Peeling Affects the Nutritional Properties of Carrot Genotypes

Peeling may result in changes in carrot’s nutritional properties; therefore, the present study focused on its effect on the retention of principal nutrients (minerals, sugars, organic acids) and antioxidants (carotenoids and phenols) in the peeled roots of two landraces (‘Carota a punta lunga’—CPL and ‘Carota a punta tonda’—CPT) and a hybrid cultivar (‘Presto’) grown in the area of the “Salterns of Margherita di Savoia” area (Puglia region). The peel had a higher concentration of cations (+92%), organic acids (+103%), carotenoids (+42%), and phenolic acids (seven times) than root flesh. For each chemical class, the most abundant components were K, malic acid, ß-carotene, and chlorogenic acid, respectively. The two landraces stand out for the accumulation of the phenolic acids and ß-carotene, whereas the peel of ‘Presto’ was distinguished by the concentration of Ca and ascorbic and pyruvic acids. The root flesh had a greater accumulation of simple sugars, nitrate (mainly in CPL), oxalic acid, and in particular in the flesh of ‘Presto’, of Na and Cl. For local varieties, peel removal seems to impact the nutritional and antioxidative properties of carrots more consistently compared to the advanced cultivar, since it represents on average 21% and 59% of the total carotenoids and phenols, respectively, of the intact roots.

Substitution of potassium sorbate preservative by fermented wheat flour in the production of biscuits. Safety, nutritional and sensory characteristic potentials

In this study, the potential of the substitution of the conventional preservative potassium sorbate by fermented wheat flour as an alternative was analysed. The organic acid content and antibacterial activity of preservatives and the macronutrient characterisation were tested, as was the sensory evaluation of biscuits with added conventional and alternative preservatives. The results show that the fermented wheat flour contains secondary fermentation metabolites (e.g. acetic, lactic and pyruvic acids). Both fermented wheat flour and potassium sorbate have antibacterial effects against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus and Bacillus subtilis. The sensory evaluation demonstrated that fermented wheat flour in the recommended concentration range had no impact on sensory quality. Therefore, fermented wheat flour represents a potential substitution for conventional potassium in bakery products.

Quantitative Analysis of Lactate and Other Organic Acids in Plasma: Preanalytical Challenges

Background and Objectives We developed a gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method for the analysis of organic acids (OAs) in plasma using liquid-liquid extraction with acidified methanol. This method allows for the simultaneous analysis of several metabolites associated with energy metabolism, including lactic and pyruvic acids. Here, we evaluated the effect of different preanalytical variables (anticoagulants, delayed plasma separation, fasting vs nonfasting status) on plasma organic acid quantitation. Methods Nine organic acids (lactic, pyruvic, 3-hydroxybutyric, acetoacetic, 2-ketoisovaleric, 2-keto-3-methylvaleric, 2-ketoisocaproic, succinic, and glutaric) were extracted by deproteinizing with acidified methanol, oximated to preserve ketoacids, converted to volatile trimethylsilyl derivatives, and detected by GC-MS. Compound identification was obtained by retention time and fragmentation spectra using Agilent MassHunter software. We performed several comparison studies using blood collected from self-reported healthy participants (24-60 years of age; 14 females, 13 males). The effect of fasting/nonfasting status was evaluated in 14 participants by comparing samples collected after overnight fasting and 4 hours after meal. Paired t test was used for the statistical analysis of results. Results When compared to the preferred sample type, sodium heparin (green top) plasma EDTA plasma (purple top, n = 9) and serum (red top or serum separator tube; n = 5) displayed an unacceptable variability for several analytes. The biggest differences were observed for lactic and pyruvic acids. Lactic acid was significantly lower in EDTA plasma (9%-35% decrease; P = .0001), but higher in serum (4%-63% increase; P = .014), while pyruvic acid was significantly higher in EDTA plasma (4%-145% increase; P = .0002). The measurements of lactic and pyruvic acids were also affected by delayed separation of plasma in samples kept at room temperature. We observed a marked increase in lactate and decrease in pyruvate levels (+42% and –43% mean change, respectively) in plasma separated from whole blood after 2 hours of collection compared to samples processed within 30 minutes. Plasma separated 1 hour postcollection was acceptable. Overnight fasting (12-14 hours) did not have a significant impact on ketones (3-hydroxybutyric and acetoacetic acids) or branched-chain ketoacids (2-keto-3-methylvaleric, 2-ketoisocaproic, 2-ketoisovaleric acids). In contrast, fasting samples displayed higher lactic acid concentrations compared to nonfasting samples (24% increase on average, P = .0072), although in most fasting samples (13 out of 14), lactate concentrations were still within established normal range (600-2,600 µmol/L). Conclusions We identified several preanalytical factors influencing plasma organic acid quantitation, particularly lactic and pyruvic acids. Since those are critical analytes, suggestive of primary or secondary metabolic acidosis, appropriate steps should be taken to ensure sample quality during collection and processing.

