Activity profiling for minimally invasive surgery

Imperial Users onl

Enzyme-Catalyzed Production and Chemical Composition of Diacylglycerols from Corn Oil Deodorizer Distillate

Diacylglycerols (DAG) were enzymatically synthesized by lipase-catalyzed esterification of glycerol with fatty acids from corn oil deodorizer distillate (CrODD). Effects of reaction parameters such as reaction time, temperature, enzyme type, enzyme load, substrate mole ratio, and water content, as well as the effect of molecular sieves as a water adsorbent were investigated. Rhizomucor miehei lipase (Lipozyme RM IM) was found to be most effective among the lipases screened. The following conditions yielded 70.0% (w/w) DAG: 5 h reaction time, 65°C reaction temperature, 10% (w/w) Lipozyme RM IM, 2.5:1 fatty acid to glycerol molar ratio, and 30% (w/w) molecular sieves. DAG synthesis of 12.4% (w/w) was still observed at 10% (w/w) water content. 84.2% (w/w) of DAG was obtained after purification. The DAG oil comprised predominantly of 1-oleoyl-3-linoleoyl-glycerol (28.5%), 1,3-diolein (22.7%), 1-oleoyl-2-linoleoyl-glycerol (17.9%), and 1,2-diolein (10.9%). Fatty acid profile was similar to that of refined, bleached and deodorised (RBD) corn oil. The ratio of 1,3- to 1,2-positional isomers of DAG was at 1.82:1

Lipase-catalysed production and chemical composition of diacylglycerols from soybean oil deodoriser distillate

Diacylglycerols (DAG) were enzymatically produced by lipase-catalysed esterification of glycerol with fatty acids from soybean oil deodoriser distillate (SODD). Effects of reaction parameters such as reaction time, temperature, enzyme type, enzyme load, substrate molar ratio and water content, as well as the effect of molecular sieves as water adsorbent were studied. Lipozyme RM IM was determined to be the most effective among the lipases screened. The following conditions yielded 69.9% DAG (all percentages are wt/wt): 4 h reaction time, 65 °C reaction temperature, 10% Lipozyme RM IM, 2.5:1 fatty acid to glycerol molar ratio, and 30% molecular sieves. DAG synthesis of 11.9% was still observed at 10% water content. After purification, the product oil contained 86.3% DAG. This oil consisted predominantly of 1,3-diolein (19.1%), 1-oleoyl-3-linoleoyl-glycerol (18.2%) and 1-oleoyl-2-linoleoyl-glycerol (16.6%). The fatty acid profile of the oil was similar to that of refined, bleached and deodorised (RBD) soybean oil. The % ratio of 1,3- to 1,2-positional isomers of DAG was at 56:44

Production of a diacylglycerol-enriched palm olein using lipase-catalyzed partial hydrolysis : optimization using response surface methodology

Partial hydrolysis using Lipozyme RMIM lipase in a solvent-free system was used to produce a diacylglycerol (DAG)-enriched palm olein. Response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to model and optimize the reaction conditions namely water content (30– 70 wt% of enzyme mass), enzyme load (5–15 wt% of oil mass), reaction temperature (45–85 C) and reaction time (6–16 h). Well fitting models were successfully established for both DAG yield (R2 = 0.8788) and unhydrolysed triacylglycerol (TAG) (R2 = 0.8653) through multiple linear regressions with backward elimination. Chi-square test indicated that there were no significant (P > 0.05) differences between the observed and predicted values for both models. All reaction conditions had positive effects on DAG yield and negative effects on unhydrolysed TAG. Optimal reaction conditions were: 50 wt% water content, 10 wt% enzyme load, 65C of reaction temperature and 12 h of reaction time. The process was further up-scaled to a 9 kg production in a continuous packed bed bioreactor. Results indicated that upscaling was possible with a similar DAG yield (32 wt%) as in lab scale. Purification of the DAG oil using short path distillation yielded a DAG-enriched palm olein with 60 wt% DAG and 40 wt% TAG which is suitable for margarine, spread or shortening applications

Metabolic classification of microbial genomes using functional probes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Microorganisms able to grow under artificial culture conditions comprise only a small proportion of the biosphere's total microbial community. Until recently, scientists have been unable to perform thorough analyses of difficult-to-culture microorganisms due to limitations in sequencing technology. As modern techniques have dramatically increased sequencing rates and rapidly expanded the number of sequenced genomes, in addition to traditional taxonomic classifications which focus on the evolutionary relationships of organisms, classifications of the genomes based on alternative points of view may help advance our understanding of the delicate relationships of organisms.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We have developed a proteome-based method for classifying microbial species. This classification method uses a set of probes comprising short, highly conserved amino acid sequences. For each genome, <it>in silico </it>translation is performed to obtained its proteome, based on which a probe-set frequency pattern is generated. Then, the probe-set frequency patterns are used to cluster the proteomes/genomes.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Features of the proposed method include a high running speed in challenge of a large number of genomes, and high applicability for classifying organisms with incomplete genome sequences. Moreover, the probe-set clustering method is sensitive to the metabolic phenotypic similarities/differences among species and is thus supposed potential for the classification or differentiation of closely-related organisms.</p

Diacylglycerol and Triacylglycerol as Responses in a Dual Response Surface-Optimized Process for Diacylglycerol Production by Lipase-Catalyzed Esterification in a Pilot Packed-Bed Enzyme Reactor

