Purification of citrus peel juice and molasses

Isolation of Polyphenols from Aqueous Extract of the Halophyte Salicornia ramosissima

Polyphenols from residual non-food grade Salicornia ramosissima have health-promoting effects in feed, food, or nutraceutical applications. Therefore, the isolation of polyphenols is of interest from a series of environmentally friendly isolation methods with recyclable solvents. The isolation of polyphenols from non-food grade S. ramosissima was investigated using sequential membrane filtration with and without acid pretreatment, liquid-liquid extraction, resin adsorption, and centrifugal partition chromatography (CPC); analyzed by the Folin-Ciocalteu assay for total polyphenols; and finally analyzed using UPLC-TQMS in negative ion-spray mode for detection of 14 polyphenols. Sequential membrane filtration and acid hydrolysis indicated the polyphenols forming complexes with other compounds, retaining the polyphenols in the retentate fraction of large molecular weight cut-off membrane sizes. Conventional liquid-liquid extraction using sequential ethyl acetate and n-butanol showed most polyphenols were extracted, apart from chlorogenic acids, indicating a low isolation efficiency of higher polarity polyphenols. Analysis of the extract after resin adsorption by Amberlite XAD-4 resin showed high efficiency for separation, with 100% of polyphenols adsorbed to the resin after 13 bed volumes and 96.7% eluted from the resin using ethanol. CPC fractionations were performed to fractionate the concentrated extract after resin adsorption. CPC fractionations of the 14 polyphenols were performed using an organic or aqueous phase as a mobile phase. Depending on the mobile phase, different compounds were isolated in a high concentration. Using these easily scalable methods, it was possible to comprehensively study the polyphenols of interest from S. ramosissima and their isolation mechanics. This study will potentially lead the way for the large-scale isolation of polyphenols from S. ramosissima and other complex halophytes. The compounds of the highest concentration after CPC fractionation were isoquercitrin and hyperoside (155.27 mg/g), chlorogenic acid (85.54 mg/g), cryptochlorogenic acid (101.50 mg/g), and protocatechuic acid (398.67 mg/g), and further isolation using CPC could potentially yield novel polyphenol nutraceuticals.

Debittering of Grape Juice by Electrospun Nylon Nanofibrous Membranes: Impact of Filtration on Physicochemical, Functional, and Sensory Properties

The effect of electrospun nylon-6 nanofibrous membranes (NFMs) on the concentration of bitter compounds and antioxidants of grapefruit juices during dead-end filtration processes was studied. Filtration experiments with aqueous standard solutions of different molecules showed that NFMs retain low molecular weight antioxidants (i.e., ascorbic and caffeic acids) only at early filtration stages, whereas they remove bitter glycosylated phenolics (i.e., naringin and narirutin) at a more stable ratio, variable according to the membrane thickness. Experiments with fresh grapefruit juice of two varieties (pink and yellow) showed that NFM-filtration reduces (17 to 30%) flavanones associated with the immediate bitterness and allows for the complete removal (>99.9%) of limonin, responsible for the persistent bitterness of many citrus juices. In contrast, the same process causes a lower loss of ascorbic acid (5%) and does not affect acidity, nor sugar concentration. The results confirmed that NFMs feature permselectivity towards bitterness-related compounds. This work highlights the NFM potential as filter devices for the selective reduction of the bitter terpenoid (limonin) and glycosylated flavonoids (naringin and narirutin) from grape juice citrus juices in the production of industrially-relevant beverages.

