Silicon and germanium nanoparticles with tailored surface chemistry as novel inorganic fiber brightening agents.

Low-molecular-weight organic molecules, such as coumarins and stilbenes, are used commercially as fluorescent whitening agents (FWAs) to mask photoyellowing and to brighten colors in fabrics. FWAs achieve this by radiating extra blue light, thus changing the hue and also adding to the brightness. However, organic FWAs can rapidly photodegrade in the presence of ultraviolet (UV) radiation, exacerbating the yellowing process through a reaction involving singlet oxygen species.

Interspecies comparison of morphology, ultrastructure, and proteome of mammalian keratin fibers of similar diameter.

Sheep wool has traditionally been viewed as the representative mammalian keratin fiber for the purposes of describing morphology and protein composition. We have investigated narrow fibers from the under-hairs of a range of species both closely and distantly related to sheep, comparing structure and protein composition. Within this group, curvature was negatively correlated with diameter for all but mohair.

The "sponge effect" hypothesis: an alternative explanation of the improvement in the waterholding capacity of meat with ageing.

Bovine M. semimembranosus from different sexes of cattle were held at temperatures ranging from 0 to 35°C until rigor and aged for up to 9weeks. The waterholding capacity (WHC) of the beef increased with ageing as evidenced by the decline in drip loss measured gravimetrically, centrifugally and by pressure.

MALDI-MS Redox Lipidomics Applied to Human Hair: A First Look.

Lipids are an amazingly diverse group of biomolecules with an array of biological functions including protecting and maintaining key properties and structure. Oxidative insult in the form of UV, hydrothermal, or other damage leads to compromised lipid function and can be linked to a wide range of consumer complaints. This proof-of-principle study applied and evaluated redox lipidomic approaches for the characterization and profiling of selected lipids and their oxidation products in human hair.

Morphology and ultrastructure of antler velvet hair and body hair from red deer (Cervus elaphus).

We provide a detailed description of the ultrastructure of deer hair fibers. Guard hairs and underhairs from the winter coat of red deer (Cervus elaphus), and antler velvet hairs from the same species were examined. All fibers displayed the typical keratin fiber morphology of overlapping cuticle cells surrounding a core of cortex cells, and often a centrally-located medulla, but there were considerable differences in the diameter, cuticle thickness, and scale pattern, and in the relative amounts of cortex and medulla along individual fibers, and between the different types of fiber.

Electrophoretic mapping of highly homologous keratins: a novel marker peptide approach.

Identification of the intermediate filament proteins (IFPs) in the wool proteome has formerly been hampered by limited sequence information, the high degree of IFP homology and their close proximity on 2-DE maps. This has been partially rectified by the recent acquisition of four new Type I and two Type II wool IFP sequences. Among closely migrating proteins, such as IFP clusters in a 2-DE map, proteins with higher sequence coverage will be assigned higher scores, but the identification of unique peptides in such tight clusters may distinguish these closely migrating proteins.

Proteomic evaluation and location of UVB-induced photo-oxidation in wool.

Photo-oxidation of proteinaceous fibres correlates directly to lowered appearance retention and performance, with particular commercial significance for wool and human hair. We here outline the first detailed proteomic evaluation of differential photo-oxidation occurring in the cuticle and cortex of wool fibres. After exposure of whole wool to UVB irradiation, physical disruption techniques designed to minimise further oxidative modification were utilised to prepare enriched cuticle and cortex fractions.