Conventional Organic Solvent Extraction Research Articles

Combining Conventional Organic Solvent Extraction, Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction, and Chromatographic Techniques to Obtain Pure Betanin from Beetroot for Clinical Purposes.

Red beetroot extract (E162) is a natural colorant that owes its color to betanin, its major red pigment. Betanin displays remarkable antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and chemoprotective properties mediated by its structure and influence on gene expression. However, the betanin employed in most preclinical assays is a beetroot extract diluted in dextrin, not pure betanin, as no isolated compound is commercially available. This makes its use inaccurate concerning product content estimates and biological effect assessments. Herein, a combination of conventional extraction under orbital shaking and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) to purify betanin by semi-preparative HPLC was performed. The employed methodology extracts betalains at over a 90% yield, achieving 1.74 ± 0.01 mg of pure betanin/g beetroot, a 41% yield from beetroot contents increasing to 50 %, considering the betalains pool. The purified betanin exhibited an 85% purity degree against 32 or 72% of a commercial standard evaluated by LC-MS or HPLC methods, respectively. The identity of purified betanin was confirmed by UV-Vis, LC-MS, and 1H NMR. The combination of a conventional extraction, UAE, and semi-preparative HPLC allowed for betanin purification with a high yield, superior purity, and almost three times more antioxidant power compared to commercial betanin, being, therefore, more suitable for clinical purposes.

Ultrasound-Assisted Deep Eutectic Solvent Extraction of Phenolic Compounds from Thinned Young Kiwifruits and Their Beneficial Effects.

Fruit thinning is a common practice employed to enhance the quality and yield of kiwifruits during the growing period, and about 30-50% of unripe kiwifruits will be thinned and discarded. In fact, these unripe kiwifruits are rich in nutrients and bioactive compounds. Nevertheless, the applications of thinned young kiwifruits and related bioactive compounds in the food and functional food industry are still limited. Therefore, to promote the potential applications of thinned young kiwifruits as value-added health products, the extraction, characterization, and evaluation of beneficial effects of phenolic compounds from thinned young fruits of red-fleshed Actinidia chinensis cv 'HY' were examined in the present study. A green and efficient ultrasound-assisted deep eutectic solvent extraction (UADE) method for extracting phenolic compounds from thinned young kiwifruits was established. A maximum yield (105.37 ± 1.2 mg GAE/g DW) of total phenolics extracted from thinned young kiwifruits by UADE was obtained, which was significantly higher than those of conventional organic solvent extraction (CSE, about 14.51 ± 0.26 mg GAE/g DW) and ultrasound-assisted ethanol extraction (UAEE, about 43.85 ± 1.17 mg GAE/g DW). In addition, 29 compounds, e.g., gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, neochlorogenic acid, catechin, epicatechin, procyanidin B1, procyanidin B2, quercetin-3-rhamnoside, and quercetin-3-O-glucoside, were identified in the kiwifruit extract by UPLC-MS/MS. Furthermore, the contents of major phenolic compounds in different kiwifruit extracts prepared by conventional organic solvent extraction (EE), ultrasound-assisted ethanol extraction (UEE), and ultrasound-assisted deep eutectic solvent extraction (UDE) were compared by HPLC analysis. Results revealed that the content of major phenolics in UDE (about 15.067 mg/g DW) was significantly higher than that in EE (about 2.218 mg/g DW) and UEE (about 6.122 mg/g DW), suggesting that the UADE method was more efficient for extracting polyphenolics from thinned young kiwifruits. In addition, compared with EE and UEE, UDE exhibited much higher antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects as well as inhibitory effects against α-glucosidase and pancreatic lipase, which were closely associated with its higher content of phenolic compounds. Collectively, the findings suggest that the UADE method can be applied as an efficient technique for the preparation of bioactive polyphenolics from thinned young kiwifruits, and the thinned young fruits of red-fleshed A. chinensis cv 'HY' have good potential to be developed and utilized as functional foods and nutraceuticals.

