction Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (PTR-ToF–MS). US was found to be effective in producing stable submicron emulsions (≤ 2.0 µm) that resulted in high encapsulation efficiency (> 90%) of the microparticles. Significant changes were detected in VOC composition throughout the microencapsulation process. The addition of microparticles loaded with RCO in instant coffee did not change the VOCs release profile during the brew preparation but was effective in increasing coffee aroma.

Headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) has been adapted for the efficient determination of furan in foods. Levels of furan in various foods were measured in order to identify the products that contribute most to the human intake of furan. Highest amounts were found in products that were heat treated in sealed containers such as jarred and canned food products and in crusty and dry products such as snacks, biscuits, bread crust, roasted wheat flour and roasted coffee beans. Of the analysed jarred baby food products those containing only meat and starch from rice and corn had low levels of furan. In addition, the fruit products showed similar low levels. Clearly higher concentrations were found in the vegetable and vegetable–meat products. For the adult population coffee seems to be an important product with respect to furan intake. Coffee brews from espresso-type machines had considerably higher amounts of furan than other coffee brews. This type of coffee is considered by experts to have the best coffee aroma. It is assumed that for regular coffee consumers coffee is the most important source of furan intake.