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The objective of the present investigation was to extract pectic polysaccharides from sesame seed hull and to determine their physicochemical and functional characteristics. The pectic polysaccharides in the seed hull were extracted with HCl and then collected at three ethanol concentrations of 30% (SSP30), 50% (SSP50), and 90% (SSP90). We found that SSP30 represented 75.6% of the total polysaccharides, and that it contained 76.39% galacturonic acid, with many HG domains and few short side chains in the RG-I domains. SSP30 exhibited the strongest hydroxyl radical scavenging activity among the three fractions, and was better able to stabilize the emulsions. Higher Mw pectic polysaccharides were firstly precipitated at lower ethanol concentrations, and the Mw of the precipitated pectic polysaccharides decreased with increasing ethanol concentration. These results provide important information on the structure and functional characteristics of sesame hull polysaccharides. This information can contribute to the future development of sesame hull polysaccharides for industrial purposes.

Edible oil is prone to be contaminated by Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) during production and processing. Adsorption is an important technology for the removal of BaP from edible oil, and biochar as a new type of adsorbent for the treatment BaP has received extensive attention. In this study, we prepared unmodified biochar and ZnCl2-modified biochar from sesame straw cellulose (SSB and SSZ) and sesame capsule cellulose (SCB and SCZ), carried out structure characterization by Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), and finally evaluated their potential effectiveness in BaP removal from sesame oil. FT-IR results revealed that SSZ and SCZ showed higher peak intensities, indicating that they could provide more active sites for adsorption. The results of XRD presented that SSZ and SCZ had a higher graphitization degree than the unmodified biochar. SEM results showed that the SSZ and SCZ had more complex pore structure, which is beneficial to adsorption. BET analysis results showed that SSZ and SCZ have a higher specific surface area of 1622.83–1797.39 m2/g and a better developed porous structure (the total pore volume Vtotal is 0.9434–1.0023 cm3/g) than the SSB and SCB (specific surface area is 350.55–352.59 m2/g, and Vtotal is 0.1907–0.1918 cm3/g), indicating that modification promotes the formation of porous structure and thus improves the adsorption capacity of biochar. Adsorption experiments confirmed once again that the BaP removal rates (92.67%–96.13%) of SSZ and SCZ were much higher than that of unmodified biochar (3.34%–4.28%), and the BaP content in the sesame oil treated by SSZ and SCZ were far below the current EU maximum levels (2 μg/kg). Therefore, the modified biochar from cellulose is a promising adsorbent for BaP removal. In future studies, the influences of bichar on the nutritional quality of edible oil should be taken into consideration so as to find an ideal active carbon substitute for BaP removal in edible oil.

Chinese quince (Chaenomeles sinensis) fruits offer a potential source of pectin and hemicellulose. However, the existence of lignin-carbohydrate complexes (LCCs) can negatively impact the extraction of pectin and hemicellulose. In this work, LCCs were sequentially fractionated from Chinese quince during the removal of pectin and hemicellulose. The structures of LCCs were characterized by HPAEC, FT-IR, GPC, Py-GC/MS, TGA and 2D HSQC NMR. The results showed that the carbohydrate content and molecular weight of LCCs was found to be changed significantly after the removal of hemicellulose (KSH). The lignin in Björkman LCCs was found to be linked mainly to galactan and fructan, whereas the lignin LCC-AcOHs was found to be linked mainly to arabinan after the removal of KSH. The isolation of carbonate-soluble pectin (NSP) increased thermal stability of Björkman LCC fraction, however, the isolation of chelator-soluble pectin (CSP) increased the thermal stability of LCC-AcOHs. The S/G ratios of LCC-AcOHs increased and large amounts of S-type lignin released during sequential fractionation of pectin and hemicellulose. These results will be beneficial for understanding the mechanisms of pectin and hemicellulose isolation, thereby facilitating the potential application of Chinese quince as a valuable natural resource for food and other industries.

Corn is a high starchy cereal crop with the highest production and provides over 85% of the starch produced worldwide. Various by-products, differentiated by technological process features such as steep liquor, corn germ, corn bran, gluten, are created largely during corn starch processing. They are inexpensive, nutrient-rich, and vary widely in chemical composition such as proteins, oils, carbohydrates, and minerals. In an increasingly resource-constrained modern world, the utilization approach of these by-products for non-starch industrial processing is attractive widely considering both nutritive value and economic aspects. In fact, at present, applications of these by-products can often be found in feed, fermentation, nutrient extraction and other industries. For example, protein-rich corn gluten can be used as a good animal feed, and corn germ can be used as a raw material for the high-quality edible oil industry. Undoubtedly, increasing utilization means that these by-products will no longer be treated as waste but will be transformed into high value-added products. In this work, the separation process and chemical composition of several main by-products of the corn starch industry is briefly described, and the application in many industrial fields of these by-products over the last ten years are discussed in particular. This review attempts to summarize all aspects of the application and research of these by-products. For the by-products of the corn starch industry, the most promising way is to be utilized in high value and used to produce high value-added products. According to the characteristics of their chemical composition, they have a better application prospect and research significance in the industries directly related to human beings, such as medicine, green food and health care products. In fact, in recent years, some researchers have recognized this and carried out the research. It is clear from these studies that the main issues to be faced now and in the future are how to produce efficiently while maintaining the quality of the product and using it effectively. The retrospective discussions also provide some ideas for other grain and oilseed crops to be fully utilized.

The main objective of the present investigation was to evaluate the potential of using the seed gum of Chinese quince (CQSG) as a wall material for flaxseed oil microencapsulation via freeze-drying...

