Analysis of ∊-N-2-Furoylmethyl-L-lysine (Furosine®) in Concentrated Milk by Reversed Phase Chromatography with A Microbore Column

Furosine induces DNA damage and cell death in selected human cell lines: a strong toxicant to kidney Hek-293 cells

Ne-(2-furoylmethyl)-l-lysine (furosine) is well-known indicator of early stage of Maillard reaction in processed food. Yet the toxicological aspects associated with its exposure remain rarely studied. Here, we investigated the effects of furosine exposure on cell viability, DNA damage, and its mutagenic potential by using MTT assay (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide), TUNEL assay (Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated dUTP Nick End Labeling assay), and Ames assay techniques on human cell lines, i.e., liver HepG-2, kidney Hek-293, neuronal SK-N-SH, and intestinal Caco-2, respectively. Our results showed that kidney Hek-293 cell line was the most sensitive to furosine exposure as significant reduction in cell viability and induction of DNA damage were observed at 50 mg/L concentration. In contrast, intestinal Caco-2 cell lines showed resistance to furosine exposure as DNA damage was only observed at 800 mg/L concentration of furosine. Ames assay indicated that furosine has no mutagenic effects on TA 100 and TA 1535 strains. Hence, this study suggests that furosine is a strong toxicant for kidney cells.

Review: Selected indicators of the quality of thermal processed milk / Revisión: Indicadores seleccionados para el control de calidad de la leche tratada térmicamente

Selected indicators of the quality of processed milk are reviewed in three sections: indices of heat treatment, detection of adulterations and assessment of shelf life. The characterization of the thermal process to which milk was submitted can be achieved by measuring either the formation of new compounds (lactulose, furosine) or the degradation of thermolabile constituents (enzymes, whey proteins). The presence of certain compounds may indicate fraudulent additions committed for eco nomic reasons. Finally, residual or reactivated heat stable enzymes may cause serious storage defects in UHT milk and, therefore, the proteolytic and lipolytic activities and the degree of protein and lipid degradation are useful predictors of the shelf life. Different analytical methods for the determination of the selected quality indicators are also summarized.