A Comparative Assessment of the Fatty Acid and Phospholipid Composition of Irvingia Gabonensis (African Wild Mango) and Citrullus Lanatus (Water Melon) Seed Oils

The fatty acid composition of Irvingia gabonensis (African wild mango) and Citrullus lanatus (water melon) seed oils were determined using gas chromatographic technique with flame ionization detector (GC-FID). The results indicated eight fatty acids in Citrullus lanatus and eleven in Irvingia gabonensis seed oils. Comparatively, fatty acids common to both seed oils are linoleic acid (61.07%, 22.98%), oleic acid (13.48%, 21.87%), palmitic acid (15.40%, 16.69%), palmitoleic acid (0.53%, 6.32%), linolenic acid   (0.52% , 17.55%) and erucic acid (0.54%,0.88%). Lauric acid, arachidic acid, myristic acid and behenic acid though found in Irvingia gabonensis were not traceable in citrullus lanatus while arachidonic acid was present in citrullus lanatus but not in irvingia gabonensis. Margaric acid and lignoceric acid were not found in both seed oils. Irvingia gabonensis seed oil presented potential for making hard soaps. The seed oils generally presented potential for industrial use. Phospholipid levels in Citrullus Lanatus and Irvingia gabonensis seed oils on the other hand was also determined using gas chromatographic technique with pulse flame photometric detector (GC-PFPD). The result showed six phospholipids in each seed oil namely phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine, lysophosphatidylcholine and phosphatidic acid. The total phospholipid levels in Citrullus lanatus seed oil is higher (935.65 mg/100g) than that in Irvingia gabonensis (239.89 mg/100g) seed oils. Phosphatidylcholine was the most abundant in both seed oils while phosphatidylserine was the least concentrated. Citrullus lanatus seed oils present a higher potential for health benefits based on their phospholipid levels than Irvingia gabonensis. The study indicates that Irvingia gabonensis and citrullus lanatus would be useful in soap making industries and for improved health benefits respectively. Keywords: African wild mango, Citrullus lanatus, Chromatography, fatty acids, Irvingia gabonensis, industrial potential, Phospholipids, Phosphatidic acid, seed oil

Effect of Processing on Nutritional Composition of African Locust Bean (Parkia biglobosa) and Mesquite Bean (Prosopis africana) Seeds

The African locust bean (Parkia biglobosa) and mesquite bean (Prosopis africana) are both perennial tree legumes which belong to the family Leguminoseae. A comparative study was conducted on them to determine the effect of fermenting on the nutritional composition of their seeds. For this purpose, proximate, mineral and amino acid compositions were determined using standard analytical techniques. The result showed that fermented sample of Parkia biglobosa seeds had the highest content of crude protein (25.16%) and crude fat (12.27%) while the raw sample of Prosopis africana had the highest values of crude fibre (11.35%). Potassium was the most abundant mineral in all the samples with fermented P. biglobosa recording the highest value of 51.00 mg/100g. Generally, raw and fermented samples of P. biglobosa and P. africana seed flours were found to be a good source of essential minerals, and harmful heavy metals such as lead and cadmium were below the detection limit of atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The amino acid profile revealed that fermenting enhanced total amino acid (TAA), total essential amino acid (TEAA), essential alphatic amino acid (EAAA), essential aromatic amino acid (EArAA) and total sulphur amino acids (TSAA). The limiting amino acids (LAA) for raw and fermented samples of P. biglobosa were Met + Cys (TSAA) and Thr, respectively while that of P. africana was TSAA for the raw and fermented samples. Sufficient proportions of the essential amino acids were retained after fermenting of Parkia biglobosa and Prosopis africana seeds to meet FAO dietary requirement

Constitutive behavior of an AA4032 piston alloy with Cu and Er additions upon high temperature compressive deformation

The Research and Researchers for Industry (RRi); King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonbur

Women Deconstructing History in Search of their Own Voice and Identity

Zadie Smith’s White Teeth focuses on immigrants’ life experiences in the postwar British society. The novel is said to herald a new voice of multiculturalism and is often compared to the construction of hybrid identity that writers such as Salman Rushdie and Hanif Kureishi explore in their works. In her portrayal of an evolving multicultural British society, Smith takes a broader approach as she introduces characters from different ethnic, cultural, religious, and linguistic backgrounds to show how people from diverse backgrounds adapt and negotiate their identities. While I pay attention to questions of race, identity, multiculturalism, hybridity, and migration, I seek to examine in detail the place of history in nation building, especially in relation to the way history is deconstructed and rearticulated by women in their construction of a rhizomatic womb-space. I contend that an exploration of women’s history or herstory in Smith’s novel is not only important because it provides an alternative history that speaks of women’s experiences but more so because of the new world and social relations that it constructs as it emphasizes journeys, (dis)connections, ruptures, and displacements as possible modes of identity formation for women rather than the stable core or continuities that history promotes

