Extraction and characterization of oil from seeds of the medicinal plant Withania coagulans (Stocks) Dunal (Doda paneer)

Withania coagulans (Stocks) Dunal commonly known as Doda panner/ Indian Rennet is a well-known medicinal plant but remains underutilized mainly due to scarce distribution in nature and extremely poor germination rate. In the present study oil was extracted from seeds of Withania coagulans which was subsequently subjected to FTIR and GC-MS analysis to identify phytochemical components of extracted oil. FTIR analysis revealed presence of diverse group of compounds including alcohols, alkane, alkene, aldehyde, ketone and halo compounds. GC-MS analysis depicted presence of 49 phytoconstituents in the oil extracted from seeds of W. coagulans. among which hexanoic acid, n-hexadecenoic acid, Vitamin E, gamma-Tocopherol, squalene, fucosterol, 2-Pyrrolidinone, 1-methyl, octadecanoic acid represent major phytoconstituents identified. Several compounds identified to be present in extracted oil have been reported to possess one or more pharmacological activity. Hence, the study suggests validation of plant oil to be utilized as ingredient of different pharmacological, cosmetic and other food products

Complete plant regeneration of Valeriana wallichii DC. on auxin enriched medium and phytochemical analysis

Valeriana wallichii DC. (Valerianaceae) is a well-known medicinal herb distributed in Northwest Himalayas. The herb is utilized in the treatment of numerous ailments and diseases such as diarrhoea, diabeties, gastrospans, ulcer and wound healing, etc. Overexploitation, especially collection of rhizomes on a large scale for the medicinal purpose has significantly declined the availability of the herb in natural stands. Hence, there is a requirement of development of cultivation practices and protocol for mass propagation to achieve sustained utilization along with conservation of the species. In the present study, in-vitro culture of nodal segments on MS+2iP+IAA+2,4-D and MS+2iP+IAA+NAA resulted in multiple shoot induction along with regeneration of in-vitro roots on the same medium making the protocol cost-effective, efficient and comparatively less time-consuming. Moreover, the regeneration of adventitious roots from regenerated shoots enhanced the total number of plants obtained per explant as shoots with adventitious roots were individually excised and were transferred to natural conditions through the process of acclimatization. GC-MS analysis of a methanolic extract of leaves of the mother plant and micropropagated plant revealed the presence of 37 and 36 phytocompounds respectively. Phytocompounds including eucalyptol, neophytidiene, hexadecenoic acid, dimethyl palmitamine were identified to be present in the leaves of both mother and micropropagated plants whereas other compounds such as eicosyne, lilial, behenic alcohol were confined to be present in extract prepared from leaves of mother plant. Similary some phytocompounds (phytol, vinicizer, retinol) were detected in methanolic extract prepared from leaves of micropropagated plants

Diverse application and future prospects for commercial cultivation of microalgae species: A review

Industrial revolutions, advancements in health care, pharmaceuticals, transportation can be attributed to advancements made in the field of science and technology. Environment and natural resources has paid a heavy cost for most of industrial development. Rapid depletion of non-renewable sources of energy eventually leading towards the energy crisis, direct or indirect release of industrial effluents into soil and natural water bodies, global warming are among major consequences of industrialization. Ever since these environmental concerns have been recognized substantial studies have been conducted to minimize, control pollution and restore environment and natural resources. Among several measures cultivation of algae on large scale stands out to be a multipurpose solution. Inherent potential of microalgae species to accumulate lipids makes algae an efficient source of biofuel. Beside this ability of algae to detoxify polluted water and industrial effluent support utilization of algae for environment management and restoration. Efficient CO2 fixation, ability to tolerate wide range of environmental conditions, minimal nutritional requirements further support commercial cultivation of algal species to achieve their widespread application. However, efforts are required to develop large scale cultivation protocols (beyond the range of photobioreactors) so as to achieve practical applicability of algae and their products. Alongwith, cultivation protocols there is simultaneous need of either selection of naturally occurring high yielding strains / species or genetic improvement. Standardization of optimum cultivation conditions along with harvesting procedure is equally important

Strategies for Successful Acclimatization and Hardening of In Vitro Regenerated Plants: Challenges and Innovations in Micropropagation Techniques

