Identification of the composition of fatty acids in Eucommia ulmoides seed oil by fraction chain length and mass spectrometry

Feeding Laying Ducks Eucommia ulmoides oliv. Leaves Increases the n-3 Fatty Acids Content and Decreases the n-6: n-3 PUFA Ratio in Egg Yolk without Affecting Laying Performance or Egg Quality

The objective was to determine the effects of supplementing duck diets with Eucommia ulmoides oliv. leaf powder (EUL). Laying ducks (n = 480) were randomly allocated into 4 experimental treatments and fed diets containing 0, 1, 2, or 4% EUL. Dietary inclusion of EUL had no effect (p > 0.05) on laying performance or egg quality, but linearly increased (p < 0.05) total plasma protein, globulin, and HDL-C concentrations with concurrent reductions (p < 0.05) in plasma concentrations of cholesterol and LDL-C. Eggs laid by ducks receiving EUL had yolks with linearly higher phenolic concentrations (p < 0.05) but lower cholesterol concentrations (p < 0.05). EUL supplementation in duck diets significantly reduced n-6: n-3 PUFA ratio by enriching n-3 fatty acids in yolks (p < 0.05) with no changes in n-6 PUFA (p >0.05).

New alternative sources of omega-3 fish oil

Long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids such as eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids play an important role in brain growth and development, as well as in the health of the body. These fatty acids are traditionally found in seafood, such as fish, fish oils, and algae. They can also be added to food or consumed through dietary supplements. Due to a lack of supply to meet current demand and the potential for adverse effects from excessive consumption of fish and seafood, new alternatives are being sought to achieve the recommended levels in a safe and sustainable manner. New sources have been studied and new production mechanisms have been developed. These new proposals, as well as the importance of these fatty acids, are discussed in this paper.

Rapid identification of the geographical origin of Eucommia ulmoides by using excitation-emission matrix fluorescence combined with chemometric methods

Eucommia ulmoides is an important and valuable traditional Chinese medicine with various medical functions, and has been widely used as health food in China, Japan, South Korea and other Asian countries for many years. The efficacy and quality of E. ulmoides are closely associated with the geographical origin. In this work, the potential of excitation-emission matrix (EEMs) fluorescence coupled with chemometric methods was investigated for simple, rapid and accurate for identification E. ulmoides from different geographical origins. Parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) was applied for characterizing the fluorescence fingerprints of E. ulmoides samples. Moreover, k-nearest neighbor (kNN), principal component analysis-linear discriminant analysis (PCA-LDA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) models were used for the classification of E. ulmoides samples according to their geographical origins. The results showed that kNN model was more suitable for identification of E. ulmoides samples from different provinces. The kNN model could identify E. ulmoides samples from eight different geographical origins with 100% accuracy on the training and test sets. Therefore, the proposed method was available for conveniently and accurately determining the geographical origin of E. ulmoides, which can expect to be an attractive alternative method for identifying the geographic origin of other traditional Chinese medicines.

GC-MS Analysis and Biomedical Therapy of Oil from n-Hexane Fraction of Scutellaria edelbergii Rech. f.: In Vitro, In Vivo, and In Silico Approach

The current study aimed to explore the crude oils obtained from the n-hexane fraction of Scutellaria edelbergii and further analyzed, for the first time, for their chemical composition, in vitro antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, antidiabetic, and in vivo anti-inflammatory, and analgesic activities. For the phytochemical composition, the oils proceeded to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis and from the resultant chromatogram, 42 bioactive constituents were identified. Among them, the major components were linoleic acid ethyl ester (19.67%) followed by ethyl oleate (18.45%), linolenic acid methyl ester (11.67%), and palmitic acid ethyl ester (11.01%). Tetrazolium 96-well plate MTT assay and agar-well diffusion methods were used to evaluate the isolated oil for its minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), half-maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC₅₀), and zone of inhibitions that could determine the potential antimicrobial efficacy's. Substantial antibacterial activities were observed against the clinical isolates comprising of three Gram-negative bacteria, viz., Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and one Gram-positive bacterial strain, Enterococcus faecalis. The oils were also effective against Candida albicans and Fusarium oxysporum when evaluated for their antifungal potential. Moreover, significant antioxidant potential with IC₅₀ values of 136.4 and 161.5 µg/mL for extracted oil was evaluated through DPPH (1,1-Diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl) and ABTS assays compared with standard ascorbic acid where the IC50 values were 44.49 and 67.78 µg/mL, respectively, against the tested free radicals. The oils was also potent, inhibiting the α-glucosidase (IC50 5.45 ± 0.42 µg/mL) enzyme compared to the standard. Anti-glucosidase potential was visualized through molecular docking simulations where ten compounds of the oil were found to be the leading inhibitors of the selected enzyme based on interactions, binding energy, and binding affinity. The oil was found to be an effective anti-inflammatory (61%) agent compared with diclofenac sodium (70.92%) via the carrageenan-induced assay. An appreciable (48.28%) analgesic activity in correlation with the standard aspirin was observed through the acetic acid-induced writhing bioassay. The oil from the n-hexane fraction of S. edelbergii contained valuable bioactive constituents that can act as in vitro biological and in vivo pharmacological agents. However, further studies are needed to uncover individual responsible compounds of the observed biological potentials which would be helpful in devising novel drugs.

