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Glucosinolates (β-thioglucoside-N-hydroxysulfates) are rich-sulfur secondary metabolites presented in a large variety of plants mainly in Cruciferous. They may be hydrolyzed by an endogene enzyme called myrosinase to liberate numerous sub-products such as isothiocyanates, thiocyanates and nitriles. Glucosinolates possess biological activity, which reinforce their potential applications as natural biofumigant agents to replace chemical pesticides. However, the presence of these compounds in the meal after oil extraction blocks its use as animal feed. The objective of this investigation was to develop an eco-friendly process to recover glucosinolates from mustard seed meal rich in sinigrin and gluconapin conventionally extracted using methanol at high temperature. The object is to obtain simultaneously an active extract rich in GSL as biopesticide and a detoxified meal rich in proteins suitable for animal feeding. For this purpose, mustard seeds were first defatted using a laboratory hydraulic press. The pressing was occurred at 100 bars and 80 °C for 80 min allowing the recovery of 84% of intracellular oil. The obtained defatted meal is rich in proteins (35.8–40.8%), sinigrin (128.8–139.5 μmol/g DM) and gluconapin (14.8–18.4 μmol/g DM). The objective was to maximize the extraction of glucosinolates and to minimize the extraction of proteins using only “green solvents” (ethanol and water) to preserve the nutritional quality of meal as animal feed. Preliminar optimization was performed using grinding as standard pretreatment and followed by liquid/solid extraction; it allowed to recover 88% of sinigrin and 73.7% of gluconapin after 8 min using a solution of 40% ethanol at 40 °C in 10-fold excess (w/w). Only 19.6% and 20.3% respectively of sinigrin and gluconapin were recovered with the same conditions on untreated meal. Influence of high-voltage electrical discharges (HVED) on the selective extraction of glucosinolates was then investigated. The application of HVED at 40 kV for 5 ms permitted to recover 97% of sinigrin and 75% of gluconapin without further diffusion operation. Temperature increase during HVED operation did not exceed 12 °C. Glucosinolates extraction selectivity was better with HVED in compare to grinding + diffusion operation with lower proteins extraction (2.3% vs. 6.8%). The residual meal conserved high proteins content (40.3%) and very low glucosinolates concentration (6.8 μmol/g DM), thus suitable for animal feeding.

The Parable was conceived by a group of Dominican women and men who imagined a future of collaboration from a past of cooperation in traditional ministries. The transformative grace of Vatican II and the renewed understanding of the Order as the Dominican Family were catalysts stimulating a new sense of possibilities for the renewal of Dominican life and mission—the possible revelation of “the extraordinary within the ordinary.” For more than thirty years Parable Conference for Dominican Life and Mission generated a vast network of Dominicans coming together to renew Dominican energies for mission and to strengthen the bonds of family. Within those years the prophetic mustard seed grew into an abundant living reality of retreats and conferences, think tanks and publications, and lectures and workshops that welcomed all branches of the Dominican Family.

Not even Pope John XXIII anticipated from his council a document on Jewish relations, much less interreligious relations. An unexpected appointment in June 1960 with the Holocaust survivor Jules Isaac, planted the idea in the pope’s mind and also with Cardinal Agustin Bea, S.J., head of the newly formed Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity. Bea concurred that the Secretariat might facilitate relations with the Jews in the preparations for the council. The idea eventually required a statement, but a first draft was removed from the agenda for Middle East concerns, just weeks before the council’s opening. Pope John restored the document to the agenda after the first session, and a draft on the Jews grew, like the biblical mustard seed, into a tree, “in which all the non-Christian religions find a place in it.” Truly an outcome of the conciliar process, Nostra Aetate is the shortest but most controversial, in certain ways, of all “sixteen documents.” The election of Paul VI quickly became a factor in its favor with his support for another secretariat “for those who profess religions other than those among Christians” and his 1964 encyclical promoting dialogue, Ecclesiam Suam. The Secretariat drew help from missionaries, experts on Islam and the other traditions, and bishops from Asia and Africa and addressed serious challenges from Eastern Catholic bishops and from a minority refusing to change. Paulist Thomas Stransky, an original member of Bea’s staff, commented after its final approval, “What is said in the declaration may seem naive in centuries to come, but at the present, it would be difficult for the council to come up with any more than it has.”

Background Despite recent improvements in child survival, neonatal mortality continues to decline at a slower rate and now represents 47% of under-five deaths globally. The World Health Organization developed core indicators to better monitor the quality of maternal and newborn health services. One such indicator for newborn health is “the proportion of newborns who received all four elements of essential care”. The four elements are immediate and thorough drying, skin to skin contact, delayed cord clamping, and early initiation of breastfeeding. Although there is existing evidence demonstrating an association with decreased neonatal mortality for each element individually, the cumulative impact has not yet been examined. Methods This analysis uses data from a randomized trial to examine the impact of sunflower versus mustard seed oil massage on neonatal mortality and morbidity in the Sarlahi district in Southern Nepal from 2010 to 2017. The proportion of newborn infants receiving an intervention was the exposure and neonatal mortality was the outcome in this analysis. Neonatal mortality was defined as a death between three hours and less than 28 days of age. Associations between neonatal mortality and the essential elements were estimated by Cox proportion hazards models. The hazard ratios and corresponding 95% confidence intervals were reported. Results 28,121 mother-infant pairs and 753 neonatal deaths were included. The percent receiving the individual elements ranged from 19.5% (skin to skin contact) to 68.2% (delayed cord clamping). The majority of infants received one or two of the elements of essential care, with less than 1% receiving all four. Skin to skin contact and early initiation of breastfeeding were associated with lower risk of neonatal mortality (aHR = 0.64 [0.51, 0.81] and aHR = 0.72 [0.60, 0.87], respectively). The risk of mortality declined as the number of elements received increased; receipt of one element compared to zero was associated with a nearly 50% reduction in risk of mortality and receipt of all four elements resulted in a 72% decrease in risk of mortality. Conclusions The receipt of one or more of the four essential elements of newborn care was associated with improved neonatal survival. The more elements of care received, the more survival improved.

