Major Essential Amino Acids Research Articles

Changes in the Composition of Olive Pomace after Fermentation: A Preliminary Study

Because olive pomace (the main by-product of olive oil production) is phytotoxic, new applications must be investigated to minimize its negative environmental impact. In this work, olive pomace was fermented for 4 and 32 days at room temperature, having in view its valorization as a novel food, thereby creating opportunities for the food industry and addressing a challenge of the olive oil sector. The chemical and microbiological modifications that occurred along the fermentation were followed. The results showed no significant differences (p > 0.05) in total protein between the control and the fermented samples; however, the latter exhibited higher levels of essential amino acids. The major nonessential and essential amino acids were glutamic acid and leucine in all samples. There was a significant increase in the total fat of the 32-day sample and the main fatty acid was oleic acid in all samples. There were considerable reductions in total vitamin E, phenolics, and antioxidant activity values post-fermentation. Hydroxytyrosol replaced oleacein as the main phenolic in the 32-day sample. A sharp increase in total microorganisms occurred (2.20 × 102 to 3.00 × 104–2.01 × 107 colony forming units/mL) but no pathogenic microorganisms were detected. Overall, olive pomace fermentation creates novel products for the food industry with a balanced nutritional composition.

Effect of milkfish skin gelatin on properties of vegetable wet noodle

Vegetable wet noodles are one of the healthy noodles which have been part of a functional noodle. Wet noodles are a type of noodle with a chewy texture that are usually served immediately after production. However, the low tensile strength makes the noodles easily break, therefore it is necessary to mix it with gelatin to get noodles with good quality. Fish skin gelatin could improve physico-chemical, nutritional and functional quality of vegetable wet noodles. Consequently, the purpose of this study is to examine the effect of milkfish skin gelatin on the properties of vegetable wet noodle. Various concentration of milkfish skin gelatin (0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, 2% and 2.5%) were added to vegetable wet noodle dough. Physico-chemical properties of vegetable wet noodle were analyzed including tensile strength, Scanning electron microscope, proximate, color, total pigment, amino acid content and antioxidant activity. The addition of 2.5% of fish skin gelatin exhibited the highest tensile strength or breaking strength (0.18 MPa). SEM test results showed a dense matrix structure, uniform and compact cavities. Value of water content was 59.49%, protein content was 8.92%, ash content was 0.4%, fat content was 1.06%, carbohydrate content was 30.13%. Whereas, total pigment with chlorophyll value a was 3 mg/g, chlorophyll b was 2.46 mg/g and carotenoids was 1.32 mg/g. The color test obtained the results of the parameters L* 70.51, a* -5.37, and b* 11.56, respectively. There were major essential amino acids such as leucine, phenylalanine, and arginine. Furthermore, hedonic analysis showed that the consumer prefers to choose wet vegetable noodle after 2.5% gelatin addition due to bright green appearance, the specific aroma and the chewy texture of noodle.

Plant Based Proteins: Sustainable Alternatives

Proteins can be procured from both plants and animals. Plant proteins are more preferable as the animal proteins may cause adverse health effects to human life. Proteins derived from plant sources are less expensive and hence are more cost effective. Quality of proteins relies on several factors and biological value is one such factor. Proteins with major essential amino acid are with high biological value. Every plant source is deficient in one or more essential amino acids so it is recommended to include multiple plant-based diets. Also proteins obtained from plant sources are less palatable so it is important to add flavor in order to make it more palatable. The quality and quantity of the proteins also depend on the techniques used for isolation and purification of proteins. Elucidation of the structure of proteins involves the use of techniques like nuclear magnetic resonance, X-ray crystallography and spectroscopy. Apart from the structural analysis the functioning of the protein could be determined by amino acid sequencing which could be performed using mass spectroscopy. Ultrasound assisted extraction, enzyme assisted protein extraction and electro activation method are few of the isolation and purification method which can be used in isolation and purification of these proteins. Owing to the vast availability of plant-based proteins it has various industrial applications like, plant based protein can be used as a dairy substitute, plant based meat analogue and its use as bioactive peptides which have been briefly discussed in the review.