Chinese quince is one kind of crop that has edibility and historical medical applications. However, the high amount of lignin makes processing Chinese quince fruit difficult; on the other hand, this lignin represents a valuable resource if a way of using it in industrial applications could be found. In this study, the structural features and antioxidant activities of Brauns native lignin (BNL) isolated from Chinese quince fruit after oven drying (60 °C, 75 °C, and 90 °C), sun drying, freeze-drying, and subcritical dimethyl ether drying were assessed. The BNL samples had low molecular weights (Mw, 2604–5511 g/mol), high carbohydrate content (6.10–9.95 %), and high phenolic OH content (1.76–2.29 mmol/g). NMR spectra showed that the BNL is of the SGH-type with the relative content of p-hydroxyphenyl units ranging from 13 to 21 %. Oven drying (90 °C) reduced the carbohydrate content and increased the phenolic hydroxyl content. Freeze-drying reduced the relative content of β-O-4′ linkages and increased the H-unit content. In terms of antioxidant activities, all samples possessed high DPPH free radical scavenging capacity (IC50, 0.12−0.22 mg/mL) and strong reducing power. These results indicate that BNL extracted from Chinese quince fruit is a promising source of natural antioxidant and biomass material.

A basic understanding of the high-temperature pyrolysis process of jet fuels is not only valuable for the development of combustion kinetic models but also critical to the design of advanced aeroengines. The development and utilization of alternative jet fuels are of crucial importance in both military and civil aviation. A direct coal liquefaction (DCL) derived liquid fuel is an important alternative jet fuel, yet fundamental pyrolysis studies on this category of jet fuels are lacking. In the present work, high-temperature pyrolysis studies on a DCL-derived jet fuel and its blend with the traditional RP-3 jet fuel are carried out by using a single-pulse shock tube (SPST) facility. The SPST experiments are performed at averaged pressures of 5.0 and 10.0 bar in the temperature range around 900-1800 K for 0.05% fuel diluted by argon. Major intermediates are obtained and quantified using gas chromatography analysis. A flame-ionization detector and a thermal conductivity detector are used for species identification and quantification. Ethylene is the most abundant product for the two fuels in the pyrolysis process. Other important intermediates such as methane, ethane, propyne, acetylene, and 1,3-butadiene are also identified and quantified. The pyrolysis product distributions of the pure RP-3 jet fuel are also performed. Kinetic modeling is performed by using a modern detailed mechanism for the DCL-derived jet fuel and its blends with the RP-3 jet fuel. Rate-of-production analysis and sensitivity analysis are conducted to compare the differences of the chemical kinetics of the pyrolysis process of the two jet fuels. The present work is not only valuable for the validation and development of detailed combustion mechanisms for alternative jet fuels but also improves our understanding of the pyrolysis characteristics of alternative jet fuels.

An interesting remote δ-C 1,6-addition and an isomerization cascade reaction for phosphine-catalyzed activated alkynes have been disclosed. The products featuring a functional diene and a 1,1-diaryl methyl motif have been obtained in moderate to good yields (30-86%) by applying para-quinone methides (p-QMs) and δ-substituted alkynoate with tributylphosphine (PnBu3) catalysis, along with high regioselectivity and stereoselectivity (dr > 20:1). The wide scope of compatible substrates (35 examples), such as indolyl, oxindolyl, ester, and cinnamyl, expand the utility of this methodology. A plausible mechanism and some applications of it have also been presented.

A novel arsonium ylide, ω-2-methylallylarsonium ylide, was synthesized and used as monomer for polyhomologation with triethyborane as initiator. It was found that the terminal methyl group leads to C3 polymerization. Furthermore, the copolyhomologation of arsonium ylide with dimethylsulfoxonium methylide is reported for the first time.

Chemical stability is a critical issue and prerequisite for realizing intended engineering applications of materials and is closely correlated to practical implementation efficiency, operation cost, and environmental impact. Herein, we demonstrate that the intrinsic characters of graphitic carbon nitride (CN)-based photocatalysts lead to a varying degree of photoinduced decomposition of CN. Elevated photochemical instability was shown as a synergistic consequence of a downshifting of the valence band potential and an enlarged surface area in CN. CN self-decomposition pathways involving superoxide (O2•‒) radicals and holes (h+) have been explored. A greater deterioration in the photocatalytic degradation efficiency of the target pollutant, diclofenac (DCF), was found in CN samples with inferior photostability, wherein sp2 C–N C nitrogen atoms in CN deteriorated during usage. Additionally, the presence of aromatic-rich humic acid slows down both the photoinduced self-decomposition of CN and the degradation of DCF by CN. The compiled results identified factors affecting the photodurability of CN, which inform a guiding framework for advancing the material design of CN-based materials toward boosting its long-term catalytic performance in water treatment, and the need of considering stability in the ongoing effort of improving CN’s photocatalytic efficiency is highlighted.

A single-pulse shock tube study of the pyrolysis of two different concentrations of Chinese RP-3 jet fuel at 5 bar in the temperature range of 900–1800 K has been performed in this work. Major intermediates are obtained and quantified using gas chromatography analysis. A flame-ionization detector and a thermal conductivity detector are used for species identification and quantification. Ethylene is the most abundant product in the pyrolysis process. Other important intermediates such as methane, ethane, propyne, acetylene, butene, and benzene are also identified and quantified. Kinetic modeling is performed using several detailed, semidetailed, and lumped mechanisms. It is found that the predictions for the major species such as ethylene, propene, and methane are acceptable. However, current kinetic mechanisms still need refinement for some important species. Different kinetic mechanisms exhibit very different performance in the prediction of certain species during the pyrolysis process. The rate of production (ROP) is carried out to compare the differences among these mechanisms and to identify major reaction pathways to the formation and consumption of the important species, and the results indicate that further studies on the thermal decomposition of 1,3-butadiene are needed to optimize kinetic models. The experimental data are expected to contribute to a database for the validation of mechanisms under pyrolytic conditions for RP-3 jet fuel and should also be valuable to a better understanding of the combustion behavior of RP-3 jet fuel.

