Combined application of hot water treatment and eucalyptus leaf extract postpones senescence in harvested green chilies by conserving their antioxidants: a sustainable approach.

BACKGROUND: Green chili is the predominant vegetable in tropical and subtropical regions with high economic value. However, after harvest, it exhibits vigorous metabolic activities due to the high moisture level, leading to a reduction in bioactive compounds and hence reduced shelf life and nutritional quality. Low temperature storage results in the onset of chilling injury symptoms. Therefore, developing techniques to increase the shelf life of green chilies and safeguard their nutritional value has become a serious concern for researchers. In this regard, an experiment was conducted to evaluate the impact of the alone or combined application of hot water treatment (HWT) (45 °C for 15 min) and eucalyptus leaf extract (ELE) (30%) on 'Golden Hot' chilies in comparison to the control. After treatment, chilies were stored at 20 ± 1.5 °C for 20 days. RESULTS: HWT + ELE-treated chilies had a significant reduction in fruit weight loss (14.6%), fungal decay index (35%), red chili percentage (41.2%), soluble solid content (42.9%), ripening index (48.9%), and reactive oxygen species production like H2O2 (55.1%) and O-2 (46.5%) during shelf in comparison to control, followed by the alone application of HWT and ELE. Furthermore, the combined use of HWT and ELE effectively improved the antioxidative properties of stored chilies including DPPH radical scavenging activities (54.6%), ascorbic acid content (28.4%), phenolic content (31.8%), as well as the enzyme activities of POD (103%), CAT (128%), SOD (26.5%), and APX (43.8%) in comparison to the control. Additionally, the green chilies underwent HWT + ELE treatment also exhibited higher chlorophyll levels (100%) and general appearance (79.6%) with reduced anthocyanin content (40.8%) and wrinkling (43%), leading to a higher marketable fruit (41.3%) than the control. CONCLUSION: The pre-storage application of HWT and ELE could be used as an antimicrobial, non-chemical, non-toxic, and eco-friendly treatment for preserving the postharvest quality of green chilies at ambient temperature (20 ± 1.5 °C).

Postharvest starch and sugars adjustment in potato tubers of wide-ranging dormancy genotypes subjected to various sprout forcing techniques.

The development of an efficient, safe, and environment-friendly technique to terminate tuber dormancy in potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.) is of great concern due to the immense scope of multiple cropping all over the globe. The breakage of tuber dormancy has been associated with numerous physiological changes, including a decline in the level of starch and an increase in the levels of sugars during storage of freshly harvested seed potatoes, although their consistency across genotypes and various dormancy-breaking techniques have not yet been fully elucidated. The purpose of the present research is to assess the efficacy of four different dormancy-breaking techniques, such as soaking in 90, 60, or 30 mg L-1 solutions of benzyl amino purine (BAP) and 30, 20, or 10 mg L-1 gibberellic acid (GA3) alone and in the combination of optimized concentrations; cold pre-treatment at 6, 4, or 2 °C; electric shock at 80, 60, 40, or 20 Vs; and irradiation at 3.5, 3, 2.5, 2, 1.5, or 1 kGy on the tuber dormancy period and sprout length of six genotypes. Furthermore, the changes that occurred in tuber weight and endogenous starch, sucrose, fructose, and glucose contents in experimental genotypes following the application of these techniques were also examined. Overall, the most effective technique to terminate tuber dormancy and hasten spout growth was the combined application of BAP and GA3, which reduced the length of dormancy by 9.6 days compared to the untreated control, following 6.7 days of electric current, 4.4 days of cold pre-treatment, and finally irradiation (3.3 days). The 60 mg L-1 solution of BAP greatly reduced the dormancy period in all genotypes but did not affect the sprout length at all. The genotypes showed a weak negative correlation (r = - 0.4) (P < 0.05) of endogenous starch contents with dormancy breakage and weight loss or a moderate (r = - 0.5) correlation with sprout length, but a strong positive correlation (r = 0.8) of tuber glucose, fructose, and sucrose contents with dormancy breakage and weight loss. During 3 weeks of storage, sprouting commencement and significant weight loss occurred as tuber dormancy advanced towards breakage due to a reduction in starch and an increase in the sucrose, fructose, and glucose contents of the tubers. These findings could be advantageous for postponing or accelerating seed potato storage as well as investigating related physiological research in the future.

