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Carob has been used by humans since antiquity. Its major use is food, but traditional medicines of many nations used it for treatments of various health disorders. The fruits (pods or kibbles) were the main source for nutrition and medicinal uses, but decoctions and extracts were prepared from other parts of the tree, especially leaves. Modern science has analyzed most of the chemical compositions of the different parts, and among the phytochemicals that were found, antioxidants play very important roles in Carob nutritional and medicinal activities. So, in addition to having strong antioxidant activity and due to it, these natural products, their extracts, and foods that contain them, have anticancer, neuroprotective, hepatoprotective, antiaging, skin care, antidiabetic, and others. Phenolics and carbohydrates are the strongest antioxidants, but some volatile compounds have the same activity, to some extent. However, this review will present Carob antioxidants, their major nutritional and medicinal activities, and suggest future horizons for their use in human wellbeing.

Topicality.In this article the current production state of flour confectionery is analysed, as well as some conclusions on improving the biscuit production technology through adding raw materials of plant origin with preferential organoleptic characteristics and reduced sugar content are made. Aim and methods.The aim of the study is to substantiate the technology of biscuits with “Zdorovia” flour and carob powder. The object of this research is the technology of biscuit semi-finished product with low sugar content. The subject of this article is flour mixtures with “Zdorovia” flour (TC 10.6-05476322-001:2013 “Flour “Zdorovia”), and carob powder (Conclusion of the state sanitary-epidemiological examination of carob pods powder (carob powder) № 05.03.02-03/13533 dated 23.02.2012), biscuit dough from flour mixtures, baked biscuit semi-finished product. Research methods: theoretical generalisation method, calculation and organoleptic methods. Results.In this article, the results of theoretical and experimental research of biscuit technology elaboration are presented. The chemical composition of “Zdorovia” flour and carob powder is analysed, particularly, the possibility of their use in low-sugar biscuit products is proved. Organoleptic parameters are studied, and the rational concentration of “Zdorovia” flour and carob powder in flour mixtures is determined. The nutritional value and glycemic index of biscuit products are calculated. Conclusions and discussion.The traditional recipe of biscuit with cocoa powder is analysed. The advisable traditional recipe change is demonstrated in measures of replacing premium wheat flour with “Zdorovia” flour, as well as cocoa powder with carob powder, and 10 % of sugar with carob powder. The nutritional value of “Zdorovia” flour, carob powder and biscuit products is substantiated, and the glycemic index of elaborated products is defined. The rational concentration of “Zdorovia” flour and carob powder in biscuit recipes is installed in proportion of 30 % of “Zdorovia” flour and 100 % of carob powder. It is found out that the elaborated biscuit has the best organoleptic properties, such as smell, taste, colour, provided when used concentration of 30 % of “Zdorovia” flour and 100 % of carob powder. Additionally, it is proved that the addition of “Zdorovia” flour and carob powder to the biscuit recipe makes it possible to establish that their fat content decreased by 5,2 %, carbohydrate content – by 7,7 %, including mono- and disaccharides – by 9,3 %, starch content – by 12,4 %, still, fiber content increased by 96,9 % compared to control. The energy value of the test sample decreased by 6,6 %, and the glycemic index was 26,2 un.

Carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua) phylogeography and imprints of domestication by µsat and RADseq markers. See also https://dynamic.cirad.fr/

All over the world, healthy foods, functional foods, diet foods and many similar terms are on the agenda. Consumers are offered different types of foods for a healthy diet. To this end, studies to improve the functional properties of bread have gained momentum. One of the ways to improve the functional properties of bread is to use flours with more functional properties than wheat flour. However, the effects of the added flours on the rheology of the dough are also different. The aim of this study is to determine the effects of flours (buckwheat (10-30%), carob (3, 6, 9, and 12), chickpea (10-50%), oat (10-50%), and barley (10-50%)) in different proportions added to bread flour on the rheological properties of the dough. The Mixolab® (Chopin) instrument was used to determine the rheological properties. A standard protocol for flour analysis was used for the analysis of bread flour and other flour mixtures. Various rheological and other dough properties were determined, such as water holding capacity, development time, stability, amylase activity, and degree of flour retrogradation. Using the obtained Mixolab curve, C1 values for water retention and stability, C2 values for protein quality, C3 values for starch gelatinization, C4 values for amylase activity, and C5 values for degree of starch degradation were measured. C1 changed between 1.049 and 1.160 Nm, C2 between 0.326 and 0.583 Nm, C3 between 1.218 and 2.130 Nm, C4 between 0.955 and 1.978 Nm, and C5 between 0.946 and 2.807 Nm depending on the flour ratio and type used. As a result of the tests, it was found that the flour with 30% barley flour, 20% oat flour, 9% carob flour and 20% buckwheat flour was the most suitable for the bread flour profile.

