Pigment Components Research Articles

PERFORMANCE OF TELFAIRIA OCCIDENTALIS LEAF GROWN IN UREA HYDROPONIC SOLUTION

The study evaluated the performances of Telfairia occidentalis Hooker fil. under varying growth media subject to the amount of Urea granules (25 g, 50 g, 75 g, 100 g, 125 g and 150 g) dissolved in water containing micronutrients. The growth media were M25U, M50U, M75U, M100U, M125U, M150U, and Control. Two-week old seedlings of T. occidentalis raised using River-sand were transferred into the non-circulatory growth media. The growth indices (vine main length (VML), number of leaves (NL), stem girth (SG), petiole length (PL), internode (LI), leaf area (LA), and total leaf area (TLA)) of T. occidentalis were measured weekly. The root length (RL), root fresh weight (RFW), root dry weight (RDW) and pigment components were determined 5 weeks after planting following standard procedures. Across the growth media studied, the Control medium had the highest VML, NL, LA, TLA, PL and pigment composition of T. occidentalis. However, among the Urea growth media, M25U medium produced relatively the highest VML, NL, TLA, total chlorophyll, and RFW of T. occidentalis while M50U medium had the highest LA, RL and RDW. Also, T. occidentalis leaves grown in the Control medium had the highest chlorophyll content (33.22 mg/g), followed by M25U medium (22.88 mg/g) and was significantly different from the other growth media.M100U medium effectively enhanced carotenoids content (6.49 mg/g) of T. occidentalis compared to others. The study showed that the mineral composition of the growth media enhanced the performance of T. occidentalis. Hence, M25U growth media are recommended for growing T. occidentalis.

Preparation, physicochemical and application evaluation of raspberry anthocyanin and curcumin based on chitosan/starch/gelatin film

Raspberry anthocyanin (RA) from Rubus idaeus L. (Rosaceae) and curcumin (Cur) from Curcuma longa L. (Zingiberaceae) can effectively improve the physicochemical properties of composite films, and as bioactive pigment components, they can impart pH-responsive properties to the film. In this study, RA and Cur were added to chitosan/starch/gelatin composite film (CSG) to prepare CSG-RA, CSG-Cur, CSG-RA/Cur82 and CSG-RA/Cur73 color films by solution casting method. The color films could change color under different pH conditions and had higher antioxidant activities using ABTS (2,2′-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)) assay. The results from fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy showed that RA and Cur were well dispersed in the CSG matrix and improved the structure of the composite films. The hydrophobic Cur increased the tensile strength from 6 Mpa (CSG) to 14 Mpa (CSG-Cur), but reduced the elongation at break from 55 % (CSG) to 40 % (CSG-Cur). These color films had a good fresh-keeping effect and freshness monitoring, in particular, CSG-RA/Cur73, had the better opacity, water solubility, thickness, moisture content and water vapor permeability than the other films. Briefly, binary pigment films had the potential to become a pH-sensitive indicator/packing film.

Increased Water-Soluble Yellow Monascus Pigment Productivity via Dual Mutagenesis and Submerged Repeated-Batch Fermentation of Monascus purpureus.

Monascus pigments (MPs) have been used in the food industry for more than 2,000 years and are known for their safety, bold coloring, and physiological activity. MPs are mainly yellow (YMPs), orange (OMPs), and red (RMPs). In this study, a mutant strain Monascus purpureus H14 with high production of water-soluble YMPs (WSYMPs, λmax at 370 nm) was generated instead of primary YMPs (λmax at 420 nm), OMPs (λmax at 470 nm), and RMPs (λmax at 510 nm) produced by the parent strain M. purpureus LQ-6 through dual mutagenesis of atmospheric and room-temperature plasma and heavy ion beam irradiation (HIBI), producing 22.68 U/ml extracellular YMPs and 10.67 U/ml intracellular YMPs. WSYMP production was increased by 289.51% in optimal conditions after response surface methodology was applied in submerged fermentation. Application of combined immobilized fermentation and extractive fermentation improved productivity to 16.89 U/ml/day, 6.70 times greater than with conservative submerged fermentation. The produced WSYMPs exhibited good tone stability to environmental factors, but their pigment values were unstable to pH, light, and high concentrations of Ca2+, Zn2+, Fe2+, Cu2+, and Mg2+. Furtherly, the produced exYMPs were identified as two yellow monascus pigment components (monascusone B and C21H27NO7S) by UHPLC-ESI-MS. This strategy may be extended to industrial production of premium WSYMPs using Monascus.

