Sewage Sludge Derived Materials for CO2 Adsorption

The study tried to contribute to solving two serious environmental issues: CO2 reducing and sewage sludge disposal. Thus, sewage-sludge-derived materials were obtained in order to be evaluated for CO2 adsorption capacity. Therefore, the char resulted after the sewage sludge pyrolysis was subjected to oxidation and chemical activation processes by using different quantities of alkaline hydroxide. One of the obtained materials, activated with a lower quantity of alkaline hydroxide, was also treated with acid chloride. Further, the materials were structural and texturally characterized, and material treated with acid chloride was used for CO2 adsorption tests, due to high surface area and pore…

Influence of enzyme-aided extraction and ultrasonication on the phenolics content and antioxidant activity of Paeonia officinalis L. petals

Peony is a less utilized herbaceous plant of ornamental and medicinal relevance. The petals are rich in bioactive phenolics and hence, the development of efficient extraction is required for maximum recovery and bioactivity. In this study, the optimal conditions for the ultrasound-assisted extraction of peony phenolics were first investigated by comparing to conventional extraction and testing the data fit by mathematical models (linear, two factor interactions, quadratic) followed by investigation of cellulase pre-treatment combined with ultrasonication. High amounts of flavonoids, phenolics and tannins were extracted in 30 min under ultrasound conditions of 150 W, 40 kHz, 50 % amplitude, …

Changes in total anthocyanin content and antioxidant activity in sweet cherries during frozen storage, and air-oven and infrared drying

Introduction. Sweet cherries are important dietary components, based mainly on their content of antioxidant compounds related to health benefits. Different preservation procedures cause changes in the content of these compounds. Our work aimed at evaluation of changes in the total anthocyanin contents and antioxidant activities in fresh, frozen and dried sweet cherry fruits. Materials and methods. The total anthocyanin content of edible parts of sweet cherries was studied under different postharvest conditions. The total antioxidant activities were studied using total phenolic content and ferric reducing antioxidant power assays. Results and discussion. We report higher amounts of phenolics…

AN ENZYME-ENHANCED EXTRACTION OF ANTHOCYANINS FROM RED CABBAGE AND THEIR THERMAL DEGRADATION KINETICS

There is a great demand for developing efficient anthocyanins extraction related to each plant material. Conventional methods have been replaced by novel techniques, but they might remain attractive when combined with the latter. Anthocyanins extraction from fresh and dried red cabbage was investigated by maceration, ultrasonication, and with enzymes. Pre-treatments through drying determined an improved extraction with respect to fresh samples, freeze-drying emerging as the best method. Combined enzyme-assisted extraction with maceration resulted in higher yield by conducting several extractions (1078.8±12.5 mg/100 g DW). The kinetic studies revealed good stability of anthocyanins at 50 °C,…

Workplace Health Promotion Program on Using Dietary Antioxidants (Anthocyanins) in Chemical Exposed Workers

Abstract Workplace health promotion is a business management system that aims to promote and improve the health situations of all employees in a comprehensive and sustainable mode, and should be seen as an equal partner for occupational health and safety. Certain industrial hazards (in particular chemical agents) display oxidant capacity in the human body acting via oxidative stress, caused by a cellular excess of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. Species like superoxide and hydrogen peroxide are involved in protein kinase regulation, while nitric oxide and peroxynitrite inactivate phosphatases as well as activating kinases, which are key agents for translating signals of cell needs int…

Antioxidants Response of Two Varieties of Tomato to Fungicides and Acetylsalicylic Acid Treatments

The antioxidants (ascorbic acid and total phenolics) activity was evaluated as a comparative study regarding the influence of selected systemic fungicides, CuSO 4 mixture and acetylsalicylic acid on tomato fruits. Experimental crop consisted of two tomato varieties on which three types of treatments were applied. The antioxidants analysis was performed by spectrophotometric methods both for ascorbic acid and total phenolics determination. Our results showed significant differences regarding the antioxidants level in the experimental tomato crops.

