Antimicrobial and GC-MS Analyses of Stem and Root Extracts of Bidens Pilosa Linn

This study describes the qualitative phytochemical screening, antimicrobial and GC-MS analyses of the crude methanol extract of the stem and roots parts of Bidens pilosa partitioned between methanol, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and hexane solvents. Phytochemical analysis indicated the presence of cardiac glycosides, terpenoids, flavonoids and alkaloids. Saponins were not found in any of the fractions of stem and root of B. pilosa. Antibacterial studies indicated that the lowest concentration (6.25 mg/mL) was achieved for Candida subtilis for the ethyl acetate fraction of the stem extract and hexane fraction of the root extract. Antimycobacterial test activity of these solvent fractions revealed that the hexane fraction of the root extract was susceptible to the bacterium isolate. Gas chromatography-Mass spectrometric study revealed the presence of the following compounds-cis-9-Hexadecenal, 2-hydroxyl ethyl (Z)-9-Octadecenoate, Octadecanal, Oleic acid, 4-(dimethylamino)-Benzaldehyde, 4,6,7-Trimethoxy-2,3-dihydrofuro(2,3-b)quinolon

Safety evaluation of Terminalia catappaLinn (Combretaceae) aqueous leaf extract: Sub-acute cardio-toxicopathological studies in albino Wistar rats

This study evaluated the safety of sub-acute administration of Terminalia catappa L. aqueous leaf extract (TCA) on cardiac biochemical parameters. Graded concentrations (200, 400 and 800 mg/kg) of TCA wereorally administered daily for 28 days. Cardiac biochemical parameters of toxicity were thereafter accessedusing standard methods forsuperoxide dismutase, peroxidase, glutathione-S-transferase, reduced glutathione, lipid peroxidation, protein levels, cholesterol, triglyceride, lactate dehydrogenase and creatinine kinase. TCA treatment did not alter the heart weight and cardiac biochemical parameters. Nonetheless, at 800 mg/kg, the antioxidant profile was significantly improved after TCA treatment. There was no mediated sign of treatment toxicityas well asa change in cardiac histological architecture. T. catappaaqueous leaf extract is relatively non-toxic to the heart at the experimental doses and also within the test period

Physico-Chemical, Microbial and Organoleptic Properties of Yoghurt Fortified with Tomato Juice

The world is currently trending towards the discovery of foods that can also serve as nutraceuticals which are highly beneficial to human health. Fortification of yoghurt with fresh tomato juice has shown to incorporate lycopene into the yoghurt, which in turn, increased the nutritional benefit of the yoghurt. Tomato juice was added as increasing levels of 0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 w/w% to plain yoghurt. Ash, carbohydrate, moisture pH, viscosity and lycopene content were all analyzed using standard methods. Results showed that ash and carbohydrate content of the yoghurt improved in direct proportion with fortification. Lycopene content also increased (1.50- 9.24 mg/kg) as enrichment with fresh tomato juice increased. Viscosity reduced drastically as fortification increased, colour and texture of the yoghurt also changed; however, sample B (50% tomato juice) showed the best acceptance in respect to the sensory analysis of all the fortified samples. Hence, findings in this research indicated that enrichment of yoghurt with fresh tomato juice improved the nutritional indices of the yogurt

Adapting Agriculture to Climate Change: A Synopsis of Coordinated National Crop Wild Relative Seed Collecting Programs across Five Continents

The Adapting Agriculture to Climate Change Project set out to improve the diversity, quantity, and accessibility of germplasm collections of crop wild relatives (CWR). Between 2013 and 2018, partners in 25 countries, heirs to the globetrotting legacy of Nikolai Vavilov, undertook seed collecting expeditions targeting CWR of 28 crops of global significance for agriculture. Here, we describe the implementation of the 25 national collecting programs and present the key results. A total of 4587 unique seed samples from at least 355 CWR taxa were collected, conserved ex situ, safety duplicated in national and international genebanks, and made available through the Multilateral System (MLS) of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (Plant Treaty). Collections of CWR were made for all 28 targeted crops. Potato and eggplant were the most collected genepools, although the greatest number of primary genepool collections were made for rice. Overall, alfalfa, Bambara groundnut, grass pea and wheat were the genepools for which targets were best achieved. Several of the newly collected samples have already been used in pre-breeding programs to adapt crops to future challenges.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio