Dry Fraction Research Articles

Multivariate Characterization of Milk Fat Fractions by Gas Chromatography

A high-speed gas chromatography method has been developed to separate the fatty acids in different milk fat fractions obtained via the dry fractionation deodorization process (TIRTIAUX method). Exploratory data techniques, namely cluster analysis and principal component analysis (PCA), were applied to gas chromatographic data for fatty acids composition in these milk fractions. Cluster analysis allowed the authors to visualize natural groupings corresponding to milk fat cracking achieved via the TIRTIAUX method. Principal component plots showed that six fractions are grouped in different classes, each group being clearly distinguished. Furthermore, a relationship was established between these classes and fatty acids through PCA analysis. A discriminant linear model for predicting milk fat classes from fatty acid composition was computed; 99 % of the criterion variable (milk fat class) variance was explained by the constructed model. Enrichment in unsaturated cis-fatty acids in the olein fractions and in the saturated and unsaturated trans-fatty acids in the stearin fractions was visualized from chemometric analysis. This differentiation of the milk fat fractions on the basis of fatty acids composition will enable food industries to use these fractions in both an efficient and safe way to enrich dairy products, or other foods, for healthy consumption.

Degradabilidade in situ da matéria seca e fração fibrosa do estilosantes Campo Grande

Avaliou-se, pela técnica in situ, a degradabilidade da matéria seca e da fração fibrosa da leguminosa estilosantes Campo Grande (Stylosanthes spp.). A cultivar Campo Grande é composta por uma mistura física de sementes das variedades S. capitata e S. macrocephala. Para o ensaio da degradabilidade, usou-se o método dos sacos de náilon, com duas incubações em um bovino adulto canulado no rúmen. O experimento foi realizado segundo o delineamento de blocos ao acaso, e os dados submetidos à análise de variância. A máxima degradabilidade efetiva foi atingida na taxa de passagem de 2%. Para a taxa de passagem de 5%, a degradabilidade efetiva foi de 68,4% para a matéria seca, 51,9% para a fibra em detergente neutro e 58,9% para a fibra em detergente ácido. Os resultados mostram que a cultivar analisada possui digestibilidade compatível com outras leguminosas tropicais atualmente utilizadas pelos produtores rurais, apresentando como vantagem o fato de ser nativa do bioma cerrado.

Characteristics and potential applications of coarse clay fractions from Puolanka, Finland

Abstract Characterization of coarse fractions of kaolin clay from two locations in Puolanka (Pihlajavaara and Poskimäki) was performed in order to find potential applications for these materials in water and wastewater treatment as low-cost adsorbents or as a raw material for other uses. The effects of wet and dry fractionation methods and the annealing of the sample on the properties of the coarse fractions were studied. The coarse fractions contained mainly quartz, while the kaolinite content was considered low. The Poskimäki (PM) clay had a higher specific surface area (SSA) and cation exchange capacities (CEC) than the Pihlajavaara (PV) clay due to a higher amount of iron. Annealing (800°C) decreased the SSA and CEC. The fractionation method had only a minor effect on particle size distribution. PV and PM colloidal suspensions had a negative zeta potential at natural pH values. Very small amounts of contained elements (Al, Si, Ca, Mg, K, Cd, Co, Fe, Mn, Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb, Ba) were dissolved from samples at natural pH values. PM clay could be utilized in water treatment for example as a raw material in iron oxide-coated sands. For this purpose, the wet fractionated samples had a higher content of iron than the dry fractionated samples.

Production of Cocoa Butter Replacer by Dry Fractionation, Partial Hydrogenation, Chemical and Enzymatic Interesterification of Tea Seed Oil

Production of cocoa butter replacer (CBR) from tea seed oil through common modification methods of oils (dry fractionation, partial hydrogenation, chemical and enzymatic interesterification) was evaluated. Some physico-chemical properties (iodine, saponification, acid and peroxide values) and fatty acid composition (FAC) of modified samples were analyzed and compared with a reference cocoa butter (CB). Solid and liquid fractions for large amounts of unsaturated fatty acids (approx. 80%) and thereby lower iodine values (81 - 85 gI2/100g) than that of CB (37% and 34 gI2/100 g, respectively), are not suitable as CBR. Among all ratios of chemically and enzaymatically interesterified oil blends (20%, 25% and 30% of hydrogenated tea seed oil with 80%, 75% and 70% of tea seed oil/liquid fraction/solid fraction), the samples with ratio of 30:70 from both chemical and enzymatic interesterification had FAC and iodine value closer to that of CB. A comparision between chemically and enzymatically interesterified samples (CISs and EISs, respectively), in terms of solid fat content (SFC) indicated that although the SFC values in EIS were much lower than that of CB, but the thermal behavior of this sample is comprable to CB at 20℃- 30℃ (sharp melting point of CB).

