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The present research was carried out to assess raw milk's quality as collected from the commercial markets of the Mardan district (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa). The locality from which milk samples were collected included; Bijligar (BG), Manga (M), Chamthara (CM), Main Bazar Mardan (MB), Mahidherai (MD), and Sharif Abad (SB), located in district Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). A total of 36 milk samples were collected at the rate of 6 samples per location. The outcome of the data exhibited that the percentage of protein content was highest (3.34%) in MB and SA (3.30%), while lower percentages were recorded in sample M (3.03%) and CM 93.06%). Maximum pH were shown in M and BG to be 7.55 and 7.33, respectively. For fats content, the highest percentage of fats was witnessed in MB as 4.04%, and minimum fats content was noted in Sample M as 3.57%. Water content was highest in Sample SA and BG at 15.85% and 15.64%, respectively. Qualitative analysis of adulterants like detergents, Formalin, starch, and Hydrogen peroxide was also carried out for all the collected samples. Adulteration results were positive for all the milk samples, with the highest being in samples MB (30%), while all the remaining samples had adulteration at 20% each. Both MB and CM samples were adulterated with urea, while the remaining 4 were adulterated with neutralizers. Thus, it may be summarized from the whole analysis that the milk available in commercial markets of district Mardan was adulterated with different adulterants and is not recommended for consumption.

In this study, green zinc oxide (ZnO)/polypyrrole (Ppy)/cellulose acetate (CA) film has been synthesized via solvent casting. This film was used as supporting material for glucose oxidase (GOx) to sensitize a glucose biosensor. ZnO nanoparticles have been prepared via the green route using olive leaves extract as a reductant. ZnO/Ppy nanocomposite has been synthesized by a simple in-situ chemical oxidative polymerization of pyrrole (Py) monomer using ferric chloride (FeCl3) as an oxidizing agent. The produced materials and the composite films were characterized using X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Glucose oxidase was successfully immobilized on the surface of the prepared film and then ZnO/Ppy/CA/GOx composite was sputtered with platinum electrode for the current determination at different initial concentrations of glucose. Current measurements proved the suitability and the high sensitivity of the constructed biosensor for the detection of glucose levels in different samples. The performance of the prepared biosensor has been assessed by measuring and comparing glucose concentrations up to 800 ppm. The results affirmed the reliability of the developed biosensor towards real samples which suggests the wide-scale application of the proposed biosensor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the immense threats of microplastics, we herein investigate photodegrading the debris of polyethylene bags (PBs) by sulfur-doped titanium dioxide. The optimization of operating parameters showed that controlling the water pH at 3 and introducing PBs by 0.10 g/L under a catalyst dose of 1.25 g/L reduced the polyethylene mass by 3.10% in 7 h, whereas raising the catalyst dose to 3 g/L improved the mass reduction to 4.72%. The extension of degradation time to 100 h at pH 3, catalyst dosage of 3 g/L, and PBs concentration of 0.10 g/L increased the mass loss ratio to 21.74%. Scanning electron microscopy of PBs after 100 h of photodegradation showed cracks on the surface accompanied by the increase of carbonyl index from 0.52 to 1.41 confirming the breakdown of the polymeric chain. Total organic carbon increased from 0.80 to 7.76 mg/L in the first 10 h of photodegradation, then decreased to 1 mg/L after extending the reaction time to 100 h due to the mineralization of organic intermediates generated from the photodegradation of PBs. Trapping tests exhibited the major role of hydroxyl radicals in the degradation system, and the catalyst showed high stability under five repetitive runs. This study proposes an efficient treatment system that can be implemented on a wider scale utilizing the synthesized catalyst to degrade plastics efficiently before their release to water streams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The rose aphid, Macrosiphum rosae L. (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is an important insect pest of rose plants because it damages the leaves and flowers. The entomopathogenic fungus, Beauveria bassiana Balsamo (Vuillemin), is environmentally safe in comparison with the chemical pesticides. The indigenous fungal isolates can be the best options in biological control because they are more adapted to the local environment. In the present study, four genetically different isolates of B. bassiana (isolates 1, 2, 3, and 4) were used to estimate LC50 for the rose aphid. Also, the same isolates were used to control the aphid’s infestation on rose plants in the field, and the efficacy was compared with a commercial strain (Naturalis®) with two concentrations for each isolate (2.3 × 106 and 4.6 × 106 conidia/ml). Bioassay results indicated that isolate 1 differed significantly (LC50 = 6.46 × 104) than the other three ones (LC50 = 1.46 × 105, 1.52 × 105, and 1.71 × 105). In field trials, the concentration of 4.6 × 106 conidia/ml, for indigenous as well as commercial strains, achieved the highest reductions of rose aphid infestation and the highest extraction of rose oil. Thus, this fungus can be recommended in organic rose production. Further investigations are needed for the improvement in utilization of these isolates with regard to UV radiations in the field.

Abstract The entomopathogenic fungus, Beauveria bassiana causes a disease known as the white muscadine disease in insects. Most of the entomopathogenic fungi are soil borne nature an attempt was made to collect the soil samples from various ecosystems. Therefore, the present study aimed to isolate native strains of B. bassiana and study their genetic diversity at Taif region, Saudi Arabia, using ITS of nuclear DNA and COI gene analysis by comparing of different isolates from occasional localities through the world. Ninety-four soil samples were collected from different regions at Taif. Only 11 samples had B. bassiana fungus with a ratio of 11.7%. Sequences of ITS (593 bp), and partial COI (437 bp) of these isolates were carried out and revealed that four differed in their genetics. These sequences were deposited in the DDBJ GenBank database with eight accession numbers. Consequently, the three analytical methods (MP, NJ, and ML) executed a single tree with identical topology. The tree identified the studied isolates into two main clusters; the first contained Uzbekistan and USA isolates. The Chinese isolate clustered with this group in the MP tree and was diverged as a single cluster in the NJ tree. The second clade included the newly studied four isolates from Taif and the Italian isolate. The pairwise genetic distances among the four studied isolates (D ranged between 0.002 and 0.008) showed that they were genetically closely related. Further studies are needed to indicate more differentiation among these isolates and to evaluate their efficacy against the important insect pests in Saudi Arabia.

Herein, a novel composite of Corchorus olitorius-derived biochar and Bi12O17Cl2 was fabricated and utilized for the degradation of tetracycline (TC) in a solar photo-oxidation reactor. The morphology, chemical composition, and interaction between the composite components were studied using various analyses. The biochar showed a TC removal of 52.7% and COD mineralization of 59.6% using 150 mg/L of the biochar at a pH of 4.7 ± 0.5, initial TC concentration of 163 mg/L, and initial COD of 1244 mg/L. The degradation efficiency of TC increased to 63% and the mineralization ratio to 64.7% using 150 mg/L of bare Bi12O17Cl2 at a pH of 4.7 ± 0.5, initial TC concentration of 178 mg/L, and COD of 1034 mg/L. In the case of biochar/Bi12O17Cl2 composite, the degradation efficiency of TC and COD mineralization ratio improved to 85.8% and 77.7% due to the potential of biochar to accept electrons which retarded the recombination of electrons and holes. The synthesized composite exhibited high stability over four succeeding cycles. According to the generated intermediates, TC could be degraded to caprylic acid and pentanedioic acid via the frequent attack by the reactive species. The prepared composite is a promising photocatalyst and can be applied in large-scale systems due to its high degradation and mineralization performance in a short time besides its low cost and stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]