Natural Products Industry Research Articles

Revealing the Potential of Fucus vesiculosus Linnaeus for Cosmetic Purposes: Chemical Profile and Biological Activities of Commercial and Wild Samples

The natural products industry is gaining increasing interest, not only due to modern lifestyles becoming more aware of environmental and sustainability issues but also because of the loss of efficacy and undesirable side effects of synthetic ingredients. This pioneering study provides a comprehensive comparison between extracts obtained from wild and commercial samples of Fucus vesiculosus Linnaeus, highlighting their multifaceted benefits in cosmetic applications. The antiaging potential of acetone (70 and 90%) and ethanol 60% extracts from wild and commercial samples of F. vesiculosus, focusing on their application in cosmetics, was explored. The extracts were chemically characterized, their carotenoid profiles being established by HPLC, and the total phenolic content and phlorotannins by spectrophotometry. The extracts were evaluated for their antioxidant potential against the physiologic free radicals superoxide anion radical (O2•−) and nitric oxide (•NO), for their ability to inhibit the enzymes hyaluronidase and tyrosinase, and for their anti-inflammatory potential in the macrophage cell model RAW 264.7. The acetone 70% extract of wild F. vesiculosus was the richest in fucoxanthin, which accounted for more than 67% of the total pigments identified, followed by the acetone 90% extract of the same sample, where both fucoxanthin and pheophytin-a represented 40% of the total pigments. The same behavior was observed for phenolic compounds, with the ethanol 60% presenting the lowest values. A chemical correlation could be established between the chemical composition and the biological activities, with acetone extracts from the wild F. vesiculosus, richer in fucoxanthin and phlorotannins, standing out as natural ingredients with anti-aging potential. Acetone 90% can be highlighted as the most effective extraction solvent, their extracts presenting the highest radicals scavenging capacity, ability to inhibit tyrosinase to a greater extent than the commercial ingredient kojic acid, and potential to slow down the inflammatory process.

Deep eutectic solvent strategy for green extraction of chlorogenic acid from sea buckthorn: optimization and sustainability

BackgroundSea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides), a deciduous species plant, is widely distributed around the globe, and native to the cold-temperate regions of Europe and Asia. This medicinal herb contains several bioactive constituents including chlorogenic acid. The conventional methods used for the extraction of phenolic antioxidants from natural herbs often result in low yields, high toxicity, and pose environmental hazards limiting their effectiveness and scalability. Therefore, green extraction techniques using deep eutectic solvents, composed of natural, non-toxic, and biodegradable components were applied for extraction of chlorogenic acid from sea buckthorn weed. Fourteen deep eutectic solvent mixtures were prepared and evaluated for extraction yield of chlorogenic acid. Parameters such as hydrogen bond donor-to-hydrogen bond acceptor ratio, liquid-to-solid ratio, shaking speed, and shaking time were optimized for the best mixture.ResultsThe combination of lactic acid and maltose (1:1) was found to give best extraction yield using response surface methodology. The deep eutectic solvent system under optimum conditions produced 12.2 g/100 g of crude extract sea buckthorn containing 174.7 mg gallic acid equivalents (mg GA)/g) of extract. Moreover, the optimized extract exhibited appreciable radical scavenging capacity (91%), trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (11.2% of extract), and inhibition of peroxide in linoleic acid (80.6%). High-performance liquid chromatography-based characterization revealed the extracts contained chlorogenic acid (20.1 mg/g of extract) as the major constituent.ConclusionsIn summary, the adoption of DES for the extraction of bioactive phenolic constituents from sea buckthorn offers multiple benefits, including economic efficiency, enhanced extraction performance, and environmental sustainability. The findings of this study not only advance the understanding of DES in phytochemical extraction but also pave the way for broader application of green solvents in the natural products industry. Future research should focus on further optimizing DES formulations and scaling up the extraction process to fully realize the potential of this innovative extraction method in commercial applications.