NUTRIENT COMPOSITION OF Piper umbellatum Linn LEAVES

Piper umbellatum Linn (cowfoot) is a perennial herb or scrambling shrub that originates from tropical America, and is now widely naturalized in tropical rain forest in Africa. Piper umbellatum Linn have been used as spice and in herbal medicine for treating and managing diverse ailments. This study evaluated the nutrient composition of Piper umbellatum leaves using standard analytical methods. The outcome showed that phenyalalanine (19.54±0.06g/100g) was the major abundant essential amino acid while glutamic acid (23.47±0.03g/100g) was the major non essential amino acid. Fatty acid compositions shows 33.39 ± 078% saturated fatty acid with tricosylic acid (7.04±0.03%) as the predominant fatty acid. Monounsaturated fatty acid composition was 36.72 ± 0.66% with Oleic acid (15.47±0.17%) as the predominant fatty acid and poly unsaturated fatty acid having a total of 7.11 ± 0.24% with eicosatetraenoic acid (3.61 ± 0.01) being the predominant fatty acid. Vitamin composition also showed higher concentration of vitamin C (150.36±1.26mg/100g) and appreciable amount of Vitamin A (38.20±0.14IU). The result of the present study therefore revealed that Piper umbellatum Linn leaves contain substantial quantity of amino acids, vitamins and fatty acid and possess medicinal value.

Variation in the Nutritional Composition of Soft and Hard Blue Swimming Crabs (Portunus pelagicus) Having Good Export Potential

ABSTRACT The variation in the nutritional composition of hard and soft shell blue swimming crabs was examined. The protein content varied significantly in hard (13.64%) and soft shell BSC (9.34%). Sarcoplasmic proteins ranged from 43–45%, myofibrillar 25–30%, alkali soluble 24–25%, and acid soluble protein 2–6%. Magnesium and calcium were the major and iron and zinc were minor minerals. Hard shell crabs had more zinc (2.35 mg/100 g), while soft shell crabs contained more iron (1.98 mg/100 g). Saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, and polyunsaturated acids were 53.89%, 25.56%, and 9.72%, respectively, in hard shell crabs. In soft shell crabs, methionine was the major essential amino acid (8.49 mg/100 mg), while leucine was the major amino acid in hard shell crabs (8.72 mg/100 mg). The hard crabs contain more proteins, amino acids and fatty acids whereas soft crabs are rich in minerals and have similar protein fractions.

Palatability Enhancement Potential of Hermetia illucens Larvae Protein Hydrolysate in Litopenaeus vannamei Diets

Marine feed ingredients derived from cephalopods (e.g., squid) and crustaceans (e.g., krill) are commercially used to improve the palatability of shrimp diets. Increase in global demand for shrimps has resulted in overfishing of these marine organisms and is a matter of concern. Insect protein hydrolysate could be a sustainable alternative for the possible replacement of these marine feed ingredients. During this study, four formulations: diet A (control: not containing any palatability enhancer), diet B (containing squid meal and krill oil), diet C (containing 1% insect protein hydrolysate), and diet D (containing 2% insect protein hydrolysate) were tested for (1) time required by first subject to begin feeding (time to strike) and (2) palatability in Litopenaeus vannamei. Additionally, the chemical composition of all four diet formulations was also analyzed. Results indicate that all diets had similar crude composition. The major essential amino acids in all diets were leucine and lysine, whereas eicosapentaenoic acid was the major omega-3 fatty acid in all diets. There were no significant differences between the mean time to strike for all the tested formulations. Palatability of tested formulations was found in the following order: diet D > diet C > diet B = diet A (p < 0.05), indicating that addition of squid meal and krill oil has no effect on palatability in comparison to control, whereas inclusion of insect protein hydrolysates significantly improves the palatability of formulations. Palatability enhancement potential of insect protein hydrolysate could be attributed to the high free amino acid content and water solubility in comparison to squid meal.

