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Background Cucumber is known to have countless benefits related to skin, body, and general health conditions. Watermelon juice is highly nutritious and perishable. Recent studies focus on using it with a combination of potential functional ingredients. Watermelon-Cucumber drink is a healthy combination of beverages that can provide many nutrients and health benefits. Objectives In this study, cucumber juice was used to improve watermelon juice's nutritional profile and sensory attributes by utilizing honey as a sweetener. This study aimed to evaluate the functional drink's proximate parameters, oxidative stability, microbial load, and organoleptic evaluation. Methods Statistics was applied using Statistics 8.1, and data were analyzed using two-way ANOVA and Tukey HSD Post Hoc analysis. The functional drink was prepared using altering concentrations of cucumber juice and watermelon juice (80:10, 70:20, 60:30, 50:40) and stored at 4oC for 28 days. Results revealed that adding cucumber juice significantly improved antioxidant potential (p

The current study aimed to assess broccoli's phytochemical profile and determine its antioxidant activity. Fresh broccoli was procured from a local farm and divided into two major treatment groups (cooked and dried). There were five sub-treatments in the cooking group (conventional, microwave, boiling, blanching, and steaming) and three treatments in the drying group (sun drying, freeze drying, and hot air drying). Ascorbic acid content, total carotenoids, TPC, TFC, and antioxidant activity were evaluated for every sub-treatment. The results depicted that the antioxidant constituent of cooked broccoli was complementary to dried broccoli samples. The maximum amount of ascorbic acid content (10.80 mg/100 g), total carotenoids (3.976 mg/g), total phenolic contents (225.80 mg/g), and the total flavonoid contents (42.92 mg/g) were found in freeze-dried broccoli. Freeze-dried broccoli also showed the highest antioxidant activity for DPPH free radical scavenging assay (62.45%), hydrogen peroxide radical scavenging assay (53.67%), and ABTS radical scavenging assay (65.84%).

Herbal drugs play an imperative role in healthcare programs in developing countries. Curry leaves have wide medicinal importance and are used to treat various diseases traditionally. The current study was carried out to estimate the extent of mercury toxicity and the potential effect of curry leaves against defined toxicity. The study group comprised 24 rats weighing between 130 and150 g. Group 1 was kept normal, and group 2 was exposed to mercury at 0.4 mg/kg of body weight in the form of mercuric chloride (HgCl2). The group 3 animals were treated with curry leaves with a dosage of 300 mg/kg of body weight. Group 4 was treated with curry leaves along with mercury with a dosage of 300 and 0.4 mg/kg consecutively. After 28 days, the rats were killed. Blood sample of all groups were evaluated separately to determine the results of different parameters. The results show that ALP, AST, ALT, urea, bilirubin, and creatinine increased with mercury application and decreased with curry leaf exposure. SOD, CAT, GPx, and GR of the liver as well as the kidney depleted on mercury exposure whereas they increased with curry leaf application. HDL increased with curry leaf application and decreased with mercury treatment, while LDL, triglyceride, and cholesterol decreased with curry leaves and increased with mercury exposure. Organ index in mercury along with curry leaf application got close to normal.

The current study aimed at the quinoa-wheat composite flour's characterization (including total phenolics, total flavonoids, and antioxidant activity) as well as its effect on dry cake sensory quality. Findings revealed a rise in ash content, fat, protein, and crude fiber of composite-flour (0.56-1.23%, 1.13-1.76%, 10.14-11.02%, and 0.23-1.04%, respectively) with an increase of quinoa flour (5-20%). The addition of quinoa flour to the composite flour enhanced cake texture (0.26-.70 kg), but it also decreased L-value of cake crumb (55.29-50.73). Total flavonoids (56.44-59.48 mg QE/100 g) and antioxidant activity (4.66-9.76%) increased as quinoa flour was increased, whereas total phenolics (8.68-5.46 mgGAE/g) decreased. By mixing wheat flour with quinoa flour, the nutritional value of wheat flour was increased. During sensory evaluation, the cake made from composite-flour containing 10% quinoa-flour scored the highest overall acceptability. Sensory quality of last two treatments, which included 15% and 20% quinoa flour, was lower. Quinoa seeds had a better nutritional profile than wheat, with higher levels of amino acids, minerals, dietary fibers, and oil. Since wheat is a staple food in Pakistan, adding quinoa-flour would help to reduce malnutrition in Pakistan. Furthermore, no previous research on the suitability of quinoa-wheat flour for dry cake has been conducted on Pakistani wheat flour.

