Abdulkarim Sabo Mohammed

Anti- and Pro-Lipase Activity of Selected Medicinal, Herbal and Aquatic Plants, and Structure Elucidation of an Anti-Lipase Compound

Plants that help in slowing down the digestion of triacylglycerols (TAGs) in the pancreas and small intestine of humans play an important role in the reduction of obesity. On the other hand, there may be plants or plant parts that stimulate intestinal lipolytic activity, thus contributing to greater TAG assimilation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the aqueous methanolic extracts of ninety eight (98) medicinal, herbal and aquatic plant materials from Malaysia for their effect on porcine pancreatic lipase (PPL) activity and to identify the structure of an anti-lipase compound from one of the sources. The degree of inhibition was also quantified as relative to orlistat activity against PPL (orlistat equivalents). Results revealed that while 19.4% of the extracts were found to have anti-lipase activity ≥80%, 12% were actually found to promote PPL activity. Twenty two percent (22.4%) exhibited moderate inhibition (41%–80%) and 2% were neutral toward PPL activity. The ripe fruit of Averrhoa carambola and the leaves of Archidendron jiringa (Jack) I.C Nielsen L. (jering), Cynometra cauliflora (nam-nam) and Aleurites moluccana (L.) Willd (candle nut/buah keras) had the highest (100%) anti-lipase activity and are equivalent to 0.11 µg orlistat/mL. Plants that stimulated lipase activity included Pimpinella anisum L. (aniseed/jintan manis), activating the enzyme by 186.5%. Kaempferol 3-O-rhamnoside was isolated from the ethyl acetate fraction of C. cauliflora leaves and found to be an active lipase inhibitor. The structure was elucidated using 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and 2D-NMR analyses.

Oxidative Stress-Mediated Apoptosis Induced by Ethanolic Mango Seed Extract in Cultured Estrogen Receptor Positive Breast Cancer MCF-7 Cells

Breast cancer has become a global health issue requiring huge expenditures for care and treatment of patients. There is a need to discover newer cost-effective alternatives for current therapeutic regimes. Mango kernel is a waste product with potential as a source of anti-cancer phytochemicals, especially since it is non-toxic towards normal breast cell lines at concentrations for which it induces cell death in breast cancer cells. In this study, the anti-cancer effect of mango kernel extract was determined on estrogen receptor-positive human breast carcinoma (MCF-7) cells. The MCF-7 cells were cultured and treated with 5, 10 and 50 μg/mL of mango kernel extract for 12 and 24 h. In response to treatment, there were time- and dose-dependent increases in oxidative stress markers and pro-apoptotic factors; Bcl-2-like protein 4 (BAX), p53, cytochrome c and caspases (7, 8 and 9) in the MCF-7 cells treated with the extract. At the same time, there were decreases in pro-survival markers (Bcl-2 and glutathione) as the result of the treatments. The changes induced in the MCF-7 cells by mango kernel extract treatment suggest that the extract can induce cancer cell apoptosis, likely via the activation of oxidative stress. These findings need to be evaluated further to determine whether mango kernel extract can be developed as an anti-breast cancer agent.

Overexpression and optimization of glutamate decarboxylase in Lactobacillus plantarum Taj-Apis362 for high gamma-aminobutyric acid production.

Gamma‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) is an important bioactive compound biosynthesized by microorganisms through decarboxylation of glutamate by glutamate decarboxylase (GAD). In this study, a full‐length GAD gene was obtained by cloning the template deoxyribonucleic acid to pTZ57R/T vector. The open reading frame of the GAD gene showed the cloned gene was composed of 1410 nucleotides and encoded a 469 amino acids protein. To improve the GABA‐production, the GAD gene was cloned into pMG36e‐LbGAD, and then expressed in Lactobacillus plantarum Taj‐Apis362 cells. The overexpression was confirmed by SDS‐PAGE and GAD activity, showing a 53 KDa protein with the enzyme activity increased by sevenfold compared with the original GAD activity. The optimal fermentation conditions for GABA production established using response surface methodology were at glutamic acid concentration of 497.973 mM, temperature 36°C, pH 5.31 and time 60 h. Under the conditions, maximum GABA concentration obtained (11.09 mM) was comparable with the predicted value by the model at 11.23 mM. To our knowledge, this is the first report of successful cloning (clone‐back) and overexpression of the LbGAD gene from L. plantarum to L. plantarum cells. The recombinant Lactobacillus could be used as a starter culture for direct incorporation into a food system during fermentation for production of GABA‐rich products.

