Oil Percentage Research Articles

The impact of chemical and hormonal treatments to improve seed germination and seedling growth of Juniperus procera Hochst. ex Endi.

Juniper (Juniperus procera) is a common forest tree species in Saudi Arabia. The decline in many populations of J. procera in Saudi Arabia is mainly due to seed dormancy and loss of natural regeneration. This study assessed the effects of chemical and hormonal treatments on seed germination and seedling growth in juniper plants. The seeds were subjected to either chemical scarification with 90% sulfuric acid and 20% acetic acid for 6 min or hormonal treatment by seed soaking in two concentrations (50 and 100 ppm) of three growth regulators, namely, indole acetic acid (IAA), gibberellins (GA3), and kinetin, for 72 h. A control group without any seed treatment was also prepared. The experiments were performed in an incubator maintained at room temperature and under a light and dark period of 12 h for 6 w. The germinated seeds for each treatment were counted and removed from the dishes. The selected germinated seeds from different treatments were planted in a greenhouse and irrigated with tap water for another 6 weeks. The hormone-treated seedlings were sprayed with their corresponding hormone concentrations 1 w after planting. The highest percentage of seed germination was significantly recorded after seed soaking in 50 ppm GA3, whereas treatment with IAA (100 ppm) resulted in the best seedling growth. Seedlings treated with the three phytohormones showed a significant increase in photosynthetic pigments, total soluble sugars, proteins, percentage of oil, IAA, GA3, and kinetin contents of juniper seedlings compared with the control value, whereas abscisic acid content was decreased compared with chemical treatments. The investigated different treatments had an effective role in breaking seed dormancy and improving seedling growth of J. procera, which is facing a notable decline in its population worldwide. Moreover, such an effect was more pronounced in the three phytohormones that succeeded in breaking dormancy and growth of the Juniperus plant than in the other treatments.

Comparative studies of four cumin landraces grown in Egypt

One of the significant aromatic plants applied in food and pharma is cumin. Despite its massive trading in Egypt, there are no comprehensive reports on cumin landraces profile screening. This study aimed to investigate the variation in seeds’ physical and biochemical profiles and genetic diversity as well as assess the efficiency of seeds’ germination under salinity stress. Consequently, during the 2020/2021 growing season, four common cumin seed landraces were gathered from various agro-climatic regions: El Gharbia, El Menia, Assiut, and Qena. Results showed a significant variation in physical profile among the four seeds of landraces. In addition, Assiut had the highest percentage of essential oil at 8.04%, whilst Qena had the largest amount of cumin aldehyde, the primary essential oil component, at 25.19%. Lauric acid was found to be the predominant fatty acid (54.78 to 62.73%). According to ISSR amplification, El Menia presented a negative unique band, whereas other landraces offered a positive band. Additionally, the cumin genotypes were separated into two clusters by the dendrogram, with El Gharbia being located in an entirely separate cluster. There were two sub-clusters within the other cluster: El Menia in one and Assiut and Qena in the other. Moreover, the germination sensitivity to the diverse salinity concentrations (control, 4, 8, 12, and 16 dS/m) findings showed that landraces exhibited varying responses to increased salinity when El Gharbia and El Menia showed a moderate response at four dS/m. Whilst, Qena landraces showed supreme values among other landraces under 12 and 16 dS/m. The majority of the examined features had strong positive associations over a range of salinity levels, according to phenotypic correlation coefficient analysis. To accomplish the aims of sustainable agriculture in Egypt, it would be imperative that the potential breeding program for cumin landraces consider this screening study.

