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Drought stress poses a significant obstacle to agricultural productivity, particularly in the case of oilseed crops such as sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.). Selenium (Se) is a fundamental micronutrient that has been recognized for its ability to enhance plant resilience in the face of various environmental stresses. The FH-770 sunflower variety was cultivated in pots subjected to three stress levels (100% FC, 75% FC, and 50% FC) and four Se application rates (0 ppm, 30 ppm, 60 ppm, and 90 ppm). This research aimed to investigate the effect of exogenously applied Se on morpho-physiological and biochemical attributes of sunflower to improve the drought tolerance. Foliar Se application significantly lowered H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide; ROS) (20.89%) accumulation that markedly improved glycine betaine (GB) (74.46%) and total soluble protein (Pro) (68.63%), improved the accumulation of ascorbic acid (AA) (25.51%), total phenolics (TP) (39.34%), flavonoids (Flv) (73.16%), and anthocyanin (Ant) (83.73%), and improved the activity of antioxidant system superoxide dismutase (SOD) (157.63%), peroxidase (POD) (100.20%), and catalase (CAT) (49.87%), which ultimately improved sunflower growth by 36.65% during drought stress. Supplemental Se significantly increased shoot Se content (93.86%) and improved calcium (Ca2+), potassium (K+), and sodium (Na+) ions in roots by 36.16%, 42.68%, and 63.40%, respectively. Seleniumsupplements at lower concentrations (60 and 90 ppm) promoted the growth, development, and biochemical attributes of sunflowers in controlled and water-deficient circumstances. However, selenium treatment improved photosynthetic efficiency, plant growth, enzymatic activities, osmoregulation, biochemical characteristics, and nutrient balance. The mechanisms and molecular processes through which Se induces these modifications need further investigation to be properly identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Melatonin is a naturally occurring biologically active amine produced by plants, animals and microbes. This review explores the biosynthesis of melatonin in plants, with a particular focus on its diverse roles in Arabidopsis thaliana, a model species. Melatonin affects abiotic and biotic stress resistance in A. thaliana. Exogenous and endogenous melatonin is addressed in association with various conditions, including cold stress, high light stress, intense heat and infection with Botrytis cinerea or Pseudomonas, as well as in seed germination and lateral root formation. Furthermore, melatonin confers stress resistance in Arabidopsis by initiating the antioxidant system, remedying photosynthesis suppression, regulating transcription factors involved with stress resistance (CBF, DREB, ZAT,CAMTA,WRKY33, MYC2, TGA) and other stress-related hormones (abscisic acid, auxin, ethylene, jasmonic acid and salicylic acid). This article additionally addresses other precursors, metabolic components, expression of genes (COR, CBF, SNAT, ASMT, PIN, PR1, PDF1.2 and HSFA) and proteins (JAZ, NPR1) associated with melatonin and reducing both biological and environmental stressors. Furthermore, the future perspective of melatonin rich agri-crops is explored to enhance plant tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses, maximise crop productivity and enhance nutritional worth, which may help improve food security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quality of fats and oils is a critical aspect of the food processing industry and consumer health. Fat degradation, particularly through oxidation, impacts various quality parameters, including color, taste, flavor, aroma, quality, and appearance. To address this issue, a study was conducted using five degraded fats/oil (DF/O) commodities as the target for an adsorption process. These commodities were chosen because of their high level of degradation by-products. The study used sugarcane bagasse (SCB) to develop five different treatments of indigenous adsorbents activated with various NaOH concentrations. Analyses including iodine number, adsorbent yield, and scanning electron microscope were performed to identify the potential of the prepared concentrations. Results showed that the indigenous adsorbent created with 1.0% NaOH was the most effective. The alkali treatment had a positive impact on the samples, but the SCB 10% was found to be the most efficient in reducing the degradation value of the treated samples. The findings of this study suggest that the use of indigenous adsorbents, particularly those prepared with SCB 10%, can be an effective way to reduce fat degradation and enhance the quality of fats and oils in the food processing industry. This approach can also address consumer health concerns related to fat and oil quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Characterization of freshwater fish species using molecular markers is important for their management regarding the evaluation of the potential genetic effects induced by anthropogenic interventions. The genetic variability among five natural populations of Channa marulius was studied by using five microsatellite loci in a total of 150 individuals. The C. marulius population exhibited a moderate level of heterozygosity. The mean value of observed heterozygosity ranged between 0.700 - 0.833 while the expected heterozygosity varied between 0.863 - 0.868. Significant deviation from HWE (P<0.05) was observed in all the populations due to the deficits of heterozygotes suggesting either due to inbreeding or recent mixing of stocks. AMOVA revealed that the majority of the variation (77.21%) lied within the individuals than among the individuals within populations (15.48%). The UPGMA dendrogram based on Nei's genetic distance revealed that the C. marulius population was divided into two major clusters. This study would be helpful to underpin the causes of decline in genetic diversity of C. marulius and provide significant guidelines over the effective management and conservation strategies for sustainable fisheries of Channa species in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