Mediterranean Food Industry By-Products as a Novel Source of Phytochemicals with a Promising Role in Cancer Prevention

The Mediterranean diet is recognized as a sustainable dietary approach with beneficial health effects. This is highly relevant, although the production of typical Mediterranean food, i.e., olive oil or wine, processed tomatoes and pomegranate products, generates significant amounts of waste. Ideally, this waste should be disposed in an appropriate, eco-friendly way. A number of scientific papers were published recently showing that these by-products can be exploited as a valuable source of biologically active components with health benefits, including anticancer effects. In this review, accordingly, we elaborate on such phytochemicals recovered from the food waste generated during the processing of vegetables and fruits, typical of the Mediterranean diet, with a focus on substances with anticancer activity. The molecular mechanisms of these phytochemicals, which might be included in supporting treatment and prevention of various types of cancer, are presented. The use of bioactive components from food waste may improve the economic feasibility and sustainability of the food processing industry in the Mediterranean region and can provide a new strategy to approach prevention of cancer.

Towards valorization of pectin-rich agro-industrial residues: Engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for co-fermentation of d-galacturonic acid and glycerol

Pectin-rich plant biomass residues represent underutilized feedstocks for industrial biotechnology. The conversion of the oxidized monomer d-galacturonic acid (d-GalUA) to highly reduced fermentation products such as alcohols is impossible due to the lack of electrons. The reduced compound glycerol has therefore been considered an optimal co-substrate, and a cell factory able to efficiently co-ferment these two carbon sources is in demand. Here, we inserted the fungal d-GalUA pathway in a strain of the yeast S. cerevisiae previously equipped with an NAD-dependent glycerol catabolic pathway. The constructed strain was able to consume d-GalUA with the highest reported maximum specific rate of 0.23 g g_CDW^-1 h^-1 in synthetic minimal medium when glycerol was added. By means of a ¹³C isotope-labelling analysis, carbon from both substrates was shown to end up in pyruvate. The study delivers the proof of concept for a co-fermentation of the two 'respiratory' carbon sources to ethanol and demonstrates a fast and complete consumption of d-GalUA in crude sugar beet pulp hydrolysate under aerobic conditions. The future challenge will be to achieve co-fermentation under industrial, quasi-anaerobic conditions.

Microbial Application to Improve Olive Mill Wastewater Phenolic Extracts

Olive mill wastewater (OMW) contains valuable and interesting bioactive compounds, among which is hydroxytyrosol, which is characterized by a remarkable antioxidant activity. Due to the health claims related to olive polyphenols, the aim of this study was to obtain an extract from OMW with an increased level of hydroxytyrosol by means of microbial enzymatic activity. For this purpose, four commercial adsorbent resins were selected and tested. The beta-glucosidase and esterase activity of strains of Wickerhamomyces anomalus, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae were also investigated and compared to those of a commercial enzyme and an Aspergillus niger strain. The W. anomalus strain showed the best enzymatic performances. The SP207 resin showed the best efficiency in selective recovery of hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol, oleuropein, and total phenols. The bioconversion test of the OMW extract was assessed by using both culture broths and pellets of the tested strains. The results demonstrated that the pellets of W. anomalus and L. plantarum were the most effective in hydroxytyrosol increasing in phenolic extract. The interesting results suggest the possibility to study new formulations of OMW phenolic extracts with multifunctional microorganisms.

Performance of macroporous resins for debittering HLB-affected grapefruit juice and its impacts on furanocoumarin and consumer sensory acceptability

About 90% of grapefruit in Florida are affected by Huanglongbing (HLB). HLB negatively affects the organoleptic properties of grapefruit juice because affected trees overproduce bitter secondary-metabolites, mostly naringin. The objective of this research was to remove naringin from HLB-affected grapefruit juice using microporous-adsorbents and to investigate how debittering affected narirutin, limonoids, bergamottin, and consumer acceptability. The adsorption kinetics of naringin on seven adsorbent resins obeyed pseudo-second order. PAD550 and PAD600 showed better static adsorption/desorption. Adsorption-isotherms on these resins were better fitted on Temkin-Pyzhev-model. On a fixed-bed-column packed with PAD550 resin, a slower loading rate increased its breakthrough volume before naringin in effluent reached its taste-threshold. In addition to naringin being reduced to below its taste-threshold, debittering significantly decreased the content of limonin, nomilin, and bergamottin. A consumer taste panel rated debittered and half-debittered juices higher for overall acceptability than the untreated. The half-debittered juice was ranked the most preferred while untreated was the least preferred.