Production and purification of fucoxanthins and β-carotenes from Halopteris scoparia and their effects on digestive enzymes and harmful bacteria

ABSTRACT Algae constitute a significant part of marine biodiversity. They represent a renewable source of bioactive metabolites from drug development and therapeutic fields. Fucoxanthin and β-carotene from the brown macroalgae Halopteris scoparia, were extracted using conventional organic solvent extraction, then purified, to homogeneity, based on various chromatographic principles. Their effects on digestive enzymes and harmful bacteria were investigated. The capacities of both purified pigments to inhibit α-amylase and trypsin enzymes were evaluated. Purified fucoxanthin and β-carotene exhibited interesting α-amylase inhibition activities, with IC50 of 300 and 500 µg/mL, respectively. Moreover, trypsin inhibition activities were detected using purified these two pigments. The antibacterial potential of the purified pigments was evaluated. β-carotene showed to be a great antibacterial natural compound against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria such as Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella enterica with Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of about 0.225, 0.1125, 0.225 µg/mL, respectively. Those findings are in favor of the exploitation of H. scoparia pigments in therapeutic fields as an antidiabetic source directly by the inhibition of α-amylase and trypsin as well as antibacterial agents against gastrointestinal infections.

High-Yield Recovery of Antioxidant Compounds from Bambusa chungii Culms Using Pressurized Hot Water Extraction.

A large amount of waste from Bambusa chungii culms is generated from the bamboo pulping industry, causing disposal problems. Nevertheless, bamboo culms are a suitable source of functional ingredients, such as antioxidant compounds. However, because of the high compactness and tightness in their material structure, obtaining phytochemicals from bamboo culms using conventional organic solvent extraction methods can be inefficient. In this research, we developed a pressurized hot water extraction (PHWE) method to recover 19 target phenolic compounds from Bambusa chungii culms. The extracted compounds were determined by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MS). The antioxidant potential of the extracts was evaluated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2'-Azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. We investigated the effects of temperature, extraction time, and the material-to-liquid ratio on PHWE, and these parameters were optimized with a Box-Behnken design experiment and response surface tool. The optimal extraction condition was found at 170 °C, with a 1:30 g/mL material-to-liquid ratio and a 14 min extraction time. Following these optimal parameters, the total yield of target phenolic compounds (TYPC) reached 3.85 mg/g of raw material, and the half-maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50) for the DPPH and ABTS tests were 94.7 mg/L and 21.88 mg/L, respectively. The FRAP value was 1.23 μmol FSE/mg of dried extract. A strong correlation between TYPC and the antioxidant activity of the extract was confirmed. The TYPC and antioxidant capacity of the optimal PHWE extract of the Bambusa chungii culms were both considerably higher than those of extracts obtained from conventional solvent extractions. These results indicated that PHWE is an excellent green technique for recovering phenolic compounds from bamboo culms, and the PHWE extracts of Bambusa chungii culms may be a good source of natural antioxidants.

Recent Green Technologies in Natural Stilbenoids Production and Extraction: The Next Chapter in the Cosmetic Industry

Stilbenoids are well-known phytoalexins in the group of polyphenolic compounds. Because of their potent bioactivities, including antioxidant, antityrosinase, photoprotective, and antibacterial activities, stilbenoids are utilized as pharmaceutical active ingredient in cosmetic products. Thus, the demand for stilbenoids in the cosmetic industry is increasing. The main sources of stilbenoids are plants. Although plants are green and sustainable source materials, some of them do not allow a regular and constant supply due to seasonal and geographic reasons. Stilbenoids typically have been extracted by conventional organic solvent extraction, and then purified by separation techniques. This method is unfriendly to the environment and may deteriorate human health. Hence, the procedures called “green technologies” are focused on novel extraction methods and sustainable stilbenoids production by using biotechnology. In this review, the chemical structures together with the biosynthesis and current plant sources of resveratrol, oxyresveratrol, and piceatannol are described. Furthermore, recent natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) for green extraction as well as plant cell cultures for the production of those stilbene compounds are updated.

