STUDY OF THE AMINO ACID AND ELEMENTAL COMPOSITION OF THE COMPLEX DRY EXTRACT "PHY-TOINFLAM"

The purpose of this research is to study the amino acid and elemental composition of the complex dry extract "Phytoinflam" obtained from ordinary Oak (latin. Quercus robur L.). Chamomile (latin. Chamоmilla recutita (L.)) and three-lobe Beggarticks (latin. Bidens tripartita). Determination of the amino acid composition was carried out by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and the quantitative determination of macro-and microelements - by the method of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) According to the results of the research, it was revealed that 20 amino acids were found in the dry extract "Phytoinflam": 15 of which are representatives of various classes of aliphatic amino acids, 3 – aromatic and 2 – heterocyclic. It should be noted that ten out of twenty discovered amino acids are irreplaceable. The largest quantities are proline, valine, alanine, arginine, cysteine and glutamine. The total amino acid content was 14.767 mg/100 mg, of which 38.97% were essential amino acids, and, accordingly, 61.03% were non-essential. The results of the study of micro- and macroelements showed the presence of 28 elements in the analyzed extract, among which seven are essential (Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Se, Zn) and four conditionally essential. It is noted that the high content of such elements important for the vital activity of the body as calcium, potassium, sodium, magnesium, silver, strontium. The concentrations of heavy metals and arsenic in the analyzed dry extract did not exceed the regulated limit according to WHO and state Pharmacopoeia XIV. The data obtained indicate the high value of the complex dry extract "Phytoinflam", which confirms its therapeutic value and the possibility of creating drugs based on it.

Significance of current weather conditions for foliar traits of old-growth sessile oak (Quercus petraea Liebl) trees

Key message Sessile oak leaves showed a high degree of plasticity to atmospheric and pedospheric conditions. Abstract The aim of the present study was to elucidate the significance of current weather conditions for foliar traits of adult sessile oak (Quercus petraea), one of the most valuable forest tree species in Central Europe. For this purpose, structural and functional traits were analysed in fully expanded, sun exposed leaves collected in south-west Germany from five old-growth forest stands, representing the meteorological and pedospheric conditions in the growing region, but differing in aridity during the 12 days before harvest in two consecutive years. Across the forest stands, most foliar traits differed significantly between wet and dry weather conditions before harvest as indicated by partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). These traits included fresh weight/dry weight ratio, leaf hydration, leaf-C content, leaf-C/N ratio, structural N, soluble protein-N, total amino acid-N, cell wall composition, numerous specific amino acids as well as soluble sugar content. Structural biomass, δ13C signature, total N and total C as well as H2O2 contents were not affected by the weather before harvest. These results indicate a high plasticity of the foliar metabolism of drought-tolerant sessile oak to current weather conditions. They also suggest that sessile oak is characterized by a high potential to cope with the growth conditions expected as a consequence of future climate change.

Critical evaluation of the Microbial Turnover to Biomass approach for the estimation of biogenic non-extractable residue

Background Persistence is a key criterion for the risk assessment of chemicals. In degradation tests, microbial biodegradation of labeled test chemicals leads to the incorporation of the label in microbial biomass, resulting in biogenic non-extractable residues (bioNER), which are not considered as harmful in persistence assessment. The amount of bioNER can be estimated using the Microbial Turnover to Biomass (MTB) model. MTB estimates the biomass growth during productive degradation of a compound from theoretical growth yield and CO2-formation and gives an upper and a lower value for bioNER formation. Results We collected experimental data in order to test accuracy and precision of this estimation method. In total, 16 experimental studies were found in literature where bioNER was experimentally quantified. Hereof, 13 studies used the amount of label recovered from total amino acid (tAA) content as proxy for bioNER. Unfortunately, the comparison with experimental data was difficult due to the variety of employed methods. A conversion factor is required to extrapolate from tAA on bioNER, and this factor may vary during the experiment and between experiments. The bioNER formation for all compounds tested was calculated with the MTB method, and the outcome was compared to measured tAA as proxy for bioNER. The relation between predicted and measured bioNER was significant, but no better correlation was obtained than with CO2 to tAA. The mean absolute error of the prediction (low MTB versus tAA) was 5% (unit applied label, %aL). Large deviations between experimentally determined bioNER and the calculated result for some compounds may indicate problems in the experimental determination of bioNER. Conclusions MTB thus provides a robust model for determining of the potential amounts of biomass and bioNER formed from the degradation of organic chemicals.

