Journal of Applied and Natural Science
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Antioxidant potential and polyphenols analysis of medicinal herb Ocimum tenuiflorum (Shyama Tulsi)
Get PDFOcimum tenuiflorum considered the queen of herbs, is a clinically proven medicinal plant. O.tenuiflorum has two varients: Shyama Tulsi and Rama Tulsi. Yet, no clear record of polyphenols in Shyama Tulsi is available in the literature. So, the present study aimed to analyse the antioxidant potential and polyphenolic content of O.tenuiflorum (Shyama Tulsi). The leaves were procured from the Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, College of Agriculture at Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agriculture University (CCS HAU), Hisar, India and extracted with 50 % methanol (OtM) and sequentially fractionated with n-hexane (OtH), ethyl acetate (OtE) and n-butanol (OtB). Total phenolic and flavonoid content was determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu Colorimetric method; and the aluminum chloride using the Colorimetric method. The antioxidant potential was evaluated through DPPH (2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl), ABTS (2,2’-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) and FRAP (Ferric reducing antioxidant power) assay, using ascorbic acid as a positive control. The study revealed that total phenolic and flavonoid content were highest in methanol extract, i.e. 863.63±0.17 mg GAE/g, 310.16±0.25 mg QE /g, followed by n-butanol, ethyl acetate and n-hexane. The antioxidant potential was highest in the n-butanol fraction compared to all other fractions. HR-LCMS profiling of OtB and OtE showed the presence of different polyphenols like 6-C-Galactosylluteolin, quercitrin, apigenin 4’-O-glucoside, caffeic acid, myricitrin, kaempferol and their derivatives. The presence of different polyphenols and the higher antioxidant activity of this medicinal herb make it an alternative source for treating various ailments and human health problems.
Quality and functional attributes of muffins with incorporation of fruit, vegetable, and grain substitutes: A review
Get PDFRaw ingredients directly affect the quality of processed foods. Along with improvements in processing technology, processed food production has grown significantly. The percentage of bakery products in total food consumption is very high, and soft bakery foods despite having a short shelf life, are well-liked because of their deliciousness. Special attention is paid to muffins with various combinations of nutritive ingredients and organoleptic qualities. Recent research studies have extensively covered the use of various fruits, vegetables, and grain and their by products as raw materials and value-added incorporation in the muffin to produce a nutrient-rich and highly valuable muffin. The present study provides a detailed observation of three major categories of incorporated ingredients, including fruits, vegetables, and their processing by products, as well as some other grain-based ingredients used as raw materials that add value. The study compiles a brief for their use in baked goods while reviewing the literature on ingredients. The findings of the literature analysis show an increase in the nutritional content of bioactive substances like antioxidants in the muffins. It has been revealed that using ingredients derived from fruits and vegetables is safer and more effective in terms of nutrition. Muffins may have a higher quality and better nutritional profile when certain combinations of fruit- and vegetable-based ingredients are added to the main ingredient. It will be helpful to researchers, food manufacturers, and small and medium-scale bakery unit operators about various aspects of the raw materials and properties connected with new muffin formulations and the standardization of stabilized products.
Physicochemical properties of native Jack bean (Canavalia ensiformis) starch: An underutilised legume
Get PDFLegumes are a cost-effective source of proteins and abundant starch, a biodegradable substance, providing human nutrition and serving various food sectors globally. Some of the neglected (underutilised) legumes can also be used as the cheapest source of starch. Therefore, the present study was conducted to determine the physicochemical characteristics of jack bean (Canavalia ensiformis) starch - a legume not widely known so underutilised. The starch was isolated from the bean by standard method to study its various properties. One-way analysis of variance was employed to verify a significant difference at the 5% significance level. The jack bean yielded 30.98% of starch. The starch’s moisture, ash, fat, protein, fiber, and carbohydrate content were 9.67%, 0.19%, 0.27%, 0.56%, 0.27%, and 89.28% respectively. The physicochemical properties were also determined. The apparent and total amylose contents were 43.82% and 47.78%, respectively, with 7.66% of amylose leaching at 95°C. The water and oil absorption capacities were 2.31 and 2.56 g/g, respectively, while emulsion capacity and stability were 62.30 and 71.38 %, respectively. The solubility and swelling power of jack bean starch increased with temperature from 55 to 95°C. The effect of starch concentrations (6, 8, and 10%) on freeze-thaw stability revealed that water expelled decreased as starch content increased. Nevertheless, a comprehensive investigation has not been conducted into the distinct functional characteristics and other attributes of jack bean starch. This study could provide new opportunities for conventional starch industries that rely on starch from sources like cereals, tubers, and rhizomes.