Valorisation of pectin-rich agro-industrial residues by yeasts: potential and challenges

Pectin-rich agro-industrial residues are feedstocks with potential for sustainable biorefineries. They are generated in high amounts worldwide from the industrial processing of fruits and vegetables. The challenges posed to the industrial implementation of efficient bioprocesses are however manyfold and thoroughly discussed in this review paper, mainly at the biological level. The most important yeast cell factory platform for advanced biorefineries is currently Saccharomyces cerevisiae, but this yeast species cannot naturally catabolise the main sugars present in pectin-rich agro-industrial residues hydrolysates, in particular D-galacturonic acid and L-arabinose. However, there are non-Saccharomyces species (non-conventional yeasts) considered advantageous alternatives whenever they can express highly interesting metabolic pathways, natively assimilate a wider range of carbon sources or exhibit higher tolerance to relevant bioprocess-related stresses. For this reason, the interest in non-conventional yeasts for biomass-based biorefineries is gaining momentum. This review paper focuses on the valorisation of pectin-rich residues by exploring the potential of yeasts that exhibit vast metabolic versatility for the efficient use of the carbon substrates present in their hydrolysates and high robustness to cope with the multiple stresses encountered. The major challenges and the progresses made related with the isolation, selection, sugar catabolism, metabolic engineering and use of non-conventional yeasts and S. cerevisiae-derived strains for the bioconversion of pectin-rich residue hydrolysates are discussed. The reported examples of value-added products synthesised by different yeasts using pectin-rich residues are reviewed. Key Points • Review of the challenges and progresses made on the bioconversion of pectin-rich residues by yeasts. • Catabolic pathways for the main carbon sources present in pectin-rich residues hydrolysates. • Multiple stresses with potential to affect bioconversion productivity. • Yeast metabolic engineering to improve pectin-rich residues bioconversion. Graphical abstract.

Mitigation of Off-Flavor in Huanglongbing-Affected Orange Juice Using Natural Citrus Non-Volatile Compounds

Huanglongbing (HLB) disease has reduced orange yield and flavor quality in Florida. Orange juice (OJ) and peel molasses (PM) compounds are "from the named fruit" (FTNF) and were tested for their effects on HLB-affected OJ taste. These and other "target" compounds, reportedly found in citrus, were spiked into off-flavored, HLB-affected reference juices. The spiked juice was evaluated by a sensory panel in comparison with unspiked juice for "sweetness", "sourness", "bitterness", "astringency", and "aftertaste". Of the target compounds, feruloyl putrescine, taxifolin, and neodiosmin most effectively reduced "bitterness", feruloyl putrescine reduced "astringency" and "aftertaste", while feruloyl putrescine and neodiosmin enhanced perceived "sweetness", perhaps due to reduced bitterness. OJ and PM fractions containing reported bitter limonoids, hydroxycinnamates, hesperidin, and/or polymethoxylated flavones enhanced "sourness', "bitterness", "astringency", and "aftertaste", and/or suppressed perceived "sweetness" (perhaps due to enhanced bitterness). Other fractions, containing feruloyl putrescine and/or vicenin-2 enhanced "sweetness" and reduced "bitterness", "sourness", "astringency", and/or "aftertaste". These potentially FTNF compounds may be useful for management of HLB-affected OJ juice flavor.

