Con el fin de conseguir vinos mas estables en el tiempo y una diversificacion del mercado enologico en la region de Castilla-La Mancha, se han elaborado dos tecnicas de vinificacion basadas en la aplicacion del oxigeno, asi como el uso de sustitutos del anhidrido sulfuroso, con el fin de obtener vinos libres en dicho compuesto. Independientemente del perfil polifenolico de cada vino, el tratamiento de hiperoxigenacion produce una estabilizacion del color de los vinos blancos de las variedades Airen, Macabeo y Chardonnay, incluso tras un periodo anual de almacenamiento, sobre todo consistente en una menor concentracion de los derivados de acidos hidroxicinamicos mas importantes en su abundancia t-GRP, t-caftarico y t- y c-cutarico). De manera general, dicho tratamiento produce ademas una mejora aromatica de los vinos, incrementando la concentracion de las familias de esteres, alcoholes y compuestos bencenicos, y mejorando las notas frutales, fruta tropical y platano. En el mismo sentido, la adicion de oxigeno a los vinos tintos de las variedades Cencibel y Petit Verdot mediante la tecnica de microoxigenacion consigue una estabilizacion del color a lo largo del tiempo y tras el uso conjunto con virutas de roble americano sin tostar incrementando la concentracion de piranoantocianos y pigmentos antociano-etil-flavan-3-ol), a diferencia de los vinos de la variedad Merlot, sin afectar en demasia a su fraccion volatil e incluso acentuando diversos compuestos volatiles. De esta forma, las notas especiadas y pasas incrementan, se atenua el caracter herbaceo y aparecen nuevas notas sensoriales tabaco, frutos secos y fruta dulce), incluso tras el almacenamiento anual. Por otro lado, la adicion de lisozima y taninos enologicos durante la vinificacion de los vinos blancos supone una alternativa al uso del anhidrido sulfuroso. De este modo, la adicion de lisozima produce un incremento en la concentracion de esteres C6 y C8 y acidos, asi como una menor concentracion de alcoholes sulfuricos y acido acetico, mientras que el tanino anadido afecta positivamente a la fraccion de esteres etilicos. A su vez, la adicion de lisozima produce un incremento de los atributos floral, fruta tropical, afrutado y platano, favorecidos positivamente por la adicion de tanino enologico.

One of the alternative sources for petroleum is soybean biodiesel. Developing high oil soybeans would reduce the cost of biodiesel production. The objectives of this study were to: develop a single seed oil measurement method using NMR spectrometry； evaluate the potential of increasing the oil content and determine the genetic basis of the trait. Five crosses were made between RCAT Angora, OAC Wallace, and OAC Glencoe. Single seed NMR method for oil measurement was developed. Seventy oil related SSR markers were evaluated in two F 2 populations. Transgressive segregation was observed with oil content ranging between 16.3 and 27.0% at the F2 and, 12.2 and 25.7% at the F3 generations. Additive genetic effects ranged between 4.09% and 61.84%, dominance between 2.45% and 73.62%, and epistasis between 0% and 49.6%. Best fit linear regression models including individual oil QTL and epistasis explained up to 75.8% of variation per population.

Anthocyanins are known to be one of the most powerful phytochemical antioxidant and believed to have a positive influence on a variety of health conditions. Numerous studies continue on these compounds that are readily found in most plants. Red hybrid-tea rose petals and wild blueberries were used as model systems for optimizing the extraction and identification process of anthocyanins in plant material using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and mass spectrometry (MS) without the use of authentic standards. A number of extraction parameters, including sample homogenization, solvent selection and acid type and amount, were varied to examine the effects on anthocyanin extraction from blueberries. Individual anthocyanins within the extract solution were separated by reverse phase HPLC and identified by elution order and tandem mass spectrometry. Further definitive identification of anthocyanins from other isobaric flavonoid species was demonstrated by multi-dimensional tandem mass spectrometry fragmentation (MSn). Cyanidin-3,5-diglucoside and pelargonidin-3,5-diglucoside were isolated from an extract of freeze dried rose petals via fractionation. These compounds were then structurally-characterized by multi-stage mass spectrometry fragmentation (up to MS 6). Variations in the collision energy of the ion trap resulted in cleavage of the glycosides at the MS/MS, and MS3 stages； fragmentation of the anthocyanidin was recorded at the MS4 stage and beyond. Computational modeling was used to investigate the cross-ring cleavage fragment ions of cyanidin.

