Study on Endophytic Fungi Associated with Moringa oleifera Lam. Collected from Lombok Island, West Nusa Tenggara

An assemblage of endophytic fungi was isolated from Moringa oleifera Lam. collected from Lombok island, West Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia. Fungal endophytes were isolated using surface sterilization methods with slight modification. Forty-six selected endophytic fungal strains were isolated from the leaves, petioles, and stems of M. oleifera. The fungal strains identification through morphological observation and ITS rDNA-based molecular analysis showed that fungal endophytes were associated with host plants belonging to the taxa Alternaria, Cladosporium, Colletotrichum (Glomerella), Corynespora, Curvularia (Cochliobolus), Fusarium, Mucor, Ochrocladosporium, Phomopsis (Diaporthe), and Trametes. In this study, endophytic Phomopsis dominating the obtained strains, whereas 26% (12/46) strains were isolated from host plant samples.

Inhibitory Potential Of Black Seed (Nigella Sativa L.) Bioactive Compounds Towards Main Protease Of SARS-CoV-2 : In Silico Study

COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2, has become a massive worldwide concern of the 21st century. One potential strategy to block the biochemical pathway of SARS-CoV-2 was by inhibiting the main protease (Mpro), which is a key enzyme on viral replication. Black seed (Nigella sativa L.) has a long history for its use as a traditional medicine. Therefore, we hypothesised that the black seed contains numerous active compounds that could potentially confer inhibitory activity against SARS-CoV-2 viral Mpro. In this study, 24 active compounds from black seed were tested. Compounds were screened using Lipinski's Rules and admetSAR, then docked to viral Mpro 7BQY by AutoDockTools-1.5.6 and AutoDock Vina using a site directed docking approach resulting in affinity energy (∆G) and binding data. We found that the most potential active compound of N. sativa is 3-[(4-Methylphenyl)sulfanyl]-1,3-diphenyl-1-propanone, since its affinity energy was -7.6 kCal.mol-1. Its similarity to N3 inhibitor based on Ligplot analysis and DS were 86.7% and 76.19%, respectively, and the occupancy on binding site based on Ligplot analysis and DS were 90.91% and 81.82%, respectively. These findings can be used as a starting point for further investigation using in vitro and in vivo studies.

Enhancement Of Yield, Starch, And Amylose Content Of Two Indonesian Cassava Genotypes By Producing Gamma Irradiated-Induced Mutants

As an important carbohydrate-source food crop and raw materials of starch-based industries, accelerated cassava breeding has been extensively pursued through various procedures, among others, is mutant induction using gamma irradiation combined with molecular marker. Iding, a local genotype cassava has been compared with a national variety Adira 4 for its yield attributes following gamma irradiation at various dose levels ( 2, 20, 30, and 50 krad). The mutation rate was conducted based on morphological characteristics and identification using RAPD by employing random primer OPB-10. Evaluation was conducted on mutant lines producing high potential yield, high starch and amylose contents. The fourth generation of irradiated Adira 4 (2 and 30 krad) and Iding (2 krad) exhibited higher yield and amylose content as compared to their representative controls. The yield of 30 krad irradiated Adira 4 indicated by mean tuber weight per individual could reach more than twice of that of control and almost 1.5 times of that irradiated with 2 krad. The levels of amylose content of all irradiated ones, regardless of genotypes and gamma irradiation doses (2 and 30 krad) were higher than that of control. In most parameters, irradiated Adira 4 was superior to irradiated Iding.

The Purification Of Rennin-Like Protease From Lactobacillus Paracasei Isolated From Ettawa Goat Milk

There is a protease produced by bateria that has characteristics similar to rennin from a calf. Rennin has the ability to clot casein in milk. Rennin-like protease (RLP) is produced by bacteria extracellularly. Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) have the potential to be developed for RLP production because they are safe and non-pathogenic bacteria. Rennin is needed in the process of milk coagulation to subsequently obtain a curd in the process of making cheese. In this study, the LAB isolated from Ettawa goat milk (isolate 2.12) which produced RLP was 99% identical to Lactobacillus paracasei based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. The purification of the RLP L. paracasei 2.12 with 60% ammonium sulfate deposition, dialysis, and filtration gel chromatography Sephadex G-50 showed a single 38 kDa protein band with SMCA/SPA was 4.48 higher than that of the calf rennet with a ratio value of 1, therefore in this study, RLP L. paracasei 2.12 was developed as an alternative to renin in cheese making.

Catechin Contents, Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities of Different Types of Indonesian Tea (Camellia sinensis)

Tea is one of the most popular beverages in the world. Produced from Camellia sinensis leaves, tea has been studied to provide health benefits due to the content of important metabolites. This study aimed to investigate the catechin contents, antioxidant, and antibacterial activities of Indonesian tea varieties, namely green tea, black tea, and white tea. Tea infusion was prepared by extracting 1 g of each sample into 10 mL of distilled water and incubated at 80 °C for 60 min. The catechin and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) contents of tea extracts were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Antioxidant activity was measured using the free radical method with 2,2-diphenyl-1-pycrylhidrazyl (DPPH), while antimicrobial activity was assesed using paper disc diffusion assay. The results indicated that green tea had the highest contents of catechin (646 ± 17.14 mg/L) and EGCG (997.8 ± 36.72 mg/L), and antioxidant activity with IC50 of 5.65 µg/mL. Furthermore, green tea and white tea extracts showed inhibitory activity against Gram-positive bacteria such as Micrococcus luteus, Bacillus subtilis, and Staphylococcus aureus whereas black tea had no activity against all bacterial strains tested. Generally, we concluded that white tea and green tea contributed to the higher content of catechins and exhibited strong antioxidant and antibacterial properties.