Efficient Conversion of Cane Molasses into Fructooligosaccharides by a Glucose Derepression Mutant of Aureobasidium melanogenum with High β-Fructofuranosidase Activity

Fructooligosaccharides (FOSs) are excellent food ingredients or feed additives by stimulating probiotics. In this paper, a CREA gene encoding a glucose repressor in the β-fructofuranosidase producer Aureobasidium melanogenum 33 with high-level FOS biosynthesis was disrupted, and glucose repression in disruptant D28 was relieved. The disruptant D28 produced up to 2100 U/mL of β-fructofuranosidase activity, whereas the enzyme activities produced by parent strain 33 and complemented strain C11 were below 600 U/mL. The whole cells of the disruptant D28 was used to convert cane molasses into FOSs, and 0.58 g of FOSs/g of molasses sugar was synthesized from 350 g/L cane molasses sugar within 4 h. Results demonstrated that the industrial waste cane molasses can be efficiently converted into FOSs by the glucose derepression mutant D28 with high β-fructofuranosidase activity. This low-cost and environmentally friendly bioprocess has great potential applications in bioengineering and biotechnology for FOS production.

Hypolipidemic effect of pure total flavonoids from peel of Citrus (PTFC) on hamsters of hyperlipidemia and its potential mechanism

Citrus is a group of popular fruit that includes oranges, lemons, limes and grapefruit but research of its peel on hyperlipidemia and its mechanism is rare reported. We examined the effect of pure total flavonoids from peel of Citrus (PTFC), an extract from the peel of Citrus Changshan-huyou which is a popular fruit in China, on hamsters with hyperlipoidemia induced by high-fat diet (HFD). We found that PTFC significantly reduced levels of serum cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) and improved levels of alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST) and Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) which associated with liver function in golden hamsters. Liver pathological results confirmed that the liver pathological section of golden hamster treated with PTFC was significantly improved compared with that of HFD group. The content of main cholesterol metabolic enzymes Cholesterol 7a-hydroxylase (CYP7A1) in liver was obviously recovered with PTFC treatment. Further studies shown that PTFC attenuated oxidative stress and free radical damage through superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malonyldialdehyde (MDA) tests and inflammatory injury by levels of Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) both in serum and hepatocyte of golden hamsters. Moreover, PTFC increased levels of RNA and protein expression of Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α (PPAR-α) and PPAR-γ in liver, fat and skeletal muscle of hyperlipidemia golden hamster, significantly. Our results suggested that PTFC could play a hypolipidemic role through improvement of liver function by antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in hyperlipoidemia hamsters, its mechanism of action may through activating of PPARα and PPARγ.

An overview of chlorophenols as contaminants and their removal from wastewater by adsorption: A review

In this review article, a significant number of published articles (over three decades) were consulted in order to provide comprehensive literature information about chlorophenols, their sources into the environment, classification, and toxicity, various wastewater treatment methods for their removal as well as the characteristics of their adsorption by various adsorbents. Organizing the scattered available information on a wide range of potentially effective adsorbents in the removal of chlorophenols is the principal objective of this article. Various adsorbents such as natural materials, waste materials from industries, agricultural by-products and biomass-based activated carbon in the removal of various chlorophenols have been compiled and discussed here. Crucial factors like temperature, solution pH, contact time and initial solution concentration are also reported and discussed here. The π-π dispersion interaction mechanism, hydrogen bonding formation mechanism, and the electron donor-acceptor complex mechanism were proposed for the chlorophenols adsorption onto various adsorbents with the help of current literature. Conclusions have been drawn proposing a few suggestions for future research on mitigating the effect of chlorophenols in the environment.

Citrus peels prevent cancer

BACKGROUND

Citrus comprises the largest fruit sector worldwide, and its fruit peels are the dominant 'residue' of the industry. Though not profitable, Citrus peels are industrially used for making some byproducts (cattle feed, molasses, ethanol, fiber) and for the extraction of bioactives (flavonoids, essential oils, d-limonene). Still huge amounts of peels are wasted by Citrus industries, juice and other vending sectors.

PURPOSE

The biological potentials of these unutilized or 'wasted' Citrus peels are least exploited. Here we tested the anticancer potentials of Citrus medica (2 morphotypes), C. sinensis, C. maxima, C. limon and C. reticulata peels by in vitro assays and in vivo cancer models.

