Assessing the product quality and biological activities of barley(Hordeum vulgare L.)grasses at different harvest times

Barley(Hordeum vulgare L.)grasses(BG)have attracted considerable interest due to their multiple physiological activities and health benefits.In this paper,eight BG at four different growth stages were collected:seedling,tillering,stem elongation,and heading,and their product qualities and biological activities were examined and studied.Results demonstrated that harvest time obviously influenced proximate composition,surface color,and amino acid profile.Z21 and Z23 harvested at the seedling and early tillering stages,respectively,had higher total phenolic content(TPC)and total flavonoid content(TFC)than the other BG.Moreover,Z21 and Z23 possessed better DPPH radical-scavenging ability,antioxidant capacity,andα-glucosidase inhibitory activity,which were positively correlated with TPC,TFC,and protein and total amino acid contents.Our findings suggested that the early tillering stages were the preferable harvest times for BG with good product quality and biological properties.

Preparation,physicochemical and structural characterizations,and bioactivities of polysaccharides from Corbicula fluminea industrial distillate

Corbicula fluminea distillate(CFD),as an industrial sub-product of the steaming process of C.fluminea,is rich in polysaccharides,proteins,and amino acids and has important developmental value.In this study,therefore,three water-soluble polysaccharides(CFDPs:CFDP-D,CFDP-U,and CFDP-T)were extracted and separated from CFD through direct ethanol precipitation,ultrasound-assisted extraction,and three-phase partitioning(TPP),respectively.Results demonstrated that the three extraction methods had important influences on extraction yields,chemical compositions,molecular weights,monosaccharide and amino acid constituents,structural characteristics,and microstructures as well as biological activities of CFDPs.Specifically,CFDP-T had higher yield(60.92%±3.58%),carbohydrate content(91.05%±1.22%),and uronic acid content(8.55%±0.18%)and lower protein content(7.15%±0.15%)than CFDP-D and CFDP-U.The three CFDPs were acidic proteoheteroglycans combined through O-glycosidic bonds and had high molecular weights of 1.93–2.41×10^(7) Da and the same monosaccharide and amino acid compositions but different contents.Compared with CFDP-D and CFDP-U,CFDP-T exhibited more excellent free radical scavenging and stimulating(1.57±0.03μM,500μg/mL)activities on RAW264.7 macrophages in vitro.Therefore,our findings suggested that CFDP-T obtained from CFD by TPP had the potential to be a functional food ingredient in food industry.