This article reports a study of the degradation of roasted sesame hulls cellulosic polysaccharides contribution to the Maillard and caramelization reaction. In the present study, cellulosic polysaccharides were extracted from sesame hulls before and after roasting at various temperatures (160, 180, 200, and 220 °C). The structural vari-ations of the cellulosic polysaccharides were elucidated by using the techniques: scanning electron microscope (SEM), high-performance anion-exchange chromatography, Fourier transform (FT-IR) spectrometer, carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (CP/MAS 13C-NMR), and thermal gravimetric analysis. The pyrolysisgas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) characterized and verified the chemical composition obtained from the polysaccharide degradation during roasting. The sugar analysis results showed that galacturonic acid, xylose, and rhamnose were more easily degraded than arabinose, galactose, glucose, and mannose. The morphology of the cellulosic polysaccharides shows irregular dispersed globular fragments after roasting by SEM observation. FT-IR and CP/MAS 13C-NMR spectra indicated the crystalline structure and linkages of the cellulose did not break down in comparison to amorphous cellulose that partly degraded. Abundant acetic acid and 3-furaldehyde were among the polysaccharide degradation products identified by Py-GC/MS. These chemical compounds were likely the significant contributors to caramelization and the Maillard reaction in sesame seed roasting.

Sesame cake and meal, byproducts of the sesame oil process industry and mainly used as feed and fertilizer, are often not optimally utilized and are wasted when the material could be used as a high-quality protein source. This research primarily emphasizes the preparation of a sesame protein-based adhesive with urea and glyoxal modification to use as a wood adhesive. The performance and characterization of the urea and glyoxal modified sesame protein adhesive (USP and GUSP, respectively) were measured precisely. After glyoxal was added, the water resistance of the GUSP adhesive was significantly enhanced, reaching the standard for Type II plywood. The formaldehyde emission test showed that the GUSP adhesive could be utilized as a formaldehyde-free wood adhesive, having a significantly lower than the demand of the E0 level (i.e., 0.5 mg/L). Furthermore, increasing the glyoxal content in the adhesives enhanced the thermal stability but not significantly. A substance with a crosslinking structure was formed from the reaction between the sesame protein and glyoxal, which enhanced the water resistance. Meanwhile, the fractured structure of the GUSP adhesive having a compact surface also was propitious to enhance the water resistance. Thus, the GUSP adhesive could be used as a novel adhesive in plywood fabrication.

Lignin from the Chinese quince (Chaenomeles sinensis) fruit offers a promising source of natural antioxidant for industrial applications. However, the utilization of Chinese quince fruit lignin is restricted by its inhomogeneous nature. Accordingly, Chinese quince fruit lignin was sequentially fractionated with organic solvents of increasing dissolving capacity to prepare homogeneous lignin fractions. The GPC (gel permeation chromatography) results showed that the molecular weights of lignin fractions increased from dichloromethane fraction to dioxane/water fraction. The five lignin fractions were also compared with respect to yield, carbohydrate content, thermal stability, inter-unit linkages, S/G ratios, and phenolic OH content. Among the five fractions, the ethyl acetate fraction showed a lower proportion of β-O-4′ linkages (48.4%), the highest thermal stability, the highest phenolic OH content (2.8 mmol/g), and the highest DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging index and reducing power. The high antioxidant performance of the ethyl acetate fraction implies that it can be used as a natural antioxidant. This study shows that sequential solvent fractionation of lignin can produce homogeneous fractions with enhanced antioxidant performance. In addition, it demonstrates that Chinese quince fruits are a potentially valuable natural resource.

Acetic acid at atmospheric pressure is an alternative solvent that can be used for high-efficiency separation of lignin. However, few studies reported the isolation of lignin using acetic acid at above atmospheric pressure. In this study, acetic acid solution at above atmospheric pressure was used to extract lignin from Chinese quince fruit. The influences of different extraction conditions on the lignin yields were firstly investigated. Among the five extraction parameters (extraction temperature/pressure, acetic acid concentration, extraction time, catalyst dosage, and solid/liquid ratio), catalyst dosage had the most important influence on lignin yields. Five acetic acid lignin (AAL80, AAL100, AAL120, AAL140, and AAL160) samples obtained at different extraction temperatures/pressures (80 °C–160 °C/0.03–0.35 MPa) were used to analyze the influence of extraction temperatures/pressures on their structural features. Comparing to lignins extracted with acetic acid at atmospheric pressure, lignins obtained by acetic acid extraction at above atmospheric pressures (AAL120, AAL140, and AAL160) had higher purity. The acetic acid could degrade lignin at temperatures above 120 °C. When extracted at 120 °C–160 °C, the depolymerization degree of lignins increased with rising temperatures. AAL160 with more condensed structures was the most thermally stable. As the extraction temperature rose, the proportion of β–5 linkages in lignins gradually increased, while the proportion of β–O–4 and β–β linkages decreased. AAL80 had the highest DPPH, while AAL120 showed the highest ferric reducing activity. The study clarifies the lignins isolated with acetic acid at above atmospheric pressure from Chinese quince fruits and contributes to their potential application.

The development and application of new selenium-enriched polysaccharides has become a critical topic in recent years. In this study, a natural selenium-enriched polysaccharide fraction (Se-POP-21) produced by Pleurotus ostreatus was purified, characterized, and investigated the antioxidant and antitumor activities in vitro. The Se-POP-21 was mainly composed of mannose, glucose, galactose and arabinose, with a molar ratio of 18.01:2.40:26.15:7.34, of which molecular weight was 15,888 Da and the selenium content was 5.31 μg/g. Spectral analysis demonstrated that Se-POP-21 represented a non-triple helix pyranopolysaccharide and selenium occurred in the form of C-O-Se and SeO. Molecular size and morphology studies showed that Se-POP-21 exhibited a spherical shape with a particle size distribution between 100 and 200 nm, even though Se-POP-21 aggregates were also found with a size between 500 and 600 nm. In addition, Se-POP-21 showed strong scavenging capacity to DPPH and hydroxyl radical. More, cell experiments showed that Se-POP-21 could reduce viability of A549, SKOV3, HepG2 and MCF-7 cells, induce apoptosis and inhibit metastasis of A549 cells. A potential mechanism was that Se-POP-21 inhibited the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition of cancer cells. Se-POP-21 featured no significant effect on normal cells. Se-POP-21 showed great potential to develop into a natural antioxidant or low-toxic antitumor drug.