Fractional Factorial Design Study for the Extraction of Cannabinoids from CBD-Dominant Cannabis Flowers by Supercritical Carbon Dioxide

The optimization of the supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) of cannabinoids, using supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2), was investigated in a fractional factorial design study. It is hypothesized that four main parameters (temperature, pressure, dry flower weight, and extraction time) play an important role. Therefore, these parameters were screened at predetermined low, medium, and high relative levels. The density of scCO2 was used as a factor for the extraction of cannabinoids by changing the pressure and temperature. The robustness of the mathematical model was also evaluated by regression analysis. The quantification of major (cannabidiol (CBD), cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), delta 8-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ8-THC), and delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol acid (THCA-A)) and minor (cannabidivann (CBDV), tetrahydrocannabivann (THCV), cannabigerolic acid (CBG), cannabigerol (CBGA), cannabinol (CBN), and cannabichomere (CBC)) cannabinoids in the scCO2 extract was performed by RP-HPLC analysis. From the model response, it was identified that long extraction time is a significant parameter to obtain a high yield of cannabinoids in the scCO2 extract. Higher relative concentrations of CBD(A) (0.78 and 2.41% w/w, respectively) and THC(A) (0.084 and 0.048% w/w, respectively) were found when extraction was performed at high relative pressures and temperatures (250 bar and 45 °C). The higher yield of CBD(A) compared to THC(A) can be attributed to the extract being a CBD-dominant cannabis strain. The study revealed that conventional organic solvent extraction, e.g., ethanol gives a marginally higher yield of cannabinoids from the extract compared to scCO2 extraction. However, scCO2 extraction generates a cleaner (chlorophyll-free) and organic solvent-free extract, which requires less downstream processing, such as purification from waxes and chlorophyll.

Enhancing extraction of proanthocyanidins from Chinese quince fruit by ball-milling and enzyme hydrolysis: yield, structure, and bioactivities

Chinese quince fruits are rich in proanthocyanidins (PAs), which have antioxidant properties. This work describes a method to isolate PAs from Chinese quince fruits by a combination of ball-milling and enzyme hydrolysis pretreatments. The yield, total PA and total phenolic contents, structural characteristics, antioxidant activity, and α-amylase inhibitory activity of different pretreated PA samples were determined and analyzed. Among them, the ball-milling combined with multi-enzyme (cellulase, xylanase, and pectinase) hydrolysis pretreated sample (BEP-4) was the most outstanding. The yield of BEP-4 could be improved up to 7.72%, which was 2.51 times higher than that of the conventional organic solvent extraction method (3.02%). It had the highest total phenols and PAs content of 750.98 ± 6.95 and 948.72 ± 3.50 mg/g extract, respectively. The thermal stability and molecular weight (9610 Da) of BEP-4 were lower than other fractions. BEP-4 contained a high proportion of PC structure (98.35%) and flavan-3-ol content (87.88%). It also had the highest antioxidant capacity with IC50 values of 131.45 ± 0.97, 22.66 ± 0.32, 134.05 ± 0.71, and 182.07 ± 0.28 μg/mL for DPPH, ABTS, hydroxyl radical scavenging capacity, and α-amylase inhibiting capacity, respectively. These investigations provide a new, efficient way to isolate PAs from Chinese quince fruits, and reveal that Chinese quince fruits may be a good source of antioxidants, worthy of further development.

Organic solvent extraction and spectrophotometric quantification of total phenolic content of soil

