Malva species: Insights on its chemical composition towards pharmacological applications.

Malvaceae family is typical from the Mediterranean region, contains 240 genera and more than 4,200 species. They are most commonly used as ornamental plants, although they can also be conceived as a food resource and remedy for various diseases, such as digestive, respiratory, genitourinary, throat infections, and skeletal and skin disorders, as also injuries where they are profoundly applied for skin care and as antiseptic and demulcent. They also possess diuretic, lenitive, spasmolytic, and laxative effects, besides to be used as antidiarrheal. Thus, the present review provides in-depth data on Malva spp. potential applications and phytochemical composition for food and pharmaceutical industries. Habitat and cultivation conditions and the clinical reports related to its biological effects are also emphasized. Malva spp. possess a wide variety of chemical constituents (such as polysaccharides, coumarins, flavonoids, polyphenols, vitamins, terpenes, and tannins) found in different plant organs, especially in leaves and flowers, connected to their biological activity. In general, Malva spp. have rather moderate antimicrobial activity, high antiinflammatory and wound healing activities, strong antioxidant activity, and anticancer properties. Results from in vitro and in vivo experiments encourage more in-depth studies, namely clinical trials, towards to improve knowledge on the use of Malva spp. for the treatment of various health conditions in humans.

Euphorbia-Derived Natural Products with Potential for Use in Health Maintenance.

Euphorbia genus (Euphorbiaceae family), which is the third largest genus of angiosperm plants comprising ca. 2000 recognized species, is used all over the world in traditional medicine, especially in the traditional Chinese medicine. Members of this taxa are promptly recognizable by their specialized inflorescences and latex. In this review, an overview of Euphorbia-derived natural products such as essential oils, extracts, and pure compounds, active in a broad range of biological activities, and with potential usages in health maintenance, is described. The chemical composition of essential oils from Euphorbia species revealed the presence of more than 80 phytochemicals, mainly oxygenated sesquiterpenes and sesquiterpenes hydrocarbons, while Euphorbia extracts contain secondary metabolites such as sesquiterpenes, diterpenes, sterols, flavonoids, and other polyphenols. The extracts and secondary metabolites from Euphorbia plants may act as active principles of medicines for the treatment of many human ailments, mainly inflammation, cancer, and microbial infections. Besides, Euphorbia-derived products have great potential as a source of bioactive extracts and pure compounds, which can be used to promote longevity with more health.

Biocontrol capability of local Metschnikowia sp. isolates.

This study set out to isolate and identify epiphytic yeasts producing pulcherrimin, and to evaluate their potential as biological control agents (BCAs). We isolated Metschnikowia sp. strains from flowers and fruits collected in Poland. The plant material had been collected between April to September 2017 from two small orchards where traditional organic management is employed. We identified the essential phenotypic features of the yeast, including assimilation and enzymatic profiles, stress resistance, adhesion properties, and antimicrobial activity against various fungi involved in crop and/or food spoilage. Yeast screening was performed using YPD agar supplemented with chloramphenicol and Fe(III) ions. Taxonomic classification was determined by sequence analysis of the D1/D2 domains of the large subunit rRNA gene. The isolates were identified as Metschnikowia andauensis and Metschnikowia sinensis. The yeast isolates were further characterized based on their enzymatic and assimilation profiles, as well as their growth under various stress conditions. In addition, the hydrophobicity and adhesive abilities of the Metschnikowia isolates were determined using a MATH test and luminometry. Their antagonistic action against molds representing typical crop spoiling microflora was also evaluated. The assimilation profiles of the wild isolates were similar to those displayed by collection strains of M. pulcherrima. However, some of the isolates displayed more beneficial phenotypic properties, especially good growth under stress conditions. Several of the epiphytes grew well over a wider range of temperatures (8-30 °C) and pH levels (3-9), and additionally showed elevated tolerance to ethanol (8%), glucose (30%), and peroxides (50 mM). The hydrophobicity and adhesion of the yeast cells were strain- and surface-dependent. The tested yeasts showed potential for use as BCAs, with some exhibiting strong antagonism against molds belonging to the genera Alternaria, Botrytis, Fusarium, Rhizopus, and Verticillium, as well as against yeasts isolated as food spoilage microbiota.

Cucurbits Plants: A Key Emphasis to Its Pharmacological Potential.

Cucurbita genus has received a renowned interest in the last years. This plant species, native to the Americas, has served worldwide folk medicine for treating gastrointestinal diseases and intestinal parasites, among other clinical conditions. These pharmacological effects have been increasingly correlated with their nutritional and phytochemical composition. Among those chemical constituents, carotenoids, tocopherols, phenols, terpenoids, saponins, sterols, fatty acids, and functional carbohydrates and polysaccharides are those occurring in higher abundance. However, more recently, a huge interest in a class of triterpenoids, cucurbitacins, has been stated, given its renowned biological attributes. In this sense, the present review aims to provide a detailed overview to the folk medicinal uses of Cucurbita plants, and even an in-depth insight on the latest advances with regards to its antimicrobial, antioxidant and anticancer effects. A special emphasis was also given to its clinical effectiveness in humans, specifically in blood glucose levels control in diabetic patients and pharmacotherapeutic effects in low urinary tract diseases.

Aloe Genus Plants: From Farm to Food Applications and Phytopharmacotherapy.

Aloe genus plants, distributed in Old World, are widely known and have been used for centuries as topical and oral therapeutic agents due to their health, beauty, medicinal, and skin care properties. Among the well-investigated Aloe species are A. arborescens, A. barbadensis, A. ferox, and A. vera. Today, they account among the most economically important medicinal plants and are commonly used in primary health treatment, where they play a pivotal role in the treatment of various types of diseases via the modulation of biochemical and molecular pathways, besides being a rich source of valuable phytochemicals. In the present review, we summarized the recent advances in botany, phytochemical composition, ethnobotanical uses, food preservation, and the preclinical and clinical efficacy of Aloe plants. These data will be helpful to provide future directions for the industrial and medicinal use of Aloe plants.

Enzymatic Conversion of Sugar Beet Pulp: A Comparison of Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation and Separate Hydrolysis and Fermentation for Lactic Acid Production.

This study compares the efficiency of lactic acid production by separate hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF) or simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) of sugar beet pulp, a byproduct of industrial sugar production. In experiments, sugar beet pulp was hydrolyzed using five commercial enzymes. A series of shake flask fermentations were conducted using five selected strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB). The differences in the activities of the enzymes for degrading the principal sugar beet pulp components were reflected in the different yields of total reducing sugars. The highest yields after hydrolysis and the lowest quantities of insoluble residues were obtained using a mixture (1:1) of Viscozyme® and Ultraflo® Max. In the SHF process, only a portion of the soluble sugars released by the enzymes from the sugar beet pulp was assimilated by the LAB strains. In SSF, low enzyme loads led to reduction in the efficiency of sugar accumulation. The risk of carbon catabolic repression was reduced. Our results suggest that SSF has advantages over SHF, including lower processing costs and higher productivity. Lactic acid yield in SSF mode (approx. 30 g/L) was 80-90% higher than that in SHF.

Urtica spp.: Ordinary Plants with Extraordinary Properties.

Nettles (genus Urtica, family Urticaceae) are of considerable interest as preservatives in foods for both human and animal consumption. They have also been used for centuries in traditional medicine. This paper reviews the properties of nettles that make them suitable for wider applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Nettles contain a significant number of biologically-active compounds. For example, the leaves are rich sources of terpenoids, carotenoids and fatty acids, as well as of various essential amino acids, chlorophyll, vitamins, tannins, carbohydrates, sterols, polysaccharides, isolectins and minerals. Extracts from the aerial parts of nettles are rich sources of polyphenols, while the roots contain oleanol acid, sterols and steryl glycosides. Due to the variety of phytochemicals and their proportions they contain, nettles show noticeable activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. These properties make nettles suitable for a range of possible applications, including functional food, dietary supplements and pharmacological formulations. Despite these benefits, the nettle is still an underestimated plant source. This paper provides a unique overview of the latest research on nettle plants focusing on the possibilities for transforming a common weed into a commercial plant with a wide range of applications. Special attention is paid to the antimicrobial activity of the active compounds in nettles and to possible uses of these valuable plants in food and feed formulations.

Consortia formed by yeasts and acetic acid bacteria Asaia spp. in soft drinks.

Yeast strains and acetic acid bacteria were isolated from spoiled soft drinks with characteristic flocs as a visual defect. Polymerase chain reaction and amplification of a partial region of the LSU rRNA gene identified the bacteria as Asaia spp. Sequence analysis of the D1/D2 region of the 26S rDNA in turn identified the yeast isolates as Wickerhamomyces anomalus, Dekkera bruxellensis and Rhodotorula mucilaginosa. The hydrophobicity and adhesion properties of the yeasts were evaluated in various culture media, taking into account the availability of nutrients and the carbon sources. The highest hydrophobicity and best adhesion properties were exhibited by the R. mucilaginosa cells. Our results suggest that Asaia spp. bacterial cells were responsible for the formation of flocs, while the presence of yeast cells may help to strengthen the structure of co-aggregates.