Chemical, Nutritional, Microbial, and Sensory Characteristic of Fish Sauce Suragh from Hormozgan, Iran

ABSTRACT This study was undertaken to investigate the chemical, nutritional, microbial, and sensory properties of fish sauce Suragh prepared by fermentation using Rainbow sardine (Dussumieria acuta) with red soil (3%) at different salt concentrations (20%, 25%, 30%, and 35%). The fermentation process was carried out for 180 days at room temperature. The pH value and total volatile base-nitrogen (TVB-N) content of sauces range from 7.04 to 5.47 and 288.43–70.83 mg/100 g with the increasing level of salt concentration, respectively. Amino acid analyses revealed that lysine and leucine are the major essential amino acids, while glutamine/glutamic acid and alanine are the dominant nonessential amino acids in fish sauces. The fatty acid profile showed decreasing contents of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and high-unsaturated fatty acid (HUFA) in fish sauce samples when the salt level increased. The total viable count (TVC), halophilic bacteria, yeast, and mold of all samples decreased to less than 1 log CFU/g after fermentation. The sensory evaluation showed that the sample with 35% salt added had the highest overall acceptance score. Based on the chemical, nutritional, microbial, and sensory evaluation, high-quality fish sauce Suragh could be produced using 35% salt concentration, and it could be considered as a healthy condiment for human consumption.

Comparative Study of Nutritional Importance of Some Marine Macroalgae as a Novel Natural Source of Amino Acids

This study aimed to investigate the amino acids contents of some brown (Hormophysa cuneiformis, Sargassum muticum, and Padina minor), red (Digenea simplex, Amphiroa anceps, and Corallina mediterranea), and green macroalgae (Codium elongatum, Ulva fasciata, and Cladophora sp.) collected from the Egypt coasts, using an Eppendorf/Biotronik LC 3000 amino acid analyzer. The results showed that the total amino acid content ranged from 11.84 ± 0.55 mg/g dry weight (DW) in D. simplex to 33.43 ± 1.29 mg/g DW in U. fasciata. Threonine and L-methionine were the major essential amino acids (EAAs) in red and brown macroalgae, respectively, whereas in green macroalgae, the major EAAs varied between macroalgae species as follows: L‑lysine in C. elongatum, L-leucine in U. fasciata, and L-valine in Cladophora sp. L-aspartic and L-glutamic acids together represented a large portion of the amino acid content. The high content of EAAs in all the species under study makes them an important resource for nutritional applications.

Protein and amino acid composition of wild caught freshwater crayfish (Pontastacus leptodactylus) in the reproductive season

Interest in feeding crayfish under culture conditions has increased in the last few years; however, there is still a lack of information on feeding crayfish according to their nutritional requirements (i.e., protein and amino acid dietary demands of broodstock). In this study, the protein and amino acid composition of abdominal muscle, gonads and hepatopancreas of male and female broodstock crayfish Pontastacus leptodactylus (Eschscholtz, 1823) were determined in the reproductive season. The results show that in P. leptodactylus, the amount of protein in the ovary was 47.25 mg/g and that it was 35.03 mg/g and 39.36 mg/g in the testes and vasa deferentia, respectively. In males, the values of essential amino acids (EAA) obtained in the abdominal muscle were significantly lower than those obtained from the hepatopancreas, testes and vasa deferentia (P < 0.05). In female crayfish, EAA/total amino acids (TAA) were found to be 45.48 % in the ovary, which is significantly higher than that of the abdominal muscle (40.19 %) and hepatopancreas (42.14 %) (P < 0.05). The results also show that abdominal valine, threonine, lysine, and histidine were statistically higher in female crayfish than male crayfish (P < 0.01). Leucine was the major EAA found in males in abdominal muscle (8.73 %). In conclusion, this study analyzed the protein and amino acid composition of abdominal muscle, hepatopancreas and gonad of crayfish in the breeding season in order to understand the protein and amino acid contents of wild caught crayfish and get an idea on the nutritional requirements of P. leptodactylus in the reproductive season.

Mineral, amino acid and fatty acid evaluations of Myristica fragrans seeds extracts