The present study was designed to evaluate functional potential of Aloe vera juice against (CCl4 induced) hepatotoxicity using animal model. Biochemical analyses including liver, renal enzymes, bone biomarkers and lipid profile were conducted after 4 weeks of oral Aloe vera juice administration. Liver enzymes, AST, ALP and total bilirubin were reduced up to 15-7%, 60-32.52% and 29-48%, respectively in Aloe vera juice treated rats i.e., 10 mL/kg and 20 mL/kg doses. Reduction in serum cholesterol (8%), LDL (12%) and triglycerides (15%) were observed. Urea was significantly reduced up to 11% which further reduced up to 30% at higher dose. Increased content of serum proteins (23-50%) and albumin (40-116%) were found at the different doses. Vitamin D was found maximum in G4 i.e., 38.63 mg/dL as compared to lowest i.e., 5.12 mg/dL in G2, similarly improvement in calcium i.e., 11-22% was observed in G3 and G4. The serum oxidative stress markers indicated raised superoxide dismutase (9%), glutathione (15%), catalase (9%) and reduced lipid peroxidation 78% at higher concentration of Aloe vera juice consumption. In addition, histological evaluation also depicted positive impact on hepatic and renal portfolio in all treated rats. All of the findings enlighten the potential of Aloe vera juice as a functional beverage.

The fermented foods are same as traditional food, in appearance and consumed as normal foods but have modified by the addition of certain pro & pre-biotics or fortification with the plant extract, which have specific physiological roles beyond just satisfying nutrition requirement. Fresh leaves of Moringa oleifera were collected from the field of Institutes of Agriculture Sciences, then dried and grounded. The proximate analysis of dried moringa leaf powder and milk was performed. In four different concentrations (0.5%, 1%, 1.5% and 2%) Moringa Oleifera leaf powder, was used for the production of fortified flavoured yogurt, while mango flavor and color was added to enhance its sensory characteristics. Physicochemical analysis (pH, acidity, ash, fat, protein, fiber, synersis, total solid content and moisture content) was done to check the yogurt nutritional profile and effect of moringa dried leaf powder on it. Sensory evaluation (body texture, appearance, color, taste, aroma, flavor and overall acceptability) is also done by expert panel of food scientist (n = 20) by using hedonic scale to check the acceptability and quality of product.To check the product shelf life stability, product is stored at 5 ± 1 ºC for 15 days and observed for its physicochemical changes and sensory attributes. The sample were analyzed for their stablity as fresh and during storage interval of 10th day and 15th day. Results shows that mango flavored yogurt supplemented with 1% Moringa Oleifera leaf powder has got the highest score in majority of the sensory attributes such as body and texture, flavor, taste and overall acceptability over the storage period of 15 days at 5 ± 1 °C. All treatment showed significantly different (p ≤ 0.05) result from each other. However, higher acidity%, total solids%, protein% and synersis value were observed, than control samples on 0 days (fresh), 10 days and 15 days storage, respectively. While all treatments have less pH and moisture content than control during fresh condition and over storage time of 15 days while fat content was nearly same in all treatments and control sample.

An efficient siderophore producing strain, YQ9, was isolated from heavy metal contaminated soil and identified as Burkholderia vietnamiensis. To the best of our known, the strain owns the highest siderophore producing capacity among genus Burkholderia with 96.6% siderophore unit. Moreover, B. vietnamiensis YQ9 has good adaptability to different pH values, temperatures, NaCl, and Fe

Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) is a hepatocarcinogenic compound found in milk from lactating individuals receiving diets contaminated with aflatoxin B1. Considering the AFM1 resistance to conventional process...

There is evidence that palmatine (PA), an alkaloid isolated from the Guatteria friesiana plant, has some important biological activities, including anti-inflammatory and antidepressant effects. In this study, the antioxidant and anti-acetylcholinesterase (AChE) effects of PA were assessed. The antioxidant capacity was evaluated in vitro and in vivo through 7 distinct assays, and the anti-AChE activity was determined in vitro. The standards, trolox and ascorbic acid were used for the in vitro antioxidant test, while hydrogen peroxide was selected as a stressor for the Saccharomyces cerevisiae test. Additionally, PA was also combined with trolox and ascorbic acid to determine the likelihood of synergistic effects occurrence to what concerns to antioxidant potential. PA exhibited a potent and concentration-dependent antioxidant potential, although a stronger antioxidant activity was stated using the PA + trolox combination. PA was also found to inhibit AChE activity when compared to the negative control. Thus, PA may be viewed as a promissory phytotherapeutic agent to manage oxidative stress-mediated neurological diseases, especially the Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.

