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It is commonly accepted that dietary nucleotides should be considered as essential nutrients originating mainly but not exclusively from meat and fish dishes. Most research in food science related to nutrition nucleotides is focused on raw products, while the effects of thermal processing of ready-to-eat food on nucleotide content are largely overlooked by the scientific community. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of thermal processing and cold storage on the content of dietary nucleotides in freshly prepared and canned ready-to-eat meat and fish food. The concentrations of ATP, ADP, AMP, IMP, Ino, and Hx were determined using NMR, HPLC, FPMLC, and ATP bioluminescence analytical techniques; freshness indices K and K1 and adenylate energy charge (AEC) values were estimated to assess the freshness status and confirm a newly unveiled phenomenon of the reappearance of adenylate nucleotides. It was found that in freshly prepared at 65 °C ≤ T ≤ +100 °C and canned food, the concentration of free nucleotides was in the range of 0.001–0.01 µmol/mL and remained unchanged for a long time during cold storage; the correct distribution of mole fractions of adenylates corresponding to 0 < AEC < 0.5 was observed compared to 0.2 < AEC < 1.0 in the original raw samples, with either a high or low content of residual adenylates. It could be assumed that heating at nonenzymatic temperatures T > 65 °C can rupture cell membranes and release residual intracell nucleotides in quite a meaningful concentration. These findings may lead to a conceptual change in the views on food preparation processes, taking into account the phenomenon of the free adenylates renaissance and AEC bioenergetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precise adaptation of the greenhouse lighting spectrum to basic photophysiological processes can effectively and directionally stimulate plant growth and development. The optimal spectrum depends on the plant species and the stage of development and could be assessed empirically. The aim of this study is to determine the LED illumination spectrum that provides a significant improvement in the growth rate and accumulation of biologically active compounds for basil plants (Ocimum basilicum L.) under hydroponic cultivation compared to more traditional lighting sources. The following light sources with various emission spectra were used: an LED lamp within a spectral range of 400–800 nm (B:G:R 15%:5%:80%); a high-pressure sodium lamp (HPS) (B:G:R 5%:45%:50%); a compact fluorescent lamp (B:G:R 20%:40%:40%); a grow LED strip (B:G:R 15%:40%:45%); a white LED lamp (B:G:R 30%:45%:25%); a customized LED lighting setup in color ratios 100%B, 75%B + 25%R, 50%B + 50%R, 25%B + 75%R, 100%R, and natural lighting. A photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) of 150 μmol∙m−2∙s−1 was provided with all the sources. It was demonstrated reliably that employing the LED strip as an illumination device gives a 112% increase in basil plant yield compared to the HPS; the transpiration coefficient for the LED strip is six times lower than for the HPS. The content of flavonoids in the basil aerial parts on the 30th, 50th, and 70th days of development is 3.2 times higher than for the HPS; the metabolite composition is also more uniform for LED strip lighting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical and photoelectric properties of poly (ohydroxyamide) (PHA) sensitized with zinc phthalocyanines were investigated in the visible and near infrared spectral regions. The structures were deposited on glass substrates by centrifugation and subsequent drying of a PHA film without thermal annealing. Optical spectra revealed characteristic absorption peaks of phthalocyanine in the longer wavelength region at 620-640 nm and 680-700 nm; absorption of the PHA matrix monotonously increases to the shorter wavelengths starting from 700 nm. Measurements of the photocurrent under irradiation with a high-power LED at a wavelength 630 nm showed photoconductivity related to the organic dye; photoconductivity also was observed while irradiated at 540 nm, presumably due to the absorption of PHA matrix. For non-sensitized (dye-free) PHA films no detectable photocurrents were produced by 630 nm irradiation. It was shown that introducing of phthalocyanines significantly improves optical absorption and photoconductivity of PHA thin films at the wavelengths, where the maximum in the spectral distribution of solar radiation lies. It was concluded that phthalocyanine-sensitized PHA has the potential use as a photosensitive organic material for solar applications, for example in developing composite organicinorganic structures with ferroelectrics.