Evaluation of coloration, nitrite residue and antioxidant capacity of theaflavins, tea polyphenols in cured sausage

This study evaluated the effects of theaflavins (TFs), tea polyphenols (TP) and vitamin C (VC) on the nitrite residue amount, color, antioxidant capacity and N-nitrosamines inhibition in cured sausage. The addition of TFs, TP and VC combined with NaNO2 respectively could significantly increase the a* value, nitroso pigment content and DPPH free radical scavenging rate, and effectively reduced the content of residual nitrite, metmyoglobin (MetMb) and total N-nitrosamines in cured sausages than treated only with NaNO2 (P < 0.05), of which TFs group was the most significant (P < 0.05). It was indicated that the addition of TFs, TP could better inhibit the oxidation of cured sausages. UV–vis spectroscopy also showed pentacoordinate nitrosyl ferrohemochrome was the main pigment component in the samples. The results demonstrated that TFs and TP could contribute to the desired color and safety of sausage.

Analysis of microstructural characteristics and components of red and yellow ink pigments used in permanent makeup

Our purpose in this study is to analyze the microstructural characteristics and constituent elements of inorganic substances added to the yellow ink and red ink pigments used in permanent makeup. We observed the microstructural properties of inorganic pigments added to the ink using a scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and analyzed the constituent elements of the inorganic pigment particles using an energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). In red wine-colored ink, cubic titanium dioxide with a diameter of 110 to 200 nm was the major component, and rod-shaped iron oxide was rarely observed. Most of the ingredients of taupe yellow ink were rod-shaped yellow iron oxide, and a small amount of cubic titanium dioxide was observed. Red wine-colored ink and taupe yellow ink contained lumps composed of titanium dioxide particles. In red wine-colored ink, lumps were formed by agglomeration. However, we observed that the surface of the lump composed of titanium dioxide in the taupe yellow ink had a smooth surface caused by external physical compression. The titanium dioxide particle mass which found in taupe yellow ink in this study is an artificial product. When this mass accumulates in the dermis, it may cause a color mismatch. Therefore, permanent makeup using fine pigments should be free of foreign substances that may cause trouble in the skin. In addition, there is a need to improve the quality of the ink so that the required color can be safe and long lasting in the dermis.

Fabrication of a Human Skin Mockup with a Multilayered Concentration Map of Pigment Components Using a UV Printer.

In this paper, we propose a pipeline that reproduces human skin mockups using a UV printer by obtaining the spatial concentration map of pigments from an RGB image of human skin. The pigment concentration distributions were obtained by a separating method of skin pigment components with independent component analysis from the skin image. This method can extract the concentration of melanin and hemoglobin components, which are the main pigments that make up skin tone. Based on this concentration, we developed a procedure to reproduce a skin mockup with a multi-layered structure that is determined by mapping the absorbance of melanin and hemoglobin to CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) subtractive color mixing. In our proposed method, the multi-layered structure with different pigments in each layer contributes greatly to the accurate reproduction of skin tones. We use a UV printer because the printer is capable of layered fabrication by using UV-curable inks. As the result, subjective evaluation showed that the artificial skin reproduced by our method has a more skin-like appearance than that produced using conventional printing.

