Solar Photolysis and Photocatalytic Decolorization of Thymol Blue

The photolysis and photocatalytic decolorization of an aqueous propane-2-ol solution of thymol blue(TB) (Phenol, 4,4'-(3H-2,1-benzoxathiol-3-ylidene)bis(5-methyl-2-(1-methylethyl)-,S,S-dioxide; Thymolsulfonpthalein) (C27H30O5S),were carried out under natural weathering conditions. Direct photolysis of TB solution of concentration 4.3X10−3 M degraded 37.1% of the colored solution after two hours of solar irradiation, however, the solar photocatalytic decolorization percentage reached 79.04% and 86.21% after the addition of zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, respectively, for the same period. The degradation percentages were investigated by monitoring the dye decolorization spectrophotometrically. The decolorization rates of TB are markedly related with amount of hydroxyl radical formed. A suitable mechanism for the mineralization of TB has been proposed

Actividad antioxidante de extractos de torta de aceite de semilla de Sclerocarya birrea

The antioxidant activity of methanolic extracts from Sclerocarya birrea kernel oil meal, extracted using two different methods was evaluated. The extraction was carried out using magnetic stirring of the material in methanol/water (80:20 v/v) overnight followed by two ultra-sonic treatments for 45 min. (Overnight extract, ONEXT) and three ultra-sonic treatments for 45 min. only (Ultra-sonic extract, USEXT), respectively. Three fractions were obtained from each extract and the contents of total phenolic compounds were determined in each fraction according to the Folin-Ciocalteau method as 34.6, 54.8, and 58.6 mg/g of dry product in ONEXT and 29.6, 84.8, 143.9 mg/g in USEXT, respectively. The antioxidant activity of the extracts was evaluated according to the β-carotene-linoleic acid assay, where the extracts and their fractions showed significant effect (pSe ha evaluado la actividad antioxidante de extractos metanólicos de torta de aceite de semilla de Sclerocarya birrea extraídos usando dos métodos diferentes. La extracción se llevó a cabo mediante agitación magnética del material en metanol/agua (80:20 v/v) durante toda la noche seguida de dos tratamientos con ultrasonidos durante 45 min. (extracto ONEXT) y solo tres tratamientos con ultrasonidos durante 45 min. (extracto USEXT), respectivamente. Se obtuvieron tres fracciones de cada extracto y el contenido total de compuestos fenólicos se determinó en cada fracción según el método de Folin-Ciocalteau como 34.6, 54.8 y 58.6 mg/g de producto seco en ONEXT y 29.6, 84.8 y 143.9 mg/g en USEXT, respectivamente. La actividad antioxidante de los extractos fue evaluada mediante el ensayo del β-carotenoácido linoleico donde los extractos y sus fracciones mostraron efectos significativos (

Unconventional oilseeds and oil sources

Unconventional Oilseeds and New Oil Sources: Chemistry and Analysis is presented in three parts, with each section dedicated to different types of oil sources. Part One deals with plants (vegetable, herbs, shrubs), such as Hibiscus, Mexican Poppy, Cucumber, Squashes, Sesame, etc. Part Two presents unconventional oils found in trees (like Balanites aegyptiaca, Annona squamosal and Catunaregam nilotica), and Part Three deals with new oils found in insects, as in the water melon bug and sorghum bug. This book will be of interest to researchers in oilseed production, research and development personnel, food scientists, plant breeders, product development personnel, and government agency personnel involved in the production, transportation, distribution, and processing of oilseeds

Extraction, Refining and Characterization of the Fixed Oil of Basil (Ocimumbasilicum L.) Seeds

Basil is considered one of the important medicinal and aromatic plants in Sudan and worldwide. It is very rich sources of phytochemicals which have vital properties affecting human health in reduce risks and diseases. The present study aimed to evaluate the physicochemical characteristics of basil seeds and the oil extracted from them. This included four accessions of basil grown in National Oil Seed Processing Research Institute (NOPRI) farm- University of Gezira- Sudan: (two local accessions of NOPRI and Umteraibat, and two accessions (Egyptian and Maldivian) obtained from Institute for Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), Gatersleben, Germany. Themethods used the American Oil Chemists Society (AOCS) official methods. The percentage of moisture content (4-5), oil content (19-28%), crude protein (15-20%), crude fiber (30-36%)and ash (5-8%)for basil seeds. The physical properties of crude oil were specific gravity at room temperature (0.92-0.93) and refractive index (1.4809-1.4823) at 20°C. The Lovibond readings for crude oil color were in the range (0.6-2.5) for the red color and (18-70) for the yellow color, while for the refined oil the red color was (0.2-0.5) and yellow was (2.5-6.2). Chemical properties were: free fatty acids for crude oil (0.2-0.76%) and (0.04-0.06%) for refined oil; peroxide and saponification values and the unsaponifiable matter were (5.7-24.9) ml.eqv.\kg, (195-198) mg KOH/g and (1.6-2.2%) respectively. The fatty acid composition was analyzed using GC-MS, and the percentage of the unsaturated fatty acids oleic, linoleic and linolenic were (0.78-2.13), (22.91-40.39%)and (22.83-39.32%)respectively; the most abundant saturated fatty acids were palmitic and stearic at (14.7-16.67%) and (9.18-11.57%) respectively

