Organic Acid Components Research Articles

家畜のグラステタニー症発生と関連する牧草の有機酸組成に関する研究 I : グラステタニー症発生草地におけるオーチャードグラスの有機酸組成

家畜のグラステタニー症発生と関連する牧草の有機酸組成に関する研究 I : グラステタニー症発生草地におけるオーチャードグラスの有機酸組成

Determination of fruit maturity and its prediction model based on the pericarp index of absorbance difference (IAD) for peaches.

Harvest maturity is closely related to peach fruit quality and has a very important effect on the fresh fruit market. Unfortunately, at present, it is difficult to determine the maturity level of peach fruits by artificial methods. The objectives of this study were to develop quadratic polynomial regression models using near-infrared spectroscopy that could determine the peel color difference, fruit firmness, soluble solids content (SSC), soluble sugar, organic acid components, and their relationships with the absorbance of chlorophyll (index of absorbance difference, IAD) in late maturing ‘Xiahui 8’ peach and ‘Xiaguang’ nectarine fruits. The analysis was based on data for fruits at veraison, fruits at harvesting maturity, and all fruits. The results showed that firmness has the highest correlation coefficient with IAD. Prediction models for fruit maturity were established between firmness and the IAD of the two cultivars using the quadratic polynomial regression method. Further variance analysis on the one degree term and quadratic term of each equation showed that every partial regression coefficient reached a significant or extremely significant level. No significant difference was observed between estimated and observed values after regression prediction. The regression equations seem to fit well. Other peach and nectarine varieties were used to test the feasibility of maturity prediction by this method, and it was found that maturity was successfully predicted in all the samples. The result indicated that the IAD can be used as an index to predict peach fruit maturity.

Simultaneous quantification of eight organic acid components in Artemisia capillaris Thunb (Yinchen) extract using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detection and high-resolution mass spectrometry

We aim to determine the chemical constituents of Yinchen extract and Yinchen herbs using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detection and high-resolution mass spectrometry. The method was developed to analyze of eight organic acid components of Yinchen extract (including neochlorogenic acid, chlorogenic acid, cryptochlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, 1,3-dicaffeoylquinic acid, 3,4-dicaffeoylquinic acid, 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid and 4,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid). The separation was conducted using an Agilent TC-C18 column with acetonitrile – 0.2% formic acid solution as the mobile phases under gradient elution. The analytical method was fully validated in terms of linearity, sensitivity, precision, repeatability as well as recovery, and subsequently the method was performed for the quantitative assessment of Yinchen extracts and Yinchen herbs. In addition, the changes of selected markers were studied when Yinchen herbs decocting in water and isomerization occurred between the chlorogenic acids. The proposed method enables both qualitative and quantitative analyses and could be developed as a new tool for the quality evaluation of Yinchen extract and Yinchen herbs. The changes of selected markers in water decoction process could give us some novel idea when studying the link between substances and drug efficacy.

English

Chloris virgata, an alkali-tolerant halophyte, was chosen as the test material for our research. The seedlings of C. virgata were treated with varying salt and alkali stress. First, the composition and content of organic acids in shoots were analyzed and the results indicated that there was not only a significant increase in total organic acids, but there were also obvious changes in different components of organic acids under alkali stress. The increments in citrate were the largest, followed by malate. However, none of the organic acids showed significant alterations in the content and components under salt stress. Also, activity of some enzymes (citrate synthase, malate synthase, NADP-isocitrate dehydrogenase, and isocitrate lyase) associated with such organic acids did not change significantly under alkali stress, but malate dehydrogenase activity markedly decreased under a stronger alkali stress (80 mM). Under salt stress as well as increased malate synthase (MS) activity, however, there was no significant change for other enzymes. These results strongly demonstrated that the enzymatic regulation of organic acid metabolism may be the biochemical basis of alkali tolerance for C. virgata. Citrate synthase (CS), MS and isocitrate lyase (ICL) might be the key enzymes that determine the alkali tolerance of C. virgata. Key words: Salinity, ion balance, enzyme activity, Chloris virgata.