Cloning, characterization and expression prolife analysis ofldlr: Insight into purple shell formation inCyclina sinensis

The clam Cyclina sinensis is an economically important marine bivalve, and the diversity of its shell colour has potential applications in breeding. In this study, the distribution of purple pigments in the clam shell was examined, and Raman spectroscopy was conducted. The levels of total carotenoids and four common carotenoids in various tissues were also determined and analysed. Furthermore, the full-length cDNA of a low-density lipoprotein receptor gene (ldlr) was cloned and characterized, and the tissue distribution of ldlr gene expression was analysed. The results showed that purple pigments existed mainly in the nacre layer of the shell from the purple-shell clam, in which strong Raman peaks for carotenoids were observed, suggesting that carotenoids might be the main components of purple pigments in the purple shell. The TCC and the levels of four common carotenoids were higher in the outer margin of the mantle and shell of purple-shell clams than in those of white-shell clams, and the ldlr mRNA was highly expressed in the outer margin of the mantle in purple-shell clams. Taken together, our results suggest a possible molecular mechanism governing the selective transport of carotenoids in the mantle of purple-shell clams and shell colour formation. The results of this study will help to elucidate the colour formation mechanism in clam shells.

The role of the endolithic alga Ostreobium spp. during coral bleaching recovery

In this study, we explore how the Caribbean coral Orbicella faveolata recovers after bleaching, using fragments from 13 coral colonies exposed to heat stress (32 °C) for ten days. Biological parameters and coral optical properties were monitored during and after the stress. Increases in both, the excitation pressure over photosystem II (Qm) and pigment specific absorption (a*Chla) were observed in the stressed corals, associated with reductions in light absorption at the chlorophyll a red peak (De675) and symbiont population density. All coral fragments exposed to heat stress bleached but a fraction of the stressed corals recovered after removing the stress, as indicated by the reductions in Qm and increases in De675 and the symbiont population observed. This subsample of the experimentally bleached corals also showed blooms of the endolithic algae Ostreobium spp. underneath the tissue. Using a numerical model, we quantified the amount of incident light reflected by the coral, and absorbed by the different pigmented components: symbionts, host-tissue and Ostreobium spp. Our study supports the key contribution of Ostreobium spp. blooms near the skeletal surface, to coral recovery after bleaching by reducing skeleton reflectance. Endolithic blooms can thus significantly alleviate the high light stress that affects the remaining symbionts during the stress or when the coral has achieved the bleached phenotype.

The inheritance of betalain pigmentation in Basella alba L.

Basella alba is an underutilized leafy vegetable native to the Indian subcontinent. The therapeutic function associated with the consumption of this vegetable is well known, such as androgenic, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity. The plant's fruit and stem are blessed with natural betalain pigments. In the recent years, researchers have developed an increasing interest in the use of betalains as a natural food colorants. In this study, we report the natural variation between the B. alba genotypes for betalain pigmentation and examined its inheritance. To study its inheritance, a cross was made between two contrasting genotypes viz., ‘VRB–48–1′ (Basella alba var. alba) having green stem with snow-white flowers, and ‘VRB–43–1′ (Basella alba var. rubra) producing pigmented stem with red-violet flowers. The parental line ‘VRB–48–1′ had extremely low amounts of betalain pigments (4.26 mg/100 g FW) in the mature fruits, while the genotype ‘VRB–43–1′ had high betalain content (156.42 mg/100 g FW). Pigmented and non-pigmented (green) plants, obtained from crossing of these parental lines segregated in 3:1 in the F2 generation. Our results have shown that the single dominant gene governed purple pigmentation in B. alba. Further, we did not find any recombinant i.e. green plants with red-violet flower or pigmented plants with white flowers/intermediate shades suggesting role of major gene in controlling this trait. This simple inheritance will help in incorporation of this trait in mainstream breeding programme along with green yield. It was also evident from the results that the basal level of the betalain pigment component is always synthesized in the plants, beginning from start of life cycle to maturity. This is the first report of betalain pigment inheritance in B. alba.