Comparison of Si-GA-PLS and Si-CARS-PLS build algorithms for quantitation of total polyphenols in black tea using the spectral analytical system.

BACKGROUND: The objective of the current study was to compare two machine learning approaches for the quantification of total polyphenols by choosing the optimal spectral intervals utilizing the synergy interval partial least squares (Si-PLS) model. To increase the resilience of built models, the genetic algorithm (GA) and competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS) were applied to a subset of variables. RESULTS: The collected spectral data were divided into 19 sub-interval selections totaling 246 variables, yielding the lowest root mean square error of cross-validation (RMSECV). The performance of the model was evaluated using the correlation coefficient for calibration (RC ), prediction (RP ), RMSECV, root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) and residual predictive deviation (RPD) value. The Si-GA-PLS model produced the following results: PCs = 9; RC = 0.915; RMSECV = 1.39; RP = 0.8878; RMSEP = 1.62; and RPD = 2.32. The performance of the Si-CARS-PLS model was noted to be best at PCs = 10, while RC = 0.9723, RMSECV = 0.81, RP = 0.9114, RMSEP = 1.45 and RPD = 2.59. CONCLUSION: The build model's prediction ability was amended in the order PLS < Si-PLS < CARS-PLS when full spectroscopic data were used and Si-PLS < Si-GA-PLS < Si-CARS-PLS when interval selection was performed with the Si-PLS model. Finally, the developed method was successfully used to quantify total polyphenols in tea. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Evaluation of anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of Hertia intermedia (Boiss.) Kuntze extract.

Hertia intermedia is a traditional medicinal plant of Balochistan, used for pain management and stomach problems. Current research work was intended to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities of crude ethanolic extract of H. intermedia. Anti-inflammatory activity was determined by the carrageenan-induced and histamine-induce Rat paw edema in rats, analgesic activity was determined by acetic acid-Induced writhing test, formalin-induced hind paw licking in mice and Tail immersion test. H. intermedia crude ethanolic extract showed significant (p<0.05) effect in both carrageenan and histamine-induced rat paw edema at both 250 and 500 mg/kg oral doses. There were significant analgesic activities in comparison with standard drug and control (p<0.05). It is concluded that H. intermedia crude ethanolic extract possesses significant anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. However further studies may be carried out to isolate the phytochemicals responsible for anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities.

Organic amendments and conservation tillage improve cotton productivity and soil health indices under arid climate.

Long-term different tillage system field trials can provide vital knowledge about sustainable changes in soil health indices and crop productivity. This study examined cotton productivity and soil health indices under different tillage systems and organic materials. The present study was carried out at MNS University of Agriculture, Multan to explore the effect of different tillage systems: conventional tillage (T1), conservation tillage (T2), and organic materials: control (recommended dose of synthetic fertilizers; 160:90:60 kg ha-1NPK), poultry manure (10 t ha-1 PM), compost (10 t ha-1 CM), farmyard manure (20 t ha-1 FYM), and biochar (7 t ha-1 BC) on cotton productivity and soil health indices. Two years field trials showed that different tillage systems and organic materials significantly improved the growth, morphological, and yield attributes of cotton and soil health indices. The cotton showed highest seed cotton yield (3692-3736 kg ha-1), and soil organic matter (0.809-0.815%), soil available nitrogen (74.3-74.6 mg kg-1), phosphorus (7.29-7.43 mg kg-1), and potassium (213-216 mg kg-1) under T2 in comparison to T1 system during both years of field experiment, respectively. Similarly, PM (10 t ha-1) showed highest seed cotton yield (3888-3933 kg ha-1), and soil organic matter (0.794-0.797%), nitrogen (74.7-75.0 mg kg-1), phosphorus (7.39-7.55 mg kg-1), and potassium (221-223 mg kg-1) when these are compared to FYM (20 t ha-1), CM (10 t ha-1), and BC (7 t ha-1) during both years of field experiment, respectively. These findings indicate that conservation tillage system with application of 10 t ha-1 PM are the best practices for the sustainable cotton production and to ensure improvement in the soil health indices under arid climatic conditions.

