IMPORTANCE OF PROBIOTICS IN THE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF COVID-19

The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome COVID-19 outbreak is brought on by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. Taking into account the criticism that SARS-CoV-2 has received on a global scale, efficient preventive actions and treatment for COVID-19 would be an urgent need. New strategies were developed based on immune responses. The immunomodulating properties of a few bioactive substances, minerals, and micronutrients have led to recommendations. Probiotics' therapeutic uses in COVID-19 patients were looked into in this review. A decline in the amount of various probiotic species, including Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, was observed in some COVID-19 patients, which may be indicative of a compromised immune system. The use of probiotics has been predominantly explored for the inhibition and management handling of gastrointestinal disorders, but other potential properties of these microorganisms have been considered for nutritional effects, inflammatory diseases, Helicobacter pylori infections, allergic diseases, and anti-tumor properties. Some investigations have revealed that these probiotics stimulate and modify innate immune responses through multiple membrane molecules that transfer signaling massages with the epithelial cells of the gut. In addition to the gut microbiota, which has been widely studied, the physiopathology of numerous respiratory illnesses is known to depend on the lung microbiota. Through microaspiration and inhalation, which bacteria, molds, and viruses can create, the healthy lung acquired its unique microbiota. Probiotic strains might be used to influence these microbiotas, contributing novel views in the managing of respiratory diseases. Returning gut microbiota has been revealed to recover resistance to virus or pathogenic invades moreover at the respiratory mucosal stages.

Potential therapeutic effect of oxygen-ozone in controlling of COVID-19 disease

Atmospheric ozone is produced when nitrogen oxides react with volatile organic compounds. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) genome contains a unique N-terminal fragment in the Spike protein, which allows it to bind to air pollutants in the environment. 'Our approach in this review is to study ozone and its effect on the SARS-CoV-2 virus and patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Article data were collected from PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases. Ozone therapy has antiviral properties, improves blood flow, facilitates the transfer of oxygen in hypoxemic tissues, and reduces blood coagulation phenomena in COVID-19 patients. Ozone has immunomodulatory effects by modulating cytokines (reduction of interleukin-1, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukin-10), induction of interferon-γ, anti-inflammatory properties by modulating NOD-, LRR- and pyrin domain-containing protein 3, inhibition of cytokine storm (blocking nuclear factor-κB and stimulating nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 pathway), stimulates cellular/humoral immunity/phagocytic function and blocks angiotensin-converting enzyme 2. In direct oxygen-ozone injection, oxygen reacts with several biological molecules such as thiol groups in albumin to form ozonoids. Intravenous injection of ozonated saline significantly increases the length of time a person can remain hypoxic. The rectal ozone protocol is rectal ozone insufflation, resulting in clinical improvement in oxygen saturation and biochemical improvement (fibrinogen, D-dimer, urea, ferritin, LDH, interleukin-6, and C-reactive protein). In general, many studies have shown the positive effect of ozone therapy as a complementary therapy in the recovery of COVID-19 patients. All the findings indicate that systemic ozone therapy is nontoxic and has no side effects in these patients.

EFFECT OF TIME AND INCUBATION TEMPERATURE ON ABILITY OF PROBIOTICS FOR REMOVAL OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBON IN PHOSPHATE BUFFER SALINE

The ability of Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-5, Bifidobacterium lactis BB-12, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus PTCC 1737 and Streptococcus thermophilus PTCC 1738 in removing Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), Benz(a)anthracene (BaA), Chrysene (Chr) and Benzo(b)fluoranthene (BbF) from contaminated aqueous solution with respect to strain types, time and temperature of incubation was studied. The results showed that BaA, Chr, BbF and BaP could be significantly removed from the phosphate buffer saline by the tested bacteria and this reduction significantly depends on strain types and incubation temperature and time. The reduction of four PAHs varied in the range from 50.94% to 74.51%, 54.48% to 77.98%, 47.35% to 68.84%, and 61.96% to 81.22% for BaA, Chr, BbF and BaP, respectively. The results illustrated that by increasing time and temperature of incubation, binding ratio increased and the highest binding ratio of four PAHs was achieved by L. acidophilus LA-5 at 37 °C. Furthermore, the FTIR analysis was performed for identifying the different functional groups that might participate in the binding of PAHs to bacterial cell wall. The FTIR revealed that cell wall has an important role in removal of BaA, Chr, BbF and BaP from phosphate buffer saline.