Carbon Dioxide and Methane at a Desert Site—A Case Study at Railroad Valley Playa, Nevada, USA

Ground based in-situ measurements of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) at the dry lakebed at Railroad Valley (RRV) playa, Nevada, USA (38°30.234′ N, 115°41.604′ W, elevation 1437 m) were conducted over a five day period from 20–25 June 2010. The playa is a flat, desert site with virtually no vegetation, an overall size of 15 km × 15 km and is approximately 110 km south-west of the nearest city, Ely (elevation 1962 m, inhabitants 4000). The measurements were taken in support of the vicarious calibration experiment to validate column-averaged dry air mole fractions of CO2 and CH4 (XCO2 and XCH4) retrieved from the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT) which was launched in January 2009. This work reports on ground-based in-situ measurements of CO2 and CH4 from RRV playa and describes comparisons made between in-situ data and XCO2 and XCH4 from GOSAT.

Sampling and analytical procedures for the determination of VOCs released into air from natural and anthropogenic sources: A comparison between SPME (Solid Phase Micro Extraction) and ST (Solid Trap) methods

Abstract In the present study, two sampling and analytical methods for VOC determination in fumarolic exhalations related to hydrothermal-magmatic reservoirs in volcanic and geothermal areas and biogas released from waste landfills were compared: (a) Solid Traps (STs), consisting of three phase (Carboxen B, Carboxen C and Carbosieve S111) absorbent stainless steel tubes and (b) Solid Phase Micro Extraction (SPME) fibers, composed of DiVinylBenzene (DVB), Carboxen and PolyDimethylSiloxane. These techniques were applied to pre-concentrate VOCs discharged from: (i) low-to-high temperature fumaroles collected at Vulcano Island, Phlegrean Fields (Italy), and Nisyros Island (Greece), (ii) recovery wells in a solid waste disposal site located near Florence (Italy). A glass condensing system cooled with water was used to collect the dry fraction of the fumarolic gases, in order to allow more efficient VOC absorption avoiding any interference by water vapor and acidic gases, such as SO2, H2S, HF and HCl, typically present at relatively high concentrations in these fluids. Up to 37 organic species, in the range of 40–400 m/z, were determined by coupling gas chromatography to mass spectrometry (GC–MS). This study shows that the VOC compositions of fumaroles and biogas determined via SPME and ST are largely consistent and can be applied to the analysis of VOCs in gases released from different natural and anthropogenic environments. The SPME method is rapid and simple and more appropriate for volcanic and geothermal emissions, where VOCs are present at relatively high concentrations and prolonged gas sampling may be hazardous for the operator. The ST method, allowing the collection of large quantities of sample, is to be preferred to analyze the VOC composition of fluids from diffuse emissions and air, where these compounds are present at relatively low concentrations.

In situ aerosol characterization at Cape Verde Part 2: Parametrization of relative humidity- and wavelength-dependent aerosol optical properties

An observation-based numerical study of humidity-dependent aerosol optical properties of mixed marine and Saharan mineral dust aerosol is presented. An aerosol model was developed based on measured optical and microphysical properties to describe the marine and Saharan dust aerosol at Cape Verde. A wavelength-dependent optical equivalent imaginary part of the refractive index and a scattering non-sphericity factor for Saharan dust were derived. Simulations of humidity effects on optical properties by the aerosol model were validated with relative measurements of the extinction coefficient at ambient conditions. Parametrizations were derived to describe the humidity dependence of the extinction, scattering, and absorption coefficients as well as the asymmetry parameter and single scattering albedo. For wavelengths (300–950 nm) and dry dust volume fractions (0–1), aerosol optical properties as a function of relative humidity (RH = 0–90%) can be calculated from tabulated parameters. For instance, at a wavelength of 550 nm, a volume fraction of 0.5 of dust on the total particle volume (dry conditions) and a RH of 90%, the enhancements for the scattering, extinction and absorption coefficients are 2.55, 2.46 and 1.04, respectively, while the enhancements for the asymmetry parameter and single scattering albedo are 1.11 and 1.04. DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0889.2011.00568.x

