Search

Huangjinya has recently seen widespread adoption in key tea-producing areas of China, celebrated for its unique varietal traits. Its leaves are also used to produce black tea with distinctive sensory characteristics. The fragrance-enhancing (EF) process is essential in crafting Huangjinya black tea (HJYBT) and is significant in flavor development. However, the impact of EF on non-volatile metabolites (NVMs), volatile metabolites (VMs), and their interactions remains poorly understood. This study aims to investigate how EF temperatures (60 °C, 70 °C, 80 °C, 90 °C, and 110 °C) influence HJYBT flavor transformation. Quantitative descriptive analysis revealed that EF improved the color, aroma, and appearance of tea leaves. Moreover, after an EF temperature of 80 °C, the HJYBT exhibited lower bitterness and astringency, whereas floral, sweet, and fruity aromas became stronger. However, when EF temperatures exceeded 90 °C, a pronounced burnt aroma developed, with HJYBT at 100 °C exhibiting caramel and roasted notes. Partial least squares discriminant analysis indicated that geraniol and linalool contribute to floral and fruity aromas, while 2-ethyl-6-methyl-pyrazine, furfural, and myrcene are key volatiles for caramel and roast aromas. Heptanal, methyl salicylate, α-citral, 1-hexanol, and (E)-3-hexen-1-ol were found to modify the green and grassy odor. Overall, HJYBT treated at 80 °C EF exhibited the highest umami, sweetness, floral and fruity aromas, and overall taste, exhibiting the least astringency, bitterness, and green and grassy notes. These results provide a significant theoretical basis for enhancing HJYBT quality and selecting the optimal EF method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plasma from patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) is a valuable source of information indicating altered metabolites associated with the risk or progression of the disease. Neurotoxicity of dopaminergic neurons, which is triggered by aggregation of α-synuclein, is the main pathogenic feature of PD. However, a growing body of scientific reports indicates that metabolic changes may precede and directly contribute to neurodegeneration. Identification and characterization of the abnormal metabolic pattern in patients' plasma are therefore crucial for the search for potential PD biomarkers. The aims of the present study were (1) to identify metabolic alterations in plasma metabolome in subjects with PD as compared with the controls; (2) to find new potential markers, some correlations among them; (3) to identify metabolic pathways relevant to the pathophysiology of PD. Plasma samples from patients with PD (n = 25) and control group (n = 12) were collected and the gas chromatography-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry GC-TOFMS-based metabolomics approach was used to evaluate the metabolic changes based on the identified 14 metabolites with significantly altered levels using univariate and multivariate statistical analysis. The panel, including 6 metabolites (L-3-methoxytyrosine, aconitic acid, L-methionine, 13-docosenamide, hippuric acid, 9,12-octadecadienoic acid), was identified to discriminate PD from controls with the area under the curve (AUC) of 0.975, with an accuracy of 92%. We also used statistical criteria to identify the significantly altered level of metabolites. The metabolic pathways involved were associated with linoleic acid metabolism, mitochondrial electron transport chain, glycerolipid metabolism, and bile acid biosynthesis. These abnormal metabolic changes in the plasma of patients with PD were mainly related to the amino acid metabolism, TCA cycle metabolism, and mitochondrial function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depression is the most common mental illness, affecting approximately 4.4% of the global population. Despite many available treatments, some patients exhibit treatment-resistant depression. Thus, the need to develop new and alternative treatments cannot be overstated. Adenosine receptor antagonists have emerged as a promising new class of antidepressants. The current study investigates a novel dual A1/A2A adenosine receptor antagonist, namely 2-(3,4-dihydroxybenzylidene)-4-methoxy-2,3-dihydro-1H-inden-1-one (1a), for antidepressant capabilities by determining its metabolic profiles and comparing them to those of two reference compounds (imipramine and KW-6002). The metabolic profiles were obtained by treating male Sprague-Dawley rats with 1a and the reference compounds and subjecting them to the forced swim test. Serum and brain material was consequently collected from the animals following euthanasia, after which the metabolites were extracted and analyzed through untargeted metabolomics using both 1H-NMR and GC-TOFMS. The current study provides insight into compound 1a's metabolic profile. The metabolic profile of 1a was similar to those of the reference compounds. They potentially exhibit their antidepressive capabilities via downstream effects on amino acid and lipid metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Species of Tagetes, which belong to the family Asteraceae show different characteristics