Evaluation of health-related quality of life and muscular strength in children with beta thalassemia major

Background: Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder that requires repeated blood transfusions and chelation regimes. This may lead to restrictions in physical activities, social participation as well as decreased muscle strength.Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the health-related quality of life (HRQoL), muscular strength and pain in children with β-thalassemia major.Patients and method: One hundred and twenty children (60 with β-thalassemia major and 60 age-matched healthy) were participated in a cross-sectional study from both sexes (57 girls and 63 boys) with ages ranging from two to twelve years. HRQoL (physical, emotional, social and school functioning), muscular strength and pain were evaluated for all children by using the pediatric quality of life inventoryTM (PedsQLTM) 4.0 generic core scale, hand-held dynamometer and visual analogue scale (VAS) respectively.Results: Children with β-thalassemia major showed a significant decrease in all domains of health-related quality of life and handgrip strength with a significant increase in VAS score (p ≤ 0.0001).Conclusions: The study concluded that thalassemia as a chronic disease has a negative impact on HRQoL and muscle strength of children in different age group.Keywords: Beta thalassemia, Quality of life, Handgrip strength, childre

Conservación a largo plazo de tres aceites no convencionales

Three samples, Sclerocarya birrea oil (SCO), Melon bug oil (Aspongubus viduatus) (MBO), and Sorghum bug oil (Agonoscelis pubescens) (SBO), were stored (autoxidized) in the dark at 30±2 °C for 24 months. Oil aliquots were withdrawn every 2-4 month for analyses of changes in four quality indexes, namely fatty acid composition, tocopherol content, peroxide value and oxidative stability index by Rancimat. After 24 months of storage the fatty acid composition of the three oils showed no change while tocopherol contents were decreased. SCO and MBO showed only slight changes in their oxidative stability as indicated by the peroxide value and induction period during the 24 months of storage. Sorghum bug oil showed a periodical increase in the peroxide value and had less stability as measured by the Rancimat in comparison to other oils.Tres muestras de aceite, Sclerocarya birrea oil (SCO), Melon bug oil (Aspongubus viduatus) (MBO), and Sorghum bug oil (Agonoscelis pubescens) (SBO), fueron almacenadas en la oscuridad a 30±2 °C durante 24 meses. Cada 2- 4 meses se toman alícuotas para analizar los cambios de calidad. Se determinaron la composición en ácidos grasos, el contenido en tocoferol, el índice de peróxidos y la estabilidad oxidativa mediante el aparato Rancimat. Después de 24 meses de almacenamiento, la composición en ácidos grasos no experimentó variación mientras que el contenido en tocoferol disminuyó en los tres aceites. SCO y MBO mostraron cambios minoritarios como se comprobó por los indices de peroxides y estabilidad a los 24 meses. SBO fue el menos estable de los tres aceites

Is the fish oil obtained by supercritical fluid extraction(SCFE) healthy?

Fish oils are a rich natural source of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), especially those of the omega-3 series, mainly eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahezanenoic acid (DHA). Looking for natural sources of omega-3 fatty acids, designing new methods and developing better extraction methods for obtaining omega-3 fatty acid and trying to include omega-3 fatty acids in food product of regular consumption are really demanding and challenging tasks. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) of the Design Expert (Version 6.0.8) was employed to study the main interaction effects of extraction condition from SC-CO2 on the fish oil yield. The result showed that the highest extraction oil yield was 4.51% and 5.07% for two types of fish, which obtained with temperature, pressure and extraction time at 55 ºC, 300 bars, and 80 min, respectively. The fatty acid composition of the extracted fish oil was determined using GC/MS showed that saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids were presented in the extracted oil. Two of monounsaturated fatty acids found in the two types of extracted fish oil, which were palmitoleic acid and oleic acid. Omega-6 fatty acid family (arachidonic) and omega-3 (EPA and DHA) were also found in both of them. The chemical properties of the fish oil including acid value (AV), saponification value (SV), iodine value (IV) and peroxide value (PV) were also investigated. The results were found to be 9.47±2.2 mg KOH/g oil, 235 ± 5.7 mg KOH/g, 138±2.35 g I/100g oil and 13.8 meq/kg, for AV, SV, IV, and PV, respectively. It was observed that though most of the results obtained were tolerable to the standard values, however some were outside the normal range especially PV that indicated such oxidation was going on. The result of AV (9.47) also indicated such hydrolysis of oil was on. Although the extracted fish oil using SCFE is pure but the question rose is it healthy