The measurement of total antioxidant capacity (TAC) indicating the cooperative action of all antioxidants in a complex sample is an important analytical challenge. A novel green silver nanoparticle-based antioxidant capacity (GSNP-AC) method using carob extract was designed for TAC measurement. Green synthesis of nanoparticles has various advantages such as environmentally friendliness, reliability, sustainability and fast production. In the presence of silver seeds formed with carob extract, Ag+ is reduced to spherical silver nanoparticles (SNPs) with antioxidants, resulting in enlarged particles with a symmetric surface plasmon resonance (SPR) absorption band at 434 nm. The SPR of SNPs allowed quantification of antioxidants (i.e., increase in SPR absorbance being correlated to antioxidant concentration), and the GSNP-AC method gave a linear response over a wide concentration range of antioxidants. The molar absorptivity and LOD for trolox were 11700 L mol(-1) cm(-1) and 0.31 mu M, respectively. The proposed method was validated in terms of concentration-dependent linear response, additivity of absorbances, precision and accuracy. The results obtained with the proposed method for standard antioxidants, synthetic mixtures and real sample extracts were correlated with those of the traditional CUPRAC method. This green synthesized silver nanoparticle-based TAC method showed simple, rapid, cost-effective, and eco-friendly superiorities over similar other nanoparticle-based assays.

Restrictions about the use of chemicals have limited the availability of control measures against plant-parasitic nematodes. The search for more sustainable approaches has focused the attention on biological control agents, such as Trichoderma species. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the use of biopolymers for a wide range of applications. These polysaccharide-based compounds may be 20 good carriers of microbial agents or act as barriers against pathogens or pests for their ability to form coating films. In this study, we evaluated the combination of a biopolymer obtained from the leguminous plant Ceratonia siliqua and T. harzianum M10, T. atroviride P1 or T. longibrachiatum MK1, as root protector or adjuvant agents, for the management of the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita. Coating tomato roots with the carob galactomannan biopolymer followed by soil application of selected Trichoderma strains reduced the root galling index caused by M. incognita and soil nematode population in comparison to untreated control under greenhouse conditions. 25 Scanning electron microscopy revealed that coated tomato roots were embedded within a polymeric material. The sedimentation test showed that the addition of this biopolymer retarded the tendency of Trichoderma spores to settle in the bottom of aqueous suspension. In conclusion, beneficial fungi combined or formulated with a biopolymer could represent a promising strategy to increase their activity in plant protection and enhance their proliferation or distribution into rhizosphere.

A novel magnetic adsorbent Fe3O4/Ni/NixB nanocomposite was synthesised and used for the removal of Pb(II) from water. the nanocomposite effectively absorbs Pb(II), and because the adsorbent is magnetic, it is easily separated from the solution. in addition, carob and grape seeds, which are sustainable materials, are also used for the removal of Pb(II) for the first time in the literature. Characterisation of the adsorbents was performed using scanning electron microscopy combined with energy dispersive X-Ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX). the effect of pH on the adsorption efficiency of Pb(II) was investigated. the optimum adsorbent doses were determined as 2.0 g/L for the Fe3O4/Ni/NixB nanocomposite and 4.0 g/L for the carob and the grape seeds. Three commonly used isotherm models: Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich were applied to the experimental data. the batch adsorption equilibrium data of the three adsorbents fitted well to Langmuir isotherms. the maximum capacities for the adsorption of Pb(II) were determined to be 119.0, 25.3 and 24.4 mg/g for the Fe3O4/Ni/NixB nanocomposite, the carob and the grape seeds, respectively. the dimensionless separation factor (R-L) values calculated from the Langmuir isotherm were varied from 0.08 to 1 for three adsorbents. These results demonstrate that the adsorption of Pb(II) on all the adsorbents is favourable. the pseudo-first order, the pseudo-second order and the Weber-Morris intraparticle diffusion kinetic models were used for the identification of the adsorption kinetics of Pb(II) and the correlations of adsorbed Pb(II) with time. the kinetic data is well described with the pseudo-second order kinetic model for all the adsorbents, which indicates that chemisorption plays a dominant role. the adsorption study using a column was successfully applied to real tap water and waste water samples. Also a spiked study (1, 10, 100 mg/L Pb(II)) was also conducted on water samples. As a result, Fe3O4/Ni/NixB nanocomposite, the carob and the grape seeds are efficient adsorbents for the removal of Pb(II) from the water samples.

Background: The Ceratonia siliqua is a species of medicinal plants of the Fabaceae family that has a very strong antioxidant activity. Objective: In regard to, no research has been done so far on the toxicity of carob, this study was conducted to determine the effects of different doses of carob fruit on histopathology of the liver and kidney, as well as serum levels of liver enzymes, urea and creatinine in adult male mice. Method: In this experimental study, 35 adult male Balb/c mice were randomly divided into five groups (control, sham, and C200 to C800). The C200 to C800 groups received intraperitoneally doses of 200, 400 and 800 mg/kg of carob extract for 14 days. Blood samples were taken from the heart and after serum centrifugation, they were evaluated for liver enzymes, urea and creatinine. In addition, the liver and kidneys were examined histopathologically by staining hematoxylin and eosin. SPSS software and one-way ANOVA were used to analyze the data. Results: There was no significant difference between the mean level of urea and creatinine in the groups received carob compared to the control group (P > 0.05). Besides, statistical analysis did not show a significant difference in the mean level of ALT and AST in the carob group compared to the control group (P > 0.05). In the liver sections, hepatocytes with normal central venous and normal port veins were visible. In the sections of the kidneys, the glomeruli were visible with normal kidney tubules. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the carob extract in these dosages not have a toxic effect on the liver and kidney of the mouse.