Cooked sorghum flour has been shown to have poor digestibility compared to other cereals. It is thought that a three-dimensional web-like protein structure, developed through sulfhydryl-disulfide interchange, contains gelatinized starch granules, which limits digestive enzyme action. The overall goal of this project was to determine the factors responsible for promoting protein web-like structures and polymerization through sulfhydryl-disulfide interchange reactions in cooked sorghum flour. Maize flour was used as a model for identifying protein structures through light microscopy. After treatments with water, potassium bromate and a phenolic extract from sorghum flour, different varieties of maize flours showed a range of web-like protein structures, owing to pre-existing protein characteristics including protein content and matrix structure. For protein polymerization quantification, gel electrophoresis was used with chicken egg albumin as a model protein. Potassium bromate, sorghum flour, and sorghum phenolic extracts led to increased protein polymerization due to disulfide bonds, confirmed by a decrease in molecular weight after the addition of beta-mercaptoethanol. Sorghum phenolic extracts adjusted to a low pH increased polymerization, while the sorghum extract adjusted to a high pH resulted in protein monomers. Total phenolic content of sorghum phenolic extract and maize phenolic extract were similar, but sorghum had twice the antioxidant capacity. HPLC-MS showed that the maize phenolic extract contained large amounts of phenolic acids, with little reactivity. The sorghum phenolic extract was high in anthocyanin derivatives which have greater ability to transfer electrons. These results suggest that the anthocyanin derivatives in the sorghum phenolic extract act as antioxidants which reduce the disulfide bond and subsequently act as oxidizers to facilitate new disulfide bond formation with new or pre-existing free sulfhydryl groups. The cascade of the sulfhydryl-disulfide interchange reaction promotes protein polymerization and results in extensive web-like protein structures that contain gelatinized starch granules.

Oil was extracted from chicken and pork fat discards by microwave assisted extraction and soxhlet extraction for comparison. Protease enzyme and pulsed electric field were used as a pretreatment prior to extraction by either soxhlet or microwave assisted extraction by hexane. Conditions for both the enzyme pretreatment and the microwave extraction were optimized for the extraction of the oils from the discards. The fat discards were pretreated with papain enzyme in a phosphate buffer solution (pH 7.0) and incubated at 45&deg；C in a water bath and incubated at various time intervals (30 min, 1 h, 2 h and 3 h). Enzyme pretreatment at 2 h produced the highest oil yield increase of 20.1% when compared to the control samples (P＝0.0003) in chicken samples and an oil yield increase of 16.6% in comparison to control samples (P＝0.0179) in pork samples. There was a decrease in oil yield at 3 h and no significant difference in oil yield when compared to control in both chicken samples (P＝0.217) and pork samples (P＝1.0000). Optimization of microwave assisted process shows that microwave irradiation for 7.5 min produced the best oil yield and was the most effective in oil extraction from the animal discards. There was no significant difference in oil yield produced when the irradiation time was increased to 10 min, 12.5 min, and 15min. The results obtained from optimization of microwave assisted extraction were comparable to those obtained by soxhlet extraction for 3 hr. There were significant difference between oil yield obtained from both extraction methods (P＝&lt；0.05). There were no differences in the FAME profile when compared to the literature. Pulsed electric field pretreatments were carried out on pork samples at electric field strength of 2 kV cm -1, 4 kV cm-1, 6 kV cm-1. The oil yields obtained were compared to values obtained from control samples after extraction using microwave assisted extraction for 3 min. Pulsed electric field at 4 kV cm-1 produced an oil yield increase of 6.79% and significantly different (P＝0.0344) compared with control samples. There were no significant differences between oil yield at 2kV and control samples (P＝1.000). At pulsed electric field strength of 6 kV cm-1 there was a decrease in oil yield. The oil yields obtained from pulsed electric field pretreament were compared with that obtained by soxhlet extraction. Pretreatment at 4kv cm-1 gave an oil yield increase of 6% (P＝0.1411). The quality assessment of the oil extracted with PEF pretreated samples showed no effect of PEF on the quality of the oil. There were no significant differences in the hydroperoxide and p-anisidine values within the pretreatments and the control samples. PEF pretreatment had no effect on the fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) profiles of the oil.