An engineering and economic evaluation of wet and dry pre-fractionation processes for dry-grind ethanol facilities

An engineering–economic model was developed to compare the profitability of the wet fractionation process, a generic dry fractionation process, and the conventional dry grind process. Under market conditions as of January 2011, only fractionation processes generated a positive cash flow. Reduced unit manufacturing costs and increased ethanol production capacity were two major contributions. Corn and ethanol price sensitivity analysis showed that the wet fractionation process always outperformed a generic dry fractionation process at any scenario considered in this research. A generic dry fractionation process would provide better economic performance than the conventional dry grind process if corn price was low and ethanol price was high. All three processes would perform more resiliently if the DDGS price was determined by its composition.

Lipid removal enhances separation of oat grain cell wall material from starch and protein

Effects of lipid removal on the fine milling and air classification processing of oats were studied. Lipid removal by supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO 2) extraction enabled concentration of the main components of oats – starch, protein, lipids and cell walls – into specific fractions. Using defatted oats as raw material, the highest β-glucan concentration of the cell wall-enriched fraction was 33.9% as compared to 17.1% without lipid removal. This was probably due to more efficient milling yielding smaller particles, and release of starchy material from cellular structures during milling of defatted oats, resulting in better classification. The removal of lipids also enabled separation of an oat protein concentrate with a protein concentration of 73.0% and a mass yield of 5.0%. A trial with 2310 kg of oat groats showed that the process based on defatting and dry fractionation was also industrially applicable.

Dry Fractionation and Crystallization Kinetics of High‐Oleic High‐Stearic Sunflower Oil

AbstractFractionation of fats and oils makes it possible to generate products with specific properties from natural fats that contain a variety of triacylglycerol (TAG) species. High‐oleic high‐stearic (HOHS) sunflower oils contain high levels of saturated fatty acids, mainly stearate, on a high‐oleic background. Accordingly, HOHS oils could be a source of disaturated TAGs appropriate for cocoa butter equivalent formulations. We examined the kinetics of HOHS oil crystallization, paying special attention to the influence of crystal seeding and temperature on the process and the composition of the final fractions. This oil was fractionated at 18 °C, and seeding increased the amount of disaturated TAGs recovered in the precipitate from 23% to up to 30%. The experimental data collected were fitted using the models of Gompertz and Avrami to study how well these models fitted the data and their utility in predicting the progress of crystallization. At seeding additions above 0.25% there was a change in the crystallization mechanism that improved the process of fractionation. The effect of temperature was also studied, showing important increases in the maximum rates of crystallization when fractionations were carried out at lower temperatures. Finally, the melting profiles of the fractions enriched in saturated fatty acids were studied, showing amounts of solids intermediate between the initial oil and cocoa butter.

Preparation and Characterization of 1,3-Dioleoyl-2-palmitoylglycerol

1,3-Dioleoyl-2-palmitoylglycerol, an important triacylglycerol in infant formulas, was effectively enriched by a two-step process: (a) dry fractionation of leaf lard and (b) enzymatic acidolysis of the fractionated leaf lard. In step a, the 1,3-dioleoyl-2-palmitoylglycerol content was increased from 16.77 to 30.73% after programmed temperature treatment of the leaf lard at 60 °C for 20 min followed by 34 °C for 10 h. In step b, 43.72% of the 1,3-dioleoyl-2-palmitoylglycerol content was obtained at the optimal conditions of enzymatic acidolysis: a substrate molar ratio of 1:4 (the fractionated leaf lard/camellia oil fatty acids), 6% (w/w) of enzyme loading, and 6 h of reaction time at 45 °C. On the basis of gas chromatography determination and "deducting score" principle, a model was properly established for characterizing the quality of triacylglycerols enriched with 1,3-dioleoyl-2-palmitoylglycerol. This approach would be a valuable contribution in structured lipids industries because only gas chromatography determination was involved.