The potential of date palm kernel oil

Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) is considered to be one of the oldest cultivatable crops. The date palm kernels(DPK) considered a waste product of many date processing plants producing pitted dates, date syrup and date confectionery. Direct consumption of dates is also considered as a source of DPK. This study was carried out on DPK to clarify their proximate characteristics of the extracted oil. A laboratory scale for extraction of DPK oil was conducted using two types of DPK which were Deglect Noor oil(DPKDNO)and Moshkan (DPKMO). The extracted oil was then analyzed for color, refractive index, iodinevalue (IV), Saponification value (SV), unsaponifiable matters and total phenolic content as well as some other quality parameters such as acid value(AV) & free fatty acid (FFA)content, and peroxide value (PV). Generally the DPK of Deglect Noor found to have high oil content(9.67%) compared to Moshkan which has 7.30% oil. The color of crude oil was found to be 5.6R, 25Y and 0.2 blue (Brownish) for DPKDNO while 2.3R and 36Y (Yellowish) for DPKMO using Lovibond tentometer. IV and SV for DPKDNO & DPKMO were found to be 51. 6 & 54.8 and 216. 3 & 207.8, respectively. The unsapoinfiable matter in both oils are almost same which ranged between 0.8-1.4%. Total phenolic content in both oils was also in the same range of 0.96 -0.98 mg/ml Gallic acid equivalent. The fatty acid composition using GC-MS showed that oleic acid is the main unsaturated fatty acid in both varieties(38.5&41.6%)while the main saturated fatty acid is lauric acid which was found to be 23.2 and 18.5% for DPKDNO and DPKMO, respectively. Other types of fatty acids such as palmitic, myristic, stearic and linoleic were also found in both varieties. Thus, the initiation study of this project may generate a new source of special oil which could be able to support the global demands of Halal source of specialy oil as cosmetic ingredient since it had been proven that it has anti-wrinkle effect and is therefore of interest in anti aging skincare products

The potential of date palm kernel oil (PDNP2)

Currently, many oil sources mainly from plants that produce oil have been identified; however the potential of some of them as oil sources has not been assessed. Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) is considered to be one of the oldest cultivatable crops. It has been the old food and chief source of wealth in the irrigable desert from ancient times. The date palm kernels (DPK) considered a waste product of many date processing plants producing pitted dates, date syrup and date confectionery. Direct consumption of dates is also considered as a source of DPK. This study was carried out on DPK to clarify their proximate characteristics of the extracted oil. A laboratory scale for extraction of DPK oil was conducted using two types of DPK which were Deglect Noor oil (DPKDNO) and Moshkan (DPKMO). The extracted oil was then analyzed for color, refractive index, iodine value (IV), Saponification value (SV), unsaponifiable matters and total phenolic content as well as some other quality parameters such as acid value (AV) & free fatty acid (FFA) content, and peroxide value(PV). Generally the DPK of Deglect Noor found to have high oil content (9.67%) compared to Moshkan which has 7.30% oil. The color of crude oil was found to be 5.6R, 25Y and 0.2 blue (Brownish) for DPKDNO while 2.3R and 36Y (Yellowish) for DPKMO using Lovibond tentometer. IV and SV for DPKDNO & DPKMO were found to be 51.6 & 54.8 and 216.3 & 207.8, respectively. The unsapoinfiable matter in both oils are almost same which ranged between 0.8 - 1.4%. Total phenolic content in both oils was also in the same range of 0.96 - 0.98 mg/ml Gallic acid equivalent. The oil compositions that been tested including fatty acid composition using GC-MS showed that the oleic acid is the main unsaturated fatty acid in both varieties (38.5 & 41.6%) while the main saturated fatty acid is lauric acid which was found to be 23.2 and 18.5% for DPKDNO and DPKMO, respectively. Other types of fatty acids such as palmitic, myristic, stearic and linoleic were also found in both varieties. Thus, the initiation study of this project may generate a new source of special oil which could be able to support the global demands of Halal source of specialty oil as cosmetic ingredient since it had been proven that it has antiwrinkle effect and is therefore of interest in antiaging skin care products

Ciliotherapy: A Novel Intervention in Polycystic Kidney Disease

Background Ciliopathies are a group of diseases associated with abnormal structure or function of primary cilia. Ciliopathies include polycystic kidney disease (PKD), a pathology associated with vascular hypertension. We previously showed that cilia length regulates cilia function, and cilia function is required for nitric oxide (NO) biosynthesis in endothelial cells. Because patients with PKD show abnormal sensory cilia function, the aim of our current study was to search for a targeted therapy focused on primary cilia, which we refer to as ‘cilio-therapy’. Methods and Results In the present studies, our in vitro analyses refined fenoldopam as an equipotent and more specific dopa- minergic agonist to regulate cilia length and function