The mineral elements, amino acid constituents and fatty acids present in Myristica fragrans seeds extracts were identified and quantified using atomic absorption spectrometry and flame photometry, Technicon sequential multi-sample amino acid analyzer (TSM) and Shimadzu GC–MS machine respectively. Six hundred grams of powdered seeds were extracted in methanol and n-hexane (2:1 v/v) using a rotary evaporator. Calcium, magnesium, and iron were the most abundant in methanol extract with concentrations of 3.21 ± 0.05 part per million (ppm), 3.00 ± 0.05 ppm, and 1.00 ± 0.02 ppm respectively. The major essential amino acids in the seed were leucine 6.24 g/100 g, valine 3.72 g/100 g, and threonine 3.50 g/100 g while the non-essential amino acids were glutamate 10.6 g/100 g, aspartate 7.60 g/100 g, and arginine 5.50 g/100 g. The major biological compounds in the methanol extract as revealed by the GC–MS analysis were 9,12-Octadecadienoic acid methyl ester (RT: 20.768, 27.13%), Cyclododecyne (RT: 26.458, 19.33%) and octadecanoic acid (RT: 14.360, 12.24%) while the hexane extract constituents were margarinic acid (RT: 14.746, 27.04%), oleic acid (RT: 20.947, 18.96%) and 9,12-octadecadien-1-ol (RT: 26.523%, 15.10%). These compounds have shown nutritional, pharmacological, and medicinal importance in different studies.

Comparative Study on the Phytochemical Composition and Antioxidant Activity of Grecian Juniper (Juniperus excelsa M. Bieb) Unripe and Ripe Galbuli.

Grecian juniper (Juniperus excelsa M. Bieb.) is an evergreen tree and a rare plant found in very few locations in southern Bulgaria. The aim of this study was to evaluate the phytochemical content and antioxidant potential of J. excelsa unripe and ripe galbuli from three different locations in Bulgaria. The essential oil content ranged between 1.9% and 5.1%, while the lipid fraction yield was between 4.5% and 9.1%. The content of total chlorophyll was 185.4–273.4 μg/g dw. The total carotenoid content ranged between 41.7 and 50.4 μg/g dw of ripe galbuli, and protein content was between 13.6% and 16.4%. Histidine (5.5 and 8.0 mg/g content range) and lysine (4.0 and 6.1 mg/g) were the major essential amino acids. The antioxidant potential of the 95% and 70% ethanol extracts was analyzed using four different methods. A positive correlation between the antioxidant potential and phenolic content of the galbuli was found. The results obtained in this study demonstrated the differences in phytochemical composition and antioxidant capacity of J. excelsa galbuli as a function of maturity stage and collection locality.

Effect of addition sesame seeds powder with different ratio on microstructural and some properties of low fat Labneh

Sesame seeds (Sesamum indicum L.) are probably the most ancient oil seed crops used in functional Labneh preperation. The goal of the present study was to explore the quality of Labneh made from skim milk fortified with 0%, 2%, 4%, and 6% sesame seeds powder (SSP) as alternative to fat. Control Labneh made from whole milk and their treatments with SSP were stored for 21 days at 5 ± 1 °C. The physiochemical, microbiological, and organoleptic properties were determined in fresh and stored Labneh (for 7, 14, and 21 days) as well as amino acids and microstructures were measured in fresh Labneh. The results showed that sesame seed contains up to 58.9% oil, 15.81% protein, 6.83% fiber, 11.03% carbohydrates, 14.84% antioxidant activity and 32.71 mg/100 g sesamol. The data presented that total solid, fat and acidity were increased while protein and ash contents were decreased in control Labneh compared with Labneh treatments. These all values increased with increasing the amount of SSP, except the acidity value decreased with increasing the amount of SSP. In various fresh Labneh samples, the major essential amino acid was Leucine and non-essential amino acid was Glutamic than the other amino acids. Microbiological examination of Labneh revealed that the total bacterial counts increased throughout the storage period. However moulds and yeasts were not detected at the first week then slightly detected and increased at the end of storage period. Coliform bacteria and spore-forming bacteria didn't observe in all Labneh treatments as storage progressed. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the control Labneh samples had more compact structure and fusion into big aggregates without voids. Labneh made from skim milk had numerous open, loose and less dense protein networks with spaces. No major differences were observed in the Labneh made from skim milk using 2% and 4% sesame seeds . Labneh made from skim milk using 6% sesame seeds was more intensive and thicker casein matrix than the other Labneh treatments. Organoleptic scores revealed that Labneh fortified with 4% sesame seeds powder have the highest acceptability properties.

