Fabrication and characterization of basil essential oil microcapsule-enriched mayonnaise and its antimicrobial properties against Escherichia coli and Salmonella Typhimurium.

Nowadays, as consumers tend to avoid foods containing synthetic preservatives, technologically processed plant extracts can be a good alternative to these preservatives. In this study, previously obtained basil essential oil microcapsules (BEOM) were added to mayonnaise in order to produce a microbiologically safe product with improved physicochemical properties. Mayonnaises were prepared with 0%, 0.3%, 0.6%, and 0.9% BEOM replacement of the total oil content, called Mayo-Control, Mayo-0.3% BEOM, Mayo-0.6% BEOM, and Mayo-0.9% BEOM, respectively. Additionally, Mayo-SP containing ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid and potassium sorbate was prepared. The enriched mayonnaises displayed better antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli than Mayo-SP and Mayo-Control. Mayo-SP showed the best antimicrobial activity against Salmonella Typhimurium, followed by Mayo-0.9% BEOM. At the end of storage, Mayo-0.9% BEOM had the highest apparent viscosity, G', and G'' values due to its high content of gum molecules. Trans-2-heptanal, an oxidation product, was not identified in the enriched mayonnaises or Mayo-SP. Finally, BEOM were efficient in providing microbial safety of mayonnaise and also improved the product's oxidative stability, viscosity, and aroma.

Novel POC1A mutation in primordial dwarfism reveals new insights for centriole biogenesis.

POC1A encodes a WD repeat protein localizing to centrioles and spindle poles and is associated with short stature, onychodysplasia, facial dysmorphism and hypotrichosis (SOFT) syndrome. These main features are related to the defect in cell proliferation of chondrocytes in growth plate. In the current study, we aimed at identifying the molecular basis of two patients with primordial dwarfism (PD) in a single family through utilization of whole-exome sequencing. A novel homozygous p.T120A missense mutation was detected in POC1A in both patients, a known causative gene of SOFT syndrome, and confirmed using Sanger sequencing. To test the pathogenicity of the detected mutation, primary fibroblast cultures obtained from the patients and a control individual were used. For evaluating the global gene expression profile of cells carrying p.T120A mutation in POC1A, we performed the gene expression array and compared their expression profiles to those of control fibroblast cells. The gene expression array analysis showed that 4800 transcript probes were significantly deregulated in cells with p.T120A mutation in comparison to the control. GO term association results showed that deregulated genes are mostly involved in the extracellular matrix and cytoskeleton. Furthermore, the p.T120A missense mutation in POC1A caused the formation of abnormal mitotic spindle structure, including supernumerary centrosomes, and changes in POC1A were accompanied by alterations in another centrosome-associated WD repeat protein p80-katanin. As a result, we identified a novel mutation in POC1A of patients with PD and showed that this mutation causes the formation of multiple numbers of centrioles and multipolar spindles with abnormal chromosome arrangement.

Essential oil composition and antiradical activity of the oil of Iraq plants.

This study examined the antiradical activity and chemical composition of essential oils of some plants grown in Mosul, Iraq. The essential oils of myrtle and parsley seed contained α-pinene (36.08% and 22.89%, respectively) as main constituents. Trans-Anethole was the major compound found in fennel and aniseed oils (66.98% and 93.51%, respectively). The dominant constituent of celery seed oil was limonene (76.63%). Diallyl disulphide was identified as the major component in garlic oil (36.51%). Antiradical activity was higher in garlic oil (76.63%) and lower in myrtle oil (39.23%). The results may suggest that some essential oils from Iraq possess compounds with antiradical activity, and these oils can be used as natural antioxidants in food applications.