Dietary simultaneous replacement of fish meal and fish oil with blends of plant proteins and vegetable oils in yellowfin seabream (Acanthopagrus latus) fry: Growth,digestive enzymes,antioxidant status and skin mucosal immunity

A 56‐day nutritional research was performed to examine the influence of alternative vegetal protein and lipid sources on performance of yellowfin seabream fry (Acanthopagrus latus) (0.5 ± 0.0 g). In this regard, five isoproteic (Ca. 500 g/kg) and isolipidic (Ca. 150 g/kg) diets were formulated in which fish meal (FM) and fish oil (FO) were simultaneously replaced with blends of plant proteins (PP, soybean meal and corn gluten) and vegetal oils (VO, canola and soybean oils) at 20% (SR20), 40% (SR40), 60% (SR40) and 80% (SR80) levels, respectively; meanwhile, a control diet (SR0) was formulated based on FM and FO. Growth and feed utilization were not influenced by experimental diets. The fatty acid profile of fillet drastically altered by dietary treatments. Fish fed with the SR60 and SR80 feeds had higher total protease, trypsin and α‐amylase activities than other treatments. The antioxidant enzyme activities and glutathione content in liver were enhanced in fish fed with the SR40, SR60 and SR80 diets. Skin mucosal immune parameters including total protein content, alkaline phosphatase and alternative complement pathway activities in the control group were relatively lower than the vegetal treatments. According to these results, it is recommended that 410 g/kg of FM and 45 g of FO/kg can be replaced with alternative vegetal sources in diet for A. latus fry.     

Influencing in vitro clonal propagation of Chonemorpha fragrans(moon) Alston by culture media strength,plant growth regulators,carbon source and photo periodic incubation

Chonemorpha fragrans is an endangered medicinal woody climber,regarded among alternative plant sources of camptothecin.Camptothecin is a monoterpene indole anti-cancer alkaloid with annual trade value of over three billion U.S.dollars in the recent,and is used in the production of its analog drugs approved for the chemotherapy of cancer of varied types.Effects of plant growth regulators,culture media strength and photoperi-odic duration on the micropropagation ef ciency of C.fragrans from nodal segment explants were studied on Murashige and Skoog(MS)medium amended with Thidiazuron(TDZ),Benzylaminopurine(BAP)or Kinetin(Kin).Thidiazuron was more ef cient over BAP and Kin when half basal MS medium was used over full or quarter strength.Results of carbon source experiment showed sucrose as the most effective over glucose,fructose,and maltose in the clonal production.Studies on the photope-riodic incubation duration showed 12 h as the best light period and sub or supra-optimal resulted in the production of abnormal and albino micro shoots.Experimental results on the evaluation of physiological,biochemical parameters showed the role of pigment molecules and antioxidant systems in the production of albino micro shoots.     

Micropropagation of Prunus scoparia,a Suitable Rootstock for Almond under Drought Conditions

Prunus scoparia is a wild deciduous shrub, usually living on dry calcareous soils of the rocky mountains and has been used as a grafting rootstock for domesticated almonds to provide drought resistance. In the current study, micropropagation ability of P. scoparia was investigated using cytokinin and auxin. Uniform nodal shoot pieces (3–5 cm in length) of seedlings were used as explants. The explants were disinfected with 10% sodium hypochlorite solution. For adventitious shoot induction and proliferation, Murashige and Skoog (MS) media containing 7.00 g/l agar and 30.00 g/l sucrose containing five concentrations of benzyl adenine (BA) (0.00, 0.50, 1.00, 2.00, and 4.00 mg/1) and also containing six concentrations of Thidiazuron (TDZ) (0.00, 0.50, 1.00, 2.00, 5.00, and 7.00 mg/1) were compared. For rooting, in vitro shoots (2–3 cm) were transferred into ½ MS medium supplemented with 30 g/l sucrose, 7.50 g/l agar, and different concentrations of IBA (0.00, 0.25, 0.50, and 1.00 mg/l) and NAA (0.00, 0.25, 0.50, and 1.00 mg/l). Based on the results obtained for shoot proliferation, only 2.00 and 4.00 mg/l BA and 2.00 mg/l TDZ concentrations generated shoots, while other treatments did not show shoot proliferation. Among the three treatments that generated shoots, the best results for shoot number, leaf number, and leaf color quality were observed in media containing 2.00 mg/l TDZ. Based on the results obtained for rooting, the effect of IBA concentrations on the rooting percentage, root number, and root length was significant. Among IBA concentrations, only 0.50 mg/l IBA induced rooting, while there was no rooting in the media containing other IBA concentrations. None of the NAA concentrations showed rooting. In conclusion, MS culture medium supplemented with 2.00 mg/l TDZ and ½ MS culture medium supplemented with 0.50 mg/l IBA are suggested for in vitro shoot proliferation and rooting of P. scoparia, respectively. The results presented herein could be used for in vitro selection and micropropagation of P. scoparia.     