A field experiment was carried out in Felin Experimental Farm (2019) in Lublin region (Poland) in order to determine the effect of white mustard (Sinapis alba L.) seed meal (MSM) on weed density as well as on borage plant growth and yield under field cultivation. MSM scattered on soil surface at rates of 2 and 3 t ha−1 when weeds emerged and a day before emergence of borage did not affect the number of borage seedlings but caused transient growth stunting and chlorosis of cotyledons and first leaves. However, final plant height, yield of above-ground parts, mericarp dimensions and weight, content of oil in mericarps, and oil composition were not significantly affected by MSM treatment. At harvest, MSM had decomposed completely, supplying considerable amounts of phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium to the soil, but did not affect its pH or organic matter content. MSM suppressed weed density by 37%–46% during the period of highest sensivity of borage to weed competition. Among dominant weeds occurring in the experiment, Gnaphalium uliginosum and Stellaria media were the most susceptible to MSM, while Amaranthus retroflexus and Galinsoga ciliata were mildly susceptible, Echinochloa cruss-galli and Poa annua were less susceptible, and the least susceptible species was Capsella bursa-pastoris. Obtained results show that MSM may have value for early season weed suppression in borage cultivation.

This paper describes the first biosensor reported to date for the determination of mustard seed traces. The biosensor consists of an amperometric immunosensing platform able to sensitively and selectively determine Sin a 1 content, the major allergen of yellow mustard and the most abundant protein of these seeds. The immunosensing platform exploits the coupling of magnetic microbeads (MBs) modified with sandwich-type immune complexes, comprising polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies, selective to the target protein for its capturing and detection, respectively. In addition, a HRP-conjugated secondary antibody was used for enzymatic labelling of the monoclonal antibody, and amperometric transduction was made at screen-printed carbon electrodes (SPCEs) using the hydroquinone (HQ)/H2O2 system. The electrochemical immunosensor allows the simple and fast detection (a single 1-h incubation step) of Sin a 1 with a limit of detection of 0.82 ng mL−1 (20.5 pg of protein in 25 μL of sample) with high selectivity against structurally similar non-target allergenic proteins (such as Pin p 1 from pine nut). The developed immunoplatform was successfully used for the analysis of peanut, rapeseed, cashew, pine nut and yellow mustard extracts, giving only positive response for the yellow mustard extract with a Sin a 1 content, in full agreement with that provided by conventional ELISA methodology.

Analyses of fatty acids were carried out in oil samples derived from white mustard. Two cultivars of white mustard (Sinapis alba L.) were evaluated: 'Borowska', and 'Bamberka'. The oil content in the seeds of the tested cultivars was 276 and 290 g/kg, respectively. The oils obtained differed significantly in the composition of fatty acids. The oil from 'Borowska' contained less saturated fatty acids (4.86%) in comparison to 'Bamberka' (10.36%). The content of erucic acid was 22.2% in the 'Borowska' oil, while the oil from 'Bamberka' contained only 3.8% of this component. The research shows that the oil pressed from 'Borowska' can be used for technical purposes, and the oil derived from the cultivar 'Bamberka' can be used for food purposes due to the low content of erucic acid in the fatty acid composition and the beneficial fatty acid composition. As a component of diet, the low-erucic acid oil from the cultivar 'Bamberka' can be a source of unsaturated fatty acids (total 67.25%). The lower levels of linoleic (9.46 %) and linolenic (8.35%) acid, compared with 'Borowska' (respectively: 12.5 and 10.5%), may contribute to increased oil oxidative stability during storage.

Fusarium graminearum is a phytopathogenic fungus that causes Fusarium head blight in small-grain cereals, such as wheat, with significant yield reductions. Moreover, it contaminates the cereal grains with health-threatening mycotoxins, such as deoxynivalenol (DON), jeopardizing food and feed safety. Plant-based biopesticides, i.e. botanicals, have recently gained increased interest in crop protection as alternatives to synthetic chemical products. The main objective of this study was to test the control efficacy of botanicals based on white or Indian/Oriental mustard seed flours (Tillecur – Ti, Pure Yellow Mustard – PYM, Pure Oriental Mustard – POM, Oriental Mustard Bran – OMB) on F. graminearum infection and mycotoxin accumulation in wheat grain. Botanicals at 2% concentration showed a higher efficacy in inhibiting mycelium growth in vitro compared with a prothioconazole fungicide (F). In the growth chamber experiment under controlled conditions, the spraying agents reduced DON content in grain in the following order: F = Ti = PYM > POM > OMB. The antifungal activity of the botanicals may be attributed to their bioactive matrices containing isothiocyanates (ITCs) and phenolic acids. Allyl ITC was detected in POM and OMB at 8.38 and 4.48 mg g–1, while p-hydroxybenzyl ITC was found in Ti and PYM at 2.56 and 2.44 mg g–1, respectively. Considerable amounts of various phenolic acids were detected in all botanicals. Under field conditions, only the use of F significantly decreased F. graminearum infection and DON content in grain. An additional important finding of this study is that disease control was more difficult when infection was done with ascospores than conidia, which might have several potential implications considering that ascospores are more important in Fusarium head blight epidemics. Our results suggest that mustard-based botanicals are promising biopesticides for the control of Fusarium head blight in small-grain cereals, but for field applications, an appropriate formulation is necessary to stabilize and prolong the antifungal activity, especially against ascospores. ISSN:1664-302X

