Hydrolysis optimization and characterization study of preparing fatty acids from Jatropha curcas seed oil

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Fatty acids (FAs) are important as raw materials for the biotechnology industry. Existing methods of FAs production are based on chemical methods. In this study potassium hydroxide (KOH)-catalyzed reactions were utilized to hydrolysis <it>Jatropha curcas </it>seed oil.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The parameters effect of ethanolic KOH concentration, reaction temperature, and reaction time to free fatty acid (FFA%) were investigated using D-Optimal Design. Characterization of the product has been studied using Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), gas chromatography (GC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The optimum conditions for maximum FFA% were achieved at 1.75M of ethanolic KOH concentration, 65°C of reaction temperature and 2.0 h of reaction time.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study showed that ethanolic KOH concentration was significant variable for <it>J. curcas </it>seed oil hydrolysis. In a 18-point experimental design, FFA% of hydrolyzed <it>J. curcas </it>seed oil can be raised from 1.89% to 102.2%, which proved by FTIR and HPLC.</p

Basal and activational Tc-99(m)-HMPAO brain SPECT in Alzheimer's disease

Early diagnosis in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is important for the administration of new treatments. The purpose of this study was to differentiate mildly/moderately demented AD patients from normal controls by means of activational brain SPECT, and to investigate the correlation between regional cerebral blood flow and dementia severity. Activational brain SPECT was performed 1 week after basal brain SPECT in 12 mild/moderate AD patients according to NINCDS-ADRDA criteria (mean age 69 +/- 7 years) and in seven healthy, age-matched, volunteer controls (mean age 65+/-9 years). Ln order to activate the parietal cortex, patients were asked to subtract serial 5's from 100, 2 min before and after the intravenous administration of 925 MBq technetium-99m labelled D,L-hexamethyl-propylene amine oxime (Tc-99(m)-HMPAO). Using a three-headed gamma camera equipped with high resolution collimators, 128 images of 35 s duration in a 64 x 64 matrix were obtained over 360 degrees. Region to whole brain ratios (R/WB) were calculated in three consecutive transaxial slices 2 pixels thick above the orbitomeatal line, and the activation percentage was calculated. No statistical difference was detected between AD patients and normal controls for parietal cortex activation. The correlation coefficient between the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scoring and the activation percentage was 0.475 in normal controls and 0.175 in AD patients for the left anterior parietal cortex, and 0.353 in normal controls and 0.146 in AD patients for the right anterior parietal cortex. In a visual evaluation of parietal cortex activation, 50% of AD patients were able to activate the parietal cortex, whereas 86% of the normal controls could do so. Ln our current study, the subtraction of serial 5's was not regarded as a promising task. Further studies are needed to clarify the importance of such tasks in the differential diagnosis of mild/moderate AD patients from normal elderly. ((C) 2000 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins)

Vegetable oils as carbon and energy source for Aureobasidium melanogenum in batch cultivation

Dark homogenous fungal-based layers called biofinishes and vegetable oils are key ingredients of an innovative wood protecting system. The aim of this study was to determine which of the vegetable oils that have been used to generate biofinishes on wood will provide carbon and energy for the biofinish-inhabiting fungus Aureobasidium melanogenum, and to determine the effect of the oil type and the amount of oil on the cell yield. Aureobasidium melanogenum was cultivated in shake flasks with different types and amounts of carbon-based nutrients. Oil-related total cell and colony-forming unit growth were demonstrated in suspensions with initially 1% raw linseed, stand linseed, and olive oil. Oil-related cell growth was also demonstrated with raw linseed oil, using an initial amount of 0.02% and an oil addition during cultivation. Nile red staining showed the accumulation of fatty acids inside cells grown in the presence of oil. In conclusion, each tested vegetable oil was used as carbon and energy source by A. melanogenum. The results indicated that stand linseed oil provides less carbon and energy than olive and raw linseed oil. This research is a fundamental step in unraveling the effects of vegetable oils on biofinish formation