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Background: The presence of antioxidants such as polyphenol, in plants may provide protection against a number of diseases. Moreover, pathogenic fungi can cause a variety of adverse health effects and pose a serious health threat to both humans and livestock. The aim of present study was to determine the antioxidant and antifungal activities of aerial part extracts from Ephedra alata Decne. Methods: Antifungal activities were tested against three pathogens fungi using mycelial growth, sporulation and germination spores. Result: The determination of the polyphenol contents, total flavonoids and condensed tannins of the aerial part extracts gave respectively (TPC: 40.45±0.18 mg GAE/g, TFC: 133.25±0.11 mg QE/g, TCT: 20.76±0.19 mg CE/g). The flavonoids and methanolic extracts showed a good scavenging activity with an IC50: 0.23±0.66; 0.54±0.35 mg/ml, respectively. For antifungal properties, flavonoids extract showed the inhibitoriest activity against fungi tested, followed by methanolic extract. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was designed to evaluate the antioxidant activity of phenolic compounds of for Lamiaceae: Salvia officinalis, Satureja calamintha, Mentha pulegium and Marubium vulgare using ferric reducing power (FRAP) and radical scavenging method (DPPH). Preliminary phytochemical analysis shows that the major constituents of crude extracts (Hydromethanolic, hydroacetonic) are tannins, saponins, quinones, flavonoids, terpenoids and reducing compounds in the four plants. In quantitative analysis, variable polyphenols, flavonoids and condensed tannins content are recorded. The highest polyphenols content is that of the aqueous/methanol crude extract of Salvia officinalis (188.92 ± 1.19 mg GAE/gE), followed by aqueous/acetone crude extract of Mentha pulegium (176.55 ± 2.49 mg GAE/gE). Flavonoids and condensed tannins content of crude extract showing a high content in aqueous/methanol extract of Mentha pulegium and Satureja calamintha (93.64 ± 0.26mg EQC/gE and 25.44 ± 0.71 mg EQC/gE), respectively. Scavenging activity of the free radical DPPH, revealed that the aqueous/methanol extract of Salvia officinalis shown a relatively high antioxidant activity (IC50 = 1.07 μg/ml) compared with ascorbic acid (IC50 = 0.91 μg/ml). FRAP method revealed that the extracts of Mentha pulegium showed the highest power to reduce iron (EC50 = 0.147 mg/ml), but lower than that of ascorbic acid (EC50 = 0.057 mg/mL). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the physicochemical and sensorial properties of set-type yogurt (STY)-enriched with water-soluble Melastoma dodecandrum Lour. fruit extract (MDLE) loaded nano-nutriosomes (MDLE-NU) or chitosan-coated nano-nutriosomes (CH-MDLE-NU) powder were investigated during 21 days of cold storage at 4 ± 2 °C. The results showed that MDLE powder has a high amount of phenolics, flavonoids, anthocyanins (59.42, 38.61, and 2.10 g/100g, respectively), and antioxidant activity ranging from 54.12 to 71.37 g/100g. MDLE successfully encapsulated in NU and CH-NU, where encapsulation efficacy reached 96.92% and particle size ranged from 144.57 to 172.30 nm with an acceptable range of PDI (<0.3). However, the commercial food custom of normal NU is still challenging, therefore, freeze-drying of MDLE-NU and CH-MDLE-NU can make their usage applicable. Our results showed that adding MDLE-NU and CH-MDLE-NU powder to STY significantly (p < 0.05) improved the color, water holding capacity, microstructure, texture, and sensory evaluation, as well as reduced whey syneresis, and losing fat globules of STY. Despite MDLE powder-enriched STY showing higher polyphenol content and antioxidant activity than MDLE-NU or CH-MDLE-NU, nutriosomes systems protect bioactive compounds of MDLE against unfavorable conditions in yogurt during cold storage. In which the reduction of total phenolics, total flavonoids, and total anthocyanins from STY-MDLE at the end of storage (21st day) was 2.7, 4.82, and 17.4%, while was 1.02, 2.6, and 3.03%, in STY–CH–MDLE-NU, respectively. This study indicates that MDLE is a promising ingredient to produce functional foods, besides, nutriosomes systems are a promising nanocarrier to encapsulate and protect the bioactive compounds. [Display omitted] • Water-soluble Melastoma dodecandrum extract (MDLE) is good source for polyphenols. • MDLE-loaded nano-nutriosomes (MDLE-NU) was successfully formed. • Chitosan (CH) coating was successfully given onto MDLE-NU to obtain CH-MDLE-NU. • CH-MDLE-NU had highest encapsulation efficacy with nano-sized range and PDI<0.3. • Yogurt properties was improved by adding freeze-dried CH-MDLE-NU powder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parsley ( Petroselinum hortense L.) plants cultivated under controlled conditions were exposed to different doses of cadmium to investigate the antioxidant capacity and cadmium accumulation in the samples. Two-months-old parsley seedlings were treated with four different concentrations of CdCl (0, 75, 150, and 300 μM) for fifteen days. Cadmium level in leaves increased significantly by increasing the Cd contamination in the soil. Total chlorophyll and carotenoid content declined considerably with Cd concentration. Cd treatment caused a significant increase lipid peroxidation in tissue of leaf. Superoxide dismutase activity (SOD, EC 1.15.1.1) increased partially at 75 and 150 μM CdCl concentrations whereas the activity decreased at 300 μM CdCl. Catalase (CAT, EC 1.11.1.6) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX, EC 1.11.1.11) activities were reduced by Cd application. Total phenolic compound amount increased significantly with increasing Cd concentration, as ferric reduction power, superoxide anion radical, and DPPH˙ free radical scavenging activities elevated slightly by the concentration. These results suggest that antioxidant enzymes activities were repressed depending on accumulation of cadmium in leaves of parsley while the non-enzymatic antioxidant activities slightly increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]