Optimization of saponin extraction from the leaves of Panax notoginseng and Panax quinquefolium and evaluation of their antioxidant, antihypertensive, hypoglycemic and anti-inflammatory activities

Panax notoginseng and Panax quinquefolium are important economic plants that utilize dried roots for medicinal and food dual purposes; there is still insufficient research of their stems and leaves, which also contain triterpenoid saponins. The extraction process was developed with a total saponin content of 12.30 ± 0.34% and 12.19 ± 0.64% for P. notoginseng leaves (PNL) and P. quinquefolium leaves (PQL) extracts, respectively. PNL and PQL saponin extracts showed good antioxidant, antihypertensive, hypoglycemic, and anti-inflammatory properties in vitro and RAW264.7 cells. A total of 699 metabolites were identified in PNL and PQL saponin extracts, with the majority being triterpenoid saponins, flavonoids and amino acids. Fourteen ginsenosides, 18 flavonoids or alkaloids, and 16 amino acids were enriched in both saponin extracts. Overall, the utilization of saponins from medicinal plants PNL and PQL has been developed to facilitate systematic research in the functional food and natural product industries.

Turmeric trends: analyzing consumer preferences and willingness to pay

This Research determines the factors influencing American consumers’ willingness to purchase turmeric products, amidst the spice’s rising popularity for its potential health benefits, particularly those linked to its bioactive component, curcumin. Through a comprehensive analysis of a Qualtrics online survey with 1,020 national respondents in the U.S., we employed advanced choice experiment mixed logit models to elucidate consumer preferences regarding product form, origin, sustainability certification, curcumin content, and price. Contrary to the initial hypothesis that curcumin potency would be a primary driver, our results indicate that the place of origin and price significantly shape purchasing decisions, with a clear preference for inland domestically grown, organically certified turmeric products. These insights offer valuable guidance for producers, manufacturers, and marketers in the natural products industry, suggesting a focus on emphasizing local, sustainable sourcing and clear communication of organic credentials to align with consumer expectations. Our findings not only provide a detailed understanding of current consumer attitudes toward turmeric but also highlight potential markets for turmeric–based product development and effective marketing to cater to the evolving demand for health-beneficial natural products.

Developing Measurement of Collaboration Between the Supplier and Client Firms

This study recommends a suitable model for evaluating supply chain collaboration in the natural forest products industry. We follow a two-step analysis: The first-order measurement model is leveraged to assess collaboration level, and the second-order confirmatory factor analysis develops the collaboration level by using four indicators representing customer and supplier firms as well as two specific indicators for each of them. Four items are common practices for both sides: joint sales forecasting, exchange of basic information, joint planning, and joint delivery improvement. Two practices are highly oriented toward customers: resource sharing of logistics assets and exchange of performance evaluation. Business-to-business practices engaged mostly with suppliers include the implementation of replenishment systems and joint new product development. Collaboration measurement between suppliers and client firms contributes to effectively manage the relationship between the supplier and client firms and can improve the competitiveness of participating firms in the network.

Moderated mediation role of ethnicity on natural skin care products purchasing intention model among multicultural consumers.

The trends for sustainable lifestyle and marketing motivated natural product consumption, such as natural skin care products (NSCPs). Different personal, environmental, and sociocultural factors influence purchase intention (PI) for NSCPs. However, there is a lack of evidence on the role of consumers' ethnicity in the PI model. The present study investigated the moderated mediation role of ethnicity in the relationship between related factors, including environmental concern, subjective norms, health factor, Halal certificate, packaging design, past experience factor, price factor, and PI mediated by personal attitude. A web-based survey was utilized to capture quantitative data from a random sample of 330 multicultural consumer group participants. The results of the study indicated that consumers' ethnicity substantially moderated the mediation effect of personal attitude in the relationships between subjective norms, health factor, Halal certificate, packaging design, past experience factor, price factor, and PI in the model. The findings contributed to understanding of the factors that influenced the PI of consumers from diverse sociocultural contexts in the market for natural products. It contributed directly to natural product marketing and industry.

