Silk Cotton Research Articles

Investigating the Sound Absorption Properties of Silk Cotton and Other Sound-Absorbent Materials

This research investigates the acoustic properties of various materials to mitigate sound transmission and enhance acoustic environments, focusing on silk cotton, cotton wool, chipped foam, and open-cell polyurethane foam. The study evaluates these materials for sound absorption and reduction, considering sound frequency and material density. Materials were tested for their sound reduction and absorption coefficients, with silk cotton emerging as the most effective across a broad frequency spectrum, particularly below 200 Hz and above 1000 Hz. The research demonstrated that silk cotton, with its high porosity and fine fibre structure, achieved significant sound reduction even at low densities The findings align with theoretical predictions of resonance frequencies, showing a strong correlation (r2 = 0.9988 for the sound box and r2 = 0.9894 for the sound pipe). Sound intensity and sound pressure levels were measured using a sound level meter, and data analysis was conducted using graphing and calculating software. The researcher employed modified laboratory methods to account for loose materials and equipment limitations, validating the use of theoretical equations to estimate sound absorption and reduction properties The study provides some insights into using fibrous materials like silk cotton for noise reduction and acoustic enhancement. These findings have practical implications for improving sound quality in various environments, such as schools, studios, and public spaces, contributing to noise reduction strategies and enhancing auditory experiences.

Carbon-doped CuO nanoparticle-constructed single tube adsorbent for high efficient adsorption of Pb2+ at near room temperature

How to prepare adsorbents using economical, environmentally friendly and simple methods has become the focus of research. In this paper, silk cotton (SC) was used as a biomass template impregnated with copper nitrate solution and then calcined to prepare CuO-based adsorbent. Carbon-doped CuO (C/CuO-400) adsorbent was obtained under 400 °C air calcination calcination. It completely replicates the morphology of kapok and consists of uniformly smaller nanoparticles. The effects of different calcination temperatures, adsorption temperatures, adsorption times, adsorbent dosages and different concentrations on the adsorption of lead ions were investigated. The results showed that C/CuO-400 had a good adsorption effect on Pb2+, which was suitable for Pseudo second-order and Langmuir, and the maximum adsorption amount of Pb2+ was 588.24 mg/g with good Reusability. This environmentally friendly, economical and simple to operate biomass template prepared adsorbent of single tube C/CuO has good adsorption effect on lead ions, which is very meaningful and easy to promote the preparation of adsorbent.

A Case Study of Florivory: Rewards for Pollinators of Bombax ceiba (Linn.), In and Around Gondia District (Maharashtra) India

Bombax ceiba is a deciduous tree also known as Red Silk Cotton or Semal or Katesawar. In India it belongs to Bombacaceae (Baobab family). Identification can be easily made when it is in full bloom with most enchantingly beautiful huge blood red flowers in the month of March and April. B.

Sacred Pathway, Devotional Praxis: Actors, Aché, and Landscape at the Sanctuary of Regla, Cuba

The ferry from Havana to Regla, Cuba, transports visitors from today’s cruise ship docks across a brief stretch of water in about 20 min. Despite its brevity, this watery passage symbolically foregrounds the Marian devotion on the southern rim of the grand harbor. In this way, water conjoins African diasporic histories of enslavement, labor, survival, resistance, daily life, and religiosity within Havana Bay, into which two urban geographies project. Regla historically served as a municipality for dockworkers and shipwrights and became an enclave for identity creation, civil association, and religious worship for people of African descent. The church and sanctuary of Nuestra Señora de Regla (“Our Lady of Regla”) has nurtured this connection as it houses effigies of the venerated Virgin, adorned in blue. The Virgin of Regla represents one of two, along with El Cobre, of the most important Marian devotions on the island of Cuba and is the focus of insular and diasporic pilgrimage. In Regla, the Virgin’s nautical iconography decorates the sanctuary and historically connects her to the working populations who sustained this devotion as they serviced Havana Harbor with their labor. Adjacent to the church is a waterfront park that looks out on the water and the city of Havana beyond. Bordered on one side by a low wall, the park incorporates a large ceiba tree, ceiba pentandra, also known as the silk cotton or kapok tree, a tropical species with a large trunk and spreading tree canopy native to Mexico and Central America, the Caribbean, northern South America, and West Africa (with a similar variety found in South and Southeast Asia). This article considers landscape as a methodology for examining the interplay of this tree and the adjacent church as interwoven and mutually reinforcing sites of devotion for the worship of the Virgin Mary and the oricha Yemayá in Regla, Cuba, with a view toward a broader set of local and global spaces.

