Constituents and Anthelmintic Activity Evaluation of Albizia Adiantifolia (Schumach) W.F. Wright Essential Oils FromNigeria

Albizia adiantifolia (Schumach) W.F. Wright (Fabaceae) is a plant used traditionally in treating different health ailments which includes worm infections. The essential oils (EOs) were obtained by hydrodistillation in an all glass Clevenger apparatus, and characterized by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis (GC-MS). In vitro petri-dish anthelmintic activity was carried out using adult earthworm, Eudrilus eugeniae. The leaves, stem bark and root bark EOs afforded a total of 40, 26 and 20 constituents representing 90.9%, 94.1% and 90.9% of the total oil fractions respectively. The classes of compounds identified in the leaves, stem bark and root bark are oxygenated monoterpenes (4.1%, 1.7% and 4.0% respectively), sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (39.5%, 67.3% and 42.6% respectively), oxygenated sesquiterpenes (18.7%, 22.3% and 30.1% respectively), non-terpene derivatives (12.1%, 2.6% and 14.2% respectively) and apocarotenoids (16.5% and 0.2% in the leaves and stem-bark). β-caryophyllene (23.0%), E-geranylacetone (7.4%), acorenone (6.4%), viridiflorol (6.4%), α-zingiberene (6.3%) and ar-curcumene (4.6%) were the major constituents in the leaves oil, β-caryophyllene (39.3%), selin-11-en-4-α-ol (10.4%), α-zingiberene (9.6%), ar-curcumene (7.2%), caryophyllene oxide (6.4%) and α-humulene (5.6%) were the major constituents in the stem bark oil, while β-caryophyllene (32.1%), selin-11-en-4-α-ol (13.1%), caryophyllene oxide (8.4%), pentadecanal (6.1%) and α -humulene (4.4%) were the major constituents in the root bark oil. β -caryophyllene dominated the oils. The leaf EO was the most active against E. eugeniae worm. All the oils showed a relatively higher activity compared to Albendazole, in a concentration dependent manner. There was significant difference (p<0.001) in activity

Essential oil composition and variability of Artemisia herba-alba Asso. Growing in Tunisia: Comparison and chemometric investigation of different plant organs

This study was conceived to investigate the composition of four essential oils (EOs) extracted by hydrodistillation from four parts (leaves, stems, leaves/stems, roots) of Artemisia herba-alba growing wild in the Center of Tunisia. For this, Artemisia herba-alba aerial and roots parts were shade dried with ventilation at room temperature. Then, plant different parts were cut into small pieces and subjected to hydrodistillation using a Clevenger-type apparatus. The gas chromatography (GC) analyses were accomplished with a HP-5890 Series II instrument. The main results showed a total of 152 compounds detected and identified by GC and GC-MS and accounting for 91.3-99.7% of the whole oil. The four oils were characterized by the predominance of monoterpene derivatives (68.2-99.5%) and the major volatile constituent was a-thujone (18.2-45.5%). Qualitative and quantitative differences between the four essential oils have been noted for some compounds. The main compounds of leaves essential oil were α-Thujone (45.5%), β-Thujone (11.4%), trans-sabinyl acetate (10.1%), 1,8-Cineole (7.4%) and camphor (6.8%). a-Thujone (27.5%) was also the main compound in the essential oil of leaves/stems, followed by camphor (22.9%), 1,8-cineole (8.3%), β-thujone (8.2%) and camphene (5.6%). The essential oil of stems was dominated by a-Thujone (28%) followed by β-Thujone (11.4%) and chrysantenone (11%). In the essential oil of roots, a-thujone was less represented (18.2%), followed by camphor (14.6%) and curcumen-15-al (14.3%). It is important to mention that curcumen-15-al has been reported for the first time in Artemisia herba-alba oil Our results revealed avariability in the chemical composition and the yield of the EOs from Artemisia herba-alba. Moreover, curcumen-15-al is a new chemotype first found in Artemisia herba-alba from Tunisia

Bioactivity and chemical characterization of Opuntia macrorhiza Engelm. seed oil: potential food and pharmaceutical applications

In the food industry, there is a continuous search for ingredients that might provide advantageous properties to food products, either considering their nutritional value or bioactivity, as well as flavouring and technological aspects. Crude oils are good examples of this type of ingredient, especially if obtained from nonconventional sources. Accordingly, the Opuntia macrorhiza Engelm. seed oil (OMSO) was chemically characterized and evaluated for different in vitro and in vivo bioactivities. OMSO presented physicochemical characteristics appropriate to be considered as an edible oil, namely low acidity value, stability to oxidation (high peroxide value and low K 232 and K 270 values), and high contents of unsaturated fatty acids (as shown by the iodine value) and saponifiable matter. Furthermore, this natural oil, owing to its rich phytochemical profile, showed relevant antioxidant activity (especially in lipid peroxidation inhibition assays), a-glucosidase inhibitory activity, cytotoxicity against human tumour cell lines, antibacterial (mainly against Gram positive species) and antifungal properties, as well as anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities. Furthermore, OMSO did not show any sign of acute toxicity on animals, highlighting its possible use in different applications, considering that this natural product is not expected to induce the adverse effects typically associated with synthetic bioactive agents (e.g., ampicillin, amphotericin B, or lysine acetylsalicilate).The authors are grateful to Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT, Portugal) for financial support to CIMO (strategic project PEst-OE/AGR/UI0690/2011) and J.C.M. Barreira and Ricardo C. Calhelha contracts.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Chemical constituents, toxicity and antimicrobial activities of the essential oil of the leaves of Tectona grandis