Biodiesel production was carried out from soybean, canola and cottonseed oils along with poultry fat using catalytic potassium hydroxide. Further, the physical properties of biodiesel were studied with addition of ethyl levulinate ethyl 4-oxopentanoate), short-chain alcohols ethanol, isopropanol and butanol), and commercial cold flow improver CFI) additives. The effects of adding ethyl levulinate, short-chain alcohols, and commercial additives were determined by studying their influence on the acid value AV), cloud point CP), pour point PP), cold filter plugging point CFPP), induction period IP), kinematic viscosity KV) and the flash point FP). The results showed improved low temperature properties of the methyl esters compared to unblended samples of biodiesel. In addition, KV and FP decreased with increasing content of ethyl levulinate and short-chain alcohol added to the biodiesel fuels. Parameters such as AV and IP were essentially unchanged upon addition of ethyl levulinate, short-chain alcohols, and CFI additives. In summary, it was demonstrated that specific fuel properties such as low temperature operability could be improved through blending ethyl levulinate and short-chain alcohols) and additive CFI) strategies. In another study, transesterification of refined cottonseed oil was carried out with methanol, ethanol, 1-butanol and various mixtures of these alcohols at constant volume ratio of alcohol to oil 1:2) using KOH 1 wt %) as catalyst to produce biodiesel. In the mixed alcohol transesterifications, the formation of methyl esters was faster than ethyl and butyl esters. Cottonseed oil-based biodiesel prepared from methanol to ethanol and methanol to butanol volume ratios of 1:1 or greater with respect to higher alcohol exhibited enhanced cold flow properties versus neat methyl esters. Furthermore, these alkyl esters exhibited KVs and AVs within the limits prescribed in the ASTM D6751 and EN 14214 biodiesel fuel standards. Also examined was the influence of blending alkyl esters with ultra-low sulfur &lt；15 ppm S) diesel ULSD) fuel. All blends exhibited improved cold flow properties CP, PP, and CFPP) versus unblended alkyl esters and significantly enhanced lubricities versus unblended petrodiesel. In summary, mixed alkyl esters prepared from cottonseed oil displayed improved fuel properties versus methyl esters alone. Lastly, transesterification of refined cottonseed oil was carried out using methanol and Novozym-435 N-435 Candida antarctica lipase B). The effect of N-435 concentration 0.9 to 2.5 % wt/wt), volume ratio of methanol to cottonseed oil 8:1 to 42:1) and reaction temperature 25 to 75 &deg；C) on the percentage conversion measured after 24 hours was optimized using a central composite design with six center, eight factorial and six axial points. N-435 concentration was the only variable that significantly affected percentage conversion. Maximum observed percentage conversion of 98.5 % was obtained at an N-435 concentration of 1.7 % wt/wt) and a methanol to cottonseed oil volume ratio of 42:1 at a reaction temperature of 50 &deg；C. In summary, N-435 proved to be successful for synthesis of methyl esters from refined cottonseed oil, and exhibited excellent reusability, as it retained 81 % of its initial activity after 10 reuses at the reaction conditions where maximum conversion was obtained.