Effects of the lactation period, breed and feed on amino acids profile of mare’s milk

The effects of the lactation period, breed, and feed on amino acids profile of mare’s milk were investigated. The feed contained two major essential amino acids (EAAs) leucine (7.31 – 10.3 g.kg-1) and arginine (6.37 – 9.59 g.kg-1); it also included minor EAAs methionine (2.11 – 3.05 g.kg-1) and histidine (2.48 – 3.60 g.kg-1). Glu+Gln, Asp+Asn, and proline, major nonessential amino acids (NEAAs), constituted approximately 60% of total NEAAs (TNEAAs). The ratio of total EAAs to NEAAs ranged from 1:1.2 to 1:1.4. Amino acids (AA) content throughout all milk samples varied due to mare’s different conditions and lactation days. Except for the 1P milk sample, total AA content in the 2 – 8Ps specimens caused by differences in breed oscillated from the 2nd to 28th day of lactation within the following limits: 21.9 – 54.6 g.kg-1, 33.6 – 70.7 g.kg-1, 38.1 – 71.2 g.kg-1, 29.46 – 74.2 g.kg-1, 52.2 – 87.1 g.kg-1, 37.9 – 70.3 g.kg-1 and 26.4 – 64.5 g.kg-1, respectively. In relation to TEAAs in milk, the highest EAAs levels were reached in arginine, leucine and lysine ranging between 2.41 – 4.35 g.kg-1, 3.36 – 5.59 g.kg-1 and 2.72 – 4.80 g.kg-1, respectively, while the lowest AAs amounts were indicated in histidine and methionine, 0.91 – 1.58 g.kg-1 and 1.23 – 2.04 g.kg-1 respectively. Total NEAAs content was slightly higher than that of EAAs; the TNEAAs to TEAAs ratio was 1:0.9 proximately. Glu+Gln, Asp+Asn and proline were determined as major NEAAs of milk ranging between, 6.77 – 11.0 g.kg-1, 3.21 – 5.60 g.kg-1 and 1.25 – 2.18 g.kg-1, respectively; levels of NEAAs such as cysteine and glycine oscillated between 0.89 – 1.52 g.kg-1 and 0.64 – 1.15 g.kg-1, respectively. The average TAAs contents caused by breed differences were 62.8 g.kg-1, 42.8 g.kg-1, 44.7 g.kg-1 and 44.8 g.kg-1, respectively, on the 2nd, 5th, 10th, and 28th lactation days.

노간주나무 열매 추출물의 영양성분 분석 및 유방암 세포에서의 증식 억제 효과 연구

This study examined the chemical profile and antioxidant effects of Juniperus rigida Sieb. et. Zucc. (JS) fruit extract. The carbohydrate content was high, and leucine, lysine, and histidine were the major total essential amino acid components in the JS fruit extract. The major organic acids were malic acid, citric acid, and tartaric acid. Saturated fatty acids (stearic acid, capric acid, heptadecanoic acid, and tricosanoic acid) and monounsaturated fatty acids (cis-11-eicosenoic acid and palmitoleic acid) were detected in the JS fruit extract. The order of mineral content was Ca>K>Mg. The total polyphenol and flavonoid contents were 84.22 mg TAE/g and 136.24 mg RE/g, respectively. Furthermore, the JS fruit extract (0.05, 0.1, 0.2 mg/mL) had a growth inhibitory effect on MCF-7 and HCC38 breast cancer cells; the effect was greater in the MCF-7 cell line than in the HCC38 cell line. The present study showed that JS fruit extracts play a major role in the antioxidant and anti-cancer effects in breast cancer cells.

Black Rice: A Novel Ingredient in Food Processing

Black rice (Zizania aquatica) is a rice variety formed by the mutation of Kala4 gene. In the world it is mainly cultivated in Southeast Asian countries like China, Thailand and India. China accounts for 62% of black rice production in the world followed by Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia and Philippines. Thailand holds the 9th position for black rice cultivation. In India black rice is grown in North-eastern states like Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Assam and some parts of Odisha. Black rice is black in color due to the presence of the anthocyanin pigment on the outer layers (bran) of the rice kernel. Black rice is rich in tocopherols (vitamin E), iron and antioxidants. Black rice has high levels of protein, fiber, vitamins (Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, folic acid) and minerals (iron, zinc, calcium, phosphorous and selenium) compared to that of white rice. The major essential amino acids present in black rice are lysine and tryptophan. It also possesses lot of health benefits like antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory properties, lipid oxidation, anti-diabetic, anti-ageing and anti-cancer effects. The use of black rice as an ingredient in food processing might help in creating value added products. In this paper, an attempt has been made to highlight the application of black rice as a novel ingredient in various sectors of food processing.