Extraction and Physicochemical and Thermomechanical Characterizations of Water Hyacinth Fibers Eichhornia crassipes

The presence of floating plants is becoming an uncontrollable issue on the banks of Douala, Cameroon, notably in the city of Bonaberi, where the water hyacinth is expanding incredibly quickly. The aim of this study is to evaluate the mechanical and physicochemical performance of water hyacinth fibers for pulp manufacture. To this end, tensile tests on fiber bundles in accordance with ISO 13934-1:2013, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), chemical composition evaluation in accordance with ASTM 1972 and 1977, and absorption rate were carried out. The results obtained indicate that the fiber is composed of a variety of fibrils with irregular cross-sections, with an average diameter ranging from 0.02 to 0.09 mm. The fibers absorb 42.03% of their weight in water, and their density ranges from 1.23 to 1.45 g/cm3. According to mechanical tests, the fiber has a maximum tensile strength of around 0.64 MPa, a specific modulus of 6.45 MPa/g/cm3, and an elongation at break of 1.8%. For the chemical characteristics of the fiber, cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin contents are 68.3%, 11.3%, and 7.4%, respectively, while pectin and ash content concentrations are 4.8% and 7.8%, respectively. Thus, in order to determine whether the plant is suitable for making pulp and paper, this investigation was conducted to examine its fiber properties. It was found that the water hyacinth fibers were superior to flax straw and jute fibers in all qualities, but not as good as silk cotton and bagasse fibers. Given the information above, water hyacinth has been recognized as a potential raw material for the pulp and paper industries, though.

CEPROTAN TRADITIONAL CEREMONY PROCESSION IN BATIK MOTIFS FOR CASUAL CLOTHES

Ceprotan traditional ceremonial procession, Sekar Village, Pacitan Regency is a tradition that contains many cultural, social, artistic and economic values. The final project of this work aims to describe ideas and create casual clothing by applying the ceprotan traditional ceremonial procession motif as the basic idea in creating works with an aesthetic approach. The scope of the Ceprotan traditional ceremonial procession gave rise to ideas to be developed into the creation of batik motifs. The process of creating works starts from the exploration stage, namely witnessing the procession of the Ceprotan traditional ceremony which is then poured into the design stage of batik motif designs on casual clothing . The last stage is the embodiment stage, in this process starting from making dress patterns, cutting, coloring cloth, pelorodan , producing, sewing to finishing. The technique used in the process of creating works is the dab and wipe technique. The materials and tools used are candles, canting, remasol, silk cotton fabrics, lurik fabrics, brocade fabrics and organza fabrics. The results of the work amounted to 5 clothes. Each work is titled according to the procession, namely work 1 entitled Balangan Cengkir, work 2 entitled Kirab Panjang Ilang, work 3 entitled Tabur Sekar, work 4 entitled Arak-arakan Jolen, and work 5 entitled Arak-arakan cengkir. This design resulted in an innovation to preserve the traditional Ceprotan ceremonial tradition and batik art in the fashion sector .

A novel carbon reducing natural composite phase change material for effective energy storage

The development of fatty acid made from natural composite materials Lac, Rosin, Flowers of silk cotton, Red ochre, Cinnabar, Beeswax, and Butter as a novel bio-based Natural Composite Phase Change Material (NCPCM) is the subject of the present study. This bio-based material was produced for the first time using natural, readily available, inexpensive, and eco-friendly with a peak phase transition temperature of 75 °C and 194 J/g as the latent heat capacity of fusion. Three distinct compositions, 2 %, 3 % and 5 % of NCPCM to the weight of the binder, were produced by the direct incorporation method into the natural hydraulic lime matrix. The newly developed NCPCM-incorporated lime mortar specimens were characterized based on their physical, mechanical, and thermal properties, and their results were compared with reference lime mortar (RLM). The compressive strength of NCPCM2 and NCPCM3 at 28 days increased by 22.64 % and 47.42 %, respectively. The produced NCPCM retains good thermal stability in its temperature operating range. The XRD findings showed that adding Lac and Rosin containing carboxylic acid esters of fatty acids increased the calcium carbonate formation. The produced FTIR validated the produced material's chemical stability, and SEM images demonstrated that the developed matrix's morphology successfully retains the added bio-additives. From an environmental perspective, the prepared NCPCM in lime mortar can reduce CO2 emissions by 296 kg·CO2/kg and 286 kg·CO2/kg. Furthermore, adding the produced NCPCM as bio-additives to lime mortar can explore the creation of sustainable mortar, which leads to environmental and economic benefits.