Carob liqueur is an alcoholic drink (minimum 15% v/v of ethanol and 100 g/L of sugar) typical for the Mediterranean countries. In the current work, carob macerate produced by maceration of carob pods in hydroalcoholic base at different maceration conditions was characterized for the first time based on its aroma compounds/profile, physicochemical parameters, and chromatic characteristics. The results confirm the migration process of bioactive compounds, aroma compounds, and sugars flowing from the carob pod to the hydroalcoholic base. Changes in ethanol concentration modify the physical properties of the solvent and influence the phenolic and aroma compounds extraction, color, and acidity of the obtained samples. The higher content of phenolic compounds was determinate in the samples obtained in the darkness. The amounts of phenols were in the range of some red fruit liqueurs or walnut liqueurs, and sugars (mostly sucrose) ranging between 96 and 107 g/L. Twenty‐six (out of total 94) aroma compounds were detected in all samples, of which 17 esters, 3 alcohols, 4 ketones, and 2 acids. Low molecular weight ethyl esters, ethyl hexanoate, ethyl 2‐methyl propanoate, ethyl octanoate, ethyl benzoate, ethyl butanoate, and ethyl cinnamate, were the most abundant. Carob pod maceration in 50% v/v hydroalcoholic base (1:5 solid to liquid ratio) in darkness at room temperature during 8 weeks can be recommended as optimal maceration conditions for production of the aromatic carob macerate with functional properties., The results confirm migration process such as: bioactive compounds, aroma compounds, and sugars flows from the carob pod to the alcoholic base. Changes in ethanol concentration modify the physical properties of the solvent and influence the phenolic and aroma compounds extraction, colour, and acidity of the obtained samples. The higher content of phenolic compounds was determinate in the samples obtained in the darkness. The amounts of phenols were in the range of some red fruit liqueurs or walnut liqueurs.

Carob-mediated calcium hydroxide nanoparticles (C-CaOH2 NPs) are a type of NPs, newly developed via a green synthesis method, that have demonstrated good in vitro biocompatibility. However, their antibacterial potential has not yet been explored. Both calcium hydroxide and carob are known for their antibacterial potency as bulk materials; thus, we hypothesized that C-CaOH2 NPs may exhibit promising antibacterial efficacy. This study aimed to examine the antibacterial activity of C-CaOH2 NPs against aerobic and anaerobic strains using zone of inhibition (ZOI), minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) tests. The results showed that the Gram-negative aerobic strains are more susceptible than the Gram-positive stains. The most susceptible bacteria were P. aeruginosa, E. coli, and S. aureus, in that order. Conversely, P. micra and E. faecalis were the least susceptible strains. The best recorded ZOIs were at 100 and 150 mg/mL concentrations in all bacteria, with the greatest diameter (11.7 ± 0.6 mm) exhibited in P. aeruginosa. Moreover, the MICs for aerobes were 3.12 mg/mL, except for E. faecalis (0.78 mg/mL) and K. pneumoniae (1.56 mg/mL). MBCs were 12.5 mg/mL for all except P. aeruginosa (3.12 mg/mL) and K. pneumoniae (6.25 mg/mL). The anaerobic strain P. micra exhibited the highest values for both MIC (15.62 mg/mL) and MBC (31.25 mg/mL). The current investigation revealed that C-CaOH2 NPs have intermediate and dose-dependent antibacterial activity that may have variable biomedical applications.

International audience; The present study explored the anthelmintic effects of condensed tannins (CT) in carob (Ceratonia siliqua) pods fed to sheep against gastrointestinal nematodes. Three independent in vivo trials tested whether i) carob pod (CaBP)-containing feed had an anthelmintic effect and if yes, which was the optimal concentration in the diet; ii) whether this effect could be attributed to tannins through the polyethylene glycol (PEG) test and iii) whether there were any synergistic effects when combined with another tannin-containing feed (e.g. sainfoin). In all trials 6-month old nematode-naive lambs, experimentally infected with both Haemonchus contortus and Trichostrongylus colubriformis, were used. Faecal egg counts (FEC) were performed regularly and at the end of each trial adult worm counts (AWC) and female worm fecundity were recorded. In trial 1, 35 lambs (five groups of seven lambs) were fed different CaBP concentrations ranging from 0% to 12 % w/w. FEC declined up to 39.2 % only in the group fed with 12 %CaBP, while a declining trend (P

The incidence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) is increasing worldwide which makes necessary the finding of new strategies to treat and/or prevent it. The aim of this study was to analyze the possible beneficial effects of a carob fruit extract (CSAT+&reg, ) on the cardiometabolic alterations associated with MetS in mice. 16-week-old C57BL/6J male mice were fed for 26 weeks either with a standard diet (chow) or with a diet rich in fats and sugars (HFHS), supplemented or not with 4.8% of CSAT+&reg, CSAT+&reg, supplementation reduced blood glucose, Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) and circulating levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (LDL-c), insulin, and interleukin-6 (IL-6). In adipose tissue and skeletal muscle, CSAT+&reg, prevented MetS-induced insulin resistance, reduced macrophage infiltration and the expression of pro-inflammatory markers, and up-regulated the mRNA levels of antioxidant markers. Supplementation with CSAT+&reg, prevented MetS-induced hypertension and decreased the vascular response of aortic rings to angiotensin II (AngII). Moreover, treatment with CSAT+&reg, attenuated endothelial dysfunction and increased vascular sensitivity to insulin. In the heart, CSAT+&reg, supplementation reduced cardiomyocyte apoptosis and prevented ischemia-reperfusion-induced decrease in cardiac contractility. The beneficial effects at the cardiovascular level were associated with a lower expression of pro-inflammatory and pro-oxidant markers in aortic and cardiac tissues.

