Whether a foodstuff is “authentic” – i.e. whether it is genuine or original – is of considerable importance not only ­for the complex and global procurement chain that drives the food processing/­manufacturing industries but also for consumer safety.

By deploying specific proteases for the enzymatic hydro­lysis of proteins, the release of peptides can be controlled. This process ­can be used to produce functional peptides, which may exhibit an ability to reduce blood pressure or have a surface-active function. The deployment of biofunctional peptides in food as an “added value” is only ­possible at sufficiently effective concentrations, ­however. Accordingly, processes are required that...

Cell cultivation has now become an indispensable part of scientific investigation and applications within medicine. From a simple substance test to the autologous cell therapies of the future, cell technologies are based on the controlled propagation of cells. An important step towards this goal is the non-invasive characterisation of the cell population grown. New methods in image-based cytometry offer an ideal platform technology for this purpose.

Analytical procedures in the laboratory span a variety of chromatographic techniques such as high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), gas chromatography (GC), supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) and capillary electrophoresis (CE). Samples analyzed in the laboratory by HPLC are often non-volatile and without a chromophor, thus common UV detectors are not suitable. Alternatively, more universal detectors, based on aerosol techniques such...

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – ASMS2015 – (June 1, 2015) – New, exceptionally pure mobile phase solvents for ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS) instruments have been designed to reduce background signal and minimize chromatographic interferences, facilitating accurate, sensitive and rapid trace analysis.

Although as thin as the skin of a soap bubble, they are nonetheless vitally ­important. Biological membranes, 10,000 times thinner than a human hair, ­form a physiological barrier to all the cells in our body and are thus responsible for mediating exchanges between the cell interior and the external environment. Minor changes to their composition, such as those involved in lipid meta­bolism disorders, can have fatal consequences for events within...

The natural and social environment plays a decisive role in the life of an indivi­dual, and has significant repercussions for his or her physical and mental health. Factors in the social environment such as a high population density or noisy cities with traffic congestion and light pollution are considered to be ­potential stress factors. Social relationships and the working environment ­also exert a considerable influence on a person’s psyche...