Development of Indirect Competitive ELISA for Lithospermic Acid B of with Its Specific Antibodies Generated via Artificial Oil Bodies.

Lithospermic acid B (LSB), the major water-soluble ingredient of (Danshen), has been shown to be an active ingredient responsible for the therapeutic effects of this traditional Chinese herb used to treat cardiac disorders. This study aimed to develop an indirect competitive enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of LSB. Firstly, LSB was chemically conjugated to a modified oil-body protein, lysine-enriched caleosin, recombinantly expressed in .

Relative content of gallic acid over 5-galloylquinic acid as an index for the baking intensity of oolong teas.

Phenolic compounds in a series of old oolong teas prepared by baking annually were monitored and compared. The results showed that the relative content of gallic acid over 5-galloylquinic acid was subsequently elevated during this preparatory process. To reveal the effect was mainly resulted from baking or aging, two sets of oolong teas were collected and examined; one set was generated from fresh oolong tea via continually daily baking and the other set was composed of aged oolong teas with no or light baking in the storage period.

In vitro assay to estimate tea astringency via observing flotation of artificial oil bodies sheltered by caleosin fused with histatin 3.

Astringency, a sensory characteristic of food and beverages rich in polyphenols, mainly results from the formation of complexes between polyphenols and salivary proteins, causing a reduction of the lubricating properties of saliva. To develop an in vitro assay to estimate the astringency of oolong tea infusion, artificial oil bodies were constituted with sesame oil sheltered by a modified caleosin fused with histatin 3, one of the human salivary small peptides. Aggregation of artificial oil bodies was induced when they were mixed with oolong tea infusion or its major polyphenolic compound, (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) of 100μM as observed in light microscopy.

Analysis of lipophilic compounds of tea coated on the surface of clay teapots.

The surface of a clay teapot tends to be coated with a waterproof film after constant use for tea preparation. The waterproof films of two kinds of teapots (zisha and zhuni) used for preparing oolong tea and old oolong tea were extracted and subjected to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. The results showed that comparable constituents were detected in these films; they were primarily fatty acids and linear hydrocarbons that were particularly rich in palmitic acid and stearic acid.