EFFECTS OF WHOLE FRUIT EXTRACT OF ELAEAGNUS ANGUSTIFOLIA L. ON GLIOBLASTOMA CELL LINES

Elaeagnus. angustifolia L. (EA) is a natural plant food with therapeutic and medicinal properties for treating various diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis. Since herbal agents are origins of bioactive compounds, they can be applied in complementary treatment protocols. In this study, EA whole fruit extract's cytotoxic effects were investigated on both animal and human glioblastoma cancer cell lines. The extract of whole fruit of EA was obtained by maceration in ethanol. The phytochemical compounds were identified using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The MTT and LDH assays were performed to evaluate the cytotoxicity effect of the extract and the determination of cell death. Wound-healing assay and colony formation analysis were employed for migration and proliferation evaluation. Based on HPLC analysis, the main flavonoid components of the extract were included rutin and apigenin. The results demonstrated that EA extract at the dose of 125 to 2000 µg/ml and 61.5 to 2000 µg/ml inhibited C6 and U87 cells' viability and induced significant cell cytotoxicity at both 48 and 72 h incubation times. Besides, EA extract significantly inhibited cell migration and colony formation at 250 to 1000 µg/ml concentration. Overall, the results showed that EA extract could inhibit several stages in glioblastoma carcinogenesis in vitro. Therefore, it can be suggested as an anticancer in the clinical treatment approaches of glioblastoma cancer.

The role of the host microbiome in autism and neurodegenerative disorders and effect of epigenetic procedures in the brain functions

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a severe neurological/neurodegenerative syndrome that results in cognitive and communication disorders. The degree of dysbiosis is related to the severity of ASD signs. The gut is conferred with a variety of sensory receptors that cooperate with effector systems including the endocrine, nervous and gut immune systems of the intestine. Gut dysbiosis causes amplified inflammation, the launch of the HPA axis, changed levels of neurotransmitters and bacterial metabolites; these may donate to abnormal signaling throughout the Vagus nerve in ASD. Decreased integrity of the gastrointestinal barrier led to extreme leakage of substances as of the intestine in early life and inflammation followed by disruption of BBB integrity maybe increase the risk of ASD. Microbiota, by controlling the barrier permeability, regulate the quantity and types of bioactive materials that are transferred from the intestine to the brain. Exposure to metabolites and microbial products regulate significant procedures in the CNS, including glial cell role, myelination, synaptic pruning, and play a role in neurobehavioral, neurodegenerative, psychiatric, and metabolic syndrome.

The Relationship between Subjective Sleepiness and Changes in Breath and Beat Rates among the Clinical Night Workers

The article's abstract is not available.  

Determination of genetic relationship between environmental Escherichia coli with PFGE and investigation of IS element in blaCTX-M gene of these isolates

INTRODUCTION

ESBL producing Escherichia coli (E. coli) have spread in the hospital settings. The aims of this study determination of genetic relationship between Environmental E. coli with PFGE typing and investigation of IS element in bla_CTX-M gene of these isolates.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 50 E. coli isolates were collected from hospital environmental. The bla_CTX-M producing E. coli and IS element of this gene with phylogenetic typing were detected by PCR. The PFGE was performed to detect genetic relationships between this strains.

RESULTS

Most of the isolates were from urology wards, other samples were isolated from ICU, surgery and orthopedic ward. The majority of isolates were resistant to cefotaxime and ceftazidime antibiotics and also phosphomycin antibiotic resistant were detected in 10% of isolates. CTX-M gene was detected in 72% of isolates. Moreover, ISEcp1, IS26a, and IS26b were detected upstream of CTX-M in 24%, 8% and 16 of isolates. A phylogroup was the most frequent and PFGE analysis exhibited a diverse distribution of E. coli isolates.

CONCLUSIONS

The results demonstrated the existence of CTX-M-producing E. coli in a hospital environment which is a source for drug-resistant strains. In the most of strains, ISEcp1 was located in the upstream of CTX-M gene and Orf477 was found in the downstream. However, in some strains, IS26 was inserted within the ISEcp1element. Our results show that despite the fact that antibiotics of phosphomycin are not used in this hospital, resistance to phosphomycin was observed in the environmental E. coli.

Cinnamomum Species: Bridging Phytochemistry Knowledge, Pharmacological Properties and Toxicological Safety for Health Benefits

The genus Cinnamomum includes a number of plant species largely used as food, food additives and spices for a long time. Different traditional healing systems have used these plants as herbal remedies to cure diverse ailments. The aim of this comprehensive and updated review is to summarize the biodiversity of the genus Cinnamomum, its bioactive compounds, the mechanisms that underlie the pharmacological activities and molecular targets and toxicological safety. All the data in this review have been collected from databases and recent scientific literature including Web of Science, PubMed, ScienceDirect etc. The results showed that the bioactive compounds of Cinnamomum species possess antimicrobial, antidiabetic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer and neuroprotective effects. The preclinical (in vitro/in vivo) studies provided the possible molecular mechanisms of these action. As a novelty, recent clinical studies and toxicological data described in this paper support and confirm the pharmacological importance of the genus Cinnamomum. In conclusion, the obtained results from preclinical studies and clinical trials, as well as reduced side effects provide insights into future research of new drugs based on extracts and bioactive compounds from Cinnamomum plants.

Aflatoxin reduction in nuts by roasting, irradiation and fumigation: a systematic review and meta-analysis

The present study aimed to investigate the reduction of aflatoxins as a potent hazard for human health in nuts during roasting, irradiation, and fumigation processes. A systematic search was performed in PubMed, Scopus, and ISI Web of Science on 6 April 2020 to find interventional studies assessing the effects of roasting, fumigation, and irradiation methods on total and individual aflatoxins concentration in nuts. Study-specific results were pooled by using a random-effects model. A total of 19 trials were included in the analyses. In most studies, the influence of method on aflatoxin reduction was assessed on peanuts. The results showed that the roasting method significantly reduced aflatoxin B1, B2, G1, and G2 concentrations by 46.91%, 30.66%, 40.88%, and 26.19%, respectively. Such results for the fumigation method were 20.88% and 22.56% for aflatoxin B1 and aflatoxin total, respectively. There was a 58.60% reduction in aflatoxin B1 and a 74.97% reduction in aflatoxin total concentrations in nuts following the irradiation method. The findings indicated that the evaluated processes could be influential for reducing aflatoxin levels in nuts.

Smart edible films based on mucilage of lallemantia iberica seed incorporated with curcumin for freshness monitoring

The objective of the present work was first to develop a smart packaging system based on Lallemantia iberica seed gum (LISG)/curcumin and, subsequently, investigate its physicochemical characteristics and biological activity. Finally, the response of LISG/curcumin films against pH change and the spoilage of shrimp were tested. The barrier properties and mechanical performance of the films improved as the curcumin concentration increased. FT-IR analysis revealed the formation of physical interaction between LISG and curcumin. LISG/curcumin films showed a continuous and steady release of curcumin. The incorporation of curcumin into LISG matrix imparts antioxidant and antibacterial/mold activity to the films. A strong positive correlation was observed between total volatile base nitrogen (TVBN) content of shrimp and a* (redness) during storage time (Pearson correlation = 0.975). Eventually, LISG/curcumin film could be a promising smart packaging system capable of detecting food spoilage.

PHYTASE FROM BACILLUS SP. STRAIN LA12: ISOLATION, PURIFICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION

Phytate take effect as an anti-nutrient element in food and feed materials. Thus, phytase, by catalyzing phytate, hydrolyzing the phosphomonoester bonds and releasing the inorganic phosphorous, decrease the phytate and enhance their nutritional value. Therefore, in this study, Bacillus sp. strain LA12was isolated from natural origins and the phytase production activity was evaluated. The novel extracellular phytase was produced and precipitated by saturated ammonium sulfate. The ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-sepharose and the size-exclusion chromatography on Sephadex G-100 were used to purify the enzyme. The results showed that the purification yield and concentration of final enzyme were 5.9% and 18.4%, respectively. Based on SDS-PAGE results the molecular weight of the phytase was determined about 73 kDa. Optimal activity of the enzyme was obtained at pH of 5.5 and 60 ºC. Kinetic parameters Km and Vmax were 0.197 mM and 1.174 µmol/min, respectively. Mg2+, Co2+ and EDTA accelerated the effect on phytase activity; whilst adding other metal ions such as Ca2+, Zn2+ and Fe2+ in both concentrations could decrease its activity. Moreover, ‏ Mn2+ ion didn’t show indicative effect on its activity. The purified phytase exhibits good thermal stability after incubation at 50-70°C for 30 min, whereas the phytase activity drastically decreased up to 61% at 80°C. This study indicated that the purified phytase has the desired characteristics and can promisingly be used for hydrolyzing of phytate in food and feed.

Concentration and health risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in commercial tea and coffee samples marketed in Iran

The aim of the current study was to evaluate the probabilistic health risk and the concentration of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in commercial tea and coffee samples. For determining the mentioned contaminants in sixty-four samples, a reliable and sensitive technique was validated and developed. The technique is established on magnetic solid-phase extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis (MSPE/GC-MS). The maximum mean of ƩPAHs in coffee samples was 13.75 ± 2.90 μg kg^-1, while the minimum mean ƩPAHs in tea samples was 4.77 ± 1.01 μg kg^-1. The mean concentration of benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) in samples ranged from 0.64 to 2.07 μg kg^-1 which was lower than that of standard levels (10 μg kg^-1) established by the European Union (EU). The Monte Carlo simulation results showed that the actual target hazard quotient (THQ) for the adult and children was equal to 1.63E-04 and 1.67E-04, respectively; hence, non-carcinogenic health risk for consumers is negligible. The result of actual incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) was lower than the limits of safe risk (1E-4), indicating no notable possibility of cancer risk due to the digestion of tea and coffee for children and adults. Therefore, it can be concluded that the amount of contamination of popular commercial coffee and tea available in the Iranian market with PAHs is often similar to that found in other countries and was lower than the standard of EU. Thus, the processing conditions of these products must be controlled to prevent the formation of PAHs due to the suspicion of carcinogenicity and mutation.

Investigation of Relationship between Occupational Stress and Cardiovascular Risk Factors among Nurses

Background:

One of the major causes of various work-related health problems among nurses is occupational stress. Hence, the main purpose of the present research was to find association between occupational stress of nurses and risk factors of cardiovascular disease.

Methods:

In this cross-sectional study, the Osipow job stress questionnaire was employed to assess the occupational stress among the 250 nurses in Emam Khomeini hospital of Tehran in 2018. Based on stress score for participants, subjects divided into two groups: Scoring of group one was 60–179 (mild and average stress) and group two between 180 and 300 (average to acute and acute stress). Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were recorded for subjects after 10hrs fasting. Then the blood samples were collected to measure cholesterol, triglyceride and glucose levels. For determining the association between education level, job experience and study groups, the Chi-square test and for comparing job stress between two groups of study the Mann–Whitney U test was used.

Results:

Subjects with job stress in group one was 70(28%) and group two was 180(72%). The association between level of education and two study groups was not significant (P=0.129) while between job experience and two study groups was significant (P=0.004). Mean of Blood glucose levels for group I (98.0± 37.5), was higher than group II (82.5±12.0) and statistically significant (P=0.001). No significant difference was found between two groups of study for other parameters.

Conclusion:

High level of work-related stress among subjects affected the values related to blood glucose level, but no significant relationship was found between other risk factors of cardiovascular diseases and occupational stress among nurses.

Ficus plants: State of the art from a phytochemical, pharmacological, and toxicological perspective

Ficus genus is typically tropical plants and is among the earliest fruit trees cultivated by humans. Ficus carica L. is the common fig, Ficus benjamina L. is the weeping fig, and Ficus pumila L. is the creeping fig. These species are commonly used in traditional medicine for a wide range of diseases and contain rich secondary metabolites that have shown diverse applications. This comprehensive review describes for Ficus genus the phytochemical compounds, traditional uses and contemporary pharmacological activities such as antioxidant, cytotoxic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antiulcer, and anticonvulsant. An extended survey of the current literature (Science Direct, Scopus, PubMed) has been carried out as part of the current work. The trends in the phytochemistry, pharmacological mechanisms and activities of Ficus genus are overviewed in this manuscript: antimicrobial, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity, antiseizure and anti-Parkinson's diseases, cytotoxic and antioxidant. Health-promoting effects, recent human clinical studies, safety and adverse effects of Ficus plants also are covered. The medical potential and long-term pharmacotherapeutic use of the genus Ficus along with no serious reported adverse events, suggests that it can be considered as being safe.