Responses of Canola Cultivars to Application of Micronutrients upon Late-season Drought Stress

ABSTRACT There are different climate classes in Iran where about 85% of the agricultural lands are located in arid and semi-arid regions. To mitigate or compensate effects of drought stress and increase crop fitting and yield, effects of micronutrient application have been studied by several researchers. Field experiments were conducted during the 2021–2022 and 2022–2023 crop seasons to investigate the effect of micronutrients on quantitative and qualitative characteristics of canola cultivars under late-season drought stress conditions. The experiments were arranged in a factorial split-plot design, with two irrigation treatments – normal irrigation (control) or restricted irrigation at flowering stage – and four foliar applications of Zn and Mn after rosette stage (F1: Water, F2: ZnSO4, F3: MnSO4 and F4: ZnSO4 + MnSO4) as the main factor. Winter canola cultivars, including Okapy, Hyola401 and Hyola308, as sub-factor. The results showed that limited irrigation at flowering reduced seed yield, oil percentage and fatty acids content in different canola cultivars. Most of the canola oil is composed of unsaturated fatty acids, and the occurrence of drought stress at the reproductive stage reduced oil quality. By contrast, the minimum yield loss was obtained from Hylon401 cultivar, an early mature cultivar. Overall, it is recommended Hylon401 cultivar for normal irrigation and Hylon308 cultivar for a drought environment when considered the acceptable seed yield in canola. In general, it is suggested that a suitable performance of canola seeds is achieved by foliar application of manganese and zinc.

Process kinetics optimization for extraction of essential oil from the peel of Citrus sinensis for the development of food packaging film

AbstractThe goals of the present work were to achieve maximum extraction efficiency from Citrus sinensis peel and effective utilization of its bioactive compounds. This work focused on studying the physicochemical characteristics and yield percentage of citrus essential oil (CEO) extracted from citrus peels at different extraction times, extraction temperatures, solid–liquid ratios, and solvent combinations, and the data of yield percentage was subjected to find the best kinetic model for better yield. C. sinensis peel powder was subjected to Soxhlet extraction of essential oil at varied solid:liquid ratios (1/2, 1/4, 1/6, 1/8, and 1/10), time intervals in minutes (120, 150, 180, 210, 240, 270, and 280), temperatures (50, 60, 70, 80, 90, and 100°C), and solvents (n‐hexane, petroleum ether, chloroform, methanol, and water) to characterize their impact on yield percentage. The essential oil extraction kinetics were assessed using the experimental data and two different kinetic models (zero‐order and first‐order kinetic model). The bioactive compounds were assessed using GC–MS, as well. Amongst the other solvents, maximum extraction yield was observed at 90°C for 270 min using n‐hexane. GC–MS results showed that d‐limonene was the predominant compound constituting 41.41%. A good agreement between applied kinetic models and experimental data was demonstrated by the first‐order model (R2 = .9830) and the zero‐order kinetic model (R2 = .9719). Thus, the effective conditions for maximum extraction yield of CEO peels were optimized and the extracted CEO can be used in food packaging applications for shelf‐life extension.Practical applicationsEffective food waste management is vital for promoting sustainable resource usage, reducing environmental impact, saving money and energy, addressing global hunger, and upholding ethical and social responsibilities. It is important to minimize food waste throughout the entire food supply chain. Citrus peels are the by‐products of the citrus fruit processing industry and households which contribute to organic waste and its management is an important consideration for environmental sustainability. Thus, this study aims to manage these wastes by extracting essential oil from them and optimizing their process. The role of Citrus sinensis essential oil in the food industry includes natural flavoring with a consistent flavor profile, versatility in culinary applications, provides a natural and clean label, and are cost‐effective. Also, the universally recognized and enjoyed flavor of C. sinensis makes its essential oil a popular choice for products with broad consumer appeal. However, it is essential to follow regulatory guidelines for food‐grade essential oils and adhere to recommended usage levels. The results of this study have practical implications for improving yield, quality, efficiency, and sustainability of the extracted essential oil in the food industry. The optimized data can positively impact various aspects of food production, by enhancing flavor profiles, reducing the processing time and costs, and thus facilitating scale‐up potential. In addition, proper storage conditions should be maintained to ensure the stability and quality of the extracted essential oil over time.

