Antioxidant Activity, Sugar Content and Phenolic Profiling of Blueberries Cultivars: A Comprehensive Comparison

Commercial blueberry production has been a viable industry throughout the world for 95 years; because of blueberry is a good source of antioxidant. Blueberries are especially rich in anthocyanin, a flavonoid with potent antioxidant capacity. The aim of this study was to compare the phenolic quantities, antioxidant activities, anthocyanin, sugar and phenolic compounds of blueberries produced in Turkey with those of similar blueberry varieties produced around the world. As a result of the conducted analysis, the total phenolic content (TPC) amount found in the berries was 77.26-215.12 mg GAE/100 g, the total flavonoid content (TFC) was 30.44-91.69 mg QE/100 g and the total anthocyanin content (TAC) was 43.03-295.06 mg c3-GE/100 g. Examining the antioxidant activities of the berries, DPPH between 1.10-5.65 mg/ml, FRAP between 454.93-36832.96 µmol troloks/100 g, β-Carotene between 40.66-86.48%. It was determined that the natural berries contained much more phenolic compounds and higher antioxidant activity than that of the cultivars The result of HPLC analysis, chlorogenic acid is determined to be the dominant compound in all berries. Furthermore, fructose and glucose are found in all fruits in different quantities while sucrose is found in certain varieties of berries as well. At the end of the performed study the data indicate that wild and cultivars of blueberries are rich sources of antioxidants for local as well international industries importing this fruit for food processing and enormous products

Investigation of nutrition and some heavy metal contents of canola (Brassica napus L.) plant: case of Suleymanpaşa district