Effect of Silk Cotton Seed Blends on Engine Performance and Exhaust Emission for Compression Ignition Engine

Effect of Silk Cotton Seed Blends on Engine Performance and Exhaust Emission for Compression Ignition Engine

KREASI BURUNG BEO NIAS SEBAGAI MOTIF KEMEJA BATIK

The Nias parrot is an endangered species native to Nias, North Sumatra. The body of the Nias parrot is black, a little white on the wings, earlobes and legs are yellow. The distinctive features of the Nias parrot with other parrots are its larger body size and united earlobes. The concept of the creation of the Nias parrot is taken from the life of this animal, in the form of freedom to fly in nature because many Nias parrots are caught, this concept also tells about the activity of tree branches. The production process of this work uses a theoretical basis that includes form, function, motif, creation and colour. The process of producing this work goes through three stages which are the exploration stage which is finding sources of ideas through library sources or interviews, designing which is pouring ideas into alternative sketches which then become the chosen design, the embodiment stage which is the process. the embodiment of the work that has been designed, the technique used is the batik technique, with silk cotton fabric and using reactive dyes, after the batik process is completed, the material is sewn into men's clothes.

Therapeutic effects of Bombax ceiba flower aqueous extracts against loperamide-induced constipation in mice

Context Bombax ceiba Linnaeus (Bombacaceae) is known as silk cotton tree, the flowers of which are used in many medicinal applications. Objective To investigate the therapeutic effect of B. ceiba flower aqueous extracts (BCE) against loperamide-induced constipation and characterize the chemical composition of BCE. Materials and methods Sixty male Kunming mice were divided into control (saline), model (10 mg/kg loperamide + saline), phenolphthalein (10 mg/kg loperamide + 10 mg/kg phenolphthalein) and different dosage of BCE (10 mg/kg loperamide + 40, 80 and 160 mg/kg BCE, respectively) groups, and received intragastric administrations for eight days. Faecal water content, number of faeces, first black-stool defecation time and gastrointestinal transit rates were evaluated. Various biochemical and molecular biomarkers were assessed in blood and colon. UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS was used to tentatively identify the composition of the BCE. Results BCE treatment (160 mg/kg) could increase faecal water (15.75%), faeces number (11.65%), gastrointestinal transit rate (25.37%) and decrease first black-stool defecation time (24.04%). The BCE (80 mg/kg) increased the serum level of motilin (30.62%), gastrin (54.46%) and substance P (18.99%), and decreased somatostatin (19.47%). Additionally, the BCE (160 mg/kg) reduced the mucosal damage, restored colonic goblet cell function, down-regulated the protein expression of AQP3 (33.60%) and increased c-kit protein expression (11.63%). Twelve known compounds, including protocatechuic acid, chlorogenic acid and rutin, previously reported in B. ceiba, were identified in the BCE. Discussion and conclusions This study suggested that BCE is a promising agent for the treatment of constipation.

Witness

Witness S.M. Badawi (bio) We found God in a tree. A boy hungon silk cotton, hummed a tune about motherfuckers & lovely ladies: youthed mouthclamoring, expectant. I remember the climbafter him. How limbs shook as vines mappedtheir way up the trunk, fat leaves darkeningroots below. In the sway, the boy startedto chant. He didn’t know the words but he knewhow to say them, prayed away the diseaseof doubt. He pushed me & he kept on praying& God found him a shadow damnedto darkness. When I fell I found Godin my teeth. I gaped red up at the boy who etchedWitness onto the tree, the W sunk deepestin the wood. He later became a doctor, found Godagain stitching a girl’s lip, two stitches, the lengthof Adam’s first incision. First Do No Harmbut he had already harmed. Smudged his shadowonto the salty seam as if to anoint the sickwith his mercy. Sometimes mercy is enough& sometimes it isn’t. The opposite of mercyis cruelty. The doctor was commanded to saveso he tugged hard on the suture, signed Witnesson her chart to notarize the blood. Witnessto the wound. Witness to the tree. Witnessto the God who commanded, Bleed, & so we bled. [End Page 18] S.M. Badawi S.M. Badawi is an Arab American writer and teacher whose words appear in Hayden’s Ferry Review, Diode, Orange Blossom Review, and elsewhere. Her work has been nominated multiple times for Best of the Net and the Pushcart Prize. Find her on twitter @smbadawi. Copyright © 2022 University of Wisconsin Board of Regents