Composition analysis and microencapsulation of Eucommia ulmoides seed oil

BACKGROUND

Eucommia ulmoides seed oil is a functional health oil with a high content of unsaturated fatty acids. However, excessively high content of unsaturated fatty acids can cause E. ulmoides seed oil to easily spoil. Microencapsulation technology can effectively encapsulate substances, thereby prolonging the spoilage time of oil products.

METHODS

In the present study, E. ulmoides seed oil from different manufacturers were analyzed by Agilent 7890B-5977A gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Encapsulation efficiency, yield rate, and scanning electron microscopy results between microcapsules prepared use different wall materials and different methods (spray drying and complex coagulation) were compared to determine the best preparation process for microcapsules. The Wantong 892 professional oil oxidation stability tester was used to measure the induced oxidation time of the E. ulmoides seed oil and microcapsules.

CONCLUSION

E. ulmoides seed oil comprises > 80% unsaturated fatty acids with a high α-linolenic acid content, followed by linoleic acid. The most promising combination was chitosan:gum arabic at 1:8 as the wall material and complex coagulation. The best preparation had a wall material concentration, stirring speed, aggregation pH, and core-to-wall ratio of 2.5%, 500 rpm, 4.2, and 1:4, respectively. Microcapsules prepared under these conditions exhibited higher yield and encapsulation efficiency (94.0% and 73.3%, respectively). The induced oxidation time of the E. ulmoides seed oil and microcapsules were 3.8 h and 13.9 h, respectively, indicating that microencapsulation can increase the oxidation induction time of this oil.

Formation and stability of Eucommia ulmoides Oliver seed oil-loaded inverse microemulsion formed by food-grade ingredients and its antioxidant activities

Eucommia ulmoides Oliver seed oil (E.u oil) as a functional oil is rich in many natural active components such as α-linolenic acid (56% to 63%), vitamin E, aucubin, and so on. In this study, water-in-oil (W/O) microemulsions composed of Eucommia ulmoides Oliver seed oil, distilled water, a blend of Sorbitan monooleate 80 (Span 80) and Polysorbate (20) sorbitan monooleate (Tween 80), and propylene glycol were prepared for improving the compatibility of Eucommia ulmoides Oliver seed oil. Pseudoternary phase diagrams were built to illustrate the phase behavior of the microemulsions, based on hydrophilic-lipophilic balance values, cosurfactant type, the proportion of cosurfactant, and the changing environmental stress. Dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, and electrical conductivity measurements were performed to characterize the microstructural aspects. The optimum process conditions at which the Eucommia ulmoides Oliver seed oil-loaded microemulsion had good tolerance to pH and salinity were: Propylene glycol served as cosurfactant, water-Propylene glycol, and Span 80-Tween 80 ratios separately kept constant at 1:1 and 6:4. These microemulsions with narrow size distribution, nanoscale particle size (below 60 nm), transparent appearance had a wide range of oil phase content and free-radical scavenging capacity toward DPPH and ABTS radicals with half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀ ) values of 49.20 and 33.43 mg/mL, respectively. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This nanostructure, environmental stability, and antioxidant activity of microemulsions containing Eucommia ulmoides Oliver seed oil is a potential delivery system as an alternative to α-linolenic acid and can be used for the delivery of peptides, proteins, antioxidants, and water-soluble nutrients.