Germ‐Derived FAN as Nitrogen Source for Corn Endosperm Fermentation

ABSTRACTCorn endosperm separated by dry fractionation could exhibit poor fermentation performance due to loss of germ components beneficial for yeast growth. Inorganic nitrogen and other nutritional supplementations are used to overcome slow fermentation rates. We investigated the use of a protease in generating free amino nitrogen (FAN) from germ as an alternative to exogenous nitrogen sources. Up to 300% more FAN can be generated from germ in 6 hr of incubation with protease than without protease. Protease incubation also resulted in higher dry solids (ds) and total glucose contents in the germ hydrolyzates. During fermentation without urea addition, ethanol yields were dependent on mash FAN concentrations. Ethanol yields increased to a maximum when FAN level was 80–90 mg of FAN/100 g ds. At half the optimal FAN level (≈40 mg of FAN/100 g ds), nitrogen limitation occurred, as indicated by high residual glucose concentrations. However, germ FAN did not increase the ethanol yields compared to urea supplementation, likely because germ FAN resulted in lower substrate consumption compared to urea supplementation. Lower substrate consumption correlated to the increase in residual maltose with increase in initial FAN. Ethanol productivity in 0–24 hr of fermentation was higher with germ FAN than with urea, thus decreasing overall fermentation time.

Fibrolytic potential of spent compost of Agaricus bisporus to degrade forages for ruminants

To evaluate the fibrolytic potential of spent compost of champignon mushroom (Agaricus bisporus; SCAB) on forage degradation, liquids from spent compost were extracted and then evaluated in vitro. Firstly, SCAB was recovered at 50, 60 and 90 days post-harvest and enzyme activity was evaluated. Celluloses activity was highest at 60 days; xylanases activity was not affected by post-harvest stage; laccases activity increased as post-harvest stage increased. Secondly, liquid extracts of SCAB obtained at 60 days post-harvest were refrigerated, frozen, lyophilized and refrigerated plus benzoic acid, frozen plus benzoic acid, frozen plus glycerol or frozen plus benzoic acid-glycerol and then, the fibrolytic activity was evaluated. Fibrolytic activity was highest in SCAB frozen plus glycerol, lyophilization and frozen plus benzoic acid. Finally, effects of SCAB were evaluated on degradation of alfalfa hay, Taiwan grass, barley straw and spent compost of A. bisporus. Dry matter soluble fraction of alfalfa and potential degradation of dry matter of Taiwan grass and barley straw were increased by SCAB. It was concluded that SCAB showed a high fibrolytic activity which would increase degradation of forages for ruminants.

Corn Endosperm Fermentation Using Endogenous Amino Nitrogen Generated by a Fungal Protease

ABSTRACTFractionating the corn kernel to separate endosperm from germ and pericarp improves corn ethanol processing by increasing fermentation throughput and generating salable coproducts. One fractionation technology, dry fractionation (DF), suffers from loss of germ‐derived nutrients and amino acids, resulting in poor fermentation performance. Such deficiencies may be addressed by increasing nitrogen and other nutritional supplementation. As an alternative to exogenous nitrogen source, we investigated the use of a fungal protease to generate free amino nitrogen (FAN) from corn endosperm. Incubation of endosperm with protease did not affect subsequent liquefaction and saccharification. FAN supplementation through proteolysis resulted in fermentation being 99% complete in 48 hr, compared to 93% maximum with urea supplementation. Viable cell growth rates were similar in FAN and urea‐supplemented fermentations. Urea and FAN addition resulted in similar fermentation characteristics and similar FAN consumption rates as with FAN alone, which was indicative that FAN was assimilated preferentially. Increased amounts of maltose remaining after fermentation were correlated with initial FAN concentrations in mash. This observed trend was implicated in ethanol yield reduction of 2 g/L at high protease loading (generating 1.6 mg of FAN/g of glucose substrate) compared to a urea control. Using a glucose and maltose solution, we confirmed higher residual maltose in fermentations supplemented with high FAN concentrations. Use of protease to generate optimal FAN concentration in mash (1.2 mg of FAN/g of glucose substrate) could improve economics of dry fractionated corn ethanol production by increasing fermentation rates and, consequently, reducing fermentation time.