Revealing the synergistic effects of cells, pigments, and light spectra on light transfer during microalgae growth: A comprehensive light attenuation model

As the sole energy for photosynthesis, light decrease rapidly with path due to absorption by pigments and scattering by cells in microalgal suspensions. By comprehensively considering cell concentrations, pigment components, and light spectra, a modified Cornet model for light transmission in microalgal suspensions is established. The developed model better fits experimental data with a higher adjusted R2, which is 5% higher than the model that is based only on cell concentration. The attenuation of blue light is the most severe, followed by red and green light. Among the three main pigments, total carotenoids contribute the most to the absorption of blue and green light (with contribution coefficients of 89.26 ± 4.53% and 46.04 ± 3.77%, respectively), and chlorophyll a contributes the most to the absorption of red light (with a contribution coefficient of 75.33 ± 5.08%). This study provides a better understanding and prediction of light transmission during microalgal cultivation.

New insight into the pigment composition and molecular mechanism of flower coloration in tulip (Tulipa gesneriana L.) cultivars with various petal colors

Pigmentation of various components leads to different colors in tulip flowers. To understand the molecular basis of the petal coloration in tulip, integrative analyses of the pigment components and transcriptome profiles were conducted on four tulip cultivars with different petal colors. A total of four major anthocyanins and 46 carotenoids were identified. The anthocyanin cyanidin 3-O-galactoside showed markedly higher abundances in the B cultivar than in the other varieties, and among the 46 kinds of carotenoids, (E/Z)-phytoene, violaxanthin myristate and violaxanthin palmitate were the major components. The RNA-seq and qRT-PCR results indicated that the pigment accumulation was linked to the expression of genes involved in the anthocyanin and carotenoid biosynthesis pathways. Yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) assays showed the interaction between different regulator factors in tulip MYB-bHLH-WD40 (MBW) complexes. Co-expression analyses of genes were performed, which include anthocyanin and carotenoid biosynthesis genes and transcription factors involved in MYB, bHLH, WRKY, AUX-IAA and MADS-box. The co-expression network and related analysis provide a basis for the discovery of color regulatory factors. Taken together, our study sheds light on the anthocyanin and carotenoid synthesis pathways and candidate regulatory transcription factors underlying flower coloration and shows the potential of flower breeding or pigments engineering in tulips.

Composition analysis of white mineral pigment based on convolutional neural network and Raman spectrum

AbstractExploiting portable Raman equipment to analyze the composition of mineral pigments has the advantages of convenience and speed. However, this method is more susceptible to ambient light, so it is necessary to develop an effective Raman spectrum identification method. Several studies have recently employed machine learning algorithms to automatically identify the Raman spectra of pigments and have revealed appealing results. Hence, in this paper, we propose a deep convolutional neural network that exploits portable Raman equipment to identify the components of white mineral pigments. Compared with classic methods, our technique achieved a higher matching rate of up to 98.7%. The experimental results show that the proposed method can analyze the composition of white mineral pigments in a real‐time, nondestructive, and accurate manner without requiring pretreatment of the spectra. We believe that our proposed method will be an essential tool for the detection of pigment components in archeological sites.

Growth of &amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Telfairia occidentalis&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt; Leaf Grown in NPK 20-10-10 Hydroponic Solution

