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Biomedical subjects

Kevin Robards

Publications and source records attributed to Kevin Robards.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Effect of added caffeic acid and tyrosol on the fatty acid and volatile profiles of camellia oil following heating.

Camellia oil is widely used in some parts of the world partly because of its high oxidative stability. The effect of heating a refined camellia oil for 1 h at 120 degrees C or 2 h at 170 degrees C with exogenous antioxidant, namely, caffeic acid and tyrosol, was studied. Parameters used to assess the effect of heating were peroxide and K values, volatile formation, and fatty acid profile. Of these, volatile formation was the most sensitive index of change as seen in the number of volatiles and the total area count of volatiles in gas chromatograms. Hexanal was generally the dominant volatile in treated and untreated samples with a concentration of 2.13 and 5.34 mg kg(-1) in untreated oils heated at 120 and 170 degrees C, respectively. The hexanal content was significantly reduced in heated oils to which tyrosol and/or caffeic acid had been added. Using volatile formation as an index of oxidation, tyrosol was the more effective antioxidant of these compounds. This is contradictory to generally accepted antioxidant structure-activity relationships. Changes in fatty acid profiles after heating for up to 24 h at 180 degrees C were not significant.

Aldehydes↗
PubMed2006

Isolation and seasonal effects on characteristics of fulvic acid isolated from an Australian floodplain river and billabong.

Fulvic acids from an Australian floodplain river and billabong were isolated using DEAE and DAX-8 resins, and characterised with the use of size exclusion chromatography and solid-state CP-MAS (13)C NMR spectroscopy. Differences between the two resin isolates were evident. Fulvic acids isolated using DEAE-cellulose had higher apparent M(n) and M(w) values, while the DAX-8 resin showed a slight preference for aliphatic components. Fulvic acids from the river and billabong had the same functional groups present, however, the river fulvic acids had higher apparent M(n) (number average molecular weight) and M(w) values (weight average molecular weight), and were more polydisperse than the billabong fulvic acid. There were no significant changes in the characteristics of the fulvic acid isolated from the river at four sampling times: summer, autumn, winter and spring. In contrast, fulvic acids isolated from a billabong displayed seasonal variation in molecular weights. This work emphasizes the importance in ecological studies of isolation procedure for the operationally defined fulvic acids.

Australia↗
PubMed2005

Investigation of Australian olive mill waste for recovery of biophenols.

Olive mill waste is a potential source for the recovery of phytochemicals with a wide array of biological activities. Phytochemical screening of hexane, methanol, and water extracts revealed a diversity of compounds, perhaps overlooked in previous studies through intensive cleanup procedures. Methanol and water extracts contained large amounts of biophenols, and further testing of polar extraction solvents, including ethyl acetate, ethanol, propanol, acetone, acetonitrile, and water/methanol mixtures, highlighted the latter as the solvent of choice for extraction of the widest array of phenolic compounds. Stabilization of the resulting extract was best achieved by addition of 2% (w/w) sodium metabisulfite. Quantitative data are reported for nine biophenols extracted using 60% (v/v) methanol in water with 2% (w/w) sodium metabisulfite. Six compounds had recoveries of greater than 1 g/kg of freeze-dried waste: hydroxytyrosol glucoside, hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol, verbascoside, and a derivative of oleuropein.

Australia↗
PubMed2005

Analytical approaches to the determination of simple biophenols in forest trees such as Acer (maple), Betula (birch), Coniferus, Eucalyptus, Juniperus (cedar), Picea (spruce) and Quercus (oak).

Analytical methods are reviewed for the determination of simple biophenols in forest trees such as Acer (maple), Betula (birch), Coniferus, Eucalyptus, Juniperus (cedar), Picea (spruce) and Quercus (oak). Data are limited but nevertheless clearly establish the critical importance of sample preparation and pre-treatment in the analysis. For example, drying methods invariably reduce the recovery of biophenols and this is illustrated by data for birch leaves where flavonoid glycosides were determined as 12.3 +/- 0.44 mg g(-1) in fresh leaves but 9.7 +/- 0.35 mg g(-1) in air-dried samples (data expressed as dry weight). Diverse sample handling procedures have been employed for recovery of biophenols. The range of biophenols and diversity of sample types precludes general procedural recommendations. Caution is necessary in selecting appropriate procedures as the high reactivity of these compounds complicates their analysis. Moreover, our experience suggests that their reactivity is very dependent on the matrix. The actual measurement is less contentious and high performance separation methods particularly liquid chromatography dominate analyses whilst coupled techniques involving electrospray ionization are becoming routine particularly for qualitative applications. Quantitative data are still the exception and are summarized for representative species that dominate the forest canopy of various habitats. Reported concentrations for simple phenols range from trace level (<0.1 microg g(-1)) to in excess of 500 microg g(-1) depending on a range of factors. Plant tissue is one of these variables but various biotic and abiotic processes such as stress are also important considerations.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗
PubMed2005

Bioactivity and analysis of biophenols recovered from olive mill waste.

Biophenols have attracted increasing attention during the past few years due to their biological activities and natural abundance and are potential targets for the food and pharmaceutical industries. Olive mill waste (OMW) is rich in biophenols and typically contains 98% of the total phenols in the olive fruit, making value addition to OMW an attractive enterprise. The phenolic profile of OMW is complex, yet this complexity has not been fully exploited in the valorization of the waste. Most work on the bioactivity of OMW has focused on antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. The analytical techniques used to identify and quantify active biophenols are also reviewed.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed2004

LC-MS investigation of oxidation products of phenolic antioxidants.