Effect of Wet and Dry Fractionation Methods on Ethanol Production from Hard and Soft Endosperm Corn Types

Two corn fractionation methods, wet and dry, were compared to the conventional dry grind process using hard and soft endosperm corn types. Fractionation methods remove germ and pericarp fiber prior to fermentation. Wet fractionation involves soaking of corn and grinding, followed by germ and pericarp fiber removal. In dry fractionation, corn is tempered and passed through a roller mill before the germ and pericarp fiber are removed. Hard and soft endosperm types differ in the protein starch interactions, shape of starch granules, and type of proteins present. Effect of hard and soft endosperm on wet and dry fractionation processes and the conventional process were analyzed for final ethanol concentrations and fermentation rates. Germ from fractionation processes was analyzed for yield, oil, protein, and residual starch contents. Pericarp fiber yields, residual starch, and NDF contents were determined. Soft endosperm corn resulted in higher final ethanol concentrations (15.8%) than hard endosperm corn types (15.5%). Germ yields from hard endosperm corn were 1.8% higher than soft endosperm corn types. Pericarp fiber yields were higher from soft endosperm corn (10.8%) than from hard endosperm corn (8.35%). Among processes, wet fractionation resulted in 0.5% and 1.8% v/v higher final ethanol concentrations than dry fractionation and the conventional process, respectively. Germ yields were higher from dry fractionation (10.6%) than from wet fractionation (8.35%). Germ fractions from wet fractionation had higher oil (31.4%) and protein (14.2%) than germ from dry fractionation (18.8% and 12.6%, respectively). Dry fractionated germ had 6.9% more starch than wet fractionated germ. Pericarp fiber yields were higher from wet (11.4%) than from dry (7.21%) fractionation. Fractionation processes result in higher final ethanol concentrations and can provide valuable coproducts.

Screening of medicinal plants for antibacterial principles against β-lactam resistant strains

Sir, In the present work, screening of different plants used in Indian folk medicine was carried out for the detection of antibacterial principles against β-lactam resistant bacterial strains, which may be useful as new drugs to combat deadly infections. [1,2] Twenty-nine plants were tested for their antibacterial activities. The collected plants were washed and shade dried. Twenty grams of the plant material was macerated and extracted with hexane, diethyl ether, methanol and water using a Soxhlet apparatus, based on their polarity. The dry fractions were made into a suspension using 10% dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) in distilled water. The concentration of the extracts was adjusted to 1 mg/mL in each case. The antibacterial properties of the plant extracts were evaluated by employing the disc diffusion method. Evaluation of the synergistic effect of the plant extracts with β-lactam antibiotics was done according to the method of Muroi and Kubo. [3] The diethyl ether extracts of Holoptelea integrifolia, Pongamea pinnata, Spondias dulci and methanol extract of Syzygium samarengense showed good synergistic effects with amoxicillin and ampicillin against Staphylococcus aureus in disc diffusion method. They were further fractionated by silica gel chromatography to identify the antibacterial compound. The structure of the compounds in the active fractions was elucidated by spectroscopic analysis methods such as gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis [Table 1]. The diethyl ether extracts exhibited a higher degree of antimicrobial activity compared to methanol extract. The extracts of H. integrifolia, P. pinnata, S. dulci and S. samarengense showed an increase in the growth inhibition zone in the presence of amoxicillin. This indicates that the plants contain compounds which can enhance the effect of amoxicillin. Other plant extracts did not show any noticeable synergistic effect. The synergistic effect of plant extracts against resistant bacterial strains may lead to a new choice for the treatment of infectious diseases. [4] The active principle can be used along with commonly used antibiotics. Data from the literature as well as from our studies reveal a great potential of plants in this direction.

In situ aerosol characterization at Cape Verde

An observation-based numerical study of humidity-dependent aerosol optical properties of mixed marine and Saharan mineral dust aerosol is presented. An aerosol model was developed based on measured optical and microphysical properties to describe the marine and Saharan dust aerosol at Cape Verde. A wavelength-dependent optical equivalent imaginary part of the refractive index and a scattering non-sphericity factor for Saharan dustwere derived. Simulations of humidity effects on optical properties by the aerosol model were validated with relative measurements of the extinction coefficient at ambient conditions. Parametrizations were derived to describe the humidity dependence of the extinction, scattering, and absorption coefficients as well as the asymmetry parameter and single scattering albedo. For wavelengths (300–950 nm) and dry dust volume fractions (0–1), aerosol optical properties as a function of relative humidity (RH = 0–90%) can be calculated from tabulated parameters. For instance, at a wavelength of 550 nm, a volume fraction of 0.5 of dust on the total particle volume (dry conditions) and a RH of 90%, the enhancements for the scattering, extinction and absorption coefficients are 2.55, 2.46 and 1.04, respectively, while the enhancements for the asymmetry parameter and single scattering albedo are 1.11 and 1.04.