Operational parameters optimization for remediation of crude oil-polluted water in floating treatment wetlands using response surface methodology.

The application of floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) is an innovative nature-based solution for the remediation of polluted water. The rational improvement of water treatment via FTWs is typically based on multifactorial experiments which are labor-intensive and time-consuming. Here, we used the response surface methodology (RSM) for the optimization of FTW's operational parameters for the remediation of water polluted by crude oil. The central composite design (CCD) of RSM was used to generate the experimental layout for testing the effect of the variables hydrocarbon, nutrient, and surfactant concentrations, aeration, and retention time on the hydrocarbon removal in 50 different FTW test systems planted with the common reed, Phragmites australis. The results from these FTW were used to formulate a mathematical model in which the computational data strongly correlated with the experimental results. The operational parameters were further optimized via modeling prediction plus experimental validation in test FTW systems. In the FTW with optimized parameters, there was a 95% attenuation of the hydrocarbon concentration, which was very close to the 98% attenuation predicted by the model. The cost-effectiveness ratio showed a reduction of the treatment cost up to $0.048/liter of wastewater. The approach showed that RSM is a useful strategy for designing FTW experiments and optimizing operational parameters.

Application of NIR spectroscopy for rapid quantification of acid and peroxide in crude peanut oil coupled multivariate analysis.

Two key parameters (acidity and peroxide content) for evaluation of the oxidation level in crude peanut oil have been studied. The titrimetric analysis was carried out for reference data collection. Then, near-infrared spectroscopy in combination with chemometric algorithms such as partial least square (PLS); bootstrapping soft shrinkage-PLS (BOSS-PLS); uninformative variable elimination-PLS (UVE-PLS), and competitive-adaptive reweighted sampling-PLS (CARS-PLS) were attempted and assessed. The correlation coefficients of prediction (Rp), root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) and residual predictive deviation (RPD) were used to individually evaluate the performance of the models. Optimum results were noticed with CARS-PLS, 0.9517 ≤ Rc ≤ 0.9670, 0.9503 ≤ Rp ≤ 0.9637, 0.0874 ≤ RMSEP ≤ 0.5650, and 3.14 ≤ RPD ≤ 3.64. Therefore, this affirmed that the near-infrared spectroscopy coupled with CARS-PLS could be used as a simple, fast, and non-invasive technique for quantifying acid value and peroxide value in crude peanut oil.

Aerobic naphthenic acid-degrading bacteria in petroleum-coke improve oil sands process water remediation in biofilters: DNA-stable isotope probing reveals methylotrophy in Schmutzdecke.

There is an increasing interest in treatment of oil sands process water (OSPW) via biofiltration with petroleum coke (PC) as a substratum. In fixed bed biofilters (FBBs) with PC, the dominance of anaerobic digestion of dissolved organics results in poor removal of naphthenic acids (NAs) along with a high degree of methanogenesis. In this study, the operation of FBBs was modified to improve OSPW remediation by supporting the filtering bed with aerobic naphthenic acid-degrading bacteria treating aerated OSPW (FBBbioaugmentation). The results were compared with a biofilter operated under controlled conditions (FBBcontrol). To this end, a consortium of three aerobic NAs-degrading bacterial strains was immobilized on PC as a top layer (10 cm). These bacteria were pre-screened for growth on 15 different NAs surrogates as a sole carbon source, and for the presence of catabolic genes coding alkane hydroxylase (CYP153) and alkane monooxygenase (alkB) enzymes. The results illustrated that biofiltration in FBBbioaugmentation removed 32% of classical NAs in 15 days; while in the FBBcontrol, degradation was limited to 19%. The degradation of fluorophore (aromatic) compounds was also improved from 16% to 39% for single ring (OI), 22% to 29% for double ring (OII), and 15% to 23% for three rings (OIII) compounds. DNA-Stable Isotope Probing revealed that potential hydrocarbons degraders such as Pseudomonas (inoculated), Pseudoxanthomonas (indigenous) were present up to 9.0% in the 13C-labelled DNA fraction. Furthermore, a high abundance of methylotrophs was observed in the Schmutzdecke, with Methylobacillus comprising more than two-third of the total community. This study shows that bioaugmentation rapidly improved OSPW remediation. Aeration mostly contributed to methane consumption in the top layer, thus minimizing its release into the environment.

