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The current study proposes the in vitro and in silico anticancer evaluation of clove (Syzygium aromaticum L.) essential oil (CEO). The steam hydrodistillation method used yielded 10.7% (wt) CEO. GC-MS analysis revealed that the obtained oil is rich in eugenol (75%), β-caryophyllene (20%), and α- caryophyllene (2.8%) and also contains several other minor components accounting for approximately 1.5%. The DPPH-based scavenging antioxidant activity was assessed for the obtained CEO, exhibiting an IC50 value of 158 μg/mL. The cytotoxic effects of CEO, its major component eugenol, and CEO solubilized with Tween-20 and PEG-400 were tested against both noncancerous HaCaT cells and HT-29 human colorectal adenocarcinoma, RPMI-7951 melanoma, A431 skin carcinoma, and NCI-H460 non-small lung cancer cells, using the Alamar Blue and LDH assay after 48 h treatment. The Tween-20 and PEG-400 CEO formulations, at 200 μg/mL, recorded the highest cytotoxic and selective effects against RPMI-7951 (72.75% and 71.56%), HT-29 (71.51% and 45.43%), and A431 cells (61.62% and 59.65%). Furthermore, CEO disrupted mitochondrial function and uncoupled oxidative phosphorylation. This effect was more potent for the CEO against the RPMI-7951 and HT-29 cells, whereas for the other two tested cell lines, a more potent inhibition of mitochondrial function was attributed to eugenol. The present study is the first to specifically investigate the effects of CEO and Tween-20 and PEG-400 CEO formulations on the mitochondrial function of RPMI-7951, HT-29, A431, and NCI-H460 cancer cell lines using high-resolution respirometry, providing novel insights into their impact on mitochondrial respiration and bioenergetics in cancer cells. The results obtained may explain the increased ROS production observed in cancer cell lines treated with eugenol and CEO. Molecular docking identified potential protein targets, related to the CEO anticancer activity, in the form of PI3Kα, where the highest active theoretical inhibitor was calamenene (−7.5 kcal/mol). Docking results also showed that calamenene was the overall most active theoretical inhibitor for all docked proteins and indicated a potential presence of synergistic effects among all CEO constituents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently correcting and improving lifestyles, hence the "style" of food has become a priority and a constant concern, due to the many diseases that have developed as a consequence of the eaten food and its adjuvants. Globally the population is facing a rising epidemic of disorders related to the consumption of gluten-containing foods such as celiac disease, allergies and gluten sensitivity. Even when not reaching constituted morbid entities, the act of eating can generate simple functional disturbances. A gluten-free diet is essential for the management of any signs and symptoms of celiac disease and for any other medical conditions associated with gluten. This paper presents an overview of the most recent scientific results, approaches and investigations concerning other unconventional raw materials (chestnuts, almond, coconut, acorn, teff, tapioca, etc), in order to identify and exploit their potential, whether technological, biological, chemical or physical, to meet the needs and demands of consumers. Introducing new, innovative products using unconventional raw materials to the market would help improve and increase the diversity of functional flour products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we are presenting the enzymatic activity of β-amylase used in different concentrations, in the bread dough. The rheological characteristics of the dough have been obtained by alveographic method. Together with α-amylase and limited dextrinase, β-amylases act on the degradetion of starch, the result being the production of carbohydrates. β-amylase acts on non-reducing end of the polysaccharide chain cleaving maltose residues. Maltose coming from the hydrolysis of starch is the main fermentable sugar which is fermented and therefore provides necessary gas volume in the final part of the technological process. An insuficient fermentation results in a smaller increase of bread. Addition of β-amylase modifies the rheological characteristics of dough. Dough extensibility increases and the resistance and specific mechanical work consumption also decreases proportionally with increasing doses of enzyme. Due to the fact that the enzyme is active in the finished product, the enzyme activity is likely to go too far. Furthermore maintain freshness, the core may become sticky. The initial dosage of the enzyme is very important to prevent this. The influence of amylase enzyme in the dough for bread can help evaluate and improve the insufficiently developed technology and the nutritive value of the products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this research is to analise the action of protease, an exogenous enzyme used in different dosages on the waffle dough. Proteases hydrolyze the peptide bond which are found in the protein molecules, preferable at the level of positive aminoacids, which explaines their reduced action on the wheat flour proteins where the bazic aminoacids are in low proportion. In dough, this leads to weakening of the gluten chains. To avoid weakening the gluten structure, which result in an uneven texture of the dough structure, protease has to be added to the dough in the mixing phase. In these conditions, it will not reduce mixing time because the enzyme has not enough time to hydrolyze more gluten. The waffle doughs contain small amounts of water and fat, which makes them dense and therefore difficult to laminate layers. The addition of proteolytic enzymes allows adjustment of the rheological characteristics of dough according to the needs of the technological process. The consistograph method used in this study shows the rheological characteristics of the waffle dough presenting the effects caused by protease in: a low dosage, a correct dose and an overdose. The dough sample that has a low dose of protease does not have a significant improvement on the quality of the dough. On the other hand to much protease influences the dough handling during the technological process due to a wet and sticky content of the dough which leads to a low porosity, high humidity and a higher water activity. Using the correct dose of protease has positive effects on freshness, on the porosity and color of the crust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Bacterial multidrug resistance currently poses an increasingly serious threat, with important clinical consequences regarding treatment options. In 2017, the WHO released a global list of resistant bacteria, identifying multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacteria such as carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Acinetobacter baumannii , extended-spectrum cephalosporin-resistant Enterobacteriaceae as critical priorities for developing new strategies of treatment., Purpose: The novelty presented in this study refers to the evaluation of the volatile oil obtained from the leaves of Mentha × piperita L., on MDR strains from hospitalized patients., Material and Methods: The essential oil was extracted by steam distillation and tested on six reference bacterial strains and also on the MDR strains collected from patients of the "Pius Brînzeu" Emergency Clinical County Hospital Timișoara. The in vitro antibacterial activity was evaluated by agar disk diffusion method and microdilution method., Results: Testing the antibacterial activity of peppermint oil on both reference strains and isolated MDR strains from hospitalized patients demonstrated its bactericidal effect. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was lower (20 mg/mL) for Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Proteus mirabilis and higher (40 mg/mL) for Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii strains. Minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) was equal to MIC, with the exception of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains, where MBC was the double of MIC., Conclusion: The present study highlights the bactericidal activity of Mentha × piperita L. essential oil on all tested MDR or extensively drug-resistant Gram-positive and Gram-negative strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii . This oil may be a therapeutic option in the near future for many infectious diseases produced by MDR bacteria., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work., (© 2019 Muntean et al.)