METHODS

Chemical profiles of Citrus peel oils and peel extracts were analyzed by gas chromatographic techniques (GC-FID, GC-MS) and HPTLC-densitometry, respectively. Anticancer potentials of Citrus peels (Citrus medica 2 morphotypes, C. sinensis, C. maxima, C. limon and C. reticulata) were evaluated by various in vitro assays (MTT assay, morphological observations, fast halo assay, flow cytometric analysis) and in vivo cancer models.

RESULTS

C. reticulata peels (extracts, essential oils) showed significant activity against DLA cell line in MTT assay. We found C. reticulata peel water extract inducing cell cycle arrest of DLA in G0/G1 phase followed by nuclear condensation, membrane blebbing, formation of apoptotic bodies and DNA damage leading to apoptosis. In in vivo experiments, C. reticulata peel extract pre-treated mice were significantly (50%) protected from DLA compared to post-treated mice (33%), without any conspicuous toxic symptoms. Citrus peels have volatiles (essential oils, limonoids) and non-volatiles (mainly polymethoxy flavones) as their bioactive/anticancer constituents.

CONCLUSION

Our results encourage the use of Citrus peels, which is wasted in huge amounts, as cancer preventive food additives and as anticancer agents.

Recovery and concentration of antioxidants from winery wastes

: Grape and wine byproducts have been extensively studied for the recovery of phenolic compounds with antioxidant activity and a variety of biological actions. The selective recovery and concentration of the phenolic compounds from the liquid phase separated from further diluted winery wastes has been proposed. Adsorption onto non ionic polymeric resins and further desorption with ethanolic solutions was studied. Several commercial food grade resins were screened with the aim of selecting the most suited for the practical recovery of phenolic compounds with radical scavenging activity. Under the optimized desorption conditions (using Sepabeads SP207 or Diaion HP20 as adsorbents and eluting with 96% ethanol at 50 °C) a powdered yellow-light brown product with 50% phenolic content, expressed as gallic acid equivalents, was obtained. The radical scavenging capacity of one gram of product was equivalent to 2–3 g of Trolox.

New way to analyze the adsorption behavior of flavonoids on macroporous adsorption resins functionalized with chloromethyl and amino groups

A series of macroporous adsorption resins (MARs) with novel structure were synthesized on the basis of the Friedel-Crafts catalyzed and amination reaction. Adsorption feature of the synthetic resins with respect to the purification effect were investigated systemically by employing rutin as the adsorbate. Different from traditional adsorption patterns, the results showed interesting conclusions: (1) With the increase in the temperature of the experiment, the adsorption capacity increased gradually; with the increase in the concentration of the initial solution, the adsorption capacity increased to the maximum and then decreased gradually. (2) The classical models that the inductive effect transmitted to the first layer and the adsorption process contained in one compartment could not explain our experimental results reasonably. Thus, a new adsorption isotherm model that the inductive effect passed on to a higher layer and a new adsorption kinetics model in which the adsorption process contained more compartments were created according to the multiparameter theory and Karickhoff's theory by investigating the regression of the experimental results. The conclusion that the inductive effect passed to the fourth layer and the adsorption process contained four compartments was drawn.

Adsorption and ion exchange: basic principles and their application in food processing

A comprehensive overview of adsorption and ion exchange technology applied for food and nutraceutical production purposes is given in the present paper. Emanating from these fields of application, the main adsorbent and ion-exchange resin materials, their historical development, industrial production, and the main parameters characterizing these sorbents are covered. Furthermore, adsorption and ion exchange processes are detailed, also providing profound insights into kinetics, thermodynamics, and equilibrium model assumptions. In addition, the most important industrial adsorber and ion exchange processes making use of vessels and columns are summarized. Finally, an extensive overview of selected industrial applications of these technologies is provided, which is divided into general applications, food production applications, and the recovery of valuable bio- and technofunctional compounds from the byproducts of plant food processing, which may be used as natural food additives or for their potential health-beneficial effects in functional or enriched foods and nutraceuticals.

