Majida Al-Wraikat

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Research Title :Degraded polysaccharide from Lycium barbarum L. leaves improve wheat dough structure and rheology

Authors :Majida Al-Wraikat, Chen Hou, Guangtao Zhao, Hao Lu, Hengkai Zhang, Yanan Lei, Zeshan Ali, Jianke Li

Abstract :Lycium barbarum L. leaves contain high amounts of mineral rich polysaccharides. In this study, the crude and the degraded polysaccharide using hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and vitamin C were prepared and tested as additives to investigate their effects on the quality of wheat dough using rheological assays. Polysaccharides, in particular degraded polysaccharide, significantly promoted the texture properties and extensographic characteristics of wheat dough compared to the control (p < 0.05), indicating an improvement in dough strength. The gluten networks in the dough samples exhibited dramatically dense and tight characteristics. This could be attributed to the formation of disulfide bonds triggered by the crude and degraded polysaccharides. Besides, analysis revealed that polysaccharides conformation played a major role in the transformation of the protein secondary structures from β-sheets to β-turns and α-helixes. Results demonstrated that the chemical degradation of polysaccharide could greatly improve the gluten network of wheat dough.

Keywords :Lycium barbarum L. leaves polysaccharide Wheat dough Rheology Viscoelasticity Microstructure

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Research Title :Structural Characterization of Degraded Lycium barbarum L. Leaves’ Polysaccharide Using Ascorbic Acid and Hydrogen Peroxide

Authors :Majida Al-Wraikat, Yun Liu, Limei Wu, Zeshan Ali, Jianke Li

Abstract :Plant-derived polysaccharide’s conformation and chain structure play a key role in their various biological activities. Lycium barbarum L. leaves’ polysaccharide is well renowned for its health functions. However, its functional bioactivities are greatly hindered by its compact globular structure and high molecular weight. To overcome such issue and to improve the functional bioactivities of the polysaccharides, degradation is usually used to modify the polysaccharides conformation. In this study, the ethanol extract containing crude Lycium barbarum L. leaves’ polysaccharide was first extracted, further characterized, and subsequently chemically modified with vitamin C (Ascorbic acid) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to produce degraded Lycium barbarum L. leaves’ polysaccharide. To explore the degradation effect, both polysaccharides were further characterized using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), high performance gel permeation chromatography (HPGPC), and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Results shown that both polysaccharides were rich in sugar and degradation had no significant major functional group transformation effect on the degraded product composition. However, the molecular weight (Mw) had decreased significantly from 223.5 kDa to 64.3 kDa after degradation, indicating significant changes in the polysaccharides molecular structure caused by degradation.

Keywords :Lycium barbarum L. leaves; polysaccharide; degradation; ascorbic acid; microstructure

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Research Title :Label-free quantitative proteomic analysis of functional changes of goat milk whey proteins subject to heat treatments of ultra-high-temperature and the common low-temperature

Authors :Majida Al-Wraikat, Mohamed Aamer Abubaker, Yingli Liu, Xi Ping Shen, Yu He, Linqiang Li, YongFeng Liu

Abstract :This work investigated the functional changes in whey proteins obtained from goat milk subject to various temperature treatments. Ultra-high temperature instantaneous sterilization (UHTIS) caused less damage than the common low-temperature, whereas spray-drying treatment had the opposite effect. A total of 426 proteins were identified in UHTIS and control treatment groups, including 386 common proteins and 16 and 14 unique proteins. The UHTIS treatment upregulated 55 whey proteins while down-regulated 98. The UHTIS-treated whey proteins may upregulate three metabolic pathways but downregulate one. Overall, UHTIS only slightly impacted the composition and functions of whey proteins from goat milk compared to the common low-temperature treatments.

Keywords :Goat milkWhey proteinHeat treatmentsLabel-freeQuantitative proteomics

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Research Title :Microbial community and organic compounds composition analysis and the edible security of common buckwheat fermented via Kombucha consortium

Authors : AL-Wraikat Majida, Mohamed Aamer Abubaker, Yingli Liu, Xiping Shen, Yu He, Linqiang Li, YongFeng Liu

Abstract :This study investigates the microbial community and organic compound composition of common buckwheat fermented with a traditional Kombucha consortium. Twenty-five fungal species, nine bacterial species, five organic acids, and six phenolic compounds were identified in Common Buckwheat Kombucha (CBK). The fermentation process enriched CBK with bioactive compounds that enhanced its functional properties, including antioxidant activity and antibacterial efficacy, inhibiting pathogenic bacteria by over 81.1 %. Further research is encouraged to explore similar applications with other cereal crops.