Alcoholic fermentation of carob waste sugars (sucrose, glucose and fructose) extracted with cheese whey, by co-cultures of Saccharomyces.cerevisiae and Kluyveromyces lactis has been analyzed. Growth and fermentation of S. cerevisiae in the carob-whey medium showed an inhibition of about 30% in comparison with water-extracted carob. The inhibition of K. lactis on carob-whey was greater (70%) when compared with the whey medium alone, due to osmolarity problems. Oxygen availability was a very important factor for K. lactis, influencing its fermentation performance. When K. lactis was grown alone on carob-whey medium, lactose was always consumed first, and glucose and fructose were consumed afterwards, only at high aeration conditions. In co-culture with S. cerevisiae, K. lactis was completely inhibited and, at low aeration, died after 3 days; at high aeration this culture could survive but growth and lactose fermentation were only recovered after S. cerevisiae became stationary. To overcome the osmolarity and K. lactis' oxygen problems, the medium had to be diluted and a sequential fermentative process was designed in a STR-31 reactor. K. lactis was inoculated first and, with low aeration (0.13 vvm), consumed all the lactose in 48 h. Then S. cerevisiae was inoculated, consuming the total of the carob sugars, and producing ethanol in a fed-batch regime. The established co-culture with K. lactis increased S. cerevisiae ethanol tolerance. This fermentation process produced ethanol with good efficiency (80 g/l final concentration and a conversion factor of 0.4g ethanolig sugar), eliminating all the sugars of the mixed waste. These efficient fermentative results pointed to a new joint treatment of agro-industrial wastes which may be implemented successfully, with economic and environmental sustainability for a bioethanol industrial proposal. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Carob is a valuable leguminous species for its productions but also for forestation of arid and degraded areas threatened by soil erosion and desertification processes. However, large-scale cultivation of this species is hampered by the difficult propagation by cuttings or seeds. Researches to evaluate genotype tolerance to saline and drought stress during germination and first plant establishment, are also inhibited by the scarce seed germination. In this study, carob seeds, from wild and domesticated carob genotypes collected in a representative area of the Mediterranean basin (Sicily, Italy), were subjected to germination tests under isotonic solutions of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and sodium chloride (NaCl) at −0.5, −1.0, −1.5 MPa. Before germination tests, a 20 min pre-treatment with 96% sulphuric acid was necessary to overcome seed coat dormancy which does not permit germination. Differences in drought and salinity tolerance were determined in the different genotypes during germination. All genotypes exhibited a higher sensitivity to drought stress as compared to salinity stress. The observed differences in some genetically inherited germination characteristics (i.e. base Ψb(50)s and hydrotimes) suggest genetic differences even in seeds of individual old trees situated in close areas, as previously found in other countries of the Mediterranean basin. A greater sensitivity to stress was determined during early radicle growth, an essential feature for early plant establishment in marginal dry areas. In this paper, a protocol to test germination under simulated stress conditions (drought and salinity stress) was established. Including in the analysis other parameters representative of early embryo growth (i.e. radicle elongation), this protocol may be useful to select genotypes for breeding programs towards the selection of tolerant cultivars or rootstocks. It may be also applied to other leguminous species with a difficult germination.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of a bio-sourced polymer as a corrosion inhibitor against iron corrosion in a 1 M HCl solution. Galactomannan was obtained from the carob plant (Ceratonia Siliqua L) and its structure was verified by infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and elemental analysis. The inhibitor concentration effects and immersion time on the resistance of the iron surface against corrosion are evaluated using impedance and polarization electrochemical measurements, UV-visible analysis and theoretical study. The results show that the galactomannan is a mixed type inhibitor act by physisorption and chemisorption on the metal surface. In addition, the efficiency of these compounds increases with increasing the concentration of the inhibitor and reaches a value of 87.72% at a concentration of 1 g/l. The electrode surface was characterized by SEM surface analysis method coupled with EDS., Electrochemistry, Food science, Corrosion inhibition; HCl Media; Galactomannan; Carob; Electrochemical measurements; Theoretical study

Long-term exposure to stressful conditions could impair the normal brain structure and function, specifically the hippocampus-dependent memory. This impairment could be attributed to a decrease in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels during chronic stress. Knowing that carob [Ceratonia siliqua L. (Fabaceae)] is rich in a wide variety of polyphenols with a high antioxidant value, we hypothesized that the methanolic carob extract (C. siliqua) pods will prevent stress-induced memory impairment. Hence, the methanolic extract of carob pods was investigated for its ability to enhance learning and memory as well as to protect from memory impairment in normal stressed animals. Rats were chronically stressed for 7?weeks via the intruder stress model. Carob extract was administered to animals via intraperitoneal (i.p.) route at a daily dose of 50?mg/kg. Radial arm water maze (RAWM) was utilized to test for spatial learning and memory. In addition, brain tissues were dissected to determine BDNF levels. Chronic stress (CS) impaired short-term spatial memory (number of committed errors: P < 0.05, days to criterion (DTC): P < 0.001). Animal treatment with carob pod extract prevented the short-term memory impairment induced by CS (P < 0.05), while such treatment showed no effect on memory functions of unstressed rats. Moreover, carob pod extract prevented the reduction in the hippocampal BDNF (P < 0.05) induced by chronic stress exposure. In conclusion, CS impaired short-term memory function, while methanolic extract of carob pods prevented this impairment, probably as a result of preventing reduction in BDNF levels in the hippocampus. ? 2018, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature. Funding Information Support for this work was provided from Bthe Deanship of Research, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan^ (Grant No. 73/2008). Scopus