Dietary Fiber and Survival in Women with Breast Cancer: A Dose-Response Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies

We aimed to investigate the association of dietary fiber consumption with mortality risk in women with breast cancer. A systematic search was undertaken in PubMed, Scopus, and ISI Web of Science till March 2020 to find cohort studies investigating the association of dietary fiber consumption with mortality risk in women with breast cancer. A random-effects model was used to combine study-specific results. The quality of evidence was rated by NutriGrade score. Seven prospective cohort studies with 1,426 cases of all-cause mortality and 679 cases of breast cancer-specific mortality among 11,295 patients with breast cancer were included. The relative risks for the highest compared to the lowest category of dietary fiber consumption were 0.63 (95%CI: 0.52, 0.77; I² = 0%, n = 5) for all-cause mortality, and 0.72 (95%CI: 0.54, 0.96; I² = 0%, n = 5) for breast cancer-specific mortality. There was a strong linear association between fiber intake and all-cause mortality risk. The quality of evidence was rated moderate for all-cause mortality, and low for breast cancer-specific mortality. Higher dietary fiber consumption may improve survival in patients with breast cancer. More research is needed to confirm the present results, considering types of fiber consumed and tumor estrogen receptor status.

Fish consumption and the risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes: a dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies

We aimed to investigate the association of fish consumption with the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke and all-cause mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). We systematically searched PubMed and Scopus from inception till June 2019. We included prospective cohort studies assessing the relation of fish intake with the risk of CHD, stroke and mortality in patients with T2D. Study-specific results were pooled with the use of a random-effects model. Nine prospective cohort studies with 57,394 diabetic patients were identified. The relative risks for the highest compared with the lowest category of fish consumption were 0.86 (95% CI 0.76, 0.96; I² = 50%, n = 8) for all-cause mortality, and 0.61 (95% CI 0.29, 0.93; I² = 68%, n = 3) for CHD. There was a monotonic inverse association, with a nadir at fish consumption of approximately 2-3 servings/week, in both analyses. A nonsignificant inverse association was found for stroke. In the analysis of all-cause mortality, a nonsignificant inverse association was found in studies that controlled for energy intake, suggesting that the observed inverse association was not an addition effect, but may be due to substituting other foods such as red and processed meat with fish.

Oxidative stability of virgin olive oil: evaluation and prediction with an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS)

BACKGROUND

An adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) was employed to predict the oxidative stability of virgin olive oil (VOO) during storage as a function of time, storage temperature, total polyphenol, α-tocopherol, fatty acid profile, ultraviolet (UV) extinction coefficient (K₂₆₈ ), and diacylglycerols (DAGs).

RESULTS

The mean total quantities of polyphenols and DAGs were 1.1 and 1.9 times lower in VOOs stored at 25 °C than in the initial samples, and the mean total quantities of polyphenols and DAGs were 1.3 and 2.26 times lower in VOOs stored at 37 °C than in the initial samples, respectively. In a single sample, α-tocopherol was reduced by between 0.52 and 0.91 times during storage, regardless of the storage temperature. The mean specific UV extinction coefficients (K₂₆₈ ) for VOO stored at 25 and 37 °C were reported as 0.15 (ranging between 0.06-0.39) and 0.13 (ranging between 0.06-0.35), respectively. The ANFIS model created a multi-dimensional correlation function, which used compositional variables and environmental conditions to assess the quality of VOO. The ANFIS model, with a generalized bell-shaped membership function and a hybrid learning algorithm (R²  = 0.98; MSE = 0.0001), provided more precise predictions than other algorithms.