Chromone-3-aldehyde derivatives – sirtuin 2 inhibitors for correction of muscular dysfunction

The aim of the study was to evaluate experimentally, the myoprotective effect of new chromone-3-aldehyde derivatives in conditions of muscular dysfunction and to establish a potential mechanism of myoprotective activity – the blockade of the function of sirutin 2. Materials and methods. The effect of new chromone-3-aldehyde derivatives on the development of muscular dysfunction under the conditions of an electromiostimulation test, was studied. The degree of muscle fatigue was evaluated in the «grip-strength» and through test biochemical assays (determination of the activity of lactate dehydrogenase, creatine kinase, concentration of lactic and pyruvic acids, creatinine, myoglobin, and total protein) to determine the possible mechanism of action of the test compounds (5 new derivatives of chromone-3-aldehyde) and their effect on the function of sirtuin 2 was evaluated. Results. The study showed that chromone-3-aldehyde derivatives have a pronounced myoprotective effect associated with low toxicity (class 5 toxicity according to the GHS classification), which was confirmed by the results of the «grip-strength» test and biochemical tests data. Test compounds under the X3AC1, X3AOAC and X3AN codes evince sirtuin 2 inhibitory activity, which was reflected in a decrease in its concentration by 63.6% (p <0.05); 130.2% (p <0.05) and 218.8% (p <0.05). Conclusion. The study showed that chromone-3-aldehyde derivatives are promising subjects for further study with the goal of creating a drug with a high myoprotective effect and an optimal safety profile.

Preserving Juice from Industrial Beets Using Organic Acids

Efficient and cost-effective methods are necessary to preserve the sugars in beet juice to enable year-long end-processing into bioproducts. Organic acids are effective preservatives that could be produced from a fraction of the sugars in beet juice to preserve the remaining sugar fraction. The preserving acids and remaining sugars may then serve as fermentation substrates in other bioprocesses. The effectiveness of organic acids to preserve sugars in beet juice has not been reported. Therefore, the objective of this work was to screen several potentially effective organic acids for their ability to accomplish sugar preservation in beet juice. Six organic acids (acetic, butyric, citric, lactic, propionic, and pyruvic) were used in three storage experiments in which beet juice was stored at four pH levels (5.3, 5, 4.25, and 3.5) and at 22.5°C for 21 to 38 days. Butyric, citric, and propionic acids helped preserve at least 92% of sugars at pH = 4.5, and lactic acid only at pH 3.5. Meanwhile, acetic and pyruvic acids helped preserve up to 88% of sugars at pH 3.5. Changes observed in the stored beet juice mainly occurred within the first 10 days, and thereafter the juice appeared stable. Before the storage experiments, the response of beet juice pH to different amounts of added acid was evaluated. There was an exponential decrease in pH as the molar ratio of acid increased. Future research should focus on developing methods to achieve the desired storage conditions and validating storage techniques through final fermentations of stored juice. Keywords: Acidification, Beta vulgaris, Fermentable sugars, Organic acid, pH, Refractometric dissolved solids, Sugarbeet.

Molecular recognition of pyruvic acid and folic acid in whole blood

Cyclodextrins immobilized in TiO2Pt–graphene nanocomposite paste simultaneously detect folic and pyruvic acids in whole blood samples.