Partial thioamide scan on the lipopeptaibiotic trichogin GA IV. Effects on folding and bioactivity

Backbone modification is a common chemical tool to control the conformation of linear peptides and to explore potentially useful effects on their biochemical and biophysical properties. The thioamide, ψ[CS-NH], group is a nearly isosteric structural mimic of the amide (peptide) functionality. In this paper, we describe the solution synthesis, chemical characterization, preferred conformation, and membrane and biological activities of three, carefully selected, peptide analogues of the lipopeptaibiotic [Leu11-OMe] trichogin GA IV. In each analogue, a single thioamide replacement was incorporated. Sequence positions near the N-terminus, at the center, and near the C-terminus were investigated…

MARKET ASSESSMENT OF HERBAL SUPPLEMENTS IN ROMANIA FOR A PERIOD OF 10 YEARS USING A HOLISTIC APPROACH

s. PHYTOPHARM 2012 M 102 Obzory po kliniceskoj farmacologii i lekarstvennoj terapii [Reviews of clinical pharmacology and drug therapy] ТОМ 10/2012/2 MARKET ASSESSMENT OF HERBAL SUPPLEMENTS IN ROMANIA FOR A PERIOD OF 10 YEARS USING A HOLISTIC APPROACH © Stoia Mihaela , Oancea Simona , Coman Diana 3 Faculty of Medicine, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Romania Department of Agricultural Sciences, Food Industry and Environmental Protection, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Romania Faculty of Engineering, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Romania Almost nonexistent in the early ‘90s, herbal supplements market gained an important dimension to Romanians, with the growing awareness and the amou…

INVESTIGATION OF THE ANTHOCYANIN CONTENT AND STABILITY OF CRUDE EXTRACTS FROM RED ONIONS (ALLIUM CEPA L.) GROWN IN ROMANIAN AREAS

ULTRASOUND-ASSISTED AND ENZYME-ASSISTED EXTRACTION OF FRUCTANS AND PHENOLICS FROM PARSNIP (PASTINACA SATIVA L.)

Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa L.) is a vegetable that gained attention due to its significant content of fructans, besides macronutrients and other biologically active compounds. The major compound of fructan class is inulin, an ingredient with prebiotic properties used in pharmaceutical and functional food industries. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the extraction yield of fructans and phenolics in fresh and dried parsnip root following non-conventional techniques (ultrasound and enzyme -assisted extraction) and to compare it to that of the traditional method. Extraction was performed in water, as eco-friendly solvent. Ultrasound-assisted extraction was optimized for different e…

Immunostimulatory Potential of Natural Compounds and Extracts: A Review

The proper functioning of human immune system is essential for organism survival against infectious, toxic and oncogenic agents. The present study aimed to describe the scientific evidence regarding the immunomodulatory properties of the main micronutrients and specific phytochemicals. Plants of food interest have the ability to dynamically affect the immune system through particular molecules. Plant species, type of compounds and biological effects were herein reviewed mainly focusing on plants which are not commonly used in food supplements. Several efficient phytoproducts showed significant advantages compared to synthetic immunomodulators, being good candidates for the development of i…

The effect of ultrasonic pretreatment and sample preparation on the extraction yield of antioxidant compounds and activity of black currant fruits

The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficiency of an ultrasonic pretreatment at different amplitudes and extraction times, on the content of antioxidant compounds (phenolics, anthocyanins, ascorbic acid) and total antioxidant capacity of black currant fruits. Additionally, the influence of sample preparation (frozen storage/drying) was evaluated. Extraction was performed in 60% ethanol with 0.15% HCl at a solvent-to-sample ratio of 15/1. Our results show that the ultrasonic pretreatment proved particularly useful for the recovery of high amounts of total anthocyanins in freeze-dried samples, ascorbic acid in frozen and oven air-dried samples, and total antioxidant capacity in freeze-dr…

Reliability of a decision-tree model in predicting occupational lead poisoning in a group of highly exposed workers

Objective This study aimed to provide the toxicological profile of some lead-exposed workers and obtain a predictive model for lead poisoning. Methods Data regarding external and absorbed exposure were collected from 585 subjects employed in ten metallurgical production departments. Airborne lead concentration, blood lead level (BLL), cumulative blood lead index (CBLI), urine delta-aminolevulinic acid (DALA), age, workplace/section, exposure period, and whether reported lead poisoning as occupational disease were examined using ANOVA, and, post-ANOVA, Pearson correlation matrix, PCA (principal component analysis), decision-tree modeling, and logistic modeling. Results BLL was less sensitive…

