Protection and Controlled Gastrointestinal Release of Bromelain by Encapsulating in Pectin-Resistant Starch Based Hydrogel Beads.

Hybrid pectin and resistant starch-based hydrogel beads loaded with bromelain using the extrusion gelation method were prepared and evaluated to enhance the activity of bromelain during gastrointestinal passage and thermal processing. The solutions of pectin-resistant starch with bromelain were dropped into the gelation bath containing calcium chloride (0.2 M) solution to develop various types of hydrogel beads. The physicochemical characteristics of the synthesized hydrogel beads were evaluated. The ratio (4.5:1.5 w/w) of pectin and resistant starch concentration significantly (p < 0.05) enhanced the encapsulation efficiency (80.53%). The presence of resistant starch resulted in increased entrapment of bromelain, improved swelling properties with sustained release behavior, and improved gastric stability than pectin hydrogels alone. The swelling of hydrogel beads was higher at pH 7.4 than pH 1.2. Optimized batch of hybrid pectin/resistant starch exhibited a spherical shape. Optical and scanning electron microscopy showed a more packed and spherical shape from the pectin/resistant starch hydrogel bead network. Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy was also used to confirm the presence of bromelain in the hydrogel beads. The encapsulated bromelain in the pectin/hi-maize starch beads produced at a pectin/hi-maize ratio of 4.5:1.5 (percent w/w; formulation P4) obtained the highest relative bromelain activity in all heat treatments including at 95°C, whereas the highest activity of free bromelain was found only at 30°C. Bromelain encapsulated in hydrogels released at a faster rate at simulated intestinal fluid (SIF, pH 7.4) than at simulated gastrointestinal fluid (SGF, pH 1.2).

Factors Influencing the Intensity of Adoption of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil Practices by Smallholder Farmers in Thailand.

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) was formed in 2004 in response to adverse environmental impacts caused by the expansion of oil palm production. It created voluntary standards to accelerate adoption of improved practices along the supply chain to ensure environmental benefits. However, the rate of adoption among smallholders of the practices RSPO recommends remains low. This study assessed the factors influencing smallholder farmers' adoption decisions and the intensity of adoption using primary data obtained from 723 randomly selected oil palm producers in the southern region of Thailand, of which 333 RSPO were adopters and 390 were non-adopters. The results of the binary logit and two-limit Tobit regressions revealed that total farm labor, farm size, number of training sessions attended, access to information, extension services, support services, and perceived ease of adoption of the practices had positive effects on the intensity of adoption. However, the age of oil palm trees negatively influenced the intensity of adoption. The results suggest that strengthening capacity building activities and extension services would increase the adoption of the RSPO practices among small-scale farmers.

Vitamin D3 enhanced intestinal phosphate cotransporter genes in young and growing broilers.

The influence of dietary vitamin D3 (VD3) levels on growth, bone performance, and duodenal type IIb sodium-dependent phosphate cotransporter (NaPi-IIb) genes in broiler chicken were studied. One-day-old male Ross308 broilers (n = 432) were allocated into 6 treatment groups with each group consisting of 6 cage pens. Each treatment group received diet containing different amounts of VD3 (80, 200, 500, 1,250, 3,125, or 7,813 IU per kg of diet) from a day-old to 31 D of age. Dietary available phosphorus and calcium were kept the same across all treatments in each phase. At 14 D, influence of VD3 on BW gain was found in the birds that received VD3 of 3,125 IU/kg and 200 IU/kg (P < 0.05). Toe ash and tibia ash linearly increased (P < 0.05) at 14 D with increase in dietary VD3. There was no significant influence of dietary VD3 on tibia breaking strength. In both phases, relative expression of duodenal NaPi-IIb linearly increased (P < 0.01) with increase in dietary VD3. At 14 D, highest expression of 3.2 folds was observed in birds treated with VD3 at 7,813 IU/kg of feed. At 31 D, birds that received VD3 levels of 3,125 and 7,813 IU/kg of feed showed 2.9 folds higher in NaPi-IIb expression compared with those fed lowest level of VD3 at 80 IU/kg of feed. When dietary calcium and phosphorus were maintained at the standard requirement, increase in dietary VD3 did not improve growth performance. For optimum growth and bone characteristics, dietary inclusion of VD3 at 500 IU/kg was adequate for both starter and grower broiler diets. Vitamin D3 enhanced the expression of NaPi-IIb at higher doses and thus improving the tibia ash content in high VD3 treatment groups. This study reported for the first time an increased in the expression of duodenal NaPi-IIb in 31-day-old broilers in response to high dietary VD3 levels.

In vitro antioxidant and antimalarial activities of leaves, pods and bark extracts of Acacia nilotica (L.) Del.

BACKGROUND: The emergence of drug resistant malaria is threatening our ability to treat and control malaria in the Southeast Asian region. There is an urgent need to develop novel and chemically diverse antimalarial drugs. This study aimed at evaluating the antimalarial and antioxidant potentials of Acacia nilotica plant extracts. METHODS: The antioxidant activities of leaves, pods and bark extracts were determined by standard antioxidant assays; reducing power capacity, % lipid peroxidation inhibition and ferric reducing antioxidant power assay. The antimalarial activities of plant extracts against Plasmodium falciparum parasites were determined by the 48 h schizont maturation inhibition assay. Further confirmation of schizonticide activity of extracts was made by extending the incubation period up to 96 h after removing the plant extract residues from parasites culture. Inhibition assays were analyzed by dose-response modelling. RESULTS: In all antioxidant assays, leaves of A. nilotica showed higher antioxidant activity than pods and bark. Antimalarial IC50 values of leaves, pods and bark extracts were 1.29, 4.16 and 4.28 µg/ml respectively, in the 48 h maturation assay. The IC50 values determined for leaves, pods and bark extracts were 3.72, 5.41 and 5.32 µg/ml respectively, after 96 h of incubation. All extracts inhibited the development of mature schizont, indicating schizonticide activity against P. falciparum. CONCLUSION: A. nilotica extracts showed promising antimalarial and antioxidant effects. However, further investigation is needed to isolate and identify the active components responsible for the antimalarial and antioxidant effects.

Antibacterial Activities and Possible Modes of Action of Acacia nilotica (L.) Del. against Multidrug-Resistant Escherichia coli and Salmonella.

Medicinal plants are frequently used for the treatment of various infectious diseases. The objective of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial activity and mode of action of Acacia nilotica and the antibiogram patterns of foodborne and clinical strains of Escherichia coli and Salmonella. The mechanism of action of acacia extracts against E. coli and Salmonella was elucidated by observing morphological damages including cell integrity and cell membrane permeability, as well as changes in cell structures and growth patterns in kill-time experiments. The clinical isolates of E. coli and Salmonella were found resistant to more of the tested antibiotics, compared to food isolates. Minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration of acacia leaf extracts were in the ranges of 1.56-3.12 mg/mL and 3.12-6.25 mg/mL, respectively, whereas pods and bark extracts showed somewhat higher values of 3.12-6.25 mg/mL and 6.25-12.5 mg/mL, respectively, against all tested pathogens. The release of electrolytes and essential cellular constituents (proteins and nucleic acids) indicated that acacia extracts damaged the cellular membrane of the pathogens. These changes corresponded to simultaneous reduction in the growth of viable bacteria. This study indicates that A. nilotica can be a potential source of new antimicrobials, effective against antibiotic-resistant strains of pathogens.