UV absorbers developed for finishing of textile materials play a significant role in protection against UV radiations but their discharge in wastewater during processing and laundry action also retain serious concern to living species due to their recalcitrant nature. The current study examined the mineralization and degradation of two vinylsulfone and nitrogen (N-) containing UV absorber compounds (1a, 2a) via two effective Fenton and UV/H2O2 oxidation. The results showed that both the Fenton and UV/H2O2 processes mineralized the synthesized UV absorbers effectively; however the mineralization process with Fenton oxidation was more effective than the UV/H2O2. The mineralization of synthesized UV absorbers was affected by process parameters (dosage of Fe2+ and H2O2 pH and reaction time). Under attained optimum conditions of Fenton oxidation, dose of Fe2+ (15 mg/L), H2O2 (500 mg/L), pH (3.0) and contact time (120 minutes), 75.43 and 77.54% of Chemical Oxygen Demand removal was achieved for 1a and 2a, respectively. Whereas, the optimum conditions of UV/H2O2 process were H2O2 (700 mg/L), pH(3.0) and irradiation time (200 minutes) that brought 54.33 and 57.65% COD removal in case of 1a and 2a, respectively. The results indicated that the Fenton oxidation can be successfully employed for the mineralization of triazine based UV absorbers.

Melon (Cucumis melo L.) is a widely grown horticulture crop in many parts of the world widely known for its nutritive properties. Processing of melon leads to the production of a wide range of natural end-user products and produces a significant quantity of underutilized by-products about 35%, which are made up of 3–7% of seeds and 25–44% of peels. The objective of the present research is the development of a value-added drink to effectively utilize melon by-products which are considered an excellent source of antioxidants and bioactive compounds using varying concentrations of peel and seed powder (5 and 10%) and their extracts (1 and 3%) alongside control treatment for comparison purpose. The prepared value-added drinks were stored for 3 months at 4 ± 1 °C and analyzed at 15-day intervals for physicochemical characteristics, bioactive components, antioxidant indices, and sensorial evaluation. A significant (p < 0.05) decrease in pH and an increase in acidity were noticed while total soluble sugars decreased slightly in all treatments throughout storage. In comparison to other drinks, value-added drink ( T 6 ) prepared by incorporating 3% melon peel extract preserved total phenolic contents (1.80 ± 0.07 mg GAE/g), total flavonoid contents (0.53 ± 0.003 mg QE/g), DPPH (53.23 ± 0.07 %), and FRAP (3.85 ± 0.08 μM FeSO4/g) at the end of storage and was effective in maintaining quality attribute, better retention of bioactive compounds, and longer shelf life due to higher antioxidant potential. In terms of sensorial scores, T 4 (10% melon seed powder) was more acceptable and was effective in maintaining physicochemical attributes throughout storage. The conversion of such waste in developing innovative functional foods could maximize profit, reduce environmental issues, and improve the sustainability of food by incorporating food waste into the food chain. Such research investigation is aimed at allaying growing concerns about food waste by reusing rejected food by-products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancers are worldwide health concerns, whether they are sporadic or hereditary. The fundamental mechanism that causes somatic or oncogenic mutations and ultimately aids cancer development is still unknown. However, mammalian cells with protein-only somatic inheritance may also contribute to cancerous malignancies. Emerging data from a recent study show that prion-like proteins and prions (PrPC) are crucial entities that have a functional role in developing neurological disorders and cancer. Furthermore, excessive PrPC expression profiling has also been detected in non-neuronal tissues, such as the lymphoid cells, kidney, GIT, lung, muscle, and mammary glands. PrPC expression is strongly linked with the proliferation and metastasis of pancreatic, prostate, colorectal, and breast malignancies. Similarly, experimental investigation presented that the PrPC expression, including the prion protein-coding gene (PRNP) and p53 ag are directly associated with tumorigenicity and metastasis (tumor suppressor gene). The ERK2 (extracellular signal-regulated kinase) pathway also confers a robust metastatic capability for PrPC-induced epithelial to mesenchymal transition. Additionally, prions could alter the epigenetic regulation of genes and overactive the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway, which promotes the development of cancer in humans. Protein overexpression or suppression caused by a prion and prion-like proteins has also been linked to oncogenesis and metastasis. Meanwhile, additional studies have discovered resistance to therapeutic targets, highlighting the significance of protein expression levels as potential diagnostic indicators and therapeutic targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exogenous application of antioxidants can be helpful for plants to resist salinity, which can be a potentially simple, economical, and culturally feasible approach, compared with introgression and genetic engineering. Foliar spraying of alpha-tocopherol (α-tocopherol) is an approach to improve plant growth under salinity stress. Alpha-tocopherol acts as an antioxidant preventing salinity-induced cellular oxidation. This study was designed to investigate the negative effects of salinity (0 and 120mM NaCl) on linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) and their alleviation by foliar spraying of α-tocopherol (0, 100, and 200mg L−1). Seeds of varieties "Chandni and Roshni" were grown in sand-filled plastic pots, laid in a completely randomized design in a factorial arrangement, and each treatment was replicated three times. Salinity significantly affected linseed morphology and yield by reducing shoot and root dry weights, photosynthetic pigment (Chl. a , Chl. b , total Chl., and carotenoids) contents, mineral ion (Ca2+, K+) uptake, and 100-seed weight. Concomitantly, salinity increased Na+, proline, soluble protein, peroxidase, catalase, and superoxide dismutase activities in both varieties. Conversely, the growth and yield of linseed varieties were significantly restored by foliar spraying of α-tocopherol under saline conditions, improving shoot and root dry matter accumulation, photosynthetic pigment, mineral ion, proline, soluble protein contents, peroxidase, catalase, superoxide dismutase activities, and 100-seed weight. Moreover, foliar spray of α-tocopherol alleviated the effects of salinity stress by reducing the Na+ concentration and enhancing K+ and Ca2+ uptake. The Chandni variety performed better than the Roshni, for all growth and physiological parameters studied. Foliar spray of α-tocopherol (200mg L−1) alleviated salinity effects by improving the antioxidant potential of linseed varieties, which ultimately restored growth and yield. Therefore, the use of α-tocopherol may enhance the productivity of linseed and other crops under saline soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pakistani females are at elevated risk of breast cancer, hence there is a need to explore every possible potential contributing factor. The present study was performed to analyze the perception of women about their Vit-D levels in both urban and rural areas. Women included 154 clinically diagnosed breast cancer patients from different hospitals and 248 randomly selected females as control group were recruited from Punjab, Pakistan. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS to find the association of Vit-D deficiency with breast carcinoma in different age groups. Out of a total of 402 respondent, 51.5% were completely ignorant of their Vit-D level. Pearson's Chi- square test for those who had perception about Vit-D deficiency among the breast cancer patients and control group revealed asymptotic 2-sided significance of 0.004 while among different age groups, 41 to 50 years were most prone to deficiency with P = 0.003. Urban women were found to had 12% greater association of Vit-D deficiency as compared to women living in rural areas. It was concluded that Vit-D deficiency is a highly contributing factor for breast cancer so every female must be aware of the importance of Vit-D and should maintain a sufficient level of this crucially important vitamin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Present study aimed to explore the antihypertensive potential of bioactive peptides isolated from Brassica napus protein as inhibitor of angiotensin converting enzyme. Protein was extracted and assessed for antihypertensive potential. The extracted protein showed 72% antihypertensive activity/potential with IC50 value of 24±5.60µg/mL. Thirtyone fractions of peptides were isolated by hydrolyzing protein at different time intervals, pH, temperature and enzyme/substrate ratio. The antihypertensive potential of all isolated fractions was measured. It was found that only one peptide fraction exhibited significantly high (75%) antihypertensive potential. This hydrolyzed fraction was characterized through Liquid-Chromatography-Electrospray-Ionization-Mass-Spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS). Eleven bioactive peptides were identified in hydrolyzate of Brassica napus which include Serine-Threonine, Methionine-Valine, Methionine-Leucine, Glutamine-Phenylalanine, Alanine-Threonine-Phenylalanine, Alanine-Leucine-Proline-Glycine, Valine-Alanine-Phenylalanine-Glycine, Aspartic acid-Proline-Methionine-Glutamine, Valine-Glutamine-Cysteine-Tyrosine, Methionine-Cysteine-Tyrosine-Tyrosine-Phenylalanine and Alanine-Leucine-Leucine-Alanine-Cysteine-Proline-Alanine. The current study showed that Brassica napus is an important food, having high amount of bioactive peptides with high antihypertensive potential, can control blood pressure very efficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fats and oils are both economically and scientifically important in food systems and play an important role in nutrition. The principal causes of fat degradation are oxidation and hydrogenation, which have a detrimental impact on quality aspects of oils and fats such as color, texture, flavor, aroma, consistency, and appearance. The current research was conducted to determine the oil degradation factors by collecting fifty samples of fried oils used by street vendors from twenty -five different locations in Faisalabad area in order to assess the quality parameters of locally available fats and oil products. Procured samples underwent physicochemical tests to determine the degree of degradation and oxidation. The parameters analyzed for quality evaluation include free fatty acids (FFA), peroxide value (PV), iodine value (IV), saponification value (SV), viscosity, refractive index (RI), p-anisidine value (p-AV), thiobarbeturic acid value (TBA), specific gravity (SG) and fatty acid profile through gas chromatograph equipped with flame ionization detector. The analyses revealed significant oxidation and degradation in many of the vendor fried fats and oil that were procured. Physicochemical characteristics as well as oxidative stability attributes were deviated from the standard values defined by Codex Alimentarius and Punjab Pure Food Regulations (PPFR). In majority of the samples, the fatty acid profile exhibited increased levels of trans-9-elaidic acid and linolelaidic acid, indicating the presence of trans-fatty acid because of hydrogenation and high-temperature frying of fats and oils. The overall quality of most procured samples was in decline from recommended standards and unsuitable for frying and edible purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bioactive phytochemicals derived from citrus wastes are considered to have various physiological and biological activities that may be potentially helpful in nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, and processed food industries. This study assessed the anti-Fusarium and antioxidant potential and chemical constituents of essential oil extracted from the peels of Citrus paradisi, Citrus sinensis, and Citrus aurantium. Phytochemical screening by Gas chromatography identified 24, 26, and 39 constituents in Citrus paradisi, Citrus sinensis, and Citrus aurantium, respectively. Amongst which, limonene (84-87 %) was found to be present in major proportion followed by other major components like a-myrcene, geranial, (+)-valencene, a-pinene, and neral. The estimation of polyphenol contents (PPC) (1.041±0.04 - 7.705±0.26 GAE µg/5mg) and the free radical scavenging activity of these major chemical components was determined by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging ability (IC50: 0.71±0.02-2.99±0.1 µg, and reducing power (RP) (0.75±0.026-1.972±0.067). Anti-Fusarium activity was evaluated against two major food spoilage Fusarium species namely, Fusarium graminearum and Fusarium culmorum. Dose-dependent activity of growth inhibition effect of essential oils was observed. Citrus aurantium peel essential oil proved to be most effective with 100% inhibition of F. graminearum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this experiment, effect of lead (Pb) + chromium (Cr) mixture on superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the liver of Labeo rohita at a concentration of 11.1 mgL-1 was observed. The ammonium sulphate precipitation and ion exchange chromatography techniques were successfully used to purify SOD. After purification, SOD activity of control and Pb+Cr treated fish was noted as 581.00 and 645.45 