Alginate hydrogels are often used for immobilization of plant-derived bioactive compounds by fast and simple ionic gelation technique. However, the structure of alginate gel network is very porous and mostly result with high-diffusion rates of encapsulated compound, what limits its application as delivery vehicle. In order to prevent losses of bioactives and prepare efficient encapsulation systems, the aim of this study was to evaluate a potential of new natural fillers, cocoa powder (CP) and carob (C) for structuring alginate network aimed for encapsulation of aqueous dandelion (Taraxacum officinale L.) leaf extract using ionic gelation. Whey protein isolates served as a standard filler. The influence of different concentrations of gelling medium (2% and 3% calcium chloride) on encapsulation properties of alginate systems was also evaluated. Calcium concentration affected morphological properties (more acceptable when using 3% CaCl2), while textural properties and encapsulation efficiency of polyphenols and retained antioxidant capacity were more influenced by selected delivery materials. Alginate-whey protein isolates beads were scored with the highest loading capacity of polyphenols (> 93%), while newly formulated binary mixtures (alginate-cocoa powder and alginate-carob) also enabled highly efficient entrapment of polyphenols (> 88%). The slowest release of polyphenols in simulated gastrointestinal fluids were obtained when alginate was combined with CP and C, where system alginate-cocoa powder prepared with lower concentration of calcium chloride (2% CaCl2) enabled the most extended release of total polyphenols and hydroxycinnamic acids. Obtained results strongly justified implementation of new plant-derived functional fillers (cocoa powder and carob) for encapsulation purposes and opened new directions for designing of binary carrier's.

Resumen del póster presentado al XVII Congreso de la Sociedad Española de Nutrición [XVII Conference of the Spanish Nutrition Society (SEÑ) and the X Meeting of the Catalan Association of Food Science (ACCA)], celebrado en Barcelona (España) del 27 al 29 de junio de 2018., [Introduction]: Scientific research is constantly looking for new molecules that can be used as effective functional biomolecules in the fight against obesity and its co-morbidities. Our research teamhas previously reported the potential of Ceratonia siliqua L. (carob fruit) and Undaria pinnatifida (wakame seaweed) extracts in reducing triacylglycerol accumulation in mature adipocytes. [Objectives]: To analyze the effects of extracts from carob pod, wakame, and their combination on triacylglycerol (TG) accumulation in 3T3-L1 mature adipocytes, and to explore the mechanisms of action of this combination. [Methods]: Confluent 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes were differentiated to mature by an induction media containing insulin, dexamethasone and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine. After 10 days of differentiation, cells were treated with methanolic extracts of carob pod (50 mg/mL), wakame (1 mg/mL) and their combination. The maturation state for treatment was selected after performing a gene expression time course during the differentiation process. Cells were harvested 24 hours after the treatment and TG content was quantified. Total cell RNA was extracted with Trizol and ATGL (adipose triglyceride lipase), and HSL (hormone-sensitive lipase), ACC (acetyl-CoA carboxylase), FAS (fatty acid synthase), BCL-2 (B-cell lymphoma 2), BAX (Bcl-2-associated X protein), and gene expression was measured by real time polymerase chain reaction. [Results]: Wakame extract and its combination with carob pod decreased TG. Wakame reduced the HSL gene expression and increased BCL-2. In contrast, the combination diminished the FAS gene and raised BAX gene expression. No changes were observed in the remaining analyzed genes. [Conclusions]: The decrease in mature adipocyte triacylglycerol content induced by the combination of carob pod and wakame, but not by wakame alone, may be due, at least in part, to lipogenesis inhibition and apoptosis activation. Consequently, although further research is needed, this combination may be proposed as a potential fat-reduction inducer ingredient., Study supported by INIA: RTA2014-0037-C02.

The orientation of consumers and industry towards plant-based foods on one hand and high-protein products on the other is persistently increasing. Bread, as a staple food, is a promising matrix for the incorporation of plant-based high-protein ingredients to combine both trends. This study aims to provide a better understanding of techno-functional changes and impacts of plant-proteins during bread production, which could advance the development of high-quality products with high levels of plant-protein. A selection of high-protein ingredients from wheat, maize, potato, carob, pea, lupin and faba bean were subjected to compositional analysis and applied in wheat bread formulations, replacing 15% of wheat flour. Their impact on dough properties (gluten-aggregation, pasting behaviour, rheology) as well as bread quality (volume, crumb structure, crumb hardness) was analysed. The high-protein ingredients were found to affect gluten-aggregation, pasting and bread characteristics. Results indicated a weakened gluten-network in doughs containing potato and pea protein. Also pasting behaviour was mostly affected by the potato protein suggesting a heat induced improvement of its baking performance. Good bread quality, represented by high specific volumes and low crumb hardness, was observed for gluten, zein and carob. Breads with pea, lupin and faba bean showed only slightly inferior quality characteristics.