Evaluating the Efficiency of Potassium Fertilizer Sources and Levels on Sesame Growth and Yield in Two Different Gypsum Soils

To investigate the effect of potassium fertilizer sources and level on sesame growth and yield in two different gypsum soils, two experiments were applied throughout the summer of 2022. The experiments included three factors, which were sources of potassium, potassium sulfate (KK2SO4) and potassium chloride (KKCL), potassium levels, 0 (K00), 75 (K75), 150 (K150), and 300 (K300) kg ha-1, and levels of gypsum in the soil, 6.02 (Soil06.02) and 15.87 (Soil15.87) %. Completely Random Block Design (CRBD) with three replications was used to apply the experiments. The results indicated that KK2SO4 significantly impacted plant height (18%), plant dry weight (8%), branch no (11%), capsules no. (5%), 1000 seeds weight (13%), yield (13%), and oil percentage (9%) compared with KKCL. Similarly, potassium at K300 was significantly higher compared with the other potassium levels. Also, gypsum Soil15.87 significantly impacted plant height (11%), dry weight (11%), capsules no. (5%), 1000 seeds weight (19%), yield (11%), and oil percentage (12%) compared with gypsum soil with 6%. The interactions between the two study factors and among the three study factors effected significantly all the study traits. These results will be beneficial for sesame production and management in the Saladin area, Iraq.

Effect of gamma rays on the essential oil and biochemical characteristics of the Satureja mutica Fisch & C. A. Mey.

There are 16 species in the genusSaturejaL. (Lamiaceae), of which10are native.This research aimed to investigate the effect of gamma rays and storage conditions and duration on the percentage and components of the essential oil and some biochemical characteristics ofSatureja muticaFisch & C.A. Mey at the Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands.Plants were collectedat the full floweringstageand exposed todifferent doses of gamma rays (0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, and10kGy)at the Atomic EnergyOrganization, Iran.The samples were keptin a refrigerator (4°C)and in the shade(25 ± 2°C) for 0, 120, and 240h. This experiment was performedin acompletely randomizeddesign. Essential oil extraction was done by water distillationfor2h. The composition of their essential oil components was identified usingGC and GC/MS.Somebiochemicaltraits, including phenol content, antioxidant capacity, and carbohydrate content, were measured. The results indicated that irradiation on the percentage of essential oil showeda statistically significant difference. In addition, theinteraction effect of irradiation × storage conditions, irradiation × duration of storage, on the percentage of essential oilwassignificant. According to a comparison of the means, 2.5kGy irradiation produced the highest percentage of essential oil (0.4%); in contrast, a significant decreasewas detectedin components with 7.5 and 10kGy irradiation. It was observed thatthepercentage of some essential oil compounds decreasedwith the gamma-ray intensity increase.2.5kGy of gamma rays and shade storage conditions for 240h led to the highest content of p-cymene and carvacrol. Nevertheless,the highest thymol content wasobtained under refrigeration conditions without irradiation. The maximum phenol content and antioxidant capacity were obtained when the plants were irradiated with 2.5 and7.5kGy gamma rays.However,the maximum carbohydrate ratewas observed in non-irradiated plants.It was concluded that low-intensity gamma rays could improve the percentage of essential oil and main components like p-cymene and carvacrol in S. mutica Fisch & C.A. Mey.

Composition and antimicrobial activity of Rosmarinus officinalis L. and Artemisia monosperma L. leaf essential oils and methanolic extracts from plants grown in normal and saline habitats in Egypt

The present work aimed to investigate the effect of salinity in natural habitats in Egypt on the main secondary metabolites of Rosmarinus officinalis L. and Artemisia monosperma L. plants compared to plants grown at normal conditions. Plants grown under salinity were collected from Egyptian Western Coastal region habitats irrigated with underground water. Results showed that salinity increased the essential oil percentage of R. officinalis L. by 52.7% and A. monosperma L by 0.29% in addition to the total phenolics and flavonoids content in dry leaves compared to control plants. GC/MS analysis of rosemary essential oils revealed that salinity decreased the amount of some major oil monoterpenes component as verbenone, with a slight effect on 1,8 cineole and increased Camphor, endo- Boreneol, and linalool in addition to the appearance of new specific components such as Chrysanthenone monoterpene ketone and Caryophyllene sesquiterpene, while, in the case of Artemisia, the GC/MS showed that Artemisia ketone, Camphor, β -phellandrene monoterpenes andα-Bisabolol sesquiterpenewere the major oil components; salinity decreased Camphor and β -phellandrene content and increased artemisia ketone and α-Bisabolol oil content. About 11 new oil constituents were detected such as ( +)-2-Bornanone and Sesquisabinene hydrate. Mineral ions (N, K+, Ca+2, P, and Mg+2) uptake by R. officinalis and A. monosperma decreased in plants grown under salinity, while Na content increased compared to corresponding controls. Results demonstrated that both plants could tolerate the high salinity level in natural Western Coastal region soil which promoted more production of valuable secondary metabolites. The antimicrobial effect of R. officinalis L. and A. monosperma L. leaf methanolic extracts, results showed that R. officinalis extracts had an inhibitory response against all tested gram-positive and negative bacteria, in addition to the yeast (Candida albicans), whereas there was no any inhibitory effect concerning A. monosperma L extract on the tested species.