Ontogenetic changes in energetic reserves, digestive enzymes, amino acid and energy content of Lithodes santolla (Anomura: Lithodidae): Baseline for culture.

The southern king crab (SKC) Lithodes santolla is an important commercial species in southern South America. Fishing pressure has caused the deterioration of its stocks. Currently, culture techniques are being developed for producing SKC juveniles to enhance the natural population and to recover the fishing stock. Therefore, it is necessary to know about physiology, energetic and nutritional requirements for SKC maintenance in hatchery. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the biochemical and physiological changes in the midgut gland, muscle and hemolymph of juveniles, pre-adults and adults of wild SKC. The energetic reserves, digestive enzymes activity, amino acid profile and energy were quantified in twelve juveniles, ten pre-adult, and ten adult crabs. Juveniles showed high glycogen and low lipids in the midgut gland, and low proteins and low lactate in muscle. In the hemolymph, juveniles had high lipids. Pre-adults had high glycogen and lipids in the midgut gland, and both high protein and lactate in muscle. In the hemolymph, pre-adults had high lipids. Adults had low glycogen and high lipids in midgut gland, and both high proteins and high lactate in muscle. In hemolymph, adults had high glucose and lactate. Juveniles and pre-adults had high proteinase activity, whereas adults had high lipase activity. Major essential amino acids of SKC were arginine, methionine, and tryptophan, and the non-essential amino acids were glycine, aspartic acid and glutamic acid. On another hand, SKC had similar energy in the midgut gland and muscle, regardless of the ontogenetic stage. Moreover, we demonstrated that the biochemical energy calculation underestimates the actual measured values by a calorimeter. Thus, our results help to understand the physiological changes, energetic and nutritional requirements of L. santolla, and this study is a baseline for research on diet formulation for maintaining this species under culture conditions.

Amino Acid, Phytochemical Compositions and Antioxidant Activity of Inky Cap Mushroom (Coprinus radiata)

Evaluation of the amino acid composition, phytochemical properties and antioxidant activity of Coprinus radiata mushrooms was conducted. Free amino acid composition of fresh mushrooms was analyzed by LC-MS/MS. The phytochemical properties analysis included total phenolic compound content and total flavonoid content of these mushrooms. Furthermore, antioxidant activity assays were performed using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). Based on the results shown that a high concentration of non-essential amino acids, especially those of arginine and glutamic acid, were observed. However, isoleucine and leucine were major essential amino acids in these mushrooms. The ethanolic extract of C. radiata showed higher phytochemical contents and antioxidant activity than those of the water extract. It suggested that the C. radiata is a natural source containing some essential amino acids, a high amount of phytochemical properties and high antioxidant activity, potentially having medicinal and nutritional properties that provide health benefits.

Nutritional Attributes and Nonvolatile Taste Components of Medicinally Important Wild False Earthstar Mushroom, Astraeus hygrometricus (Agaricomycetes), from India.

Fruiting bodies of Astraeus hygrometricus mushroom grown wild in the forests of Jharkhand, India were investigated for their proximate nutritional composition and taste imparting nonvolatile components. Fruiting bodies contained good amount of total carbohydrates (55.76%), reducing sugars (15.98%), protein (16.02%), and dietary fiber (39.78%) but were low in fat (3.5%), ash (3.8%), and energy (159.5 kcal). Fatty acids were represented by monounsaturated C18:1n9c oleic acid (4.59%) and saturated C16:0 palmitic acid (2.63%). In vitro digestibility of protein is an indicator of its availability to human body and A. hygrometricus has 33.2% in vitro digestibility. Among the minerals found (mg/100 g), potassium (K, 1930.0) was major mineral followed by calcium (Ca, 443.0), magnesium (Mg, 434.0), sodium (Na, 155.0), iron (Fe, 127.0), manganese (Mn, 16.0), and selenium (Se, 1.60). Pro-vitamin D2 (ergosterol) was also determined to be 1.09 mg/g. Analysis of soluble sugars indicated that mannitol (11.22 mg/g) was the major sugar alcohol conferring sweetness to the fruiting bodies. Among total free amino acids (8.20 mg/g), seven essential amino acids (3.9) and eight nonessential amino acids (4.3) were detected. Leucine (0.92) and tyrosine (0.98) were the major essential and nonessential amino acids, respectively. Aspartic (0.61) and glutamic acid (0.63) were also present in AH and responsible for its MSG like taste. Thus, A. hygrometricus is a good source of free essential amino acids and selenium, which is not synthesized by humans. Meaty flavor of the fruiting body of A. hygrometricus was mainly due to umami 5'-guanosine monophosphate (2.43 mg/g). Sweet taste and meaty flavor of the mushroom were due to nonvolatile taste components including soluble sugars and polyols, MSG like aspartic and glutamic acid, and umami 5'-nucleotide. Overall A. hygrometricus proved its edibility as a tasty and nutritional food.

The Nutritional Value of Improving Dried Lentil Soup

The main objective of this investigation is to prepare a quick and high quality lentil soup characterized with nutritional value in the form of powder from formulated dried soups. Dried soup mixtures formulated by lentil, mushroom, egg powder and dried sweet whey at different ratio. Three formulas were prepared and compared with lentil soup only for organoleptic properties, color, rehydration ratio, proximate analysis and energy, total phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity, amino acids profile and water activity during storage at room temperature. The organoleptic evaluation of different dried soup mixtures showed that the control lentil soup (M1) recorded the highest score (46.05) followed by died whey soup (M4) (45.05). Color measurements indicated significantly increases in lightness, redness and yellowness values. The M4, M2and M3 formulas, recorded the highest value respectively. The rehydration ratio resulted in significant increase for control, and those containing mushroom and egg powder (M1, M2, and M3), main while the presence of dried whey showed significant decrease. The chemical composition indicated that the M3 formula had the highest protein content followed by M2 and M4 compared with control. Fat and fiber content in the different soup mixtures had no significant differences as well as total carbohydrates which had the highest values in M4 followed M1, M2 and M3, respectively. The obtained results revealed that different dried lentil soup mixtures may contain a sufficient amount of minerals (Fe, Zn, Ca, and Se) to cover the human mineral requirements and also a good source of phenolic acids and antioxidant activity. The major essential amino acid in the different mixtures (M2,M3 and M4) soups was leucine which found in high amounts followed by lysine and valine compared to the control (M1) .The major non- essential amino acids were glutamic, aspartic and arginine acids followed by serine, alanine and proline which were nearly, similar all different soups mixtures. The water activity of different soups mixes increased with progressive the storage period with the type of packaging materials. The overall increase was laid safe limits was aw=o.6. From the obviously results it could be recommended that the lentil, mushroom, egg and whey powders could be a common new and successful ingredient to use in preparing a novel generation of healthy food products. The formulas from these ingredients increased the nutritional value, antioxidant activity and the amino acids. Finally, high quality and nutritional properties of different lentil soups mixtures were in order of M3 M2 and M4, comparable by M1 as a control.

Nutrient Composition of Dried Seaweed Gracilaria gracilis

The nutrient composition of dried red seaweed Gracilaria gracilis collected from Barru waters, South Sulawesi including proximate, dietary fiber, minerals, fatty acid and amino acid profile has been investigated. The objective of this study was to evaluate the various nutritional parameters of G. gracilis for utilization in human nutrition. Results show that the content of moisture (19.045), protein (10.86%), ash (6.78%), fat (0.18%), carbohydrate (63.13%) and dietary fiber (27.48%) basis on the dry weight. The content of calcium (429.11 mg.100 g-1), sodium (290.89 mg.100 g-1), phosphor (57.01 mg.100 g-1), iron (15.20 mg.100 g-1) and potassium (1380.42 mg.100 g-1). Leucine was the major essential amino acid found to be 9374.22 mg.kg-1, while glutamic acid was the major non-essential amino acid found to be 10848.98 mg.kg-1. Palmitic acid was the major saturated fatty acid found to be 0.08%, while oleic acid was the major unsaturated fatty acid found to be 0.05%. The nutrient composition of G. gracilis was discussed in this study and suggested that the seaweed species have potentially be used as raw material or ingredient of a healthy food for human.