Characterization of flavonoids and pectins from bergamot (Citrus bergamia Risso) peel, a major byproduct of essential oil extraction

Bergamot peel is an underutilized byproduct of the essential oil and juice-processing industry. As with other Citrus peels, it still contains exploitable components, such as pectins and flavonoids. Commercial glycoside hydrolases, specifically a combination of pectolytic and cellulolytic enzymes, solubilized a high percentage of the material (81.94%). The flavonoid profile of the peel consisted of characteristic Citrus species flavanone rutinosides and neohesperosides derived from naringenin, eriodictyol, and hesperetin. In addition, a number of minor flavanone and flavone glycosides, not found in orange and lemon peels, were identified. The majority of flavonoids were extracted in the two 70% v/v EtOH extractions. Processing this material clearly has economic potential leading to low environmental impact.

Selective recovery of anthocyanins and hydroxycinnamates from a byproduct of citrus processing

The adsorption-desorption performances of commercial resins (two polystyrene-divinylbenzene copolymers and one methacrylic) were tested in column studies for the selective recovery of anthocyanins and hydroxycinnamates from pigmented pulp wash (PW), a byproduct of blood orange juice processing. Methanol, ethanol, and their mixtures with different percentages of water as eluents were tested in order to investigate the selective desorption of these natural antioxidants with the goal of minimizing the presence of other compounds, mostly flavanones and limonoids, in the concentrated eluates. The results indicated that polystyrene-divinylbenzene resins were able to adsorb a major amount of anthocyanins and hydroxycinnamates and to desorb them in more-concentrated fractions. No selectivity was observed using pure methanol and ethanol which resulted in concentrates with no further separation of components from the starting raw PW. The ethanol/water concentrates showed higher yields than the fractions attained using methanol/water; however, a lower selectivity toward anthocyanin pigments was observed. The best performing resin, EXA-118, together with the mixture methanol/water 50:50 (v/v) as best eluent, appears to be the most suitable system to obtain highly concentrated extracts. Thus, it was chosen to perform a larger experiment, to analyze the selectivity of the removal upon an increase in elution volume.

Fractionation of orange peel phenols in ultrafiltered molasses and mass balance studies of their antioxidant levels

Orange peel molasses, a byproduct of juice production, contains high concentrations of phenols, including numerous flavanone and flavone glycosides, polymethoxylated flavones, hydroxycinnamates, and other miscellaneous phenolic glycosides and amines. Extensive fractionation of these phenols was achieved by adsorption, ion exchange, and size exclusion chromatography. Size exclusion chromatography effectively separated the different classes of flavonoids in ultrafiltered molasses, including the polymethoxylated flavones, flavanone-O-trisaccharides, flavanone- and flavone-O-disaccharides, and, finally, flavone-C-glycosides. Mass spectral analysis of the early-eluting flavonoid fractions off the size exclusion column revealed a broad collection of minor-occurring flavone glycosides, which included, in part, glycosides of limocitrin, limocitrol, and chrysoeriol. Most hydroxycinnamates in the molasses were recovered by ion exchange chromatography, which also facilitated the recovery of fractions containing many other miscellaneous phenols. Total antioxidant levels and total phenolic contents were measured for the separate categories of phenols in the molasses. Inhibition of the superoxide anion reduction of nitroblue tetrazolium showed that a significant amount of the total antioxidant activity in orange peel molasses was attributable to minor-occurring flavones. The miscellaneous phenolic-containing fractions, in which a large portion of the total phenolic content in molasses occurred, also constituted a major portion of the total antioxidants in ultrafiltered molasses.