Protective effects of organic acid component from Taraxacum mongolicum Hand.-Mazz. against LPS-induced inflammation: Regulating the TLR4/IKK/NF-κB signal pathway

Ethnopharmacological relevanceTMHM is a type of Chinese medicine commonly used in medical practice and has multiple functions, including clearing heat, detoxification, reducing swelling, and tumor therapy. Previous research has demonstrated that the OAC of TMHM (TMHM-OAC) displays advantageous therapeutic action against respiratory inflammation. However, the effect of TMHM-OAC on inflammatory injury and its anti-inflammatory role requires further clarification. Materials and methodsAn in vitro inflammation damage model was employed using NHBE cells and 100ng/ml of (LPS). HPLC-DAD was conducted to analyze the components of TMHM-OAC. An ELISA was conducted to determine IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and NO expression. An MTT assay was conducted to determine the cytotoxicity of TMHM-OAC. The levels of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, caspase-3, caspase-8, iNOS, TLR4p-nuclear factor kappa-B kinase (p-IκκB), and p-NF-κB p65 in cellular protein, as well as the mRNA levels, were determined using WB, IF testing, and Q-PCR. ResultsTMHM-OAC significantly reduced LPS-induced NHBE cell inflammation, which was reflected in the reduced expression of relevant cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and NO, caspase-3, and caspase-8. In addition, this component suppressed TLR4, p-IKKβ, and p-NF-κB p65 levels in both mRNA and cellular protein. ConclusionTMHM-OAC can reduce LPS-induced inflammation in NHBE cells and this function could be linked to the regulation of the TLR4/IKK/NF-kB pathway.

Chemical mimicking of bio-assisted aluminium extraction by Aspergillus niger’s exometabolites

Presence of microorganisms in soils strongly affects mobility of metals. This fact is often excluded when mobile metal fraction in soil is studied using extraction procedures. Thus, the first objective of this paper was to evaluate strain Aspergillus niger’s exometabolites contribution on aluminium mobilization. Fungal exudates collected in various time intervals during cultivation were analyzed and used for two-step bio-assisted extraction of alumina and gibbsite. Oxalic, citric and gluconic acids were identified in collected culture media with concentrations up to 68.4, 2.0 and 16.5 mmol L−1, respectively. These exometabolites proved to be the most efficient agents in mobile aluminium fraction extraction with aluminium extraction efficiency reaching almost 2.2%. However, fungal cultivation is time demanding process. Therefore, the second objective was to simplify acquisition of equally efficient extracting agent by chemically mimicking composition of main organic acid components of fungal exudates. This was successfully achieved with organic acids mixture prepared according to medium composition collected on the 12th day of Aspergillus niger cultivation. This mixture extracted similar amounts of aluminium from alumina compared to culture medium. The aluminium extraction efficiency from gibbsite by organic acids mixture was lesser than 0.09% which is most likely because of more rigid mineral structure of gibbsite compared to alumina. The prepared organic acid mixture was then successfully applied for aluminium extraction from soil samples and compared to standard single step extraction techniques. This showed there is at least 2.9 times higher content of mobile aluminium fraction in soils than it was previously considered, if contribution of microbial metabolites is considered in extraction procedures. Thus, our contribution highlights the significance of fungal metabolites in aluminium extraction from environmental samples, but it also simplifies the extraction procedure inspired by bio-assisted extraction of aluminium by common soil fungus A. niger.

Effects of Pyrene on Low Molecule Weight Organic Compounds in the Root Exudates of Five Species of Festuca

