Comparison of γ-Aminobutyric Acid and Biogenic Amine Content of Different types of Ewe's Milk Cheese Produced in Sardinia, Italy.

The bioactive compounds γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and biogenic amines (BA), together with protein-free amino acids, were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography in ewe's milk cheeses produced in Sardinia with different technological traits. The study included three types of cheese: Pecorino Sardo PDO, Pecorino and Casu Marzu. Farmhouse Casu Marzu and Pecorino showed GABA content (maximum levels: 1001.3 and 378.1 mg 100 g-1 respectively) that had never been found so high in cheese before, suggesting that these types of cheese present ideal conditions to produce GABA. These two types of cheese also showed high levels of BA (their total maximum levels were 1035.7 and 288.0 mg 100 g-1 respectively). Pearson correlation analysis detected significant correlation between GABA and the main BA present in the cheeses (tyramine, cadaverine and putrescine), suggesting that the factors affecting the production of GABA are the same as those influencing BA formation.

Acid and base degraded products of ketorolac.

The stability of ketorolac tromethamine was investigated in acid (0.5M HCl) and alkaline conditions (0.5M NaOH), using the same procedure reported by Devarajan et al. [2]. The acid and base degradation products were identified by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS).

Parallel protocol for the selective methylation and alkylation of primary amines.

One of the still unresolved problems in parallel synthesis is the availability of a general and rapid method for the transformation of a primary amine into the corresponding secondary amine without the issue of polyalkylation. Following the Fukuyama method, which is based on the alkylation of o-nitrobenzenesulfonamides, followed by removal of the sulfonyl group, we have developed a simple protocol which can be easily applied to parallel synthesis making use of supported reagents and scavengers. To verify the robustness of the method, a small representative array of secondary amines have been prepared. Moreover, taking advantage of the possibility to use different supported reagents in the same pot, we also prepared, starting from primary amines, a series of differently substituted tertiary amines.

Microwave-assisted synthesis of isonitriles: a general simple methodology.

[reaction: see text] A facile conversion of formamides to isonitriles under very mild conditions and microwave irradiation is described. This simple and efficient method has been applied for the synthesis of both aliphatic and aromatic isonitriles in high yields.

Cellulose beads: a new versatile solid support for microwave- assisted synthesis. Preparation of pyrazole and isoxazole libraries.

The synthesis of libraries of substituted pyrazoles and isoxazoles has been developed via in situ generation of polymer-bound enaminones. The synthetic protocol makes use of commercially available aniline cellulose, a low-cost and versatile biopolymer, under very mild conditions. This new support allowed us to carry out reactions in polar solvents under both conventional heating and MW irradiation without degradation of the polymer. The reaction between cellulose-bound enaminone and hydroxylamine or hydrazines to afford the target heterocycles in high yields directly in solution is the key step. The support can be conveniently recycled.

Simple one-flask method for the preparation of hydroxamic acids.

[reaction: see text] A one-step conversion of carboxylic acids to hydroxamic acids under very mild conditions is described. This simple and efficient method has been applied for the synthesis of enantiopure hydroxamate of alpha-amino acids and peptides.