Abnormal crosstalk between gut immune and the liver was involved in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Mice with methionine choline-deficient (MCD) diet-induced NASH presented an imbalance of pro-(IL-6 and IFN-γ) and anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-10) in the intestine. We also clarified that the ratio of CD4+ T cells and found that the NASH mesenteric lymph node (MLN) presents decreased numbers of CD4+Th17 cells but increased numbers of CD4+CD8+FoxP3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs). Furthermore, the intestinal immune imbalance in NASH was attributed to impaired gut chemokine receptor 9 (CCR9)/chemokine ligand 25 (CCL25) signalling, which is a crucial pathway for immune cell homing in the gut. We also demonstrated that CD4+CCR9+ T cell homing was dependent on CCL25 and that the numbers and migration abilities of CD4+CCR9+ T cells were reduced in NASH. Interestingly, the analysis of dendritic cell (DC) subsets showed that the numbers and retinal dehydrogenase (RALDH) activity of CD103+CD11b+ DCs were decreased and that the ability of these cells to upregulate CD4+ T cell CCR9 expression was damaged in NASH. Taken together, impaired intestinal CCR9/CCL25 signalling induced by CD103+CD11b+ DC dysfunction contributes to the gut immune imbalance observed in NASH.

A remote δ methylene C(sp3)–H functionalization catalyzed by an organophosphine through an alkyne isomerization/conjugate addition cascade was discovered. No classical electron-withdrawing group is required to pre-activate the aryl alkyne, which will undergo isomerization to its corresponding diene under only 10 mol% of PMe2Ph with a catalytic proton shuttle. The phosphoryl ylide was postulated as a key intermediate and different electrophiles were used to trap the vinylogous ylide that resulted in a large group of δ C(sp3)–H functionalized products (>60 examples, yields up to 99%) with good diastereoselectivity. Mechanistic studies were carried out and a catalytic cycle was proposed based on deuterium-labeling experiments. The conjugated polyene products were investigated for their fluorescence properties.

Adinandra nitida leaf extract (ANE) is rich in phenols and flavonoids. In this study, the effects of ANE as an additive on the formation of major heterocyclic amines (HCAs), namely, PhIP, norharman and harman, in both chemical model systems and fried chicken patties were explored. In model systems, treatment with various amounts of ANE (0, 15, 30, 45, 60 mg) led to the most effective inhibition of PhIP, norharman and harman, with levels reduced by 47.88%, 49.73% and 29.63% when treated with 45 mg, 60 mg and 60 mg, respectively. Further, the effect of diverse dosages of ANE (0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6%, w/w) on the formation of HCAs in chicken patties fried at 170 °C and 190 °C was evaluated. Statistics showed that the temperature significantly increased the formation of HCAs. Total HCA contents of patties fried at 170 °C and 190 °C ranged from 1.52 ng g−1 to 2.52 ng g−1 and from 6.05 ng g−1 to 13.76 ng g−1, respectively. The inhibitory efficacy of various concentrations of ANE on the total HCA content was higher (38.95–56.03%) in patties fried at 190 °C than at 170 °C (18.65–40.08%). External parts of the meat patties showed higher HCA contents than the interior. The current study presents evidence that ANE at moderate dosages can reduce the formation of HCAs in fried chicken. By extension it suggests that ANE has potential applications as a natural antioxidant for preventing the formation of HCAs in foods.

To develop more efficient Pt-based catalysts towards the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), in this work, phosphorus-doped graphite (PDG) with high HER activity was employed as the support of the Pt catalyst. Electrochemical tests demonstrated that the area and mass specific HER activities of the as-prepared Pt@PDG with ca. 6.0 wt% Pt were ca. 3.34–4.5 and 1.5–2.7 times those of the commercial 20 wt% Pt/C catalyst at −0.2 and −0.215 V in acidic and alkaline media. Correlations of Pt HER activity with P moieties indicated that the C–O–P played a dominant role in improving the HER performance of Pt compared to the other P species. Simulations revealed that the C–O–P with a pentagon-ring defect could change the charge and spin densities of Pt and increase the adsorption energy of loaded Pt greatly, which results in the HER-performance enhancement of supported Pt, providing a new insight for the development of high-performance Pt catalysts.

Selenium-enriched polysaccharides have been gaining great attention for their antitumor activity in recent years. In this study, a novel selenium polysaccharide fraction (Se-POP-3) produced by Pleurotus ostreatus was characterized and its antitumor activity explored at cellular level. Results showed that Se-POP-3 has 25.9 μg/g of selenium, an average molecular weight of 16,106 Da, and is mainly composed of mannose, glucose and galactose with a molar ratio of 1.7:49.6:2.4. Spectra analysis revealed Se-POP-3 as a pyranopolysaccharide linked by α-glycoside bonds in the main chain, and selenium may occur in the form of C O Se and Se O. A single sphere of Se-POP-3 has 50–60 nm in aqueous solution, even though it can agglomerate to form larger spherical structures. In vitro experiments with cancer and normal cell lines showed that Se-POP-3 can induce apoptosis and inhibit migration of cancer cells. Potential anticancer mechanism is that Se-POP-3 can disrupt the Bax/Bcl-2 protein ratio and inhibit the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in cancer cells. Se-POP-3 showed no significant effect on the growth of normal cell lines. Se-POP-3 showed great potential as a broad-spectrum antitumor agent and dietary supplement.

The spiced beef is exposed to the invading of spoilage bacteria including Listeria monocytogenes. In the present study, the antimicrobial effects against L. monocytogenes of the chitosan (CS) films incorporated with apricot (Prunus armeniaca) kernel essential oil (AKEO) at 0.5% and 1.0% were demonstrated in solid medium, micro-atmosphere, liquid media and spiced beef. In the refrigerated storage for 24 days at 4 °C, compared with the control sample, the levels of peroxide value (PV) and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) of the spiced beef packed by CS films incorporated AKEO at 0.5% and 1.0% were decreased to 4.8 and 3.6 meq peroxide/kg, and 0.5 and 0.4 mg MDA/kg (p 0.5 or p 0.1), and the levels for pH and total carbonyls (TC) were decreased to 5.8 and 5.7, and 0.7 and 0.6 nmol/mg protein (p 0.5 or p 0.1) on the 24th day, respectively. Furthermore, the sensory evaluation exhibited that the spiced beef packed by CS films incorporated AKEO at 1.0% had better sensory attributes including taste, color, texture and overall acceptance during the whole storage period. Consequently, CS films incorporated AKEO at 1.0% can be developed to be one packaging material for spiced beef.