Phytoremediation is an important measure to remove organic pollutants from contaminated soil, and the root secretion of plant is considered to be closely related to the mechanisms of phytoremediation of organic pollutants. It is in favor of revealing the mechanisms of remediation by studying the characteristics of root exudates of plants with phytoremediation potential under the stress of pollutants. In the present research, pyrene and five species of Festuca which have been testified to be tolerant to pyrene stress were selected as studied objects. A soil-cultivating experiment with rhizobag technique was conducted to investigate the effects of pyrene on low molecule weight organic compounds in the root exudates of plant species under five concentration levels of pyrene (10.19, 20.32, 40.36, 79.94,and 160.68 mg·kg-1,denoted by C1, C2, C3, C4 and C5,respectively) on day 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70 of experiments. The results showed that the presence of vegetation significantly enhanced the dissipation of pyrene in the soil environment. This effect was especially marked with Festuca arundinacea, followed by those with Festuca mazzetiana, Festuca pubiglumis, and Festuca longiglumis, and that with Festuca stapfii was the lowest. During the whole experiments, the amounts of soluble sugar excreted by the five species of Festuca tested in root exudates were promoted with pyrene stress, then fluctuated with a stable trend along with the increase of stress concentration or the extension of stress period, which appeared to rise appreciably at relative low pyrene spiked (C1-C3) or earlier stress stage (30-40 d) and reduce at relative high pyrene spiked level (C3-C5) or later stress stage (40-70 d), and the highest amount of soluble sugars in root exudates occurred on day 50 of experiments with 40.36 mg·kg-1 pyrene treatment. The greater the phytoremediation potential of the plant species tested, the more obvious this trend wads. Compared with the control treatment (CK), pyrene stress promoted the root system of all five species of Festuca tested to release more low molecular weight organic acids, the stronger the restoration potential of plant species, the higher the concentration of pyrene stress under which the amount of organic acids in root exudates was increased to the peak value. Among the five species of Festuca tested, oxlic acid, acetic acid, lactic acid and malic acid were the main components of organic acids in root exudates, with a percentage of greater than 98.15% in all pyrene stress treatments, but there were traces of fumaric acid in the roots secretion of plant species with the stronger restoration potential. Data also indicated that 19 types of amino acids were found in root exudates of Festuca and the composition of amino acids in root exudates of Festuca was stable under all pyrene stress treatments, but the amino acid amount was different in root exudates under pyrene stress. The amount of all amino acids in those root exudates increased with increasing pyrene concentration, especially, the amount of threonine, serine, glycine, and alanine increased significantly among the 19 types of amino acids and the differences were significant among different treatments with different pyrene concentrations (P<0.05). However, proline, hydroxy proline and aspartic acid were always released in the form of functional group as a response to the pyrene stress, their contents soared quickly with the increase of stress concentration in soils, and the difference was significant among different treatments with different pyrene concentrations (P<0.05); the more the components of functional group participated in stress response, the stronger the restoration potential of plant species. These results indicated secretion characteristics of soluble sugar, low molecular weight organic acids and amino acids in the root system were closely related to their phytoremediation potential under the pyrene stress, the greater the phytoremediation potential, the more the amount of these low molecular weight secretions and the more complex these components, and the stronger the adaptability to polluted environment and the physiological plasticity to adapt to these contaminants.

Asymmetric Bilayer Muscles: Cooperative Actuation, Dynamic Hysteresis, and Creeping in NaPF6 Aqueous Solutions.

Three bilayer muscles [polypyrrole–paraphenolsulfonic acid/polypyrrole–dodecylbenzensulfonic acid (PPy–HpPS/PPy–DBS) asymmetric bilayer, PPy–HpPS/tape, and PPy–DBS/tape] were characterized during potential cycling in NaPF6 aqueous solutions. In parallel, the angular displacement of the muscle was video‐recorded. The dynamo‐voltammetric (angle–potential) and coulo‐dynamic (charge–potential) results give the reaction‐driven ionic exchanges in each PPy film. Electrochemical reactions drive the exchange of anions from the PPy–HpPS layer and cations from the PPy–DBS layer. This means that both layers from the asymmetric bilayer follow complementary volume changes (swelling/shrinking or shrinking/swelling), owing to complementary ionic exchanges (entrance/expulsion) driven by the bilayer oxidation or reduction. The result is a cooperative actuation; the bending amplitude described by the asymmetric bilayer muscle is one order of magnitude larger than those attained from each of the conducting polymer/tape muscles. The cooperative actuation almost eliminates creeping effects. A large dynamical hysteresis persists, which can be attributed to an irreversible reaction of the organic acid components at high overpotentials.

Antioxidant effects of hydroxysafflor yellow A and acetyl-11-keto-β-boswellic acid in combination on isoproterenol-induced myocardial injury in rats.

Oxidative stress plays an important role in the initiation and development of myocardial injury (MI). The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1α (PGC-1α)/nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) pathway is considered to be a potential target for cardioprotection in MI. Acetyl-11-keto-β-boswellic acid (AKBA) is the major organic acid component extracted from Boswellia serrata Roxb. ex Colebr. Hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA) is the principal active constituent of Carthamus tinctorius L. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the cardioprotective effects of HSYA and AKBA in combination in vivo and in vitro, as well as the underlying mechanisms responsible for these effects. For this purpose, MI was produced in Sprague-Dawley rats by subcutaneous injection with isoproterenol. To model ischemic-like conditions in vitro, H9C2 cells were subjected to oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD). The levels of creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), malondialdehyde (MDA) as well as superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were examined as well as apoptotic cell death. Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm or MMP) were measured using MitoSOX Red and 5,5′,6,6′-tetraethylbenzimidazolylcarbocya-nine iodide (JC-1) dye. The expression of PGC-1α and Nrf2 was quantified by western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry. HSYA and AKBA prevented myocardial pathological changes, significantly reduced the blood levels of CK-MB and LDH, and decreased apoptotic cell death. They significantly increased the expression of PGC-1α and Nrf2, and the activity of the antioxidant enzyme SOD and also decreased the levels of MDA and ROS. Moreover, the reduction in MMP was partly prevented by HSYA and AKBA. Taken together, these findings elucidate the underlying mechanisms through which HSYA and AKBA protect against MI. Additionally, HSYA and AKBA appear to act synergistically in order to exert cardioprotective effects.

