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Essential oils have antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, so it is considered one of the most suitable methods to maintain overall fruit quality, reduce decay and extend the shelf life of fruit during storage. Therefore, two experiments using fruits harvested from 14-year-old guava trees in a private farm located in Al-Busayli village, Rashied, Bohaira governorate, Egypt, during the 2021and 2022 seasons. The primary objective was to evaluate the influence of essential oils on the overall quality and extension of the shelf-life of winter guava fruit. The fruits were subjected to various treatments, including dipping in the following solutions (at 1000 ppm) for 5 minutes: control (distilled water), clove oil, eucalyptus oil, mustard oil, and jojoba oil. Subsequently, the coated fruits with essential oils were preserved in cold room with a temperature of 7±1°C and a relative humidity of 90 – 95 % for a duration of 24 days. The obtained data revealed that immersing in essential oils of winter guava fruits at concentration of 1000 ppm significantly reduced loss in weight of fruit, rot and respiration rate in addition its also improved fruit firmness. SSC%, acidity, SSC/acid ratio and ascorbic acid content compared to control treatment during cold storage. Moreover, the results show a significant reduction in loss of weight, decay, and respiration rate of guava fruits when Eucalyptus and clove oils were utilized. Furthermore, the applications of Eucalyptus and clove oils demonstrated effectiveness in keeping firmness, acidity, vitamin C content, SSC%, and SSC/acid ratio in guava fruits during the storage. In conclusion, Eucalyptus oil and cloves oil proved to be highly effective in reduce weight loss, decay, and respiration rates while concurrently maintaining the overall quality of winter guava fruits under cold storage conditions for a duration of 24 days, in comparison to the other treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was processed at the experimental orchards, Agriculture of Faculty, Assiut University, Egypt, to survey impact of nitrogen fertilizers at different sources on Manfalouty pomegranate trees growth, yield and fruit quality in 2020 and 2021seasons. The research design was randomized complete block of eight treatments with three replications. The results findings as follow Amending the advised of nitrogen dosage as twice (mineral-N plus organic or bio-form) or three sources of nitrogen fertilization were used: mineral-N, organic-N and bio-N form (mineral plus organic and bio-form) materially raised the shoot length, leaf surface, chlorophyll, leaf content of N, P and K comparing to mineral-N source only (control). All amending treatments materially raised the yield/tree, commercial fruit % and materially reduced the percentage of fruit cracking and sunburn comparable to use control. Amending with any triple form (organic + bio + mineral) materically amended the fruit traits due to raising the fruit weight, arils percentage, soluble solid contents, sugar and contents of anthocyanin and vitamin C and reducing the acidity and tannins contents comparing to use control treatment. It is obvious from the obtained data that the interest of organic and bio manures for pomegranates forms, where this is desired to amend the trees growth and nutritional status and production quality and then the package yield. Moreover, these amending reduce the production cost and ecological contamination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Wijam (Phytoplasma) disease of date palms is an economic threat to date palm output in Egypt. Disease symptoms were identified in various date palm-grown orchards. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to analyze a total of ten samples from five different date palm cultivars. These samples came from both healthy and diseased trees. The findings of the nested PCR (nPCR) experiment revealed the presence of 16S rDNA phytoplasma in the trees that were infected. Furthermore, one date palm cultivar (Magdoul) showed no infection, while the other four (Khalas, Sukary, Barhi, and Zaghloul) exhibited varying degrees of infectivity. Chlorophyll a, b, and total chlorophyll content were dramatically reduced due to biochemical alterations. Meanwhile, proline and carotenoid levels in infected plants increased while ascorbic acid and soluble sugar levels decreased. The activities of antioxidative enzymes such as polyphenol oxidase, peroxidase, catalase, and oxidase were increased in phytoplasma-infected trees. A technique for in vitro organogenesis to propagate date palm cultivars was demonstrated. Isolated meristematic tip cultures were grown on MS media supplemented with 2,4-D 100 mg/L and 1.5 g/L charcoal for four to nine weeks, depending on the cultivar. For cvs. "Magdoul" and "Barhee," callus regeneration, shoot elongation, and multiplication were performed on MS media containing 1 mg/L NAA and 1.5 g/L activated charcoal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The globe artichoke cv. 