Characterization of the planetary boundary layer during SAMUM-2 by means of lidar measurements

Measurements with two Raman-depolarization lidars of the Meteorological Institute of the Ludwig-Maximilians- Universit¨at, M¨unchen, Germany, performed during SAMUM-2, were used to characterize the planetary boundary layer (PBL) over Praia, Cape Verde. A novel approach was used to determine the volume fraction of dust υd in the PBL. This approach primarily relies on accurate measurements of the linear depolarization ratio. Comparisons with independent in situ measurements showed the reliability of this approach. Based on our retrievals, two different phases could be distinguished within the measurement period of almost one month. The first (22–31 January 2008) was characterized by high aerosol optical depth (AOD) in the PBL and large υd > 95%. During the second phase, the AOD in the PBL was considerably lower and υd less than ∼40%. These findings were in very good agreement with ground based in situ measurements, when ambient volume fractions are considered that were calculated from the actual measurements of the dry volume fraction. Only in cases when dust was not the dominating aerosol component (second phase), effects due to hygroscopic growth became important.

Potential of dry fractionation of wheat bran for the development of food ingredients, part I: Influence of ultra-fine grinding

Wheat bran is an undervalued by-product of white flour and has great nutritional potential due to its high content in fibres and bioactive compounds. Micronized bran could be used as a food ingredient to improve the nutritional potential of cereal products, or be used as a starting material for other processes (bioactive compound extraction or bran fractionation). The aim of this work was to find a way to efficiently decrease the particle size of bran. The influence of the grinding temperature (ambient or cryogenic grinding) on the granulometric distribution of particles, their composition, and their microstructure was studied, at lab-scale and pilot-scale. It showed that the intrinsic characteristics of bran (glass transition within intermediate layers at −46 °C) had more influence on its grinding behaviour than the type of grinding device used: the particles size distributions obtained after grinding at lab-scale and pilot-scale were very similar. At both scales, the granulometric curves were narrow for cryogenic grinding, while for ambient grinding they were spread over the whole particle size range. Ultrafine particles were obtained in both ambient and cryogenic conditions. Negative temperatures, by increasing the material’s brittleness, favoured a fast fragmentation of bran: one step of cryogenic grinding allowed a median particle size of nearly 50 μm to be reached, whereas three successive steps of ambient grinding were needed for the same result. On the other hand, ambient temperature favoured the dissociation of the different constituent layers of wheat bran, and produced less composite particles than cryogenic grinding.

Tracking deposition of a 14C-radiolabeled kudzu hairy root-derived isoflavone-rich fraction into bone

Hairy roots were induced in four genotypes from three kudzu species (Pueraria montana var. lobata, P. lobata and P. phaseoloides) in vitro using Agrobacterium rhizogenes to stimulate rapid secondary metabolite synthesis. Hairy roots from P. montana var. lobata (United States Department of Agriculture no. PI 434246) yielded the highest puerarin and total isoflavone content and the greatest new biomass per growth cycle among the genotypes evaluated. Hairy roots from this genotype were selected for radiolabeling using (14)C-sucrose as a carbon source. Isoflavones from radiolabeled kudzu hairy root cultures were extracted with 80% methanol, partitioned by solvent extraction, and then subfractionated by Sephadex LH-20 gel filtration. Radiolabeled isoflavones were isolated in a highly enriched fraction, which contained predominantly puerarin, daidzin and malonyl-daidzin and had an average radioactivity of 8.614 MBq/g (232.8 μCi/g) dry fraction. The (14)C-radiolabeled, isoflavone-rich fraction was orally administered at a dose of 60 mg/kg body weight to male Sprague-Dawley rats implanted with a jugular catheter, a subcutaneous ultrafiltrate probe and a brain microdialysate probe. Serum, interstitial fluid, brain microdialysate, urine and feces were collected using a Culex(®) Automated Blood Collection System for 24 h. At the end of this period, rats were sacrificed and major tissues were collected. Analysis by a scintillation counter confirmed that a bolus dose of (14)C-radiolabeled, isoflavone-rich kudzu fraction reached bone tissues, which accumulated 0.011%, 0.09% and 0.003% of the administered dose in femur, tibia and vertebrae, respectively. Femurs extracted with 80% methanol were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry and were found to contain trace quantities of puerarin, daidzein and puerarin glucuronide. This study demonstrates that kudzu isoflavones and metabolites are capable of reaching bone tissues, where they may contribute to the prevention of osteoporosis and the promotion of bone health.