The emerging economy of India counts agriculture as its top priority, suggesting that the prices of these commodities affect the stock market and domestic inflation. This paper investigates the long-run and short-run interactions between the select agricultural commodities and Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) stock index by applying daily data using the Autoregressive Distributive Lag (ARDL) bound test to investigate the cointegration relationship. The findings indicate the absence of cointegration between National Commodity and Derivative Exchange (NCDEX) agricultural commodities and Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) FMCG index. Additionally, this study uses the Toda and Yamamoto approach of Granger causality test to analyze the causal relationship between variables under study. The evidence reveals absence of causal relationship between FMCG index and agricultural commodities except for cottonseed, rape mustard seed and jeera. Furthermore, this test confirms only unidirectional causal relationship from these commodities to FMCG index. Finally, our analysis provides an opportunity for investors to hedge their risk due to the absence of causality and cointegration between FMCG index and agricultural commodities by diversifying their portfolio in both the markets.

Objective. Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are the most commonly treated acute problems in general practice. Instead of treatment with antibiotics, therapies from the field of integrative medicine play an increasingly important role within the society. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether mustard footbaths improve the symptoms of patients with RTIs. Methods. The study was designed as a pilot study and was carried out as an interventional trial with two points of measurement. Between November and December 2017, six practices were invited to participate. Two of them participated in the study. Patients were included who presented with an RTI at one of the involved primary care practices during February and April 2018. Participants in the intervention group used self-administered mustard seed powder footbaths at home once a day, to be repeated for six consecutive days. The improvement of symptoms was measured using the “Herdecke Warmth Perception Questionnaire” (HeWEF). A variance analysis for repeated measurements was performed to analyse differences between the intervention and control groups. Results. In this pilot study, 103 patients were included in the intervention group and 36 patients were included in the control group. A comparison of the intervention and control group before the intervention started showed nearly no difference in their subjective perception of warmth measured by the HeWEF questionnaire. Participants of the intervention group who used mustard seed footbaths for six consecutive days showed an improvement in four of the five subscales of the HeWEF questionnaire. Conclusions. This study could provide a first insight into a possible strategy to improve symptoms regarding RTI by using mustard seed footbaths.

The present paper reports the first systematic archaeobotanical evidence from Bangladesh together with direct AMS radiocarbon dates on crop remains. Macro-botanical remains were collected by flotation from two sites, Wari-Bateshwar (WB), an Early Historic archaeological site, dating mainly between 400 and 100 BC, with a later seventh century AD temple complex, and Raghurampura Vikrampura (RV), a Buddhist Monastery (vihara) located within the Vikrampura city site complex and dating to the eleventh and sixteenth centuries AD. Despite being a tropical country, with high rainfall and intensive soil processes, our work demonstrates that conventional archaeobotany, the collection of macro-remains through flotation, has much potential towards putting together a history of crops and agricultural systems in Bangladesh. The archaeobotanical assemblage collected from both sites indicates the predominance of rice agriculture, which would have been practiced in summer. Spikelet bases are of domesticated type rice, while grain metrics suggest the majority of rice was probably subspeciesjaponica.The presence of some wetland weeds suggests at least some of the rice was grown in wet (flooded) systems, but much of it may have been rainfed as inferred from the Southeast Asian weedAcmella paniculata. Other crops include winter cereals, barley and possible oat, and small numbers of summer millets (Pennisetum glaucum,Sorghum bicolor,Setaria italica), a wide diversity of summer and winter pulses (14 spp.), cotton, sesame and mustard seed. Pulse crops included many known from India. Thus, while most crops indicate diffusion of crops from India eastwards, the absence ofindicarice could also indicate some diffusion from Southeast Asia. The later site RV also produced evidence of the rice bean (Vigna umbellata), a domesticate of mainland Southeast Asia. These data provide the first empirical evidence for reconstructing past agriculture in Bangladesh and for the role of connections to both India and mainland Southeast Asia in the development of crop diversity in the Ganges delta region.

This study synthesized a novel heterogeneous catalyst using lanthanum titanium dioxide (LaTiO3) nanoparticles via co-precipitation and calcination processes. The proposed LaTiO3 NPs were used for biodiesel production from wild mustard seed oil in the presence of methanol. The solid catalyst material was characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The process of trans-esterification was affected by the reaction conditions, such as the molar ratio of alcohol to oil (4:1), amount of catalyst (100 mg), reaction time (60 min), and temperature (80 °C). Under optimized conditions, the highest rate of biodiesel was 92.21% at 80 °C for 60 min in the presence of LaTiO3 NPs. Finally, the catalyst showed a maintained performance for at least five runs and up to eight runs. This result implied that the reported catalyst has a high potential to produce biodiesel at a reasonable cost and appropriate reaction conditions.