Phenolic compounds are regarded as the most abundant plant metabolites that are known to decompose progressively into soils, likened to other soil organic materials. Once assimilated into soils, they can control soil processes, including organic matter decomposition and nutrient cycling. Established that phenolic compounds can influence nutrients availability and soil quality, it becomes crucial to investigate into soil phenolics through the application of appropriate extraction technique and quantification of ​total phenolic content ​in soils. This study therefore aimed at utilizing ethanol, hexane and diethyl ether organic solvents to extract and quantify total phenolic content of soil, sampled from a vegetable growing area. Conventional organic solvent extraction method was employed to extract phenolics, while spectrophotometric technique was utilized to quantify total phenolic content. The highest extraction yield of 34.52% was achieved with ethanol followed by diethyl ether (28.23%) and hexane (25.47%). Interestingly, hexane, which had the least extraction yield, rather recorded the highest phenolics concentration of 5.50 ± 0.02 mgGAE/g, with ethanol producing a concentration of 2.04 ± 0.05 mgGAE/g and 3.82 ± 0.01 mgGAE/g for diethyl ether. The percent recovery, limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) of phenolic compounds were found to be 102%, 0.8 mg/g and 1.5 mg/g for ethanol; 96%, 0.6 mg/g and 1.2 mg/g for diethyl ether and 94%, 0.4 mg/g and 1.0 mg/g for hexane respectively. These results indicate that for an extraction efficiency and greater yield, the use of ethanol as solvent is preferred whereas extraction using hexane is suitable for total phenolics quantification. The findings of this study have provided a vital insight regarding the influence of organic solvents on the extractability and quantification of total phenolic content of soil.

Selection of oil extraction process from Chlorella species of microalgae by using multi-criteria decision analysis technique for biodiesel production

Abstract In the last few decades, the energy crisis has been one of the main concerns related to the lack of long-term petroleum-based reserves as primary energy resources. Biodiesel emerged as a promising alternative. Nowadays, it is produced from edible vegetable oil, thereby causing commodity prices and food security disruption. In this case, microalgae serve as a sustainable and renewable feedstock for their fast growth, high lipid content, and CO2 absorbing agent. Five processes are applied on the production of microalgae-based biodiesel, namely cultivation, harvesting, extraction, conversion, and refinement. There is currently limited study on technology selection on industrial-scale technology for oil extraction from Chlorella spp. of microalgae. Therefore, this study aims to review and select the most suitable technology using simple multi-attribute rating technique extended to ranking – multi-criteria decision analysis (SMARTER-MCDA). Preliminary studies showed that conventional organic solvent extraction (COE), ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), electric pulse extraction (EPE), supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), and hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) were the most promising technologies. These technologies required a series of evaluations using SMARTER-MCDA with several criteria, including easy scalability, extraction productivity, energy input, additional compound, and environmental impact. The result ranking showed that MAE technology was selected as the most suitable technology for oil extraction from Chlorella spp.

Essential oils as natural additives in dry-fermented sausages

The usage of food additives is one of the key methods for inhibiting microorganisms’ growth and delaying oxidative changes in dry-fermented sausages (DFS). However, they have numerous negative health effects, so the novel meat industry is oriented towards different natural alternatives while focusing on plant extracts, including essential oils (EOs). EOs are interesting since they are generally recognized as safe (marked as GRAS) and have a broad acceptance from the consumers. Their activity depends on numerous parameters including the method of extraction, concentrations and possible synergistic effects of their bioactive compounds. Various conventional (hydrodistillation and organic solvent extraction) and novel (microwave-assisted, ultrasound-assisted and supercritical fluid extraction) extraction techniques are being applied for EO recovery, and optimization of these process is an essential step towards cost-effective production of high-quality extracts. Generally, it can be concluded that EOs are added into DFS to delay or prevent lipid oxidation, retard microorganisms’ growth, improve colour stability and extend the shelf-life.

Optimisation of the enzyme-assisted extraction of polyphenols from saffron (Crocus sativus L.) petals [pdf

BACKGROUND Saffron tepals are a by-product from the processing of Crocus sativus flowers, whose dried stigmas (saffron spice) are widely used both in the food and health sectors. Saffron tepals are rich in polyphenols, particularly flavonol glycosides and anthocyanins, which are considered to be potent antioxidants. Enzyme-assisted extraction of polyphenols offers several advantages in comparison to conventional methods. The present study evaluated the efficiency of enzyme-assisted extraction as a green technology for recovery of polyphenols from saffron tepals. METHODS The by-product was obtained from a saffron producer in the region of Kozani, Greece. A simplex-centroid design was applied to select the enzyme preparations mixture required for aqueous extraction of polyphenolic antioxidants from dried saffron tepals. In addition, the parameters of enzymatic hydrolysis, enzyme dose and incubation time were optimised using response surface methodology. RESULTS The binary combination, comprising cellulolytic and hemicellulolytic preparations (1:1), led to the highest yield of total polyphenols (30.9 g GAE/kg saffron tepals) and total anthocyanins (2.0 g CGE/kg saffron tepals), reaching 45% and 38% higher values, respectively, as compared to the control sample (without enzymatic treatment). The experimental data regarding optimisation of the extraction conditions were fitted to second-degree regression models (R2 = 0.85-0.98). CONCLUSIONS The newly developed process may be applied as an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional organic solvent extraction, thus supporting valorisation of the saffron industry by-product. The polyphenols recovered could be used as biologically active substances or as natural food ingredients, replacing synthetic additives.

