BACKGROUND Litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) is a subtropical fruit with attractive characteristic of white to creamy semitranslucent flesh and red color in pericap, but it was easily subjected to the infection of Peronophythora litchii and lost its market values. Experiments were conducted to understand the effect of [Carbamic acid, (1,2,3-thiadiazole-4-ylcarbonyl)-hexyl ester, CTE] on the growt...

The Maillard reaction occurring between amino group and carbonyl group produces neoformed compounds having certain levels of antioxidant activity depending on the reaction conditions and the type of reactants. In this study, maillard reaction products (MRPs) derived from four model systems including chitosan-glucose (CG), chitosan-fructose (CF), chitosanmaltose (CM) and chitosan-lactose (CL) so...

Browning disorder, which usually occurs post-harvest in pears subjected to long-term storage, can cause browning of the pear flesh and/or core. In 2011, investigators in China found a novel type of brown spot (designated as surface brown spot, SBS) in pre-harvest 'Dangshansuli' pears (Pyrus bretschneideri Rehd.). SBS has a large impact on the exterior quality of the pears. Interestingly, the br...

Phenolics were extracted from litchi fruit pericarp (LFP) tissues, purified and their antioxidant properties analyzed. LFP phenolics strongly inhibited linoleic acid oxidation and exhibited a dose-dependent free-radical scavenging activity against alpha,alpha-diphenyl-beta-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH*) and hydroxyl radicals and superoxide anions. The degradation of deoxyribose by hydroxyl radicals was...

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) activation and subcutaneous white fat browning are essential components of the thermogenic response to cold stimulus in mammals. microRNAs have been shown to regulate both processes in cis. Here, we identify miR-32 as a BAT-specific super-enhancer-associated miRNA in mice that is selectively expressed in BAT and further upregulated during cold exposure. Inhibiting miR...

Manchurian ash (Fraxinus mandshurica Rupr.) is a valuable hardwood species in Northeast China. In cultures of F. mandshurica, somatic embryos were produced mainly on browned explants. Therefore, we studied the mechanism of explant browning and its relationship with somatic embryogenesis (SE). We used explants derived from F. mandshurica immature zygotic embryo cotyledons as materials. Proteins ...

Prickly pear (Opuntia spp) fruit has received renewed interest since it contains a betalain pigment that has an attractive purple colour for the production of juice. Prickly pear juice was prepared by homogenizing the fruit and treating the pulp with 48 g of pectinase from Aspergillus niger. Titratable acidity was determined by diluting 10 ml prickly pear juice with 90 ml deionized water and ti...

To better understand the role of irisin in humans, we examined the effects of irisin in human primary adipocytes and fresh human subcutaneous white adipose tissue (scWAT). Human primary adipocytes derived from 28 female donors' fresh scWAT were used to examine the effects of irisin on browning and mitochondrial respiration, and preadipocytes were used to examine the effects of irisin on adipoge...

Obesity and metabolic disorders are major health concerns worldwide. Although a range of therapies have been developed, these pharmaceutical treatments often have adverse side effects or limited efficacy. Therefore, there is a growing need of novel therapeutics to prevent or treat obesity. Obesity is thought to be caused by an imbalance between energy intake and energy consumption. Increasing e...

°4. Hay ward, F. W. and W. Grierson, 1960. Effects of treatment conditions on o-phenylphenol residues in oranges. J. Agr. Food Chem. 8: 308-310. . 5. Hopkins, E. F. and K. W. Loucks, 1953. An improved Dowicide A-hexamine gives better decay control. Citrus Mag. 17 (8): 9-12, 33. April. 6, , 1956. Tolerance of 10 ppm for o-Dhenvlphenol on oranges, grapefruit, lemons, tangerines. Fed. Reg 21(35): ...