The utility of a novel technology based on heat and relative humidity (RH) was examined; the method was used to treat experimentally contaminated radish, mung bean, mustard, and alfalfa seeds. Seeds were inoculated with high (ca. 7 log CFU/g) or low (ca. 3 log CFU/g) levels of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella Typhimurium, and Listeria monocytogenes, and treated at 65 °C/40% RH for 8, 15, or 22 h. The 15 h treatment reduced the numbers of E. coli O157:H7 and S. Typhimurium on all seeds to below the detection limit (10 CFU/g), whereas longer treatment (up to 22 h) was needed for L. monocytogenes. At 8 h, L. monocytogenes on mung bean was significantly less susceptible to combined treatment that L. monocytogenes on other seeds (P 0.05). However, the mustard seed viability fell by about 9.8%. These findings indicate that the environmentally friendly technology is a wide spectrum method of decontaminating sprout seeds, with little concomitant reduction in seed quality.

Although mustards are ideal rotational crops in moisture-limited environments, biofuels production from mustard seed isn’t economically feasible unless the de-oiled seed meal is used to generate co-products. 4-Hydroxybenzyl alcohol (HBA) derived from Sinapis alba (yellow mustard) seed meal is a potentially high value co-product that acts as a skin lightening agent. With increasing demand for skin lightening agents, there is need for the development of alternative products preferably derived from what are perceived as renewable, safer natural materials. Although HBA is known to have inhibitory activity on the tyrosinase reaction by reducing melanin production, the use of HBA from S. alba, a widely grown agricultural crop, has not been described. Our objective was to evaluate the potential of an HBA-containing S. alba extract to act as an inhibitor for the tyrosinase reaction by 1) optimizing the conditions for production and recovery of HBA from S. alba seed meal and 2) quantifying the inhibitory effect of S. alba seed meal extracts on the tyrosinase-activated reaction of l -3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine ( l -DOPA). The optimized procedure to produce an S. alba mustard seed meal extract with an HBA concentration of 2 mM included using ground mustard meal, 100 mM citrate-phosphate buffer (pH 3.8), and a 24-h incubation. The calculated IC50 value for the S. alba extract is equivalent to 6.0 μM demonstrating that potency of the extract is comparable to that achieved using standard skin lightening agents. The procedure for HBA extraction from seed meal is relatively rapid and does not require sophisticated equipment or solvent systems, making it easily adapted to large scale industrial processing facilities. The potential thus exists to use a feedstock that is readily available from an agriculturally important oilseed crop to produce HBA as a natural tyrosinase inhibitor.

This study aimed to investigate the toxicity of BTEX (benzene, toluene, xylene and ethylbenzene) on a microcosm scale using the MS-3 multispecies system. The multispecies system (MS-3) was employed to investigate the BTEX diluted in water and ethanol. The columns for the test were prepared in PVC tubes, open at the top and the bottom was covered by a mesh. In each system were added soil macro-decomposers (earthworm and woodlice) and plant species (mustard and lettuce). The soil used in the column was dried beforehand and sieved. It was placed in MS-3 system up to 20 cm height of soil and approximately 6 kg of soil. During the 14 days of experiment, five applications of BTEX were performed and, at the end of the period, the growth and survival of organisms and enzymatic activity in the soil were analyzed. After the exposure time, it observed the decrease in the weight of the woodlice and a reduction in lettuce and mustard seed germination in BTEX water system, while there was no statistically significant difference between the BTEX + ethanol system and their respective control. There were no changes of mortality in macro-invertebrates, length of seedlings or alterations of the soil microbial activity. With our data, we conclude that the implementation of this model to evaluate the quality of the soil constitutes a promising alternative in ecotoxicological investigations and that the BTEX can affect soil organisms in different ways.

The evaluation of hepatoprotective effect of Mustard seed (MS) extract was assessed against paracetamol induced hepatic injury in albino rats. Animals were divided into 4 groups, each of 5 rats. Group I served as control group; group II treated with ethanolic extract from Mustard seed at a dose level of 500 mg/kg body weight orally once for 10 days. Group III represents induced liver injury animals using single dose of paracetamol (PCT). Group IV combined treatment of MS extract and PCT. Elevated serum marker enzymes such as ALT, AST, ALP, GGT and LDH were observed due to paracetamol treatment. Combined administration of MS extract with PCT to rat partially normalized the altered hepatic biochemical markers caused by PCT. Moreover, PCT caused histological changes in livers of rat including swelling and dilation in sinusoidal space, inflammation in portal tract and hepatocytes, as well as, hyperplasia in Kuppfer cells. However, co-administration of MS extract with PCT alleviated to some extent the changes caused by PCT but not as the normal liver. The results of this study strongly indicate that Mustard seed has possible potent hepatoprotective action against paracetamol induced hepatic damage in rats.