UmL-1, respectively while the specific activity was 1383.33 and 1613.62 Umg-1, respectively. The fold purification value of SOD was 2.75 and 2.45 for control and stressed fish, respectively. The recovery was calculated as 77.06 and 57.43% for control and stressed fish, respectively. The results of kinetic characterization showed that SOD form control and exposed fish had maximum activity at pH 6.5 and 7.0. Temperature also had a significant effect on activity of SOD. The SOD activity was measured maximum at 30°C for both control and Pb+Cr exposed fish. The Km value of liver SOD for control and Pb+Cr treated L. rohita was calculated as 1.48 and 0.62 mM, respectively. The value of Vmax for SOD from liver of control and Pb+Cr exposed fish was 1000 and 570 U mL-1, respectively. The enthalpy of denaturation (ΔH*) for liver SOD from control and Pb+Cr exposed L. rohita was computed as 3.492 and 2.802 KJ mol-1 at 40°C, respectively and these values were dropped off with increasing the temperature until it remains 3.251 and 2.561 KJ mol-1 at 70°C, respectively. The free energy of thermal denaturation (ΔG°) of liver SOD was slightly increased with increasing temperature until 75°C which shows its resistance against heat. The values of ΔG° was observed as 58.03 and 57.95 KJ mol-1 for control and exposed fish at 40°C, respectively while the same was increased upto 62.37 and 62.00 KJ mol-1 at 70°C, respectively. It was concluded from negative value of ΔS* (entropy of inactivation) that the SOD is stable thermodynamically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The demand of food packaging has increased along with the food consumption. Among all types of packaging materials plastics are most commonly used owing to their good mechanical, barrier and permeability characteristics. However, plastics are totally non-biodegradable and their raw materials come from non-renewable resources. This has urged the researchers to explore biodegradable food packaging films from renewable resources. Natural polymers such as carbohydrate, starch, cellulose, hemicellulose or pectin can be effectively used for the synthesis of biodegradable food packaging films. Fruits and vegetables processing industries are producing huge amount of waste in the form of peels, seeds and pomace. Being rich source of biopolymers, these wastes can serve as a good source of raw material for synthesis of biodegradable packaging films. In the present research, three types of food industrial wastes (potato, citrus and apple residues) were used with varying glycerol concentrations to develop biodegradable food packaging films. The prepared films were analyzed on the basis of their thickness, water vapor permeability (WVP), opacity, mechanical properties and photo oxidation. Results showed that potato residue film was thicker (0.17 mm) and more opaque (97.45 AU nm) in comparison with citrus and apple residue films. Results for mechanical properties showed that potato residue film possessed greater tensile (8.99 MPa) and puncture strength (13.78 N). However, it exhibited lower elongation at break (9.54 %) compared to citrus and apple residue films. While citrus residue film showed higher elastic modulus compared to potato and apple residue films. Water vapor permeability of all the prepared films was comparable. Increased glycerol concentration in film forming solutions resulted in the increase in thickness, opacity, water vapor permeability and elongation at break of all the films. However, increased glycerol concentration caused a decrease in tensile strength, elastic modulus and puncture strength of all the films. The structure of organic compounds present in prepared biodegradable films was evaluated using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetic gains of crops could be improved by pyramiding physiological, agronomic and stress tolerant traits in single genotypes. Comprehensive foreground and background phenotypic information is a prerequisite for any molecular and strategic breeding program. A population of 465 local spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes was characterized using various agromorphological and yield traits for two cropping seasons. Average values ranged from 92%-112%, 80%-240%, 48%-57% and 34%-42% for plant height, harvest index, grain per spike and 1000 grain weight, respectively. In both years, there was a strong correlation of yield per plant with plant height, harvest index, 1000 grain weight and grain per spike. Factor1 and factor2 of principal component analysis (PCA) explained the maximum variability ranges from 21%-19% for the first year and 19%-16% for the second year. Plant height and yield per plant showed a significantly positive correlation with genotypes during both cropping seasons. Cluster analysis divided genotypes into three distinct groups indicating the existence of considerable variation. The extent of variation and correlation among genotypes is required for effective utilization and conservation of the genetic resource. Based on PCA, genotypes with highest score and desirable characters can be selected for further breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a great upsurge in research era for use of natural medicines for good health and wellbeing. In this scenario, omega-3 fatty acid derived from natural sources have imperative health potential but are at great risk for use in food due to its high unsaturation and susceptibility for oxidation. To cope with this challenge, present research work has been designed to preserve these therapeutic moieties through microencapsulation. The resultant encapsulated bio actives were utilized to produce omega-3 enriched bars, which provide an efficient vehicle for delivery of useful entities in the form of snack foods. This study aims at investigating the capability of microencapsulation to prevent lipid oxidation in bars enriched with encapsulates of fish and flaxseed oil as well as to evaluate whether addition of encapsulates influenced sensory and physicochemical characteristics of the bars during storage period of 60 days. The addition of fish and flaxseed microcapsules influenced the physical attributes like color, flavor, texture, chroma and hue angle of prepared omega-3 bars significantly. The rise in concentration of microcapsules raised CIELab values except for b*, which was highest in bars enriched with fish microcapsules and lower in bars incorporated with flaxseed encapsulates, yellow color of fish oil probably contributed to this behavior which although was encapsulated but during processing imparted some color leached from the microcapsules. The L* value demonstrate lightness that was more in flaxseed oil enriched bars whereas, a* showed declining trend with increased concentration of added encapsulates in both type of encapsulated bars probably due to some grayish color imparted by encapsulated gum Arabic moiety. The formulation with 5% concentration of both powders i.e. fish and flaxseed encapsulate imparted higher oxidative stability and sensory score. However, it is revealed that omega-3 bars with all combinations were acceptable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumption pattern of cooked rice varies from individual to individual owing to their habitual perceptions. In this context, information about the cooking and eating quality attributes of rice cultivars grown in Pakistan may be helpful for the consumers for their personal selection as well as export purposes. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the quality attributes of six rice cultivars grown in major rice growing areas of the Punjab, Pakistan along with certified cultivars of Rice Research Institute Kala Shah Kaku. These cultivars were characterized for their physical, chemical, pasting and cooking characteristics. Mean values showed greater variations among the brown and white rice samples for peak viscosity (701±0.32 to 786±0.19RVU), set back viscosity (2038±0.46 to 2265±0.49RVU), break down viscosity (224±0.46 to 279±0.49RVU), final viscosity (2746±0.49 to 2258±0.50RVU), kernel elongation ratio (2.65±1.15 to 2.97±1.30), volume expansion ratio (3.47±0.37 to 4.13±0.35) and water absorption ratio (3.21±0.29 to 3.57±0.19). Eating quality of cooked rice samples showed maximum preference of white rice samples due to better color, aroma, taste, texture. This was might be due to routine consumption of white rice in Pakistan as compared to brown rice. The variations in characteristics of brown and white fractions of cultivars from various locations were might be due to climatic, agronomic and other agricultural practices adopted during the rice cropping season as well as rice processing conditions. It is concluded from the current study that Basmati varieties especially grown in popular areas for rice cultivation are considered best for processors, consumers as well as exporters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study was conducted to evaluate the impact of active edible coating containing natural essential oils (EOs) on the storage stability of butter and soft cheese (SC). The major issue in storage stability of butter is lipid oxidation due to high fat content while in soft cheese is mold growth due to its high moisture content. SC samples (T0, whey powder based edible coating of SC; T1, whey powder based edible coating of SC containing 0.5% clove oil; T2, whey powder based edible coating of SC containing 0.75% clove oil; T3, whey powder based edible coating of SC containing clove oil 1.0%; T4, whey powder based edible coating of SC containing 1.5% pepper mint oil; T5, whey powder based edible coating of SC containing 2.0% pepper mint oil and T6, whey powder based edible coating of SC containing 2.5% pepper mint oil) were analyzed for antioxidant activity during 30 days of storage. Similarly butter samples (T0,corn starch based edible coating of butter; T1; corn starch based edible coating of butter containing 0.2% black cumin oil; T2, corn starch based edible coating of butter containing 0.3% black cumin oil; T3, corn starch based edible coating of butter containing 0.4% black cumin oil; T4, corn starch based edible coating of butter containing 1.5% ginger oil; T5, corn starch based edible coating of butter containing 2.0% ginger oil; T6, corn starch based edible coating of butter containing 2.5% ginger oil) were analyzed for antioxidant activity, FFA, fat and water activity (aw) during 90 days of storage period at 2-5°C. Sensory evaluation of SC and butter was also done to determine the overall acceptability. Active edible coated SC samples containing clove oil and coated butter samples containing ginger oil showed the highly significant (p<0.01) results. So, the storage stability of SC and butter can be enhanced by using active edible coating containing EOs with better sensory attributes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since textile industry is the greatest consumer of water, it generates large quantities of effluents. The advanced methods of water treatment present a great potential in terms of wastewater reuse for irrigation. Heterogeneous photocatalysis is a promising technique to mortify the dye residues from textile effluent. In this study, Fe3+ doped ZnO has been synthesized through microwave assisted sol-gel method. The crystallinity and elemental composition of fabricated material was determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Two-dimensional disc shaped morphology of photocatalyst has been examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of Fe+3 doped ZnO. Diffused reflectance spectroscopy confirmed its high photocatalytic activity in solar range on reduction of band gap from 3.2 to 2.8 eV after doping. The characterized Fe+3 doped ZnO samples have been used to degrade RB5 dye on irradiating with artificial sunlight (D65). The reaction parameters i.e. initial dye and oxidant concentration, pH and irradiation time have been optimized by Response surface methodology (RSM). The extant of dye degradation has been evaluated by UV/vis and FTIR spectroscopy. The maximum degradation up to 98.32 % in 3 h was achieved on using ZnO doped with 5 mM of Fe+3 under optimized conditions. The phytotoxicity of treated and untreated effluent on length of root and shoot of spinach in addition to yield was measured. The remarkable increase in vegetative growth of plants was observed on using treated textile effluent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was carried out to assess the quality attributes of rice varieties named as Super Kernel, Super Basmati, Basmati-515, PK-386, Kainat and IRRI-9 after milling for the establishment of claimed standards for approved varieties to prohibit rice adulteration. Furthermore, brown and white fractions of selected varieties were evaluated for physical characteristics including grain size (grain length/grain width ratio) thousand kernel weight (TKW) and bulk density. Mean values for grain size (L/W ratio), bulk density and TKW were ranged from 3.86±0.30 to 4.59±0.32, 0.71±0.08 to 0.80±0.10g/mL and 16.74±1.18 to 17.96±0.85g among the rice cultivars. Overall, grain size (4.00±0.21 to 4.48±0.35 and 4.14±0.43 to 4.81±0.37), bulk density (0.66±0.05 to 0.72±0.09g/mL and 0.77±0.05 to 0.82±0.27g/mL) and TKW (18.00±0.48 to 19.22±0.35g and 15.91±0.84 to 16.78±0.32g) varied