Physico-chemical characteristics of apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) grown in Northern Areas of Pakistan

In order to ascertain physico-chemical, functional and geometrical traits of apricot fruit from Northern Areas of Pakistan, six predominantly grown varieties namely, Alman, Habi, Khakhas, Mirmalik, Neeli and Shai were selected in this study. Proximate composition as crude fat (2.1–3%), crude protein (6.18–8.7%), crude fiber (11.85–13.6%), ash (9.45–12.1%) and total sugars (56.8–64.9%) were determined on dry weight basis. The data showed variations among the investigated parameters in all varieties. Functional properties of apricot fruit viz. ascorbic acid (67.39–90.94 mg/100 g), total phenolic compounds (4590–7310 mgGAE/100 g), total carotenoids (10.09–18.13 mg/100 g β-carotene) and antioxidant activity (56.84–82.33%) were also recorded. The data pertaining to mineral contents (mg/100 g) revealed K as the predominant element (2040–3000) followed by P, Mg, Ca, Na and Fe among all the tested samples. Furthermore, geometrical characters of apricot varieties were also determined as important sensory and technological attributes on fresh weight basis. The result from the present study showed that all the tested varieties are highly nutritious and rich in functional components.     

Evaluation of furrow fertigation and model validation on maize field

In new agricultural practices, joint application of water and fertilizer has been become common. Uniform distribution of fertilizer in soil and in plant growth duration is possible by this procedure. The main objective of this study was to investigate furrow fertigation management effects on distribution uniformity and runoff losses of nitrate in a cornfield, and validate a numerical fertigation model. A field experiment was carried out with seed corn at 12 experiments with a complete randomized block design during 2 years. Nitrogen requirement was determined by soil analysis and accomplished in four stages of the growth: before cultivation, in seven leaves, shooting and earring stages which first section (before cultivation) was applied by manual distribution and others by fertigation. Potash and super phosphate fertilizers (based on soil analysis) were sprayed on soil before planting. Water requirement was estimated by using class a evaporation pan multiplied by plant (Kc) and pan coefficients. Nitrogen fertilizer was solved in irrigation water and injected at the last minutes of irrigation. The results showed that fertilizer distribution uniformity of the low quarter (DU_LQ) ranged from 85.7% to 91.5% in first year, and 69.9% to 95.5% in second year. While water DU_LQ ranged from 74.1 to 98.2% in 2 years. Nitrate losses of surface runoff have ranged between 5.7 and 42.0% in first year according to the application time and the outflow flux. In second year, the nitrate losses decreased by adopting appropriate management based on the experiences of first year. The fertigation model was subsequently applied to the experimental data and results showed good agreement with field data.     

New strategy for expression of recombinant hydroxylated human-derived gelatin in Pichia pastoris KM71

Gelatin is a well-known biopolymer, and it has a long history of use mainly as a gelling agent in the food industry. This paper reports a new method for producing recombinant hydroxylated human-derived gelatin in Pichia pastoris KM71. Three independent expression cassettes encoding for specific length of gelatin, prolyl 4-hydroxylase (P4H, EC 1.14.11.2), α-subunit (αP4H), and protein-disulfide isomerase (PDI) were individually cloned in one expression vector, pPIC9K. The modified gelatin gene and two subunit genes of P4H were under the control of two different inducible promoters, namely, alcohol oxidase 1 promoter (PAOX1) and formaldehyde dehydrogenase 1 promoter (PFLD1), respectively. The results of sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis show that a recombinant gelatin was successfully expressed in P. pastoris KM71 by methanol induction. Liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry analysis indicates that the expressed gelatin was hydroxylated with approximately 66.7% of proline residues in the Y positions of Gly-X-Y triplets. The results of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of recombinant gelatin test show that the (1)H and (13)C spectra have many corresponding characteristic displacement peaks, and amino acids composition analysis shows that it contains hydroxyproline and its UV absorption is consistent with the characteristics of gelatin.     

Boron Induced Oxidative Stress,Antioxidant Defence Response and Changes in Artemisinin Content in Artemisia annua L.

Boron is an essential plant micronutrient and the range between deficient and toxic levels of boron is narrow for most of the plants. Like other elements, boron becomes toxic to growth at high concentrations. High boron concentrations in soil reduce crop productivity in many areas of the world. The effect of increasing levels of boron (0, 0.50, 1.00, 1.50, 2.00 mm ) on oxidative stress, antioxidant defence response and changes in artemisinin content in Artemisia annua were investigated in the present study. Boron toxicity reduced the growth parameters viz. stem height, fresh weight and dry weight. Treatments induced oxidative stress resulting in lower net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, internal CO₂ and total chlorophyll content. The increased activities of antioxidant enzymes like CAT, POX and SOD were also noted in response to increasing levels of boron stress. However, H₂O₂ and artemisinin content were found to be high up to 1.00 mm concentration of boron compared to control, and on applying higher doses, further reduced contents were obtained. Thus, the results suggest that a mild stress of boron can be utilized for enhanced artemisinin production.     

The Bio-Functional Properties of Pigmented Cereals may Involve Synergies among Different Bioactive Species

This study was aimed at characterizing the anthocyanins and phenolics profile in different varieties of pigmented corn and wheat and in some of their milling fractions. Acid/ethanol extracts were used to assess total anthocyanins, overall antioxidant activity, the overall polyphenol profile, and for evaluating the inhibition of pancreatic α-amylase and of intestinal α-glucosidase. Both enzymes were inhibited in a dose-dependent manner by all extracts, but individual extracts had specific effects on each enzyme. Anti-inflammatory response was evaluated by using acid-free extracts and Caco-2 cells transiently transfected with a luciferase reporter gene responding to cytokine stimulation. The immune response of interleukin-stimulated cells decreased significantly in a dose-dependent manner in the presence of 20–50 μM/l anthocyanins from all grains extracts, again with a different efficiency. The inhibitory ability and the anti-inflammatory capability of these extracts are in most cases higher than in similar extracts from other sources, suggesting that activities in each extract may imply specific synergies between anthocyanins and other phenolics.