Chickpea Cicer arietinum L.) and oat Avena sativa L.) seeds are important sources of protein ingredients with potential nutritional, functional and bioactive properties. Protein fractions were prepared from chickpea and oat using sequential extractions with distilled water albumins), NaCl solution globulins) and NaOH solution glutelins), respectively. Molecular characteristics of individual protein fractions were investigated using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis Native- and SDS-PAGE, and 2-DGE) in combination with reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography RP-HPLC). Tryptic peptide sequences were identified using proteomic techniques including 1D trypsin in-gel digestion, liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry LC-ESI-MS/MS) analysis and Mascot MS/MS ion search. Sequence similarity and potential bioactivity of proteins were examined using BLAST and BIOPEP analysis, respectively. Native-PAGE results showed chickpea and oat globulin fractions C-Gb and O-Gb) contained proteins corresponding to legumin 11S) and avenalin 12S), respectively. SDS-PAGE revealed that chickpea albumin and globulin fractions C-Ab and C-Gb) showed protein bands with MWs related to legumin 11S) and pea vicilin 7S) while chickpea glutelin fraction C-Gt) showed protein bands with MWs related to rice glutelin； oat protein fractions O-Ab, O-Gb and O-Gt) showed protein bands with MWs related to oat 12S globulin avenalin). alpha- and beta-subunits of globulin and glutelin fractions from chickpea and oat were identified with estimated MWs ranging from 31 to 45 kDa and from 21 to 31 kDa, respectively. In vitro chickpea albumin, globulin and glutelin hydrolysates showed DH of 22.8%, 28.6% and 28.8%, respectively； SDS-PAGE revealed that legumin alpha- and beta-subunits from chickpea globulin fraction C-Gb) were hydrolyzed. The identified tryptic peptides from chickpea and oat protein fractions showed sequence homology that corresponded to chickpea legumin alpha- and beta-subunit NCBI accession number: gi|6273402； theoretical mass 56,216 Da), chickpea provicilin precursor NCBI accession number: gi|82173888； theoretical mass 51,390 Da) and 12S seed storage globulin 1 NCBI accession number: gi|134918； theoretical mass 58,508 Da). Chickpea and oat glutelin fractions C-Gt and O-Gt, respectively) exhibited large sequences homology with origin to chickpea legumin and oat 12S globulin. BLAST analysis of sequence alignments gave approximately 30% similarity of AAs sequences from chickpea legumin, oat 12S globulin 1 and rice glutelin precursor； the oat 12S globulin 1 and rice glutelin precursor exhibited relatively high sequence homology of 63%. In silico BIOPEP results showed that chickpea legumin and provicilin precursor contained 177 and 133 potential ACE-inhibitory peptides within their primary sequences, respectively； ficain and proteinase K were the suggested proteases that could theoretically release greater numbers of predicted ACE-inhibitory peptides 34 and 35, respectively) from these two proteins.

Alternative forms of green energy are becoming increasingly necessary as our supplies of fossil fuels begin to dwindle. As a result, research in green fuel technologies is becoming a necessity. One such green fuel is bio-ethanol that is used by degrading plant cellulose to generate fermentable sugars. A major drawback of this method is the fact that it is currently expensive and inefficient. The goal of this research was to find a viable path for making bio-ethanol a feasible alternative to petroleum based fuels. This research describes several processes for both increasing glucose yield of plant based cellulose hydrolysis, as well as reusing one of the more costly items in biomass hydrolysis, the enzyme. The first process for increasing glucose yield was through the pretreatment of raw plant matter. The plant matter was treated in refluxing solutions of 2.5% w/v) FeCl3, or 2.5% oxalic acid with 0.5 M NaOH the two methods that yielded the best results). Each of these methods effectively broke down the plant matters protective lignin, exposing cellulose for enzymatic hydrolysis. Both methods significantly improved glucose yield, with the FeCl3 approach increasing yield by as much as 300%, and the oxalic acid method improving yields by as much as 450%. In order to reuse the cellulytic enzyme, cellobiase was encapsulated in mesoporous silica, using a fructose template to generate the pores. When using 50 or 70% fructose template, the cellobiase enzyme could be reused at least ten times perhaps more) with out loosing enzymatic activity. This method of enzyme reuse could be an effective way to help cut costs, by minimizing the amount of expensive enzyme used. Additionally, this dissertation delves into a method for generating organosilane hybrid materials. These materials are important because they have the potential to retain the heat resistance of silane materials, while including the functionality of organic polymers. The materials made in this research include curcumin and syringaldazine as organic blocks, synthesized with silane reagents. The curcumin-silane hybrids demonstrated a moderate amount of biological activity when human myoblasts were grown on polymeric films. The syringaldazine-silane hybrids expressed the ability to be used as means of detecting chlorine gas.