Topeng Surakarta Sebagai Sumber Ide Penciptaan Motif Batik Pada Busana Casual Wanita

The main idea behind the creation of this artworks is inspired by the visual form of the Surakarta masks. This concept was chosen because the Surakarta masks has a variety of shapes, colors, functions, and characters that are different and interesting for the source of ideas for the creation of batik motif, such as the masks of Panji Inu Kertapati, Dewi Sekartaji, Klana Sewandana, Gunungsari, and Jaya Kartolo. This final project aims to create women's casual outfit by applying the Surakarta masks as the basic idea in creating the artworks. The Surakarta mask's scope gives rise to ideas to be developed into the creation of written batik motif. The process of creating works starts from the exploration stage, which is observing the shape of the Surakarta masks and then pouring it into the design stage of an alternative design to be selected as a batik motif to be applied to casual outfit. The last stage is the embodiment stage, in this process starting from making a dress pattern, painting on a patterned fabric for casual cloth, batik, painting dyeing, sewing and finishing. The coloring technique used in the creation process is the technique dabbing using remasol dyes. The materials and tools used were wax, canting, remasol, waterglass, silk cotton, and satin fabric bridal. As the result of my final project, there are 5 women's casual outfits, each named according to the characters of the Surakarta mask. The first artworks entitled Lelanange Jagad (Handsome Man), the second entitled Kirana (Moonlight), the third entitled Ahengkara (Roam), the fourth entitled Sajjana (Immortal), and the last artworks entitled Warada (Strong). This design results an innovation to preserve Surakarta mask art culture and also the traditional art of batik in the fashion sector.

STUDY OF THE PROPERTIES OF SURFACE-ACTIVE SUBSTANCES DETERMINING THE EFFICIENCY OF DYING AND RINSING OF TEXTILE MATERIALS

The article studies the most important properties of surfactants – foaming and wetting ability, stability in a highly alkaline environment, surface activity. Spectrophotometric method showed the intensifying effect of environmentally friendly surfactants Glucopon 2015 and Carboxypav on the process of colouring natural textile materials with dichlorotriazine, vinyl sulfone and bifunctional dyes. The effect of surfactants of various structures on the state of the active dye in solution and the technical results of colouring cellulose and cotton silk fabrics has been evaluated. A synergistic effect of the solubilising action of surfactants – nonionic alkyl polyglycosides (Glucopon 215) and anionic carboxylates (Carboxypav) on active dyes was revealed.

Polyphenol Content, Antioxidant, Cytotoxic, and Genotoxic Activities of Bombax ceiba Flowers in Liver Cancer Cells Huh7.

Objective: Bombax ceiba (red Silk cotton tree) has great ethnopharmacological significance due to its widespread use to treat various diseases such as dysentery, inflammation, and tuberculosis. Despite decades of research, the studies on the in vitro anticancer/genotoxic activity of B. ceiba flower remains restricted. Thus, the present research explored the effect of ethanol extract from B. ceiba flowers on three human cancer cells, including lung A549 and liver HepG2 and Huh7 cell lines. Methods:Cytotoxic and genotoxic activity of B. ceiba extract was examined by MTT and comet assay, respectively. Further, B. ceiba extract was analysed to determine total polyphenol content and DPPH antiradical scavenging activity. Results:ethanol extract from B. ceiba flowers had a high polyphenols content with very potent antioxidant activity. Further, B. ceiba extract displayed moderate cytotoxicity against Huh7 cells and no cytotoxicity against HepG2 and A549 cells. The comet assay findings showed that Huh7 cells treated with four concentrations of B. ceiba extract (¼ IC50, ½ IC50, IC50, and double IC50) increased the comet tail formation within 48 h in a concentration-dependent manner. Conclusion:ethanol extract from B. ceiba flowers exhibited its cytotoxicity through induction of DNA fragmentation in Huh7 cells.

