Camel milk transformation into cheese remains an objective to be improved today. This study aimed to improve camel milk clotting using a crude extract from green pods of carob as a substitute for ...commercial rennet. The composition of the crude carob extract was determined for dry matter and protein content. Milk clotting conditions were studied at different temperatures, pH and CaCl2 concentrations. Milk clotting properties were assessed by milk clotting activity, specific activity and proteolytic activity. Enzymatic hydrolysis of camel milk caseins by crude carob extract and its inhibition were demonstrated by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Crude carob extract analysis showed a protein and dry matter content of 23.26±0.5 mg/ml and 30.66±0.5 g/l, respectively. Optimal milk clotting activity was observed at 53.6 °C, pH 4.5, and 0.09 M CaCl2. The crude carob extract showed a high milk clotting activity (4.97 U/ml) and a low proteolytic activity (0.04U/ml) with camel milk. The cheese yield of curd produced from camel milk using crude carob extract was the highest (23.95%) compared with that of Camel chymosin (20.5%). The high ratio of milk-clotting to proteolytic activity shows the potential of this extract as a substitute for commercial rennet in the dairy industry.
In contemporary times, the sustained aspiration of bioengineering and biomedical applications is the progressive advancement of materials characterized by biocompatibility and biodegradability. The ...investigation of the potential applications of polymers as natural and non-hazardous materials has placed significant emphasis on their physicochemical properties. Thus, this study was designed to investigate the potential of gelatin-chitosan-moringa leaf extract (G-CH-M) as a novel biomaterial for biomedical applications. The wound-dressing G-CH-M biopolymer was synthesized and characterized. The blood haemolysis, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antibacterial activities of the biopolymer were investigated against Gram-positive (
) and Gram-negative (
) bacterial isolates. Our results showed that
swarming motility was drastically affected. However, the biopolymer had no significant effect on the swarming motility of
. In addition, the biopolymer showed high antibacterial capacities, especially against
. Plasmid DNA was observed to be effectively protected from oxidative stresses by the biopolymer. Furthermore, the biopolymer exhibited greatly suppressed haemolysis (lower than 2%), notwithstanding the elevated concentration of 50 mg/mL. These results indicated that this novel biopolymer formulation could be further developed for wound care and contamination prevention.
This study aimed to investigate the milk production potential and the impact of nongenetic factors on milk yield and composition of Tunisian dromedary camels. Milk recording and sampling were carried ...out at monthly intervals over complete lactation for 3 years from 95 camels reared in intensive and semi-intensive systems. The overall means of daily milk yield and fat, protein, total solids, and ash contents were 4.21 ± 1.98 l/day, 2.45 ± 0.9%, 2.67 ± 0.74%, 10.75 ± 1.41%, and 0.85 ± 0.08%, respectively. The total milk yield was 1388.41 ± 575.46 l/lactation for 11 months of lactation. The daily milk yield increased regularly throughout lactation until it reached its peak in the 4th month postpartum and then decreased until the 17th month postpartum. The chemical components, except ash, followed an opposite trend to the milk yield. Their minimum contents were recorded during the 7th and 8th months postpartum, while the maximum levels were observed during the 17th month postpartum. Regarding seasonal variation, the highest daily milk yield was recorded during summer (June), whereas the lowest was found in winter (December). In contrast, the maximum and minimum contents of fat and protein were observed during winter (December) and summer (July), respectively. Similarly, total solids content was maximum in January and minimum in August. Parity had no effect on daily milk yield, while all chemical components were higher in milk from primiparous than multiparous camels. Calf sex and management system did not affect the milk yield and composition. These results are useful in order to develop feeding strategies and breeding programs for improving milk production.
The camel milk sector is still little explored and especially the effect of the camel breeding system on certain properties and chemical compositions of camel milk. This study aims to assess the ...potential impact of the transition in the camel breeding system on milk productivity and the physicochemical composition of camel milk. To achieve this objective, a preliminary survey was conducted involving several breeders actively practicing the two targeted breeding systems (extensive and semi-intensive) in Algeria. This survey revealed milk production levels of 2 L/d and 3.5 L/d for the extensive and semi-intensive systems, respectively. Physicochemical analyses of these two types of camel milk (from extensive and semi-intensive breeding) were carried out. Various parameters were measured, including pH, acidity, density, total solids, solids-not-fat, ash levels, lactose, calcium, vitamin C, total proteins, whey proteins, and caseins. The results of these analyses indicate that the transition from extensive breeding system to the semi-intensive system significantly impacts the physicochemical quality of camel milk. Specifically, camel milk from the semi-intensive breeding system becomes less dense, more acidic and less rich in total dry matter particularly in solids-not-fat, which includes lactose, vitamin C, and minerals and notably calcium. Furthermore, this milk has become richer in proteins both total proteins and whey proteins, and more notably in caseins.