Isolation, purification and structure elucidation of eight saponin compounds from Calotropis gigantea

Identifying the active ingredient from plant extracts and establishing its safety and efficacy remains a challenge, so there is need to develop optimised Isolation and purification method to concentrate the natural product from plant resources. In the key content areas of Pharmaceutical, natural product Industry and food application. Asclepiadaceae perennial herb Calotropis gigantea has a long history of usage in folk medicine. The purpose of this study to isolate, purified and structure elucidation of the saponin compounds. As per the Literature study reported that, the saponin compounds remain a huge source for medicinal, are rich sources of chemical compounds having tremendous diversity with respect to structure, function and mechanism of action. In this study we selected Calotropis gigantea for the separation of the saponin. In the present study we successfully isolated, purified, elucidated the structure and identified the saponin compounds using HPLC and HR LC-MS techniques.

Highly efficient and reusable Pd nanoparticles decorated on a novel Schiff base polymer for reduction of nitroarenes and Suzuki coupling reactions

Environmental pollutants such as nitroarenes which released from several factories threaten flora, fauna and human life. Therefore, removal of these toxic substances from waste waters is of significance. Catalytic systems involving metal nanoparticles are effective to reduce hazardous nitroarenes and to fabricate biaryls, which are significant for pharmaceutical and natural product industries, via cross coupling reactions. The current research was conducted to produce a quick, highly efficient, simply recoverable and reusable nanocatalyst (Pd NPs@P(2-FAN)) involving Pd nanoparticles (Pd NPs) immobilized on a novel Schiff base polymer, Poly(2-((furan-2-ylmethylene)amino)-5-nitrophenol) (P(2-FAN)) for reduction of several toxic nitroarenes to harmless and useful organic molecules in water and fabrication of useful biaryls via Suzuki coupling (SC) reactions. UV–Vis, FTIR, TGA, XRD, FE-SEM and EDS techniques were used for characterizations of the synthesized materials. Then, catalytic performance of the produced Pd NPs@P(2-FAN) was examined in reduction of 2-nitroaniline, 4-nitroaniline, 4-nitrophenol, 4-nitro-o-phenylenediamine. Pd NPs@P(2-FAN) was reduced all these hazardous nitroarenes in water in very short time (between 30 and 85 s) with only 3 mg nanocatalyst using NaBH4. Moreover, Pd NPs@P(2-FAN) accomplished the fabrication of several biaryls via SC reactions using the microwave irradiation method in a solventless medium. This resulted in excellent reaction yields (99 %) with a very low catalyst amount (0.006 mol%) and a rapid reaction time (6 min). Additionally, performed reusability test results displayed that the nanocatalyst was simply recoverable and repeatedly reusable for successive six and eight cycles for reduction of nitroarenes and production of biaryls, respectively.

Potential toxic heavy metals in village rainwater runoff of antimony mining area, China: Distribution, pollution sources, and risk assessment

The potential toxic heavy metal runoff from antimony mining areas poses a serious threat to the water environment and the health of residents in the village. The study found that the average concentrations of As, Sb, Cr, Pb, and Cd in the runoff were 0.1237, 0.1148, 0.0332, 0.0140, and 0.0013 mg/L, which were higher than the normal average concentrations in the water environment of 0.018, 0.0009, 0.05, 0.012, and 0.000013 mg/L, respectively.Sb and As are severely polluted, while Cd, Pb, and Cr have lower pollution levels. The coefficients of variation for As, Sb, Cr, Pb, and Cd range from 0.079 to 1.051, with Sb showing exceptionally high variability. Heavy metal elements Pb, Cd, and Sb accumulate in the southeastern area of the village, with Sb concentrations decreasing from the southeast to the northwest. As is mainly distributed in the northeastern part of the village, while Cr is primarily found in the central-western region. Source analysis indicates that As and Sb originate from mining and industrial activities, dust deposition, and domestic sewage. Cr comes from the natural geological background and metal product industry, Pb from lead-acid batteries, industrial activities, and gasoline additives, and Cd from fertilization in residential green areas and pesticide use. Health risk analysis reveals that the hazard index (HI) values for As and As in the water environment are 1.49 and 2.31, respectively, both exceeding 1, posing a serious threat to the health of village residents. The HI values for Pb, Cr, and Cd elements are all below 1, indicating lower risks. This study identified that Sb in the antimony ore area and its associated metal element As are the main elements leading to potential heavy metal pollution in the runoff of village residential areas, providing direction for subsequent water environment restoration work.

