Evaluation of Ultrasound,Microwave, Ultrasound–Microwave,Hydrothermal and High Pressure Assisted Extraction Technologies for the Recovery of Phytochemicals and Antioxidants from Brown Macroalgae

This study aims to explore novel extraction technologies (ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), ultrasound–microwave-assisted extraction (UMAE), hydrothermal-assisted extraction (HAE) and high-pressure-assisted extraction (HPAE)) and extraction time post-treatment (0 and 24 h) for the recovery of phytochemicals and associated antioxidant properties from Fucus vesiculosus and Pelvetia canaliculata. When using fixed extraction conditions (solvent: 50% ethanol; extraction time: 10 min; algae/solvent ratio: 1/10) for all the novel technologies, UAE generated extracts with the highest phytochemical contents from both macroalgae. The highest yields of compounds extracted from F. vesiculosus using UAE were: total phenolic content (445.0 ± 4.6 mg gallic acid equivalents/g), total phlorotannin content (362.9 ± 3.7 mg phloroglucinol equivalents/g), total flavonoid content (286.3 ± 7.8 mg quercetin equivalents/g) and total tannin content (189.1 ± 4.4 mg catechin equivalents/g). In the case of the antioxidant activities, the highest DPPH activities were achieved by UAE and UMAE from both macroalgae, while no clear pattern was recorded in the case of FRAP activities. The highest DPPH scavenging activities (112.5 ± 0.7 mg trolox equivalents/g) and FRAP activities (284.8 ± 2.2 mg trolox equivalents/g) were achieved from F. vesiculosus. Following the extraction treatment, an additional storage post-extraction (24 h) did not improve the yields of phytochemicals or antioxidant properties of the extracts.     

Breeding Potential of Potato Somatic Hybrids: Evaluations for Adaptability,Tuber Traits,Late Blight Resistance,Keeping Quality and Backcross (BC<Subscript>1</Subscript>) Progenies

Ten tetraploid interspecific potato somatic hybrids developed earlier through protoplast fusion between the dihaploid Solanum tuberosum L. ‘C-13’ and the diploid wild species Solanum pinnatisectum Dun. were used in this study. Somatic hybrids and standard control cultivars were evaluated for adaptability, tuber traits, late blight resistance and keeping quality attributes (dormancy, sprouting, weight loss and appearance after 75 days of storage) during two successive winter crop seasons (short-days) in the sub-tropical plains of India, where nearly 90% of India’s potatoes are grown. Somatic hybrids showed medium to good plant vigour and late to very late plant maturity. Though none of the somatic hybrids produced equal or higher tuber yield than the control cultivars, except clone P7, all other somatic hybrids produced significantly higher marketable and total tuber yield after a 90-day growth than the parent C-13. Most of the somatic hybrids possessed higher tuber dry matter concentration, resistance to late blight and better keeping quality attributes than the control cultivars. Notably, the tubers of somatic hybrids showed a tendency for colour change from white to purple on exposure to sunlight. Breeding potential of somatic hybrids was further assessed by crossing them with commonly grown local potato cultivars for the development of backcross (BC₁) progenies. In the hybridization programme, berries were formed while somatic hybrids were used either as male or female parents with common cultivars. Our results revealed that the use of bulk pollen of somatic hybrids not only resulted in higher pollination success but also helped to achieve higher numbers of true potato seeds (TPS) per berry. Despite the formation of berries, TPS was absent in 22 crosses using somatic hybrids as a female or male parent which may be due to ovule or embryo abortions. Segregating BC₁ generations were evaluated under the same sub-tropical conditions for further exploitation in potato breeding. Based on our study, the somatic hybrids P4, P8 and P10 can be utilized for the introgression of important characters such as high tuber dry matter concontration, resistance to late blight and excellent keeping quality attributes into the cultivated potato via conventional breeding methods for cultivar development in the sub-tropical plains of India.     

Morphology and anatomy of the burl disorder of mango (Mangifera indica L.) in India

Summary

Burl, typically manifest as a swelling of the trunk and lower branches, is a relatively unknown disorder of mango (Mangifera indica L.). We studied the incidence of the disorder in trees of each of three mango cultivars in India, and its effect on fruit yields over 2 years. Information was also collected on the relationship between the growth of the burl and the age of the trees, together with details of the anatomy of the affected tissues. ‘Langra’ had the highest incidence of the disorder (80.3% of 24 studied trees affected) and the largest burl (31.8 cm diameter), followed by ‘Chausa’ (17.5%; 16.4 cm), then ‘Gulab Jaman’(7.5%; 4.0 cm). Burl significantly reduced fruit yields in ‘Langra’ (121 kg tree^–1 in affected trees vs. 162 kg tree^–1 in normal trees), but not in ‘Chausa’ (110 vs. 129 kg tree^–1) or ‘Gulab Jaman’ (100 vs. 98 kg tree^–1). The sizes of the burls increased as the ages of the trees increased from 15 to 55 years, especially in ‘Langra’ and ‘Chausa’. No pathogens or insects were found to be associated with the affected tissues. The woody tissues in the burl lacked orientation and were not specifically aligned in a transverse, radial, or tangential direction. Further studies are warranted to determine the cause of this disorder and how it can affect fruit yields.     