Two oxidation systems were examined for the oxidation of three groups of phenolic antioxidants; five cinnamic acids, two benzoic acids, and two phenols characteristic of olive fruits. Periodate oxidation, which is reported to produce products similar to polyphenol oxidase, was contrasted with the reactivity of the Fenton system, an inorganic source of hydroxyl radicals. Reaction products were identified as various quinones, dimers, and aldehydes, but the nature of the products differed between the two oxidation systems. Structure-activity effects were also observed for the different phenols. All cinnamic acids in this study reacted with the Fenton reagent to produce benzaldehydes as the main products, with the exception of 5-caffeoylquinic acid. In contrast, periodate oxidation gave no reaction with some of the cinnamic acids. Quinone formation was observed for the two compounds, caffeic acid and 5-caffeoylquinic acid, possessing o-hydroxy groups. Caffeic acid was unusual in that dimer formation was the main initial product of reaction. Benzoic acids were readily oxidized by both systems, but no identifiable products were isolated. Oleuropein was oxidized by both oxidants used in this study, resulting in quinones in each system, whereas little or no oxidation of tyrosol was observed. This highlights the importance of conjugation between the alkene double bond and the hydroxy group. The results question the validity of many existing methods of testing antioxidant activity.

Aldehydes↗
PubMed2003

Strategies for the determination of bioactive phenols in plants, fruit and vegetables.

Analytical strategies dealing with bioactive phenols in plants and foods are reviewed. These depend on the purpose of the analysis which may be classified as studies where the principal purpose is biological screening, phytochemical and/or chemical screening. Nevertheless, extraction of the phenol from the sample matrix is common and methods of achieving a suitable extract are assessed. Advances in the separation sciences and spectrometry are exploited for identification and quantification of isolated phenols. The various procedures are summarized and some typical "case studies" are presented. Two important areas are introduced briefly. Thus, plant phenols are reactive species and their ultimate fate has been relatively neglected. Studies of bioactive compounds generate a considerable volume of data making data handling and informatics important topics that warrant a separate review.

Chromatography↗
PubMed2003

Quantitative changes in phenolic content during physiological development of the olive (Olea europaea) cultivar Hardy's Mammoth.

This investigation was designed to characterize phenolic metabolism of the olive cultivar, Hardy's Mammoth, by examining its constitutive tissues. The phenolic profiles of pulp, seed, stone, and new and old season leaves were monitored over two fruiting seasons, to investigate possible relationships between tissues and phenol content and to determine the impact of alternate fruit bearing. No major qualitative differences in phenolic composition were found between the various tissues; however, distinct differences between the tissues with respect to quantifiable phenols were established. Relationships between 2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl (3E,4E)-4-formyl-3-(2-oxoethyl)hex-4-enoate ester, oleuropein, and hydroxytyrosol in pulp and leaf were identified and found to be related to alternate bearing. Concentrations of 5-caffeoylquinic acid in old season leaves differed dramatically between seasons, confirming earlier studies.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗
PubMed2002

Identification of phenolic compounds in tissues of the novel olive cultivar hardy's mammoth.

A methodological approach to phenolic profiling making extensive use of LC-MS with extracted ion chromatograms was applied to extracts of five different olive tissues: pulp, seed, stone, new-season leaves, and old-season leaves. Tissue extracts of the cultivars Hardy's Mammoth, Corregiola, Verdale, and Manzanillo were analyzed by HPLC with UV and ESI MS detection. Chromatograms of samples of green Hardy's Mammoth drupes, a uniquely Australian olive cultivar, were dominated by a large, broad peak. This peak was not attributable to oleuropein, which is usually the dominant phenolic compound in green olive fruit, but the phenolic compound I. This compound was isolated by semipreparative HPLC and characterized by 1D- and 2D-NMR. Extraction studies showed that the compound was not likely to be an artifact of an enzymatic degradation process. Tritium labeling studies were used to establish a possible relationship between the biosynthesis of I and oleuropein.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗
PubMed2002

Sample handling strategies for the determination of biophenols in food and plants.

The analysis of phenols in samples of plant and food origin attracts considerable attention. However, sample handling is often an ignored feature of the analysis. This review highlights the importance of sample extraction in an analysis and the problems that can arise during this step. Many questions remain unanswered and there is a need to more carefully validate extraction efficiencies. Although many new procedures have been developed the use of traditional techniques still dominates.

Food Analysis↗
PubMed2002

Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) investigation of the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) reaction.

The thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) assay is a commonly used method for the detection of lipid peroxidation. Malondialdehyde is formed as a result of lipid peroxidation and reacts with thiobarbituric acid to form a pink pigment that has an absorption maximum at 532 nm. Other compounds also react with thiobarbituric acid to form colored species that can interfere with this assay, but little is known about these interfering species. This is the first investigation using LC-MS and MS-MS to study the structures of the pink adduct as well as a common unstable yellow interference compound, which absorbs at 455 nm. Also, the presence of barbituric acid impurities in the thiobarbituric acid reagent was found to produce 1:1:1 thiobarbituric acid/malondialdehyde/barbituric acid and 2:1 barbituric acid/malondialdehyde adducts that absorbed at 513 and 490 nm, respectively, indicating that thiobarbituric acid should be purified before use.

Barbiturates↗
PubMed2002

Methods for testing antioxidant activity.

Antioxidant activity has been assessed in many ways. The limitation of many newer methods is the frequent lack of an actual substrate in the procedure. The combination of all approaches with the many test methods available explains the large variety of ways in which results of antioxidant testing are reported. The measurement of antioxidant activities, especially of antioxidants that are mixtures, multifunctional or are acting in complex multiphase systems, cannot be evaluated satisfactorily by a simple antioxidant test without due regard to the many variables influencing the results. Several test procedures may be required to evaluate such antioxidant activities. A general method of reporting antioxidant activity independent of the test procedure is proposed.

Antioxidants↗