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Abstract: The physicochemical properties of native and germinated oat seeds cultivated in China and their correlations were investigated. The growth curve during germination of oat seeds was described. The malt yield was 84% at the end of malting. The losses by removing of shoots and rootlets were the major cause of the total dry matter losses in the last 24h of germination. With total starch enzymes activities increasing continuously, the starch content decreased considerably from 60% to 20%, and the reducing and soluble sugars contents increased. Oat seed kernel protein increased slightly, but the lysine content increased almost 30% at the end of germination. The phytic acid content declined from 0.35% to 0.11% during germination. There is a significant correlation among compositions including starch, protein, free and reducing sugars, free amino acid, and phytic acid. A close correlation also was found between the colour of malt flour dried at 50°C and the length of shoots and rootlets. The results suggest that oats grown in China are a good food material and that germination can improve their nutritional properties. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Curcumin, a well-known dietary pigment derived from Curcuma longa, inhibited growth of several types of malignant cells both in vivo and in vitro. Its effects on cell proliferation and the induction of apoptosis in human bladder cancer cell lines and intravesical activity in a rat bladder tumor model were studied. Exposure of human bladder cancer cells to curcumin resulted in the induction of apoptotic cell death and caused cells to arrest in the G2/M phase. The anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 and Survivin protein was downregulated by the curcumin treatment together with enhancement of the Bax and p53 expression. The inhibitory activities of curcumin were stronger than those of cisplatin and could not be prevented by catalase pretreatment in T24 cells. Clonal assay indicated large-dose and short-term curcumin was lethal to bladder cancer cells. Moreover, the in vivo study revealed curcumin did induce apoptosis in situ, inhibit and slow the development of bladder cancer. These observations suggest that curcumin could prove an effective chemopreventive and chemotherapy agent for bladder cancer. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this study, the functional properties of Ginkgo seed protein isolate (GPI), Ginkgo seed globulin protein (GGP) and Ginkgo seed albumin protein (GAP) extracted from Ginkgo biloba seeds were investigated. The protein contents of GPI, GGP and GAP were 91.0%, 93.4% and 87.8%, respectively in the samples in which the sugar, polyphenol and crude fibre were removed by the preparation procedure. For functional properties of Ginkgo seed proteins in the natural state, GAP showed the highest oil-absorption capacity (9.3ml/g), foaming capacity (67.8%), emulsifying capacity (65.4%) and emulsion stability (90.6%); while GPI showed the highest water absorption capacity (1.93ml/g), and GGP showed the highest foam stability (55.5%). The differences of the chemical components, surface hydrophobicity, disulphide bond (SS) and sulfhydryl group (SH) contents of GPI, GGP and GAP, which were correlated significantly with functional properties of Ginkgo seed proteins, were also investigated. The improved functional properties, such as water absorption capacity, solubility, foaming properties and emulsifying properties of Ginkgo seed proteins were observed in a pH range of 8.0–10.0 or sodium chloride concentration of 0.5–0.75M. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Starches from 10 different non-waxy rice cultivars in China were isolated and investigated for their physicochemical properties including the swelling power, solubility, syneresis, thermal, rheological and textural properties, and structure. The range of amylose content in 10 rice starches was between 18.1 and 31.6%. The branch chain length distribution of amylopectin revealed that the proportions of short (DP6–11), medium (DP12–17), and longer chains (DP18–23) were 4.6–11.1%, 47.0–51.6% and 25.3–31.8%, respectively. The relationships between different properties of rice starches were determined using Pearson correlation analysis. Amylose content was negatively correlated to swelling power (r = −0.632, p ≤ 0.05) and positively correlated to gel hardness (r = 0.776, p ≤ 0.01). The percentage of short chains (DP6–11) was negatively related to the transition temperatures (T o, T p and T c), T oG′ and TG ′max, while the percentage of medium chains (DP12–23) was positively related. Various branch chain length amylopectins played different roles in rheological behavior of starch dispersions. The percentage of short chains (DP6–11) was positively correlated to G′ and G″(r = 0.832 and r = 0.775, respectively, p ≤ 0.01), and negatively correlated to tanδ peak (r = −0.717, p ≤ 0.05). However, the percentage of longer chains (DP18–23) showed a negative relation with G′ and G″ (r = −0.794, p ≤ 0.01; r = −0.741, p ≤ 0.05), and a positive relation with tanδ peak (r = 0.668, p ≤ 0.05). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A new antioxidation protein named G4b was purified from Ginkgo biloba seed albumin. The results of chemical colorimetry and chemiluminescence methods showed that the hemi-inhibitory concentration (IC50) of G4b on the hydroxyl radical were 78.1μg/mL and 115.1μg/mL, and the IC50 on DPPH was 100.7μg/mL, while the IC50 on the superoxide anion and DNA injury were 23μg/mL and 27μg/mL, respectively, and the abundance of sulfur amino acids and aromatic amino acids contained in G4b might contribute to its strong antioxidation properties. G4b is a kind of homogeneous and novel protein with a molecular mass of 29,247Da, consisting of two peptides with similar molecular weights linked by a disulfide bond. Result of β-elimination reaction showed that G4b is connected with a small quantity of polysaccharide by an oxygen-glucosidic bond. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]