Sustained release of complexed DNA from films: Study of bioactivity and intracellular tracking

Sustained DNA delivery from polymeric films provides a means for localized and prolonged gene therapy. However, in the case of bioactive molecules such as plasmid DNA (pDNA), there are limitations on the achievable release profiles as well as on the maintenance of bioactivity over time. In this report, the authors have investigated the bioactivity of the released DNA (naked and complexed with lipofectamine) from polymeric films using in vitro cell transfection of COS-7 cell lines. The polymeric system consists of a biodegradable semicrystalline polymer such as poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) with or without blended gelatin. Sustained release of lipoplexes and of pDNA is shown over several days. However, lipoplexes released from pure PCL films show no transfection on day 18, whereas lipoplexes released from PCL-gelatin films continue to transfect cells on day 18 of release. Confocal studies were used to determine the reasons for this difference in transfection efficiency, and it is proposed that association of the lipoplex with gelatin confers protection from degradation in the cytoplasm. The results also showed that the bioactivity of released lipoplexes was superior to that of the naked pDNA. For both naked pDNA and the lipoplexes, the presence of gelatin helped to maintain the bioactivity over several days.     

Influence of an enzyme cocktail and phytase individually or in combination in Ven Cobb broiler chickens

1.?An experiment (21 d) was conducted to determine if the response of chicks to a cocktail of xylanase, amylase, and protease (XAP) or Escherichia coli-derived phytase individually or in combination when fed a nutritionally marginal maize–soybean meal diet is age-dependent.

2.?A total of 250 one-day-old Ven Cobb broiler chicks were allocated to 5 dietary treatments in a randomised complete block design. The treatments were as follows: (1) positive control with supplemental inorganic P; (2) negative control (NC) marginal in P and ME; (3) NC plus XAP to provide (per kg of diet) 650, 1650 and 4000 U of xylanase, amylase, and protease, respectively; (4) NC plus phytase added to provide 1000 phytase units/kg; and (5) NC plus a combination of XAP and phytase.

3.?Low ME and P in the NC diet depressed weight gain and gain:feed. A cocktail of XAP alone did not improve performance, but phytase supplementation improved weight gain. The enzymes were additive in their effects on growth performance.

4.?The enzymes had no effect on ileal digestible energy. Ileal N digestibility was higher in diets with XAP or phytase individually compared with NC. Both phytase and XAP individually and in combination improved ileal P digestibility compared with NC.

5.?Total tract nutrient retention and ME increased as the birds grew older. There were age × diet interactions in total tract retention of P and Ca; improvement in P retention due to phytase use decreased by 50% as the chicks matured.

6.?The current study shows that a combination of XAP and phytase improved performance, but the enhancement in performance appears to be due mainly to phytase. Both XAP and phytase were effective in improving P digestibility and retention of chicks receiving nutritionally marginal maize–soybean meal.

7.?The data also showed that the chicks benefited more from the enzyme addition at a younger age and that the contribution of the enzymes to nutrient retention decreased with age in chickens.     

Contribution of NTFPs to cash income of the War Khasi community of southern Meghalaya, North-East India

Ever since their emergence on this planet,human beings have depended on forest resources for their requirements,ranging from food,fuel to shelter.Sustainable extraction of forest resources has been promoted by conservationists and development agencies as a feasible strategy for forest dwellers,which does not diminish the resource base.Yet surveys of actual resource use suggest that for poorer resource-dependent communities without access to markets,non-timber forest products (NTFPs) can only act as a safetynet and a supplementary income source.In southern Meghalaya of India,NTFPs and medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) have become an important source of cash and subsistence income for poor people living in or near forests.People in this region have traditionally been collecting different forest products from private forests as well as community conserved forests.The study reveals that NTFPs contribute significantly towards the annual cash income of the local population.The contribution of NTFPs to their income was highest in the case of poor families (9.89%),followed by middle income families (3.34%) and the least for the higher income families (1.34%).Our household survey revealed that 100% of the population is directly or indirectly dependent on NTFPs.Household response indicates diversity in both the types and uses of products collected.     

Nutrients,amino acid,fatty acid and non‐starch polysaccharide profile and in vitro digestibility of macadamia nut cake in swine

The highly variable cost and limited availability of conventional feedstuffs make it imperative to explore alternative feedstuffs to be used in swine. Macadamia nut cake (MNC), a coproduct of the macadamia nut oil industry, has not been well studied. MNC was analyzed for its nutrient profile, gross energy (GE), fibers, amino acids and fatty acids content. Dry matter (DM) and GE digestibility of MNC in swine was determined using an in vitro model. On a DM basis, ash, crude protein, ether extract, NDF, ADF, lignin and GE were found to be 3.7, 25.5, 11.9, 35.8, 28.0, 16.0% and 5581 kcal/kg, respectively. Total and soluble non‐starch polysaccharide content were 32.2 and 11.8%, respectively. The concentration of lysine was found to be 0.7%. The DM and GE digestibility were found to be 75.7 and 71.4%, respectively. Gross energy content of MNC is comparable with that of corn and higher than soybean meal, while protein content is twice as high as corn but lower than soybean meal. In conclusion, MNC is not merely a good source of protein and energy but also has fairly high digestibility in swine. Hence, it can be used as a viable alternative source of energy and protein in swine diets.     

Effects of sonication on the kinetics of orange juice quality parameters

The effects of sonication on pH, degrees Brix, titratable acidity (TA), cloud, browning index, and color parameters ( L*, a*, and b*) of freshly squeezed orange juice samples were studied. Ultrasonic intensity (UI) levels of 8.61, 9.24, 10.16, 17.17, and 22.79 W/cm2 and treatment times of 0 (control), 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 min were investigated. No significant changes in pH, degrees Brix, and TA ( p < 0.05) were found. Cloud value, browning index, and color parameters were significantly affected by ultrasonic intensity and treatment time. Changes in cloud value followed first-order kinetics, whereas browning index, L*, a*, and b* values followed zero-order kinetics. Reaction rate constants were linearly correlated ( R2 > 0.90) to ultrasonic intensity.