Birim alandan en yüksek verimi almak için konvansiyonel tarım yapılmaktadır. Bilinçsiz gübreleme ile birlikte kirlilik gibi çeşitli sorunlar ortaya çıkmaktadır. Bu durum tarım alanlarının değerlendirilmesinin yapılıp doğru gübre uygulamaları ile aşılabilir. Sürdürülebilir tarım için sürdürülebilir toprak verimliliği sağlanmalıdır. Bu çalışma Tekirdağ ili Süleymanpaşa ilçesinde yetiştirilen Kanola bitkisinin beslenme ve bazı ağır metal içeriklerinin araştırılması amacıyla yapılmıştır. Çalışma amacı doğrultusunda Süleymanpaşa ilçesinin 20 mahallesinden toprak ve bitki numuneleri alınarak analiz edilmiştir. Toprak ve bitki numunelerine ait analiz sonuçları referans değerler ile karşılaştırılarak incelenen Kanola alanlarının beslenme ve bazı ağır metal içerikleri tespit edilerek jeoistatistiksel modelleme ile haritaları çıkarılmıştır. Elde edilen bulgulara göre, kanola ekim alanlarından alınan bitki numunelerinin Azot, Fosfor, Potasyum, Kalsiyum, Magnezyum, Demir, Bakır, Mangan, Çinko, Bor, Nikel, Alüminyum değerleri sırasıyla %3,67-%7,31; %0,21-%1,23: %1,92-%2,72; %1,53-%4,78; %0,22-%0,51; 279,50 mgkg-1-1161,50 mgkg-1; 42,00 mgkg-1-54,25 mgkg-1; 241,00 mgkg-1-447,75 mgkg-1; 40,25 mgkg-1-71,75 mgkg-1; 46,00 mgkg-1-140,50 mgkg-1; 3,49 mgkg-1-16,40 mgkg-1; 129,25 mgkg-1-781,00 mgkg-1arasında bulunmuştur. Bu değerlerin %30'unda P, %100'ünde K eksikliği görüldüğü belirlenmiştir. Makro bitki besin elementleri değerlendirildiğinde %90 oranında N, %15'inde P, %25'inde Ca yüksek düzeyde, mikro bitki besin elementleri değerlendirildiğinde %100'ünde Fe ve Cu, %95'ünde Mn, %65'inde Zn toksik. %80'inde ise B'nin toksik düzeyde olduğu tespit edilmiştir. %10'unda N, %55'inde P, %75'inde Ca, %100'ünde Mg, %5'inde Mn, %20'inde B, %35'inde Zn yeterli düzeyde sahip olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Ağır metallerden nikelin %75 oranında toksik olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Kanola tarlalarından alınan toprak örneklerinin bazı toprak özelikleri sırasıyla tekstür sınıfı tın, killi tın, kumlu killi tın olarak değişmektedir. Buna göre toprakların %35'i tın, %50'si killi tın %15'i ise kumlu killi tın tekstür sınıfındadır. pH 4,76-7,79 arasında olup %10'u orta asit, %15'i hafif asit, %20'si nötr, %55'i ise hafif alkalin karakterlidir. EC % 0,01 - %0,06 arasında olup toprakların %100'ü tuzsuzdur. Organik madde %0,88 - %2,55 arasında olup toprakların %5'i çok az, %70'i az %25'i ise orta derecede organik maddeye sahiptir. Kireç eseri - %20,64 arasında olup toprakların %35 kireçsiz, %30'u kireçli, %30'u orta kireçli, %5'i ise fazla kireçlidir. Bu değerlerin %60'ınde N, %15'inde Mg noksanlığı görülmektedir. Makro besin elementleri değerlendirildiğinde %55'inde P, %15'inde K, %75'inde Ca fazla düzeyde olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Bununla birlikte %40'ında N, %25'inde Ca, %85'inde Mg orta düzeyde olduğu belirlenmiştir. Makro elementlerden fosfor ve potasyum; %45'inde P, %85'inde K yeterli düzeyde olduğu ortaya konulmuştur. Bu veriler sonucunda, Süleymanpaşa İlçesi'nde yapılan kanola tarımında öncelikli olarak potasyumlu ve fosforlu gübrelemeye önem verilmelidir.Conventional agriculture is used to get the highest yield from the unit area. Various problems such as pollution arise with unconscious fertilization. This situation can be overcome with the evaluation of agricultural areas and correct fertilizer applications. Sustainable soil fertility must be ensured for sustainable agriculture. This study was carried out to investigate the nutrition and some heavy metal contents of Canola plant grown in Tekirdağ province Süleymanpaşa district. For the purpose of the study, soil and plant samples were taken from 20 neighborhoods of Süleymanpaşa district and analyzed. The analysis results of the soil and plant samples were compared with the reference values, the nutrition and some heavy metal contents of the Canola fields were determined, and the maps were drawn with geostatistical modeling. According to the findings, the nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, manganese, zinc, boron, nickel and aluminum values of the plant samples taken from the canola cultivation areas were between %3,67-%7,31; %0,21-%1,23: %1,92-%2,72; %1,53-%4,78; %0,22-%0,51; 279,50 mgkg-1-1161,50 mgkg-1; 42,00 mgkg-1-54,25 mgkg-1; 241,00 mgkg-1-447,75 mgkg-1; 40,25 mgkg-1-71,75 mgkg-1; 46,00 mgkg-1-140,50 mgkg-1; 3,49 mgkg-1-16,40 mgkg-1; 129,25 mgkg-1-781,00 mgkg-1.It was determined that 30% of these values had P deficiency and 100% of them K deficiency. When macro plant nutrients are evaluated, 90% of them had high ratio of N, 15% of them had high ratio of P, 25% of them had high ratio of Ca, When micro plant nutrients are evaluated, 100% of them had toxic level of Fe and Cu, 95% of them had toxic level of Mn and 65% of them had toxic level of Zn and 80% of them had toxic level of B.N in 10% of samples and P in 55% of them, Ca in %75 of them, Mg in %100 of them, Mn in %5 of them, B in %20of them, Zn in %35 of them are sufficient. It has been determined that nickel, one of the heavy metals, is 75% toxic. Some soil properties of soil samples taken from canola fields change as texture class loam, clay loam, sandy clay loam, respectively. According to this, 35% of the soils are in loam, 50% are in clay loam and 15% are in sandy clay loam texture class. The pH is between 4.76-7.79, 10% medium acid, 15% slightly acid, 20% neutral and 55% slightly alkaline. The EC is between 0.01% and 0.06%, and 100% of the soil is salt-free. Organic matter is between 0.88% and 2.55%, and 5% of the soil has very little, 70% less and 25% has moderate organic matter. Lime trace quantity between -20.64%, and the soils are 35% lime-free, 30% calcareous, 30% moderately calcareous, and 5% more calcareous. These values found among N deficiency is observed in 60% of these values and Mg deficiency in 15%. When macronutrients were evaluated, it was determined that 55% of P, 15% of K, 75% of Ca were in excess level. It was determined that 40% of them were N, 25% of them Ca, 85% of them Mg were at moderate level. 45% of them were P and 85%.As a result of these data, priority should be given to potassium and phosphorus fertilization in canola agriculture in Süleymanpaşa District

Delay characteristics comparison of coherently coupled high-Q multi-cavity array and single embedded quantum dot cavity systems

The optical analogue to electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) is modeled for two separate systems with the same formalism and the spectral characteristics together with the generated group delay are compared. First system is a coherently coupled high-Q multi-cavity array which represents the classical EIT and is limited by the finite broadening of the cavity and the second one is a single embedded quantum dot (QD) cavity system, a cavity-QD EIT, that depends on both QD broadening and cavity properties. Similar spectral characters have been observed for both systems but the former generated theoretically two times higher group delays

Comparison of coherently coupled multi-cavity and quantum dot embedded single cavity systems

Temporal group delays originating from the optical analogue to electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) are compared in two systems. Similar transmission characteristics are observed between a coherently coupled high-Q multi-cavity array and a single quantum dot (QD) embedded cavity in the weak coupling regime. However, theoretically generated group delay values for the multi-cavity case are around two times higher. Both configurations allow direct scalability for chip-scale optical pulse trapping and coupled-cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED). (C) 2016 Optical Society of Americ