A Review of the Current Knowledge of Thermal Stability of Anthocyanins and Approaches to Their Stabilization to Heat

Anthocyanins are colored valuable biocompounds, of which extraction increases globally, although functional applications are restrained by their limited environmental stability. Temperature is a critical parameter of food industrial processing that impacts on the food matrix, particularly affecting heat-sensitive compounds such as anthocyanins. Due to the notable scientific progress in the field of thermal stability of anthocyanins, an analytical and synthetic integration of published data is required. This review focuses on the molecular mechanisms and the kinetic parameters of anthocyanin degradation during heating, both in extracts and real food matrices. Several kinetic models (Arrheniu…

Evaluation of the fuel potential of sewage sludge mixtures with beech sawdust and lignite

Sewage sludge (SS) from municipal wastewater treatment has drawn serious attention of scientists around the world in the attempt to find feasible disposal methods. Therefore, in this work, a solution for valorisation of SS as solid fuel is proposed based on an advanced compositional investigation of SS versus conventional solid fuels, namely, lignite (L) and beech sawdust (BS). A characterisation in terms of proximate analysis and ultimate analysis was performed for the studied materials, both to SS, L, and BS as single fuel and to bi-component mixture formulas of SS and L/BS, in variable proportions of 30:70, 50:50, and 70:30. SS:BS based blends had higher hydrogen (from 4.43 wt. % to 5.14…

Recent aflatoxin survey data in milk and milk products: A review

Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) occurrence in human and animal milk, infant formula, powdered milk, cheese and yoghurt represents a risk for health. The last four years (2010–2014) of data, as well as the most frequently and updated analytical methods applied for AFM1 quantification, are evaluated. Aflatoxin B1, considered the most potent toxic aflatoxin, is metabolised to form the monohydroxy derivative AFM1. This metabolized, expressed in the milk, is relatively stable, and it is not eliminated by heat treatments or pasteurisation, and thus represents a serious health concern.

Characterization of the Oxidation of Magnetite Nanoparticles during Their Synthesis by Different Structural Analysis Techniques

Water colloidal solutions of iron oxide nanoparticles coated with tetramethylammonium hydroxide were synthesized by co-precipitation methods. Dimensional analyses were accomplished by transmission ...

Kinetic studies on the oxidative stabilization effect of red onion skins anthocyanins extract on parsley ( Petroselinum crispum ) seed oil

Abstract Cold pressed parsley seed oil gained special interest for the development of new functional foods. Similar to other edible oils it needs protection against oxidation. The present study evaluated the protective effects of anthocyanins extracted from outer skins of red onion on parsley seed oil. The natural extract-oil samples and control have been subjected to storage at 45 °C for 10 days. The results of thermal analysis by DSC showed an optimal concentration of anthocyanins of 3 mL/100 g oil. Kinetic studies using the Ozawa-Flynn-Wall and Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose methods were performed on the sample optimally prepared. The results regarding the activation energy indicated improved …

Effects of Extraction Conditions on Bioactive Anthocyanin Content of Vaccinium Corymbosum in the Perspective of Food Applications

Abstract Bioflavonoids, in particular anthocyanins have made the topic of many scientific research, mainly for two reasons: their beneficial effects on human health and applications as potential sources of natural food dyes. Natural extracts of these pigments may also find useful application for textiles dying, as an eco-friendly alternative to synthetic dyes. The aim of the present paper was to apply conventional extraction procedures in order to isolate an enriched crude extract of pigments from highbush blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum L.). Water, hydroalcoholic solution and acidified alcoholic solvent were tested to extract anthocyanins by a discontinuous process. Also, temperatures of…

The impact of anthropogenic activities to the level of some POPs residues in bovine milk from several farms in Romania

Coloristic and antimicrobial behaviour of polymeric substrates using bioactive substances

A major concern in reducing microbial contamination of healthcare and hygiene products motivated us to seek viable alternatives in order to create such barriers. The antimicrobial and anti-oxidant effects of natural extracts are well-known, their application onto polymeric supports is still challenging in terms of investigation. To our knowledge, the method of natural dyeing of different polymeric substrates using bioactive substances derived from black currant and green walnut shells, in conjunction with biomordants, and their long term effects have not been very consistently reported. The main objective of the study is based on the comparative study of different polymeric fibrous substrat…