One of the most significant challenges humanity will face is food production. In order to preserve the output, mineral fertilizers are essential. However, it's not a suitable option in the long term. ...Magnesium is a crucial macronutrient, but it is the most limiting element in agriculture. Nanotechnology, with the implementation of nanofertilizers, is an excellent alternative since it provides nutrients, supports growth, and improves production; this in low amounts is more sustainable than conventional fertilizers. Although there is a piece of limited information regarding the proper foliar application of this macronutrient, the study helped to validate the effect of the foliar application of Magnesium nano fertilizer on the physiological, biochemical responses and yield of bean plants. Bean plants ejotero cv. ‘Strike’ and magnesium nanoparticles were applied at doses of 0, 50, 100, and 200 ppm. The biomass accumulation, yield, activity of the enzyme nitrate reductase, and photosynthetic pigments were evaluated. The foliar application of Mg nanoparticles at 50 ppm generated the highest amount of biomass and photosynthetic pigments. The 100 ppm dose improved pods yield and allowed the increased activity of the Nitrate Reductase enzyme. The results obtained suggest that, when increasing the dose of magnesium in plants, the amount of carotenes decreases.
The quality and content of essential oils extracted from medicinal and culinary plants can be affected by harvesting time conditions. This study focused on the antioxidant activity and chemical ...composition of Origanum dictamnus essential oils under different harvesting time conditions. Samples from the same area and different harvesting times were treated by hydrodistillation. Gas Chromatography (GC-FID) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were used to determine the different compounds found in essential oils. In all the essential oil samples, the phenolic monoterpenoid Carvacrol was prevalent. Through different seasons, we could observe a relatively high yield ratio. However, the lowest and highest yield values were found in plants collected during winter and summer. These essential oils showed high level radical scavenging properties level, as exhibited in the DPPH assay. Essential oils from sample C (collected on 10/02/18) showed the highest antioxidant activity.
In this study, hydrodistillation was used to obtain essential oils (EOs) from pepper (Piper nigrum L.) and clove (Eugenia caryophyllata) and co-hydrodistillation (addition of fatty acid ethyl esters ...as extraction co-solvents) was used to obtain functional extracts (FEs). Antifungal activity of EOs and FEs was evaluated by determination of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against Fusarium oxysporum and Aspergillus niger. The results showed that pepper (Piper nigrum) and clove (Eugenia caryophyllata) essential oils and their functional extracts are effective in vitro at concentrations from 400 to 500 ppm after 10 days of culturing. The essential oils and functional extracts were used on tomato fruit samples at three different concentrations: 350, 400, and 450 ppm5. Clove essential oil reduced the growth of Aspergillus niger from 50% to 70% and Fusarium oxysporum to 40%. The functional extracts (FEs) of clove and pepper, mixed with ethyl decanoate (FEs-C10), were the best combination for protecting the tomato fruit in vivo against both phytopathogenic fungi. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to identify eugenol as the principal compound in clove oil and limonene, sabinene, and β-caryophyllene in pepper oil.
Food gels are viscoelastic substances used in various gelled products manufactured around the world. Polysaccharides are the most common food gelling agents. The aim of this work was the production ...and characterization of a gel produced in a blue corn flour fermentation process, where different proportions were used of blue corn (
L.) flour and Czapek Dox culture medium (90 mL of culture medium with 10 g of blue corn flour, 80 mL of culture medium with 20 g of blue corn flour, and 70 mL of culture medium with 30 g of blue corn flour) and were fermented for three different durations (20, 25, and 30 days) with the
fungus. A characterization of the gel was carried out studying the rheological properties, proximal analysis, toxicological analysis, microscopic structure, and molecular characterization, in addition to a solubility test with three different organic solvents (ethanol, hexane, and ethyl acetate, in addition to water). The results obtained showed in the rheological analysis that the gel could have resistance to high temperatures and a reversible behavior. The gel is soluble in polar solvents (ethanol and water). The main chemical components of the gel are carbohydrates, especially polysaccharides, and it was confirmed by FT-IR spectroscopy that the gel may be composed of pectin.
We evaluated the effects of solvents with different polarities—methylene chloride (MC), methanol (MT), and hexane (HE) on the extraction of compounds from Mexican red pitaya seed oil. The fatty acid ...composition and the structural, rheological, and thermal properties of the different extracts were characterized. The results indicated that the highest yield of extraction was generated for MC (26.96%), as well as the greatest amount of Mono and Polyunsaturated fatty acids, while the lowest yield was for MT (16.86%). The antioxidant activity was greater in the MT treatment due to extractable compounds from high polarity. The generated extracts contained unsaturated fatty acids, mostly oleic and linoleic acids, and saturated fatty acids such as palmitic acid. The lowest solidification temperature was −6.35 ℃ for MC due to its fatty acid composition, and the degradation temperature was around 240 ℃. The viscosity is a quality parameter; the highest level was generated for the MC treatment, which was significantly different from HE and MT. The composition of the extracts was analyzed using the FT-IR spectroscopy and showed the typical characteristic of absorption bands for triglycerides with high frequency in bands 2852 cm −1 and 2924 cm −1 , which indicated that the samples were rich in unsaturated and polyunsaturated acids. These results suggested that pitaya seed oil is an excellent alternative source of essential fatty acids with potential physiological benefits.