Moringa (Moringa oleifera) Seed Oil: Composition, Nutritional Aspects, and Health Attributes

Publisher Summary This chapter explores the effects of moringa seed oil on health and nutrition. Moringa oleifera Lam seeds contain a high proportion of oil that can launch the plant as a major source of plant oil for edible and non-edible purposes. Application of enzymes for oil extraction, though giving lower yields compared to solvent-assisted extraction, may allow labeling of the oil as organic oil. The high oleic acid content of the oil confers on it a functional food property, as oils containing high oleic content have been shown to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. The oil is also an excellent frying medium, with a low degradation rate when applied at high cooking temperatures. The use of M. oleifera for the prevention and treatment of various ailments has been reported in many folk medicines throughout the world. Some of the therapeutic and nutritional uses of the oil are in fungal infections, constipation, prostate function, and bladder function and as an antioxidant. The unrefined oil contains minor components, including tocopherols and other metabolites, that have led to its use in treating other medical disorders as well.

A high performance liquid chromatography method for determination of furfural in crude palm oil.

A modified steam distillation method was developed to extract furfural from crude palm oil (CPO). The collected distillates were analysed using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with an ultraviolet diode detector at 284nm. The HPLC method allowed identification and quantification of furfural in CPO. The unique thermal extraction of CPO whereby the fresh fruit bunches (FFB) are first subjected to steam treatment, distinguishes itself from other solvent-extracted or cold-pressed vegetable oils. The presence of furfural was also determined in the fresh palm oil from FFB (without undergoing the normal extraction process), palm olein, palm stearin, olive oil, coconut oil, sunflower oil, soya oil and corn oil. The chromatograms of the extracts were compared to that of standard furfural. Furfural was only detected in CPO. The CPO consignments obtained from four mills were shown to contain 7.54 to 20.60mg/kg furfural.

Green Tea Leaves Extract: Microencapsulation, Physicochemical and Storage Stability Study

Green tea polyphenols have been reported to possess many biological properties. Despite the many potential benefits of green tea extracts, their sensitivity to high temperature, pH and oxygen is a major disadvantage hindering their effective utilization in the food industry. Green tea leaves from the Cameron Highlands Malaysia were extracted using supercritical fluid extraction (SFE). To improve the stability, green tea extracts were encapsulated by spray-drying using different carrier materials including maltodextrin (MD), gum arabic (GA) and chitosan (CTS) and their combinations at different ratios. Encapsulation efficiency, total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity were determined and were found to be in the range of 71.41%–88.04%, 19.32–24.90 (g GAE/100 g), and 29.52%–38.05% respectively. Further analysis of moisture content, water activity, hygroscopicity, bulk density and mean particles size distribution of the microparticles were carried out and the results ranged from; 2.31%–5.11%, 0.28–0.36, 3.22%–4.71%, 0.22–0.28 g/cm3 and 40.43–225.64 µm respectively. The ability of the microparticles to swell in simulated gastric fluid (SGF) and simulated intestinal fluid (SIF) was determined as 142.00%–188.63% and 207.55%–231.77%, respectively. Release of catechin polyphenol from microparticles in SIF was higher comparable to that of SGF. Storage stability of encapsulated catechin extracts under different temperature conditions was remarkably improved compared to non-encapsulated extract powder. This study showed that total catechin, total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity did not decrease significantly (p ≥ 0.05) under 4 °C storage conditions. The half-life study results were in the range of 35–60, 34–65 and 231–288 weeks at storage temperatures of 40 °C, 25 °C and 4 °C respectively, therefore, for improved shelf-life stability we recommend that microparticles should be stored at temperatures below 25 °C.