Keywords : Common buckwheat Kombucha consortium Microbial communities Organic compounds Bioactivities

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Research Title :COMMUNICATION Preparation, characterisation and functional effects of goat milk whey protein isolate with low lactose after heat and non-heat treatments

Authors : QIN SHU, LI ZHU, ZEKUN LI, MAJIDA AL-WRAIKAT, LINQIANG LI, YONGFENG LIU

Abstract :This study investigates the physicochemical and functional properties of goat milk whey with heat and non-heat treatments (pasteurisation, high-temperature heating, ultrasonic treatment and microwave heating) and lactose hydrolysis. The optimal lactose hydrolysis conditions were obtained through orthogonal test. The results revealed the lactose and glucose in low-lactose goat milk whey remained largely unchanged through all four treatments, while high-temperature and microwave treatments induced protein structure alteration. The foaming and emulsifying properties of low-lactose whey powder were enhanced by heating and ultrasonic treatments, although foam stability decreased. Our find-ings provide valuable insights into exploiting more nutritional goat milk products.

Keywords :Goat milk whey, Lactose hydrolysis, Protein structure, Foamability, Emulsibility

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Research Title :Degradation of polysaccharides from Lycium barbarum L. leaves improves bioaccessibility and gastrointestinal transport of endogenous minerals

Authors : Mengze Wang, Jie Wang, Lili Fu, Majida Al-Wraikat, Shenzhu Lin, Pengpeng Lu, Lewen Shan, Junfeng Fan, Bolin Zhang

Abstract :Acidic heteropolysaccharide (LP) from Lycium barbarum L. leaves has compact globular structure which wrapped abundant endogenous minerals inside by ionic interactions with uronic acid. This study investigated the efficacy of chemical degradation of LP on the bioaccessibility and transport of endogenous minerals in simulated gastrointestinal fluids. Results showed that the degradation using vitamin C and hydrogen peroxide mildly decreased LP molecular weight from 162.0 kDa to 94.3 kDa, and the structure of degraded LP (LPD) was converted to loose coil. After the simulated intestinal digestion, the accessibility of Ca, Fe, Zn, and Mg in LPD increased by119%, 52%, 103% and 112.5% compared with the intact LP, respectively, and in particular, the uptake rate increased by 15.8%, 8.1%, 23.4% and 21.6% for Ca, Fe, Zn, and Mg, respectively. These results demonstrated that the chemical degradation

Keywords : Calcium uptake;NMR;BioaccessibilityCaco-2 cell;Simulated digestion;Bioavailability

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Research Title :Structural modification and functional improvement of lactoferrin through non-covalent and covalent binding to coffee polyphenol

Authors : Zekun Li, Shunjie Kang, Qin Shu, Majida Al-Wraikat, Changchun Hao, Yongfeng Liu

Abstract :Studies have suggested that milk may enhance or neutralize the bioavailability of coffee polyphenols, possibly due to reversible and irreversible interactions between coffee polyphenols and milk proteins. The effects of non-covalent and covalent binding of lactoferrin (BLF) to caffeic acid (CAA) on protein structure and function were investigated. SDS-PAGE analysis confirmed the covalent interaction between BLF and CAA. Multispectral experiments characterized the BLF-CAA complexes and conjugates, revealing alterations in the tertiary structure of the proteins in the BLF-CAA conjugates. Molecular docking and kinetics results demonstrated that hydrogen bonding, electrostatic interaction, and hydrophobic forces were the primary internal forces between CAA and BLF. When combined with CAA, the covalent conjugates exhibited superior functional properties including solubility, oxidation resistance, thermal stability, emulsification and foamability, bioaccessibility, and antimicrobial properties. This study offers a theoretical foundation and technical benchmark for the preparation of protein-based delivery vectors with synergistic effects.

Keywords : Lactoferrin Spectroscopy Molecular docking Biological accessibility Antibacterial property Caffeic acid

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