Organic acid component from Taraxacum mongolicum Hand.-Mazz alleviates inflammatory injury in lipopolysaccharide-induced acute tracheobronchitis of ICR mice through TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway

Inflammation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of acute tracheobronchitis. Taraxacum mongolicum Hand.-Mazz (TMHM) is a dietic herb for heat-clearing and detoxifying functions as well as swell-reducing and mass-resolving effect in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Studies have shown that its major ingredient organic acid component (OAC) possesses favorable anti-inflammatory activity. However, the protective effect of OAC from TMHM (TMHM-OAC) on inflammatory injury of acute tracheobronchitis and its possible mechanism remains poorly understood. In this study, HPLC-DAD was used to analyze the components of TMHM-OAC. Lipopolysaccharide of 1mg/ml was used to induce respiratory inflammation in ICR mice at the dose of 5mg/kg by intratracheally aerosol administration. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was employed to detect the levels of inflammation factors such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and nitric oxide in serum and supernatant of trachea tissue. Western blotting (WB) and Immunohistochemistry analysis (IHC) were conducted in parallel to determine TNF-α, IL-6, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), Toll-like receptors 4(TLR4) protein expressions and nuclear factor-kappa B p65 (NF-κB p65) phosphorylation. Hematoxylin-Eosin staining (HE) was applied to evaluate pathological lesions of trachea tissue. Experimental results showed that TMHM-OAC significantly reduced the levels of the TNF-α, IL-6 and NO in serum and supernatant of tracheal of LPS-induced ICR mice. The protein expression levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and iNOS in tracheal tissue were also down-regulated significantly by the treatment of TMHM-OAC. Moreover, TMHM-OAC downregulated phosphorylation of NF-κB p65 and protein expression of TLR4. Our results indicated that TMHM-OAC could improve LPS-induced histopathological damage of tracheal tissues through the regulation of TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway and could be beneficial for the treatment of acute tracheobronchitis.

Components and contents of sugar and acid in 10 blueberry cultivars from the North American using HPLC

The sugars and organic acids of ten blueberry cultivars from the North American were analyzed by HPLC( high performance liquid chromatography) method.The results indicated that the soluble sugars in blueberry were fructose and glucose,fructose content was from 18.916 ~ 73.899 mg / g,glucose content was from 19.194 ~79.521 mg / g. The organic acid components in blueberry included oxalic acid,quinic acid,malic acid,vitamin C and citric acid.The content of citric acid was from 1.174 to 15.069 mg / g,much more than others.Oxalic acid content was lowest,from 0.018 to 0.046 mg / g. There were some obvious differences in composition and content of sugar and organic acid among ten blueberry cultivars. Beikong exhibited the highest levels of fructose and glucose in comparison to the others.The berries of Elizabeth contained highest citric acid among all the cultivars.The value of sugars / total acids and sweetness / total acids were important indicator to measure the sweet and sour flavors of blueberry.The sugars / total acids were from 2.342 to 27.488 among ten blueberry cultivars. The sugars / total acids was from 285.953 to 3393.854,and Northsky > Chignecto > St.Cloud > Frendship > Blomidon > Northland > Blueray >Patriot > Brigitta > Elizabeth.

Construction of a high density linkage map and its application in the identification of QTLs for soluble sugar and organic acid components in apple

Soluble sugars and organic acids have a strong impact on the overall organoleptic quality of fruits. In this study, we report the identification of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for individual sugars and organic acids in apple. A high density linkage map of apple was constructed using the 1536 EST-derived SNP GoldenGate genotyping platform. The linkage map consists of 601 molecular markers, including 540 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 61 simple sequence repeats (SSRs), spanning 1368.4 cM with an average of 2.28 cM per marker. The contents of soluble sugars, including sucrose, glucose, fructose, sorbitol, and organic acids, including malic acid and citric acid, were used as the phenotypic data in QTL analysis. Two QTLs for malic acid content were detected on linkage groups (LGs) 8 and 16, while no QTL was found for citric acid content. Four QTLs for the glucose, sucrose, fructose, and sorbitol content were found to be clustered in one region on LG 3. Moreover, an additional QTL for glucose content was detected on the LG 4. Our study not only expands our understanding of the genetic basis for fruit organoleptic quality but it also provides molecular markers that will aid in marker-assisted selection for fruit quality in apple breeding programs.