CONCLUSION

Minor constituents were found to be the most important factors influencing the preservation status and freshness of VOO during storage. Relative changes (increases and reductions) in DAGs were good indicators of oil oxidative stability. The observed effectiveness of ANFIS for modeling oxidative stability parameters confirmed its potential use as a supplemental tool in the predictive quality assessment of VOO. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

Data on evaluation of AQI for different season in Kerman, Iran, 2015

The purpose of this data, was to evaluate the air quality index of Kerman city in different season of 2015. The data showed that the PM10 and O3 were highest in the winter season and PM2.5, CO, SO2 and NO2 in the spring season as the air quality indexes. The highest number of unhealthy days was observed in spring in relation to PM2.5 and PM10 pollutants. The data showed that 33 and 9 days of the spring season had unfavorable conditions in relation PM2.5 and PM10 pollutants respectively. Therefore, the pollutant responsible for air pollution in Kerman was PM2.5. By comparing the air quality index in different seasons of 2015 in terms of different pollutants, it was found that in most of the seasons, Kerman has a desirable air quality index.

Antibacterial activity of some Lamiaceae species against Staphylococcus aureus in yoghurt-based drink (Doogh)

Doogh is a dairy drinkable fermented product, whose shelf-life and quality is mostly affected by bacteria such as Staphylococcus spp.. This study investigated the antibacterial activity of essential oils (EOs) from Thymus vulgaris L., Mentha piperita L. and Ziziphora tenuior L., alone or in combination, against Staphylococcus aureus in industrial doogh. A three-level and three-variable face centered central composite design experiment was used. Results showed that EOs significantly inhibited S. aureus growth after 1 and 7 days of storage. According to the model, the maximum inhibition was obtained in the presence of 0.2% of EO, independently of the type, and no synergistic or additive effects were observed. Slightly lower S. aureus survivals were observed at the maximum concentration of Z. tenuior EO. In spite of the antimicrobial activity of these EOs, further research is needed to assess their performance in food matrix and, in particular, in dairy product.

Pullulan gum production from low-quality fig syrup using Aureobasidium pullulans

Pullulan is an important polysaccharide with several potential applications in food science, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries, but high costs of pullulan production are the main limitation for commercial utilization. Therefore, a cost-effective process for pullulan production was developed using fig syrup as an exclusive nutrient source. In particular, the feasibility of using low quality fig syrup as a supplemental substrate for pullulan gum production by Aureobasidium pullulans was investigated. Fermentation was carried out over a range of fig syrup and sucrose degrees Brix (5-15%). Maximum pullulan gum production was observed after 96h using 12.5% fig syrup, yielding approximately14.06 g/L. This value of pullulan production (14.06 g/L) was higher than the amount of pullulan produced using sucrose as substrate (5.01 g/L). In conclusion, fig syrup was an effective substrate for pullulan production by Aureobasidium pullulans, and, therefore, this byproduct deserves attention for the cost-effective and environmentally friendly pullulan production.

Pullulan gum production from low-quality fig syrup using Aureobasidium pullulans

Pullulan is an important polysaccharide with several potential applications in food science, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries, but high costs of pullulan production are the main limitation for commercial utilization. Therefore, a cost-effective process for pullulan production was developed using fig syrup as an exclusive nutrient source. In particular, the feasibility of using low quality fig syrup as a supplemental substrate for pullulan gum production by Aureobasidium pullulans was investigated. Fermentation was carried out over a range of fig syrup and sucrose degrees Brix (5-15%). Maximum pullulan gum production was observed after 96h using 12.5% fig syrup, yielding approximately14.06 g/L. This value of pullulan production (14.06 g/L) was higher than the amount of pullulan produced using sucrose as substrate (5.01 g/L). In conclusion, fig syrup was an effective substrate for pullulan production by Aureobasidium pullulans, and, therefore, this byproduct deserves attention for the cost-effective and environmentally friendly pullulan production.

Choice of solvent extraction technique affects fatty acid composition of pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) oil

Pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) oil has important nutritional and therapeutic properties because of its high concentration of essential fatty acids. The extraction method used to obtain natural compounds from raw material is critical for product quality, in particular to protect nutritional value. This study compared the fatty acid composition of pistachio oil extracted by two conventional procedures, Soxhlet extraction and maceration, analyzed by a gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID). Four solvents with different polarities were tested: n-hexane (Hx), dichloromethane (DCM), ethyl acetate (EtAc) and ethanol (EtOH). The highest unsaturated fatty acid content (88.493 %) was obtained by Soxhlet extraction with EtAc. The Soxhlet method extracted the most oleic and linolenic acids (51.99 % and 0.385 %, respectively) although a higher concentration (36.32 %) of linoleic acid was extracted by maceration.