An Assessment of Selected Nutritional, Bioactive, Thermal and Technological Properties of Brown and Red Irish Seaweed Species

Irish edible brown (Himanthalia elongata—sea spaghetti, Alaria esculenta—Irish wakame) and red seaweeds (Palmaria palmata—dulse, Porphyra umbilicalis—nori) were assessed for nutritional (proximate composition; salt; pH; amino acid; mineral and dietary fibre contents); bioactive (total phenolic content (TPC) and in vitro antioxidant activity (DPPH and FRAP)); thermal (thermogravimetric analysis (TGA)); and technological (water holding capacity (WHC), oil holding capacity (OHC) and swelling capacity (SC)) properties. Red seaweeds had higher (p < 0.05) protein levels, whereas brown seaweeds possessed higher (p < 0.05) moisture, ash, insoluble and total dietary fibre contents. Nori had the lowest (p < 0.05) salt level. Seaweed fat levels ranged from 1 to 2% DW. Aspartic and glutamic acids were the most abundant amino acids. The total amino acid (TAA) content ranged from 4.44 to 31.80%. Seaweeds contained numerous macro (e.g., Na) and trace minerals. The TPC, DPPH and FRAP activities followed the order: sea spaghetti ≥ nori > Irish wakame > dulse (p < 0.05). TGA indicated maximum weight loss at 250 °C. Dulse had the lowest (p < 0.05) WHC and SC properties. Dulse and nori had higher (p < 0.05) OHC than the brown seaweeds. Results demonstrate the potential of seaweeds as functional food product ingredients.

Dietary Addition With Clostridium butyricum and Xylo-Oligosaccharides Improves Carcass Trait and Meat Quality of Huanjiang Mini-Pigs

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary addition with Clostridium butyricum (CB) and xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS) on growth performance, carcass trait, and meat quality of pigs. A total of 128 Huanjiang mini-pigs with an initial body weight of 9.5 ± 0.1 kg were randomly assigned to one of four groups. The pigs in control (Con) group were fed a basal diet and those in the experimental groups were fed the basal diet supplemented with 0.05% CB (CB group), 0.02% XOS (XOS group), or 0.05% CB + 0.02% XOS (CB + XOS group). Eight replicate pens were used per group with four pigs per pen. On days 28, 56, and 84 of the trial, the growth performance, carcass trait, and meat quality were evaluated. The results showed that dietary CB addition decreased (p &lt; 0.05) the average daily gain and increased (p &lt; 0.05) the ratio of feed intake to body weight gain at day 28 of the trial; CB, XOS, and CB + XOS addition increased (p &lt; 0.05) the backfat thickness at day 84 of the trial compared with the Con group. Dietary CB, XOS, and CB + XOS addition increased (p &lt; 0.05) the pH45min, while decreased (p &lt; 0.05) the marbling score at day 28 of the trial compared with the Con group. Dietary CB + XOS addition increased (p &lt; 0.05) the contents of Ala, Arg, Asp, Gly, His, Leu, Lys, Met, Phe, Ser, Thr, Tyr, and Val in muscle at day 56 of the trial. At day 84 of the trial, dietary CB addition increased the contents of nonessential amino acid (NEAA), total amino acid (TAA), and monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA), while decreased (p &lt; 0.05) the percentage of C20:1 in muscle compared with the Con group. Collectively, dietary addition with 0.05% CB and 0.02% XOS could not alter the growth performance, but increase carcass trait, meat quality, and muscular nutrient contents in Huanjiang mini-pigs.

Manufacture of Toman Fish Protein (Channa micropeltes) Isolate with Different pH Methods using Star Fruit (Averrhoa bilimbi) Acid

Toman fish (Channa micropeltes) is a type of freshwater fish that belongs to the genus Channa which is the largest size compared to the others and has high protein. This study aims to obtain the isolate of toman fish protein (Channa micropeltes) by the method of pH regulation using star fruit acid. Wuluh star fruit acid is used as a substitute for HCl in making fish protein isolates to reduce pH. This research method uses a Completely Randomized Design (CRD). The treatments consisted of (P1 = pH 4, P2 = pH 5, P3 = pH 6). The results showed that star fruit acid can replace HCl as a protein precipitant and P1 (pH 4) obtained the most isolates, namely an average protein content of 91.64% (db), a moisture content of 1.67%, ash content of 2.06 % (db), fat content of 2.74% (db), yield of 88.46%, and total amino acid composition of 61.30%, where the type of amino acid that dominates is glutamic acid (12.30%). Glutamic acid amino acid is the one that influences a lot in giving pH isoelectric point, in the treatment of P1 with pH 4 making isolates of toman fish protein to be the best treatment, because glutamic acid has an isoelectric point of 3.22 which is the closest to pH 4 plus also the pH of isoelectric point from other amino acids.

Amino Acid Composition of Milk from Cow, Sheep and Goat Raised in Ailano and Valle Agricola, Two Localities of ‘Alto Casertano’ (Campania Region)

Cow, sheep and goat raw milk raised in Ailano and Valle Agricola territories (‘Alto Casertano’, Italy) were characterized (raw proteins, free and total amino acids content) to assess milk quality. Raw milk with the highest total protein content is sheep milk followed by goat and cow milk from both localities. Total amino acid content in cow, goat and sheep raw milk is 4.58, 4.81 and 6.62 g per 100 g, respectively, in which the most abundant amino acid is glutamic acid (~20.36 g per 100 g of proteins). Vice versa, the free amino acids content characteristic profiles are different for each species. In particular, the most abundant free amino acid in cow, sheep and goat raw milk is glutamic acid (9.07 mg per 100 g), tyrosine (4.72 mg per 100 g) and glycine (4.54 mg per 100 g), respectively. In addition, goat raw milk is a source of taurine (14.92 mg per 100 g), retrieved in low amount in cow (1.38 mg per 100 g) and sheep (2.10 mg per 100 g) raw milk. Overall, raw milk from ‘Alto Casertano’ show a high total protein content and are a good source of essential amino acids.