Biocontrol measures to manage Parthenium hysterophorus: Current paradigms, scope and relevance
Get PDFParthenium hysterophorus, a noxious weed of tropical America, had relocated to Indian plains and rapidly encroached on north-western Himalayas Mountain regions. Earlier, the plant was primarily found in wastelands, but it now thrives in cultivated fields, pastures, and roadsides. Parthenium weed threatens human and animal health, destroys vegetation, lowers the diversity of native plant groups and causes significant financial damage to individuals and their significance in numerous nations worldwide. Parthenin, a sesquiterpene lactone found in P. hysterophorus, is harmful to livestock and poses a serious health risk to people, e.g., dermatitis and skin rashes, emaciation, tissue rupturing, internal organ haemorrhages and death are the hazardous side effects. Several studies are being conducted to determine the most efficient and reasonable method to control this harmful weed worldwide, including physical, chemical and biological ones. The study revealed that biocontrol of P. hysterophorus was a cost-effective, safe and viable technique and poses no threat to non-target organisms, environment and biodiversity, e.g., some allelopathic plants are used to curb the growth of congress grass. The combined effects of biocontrol agents like insects, fungi, nematodes, snails, slugs, and competitive plants decrease the density and vigour of congress grass and increase its production. The work done over the past 20 years on screening and evaluating both insect and fungal agents and the actual and potential employment of natural enemies as traditional biological control agents has been discussed. The study concludes that biological control, because of its affordability, environmental safety and sustainability, could be a significant constituent of an effective strategy for managing weed.
A study on the evaluation of heavy metals accumulation in electrokinetically treated sewage sludge by Spinacia oleracea
Get PDFThe sewage sludge (SS) profile combines potentially toxic metals and organic matter that help nourish the soil in many ways. Still, toxicity raises concerns about the contamination of the food chain and pollution of the soil, water, and air. Treatment of raw SS by physical and chemical methods is a challenging task with a big budget and does not support the sustainable approach. On the other hand, phytoremediation coupled with electrokinetic treatment treats the raw sludge by extracting the maximum amount of heavy metals (HMS) and enhancing its quality by improving the physicochemical parameters. The core study of this paper is to determine the accumulation of heavy metals from EKT SS by Spinacia oleracea. Two setups were prepared by amending the SS with garden soil; one (untreated) was directly subjected to phytoremediation, whereas EKT influenced the other for 11 days and allowed the plant to grow (treated). Results have shown that the extraction of Pb and Zn was high in both sets without compromising the plant\u27s metabolism. EKT encourages the organic carbon, pH, and conductivity of the SS and promotes the growth of the plant in comparison to the untreated setup. EKT made all elements highly available, helping plants to absorb some high elements efficiently, and some elements, such as As and Cr, reported the lowest extraction. Pb is known for its high toxicity, but Spinach could absorb more than the range by increasing its stress tolerance index.
Performance of Brown top millet (Brachiaria ramosa L.) grown under problematic soils
Get PDFBrown top millet distinguishes itself as unique due to its elevated levels of protein, carbohydrates, crude fibre, calcium, iron, and dietary fibre. Recently, it has gained recognition among various little millets for its significant potential to thrive in resource-poor and vulnerable ecological conditions. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the performance of this emerging Brown top millet in diverse and challenging soils prevalent in Tamil Nadu. The assessment primarily focused on its growth, yield, and yield attributes in these diverse soil environments. The pot experiment was conducted in the Department of Agronomy, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, during the Kharif 2023 season. Five problematic soils were collected from various zones in Tamil Nadu and compared with the millet-growing soils of TNAU, Coimbatore (Control), and tested in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Brown top millet\u27s growth, yield, and yield attributes were calculated using the standard formula. The study revealed that the treatment of acidic soils of Annaikatti, Coimbatore district recorded significantly higher plant height (105.5 cm), Leaf area index (LAI) (2.13), Soil Plant Analysis Development chlorophyll meter value (28.5), dry matter production (26.68 g plant-1), number of effective tillers plant-1 (8.0), panicle length (17.6 cm), panicle weight (14 g), grain yield (12.7 g plant-1), and test weight (3.3 g) and found comparable with sandy clay loam soils of Eastern Block 37B TNAU, Coimbatore (Control). The lowest values were recorded with the sodic soils of ADAC& RI, Trichy. The present study concluded that the Brown top millet has shown its adaptability to acidic and moderate saline soils and could perform better with effective management strategies.
Effect of artificial light sources on the growth of green oak lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) grown in plant factories
Get PDFArtificial light sources in plant factories offer numerous advantages over traditional plant production. Optimal artificial lighting systems will provide sufficient light to promote plant growth. Thus, this study aimed to determine different artificial light sources on plant growth, especially on internode length, root length, potassium (K), Calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg) contents of green oak lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.). Three artificial light sources were utilized in the plant factory: a fluorescent lamp (FL) typically used in plant factories and two light-emitting diodes (LED): bulb-LED and bar-LED lamps. Alternate periods of 12 h of light and dark were applied to the used factories. The results indicated that the lettuce grown under bulb-LED irradiation exhibited the lowest internode length and highest root length of green oak lettuce, regardless to light intensity and the higher photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) values of bulb-LED at the growing stage. K, Ca, and Mg contents in the lettuce shoot decreased in the order of K > Ca > Mg for all artificial light sources. The highest K, Ca, and Mg contents were 14.77±3.08, 4.77±0.92 and 108.14±9.36 mg/g dried weight (DW) obtained in lettuce grown under FL irradiation. Lower FL light intensity promotes nutrient deficiency, resulting in increased plant uptake. There was no significant difference in nutrient content between plants grown with bulb-LED and bar-LED. The K/Ca and K/Mg mole ratios were lowest in plants grown under FL irradiation. These findings suggest that FL can be used to control lettuce nutrient levels, whereas bulb-LED can be used to control lettuce growth.