\u03b2-Carotene extraction from Dunaliella salina by supercritical CO2

This paper reports the results of supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) extraction of β-carotene from Dunaliella salina as potential alternative to conventional organic solvent extraction. In pilot-scale scCO2 experiments, the pressure, temperature, and co-solvent concentration were varied. The supercritical extraction at 500 bar, 70 °C, and 10 wt% ethanol as co-solvent yielded in the highly efficient pigment recovery of over 90%. Techno-economic assessment demonstrated higher energy consumption for the scCO2 extraction that was compensated by lower solvent costs. Thus, comparable pigment production costs to the reference extraction with n-hexane were estimated for the scCO2 process. Due to the green solvent properties of scCO2 and ethanol, this approach is highly promising for extraction of algal biomass in industrial scale.

Organic Solvent Extraction and Spectrophotometric Quantification of Total Phenolic Compounds in Soil

Phenolic compounds are regarded as the most abundant plant metabolites that are known to decompose progressively into soils likened to other soil organic materials. Once assimilated into soils, they can control soil processes, including organic matter decomposition and nutrient cycling. Established that phenolic compounds can influence nutrients availability and soil quality, its crucial to investigate into soil phenolics through the application of the appropriate extraction technique and quantification of total phenolics in soils. This study therefore aimed at utilizing ethanol, hexane and diethyl ether organic solvents to extract and quantify total phenolic compounds in soil, sampled from vegetable growing area. Conventional organic solvent extraction method was employed to extract phenolics, while spectrophotometric technique was utilized to quantify total phenolic compounds. The highest extraction yield of 34.52% was achieved with ethanol followed by diethyl ether (28.23%) and then hexane (25.47%). Interestingly, hexane, which had the least extract yield rather recorded the highest phenolics concentration of 5.50 ± 0.02 mgGAE/g, with ethanol extract producing the least phenolics concentration of 2.04 ± 0.05 mgGAE/g. These results indicate that for an extraction efficiency and greater yield, the use of ethanol as an extraction solvent is preferred whereas extraction using hexane is suitable for total phenolics quantification. The findings of this study have provided a vital information regarding the influence of organic solvents on the extractability of phenolic compounds from soil.

Recent Progress in Ionic Liquid Extraction for the Separation of Rare Earth Elements.

This review summarizes recent progress in solvent extraction of rare earth elements (REEs) using an ionic liquid (IL) as the extraction solvent. These IL extraction systems are advantageous owing to the affinity of ILs for both charged and neutral hydrophobic species, in contrast to conventional organic solvent extraction systems. Herein, REE extraction studies using ILs are detailed and classified based on the type of extraction system, namely extraction using anionic ligands, extraction using neutral ligands, synergistic extraction, extraction without extractants, and a specific system using task-specific ionic liquids (TSILs). In IL extraction systems, the extracted complexes are often different from those in organic solvent systems, and the REE extraction and separation efficiencies are often significantly enhanced. Synergistic IL extraction is an effective approach to improving the extractability and separability of REEs. The development of novel TSILs suitable for IL extraction systems is also effective for REE separation.

Application of choline chloride deep eutectic solvents and high-speed counter-current chromatography to the extraction and purification of flavonoids from the thorns of Gleditsia sinensis Lam.

