Phenylpropanoid 2,3-dioxygenase involved in the cleavage of the ferulic acid side chain to form vanillin and glyoxylic acid in Vanilla planifolia.

Enzyme catalyzing the cleavage of the phenylpropanoid side chain was partially purified by ion exchange and gel filtration column chromatography after (NH)SO precipitation. Enzyme activities were dependent on the concentration of dithiothreitol (DTT) or glutathione (GSH) and activated by addition of 0.5 mM Fe.

Inositols affect the mating circadian rhythm of Drosophila melanogaster.

Accumulating evidence indicates that the molecular circadian clock underlies the mating behavior of Drosophila melanogaster. However, information about which food components affect circadian mating behavior is scant. The ice plant, Mesembryanthemum crystallinum has recently become a popular functional food.

Content of methylated inositols in familiar edible plants.

Familiar plants contain large amounts of inositols; soybean, white clover, red clover, bush clover, locust tree, wisteria, and kudzu of the legume family contain pinitol (3-O-methyl-chiro-inositol) at approximately 200-600 mg/100 g fresh weight (FW). The contents of pinitol in other plants were 260 mg/100 g FW for sticky mouse-ear, 275 mg/100 g FW for chickweed, and 332 mg/100 g FW for ginkgo. chiro-Inositol of 191 and 156 mg/100 g FW was also found in dandelion and Japanese mallotus, respectively.

Biosynthesis of vanillin via ferulic acid in Vanilla planifolia.

(14)C-Labeled phenylalanine, 4-coumaric acid, 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde, 4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol, ferulic acid, and methionine were applied to disks of green vanilla pods 3 and 6 months after pollination (immature and mature pods), and the conversion of these compounds to vanillin or glucovanillin was investigated. In mature green vanilla pods, radioactivities of 11, 15, 29, and 24% from (14)C-labeled phenylalanine, 4-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, and methionine, respectively, were incorporated into glucovanillin within 24 h. In the incorporation processes of methionine and phenylalanine into glucovanillin, some of the (14)C labels were also trapped by the unlabeled ferulic acid.

Estrogenic and Acetylcholinesterase-Enhancement Activity of a New Isoflavone, 7,2',4'-Trihydroxyisoflavone-4'-O-beta-D-Glucopyranoside from Crotalaria Sessililflora.

A new isoflavone, 7,2',4'-trihydroxyisoflavone-4'-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside has been isolated from the aerial part of Crotalaria sessiliflora. The isoflavone glucoside enhanced the proliferation of the MCF-7 human breast cancer cell line, which possesses estrogen receptor (ER) and responds to estrogen in culture. The estrogenic property of the isoflavone glucoside was blocked by the known ER antagonist tamoxifen, indicating the involvement of the ER.

Deodorization with ku-ding-cha containing a large amount of caffeoyl quinic acid derivatives.

Caffeoyl quinic acid (CQA) derivatives in ku-ding-cha, mate, coffee, and related plants were determined by HPLC. One ku-ding-cha contained a large amount of 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid (3,5-diCQA, 10.6% in dry weight) as well as 3-CQA (1.

Antioxidative compounds from Crotalaria sessiliflora.

Seven antioxidative compounds were isolated from the EtOAc extract of the aerial part of C. sessiliflora (Japanese name, tanukimame) by activity-guided fractionation with 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). Among the isolated compounds, hydroxyeucomic acid showed the strongest free radical-scavenging activity, which was almost identical to that of epigallocatechin gallate, against DPPH.

Effects of food materials on removal of Allium-specific volatile sulfur compounds.

Effects of food materials were investigated on removal of several kinds of thiols, sulfides, and disulfides, which arise from vegetables of Allium species during food preparation and eating. Methanethiol, propanethiol, and 2-propenethiol were captured by raw foods such as fruits, vegetables, and mushrooms or a mixture of their acetone powders and phenolic compounds. The odor of diallyl disulfide was remarkably reduced by kiwi fruit, spinach, cutting lettuce, parsley, basil, mushrooms, and, particularly, cow's milk, raw egg, boiled rice, and bovine serum albumin (BSA).