Ocotillo ( Fouquieria splendens ) has been used in Mexican traditional medicine for the treatment of blood circulation problems, swelling, and prostatic hyperplasia, among others. The objective of ...this study was to use different extraction methods (soxhlet, hydrodistillation and ultrasound) and solvents with different polarities (hexane, methyl chloride, ethyl acetate, acetone and methanol) to determine volatile compounds contained in ocotillo stems. Solvents used were water in hydrodistillation; hexane, methyl chloride, ethyl acetate, acetone, and methanol in soxhlet; and a solvent mixture of water acidified with methanol, acetone, and 1% acetic acid at a 50:35:15 ratio in the ultrasound method. The major components identified were bis (2-Ethylhexyl) phthalate, bis (2-Ethylhexyl) ester, butyl acetate, palmitic acid, and myristic acid. A toxicity assay on Artemia salina was conducted and the median lethal concentration was quantified. The bioassay showed that extracts isolated by non-polar solvents are extremely toxic because they were lethal at concentrations lower than 100 ppm, while polar extracts were innocuous. However, in polar extracts were found compounds that suggest their use in traditional medicine, the most relevant being 2-butoxyethanol, pentadecanol, and undecanal.
Phenolic compounds are secondary metabolites produced by plants, and their study has been increased in recent years due to their ability to improve human health. The aim of this work was the ...determination of phenolic compounds presents in blue corn flour before and after a fermentation process, where different proportions were used of blue corn (Zea mays L.) flour and Czapek Dox culture medium (90 mL of culture medium with 10 g of blue corn flour, 80 mL of culture medium with 20 g of blue corn flour and 70 mL of culture medium with 30 g of blue corn flour) and were fermented at 3 different times (20, 25 and 30 days) with the Colletotrichum gloeosporioides fungus. A determination of the phenolic compounds was carried out with five standard solutions, which were cyanidin 3-glucoside (CYA), pelargonidin 3-glucoside (PEL), chlorogenic acid (CLA), quercetin (QRC) and cinnamic acid (CA). The obtained results showed the presence of CA and PEL. The most abundant phenolic compound in the fermented samples was CLA over the naturally occurring compounds in blue corn, which are CYA and PEL. QRC was the phenolic compound with the lowest concentration in blue corn flour samples fermented with Colletotrichum gloeosporioides.
Antecedentes: Dalea bicolor se desarrolla en el Desierto Chihuahuense. Es una fuente importante de forraje para el ganado y fauna silvestre y, se recomienda para biorremediación y restauración ...ecológica. Éste es el primer estudio sobre su aceite esencial.
Preguntas y/o hipótesis: ¿Cuánto aceite esencial produce D. bicolor al final de la floración? ¿Es la producción de aceite igual en regiones con diferentes condiciones ambientales? ¿Cuáles variables de clima y suelo influyen en la producción? ¿Qué compuestos tiene el aceite esencial?
Especie en estudio: Dalea bicolor .
Sitio de estudio y fechas: Cuatro regiones del estado de Chihuahua, en un rango latitudinal de 26° 34’ 12” N a 28° 47’ 24” N. El muestreo fue en noviembre de 2017.
Métodos: Extracción del aceite esencial por hidrodestilación. Análisis de varianza de la producción de aceite esencial entre regiones. Análisis de correlación entre la producción de aceite y variables de clima y suelo. Cromatografía de gases acoplada a espectrometría de masas para determinar los compuestos más probables del aceite esencial.
Resultados: La producción de aceite esencial fue diferente entre regiones, siendo significativamente mayor en Aldama con 5.18 ± 0.64 g·Kg-1 de materia seca. La producción está correlacionada positivamente con la temperatura y con la concentración de boro y zinc en el suelo. Se detectaron 17 compuestos en el aceite esencial.
Conclusiones: Altas temperaturas y suelos ricos en boro y zinc favorecen la producción de aceite esencial de D . bicolor . El principal compuesto del aceite esencial fue 3-careno, seguido por limoneno, ocimeno y ?-felandreno.
The use of nanofertilizers has the potential to be used to enrich edible organs with nutrients (biofortification) and improve the biosynthesis of bioactive compounds and their antioxidant capacity. ...Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of biofortification with magnesium (Mg) nanofertilizer on the accumulation of bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity in green bean cv. Strike compared to a conventional fertilizer (Mg sulfate). Two sources of Mg were applied via foliar: Nanofertilizer and Mg Sulfate at doses of 0, 50, 100, 200, and 300 mg/L of Mg. The accumulation of total polyphenols, flavonoids, anthocyanins, bioactive compounds, and antioxidant capacity was evaluated in pods. The results obtained in this research confirm the effect of green bean pods biofortified with Mg nanofertilizers on the production and accumulation of bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity, improving the nutrition and nutraceutical quality of green beans. The 50 mg/L dose of Mg nanofertilizer was the most effective treatment to increase bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity compared to high doses of Mg sulfate (300 mg/L). This is one of the first studies focused on biofortification with Mg nanofertilizers and their effect on the nutraceutical quality of green beans.
Food gels are viscoelastic substances used in various gelled products manufactured around the world. Polysaccharides are the most common food gelling agents. The aim of this work was the production ...and characterization of a gel produced in a blue corn flour fermentation process, where different proportions were used of blue corn (Zea mays L.) flour and Czapek Dox culture medium (90 mL of culture medium with 10 g of blue corn flour, 80 mL of culture medium with 20 g of blue corn flour, and 70 mL of culture medium with 30 g of blue corn flour) and were fermented for three different durations (20, 25, and 30 days) with the Colletotrichum gloeosporioides fungus. A characterization of the gel was carried out studying the rheological properties, proximal analysis, toxicological analysis, microscopic structure, and molecular characterization, in addition to a solubility test with three different organic solvents (ethanol, hexane, and ethyl acetate, in addition to water). The results obtained showed in the rheological analysis that the gel could have resistance to high temperatures and a reversible behavior. The gel is soluble in polar solvents (ethanol and water). The main chemical components of the gel are carbohydrates, especially polysaccharides, and it was confirmed by FT-IR spectroscopy that the gel may be composed of pectin.
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