The micropropagation technique serves as an effective approach for conserving and propagating numerous plant species. Challenges to its success encompass explant selection, media composition, hormone concentration, microbial contamination, incubation conditions, and photoperiod. Beyond these factors, the veracity of tissue culture hinges on successful acclimatization of in vitro regenerated plants to their natural surroundings. Tissue culture-derived plants exhibit characteristic variations like altered nutrition, reduced cuticular wax, non-functional stomata, etc. During transition to natural conditions, a significant portion of micropropagated plants face survival challenges. Studies propose gradual acclimatization processes for smooth adjustment. Ex vitro rooting is advocated for economic, simple, and enhanced survival outcomes. Hydroponics, photoautotrophic acclimatization, and biotization strategies also improve post-transplantation survival. This study evaluates diverse strategies for achieving successful acclimatization of in vitro regenerated plants

Evaluation, comparison of different solvent extraction, cell disruption methods and hydrothermal liquefaction of Oedogonium macroalgae for biofuel production

Cell disruption and lipid extraction methods for macroalgae are not well reported. Therefore, we compared various lipid extraction methods and extraction efficiency of various solvents to improve lipid yields from Oedogonium fresh water macroalgae. Lipid extraction was done by 2 methods viz., modified Bligh and Dyer method and soxhlet extraction using either single solvents or mixtures. In soxhlet extraction method five solvents were used (1) Hexane commonly used solvent for lipid extractions, (2) chloroform: methanol (2:1), (3) Chloroform: hexane (1:1), (4) Chloroform: hexane (1:2), (5) Dichloromethane + methanol (2:1). To improve lipid extraction yields, various cell disruption methods were also compared during the present study. Impurities of chlorophyll and protein were also detected in the extracted lipids. Hydrothermal liquefaction of algal biomass with TiO2 was also conducted at 300 °C. HTL was more effective by which 23.3 wt% of bio-crude oil was obtained. Keywords: Oedogonium, Macroalgae, Cell disruption, Lipid, Biodiesel, HT

Sustainably empowered crowdfunding through blockchain-enhanced security technology

A sustainable crowdfunding smart contract is a specialized type of smart contract that empowers individuals to contribute funds towards a specific work or venture while ensuring ecological and ethical longevity. The smart contract is meticulously programmed to establish the parameters of the crowdfunding campaign, encompassing the total funds requisite for project completion, the quantity of available tokens for acquisition, campaign duration, and token valuation. In alignment with sustainable principles, the contract orchestrates the transparent collection and distribution of funds. It unequivocally designates the blockchain address for fund allocation and delineates how these funds will be equitably apportioned among the project’s development team, thus promoting sustainable practices.Furthermore, the sustainable crowdfunding smart contract features a built-in mechanism to restore funds to contributors in the event that the project fails to achieve its funding target within the stipulated time frame. Upon campaign culmination, the smart contract autonomously dispenses tokens to contributors and allocates funds to the project’s development team, fostering an environment of trust and accountability. This sustainable approach leverages the power of smart contracts to streamline and automate the entire process, assuring contributors that their resources will be judiciously utilized for their intended purpose. A pivotal advantage of this innovative approach lies in the elimination of intermediaries, fostering heightened security for assets through a human-intervention-free programmed process. By combining blockchain technology as the foundational backend and leveraging solidity for smart contract implementation, this sustainable solution exemplifies the pinnacle of accuracy and reliability. Through this seamless integration of technology and sustainability, the paper presents a progressive paradigm in crowdfunding that resonates with environmentally conscious and ethically mindful principles

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Not AvailableMicroalgae are a good source of biofuels, metabolites, and value-added products, their commercial cultivation suffers from limited biomass yield due to inefficient photosynthetic efficiency. Minimizing the light-harvesting antenna size of the photosystems has been recognized as an effective mechanism to enhance photosynthetic efficiency and overall biomass productivity in microalgal cultures. Several strategies including mutagenesis, through UV radiations and chemical mutagenesis, genetic engineering, and DNA insertional mutagenesis have been employed to obtain mutant strains possessing a regulated antenna with a regulated limited number of light-harvesting molecules. However, there are still a number of challenges associated with antenna mutants that need to be addressed. This review highlights the recent developments in truncated antenna mutants of microalgae, aiming to increase the photosynthetic efficiency and biomass productivity of the respective cultures.Not Availabl