Flavonoids are the most important and effective constituents in the thorns of Gleditsia sinensis Lam., which have been known to show antimicrobial, antiviral, anticancer, and anticoagulant activities. However, efficient extraction and separation methods for these flavonoids are not currently established. To develop an efficient method for efficient extraction and rapid separation of flavonoids from the thorns of G. sinensis using choline chloride deep eutectic solvents (DESs) and high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC). As for extraction, DES composed of choline chloride and 1,4-butanediol at 1:4 mole ratio, at an extraction temperature of 55°C, 20% of water content, 1:30 mg/mL for solid-liquid ratio, and 45 min for extraction time were selected as the optimised extraction method for flavonoids from the thorns of G. sinensis. As for separation, dichloromethane-methanol-n-butanol-water (4:3:0.5:2, v/v) was applied to develop a successful strategy for purification of the flavonoids by HSCCC. Totally, five flavonoids, including padmatin (1, 3.7 mg), isovitexin (2, 2.5 mg), 3',5,5',7-tetrahydroxyflavanonol (3, 11.2 mg), 7,4'-dihydroxy-5,3'-dimethoxyflavanonol (4, 4.1 mg), and quercetin (5, 3.8 mg), were successfully obtained from 250 mg of the extracted flavonoids by HSCCC. Results demonstrated that the combination of DES and HSCCC is a powerful technique for the extraction, and isolation of flavonoids from the thorns of G. sinensis compared with conventional organic solvent extraction and column chromatography, which have been proven to provide higher extraction efficiency for flavonoids and rapidly obtain the quality control markers of flavonoids from the investigated plant.

Non-Extractable Polyphenols from Food By-Products: Current Knowledge on Recovery, Characterisation, and Potential Applications

Non-extractable polyphenols (NEPs), or bound polyphenols, are a significant fraction of polyphenols that are retained in the extraction residues after conventional aqueous organic solvent extraction. They include both high molecular weight polymeric polyphenols and low molecular weight phenolics attached to macromolecules. Current knowledge proved that these bioactive compounds possess high antioxidant, antidiabetic, and other biological activities. Plant-based food by-products, such as peels, pomace, and seeds, possess high amount of NEPs. The recovery of these valuable compounds is considered an effective way to recycle food by-products and mitigate pollution, bad manufacturing practice, and economic loss caused by the residues management. The current challenge to valorise NEPs from plant-based by-products is to increase the extraction efficiency with proper techniques, choose appropriate characterising methods, and explore potential functions to use in some products. Based on this scenario, the present review aims to summarise the extraction procedure and technologies applied to recover NEPs from plant-based by-products. Furthermore, it also describes the main techniques used for the characterisation of NEPs and outlines their potential food, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and cosmetic applications.

Lycopene green ultrasound-assisted extraction using edible oil accompany with response surface methodology (RSM) optimization performance: Application in tomato processing wastes

Tomato paste processing wastes, a significant paste industry by-product, is plentiful in conceivably health-supporting compounds, for instance, lycopene. Lycopene is an ultra-high content nutraceutical while its separation from food industrial waste is frequently appropriate to enhance proceeds. This exploration reports on the lycopene extraction from wastes of tomato processing based on an ultrasound-assisted performance exploiting sunflower oil as a green solvent with response surface methodology (RSM) while it was compared with conventional organic solvent extraction procedure. Three independent variables were ultrasonic intensity (30–70 W/m2), solid/oil ratio (3.18–36.82% w/v), and the extraction time (1.59–18.41 min) and the samples lycopene contents were assessed via spectrophotometric technique. According to the consequences, the optimum ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) situation was accomplished with 70 W/m2 ultrasonic intensity of and 10 min extraction time. The solid/oil ratio is not a substantial parameter on the yield of extraction. The current developed, UAE of lycopene from tomato wastes with the RSM assistance correspondingly developed the lycopene extraction yield by 87.25% contrasted to conventional solvent extraction (CSE). Sunflower antioxidant activity the oil containing extracts was assessed by the acid determination, peroxide and p-anisidine content during three weeks at 60 °C. Furthermore, the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging was attained. The consequences exposed that most of the samples offered considerable recovers in acid dosage compared to sunflower oil without antioxidant. Instead, substantial reductions in peroxide and p-anisidine were apparent in the oil samples treated with the tomato extracts in comparing with the control.