A comparative study of essential oil components of selected promising small cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum (L.) Maton) landraces in Cardamom Hill Reserve (CHR) of South India

Elettaria cardamomum (L.) Maton originated in the evergreen forests of the Western Ghats of South India. In order to compare the percentage of essential oil and its components of selected small cardamom landraces, the study was conducted at the Indian Cardamom Research Institute, Myladumpara, Idukki Dt. of Kerala. Essential oil components of nine farmer's varieties such as Njallani Green Gold, Thiruthali, Panikulangara Green Bold No.1, Wonder Cardamom, Elarajan, Arjun, Pappalu, PNS Vaigai, Pachaikkai; and ICRI-5 as control were compared to evaluate the quality of genotypes. Essential oil content was significantly higher in Najllani Green Gold (9.18%), followed by Wonder Cardamom (8.36%). GC-MS profiling identified twenty-five compounds contributing to 90-93% of essential oil. The higher percentage of 1,8-cineole was observed in PNS Vaigai (38.04%) and the control ICRI-5 (38.99%), while Panikulangara Green Bold No.1 had the lowest percentage (24.30%). α- terpinyl acetate was higher (43.39%) in Panikulangara Green Bold No.1 followed by Thiruthali (39.21%), and was lowest in ICRI-5 (35.97%). Panikulangara Green Bold 1 had a higher percentage of α-terpineol, Geranyl acetate, Geraniol and Linalyl acetate than other genotypes. The percentage of sabinene was higher in Njallani Green Gold (7.56%), and in the genotype, Elarajan (5.46%) was lowest. Due to the medicinal and flavour-contributing properties, the essential oil components can be used in medicinal and food industries.

Olive Performance under the Soil Application of Humic Acid and the Spraying of Titanium and Zinc Nanoparticles under Soil Salinity Stress

Salinity is a major social, economic, and environmental menace in climates with low rainfall and high evapotranspiration, and it influences plant growth and causes restriction to crop production in the world. Additionally, under salinity stress, numerous physiological processes such as photosynthesis, biomass accumulation, and photosynthate transfer are also harshly lessened, and it also limits the absorption of adequate water by plants and leads to a dimension in plant water status. Therefore, the current study was conducted to investigate the soil application of humic acid (HA) at 0, 0.5, 1 and 2 kg/tree alone or in combination with the foliar spraying of 0 mg ZnO2 + 0 mg TiO2, 200 mg ZnO2 + 60 mg TiO2 and/or 300 mg ZnO2 + 80 mg TiO2 through the two successive seasons 2022 and 2023. The results demonstrated that the use of HA alone or in combination with the spraying of TiO2 and ZnO2 greatly improved the leaf chlorophyll, flower number, fruit set percentages, fruit yields in kg or in ton per hectare, fruit weight, fruit size, and fruit firmness. Additionally, the same used treatments greatly improved the fruit content from TSS and oil percentages and also the leaf mineral content from N, P and K, while they minimized the fruit drop percentage and fruit moisture content as compared to control. The most positive influence was observed with the soil implementation of 2 kg HA combined with 300 mg ZnO2 + 80 mg TiO2 in the two experimental seasons.