Soil conditioners improve rhizodegradation of aged petroleum hydrocarbons and enhance the growth of Lolium multiflorum.

Bioremediation and phytoremediation have demonstrated potential for decontamination of petroleum hydrocarbon-impacted soils. The total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) are known to induce phytotoxicity, reduce water retention in soil, associate hydrophobic nature and contaminants' in situ heterogeneous distribution, limit soil nutrient release and reduce soil aeration and compaction. The ageing of TPHs in contaminated soils further hinders the degradation process. Soil amendments can promote plant growth and enhance the TPH removal from contaminated aged soil. In the present experiment, remediation of TPH-contaminated aged soil was performed by Italian ryegrass, with compost (COM, 5%), biochar (BC, 5%) and immobilized microorganisms' technique (IMT). Results revealed that significantly highest hydrocarbon removal (40%) was noted in mixed amendments (MAA) which contained BC + COM + IMT, followed by COM (36%), compared to vegetative control and other treatments. The higher TPH removal in aged soil corresponds with the stimulated rhizospheric effects, as evidenced by higher root biomass (85-159% increase), and bacterial count compared to NA control. Phyto-stimulants actions of biochar and IMT improved seed germination of Italian ryegrass. The compost co-amendment with other treatments showed improvement in plant physiological status. These results suggested that plant growth and TPH removal from aged, contaminated soils using BC, COM and IMT can improve bioremediation efficiency.

The use of analytical techniques coupled with chemometrics for tracing the geographical origin of oils: A systematic review (2013-2020).

The global market for imported, high-quality priced foods has grown dramatically in the last decade, as consumers become more conscious of food originating from around the world. Many countries require the origin label of food to protect consumers need about true characteristics and origin. Regulatory authorities are looking for an extended and updated list of the analytical techniques for verification of authentic oils and to support law implementation. This review aims to introduce the efforts made using various analytical tools in combination with the multivariate analysis for the verification of the geographical origin of oils. The popular analytical tools have been discussed, and scientometric assessment that underlines research trends in geographical authentication and preferred journals used for dissemination has been indicated. Overall, we believe this article will be a good guideline for food industries and food quality control authority to assist in the selection of appropriate methods to authenticate oils.

Bacterial diversity in petroleum coke based biofilters treating oil sands process water.

Adopting nature-based solutions for the bioremediation of oil sands process water (OSPW) is of significant interest, which requires a thorough understanding of how bacterial communities behave within treatment systems operated under natural conditions. This study investigates the OSPW remediation potential of delayed petroleum-coke (PC), which is a byproduct of bitumen upgrading process and is readily available at oil refining sites, in fixed-bed biofilters particularly for the degradation of naphthenic acids (NAs) and aromatics. The biofilters were operated continuously and total and active bacterial communities were studied by DNA and RNA-based amplicon sequencing in a metataxonomic fashion to extrapolate the underlying degradation mechanisms. The results of total community structure indicated a high abundance of aerobic bacteria at all depths of the biofilter, e.g., Porphyrobacter, Legionella, Pseudomonas, Planctomyces. However, redox conditions within the biofilters were anoxic (-153 to -182 mV) that selected anaerobic bacteria to actively participate in the remediation of OSPW, i.e., Ruminicoccus, Eubacterium, Faecalibacterium, Dorea. After 15 days of operation, the removal of classical NAs was recorded up to 20% whereas oxidized NAs species were poorly removed, i.e., O3-NAs: 4.8%, O4-NAs: 1.2%, O5-NAs: 1.7%, and O6-NAs: 0.5%. Accordingly, monoaromatics, diaromatics, and triaromatics were removed up to 16%, 22%, and 15%, respectively. The physiology of the identified genera suggested that the degradation in the PC-based biofilters was most likely proceeded in a scheme similar to beta-oxidation during anaerobic digestion process. The presence of hydrogenotrophic methanogens namely Methanobrevibacter and Methanomassiliicoccus and quantification of mcrA gene (2.4 × 102 to 8.7 × 102 copies/mg of PC) revealed that methane production was likely occurring in a syntrophic mechanism during the OSPW remediation. A slight reduction in toxicity was also observed. This study suggests that PC-based biofilters may offer some advantages in the remediation of OSPW; however, the production of methane could be of future concerns if operated at field-scale.