Adsorption of flavonoids on resins: cyanidin 3-glucoside

Adsorption of cyanidin-3-glucoside in aqueous batch solutions was studied at pH 3.5 and 20 degrees C using 13 commercial resins with different hydrophobicity, surface areas (SA, 330-1200 m2/g), and pore radii (PR, 20-260 A). The solute affinity toward different resins was described in terms of Langmuir and Freundlich parameters; experimental data were well-fitted to the two isotherms, which were both utilized to compare resins adsorption capacity. The styrene-divinylbenzene EXA-118 resin (SA, 1200 m2/g; PR, 90 A) showed the maximum effectiveness among the tested resins; a good efficacy for removing cyanidin 3-glucoside was shown also by EXA-90 (SA, 630 m2/g; PR, 105 A). Some experiments on a styrene-divinylbenzene resin and an acrylic one demonstrated that adsorption was not influenced by pH variations of the solution within the range of 1.0-4.5. For the 10 resins having PR < or = 105 A, correlation analysis evidenced the linear increasing dependence of Freundlich constant KF on physical characteristics of surface area and pore radius. The adsorption of cyanidin 3-glucoside at 20 degrees C was compared with that of hesperidin performed in batch runs on the same resins. Moreover, the best resin (EXA-118) was tested with a sample of pigmented orange juice to assess its performance in terms of selectivity, adsorption, and desorption capabilities on a real matrix.

Adsorption of flavonoids on resins: hesperidin

Adsorption of hesperidin from aqueous solutions on styrene-divinylbenzene (SDVB) and acrylic resins was investigated at different pH values (1.5-5.5) and temperatures (10-40 degrees C). Adsorption was not affected by pH variation, whereas it increased on increasing temperature for the SDVB resins and remained substantially unchanged for the acrylic ones. The different behavior of the two types of resins was ascribed to the different wetting, because of their hydrophobic or partially hydrophilic properties, respectively. The equilibrium data at 20 degrees C were determined on 13 commercial resins displaying a wide range of surface areas (S(A), 330-1200 m(2)/g) and pore radii (P(R), 20-260 A). Data were well fitted to the Freundlich isotherm, and its parameters were used to compare the adsorption capacity of different resins. The most effective resin is a SDVB copolymer with the largest S(A) (1200 m(2)/g) and an intermediate P(R) (90 A). The Freundlich constants (K(F)) were rationalized in terms of a two parameter equation, including S(A) and P(R) as independent variables. The adsorption constant increased on increasing both S(A) and P(R) for the resins having P(R) </= 90 A; beyond this limit, the contribution of S(A) was predominant and that of P(R) was slightly negative.

Oxidation of activated carbon: application to vinegar decolorization

This article reports studies on the feasibility of increasing the decoloring capacity of a granular activated carbon (GAC) by using oxidation with air at 350 degrees C to modify its surface activity and porosity. The GAC, obtained from olive stones, had a maximum decolorization capacity of 92% for doses of 20 g/l, while the maximum decolorization capacity of the modified granular activated carbon (MGAC) was about 96% at a dose of 10 g/l. The increase in decoloring capacity is thought to be due to an increase in mesopore area (from 129 to 340 m2/g) in the MGAC. The maximum decoloring values and the doses needed to attain them are very close to values obtained in previous studies using coconut shell powder-activated carbon (94 and 98% for red and white vinegar for a dose of 10 g/l, respectively).

Citrus limonoids and their semisynthetic derivatives as antifeedant agents against Spodoptera frugiperda larvae. A structure-activity relationship study

The antifeedant activity of Citrus-derived limonoids limonin (1), nomilin (2), and obacunone (3) and their semisynthetic derivatives 4-26 was evaluated against a commercially important pest, Spodoptera frugiperda. Simple chemical conversions were carried out on the natural limonoids obtained from seeds of Citrus limon. These conversions focused on functional groups considered to be important for the biological activity, namely the C-7 carbonyl and the furan ring. In particular, reduction at C-7 afforded the related alcohols, and from these their acetates, oximes, and methoximes were prepared. Hydrogenation of the furan ring was also performed on limonin and obacunone. The known antifeedant properties of the Citrus limonoids are confirmed. Comparison with previously reported data shows that insect species vary in their behavioral responses to these structural modifications. Highly significant antifeedant activity (P < 0.01) for two natural (1 and 3) and three semisynthetic limonoids (4, 8, and 10) was observed against S. frugiperda.