significantly in brown and white rice samples. The lowest decrease in length after milling was seen in white rice of Kainat (8.90%) followed by PK-386 (9.86%) and Basmati-515 (10.70%), while the IRRI-9 showed highest decrease (11.84%) as compare to brown rice. Likewise, lowest increase in width was observed in IRRI-9 (10.27%) as compared to Kainat (19.87%) which indicates that IRRI-9 had more width. Conclusively, grain dimensions, kernel weight and bulk density of both brown and white rice fractions were significantly influenced by genetic, environmental and socio-economic factors among locations and cultivars. There is an urgent need to discriminate among premium and local rice varieties of country to boost up the export and foreign earnings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medicinal plants used for the treatment of chronic diseases, have attracted the interest of scientists. L-Asparaginase is an extracellular enzyme with biomedical significance. The present article discusses the extraction, purification and characterization of L-asparaginase. Enzyme activity was estimated from Chillies (plant of Solanaceae family). Enzyme titer of 112 U/mL was attained from crude extract of Chillies (Capsicum annum) fruit while purified enzyme after gel filtration provided 61.99% yield, activity of 69.43 U/mL and specific activity of 234 U/mg. L-Asparaginase stability was envisaged at optimal pH of 8.6 in the presence of alkaline buffer. Optimal substrate concentration for L-Asparaginase activity was 200 mMoL. The efficacy of purified enzyme was tracked in vivo model. Normal healthy rats were used as control, which were compared with leukemic rats after treatment with enzyme L-Asparaginase. Eventually after treatment with enzyme extract provided best recovery in leukemic model due to high titer of L-Asparaginase, which bears high antineoplastic activity. It may be employed for chemotherapy in tumors such as acute lymphocytic leukemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toxic effect of lead (Pb)+chromium (Cr) mixture on superoxide dismutase (SOD) from kidney of Labeo rohita exposed to sub-lethal concentration for 14 days was evaluated. After purification, specific activity of enzyme was 1750.13 and 1272.72 U mg-1 in kidney of metal exposed and control fish, respectively. The enzyme from metal exposed kidney was 2.68 fold purified with 58.73% age recovery. Results of characterization showed that SOD had broad range of pH from 4 to 8.5 but show maximum activity at pH 7 and 7.5 for stressed and control fish, respectively. At 30 °C activity of SOD was maximum for both control and stressed fish. At 40 °C the enthalpy of denaturation (ΔH*) for metal treated and control fish were 0.373 and 0.736 KJ mol-1, respectively and decreases with further increase in temperature (70 °C) until it was 0.132 and 0.495 KJ mol-1, respectively. The free energy (ΔG*) of thermal denaturation for metal treated and control fish were 58.45 and 58.79 KJ mol-1, respectively at 40 °C and increases with increase in temperature until it remained 62.65 and 63.18 KJ mol-1, respectively at 70 °C. The negative value of entropy of inactivation (ΔS*) shows that the superoxide dismutase is stable thermodynamically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soybean is an oleaginous legume and endorsed source of complete plant protein that contributes highest gross output as an oil seed crop throughout the world. The aim of this study was to investigate effect of soybean varieties on physicochemical properties, compositional analysis, mineral contents, fatty acids, lipoxygenase, antioxidant and phytochemical screening with respect to functional product. The significant p<0.05 results recorded for composition and mineral contents varied in all varieties. Among fatty acids the most dramatic effect was seen in palmitic (8.23-12.47%), oleic (22.19-34.56%), linoleic (49.25-56.34%) and linolenic acids (5.23-8.23%). Three lipoxygenase isozymes (LOX-1, LOX-2 and LOX-3) in soybean showed inhibition potential; however, LOX-2 was the most inhibition prone enzyme. Phytochemical screening through phenolic contents showed variation in between 1.21 to 2.76 (mgGAE/g) and total flavonoid contents 0.42 to 1.78 (mgCE/g). Antioxidant activity by DPPH was 3.68 to 5.65, FRAP 20.78 to 29.56 and ABTS 9.63 to 13.48 (mgTE/g). Conclusively, results showed that soybeans have the potential as a functional food and nutritional component highest in Ajmeri followed by Willium- 82 and NARC-II, Rawal-I and Faisal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research was to isolate lactic acid bacterial (LAB) strains, characterize them and classify the bacteriocin producing LAB strain from indigenous dairy sources. Antimicrobial potential of LAB strain was tested against L. monocytogens. The antimicrobial compound was also tested for maintaining the decreased colony forming unit (CFU) for minimally processed vegetables like carrots, cabbage and lettuce in second phase of the research. The initial identification was based on conventional morphological and biochemical analysis while the final confirmation was done by utilizing advanced molecular tools. Prior to all these manipulations the growth conditions were carefully optimized for the respective strains. The study finally led us to conclude that Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis was the most abundant type of lactic acid bacteria found in indigenous dairy products (sour cream and cheese) samples studied. A bacteriocin (Lacticin SC07) produced during the growth of Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis was purified partially by using biochemical technique ammonium sulfate precipitation in different percentages (60% and 80%). These precipitations lead to a 437-fold increase in total lacticin SC07 activity. SDS-PAGE electrophoretic pattern of lacticin showed that it is a single peptide band of 1.7 kDa. But, 3.7 kDa dimers also showing lacticin SC07 activity. The findings of my research revealed that the isolated LAB strain has good potential for bacteriocin production and antimicrobial potential that exerts in the usage of this bacteriocin (lacticinSC07) as a natural preservative in minimally processed vegetable industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The researchers are extensively working on wastewater treatment in order to explore efficient and economic methods for water reuse. In the present investigation, an attempt was made to utilise Al2O3.Fe2O3 nano-photocatalyst for the degradation of Reactive Black 5 dye. The nano photocatalyst was synthesised by mechanical stirring co-precipitation technique and