The objective of this study was to develop a simultaneous analytical method for the determination of lignans, tocols, phytosterols, and squalene using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a diode array and fluorescence detector (HPLC-DAD-FLD). The method employed a Vertisep^TM UPS silica HPLC column (4.6 × 250 mm, 5 µm) with a mobile phase mixture of n-hexane/tetrahydrofuran/2-propanol. This approach enabled the simultaneous analysis of ten compounds within 22 min. The linear correlation (R²) exceeded 0.9901. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) were up to 0.43 µg mL⁻¹ for lignans and tocopherols and up to 326.23 µg mL⁻¹ for phytosterol and squalene. The precision and accuracy of the intra-day and inter-day variation were less than 1.09 and 3.32% relative standard deviations (RSDs). Furthermore, the developed method was applied for the analysis of targeted compounds in twenty-eight sesame oil samples (1775–8965 µg g⁻¹ total lignans, 29.7–687.9 µg g⁻¹ total tocopherols, 2640–9500 µg g⁻¹ phytosterol, and 245–4030 µg g⁻¹ squalene). The HPLC method that has been developed was proven to be a reliable and effective tool for the determination of those functional compounds among sesame oil samples.

Rice bran oil deodorizer distillate (RBODD) is the low valuable secondary product of refinery rice bran oil. However, RBODD contains bioactive compounds such as vitamin E, gamma-oryzanols, and phytosterols. To increase value of vitamin E obtained from underutilized product, tocopherols and tocotrienols were extracted from RBODD using ethanol followed by a freezing step. The response surface method (RSM) is known as a potential tool for optimizing processing parameters in order to save time, energy, and chemical material. In current study, vitamin E extract (VEE) was extracted using ethanol and response surface method (RSM) was employed to investigate the optimum condition. The ratio of RBODD: ethanol (1:5, 1:10, and 1:15) and the incubation temperature (0, -20, and -40℃) of vitamin E extraction were used to design the experiment using a central composite design (CCD). Once the optimization process was completed, the RSM was executed using the following 5 responses simultaneously: VEET3, VEEToc, VEETot, RecoveryVEE, and YieldVEE. Results showed that values of each parameter were VEET3 (10.69-89.60 mg/g), VEEToc (2.85-23.37 mg/g), VEETot (13.53-112.97mg/g), RecoveryVEE (16.15-134.76%), and YieldVEE (12.64-44.48%). All model predictions were significant (p-value < 0.05), with non-significant lack of fit (> 0.05). In addition, the values of R2 and R2(Adj) of model were in the range of 0.922-0.988 and 0.893-0.982, respectively. According to these findings, response values were associated with RBODD:ethanol ratio and the incubation temperature. The ratio 1:9.5 (RBODD: Ethanol) and incubation temperature at -26.5 ℃ provided the optimal condition for vitamin E extraction from RBODD. At this optimum condition, it was determined that the predicted responses for VEET3, VEEToc, VEETot, RecoveryVEE, and YieldVEE were 81.87 mg/g, 23.70 mg/g, 103.64 mg/g, 123.63 %, and 20.05%, respectively. The obtained product with high content of tocopherol and tocotrienol can be used as ingredient in food as well as pharmaceutical applications.

This study investigated whether pre-treating sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) seeds with a combination of acid-soaking and microwave-heating could significantly enhance the quality of the resulting sesame oil, particularly by increasing its content of functional compounds such as lignans, tocopherol, phytosterol, and squalene. The study revealed that soaking the sesame seeds in a solution of HCl and citric acid, along with microwave-heating, significantly increased the content of these compounds. The detected ranges were sesamin (1365–6927 µg g⁻¹), sesamolin (605–3493 µg g⁻¹), tocopherol (69.31–282.76 µg g⁻¹), asarinin (ND–383.52 µg g⁻¹), sesamol (ND–49.59 µg g⁻¹), phytosterol (3690–6201 µg g⁻¹), and squalene (532−1628 µg g⁻¹). Additionally, the study found that the pre-treatment of sesame seeds had a minimal effect on the fatty acid composition, antioxidant activity (92.94–95.08% DPPH scavenging activity), and oxidative stability (2.13–2.90 mg MDA kg⁻¹ oil). This is the first study to demonstrate that using acid-soaking and microwave-heating to prepare sesame seeds can produce sesame oil enriched with functional compounds, potentially benefiting cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and health applications.

This study explores the efficacy of plasma-activated water (PAW), produced using a laboratory-made pin-hole air plasma jet, in the reduction of pesticide residues, including clothianidin, thiamethoxam, and propoxur. The physicochemical analysis indicated that PAW’s pH decreased significantly with longer discharge times, while oxidation–reduction potential (ORP) and electrical conductivity (EC) increased. Nitrogen and oxygen species in the plasma state were confirmed using optical emission spectroscopy. These results reflected the formation of rich reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS and RNS), including hydroxyl radicals, hydrogen peroxide, and nitrate, contributing to its strong oxidative properties. The optimal PAW parameters for pesticide degradation were determined, and pesticide reduction was assessed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS). After 25 min of treatment, maximum reduction rates of 65%, 93%, and 88% were achieved for clothianidin, thiamethoxam, and propoxur, respectively. Only clothianidin yielded a single degradation product which is suggested to be formed by cyclic rearrangement following the loss of Cl and NO₂, while those of thiamethoxam and propoxur were not detected. PAW produced by atmospheric pin-hole air plasma jet demonstrated superior degradation efficiency with minimal toxic by-product formation. The findings contribute valuable insights into sustainable practices for environmental detoxification.