Rapid analysis of eucalyptus oil adulteration in Moroccan rosemary essential oil via GC-FID and mid-infrared spectroscopy

Essential Oil (EO) extracted from Rosemary is known for its therapeutic, antifungal, stimulant and antibacterial effects. This study aimed to detect and quantify the adulteration of Rosemary essential oil with different percentages of eucalyptus essential oil, using two analytical techniques: gas chromatography with Flame Ionization Detection (GC-FID) and Fourier Transform Mid-infrared spectroscopy (FT-MIR), combined with chemometric tools such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Partial Least Squares regression (PLS-R) and support vector regression (SVR). The use of PCA on the results obtained from GC-FID and FT-MIR indicates the possibility of categorizing the data into two distinct groups: adulterated essential oil and non-adulterated essential oil. However, it is noted that GC-FID can only detect adulteration starting from 40%, while spectroscopy is capable of detecting lower percentages of adulteration. The use of PLS-R and SVR calibration models for adulteration quantification demonstrates high performance capabilities for both techniques (GC-FID and FT-MIR), as indicated by high R2 correlation coefficients indicating good fit, with lower root mean square error (RMSE) values demonstrating predictive accuracy. The results suggest that FT-MIR spectroscopy is preferable to GC-FID for the quantification and discrimination of adulterated essential oils. FT-MIR spectroscopy is considered superior to GC-FID due to its non-destructiveness, speed and lack of sample preparation.

Soil Properties and Yield of Peppermint (Mentha Piperita L.) in Response to Different Nitrogen Fertilizers Under Water-Deficit Conditions

ABSTRACT Drought and lack of nutrients (including nitrogen) limit crop production in arid and semi-arid regions, including Iran. In order to investigate the combined effect of nitrogen fertilizer sources (organic and chemical) under low water stress on soil properties, biological yield and peppermint essential oil, a three-year experiment was conducted during the spring and summer of the years (2017–2019) in the semi-arid region of Iran. The experiment was conducted as split plots in the form of randomized complete blocks with three replications. Experimental treatments include three irrigation regimes (irrigation after draining 25, 40 and 55% of usable water in the root zone) as the main factor and six fertilizer treatments based on plant nitrogen requirements (100% Chemical, No fertilizer, 50% Chemical + 50% Azocompost, 100% Vermicompost, 100% Azocompost, 50% Chemical + 50% Vermicompost) as sub-factors. The results showed that water-deficit conditions decreased organic carbon, total nitrogen content, soil phosphorus and potassium and biological yield and increased the percentage of peppermint essential oil. Also, in most of the treatment compositions of irrigation regime, the application of organic fertilizer (especially pure vermicompost and azocompost treatments) or combination with chemical fertilizer the increase organic carbon, macronutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) and micro (iron and zinc) in soil solution, causing improved biological yield and essential oil content and moderated the effects of water-deficit stress on peppermint. These practical measures can help save water and fertilizer consumption while promoting the production of healthy medicinal products over the course of three years.

Preparation and physicochemical evaluation of phytosterol‐enriched sesame oil microemulsions

AbstractSesame oil, known for its nutritional benefits, was selected as source for phytosterol extraction. Optimal conditions of 40°C, oil‐to‐solvent ratio of 1:25, and a saponification duration of 150 min were employed to separate the phytosterols from sesame oil. The extracted phytosterols were encapsulated using microemulsion method. Various variables, such as percent of sesame oil, surfactant‐to‐cosurfactant ratio, and presence of phytosterols, were evaluated to determine their impact on particle size, polydispersity, pH, viscosity, surface tension, and stability. The particle size and PDI demonstrated significant increase with increasing oil and addition of phytosterols. A higher S:C ratio resulted in the formation of smaller microemulsion droplets. The viscosity and surface tension of the microemulsions increased significantly with an increase in the oil percent. In conclusion, the optimal composition of the microemulsion was found to be 10 wt% sesame oil with an S:C ratio of 3:1. FESEM micrographs revealed a microstructure consisting of cylindrical micelles.Practical applicationsResearch has shown that consuming 2–3 g of plant sterols and stanols can lower blood cholesterol levels by 10% and LDL levels by 15%. However, incorporating phytosterols into food products is challenging due to oxidation, insolubility, and high melting point. Most phytosterols are esterified to enrich low‐fat foods but they can be expensive and impure. The synthesis of phytosterols often involves carcinogenic chemicals and requires additional purification. Extracting phytosterols from plant sources has been proposed as a solution. However, incorporating phytosterols into food products is challenging due to their susceptibility to oxidation, particularly during processing and storage at high temperatures, their insolubility in water, and their limited solubility in fats and oils. The main aim of this study was to enrich sesame oil microemulsions with phytosterols through encapsulation. Phytosterols were extracted from sesame seed oil, followed by purification, and finally, enriched microemulsions were prepared. The optimal formulation was determined based on the evaluation of several parameters, including the mean volume diameter of particles, polydispersity index, pH, viscosity, surface tension, and physical stability.

