Modern methods of plant analysis
01 Jan 1964-
About: The article was published on 1964-01-01 and is currently open access. It has received 1991 citations till now.
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TL;DR: Every episode during this process is governed by a more or less denned balance between pro- and antioxidative capacities, including photosynthetic (strongly under metabolic and oxygen-detoxifying control) and photodynamic (only controlled by scavenger- and/or quencher-availability) reactions.
Abstract: Green plants, within certain limitations, can adapt to a wide variety of unfavourable conditions such as drought, temperature changes, light variations, infectious attacks, air pollution and soil contamination. Depending on the strength of the individual impact(s), fluent or abrupt changes in visible or measurable stress symptoms indicate the deviation from normal metabolic conditions. Most of the visible or measurable symptoms are connected with altered oxygen metabolism principally concerning the transition from mostly heterolytic (two-electron transition) to increased homolytic (one-electron transition) processes. Homolytic reactions within metabolic sequences create, however, free radicals and have to be counteracted by the increase in radical-scavenging processes or compounds, thus warranting reaction sequences under metabolic control. At later states of stress episodes, the above control is gradually lost and more or less chaotic radical processes take over. Finally, cellular decompartmentalisations induce lytic and necrotic processes which are visible as the collapse of darkening cells or tissues. Every episode during this process is governed by a more or less denned balance between pro- and antioxidative capacities, including photosynthetic (strongly under metabolic and oxygen-detoxifying control) and photodynamic (only controlled by scavenger- and/or quencher-availability) reactions. This (theoretical) sequence of events in most cases can only be characterised punctually by strongly defined (analytical) indicator reactions (ESR) and is certainly species- and organ-specific.
274 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a process for the combined recovery of pectin and phenolic compounds from apple pomace, the primary byproduct of apple juice production, was developed, which includes extraction of dried apple pOMace with diluted mineral acid and adsorption of phenolic constituents by a hydrophobic styrene-divinylbenzene copolymerisate.
Abstract: b ¨¨ Abstract A process for the combined recovery of pectin and phenolic compounds from apple pomace, the primary by-product of apple juice production, was developed. The process includes extraction of dried apple pomace with diluted mineral acid and adsorption of phenolic constituents by a hydrophobic styrene-divinylbenzene copolymerisate. After elution with methanol, the polyphenolics were concentrated in vacuo, stabilised by lyophilisation, and characterised by high-performance liquid chromatography. The predominant compounds were phloridzin, chlorogenic acid and quercetin glycosides. Adsorptive removal especially of oxidised phenolic compounds led to a considerable decolourisation of the pomace extracts, as revealed by determination of L*a*b* values, hue angle and chroma. Gelling properties of pectin were not adversely affected. While the polyphenolics recovered from apple pomace may be used as natural antioxidants or as functional food ingredients, extended fields of application may be obtained for decolorised, refined apple pectins. Furthermore, investigations on the phenolic composition of several New Zealand apple cultivars, of apple seeds, and on the effects of pomace drying on the stability of polyphenolics were carried out. 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
273 citations
TL;DR: The cloning of caffeine biosynthesis genes opens up the possibility of using genetic engineering to produce naturally decaffeinated tea and coffee.
259 citations
TL;DR: This chapter discusses the determination of nitrate reductase from higher plants, and the stoichiometric relationship between nitrite produced and pyridine nucleotide or flavin oxidized is established.
Abstract: Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the determination of nitrate reductase from higher plants. Nitrate reductase is capable of utilizing reduced pyridinenucleotides, flavin, or benzyl viologen as electron donors for the reduction of nitrate to nitrite. These reductants can be added in the reduced form or generated enzymatically in the reaction mixture. Because the NADH-dependent nitrate reductase is most prevalent in plants, NADH has been the most commonly employed reductant. Enzyme activity is usually measured by the colorimetric determination of the nitrite formed during a timed incubation period at a fixed temperature, regardless of electron donor used. The activity can also be measured by following the oxidation of the pyridine nucleotides at 340 nm. The relative merits and limitations of these methods are discussed in the chapter. The stoichiometric relationship between nitrite produced and pyridine nucleotide or flavin oxidized is also established. In all purification methods so far developed, chromatography on calcium phosphate gel features prominently, used either in batches or in columns. Nitrate reductase precipitates with exceptional ease on addition of ammonium sulfate, and this step may be worth using more than once in a purification method.
259 citations
References
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01 Jan 1963
TL;DR: In this article, a physiologischer Vorgang auf eine enzymatische Wirkung zuruckgefuhrt werden (vgl. S. 301), besteht die folgende Aufgabe darin, Naheres uber die Eigenschaften des beteiligten Enzyms zu ermitteln.
Abstract: Kann ein physiologischer Vorgang auf eine enzymatische Wirkung zuruckgefuhrt werden (vgl. S. 301), so besteht die folgende Aufgabe darin, Naheres uber die Eigenschaften des beteiligten Enzyms zu ermitteln. Hierzu gehoren die Bestimmung der Reaktions- und Substratspezifitat sowie die Ermittlung der Bedingungen, unter denen eine optimale Wirkung des Enzyms gegeben ist. Wesentlich zur Charakterisierung ist ferner die Untersuchung der Stabilitat des Enzyms und dabei insbesondere die Feststellung, ob es sich um ein Ferment handelt, das zur vollen Aktivitat dialysable Cofaktoren benotigt. Falls diese Frage bejaht wird, ist auch die Bestimmung der unerlaslichen Cofaktoren anzuschliesen. Uberdies bietet auch der Nachweis der Lokalisation des Enzyms in der Zelle (oder im Zellverband) eine entscheidende Moglichkeit zur Charakterisierung des Fermentes. Hinzu kommt schlieslich noch die Untersuchung der Wirkung einzelner Inhibitoren1 auf das Enzym, die zu weitgehender Klarung des Reaktionsmechanismus beitragen kann und eine Abgrenzung der Eigenschaften des untersuchten Fermentes gegenuber ahnlichen Enzymen erlaubt.
2 citations
01 Jan 1962
TL;DR: Optical rotation has been found to be one of the most convenient methods of following the denaturation of proteins and rotatory dispersion is capable of providing information on the folding of the polypeptide chain in proteins and the changes accompanying denaturation.
Abstract: Optical rotation has been found to be one of the most convenient methods of following the denaturation of proteins. Generally speaking denaturation can be defined as a process or sequence of processes in which the spatial arrangement of the polypeptide chains within the molecule is changed from that typical of the native protein to a more disordered arrangement (Kauzmann 1959). The terms “configuration”, “conformation” and “state of folding” are widely used for spatial arrangement. It is probably best to follow the suggestion of Blout (1960) and restrict the use of “configuration” to its original sense, i.e. the spatial arrangement around an asymmetric carbon atom, and to use “conformation” for the shape of the molecule in its entirety. The properties discussed in the previous Chapter i.e., viscosity, diffusion, sedimentation, and light scattering — can all furnish information on the overall shape of proteins or other macromolecules and changes in this shape with environment. Thus Doty, Bradbury and Holtzer (1956) were able to show using these methods, together with streaming birefringence, that poly-γ-benzyl-L-glutamate could exist in two conformations, the α-helix and the solvated randomly coiled form, depending on the solvent. The change from α-helix to random coil was accompanied by marked changes in the optical rotatory properties of the polypeptides. It is to be expected that an α-helical structure should contribute to the rotatory power of a polypeptide since helices are asymmetric and not superimposable on their mirror images. The work on polypeptides has shown that rotatory dispersion is capable of providing information on the folding of the polypeptide chain in proteins and the changes accompanying denaturation.
1 citations