Diacylglycerol (DAG) and triacylglycerol (TAG) as responses on optimization of DAG production using a dual response approach of response surface methodology were investigated. This approach takes the molecular equilibrium of DAG into account and allows for the optimization of reaction conditions to achieve maximum DAG and minimum TAG yields. The esterification reaction was optimized with four factors using a central composite rotatable design. The following optimized conditions yielded 48 wt % DAG and 14 wt % TAG: reaction temperature of 66.29 °C, enzyme dosage of 4 wt %, fatty acid/glycerol molar ratio of 2.14, and reaction time of 4.14 h. Similar results were achieved when the process was scaled up to a 10 kg production in a pilot packed-bed enzyme reactor. Lipozyme RM IM did not show any significant activity losses or changes in fatty acid selectivity on DAG synthesis during the 10 pilot productions. However, lipozyme RM IM displayed higher selectivity toward the production of oleic acid-enriched DAG. The purity of DAG oil after purification was 92 wt %

Diacylglycerol oil properties, processes and products : a review.

Diacylglycerol (DAG) oil has beneficial effects on obesity and weight-related disorders. A survey of literature has shown the effects of DAG on the reduction in the accumulation of body fat in both animals and humans. The physiological effect of DAG is believed to be attributed to its metabolic pathway, which is different from triacylglycerol (TAG) metabolism. Physicochemical properties, such as melting and smoke points and polymorphic forms, of DAG are also distinct from TAG. Various patented processes for DAG oil production from several reaction routes are discussed. A review of patent literature of commercial products based on DAG oils and fats is also provided

Physicochemical properties and sensory attributes of medium- and long-chain triacylglycerols (MLCT)-enriched bakery shortening.

Six binary formulations of medium- and longchain triacylglycerols (MLCT) fat and palm stearin and four ternary formulations of MLCT fat, palm stearin, and palm olein were produced. MLCT fat and palm stearin were mixed in ranges of 40–90% with 10% increments (w/w), while for the ternary formulations, 10% and 20% palm olein were substituted to palm stearin in MS 46 and MS 55 formulations. The solid fat content (SFC) by pulsed nuclear magnetic resonance and heating profiles using differential scanning calorimeter of these formulations were determined. Results obtained from SFC and heating profiles found that all the formulations melted completely at 55 °C. The high complete melting temperature is due to the stearic acid content in MLCT fat. Generally, increasing % MLCT fat (40–90%) in the formulations lowers the SFC curves at the measured temperatures (0–60 °C). The binary samples of MS 73, MS 82, and MS 91 showed SFC between 15% and 25% at room temperature (25 °C), which indicated that these formulations were suitable for shortening production. As the production cost of MLCT fat is high (approximately USD 3/kg), an attempt to reduce the proportion of MLCT fat in the shortening formulations was done by developing the ternary formulations. Shortenings formulated with 40:40:20 (MSO 442), 50:40:10 (MSO 541), and 50:30:20 (MSO 532) of MLCT fat/palm stearin/palm olein formulations had similar SFC% at 25 °C, and they were subsequently chosen to produce shortening. Using multivariate analysis, taste attribute showed positively and highly correlated to the melting temperature and SFC at 25 °C of the LCT-enriched shortenings. In acceptance test, high correlation (R2=0.98) was only found on cakes made from MSO 442 and MSO 541 shortenings. Both untrained and trained panelists rated the Madeira cakes made from MSO 532 shortening the highest for overall acceptability

Hong Kong Renal Registry Report 2012

SummaryThis report examined the characteristics and trends of dialysis and renal transplant patients among the resident population of Hong Kong who were managed by hospitals or dialysis centers of the Hospital Authority, and accounted for approximately 95% of all patients receiving renal replacement therapies (RRTs) in the territory. Patients receiving RRTs solely in the private sector were not included in this report. Data trends from 1996 to 2011 are presented. In 2011, 1115 new patients were accepted into RRT programs, and the incident rate was 157 patients per million populations (pmp). An increasing trend was noted. The incident rate was 95.1 pmp at the commencement of the annual report in 1996. The point prevalence on December 31, 2012 was 8197 with a prevalence rate of 1152.5 pmp. Overall, there were 3573 patients (43.6%) on peritoneal dialysis (PD) and 1246 patients (15.2%) on hemodialysis (HD), and 3378 patients (41.2%) were living with a functioning renal transplant. The PD/HD ratio was 74.2:25.8. The “PD First” policy was continued. The overall mortality rate among RRT patients was 9.95 patients per 100 patient-years exposed. There was a decreasing trend in mortality among PD patients. Infection and cardiovascular complications were the most common causes of death. Renal transplant was the modality with the best survival rates. The 5 years cumulative patient survival rate for patients on transplant treatment was 89.6%, whereas the corresponding patient survival rates for PD and HD patients were 50.7% and 55.7%, respectively. More than 70% of RRT patients with reports on rehabilitation were active and had normal daily activities

Modeling and optimization of lipase-catalyzed partial hydrolysis for diacylglycerol production in packed bed reactor

Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to optimize the process variables namely packed bed height (cm) and flow rates (ml/min) on diacylglycerol (DAG) production via partial hydrolysis of palm oil using immobilized Rhizomucor miehei lipase in packed bed reactor (PBR). Quadratic models were successfully developed for both DAG(y) and unhydrolyzed triacylglycerol ((un)TAG) with determination coefficient (R2) of 0.9931 and 0.9986, respectively coupled with insignificant lack of fit (p > 0.05). Optimal conditions for DAG synthesis were evaluated to be 10 cm packed bed height and 3.8 ml/min flow rate. Immobilized enzyme can be reused up to 10 times without significant changes in enzymatic activity. The partial hydrolysis under studied was found to be mass transfer-controlled