Confirmation of the suitability of the method of using ethanol as a reference substance for quantitative determination of volatile compounds in alcoholic beverages

Quality and safety control of alcohol products is an integral part of the work of laboratories for the food analysis. One of the most important safety indicators regulated worldwide is the chemical composition of an alcoholic beverages, namely the presence of characteristic and impurity volatile components. The list of controlled compounds includes acetaldehyde, methyl acetate, ethyl acetate, methyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, isobutyl and isoamyl alcohols, etc. Analysis of alcoholic beverages is a conservative field, since its results are closely associated with economic risks for the manufacturer, and also directly with the health of the population consuming this product. For this reason, the method, used for the analysis of alcoholic beverages, should be accurate, reproducible and simple for use. The authors have developed and described a method that satisfies the above requirements, based on the use of ethanol containing in alcoholic beverages as a reference substance for gas chromatographic analysis. Confirmation of the suitability of the proposed method for the analysis of a wide range of alcoholic beverages: whiskey, brandy, grappa, vodka, scotch tape, bourbon, brandy, calvados, sake, alcohol, rum, gin and tequila, is presented. The results, obtained by the proposed method are compared with the results obtained by the generally accepted traditional method of the internal standard using 2-pentanol. The repeatability and trueness of the both methods are evaluated. The relative difference between the results, obtained by the internal standard method, and the developed method did not exceed 2%.

II-Valent metals complex compounds and prospects of the acute hypoxia protection

Aim. To find antihypoxic properties in complex compounds of some divalent metals on the model of acute hypoxia with hypercapnia. Methods. In the experiments on mice in acute hypoxia with hypercapnia (AH+Hc), the protective effect of 6 new complex compounds was studied in comparison with the effectiveness of reference antihypoxants. Substances were injected intraperitoneally 60 min before acute hypoxia with hypercapnia in doses of 25 and 50 mg/kg. Antihypoxic effect was compared with their ability to change the rectal temperature. Results. The most active substance πQ-2116 with Nickel as a complexing metal was established. Mice resistance to acute hypoxia with hypercapnia at a dose of 25 mg/kg was increased to 89.5%, at a dose of 50 mg/kg – to 165.8%. The effect was accompanied by serious hypothermia, reaching 28.5 °C. Antihypoxic activity of the substance πQ-2116 is comparable with reference substance πQ-1983 and greater than the effect of aminothiol antihypoxants – Amtizole and Sunazole.

Phytochemical Study and Evaluation of the Biological Activity of Anorectic Plants Used in the Seno Province (Burkina Faso)

Background: In Africa plants have always been a good source of medicine for health care. Obesity is a pathology that is growing dramatically in developing countries. Anorectic plants are likely to cause a reduction of exaggerated weight gain. The aim of the study is to determine the phenolic compound content of five anorectic potential plants of Burkina Faso (Ceratotheca sesamoïdes, Gardenia erubescens, Brachystelma bingeri Raphionacme daronii and Vernonia kotschyana), to determine also their antioxidant potential and their acethylcholinesterase inhibitory capacity. Place and Duration of Study: Laboratory of Biochemistry and Applied Chemistry (LABIOCA), Research Institute for Health Sciences (IRSS). Methodology: For the determination of the acute toxicity of the extracts a group of six (6) mice NMRI race were constituted for each plant extract. A dose of 3000 mg / kg of weight was administered to the animals. The methods of screening were used to detect secondary metabolites like tannins, steroids and terpen, flavonoids, coumarins. For the phenol content, the concentration of total phenolics, flavonoids and tannins were determined. The antioxidant property of the extracts was evaluated in vitro using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl acid (DPPH), 2,2-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sufonic) (ABTS) and Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP). The acetylcholinesterase activity of the extracts 0.1 mg / ml was determined by a spectrometric assay method. Results: Acute toxicity evaluated in NMRI mice showed that the methanolic extracts of five extracts show no toxicity. The coumarins and tannins were detected in all five species of plants. The polyphenol contents of Ceratotheca sesamoides gave the highest total phenolic compound content with 221.97 ± 1.206 mg EAG / g and also the best flavonoids content with 39.58 ± 0.068 mg EQ / g. Antioxidant tests show that Vernonia kotschyana Sch-Bip and Ceratotheca sesamoïdes Endl presented the best inhibitions of the DPPH radical with 82.63 ± 3.29% and 83.62 ± 2.12% at 100µg/ml. This activity is also better than that of quercetin which is a reference substance. For the reducing power of radical cation ABTS .+ the most active macerates of our extracts were obtained with Vernonia kotschyana (51,388 ± 0,133 mmol ET / g extract) and Ceratotheca sesamoides (50,748 ± 0,395 mmol ET / g extract). Ceratotheca sesamoides showed a best activity on reducing power of the ferric ion (7.03 ± 0.44 mmol EAA / g extract), this activity on ferric ion is superior to that of quercetin, which is a reference substance. Raphionacme daronii exhibited the greatest inhibition of acetylcholinesterase with a percentage inhibition of 53.542 ± 4.053 at 100 μg / ml. Conclusion: The study demonstrated that anorexigenic plant extracts have a good antioxidant potential that is necessary for any weight-reducing activity. They also have an ability to inhibit acetylcholinesterase.

Differentiation of Various Snake Bile Derived from Different Genus by High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatography Coupled with Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry

Background: Snake bile originates from nearly 20 species from three families (Elapidae, Colubridae, and Viperidae). However, the components of various snake bile were not compared with one another. Objecive: The aim of the study was to develop a TLC-MS method for differentiation of various snake bile derived from a different genus. Method: As a type of traditional identification method for Chinese herbs, TLC has considerable advantages as a multicomponent separation system. Results: In this paper, TLC was used to separate the components in snake bile. It was found that the snake bile from Colubridae family and Cobra species is different from the others using TLC. The molecular formulas of the bands were elucidated with TLC coupled with quadrupole–time-of-flight–MS by the TLC-MS interface. Two bands on the plate were identified with the reference substance, and the other three bands were analyzed by the TLC-MS method without the reference substance. The corresponding molecular formulas of these bands were given according to accurate molecular weights. Conclusions: The results from this study indicate that the proposed method is reliable, and it has been successfully applied to the identification of snake bile samples.

Efficient Extraction from Mice Feces for NMR Metabolomics Measurements with Special Emphasis on SCFAs

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is one of the most promising methods for use in metabolomics studies as it is able to perform non targeted measurement of metabolites in a quantitative and non-destructive way. Sample preparation of liquid samples like urine or blood serum is comparatively easy in NMR metabolomics, because mainly buffer and chemical shift reference substance are added. For solid samples like feces suitable extraction protocols need to be defined as initial step, where the exact protocol depends on sample type and features. Focusing on short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in mice feces, we describe here a set of extraction protocols developed with the aim to suppress changes in metabolite composition within 24 h after extraction. Feces are obtained from mice fed on either standard rodent diet or high fat diet. The protocols presented in this manuscript are straightforward for application, and successfully minimize residual bacterial and enzymatic activities. Additionally, they are able to minimize the lipid background originating from the high fat diet.