Comparison of Survival of Healthcare Associated Bacteria on Materials used for Making White Coat

Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) are of global concern in this present era and white coats play an important role in the transmission of HAIs. The most common healthcare-associated bacteria are Enterococcus species, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumanni, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterobacter species (ESKAPE bugs). These healthcare-associated bacteria are capable of surviving on white coats which could act as fomites in the transmission of HAIs. The purpose of this study was to compare the duration of survival of healthcare-associated bacteria on different materials used for making white coats. Materials like pure cotton, artificial cotton, cotton silk, spun and crepe were cut into swatches of 1cm2 size and sterilized by autoclaving. Five different bacteria isolated from clinical specimens were grown on 5 % sheep blood agar and bacterial suspensions were made in sterile physiological saline. The swatches were immersed in bacterial suspension and kept in petri plates at 25°C. The viable counts of bacteria were determined at definite time intervals by surface plate method. The present study shows that among the healthcare-associated bacteria, S.aureus survived the maximum up to 52 days. The duration of survival of S.aureus was significantly longer than P.aeruginosa and A.baumannii (p <0.05). A.baumannii survived only up to 20 days maximum. All the healthcare-associated bacteria significantly survived for the shortest duration of time on crepe. Therefore, crepe could be a better material used for making white coats.

Elephant grass cv. BRS capiaçu silage with inclusion of different proportions of silk cotton

The objective was to evaluate the qualitative and nutritional aspects of elephant grass cv. BRS capiaçu silage with increasing proportions of silk cotton. A completely randomized design was used with five (0, 15, 30, 45, and 60% on natural matter basis) different inclusion proportions of silk cotton to elephant grass silage and four repetitions. Silages were prepared in PVC minisilos and remained ensiled for 42 days. The inclusion of silk cotton resulted in a linear reduction in dry matter (DM), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), cellulose, and indigestible neutral detergent fiber (iNDF) contents at 0.06, 0.30, 0.23, 0.20, and 0.09 percentage points for each 1% inclusion, respectively. There was an increasing linear effect of crude protein (CP) and total digestible nutrients (TDN), with an increase of 39.32 and 20.89% from the lowest to the highest inclusion of silk cotton to elephant grass cv. BRS capiaçu silage. Values of pH, gas losses (GL), effluent losses (EL), dry matter recovery (DMR), hemicellulose, and lignin were not influenced by the evaluated inclusion levels, showing estimated averages of 3.87, 1, 42%, 11.55kg t-1 natural matter, 97.36%, 19.30%, and 7.20%, respectively. An increasing linear effect was found for fraction a, c, effective degradability (ED) (2% and 5%) dry matter, with an increment of 0.05, 0.0005, and 0.11 percent points, respectively. There was a quadratic effect for fraction b, potential degradability (PD), ED (2%), with minimum points of 23.72%, 50.52%, (at 45% inclusion level) 39.69%, (at 15% inclusion level) respectively. The indigestible fraction (IF) had a quadratic effect with a maximum of 49.48% at the 45% inclusion level. The colonization time (CT) linearly reduced by 0.09 percentage points for each 1% inclusion evaluated. According to the parameters evaluated, the inclusion of up to 60% silk cotton improved nutritional aspects and nutritional value of elephant grass cv. BRS capiaçu silage.

The fast nucleation/growth of Co3O4 nanowires on cotton silk: the facile development of a potentiometric uric acid biosensor.

In this study, we have used cotton silk as a source of abundant hydroxyl groups for the fast nucleation/growth of cobalt oxide (Co3O4) nanowires via a hydrothermal method. The crystal planes of the Co3O4 nanowires well matched the cubic phase. The as-synthesized Co3O4 nanowires mainly contained cobalt and oxygen elements and were found to be highly sensitive towards uric acid in 0.01 M phosphate buffer solution at pH 7.4. Importantly, the Co3O4 nanowires exhibited a large surface area, which was heavily utilized during the immobilization of the enzyme uricase via a physical adsorption method. The potentiometric response of the uricase-immobilizing Co3O4 nanowires was measured in the presence of uric acid (UA) against a silver/silver chloride (Ag/AgCl) reference electrode. The newly fabricated uric acid biosensor possessed a low limit of detection of 1.0 ± 0.2 nM with a wide linear range of 5 nM to 10 mM and sensitivity of 30.6 mV dec−1. Additionally, several related parameters of the developed uric acid biosensor were investigated, such as the repeatability, reproducibility, storage stability, selectivity, and dynamic response time, and these were found to be satisfactory. The good performance of the Co3O4 nanowires was verified based on the fast charge-transfer kinetics, as confirmed via electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The successful practical use of the uric acid biosensor was demonstrated based on the recovery method. The observed performance of the uricase-immobilizing Co3O4 nanowires revealed that they could be considered as a promising and alternative tool for the detection of uric acid under both in vitro and in vivo conditions. Also, the use of cotton silk as a source of abundant hydroxyl groups may be considered for the remarkably fast nucleation/growth of other metal-oxide nanostructures, thereby facilitating the fabrication of functional electrochemical devices, such as batteries, water-splitting devices, and supercapacitors.

