Measurement of ascorbic acid in Australian native plants

Ascorbic acid is one of the compounds found in a number of commercially important native plants fruits e.g. Kakadu plum, wild lime and bush tomato. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to determine ascorbic acid in these native plant fruits. Ascorbic acid degradation of both standards and plant extracts was observed during HPLC sequence runs. These losses were considerable even though factors such as light, temperature and water activity, which accelerate the loss of ascorbic acid, were eliminated. Several concentrations of sodium metabisulphite were added to both standards and plant extracts to evaluate the effect on the rate of ascorbic acid degradation. A concentration of 500 μg/mL was the most effective but did not eliminate the problem. To correct for any loss still occurring, the rate constant k for ascorbic acid degradation was calculated and used to extrapolate back to the original ascorbic acid concentration. The k value was also found to vary for the different plants studied. For example the k value without added sodium metabisulphite for Kakadu plum, wild lime and Kakadu plum intermediate raw material were 0.00532, 0.02710 and 0.04429 respectively. With the addition of 500 μg/mL sodium metabisulphite the k value decreased to 0.00005, 0.00915 and 0.00586 respectively

Phytochemical and Bioactive Properties of Phlogacanthus and Andrographis Genus Plants: Potential for Post-Pandemic Home Remedies

This study aimed to differentiate the morphological characteristics, chemical constituents, and bioactive potential of Acanthaceae family plants, specifically three Phlogacanthus species and Andrographis paniculata. Under identical conditions, cutting stock plant of three Phlogacanthus species (Dee pla kung, Hom chang, and Cha hom) and Andrographis paniculata (Fah talai jone) were pruned and cultivated at the Chiang Mai Royal Agricultural Research Center. The morphology, biomass yield, and growth rates of the plants were observed after 90 days. Methanolic extracts of the dried aerial parts of these plants were analyzed for bioactive compounds, such as total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), total lactone content (TLC), and antioxidant activities (DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays). The results revealed that Hom chang had the maximum relative growth rate (RGR) of 2.64 x 10-3 cm/cm/day among the plants, as determined by the morphology analysis. Cha hom and Dee pla kung, on the other hand, had substantially greater biomass yields than the other species. Regarding chemical properties, Dee pla kung exhibited high TPC (13.66 ± 0.10 mg GAE/g), TFC (17.25 ± 0.31 mg CE/g), and TLC (9.57 ± 0.59%). In addition, Dee pla kung, a species of Phlogacanthus, exhibited significant antioxidant activity and was comparable to Fah talai jone (genus Andrographis) in terms of biomass yield and chemical properties. These findings lay the groundwork for creating future herbal remedies from local plants and their potential use in the medicinal industry

Banana Peel (Musa ABB cv. Nam Wa Mali-Ong) as a Source of Value-Adding Components and the Functional Properties of Its Bioactive Ingredients

\ua9 2024 by the authors.Banana peel (BP) is the primary by-product generated during banana processing which causes numerous environmental issues. This study examines the physical attributes, proximate analysis, glycoarray profiling, antioxidant abilities, and prebiotic activity of BP. The analysis demonstrated that carbohydrates constituted the primary components of BP and the glycoarray profiling indicated that BP contains multiple pectin and hemicellulose structures. BP also contained phenolic compounds, including (+)-catechin and gallic acid, flavonoid compounds, and antioxidant activities. BP demonstrated prebiotic effects by promoting the proliferation of advantageous gut bacteria while inhibiting the growth of harmful bacteria. The prebiotic index scores demonstrated that BP exhibited a greater capacity to promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in comparison to regular sugar. The study demonstrated the potential of the BP as a valuable source of dietary fibre, bioactive compounds, and prebiotics. These components have beneficial characteristics and can be utilised in the production of food, feed additives, and functional food

In silico examination of peptides containing selenium and ebselen Backbone To Assess Their Tumoricidal Potential

Introduction: Cancer has been one of the highest causes of morbidity and mortality in the world for decades. Owing to improved therapeutics along with detection, breast cancer mortality has been slowly reducing. The incidence of breast cancer, on the other hand, has increased gradually. More than 100 types of cancer have been identified with a wide range of treatment protocols comprising of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, etc. In an attempt to curb the serious deleterious effects caused by the chemotherapeutic drugs, numerous peptide molecules are currently popular as alternatives to the standard chemotherapeutic drugs. Methods: In this study, we have carried out in silico investigations to ascertain the anti-proliferative potential of novel peptides based on selenium and ebselen, i.e. Eb-Trp-Asp, 13, Eb-Trp-Glu, 14, and Eb-Trp-Lys, 15. Analysis of protein-ligand interactions, resulting in protein-ligand complex formation, has been carried out using the AutoDockVina in PyRx aided molecular docking technique, which may be an essential indication of druggability of the test peptides. Results: The molecular docking results revealed that the screened ligands had extraordinarily strong binding interactions and affinity for the target. Conclusion: Findings suggested that novel peptide molecule Eb-Trp-Glu, 14 may be a potent anticancer agent

Routine sample preparation and HPLC analysis for ascorbic acid (vitamin C) determination in wheat plants and Arabidopsis leaf tissues

Plants have developed various mechanisms to protect themselves against oxidative stress. One of the most important non-enzymatic antioxidants is ascorbic acid. There is thus a need for a rapid, sensitive method for the analysis of the reduced and oxidised forms of ascorbic acid in crop plants. In this paper a simple, economic, selective, precise and stable HPLC method is presented for the detection of ascorbate in plant tissue. The sensitivity, the short retention time and the simple isocratic elution mean that the method is suitable for the routine quantification of ascorbate in a high daily sample number. The method has been found to be better than previously reported methods, because of the use of an economical, readily available mobile phase, UV detection and the lack of complicated extraction procedures. The method has been tested on Arabidopsis plants with different ascorbate levels and on wheat plants during Cd stress

The effect of post harvest handling on selected native food plants

A commercial issue currently facing native plant food producers and food processors, and identified by the industry itself, is that of delivering quality products consistently and at reasonable cost to end users based on a sound food technology and nutrition platform. A literature survey carried out in July 2001 by the DPI&F’s Centre for Food Technology, Brisbane in collaboration with the University of Queensland to collect the latest information at that time on the functional food market as it pertained to native food plants, indicated that little or no work had been published on this topic. This project addresses two key RIRDC sub program strategies: to identify and evaluate processes or products with prospects of commercial viability and to assist in the development of integrated production, harvesting, processing and marketing systems. This project proposal also reflects a key RIRDC R&D issue for 2002-2003; that of linking with prospective members of the value chain. The purpose of this project was to obtain chemical data on the post harvest stability of functional nutritional components (bio actives) in commercially available, hand harvested bush tomato and Kakadu plum. The project concentrated on evaluating bioactive stability as a measure of ingredient quality

Correlation between browning index and browning parameters during the senesence of longan peel

The correlations of browning index of longan peel with different browning parameters were studied. The index was determined by rating the visible browning appearance of longan peels stored for eight days at 25°C by eight individuals. The result was then tested for correlation with CIE color parameters (L, a, and b), hue angle (h°), polyphenoloxidase activity, and percentage of ion leakage of the peels. The correlation was also confirmed using oxalic acid solution as an effective anti-browning agent. The results suggested that with or without the organic acid treatment, good correlations were observed only with a value and hue angle (h°), indicating alteration of the darkness. Polyphenoloxidase activity as well as the leakage, however, did not correlate with browning index