Physicochemical Properties of Traditional Liquor with Different Brewing Method of Mit-sool

The purpose of this research was to appraise physicochemical properties by utilizing different Mit-sool, Juk, Seolgi-tteok, and Godubap, to produce traditional liquor. In all experimental plots, pH and amino acidity tended to increase with duration of fermentation. Titratable acidity displayed a very high number on the second day but then tended to decrease as fermentation progressed. Sugar contents were highest on the fourth day and tended to decrease with time. Alcohol content increased sharply at the initial stage of fermentation and increased gradually. On the 15th day, traditional liquor made with Godubap recorded the highest alcohol content. Common free sugar components were glucose and sorbitol. Common free organic acid components were lactic, succinic, citric, tartaric, malic, and acetic acids. Volatile flavor compounds were six alcohols, five esters, three aldehydes, and two ketones. Regarding overall acceptability in the sensory evaluation, traditional liquor using Seolgi-tteok as Mit-sool scored the highest. Overall, even though different types of Mit-sool had different physicochemical properties, there were no significant differences in volatile flavor compounds or sensory evaluation scores.

Identification of detoxification pathways in plants that are regulated in response to treatment with organic compounds isolated from oil sands process-affected water

Bitumen mining in the Athabasca oil sands region of northern Alberta results in the accumulation of large volumes of oil sands process-affected water (OSPW). The acid-extractable organic (AEO) fraction of OSPW contains a variety of compounds, including naphthenic acids, aromatics, and sulfur- and nitrogen-containing compounds that are toxic to aquatic and terrestrial organisms. We have studied the effect of AEO treatment on the transcriptome of root and shoot tissues in seedlings of the model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana. Several genes encoding enzymes involved in the xenobiotic detoxification pathway were upregulated, including cytochrome P450s (CYPs), UDP-dependent glycosyltransferases (UGTs), glutathione-S-transferases (GSTs), and membrane transporters. In addition, gene products involved in oxidative stress, β-oxidation, and glucosinolate degradation were also upregulated, indicating other potential mechanisms of the adaptive response to AEO exposure. These results provide insight into the pathways that plants use to detoxify the organic acid component of OSPW. Moreover, this study advances our understanding of genes that could be exploited to potentially develop phytoremediation and biosensing strategies for AEO contaminants resulting from oil sands mining.

단백질과 지방첨가가 약주의 품질특성에 미치는 영향

In this study, the fermentation characteristics of Yakju were investigated by addition of protein and lipid. These are classified according to raw material (rice, glucose) and inducing substance (rice protein, rice lipid). Alcoholic fermentation occurred at 25°C, after 14 days. The results of this study were as follows: Alcohol content of Yakju with rice protein was higher than those of other samples. The pH and glucose of rice Yakju were detemied to be 4.86~5.13 and 4.17~4.86, respectively. Titratable acid and the total amino acid content of the Yakju with rice protein were the highest among other samples. The optical density contents of the rice Yakju and glucose Yakju were 0.52~0.653 and 0.27~0.61, respectively. The concentration of organic acids in rice Yakju (433.98~519.31 mg%) was higher than that of glucose Yakju (303.76~387.50 mg%). The major organic acid components of the Yakju were succinic, citric, acetic and lactic acids. The nitrogen compound concentrations of rice Yakju (4377.38~10208.06 ppm) was higher than that of glucose Yakju (671.20~9368.93 ppm). The protein odor correlation coefficient was 0.98 (p&lt;0.001) showing a very high correlation coefficient, while lipid odor coefficient showed a negative correlation with -0.038 (p&lt;0.458).