Isolation and structure determination of new neolignans and cabagranin D, an unusual meroterpenoid from Piper cabagranum

A novel meroterpenoid cabagranin D was isolated along with related neolignans cabagranins A-C from the leaves of Piper cabagranum (Costa Rica). Cabagranins A-C represent the first examples of 3,3’-neolignans isolated from the Piper genus of plant and the meroterpenoid cabagranin D, representing an unprecedented Diels-Alder conjugate of an unsubstituted phenylpropenone and alpha-phellandrene. Details of the full structural elucidation of these compounds and a discussion of the potential biosynthetic relationships are presented

Tuning Zr6 Metal-Organic Framework (MOF) Nodes as Catalyst Supports: Site Densities and Electron-Donor Properties Influence Molecular Iridium Complexes as Ethylene Conversion Catalysts

The Zr6 nodes of the metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) UiO-66 and UiO-67 are metal oxide clusters of atomic precision and can be used as catalyst supports. The bonding sites on these nodes - that is, hydrogen-bonded H2O/OH groups on UiO-67 and non-hydrogen-bonded terminal OH groups on UiO-66 - were regulated by modulation of the MOF syntheses. Ir(C2H4)2(C5H7O2) complexes reacted with these sites to give site-isolated Ir(C2H4)2 complexes, each anchored to the node by two Ir-Onode bonds. The supported iridium complexes on these sites have been characterized by infrared (IR) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopies and density functional theory calculations. The ethylene ligands on iridium are readily replaced by CO, and the νCO frequencies of the resultant complexes and those of comparable complexes reported elsewhere show that the support electron-donor tendencies increase in the order HY zeolite 蠐 UiO-66 < UiO-67 (= NU-1000) < ZrO2 < MgO. The sharpness of the IR νCO bands shows that the degree of uniformity of the support bonding sites decreases in the order ZrO2 ≈ UiO-67 ≈ NU-1000 < MgO < UiO-66 蠐 HY zeolite. The reactivity of supported Ir(CO)2 complexes with C2H4 to form Ir(C2H4)(CO) and Ir(C2H4)2(CO) is influenced by the support electron-donor properties, with the reactivity increasing in the order MgO = ZrO2 = NU-1000 (not reactive) < UiO-66 < UiO-67 蠐 HY zeolite. Density functional theory calculations characterizing the complexes supported on NU-1000, UiO-66/67, and HY zeolite concur with the use of the calculated νCO bands as indicators of electron-donor properties of the supported metal catalysts. Our calculations also show that the reactivity of the supported Ir(CO)2 complexes with C2H4 is correlated with the electron-donor properties of the iridium center. The supported Ir(C2H4)2 samples are precatalysts for ethylene hydrogenation and ethylene dimerization, with the activity for each reaction increasing with increasing electron-withdrawing strength of the support

Sequence stratigraphy, structural framework and hydrocarbon migration of Ariki Field, Nigeria

Abstract: The structural framework and stratigraphy of the Ariki Field in the Western Shallow Offshore Depobelt, Niger Delta Basin, Nigeria are interpreted using well logs and 3-D seismic data, and the control of rift on hydrocarbon accumulation is analyzed. Five maximum flooding surfaces and five sequence boundaries are identified in the major reservoir succession of Agbada Formation in the field; and the structural framework of the field is controlled by the major growth faults, minor faults and rollover anticlines formed by synsedimentary tectonic movements. There are a total of seven faults identified across the field, including three major faults and four minor faults. On the western flank of the field, graben and horst-like structures were bounded by minor faults. Fault throw analysis shows that below 1800 ms, the major faults with large fault throws act as hydrocarbon migration pathways, while above 1 800 ms, faults with small throws act as seals of hydrocarbon traps. There are four-way dip rollover anticlines and three-way downdip traps created by the minor faults. Six other prospective traps (drilling targets) were identified, which have promising oil accumulation potential. Key words: Niger Delta, Ariki Field, sequence stratigraphy, structural framework, hydrocarbon migration and accumulation, rollover anticline, fault sea