Effects of starter culture and sweetener on biochemical compounds and microbial diversity of kombucha tea

Kombucha tea has been claimed to have several health benefits. Many factors influence the properties of kombucha tea produced. This study focused on the effects of starter cultures (kombucha liquid broth (KLB) and cellulosic pellicle (KCP)) and sweetener (white sugar (S), honey (H) and jaggery (J)) used in the production of kombucha tea. The results showed that all kombucha teas prepared using KLB had a lower pH and a higher concentration of acetic acid during fermentation. The ethanol content for samples prepared using KLB increased (0.7 ± 0.26 mg/L to 1.73 ± 0.58 mg/L) during the fermentation period, compared to KCP which was the maximum after 72 h fermentation, and continued to decrease (2.97 ± 1.24 mg/L to 0.90 ± 0.44 mg/L). Although not too much differences in pH and ethanol content were observed when different sweetener sources were used, they did have significant differences in antioxidant properties and antimicrobial activity. Samples prepared using jaggery had the lowest antioxidant activity while kombucha tea prepared using KLB and white sugar (KLB-S) had the highest antioxidant and antibacterial activity and was mostly colonized by Acetobacteracea and Aspergillus fumigatus. Fermentation significantly increases the number of active compounds present in KLB-S from 11 to 25 compounds. New compounds such as docosanedioic acid, muramic acid and thiolactomycin were formed. Thiolactomycin, a natural antibiotic is suggested to contribute to the high antimicrobial activity of KLB-S. In conclusion, KLB and white sugar are better suited in preparing kombucha tea as more benefits and consistent results were observed

Hidrogel berasaskan pektin kulit buah naga (Hylocereus polyrhizus) sebagai pembawa ubat melalui sistem penghantar oral

Kajian ini memfokuskan kepada aplikasi hidrogel berasaskan ekstrak pektin daripada kulit buah naga (Hylocereus polyrhizus) yang digunakan sebagai biobahan pembawa ubat. Sebanyak 5 sampel telah disediakan dengan peratus komposisi pektin yang berbeza (0%, 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, 2.0%). Keputusan menunjukkan hidrogel dengan 1.0% pektin telah mengembang secara maksimum pada pH 7. Imej daripada mikroskop elektron pengimbas (SEM) mendapati saiz keporosan hidrogel meningkat dengan penambahan pektin. Potensi hidrogel sebagai agen pembawa ubat telah dilakukan dengan melihat kecekapan muatan ubat, ujian perlepasan ubat dan ujian biodegradasi di dalam saluran pencernaan menggunakan medium simulasi perut (SGF), usus (SIF) dan kolon (SCF) secara in-vitro secara tanpa/kehadiran enzim. Hasil ujian ketoksikan menggunakan kaedah embrio ikan kuda belang (Danio rerio) telah memberikan keputusan yang negatif terhadap hidrogel yang diuji

MICROPLASTIC

this is the data set and reference used for microplastic pollutio

Phytochemicals and Biological Activities of <i>Garcinia atroviridis</i>: A Critical Review

Garcinia atriviridis Griff ex T. Anders (G. atroviridis) is one of the well-known species of the genus Garicinia that is native to Thailand, Myanmar, Peninsular Malaysia, and India. G. atroviridis is a perennial medium-sized tree that has a wide range of values, from food to medicinal use. Different parts of G. atroviridis are a great source of bioactive substances that have a positive impact on health. The extracts or bioactive constituents from G. atroviridis have demonstrated various therapeutic functions, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antihyperlipidemic, and anti-diabetic. In this paper, we provide a critical review of G. atroviridis and its bioactive constituents in the prevention and treatment of different diseases, which will provide new insight to explore its putative domains of research

Screening of high-risk deleterious missense variations in the CYP1B1 gene implicated in the pathogenesis of primary congenital glaucoma: A comprehensive in silico approach

Background Primary congenital glaucoma (PCG) is the most common subtype of glaucoma caused by defects in the cytochrome P450 1B1 (CYP1B1) gene. It is developing among infants in more than 80% of cases who exhibit impairments in the anterior chamber angle and the trabecular meshwork. Thus, a comprehensive in silico approach was performed to evaluate the effect of high-risk deleterious missense variations in the CYP1B1 gene. Material and methods All the information for CYP1B1 missense variants was retrieved from the dbSNP database. Seven different tools, namely: SIFT, PolyPhen-2, PROVEAN, SNAP2, PANTHER, PhD-SNP, and Predict-SNP, were used for functional annotation, and two packages, which were I-Mutant 2.0 and MUpro, were used to predict the effect of the variants on protein stability. A phylogenetic conservation analysis using deleterious variants was performed by the ConSurf server. The 3D structures of the wild-type and mutants were generated using the I-TASSER tool, and a 50 ns molecular dynamic simulation (MDS) was executed using the GROMACS webserver to determine the stability of mutants compared to the native protein. Co-expression, protein-protein interaction (PPI), gene ontology (GO), and pathway analyses were additionally performed for the CYP1B1 in-depth study. Results All the retrieved data from the dbSNP database was subjected to functional, structural, and phylogenetic analysis. From the conducted analyses, a total of 19 high-risk variants (P52L, G61E, G90R, P118L, E173K, D291G, Y349D, G365W, G365R, R368H, R368C, D374N, N423Y, D430E, P442A, R444Q, F445L, R469W, and C470Y) were screened out that were considered to be deleterious to the CYP1B1 gene. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that the majority of the variants occurred in highly conserved regions. The MD simulation analysis exhibited that all mutants’ average root mean square deviation (RMSD) values were higher compared to the wild-type protein, which could potentially cause CYP1B1 protein dysfunction, leading to the severity of the disease. Moreover, it has been discovered that CYP1A1, VCAN, HSD17B1, HSD17B2, and AKR1C3 are highly co-expressed and interact with CYP1B1. Besides, the CYP1B1 protein is primarily involved in the metabolism of xenobiotics, chemical carcinogenesis, the retinal metabolic process, and steroid hormone biosynthesis pathways, demonstrating its multifaceted and important roles. Discussion This is the first comprehensive study that adds essential information to the ongoing efforts to understand the crucial role of genetic signatures in the development of PCG and will be useful for more targeted gene-disease association studies