Fatty Acid Composition, Phytochemistry, Antioxidant Activity on Seed Coat and Kernel of Paeonia ostii from Main Geographic Production Areas

Paeonia ostii is an important woody oil plant cultivated in China on a large scale. Its seed oil is enriched with unsaturated fatty acids and a high content of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which are beneficial to human health. The aim of this research is to determine the qualitative traits characteristic of P. ostii seed from various production areas in China. In this study, seed quality traits were evaluated on the basis of proximate composition, content of fatty acids, tocopherol, secondary metabolites, and the antioxidant activity of seed coat (PSC) and kernel (PSK). A high content of total fatty acids (298.89–399.34 mg g⁻¹), crude protein (16.91%–22.73%), and total tocopherols (167.83–276.70 μg g⁻¹) were obtained from PSK. Significant differences were found in the content of palmitic acids (11.31–14.27 mg g⁻¹), stearic acids (2.42–4.24 mg g⁻¹), oleic acids (111.25–157.63 mg g⁻¹), linoleic acids (54.39–83.59 mg g⁻¹), and ALA (99.85–144.71 mg g⁻¹) in the 11 main production areas. Eight and seventeen compounds were detected in PSC and PSK, respectively. A significantly higher content of total phenols was observed in PSC (139.49 mg g⁻¹) compared with PSK (3.04 mg g⁻¹), which was positively related to antioxidant activity. This study indicates that seeds of P. ostii would be a good source of valuable oil and provides a basis for seed quality evaluation for the production of edible oil and potential ALA supplements from the promising woody oil plant.

Authentication of Eucommia ulmoides Seed Oil Using Fourier Transform Infrared and Synchronous Fluorescence Spectroscopy Combined with Chemometrics

Eucommia ulmoides is a traditional Chinese herb whose seeds can be used to produce edible oils. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and synchronous fluorescence spectroscopic (SyFS) spectra of Eucommia ulmoides seed oil (EUSO) are lacking. The relevant functional and fluorescent groups were determined by FTIR and SyFS techniques for discriminating adulteration of EUSO, respectively. FTIR and SyFS spectra of EUSO and six common-used vegetable oils were recorded from 4000-400 cm^-1 and 250-700 nm at wavelength interval of 60 nm, respectively. Principal component analysis (PCA), linear discriminant analysis (LDA), cluster analysis (CA) and partial least square (PLS) regression was used for qualitative and quantitative calibration of EUSO adulteration. The FTIR spectral regions of 1429-1377 cm^-1 and 1128-1110 cm^-1 based on PCA, LDA, and CA, and the PCA of SyFS spectral regions of 600-700 nm and 300-500 nm were evaluated for qualitative differentiation of EUSO adulteration. The recognition rate of PCA validation was found to be 100% by FTIR regions. PLS calibration was optimal by the spectral normalization vector treatment in the two FTIR spectral regions and SyFS spectra were combined with characteristic absorption peak area, which can achieve quantitative detection of EUSO adulteration. The two techniques are useful for EUSO adulteration detection at levels down to 1% and 0.48% (w/w), respectively. The results indicated that spectral information obtained by FTIR and SyFS of EUSO can be used for qualitative and quantitative analysis of EUSO adulteration with the advantages of high sensitivity, simplicity, and rapidness.

Fatty Acids Variation in Seed of Eucommia ulmoides Populations Collected from Different Regions in China

Fruits of 240 Eucommia ulmoides Oliver individuals were collected from 12 different geographical regions across a wide area of China. The seed oil content ranged from 28.54% in Guilin and Lueyang to 31.35% in Chaoyang. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis of the seed oil revealed that linolenic acid (56.68–60.70%), oleic acid (16.31–17.80%), and linoleic acid (11.02–13.32%) were the major components, and the oil showed good potential for the food and health care industries. Three levels (high, medium, and low) of linolenic acid and oil content were observed among the 12 populations according to principal component analysis. Canonical correspondence analysis showed that environmental factors had a large influence on oil content and fatty acids composition and explained 89.33% of the total variance. Latitude and precipitation were key environmental factors and were significantly correlated with the fatty acid composition of E. ulmoides seeds.