The growing number of bacterial strains resistant to therapeutic agents has been surpassing the various antibiotics developed by the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. This problem has driven the development of research using agents with antimicrobial potential, with an emphasis on plant-derived natural products. This study evaluated the chemical compounds present in Eucalyptus citriodora essential oil (EOEc) cultivated in northeastern Brazil and its properties as an antibacterial agent and resistance modifier against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and β-lactamase-producing strains. The EOEc was obtained using the hydrodistillation method, later analyzed by GC/MS, presenting a total of twelve compounds, with citronellal (65.45%); citronellol (14.87%); isopulegol (11.80%) and citronellyl acetate (2.51%) as its main constituents. The microdilution test was used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the bacterial resistance modulation of the essential oil. The EOEc did not present significant activity against the tested strains (MIC > 1000 µg mL-1). However, when evaluating the capacity of the EOEc to modify the resistance of S. aureus and E. coli strains to different antimicrobials, synergistic effects were obtained with reduced MIC values for all tested antibiotics being obtained. The EOEc showed antimicrobial and β-lactam optimizing potential against resistant strains, presenting itself as a possible alternative for the use of these drugs at concentrations lower than those indicated against resistant strains.

Bush tea (Athrixia phylicoides DC.) is an aromatic South African indigenous plant used for many decades as a health beverage and medicine. Several studies have extensively investigated wild bush tea's secondary metabolites, but the entire profiling of cultivated bush tea's metabolites is limited in the literature. Thus, the objective of this study was to profile cultivated bush tea metabolites using liquid chromatography-quadrupole time of flight-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS). The 31 metabolites profiled included; benjaminamide, chlorogenate, chrysosplenetin, coumarin, 6Z-docosenamide, naringenin 7-O-β-d-glucoside, 5-p-coumaroylquinic acid, integrastatin A, luteolin 7-O-(6-O-malonyl-β-d-glucoside), 1,3-dicaffeoylquinic acid, magnoshinin, okanin, (2S)-5-hydroxy-7-methoxy-6,8-dimethylflavanone, (9Z,12Z,15Z)-octadecatrienoic acid, 2"³-deamino-2"³-hydroxy-6"³-dehydroparomamine, O-butanoylcarnitine, myricitrin, gorlic acid, tetracenomycin X, sakuranin, d-tryptophan, linoleamide, laricitrin 7-monoglucoside, l-β-phenylalanine, l-proline, pheophytin A, pheophorbide A, PI(18:0/20:4(8Z,11Z,14Z,17Z), stearidonic acid, and gibberellin A14 aldehyde. These annotated metabolites included phenolics, flavonoids, and quinic acids, indicating that bush tea is rich in metabolites, which have a potential wide range of health benefits.

In this study, potato chips from different varieties were made and their storage study was conducted. The results showed that Caruso and Lady Rosetta (LR) had significantly (p

Moringa oleifera is evident to act against many neurological diseases, including muscle spasm, epilepsy, nervousness, fatigue, memory impairment, convulsion, and epilepsy. Anxiety represents the most common and disabling psychiatric condition, being often associated with depressive symptoms. This study investigated the anxiolytic-like effects of crude organic fractions of M. oleifera leaves in different behavioral paradigms that evaluate anxiety in mice. To this end, mice were administered with crude extracts (500 mg/kg, p.o.) and/or diazepam (2 mg/kg, p.o.), and submitted to behavioral tests. In the open-field test, the number of square field cross, grooming and rearing were calculated, while in light-dark and swing test were, respectively, the time spent in dark portion and number of swings. Each test was performed for 3 min. M. oleifera leaf methanol and n-hexane extracts elicited an anxiolytic-like effect observed by increased total time in the center and decreased number of rearings and groomings responses in the open field and swing tests, and residence in the dark portion in the light-dark box, similar to the diazepam group. A moderate anxiolytic effect was observed in the aqueous fraction group, while insignificant effects were recorded in the ethyl acetate fraction group in all test paradigms. In addition, both extracts potentiate the calming effects of diazepam in experimental animals. Preliminary phytochemical reports suggest that M. oleifera contains alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols, steroids, glycosides, saponins, tannin, terpenes, and gums. Of note, the results expand the understanding of M. oleifera effects in central nervous system and suggest that plant metabolites may be helpful for anxiety-related disorders management.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the antifungal and modulatory potential of the Ziziphus joazeiro bark and leaf extracts, both in isolation and in association with fluconazole, against resistant species from the Candida genus. Antifungal assays were used to determine the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of the extract in isolation and in combination with fluconazole using the broth microdilution method and spectrophotometric readings, followed by verification of the minimum fungicidal concentration by solid medium subculture. According to the cell viability curve, both extracts inhibited fungal growth in a concentration dependent manner, in addition to showing inhibitory concentrations similar to fluconazole. However, the extracts behaved in a fungistatic manner with minimum inhibitory concentration > 8.19 mg/mL and IC50 values ranging from 0.450 mg/mL to 9 mg/mL. The minimum inhibitory concentration for both extracts decreased when in combination with fluconazole, with the AEL standing out against Candida albicans URM 4387, displaying an IC50 equal to that of fluconazole (0.002 mg/mL). Nevertheless, fluconazole antagonism was observed against the tested strains. Overall, the evaluation of both extracts against Candida spp. presented inhibitory concentration values greater than fluconazole. Moreover, despite these being chemically complex crude extracts, they did demonstrate antifungal effects and properties that concur with their ethno-biological aspect.