A novel simple optical sensor based on fast protein liquid chromatography was developed and tested for monitoring end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients treated with continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). The device provides direct determination of proteins and lower molecular weight metabolites in effluent peritoneal dialysate using ultraviolet (UV) photometric detection at the wavelengths 285 nm or 260 nm with deep ultraviolet light-emitting diodes. The sensor was calibrated with bovine serum albumin and nucleotides standard solutions. Chromatograms of peritoneal dialysate samples taken from a group of 28 ESRD patients were processed and approximated by a set of split-Gaussian functions. All chromatograms show three overlapping peaks: the first one represents proteins; the other two peaks probably correspond to mid- and low molecular weight metabolites. Strong correlation was reveled between the area of the first peak and total protein concentration determined by a standard biochemical assay, this makes possible estimation of peritoneal protein loss with a reasonable precision less than 15%. The area of the second peak correlated with dialysate optical density at a wavelength 355–365 nm, associated with the UV absorption of advanced glycation end (AGE) products. The third peak correlated with the optical density of the eluate at a wavelength 255–265 nm, associated with the UV absorption of purines and pyrimidines. Thus, we demonstrated the possibility of estimation of proteins and lower molecular weight metabolites in effluent peritoneal dialysate with the compact and affordable chromatographic optical sensor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fresh fish and poultry meat are in high demand on the market: poultry, mainly chicken, is the second most consumed and the most affordable meat product in the world. Fish consumption varies greatly across regions but, in some countries, seafood is the main source of abundant and affordable macro- and micronutrients. Meat and, especially, fish are highly perishable products; methods and equipment for rapid, objective, and reliable assessing the freshness of fish and meat are crucial for the food industry. Generally recognized reference techniques such as total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), volatile fatty acids (VFA), high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), mass spectrometry, or nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy are time-consuming and require expensive and complex equipment. We developed a novel chromatographic optical sensor with a deep UV LED photometric detection (255–265 nm) for rapid assessment of meat and fish freshness based on determination of the relative content of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) metabolites. The sensor has a simple and compact design, and relatively low cost; sample preparation and processing of a chromatogram takes less than 30 min. The sensor was tested on Amur (farmed freshwater fish) and rooster meat, obtained from a local farmer. The samples were kept refrigerated at +4 °C, measurements were taken daily during a 14 day period. All chromatograms show two peaks: proteins are responsible for the first one; the second broad post-protein band is formed due to the overlapping of individual peaks of ATP and its metabolites. As fish and poultry meat are stored, ATP is converted into metabolites with lower molecular weight, which is reflected in the chromatograms—the elution time for the second peak increases. It was shown that this time can be directly associated with the freshness status of a product. As expected, poultry meat showed better storage stability and freshness retention compared to Amur fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dietary nucleotides and nucleosides, primarily inosine monophosphate (IMP) and the adenine nucleotide pool (ANP), are widely considered as essential nutrients responsible for multiple biological functions. Food prepared from meat and fish is the main source of these substances in the human diet, and it is extremely important to implement storage and processing techniques ensuring their maximum preservation and even accumulation during maturation or conditioning. In experiments with freshly refrigerated grass carp and defrosted Alaska pollock fillets it was discovered, initially using Fast Protein and Metabolites Liquid Chromatography and the ATP-bioluminescence test, and afterwards validated by NMR spectroscopy, that heat treatment identical to conventional culinary processing in aqueous or wet media at temperatures above 62 °C leads to nucleotide salvage (recovery) in aged fish. A significant increase in the concentration of IMP, and even an emergence of ANP substances, were reliably demonstrated in fish samples which had already partially or fully lost these components during prolonged storage due to the ATP breakdown metabolic reactions. Owing to this recovery, the nutritive value of ready-to-eat food can be higher than was initially evaluated in raw products before heat treatment: an effect that should certainly be considered in practical nutrition. Moreover, it is necessary to reconsider the widely acknowledged system of indices of freshness based on nucleotides and nucleosides elaborated a long time ago for raw meat and fish products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fast protein and metabolite liquid chromatography (FPLMC) was introduced years ago to enable the easy separation of high-molecular compounds such as proteins from small molecules and the identification of the low-molecular substances. In this paper, the method is applied for the rapid evaluation of freshness and monitoring the aging of animal meat and fish. A novel chromatographic sensor was developed with a deep UV LED-based photometric detection unit (255–265 nm), an original flow cuvette and registration scheme; the processing of a chromatogram with the sensor takes approximately 15 min. Strict isochronism between the elution of ATP metabolites, mainly hypoxanthine (Hx) and inosine monophosphate (IMP), and the time of maturation of meat or fish, was discovered. A new freshness index H* = [Hx]/[IMP] was introduced, which is proportional to the instrumental delay time in the FPMLC chromatograms: the H* index < 0.5 indicates the presence of inosine monophosphate (IMP) and the high quality of the meat or fish. Reasonably strong correlations were revealed between data obtained by FPMLC and total volatile basic nitrogen TVB-N (for fish) or volatile fatty acids VFA (for meat) content. Moreover, putative nucleotide salvage and an increase in the concentration of IMP were observed in fish after heat treatment using the