Climate Change–Induced Stress Reduce Quantity and Alter Composition of Nectar and Pollen From a Bee-Pollinated Species (Borago officinalis, Boraginaceae)

In temperate ecosystems, elevated temperatures, and drought occur especially during spring and summer, which are crucial periods for flowering, pollination, and reproduction of a majority of temperate plants. While many mechanisms may underlie pollinator decline in the wake of climate change, the interactive effects of temperature and water stress on the quantity and quality of floral nectar and pollen resources remain poorly studied. We investigated the impact of temperature rise (+3 and +6°C) and water stress (soil humidity lower than 15%) on the floral resources produced by the bee-pollinated species Borago officinalis. Nectar volume decreased with both temperature rise and water stress (6.1 ± 0.5 μl per flower under control conditions, 0.8 ± 0.1 μl per flower under high temperature and water stress conditions), resulting in a 60% decrease in the total quantity of nectar sugars (mg) produced per flower. Temperature rise but not water stress also induced a 50% decrease in pollen weight per flower but a 65% increase in pollen polypeptide concentration. Both temperature rise and water stress increased the total amino acid concentration and the essential amino acid percentage in nectar but not in pollen. In both pollen and nectar, the relative percentage of the different amino acids were modified under stresses. We discuss these modifications in floral resources in regards to plant–pollinator interactions and consequences on plant pollination success and on insect nutritional needs.

Antioxidant and antibacterial insights into the leaves, leaf tea and medicinal roots from Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bge.

Used as traditional Chinese medicine, Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bge. (A. membranaceus) roots are also used as tonic food material in a wide range of applications, while the leaves are left in the field, unused. Therefore, comprehensively exploring and utilizing the leaves will inevitably reduce the associated resource waste and environment pollution. In this study, the plant leaves were processed into tea using green tea processing technology. Bioactive components, antioxidant and antibacterial activities of the Leaf Tea (LT) and Dry Leaves (DL) were studied, and compared to that of the Dry Roots (DR). The results showed that the polysaccharides content (POL) in the DR (20.44%) was twice as high as the DL (10.18%) and LT (8.68%). However, the DL contained 36.85% more water-soluble extracts (WSE), 35.09% more ethanol-soluble extracts (ESE), 409.63% more total flavonoid content (TFC), 221.01% more total phenolic content (TPC) and 94.34% more proteins, and the LT contained 26.21% more WSE, 40.64% more ESE, 326.93% more TFC, 191.90% more TPC and 37.71% more proteins. The total amino acid (AA) content in the DR was 8.89%, while in that of the DL and LT were 24.18% and 28.96% respectively, nearly 3-times higher than that of the DR. The antioxidant activity of DR was much lower than those of DL and LT, both of which had antioxidant activity closer to that of Vitamin C (VC) and the antioxidant activities were even stronger when the optimal concentration was reached. Except for Aspergillus niger and Staphylococcus aureus, the DL and DR exhibited inhibition activities to Salmonella, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli and yeast, while the LT had antimicrobial activities against all the strains except for A. niger. In summary, compared with the most commonly used DR, the DL and LT from A. membranaceus contained higher bioactive components, and stronger antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Producing leaf tea may be an appropriate way to economically and reasonably utilize the plant leaves which are by-products.

Potential of Ulva linza L. and Caulerpa racemosa var. uvifera seaweeds from Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh as sea vegetable

The nutritional quality parameters of leafy Ulva linza L. collected from the west coast of the Naf river estuary, Teknaf and grape-like Caulerpa racemosa var. uvifera collected from St. Martin's Island, Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, were studied. Total protein content in U. linza (22.05±1.73%) was found significantly (p<0.05) higher than C. racemosa var. uvifera (18.20±1.50%) but with low crude lipids in the former; total amino acid content was also higher in the former, both having nearly the same amount of essential and non-essential amino acids; vitamin C content (about 2.5 mg/100 g) was nearly identical but β -carotene content was higher in the later (9.04 mg/100 g dry wt.). Crude fiber in U. linza was low (4.21±0.43%) but high in C. racemosa var. uvifera (18.20±1.50%). Other micronutrients were also ascertained. The nutritional quality parameters determined suggested that the “sea-salad” and “sea- grapes” can be used as sea-vegetables and food supplements. Bangladesh J. Sci. Ind. Res.56(3), 223-230, 2021