Immunoanalytical method for quality control of orange juice products.

The main goal of the present study is to develop an immunoanalytical method for the quality control of orange juice products. Peptides from various parts (juice, albedo, and flavedo) of citrus fruits (orange, mandarin, grapefruit, and lemon) were analyzed and isolated by SDS-PAGE. Antisera were developed in mice against the protein pool of orange juice and peel and tested by Western blot analysis. Using these antisera, some juice- and peel-specific peptides were detected. One of the antibodies in the antiserum developed against peel proteins recognized a single peel-specific peptide with a molecular mass of 28 kDa in 10000-fold dilution. It did not give any positive reactions against the sample prepared from the juice. The 24 and 27 kDa juice-specific peptides were isolated in electrophoretically pure form, and polyclonal antibodies were developed against them in mice. The anti-27 kDa antibody reacted with a 29 kDa protein in the peel sample, and it gave a positive reaction against the 27 kDa peptide of the juice. The antibodies developed in the course of the present work seem to be useful for determining the juice content in commercial citrus beverages and for evaluating the peel contamination in them.

Supercritical carbon dioxide extraction and fractionation of fennel oil.

Ground fennel seeds were extracted with supercritical carbon dioxide. Small-scale subsequent extractions of the same sample showed that the composition of volatile compounds was changed with the extension of extraction time and only principal volatile components (limonene, fenchone, methylchavicol, and anethole) were present in the last-extracted sample. Fennel oil was successfully fractionated into the essential oil rich and fatty oil rich products in pilot-scale apparatus using two separators in series. Designed experiments were carried out to map the effects of pressure and temperature in the first separator on the yields and compositions of the products. The minimum level of the total undesired components in both essential oil rich and fatty oil rich products appeared at a pressure of 80-84 bar and a temperature of 31-35 degrees C in the first separator. Supercritical CO(2) extraction of fennel seeds resulted in higher yield (10.0%) than steam distillation (3.0%), almost the same yield as hexane extraction (10.6%), and lower yield than alcohol extraction (15.4%). Analysis of the volatile compounds revealed the significant difference of the composition in distilled oil and oleoresins prepared by CO(2) and solvent extractions. Sensory evaluation showed that the CO(2) extraction product and distilled oil were more intense in odor and taste than alcohol and hexane extracts.