Incorporation of capric acid in pumpkin seed oil by sn-1,3 regioselective lipase-catalyzed acidolysis

Structured lipids (SLs) are novel triacylglycerols obtained by changing the native fatty acid (FA) profiles or by the incorporation of a new desired FA in the acylglycerol backbone. These modified fats present important medical and functional properties for food applications. This work aimed to synthetize a MLM-type SL, which consists of triacylglycerols containing a medium-chain FA (M) at sn-1,3 positions and a long-chain FA (L) at sn-2 position, by acidolysis of pumpkin seed oil with capric acid, catalyzed by a commercial lipase preparation from Thermomyces lanuginosa (Lipozyme TL IM). Reactions were performed at 45 degrees C, in solvent-free media, at 1: 2 molar ratio (pumpkin seed oil: capric acid) and a fixed amount of immobilized lipase of 5%, 10%, 15% or 20%. Incorporations of C10: 0 increased with time up to 31 h (29.9 +/- 0.7 mol-%) when 5% lipase load was used. Significant differences were only observed between the results obtained with 5 and 20% of biocatalyst load. The subsequent experiment was carried out with 5% lipase load, at 45 degrees C, 1: 2 molar ratio and in the presence of n-hexane. The results showed slightly higher incorporation yields in the presence of solvent, namely at 48 h-reaction (34.7 +/- 1.0 mol-%). However, since the structured lipids are to be used in food products, together with environmental and economic concerns, solvent-free systems are preferred. In this study, the synthesis of a MLM-type SL from pumpkin seed oil for food uses was well succeeded

Phenology, productivity, and chemical characterization of Jatropha curcas L. as tool for selecting non-toxic elite germplasm

A phenological, physical and chemical descriptive study was carried out on six germplasms of Jatropha curcas L. collected from different areas of Mexico. From these six germplasms, elite germplasms that are better adaptable, with high seed, oil and protein yield, and low levels of phorbol esters were identified. The thermal constant (2570 ± 9) and seed weight (0.695 ± 0.065 g) were similar in all the six germplasms. The average plant height was 1.47 ± 0.25 m after one year of evaluation. Variation in the number of inflorescences (0 to 22) and seed yield (27.35 ± 22.65 g) per plant, and fruit per cluster (2.9 ± 2.2) was considerable. Kernel oil and crude protein contents were 57 ± 3% and 26 ± 2%, respectively. Germplasms India and Isla (Veracruz) had the highest levels of phorbol esters (5.982 and 2.070 mg·g-1, respectively). The reproductive stage and phorbol esters content were critical in selecting elite germplasms. Based on our results, we were able to select three elite germplasms.Key words: Jatropha curcas, elite germplasm, accumulated degree days (ADD), yield, oil, protein, phorbol esters

Linseed dietary fibers reduce apparent digestibility of energy and fat and weight gain in growing rats.

nutrient

Characterisation of musk lime (Citrus microcarpa) seed oil

BACKGROUND: The seeds of musk lime (Citrus microcarpa) represent a substantial waste product of small‐scale citrus‐processing factories, as they constitute about 100.0 ± 3.2 g kg−1 of the whole fruit and contain a considerable amount of crude fat (338.0 ± 11.3 g kg−1). Thus the aim of the present study was to determine the physicochemical properties of this fat with a view to potential applications. RESULTS: The iodine and saponification values and unsaponifiable matter and free fatty acid contents of the freshly extracted oil were 118.0 g I2 per 100 g oil, 192.6 mg KOH g−1 oil, 22 mg g−1 oil and 18 mg oleic acid g−1 oil respectively. The oil had a Lovibond colour index of 33.1 Y + 1.1 B. Its fatty acid profile indicated that 73.6% of the fatty acids present were unsaturated. Linoleic (L, 31.8%), oleic (O, 29.6%) and palmitic (P, 21.4%) acids were the predominant fatty acids, existing mainly as the triacylglycerols POL (18.9%), PLL (13.7%) and OLL (11.9%). The melting and cooling points of the oil were 10.7 and − 45.2 °C respectively. Electronic nose qualitative analysis of the oil showed the presence of volatile (aroma) compounds, although the concentrations of the more volatile compounds were lower than those present in the seeds. CONCLUSION: Musk lime seeds are a rich source of oil, which is unusual in having linoleic, oleic and palmitic acids dominating the fatty acid composition. This property should make the oil both relatively stable to thermal oxidation owing to the combined presence of oleic and palmitic acids (61.0%) and highly nutritive owing to its high concentration of unsaturated fatty acids (73.6%)

