•WESP was prepared and analyzed for the chemical constituents.•WESP was able to regulate hepatic metabolic disorders in high fructose-fed mice.•WESP as a fermentable source exhibited beneficial ...effects on SCFAs formation.•WESP regulated gut microbiota by increasing the abundance of beneficial bacteria.•WESP was a reliable strategy to prevent liver damage caused by high sugar diet.
Shepherd’s purse as a wild vegetable is getting more and more attention on health benefits. Water extract of shepherd’s purse (WESP) was prepared and analyzed for the chemical constituents. The mice were fed high-fructose (HF) diet and treated with WESP at 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg·bw for 8 weeks. The HF-fed mice receiving WESP exhibited the inhibitions against abnormal weight gain, hepatic fat accumulation and lipid metabolic by down-regulating FAS and ACC expressions. WESP also significantly alleviated hyperglycemia, oxidative stress, and inflammatory response by regulating of NF-κB pathway. Moreover, WESP dose-dependently increased the acetic, propionic, and butyric acids levels in HF-fed mice. Furthermore, WESP significantly alleviated the HF-induced gut dysbiosis by reducing the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes and increasing the abundance of potential beneficial bacteria. Our findings indicate that WESP may be an effective dietary supplement for preventing the liver damage.
The ligno-cellulose residues from biorefinery production of bio-ethanol were used as woody structuring material within an on-farm composting system, with the aim to obtain bioactive water soluble and ...humic fractions from composted materials. The molecular characterization of initial biomasses and final products revealed a transformation towards more stable compounds during composting and showed the selective incorporation of specific phenolic derivatives of ligno-cellulose in both bulk samples and corresponding extracts. While the use of the stable bulk composts as organic fertilizer resulted in a decrease of nitrogen and phosphorous assimilation in maize tissues, a bio-stimulation was shown by water soluble organic compounds and humic substances in germination tests and pot experiments, respectively. The differential responses obtained in maize seedlings and plants were related to the molecular composition and concentration of the applied water extracts and humic substances, thus suggesting a role of phenols and lignin derivatives in the stimulation of maize roots and shoots and the enhancement of P uptake. The results confirm that ligno-cellulose residues may be effectively recycled as composting additives in order to enrich mature compost in aromatic and lignin compounds. A preliminary knowledge on the molecular characteristics and biological properties of composted materials is an essential requirement to select the most suitable derivatives from composted ligno-cellulose wastes in sustainable agricultural practices.
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•Ligno-cellulose residues from biorefinery were used in an on-farm composting system.•Bulk composts and compost extracts were characterized by CPMAS-NMR and TAHM-GC–MS.•Compost and derived extracts showed a selective incorporation of phenolic derivatives.•Water extracts and humic substances revealed bioactive properties in cropping tests.
•Water extracts from algae and cyanobacteria bioprimed tomato seeds.•Water extracts from algae and cyanobacteria were effective vs. R. solani root rot.•The extracts at all concentrations increased ...seedling dry weight.•The extracts increased plant chitinase activity.•The aromatic rings assigned to lignin changed with the treatment.
In recent years, the use of synthetic pesticides in agriculture has been restricted for environmental pollution issues. Alternatives to chemicals for plant disease control are highly recommended by the recent EU legislation. We tested tomato seed treatment with water extracts from Anabaena minutissima, Ecklonia maxima, and Jania adhaerens for their biocontrol activity against the fungal plant pathogen Rhizoctonia solani. Algae were characterized into their contents in macro and microelements and into their functional groups by using FT-IR spectroscopy. The extracts were applied at 0.0, 2.5, 5.0, and 10.0 mg/mL concentrations on tomato seeds against the pathogen, in in vitro experiments and under greenhouse conditions. To estimate the efficiency of treatment in priming plant defence response, plant chitinase activity was measured and the different distribution of functional groups of roots was determined by FT-IR spectroscopy. Increases of germination and seedling dry weight for treated seeds without pathogen challenge were observed. The extracts reduced disease severity and increased seedling dry weight both in in vitro and greenhouse experiments at all concentrations. All extracts also increased stem seedling calibre under greenhouse conditions. The plant chitinase activity was increased by all extracts. The aromatic rings assigned to lignin changed with the treatment. We concluded that, although our experiments were based on a small scale, algae and cyanobacteria water extracts could provide a potential tool for the R. solani control on tomato plants, by contributing to the reduction of synthetic product input in the environment.
•Kombucha successfully fermented sweetened yarrow infusions.•Kombucha effectively metabolized sugared yarrow SWE.•Chemical and sensory analysis indicated superiority of SWE over infusions.•Cytotoxic ...and antimicrobial activities were higher for products on infusions.•Kombucha SWE beverages had better antioxidant potential.