Soybean test weight in relation to genotype, environment, and genotype × environment interaction in the Southern United States

AbstractTest weight (TW) is a unit of bulk density that is influenced by several factors, including both genetics and environment. A subset of the trials in the Uniform Soybean Tests—Southern States was used to correlate seed composition traits of oil and protein percentages, and seed weight (SW) with TW to investigate the interaction of these traits in multi‐environments for four different maturity group (MG) tests. The results indicate that environment (location and year combination) had a larger impact on TW than genetic effect in all MG tests. This difference was greater in the earlier MGs, compared to MG VI and MG VII. In all tests across four MGs, the genotype interaction with environment effect was significant, but practically was not as important as genotype or environment effects. Significant negative correlations between TW and SW (MG V, VI, and VII tests), and TW and oil (MG V and VI tests) were observed but not consistent in all environments within these tests. TW and protein correlations were inconsistent with a negative relationship in MG V but a positive relationship in MG VII. As anticipated, the inconsistencies in the relationships across MGs for TW and seed composition traits suggest that selection strategies for improving TW will differ across soybean breeding programs. In the future, a similar study using a diverse panel of cultivars that do not change from year to year may shed more light on the influence of seed composition and environmental conditions on TW.

Factors regulating incubation temperature and thermal stress in hawksbills in St. Croix, USVI

The hawksbill sea turtle is listed as Critically Endangered under the IUCN Red List and has been slow to recover in the Caribbean due to historical exploitation and ongoing anthropogenic threats. In turtles, sex and reproductive success are determined by incubation temperatures, whereby lower temperatures produce male hatchlings and higher temperatures produce female hatchlings. As incubation temperatures increase due to climate change, nests are predicted to produce predominantly female hatchlings, threatening sex ratios, reproductive success, and species persistence. One of the largest remaining nesting hawksbill populations within the USA nests on Buck Island. This study aimed to (1) assess the factors driving incubation temperatures and (2) identify the relationship between hatch success and the proportion of time exposed to increasing incubation temperatures. Nest incubation temperatures, beach sector, habitat type, deposition month, percent soil composition, hatch success, and emergence success data were collected from 2019 to 2021. Differences in incubation temperatures across these factors confirmed that the absence of vegetative cover is increasing incubation temperatures on Buck Island, leading to reduced hatchling survival. Results from this study indicate that declines in hatch success may be driven by long-term exposure to temperatures that were previously considered in the literature to be non-lethal to embryos. These findings emphasize the continued need for conservation interventions to protect the future of hawksbills.

Coriander response to nitrogen fertilizer sources in different competing levels of weeds

The competition of weeds with crops and nutrient management has a significant effect on the yield and economic efficiency of a country. This study aimed to evaluate the impacts of sulfur-coated urea and common urea on the yield and fatty acid composition of three coriander genotypes (Nahavandi, Pishgam, Ethiopia) under weeded and unweeded conditions. Traits including 1000 seeds weight, fruit yield, content of oil, and composition of fatty acids were examined. Nitrogen fertilizer and weeding treatments significantly improved the weight of 1000 seeds and weeds decreased the yield of fruit. The highest fruit yield was obtained by the Ethiopia genotype in weed-free conditions. Results showed that N fertilizer increased the oil percentage of coriander fruit. Urea fertilizer resulted in the highest oil content in the Nahavandi and Pishgam genotypes under weeded plots in the first and second years, respectively. Also, petroselinic, linoleic, and palmitic acids were the major coriander fatty acid composition. Nahavandi genotype showed the highest palmitic acid. Also, urea in the weed condition led to increase the linoleic acid content in the Nahavandi genotype. Overall, results showed that N fertilizer, especially urea, improved the quality characteristics of coriander fruits.