Chitosan Nanoparticles as Carriers for the Delivery of ΦKAZ14 Bacteriophage for Oral Biological Control of Colibacillosis in Chickens

The use of chitosan as a delivery carrier has attracted much attention in recent years. In this study, chitosan nanoparticles (CS-NP) and chitosan-ΦKAZ14 bacteriophage-loaded nanoparticles (C-ΦKAZ14 NP) were prepared by a simple coercavation method and characterized. The objective was to achieve an effective protection of bacteriophage from gastric acids and enzymes in the chicken gastrointestinal tract. The average particle sizes for CS-NP and C-ΦKAZ14 NP were 188 ± 7.4 and 176 ± 3.2 nm, respectively. The zeta potentials for CS-NP and C-ΦKAZ14 NP were 50 and 60 mV, respectively. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) of C-ΦKAZ14 NP gave an onset temperature of −17.17 °C with a peak at 17.32 °C and final end set of 17.41 °C, while blank chitosan NP had an onset of −20.00 °C with a peak at −19.78 °C and final end set at −20.47. FT-IR spectroscopy data of both CS-NP and C-ΦKAZ14 NP were the same. Chitosan nanoparticles showed considerable protection of ΦKAZ14 bacteriophage against degradation by enzymes as evidenced in gel electrophoresis, whereby ΦKAZ14 bacteriophage encapsulated in chitosan nanoparticles were protected whereas the naked ΦKAZ14 bacteriophage were degraded. C-ΦKAZ14 NP was non-toxic as shown by a chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) toxicity assay. It was concluded that chitosan nanoparticles could be a potent carrier of ΦKAZ14 bacteriophage for oral therapy against colibacillosis in poultry.

Response Surface Methodology Modelling of an Aqueous Two-Phase System for Purification of Protease from Penicillium candidum (PCA 1/TT031) under Solid State Fermentation and Its Biochemical Characterization

Penicillium candidum (PCA 1/TT031) synthesizes different types of extracellular proteases. The objective of this study is to optimize polyethylene glycol (PEG)/citrate based on an aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) and Response Surface Methodology (RSM) to purify protease from Penicillium candidum (PCA 1/TT031). The effects of different PEG molecular weights (1500–10,000 g/mol), PEG concentration (9%–20%), concentrations of NaCl (0%–10%) and the citrate buffer (8%–16%) on protease were also studied. The best protease purification could be achieved under the conditions of 9.0% (w/w) PEG 8000, 5.2% NaCl, and 15.9% sodium citrate concentration, which resulted in a one-sided protease partitioning for the bottom phase with a partition coefficient of 0.2, a 6.8-fold protease purification factor, and a yield of 93%. The response surface models displayed a significant (p ≤ 0.05) response which was fit for the variables that were studied as well as a high coefficient of determination (R2). Similarly, the predicted and observed values displayed no significant (p > 0.05) differences. In addition, our enzyme characterization study revealed that Penicillium candidum (PCA 1/TT031) produced a slight neutral protease with a molecular weight between 100 and 140 kDa. The optimal activity of the purified enzyme occurred at a pH of 6.0 and at a temperature of 50 °C. The stability between different pH and temperature ranges along with the effect of chemical metal ions and inhibitors were also studied. Our results reveal that the purified enzyme could be used in the dairy industry such as in accelerated cheese ripening.