Doxorubicin (DOX) is a widely used antitumor drug that causes severe neurotoxicity in patients. Diallyl trisulfide (DATS) is an organosulfur compound with established potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Herein, we investigated the neuroprotective efficacy of DATS in preventing DOX-induced neurotoxicity in a rat model. Specifically, DATS (40 mg/kg) was administered to rats 24 h after DOX treatment, once a week for 8 weeks. Our results showed that DATS treatment led to a decrease in plasma levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) induced by DOX. DATS restored cerebral cortex and hippocampus histopathological architecture and neuronal loss. Immunohistochemical staining indicated that DATS decreased the expression of glial fibrillar acidic protein (GFAP) in DOX treated rats. Components of stress-related inflammatory proteins (TNF-α, phospho nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), inducible nitricoxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2)) were all significantly increased in the DOX group, in comparison with the control group, whereas they were decreased after DATS treatment. In addition, the mRNA of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2), catalase, glutathione peroxidase 1, 4 (GPx1 and GPx4)) and antioxidant proteins (heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), superoxide dismutase 1, 2 (SOD1 and SOD2), Γ-glutamylcysteine synthase (Γ-GCSc)) were markedly increased in DOX group compared with the control group, which were significantly attenuated by DATS treatment. The upregulation of antioxidants enzymes in DOX group was probably a compensatory effect against elevated oxidative stress induced by DOX. DATS treatment could ameliorate this oxidative stress in brain. Our results suggested that DATS has potential clinical applications in the prevention of DOX-induced neurotoxicity by ameliorating inflammatory insults and oxidative stress.

In this investigation, the hemicellulose fractions were isolated from sesame hulls before and after roasting at 160 °C, 180 °C, 200 °C, and 220 °C. The structural properties of the hemicelluloses were comparatively investigated by analytical techniques including FT-IR, sugar compositions analysis, molecular weight analysis, thermal analysis, and NMR. Roasting at temperatures from 180 to 220 °C resulted in higher yields of hemicelluloses subsequently isolated from sesame hulls by the alkaline method. The results of sugar analysis and average molecular weight analysis of the hull hemicelluloses revealed that the side chain sugar units such as arabinose and rhamnose of the hemicelluloses are more easily degraded after roasting during the roasting. That the main chains of hemicelluloses in the cell wall of sesame seed hulls did not change significantly. The investigation provides new information about the mechanisms of the structural changes that occur in sesame hull hemicelluloses during roasting.

Gelatinization and retrogradation characteristics of starches from tigernut (Cyperus esculentus) tuber before and after various oil extraction processes were studied in this investigation. The results indicated that starches isolated from tigernut tuber after the various oil extraction processes varied significantly in gelatinization and retrogradation properties. The starches isolated from the cakes of tigernut tuber after hot press extraction exhibited higher retrogradation tendency and relatively less shear-thinning than other starch samples. The results of FT-IR, XRD, and NMR analysis indicated that oil extraction had an unfavorable influence on starch retrogradation, which may be due to structural changes caused by oil extraction processes. In particular, oil extraction led to more efficient packing of double helices in the crystalline lamella of the starches during storage. Retrogradation of the starch gels also reduced the water holding capacities of the starches. The starch sample isolated from the cake after cold press extraction exhibited the highest water absorption capacity among the five samples for all storage times. This investigation provides valuable novel information for the industrial utilization of tigernut tuber starches isolated from meals and cakes after oil extraction.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of oil processing technologies on the sensory qualities of sesame oils and to identify drivers of liking. Using a check-all-that-apply (CATA) question and a hedonic scale, 150 consumers evaluated the acceptability and sensory characteristics of 5 sesame oil samples including an aqueous extracted oil (S1), a cold-pressed oil (S2), two batches of screw-pressed oils (S3 and S5) and one crude sesame oil (S4). Solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-olfactometry-mass spectrometry (SPME-GC-O-MS) was used to identify odour-active compounds. The results showed that roasting, extraction techniques and filtration process influenced sensory perception and the acceptability of sesame oils. Consumers liked roasted sesame oils more than the cold-pressed sesame oil and liked the aqueous extracted sesame oil the most. Sensory attributes “sweet smell”, “mellow”, “roasted”, “nutty”, “persistent”, “high-intense flavour” and “cooked sesame seed flavour” were drivers of liking, while “green”, “raw sesame seed”, “rancid”, “woody” and “fishy” were drivers of disliking. “Burnt” flavour was liked by some while disliked by others. Pyrazines contributed to roasted flavour; 2-acetylpyrrole, acetophenone and furfural contributed to nutty flavour; 2-pentyl-furan, 5-methyl-2-furancarboxaldehyde, and 2-phenyl-2-butenal contributed to sweet odour in the roasted sesame seeds. Nonanal, hexanal, 1-hexanol and ocimene were responsible for the “green” flavour perceived in the cold-pressed oil. This study provides valuable information for sesame manufacturers on how to improve the sensory qualities of sesame oils through process manipulation to meet the needs of diverse consumers.

The objective of this investigation was to elucidate the structural changes of the polysaccharides isolated by hydrothermal treatment of corn bran after twin-screw extrusion. The structures and antioxidant activities of the purified polysaccharides were investigated and compared by monosaccharide analysis, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The results showed that the structures of the linkages and monosaccharide components of the purified polysaccharides were not affected strongly by the twin-screw extrusion pretreatment. However, the purified polysaccharides isolated from pretreated samples displayed significant differences in monosaccharide ratios, degree of branching/ linearity, and molecular weight. These physical changes may be related to the decrease of antioxidant activities of the polysaccharides. The present investigation contributes to the knowledge of how pretreatment by twin-screw extrusion affects the chemistry of corn bran polysaccharides. Results can be applied to improve the efficiency of hydrothermal extraction of polysaccharides from corn bran.