Optimization of nutrient conditions and growth of Telfairia occidentalis Hooker fil in a hydroponic system was the focus of this study. The study evaluated the growth of T. occidentalis under varying growth media subject to the amount of NPK 20-10-10 granules (25 g, 50 g, 75 g, 100 g, 125 g, and 150 g, respectively) dissolved in water containing micronutrients. The growth media were M25NPK, M50NPK, M75NPK, M100NPK, M125NPK, M150NPK, and Control. Two-week-old seedlings of T. occidentalis raised using River-sand were transferred into the growth media; in four replicates. The growth indices [vine main length (VML), number of leaves (NL), stem girth (SG), petiole length (PL), internode (LI), leaf area (LA), and total leaf area (TLA)] of T. occidentalis were measured weekly. The root length (RL), root fresh weight (RFW), root dry weight (RDW), and pigment components were determined 5 weeks after planting (WAP) following standard procedures. The results recorded indicated that the average pH value (6.74) and sulphate content (0.047 ppm) of the growth media increased while the electrical conductivity (94.443 μS) reduced after 28 days. The proportion of the minerals varied in the hydroponic solutions. Across the growth media, the Control medium had the highest VML, NL, LA, TLA, PL, and pigment composition of T. occidentalis. However, among the NPK growth media, the M25NPK medium effectively enhanced VML, NL, LA, TLA, carotenoid content, RL, RFW, and RDW. The study showed that the mineral composition of the growth media enhanced the growth of T. occidentalis. Hence, M25NPK growth media are recommended for growing T. occidentalis.

Morphological Feature and Physicochemical Characteristics of Soils under &amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Festuca&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt; spp. Dominant Steppe at High Mountain and Mountain of Khuvsgul, Mongolia

The morphology, physicochemical, humic substances and micromorphological characteristics of four soil profiles of the steppe dominant by Festuca lenensis (F. lenensis) at the high mountain and mountain of Khuvsgul, Mongolia were studied. Soils were classified as Regosols and Leptosols at high mountain steppe, Leptosols and Cambisols at mountain steppe. On a high mountain, the plant root distribution, OC, N and moisture contents were high due to its high precipitation and low temperature. The soils show immature characteristics with low available nutrients, weakly developed crumb structure, many semi- and undecomposed plant residues, and few little organic pigments with few excrements. The humic acids with immature to degraded characteristics indicate that the climatic condition of high mountains inhibits the soil decomposition process. Due to extremely different landform positions, there a sharp difference was observed between studied soils on high mountain steppe. On the summit with a flat position, the soil of TSO1 showed finer soil texture with higher CEC, exchangeable Mg2+ and humification degree of SOM compared with the soil of TSO2, which located on the steep slope. This confirms that the abrupt changes in landform on high mountain strongly affect the properties of topsoil. On the mountain steppe, the soil contains higher exchangeable Na+, exchangeable K+ and water soluble at topsoil; however, the plant root distribution, OC, N and moisture contents were lower than that of high mountain soil. Because of warmer air and soil temperature in comparison with that of high elevation, active turnover in humic horizon and chemical weathering process lead to higher available nutrients in mountain steppe. The degraded to well humified characteristics of humic acid, moderately developed crumb structure, a higher component of little organic pigment and many intact excrements indicate that the soil decomposition process and biological activity were higher than that of the high mountain steppe. Our finding suggests that the climatic condition dependent on altitude and landform position at the high mountain and mountain of Khuvsgul had a large impact and played a key role in the soil properties and characteristics of steppe dominant by F. lenensis.

Contribution of opsins and chromophores to cone pigment variation across populations of Lake Victoria cichlids.

Adaptation to heterogeneous sensory environments has been implicated as a key parameter in speciation. Cichlid fish are a textbook example of divergent visual adaptation, mediated by variation in the sequences and expression levels of cone opsin genes (encoding the protein component of visual pigments). In some vertebrates including fish, visual sensitivity is also tuned by the ratio of vitamin A1/A2–derived chromophores (i.e., the light‐sensitive component of the visual pigment bound to the opsin protein), where higher proportions of A2 cause a more red‐shifted wavelength absorbance. This study explores the variation in chromophore ratios across multiple cichlid populations in Lake Victoria, using as a proxy the expression of the gene Cyp27c1, which has been shown to regulate the conversion of vitamin A1 into vitamin A2 in several vertebrates. This study focuses on sympatric Pundamilia cichlids, where species with blue or red male coloration co‐occur at multiple islands but occupy different depths and consequently different visual habitats. In the red species, we found higher cyp27c1 expression in populations from turbid waters than from clear waters, but there was no such pattern in the blue species. Across populations, differences between the sympatric species in cyp27c1 expression had a consistent relationship with species differences in opsin expression patterns, but the red/blue identity reversed between clear and turbid waters. To assess the contribution of heritable vs. environmental causes of variation, we tested whether light manipulations induce a change in cyp27c1 expression in the laboratory. We found that cyp27c1 expression was not influenced by experimental light conditions, suggesting that the observed variation in the wild is due to genetic differences. Nonetheless, compared to other cichlid species, cyp27c1 is expressed at very low levels in Pundamilia, suggesting that it may not be relevant for visual adaptation in this species. Conclusively, establishing the biological importance of this variation requires testing of actual A1/A2 ratios in the eye, as well as its consequences for visual performance.

