Ozone treatment of polysaccharides from Arthrocnemum indicum : Physico-chemical characterization and antiproliferative activity

Mild Chemical Treatment of Unsorted Urban Food Wastes

Municipal biowastes are conventionally treated by assessed anaerobic and aerobic fermentation to produce biogas, anaerobic digestate, and compost. Low-temperature hydrolysis and the oxidation of the digestate and compost, which are still at the experimental stage, are known to yield water-soluble value-added chemical specialities for use in different sectors of the chemical industry and in agriculture. The present paper reports the application of the two chemical reactions to the biowastes before fermentation. The products obtained in this manner are compared with those obtained from the chemical reactions applied to the fermented biowastes. Based on the experimental results, the paper discusses the expected environmental and economic benefits of the above chemical processes and products in comparison with the products obtained by other known biotechnologies for the valorisation of biomass as a feedstock for the biobased chemical industry. The results point out that a sustainable biowaste-based refinery that produces biofuel and biobased chemicals may be developed by integrating chemical and fermentation technologies.

Structural Characterization of Polysaccharides from Coriandrum sativum Seeds: Hepatoprotective Effect against Cadmium Toxicity In Vivo

Coriandrum sativum is one of the most widespread curative plants in the world, being vastly cultivated in arid and semi-arid regions as one of the oldest spice plants. The present study explored the extraction of polysaccharides from Coriandrum sativum seeds and the evaluation of their antioxidant potential and hepatoprotective effects in vivo. The polysaccharide from coriander seeds was extracted, and the structural characterization was performed by FT-IR, UV-vis, DSC, NMR (1D and 2D), GC-MS, and SEC analysis. The polysaccharide extracted from Coriandrum sativum (CPS) seeds was characterized to evaluate its antioxidant and hepatoprotective capacities in rats. Results showed that CPS was composed of arabinose, rhamnose, xylose, mannose, fructose, galactose, and glucose in molar percentages of 6.2%, 3.6%, 8.8%, 17.7%, 5.2%, 32.9%, and 25.6%, respectively. Further, CPS significantly hindered cadmium-induced oxidation damage and exercised a protective effect against Cd hepatocytotoxicity, with a considerable reduction in MDA production and interesting CAT and SOD enzyme levels. Results suggest that CPS might be employed as a natural antioxidant source.

Ultrasonic treatment of Dendrobium officinale polysaccharide enhances antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory activity in a mouse D‐galactose‐induced aging model

Utilization of the biological macromolecule Dendrobium officinale polysaccharide (DOP) as a functional ingredient is limited by its high intrinsic viscosity and molecular weight. The goal of the present study was to improve rheological properties of DOP by ultrasonic treatment. Such a treatment resulted in the degradation of DOP and consequent reduction of rheological properties. Among DOP samples treated with ultrasonication at low (L), medium (M), and high (H) power intensities (25, 50, 75 w/cm²), M‐DOP displayed the highest reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) radical scavenging activity in vitro. In a mouse D‐galactose (D‐Gal)‐induced aging model, M‐DOP significantly increased activities of antioxidant enzymes and reduced levels of pro‐inflammatory cytokines in liver. Real‐time polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) analysis indicated that M‐DOP upregulated messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of anti‐inflammatory/antioxidant proteins such as Nrf2 (nuclear factor erythroid 2‐related factor), hemeoxygenase‐1 (HO‐1), and NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1) in liver. In summary, M‐DOP displayed a strong radical scavenging activity in vitro, and ameliorated liver injury in the mouse aging model through the promotion of Nrf2/HO‐1/NQO1 signaling pathway.

UV Irradiation and Ozone Treatment of κ-Carrageenan: Kinetics and Products Characteristics

The low molecular weight (LMW) of sulfated polysaccharides including k-carrageenan, is shows a wide spectrum of biological activities. This research investigates the influence of UV irradiation, ozone (O3), and the combination of O3/UV methods on the depolymerization of k-carrageenan. The depolymerization kinetics of k-carrageenan using the Advanced Oxidation Process (UV/O3) was also studied. Furthermore, the intrinsic viscosity method was used to determine the average molecular weight of the research sample, and a mathematical model was developed to predict the kinetic rate constant, as a function of ozone dosage and UV irradiation intensity. Therefore, the physicochemical and morphological properties of the degraded k-carrageenan were analyzed by FT-IR, SEM, and XRD. The intrinsic viscosity k-carrageenan decreases with increasing UV light intensity and ozone concentration. The combination of UV/O3 treatment appeared to be more effective than the individual approaches, as the highest kinetic rate constant for depolymerization was 1.924×10-4 min-1, using 125 mg/L ozone concentration and 40 mW/cm2 of UV lamp intensity. This research also evaluated the relationship between various experimental conditions, including UV lamp power dissipation and ozone concentration on the reaction kinetics model, and the results suggest that lower effect is contributed by UV irradiation intensity. In addition, FT-IR spectra showed the absence of any significant change in the functional properties of k-carrageenan treated with UV and O3 processes, although the morphological properties of the LMW k-carrageenan were rougher and more porous than the native k-carrageenan. Copyright © 2020 by Authors, Published by BCREC Group. This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). 

Effect of pre-treatment conditions on the antiatherogenic potential of freeze-dried oyster mushrooms

Oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus L.) is a valuable food product. It possesses an antiatherogenic potential, which has to be preserved during processing. The paper features the production of oyster mushroom sublimates. It focuses on such pre-treatment conditions as grinding, disinfection, and cryostabilisation, and their effect on the antiatherogenic potential of oyster mushrooms. A set of in vitro experiments was performed to measure the levels of lovastatin and antioxidant, catalase, anti-inflammatory, and thrombolytic properties. Various pre-treatment conditions proved to produce different effects on the biological activity of the freeze-dried oyster mushroom product. The best results were obtained after the mushrooms were reduced to pieces of 0.5 cm, underwent UV disinfection, blanched, treated with hot air, and cryostabilised with a 1.5% apple pectin solution. The best conditions for the antioxidant properties included ozonation, UV disinfection, and cryoprotection with pectin. The critical conditions for the antioxidant properties included homogenisation, blanching, and cryostabilisation with 10% solutions of sucrose and lactose. The catalase properties did not depend on the degree of grinding and were most pronounced after ozonation. The optimal conditions for the anti-inflammatory properties included UV disinfection and cryostabilisation with lactose. Ozonation proved to be critical for anti-inflammatory properties. The optimal conditions for thrombolytic properties included ozonation and cryoprotection with a 5% sorbitol solution, while hot air disinfection proved critical. Therefore, the research provided an experimental substantiation for individual pre-treatment conditions or their combinations that turn sublimated oyster mushrooms into a valuable functional product with antiatherogenic properties.