Molecular characterization of antibiotic resistance and virulence genes on plasmids of Proteus mirabilis isolated from urine samples of Hospitals in Mosul City, Iraq
Get PDFAntibiotic resistance genes when found on plasmids can be passed on to other strains causing spread of antibiotic resistance across bacteria. The present work aimed to identify virulence and resistance genes on Proteus mirabilis plasmids. A total of 37 P. mirabilis strains were isolated from 420 urine samples from patients attending different hospitals in Mosul City, Iraq, from December 2022 to April 2023 and identified using biochemical and molecular methods. Their resistance towards 18 antibiotics was tested and their plasmid DNA analysis showed that 21 of 37 Proteus strains contained plasmids. Four groups of primers were used for PCR experiments. The first group included primers used to identify six genetic regions, namely (CITM, DHAM, ACCM, EBCM, FOXM, MOXM1). Results showed that 85.71% of isolates carried FOXM on their plasmids and 14.28% carried MOXM and 4.76% carried CITM. However, DHAH, ACCM, and EBCM were not detected on plasmids. The second group included zapA, ireA (siderophore receptor), hpmA (hemolysin) and mrpA, (fimbriae) genes. zapA was detected in 80.95% of P. mirabilis plasmids, followed by ireA at a rate of 76.19%, hpmA at 14.28%, and mrpA at 4.76%. The third group included CTXG1, CTXG2, CTXG9, CTXG8 and CTXG25. The results showed that CTX9 was the highest gene detected, 76.19%, followed by CTXG1 71.42%, while CTXG2, CTXG8, and CTXG25 were only detected on the chromosome. Finally, the pathogenic genes PmIJ1 and qnrD were found on P. mirabilis plasmids at 52.38% and 47.61%, respectively. The present results showed that plasmids are increasingly spread among clinical local isolates of P. mirabilis, and serious precautions are required.
CRISPR-Cas system in multi drugs resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae from different clinical samples and its correlation with antibiotic-resistant genes in Mosul city / Iraq
Get PDFClustered, regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPRs) and their related genes (Cas) are prevalent in the genomes of several bacteria and serve as a defense mechanism against external attackers, such as plasmids and viruses. This study aimed to examine the frequency of the CRISPR/Cas system in naturally occurring strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae sub spp pneumoniae confirmed by Vitek 2 biochemical test, in the hospital setting and determine its correlation with antibiotic resistance both phenotypically and genetically (antibiotic-resistant genes, namely blaTEM and AcrA efflux pump gene). The research was conducted at Medical College/ Mosul University 23 multi-drug resistant K. pneumoniae sub spp. pneumoniae that were obtained from 230 clinical samples from infected patients with different types of infections attending Al-Salam and Al-Jumhoree Teaching hospitals. PCR was used to detect blaTEM, AcrA genes, and CRISPR/Cas system genes (CAS1A and CAS1B) among the clinical isolates. The correlation between the CRISPR/Cas system and antibiotic-resistance was determined. All the isolates were multiple drug-resistant strains, and the blaTEM gene was detected in all clinical isolates, whereas AcrA gene was detected in 94% of the isolates. The frequency of CAS1A and CAS1B was 21.73% and 86.95% respectively. There was an inverse correlation between the CAS1A gene and phenotypic antibiotic resistance Disc diffusion test results, so isolates carrying CAS1A gene were less resistant to different antibiotics studied in this research. In contrast, there was no significant correlation between CRISPR / Cas genes, blaTEM, and AcrA genes at the genetic level.
Biogas production from water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) harvested from River Wouri, Douala, Cameroon
Get PDFOver the past three decades, growing global interest has been in replacing fossil fuels with clean energy from renewable resources. As a result, biogas generation from biodegradable organic waste has become increasingly popular, and water hyacinth is a menace wherever it exists. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) from River Wouri as a biogas substrate. Equal volumes (700 mL) of water hyacinth and poultry-based inoculum were prepared, each with a duplicate. The 8 substrates were placed in 1-liter plastic and incubated in a water bath at 37± 2 °C for 106 days. The substrates were subsampled before and after incubation to analyse the dry matter, moisture, volatile solids, ash contents, and pH. The volume of biogas produced from each digester was collected in plastic bags and measured every three days; hence, the methane produced was calculated. Results indicated an increase in the moisture contents of the substrates, while pH levels remained unchanged after incubation. The rate of destruction of volatile solids increased with the level of added inoculum. Biogas production started almost immediately for all the samples and largely followed a dome shape over the incubation period. Cumulative methane produced were 10.23, 11.84, 5.88, and 0.71 LCH4/kgVS, respectively, for 100% water hyacinth, 90% water hyacinth, 80% water hyacinth and 0% water hyacinth. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of the weed in biogas production, which could be an important method to manage River Wouri while generating renewable energy.