Kombucha beverages were produced by fermentation of new types of substrates – yarrow infusions and yarrow subcritical water extracts (SWE). Fermentation process parameters (pH, total acidity and yield of biomass), chemical composition (organic acids, total phenols and flavonoids and vitamin C content) and sensory analysis indicated that SWE were more suitable substrates for successful fermentation. Products obtained on infusions had more pronounced anticancer and antimicrobial properties whereas beverages produced on SWE had higher antioxidant potential.
Vernonia cinerea (VC) is a ubiquitous weed in tropical and subtropical regions. It was traditionally used to treat health issues by various cultures, but today little is known to the new generation ...about its high medicinal values, how to use it as a quick first aid, and its commercialization potential. A literature search found that VC has been extracted using various kinds of solvents for different polarities of phytochemical extraction. Interestingly, the food-grade solvents such as ethanol and water were found to be suitable to extract the active ingredients from VC for major therapeutic applications such as antioxidants, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and anti-microbial as well as being a wound healer, hepato-protective, and ease the smoking withdrawals symptoms. The spray-dried water extracts are currently innovated into different forms of nutraceutical products. The high toxicity threshold allows the utilisation of VC as home remedies in the form of fresh, dried, and water extracts for oral intake, while the extracts using common alcohol/spirit and oil can be made for topical applications. This review aimed to give an insight into the commercialization potential of VC as a nutraceutical product and the reestablishment of homemade first-aid remedies for various health conditions especially among the people in rural areas.
Many coastal ecosystems have a high carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) accumulation capacity. Extractable C and N have been shown to be useful indicators to assess changes in soil C and N in terrestrial ...systems but have not been widely used in coastal habitats. Here, we quantified cold and hot water extractable organic C (cweC, hweC) and N (cweN, hweN) and determined specific ultraviolet absorbance (SUVA254) to evaluate how water extractable C and N concentration and chemistry change along the transition from mangrove (vegetated) to tidal flat (non-vegetated) and with sediment depth. Sediment cores (20 cm depth) were collected along transects in a muddy (29–46 % clay + silt, Snells Beach) and sandy (8–11% clay + silt, Hobson Bay) estuary in the Auckland region, New Zealand. Cold water exactable C and N concentrations were similar in the muddy and sandy estuary (7–173 μg C g−1 soil; 1–32 μg N g−1 soil). However, cweC and cweN made up a larger proportion of sediment C and N concentration at the sandy estuary. The hweC and hweN concentrations were significantly higher in the muddy (240–2440 μg C g−1 soil; 25–244 μg N g−1 soil) than sandy estuary (50–960 μg C g−1 soil; 6–119 μg N g−1 soil) suggesting a higher release of C and N from the muddy estuary with organic matter rich sediments. Habitat had a strong effect at both sites with extractable C and N concentrations being higher in mangroves compared to tidal flat. The C:N ratios and SUVA254 values of cweC tended to be lower than hweC across all habitats in both estuaries, suggesting a higher proportion of algal-derived organic matter and a lower proportion of aromatic molecules. Our findings demonstrate that water extractable C and N provide valuable insights into the quality and drivers of C and N in coastal habitats.
•Extractable carbon and nitrogen in mangrove and tidal flat habitats were quantified.•High spatial variation in extractable C and N content and sediment characteristics.•Habitat effect - lower extractable C and N content in tidal flats than mangroves.•Sediment C and N content were key predictors of water extractable C and N.
This study investigates the absorption characteristics of brown carbon (BrC) obtained from water and methanol extracts of fine particulate matter measured at an urban site in Gwangju, Korea during ...the KOREA U.S. – Air Quality campaign (May 2–June 11, 2016). The measurement period was classified into two intervals: biomass burning (BB) and non-BB periods. During the non-BB period, water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) and humic-like substances (HULIS) primarily resulted from secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation and primary vehicle emissions. Water-soluble organic aerosols during the BB period, meanwhile, were closely related to SOA formation and regionally transported BB emissions.
The light absorption coefficient measured at 365nm (babs,365) by methanol extracts was 2.6 and 6.1 times higher than the coefficients from the water and HULIS extracts, respectively, indicating the importance of BrC absorption by water-insoluble organic carbon. This was demonstrated by a good correlation between the water-insoluble BrC absorption and the elemental carbon concentration. A comparison of babs,365 between the methanol- and water-extracted BrC indicated that water-insoluble BrC accounted for approximately 61% (33–86%) of the total BrC absorption. The contributions of SOA, primary BB emissions, and traffic emissions to the water extract babs,365 were estimated using a stepwise multiple linear regression (MLR) analysis and found to be 1.17±0.55, 0.65±0.62, and 0.25±0.09Mm−1, respectively, accounting for 59.6, 26.1, and 14.3% of the absorption coefficient by the water-soluble BrC. Further, it was determined that the contribution of the BB emissions to the water-soluble BrC absorption was approximately two times higher in the BB period than in the non-BB period.