Capsicum annuum Oleoresin Nanoemulgel - Design Characterization and In vitro Investigation of Anticancer and Antimicrobial Activities.

The use of naturally occurring bioactive materials is getting great attention owing to their safety and environmental properties. Oily compounds, known as oleoresins, are expected to provide an important source for the natural products industry aiming to develop novel treatments for skin conditions. In this work, Capsicum annuum oleoresin nanoemulgel formulations have been prepared and investigated for their antibacterial and anticancer properties. Several C. annuum oleoresin nanoemulgel formulations were prepared by incorporating a Carbopol 940 gel in a self-nanoemulsifying nanoemulsion consisting of C. annuum, tween 80, and span 80. The systems were characterized for particle size, polydispersity index (PDI), zeta potential, and rheology. The in vitro antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities of the optimum formulation were evaluated. The selected formulation is composed of 40% tween, 10% span 80, and 40% C. annuum oleoresin. This formulation produced a stable nanoemulsion with a narrow PDI value of 0.179 ± 0.08 and a droplet size of 104.0 ± 2.6 nm. Results of the in vitro antimicrobial studies indicated high potency of the systems against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (zone of inhibition of 29 ± 1.9 mm), E. coli (33 ± 0.9 mm), K. pneumonia (30 ± 1.4 mm), and C. albicans (21 ± 1.5 mm), as compared to the reference antibiotic, ampicillin (18 ± 1.4 mm against K. pneumonia), and antifungal agent, fluconazole (12 ± 0.1 mm against C. albicans). Furthermore, cytotoxicity results, expressed as IC50 values, revealed that the oleoresin and its nanoemulgel had the best effects against the HepG2 cell line (IC50 value of 79.43 μg/mL for the nanoemulgel) and MCF7 (IC50 value of 57.54 μg/mL), and the most potent effect was found against 3T3 (IC50 value of 45.7 μg/m- L). On the other side, the system did not substantially exhibit activity against By-61 and Hela. C. annuum oleoresin and its nanoemulgel can be considered valuable sources for the discovery of new antibacterial, antifungal, and anticancer compounds in the pharmaceutical industry, especially due to their potent activity against various cancer cell lines as well as bacterial and fungal strains.

Chemical constituent and Biological potency of Chrysopogon zizanoides L. root essential oil grown in North-East India with special consideration to acidic soil

Chrysopogon zizanoides L. is an industrially important crop recognized globally for its plentitude of uses in the perfumery and pharmaceutical industries. Acknowledging its vital importance, thorough research was put forward on the ramifications of the chemical profiling and biological activities of C. zizanoides essential oil collected from North East India, with particular reference to the acidic soil condition. The GC/MS analysis identified 31 compounds with an essential oil yield of 0.11±0.035% (v/w), including cubenol as a major compound. Anti-oxidant potential through DPPH scavenging activity disclosed IC50 value in median range, in ABTS assay, IC50 value was much lower than standard (9.43<34.13 μL/mL), indicating high anti-oxidant activity. IC50 value of alpha-amylase assay showed much lower than standard (44.43<68.87 μL/mL), indicating intense anti-diabetic activity; moreover, through trypsin inhibitory assay, the IC50 28.95 μL/mL was almost similar to standard 25.68 μL/mL. Anti-tyrosinase activity revealed contradictory results showing a higher IC50 value (188.75>138.59 μL/mL) than standard kojic acid. A study on anti-microbial activity results revealed no sign of inhibition against any of the tested microbial strains. Therefore, from our research, it is concluded that C. zizanoides root essential oil has potent biological activity. To date, no detailed analysis has been performed on the anti-diabetic and anti-tyrosinase activity of essential oil of C. zizanoides; hence, the present study can be considered novel as it will provide a handful of resources to conduct further research and will open a door for the development of pharmaceutical and natural product industries.