Snacks combining different functional ingredients could represent a useful therapeutic strategy against NAFLD. The present study aimed to analyze the effect of two snack formulations based on carob and wakame flour in the treatment for NAFLD in rats. For this purpose, metabolic syndrome was induced in 50 adult rats by a high-fat high-fructose diet over eight weeks. After this period, rats were fed either normal calorie diets supplemented or not with snack A (1/50 wakame/carob pod) and snack B (1/5 wakame/carob pod) for four additional weeks. After sacrifice, liver composition and serum parameters were analyzed. Different pathways of triacylglycerol metabolism in liver were studied including fatty acid oxidation, fatty acid synthesis, triglyceride assembly and release, fatty acid uptake and glucose uptake. Oxidative stress was also measured. Snack treatment, and mainly B snack, reduced liver triacylglycerol levels by increasing fat oxidation. Moreover, this snack reduced oxidative stress. Therefore, this snack formulation could represent an interesting tool useful for fatty liver treatment. This study has been supported by the National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology of Spain (INIA: RTA2014-0037-C02), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (CIBERobn) and Basque Government (IT-572-13).

International audience; The present study was undertaken to determine whether subacute treatment with aqueous extract of carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.) pods (AECPs) protects against ethanol (EtOH)-induced oxidative stress in rat liver. Animals were divided into four groups: control, carob, EtOH and EtOH+carob. Wistar rats were intraperitoneally pretreated with AECP (600mg/kg body weight (bw)) during 7days and intoxicated for 6h by acute oral administration of EtOH (6g/kg bw) 24h after the last injection. We found that acute administration of EtOH leads to hepatotoxicity as monitored by the increase in the levels of hepatic marker aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase as well as hepatic tissue injury. EtOH also increased the formation of malondialdehyde in the liver, indicating an increase in lipid peroxidation and depletion of antioxidant enzyme activities as superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase. Subacute carob pretreatment prevented all the alterations induced by EtOH and returned their levels to near normal. Importantly, we showed that acute alcohol increased hepatic and plasmatic hydrogen peroxide and free iron levels. The carob pretreatment reversed EtOH effects to near control levels. These data suggest that carob could have a beneficial effect in inhibiting the oxidative damage induced by acute EtOH administration and that its mode of action may involve an opposite effect on plasma and tissue-free iron accumulation. Indeed, carob can be offered as a food additive to protect against EtOH-induced oxidative damage.

The use of carob seed germ meal (CG) as a substitute for fish meal was evaluated in fingerlings (average weight 10g) of gilthead sea bream fed isonitrogenous (46% Crude Protein, CP) and isolipidic (19.5% Crude Lipid, CL) diets containing four CG levels (0, 17, 34 and 52%). The duration of the trial was 83days. The diets were tested in triplicate, and the fish were fed to satiation twice daily. The apparent protein and energy digestibility coefficients decreased in response to the dietary inclusion of CG. The decreases in the values of the ADC ranged from 93% for the 0 diet to 80% for the 52 diet. The amount of digestible Arg in the diets increased with the inclusion of CG, from 3.2g Arg 100g -1 in the 0 diet to 4.81g Arg 100g -1 in the 52 diet. The digestible Arg content increased in the diets because the amounts of the remaining digestible amino acids decreased. The fish reached weights of 72, 72, 69 and 53g on the 0, 17, 34 and 52 diets, respectively. The 52 diet gave the lowest specific growth rate (SGR, 1.95%day -1) relative to those found for the other three diets (2.32%day -1). The 52 diet produced the least satisfactory results for feed intake (FI) and the food conversion ratio (FCR) (2.23g 100gfish -1day -1 and 1.38, respectively). The efficiency of retention of His, Phe and Leu in the fish fed the 52 diet showed the lowest values (17.3, 25.5 and 28.5%, respectively), but the efficiency of retention of Met in the fish fed the 52 diet showed the highest value (48.2%).In the distal intestine and liver, histological alterations were found in the fish fed the 34 and the 52 diets. In fish fed the 52 diet, the mucosal fold was significantly shorter and thinner and exhibited a smaller number of goblet cells. These changes could affect nutrient uptake by modifying the digestibility of the diet. The histology of the liver did not show severe degradation in any treatment. The results of the present experiment demonstrated that CG can be included at levels up to 34% in diets for short term feeding of gilthead sea bream without any adverse effects on fish growth and nutritive parameters., Present work was financed by AGROALIMED and GV/2010/046 (Conselleria de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentacion, Generalitat Valenciana).

This study investigated the effects of adding grape, mulberry and carob molasses (Pekmez) at 6%, 10% or 14% on titratable acidity, pH, viscosity, whey separation, water holding capacity (WHC), gel firmness, acetaldehyde, volatile fatty acids, colour values, mineral profile and sensory properties of set-type yoghurts. Increasing concentration of the molasses decreased whiteness value, viscosity and WHC, but increased redness/greenness and yellowness/blueness values, whey separation and mineral contents of the samples significantly (P

