Solvents Petroleum Ether Research Articles

Hypoglycemic, Hypolipidemic and Antibacterial Activity of Ficus racemosa Fruit Extract

Background: Ficus racemosa, popularly known as the fig or cluster fig, is a traditional plant in the Moraceae family with various ethnomedical uses. However, the information of medicinal values of Bangladeshi grown Ficus racemosa fruit extracts using different solvent systems is still lacking in the literature. Therefore, the present study was carried out to enrich the information of the medicinal property of Ficus racemosa fruit extract in terms of hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic and antibacterial activity. Methods: Methanol, ethanol, chloroform, n-hexane and petroleum ether solvents were used to obtain five different types of mature Ficus racemosa fruit extract by Soxhlet extraction process. Antibacterial activity of each extract was determined by disc diffusion method whereas ethanol extract was tested to evaluate its hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic activity by using alloxan-induced diabetic mice model. Results: At the end of 21 days of treatment, ethanol extract decreased the blood glucose level of diabetic mice by approximately 41% and 50% at doses 100 and 200 mg/kg body weight, respectively, whereas at the same doses total cholesterol levels were decreased by approximately 16% and 17%, LDL reduced by 28% and 29%, HDL increased by 41% and 67% compared to the diabetic control group. The levels of SGPT, SGOT and CRP were also significantly (P<0.05 to P<0.001) reduced by administration of same doses of ethanol extract. At a concentration of 600 µg/disc, strong antibacterial activity was displayed by methanol, ethanol and petroleum ether extract against most of the tested bacteria with the zone of inhibition of 13 to 17 mm. Conclusion: The present study revealed strong anti-diabetic and antibacterial activity of the fig extract and therefore suggested that this fruit may play a potential role in the treatment of diabetes mellitus and various bacterial infections.

Phytochemical Screening and In vitro Cytotoxicity Studies of Mussaenda frondosa Linn Leaves

Mussaenda frondosa Linn of family Rubiaceae commonly known as ‘Vellilathali’ is one of the traditionally used plant in India. It has been used in folk medicine in the treatment of various conditions like bacterial infection, inflammation, ulcer, hepatoprotection etc. In the present study based on the traditional use, the leaves of the plant material were subjected to preliminary standardization and then successive extraction with solvents petroleum ether, chloroform and methanol respectively. The phytochemical screening of the extracts were done and the further studies were done by isolating the total flavanoids and phenolic compounds from the methanolic extract of the plant by using high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC). The methanolic extract and isolated flavanoid and phenolic fraction of Mussaenda frondosa leaves were tested for in vitro anticancer activity on HepG2 cell line by MTT assay method and the methanolic extract and isolated flavonoid fraction showed better activity against HepG2 cell line.

Bioassay-Guided Isolation and Evaluation of Antiproliferative Effects of (Z)-Ethylidene-4, 6-Dimethoxycoumaran-3-One from Pogostemon Quadrifolius (Benth.)

The aim of the study was to isolate and identify the major cytotoxic principle from plant leaves of Pogostemon quadrifolius (Benth.) and evaluate its antiproliferative potential against human cancer cells. Plant leaves were extracted sequentially with a soxhlet apparatus, using petroleum ether, chloroform and methanol solvents. Petroleum ether and chloroform extracts exhibited antiproliferative properties against Caco-2, HeLa, THP-1, MCF-7 and Jurkat E6-1cancer cell lines tested, but methanol extracts failed to exhibit such activity. The major antiproliferative principle from petroleum ether and chloroform extracts was isolated with the help of bioassay guided column chromatography. This cytotoxic compound was further analysed by UV, TLC, HPLC, LC-MS, GC-MS and NMR analyses and was identified to be novel: (Z)-ethylidene-4,6-dimethoxycoumaran-3-one (Compound 1). The half-maximal inhibitory concentrations for proliferation (IC50) exhibited by compound 1 were 19.4, 23.1, 22.1, 35.9 and 8.32 µM against Caco-2, HeLa, THP-1, MCF-7 and Jurkat E6-1 cancer cell lines, respectively. Further experiments revealed that compound 1 triggered the apoptosis mode of cell death in cancer cell lines. Thus, the present study allowed isolation and identification of a novel cytotoxic natural compound, (Z)-ethylidene-4,6-dimethoxycoumaran-3-one, from plant leaves of P. quadrifolius (Benth.). Our pre-clinical study also indicated that compound 1 is particularly active in the acute T cell leukemia cell line (Jurkat E6-1) with potential for application as a chemotherapeutic agent in the future.