Study on Scientific Analysis about Red Pigment And Binder - The Korean Ancient Red Pottery -

From the collection of the National Kimhae Museum, qualitative analyses using microscopic observation, SEM-EDS, Raman spectroscopy, FT-IR-ATR spectroscopy, and GC-MS were conducted on three burnished red potteries—Jeoksaekmaoyeonwa burnished red pottery (Neolithic age red pottery), Dandomaoyeonwan burnished red pottery(Bronze age red pottery) and Jeoksaekmaoyeongajimun burnished red pottery(Bronze age red pottery)—to investigate the components of the red pigments and the binder. After the layers of the primer were separated from the red surface, crystals of red pigment particles and minerals were found on the red surface. Through SEM-EDS, Raman estimates that the red pigment is Among soil pigments with iron oxide(Fe&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt;) as the main color development source, Red Ocher(Fe&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt;). A band characteristic of the Urushiol polymer was detected in the FTIR-ATRspectra(4000∼600cm-1), GC-MS analysis confirmed the presence of the benzenemethanol-2-prophenyl, 4-heptylphenol, 1-tetracecanol, heptafluorobutyric texidecane, all of which are the ingredients of the directional structure of the lacquer present in the red layer. Therefore, it seemed that the three burnished red pottery: Jeoksaekmaoyeonwan pottery(Neolithic age burnished red pottery), Dandomaoyeonwan pottery(bronze age burnished red pottery) and the Jeoksaekmaoyeongajimun pottery(bronze age burnished red pottery) made by mixing minerals and Red Ocher(Fe&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt;), with lacquer.

Utilization of low-cost agricultural by-product rice husk for Monascus pigments production via submerged batch-fermentation.

Monascus pigments (MPs) produced by the genus Monascus, have been utilized for more than 2000 years in the food industry. In the present study, by submerged batch-fermentation (SBF), we were able to obtain a mutant strain with a high tolerance of inhibitory compounds generated from rice husk hydrolysate, allowing the production of MPs. The mutant strain, M. Purpureus M523 with high rice husk hydrolysate tolerance was obtained using the atmospheric and room temperature plasma (ARTP) screening system, producing 39.48 U mL-1 extracellular total MPs (yellow and orange MPs), using non-detoxified rice husk diluted sulfuric acid hydrolysate (RHSAH) as the carbon source in SBF. Extracellular MPs (exMPs) production was enhanced to 72.1 and 80.7U mL-1 in supplemented SBF (SSBF) and immobilized fermentation (IF) using non-detoxified RHSAH, with productivities of 0.16 and 0.37U mL-1 h-1 , respectively. In addition, our findings revealed that despite having a high RHSAH tolerance, the mutant strain was unable to degrade phenolic compounds. Furthermore, we discovered that inhibitory compounds, including furfural (Fur) and 5'-hydroxymethyl furfural (5'-HMF), not only inhibit MP biosynthesis, but also regulate the conversion of pigment components. The low-cost agricultural by-product, rice husk, can serve as an efficient substitute for MP production with high productivity via IF by Monascus spp. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Study on changes in pigment composition during the blooming period of safflower based on plant metabolomics and semi-quantitative analysis.