A New UHPLC Analytical Method for St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) Extracts

Commonly used to treat mood disorders, St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) is a popular herb in the natural health products industry. The potency of its active ingredients can be determined using a number of different analytical methods, but it is more widely determined using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). While monographs in the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) can often be relied upon for suitable analytical methods, the method proposed for determining hypericin content in St. John’s Wort products is inefficient in carrying out this purpose. This paper presents a modified new HPLC method for determining the hypericin content that can also be used for St. John’s Worts capsules and tablets by making use of purified hypericin as a chemical standard instead of oxybenzone, applying a wavelength of 588 nm during analysis and utilizing a binary instead of ternary mobile phase gradient. The resulting method and sample chromatograms provide better resolved, more easily identifiable peaks, shorter run time, and increased sustainability compared to the original USP method. This proposed method was developed using the more refined ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) and serves as a more accurate and reliable method for determining hypericin content in St. John’s Wort.

Marine natural products and derivatives

Abstract Objectives There are many reasons why marine resources are currently being examined extensively. One of the causes is that 70% of the earth’s surface is covered by oceans. From marine resources, some natural products and their derivatives are derived. These marine natural products are produced by the following organisms: marine invertebrates, marine algae and marine microbes are the three main biological classes. An overview of the marine natural products (MNPs) industry is presented, along with a current list of medications that the FDA has approved as well as those that are undergoing clinical trials and could be regarded as MNP derivatives. Methods Secondary metabolites from marine organisms such as snails, tunicates, sponges, soft corals and mollusks have been extracted to produce bio active compounds, which have sparked the creation of new classes of therapeutic agents. Marine life is a significant source of structurally diverse and biologically active secondary metabolites. Key findings It is observed that marine source is one of the powerful way of producing products that are natural and effective. Conclusion Some commercially available preparations treat diseases like HIV, cancer and various skin conditions using their collected resources.

Comparative Metabolomics Analysis of Stigmas and Petals in Chinese Saffron (Crocus sativus) by Widely Targeted Metabolomics.

The dried stigmas of Crocus sativus, commonly known as saffron, are consumed largely worldwide because it is highly valuable in foods and has biological activities beneficial for health. Saffron has important economic and medicinal value, and thus, its planting area and global production are increasing. Petals, which are a by-product of the stigmas, have not been fully utilized at present. We compared the metabolites between the stigmas and petals of C. sativus using a non-targeted metabolomics method. In total, over 800 metabolites were detected and categorized into 35 classes, including alkaloids, flavonoids, amino acids and derivatives, phenols and phenol esters, phenylpropanoids, fatty acyls, steroids and steroid derivatives, vitamins, and other metabolites. The metabolite composition in the petals and stigmas was basically similar. The results of the study showed that the petals contained flavonoids, alkaloids, coumarins, and other medicinal components, as well as amino acids, carbohydrates, vitamins, and other nutritional components. A principal components analysis (PCA) and an orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) were performed to screen the different metabolic components. A total of 339 differential metabolites were identified, with 55 metabolites up-regulated and 284 down-regulated. The up-regulated metabolites, including rutin, delphinidin-3-O-glucoside, isoquercitrin, syringaresinol-di-O-glucoside, dihydrorobinetin, quercetin, and gallocatechin, were detected in the petals. The down-regulated metabolites were mainly glucofrangulin B, acetovanillone, daidzein, guaiazulene, hypaphorine, indolin-2-one, and pseudouridine. KEGG annotation and enrichment analyses of the differential metabolites revealed that flavonoid biosynthesis, amino acids biosynthesis, and arginine and proline metabolism were the main differentially regulated pathways. In conclusion, the petals of C. sativus are valuable for medicine and foods and have potential utility in multiple areas such as the natural spice, cosmetic, health drink, and natural health product industries.