including, bloom size, shape, and color; plant size; and leaf shape. In this study, we determined the differences in primary metabolites and carotenoid yields among six cultivars from two Tagetes species, T. erecta and T. patula. In total, we detected seven carotenoids in the examined cultivars: violaxanthin, lutein, zeaxanthin, α-carotene, β-carotene, 9-cis-β-carotene, and 13-cis-β-carotene. In all the cultivars, lutein was the most abundant carotenoid. Furthermore, the contents of each carotenoid in flowers varied depending on the cultivar. Principal component analysis (PCA) facilitated metabolic discrimination between Tagetes cultivars, with the exception of Inca Yellow and Discovery Orange. Moreover, PCA and orthogonal projection to latent structure-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) results provided a clear discrimination between T. erecta and T. patula. Primary metabolites, including xylose, citric acid, valine, glycine, and galactose were the main components facilitating separation of the species. Positive relationships were apparent between carbon-rich metabolites, including those of the TCA cycle and sugar metabolism, and carotenoids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although many studies have been conducted on the components present in human breast milk (HM), research on the differences of chemical metabolites between HM, bovine milk (BM) and formula milk (FM) is limited. This study was to explore the chemical diversity of HM, BM and FM by metabolomic approaches. GC-TOFMS and UPLC-QTOFMS were applied to investigate the metabolic compositions in 30 HM samples, 20 FM samples and 20 BM samples. Metabolite profiling identified that most of the non-esterified fatty acids, which reflected the hydrolysis of triglycerides, were much more abundant in HM than those in FM and BM, except for palmitic acid and stearic acid. The levels of tricarboxylic acid (TCA) intermediates were much higher in FM and BM than those in HM. Each type of milk also showed its unique composition of free amino acids and free carbohydrates. In conclusion, higher levels of non-esterified saturated fatty acids with aliphatic tails <16 carbons, monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids and lower levels of TCA intermediates are characteristic of HM, as compared with FM and BM. The content of non-esterified fatty acids may reflect the hydrolysis of triglycerides in different milk types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acacia Seyal gum (ASG), also known as gum Arabic, is an antioxidant-rich soluble fiber. ASG has been reported to have many biological activities, including anticancer, antidiabetic, antiulcer, and immunomodulatory activity. Extraction of bioactive compounds from ASG is commonly performed using conventional extraction methods. However, these techniques have certain limitation in terms of extraction time, energy, and solvent requirements. Ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) could be used as an alternative technique to extract bioactive compounds in less time, at low temperature, and with less energy and solvent requirements. In this study, the UAE extraction of ASG was optimized using response surface methodology (RSM). A face-centered central composite design (FCCCD) was used to monitor the effect of different independent factors of ultrasound operation (sonication time, temperature, and solvent ratio) on ASG extraction yield. In addition, screening and characterization of phytochemicals in 60% ethanol ASG extract was carried out using Raman microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectroscopy (GC-TOFMS) analysis. The results indicated that, under optimal conditions (extraction time 45 min, extraction temperature 40 °C, and solid–liquid ratio of 1:25 g/mL), the yield of ASG was 75.87% ± 0.10. This yield was reasonably close to the predicted yield of 75.39% suggested by the design of experiment. The ANOVA revealed that the model was highly significant due to the low probability value (p < 0.0001). Raman spectrum fingerprint detected polysaccharides, such as galactose and glucose, and protein like lysine and proline, while FTIR spectrum revealed the presence of functional groups peaks value of alkanes, aldehydes, aliphatic amines, and phenol. GC-TOFMS spectroscopic detected the presence of strong d-galactopyranose, carotenoid, and lycopene antioxidant compounds. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that the UAE technique is an efficient method to achieve a high yield of ASG extracts. The selected model is adequate to optimize the extraction of several chemical compounds reported in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Distilled liquors are important products, both culturally and economically. Chemically, as a complex mixture, distilled liquor comprises various chemical compounds in addition to ethanol. However, the chemical components of distilled liquors are still insufficiently understood and compositional differences and similarities of distilled liquors from different cultures have never been compared. For the first time, both volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and non-VOCs in distilled liquors were profiled using mass spectrometry-based metabolomic approaches. A total of 879 VOCs and 268 non-VOCs were detected in 24 distilled liquors including six typical Chinese baijiu and 18 typical Western liquors. Principal component analysis and a correlation network revealed important insights into the compositional differences and similarities of the distilled liquors that were assessed. Ethyl esters, a few benzene derivatives, and alcohols were shared by most distilled liquors assessed, suggesting their important contribution to the common flavor and mouthfeel of distilled liquors. Sugars and esters formed by fatty alcohol differ significantly between the assessed Chinese baijiu and Western liquors, and are potential marker compounds that could be used for their discrimination. Factors contributing to the differences in chemical composition are proposed. Our results improve our understanding of the chemical components of distilled liquors, which may contribute to more rigorous quality control of alcoholic beverages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Distilled liquors are important products, both culturally and economically. Chemically, as a complex mixture, distilled liquor comprises various chemical compounds in addition to ethanol. However, the chemical components of distilled liquors are still insufficiently understood and compositional differences and similarities of distilled liquors from different cultures have never been compared. For the first time, both volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and non-VOCs in distilled liquors were profiled using mass spectrometry-based metabolomic approaches. A total of 879 VOCs and 268 non-VOCs were detected in 24 distilled liquors including six typical Chinese baijiu and 18 typical Western liquors. Principal component analysis and a correlation network revealed important insights into the compositional differences and similarities of the distilled liquors that were assessed. Ethyl esters, a few benzene derivatives, and alcohols were shared by most distilled liquors assessed, suggesting their important contribution to the common flavor and mouthfeel of distilled liquors. Sugars and esters formed by fatty alcohol differ significantly between the assessed Chinese baijiu and Western liquors, and are potential marker compounds that could be used for their discrimination. Factors contributing to the differences in chemical composition are proposed. Our results improve our understanding of the chemical components of distilled liquors, which may contribute to more rigorous quality control of alcoholic beverages.

Species of Tagetes , which belong to the family Asteraceae show different characteristics including, bloom size, shape, and color; plant size; and leaf shape. In this study, we determined the differences in primary metabolites and carotenoid yields among six cultivars from two Tagetes species, T. erecta and T. patula . In total, we detected seven carotenoids in the examined cultivars: violaxanthin, lutein, zeaxanthin, α-carotene, β-carotene, 9- cis -β-carotene, and 13- cis -β-carotene. In all the cultivars, lutein was the most abundant carotenoid. Furthermore, the contents of each carotenoid in flowers varied depending on the cultivar. Principal component analysis (PCA) facilitated metabolic discrimination between Tagetes cultivars, with the exception of Inca Yellow and Discovery Orange. Moreover, PCA and orthogonal projection to latent structure-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) results provided a clear discrimination between T. erecta and T. patula . Primary metabolites, including xylose, citric acid, valine, glycine, and galactose were the main components facilitating separation of the species. Positive relationships were apparent between carbon-rich metabolites, including those of the TCA cycle and sugar metabolism, and carotenoids.

Although many studies have been conducted on the components present in human breast milk (HM), research on the differences of chemical metabolites between HM, bovine milk (BM) and formula milk (FM) is limited. This study was to explore the chemical diversity of HM, BM and FM by metabolomic approaches. GC-TOFMS and UPLC-QTOFMS were applied to investigate the metabolic compositions in 30 HM samples, 20 FM samples and 20 BM samples. Metabolite profiling identified that most of the non-esterified fatty acids, which reflected the hydrolysis of triglycerides, were much more abundant in HM than those in FM and BM, except for palmitic acid and stearic acid. The levels of tricarboxylic acid (TCA) intermediates were much higher in FM and BM than those in HM. Each type of milk also showed its unique composition of free amino acids and free carbohydrates. In conclusion, higher levels of non-esterified saturated fatty acids with aliphatic tails <16 carbons, monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids and lower levels of TCA intermediates are characteristic of HM, as compared with FM and BM. The content of non-esterified fatty acids may reflect the hydrolysis of triglycerides in different milk types., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.