Mathematical modelling of the accumulation of carbohydrates and organic acids throughout the ripening process of Hungarian sour cherry cultivars

Changes in sugar and acid content of Hungarian sour cherries during the ripening period can be described by a mathematical model. The Hungarian sour cherry cultivars can be utilised not only as raw material for the food industry, but also for fresh consumption. Changes in the main sugar and organic acid components in the fruit of sour cherry cultivars bred in Hungary (‘Erdi jubileum’, ‘Erdi bőtermő’, ‘Maliga emleke’, ‘Kantorjanosi 3’ and IV-3/48) were determined with the aid of HPLC analysis at nine sampling dates during the ripening process. The main carbohydrate components of the fruit of the Hungarian cultivars tested were glucose (48.73–81.57 mg/g), fructose (30.99–60.26 mg/g) and sucrose (11.67–50.37 mg/g). In the course of ripening the changes in the glucose and fructose contents could be described using a saturation model, and changes in the sucrose content with an exponential model. The main organic acid components were malic acid (220.38–382.72 mg/g), succinic acid (104.54–209.90 mg/g), tartaric acid (89.04–182.01 mg/g) and ascorbic acid (4.60–17.49 mg/g). In general the decrease in the organic acid components could be described using a decreasing saturation model, while the vitamin C content either increased in the course of ripening according to a logistic model or exhibited a decline that could be described with a quadratic function. Consequently, there were substantial differences in the sugar and acid profiles of the various Hungarian sour cherry cultivars, some of which can be recommended for use as parents in breeding for better chemical quality.

Organic acid components in the cultured medium of some phosphate solubilizing microorganism strains

Organic acid components in the cultured medium of some phosphate solubilizing microorganism strains

Selective pyrolysis of paper mill sludge by using pretreatment processes to enhance the quality of bio-oil and biochar products

Paper mill sludge (PMS) is a residual biomass that is generated at paper mills in large quantities. Currently, PMS is commonly disposed in landfills, which causes environmental issues through chemical leaching and greenhouse gas production. In this research, we are exploring the potential of fast pyrolysis process for converting PMS into useful bio-oil and biochar products. We demonstrate that by subjecting PMS to a combination of acid hydrolysis and torrefaction pre-treatment processes it is possible to alter the physicochemical properties and composition of the feedstock material. Fast pyrolysis of pretreated PMS produced bio-oil with significantly higher selectivity to levoglucosenone and significantly reduced the amount of ketone, aldehyde, and organic acid components. Pretreatment of PMS with combined 4% mass fraction phosphoric acid hydrolysis and 220 °C torrefaction processed prior to fast pyrolysis resulted in a 17 times increase of relative selectivity towards levoglucosenone in bio-oil product along with a reduction of acids, ketones, and aldehydes combined from 21 % to 11 %. Biochar, produced in higher yield, has characteristics that potentially make the solid byproduct ideal for soil amendment agent or sorbent material. This work reveals a promising process system to convert PMS waste into useful bio-based products. More in-depth research is required to gather more data information for assessing the economic and sustainability aspects of the process.

Changes in sugars and organic acids in wolfberry (Lycium barbarum L.) fruit during development and maturation

Wolfberry (Lycium barbarum L.) fruits of three cultivars (‘Damaye’, ‘Baihua’ and ‘Ningqi No.1’) were harvested at five different ripening stages and evaluated for sugars and organic acids. Fructose, glucose and total sugar contents increased continually through development and reached their maxima at 34days after full bloom (DAF). Fructose and glucose were the predominant sugars at maturity, while sucrose content had reduced by maturity. L.barbarum polysaccharides (LBP) content was in the range of 13.03–76.86mgg−1FW during ripening, with a maximum at 20DAF. Citric, tartaric and quinic acids were the main organic acid components during development, and their levels followed similar trends: the highest contents were at 30, 14 and 20DAF, respectively. The significant correlations of fructose and total sugar contents with LBP content during fruit development indicated that they played a key role in LBP accumulation.

Organic acids and protein compounds causing the photoluminescence properties of natural rubber membranes and the quenching phenomena from Au nanoparticle incorporation.

Natural rubber membranes were fabricated using latex from Hevea brasiliensis trees (clone RRIM 600) by casting, and controlling the time and temperature of thermal treatment. Three temperatures were used: 65, 80 and 120 °C and the corresponding annealing times of 6, 8, 10 and 12 h. The centrifugation of the latex produces the constituent phases: solid rubber (F1), serum or protein components (F2) and bottom fraction (F3). The photoluminescence properties could be correlated with organic acid components of latex. Natural rubber membranes were used as the active substrate (reducing agent) for the incorporation of colloidal Au nanoparticles synthesized by in situ reduction at different times. The intensity of photoluminescence bands assigned to the natural rubber decreases with the increase in amount of nanoparticles present on the membrane surface. It can be assumed that Au nanoparticles may be formed by reduction of the Au cation reacting with functional groups that are directly related to photoluminescence properties. However, the quenching of fluorescence may be attributed to the formation of a large amount of metal nanostructures on the natural rubber surface.