characterised by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis and BET surface area analysis. Important process parameters, e.g. pH, catalyst dose, initial dye concentration and reaction time were optimised for the photocatalytic activity of Al2O3.Fe2O3. The results indicated that maximum dye degradation was achieved at pH 3, catalyst dose 60 mg/100 ml, initial dye concentration 50 mg/l. Effect of reaction time was also investigated and maximum dye degradation was achieved at 120 min of reaction time. The results indicated that Al2O3.Fe2O3 can be used for the treatment of textile industrial effluents and can minimise the environmental pollution significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to determine the level of selected toxicants in water, their bioaccumulation and effects on antioxidant enzymes i.e. superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POD) in vital organs (gills, liver and kidney) of fish, Cirrhina mrigala. The 3 different representative water samples and 60 fish samples (20 fish from each site) were collected from three sites i.e. fishfarm, hatchery and Indus River of Punjab, Pakistan. The results showed differences in physico-chemical parameters of water samples collected from all the sites. The concentrations of Zinc (Zn), copper (Cu) and nickel (Ni) were higher in river water as compared to farm and hatchery. Different organs of fish collected from different sites showed variations in their metal concentration. In Indus River fish, the concentrations of metals were highest in liver followed by kidney and gills. The Indus River fish also exhibited highest SOD activity in all the organs as compared to farm and hatchery fish. The activity of CAT enzyme was higher in kidneys and gills of farm fish compared to the liver of hatchery fish. The maximum POD activity was recorded in liver, kidney and gills of hatchery fish. This study reveals that fish could acquire higher uptake of metals due to excessive pollution of heavy metals and other toxic elements in river water. In response to metals toxicity, the antioxidant system can be useful as an early warning tool in natural monitoring studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study was conducted to determine the tolerance limits of Indian major carps viz. Catla catla, Cirrhina mrigala and Labeo rohita against pesticides mixture (Bifenthrin + Chlorpyrifos + Endosulfan) and to see it effect on antioxidant enzyme like superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in the liver of these species. The 96-hr LC50 and lethal concentration of pesticides mixture (BIF+CPF+END) for C. catla, C. mrigala and L. rohita was determined in the static bioassay methods as 1.09, 1.81 1.63 and 1.90, 2.78, 2.30 µgL-1, respectively.C. catla exhibited higher sensitivity toward tertiary pesticides mixture followed by L. rohita and C. mrigala. The activity of SOD in the liver of all three fish species exposed to pesticides mixture was significantly (p<0.05) higher as compare to control fish. The SOD activity showed time dependent increasing trend in the liver of all three fish species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) are zinc ion dependent enzymes that are responsible for the emergence and spread of β-lactam resistance among bacterial pathogens. There are uncharacterized putative MBLs in the environment and their emergence is major interference in the generation of universal MBL inhibitors so it is important to identify and characterize novel MBLs. In this study two novel MBLs from Luteimonas sp. J29 and Pseudoxanthomonas mexicana were identified using B3 MBLs as query in BLAST database search. 3D models of putative MBLs generated by SWISSMODEL server taking AIM-1 as a structural template were verified using web based structure assessment and validation programs. Multiple sequence alignment revealed that residues important for substrate binding were conserved and loop region residues (156-162 and 223-230) important for catalysis are variable in these novel MBLs. Homology models showed typical MBL α/β/β/α sandwich fold containing six α helices, twelve β strands and metal interacting residues are conserved in similar way as with other B3 MBLs. We report promising putative B3 MBLs with some variations and substrate docking studies revealed that novel MBLs have attributes close to acquired B3 MBLs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, kidney tissues were selected to measure the catalase (CAT) enzyme activity due to their responsibility in the elimination of the compounds generating reactive oxygen species (ROS). Variation in Oreochromis niloticus kidney CAT activity (114.33±0.33 to 159.5±0.03) was observed throughout the study period. During first week of experimental trial, higher CAT activity (159.5±0.03) was noted in Pb+Cd metal mixture stressed fish kidney in comparison to control fish (128.8±0.06). Similarly, lower kidney CAT activity (114.33±0.33) was recorded in second week of experimental trial in metal mixture exposed fish as compared to control group. Significant differences (p<0.05) were observed when compared kidney CAT activity among control and metal mixture stressed O. niloticus. Partial characterization of O. niloticus kidney CAT enzyme after its purification was also performed in this study. Purified kidney CAT showed specific activity 1011.84 and 1314.9 Umg-1 for metal stressed and control fish, respectively. Optimum pH, temperature and substrate concentration both for control and binary metal treated fish purified kidney CAT was measured 7.0, 25°C and 50 mM H2O2, respectively. Km values for control and metal mixture stressed fish were measured 7.59 and 1.17 mM H2O2 mL-1, respectively and Vmax values for control and metal stressed fish were recorded 2.02 and 2.09 UmL-1, respectively. This study will be helpful in understanding how fish oxidative stress biomarker CAT could be used in bio-monitoring studies of metal contamination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water contamination is a severe environmental issue and has worse effects on fish health. Antioxidant system is present in all living organisms that maintain redox homeostasis by neutralizing reactive oxygen species (ROS). Catalase (CAT) is the part of antioxidant system that protect an organism from oxidative stress by detoxifying H2O2 into H2O and O2 molecule. Majority of enzymes are intermingled with other biomolecules when extracted and needed to purify so that biochemical properties can be described clearly. The first purpose of the present research work was to investigate whether tilapia produce more CAT in the chronic metal mixture stressed