This study assesses seasonal variation in forage quality traits among 12 lucerne (Medicago sativa L.), half-sib breeding lines tailored for Tunisian arid regions. Distinct classes of lines were ...identified based on chemical composition, in vitro digestibility, the relative feed value (RFV) and total digestible nutrients (TDN). The A56 line displayed poor quality, characterized by high acid detergent fiber (ADF) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) content. Moderate quality was seen in the A17, S47, S71, and A73 lines, with A17 exhibiting better relative feed value and higher dry matter production. The local 'Gabssia' genotype lines (L4, L23, L39) featured high protein content (CP) but low digestibility due to elevated fiber percentages, primarily ADF. ABT21 and ABT52 lines were most digestible, while ABT32 and E34 had superior relative feed values. These findings illuminate the seasonal dynamics of lucerne forage quality in arid environments, providing insights for breeding strategies in enhancing nutritional value. Meticulous exploration of parameters including seasonal variations, cutting cycles, and genotypic differences reveal the multifaceted nature of forage quality. Furthermore, it highlights impacts of each element on nutritional traits, along with correlations between parameters and climatic variables. Heritability estimates range from 0.01 to 0.61, underscoring genetics-environment interplay. These values highlight potential for targeted breeding, while moderate heritability emphasizes external factors' influence. Insights contribute to discussions on sustainable forage production, aiding precision breeding strategies for improved livestock nutrition in challenging environments.
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•Growing season and genetic variation Significantly influence the lucerne’s nutritional quality.•Variations in crude proteins, fibers and nutritional values emphasize lucerne breeding.•Lucerne breeding contributes in sustainable forage production for improved livestock in challenging environments.
Camel milk industrialization faces technological problems related to the presence of colostrum in milk. The determination of color parameters may serve to differentiate between colostrum and milk. ...This work aimed to study the relationship between the chemical composition of camel colostrum and milk and their colors. Samples of colostrum were collected at 2, 12, 24, 48, 72, 96, 120, 144, 168, and 360 h postpartum (
= 16), and their physicochemical properties (pH, acidity, viscosity, color, dry matter, ash, protein, and fat) were analyzed. The results show that all the components decreased during the first 3 days except fat. The content of this later increased from zero in the three sampling on the first day (2, 12, and 24 h) to 1.92 ± 0.61% at 48 h postpartum. The amount of total dry matter and protein decreased from 20.95 ± 3.63% and 17.43 ± 4.28% to 13.05 ± 0.81% and 3.71 ± 0.46%, respectively, during the first 7 days postpartum. There was a weak correlation between the brightness (
) of the camel milk and its contents of dry matter, protein, and fat; however, these parameters were strongly correlated with redness (
) and yellowness (
). Ash content was poorly correlated with the color parameters. Hence, the measurement of the color parameters of camel colostrum and milk can be a new tool to evaluate their quality.
The transformation of camel milk into cheese is an operation considered very delicate because of several difficulties encountered in achieving coagulation. The present study aims to improve ...coagulation abilities of camel milk using enzyme extracts from pineapple, kiwi, and ginger. Our results concerning the characterization of the enzymatic extract showed an extraction yield that varies according to the type of extract (pineapple: 75.28% ± 4.59, kiwi: 63.97% ± 5.22, and ginger: 28.64% ± 1.47). The optimum coagulation conditions of the 3 types of extract were as follows: for pineapple: pH = 5 and temperature = 45°C; for kiwifruit: pH = 6.6 and temperature = 40°C; and for ginger: pH = 6.6 and temperature = 45°C. A fresh cheese was made from camel milk with a particular nutritional quality and consistency. The kiwi proteases displayed chymosin-like properties and thus hold the best potential for use as a milk coagulant in cheese production.