Para-cresyl sulfate (P-CS), a major uremic toxin derived from the metabolites of tyrosine and phenylalanine through liver, existed in the blood of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). CKD increases the malignancy in bladder cancers; however, effects of P-CS on bladder cancers are not fully understood. P-CS is conjugated with BSA physiologically, and this study aims to investigate the effects and possible underlying mechanisms of BSA-bounded P-CS on human bladder cancer cells. With P-CS treatment, the intracellular ROS increased in bladder cancer cells. ROS then triggered epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), stress fiber redistribution, and cell migration. With specific inhibitors, the key signals regulating P-CS-treated migration are Src and FAK. This study provided a clinical clue that patients with higher serum P-CS have a higher risk of malignant urothelial carcinomas, and a regulatory pathway of how P-CS regulates bladder cancer migration.

The effects of extraction conditions on the yield of polysaccharides from the fruit of Chaenomeles sinensis (FCS) using a hot compressed water method were investigated. The results showed that an appropriately high temperature (150 °C) and a moderate extraction time (45 min) at a material to water ratio of 1 to 10 g/mL led to a high yield of alcohol precipitation polysaccharide (PA). The purified polysaccharides (CSP-1, CSP-2, and CSP-3) were successfully obtained using a DEAE-52 chromatographic column. Chemical analysis showed that CSP-2 and CSP-3 were homogenous and exhibited characteristics of esterified pectins, whereas CSP-2 mainly consisted of galacturonic acid (GalA), galactose (Gal), arabinose (Ara), rhamnose (Rha), and mannose (Man) with an average molecular weight of 59.1 kDa. Furthermore, CSP-1 possessed stronger antioxidant ability according to DPPH scavenging and reducing power compared with CSP-2 and CSP-3. However, it was weaker with respect to OH scavenging. The technical data presented in this study could help the industry make use of polysaccharides from FCS as a source of pectin for a range of pharmaceutical, culinary, and cosmetic products.

The deep‐frying process for plenty of fried products using vegetable oils needs safe and effective antioxidants. In the present exploration, the nutmeg essential oil (NEO) was employed as a potential antioxidant for sunflower oil during the deep‐frying of Chinese Maye at 180°C for 30 hr. In the comparative study, the additions for NEO at 0.12 g/kg, TBHQ at 0.12 g/kg, BHA at 0.08 g/kg, and BHT at 0.08 g/kg to sunflower oil were able to obviously improve its oxidative stability during the deep‐frying process, and their antioxidant effects were in the relative order: TBHQ at 0.12 g/kg > NEO at 0.12 g/kg > BHA at 0.08 g/kg > BHT at 0.08 g/kg (p, The deep‐frying process for plenty of fried products using vegetable oils needs safe antioxidants. In the present study, the nutmeg essential oil (NEO) and limonene were demonstrated to be effective in inhibiting the oxidation of sunflower oil during the deep‐frying of Chinese Maye at 180°C for 30 hr and improving the sensory properties of the fried products, Chinese Maye. Therefore, both of them could be used as antioxidants in the deep‐frying process of sunflower oil.

Emission of nitrogen oxides (NOx) are one of the major environmental concerns arising from the combustion of syngas. Strategies to reduce emission and improve the efficiency of syngas combustion can be developed using computational fluid dynamic simulations to design cleaner and more efficient combustors. Toward this end, an accurate and efficient chemical kinetic mechanism that can describe the combustion chemistry of syngas with NOx under engine-relevant conditions is critical. In this work, a comprehensive survey of detailed mechanisms available in the literature for the syngas/NOx combustion reaction system is first conducted. A systematic and comparative chemical kinetic analysis of five detailed mechanisms is performed based on the reaction pathway and sensitivity analyses to identify the key reactions of the nitrogen species for a wide range of mixtures including the formation of NOx during syngas combustion and ignition of NH3, H2/N2O, and H2/NO2 mixtures. Comparisons of the reaction pathways from different detailed mechanisms indicate that the detailed chemistry is controlled by a small set of reactions and species. Recent high-level theoretical studies on HONO and HNO2 chemistry including previously neglected important reactions are updated. The rate constants for HNO + O2 = NO + HȮ2 are calculated using ab initio calculations in this work. An efficient high-fidelity skeletal mechanism consisting of 27 species and 130 reactions is developed based on a combination of the directed relation graph with the error propagation method and the simplified iterative screening and structure analysis method. Compared to the detailed mechanisms, the skeletal mechanism retains the major species and reactions for the syngas/NOx system and is validated against the typical experimental data, resulting in a very good performance. Q.-D. Wang and Y. Sun would like to acknowledge financial funding by the China Scholarship Council (CSC). The authors want to acknowledge financial support of Science Foundation Ireland under Grant Nos. 15/IA/3177 and 16/SP/3829 and also the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21403296). The Computational resources are provided by the Irish Centre for High-End Computing (ICHEC), under project number ngche064c and ngche073c. peer-reviewed

BackgroundFed-batch fermentation has been conventionally implemented for the production of lactic acid with a high titer and high productivity. However, its operation needs a complicated control which increases the production cost.ResultsThis issue was addressed by simplifying the production scheme.Escherichia coliwas manipulated for its glycerol dissimilation andd-lactate synthesis pathways and then subjected to adaptive evolution under high crude glycerol. Batch fermentation in the two-stage mode was performed by controlling the dissolved oxygen (DO), and the evolved strain deprived ofpoxBenabled production of 100 g/Ld-lactate with productivity of 1.85 g/L/h. To increase productivity, the producer strain was further evolved to improve its growth rate on crude glycerol. The fermentation was performed to undergo the aerobic growth with low substrate, followed by the anaerobic production with high substrate. Moreover, the intracellular redox of the strain was balanced by fulfillment of the anaerobic respiratory chain with nitrate reduction. Without controlling the DO, the microbial fermentation resulted in the homofermentative production ofd-lactate (ca. 0.97 g/g) with a titer of 115 g/L and productivity of 3.29 g/L/h.ConclusionsThe proposed fermentation strategy achieves the highest yield based on crude glycerol and a comparable titer and productivity as compared to the approach by fed-batch fermentation. It holds a promise to sustain the continued development of the crude glycerol-based biorefinery.