Use of response surface methodology for partitioning, one-step purification of alkaline extracellular lipase from Penicillium candidum (PCA 1/TT031)

This report shows the partitioning and purification of alkaline extracellular lipase from Penicillium candidum (PCA 1/TT031) by solid-state fermentation (SSF). In the present analysis, some of the important parameters such as PEG concentration, PEG molecular mass, salt concentration and buffer concentration were optimised through the response surface methodology (RSM). The optimum aqueous two-phase systems (ATPS) environment consisted of 13.8% (w/w) phosphate buffer, 9.2% (w/w) PEG-3000 and 3.3% (w/w) NaCl at 25°C. The RSM approach was proved to be the most suitable methodology for the recovery of desired enzymes. In this method, the enzyme partitioned into the top phase of the PEG-buffer-NaCl ATPS. Under this experimental environment, the purification factor was found to be 33.9, the partition coefficient was 4.0 and the yield was found to be 84.0% of lipase. Moreover, the experimental and predicted results were in considerable agreement, which established the reliability and validity of the proposed model. The ATPS methodology is proven to be effective for the primary recovery of lipase at a low cost with a large loading capacity and possibility of linear scale up. In addition to using the existing methodologies for improving enzyme production, the use of statistical optimisation of the constituents of phases through RSM continues to be the basic and practical method.

Determining the oxidative stability and quality of tiger nut (Cyperus esculentus) oil and its antioxidant activity during microwave heating

Introduction: The emphasis on high-oleic vegetable oils is prominent in human communities all over the world. That being said, the high level of monounsaturated fatty acid (oleic acid) in tiger nut ( Cyperus esculentus ) oil shows that it is resistant to oxidative stability. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to see if tiger nut oil can be exploited for use as an alternative or supplementary source of high-quality and nutritious cooking oil. Materials and methods: In this study, Color, RI, viscosity, PV, p-AV, FFA, TPC, at 233 and 269 nm, thermal behavior, TAG and FAC were used to evaluate the oil after microwave heating. Results: The PV, p-AV, FFA, TPC and specific extinction were increased during the microwave heating. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were detected for peroxide, anisidine, acid value, polar compounds and specific extinction. During microwave heating, the amounts of peroxide, anisidine and TOTOX values increased from initial value 3.06, 0.72 and 6.84 for unheated oil to 4.11, 10.02 and 18.25 after 15 min heating respectively. Free fatty acid changed from 0.10 to 0.12% during microwave heating. Amount of unsaturated fatty acids decreased during the heating significantly. During microwave heating the antioxidant activity was significantly decreased (p<0.05) from 68.60 to 19.66 (for unheated tiger nut oil and after 15 min heating in high concentrations by DPPH test, respectively). Conclusions: This may indicate that it can bear thermal treatments in such culinary methods as frying, and it can thus be concluded that tiger nut oil is stable in heating processes, especially frying.Introduction: The emphasis on high-oleic vegetable oils is prominent in human communities all over the world. That being said, the high level of monounsaturated fatty acid (oleic acid) in tiger nut (Cyperus esculentus) oil shows that it is resistant to oxidative stability. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to see if tiger nut oil can be exploited for use as an alternative or supplementary source of high-quality and nutritious cooking oil. Material and Methods: In this study, Color, RI, viscosity, PV, p-AV, FFA, TPC, E1cmat 233 and 269nm, thermal behavior, TAG and FAC were used to evaluate the oil after microwave heating. Results: The PV, p-AV, FFA, TPC and specific extinction were increased during the microwave heating. Significant differences (p<0.05) were detected for peroxide, anisidine, acid value, polar compounds and specific extinction. During microwave heating, the amounts of peroxide, anisidine and TOTOX values increased from initial value 3.06, 0.72 and 6.84 for unheated oil to 4.11, 10.02 and 18.25 after 15 minutes heating respectively. Free fatty acid changed from 0.10 to 0.12% during microwave heating. Amount of unsaturated fatty acids decreased during the heating significantly. During microwave heating the antioxidant activity was significantly decreased (p<0.05) from 68.60 to 19.66 (for unheated tiger nut oil and after 15 minutes heating in high concentrations by DPPH test, respectively). Conclusions: This may indicate that it can bear thermal treatments in such culinary methods as frying, and it can thus be concluded that tiger nut oil is stable in heating processes, especially frying. 1% KEYWORDS