Rutin and quercetin content in the forage of common buckwheat as affected by maturity and conservation method

The content of rutin and quercetin was examined in fresh, hayed and ensiled forage of common buckwheat. The treatments were two varieties of buckwheat, 'Bamby' and 'Lileja', and two ripening stages of harvest, first green and first brown achenes. In the silage, produced with experimental mini-silos, additional treatments were the wilting of the forage (at 35% dry matter) and the addition of Lactobacillus plantarum as inoculum. The concentration of rutin and quercetin decreased between ripening stages. Flavonoid content was different among varieties, 'Lileja' had the highest rutin concentration (about 20 g kg-1), while 'Bamby' had the highest quercetin concentration (about 0.2 g kg-1). Rutin and quercetin yield reached about 70 kg ha-1 and 500 g ha-1, respectively. The haymaking process reduced the rutin and quercetin concentration in the forage, however, the extent of reduction was higher at the green (-43% for rutin and -55% for quercetin) than at the brown achenes stage (-13% rutin and -26% quercetin). The ensiling process, with the associated bacterial activities, led to the transformation of rutin into quercetin. The decrease of rutin in the silage, compared to fresh forage, ranged between -84 and -99%, while in contrast, the quercetin concentration increased by about 140-200 times. However, the loss of total rutin plus quercetin during ensiling was limited (approximately 5%). Forage wilting negatively affected rutin transformation in quercetin, while bacterial inoculum improved it. These results highlight that the forage of buckwheat could be considered like a dietary supplement rich of flavonoids, with the potential to be used as functional feed

Phytopharmacologic preparations as predictors of plant bioactivity: A particular approach to Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench antioxidant properties

Objective A large body of evidence has confirmed a multitude of health benefits of plant products and their derived formulations. Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench is a good example, widely used due to its therapeutic properties. In the present study, the chemical composition of the different samples and antioxidant properties of E. purpurea hydroethanolic and aqueous extracts obtained from dry or fresh raw material were evaluated and compared with dietary supplements based on the same plant (tablets and syrup), to determine the most active phytopharmacologic preparation or formulation. Methods Chemical composition of the different samples was assessed through the determination of free sugars, organic acids and tocopherols. The in vitro antioxidant properties were determined using four assays: 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals scavenging activity, reducing power, inhibition of b-carotene bleaching and inhibition of lipid peroxidation by thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) assay. Total phenolics and flavonoids were also determined. Results Overall, the hydroethanolic extract of fresh plant revealed the highest activity, directly related with its higher contents in phenolic (229.22 ± 4.38 mg gallic acid equivalent [GAE]/mL), flavonoids (124.83 ± 7.47 mg GAE/mL), organic acids (8.89 ± 0.10 g/100 g), and tocopherols (4.55 ± 0.02 mg/100 g). Tablets followed by syrup revealed the worst effect, positively correlated with the lowest abundance in bioactive molecules. The weak in vitro antioxidant potential of commercial phytopharmacologic formulations could be related to their chemical composition, including the addition of excipients. Conclusion Further studies are necessary to deepen knowledge on this area, namely focusing on in vivo experiments, to establish upcoming guidelines to improve the quality and bioavailability of phytopharmacologic formulations.The authors are grateful to Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support to the research center CIMO (strategic project PEst-OE/AGR/UI0690/2014) and L. Barros researcher contract under “Programa Compromisso com Ciência – 2008”