Purification and characterization of a beta-glucosidase from Citrus sinensis var. Valencia fruit tissue

A preliminary survey demonstrated activity for alpha-D-glucosidase, alpha-D-mannosidase, alpha-L-arabinosidase, beta-D-glucosidase, beta-D-xylosidase, and beta-D-galactosidase in orange fruit flavedo and albedo tissue. alpha-L-Rhamnosidase was not detected. Subsequently, a beta-glucosidase was purified from mature fruit rag tissue (composed of intersegmental septa, squeezed juice sacs, and fruit core tissue) of Citrus sinensis var. Valencia. The beta-glucosidase exhibited low levels of activity against p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-fucopyranoside (13.5%) and p-nitrophenyl-alpha-D-glucopyranoside (7.0%), compared to its activity against p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside (pNPG, 100%). The enzyme was purified by a combination of ion exchange (anion and cation) and gel filtration (Superdex and Toyopearl HW-55S) chromatography. It has an apparent molecular mass of 64 kDa by denaturing electrophoresis or 55 kDa by gel filtration chromatography (BioGel P-100). Hydrolysis of pNPG demonstrated a pH optimum between 4.5 and 5.5. At pH 5.0 the temperature optimum was 40 degrees C. At pH 5.0 and 40 degrees C the K(m) for pNPG was 0.1146 mM and it had a V(max) of 5.2792 nkatal x mg(-1) protein (katal = 0.06 International Units = the amount of enzyme that produces, under standard conditions, one micromol of product per min). Of the substrates tested, the enzyme was most active against the disaccharide cellobiose (1-->4), but was not active against p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-cellobioside. High levels of activity also were observed with the disaccharides laminaribiose (1-->3), gentiobiose (1-->6), and sophorose (1-->2). Activity greater than that observed with pNPG was obtained with the flavonoids hesperetin-7-glucoside and prunin (naringenin-7-glucoside), salicin, mandelonitrile-beta-D-glucoside (a cyanogenic substrate), and sinigrin (a glucosinolate). The enzyme was not active against amygdalin, coniferin, or limonin glucoside.

Phenols in citrus peel byproducts. Concentrations of hydroxycinnamates and polymethoxylated flavones in citrus peel molasses

In addition to the main flavanone glycosides (i.e., hesperidin and naringin) in citrus peel, polymethoxylated flavones and numerous hydroxycinnamates also occur and are major phenolic constituents of the molasses byproduct generated from fruit processing. Although a small number of the hydroxycinnamates in citrus occur as amides, most occur as esters and are susceptible to alkaline hydrolysis. This susceptibility to alkaline hydrolysis was used in measuring the concentrations of hydroxycinnamates in citrus peel molasses. The highest concentrations of hydroxycinnamates occurred in molasses of orange [C. sinensis (L.) Osbeck] and tangerine (C. reticulata Blanco.) compared to grapefruit (C. paradisi Macf.) and lemon [C. limon (L.) Burm.]. Concentrations of two phenolic glucosides, phlorin (phloroglucinol-beta-O-glucoside) and coniferin (coniferyl alcohol-4-beta-O-glucoside), were also measured. Measurements of the polymethoxylated flavones in molasses from several tangerine and orange varieties showed that these compounds occurred in the highest amounts in Dancy tangerine, whereas samples from two other tangerine molasses contained significantly lower levels, similar to those in the molasses samples from late- and early/mid-season oranges.