Eucommia ulmoides Oliver: A Potential Feedstock for Bioactive Products

Eucommia ulmoides Oliver (EUO), a traditional Chinese herb, contains a variety of bioactive chemicals, including lignans, iridoids, phenolics, steroids, terpenoids, flavonoids, etc. These bioactive chemicals possess the effective function in nourishing the liver and kidneys and regulating blood pressure. The composition of bioactive chemicals extracted from EUO vary in the different functional parts (leaves, seeds, bark, and staminate flower) and planting models. The bioactive parts of EUO are widely used as raw materials for medicine and food, powdery extracts, herbal formulations, and tinctures. These capabilities hold potential for future development and commercial exploitation of the bioactive products from EUO.

Optimization of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Extraction of Eucommia ulmoides Seed Oil and Quality Evaluation of the Oil

Supercritical carbon dioxide extraction (SC-CO₂) technology was used to extract oil from Eucommia ulmoides seed. The optimum conditions and significant parameters in SC-CO₂ were obtained using response surface methodology (RSM). The qualities of the extracted oil were evaluated by physicochemical properties, fatty acid composition, vitamin E composition. It was found that the optimum extraction parameters were at pressure of 37 MPa, temperature of 40°C, extraction time of 125 min and CO₂ flow rate of 2.6 SL/min. Pressure, temperature and time were identified as significant parameter effecting on extraction yield. The importance of evaluated parameters decreased in the order of pressure > extraction time > temperature > CO₂ flow rate. GC analysis indicated that E. ulmoides seed oil contained about 61% of linolenic acid and its fatty acid composition was similar with that of flaxseed oil and perilla oil. The content and composition of vitamin E was determined using HPLC. The E. ulmoides seed oil was rich in vitamin E (190.72 mg/100 g), the predominant vitamin E isomers were γ- tocopherol and δ- tocopherol, which accounted for 70.87% and 24.81% of the total vitamin E, respectively. The high yield and good physicochemical properties of extracted oil support the notion that SC-CO₂ technology is an effective technique for extracting oil from E. ulmoides seed.

Multispecies Adulteration Detection of Camellia Oil by Chemical Markers

Adulteration of edible oils has attracted attention from more researchers and consumers in recent years. Complex multispecies adulteration is a commonly used strategy to mask the traditional adulteration detection methods. Most of the researchers were only concerned about single targeted adulterants, however, it was difficult to identify complex multispecies adulteration or untargeted adulterants. To detect adulteration of edible oil, identification of characteristic markers of adulterants was proposed to be an effective method, which could provide a solution for multispecies adulteration detection. In this study, a simple method of multispecies adulteration detection for camellia oil (adulterated with soybean oil, peanut oil, rapeseed oil) was developed by quantifying chemical markers including four isoflavones, trans-resveratrol and sinapic acid, which used liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) combined with solid phase extraction (SPE). In commercial camellia oil, only two of them were detected of daidzin with the average content of 0.06 ng/g while other markers were absent. The developed method was highly sensitive as the limits of detection (LODs) ranged from 0.02 ng/mL to 0.16 ng/mL and the mean recoveries ranged from 79.7% to 113.5%, indicating that this method was reliable to detect potential characteristic markers in edible oils. Six target compounds for pure camellia oils, soybean oils, peanut oils and rapeseed oils had been analyzed to get the results. The validation results indicated that this simple and rapid method was successfully employed to determine multispecies adulteration of camellia oil adulterated with soybean, peanut and rapeseed oils.

Characterization of Glycolytic Pathway Genes Using RNA-Seq in Developing Kernels of Eucommia ulmoides

Eucommia ulmoides Oliver, the only member of the Eucommiaceae family, is a rare and valuable tree used to produce a highly valued traditional Chinese medicine and contains α-linolenic acid (ALA) up to 60% of the total fatty acids in the kernels (embryos). Glycolysis provides both cellular energy and the intermediates for other biosynthetic processes. However, nothing was known about the molecular basis of the glycolytic pathway in E. ulmoides kernels. The purposes of this study were to identify novel genes of E. ulmoides related to glycolytic metabolism and to analyze the expression patterns of selected genes in the kernels. Transcriptome sequencing based on the Illumina platform generated 96,469 unigenes in four cDNA libraries constructed using RNAs from 70 and 160 days after flowering kernels of both low- and high-ALA varieties. We identified and characterized the digital expression of 120 unigenes coding for 24 protein families involved in kernel glycolytic pathway. The expression levels of glycolytic genes were generally higher in younger kernels than in more mature kernels. Importantly, several unigenes from kernels of the high-ALA variety were expressed more than those from the low-ALA variety. The expression of 10 unigenes encoding key enzymes in the glycolytic pathway was validated by qPCR using RNAs from six kernel stages of each variety. The qPCR data were well consistent with their digital expression in transcriptomic analyses. This study identified a comprehensive set of genes for glycolytic metabolism and suggests that several glycolytic genes may play key roles in ALA accumulation in the kernels of E. ulmoides.