Antibacterial Activity Test, Evaluation of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemical Screening of Some Extracts of Globe Amaranth (Gomphrena globosa)

Indonesia is a rich biodiversity country where various medicinal plants are existed. One species of medicinal plants is Globe Amaranth ( Gomphrena globosa , Amaranthaceae) . This species is native to Central America and has been widely spread to the tropics. To date the species can be easily found at the home gardens as an ornamental plant. Medicinal plants has been used for generations by traditional people. It was empirically proven that medicinal plants have ability to cure certain diseases such as dysentery. All parts of this plant can be used as medicine. However, only the flower of the species was used in this study. Objective of the study was to identify the highest antimicrobial activity of Gomphrene globosa flower extract using ethanol, petroleum ether, ethyl acetate and n-butanol solvents. Gomphrena globosa flower was extracted using 96% ethanol and then was by partitied using petroleum ether, ethyl acetate and n -buthanol respectively. The extracts were then evaporated using a rotapavor until condensed extract was obtained. Phytochemical screening was done on both of the flower powder and extract. Result of Pharmacognosy evaluation of the Globe Amaranth flower as follows: water content 8.17%, total ash content 9.11%, acid-insoluble ash 1.50%, acid-soluble ash 6.43%, water-soluble extract 10.79%, ethanol-soluble extract 3.51% and dry content 10.19%. The condensed extracts were tested for antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Shigella dysenteriae . Result of antibacterial activity test by agar diffusion method showed that the higner concentration of the extract led to higher bacterial inhibition zone. The highest antimicrobial activity was obtained from n -butanol extract as indicated by a significant inhibition zone around paper disk

Evaluation of antimicrobial activity of different solvent extracts of Lawsonia inermis L. leaf against human pathogens

The development of drug resistance of pathogens, as well as the appearance of undesirable side effects of certain antibiotics has necessitated the search for new therapeutic agents from natural sources. Keeping this in view, the antimicrobial effect of Lawsonia inermis L. (Lythraceae) leaf extracts were examined using petroleum ether, methanol, and aqueous solvents and tested against 10 human pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus circulans, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi, Salmonella paratyphi, Streptococcus mitis, Proteus vulgaris and 6 fungi such as Aspergillus niger, Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, Candida krusei, Fusarium oxysporum and Trychophyton mentagrophytes. Agar well diffusion method was adopted to test the susceptibility of the test microorganisms to the plant extracts while minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined using serial dilution of extracts. Petroleum ether extract of L. inermis leaf showed the highest antibacterial activity (zone of inhibition diameter in mm) against Salmonella typhi (40.11±0.01) followed by Salmonella paratyphi (26.03±0.06), Proteus vulgaris (19.03±0.06) and Staphylococcus aureus (14.13±0.0). Methanol extract of L. inermis leaf showed significantly higher activity against Streptococcus mitis, followed by Bacillus circulans, Proteus vulgaris (zone of inhibition diameter in mm was found to be 25.07±0.06, 23.03±0.05 and 22.07±0.06, respectively), but aqueous extract of L. inermis had higher inhibitory activity against the Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonas aeruginosa (26.06±0.05 and 19.06±0.05 mm zone of inhibition) than the rest of bacteria. Both methanol and petroleum ether leaf extract of L. inermis showed higher inhibitory activity against Candida krusei, Fusarium oxysporum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes (zone of inhibition diameter in mm was found to be 36.1±0.01, 36.07±0.06, 26.14±0.02, (M) and 35.06±0.03,31.08±0.02,24.08±0.02 (P), respectively) than Candida albicans and Candida tropicalis. Aqueous extract of L. inermis showed the inhibitory activity against Candida tropicalis, Candida krusei, Fusarium oxysporum, Trychophyton mentagrophytes (zone of inhibition diameter in mm was found to be 23.1±0.01, 23.07±0.06, 21.06±0.05, and 19.07±0.06, respectively) and least was found for Candida albicans, while the Aspergillus niger did not respond to any extract. Antibiotics such as Ampicillin, Ciprofloxacin, Streptomycin and Tetracycline used for bacteria and antifungals like Fluconazole, Terbinafine, Itraconazole, Chloramphenicol (0.5 mg/ml) were used as positive controls and compared with the plant extracts tested. Minimum inhibitory concentration was observed within the range from 6.25-50 mg/ml against all microbes. The results of the present study indicated that Lawsonia inermis L. leaf extracts can suitably be exploited for developing new antibiotics (herbal antibiotics) to overcome the increasing bacterial and fungal resistance to synthetic drugs.