The leaves of Tectona grandis (Verbanaceae) was subjected to hydrodistillation in order to obtain the essential oil from the plant. The pale yellow essential oil gave a percentage yield of 0.184%. Relative percentages of individual component were analyzed by GC/GC-MS. A total of fifty-four (54) constituents were identified representing 86.5% of the total essential oil fraction. Oxygenated monoterpenes, sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, oxygenated sesquiterpenes, apocarotenoids, phenylpropanoids and non-terpene derivatives were the various classes of compounds identified. The LC50 value from the brine shrimp toxicity assay was 183.29µg/ml. The oil extract was also subjected to antibacterial assay and it showed significant activities against all the clinical test organisms used except Pseudomonas aeruginos

Sustainability opportunities for Mediterranean Food Products through new formulations based on carob flour (Ceratonia siliqua L.)

Carob flour is increasingly popular in innovative functional foods. Its main producers are Mediterranean countries, facing health and nutrition challenges, and difficulties in tackling climate change. This study aims at formulating innovative sustainable bakery products of high nutritional value while pleasing the consumer and addressing regional challenges. Hence, carob flour was obtained by grinding sun-dried carob pods, thus reducing the environmental impact, and preserving carob’s high nutraceutical value. Different bread formulations resulted from the blend of wheat flour with carob pulp (5, 10, 20, and 30%) and/or seed powder (5 and 10%), with no added fats, additives, or processing aids. New products were evaluated for their textural, chromatic, nutritional, aromatic, and hedonic properties. Carob is rich in aroma, antioxidants, and prebiotic fibers, and does not contain gluten, so when combined with wheat, the proportion of gluten in bread is reduced. Carob is also rich in minerals (4.16% and 2.00% ash, respectively in seed and pulp), and breadmaking seems to generate lesser furane derivatives than in white bread. In short, carob is typically Mediterranean and is a valuable local resource in the formulation of sustainable foods with high nutritional value, low carbon footprint, safe, healthy, tasty, and affordable, all at once.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Bioactivity, proximate, mineral and volatile profiles along the flowering stages of Opuntia microdasys (Lehm.): defining potential applications

Opuntia spp. flowers have been traditionally used for medical purposes, mostly because of their diversity in bioactive molecules with health promoting properties. The proximate, mineral and volatile compound profiles, together with the cytotoxic and antimicrobial properties were characterized in O. microdasys flowers at different maturity stages, revealing several statistically significant differences. O. microdasys stood out mainly for its high contents of dietary fiber, potassium and camphor, and its high activities against HCT15 cells, Staphylococcus aureus, Aspergillus versicolor and Penicillium funiculosum. The vegetative stage showed the highest cytotoxic and antifungal activities, whilst the full flowering stage was particularly active against bacterial species. The complete dataset has been classified by principal component analysis, achieving clearly identifiable groups for each flowering stage, elucidating also the most distinctive features, and comprehensively profiling each of the assayed stages. The results might be useful to define the best flowering stage considering practical application purposes.The authors are grateful to Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT, Portugal) for financial support to CIMO (strategic project PEst-OE/AGR/UI0690/2011) and ALIMNOVA research group (UCM-GR35/10A). J.C.M. Barreira and R.C. Calhelha thank FCT, POPH-QREN and FSE for their grants (SFRH/BPD/72802/2010 and SFRH/BPD/68344/2010, respectively). The Serbian Ministry of Education is also acknowledged for the Science and Technological Development Grant No. 173032

Comparison of the Chemical and Sensorial Evaluation of Dark Chocolate Bars

As it mimics olfactory perception, headspace analysis is frequently used for examination of products like chocolate, in which aroma is a key feature. Chemical analysis by itself, however, only provides half the picture, as final consumer's perception cannot be compared to that of a Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) port, but rather to a panel test assessment. The aim of the present study was the evaluation of combined chemical (by means of headspace solid-phase microextraction and GC-MS) and panel test data (by means of a sensory evaluation operated by 6 untrained panelists) obtained for 24 dark chocolate bars to assess whether these can discriminate between bars from different brands belonging to different commercial segments (hard discount, HD; supermarket, SM; organic bars, BIO). In all samples, with the only exception of one supermarket bar (in which esters exhibited the highest relative abundance), pyrazines were detected as the most abundant chemical class (HD: 56.3–74.2%; BIO: 52.0–76.4%; SM: 31.2–88.9%). Non-terpene alcohols, aldehydes, and esters followed as quantitatively relevant groups of compounds. The obtained data was then subjected to hierarchical cluster (HCA) and principal component (PCA) analysis. The statistical distribution of samples obtained for the chemical data did not match that obtained with panelists' sensorial data. Moreover, although an overall ability of grouping samples of the same commercial origin was evidenced for hard discount and supermarket bars, no sharp grouping was possible

