Preparation of kombucha from winter savory (Satureja Montana L.) in the laboratory bioreactor

The possibility of obtaining kombucha from winter savory tea has been tested in the laboratory bioreactor by applying starter cultures and traditional way of inoculation. On the basis of the obtained results, it can be concluded that applying the inoculating method with the beverage from the previous process of biotransformation yielded kombucha beverage (capacity 15 I) from winter savory tea in the laboratory bioreactor. The application of defined starter culture from the isolate of yeast and acetic acid bacteria of local tea in the glass jar (capacity 5 I) gave 3 litres of kombucha beverage, which is acceptable according to the basic parameters and sensory characteristics. However, the application of the same starter culture in the laboratory bioreactor did not result in synchronized activity of yeast and bacteria

QSAR MODELING OF ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF SOME BENZIMIDAZOLE DERIVATIVES

A quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) study has been carried out for a training set of 12 benzimidazole derivatives to correlate and predict the antibacterial activity of studied compounds against Gram-negative bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Multiple linear regression was used to select the descriptors and to generate the best prediction model that relates the structural features to inhibitory activity. The predictivity of the model was estimated by cross-validation with the leave-one-out method. Our results suggest a QSAR model based on the following descriptors: parameter of lipophilicity (logP) and hydration energy (HE). Good agreement between experimental and predicted inhibitory values, obtained in the validation procedure, indicated the good quality of the generated QSAR model

Screening of antibacterial activity of raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) fruit and pomace extracts

Antibacterial activity of fruit and pomace extracts (concentration 50 mg/ml) of two raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) cultivars (Meeker and Willamette) was tested against selected Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria (reference and wild strains). Disc diffusion method with 15 μl of extracts and agar-well diffusion method with 50 and 100 μl were used. Antibiotic (cefotaxime/clavulanic acid) was used as a control. Both raspberry fruit extracts showed the strongest antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (wild strain) and Bacillus cereus, where the largest clear zones (without growth) appeared. Escherichia coli was the most resistant strain, with only zone of reduced growth. The highest antibacterial activity of pomace extracts was against Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus saprophyticus. There were no differences in the antibacterial activity between cultivars for both fruit and pomace extracts. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. TR 31044

Quantitative structure-activity relationship of some 1-benzylbenzimidazole derivatives as antifungal agents

In the present study, the antifungal activity of some 1-benzylbenzimidazole derivatives against yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae was investigated. The tested benzimidazoles displayed in vitro antifungal activity and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined for all the compounds. Quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) has been used to study the relationships between the antifungal activity and lipophilicity parameter, logP, calculated by using CS Chem-Office Software version 7.0. The results are discussed on the basis of statistical data. The best QSAR model for prediction of antifungal activity of the investigated series of benzimidazoles was developed. High agreement between experimental and predicted inhibitory values was obtained. The results of this study indicate that the lipophilicity parameter has a significant effect on antifungal activity of this class of compounds, which simplify design of new biologically active molecules

Synthesis, physico-chemical characterization and biological activity of 2-aminobenzimidazole complexes with different metal ions

Complexes of 2-aminobenzimidazole (L) with nitrates of cobalt(II) nickel(II), copper (II), zinc(II) and silver(I) were synthesized. The molar ratio metal:ligand in the reaction of the complex formation was 1:2. It should be noticed, that the reaction of all the metal salts yielded bis(ligand) complexes of the general formula M(L)2(NO3)2 × nH2O (M=Co, Ni Cu, Zn or Ag; n=0, 1, 2 or 6). The complexes were characterized by elemental analysis of the metal, molar conductivity, magnetic susceptibility measurements and IR spectra. Co(II), Ni(II) and Cu(II) complexes behave as non-electrolytes, whilst Zn(II) and Ag(I) are 1:1 electrolytes. Cu(II) complex has a square-planar stereochemistry, Ag(I) complex is linear, whilst the Co(II), Ni(II) and Zn(II) complexes have a tetrahedral configuration. In all the complexes ligand is coordinated by participation of the pyridine nitrogen of the benzimidazole ring. The antimicrobial activity of the ligand and its complexes against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus sp. Staphylococcus aureus and Saccharomyces cerevisiae was investigated. The effect of metal on the ligand antimicrobial activity is discussed

Selection of industrial process fan with application of software

This paper presents the procedure of fan selection by the software ProSelecta2 on the example of an industrial process fan with given technical characteristics. For the selected fan, the detailed technical characteristics are given, as well as a drawing of the fan with built-in dimensions. In brief, the basic alternative options for selecting the fan using this software are explained

The frequency of sister chromatid exchange and micronuclei in evaluation of cytogenetic activity of Kombucha on human peripheral blood lymphocytes

Kombucha is a refreshing beverage obtained by the fermentation of sweetened black tea with a “tea fungus” (symbiotic culture of acetic acid bacteria and yeasts). It is consumed due to its potential beneficial effects on human health. The aim of this study was to investigate activity of Kombucha on human peripheral blood lymphocytes in vitro. We analyzed Kombucha made from different substrates: Camellia sinensis and Satureja montana, and effects of substrates alone. The frequencies of sister chromatid exchange (SCE) and micronuclei (MN) were scored as genetic endpoints and mitomycin C was used as model mutagen. Kombucha from Camellia sinensis and Camellia sinensis substrate increased frequency of MN and SCE on mitomycin C-treated and -untreated peripheral blood lymphocytes. However, Kombucha from Satureja montana reduced incidence of MN on mitomycin C-treated and -untreated peripheral blood lymphocytes, while SCE frequency was higher than control value. In our pilot study we showed for the first time that Kombucha from different substrates induced different effects on mitomycin C-treated and -untreated peripheral blood lymphocytes