Recycling of Tea Waste: Simple and Effective Separation of Caffeine and Catechins by Microwave Assisted Extraction (MAE)

This study was designed to develop a cost effective green extraction method to separate valuable chemicals from black tea waste (BTW) and tea dust called “caffeine dust” (CD). These materials are totally unwanted residue and treated as rubbish. Two extraction methods were used for extraction of waste materials obtained in three collection periods. In conventional extraction method, material was subjected to hot water extraction at 80 oC for 40 minutes. In microwave assisted extraction (MAE) method, different eco-friendly aqueous solvents (water, citric acid-water or ethanol-water) were used under a controlled 600 W microwave power at 80 oC for only 4 minutes treatment in a close microwave system. MAE and conventional method gave similar extract yields for both waste materials but MAE was more successful and economical completing the extraction in shorter time. Using citric acid-water solvent in MAE significantly increased the extraction of individual catechins such as epicatechin (EC) and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). This study showed that tea waste could be utilized for production of valuable chemicals using nontoxic solvents at extremely short extraction periods

Comparison of Some Extraction Methods for Isolation of Catechins and Caffeine from Turkish Green Tea

Effective extraction of anticancer and antioxidant principles from Turkish green tea were main purpose of this work. The pre-optimized experimental condition for liquid extraction was employed for comparative appraisal. Not only extraction methods also nature of the green tea samples (fresh, dried or frozen) and quantitative yields related to collection periods were investigated. After extraction of the green tea with various techniques the extract was partitioned with chloroform to remove caffeine, after that the extract was partitioned with ethyl acetate to obtain catechin mixture. Quantification of individual catechins was carried out by HPLC and analysis results proved that epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) was main catechin specie present in all extracts. The results indicate that hot water extraction (at 80 0C) provides higher catechin yield when compared to other methods. The highest extract yields were obtained with dried leaves collected in second collection period. The crude catechin mixture contains high amount of EGCG and might be used as raw material for production of plant remedies at industrial scale

New Approaches for Effective Microwave Assisted Extraction of Caffeine and Catechins from Green Tea

This study was designed to develop an effective microwave assisted extraction (MAE) method for extraction of caffeine and catechins from green tea samples. A series of solvents (water, ethanol:water mixture or citric acid:water mixture) were used for extraction of green tea samples (fresh, frozen or dried) collected in three collection periods (first, second and third collection periods). Tea samples were extracted using water in a close microwave system under the certain extraction conditions. Extraction was carried out under a controlled 600 W microwave power at 80 oC temperature for 4 min irradiation time. Alternative to water, an ethanol-water mixture (1:1) or a citric acid-water (1:1) mixture was used as extracting solvent under the same conditions. After MAE crude aqueous extract was partitioned first with chloroform to separate caffeine then ethyl acetate for catechins. Both caffeine and catechin extraction was quite successful with microwave assisted system employing only 4 minutes treatment. The highest caffeine yield was obtained in the second collection period using frozen green tea samples and ethanol-water as extracting solvent. The yield of catechin extracts was between 0.84-3.96% depending on the solvent system used for extraction. Ethanol-water mixture seems to be appropriate for effective extraction in the basis of extract yields. However, HPLC results showed that individual catechin content of each extraction is more important criteria for the evaluation of most effective extraction medium rather than the mass of the extract. Using citric acid as extracting solvent in MAE seem to be more fruitful providing 100% catechin mixture with the highest EGCG content

Extraction of antioxidative principles of Achillea biserrata M. Bieb. and chromatographic analyses

In this study, hexane, chloroform and water extracts were prepared by making consecutive extraction of Achillea biserrata from the family Asteraceae. Volatile oil of the same types was obtained by water distillation that was continued 4 hours in the Clevenger fixture and dried by adding anhydrous sodium sulfate. After GS/MS analysis, volatile oil of the same types was kept at 4 ºC in the refrigerator and dark until the work activity was performed. Volatile oil yield that was obtained from mixture of all dried flower and plant leaves were determined for Achillea biserrata 0.4%(v/w) The antioxidant activities of extracts, total phenol, flavonoid, proanthocyanidin and anthocyanin amounts were determined. Two different tests were performed for measurements of antioxidant activities.1 Especially, for the purpose of meeting the general properties of good additives’ free radical cleaning activity was done by DPPH method and the inhibition of oxidation activity was done by with β-carotene method. The 50% inhibition (IC50) values of the water, methanol:water and chloroform extracts were 19.6, 37.9 and 114 μg /mL, respectively ın DPPH test. Besıdes, the nonpolar extracts were active in β-carotene/linoleic acid test system. Total phenolics and total flavonoid contents were highest in the water extract possessing 3.39% and 1.12%, respectively. Methanolic extract showed the presence of antioxidant phenolic compounds such as protocatecuic acid (177.83 g/g) and chlorogenic acid (164.78 g/g) ın HPLC analsıs. Automated extraction system obtained better separation of the active principles from plant tissues than conventional extraction procedures