'Balady' is considered one of the most important cultivars in Egypt due to the earliness of its flowering compared with other cultivars, but the size of its head is small. Two field experiments were conducted during 2019-2020 and 2020-2021growing seasons to assess the effects of gibberellic acid (GA3) and kinetin (KN) alone or in various combinations on the growth, earliness, productivity, and head quality of globe artichokes. The results showed that plants treated with combination of GA3 (20 ppm) and KN (50 ppm) had superior effects on growth, number of early heads feddan-1, total number of heads feddan-1, fresh weight of head, and head size as measured by length, and diameter of the head. Comparison with the control, the foliar spraying of 20 ppm GA3 + 50 ppm KN raised the percentages of number of early head feddan-1 by 180 %, total number of head feddan-1 by24%, head fresh weight by 8%, head length by 21% and head diameter by 21%, in both seasons. Also, the same treatment recorded the highest values for the leaf minerals and chlorophyll contents as well as head quality traits (minerals, protein, inulin and ascorbic acid content). However, only the content of total phenolic compounds in heads was reduced with all exogenous hormone applications. Therefore, the combined treatment with 20 ppm GA3 and50ppm KN might be considered as an optimal treatment to produce the highest yield with good quality of globe artichoke cv. 'Balady'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two field eхpеrimеnts were соnduсtеd аt the Experimental Farm, Faculty of Agriculture, Fayoum University at "Dar El-Ramad" Fayoum Governorate, Egypt during the summer growing seasons of 2019 and 2020. The main objective of this study was to determine the effect of sowing dates, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), zinc and their interaction on growth and yield of maize ( Zea mays L.). The experimental layout was a split- split plot arranged in randomized complete block design with three replications where sowing dates were considered as the main plot, ascorbic acid arranged in the sub plot and the sub-sub plot occupied by zinc foliar application treatments. Results indicated that sowing dates, ascorbic acid and zinc treatments hаd а signifiсаnt impасts оn yield and its attributes in the two seasons, except ear number per plant in two seasons and number of grains per row in the second season as well as 100 grain weight in the first season. Foliar spray of ascorbic acid treatments lеd tо signifiсаnt diffеrеnсеs in yield and its attributes i.e. number of ears/plant, ear length, ear dimeter, ear weight, number of row/ear, number of grains/row, ear grain weight, 100-grain weight and grain and biological yield/fed, as well as harvest index. The obtained data reveale also that the effect of zinc treatments on yield and its attributes was significant in the two seasons, except ear number per plant in two seasons and ear length in second season as well as number of grains/row in the first season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two field experiments were carried out at a private farm at Manchat Nabhan, Fakose, Sharkia Governorate, Egypt during 2017/18 and 2018/19 winter seasons. The study aimed to find out the effect of five exogenous application levels of AsA and H2O2 (S0: without, S1:100 ppm AsA, S2: 200ppm AsA, S3: 30mM H2O2 and S4: 60mM H2O2) on wheat (Triticum asetivum, L. cv. Misr 1) under three treatments of irrigation water (4, 5 and 6 irrigations) using surface irrigation system. A randomized complete block split plot design with three replicates was used in each season. The irrigation treatments and the levels of AsA and H2O2 were randomly allocated in the main and sub-plots, respectively. The most important findings could be summarized as follows: At 105 days from planting, wheat plants under water stress (irrigation four times) without AsA and H2O2 application showed a significant decrease in leaf area index (LAI), relative water content (RWC %) and total chlorophyll in comparison to wheat plants under well watered in both seasons. In general, the highest values of these traits were significantly gained from the highest concentration of ascorbic acid (200 ppm) and H2O2 (60mM) in both seasons. At maturity, in both seasons, irrigations 4 times significantly resulted in lower spikes number m-2, 1000-grain weight and grain yields than those in the plots irrigated 6 times. Generally, the maximum values of these traits were significantly obtained from the highest levels of ascorbic acid and H2O2 in both seasons. Under stressed and unstressed plants, increasing AsA and H2O2 levels significantly improved all these traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disorder caused by many factors and related to serious complications. Diabetes mellitus includes oxidative stress and inflammation, in addition to hyperglycemia and resistance to insulin. Objectives. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of supplementation with vitamin C on blood glucose control and body mass index in type 2 diabetic patients of the family medicine outpatient clinic in Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt. Material and methods. This was a double-blind, randomized, controlled clinical trial. Sixty patients (n = 60) were distributed randomly into two groups: the intervention group (on 1 g of vitamin C orally for 12 weeks), and the control group (on a placebo for the same period). Only 55 patients completed the study (28 in the intervention group and 27 in the control group). Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C%) and body mass index (BMI) were assessed at the beginning and after 12 weeks. Results. The HbA1C percentage significantly decreased in the intervention group, supplemented with vitamin C, after 12 weeks as compared to the placebo group. The body mass index did not change significantly after the intervention. The intervention group had 75% glycemic improvement, while only 33.3% of the subjects improved in the control group. Absolute risk reduction (ARR) was 42%, the number of patients in need of treatment (NNT) was 2.38, the relative risk (RR) was 0.37, and the relative risk reduction (RRR) was 62%. Conclusions. Patients with type 2 diabetes may benefit from adding vitamin C to their routine management to control blood glucose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of organic vermicompost fertilizers is considered one of the promising fertilizer. Therefore, the experiment aimed to study the effect of using liquid vermicompost fertilizer as an alternative to chemical fertilizers in the production of lettuce, Crisp head variety. In this study, a field experiment was conducted during the two winter seasons of 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 at the Agricultural Research Station in the Abies region, affiliated to the Faculty of Agriculture, Alexandria University Egypt. This experiment aimed to evaluate the response of lettuce plants to the application of liquid vermicompost (LVC) fertilizer through four different concentrations (2.5%, 5%, 10%, and 20%), and the chemical fertilization treatment (100% NPK) in the recommended rate as a control treatment for lettuce production, on some vegetative growth characters; Fresh weight plant-1 (kg), head net weight plant-1 (kg), total yield fed-1 (ton), and unmarketable yield fed-1 (ton), in addition to some biochemical characteristics; vitamin C, dry matter, total soluble solids, and carbohydrates as well as estimate the element content and quality elements, such as nitrogen (N+ ), potassium (K+ ), phosphorus (P+ ), calcium (Ca2+ ), magnesium (Mg2+ ), and iron (Fe2+ ). The results showed a gradual significant increasing in the values of most of the studied traits by increasing the concentrations of vermicompost fertilizer from 2.5 % to 20%. The application of vermicompost treatment with a concentration of 20% LVC gave the highest significant values for most of the studied traits without a clear significant difference compared to the chemical fertilizer 100% NPK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacillus cereus is one of the foodborne pathogens that is incriminated in several outbreaks worldwide. The objectives of the current study were first to determine the prevalence of B. cereus -contaminated milk and dairy products retailed in Egypt. Secondly, the antimicrobial resistance profiling and virulence-associated genes of the recovered B. cereus isolates were assessed. Finally, natural and eco-friendly natural additives such as d -tryptophan and l -ascorbic acid were used for controlling the viability of Bacillus cereus spores. A total of 200 samples including market raw milk, Ultra-Heat Treated (UHT) milk, Kariesh cheese, soft white cheese (Damietta), and rice pudding, 50 of each were examined. The results of our study indicated that 31% of the examined dairy samples were contaminated with B. cereus. Surprisingly, 90% of the isolates showed multidrug-resistance against ampicillin, amoxicillin, oxacillin, and streptomycin. The molecular characterization revealed that 15 isolates harbored both hemolytic and non-hemolytic enterotoxin genes. Co-treatment of B. cereus spores-contaminated rice pudding with d -tryptophan at a concentration of 40 mM and l -ascorbic acid at a concentration of 3% revealed a significant reduction (P < 0.05) in the spore growth. Therefore, d -tryptophan and l -ascorbic acid are considered promising eco-friendly food preservatives with anti- B. cereus effects in the dairy industry. • Bacillus cereus could be isolated from Egyptian dairy products. • B. cereus isolates had multidrug resistance profiling. • B. cereus isolates had the ability to produce enterotoxins. • Ascorbic acid, and d -tryptophan had anti- Bacillus cereus effect. • The tested additives might act as promising tools against B. cereus growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed at investigation of the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of Salmonella spp. in the retailed dairies in Egypt. Besides, the inhibitory effects of some natural additives, including, ascorbic acid, pomegranate peel extract, and D-tryptophan against the isolated Salmonella were evaluated using soft cheese as a food matrix. To reach to this end, different Egyptian retail dairy products were investigated; 30 samples of each product were analyzed. Kariesh cheese samples had the highest Salmonella prevalence rate at 16.67%, followed by market raw milk, and bulk tank milk at 6.66% each, and white soft cheese at 3.33%. Serological examination exhibited 5 different Salmonella serotypes, namely S. Enteritidis , S. Typhimurium , S. Virchow, S. Larochelle, and S. Apeyeme. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing indicated that 100% of the isolates possessed resistance to erythromycin, oxacillin, and nalidixic acid. Some isolates of S. Typhimurium and S. Enteritidis were resistant to all 14 examined antibiotics. Isolates of S. Enteritidis obtained in this study were used to contaminate the freshly prepared soft cheese. Treatment of the artificially Salmonella -contaminated soft cheese with pomegranate peel extract, ascorbic acid, and D-tryptophan revealed a significant (P < 0.05) reduction in Salmonella growth in a dose-dependent manner. Therefore, the examined natural additives can be viewed as a promising new line of preservatives for dairy industry. • Various serovars of Salmonella spp. were present in retail Egyptian dairies. • All isolates of Salmonella spp. were resistant to erythromycin, oxacillin and nalidixic acid. • Some isolates of S. Typhimurium and S. Enteritidis were resistant to all 14 examined antibiotics. • Ascorbic acid, pomegranate peel extract and D-tryptophan had a dose-dependent anti- Salmonella effect in a soft cheese. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manilkara hexandra (Roxb.) Dubard (family Sapotaceae) is an edible fruit-producing tree widely distributed in western and central Indian states and cultivated in Egypt. M. hexandra is well known for its various nutritional and medicinal merits. Structure elucidation of the isolated compounds using 1D and 2D NMR along with MS revealed the identification of two new flavonoids, myricetin 3- O (3″- O -methyl) α -L-rhamnopyranoside (1), and 3- O -ethyl-dihydroquercetin (3- O -ethyltaxifolin) (8) from M. hexandra leaves and fruits, respectively. Additionally, 4 known flavonoids were identified from the leaves as β -4′-methoxy-myricetin-3- O-α -L-rhamnoside (2), 4′-methoxy-quercetin-3- O-α -L-rhamnoside (3), quercetin-3- O-α -L-rhamnoside (5) , and myricetin-3- O-α- L-rhamnoside (6) , together with 4 known compounds from fruit identified as gallic acid (7), myricetin (9), taxifolin (10) and quercetin (11) in addition to methyl gallate (4). The isolated new compounds were investigated for their in vitro antimicrobial activity against 4 fungal and 8 bacterial strains. Compounds 1 and 8 showed antifungal activity against 3 fungal strains, and potent antibacterial activity was observed against tested gram positive and gram negative bacteria with the highest inhibition effect against Pseudomonas aeruginosa with MIC 3.9 μg/mL. The antioxidant activity of M. hexandra leaves and fruits aqueous methanol extract and methanol soluble portion was evaluated using DPPH method revealing DPPH radical scavenging activity and the fruit methanol soluble portion (FMSP) was the most active with SC 50 = 12.8 (μg/mL) nearly equal to that of ascorbic acid. [Display omitted] • Two novel flavonoids were identified from Manilkara hexandra Dubard leaves and fruits. • Nine known phenolic compounds were found for the first time in M. hexandra. • In vitro antimicrobial activity of the new compounds. • In vitro DPPH radical scavenging activity of M. hexandra extracts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: There is paucity on the immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects of vitamin C on cytokines production in lambs with respiratory diseases. Therefore, the current study examined the influence of vitamin C on the production of different pro-inflammatory cytokines in lambs naturally infected by pneumonic pasteurellosis. In lambs naturally infected with pneumonic pasteurellosis, the association between measured proinflammatory cytokines and clinical sum score demonstrated a positive correlation with interleukin-6 and interferon gamma. The findings show that vitamin C has a selective effect on the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in sera of lambs with pneumonic pasteurellosis when used in combination with tulathromycin, and confirming the therapeutic effectiveness of tulathromycin in clinical recovery of lambs with pneumonic pasteurellosis. In this study, we have investigated the impact of vitamin C on the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin 1 β (IL-1 β), interleukin 6 (IL-6), interleukin 12p40 (IL-12p40), interferon gamma (IFNγ), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α)) in lambs naturally infected by pneumonic pasteurellosis. Of 37 lambs, 18 lambs were identified to have pneumonic pasteurellosis and randomly allocated into two equal groups. Single subcutaneous dose of tulathromycine alone (2.5 mg kg−1) or tulathromycine combined with vitamin C (3 gm kg−1) were administrated to the diseased lambs. The serum levels of IL-1β, IL-6, IFN-γ, and TNF-α were returned to the normal levels in pneumonic lambs treated with the combination therapy. The obtained results indicate the selective influences of vitamin C on pro-inflammatory cytokines production in sera of lambs with pneumonic pasteurellosis and highlights the value of vitamin C as a potential anti-inflammatory drug and ideal immunomodulatory agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]