Red and yellow pigments are the major ingredients of safflower, often used to color food and cosmetics. Carthamin was the main component of red pigment and hydroxysafflor yellow A and anhydrosafflower yellow B were representative components of yellow pigment. Plant metabolomics and semi-quantitative analysis were used to analyze the changes of pigment composition during the blooming period, especially these characteristic components. Carthamin, hydroxysafflor yellow A, anhydrosafflower yellow B, and other components were screened out as differential metabolites based on plant metabolomics. Then semi-quantitative analysis was used to quantify these three representative components of pigments. Experimental results showed that the content of pigments has dynamic changes along with flowering, in the early blooming period, yellow pigment accumulated much and red pigment was low in content. In the middle period, the accumulation rate of the yellow pigment slowed down and content was stabilized. In the next step, the content of yellow pigments gradually decreased, and the content of red pigments gradually increased. Later, the level of yellow pigment decreased significantly, and the accumulation rate of red pigment increased significantly. Last, the appearance color of safflower was red, with yellow parts barely visible, and accumulation of red pigment was the highest and of the yellow pigment was the lowest in content.

Physiological role of osmoregulators proline and glycinebetaine in increasing salinity tolerance of chickpea

A pot experiment was performed at greenhouse, National Research Centre, Egypt, during winter seasons 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 to investigate the physiological role of two osmoregulators proline (5 mM and 10 mM) and glycinebetaine (10 mM and 20 mM) in alleviating the deleterious effect of salinity (3000 mg/l NaCl) on quality and quantity of chickpea plant (Sakha 4 cultivar). Salinity stress significantly decreased plant dry weight at vegetative stage, all components of photosynthetic pigments, seed yield accompanied by significant increases in osmo-protectant (proline and soluble carbohydrates) in dry leaves as well as phenolic content and antioxidant activity in the yielded seeds. Regarding proline and glycinebetaine effects, results indicated that all applied treatments caused significant increases in most of the investigated parameters of chickpea plants irrigated with either tap water or saline solution relative to corresponding control. It is worthy to mention that proline treatments were more effective than glycinebetaine treatments in increasing salinity tolerance of chickpea plants that reflected in its quality and quantity. Moreover, proline treatment at 5mM was the most pronounced treatment in alleviating the deleterious effect of salinity on chickpea plants.

Identification of Red Pigments Produced by Cheese-Ripening Bacterial Strains of Glutamicibacter arilaitensis Using HPLC

Glutamicibacter arilaitensis is one of the predominant bacterial species involved in the coloration of cheese rinds, especially smear-ripened cheeses. Besides well-known yellow-pigmented carotenoids, this species exhibits an ability to produce red pigments, as the occurrence of pink/red formation was previously found when co-cultured with a fungal strain. In this work, the red pigments synthesized by G. arilaitensis strains grown on cheese-based (curd) solid medium deacidified using Debaryomyces hansenii were identified. The analyses using HPLC equipped with both fluorescence and diode array detectors were performed to characterize the pigments extracted from a dry matter of the medium inoculated with either G. arilaitensis Re117, Po102, or Stp101. Based on the UV–vis absorption spectra, the elution order, and fluorescent property, compared to those of the porphyrin standards, eight metal-free porphyrins, including UPI, UPIII, 7PI, 6PI, 5PI, CPI, CPIII, and MPIX, were indicated as components of the red pigments produced by these G. arilaitensis strains. However, following the chromatographic profiles, the degree of porphyrins formed by each strain was apparently different. Regardless of precise quantitative measurement, the type strains Re117 and Po102 manifested a potential to produce a high amount of CPIII, whereas MPIX was formed by the strains Po102 and Stp101, but exceptionally high by the strain Stp101. The variation in both yield and form of the red pigments synthesized by the cheese-related bacterial G. arilaitensis has not previously been reported; therefore, our results provide the first information on these aspects.