BackgroundCeratonia siliquapods (carob) have been nominated to control the high blood glucose of diabetics. In Yemen, however, its antihyperglycemic activity has not been yet assessed. Thus, this study evaluated thein vitroinhibitory effect of the methanolic extract of carob pods against α-amylase and α-glucosidase and thein vivoglycemic effect of such extract in streptozotocin-nicotinamide induced diabetic rats.Methods2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and Ferric reducing antioxidant power assay (FRAP) were applied to evaluate the antioxidant activity of carob.In vitrocytotoxicity of carob was conducted on human hepatocytes (WRL68) and rat pancreatic β-cells (RIN-5F). Acute oral toxicity of carob was conducted on a total of 18 male and 18 femaleSprague-Dawley(SD) rats, which were subdivided into three groups (n = 6), namely: high and low dose carob-treated (CS5000 and CS2000, respectively) as well as the normal control (NC) receiving a single oral dose of 5,000 mg kg−1carob, 2,000 mg kg−1carob and 5 mL kg−1distilled water for 14 days, respectively. Alkaline phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, total bilirubin, creatinine and urea were assessed. Livers and kidneys were harvested for histopathology.In vitroinhibitory effect against α-amylase and α-glucosidase was evaluated.In vivoglycemic activity was conducted on 24 male SD rats which were previously intraperitoneally injected with 55 mg kg−1streptozotocin (STZ) followed by 210 mg kg−1nicotinamide to induce type 2 diabetes mellitus. An extra non-injected group (n = 6) was added as a normal control (NC). The injected-rats were divided into four groups (n = 6), namely: diabetic control (D0), 5 mg kg−1glibenclamide-treated diabetic (GD), 500 mg kg−1carob-treated diabetic (CS500) and 1,000 mg kg−1carob-treated diabetic (CS1000). All groups received a single oral daily dose of their treatment for 4 weeks. Body weight, fasting blood glucose (FBG), oral glucose tolerance test, biochemistry, insulin and hemostatic model assessment were assessed. Pancreases was harvested for histopathology.ResultsCarob demonstrated a FRAP value of 3191.67 ± 54.34 µmoL Fe++and IC50of DPPH of 11.23 ± 0.47 µg mL−1.In vitro,carob was non-toxic on hepatocytes and pancreatic β-cells. In acute oral toxicity, liver and kidney functions and their histological sections showed no abnormalities. Carob exerted anin vitroinhibitory effect against α-amylase and α-glucosidase with IC50of 92.99 ± 0.22 and 97.13 ± 4.11 µg mL−1, respectively. In diabetic induced rats, FBG of CS1000 was significantly less than diabetic control. Histological pancreatic sections of CS1000 showed less destruction of β-cells than CS500 and diabetic control.ConclusionCarob pod did not cause acute systemic toxicity and showedin vitroantioxidant effects. On the other hand, inhibiting α-amylase and α-glucosidase was evident. Interestingly, a high dose of carob exhibits anin vivoantihyperglycemic activity and warrants further in-depth study to identify the potential carob extract composition.

The genetic diversity of 15 carob ( Ceratonia siliqua L.) cultivars located in an experimental field from Algarve (Portugal) was evaluated over 7 years using 12 fruit and seed phenotypic characters, in order to characterize carob cultivars. The values of morphological traits obtained by cultiv ar were compared with those from other countries of the Mediterranean basin. Statistically significant differences were found between cultivars for al l characters which were examined, what indicates a high genetic diversity. The relationship among these characters was analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA) resulting in the separation of these cultivars classed in four groups (clusters I–IV) and in four ungrouped cultivars. A three dimension of the model was found to be significant and explained 74.5% of the total variation, in which the first component accounting for 34.6% of the total variation is dominated by fruit characters, while the second component is dominated by seed characters. Cultivars plotted on the left-lower quadrant on the space determined by principal components 1 and 2 are characterized by fruits with high seed yield more appropriated for industrial rentability. The correlation analyses established by cultivar provided a specific understanding about the way how fruit and seed characteristics correlate within each cultivar. This approach can be useful for the development of a breeding programme, aiming to increase the seed yield, seed thickness, individual and total seed weight by fruit, characteristics that are determinant to improve the industrial exploitation of carob.

The purpose of this study was to determine the in vivo glycemic index of carob tablets with healthy subjects and to determine the in vitro glycemic index of carob tablets and carob flour by the hydrolysis index. Seven healthy volunteers consumed portions of carob tablets containing 26g of available carbohydrate. Their capillary blood was taken at intervals after carob or glucose consumption. The glycemic hydrolysis index by an in vitro technique was based in the release of glucose after enzymatic treatment of carob tablets and carob flour. The determination of the fiber content was performed using the enzymatic-gravimetric method. By the in vivo determination, the estimated glycemic index of carob tablets could be considered low (

Carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua L.) is one of the oldest trees in the world and has been cultivated from civilization of Ancient Persia, especially on the Mediterranean coasts, till nowadays. The fruit of the carob tree (carob bean) are attracting attention in recent years due among others to tits rich nutritional value and use as a substitute and/or alternative for cocoa. Although it has higher sugar content than sugar beet and sugar cane, it is a food that also lowers cholesterol. In addition to its fruit, the plant has interesting morphological qualities. Deep root system of carob tree allows high productivity even in draught conditions; it is an ideal plant in the fight against erosion and one of the most preferred plants while establishing fire-resistant forests. Additionally, because 2016 was declared the International Year of Pulses, it is necessary to draw attention to the carob tree since it is a typical pulse plant. The status of Turkey, as the 5th carob producer in the world, was analysed in this context, in terms of Agricultural Geography. The existing and necessary practices in carob production are discussed based on the data from the studies conducted in Antalya and Mersin in 2015 and previous ones.

Embryogenic calli formed from fertilized ovules of carob dissected from small legumes (20–25 mm in length) when cultured on MS (Murashige and Skoog) medium supplemented with sucrose (150mM), malt extract (500 mg l −1 ) and 6-benzylaminopurine (13.3μ.M). Nonaberrant somatic embryos formed when those calli were cultured onto MS medium supplemented with 85mM sucrose and 0.45μ M 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid. Upon transfer into half-strength MS medium supplemented with sucrose (60mM) and indole-3-butyric acid (10μM), these embryos germinated into plantlets. All attempts to induce embryogenic callus from unfertilized ovules were unsuccessful.