GC-MS法分析沙蒿籽中挥发油与种子油的化学组成

本研究以沙蒿籽为原料，采用水中蒸馏法得到沙蒿籽挥发油，分别采用石油醚溶剂萃取和超临界二氧化碳萃取的方法，得到沙蒿籽种子油，并应用气质联用法(GC-MS)分析其化学组成。实验结果表明：沙蒿籽挥发性成分多为烯烃类或烯醇类化合物，其中含量最高的为β-罗勒烯以及它的同分异构体(相对含量为25.34%)；其次是β-没药烯(相对含量为10.318%)；D-柠檬烯含量也较高(相对含量为5.293%)。CO2超临界流体萃取所得沙蒿种子油中含有70.246%的亚油酸，13.433%的油酸和8.150%的棕榈酸。 In this study, the seed of Artemisia desterorum Spreng as the raw material, the volatile oil was extracted by water distillation, and the seed oil was extracted by petroleum ether solvent extraction and carbon dioxide supercritical fluid extraction, respectively. The chemical composition of volatile oil and seed oil was analyzed by GC-MS. The results showed that the volatile composition main consisted of olefins and enol, including β-basilene and its isomers (RA% = 25.34%), β-myrrhene (RA% = 10.318%), D-limonene (RA% = 5.293%). The chemical composition of seed oil extracted by CO2 supercritical fluid extraction was mainly linoleic acid (RA% = 70.246%), oleic acid (RA% = 13.433%) and palmitic acid (RA% = 8.150%).

Comparative Studies on in- vitro Phytochemicals Analysis and Larvicidal Efficacy of Medicinal Plant Extracts against Culex quinquefasciatus

Comparative Studies on in- vitro Phytochemicals Analysis and Larvicidal Efficacy of Medicinal Plant Extracts against Culex quinquefasciatus

Screening of Potential Free Radicals Scavenger and Antibacterial Activities of Purwoceng (Pimpinella alpina Molk).

Purwoceng (Pimpinella alpina Molk) is a traditional medicinal plant used for its aphrodisiac values. This plant was originated Dieng Plateu, Central Java, Indonesia. Purwoceng has been reported to contain steroid, flavonoids, glycoside, saponins, tannins, and phenolic. Based on secondary metabolite compounds of Purwoceng herbs, a research need to be done to determine the other potential free radicals scavenger and antibacterial activities of Purwoceng. The objectives of this research are to screen the potential free radicals scavenger activity of in vitro using DPPH (1,1 diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazil) radicals and NO• (nitric oxide) radicals, and antibacterial activity of Purwoceng. The extraction is done by a maceration method with petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, and ethanol solvent, respectively. Free radicals scavenger test was performed using DPPH radicals and NO• radicals, while antibacterial activity screening was performed using agar diffusion test. The results showed that ethyl acetate extract of Purwoceng has free radical scavenger activity with IC50 53.07 ppm lower than butylated hydroxytoluene. Ethyl acetate extract and ethanol extract of Purwoceng have antibacterial activity against Staphyloccus aureus, Escherichia coli, and MG42 bacterial isolate.

PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS, IN VITRO ANTIOXIDANT POTENTIAL AND GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY-MASS SPECTROMETRY STUDIES OF DICRANOPTERIS LINEARIS

