Functionality of succinylated Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa HBK) kernel globulin

"Optimization and evaluation of quality characteristics of traditional Indian snack (baked balls) made by using pumpkin peel powder"

The baked balls (traditional Indian snack litti) were formulated along with the standardization and optimization of different ingredients and recipe. The optimization was done by using response surface methodology. Box behnken model was selected for the optimization in which wheat flour (40-80%), roasted bengal gram flour (10-50%), and pumpkin peel powder (2.5-15%) were selected as an independent factor for the standardization of baked balls recipe against the dependent factors including sensory attributes (colour and texture), moisture content and water activity. The proximate analysis of optimized baked balls resulted in energy, carbohydrate, protein, fat, dietary fibre, calcium, iron, and zinc value as 310 kcal, 55.6 g/100 g, 13.78 g/100 g, 2.73 g/100 g, 40.18 mg/100 g, 4.57 mg/100 g and 2.97 mg/100 g respectively. Additionally, carotenoid content of control and optimized baked balls was found to be 284 µg/100 g and 838.93 µg/100 g whereas the ascorbic acid content was observed as 1.84 mg/100 g and 5.82 mg/100 g respectively. It showed a significant increase in nutritional parameters when compared with control (wheat flour) baked balls. This study also evidenced that pumpkin peel powder can be used as a food supplement for various nutritional components.

Impact of Hydrolysis, Acetylation or Succinylation on Functional Properties of Plant-Based Proteins: Patents, Regulations, and Future Trends

Nowadays, plant-based proteins are gaining momentum due to their wide availability, good amino acid content, and their market appeal. Unfortunately, these molecules usually have low water solubility, affecting other functional characteristics, such as foaming and emulsification, opening technological opportunities for research. Some plant-based protein applications rely on adjustments to final formulations and changing these chemical structures to produce new protein ingredients is also a path widely used in recent research. These modifications can be classified as physical or chemical, the latter being the most popular, and hydrolysis is one of the more widely reported modifications. This review explores the application of chemical modifications to plant-based proteins to improve techno-functional properties, when applied as part of food formulations. In addition, acetylation and succinylation, as the second and third most used processes, are discussed, including a deep analysis of their effects. Furthermore, since there is no concise compilation of patents associated with these technological efforts, some of the references that involve chemical modifications and current regulations used worldwide for novel foods produced with these technologies are included in this review. Finally, future perspectives for the chemical modification of proteins are discussed.

Impact of pH-dependent succinylation on the structural features and emulsifying properties of chicken liver protein

This work aims at investigating the pH-regulated relationship between the structural features and emulsifying properties of chicken liver protein (CLP) during succinylation and related mechanisms behind. The results demonstrated that the major succinylation sites occurred at lysine, histidine and tyrosine of CLP, and the succinylation degree increased by 30.66% as pH increased to 10. The succinylation pH elevation increased the solubility and oil absorption capacity of CLP, thus favoring its improvement in emulsifying properties, due to the succinylation process-induced increase in surface charge density and amphiphilic balance as well as modified network structure. However, the surface hydrophobicity of succinylated products decreased by 10.75% when the pH increased from 7 to 10. Besides, succinylation-induced variations in electrostatic repulsive and particle size distribution greatly improved the storability of the emulsions. These results suggested the great potential of pH-modulated succinylation to regulate the structure-property relationship of protein-based products.

Saccharification of pumpkin residues by coculturing of Trichoderma reesei RUT-C30 and Phanerochaete chrysosporium Burdsall with delayed inoculation timing

Trichoderma reesei and Phanerochaete chrysosporium with different lignocellulose-degrading enzyme systems have received much attention due to their ability to biodegrade lignocellulosic biomass. However, the synergistic effect of the two fungi on lignocellulose degradation is unknown. Herein, a cocultivation of T. reesei RUT-C30 and P. chrysosporium Burdsall for biodegradation of lignocellulosic pumpkin residues (PRS) was developed to produce soluble saccharide. Results indicated that a cocultivation of the two fungi with P. chrysosporium Burdsall inoculation delayed for 1.5 days produced the highest saccharide yield of 53.08% (w/w), and only 20.83% (w/w) of PRS were left after one batch of fermentation. In addition, this strategy increased the activities of secreted cellulases (endoglucanase, cellobiohydrolase, and β-glucosidase) and ligninases (lignin peroxidase and manganese peroxidase), which correlated to the increased saccharide yield. Besides, the resulting monosaccharides including glucose (1.23 mg/mL), xylose (0.13 mg/mL), arabinose (0.46 mg/mL), and fructose (0.21 mg/mL) from cocultures exhibited much higher yields than those from monoculture, which provides basal information for further fermentation research. This bioconversion of PRS into soluble sugars by cocultured fungal species provides a low cost method based on lignocellulose for potential biofuels or other bioproduct production.

Simultaneous decoloration and deproteinization of crude polysaccharide from pumpkin residues by cross-linked polystyrene macroporous resin

A novel method for the purification of crude polysaccharide from fermentation broth of pumpkin residues by macroporous resins was developed. Through static adsorption and desorption and adsorption kinetic tests, six resins (AB-8, S-8, HPH480, HPD100, X-5, and D101) with different polarity, diameter, and surface area were studied for simultaneous decoloration and deproteinization of crude polysaccharide, and S-8 was chosen as the best one. Dynamic breakthrough and desorption tests were performed in a glass column packed with S-8 resin, and the resulting adsorption ratios of pigment and protein were 84.3% and 75.9% (w/w), respectively, with a recovery ratio of polysaccharide 84.7% (w/w). S-8 resin also exhibited higher purification efficiency than the other tested traditional methods. Moreover, UV/vis spectroscopy (200-900 nm) analysis revealed most of the pigment and protein were absorbed by S-8 resin, and HPLC (containing a refractive index detector and a HPSEC column) results indicated that there was no degradation of the polysaccharide. This automated and efficient method via adsorption-desorption strategy could have potential in scale-up purification and preparation of polysaccharide in the future.

Chemical composition and biological activity of ripe pumpkin fruits (Cucurbita pepo L.) cultivated in Egyptian habitats

The chemical composition and biological activity of three parts (rind, flesh and seeds) of pumpkin fruits (Cucurbita pepo L.) cultivated in Egypt were studied. Chemical analysis of fibre, protein, β-carotene, carbohydrates, minerals and fatty acids present in the rind, flesh, seeds and defatted seeds meal was conducted. Chemical, GC-MS and biological assays of organic extracts of the main fruit parts, rind and flesh established their unique constituents. Chromatographic purification of the extracts afforded triglyceride fatty acid mixture (1), tetrahydro-thiophene (2), linoleic acid (3), calotropoleanly ester (4), cholesterol (5) and 13(18)-oleanen-3-ol (6). GC-MS analysis of the extract's unpolar fraction revealed the existence of dodecane and tetradecane. Structures of the isolated compounds (1-6) were confirmed by NMR and EI-MS spectrometry. Antimicrobial, antiviral and antitumour activities of the fruit parts were discussed. The promising combined extract of rind and flesh was biologically studied for microbial and cytotoxic activities in comparison with the whole isolated components.