Nose to brain delivery of mirtazapine via lipid nanocapsules: Preparation, statistical optimization, radiolabeling, in vivo biodistribution and pharmacokinetic study

Mirtazapine (MZPc) is an antidepressant drug which is approved by the FDA. It has low bioavailability, which is only 50%, in spite of its rapid absorption when orally administered owing to high first-pass metabolism. This study was oriented towards delivering intranasal (IN) mirtazapine by a direct route to the brain by means of preparing lipid nanocapsules (LNCs) as a targeted drug delivery system. MZP-LNCs were constructed by solvent-free phase inversion temperature technique applying D-Optimal mixture design to study the impact of 3 formulation variables on the characterization of the formulated nanocapsules. Independent variables were percentage of Labrafac oil, percentage of Solutol and percentage of water. Dependent variables were particle size, polydispersity index (PDI), Zeta potential and solubilization capacity. Nanocapsules of the optimized formula loaded with MZP were of spherical shape as confirmed by transmission electron microscopy with particle diameter of 20.59 nm, zeta potential of − 5.71, PDI of 0.223 and solubilization capacity of 7.21 mg/g. The in vivo pharmacokinetic behavior of intranasal MZP-LNCs in brain and blood was correlated to MZP solution after intravenous (IV) and intranasal administration in mice. In vivo biodistribution of the drug in mice was assessed by a radiolabeling technique using radioiodinated mirtazapine (131I-MZP). Results showed that intranasal MZP-LNCs were able to deliver higher amount of MZP to the brain with less drug levels in blood when compared to the MZP solution after IV and IN administration. Moreover, the percentage of drug targeting efficiency (%DTE) of the optimized MZP-LNCs was 332.2 which indicated more effective brain targeting by the intranasal route. It also had a direct transport percentage (%DTP) of 90.68 that revealed a paramount contribution of the nose to brain pathway in the drug delivery to the brain.Graphical

Effect of Aquifer Strength and Gas-cap Size on Oil Recovery Efficiency in Thin-Oil Rim

Recovering oil from thin oil rim reservoirs depends on some factors such as the gas-cap size, thickness of initial oil column, aquifer strength, permeability anisotropy (kV/kH), and rock and fluid properties. The arbitrary selection of these factors by researchers during investigation limits the systematic assessment of the influence of these factors on hydrocarbon recovery from thin oil rim reservoirs. This work investigated the effect of aquifer strength, gas cap size, and permeability anisotropy on hydrocarbon recovery, using design of experiment (DOE) as a tool in the systematic selection of some of the factors that influence hydrocarbon recovery. A static model of the base case oil rim was built in Petrel. Using Eclipse simulator, two other reservoir models having different gas cap sizes from the base case were built. Forty-eight simulation cases were generated using the result from the design of experiment (DOE). The aquifer model used is a Fetkovich analytical aquifer model, and the aquifer volume factors used for this investigation are 0.7, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.5, while the gas cap sizes (m-factor) used are 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0. The permeability anisotropy used are 0.01, 0.05, 0.10 and 0.40. Each simulation case was made to run for a period of twenty years (20years) and the results for the Field Oil Efficiency (FOE), Field Water Production Total (FWPT) and Field Gas Production Total (FGPT) were obtained and analyzed. It was found from this study that, the oil percentage recovery will increase as the gas cap size is decreased, while the percentage gas and water recoveries will increase as the size of the gas cap is increased for a thin oil rim reservoir. Again, for a thin oil rim reservoir with gas cap size of 0.50 ≤ m ≤ 2.00, percentage recovery of gas, oil and water will increase with aquifer volume. Also, based on the result obtained, a thin oil rim reservoir with small to moderate gas cap size (0.5≤ m≤1.0) will yield higher oil recoveries irrespective of the kV /kH ratio.