&lt;p&gt;ABSTRACT&lt;br /&gt;Objective: The aim of the study was to analyze qualitative and quantitative phytochemicals, evaluate in vitro antioxidant properties and determine the&lt;br /&gt;bioactive compounds in extracts of Dicranopteris linearis (Burm.f.) Underw. collected from Western Ghats of Kanyakumari district.&lt;br /&gt;Methods: The qualitative, quantitative phytochemical, and in vitro antioxidant analysis were performed using standard procedures. The bioactive&lt;br /&gt;compounds were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) instrument.&lt;br /&gt;Results: The qualitative phytochemical analysis studied in aqueous, acetone, chloroform, ethanol, and petroleum ether solvent extract showed acetone&lt;br /&gt;had strong positivity to express the 12 phytoconstituents studied except anthocyanin when compared to other solvent extracts. The quantitative&lt;br /&gt;phytochemistry revealed considerable amount of terpenoids (97.0±1.15 mg/g), tannins (30.8±0.44 mg tannic acid equivalents/gram), phenols&lt;br /&gt;(28.6±0.33 mg gallic acid equivalents/gram), and flavonoids (8.50±0.29 mg quercetin equivalent/g) in decreasing order of concentrations. The in&lt;br /&gt;vitro antioxidant activity of aqueous, ethanol, acetone, chloroform, and petroleum ether suggested that the extract of DL has prominent antioxidant&lt;br /&gt;prospective against various free radicals such as 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl while butylated hydroxy toluene being the standard antioxidant used.&lt;br /&gt;The GC-MS analysis displayed the presence of 11 bioactive compounds each belonging to various categories of phytochemicals such as terpenoids,&lt;br /&gt;flavonoids, phenols, and fatty acid derivatives.&lt;br /&gt;Conclusion: The results indicate that D. linearis (Burm.f.) Underw. present in the Western Ghats of Kanyakumari is an effective scavenger of free&lt;br /&gt;radicals and has the potential to be used as a natural antioxidant which is attributed to the rich presence of secondary metabolites.&lt;br /&gt;Keywords: Dicranopteris linearis (Burm.f.) Underw., Phytochemistry, Antioxidant activity, Gas chromatography-mass Spectrometry.&lt;/p&gt;

Screening for Neuraminidase Inhibitory Activity in Traditional Chinese Medicines Used to Treat Influenza.

Objective: To screen for influenza virus neuraminidase inhibition and to provide a reference for the clinical treatment of influenza using traditional Chinese medicines (TCM). In this study, 421 crude extracts (solubilized with petroleum ether, ethanol, ethyl acetate, and aqueous solvents) were obtained from 113 TCM. The medicine extracts were then reacted with oseltamivir, using 2’-(4-methylumbelliferyl)-α-D-N-acetylneuraminic acid (MUNANA) as the substrate, to determine influenza virus neuraminidase activity using a standard fluorimetric assay. It was found that Chinese medicine extracts from Pyrola calliantha, Cynanchum wilfordii, Balanophora involucrata and Paeonia delavayi significantly inhibited neuraminidase activity at a concentration of 40 μg/mL. Dose-dependent inhibitory assays also revealed significant inhibition. The IC50 range of the TCM extracts for influenza virus neuraminidase was approximately 12.66–34.85 μg/mL, respectively. Some Chinese medicines have clear anti-influenza viral effects that may play an important role in the treatment of influenza through the inhibition of viral neuraminidase. The results of this study demonstrated that plant medicines can serve as a useful source of neuraminidase (NA) inhibitors and further investigation into the pharmacologic activities of these extracts is warranted.

Macro-Microscopic evaluation, Physicochemical analysis and HPTLC Finger printing of Curculigo orchioides Gaertn. Rhizome

Introduction: Curculigo orchioides Gaertn. Family Hypoxydaceae (Amaryllidaceae) is a perennial herb with finger like rhizome. Its rhizomes have been significantly used in treatment of various ailments including cancer. Methods: Macro-microscopic analyses, physico-chemical studies and HPTLC finger printing of rhizomes of C. orchioides were performed according to pharmacopoeial procedures. Results: Microscopic analysis has shown rows of rectangular and conical cells in cork, thin walled cortex, parenchymatous cells, starch grains, crystal of calcium oxalate, mucilage cell and spiral xylem vessel in the rhizomes of C. orchioides. Physicochemical studies revealed loss on drying (10.469%), total ash (8.463%), acid insoluble ash (1.10%), water-soluble ash (2.163%), alcohol soluble extractive value (3.036%), and water-soluble extractive value (22.666%) of the raw drug. Ethanol extract of the plant were fingerprinted in petroleum ether and ethyl acetate (7.0:3.0) solvent system and scanned densitometrically after dipping in anisaldehyde-sulphuric acid reagent followed by heating at 105°C. Conclusion: These specific identities will be useful in identification and authentication of the raw drug in dried form.