ACESSO via B-on: http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.1007/BF00011322, Variations of predawn and midday leaf water potential and relative growth rates were studied in mature carob trees (Ceratonia siliqua L. cv "Mulata") submitted to a fertigation experiment. Three levels of irrigation were tested: 0%, 50% and 100%, based on daily standard evaporation values. For each irrigation level two nitrogen amounts were applied - 21 and 63 kg N ha-1 year-l as ammonium nitrate. The experiment was run between July 91 and August 1993. Measurements of leaf water potential and absolute branch length increments were made at monthly intervals, during the entire experimental period or during seasonal growth, respectively. Leaf water potential was related to soil volumetric water content, maximum and minimum air temperature and daily evaporation. Predawn leaf water potentials were always higher than - 1.1 MPa. Midday leaf water potential values presented very large seasonal variations and very low values independent of treatments. The low leaf water potentials observed for the fertigated trees during summer, suggest that this parameter may be related not only to the evaporative demand but also to growth investment. The amount of fertigation was positively correlated with vegetative growth increment and fruit production. Practical implications for irrigation schedules of leaf water potential patterns together with drought adaptation mechanisms of carob tree are discussed.

This paper is part of the contributions to the Proceedings of the 3rd Internacional Symposium on Inorganic Nitrogen Assimilation, held in Tiberias, Israel, 6-11 September, 1992, Seedlings of carob (Ceratonia siliqua L. cv. Mulata) were used in two sets of experiments in order to evaluate; (1) the reciprocal effects of each nitrogen form on net uptake of nitrate and ammonium, and (2) the effect of earlier nitrogen nutrition on ammonium versus nitrate uptake. In the former group of experiments we studied the kinetics of nitrate and ammonium uptake as well as the interference of each of the two forms with net uptake of ammonium and nitrate by both nitrogen depleted and nitrogen fed carob seedlings. On the whole, nitrogen depletion led to increase in both affinity and Vmax of the system for both forms of nitrogen, at the same time as the effects of nitrate on uptake of ammonium and vice versa were concentration dependent. In the second group of experiments the effects of earlier nitrogen nutrition on nitrate and ammonium uptake were characterized, and in this case we observed that: (a) if only one form of N was supplied, ammonium was taken up in greater amounts than nitrate; (b) the presence of ammonium enhanced nitrate uptake; (c) ammonium uptake was inhibited by nitrate; (d) there was a significant effect of the earlier nitrogen nutrition on the response of the plants to a different nitrogen source. The latter was evident mainly as regards ammonium uptake by plants grown in ammonium nitrate. The interactions between nitrate and ammonium uptake systems are discussed on the basis of the adaptation to the nitrogen source during early growth.

The seeds of various plants were used as weights because their mass reputedly varies so little. Carob ( Ceratonia siliqua ), which has given its name to the carat, is particularly famous in this regard. But are carob seeds unusually constant in weight and, if not, how did the myth arise? The variability of seeds sampled from a collection of carob trees (CV=23%) was close to the average of 63 species reviewed from the literature (CV=25%). However, in a perception experiment observers could discriminate differences in carob seed weight of around 5% by eye demonstrating the potential for humans to greatly reduce natural variation. Interestingly, the variability of pre-metrication carat weight standards is also around 5% suggesting that human rather than natural selection gave rise to the carob myth.

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The determination of tree sexual type during the production of seedlings in nursery constitutes a major issue for the set up of efficient orchards. In the case of carob trees (Ceratonia siliqua), a multi-use tree of high socio-economical added value in Mediterranean regions, the majority is dioecious but some are also hermaphrodite. Physiological differences between carob male and female have been described but the development of robust indicators of tree sexuality remains of particular interest for the carob sector. Carob tree is highly dependent on arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis, and bacterial endophytes are also hypothesized to play a role in carob nutrition. Symbiotic communities are known to be key factors of plant nutrition and growth, affecting greatly plant physiology. The intimate connection between physiology and symbiotic community of carob may suggest a potential specificity of symbionts regarding the carob sexual type. In the framework of the international project DYNAMIC (Deciphering sYmbiotic Networks in cArob-based MedIterranean agro-eCosystems), a metabarcoding approach was developed to characterized the symbiotic microbial diversity and assemblages associated to carob trees in the Mediterranean basin. The results may provide new guidelines for the determination of bio-indicators of tree sexual type and the design of more productive orchards. (Texte intégral)

10 páginas, 4 tablas, 2 figuras., The nutritive value of Ceratonia siliqua and Gleditsia triacanthos pods was determined on the basis of their chemical composition, in vitro gas production and rumen fermentation end-products. Medicago sativa was used as a reference feed material. The studied samples showed differences in chemical composition and phenolic compounds. Crude protein (CP) content was particulary low (80 g/kg DM) in carob and higher in Medicago sativa and G. triacanthos pods with (159.79 and 121.56 g/kg DM, respectively). Inclusion of Polyethylene glycol (PEG) in fermentation medium results in a significant increase (P, Financial support received from the Junta de Castilla y Leon, Spain is gratefully acknowledged. Medjekal S. gratefully acknowledge the receipt of a Study and Doctoral Research Abroad Fellowship funded by the Algerian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research to conduct the experimental work of his PhD projects at the University of Leon (Spain).