Assesment of Nurtritional Analysis of Bombax Buonopozense Found in Adamawa and Taraba States, Nigeria (Red Flowered Silk Cotton Tree)

Bonbax Buonoponzense popularly known as red flower cotton silk tree found in Adamawa and Taraba was used for the study. The population of the study comprised of 120 respondent 60 each from the two-study area, this was based on the availability of the red flower cotton tree found in the study area. The study adopted an experimental designed with an oral interview. The material used was the red cotton flower which was picked, dried, and grounded to obtained a powder which was used for the proximate analysis at the department of biochemistry, University of Jos. For the purpose of determining its nutritional content, the nutritional components of the plant (leaves) was determined using proximate analytical procedures. The analysis unraveled the presence of six nutrients which comprises of the following: moisture content, crude fibre, crude lipids, crude protein, NFE, and ash. Nitrogen free extracts consisting of carbohydrates, sugars and starches was found to be the highest with 18.48 followed by crude fibre with 5%, crude lipids having 3.8%. crude protein with 2.8% The least of them all was found to be moisture with a value of 2%. It was concluded that, Carbohydrates hydrolyzed the body to yield glucose, Proteins as body builders, they replace worn out tissues, and proteins are also immune booster and can help in cell division as well as growth, Fats which are important in energy production and help to regulate blood pressure of vital cell parts, and fibres which are parts of fruits and vegetable. It could be deduced therefore that Bombax buonopozense leaves could be of great health benefit if well harnessed.

Nest description, nest survival, and habitat use of three resident hummingbird species in western Mexico

Nesting is a particularly sensitive period during which birds are highly vulnerable to predation, parasitism, and other natural events resulting in high mortality rates. Some factors can increase nesting success, such as habitat selection. In general, only female hummingbirds build nests, incubate eggs, and provide nestling care until chicks can feed independently. The purpose of our study was to describe nests (shape, size, and construction materials), nest survival, and habitat use of 3 resident hummingbirds in western Mexico: Cinnamon Hummingbird (Amazilia rutila), Golden-crowned Emerald (Cynanthus auriceps; a Mexican endemic), and Broad-billed Hummingbird (C. latirostris). In all 3 species, the nest is an open cup built with plant material and bound together with spider web. All 3 species used the same materials (silk cotton, wood, and grass) for nest construction. However, Cinnamon Hummingbird was the only one that used lichens at its outer surface, whereas Broad-billed Hummingbird used only seeds. We did not find interspecific differences among the materials used and their quantities. A low nest survival (26%) can be explained by the high rate of predation but also by the occurrence of natural events such as hurricanes. All 3 species showed preference for nesting in semi-deciduous forests but chose different nest placement sites that differed in (1) nest height, (2) the height of trees or shrubs where nests were built, and (3) the diameter of the supporting branch within a shrub or tree. Other factors, such as distance to the nearest stream, and distance to nesting-branch tip or trunk, did not differ among species.

Carotenoid Assessments and Antioxidant Activities from Flower Petals

The objectives of this study were to evaluate carotenoid pigment profile and the antioxidant activity from 14 commonly grown flowers in Thailand. The result found that orange marigold showed the highest total carotenoid content at as 2,209±75.58 µg/g, followed by deep yellow chrysanthemum at 551.27±47.72 µg/g (P<0.01). The next lower total carotenoid content group was found in yellow silk cotton, yellow trumpetbush, yellow marigold and yellow golden shower with total carotenoid content of 447.42±27.56, 429.46±28.34, 409.85±34.58 and 363.88±12.74 µg/g, respectively. The highest antioxidant activities against DPPH and ABTS radicles were found from orange marigold, which were 32.34±2.16 and 50.08±0.87%, respectively. Deep yellow chrysanthemum, yellow silk cotton, yellow trumpetbush, yellow marigold and yellow golden shower also showed significantly higher antioxidant activities than other flowers (P<0.01). Total carotenoid contents well correlated with antioxidant activities against DPPH and ABTS radicals (r = 0.6924 and r = 0.8270, respectively) at P<0.01. TLC result elucidated that orange marigold, yellow silk cotton and yellow golden shower were a good source of β-carotene, while deep yellow chrysanthemum and yellow marigold were a good source of lutein and/or zeaxanthin. The result indicated that flower petals would be useful as natural carotenoid source and provide antioxidants for food industry.