Chemical and biological evaluation of Andrographis echioides leaf extracts collected from the Vellore district in Tamil Nadu, India

The chemical and biological activities of crude extracts of Andrographis echioides leaves using petroleum (pet) ether, ethyl acetate, methanol and aqueous solvents were assayed.The total phenol, flavonoid, protein and carbohydrate contents of A. echioides crude extracts were evaluated. The antioxidant activities of the leaf extracts were determined by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH), hydrogen peroxide, metal chelating, reducing power and total antioxidant activity assays. In addition, the crude extracts were screened for antibacterial activity (gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria) by disc diffusion method and the minimum inhibitory concentration was determined.Of the crude extracts tested, the pet ether extract of A. echioides contained more total phenols (0.01955 ± 0.0012 mg/g), flavonoids (1.2889 ± 0.3606 mg/g) and proteins (1.6065 ± 0.160 mg/mL). The aqueous extract of A. echioides was enriched for carbohydrate (467.6 ± 0.003 mg/mL). The methanol extract of A. echioides exhibited potent antioxidant activity IC50 values (1.14 ± 0.06 to 1.15 ± 0.45 μg/mL), as well as antibacterial activity (16 ± 1.527 mm), than the aqueous extract of A. echioides (20 ± 1.527 mm).A. echioides has great potential as a source of anti-cancer compounds due to its high antioxidant content and antibacterial activity.

UJI ANTIOKSIDAN EKSTRAK PIGMEN KAROTENOID DAN SITRULIN PADA KULIT BUAH BLEWAH (Cucumis melo L.) SECARA IN VITRO (METODE DPPH)

Antioxidants stabilize free radicals with a complete the lack of electrons from free radicals and inhibiting the chain reaction of free radical formation. The purpose this research is to determine the amount of the antioxidant potential of the cantaloupe skin extracts and the effect of different test result of pigment carotene and citrulline in skin cantaloupe extracts to the extraction stage. Cantaloupe skin with drying and without drying treatment is gradually extracted using three solvents (petroleum ether-acetone-water). The highest antioxidant activity shown by extracts water without drying treatment (667.30 mg / L), which was significantly different (P <0.05) with acetone and petroleum ether (996.65 and 2368.26 mg / L). Treatment with drying only on petroleum ether extract (1607.28 mg / L), which provides activity compared with acetone and water (2871.54 and 2290.75 mg / L). However, cantaloupe skin extract antioxidant activity was lower compared with β-carotene and vitamin C. Treatment without drying also give the highest pigments carotenoid shown by extracts aceton (β-caroten 11,32 mg/L, lycopene 0,29 mg/100g) and level of citrulline in water extracts (29,91 mg/L). The difference of effect in simplisia treatment and solvent on the activity of antioxidants and pigments carotenoid levels were significantly different (P <0.05), whereas the levels of citrulline in the simplisia treatment was not significantly different for solvent acetone and significantly different (P <0.05) for solvent petroleum ether and water.

Evaluation of anti-fungal activity of selected medicinal plant seed extracts of India

In the present study aqueous, acetone, petroleum ether and chloroform solvents extracts of 6 selected plant seeds (Acacia catechu, Sida cordifolia, Momordica fotida, Albiziz procera, Mesua ferrea and Lantana camare ) are screened for their anti-fungal potential against 4 important fungal species(Candida albicans, Cryptococcus luteotus, Aspergillus niger and Mucor heimalis). Among the six plant seed extracts tested, petroleum ether and acetone extracts showed highest to moderate levels of anti-fungal activity when compared to standard anti-fungal drugs (fluconazole(1mg/ml) and Amphotericin B (150 Units/disc).). The chloroform extracts of Albizia procera seed extract failed to inhibit the growth of Candida and Cryptococcus species. Among the solvent extracts tested, petroleum ether recorded highest significant anti-fungal activity when compared to aqueous, chloroform and acetone extracts.

Calculation of solubility of N-ethylcarbazole in ethanol+petroleum ether mixtures at various temperatures

Published solubility data for N-ethylcarbazole dissolved in binary (ethanol+petroleum ether) solvent mixtures has been reanalyzed by using the combined nearly ideal binary solvent/Redlich-Kister (CNIBS/R-K) and Jouyban- Acree models. The CIBS/R-K model was found to describe the observed solubility data to within an overall absolute mean deviation of 1.7%. Slightly larger mean deviations of approximately 6.6% were noted for the Jouyban-Acree model. Mathematical expressions are derived for predicting the solubility N-ethylcarbazole dissolved in binary (ethanol+petroleum ether) solvent mixtures as a function of both temperature and binary solvent composition.