Health-Promoting Properties of Eucommia ulmoides: A Review

Eucommia ulmoides (EU) (also known as “Du Zhong” in Chinese language) is a plant containing various kinds of chemical constituents such as lignans, iridoids, phenolics, steroids, flavonoids, and other compounds. These constituents of EU possess various medicinal properties and have been used in Chinese Traditional Medicine (TCM) as a folk drink and functional food for several thousand years. EU has several pharmacological properties such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiallergic, antimicrobial, anticancer, antiaging, cardioprotective, and neuroprotective properties. Hence, it has been widely used solely or in combination with other compounds to treat cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, sexual dysfunction, cancer, metabolic syndrome, and neurological diseases. This review paper summarizes the various active ingredients contained in EU and their health-promoting properties, thus serving as a reference material for the application of EU.

One-class classification based authentication of peanut oils by fatty acid profiles

In this study, the authenticity identification model was built by the one-class partial least squares (OCPLS) classifier for peanut oils, which could effectively detect adulterated oils at the adulteration level of more than 4%.

Classification and adulteration detection of vegetable oils based on fatty acid profiles

The detection of adulteration of high priced oils is a particular concern in food quality and safety. Therefore, it is necessary to develop authenticity detection method for protecting the health of customers. In this study, fatty acid profiles of five edible oils were established by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS) in selected ion monitoring mode. Using mass spectral characteristics of selected ions and equivalent chain length (ECL), 28 fatty acids were identified and employed to classify five kinds of edible oils by using unsupervised (principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering analysis), supervised (random forests) multivariate statistical methods. The results indicated that fatty acid profiles of these edible oils could classify five kinds of edible vegetable oils into five groups and are therefore employed to authenticity assessment. Moreover, adulterated oils were simulated by Monte Carlo method to establish simultaneous adulteration detection model for five kinds of edible oils by random forests. As a result, this model could identify five kinds of edible oils and sensitively detect adulteration of edible oil with other vegetable oils about the level of 10%.

Eucommia ulmoides Oliv.: ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry and pharmacology of an important traditional Chinese medicine

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. (Family Eucommiaceae), also known as Dù-zhòng (Chinese: ), Tuchong (in Japanese), is the sole species of the genus Eucommia. The leaf, stem, and bark as well as staminate flower of Eucommia ulmoides have been traditionally used to cure many diseases in China, Japan, Korea, among others. The aim of this review is to comprehensively outline the botanical description, ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, biological activities, and toxicology of Eucommia ulmoides and to discuss possible trends for further study of Eucommia ulmoides.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Information on Eucommia ulmoides was gathered via the internet (using Pub Med, Elsevier, Baidu Scholar, Google Scholar, Medline Plus, ACS, CNKI, and Web of Science) and from books in local libraries.

RESULTS

One-hundred twelve compounds of Eucommia ulmoides, including the main active constituents, lignans and iridoids, have been isolated and identified. In vitro and in vivo studies indicated that monomer compounds and extracts from Eucommia ulmoides possess wide-ranging pharmacological actions, especially in treating hypertension, hyperlipemia, diabetes, obesity, sexual dysfunction, osteoporosis, Alzheimer's disease, aging, lupus-like syndrome, and immunoregulation.

CONCLUSIONS

Eucommia ulmoides has been used as a source of traditional medicine and as a beneficial health food. Phytochemical and pharmacological studies of Eucommia ulmoides have received much interest, and extracts and active compounds continue to be isolated and proven to exert various effects. Further toxicity and clinical studies are warranted to establish more detailed data on crude extracts and pure compounds, enabling more convenient preparations for patients. Therefore, this review on the ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, biological activities, and toxicity of Eucommia ulmoides will provide helpful data for further studies as well as the commercial exploitation of this traditional medicine.