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are one of the nanomaterials that can be applied to agriculture. This work investigates the beneficial effects of MWCNT function on mustard plants. In this study, the material of MWCNTs is functionalized with nitric acid to attach the carboxylic group onto the tube wall. The functionalized MWCNTs were characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD, and FTIR. The MWCNT diameter produced ranges from 20 to 50 nm and the inner diameter is 5 to 10 nm at the pyrolysis temperature of 900 °C. It was found that crystallites of the MWCNTs have (002) and (100) directions. There is a weak peak in MWCNTs prior to the functionalization process due to the presence of metal carbide (Fe3C), which serves as an active catalyst. FTIR results clearly indicate the presence of hydroxyl and carboxylic groups. These functionalized MWCNTs were dispersed into distilled water with various concentrations at 25, 50 and 75 µg/mL. By utilizing an immersion time of 24 h, mustard (Brassica juncea) seeds were soaked in each functionalized and non-functionalized MWCNT solution. Functionalized MWCNT solution at a concentration of 50 µg/mL was found to affect the growth of mustard seeds more significantly.

Cresols are ubiquitous due to industrial production and natural presence. o-cresol (2-methyl phenol) is highly toxic to both fauna and flora. It has been included in the EPA list as one of the priority pollutants. The deleterious effects of pesticides, herbicides, and many other chemical compounds on seed germination are known. However, the effect of o-cresol on seed germination is not known. Therefore, it is of interest to study the effect of o-cresol on germination of 13 different vegetable crop seeds using standard Filter Paper Method. There is no effect on germination for brinjal, red chili, and (green gram, chickpea, cucumber, tomato, fenugreek, cowpea, Green pea, coriander, and spinach, seeds even at 1500 mg/l of o-cresol However, okra and mustard were found to be sensitive to ocresol. Germination of mustard under controlled concentration of o-cresol showed similar results by soil method. It was found that germination percentage and seedling vigour (Vigour Index) was reduced by o-cresol. The percent germination was reduced to 64 and 12 at 25 and 50 mg o-cresol/kg soil as against 100% in the case of untreated control. The vigour index was reduced to 160 and 10, respectively as against of 646 that for the control. The viability of seeds by 2,3,5 - tetrazolium trichloride (TTC) test showed that a considerable reduction was observed at 200mg/l o-cresol. Reduced protease and amylase activity in o-cresol shows inhibited mustard generation. However, mustard generation inhibition was restored by the bioremediation of o-cresol using Pseudomonas monteilii SHY. Thus, the biodegradation effects of o-cresol by Pseudomonas monteilii SHY on mustard seed germination are shown.

Brassica juncea mustard seed are used to make mustard paste or condiment. Mustard seed contains glucosinolates which are converted to isothiocyanates following cell disruption by the enzyme, myrosinase. Isothiocyanates are sulphur-containing compounds which give a pungent flavour to the mustard condiment. Three mustard seed cultivars from two seasons were processed into Dijon- and wholegrain-style mustard and glucosinolates and isothiocyanates analysed. Canadian cv. Centennial tended to contain higher glucosinolates compared with the French cv. AZ147 and Ukrainian cv. Chorniava. Conversion of the mustard seed into a wholegrain condiment had a lesser effect on total isothiocyanates and sinigrin content compared with the Dijon-style preparation. The Canadian mustard cultivars produced wholegrain-style mustard with higher total isothyocyantes and sinigrin compared with the French and Ukrainian cultivars. In summary, results herein suggest that Canadian mustard seed cvs. Centennial and Forge, and wholegrain processing may result in a condiment with greater bioactive composition.

The present study has endeavoured a unique application of the sleep hormone, melatonin as a food antioxidant in synergism with other antioxidants. Two lemon–mustard based nutraceutical beverages, brown mustard beverage (BMB) and yellow mustard beverage (YMB), were formulated using brown and yellow mustard seed extracts based on highest synergistic combination of four antioxidants (melatonin and ɣ-tocopherol from mustard seeds; ascorbic acid and citric acid from lemon). Evaluation of microbial load, sensory attributes, physicochemical properties, antioxidant activities, hypocholesterolemic and antidiabetic properties (in vitro) of the beverages revealed that YMB had a shelf life over 360 days and BMB over 240 days, vis-a-vis 21 days for the control sample at 4 ± 1 °C. The beverages retained considerable amount of melatonin even after 360 days (87.13 ± 0.92% for BMB and 91.97 ± 0.89% for YMB) of storage in amber-colored glass bottles at 4 ± 1 °C. These antioxidant-rich beverages could be novel designer nutraceutical foods. Besides, this methodology of formulation of the beverages based on synergistic activities of multiple antioxidants could be successfully adopted industrially in development of innovative antioxidant-rich food products.

Aspergillus parasiticus contamination of peanuts results in the production of highly toxic metabolites, such as aflatoxin B1, B2, G1 and G2, and its incidence in imported peanuts is reported to be increasing. Here, we examined whether the antifungal compound allyl isothiocyanate (AIT), which is present in mustard seed, could inhibit the growth of seed-borne fungi and aflatoxin-producing fungi. Peanuts produced in China and Japan were inoculated with A. parasiticus and exposed to AIT vapor released by a commercial mustard seed extract in closed containers under controlled conditions of temperature and humidity. AIT in the inoculated peanut samples reached its highest concentration of 44.8 ng/mL at 3 hr and decreased to 5.6 ng/mL after 9 weeks. Although AIT decreased the growth of the seed-borne fungi during the test period, the inoculated fungi survived. All tested peanuts samples were analyzed for aflatoxin using the HPLC method. There was a correlation between the number of aflatoxin-producing fungi and the total amount of aflatoxin production in the inoculated peanut samples. Our results indicate that AIT was effective in inhibiting the growth of seed-borne fungi and aflatoxin-producing fungi.

