Bleaching 27 carotenoids

Inhibition of pigment synthesis (bleaching) Carotenoid bios)mthesis at the phy-toene desaturase step (PDS) 24... 

Flour Bleaching Agents and Bread Improvers. Freshly milled flour contains carotenoid pigments that cause the flour to have a yellow color. In addition, when the flour is made into dough the product is sticky and unmanageable. As the flour ages, a natural process takes place which turns the flour white and improves its baking qualities. Because the natural process takes quite a bit of time, additives are used to speed up the process. 

Bleaching Herbicides. Membrane-based modes of herbicidal action relevant to photosynthesis (37) include those of inhibitors of carotenoid biosynthesis, eg, norflura2on, diftmon, y -phenoxyben2amines inhibitors of chlorophyll biosynthesis, eg, oxadia2on, DTP or... 

The bleaching of carotenoids was simultaneous with the formation of near-infrared absorbing intermediates in the microsecond timescale. The formation of an adduct ion-pair is instantaneous during the laser pulse (<10ns) with maximum absorption in the region 830-950 nm, depending on... 

Skibsted and coworkers (Mortensen and Skibsted 1996) have shown that upon the laser flash photolysis of carotenoids in chloroform bleaching of the ground state absorption is observed and there is formation of two near infrared-absorbing species ()tmax 920 and lOOOnm for 0-CAR). The species absorbing at about lOOOnm is 0-CAR + and, as with the carotenoid/CCl302 system noted earlier, the 0-CAR,+ is formed from the other species. The nature of the other species is not defined although an adduct or a neutral carotenoid radical is proposed. 

These assays measure the level of protection provided to the naturally occurring carotenoid derivative crocin from bleaching by the radical generator AAPH. The assay was originally suggested by Bors and others (1984) and modified by Tubaro and others (1998), who used it to show that plasma antioxidant capacity is deeply influenced by the consumption of wine. The addition of a sample containing chain-breaking antioxidants results in the decrease in the rate of crocin decay. The sample is monitored for 10 min at 443 nm. 

Bors W, Michel C and Saran M. 1984. Inhibition of the bleaching of the carotenoid crocin. A rapid test for quantifying antioxidant activity. Biochim Biophys Acta Lipids Lipid Metab 796(3) 312-319. 

Chemically, crocin is the digentiobioside of crocetin. It is one of the few water-soluble carotenoids to produce a bright yellow shade in water. Unfortunately, crocin is bleached by sulfur dioxide levels above 50 ppm. The heat stability of crocin is good enough to use it in boiled sweets. 

It is of interest that carotenoid pigments (xanthophylls), sterols (spinasterol and chondrillasterol) and a triterpene alcohol have been identified in cucurbit seed oil (31, 3 , 37L However, cucurbit oils such as that from Buffalo gourcT are amenable to refining, bleaching and deodorizing (38). 

The molecular target site of triketone herbicides is the enzyme -hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD). Inhibition of this enzyme disrupts the biosynthesis of carotenoids and causes a bleaching (loss of chlorophyll) effect on the foliage similar to that observed with inhibitors ofphytoene desaturase (e.g. norflurazon). However, the mechanism of action of HPPD inhibitors is different. Inhibtion of HPPD stops the synthesis of homogen tisate (HGA), which is a key precursor of the 8 different tocochromanols (tocopherols and tocotrienols) and prenyl quinones. In the absence of prenylquinone plastoquinone, phytoene desaturase activity is interrupted. The bleaching of the green tissues ensues as if these compounds inhibited phytoene desaturase. 

Muller L, Frohlich K, Bohm V. Comparative antioxidant activities of carotenoids measured by ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), ABTS bleaching assay (aTEAC), DPPH assay and peroxyl radical scavenging assay. Food Chemistry. 2011 129 139-148... 

The enzyme p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase is involved in the conversion of p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate into homogentisate, a key step in plastoquinone biosynthesis. Inhibition of this enzyme has an indirect effect on carotenoid biosynthesis as plastoquinone is a co-factor of the enzyme phytoene desaturase. The new maize herbicide isoxaflutole and the triketone herbicides such as sulcotrione (Figure 2.7), inhibit p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase and this leads to the onset of bleaching in susceptible weeds and ultimately plant death.4... 

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