There are large between- and within-country variations in COVID-19 death rates. Some very low death rate settings such as Eastern Asia, Central Europe, the Balkans and Africa have a common feature of eating large quantities of fermented foods whose intake is associated with the activation of the Nrf2 (Nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2) anti-oxidant transcription factor. There are many Nrf2-interacting nutrients (berberine, curcumin, epigallocatechin gallate, genistein, quercetin, resveratrol, sulforaphane) that all act similarly to reduce insulin resistance, endothelial damage, lung injury and cytokine storm. They also act on the same mechanisms (mTOR: Mammalian target of rapamycin, PPARγ:Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor, NFκB: Nuclear factor kappa B, ERK: Extracellular signal-regulated kinases and eIF2α:Elongation initiation factor 2α). They may as a result be important in mitigating the severity of COVID-19, acting through the endoplasmic reticulum stress or ACE-Angiotensin-II-AT1R axis (AT1R) pathway. Many Nrf2-interacting nutrients are also interacting with TRPA1 and/or TRPV1. Interestingly, geographical areas with very low COVID-19 mortality are those with the lowest prevalence of obesity (Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia). It is tempting to propose that Nrf2-interacting foods and nutrients can re-balance insulin resistance and have a significant effect on COVID-19 severity. It is therefore possible that the intake of these foods may restore an optimal natural balance for the Nrf2 pathway and may be of interest in the mitigation of COVID-19 severity.

Deep fat frying is a common cooking procedure; however, its effects on food can produce carcinogenic compounds, namely heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) that are detrimental to the health of the consumer. The influence of frying process conditions (temperature, time, meat shape, oil type, oil oxidation) on the formation of HAAs in deep fat fried chicken meat was explored. The concentrations of HAAs increased with frying temperature and time, and higher amounts were found in samples with higher surface areas. The type of oil influenced the formation of HAAs, and more HAAs were found in the samples fried in peanut and rapeseed oils. Oxidation of frying oil also elevated HAAs in fried meat. Understanding how to reduce the formation of HAAs in deep fat frying is essential for reducing the health risks associated with consuming HAAs.

The high dispersibility of graphene oxide (GO) and the universality of natural colloids (clay minerals, (hydr)oxides of Al, Fe, silica, etc.) make them interact easily. Many kinds of analytical methods have been used to study the interaction between GO and natural colloids. This review provides a comprehensive overview of analytical methods for the detection and quantification of interaction process. We highlighted the influence of the most relevant environmental factors (ionic strength, pH, etc.) on batch experiment, quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring measurements, and column experiments. Besides, the benefits and drawbacks of spectroscopic, microscopic techniques, theoretical models, calculation and time-resolved dynamic light scattering methods also have discussed in this work. This review can give some guidance to researchers in their selection and combination of the technique for the research of the interaction between GO and natural colloids.

The safety problems related to the occurrence of benzo(a)pyrene in edible oil have been a major threat to human health, and now significant attention has been to remove benzo(a)pyrene. So in this work, cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin biochars were prepared, and then were used to remove benzo(a)pyrene from contaminated oil. Based on the nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherms and the scanning election micrographs, the modified biochars had a huge specific surface area of 983.50-1915.55 m2/g and a well-developed porous structure. The modified biochars showed higher removal rate for benzo(a)pyrene than unmodified biochars. The highest adsorption (95.79%) of benzo(a)pyrene was achieved using the modified lignin biochar, which was therefore selected for evaluation of adsorptive capacity. The ability of the modified lignin biochar to adsorb benzo(a)pyrene was consistent with the pseudo-second order kinetic equation indicating mainly chemisorption, and it fit the Freundlich isotherm (R2 > 0.999), thereby revealing the occurrence of multilayer adsorption. The effect of π-π conjugation interaction and pore-filling together promoted the high adsorption performance of the modified lignin biochar. This work demonstrates that the modified lignin biochar could be a promising adsorbent for the removal of benzo(a)pyrene from edible oils.

Allene and propyne are important intermediates in the pyrolysis and oxidation of higher hydrocarbon fuels, and they are also a major source of propargyl radical formation, which can recombine into different C 6 H 6 isomers and finally produce soot. In a prior work (Panigrahy et al., ¿A comprehensive experimental and improved kinetic modeling study on the pyrolysis and oxidation of propyne¿, Proc. Combust. Inst 38 (2021)), the pyrolysis, ignition , and laminar flame speed of propyne were investigated. To understand the kinetic features of initial fuel breakdown and oxidation of the two C 3 H 4 isomers, new measurements for allene pyrolysis and oxidation are conducted in the present paper at the same operating conditions as those studied previously for propyne. Ignition delay times of allene are measured using a high-pressure shock tube and a heated twin-opposed piston rapid compression machine in the temperature range 690¿1450 K at equivalence ratios of 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 in `air¿, and at pressures of 10 and 30 bar. Pyrolysis species measurements of allene and propyne are also performed using a gas chromatography integrated single- pulse shock tube in the temperature range 10 0 0¿170 0 K at pressure of 2 and 5 bar. Furthermore, laminar flame speeds of allene are measured at elevated gas temperatures of 373 K at pressures of 1 and 2 bar for a wide range of equivalence ratios from 0.6 to 1.5. A newly updated kinetic mechanism developed for this study is the first model that can well reproduce all of the experimental results for both allene and propyne. It is observed that in the pyrolysis process, allene dissociates faster than propyne. Both isomers exhibit similar ignition delay times at high temperatures ( > 10 0 0 K), while, at intermediate temperatures (770¿10 0 0 K) propyne is the faster to ignite, and at lower temperatures ( The authors acknowledge Science Foundation Ireland for funding via their Principal Investigator Program through project number 15/IA/3177 and 16/SP/3829. Jinhu Liang acknowledges the support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (11602231), International Scientific Cooperation Projects of Key R&D Programs (201803D421101), Research Project supported by Shanxi Scholarship Council of China (2020115), and the Young Academic Leaders Support Program of North University of China (QX201810). The material for measuring flame speed is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) under Award Number DE-EE0007984 (Co-Optima). peer-reviewed