The purpose of the study is to determine the specific character of the evolvement of the motif of memory in H. Pahutiak’s novelette “The Mustard Seed”, find out its correlation with the category “sacrum” and identify the neo-mythological strategies, used by the author. The research focuses on the writer’s representing the lost sacredness of the concept “family” and the destruction of traditional relationships between generations as a spiritual crisis of the modern civilization. The paper examines the connection of the motif of memory with the characters of Mykhailo Basarab and his son Hrytsko. It highlights the correlation of this motif with the opposition “sacrum-profanum” through the image of the Basarabs’ home which embodies the heredity of the Ukrainians’ cultural memory. The motifs of memory and identity are overlapped through the main character of Mykhailo whose identity is determined by his native village Urizh. The study looks at the elements of the author’s neo-myth about Urizh, the semantic dominant of which is the memory about ethnic cultural heritage. This neo-myth includes the legend about the twin-brothers who ploughed around the place where Urizh had to arise; the mystic story about three pear-trees marking the entrance to the other world; the narrative about the Lady with golden hair which are recurring in H. Pahutiak’s prose. The following conclusions can be drawn from this study: correlating with the character of Mykhailo Basarab the motif of memory manifests the semantics of a life-giving force, spiritual energy, accumulated by the previous generations. In relation to the character of Hrytsko the motif of memory acquires tragic arrangement, since the refusal to contact with the family and its past is considered a loss of vitality causing death. The author’s neo-myth about Urizh is a means of constructing cultural memory about archaic traditions and rituals. The results will contribute to future research on similar topics.

Traditional Japanese tattooing widely known as 入れ墨 irezumi is one of the brightest arts with strong roots dating back to the Edo period (XVII-XIX centuries). As it developed in open cultural spaces of the Edo period, irezumi adopted many graphic features of 浮世絵 ukiyo-e - Japanese woodblock prints, and quickly became a special body decoration. Despite being linked to yakuza culture, irezumi still contain numerous elements which correspond to the visual code of Asian culture represented in most pieces of eastern art. Unfortunately however, this aesthetic phenomenon remains poorly studied by scholars. The most significant example of connection between the Japanese traditional tattoo and the art of Japanese woodblock printing is the frequent adoption of subjects and composition of Kuniyoshi’s woodblock series “108 heroes of Water Margin”. Comparative analysis of “Zhang Shun. White Stripe in the Waves” and irezumi based on this woodblock print confirmed that traditional Japanese tattoos imitate a composition of the particular ukiyo-e from the aforementioned series but the main distinguishing features of irezumi are the presence of additional elements such as cherry blossoms, peony, and a storm cloud-like background. Moreover, these additional elements which obviously represent a visual code of Asian culture, along with the bends of the human body, play a significant role in creating a special rhythm of the picture. Comparing principles of Japanese tattoo aesthetic with statements given in “Manual of the Mustard Seed Garden” proved that irezumi can be considered a specific kind of art.

In this paper, a novel low dimensional boron nitride nanoribbons (BNNRs) aerogels were successfully developed by a cost-effective, catalyst-free chemical vapor deposition using Boric acid and Melamine as the B and N sources. The obtained BNNRs aerogels were possessed porous structure (average pore diameter: 2 nm) and the width of a single nanoribbon was approximately 200 nm and large aspect ratio more than 50 times and the BET surface area of 530 m2/g approximately. Attractively, BNNRs aerogels exhibited an excellent adsorption capacity for both PEDOT: PSS (3, 4-ethylenedioxyethiophene: polystyrene sulfonate) (6020 mg/g) and mustard seed oil (5010 mg/g). The adsorbed BNNRs aerogels can be cleaned and reused by burning them in the air and they create favorable conditions for recycling. After comparison, our experimental study found that after two test cycles, the adsorption ratio of BNNRs aerogels to mustard seed oil was 261.28%, which was only 6.97% less than that of the first adsorption with 280.87%. After the 4 combustion-adsorption cycles, the aerogels also maintained a 105.53% adsorption ratio, which confirmed the ability of BNNRs aerogels to adsorb oil. Therefore, BNNRs aerogels material is a promising nanomaterial for environmental remediation and selective water purification and treatment.

Apple replant disease caused by a complex of soil-borne fungi, oomycetes, and nematodes causes stunting and reduced yields when apples are planted in locations previously cropped to tree fruit. Anaerobic soil disinfestation and bio-renovation using mustard seed meals have successfully mitigated replant disease in greenhouse trials and small field plots. The objective of this study was to examine the efficacy of Brassica seed meal and anaerobic soil disinfestation for the control of replant disease at a commercial scale in apples. At three 0.4 to 5 ha field sites in Washington, United States anaerobic soil disinfestation and Brassica seed meal bio-renovation were compared to non-treated and fumigation with 1,3-dichloropropene/chloropicrin controls. Brassica seed meal treatments significantly altered composition of the bulk soil and rhizosphere microbiomes and resulted in apple tree growth as great or greater than fumigated controls across all three study locations. Anaerobic soil disinfestation resulted in significant changes to composition of the rhizosphere microbiome and tree growth that was greater than the no-treatment control in three of four experiments. Our findings indicate that both methods may serve as biologically effective alternatives to soil fumigation for control of apple replant disease, though further modifications may be required to ensure their economic feasibility.

