May 2014
Psychrophilic yeasts and their biotechnological applications - A review
More than 70% of earth’s surface is covered by cold ecosystems and these ecosystems have been colonized by a class of extremophilic microorganisms called as psychrophiles. Thus psychrophiles are true extremophiles that has the ability to live in extremely low temperature conditions. Psychrophilic yeasts are important due to their physiological adaptation at low temperature and they have potential application in...
May 2014
Molecular markers linked to apomixis in Panicum maximum Jacq.
Panicum maximum Jacq. is an important forage grass of African origin largely used in the tropics. The genetic breeding of this species is based on the hybridization of sexual and apomictic genotypes and selection of apomictic F1 hybrids. The objective of this work was to identify molecular markers linked to apomixis in P. maximum to determine easily and at an early stage, the reproductive mode of F1 hybrids, so to...
May 2014
Cytomorphological studies of two mulberry varieties (Moraceae)
Two mulberry varieties, namely, S34 and Tr-10 were selected for cytomorphological studies. Stomatal frequency, somatic chromosome number, ploidy level and meiotic behaviour were studied for these varieties. S34 is diploid with 2n=28 and Tr-10 is triploid with 2n=42 chromosomes. Meiosis was irregular. Various anomalies like univalents, bivalents, trivalents laggards, loose association and unequal separation of...
May 2014
Heavy metal and proximate composition associated with the composting of cassava (Manihot esculenta) peels used in the cultivation of mushrooms in Ghana
Changes in the heavy metal content and proximate composition during the 28 day composting of cassava peels used in the cultivation of the oyster mushrooms Pleurotus ostreatus strain EM-1 was studied. Significant dry weight variations of cellulose, hemicellulose and fat contents were observed from day 0 to 12. Decreases from day 12 to 28 had the values of 15.4, 57.6 and 56.12%, respectively, while lignin, protein and...
May 2014
Evaluating the production of Ganoderma mushroom on corn cobs
Mushroom substrates are organic materials which mushroom mycelia can digest and which support growth, development and fruiting of mushrooms. Without good substrates, satisfactory yields of mushrooms will not be obtained. Consequently, finding good substrates on which to grow Ganoderma lucidum is of great importance to the medicinal world, and for mushroom farming in Namibia. The objective of this research was to...
May 2014
Citric acid production and citrate synthase genes in distinct strains of Aspergillus niger
Citric acid is an important organic acid, multifunctional with a wide array of uses. The objectives of this study were the isolation and selection strains of the genus Aspergillus, investigating the solubilization of phosphate of these isolates, verifying the expression rate of genes involved in the identification of isolates, and efficiency of citrate synthase in the citric acid production. To verify the mechanisms of...
May 2014
Biodegradation of norfloxacin by Penicillium frequentans isolated from polluted soil
One norfloxacin-degrading fungi was isolated from soil contaminated by norfloxacin and preliminary identified as Penicillium frequentans. Indoor simulative degradation experiments were carried out to investigate the biodegradation kinetics of norfloxacin with or without NFX3 in soil. The results indicate that the biodegradation of norfloxacin were both in accordance with first-order kinetics equation whether the NFX3...
May 2014
Exogenous application of natural extracts of persimmon (Diospyros kaki Thunb.) can help in maintaining nutritional and mineral composition of dried persimmon
Persimmon (Diospyros kaki Thunb.) fruit is delicious as well as rich in nutritive and medicinal values. The fruit is not available throughout the year and also could not be grown across the world but is liked in many countries. Many people have access only to the dried fruits. Therefore, the demand of quality dry fruit is very high. This study was carried out to investigate the effect of persimmon-peel extracts in...
May 2014
Bioassay-guided investigation of Lonchocarpus cyanescens benth leaves extracts for antioxidant activities
Antioxidants have been reported to prevent oxidative damage caused by free radicals and can be used to ameliorate conditions in cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases. Ethnobotanical study revealed that the leaves of Lonchocarpus cyanescens are traditionally used in Africa to treat ulcer and arthritis. This study investigates the antioxidant activities of its extract and fractions. Acetone leaf extract of L....
May 2014
High xylanase production by Trichoderma viride using pineapple peel as substrate and its apllication in pulp biobleaching
Xylanases are hydrolases which depolymerize the xylan components present in plants cell wall. Commercial applications for these enzymes include its use in the pulp bleaching, food and animal feed industries, among others. Recently, there is a great interest on the exploitation of agro-industrial wastes as low-cost raw materials for value-added compounds production, as xylanolytic enzymes for industrial applications....
May 2014
Analysis and identification of oils from seed extract of Anthonotha macrophylla using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS)
The volatile components obtained from the seed extract of Anthonotha Macrophylla were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Prior to GC-MS analysis, Soxhelt extraction was carried out from the seeds of A. Macrophylla. Agilent GC-MS system comprising 6890GC model coupled with 5973 n mass selective detector was used for analysis. The GC is equipped with Agilent 7673 autosampler and a 30 m 0.25 id...
May 2014
Ethanol extracts of Newbouldia laevis stem and leaves modulate serum liver marker enzymes and antioxidant enzymes activities in diabetic rats
Diabetes is known to involve oxidative stress and changes in antioxidant enzymes. Many plants metabolites have been shown to possess antioxidant activities, improving the effects of oxidative stress complications in diabetic conditions. This study evaluated the effects of extracts from Newbouldia laevis leaves and stem on liver marker enzymes and antioxidant enzymes in rat model. The results confirmed that the untreated...
May 2014
Effects of extract of leaves of Newbouldia laevis on the activities of some enzymes of hepatic glucose metabolism in diabetic rats
In diabetes mellitus and insulin resistance, the activity of the enzymes involved in hepatic glucose homeostasis is disturbed. Promoting the physiologic functions of these enzymes and restoring homeostatic control by medicinal plants could be beneficial in the management of diabetes. This study investigates the effects of extract of leaves of Newbouldia laevis on some key enzymes of hepatic glucose metabolism in...
May 2014
Detection of dentin antigenic fractions by salivary immunoglobulin G in patients undergoing orthodontic treatment
This study aimed to partially characterize the antigenic fractions of human dentin extract, and to evaluate the anti-dentin antibodies levels in patients undergoing orthodontic treatment. Two dentin extract fractions (FI and FIIa) were used to analyze the saliva samples from three groups of subjects. One group had 13 subjects who presented radiographic signs of mild to moderate root resorption 12 months after starting...
May 2014
Preliminary study on the dye removal efficacy of immobilized marine and freshwater microalgal beads from textile wastewater
Discharge of textile wastewater containing toxic dyes can adversely affect aquatic organisms and human health. The objective of the study was to investigate the potential of immobilized marine microalgae (Chlorella marina, Isochrysis galbana, Tetraselmis sp. Dunaliella salina and Nannochloropsis sp.) and freshwater microalga (Chlorella sp.) in removing dye from textile wastewater (TW). The present study incorporated the...
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