Synthesis And Characterization Of Alginate-Cellulose Xanthate Beads From Corn Stalk With NaCL As Porogen

In this study, the synthesis of porous beads from corn stalks was carried out. The cellulose extracted from corn stalks was converted into cellulose xanthate and combined with alginate to form porous alginate-cellulose xanthate beads by the ionic gelation method. This study attempted to use sodium chloride (NaCl) as a porogen and zinc acetate as a crosslinker. Beads were characterized to determine the porosity, swelling properties, and functional groups using Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR). The geometry of beads was analyzed by optical microscopy, and its surface morphology was analyzed by Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX). The results showed that corn stalks as agricultural waste material could be used to synthesize porous beads material. The swelling and porosity of beads increased with increasing concentration of NaCl. The presence of porogen has increased beads formation. The results demonstrate the crosslinks between zinc acetate and alginate were successfully characterized using FTIR. NaCl concentration of 9.5% resulted in the highest swelling properties (52.80%) and porosity (81.4%) of the beads.

Evaluation of Alternative Components in Growth Media of Lactobacillus brevis for Halal Probiotic Preparation

Probiotic has been widely used in functional food because of numerous advantages for health. MRS broth is commonly used as standard medium in studying lactobacilli. However, in some communities - like muslim and vegetarian society, components in MRS broth/medium become an issue. Beef extract and peptone – animal derived substances as nitrogen sources in the MRS medium should be avoided for the vegetarian. Meanwhile, for the muslim society, all components must be halal-certified including those animal derived ingredients. Therefore, several alternative sources for beef extract and peptone substitution were studied. Combination of alternative nitrogen sources was applied. In order to increase the effect of the alternative nitrogen sources, alternative carbon sources were also included. This is the first report about effects of L. brevis media components on cells growth to expression level of surface layer protein (Slp). Whey, lactose, sucrose, and galactose showed high contribution to L. brevis growth. However, the tested concentration of those substances were not sufficient to obtain equal bacterial growth and Slp expression than that of MRS broth. In addition, yeast extract appeared necessary to maintain cell wall and Slp expression.

In Vitro Ruminal Fermentation and Degradability of Rice Husk on Rice Bran Substitution

Rice bran is a by-product of the rice milling process and has been well used as livestock feed. Rice bran is often adulterated with rice husk. The objective of this study was to evaluate the in vitro ruminal fermentation characteristics of rice bran with various compositions of rice husk and assess the relationship between rice husk addition and rice bran quality. The experiment was arranged in a completely randomized design with rice husk addition as a factor and three replications. Data of proximate value, gas production, ruminal degradability, and volatile fatty acid production were analyzed by analysis of variance. Moreover, significant effects of each treatment in the in vitro fermentation were further analyzed by Duncan's multiple range test (P<0.05). It was shown that the addition of rice husk to rice bran could increase acetic acid level, but it reduced potential gas production, gas production rate, organic matter and dry matter digestibility, and propionic acid level. Interestingly, the linear regression of dry matter digestibility, organic matter digestibility, and potential gas production showed the high adjusted R2 values. Moreover, this study also revealed that 10% of rice husk substitution on rice bran could significantly reduce the dry matter digestibility.

Furfural and 5-(Hydroxymethyl) furfural Tolerance Candida strains in Bioethanol Fermentation

The toxic fermentation inhibitors in lignocellulosic hydrolysates pose significant problems for the production of second-generation biofuels and biochemicals. Among these inhibitors, 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural (HMF) and furfural are specifically well known. This study investigated the furfural and 5-HMF tolerance in Candida strains, which could be used for the development of advanced generation bioethanol processes. The 10 isolates of Candida were selected based on the cell growth and bioethanol production on YPD medium containing several concentrations of furfural and 5-HMF by using spectrophotometer and HPLC. Candida parapsilosis Y80 could grow and produce bioethanol in the medium that contains furfural and 5-HMF with a concentration of 60 mM and 40 mM, respectively. Based on the results, C. parapsilosis Y80 has potential activity in the development of bioethanol fermentation.

Overexpression of Sugarcane Sucrose Transporter 1 (SoSUT1) Gene Increases Rice Yield

The growth and development of plants are determined by photosynthesis, which ultimately results in sucrose. Sucrose is synthesized in the source then translocated to all parts of the plant (sink). The translocation process of sucrose from source to sink is controlled by sucrose protein called sucrose transporter. SoSUT1 is a gene that encodes a sucrose transporter 1 (SUT1) protein in sugarcane. Rice transformation with the SoSUT1 causes overexpression SUT, which is expected to increase the translocation of sucrose into the seed of rice plants. This research was conducted by introducing SoSUT1 in rice plants Inpari 14 SS. Transformation using Agrobacterium tumefaciens vector in apical bud explant Indica rice cv. Inpari 14 SS results in 26 events positive rice contains genes SoSUT1. This study aims to elucidate the inheritance of transgene in the next generation and to characterize its effect on the morphology and the yields of a subsequent generation. The study is conducted by planting the seeds of T1 and T2 plants in media containing Hygromycin and using PCR analysis for further analysis. As the results, from 26 events on the T1 plant, only 3 events of T3 plants were confirmed on the T3 plant. The overexpression of the SoSUT1 gene could increase the number of tillers, the number of productive tillers, panicle length, and panicle exit length, also increasing the number of spherical grains, reducing the number of empty grains and increasing the weight of 1000 grains.