Groundnut is an important crop in all over the world. The cultivation of groundnut is limited by stem and pod rot caused by Sclerotium rolfsii. Worldwide the groundnut yield loss due to stem rot is 10 to 25 percent. The fungus, S. rolfsii has a wide host range. In the present study S. rolfsii was exposed to mustard seed powder (MSP) at different concentrations (20, 50, 100 and 200 mg) under in vitro conditions. This bioassay was conducted using two types of methods; (a) Continuously exposing to single MSP and (b) fresh MSP was replenished every 24 hours. Cent per cent inhibition of S. rolfsii was observed at 100 and 200 mg of MSP in both the methods. But, 50 mg concentration was also inhibited growth of S. rolfsii up to 93.10% after 72 hours. All results are calculated that MSP has inhibitory effect against S. rolfsii it may be used as future to reduce soil borne diseases..

Biodiesel obtained from mustard seed is found to be a promising alternative for petroleum diesel fuel owing to its similarity in physical and chemical properties. In this work, TiO2 nano-fluid which acts as an oxygen buffer during combustion was added to mustard oil biodiesel (MOBD) to study its effect on emission characteristics of MOBD. TiO2 nano-fluid can provide high surface energy during the course of combustion and reduces the limitations of neat biodiesel. A four-stroke, multi-cylinder, water-cooled, diesel engine was used in the experiments and was fueled with diesel, neat MOBD and MOBD with TiO2 nanoparticles at 100 ppm (MOBDT100), 200 ppm (MOBDT200) and 300 ppm (MOBDT300). Experimental results revealed that the TiO2 nanoparticles had positive effect on the emission characteristics of MOBD as it acted as an oxidation buffer. MOBDT300 showed a reduction in HC, CO and smoke emissions as compared to pure MOBD. In addition, NO x emissions were also reduced by the catalytic activity of the TiO2 nanoparticles which reduce the peak combustion temperature. Therefore, TiO2 nano-fluid had a positive effect on reducing the emissions associated with neat biodiesel.

Brassica campestris var. toria (mustard) is an insect attractive crop with ample pollen and nectar, so is predominantly insect pollinated. Rate of pollinator visitation, delivery of pollen to stigmas and seed-set are various factors to assess the importance of a pollinator. The Asian honey bee, Apis cerana was found to occupy a share of 39.33% of all the flower visitors to mustard in natural habitat. Pollination behavior in terms of peak activity, flowers handled per unit time, time spent per flower and time spent in search of flowers were studied separately for both pollen and nectar foragers. Pollination efficiency of A. cerana in mustard, measured by means of seed set per flower at defined number of bee visits was 0.41 and 2.44 visits per flower required for optimum seed set. Impact of A. cerana bee pollination on mustard seed production was studied in two different villages for two years. An increase of 20.8% in siliqua/panicle, 9.4% of seeds/siliqua and 17.1% in seed yield were noticed in planned hon...

Alternatives to soil fumigation are needed for soil-borne disease control. Our goal was to test anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) as an alternative to soil fumigation for control of critical soil-borne pathogens in California strawberry production. Controlled environment experiments were conducted at 25°C and 15°C testing different materials as carbon sources for ASD using soil inoculated with Verticillium dahliae. Field trials were conducted in three locations comparing ASD with 20Mg ha−1 rice bran (RB) against fumigated and untreated controls, steam, mustard seed meal and fish emulsion. In ASD treated soils, temperature and anaerobicity were critical for control of V. dahliae, but multiple carbon inputs reduced inoculum by 80-100%. In field trials, ASD with RB provided control of a number of pathogens, and in three of four trials produced marketable fruit yields equivalent to fumigation. Little weed control benefit from ASD was found. ASD with RB also induced changes in the soil microbiome that persisted through the growing season. When equivalent yields were obtained, net returns above harvest and treatment costs with ASD RB were 92–96% of those with bed fumigation based on average prices over the previous 5 years. ASD can be a viable alternative for control of some soil-borne pathogens. Growers are adopting ASD in CA strawberry production, but research to determine optimal soil temperatures, anaerobicity thresholds and carbon sources for effective control of specific pathogens is needed. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Three sulfur-heterocyclic fatty acids (SHFA) had been tentatively identified in rapeseed oil in the late 1980s. In this study we aimed to enrich and verify the presence of potential SHFA in one sample of native rapeseed oil, refined rapeseed oil and mustard seed oil. Fifty-gram samples of the three oils were individually saponified and converted into methyl esters. The resulting samples were hydrogenated and subjected three times to urea complexation. The resulting extracts of native rapeseed oil and mustard oil contained 21 different SHFA with 18, 20, 22 or 24 carbons. The refined rapeseed oil contained only nine C18-SHFA. Structure investigation of the SHFA was performed by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC/MS) using methyl esters and also 3-pyridylcarbinol esters. A direct screening of non-enriched samples by GC/MS in the selected ion monitoring mode and by GC with flame photometric detector (sulfur-selective) verified that the SHFA were native compounds of the oils and no artefacts of the sample preparation. Similar abundances of the four isomer groups of SHFA with monoenoic fatty acids of the same carbon number in these and five further rapeseed and mustard samples indicated that these could be the precursors of the SHFA.