Physicochemical characterization of a zein prepared using a novel aqueous extraction technology and tensile properties of the zein film

Recently, our research team developed a novel aqueous extraction technology (AET) for preparing an α-zein enriched product from corn gluten meal without any organic solvents. This technology is conspicuously different from the conventional organic solvent extraction technology (OSET). The present study aimed to investigate the physicochemical and film-forming properties of the AET zein in comparison with those of the commercial zein by alcohol extraction. The results revealed that similar to the OSET zein, the AET zein was rich in proteins, especially α-zein. Meanwhile, electrophoretic pattern and amino acid composition were almost the same for both zeins, except that AET zein had trace quantities of β-zein and protein hydrolysates, along with a higher proportion of Ile and lower proportion of His. The intrinsic differences probably contributed to a convergent pattern of the protein solubility in aqueous ethanol between AET zein and OSET zein, and a pronounced higher tensile strength/elongation of AET zein film. In addition, the removal effect of AET on some hazardous heavy metals brought in by raw materials, and no exogenous alcohols in the AET zein were confirmed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry and gas chromatography, respectively. The present findings suggest that AET zein has essential characteristics for use as an potential food ingredient or a pharmaceutical excipient, and the aqueous extraction technology thereby could be considered as an alternative strategy for zein production.

Efficient lipid extraction from the oleaginous yeast Yarrowia lipolytica using switchable solvents

Abstract Biodiesel production using oleaginous yeasts, such as Yarrowia lipolytica, has recently attracted strong attention in terms of lipid yield and productivity. However, efficient methods of lipid extraction from oleaginous yeasts are required to further improve the economic feasibility of yeast-based biodiesel production. We investigated the effectiveness of selected switchable hydrophilicity solvents (SHSs), namely, N-ethylbutylamine (EB), N-dipropylamine (DP), and N,N-dimethylcyclohexyl-amine (DMCHA), for lipid extraction from the oleaginous yeast Y. lipolytica. Regardless of using harvested cells or culture broth, DMCHA and EB effectively extracted lipids from Y. lipolytica, resulting in up to 13% higher lipid yields than that obtained by conventional organic solvent extraction using a chloroform/methanol mixture. The lipid extracts obtained by the SHSs showed fatty acid compositions comparable to that obtained with the conventional solvent, thus assuring the quality of biodiesel produced through this method. After switching processes by purging with CO2 and N2, the lipids and solvents were successfully recovered, demonstrating the practicability of lipid extraction using SHSs. Consequently, this study provides an effective lipid extraction method for Y. lipolytica that could significantly improve energy efficiency and economic feasibility of an oleaginous-yeast-based biodiesel production process.

Touch DNA sampling with SceneSafe Fast™ minitapes

To achieve optimal results in the forensic analysis of trace DNA, choosing the right collection technique is crucial. Three common approaches are currently well-established for DNA retrieval from items of clothing, notably cutting, swabbing and tape-lifting. The latter two are non-destructive and therefore preferable on items of value. Even though the most recently established technique of DNA retrieval by adhesive tapes is widely used since quite some years now, little information has been published so far on how well it performs compared to other methods. Even more important, when it comes to choosing the right DNA extraction method for forensic lifting-tapes, the available information one can rely on as a forensic geneticist is quite scarce. In our study we compared the two widely used, commercially available and automation suitable magnetic bead-based extraction methods "iPrep Forensic Kit" and "PrepFiler Express BTA™ Kit" to conventional organic solvent extraction. The results demonstrate that DNA extraction from standardized saliva samples applied to SceneSafe Fast™ minitapes is most efficient with phenol-chloroform. We also provide evidence that SceneSafe Fast™ minitapes perform better than wet cotton swabs in the sampling of touch DNA from cotton fabric. Applying the tape only once in every spot on the tissue is thereby sufficient for a considerably better collection performance of the tapes compared to swabbing.