Correlation of the GC-MS-based metabolite profile of Momordica charantia fruit and its antioxidant activity

Momordica charantia or bitter melon (Cucurbitaceae) is a widely consumed edible fruit with strong antioxidant properties. Due to these properties, it has been commercialised by the natural product industries as a coadjutant in the treatment of various ailments attributable to the deleterious effects of oxidants. The present work aimed to evaluate the antioxidant activity of M. charantia fruit extracts made with different compositions of ethanol:water, and to identify the metabolites that are responsible for this activity. To this end, the fruit samples were extracted using six different concentrations of ethanol in water (0, 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100%). Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and multivariate data analysis (MVDA) were used to identify significant antioxidants. The 80% ethanol:water extract showed the most significant (p &lt; 0.05) antioxidant activity when tested with the 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) antioxidant assays. The multivariate data analysis revealed that the metabolites related to this antioxidant activity were gentiobiose, glucose, galactonic acid, palmitic acid, galactose, mannose, and fructose.

Social impact improving model based on a novel social life cycle assessment for raw rubber production: A case of a Sri Lankan rubber estate

Raw rubber production is the foundation of natural rubber product industry. Despite the various social issues (e.g., substandard working conditions) reported in raw rubber production, literature focusing on social impacts has been limited. Although social life cycle assessment (SLCA) has been a popular tool to assess the social impacts of a product or process, no any functional unit has so far been developed here due to the difficulty in linking the intangible social impacts to physical flows. Furthermore, the methodologies available in SLCA are insufficient for foreseeing the social benefits after addressing the social hotspots derived from a study. On this background, this study aimed at improving the social performances of raw rubber production using a novel SLCA method addressing the above said lacunas. The Stakeholder social impact (SSI) and Social impact categorical (SIC) indexes are salient components of this method as they quantify the social impact at stakeholders’ perspective and overall geopolitical perspective, referring to a functional unit, respectively. As a pilot study, this method was applied to a rubber estate in Sri Lanka where crepe rubber was produced. “Social benefits/security” and the “health and safety” of workers in the estate were identified as the most vulnerable factors affecting the rubber production. Further, the countermeasures proposed were found to be effective in improving these elements by 25% and 70%, respectively and overall social burden by ca. 12% as indicated by SIC index. Potential use of SSI index and SIC index at country level for benchmarking the overall social impacts and possible implications in adopting the methodology developed in other geographical areas and/or in other industries are discussed.

Can the Natural Products Industry Combat Climate Change?

Doing your part to help conserve the environment? Here's how promoting the natural products industry can help combat climate change. 1 2 3 4 5 6

Identification of the Chemical Constituents of Curcuma caesia (Black Turmeric) Hydrosol Extracted by Hydro-distillation Method