The average absorption Ångstrӧm exponent was 4.8±0.3, 5.3±0.7, and 6.8±0.8 for the methanol, water, and HULIS extracts, respectively. The average mass absorption efficiency (MAE365) of methanol extracted BrC was 1.3±0.4m2/g·C. Water- and HULIS-extracted BrC had a MAE365 of 1.0±0.3 and 0.8±0.3m2/g·C, respectively. These results suggest that methanol-extracted BrC could provide a better estimation of BrC absorption compared to WSOC and HULIS.
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•Heterogeneous processes were a dominant contributor to NO3- and SO42- formation during the non-biomass burning (BB) period.•Regional transport and high O3 could be important factors for the enhanced NO3- and SO42- during the BB period.•Water-soluble organic aerosols were associated with SOA, regionally transported BB, and traffic emissions.•About 60% of total brown carbon (BrC) absorption comes from water-insoluble BrC.•Contribution of BB source to water-soluble BrC absorption was two times higher in the BB period than in the non-BB period.
Weeds reduce the yield of maize (Zea mays L.) by utilizing the available resources such as water, nutrient and space. The phenomenon of allelopathy offers pragmatic option to suppress weeds in ...cereals including maize. This study was conducted to evaluate the weed suppression potential of sorghum in maize sown on beds or flat fields in post-sorghum and fallow plots. Sorghum-based weed management treatments included: i) control, ii) sorghum mulch (SM) at 8 t ha−1, iii) sorghum water extract (SWE) at 18 L ha−1, and iv) SM + SWE. The post-sorghum planted maize had significantly lower density (23.1%) and biomass (23.6%) of weeds than post-fallow planted maize. Weed density and dry biomass was 17.2% and 18.1% less in bed-sown maize than the flat-sown maize, respectively. Application of sorghum based treatments significantly reduced weed infestation in both maize cropping systems, however, combined application of SM and SWE in post sorghum bed-sown maize was the most effective treatment. Bed-sown maize planted in post-sorghum plots produced higher grain yield than post-fallow bed-sown maize or post-sorghum/post-fallow flat-sown maize. The treatment SM + SWE produced the taller plants and had more number of grains per cob, higher seed weight, grain and biological yields, and harvest index in post sorghum bed-sown wheat than other sorghum based treatments. In conclusion, the combined application of SM + SWE in bed-sown maize in post-sorghum fields provided fair control of weeds and increased maize grain yield.
•Sorghum allelopathy offers pragmatic option for weed management in maize.•Maize planted in post-sorghum field had lower weed infestation than post-fallow field.•Less weeds were observed in bed-sown maize than the flat-sown maize.•An integrated allelopathic stratigy provided fair weed control and increased grain yield.
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•Taste-active compounds in Lentinula edodes extract by continuous enzymolysis were illuminated by NMR.•Umami peptides isolated from L. edodes continuous enzymolysis extract were ...identified.•LPGVAE, LDELEK, DVELSK, LPDEAR, and TTLPDK exhibit umami taste characteristics.•The taste mechanism of L. edodes peptides were explored by molecular docking.•Ser148, Asn150, Ser276 of T1R1 and Asn68, Val277, Ala302 of T1R3 played a key role in the umami peptides docking.
The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of continuous enzymolysis on the umami characteristics of Lentinula edodes and illuminate the umami mechanism of peptides. The results indicated that the continuous enzymolysis extracts (LFTE) of L.edodes had higher umami intensity and palatability than the water extracts (LWE). 1H NMR and LC-MS/MS were used to evaluate taste metabolites and peptide profiles. Among the identified peptides, LPGVAE, LDELEK, DVELSK, LPDEAR, and TTLPDK with high umami scores which threshold in the range of 0.091–0.371 mmol/L were screened by iUmami-SCM and BIOPEP-UWM, and further verified by sensory evaluation. The results of molecular docking suggested that Ser148, Asn150, Ser276, Ser278 of T1R1 and Asn68, Val277, Ala302, Ser306 of T1R3 played a key role in the umami peptides docking. The study revealed continuous enzymolysis of L.edodes could obtain more umami substances and umami peptides, which laid a foundation for researching flavor substances and developing flavor products from L.edodes.