Immobilization of metribuzin degrading bacterial consortium MB3R on biochar enhances bioremediation of potato vegetated soil and restores bacterial community structure.

Metribuzin (MB) is a triazinone herbicide used for the eradication of weeds in agriculture. Presence of its residues in agricultural soil can potentially harm the establishment of subsequent crops and structure of soil microbial populations. In this study, remediation potential of an MB degrading bacterial consortium MB3R immobilized on biochar was evaluated in potato vegetated soil. In potato vegetated soil augmented with MB3R alone and MB3R immobilized on biochar, 82 and 96% MB degradation was recorded respectively as compared to only 29.3% in un-augmented soil. Kinetic parameters revealed that MB3R immobilized biochar is highly proficient as indicated by significant increase in the rate of biodegradation and decrease in half-life of MB. Enhanced plant growth was observed when augmented with bacterial consortium either alone or immobilized on biochar. Presence of herbicide negatively affected the soil bacterial community structure. However, MB3R immobilized on biochar proved to be helpful for restoration of soil bacterial community structure affected by MB. This is the very first report that reveals improved remediation of contaminated soil and restoration of soil bacterial populations by use of the MB degrading bacterial consortium immobilized on biochar.

Recent developments in gum edible coating applications for fruits and vegetables preservation: A review.

Gums are a class of naturally occurring polysaccharides/carbohydrate polymers derived from renewable sources, which have the capacity to hydrate in water either by forming a gel or stabilizing emulsion systems. Among the substitutes recently considered to replace the application of petroleum-derived polymers against postharvest diseases and shelf life extension, gums and their derivatives have been considered as promising biocontrol products. Polysaccharide gum coatings provide a semipermeable barrier on the surface of produce to reduce respiration rate, weight loss and maintain the nutritional value. Gums have been used as excellent vehicles for active substances, also controlling the speed of diffusion of these, and improving the control of the maturation of fruit and vegetable. Additionally, plant extracts, essential oils, phenolic compounds, and vitamins can be incorporated into polysaccharides edible coatings in order to improve their mechanical barrier, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Gums have many advantages over the synthetic polymers, because they have been approved as GRAS by FAO, and their use is safe for the consumer and eco-friendly. This review aims to highlight the most relevant and current information in the use of polysaccharides in postharvest shelf life extension and preservation of overall quality of fruits and vegetables.

Enhanced degradation of hydrocarbons by gamma ray induced mutant strain of Pseudomonas putida.

Soil contamination due to petroleum hydrocarbons is a ubiquitous environmental problem for which efficient remediation alternatives are required. Application of hydrocarbons degrading bacteria with enhanced degradation potential is such an alternative. The aim of present investigation was to induce mutagenicity in Pseudomonas putida through gamma-ray irradiation for the enhanced degradation of crude oil. A total of mutant 10 bacterial strains (300A-J) were screened for their degradation abilities in vitro; among which the performance of 300-B was outstanding. Subsequently, spiked soil (30 g/kg crude oil) was augmented with the wild-type parent strain and mutant 300-B strain in individual experiments. Bacterial inoculation in both experiments enhanced hydrocarbons degradation; however, degradation was 46.3% higher when 300-B mutant strain was employed. This improved oil degradation was found to have a strong positive correlation with the gene abundance and expression of the mutant strain, suggesting its successful survival and catabolic potential in situ. Concomitantly, a better nutrients assimilation and water utilization was observed in the experiment containing 300-B mutant. Yet preliminary, these findings highlight the importance of gamma ray irradiation towards improved degradation potential of previously isolated hydrocarbons degrading bacteria.