Curcuma caesia (black turmeric), a perennial herb that has a distinguishable bluish-black rhizome with a bitter and pungent smell and is widely used and extracted for its medicinal values. C. caesia extracted by hydro-distillation method produce essential oil and hydrosol. The essential oil of C. caesia is known for its high medicinal value, but the chemical constituent of the hydrosol is yet to be studied. Hence, this study will investigate the chemical constituent of the hydrosol of C. caesia’s rhizome extracted by hydro-distillation to comprehend the benefits and usages of the hydrosol produced for further research in pharmaceutical and natural products industries. Besides, hydro-distillation is carried out in different temperatures to study the effect of temperature on the active compounds in the hydrosol. Hydro-distillation of powdered rhizome is used to obtain the hydrosol of C. caesia at the temperature of 60 °C, 80 °C and 100 °C before being separated by using a rotary evaporator. The sample is then analyzed by using Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR). From FTIR analysis, the functional groups found in the hydrosol were OH, C=C and -NH groups. As the temperature increased, more components were decomposed. Hence, lesser functional groups were found in the hydrosol at 100 °C as compared to 60 °C. Chemical constituents of the hydrosol of C. caesia were identified by GC-MS analysis, with camphor (0.57%) as the only major component at 100 °C. Comparing the chemical constituents of the hydrosol at 60°C and 80°C, the elevated temperature of hydro-distillation caused decomposition of the chemical constituents of the hydrosol due to changes of properties. The chemical constituents of the hydrosol of C. caesia were significantly different from the essential oil qualitatively and quantitatively, with the medicinal value of the hydrosol was uncertain due to the trace amount of camphor and other chemical constituents possessed in the hydrosol.

Recovery of heather (Calluna vulgaris) flowering in northern Finland

Abstract Heather is a slow-growing evergreen shrub, commonly found in moorlands and heaths of high nature conservation value. Heather-dominated areas are used as livestock pasture, and the flowers of heather are harvested also for the natural product industry. Classical studies have focused on the recovery of shoot biomass of heather, while the recovery of flowering after grazing or harvesting has received less attention. In this study, we examined the recovery of heather flowering in one harvesting experiment and two observational areas in northern Finland. The flowers of heather were collected manually by clipping the flowering shoots or stripping the flowers from the shoots or by machine harvesting. We counted the number of short shoots (SS), nonflowering long shoots (NFLS), and flowering long shoots (FLS) after harvesting. We also measured the length of FLS and counted the flowers they produced. Heathers started to recover by producing new short shoots, while the recovery of flowering was slow, and only in one out of the three areas, flowering recovered totally during our study. Our results suggest that the recovery was dependent on the age of heather or individual site characteristics rather than on the harvesting method. Because flowering is one of the most important stages of successful reproduction, which affects the long-term existence of heather-dominated ecosystems, the results of our study can contribute to new guidelines for management practices in heathlands. However, longer-term experiments on the rate of flowering recovery are needed especially if rotational cutting is favored as a management practice in heathlands in the future.

Validation and Optimization of qPCR Method for Identification of Actaea racemosa (Black Cohosh) NHPs.

Actaea racemosa (black cohosh) herbal dietary supplements are commonly used to treat menopausal symptoms in women. However, there is a considerable risk of contamination of A. racemosa herbal products in the natural health product (NHP) industry, impacting potential efficacy. Authentication of A. racemosa products is challenging because of the standard, multi-part analytical chemistry methods that may be too costly and not appropriate for both raw and finished products. In this paper, we discuss developing and validating quick alternative biotechnology methods to authenticate A. racemosa herbal dietary supplements, based on the use of a species-specific hydrolysis PCR probe assay. A qPCR-based species-specific hydrolysis probe assay was designed, validated, and optimized for precisely identifying the species of interest using the following analytical validation criteria: (1) specificity (accuracy) in determining the target species ingredient, while not identifying other non-target species; (2) sensitivity in detecting the smallest amount of the target material; and (3) reliability (repeatability and reproducibility) in detecting the target species in raw materials on a real-time PCR platform. The results show that the species-specific hydrolysis probe assay was successfully developed for the raw materials and powders of A. racemosa. The specificity of the test was 100% to the target species. The efficiency of the assay was observed to be 99%, and the reliability of the assay was 100% for the raw/starting and powder materials. The method developed in this study can be used to authenticate and perform qualitative analysis of A. racemosa supplements.