Search Results (4)

Previous studies on velvet antler processing have mainly evaluated single techniques, and systematic comparisons of processing combinations are limited. This study investigated the effects of different processing combinations on the nutritional composition and physicochemical properties of velvet antler from red deer and sika deer. A 2 × 2 factorial design was applied: Blood-Retained vs. Blood-Removed and Boiled/Fried (zhuzha; no deep-frying) vs. Vacuum Freeze-Dried. In this study, Boiled/Fried was treated as a single processing method. The four processing combinations were analyzed as independent groups using one-way ANOVA. Additionally, two-way ANOVA was conducted to evaluate the main effects of pretreatment, dehydration method, and their interaction on the measured indices. To account for species background, a three-way ANOVA (species × pretreatment × dehydration) was further conducted for key indices. Moisture, crude protein, ash, and crude fat contents were determined. All composition-related indices were evaluated on both wet-weight and dry-weight bases to distinguish moisture-driven concentration or dilution effects from processing-related retention changes. Principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) were conducted for multivariate evaluation. Spearman’s rank correlation was used for association analysis, and Pearson’s correlation with linear regression was applied to quantify linear relationships (reported as r). Freeze-drying significantly reduced moisture content (p < 0.01) and increased crude protein content (p < 0.05). PCA and OPLS-DA demonstrated clear compositional separation among the four processing combinations, with moisture and crude protein as the main contributors (cumulative explained variance > 83%). The effects of Blood-Retained and Blood-Removed treatments differed between species. Three-way ANOVA indicated significant species-dependent effects (e.g., species × pretreatment and or species × dehydration interactions), while the pretreatment × dehydration interaction was significant for TAAs. In the Boiled/Fried groups, total amino acid content (TAA) decreased with increasing moisture. In the Freeze-Dried groups, moisture was significantly negatively correlated with TAAs in the Blood-Retained treatment (Pearson r = −0.886, p < 0.05), whereas no significant correlation was observed in the Blood-Removed treatment (r = 0.429, p > 0.05). Wet- versus dry-basis comparisons indicated that some between-treatment differences were attributable to moisture-related concentration or dilution effects, whereas differences persisting on a dry basis more directly reflected processing-related nutrient retention. Processing combinations produced species-dependent effects in velvet antler. The three-way ANOVA supported species-dependent pretreatment effects and confirmed that the influence of blood retention or removal on amino acid outcomes was contingent on the dehydration regime (pretreatment × dehydration for TAAs). From an application standpoint, no single processing route is universally optimal across all quality attributes; freeze-drying provides a robust baseline, whereas the choice of blood retention or removal should be made in a target-oriented manner (e.g., physicochemical stability versus protein and amino acid retention) while accounting for species background and interaction effects. Therefore, these findings provide a scientific basis for improving product quality, processing efficiency, and standardization in China’s velvet antler industry. Full article

This work presents a novel and rapid approach to predict fat content in butter products based on nuclear magnetic resonance longitudinal (T₁) relaxation measurements and multi-block chemometric methods. The potential of using simultaneously liquid (T_1L) and solid phase (T_1S) signals of fifty samples of margarine, butter and concentrated fat by Sequential and Orthogonalized Partial Least Squares (SO-PLS) and Sequential and Orthogonalized Selective Covariance Selection (SO-CovSel) methods was investigated. The two signals (T_1L and T_1S) were also used separately with PLS and CovSel regressions. The models were compared in term of prediction errors (RMSEP) and repeatability error (${\sigma }_{rep}$). The results obtained from liquid phase (RMSEP $\approx$ 1.33% and ${\sigma }_{rep}$$\approx$ 0.73%) are better than those obtained with solid phase (RMSEP $\approx$ 5.27% and ${\sigma }_{rep}$$\approx$ 0.69%). Multiblock methodologies present better performance (RMSEP $\approx$ 1.00% and ${\sigma }_{rep}$$\approx$ 0.47%) and illustrate their power in the quantitative analysis of butter products. Moreover, SO-Covsel results allow for proposing a measurement protocol based on a limited number of NMR acquisitions, which opens a new way to quantify fat content in butter products with reduced analysis times. Full article

Secoiridoids could be used as a potential new drug for the treatment of hepatic disease. The content of secoiridoids of G. rigescens varied in different geographical origins and parts. In this study, a total of 783 samples collected from different parts of G. rigescens in Yunnan, Sichuan, and Guizhou Provinces. The content of secoiridoids including gentiopicroside, swertiamarin, and sweroside were determined by using HPLC and analyzed by one-way analysis of variance. Two selected variables including direct selected and variable importance in projection combined with partial least squares regression have been used to establish a method for the determination of secoiridoids using FT-IR spectroscopy. In addition, different pretreatments including multiplicative scatter correction (MSC), standard normal variate (SNV), first derivative and second derivative (SD), and orthogonal signal correction (OSC) were compared. The results indicated that the sample (root, stem, and leaf) with total secoiridoids, gentiopicroside, swertiamarin, and sweroside from west Yunnan had higher content than samples from the other regions. The sample from Baoshan had more total secoiridoids than other samples for the whole medicinal plant. The best performance using FT-IR for the total secoiridoid was with the direct selected variable method involving pretreatment of MSC+OSC+SD in the root and stem, while in leaf, of the best method involved using original data with MSC+OSC+SD. This method could be used to determine the bioactive compounds quickly for herbal medicines. Full article

Exposure to oxygen under increased atmospheric pressures can induce pulmonary oxygen toxicity (POT). Exhaled breath analysis using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) has revealed that volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are associated with inflammation and lipoperoxidation after hyperbaric–hyperoxic exposure. Electronic nose (eNose) technology would be more suited for the detection of POT, since it is less time and resource consuming. However, it is unknown whether eNose technology can detect POT and whether eNose sensor data can be associated with VOCs of interest. In this randomized cross-over trial, the exhaled breath from divers who had made two dives of 1 h to 192.5 kPa (a depth of 9 m) with either 100% oxygen or compressed air was analyzed, at several time points, using GC–MS and eNose. We used a partial least square discriminant analysis, eNose discriminated oxygen and air dives at 30 min post dive with an area under the receiver operating characteristics curve of 79.9% (95%CI: 61.1–98.6; p = 0.003). A two-way orthogonal partial least square regression (O2PLS) model analysis revealed an R² of 0.50 between targeted VOCs obtained by GC–MS and eNose sensor data. The contribution of each sensor to the detection of targeted VOCs was also assessed using O2PLS. When all GC–MS fragments were included in the O2PLS model, this resulted in an R² of 0.08. Thus, eNose could detect POT 30 min post dive, and the correlation between targeted VOCs and eNose data could be assessed using O2PLS. Full article