The response of applied N in yellow mustard (Sinapis alba L.) seed production is unknown in the high rainfall environments of the Pacific Northwest. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of applied N on growth, seed yield, and oil production in yellow mustard in this unique environment. Trials were conducted over 3 yr near Corvallis, OR, on cultivar IdaGold yellow mustard with five N rates: 0, 56, 112, 168, and 224 kg N ha–¹. Growth and dry matter partitioning were measured at stem elongation (Biologische Bundesanstalt, Bundessortenamt und CHemische In [BBCH] 30), inflorescence emergence (BBCH 50), and harvest (BBCH 87). Applied N increased height, biomass, leaf area index (LAI), crop growth rate (CGR) and tissue N content. Although rainfall differed among years, N had similar effects on seed yield and yield components. Seed yield increases ranged from 15 to 85% with applied N, primarily as a result of N-induced increases in seed weight and seed number. Yields ranged from 1010 kg ha–¹ with 0 kg N ha–¹ to 2579 kg ha–¹ with 224 kg N ha–¹. Primary racemes plant–¹ was positively associated with increased N. Siliques plant–¹ increased with N rate and resulted from increased siliques production on mainstem and primary racemes. Seed oil content was inconsistently affected by N rate; however, highest oil yield was observed with 224 kg N ha–¹. This study will form the foundation for N recommendations for yellow mustard seed production in the Pacific Northwest.

Development of alternative, economically sound methods of pest control is a priority in modern agriculture due to the rise in pest resistance and increased demand for organic crops. Although Brassicaceae seed meals have demonstrated promise as natural pesticides, use is limited by the bulky nature of the material and inconsistent efficacy. Here is presented an optimization of hydrolysis conditions for production of pesticidal compounds from extracts of yellow (Sinapis alba L.) and Oriental (Brassica juncea L.) mustards. Upon hydrolysis by the endogenous enzyme myrosinase, glucosinolates sinigrin and sinalbin naturally present in mustard produce biologically active 2-propenyl isothiocyanate and SCN−, respectively. Hydrolysis solution composition, time, and amount of mustard seed meal as a source of myrosinase were optimized to result in maximum production of 2-propenyl isothiocyanate from B. juncea and SCN− from S. alba extracts. Using optimized conditions, the release of active pesticidal compounds from the extract can be achieved within 48 h. Formulated extracts can be prepared in such a manner that they will be potentially suitable for organic certification.

Mustard seed containing glucosinolates can be used as a natural source of antimicrobial volatile isothiocyanate (ITC) through enzymatic hydrolysis. ITC can be used in active food packaging to inhibit the proliferation of spoilage microorganisms. In this study, antibacterial composite fibers were prepared by encapsulating mustard powder (MP) in carrier materials of electrospun poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA)/poly[(lactic acid)-co-lysine] (PLAL) fibers. Uniaxial composite fibers (PLLA/MP, PLLA/PLAL/MP) and coaxial composite fibers (PLLA/PLAL/MP-PLLA, PLLA/MP-PLLA/PLAL) were fabricated by electrospinning, and these fibers could be used to produce a series of volatile antibacterial substances, ITCs, which were extracted by hexane under proper temperature and moisture. The morphologies, chemical structures, thermal properties and hydrophilicities of the electrospun composite fibers were investigated. Ultraviolet spectrophotometry (UV) was used to evaluate the controlled ITC release behaviors from these fibers. The results indicated that the mean particle diameter was 975±126 nm and the main interaction between the MP and the carrier polymers was physical. The addition of MP and PLAL could improve the hydrophilic property of PLLA and change the thermal properties. Different fibers exhibited distinct ITC release behaviors, and the ITC release period of the coaxial fibers (approximately 14 days) was longer than that of the uniaxial fibers (approximately 8 days). These fibers have bright prospects in antibacterial ITC controlled release. UV can be used to investigate ITC release from electrospun modified PLLA/MP fibers by hexane extracting under the proper temperature and moisture.

Phytomelatonin-rich (194.02 ± 2.45–205.80 ± 1.67 ng/g of dry mustard seeds) and erucic acid-lean (below 2%) extracts from an oilseed crop, (yellow and black mustard seeds) have been successfully obtained by ultrasonication-assisted-extraction in ethanol–water. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and liquid chromatography-mass spectrum analyses have confirmed the presence of phytomelatonin along with tocopherol, ascorbic acid, limonene and linalool in the extract. Field emission scanning electron micrographs confirmed the cavitational effects of sonication on mustard seed matrices. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy established the strong antioxidant activities (72.25–75.49%) of the extracts foregoing erroneous spectrophotometric result of pan assay interference compounds. A synergistic effect value of 1.13 (greater than unity) confirmed synergistic co-existence of the antioxidants in the extract. This study interestingly revealed that an antioxidant synergy could be obtained by classical reductionism. Acute oral toxicity of the extracts were found to be greater than 5000 mg/kg body weight of rats. The extracts are perfectly safe to be utilized as antioxidative food supplements. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s13197-019-04161-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.