Vitex negundo (VN) is a widely used plant in folk medicine, namely for the treatment of jaundice, wounds, body ache, toothache, asthma, eye pain, and migraine. These effects have been increasingly attributed to its chemical composition. Here, we assessed the VN chemical and nutritional composition and biological activity, with particular emphasis on antioxidant and antimicrobial effects. VN methanol and hexane extracts revealed the presence of important phytochemical, such as terpenoids, polyphenol, steroids, saponins, phenolic compound and flavonoids. Total phenolic content of VN methanol extract from bark was 1082.473 mg/g GAE and that of leaves was 1382.984 mg/g GAE. The total flavonoids content in VN methanol extract from VN bark was 127.744 mg/g QE and that of leaves was 123.776 mg/g QE. VN methanol extract from bark exhibited high antioxidant effects (IC50=38.47 ppm). The content (%) of ash, moisture, crude fiber, crude protein and fat in VN leaves was, respectively, 7.86%, 18.35%, 6.52%, 9.687% and 6.19%. VN leaves methanol extract revealed antimicrobial activity against Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus, with inhibition halos being, respectively, 13 mm and 14 mm, and the MBC values were found to be 1.562 mg/mL and 6.25 mg/mL, respectively. Similarly, VN bark methanol extract led to inhibition halos of 18 mm and 15 mm for B. subtilis and S. aureus, respectively, and the MBC values were found to be 2.372 mg/mL and 0.245 mg/mL. GC-MS analysis of the VN bark methanol extract revealed that monoolein was the major compounds, with an area of 0.57%. Thus, our results encourage the potential use of VN as a medicinal product, with high protein contents, and prominent antioxidant and anti-bacterial effects.

In this survey aflatoxin, M1 was quantified in raw and processed milk from various areas of two big cities of Punjab province, i.e. Lahore and Multan. The results indicated that approximate...

The oomycete Phytophthora capsici causes chili pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) blight that is extremely hard to control. In this work, the diversity of Trichoderma species from chili farms and their antagonistic activity against virulent strains of P. capsici were studied. The maximum likelihood phylogenetic analysis based on translation elongation factor 1α (TEF1α) locus revealed divergent evolution in the population structure of Trichoderma species exhibiting antagonistic activities against P. capsici. In vitro confrontation analysis revealed that Trichoderma harzianum, T. viride and T. reesei displayed over 85.5% inhibition of mycelial growth of P. capsici. Furthermore, soil application of Trichoderma species under greenhouse conditions effectively suppressed root–rot severity by 11.24–26.50% (P

The study evaluated the effect of high pressure CO2 (HPCD) treatment on the texture and color of fresh-cut water-bamboo shoots (WBS) during storage. In addition, the mechanism of HPCD treatment to maintain the quality of fresh-cut WBS was also investigated. The results exhibited that HPCD at 3 and 5 MPa could suppress the lignification-related and browning-related enzyme activities and delay the decline rate of phenolic content. PAL, CAD, POD, and PPO activities of 3 MPa HPCD-treated samples were 44 %, 31 %, 29 %, and 10 % lower than that of control ones at 10 d, respectively. Furthermore, low-field nuclear magnetic resonance results showed that HPCD treatment at 3 MPa could maintain the water content, which only decreased 7 % at the end of the storage, thereby retaining the original texture of WBS. The potential mechanism is that HPCD could alleviate lignification and browning of WBS by suppressing enzyme activities and retaining the moisture in samples. Hence, HPCD at appropriate pressure has a great potential to maintain the quality of fresh-cut fruit and vegetables during storage.

