Mannanase transfer into hexane and xylene by liquid-liquid extraction

Bioactive micronutrients in coffee: recent analytical approaches for characterization and quantification

Production of coffee beans is an important lifeline for the economy of several countries in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. The brew from this well sought for cash crop is readily consumed due to its good sensory qualities owing to the presence of many micronutrients. Some of these chemical compounds possess biological activities, including antiproliferative, antioxidant, and antimicrobial effects. Four representative groups of these micronutrients, namely, caffeine, chlorogenic acid, diterpenes, and trigonelline, play key roles in these bioactive effects of coffee. In order to guarantee the quality of coffee products and to protect consumer interest and safeguard their well-being, it is extremely important to employ sensitive and accurate analytical methods in the characterization and quantitative determination of these bioactive constituents. This review aims to present recent applications in this regard.

Water-in-oil micro-emulsion enhances the secondary structure of a protein by confinement

A scheme is presented in which an organic solvent environment in combination with surfactants is used to confine a natively unfolded protein inside an inverse microemulsion droplet. This type of confinement allows a study that provides unique insight into the dynamic structure of an unfolded, flexible protein which is still solvated and thus under near-physiological conditions. In a model system, the protein osteopontin (OPN) is used. It is a highly phosphorylated glycoprotein that is expressed in a wide range of cells and tissues for which limited structural analysis exists due to the high degree of flexibility and large number of post-translational modifications. OPN is implicated in tissue functions, such as inflammation and mineralisation. It also has a key function in tumour metastasis and progression. Circular dichroism measurements show that confinement enhances the secondary structural features of the protein. Small-angle X-ray scattering and dynamic light scattering show that OPN changes from being a flexible protein in aqueous solution to adopting a less flexible and more compact structure inside the microemulsion droplets. This novel approach for confining proteins while they are still hydrated may aid in studying the structure of a wide range of natively unfolded proteins.