Survival in different habitats: extreme ultramafic and calcareous soils influence on Stachys recta essential oils composition

Ultramafic soils contain large amounts of magnesium and iron; they are also frequently rich in chromium, cobalt and nickel. They represent a difficult environment for plants to grow on, as they often contain toxic amounts of magnesium and nickel, whilst lacking mineral nutrients (like silicon, phosphorus, potassium and calcium); their dark colour attracts sunlight, which leads to higher temperature and drought conditions (1). On these soils, edaphic adaptation of plants is strongly evident: plants adapted to ultramafic soils exhibit morphological traits that often differ from correlated species growing on different substrates. They are often significantly smaller and show xeromorphic foliage, with reduced leaf size as the most apparent character (2). The aim of this study was to assess the influence of edaphic adaptation to ultramafic soils on a non- morphological level, investigating its role in the composition of the essential oil produced by plants growing on these kind of soils. We investigated the composition of the essential oil (EO) of Stachys recta L. subsp. subcrenata (Vis.) Briq. collected between Nibbiaia and Gabbro (province of Livorno, Italy), grown on an ultramafic soil mainly deriving from the alteration of serpentinites. We compared the yield and the composition of this EO to the one we hydrodistilled from Stachys recta L. subsp. recta L., which had been collected in the same phenological state in La Gruzza, near Montemarcello (province of La Spezia, Italy), on calcareous substrate. Whilst the yields of the two species were comparable, the composition profiles were very different: the EO extracted from S. recta subsp. recta was mainly rich in terpene compounds, which accounted for 93.8%; the species grown on the ultramafic soils, instead, had a volatile profile dominated by non-terpene derivatives, which accounted for 55.7%. In the species grown on the calcareous soil, the main constituents were germacrene D (18.8%), b-caryophyllene (17.7%), 1,8-cineole (15.9%) and a-pinene (14.2%). The EO from S. recta subsp. subcrenata was mainly dominated by 1-octen-3-ol (38.2%), a-cadinol (6.1%), (E)-3- hexen-1-ol (5.9%) and cadinene (5.6%). Considering the extent of the differences shown by the two EOs, it is reasonable to assume that the ultramafic soil plays a central role in the plants’ secondary metabolism, leading to a very different product

Efficacy of an Aqueous Extract of Stellaria media (L.) Cyr. against Eimeria legionensis Infection (Apicomplexa: Eimeridae) in Red-legged Partridges (Alectoris rufa)

Aims: Coccidiosis is one of the most frequent causes of morbidity and mortality in farmed redlegged partridges (Alectoris rufa). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the plant Stellaria media (Caryophyllaceae) on coccidia-infected red-legged partridges. Methodology: Of 9 replicates of redlegged partridges, each composed by 6 coccidia-infected birds (Eimeria legionensis), 3 replicates (S group) received an aqueous extract (12 ml/l) of S. media with drinking water for 3 consecutive days, while 3 further replicates (D group) received 20% sodium sulfaquinoxaline (2 g/l) with drinking water for 3 consecutive days. The remaining 3 replicates did not receive any treatment (C group). The day before the beginning of the treatment (day 0), the last day of the treatment (day 3) and 7 days after the end of the treatment (day 10), individual fresh faecal samples were collected from all examined birds and analysed for presence and number of coccidian oocysts/gram of faeces (OPG). Data were statistically elaborated with the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and the Test of Student-Newman-Keuls for multiple comparisons. The percentage of reduction of the mean OPG number was also assessed. In addition, all birds were clinically observed in order to evaluate the appearance of diarrhoea and of other signs of clinical coccidiosis. Results: Seven days after the end of the treatment, birds of the C group showed diarrhoea and significant (P&lt;0.05) higher OPG numbers respect to those of S and D groups, while no significant differences resulted between S and D groups. Moreover, percentages of OPG reduction of 98.61% and 99.60% and of 99.23% and 78.46% were found at day 3 and day 10 for group S and group D, respectively, while an increased mean OPG number was observed in the untreated group (C). Conclusion: After oral administration to the examined red-legged partridges S. media was able not only to prevent the clinical form of coccidiosis, but also to give a significant reduction of E. legionensis OPG number in faecal samples of birds treated with this plant. This reduction resulted comparable to that observed in animals treated with the commercial drug