Impacts of climate change on Capparis spinosa L. based on ecological niche modeling.

Recent changes in climate are transforming the situation of life on Earth, including impacting the conservation status of many plant and animal species. This study aims to evaluate potential impacts of climate change on a medicinal plant that is known to be heat-tolerant, Capparis spinosa L. We used ecological niche modeling to estimate current and future potential distributions for the species, considering two emissions scenarios and five climate models for two time periods (2050 and 2070). The results in terms of areal coverage at different suitability levels in the future were closely similar to its present-day distribution; indeed, only minor differences existed in highly suitable area, with increases of only 0.2-0.3% in suitable area for 2050 and 2070 under representative concentration pathway 4.5. Given that climate-mediated range shifts in the species are expected to be minor, conservation attention to this species can focus on minimizing local effects of anthropogenic activity.

Effect of maternal iodine supplementation on thyroid function and birth outcome in goiter endemic areas.

OBJECTIVE: The study was undertaken to examine the clinical and endocrine parameters of thyroid in a total of 460 pregnant women belonging to non-goiter areas (group 1; n = 156) and endemic areas without (group 2; n = 154) and with iodine supplementation (group 3; n = 150), and their respective newborns. METHODS: Women of group 3 with visible goiter were administered two capsules of iodized oil orally each containing 200 mg of iodine, from weeks 6--8 of pregnancy. Blood samples were obtained from all groups during each trimester, at parturition (umbilical cord blood) and after delivery. Serum triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4) and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels were measured by specific enzyme immunoassays. RESULTS: In group 2, serum T4 concentrations were low while T3 and TSH levels were high which showed hypothyroidism in the women of endemic areas. Goiter size decreased in most of the subjects who received a single dose of iodized oil and resulted in increase in serum concentrations of thyroid hormones; whereas, TSH levels decreased. Iodine supplementation also resulted in raised T4 and low TSH levels in the cord blood of neonates. During the course of study, two abortions, three still births and one cretin were reported in group 2; none was reported in group 3; and one still birth was reported in group 1. CONCLUSIONS: The oral administration of a single dose of iodized oil is capable of correcting iodine deficiency both clinically and endocrinologically in mothers and neonates. Iodine supplementation has the potential to positively impact the birth weight of newborns.

Androgen and estrogen treatment, alone or in combination, differentially influences bone maturation and hypothalamic mechanisms that time puberty in the male rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta).

In higher primates, the mechanisms that govern the ontogeny of gonadotropin-releasing hormone pulse generator activity and that, therefore, dictate the timing of the onset of puberty remain intriguingly elusive. Groups of three infant agonadal male monkeys were treated with sex steroids [17beta-estradiol (E(2)), testosterone (T), or dihydrotestosterone (DHT)] for the first year of life to advance bone age (BA). E(2) and T resulted in a significant advancement of BA, and a pubertal BA of 130 wk was attained at a mean chronological age of 64 and 67 wk, respectively. In contrast, DHT failed to advance BA during treatment but stimulated linear growth. All animals exhibited a pubertal resurgence in LH secretion, but the timing of this developmental event did not differ between treatment and control groups (the mean for all animals was 117.7 +/- 8.9 wk). Two of the three T-treated animals, however, displayed a pubertal LH resurgence at a remarkably young age (70 and 76 wk of age) that coincided with T withdrawal. During the period of steroid treatment, all three groups were significantly heavier than the controls. The rate of body weight gain was most rapid in the DHT-treated group. Steroid treatments also resulted in accelerated linear growth. Body weight gain and linear growth continued at the same rate as controls after withdrawal of treatment. These data indicate that attainment of a pubertal BA may be a necessary but not a sufficient factor to trigger the onset of puberty. The results not only are consistent with the view that androgen-induced skeletal maturation in males is mediated by estrogen receptor activity but also indicate that androgen receptor activity contributes to the pubertal growth spurt in males.