In this paper, the effect of high-pressure carbon dioxide (HPCD) inhibiting the browning of fresh-cut Chinese water chestnut (CWC) was explored by comparing the differences between damaged and non-damaged tissues. The results showed that the browning of fresh-cut CWC could be effectively inhibited by 2 and 4 MPa treatment, and with these conditions, the microbial load was kept at a low and stable level during the whole storage period. In damaged tissues, the phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) activity was decreased, thus cutting off the accumulation of naringenin and eriodictyol (only slightly detected at 1 MPa). In non-damaged tissues, the activities of polyphenol oxidase (PPO), peroxidase (POD), and PAL were significantly increased to overcome the treatment stress. The structural change of PAL proved its activity reduction. The mechanism of browning inhibition could be explained by direct inactivation of PAL in damaged tissue and indirect regulation of stress resistance response in non-damaged tissue.

Nicotine and alcohol are highly addictive substances, which make their consumers difficult to get rid of them. These substances are the risk factors for many diseases including stroke, pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases. In Nepal, in spite of measures taken by the government and non-governmental organizations to intervene their consumption, prevalence of these drugs and dependency of people on them are quite high. Introduction and implementation of new and inexpensive technology such as transcranial direct current stimulation can help people get rid of addiction.

Background: Computational analyses have shown great potentials for providing tools for the rapid detection and identifi cation of fungi for medical, scientifi c and commercial purposes. Various bioinformatics tools have been developed for fi nding the specifi c regions within the ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene complex. Candida is a genus of yeast that includes about 150 different species and is the most common cause of human ocular infections. In the present study, rapid detection method of Candida, based on specifi c regions (18S, 5.8S and 28S) of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes of eight (8) species e.g. C. albicans, C. krusei, C. parapsilosis, C. glabrata, C. guilliermondii, C. kefyr, C. lusitaniae and C. tropicalis has been developed. Rapid diagnosis and early identifi cation of causative agent through computational based methods with high accuracy will result in effective treatment.

The study was planned to formulate edible wax coating by utilizing date pit oil. Date pit oil was extracted from three date varieties (Aseel, Hallawi, and Dhakki) through solvent extraction method. One variety was selected on the basis of physicochemical analysis of date pit oil. The different treatments (T₁, T₂, T₃, and T₄) of wax coating were formulated by replacing water in standard wax formulation with date pit oil as 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, and 2%, respectively. The storage studies were carried out for 16 days; different fruit parameters like pH, weight loss, total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity, fruit firmness, and vitamin C content were studied. Results indicated significant improvement in the shelf life of coated guava fruits as compared to uncoated guava fruits.T₄ showed highest keeping quality as compared to T₃, T₂, and T₁. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: This research work is novel in the field of edible coating by using date pit oil as natural barrier against environmental factors affecting the shelf life of guava fruit. There is immense potential in this new commodity to explore more applications of promising importance. Moreover, this study can be replicated for other fruits and vegetables to curtail postharvest losses and supplementing economic benefits.

The browning inhibition and preservation properties of eugenol emulsions (EUG) on fresh-cut Chinese water chestnut (CWC), and the associated mechanisms of browning inhibition were studied in relation to enzymatic activities and polyphenol substrates. Fresh-cut CWC was treated with different concentrations of EUG, resulting in the maintenance of quality, inhibition of the microbial index which decreased by 1.20 log CFU/g after storage and enzymatic activities of different enzymes such as polyphenol oxidase, peroxidase, and phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL). Correlation analysis between enzymatic activities and degree of browning suggested that PAL was the main enzyme that led to browning in fresh-cut CWC. The enzymatic activity of PAL was decreased by 57% with the 1.5% EUG treatment after 12 d of storage. HPLC analysis showed that EUG-treated fresh-cut CWC (1.5%) slightly changed 5 phenolics during storage and the EUG content decreased from 32.8 to 13.0 mg/kg in treated groups. The potential mechanism is that EUG could inhibit the browning of CWC by reducing the enzymatic activities especially PAL, and decreasing the changes in phenolic content.

Chili pepper (Capsicum annum L.) is an important economic crop that is severely destroyed by the filamentous oomycete Phytophthora capsici. Little is known about this pathogen in key chili pepper farms in Punjab province, Pakistan. We investigated the genetic diversity of P. capsici strains using standard taxonomic and molecular tools, and characterized their colony growth patterns as well as their disease severity on chili pepper plants under the greenhouse conditions. Phylogenetic analysis based on ribosomal DNA (rDNA), β-tubulin and translation elongation factor 1α loci revealed divergent evolution in the population structure of P. capsici isolates. The mean oospore diameter of mating type A1 isolates was greater than that of mating type A2 isolates. We provide first evidence of an uneven distribution of highly virulent mating type A1 and A2 of P. capsici that are insensitive to mefenoxam, pyrimorph, dimethomorph, and azoxystrobin fungicides, and represent a risk factor that could ease outpacing the current P. capsici management strategies.