FPMLC sensor and NMR technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Point-of-care testing (POCT) devices are becoming increasingly popular in the medical community as an alternative to conventional laboratory testing, especially for home treatments or other forms of outpatient care. Multiple-use chemical sensors with minimal requirements for disposables are among the most practical and cost-effective POC diagnostic instruments, especially in managing chronic conditions. An affordable, simple, and easy-to-use optical sensor based on fast protein liquid chromatography with direct UV absorption detection was developed for the rapid determination of the total protein concentration in effluent peritoneal dialysate and for the assessment of protein losses in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients on constant ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). The sensor employs non-disposable PD-10 desalting columns for the separation of molecules with different molecular weights and a deep UV LED (maximum at 285 nm) as a light source for optical detection. The analytic procedure is relatively simple, takes 10–15 min, and potentially can be performed by patients themselves or nursing staff without laboratory training. Preliminary clinical trials on a group of 23 patients on CAPD revealed a good concordance between the protein concentrations in dialysate samples measured with the sensor and an automated biochemical analyzer; the mean relative error was about 10%, which is comparable with routine clinical laboratory methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Milk is a product that requires quality control at all stages of production: from the dairy farm, processing at the dairy plant to finished products. Milk is a complex multiphase polydisperse system, whose components not only determine the quality and price of raw milk, but also reflect the physiological state of the herd. Today's production volumes and rates require simple, fast, cost-effective, and accurate analytical methods, and most manufacturers want to move away from methods that use reagents that increase analysis time and move to rapid analysis methods. The review presents methods for the rapid determination of the main components of milk, examines their advantages and disadvantages. Optical spectroscopy is a fast, non-destructive, precise, and reliable tool for determination of the main constituents and common adulterants in milk. While mid-infrared spectroscopy is a well-established off-line laboratory technique for the routine quality control of milk, near-infrared technologies provide relatively low-cost and robust solutions suitable for on-site and in-line applications on milking farms and dairy production facilities. Other techniques, discussed in this review, including Raman spectroscopy, atomic spectroscopy, molecular fluorescence spectroscopy, are also used for milk analysis but much less extensively. Acoustic methods are also suitable for non-destructive on-line analysis of milk. Acoustic characterization can provide information on fat content, particle size distribution of fat and proteins, changes in the biophysical properties of milk over time, the content of specific proteins and pollutants. The basic principles of ultrasonic techniques, including transmission, pulse-echo, interferometer, and microbalance approaches, are briefly described and milk parameters measured with their help, including frequency ranges and measurement accuracy, are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proteins in biological fluids (blood, urine, cerebrospinal fluid) are important biomarkers of various pathological conditions. Protein biomarkers detection and quantification have been proven to be an indispensable diagnostic tool in clinical practice. There is a growing tendency towards using portable diagnostic biosensor devices for point-of-care (POC) analysis based on microfluidic technology as an alternative to conventional laboratory protein assays. In contrast to universally accepted analytical methods involving protein labeling, label-free approaches often allow the development of biosensors with minimal requirements for sample preparation by omitting expensive labelling reagents. The aim of the present work is to review the variety of physical label-free techniques of protein detection and characterization which are suitable for application in micro-fluidic structures and analyze the technological and material aspects of label-free biosensors that implement these methods. The most widely used optical and impedance spectroscopy techniques: absorption, fluorescence, surface plasmon resonance, Raman scattering, and interferometry, as well as new trends in photonics are reviewed. The challenges of materials selection, surfaces tailoring in microfluidic structures, and enhancement of the sensitivity and miniaturization of biosensor systems are discussed. The review provides an overview for current advances and future trends in microfluidics integrated technologies for label-free protein biomarkers detection and discusses existing challenges and a way towards novel solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diagnostic devices for point-of-care (POC) urine analysis (urinalysis) based on microfluidic technology have been actively developing for several decades as an alternative to laboratory based biochemical assays. Urine proteins (albumin, immunoglobulins, uromodulin, haemoglobin etc.) are important biomarkers of various pathological conditions and should be selectively detected by urinalysis sensors. The challenge is a determination of different oligomeric forms of the same protein, e.g., uromodulin, which have similar bio-chemical affinity but different physical properties. For the selective detection of different types of proteins, we propose to use a shear bulk acoustic resonator sensor with an additional electrode on the upper part of the bioliquid-filled channel for protein electric field manipulation. It causes modulation of the protein concentration over time in the near-surface region of the acoustic sensor, that allows to distinguish proteins based on their differences in diffusion coefficients (or sizes) and zeta-potentials. Moreover, in order to improve the sensitivity to density, we propose to use structured sensor interface. A numerical study of this approach for the detection of proteins was carried out using the example of albumin, immunoglobulin, and oligomeric forms of uromodulin in model urine solutions. In this contribution we prove the proposed concept with numerical studies for the detection of albumin, immunoglobulin, and oligomeric forms of uromodulin in urine models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]