condition or not. While, the second purpose of the present research work was to purify and partially characterize the liver CAT from control and Pb+Cd metal mixture stressed Oreochromis niloticus. The inferences of present study showed higher liver CAT activity in control O. niloticus as compared to binary metal mixture treated O. niloticus. Significant differences (p<0.05) were observed when compared liver CAT activity among control and stressed fish. Specific activity of purified liver CAT was observed 1027.52 and 946.93 Umg-1 for control and metal stressed fish, respectively. The fold purification of control and metal treated fish liver CAT was recorded 15.27 and 15.44, respectively. Optimum pH and temperature of liver CAT purified from both control and metal stressed fish was found 7 and 25°C. Km value for control and metal stressed O. niloticus liver was measured 6.82 and 1.71mM H2O2mL-1, respectively. On the basis of present study inferences, it is concluded that chronic Pb+Cd metal mixture stress condition did not improve the yield of liver CAT but inhibited in O. niloticus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A robust process of purification, characterization, and application of endoglucanase from the agro-industrial waste was performed using solid state fermentation (SSF). Trichoderma harzianum as a micro-organism and wheat straw as a growth supportive substrate were used in SSF under pre-optimized conditions. The maximum activity of 480 ± 4.22 U/mL of endoglucanase was attained when a fermentation medium was inoculated using 10% inoculum size and 3% substrate concentration with pH = 5.5 at 35 °C for an optimized fermentation period. In comparison with crude extract, enzyme was 1.83-fold purified with a specific activity of 101.05 U/mg using Sephadex-G-100 column chromatography. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) poly-acrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed that the enzyme exhibited a low molecular weight of 43 kDa. The purified enzyme displayed maximum activity at pH = 6 and a temperature of 50 °C, respectively. The maximum activity (Vmax) of 156 U/mL and KM value of 63 µM were observed. Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), SDS, and Hg2+ inhibited enzyme activity, while Co2+ and Mn2+ enhanced enzyme activity at 1 mM concentration. The maximum substrate affinity and specific activity of biosynthesized endoglucanase revealed that it can be potentially useful for industrial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glycosyltransferases are ubiquitous enzymes play vital role in numerous aspects of living organisms and are involved in secondary metabolism. Also known as uridine diphosphate (UDP) glycosyltransferases (UGTs) are engaged in detoxification in living organisms. UGT76E1 is a member of 76E family of UGT comprising of 453 amino acids. The gene for glycosyltransferase, UGT76E1 from Arabidopsis thaliana was expressed and purified through affinity chromatography.Site directed mutagenesis was performed to change hydrophilic threonine (T) into hydrophobic alanine (A) at 134 position. Afterwards the activity of mutant enzyme was analyzed through mass spectrometry. Novobiocin and kaempherol were used as acceptor moleculesfor activity tests. After mutagenesis the mutant UGT76E1T134A lost its activity with its donor sugar UDP glucose, as no peak was observed for the required products glc-novobiocin and glc-kaempherol at 773 and 447 in mass spectrum respectively. The mutant did not attainany new activity with UDP rhamnose also. Complete loss of activity of UGT76E1T134A with UDP glucose as donor sugar suggested for the presence of significant peptides at the site of mutation.The current results showed that glycosyltransferases can be modified to use different substrates by site directed mutagenesis. This UGT enzyme modification could open new horizon in the development of new drugs for cancer treatment. © 2015 Friends Science Publishers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several strains of beta-hemolytic Streptococci produce streptokinase enzyme that can bind and activate human plasminogen to plasmin. Streptokinase degrades the fibrin lump by its explicit lysine joining site and so it is applied as a remedy in thrombolytic therapy. The purpose of the study was to subject wild strain of Streptococcus equisimilis to strain development technique, using random mutagenesis by UV irradiation for enhanced production of streptokinase. Objective: To evaluate the hyper production of streptokinase after mutagenesis of wild Streptococcus equisimilis by means of UV irradiation. Study Design: Randomized study. Period: 2012-2014. Setting: Enzyme Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad-Pakistan. Materials and Methods: UV lamp (TUP 40w lamp which has about 90% of its radiation at 2540-2550 A0) was used for the mutation of Streptococcus equisimilis cells (1x 107 cells mL-1) for enhanced production of streptokinase. 10 mL fresh inoculum was transferred to sterile petri plates, which were exposed to UV light for 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, 210, 240 and 270 minutes. The exposure was carried out at distance of 20cm from the centre of lamp. A dose producing 87% killing was selected as optimum dose, after preparing kill curve. The kill/ survival curve was prepared and time of exposure giving (210 minutes) 3 log kill was selected for mutation of the Streptococcus equisimilis for hyper production of streptokinase enzyme. Results: Enzyme assay was performed for both wild and mutant strains. Dose of 210 minutes was selected as best dose which was followed by the selection using triton X-100. Finally the selected strain S. equisimilis EBL-UV-210 showed 480 U mL-1 of streptokinase activity in quantitative blood clot liquefaction test, which is quite higher than wild strain (370 U mL-1). This maximum yield of streptokinase was obtained after 24h, at CSL 4%, pH 7.5, 37°C, KH2PO4 0.04%, K2HPO4 0.05%, MgSO4. 7H2O 0.04%, NaHCO3 0.15%, CaCO3 0.004%, CH3COONa. 3H2O 0.10%, FeSO4. 7H2O 0.04%, MnCl2. 4H2O 0.02%, glucose 2%, yeast extract 3% and 5% inoculum size in liquid state fermentation. Conclusions: Results showed that mutated strain gave enhanced streptokinase activity in comparison to the wild strain. Our current study focused on streptokinase production from this UV mutated streptococcus equisimilis species and purification of this enzyme by ammonium sulfate precipitation, Ion exchange and gel filtration chromatography. The activity of streptokinase was determined by using quantitative blood clot liquefaction method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]