| RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS |
When the catalytic activities achieved via
Cy*Phine and a two-ring ligand were further compared, the team showed that during this alkyne addition, the third benzene ring blocked unwanted reactions (see image on page 6). “Without the third ring, a part of the catalyst
could actually go through these unproductive pathways” says Lim “and this reduces the effi- ciency of the main catalytic cycle.” Explaining
that side reactions proceed depending on their energy difference from the next catalytic step, she adds that, in contrast to the Cy*Phine-based catalyst, “these two energies are quite similar for the two-ring system.” The Cy*Phine-based catalyst has been
commercialized by Aspira Scientific for the past year. The team has applied the catalyst to different reactions and observed enhancement
effects. Now, says Lim, “we are planning to look more closely at how it is affecting the catalytic cycle”.
1. Mak, A. M., Lim, Y. H., Jong, H., Yang, Y., Johannes, C. W. et al. Mechanistic insights and implications of dearomative rearrangement in copper-free Sonogashira cross-coupling catalyzed by Pd-Cy*Phine. Organometallics 35, 1036−1045 (2016).
Nutrition:
TOFU TO MAKE US TOO FULL FOR MORE
A COMMON FOOD ADDITIVE COULD BE COMBINED WITH TOFU TO CONTROL APPETITE AND CALORIE CONSUMPTION IN ASIAN DIETS
The food additive polydextrose could be put into tofu to reduce hunger pangs and stimulate weight loss in people of Chinese ethnicity, according to new research from A*STAR1. Polydextrose — a large molecule comprised
of approximately 12 smaller glucose molecules — has a distinct arrangement that is very difficult for the human digestive system to break apart. This has led to its widespread use in food across Europe and North America to promote a feeling of fullness without contrib- uting significantly to the calorie count. There have, however, been few studies on the use of polydextrose in people of Asian origin. “This is significant, because the metabolic responses of Asians to various dietary factors are markedly different to those of Europeans,” says Christiani Henry of the A*STAR Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences. Henry’s team, along with co-workers from other Singaporean institutions, studied the
www.astar-research.com
response of people of Chinese ethnicity to eating soybean curd supplemented with polydextrose1
.
Twenty-seven healthy men ate one of four tofu mixtures on different days. Their response to each test mixture was monitored throughout the course of the study. The four options consisted of low-protein or high-protein liquid soybean curd, taken with or without added polydextrose. These mixtures were eaten alongside other controlled food provided during each test day, with the total amount of food consumed to be decided by each participant. The most significant dietary finding was
that the subjects ate fewer calories when consuming the low-protein mixture with polydextrose than they did with the low-pro- tein bean curd on its own. The researchers also used blood sampling to investigate the role played by two gut hormones known to be involved in controlling hunger and satiety and they used ultrasound scans to estimate the
Tofu is a popular part of the Asian diet
rate at which the subjects’ stomachs emptied after the test meals. Taken together, the results suggest that polydextrose may be a useful additive for soybean curd products aimed to help weight control in the Asian market, given the popularity of tofu in Asian food. “We are also exploring whether polydextrose
can be used in solid food to elicit a similar response to that seen in soybean curd,” says Henry. The researchers have established contact with a local business, with a view to translating their research findings into a manufactured product. The appearance of weight control tofu on supermarket shelves may be just a matter of time.
1. Soong, Y. Y., Lim, W. X., Leow, M. K. S., Siow., P. C., Teh, A. L. & Henry, C. J. Combination of soya protein and polydextrose reduces energy intake and glycaemic response via modulation of gastric emptying rate, ghrelin and glucagon-like peptide-1 in Chinese. British Journal of Nutrition 115, 2130–2137 (2016).
A*STAR RESEARCH 7
© Eiichi Onodera/Emi Kimata/Getty
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52