This study aimed to determine the physicochemical properties and antioxidant activities of dromedary skim colostrum and milk powder produced by freeze-drying. Results of the study showed that skim ...colostrum powder possessed higher protein content compared to milk powder whereas this latter had greater lactose and ash content. The analysis of mineral content revealed that calcium and magnesium levels were higher in skim colostrum powder while the iron level did not differ significantly between skim colostrum and milk powder. The measurements of colour characteristics indicated that dromedary skim colostrum powder was redder, but less yellow and white than dromedary skim milk powder. Further, dromedary skim milk powder had higher bulk density and tapped bulk density. Protein solubility of skim colostrum powder exceeded that of skim milk powder over a wide range of pH (3-8). The antioxidant activities were evaluated using various in vitro tests, including 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2’azino-bis (3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging activities, ferric reducing power assay and ferrous chelating activity. Both dromedary skim colostrum and milk powder exhibited antioxidant activities in a dose dependent manner. DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities were almost similar for skim colostrum and milk powder whereas ferric reducing power and ferrous chelating activity were more pronounced in dromedary skim colostrum powder whatever the concentration tested. Hence, freeze-drying process could be used as an effective tool for producing powder from dromedary skim colostrum and milk with nutritional and antioxidant properties.
•A wide-ranging morphological, biochemical and organoleptic variation among five carrots landraces with different root pigmentations.•The orange (Sidi Sallem) landrace showed the highest Brix, sugar, ...and beta-carotene levels, and was most preferred compared to the yellow (Arram) and red-violet (ElGrine) landraces.•Vitamin K2 found in all carrot landraces except “Boughrara”.•Our work provided evidence to support measures for landraces’ on-farm conservation.
Carrot (Daucus carota subsp. sativus) is a widely grown crop in temperate regions of the world, consumed by humans as an important source of nutrition. This study focused on five local varieties of carrots from irrigated regions of southern Tunisia (Sidi Sallem, Sagui, Arram, ElGrine and Boughrara) with different root pigmentation. The carrots were evaluated for their morphological, physicochemical, biochemical, and organoleptic characteristics. Morphological characterization showed significant differences (p<0.01) in length, weight, and diameter of the root part and aerial part among the five landraces. The pH, titratable acidity, and Brix values were also different for each landrace, ranging from 6.18 (Sagui) to 6.27 (Arram), 0.016 (Boughrara) to 0.045 mg.g − 1 citric acid (Arram), and 5.60 (Arram) to 7.80% (Sidi Sallem), respectively. The study also identified 10 phenolic acids through LC-ESI/MS analysis, with quinic acid, protocachuic acid, and chlorogenic acid being the most abundant compounds. The HPLC method was used to analyze the sugar and β-carotene contents of the landraces. Results showed that the Sidi Sallem landrace had the highest fructose (625 mg.kg−1 DM), glucose (1000 mg.kg−1 DM), and β-carotene (2551.808 mg. kg−1 DM) contents. Sagui had the highest levels of α-tocopherol (vitamin E) (236 μg. L − 1) and vitamin K2 (6.5 μg. L − 1). Sensory analysis of the juices and pureed salads prepared from the five carrot landraces confirmed the findings of the morphological and nutritional evaluations. This research suggests that a participatory breeding program should be considered to preserve genetic resources and improve them in terms of nutritional quality criteria. The work highlights the nutritional value of carrot as a source of natural antioxidant compounds, which may be beneficial in the food and pharmaceutical industries.
In contemporary times, the sustained aspiration of bioengineering and biomedical applications is the progressive advancement of materials characterized by biocompatibility and biodegradability. The ...investigation of the potential applications of polymers as natural and non-hazardous materials has placed significant emphasis on their physicochemical properties. Thus, this study was designed to investigate the potential of gelatin–chitosan–moringa leaf extract (G–CH–M) as a novel biomaterial for biomedical applications. The wound-dressing G–CH–M biopolymer was synthesized and characterized. The blood haemolysis, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antibacterial activities of the biopolymer were investigated against Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus ) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli ) bacterial isolates. Our results showed that S. aureus swarming motility was drastically affected. However, the biopolymer had no significant effect on the swarming motility of E. coli . In addition, the biopolymer showed high antibacterial capacities, especially against S. aureus . Plasmid DNA was observed to be effectively protected from oxidative stresses by the biopolymer. Furthermore, the biopolymer exhibited greatly suppressed haemolysis (lower than 2%), notwithstanding the elevated concentration of 50 mg/mL. These results indicated that this novel biopolymer formulation could be further developed for wound care and contamination prevention.