Kompatibilitas Cendawan Entomopatogen Beauveria Bassiana (Bals) Vuill (Deuteromycotina: Hyphomycetes) Dengan Minyak Serai Wangi

Entomopathogenic fungi such as Beauveria bassiana are important natural control agents of many insects and can be potentially used as a bioinsecticide against several pests. Other potential source of bioinsecticide is certain plants such as fragrant lemongrass oil. The in vitro compatibility of the entomopathogenic fungus B. bassiana and fragrant lemongrass oil was evaluated. Fragrant lemongrass oil was tested in three different concentrations (0.1, 0.3 and 0.5%). Fragrant lemongrass oil was diluted in the steril SDAY medium at the different concentrations. Effects of these concentrations on conidia germination, colony growth and sporulation were compared. Fragrant lemongrass oil affected conidial germination, colony growth and sporulation of B. bassiana. Fragrant lemongrass oil was not compatible with the entomopathogenic fungus B. bassiana

Evaluation of Polar and Non-Polar Fractions of Essential Oil from Cymbopogon Citratus (DC.) Stapf

The essential oil of Cymbopogon citratus collected from Bangalore was fractionated into non-polar and polar fractions using silica column chromatography. The essential oil and the fractions were analyzed by GC and GC-MS. The main constituents of the essential oil were citral [neral (30.4%) + geranial (41.8%)], ß- myrcene (8.8%) and geraniol (2.2%) along with traces of sesquiterpenes, aliphatic compounds and phenylpropanoids. GC analysis of the non-polar chromatographic fraction along with the ß-myrcene standard showed that the non-polar fraction is rich in ß-myrcene (=93.87%) and the polar fraction contained the oxygenated terpenes viz., citral (neral+geranial), geraniol, linalool, isocitral as major constituents

Infusion of Essentail Oils in Agarose Gels to Create Antimicrobial Surfaces

The current use of antibiotics is very excessive in multiple settings, from treating patients to being present in cleaning products. This overuse of antibiotics is resulting in multiple consequences, ranging from having a negative impact on human health to breeding antibiotic-resistant strains of microorganisms. Antimicrobial surfaces are useful today to aid in sterilization, especially in the medical setting. This would help prevent the spread of infection of microorganisms in these settings. In our research, agarose acts as the antimicrobial surface and essential oils would act as the solution incorporated into the surface that has the antimicrobial properties. Agarose is a polysaccharide that derives from red algae. It forms long chains and has charged groups linked to it, like sulfate. These residues are responsible for many of agarose’s properties, such as electroendosmosis, which allows it to undergo gel electrophoresis. Thirty-three essential oils tested against bacteria to see if they had any antimicrobial properties. Many of them have historical uses that include as a medicine to treat infections. To create the agarose plates, agarose powder and the solvent heat up to dissolve. The solution went into the plates and multiple essential oils underwent testing for antimicrobial properties by the dispersion of the oils in the plates. Bacteria inoculated the plates and they grew. The results show that of the thirty-three oils tested, oregano, clove, ginger, lemongrass, and frankincense have antimicrobial properties. Of these oils, oregano, clove, and lemongrass have similar results to others in the same field. Ginger and frankincense oils did not have as much research conducted on their antimicrobial properties to determine, so these experiments helped bring new information about these oils to light. Essential oils can help bring natural products to medicine where natural products are rarely used. Future research on this topic can help us determine more essential oils that can be used and more ways these oils can work in a medical setting

Study on the Essential Oil of Aerial and Sub-Aerial Parts of Cymbopogon Flexuosus (Nees Ex Steud) Wats.

Cymbopogon flexuosus (Nees ex Steud) Wats commonly known as, East Indian lemongrass a widely grown essential oil plant in the world belongs to the family Poaceae and comprise of 140 species worldwide, found abundantly in tropics and sub-tropic regions of Asia, Africa and America. In India, 45 species are recorded of which the economic importance is C.winterianus, C.flexuosus, C.martinii, C.nardus, C.citratus, C.pendulus, C.jwarancusa and C.khasianus. Aerial and sub-aerial parts of C. flexuosus collected from Himavath Gopala hills, Karnataka, India, were subjected to hydrodistillation for extraction of essential oil. GC and GC-MS analysis were performed to know the chemical composition of the oil. Among the 39 compounds identified in aerial parts of the plant the major compounds were citral (64.98%), 1,7-octadien-3-ol (10.97%), dimethyl oxatricyclo nonanone (9.44%), nerol (2.85%), verbenol (1.77%) and caryophyllene oxide (0.71%). In sub-aerial parts of the plant 33 compounds were identified. The analysis of sub-aerial parts showed a different chemical profile compared to aerial part and possessed citral as the major compound of upto 30.47%. Other compounds in sub-aerial part are Eudesmol (17.82%), Elemol (14.16%), dihydro isopropyl methyl azulene (11.08%), .-cadinene (1.88%), junipene (1.36%), hydroxyalloaromadendrene, juniper camphor (1.12%) and elemene (1.04%)

Food and Crime Fiction: Two Complementary Approaches to the Vietnamese Past in Tran-Nhut's Les travers du docteur Porc

With a series of detective novels set in 17th century Dai-Viet that showcase the traditions, beliefs and customs of an exotic culture, in which the food and food habits of the Vietnamese people play a prominent role, Thanh-Van Tran-Nhut, an engineer-turned-novelist of Vietnamese origins, has carved a niche for herself in the popular crime fiction market in France. This paper focuses on the novel Les Travers du Docteur Porc, in which Doctor Porc, forensic investigator and gourmand extraordinaire, adopts the mantle of chief detective from Tran-Nhut’s usual protagonist, the loyal mandarin Tan. In this movement, we argue, the author has shaped two different but complementary approaches to her birth-country’s turbulent past that coalesce in the gargantuan figure of the (politically unencumbered) doctor and connoisseur of Vietnamese cuisine. Whereas the process of ‘solving the crime’ can be read as an attempt to seek answers and restore order in the wake of senseless bloodshed, it is food, we contend, that emerges, not only as a source of pleasure, succour and stability, but as a cultural heritage that war and upheaval failed to destroy

Aromatherapy: The Power of Scent

An alternative (in medicine) is a substance that speeds up the renewal of the tissues so that they can carry out their functions more efficiently. Aromatherapy is one such method of healing, using volatile oils. This article was prepared to give the reader more information on the usage of essential oils

Efficacy of Some Essential Oils to Cure Some Common Problems in Human Beings

Essential oils now form a part of day-to-day life of people. There are different varieties of essential oil used for fragrance and flavours. The quality and composition of these oils play an important role in determining their role in therapeutics. The present paper gives an account of the medicinal plants containing essential oils and their therapeutic properties. Different oil yielding plants were surveyed to find out the efficacy of essential oils in disease treatment