Metal oxides are widely used in the fields of chemistry, physics and materials science. Oxygen vacancy formation energy is a key parameter to describe the chemical, mechanical, and thermodynamic properties of metal oxides. How to acquire quickly and accurately oxygen vacancy formation energy remains a challenge for both experimental and theoretical researchers. Herein, we propose a machine learning model for the prediction of oxygen vacancy formation energy via data-driven analysis and the definition of simple descriptors. Starting with the database containing oxygen vacancy formation energies for 1750 metal oxides with enough structural diversity, new descriptors that effectively avoid the defects of molecular fingerprints, molecular graphic descriptors and site descriptors are defined. The descriptors have obvious physical meanings and wide practicability. Multiple linear regression analysis is then used to screen important features for machine learning model development, and two strongly associated features are obtained. The selected descriptors are used as input for the training of 21 machine learning models to select and develop the most accurate machine learning model. Finally, it is shown that the least squares support vector regression method exhibits the best performance for accurate prediction of the targeted oxygen vacancy formation energy through systematic error analysis, and the prediction accuracy is also verified by the external dataset. Our work establishes a novel and simple computational approach for accurate prediction of the oxygen vacancy formation energy of metal oxides and highlights the availability of data-driven analysis for metal oxide material research.

Thermodynamic properties, i.e., bond dissociation energies and enthalpy of formation, of chlorinated and brominated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons play a fundamental role in understanding their formation mechanisms and reactivity. Computational electronic structure calculations routinely used to predict thermodynamic properties of various species are limited for these compounds due to large computational cost to obtain accurate results by employing high-level wave function theory methods. In this work, a number of composite model chemistry methods (CBS-QB3, G3MP2, G3, and G4) are used to compute bond dissociation energies and enthalpies of formation of small to medium-size chlorinated and brominated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compounds. The enthalpy of formation is derived via the atomization method and compared against the recommended values. Statistical analysis indicates that G4 is the best method. For comparison, three commonly used density functional theory (DFT) methods (M06-2X, ωB97X-D and B2PLYP-D3) with various basis sets including 6-311++G(d, p), cc-pVTZ, and cc-pVQZ in the prediction of bond dissociation energies and enthalpies of formation have been tested using the optimized geometries at the same M06-2X/6-311++G(d, p) level of theory. It is found that ωB97X-D/6-311++G(d, p) shows the best performance in computing the bond dissociation energies, while ωB97X-D/cc-pVTZ exhibits the best prediction in enthalpy of formation of the studied reaction systems. The structural effect on the bond dissociation energies and enthalpy of formation of chlorinated and brominated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are then systematically analyzed. Based on comparisons of the various methods, reliable DFT methods are recommended for future theoretical studies on large chlorinated and brominated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons considering both accuracy and computational cost. This work, to the authors' knowledge, is the first to systematically benchmark theoretical methods for the accurate prediction of thermodynamic properties for chlorinated and brominated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Recently, design of cost-effective multifunctional electromaterials for supercapacitors and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and enhancing their functionalities have become an emphasis in energy storage and conversion. Herein, a series of cheap and functional phosphate composites with different ratios of cobalt and nickel are synthesized using a simple polyalcohol refluxing method, and their excellent capacity and OER properties are systematically studied. Notably, owing to the different major role of Co and Ni elements in the phosphate composites for capacity and OER, the optimal electroconductibility, structural adjustment, electrochemical active sites, and activities for capacity and OER are obtained from the composites with the different ratios of Co/Ni. In addition, using high-capacity BiPO4 (BPO) as the negative electrodes, the new type of all-phosphate asymmetric supercapacitor (CNPO-40//BPO) shows a high energy density and reaches 36.84 W h kg-1 at a power density of 254.52 W kg-1. Its cyclic stability is also more excellent than that of the CNPO-40//AC device using commercial activated carbon as the negative electrodes. This study is beneficial to the more in-depth research on efficient dual-function electromaterials in capacity and OER and provides a high-efficient way to improve the practicality of asymmetric supercapacitors using the high-capacity Bi-based electromaterials as the negative electrodes.

Sesame processing facilities typically discard sesame seed hulls (SH) as waste or animal feed. However, these hulls are rich in cellulose and make them potentially valuable to the food industry. This study for the first time studied the effect of subcritical water (SW) and alkali (AT) pretreatment on extraction of purified cellulose from SH. The results indicated that the yield of SWCs (cellulose obtained by subcritical water pretreatment, 9.2–11.6%) was close to that of ATC (cellulose obtained by alkali pretreatment, 10.1%). Crystallinity of SWCs (68.7–75.8%) was significantly higher than ATC (60.9%). Subcritical water pretreatments interfered more significantly than alkali with the removal of non-cellulosic components according to Fourier transform infrared spectrometry and scanning electron microscope photographs. In addition, the diameter of the SWC was smaller than ATC, and the obtained SWC was comparable to ATC in terms of thermal stability. This study shows that subcritical water, as an environmentally friendly solvent, can be used to extract good quality cellulose from SH. In addition, subcritical water is more effective than alkali, suggesting it could be used more widely in the food industry for producing cellulose from other sources.

Complete utilization of tigernut tubers, including their use in oil production and use of the meal as a byproduct, is an important aspect in improving their industrial value. However, there are few studies on the use of starch isolated from tiger tuber meals and cakes remaining after oil extraction. In this investigation, starches were isolated from tigernut tubers before and after various oil extraction processes and their structural and functional properties were comparatively investigated. A typical C-type X-ray diffraction pattern was observed for all of the isolated starches. Noticeable decreases in relative crystallinity by XRD and solid state 13C NMR were observed for starches from the cakes of tigernut tubers remaining after oil extraction utilizing a mechanical expeller. The proportion of amorphous phase (PPA) in the starches isolated from meals and cakes was relatively low compared with that of starch isolated from raw tigernut tuber. The branch-chain length distribution of the starches isolated from meals and cakes exhibited a low average chain length of amylopectin. These changes reflect a disruption in the ordered structure of starch granules caused by the various oil extraction processes, which led to significant variability in their functional properties, including paste clarity, freeze-thaw characteristics, thermal transition temperatures, texture, solubility, and swelling power. This investigation provides important information for the complete utilization of tigernut tubers.