INHIBITION OF BEER-SPOILAGE LACTIC ACID BACTERIA BY NISIN

149 strains of bacteria, mostly brewery contaminants able to spoil wort or beer, and 12 brewing strains of yeast (8 ale and 4 lager strains) have been screened using a well-test assay for sensitivity to the food preservative, Nisin (E234), Nisin inhibited growth of 92% of the gram-positive strains, predominantly lactic acid bacteria of the genera Lactobacillus and Pediococcus. In contrast, all 32 gram-negative strains tested, except 3 Flavobacter strains, were Nisin-resistant; in addition none of the brewing yeasts showed Nisin-sensitivity. Therefore. Nisin has potential applications in preventing spoilage of worts or beers by lactic acid bacteria.     

Facile optical resolution of amino acid esters via hydrolysis by an industrial enzyme in organic solvents

Racemic amino acid esters were optically resolved via hydrolysis in organic solvents by the catalysis of an industrial alkaline protease, “Alcalase”. The products which were composed mainly of L-amino acids were insoluble and easily separated by filtration. The activity of the enzyme and enantiomeric excess of the products were significantly dependent on the nature of solvent and the water content in the reaction media. Generally, high values of enantiomeric excess were obtained at low water contents. Many natural and unnatural amino acids were resolved by this method.     

Preparation of fatty acid methyl esters for gas-chromatographic analysis of lipids in biological materials

Theoretically, preparation of fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) deals with reversible chemical reactions in a complex system. Methodologically, there are numerous ways, generally characterized by the type of catalysts used and steps involved. Although there are more than a half dozen common catalysts, the majority fall into either acidic (HCl, H₂SO₄ and BF₃) or alkaline types (NaOCH₃, KOH and NaOH), with each having its own catalytic capability and application limitations. In terms of steps, many conventional methods, including those officially recognized, consist of drying, digestion, extraction, purification, alkaline hydrolysis, transmethylation/methylation and postreaction work-up. Although these methods are capable of providing reliable estimates if some precautions are taken, they are cumbersome, time-consuming and cost-inefficient. A new approach has been to transmethylate lipidsin situ. Due to its simplicity, high sensitivity, comparable reliability and capability to determine total fatty acids, the method of direct transmethylation is finding a unique place in lipid determination. Regardless of which method is used, quantitative methylation requires chemists to take precautions at every step involved, particularly during FAME formation and subsequent recovery steps. Evidently, there is an urgent need for more systematic studies, guided by the chemical principle of reactions involved and physicochemical properties of regents and end products, into factors affecting these steps. Hopefully, this will lead to an improved method, which measures lipid composition in biological materials not only with high accuracy but also with high efficiency and minimum costs.     

过一硫酸的合成及其在铀水冶中的应用

文章介绍了选择过一硫酸合成的最佳条件及进行生产的可行性。介绍了过一硫酸用于含铀煌斑岩、辉绿岩、花岗岩及炭板岩矿石提取铀时,与常规酸浸方法对比,有很好的经济效益和对环境的保护价值。     

Effect of doping polyacrylic acid with some dopants as studied by different techniques

The molecular weight of polyacrylic acid (PAA) was determined by a viscometric method using NaNO₃ as solvent at 30°C. The specific electric conductivities (σ) of PAA as well as PAA doped with carbon black (CB), chromium oxide (Cr₂O₃), and cupferron with different concentrations (from 0.25 to 1 wt %) were measured at a temperature range 360–400 K. IR spectra of some polymers were determined and it was shown that when PAA was doped with 0.5 wt % CB, a C? O? C band appeared at 775–875 cm^?1. The positron annihilation lifetime (PAL) spectra in PAA doped with the above‐mentioned dopants were measured as a function of their concentrations. It was observed that the short lifetime intensity I₁ decreased, whereas the intermediate lifetime intensity I₂, which is related to the conductivity of the material, increased with increasing the wt % of Cr₂O₃ and cupferron as well as at low concentrations of CB. These results are discussed in terms of the conducting island model. It was found that there were distinct positive relationships between σ and I₂. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 84: 877–883, 2002; DOI 10.1002/app.10381     

Drying of Probiotics: Optimization of Formulation and Process to Enhance Storage Survival

This work describes how probiotic bacteria can be dried at low temperature in two steps, combining spray drying and vacuum drying, in order to enhance their survival during storage. A sufficient number of dried probiotics survived storage for more than 3 months at 30°C, if an appropriate combination of protein and carbohydrate was selected as carrier and storage conditions were maintained optimal. The use of soy protein and maltodextrin or skim milk and arabic gum resulted in the best survival rates of probiotics during storage. No evident difference was found between different spray dryer configurations, although a cocurrent flow was preferred.     

Enzymatic Browning in Apple Pulps

Enzymatic browning in Golden Delicious apple pulp was studied as related to degree of ripeness and temperature (3.5–31°C). Green apple pulp showed the highest rate of browning. This was attributable to differences in ascorbic acid (AA) content and polyphenoloxidase activity in young fruits. The rate of browning determined by CIE L* measurements followed complex temperature dependent kinetics, represented by a multiple linear effects with log time. Equal changes in L* parameter yielded straight lines in a log temperature vs log time plot. Inhibition with AA caused an initial slow rate of browning and a well defined break point associated with exhaustion of antioxidant properties of the AA. The greater the AA concentration the longer the initial period.     

The effect of cooking on proteins from acha (Digitaria exilis) and durum wheat

The effect of cooking on proteins from acha and durum wheat was assessed from an analysis of protein extractability, gel electrophoretic profiles, in-vitro protein digestibility (IVPD) and the amino acid compositions of wholemeal flour and residue proteins. Heating wholemeal flour samples at 100–140°C (t = 10–40 min) resulted in 0–30% and 45–55% decreases in acha and durum protein solubility, respectively. In general, high molecular weight (30–70 k Da) protein subunits were more susceptible to heat damage. For both cereals, sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS; 10 g litre^?1) and/or dithiothrcitol (DTT; 10 mM ) increased protein solubility in unheated and heated samples. The IVPD index was 90–91% and was not significantly altered by cooking (100–120°C, t = 40 min). Cooking at extreme temperatures (140°C, t = 40 min) reduced the IVPD by 8% (P = 0.05). Osborne fractionation resulted in a durum or acha residue level of 7.8% or 55.2%. Treatment with solvent containing propanol, SDS and/or DTT at room temperature followed by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of non-solubilised proteins showed that the glutelin fraction of acha, with the exception of a 65 kDa subunit, was insoluble owing to strong inter-subunit hydrophobic and disulphide interactions. Wholemeal acha flour and residue protein showed a significantly greater level of hydrophobic and sulphur amino acids as well as glutamine which is associated with H-bonding. The possibility that cereal protein solubility is also dependent on protein-carbohydrate links is discussed.     

皮革去污上光用乳化蜡的研制

采用石蜡、微晶蜡为主要原料 ,经实验选出了以水为稀释剂的乳化型皮革去污上光蜡。实验优化的配方为石蜡 12 .5 g ,微晶蜡 8.0 g ,硬脂酸 8.5g ,三乙醇胺 5 .5 g ,水量 70 (涂用 )或 130 g(喷用 )。反应条件为乳化时间 4 0min ,搅拌速度 5 0 0～ 70 0r/min ,乳化温度 90℃。制得上光剂产品的去污性能可与用去污剂单独处理的效果相当 ,亮度可达 6 6 .7。