Genotypic influence in the juvenile to adult transition in olive seedlings.

Olive breeding is a long process and any improvement in shortening the juvenile phase is highly desirable. In the present study, the effect of olive tree parents in different agronomic characteristics have been evaluated during four years in 520 olive genotypes generated from three different crosses in three different experimental fields, all located in Andalusia region, Spain. The crosses evaluated are 'Arbosana' x 'Sikitita' and its reciprocal, whose parents are characterized by being early bearers; and 'Frantoio' free pollinated, whose mother variety is characterized by having a long unproductive period. We studied plant height, distance and time to the first flowering, plant vigor and percentage of olive oil in the fruits. The findings reveal that progeny from 'Arbosana' and 'Sikitita' crosses, irrespective of the direction of the cross, exhibited a lower distance to flower, early bearing, reduced vigor and a lower percentage of olive oil in fruit compared to 'Frantoio' seedlings obtained from free pollination. Furthermore, no discernible differences were observed in the evaluated characteristics when comparing reciprocal crosses across the three fields in the four-years assessment period. Therefore, these results highlight the significance of planting height in reducing the evaluation period required in an olive breeding program and support the hypothesis that there is no maternal effect in the inheritance of the evaluated agronomic characteristics in olive trees.

Mechanical upcycling of single-use face mask waste into high-performance composites: An ecofriendly approach with cost-benefit analysis

The COVID-19 pandemic created an unprecedented demand for PPE, with single-use face masks emerging as a critical tool in containing virus transmission. However, the extensive use and improper disposal of these single-use face masks, predominantly composed of non-biodegradable plastics, has exacerbated environmental challenges. This research presents an innovative method for mechanically upcycling PPEs used in medical sectors i.e. single use face masks. The study investigates a facile approach for reclamation of infection-free and pure polypropylene (PP) plastic from discarded single use face masks (W-PP) and blends it with various vegetable oil percentages (5, 10 and 20 %), resulting in a versatile material suitable for various applications. Melt flow index, rheological behaviour, DSC and FTIR were employed to investigate the effect of vegetable oil/radical initiator through chemical grafting on W-PP properties. The results demonstrate significant enhancements in the tensile strength and modulus of W-PP when blended with vegetable oil and a radical initiator. There was a marked increase in tensile strength (33 %) and strain (55 %) compared to untreated W-PP, rendering W-PP both robust and flexible. Furthermore, we employed this upcycled W-PP in the fabrication of glass fibre-reinforced composites, resulting in notable enhancements in both tensile strength and impact resistance. The upcycled W-PP demonstrates excellent potential for various applications, such as sheet forming and 3D printing, where the non-brittleness of plastics plays a pivotal role in manufacturing high-quality products. The cost-benefit analysis of this approach underscores the potential of upcycling PPE waste as a sustainable solution to mitigate plastic pollution and conserve valuable resources. The applications of this upcycled material span a wide range of industries, including automotive composites, packaging, and 3D printing.

Eco-toxicity assessment of fossil fuel tainted soil before phytoremediation trial

The research objective was to assess the extent of fossil fuel toxicity in the contaminated soil for an improved appraisal before phytoremediation trial and eco-safety of the soil. We used Bonny light fossil fuel to contaminate soil at different percentage levels of concentrations (5%, 3%, 1% and 0%). We assessed earthworm weight change and survival rate and plant response of Zea mays to the various treatments. Our results show that soil treated at concentration level of 5% had the highest earthworm mortality rate while the control soils had the highest earthworm survival rate. In addition, there was a noticeable change in the body weight of surviving earthworms in the 5% and 3% treated soil. Germination, shoot length and root length of the experimental plant was not totally inhibited in all the different concentrations. There was greater germination percentage obtained in 3%, 1% and 0% fossil fuel concentrations. The study verifies that high fossil fuel contamination percentage affects the biota of the soil by inhibiting plant germination and growth as well as reducing the survival and body mass of earthworms in the soil. The petroleum oil percentages utilized in this investigation can support phytoremediation trial and proposes that petroleum oil soil contamination ≤ 3% is ecologically safe for plants and animals’ survival as well as development.