Relationship between Oil Uptake and Moisture Loss during Deep Fat Frying of Deboned Chicken Breast Meat

The relationship between moisture loss and oil uptake at different combination of Frying Oil Temperatures (FOT) and time during deep-fat frying of chicken meat was investigated in this study. Chicken meat samples were diced and fried at different FOT (170°C, 180°C, and 190°C) in an industrial fryer for periods varying from 5 to 900 s. Fat analysis was accomplished in a soxhlet extraction apparatus with petroleum ether solvent. Prior to fat analysis samples were freeze dried and the moisture analysis was based on the standard AOAC standard method. The results show that a cook value of 415 s was found to give the most ideal sensory characteristics. The relationship between moisture loss and oil uptake during the initial phase of frying (°C and 190°C, respectively, and the rate (1.35 g/s) at FOT 170°C was significantly (P < 0.05) lower.

Comparison of Phytochemicals and Anti-Nutritional Factors in Some Selected Wild and Edible Bean in Nigeria

This work aims at analyzing the bioactive and anti-nutritional compounds of edible and wild beans when unprocessed and malted. Qualitative screening of phytochemicals in the various bean samples was determined in ethanol and petroleum ether solvents. Results of the anti-nutritional compositions of unprocessed wild bean extracted with petroleum ether showed there were no traces of saponin and polyphenol, in Feregede and also in edible bean-IT07K-243-1-10 which also had no traces of saponin and tannin. After malting, saponin was totally absent in Pakala, Mucuna, IT97k-499-35, IT07k-243-1-10, and IT04k-333-2 respectively. Polyphenol was also found to be absent in IT07k-243-1-10. Mucuna has the highest phytic acid level (7.8867 ± 0.011) while Feregede has the lowest phytic acid level (2.9810 ± 0.004). Otili has the highest anti-trypsin level (12.001 ± 0.0013). This study showed varying levels of anti-nutrients on the respective bean samples when unprocessed but decreased marginally after malting. It was keenly noted that values derived, either before and after malting were not significantly different (P ≤ 0.05) from each other. In all, this study had further shown that malting process enhanced removal of anti-nutrients which invariably would lead to availability of nutrient for animal and human consumption.

Shrinkage and Density Change of De-Boned Chicken Breast during Deep-Fat Frying

The effects of frying oil temperature (FOT) and time on densities and shrinkage in chicken breast meat during deep-fat frying were investigated. De-boned Chicken breast samples were diced and fried at different FOT (170℃, 180℃, and 190℃) in an industrial fryer for periods varying from 5 to 900 s. Bulk and apparent densities were determined with a fluid displacement pycnometer, and fat analysis was conducted using soxhlet extraction with petroleum ether solvent. The physical structure of chicken meat changed significantly with the frying time and FOT (P 3 in the raw product and decreased to 0.98, 0.95, and 0.93 g/cm3 after 900 s of deep-frying at 170℃, 180℃ and 190℃, respectively. Similarly, apparent density changed from 1.13 to 1.25, 1.24 and 1.22 g/cm3 and moisture loss was linearly correlated with both densities. Volumetric shrinkage was significantly (P < 0.05) affected by the process variables and hence a linear correlation also existed with moisture loss. The rates of shrinkage were 0.013, 0.001, and 0.008/s and occurred rapidly during the first 90s of FOT (170℃, 180℃, and 190℃), respectively and decreased as frying time increased.

Screening of antibacterial activity in vitro of Cyclamen hederifolium tubers extracts

This study was conducted to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of four extracts of Cyclamen hederifolium tubers plant belonging to the Primulaceae (Myrisinaceae) family collected from the coastal surrounding, Lattakia, Syria. Many efforts have been made to discover new antimicrobial compounds from a variety of sources such as micro-organisms, animals and plants. One such source is folk medicine. Systematic screening of them may result in the discovery of novel effective compounds. These extracts were prepared with increasing polarity solvents: petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol solvents by steeping extraction method. The antimicrobial activity of the extracts was then assessed using the disk diffusion method against gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus), and gram-negative (Escherichia coli) bacteria. The methanolic extracts of Cyclamen Hederifolium tubers have shown greater antimicrobial activities than the other extracts against tested bacteria, followed by ethyl acetate and chloroform extracts. The activity was compared with potent broad spectrum antibiotics such as Imepinem.

Larvicidal efficacy of some indigenous plant extracts against epilachna beetle, epilachna vigintioctopunctata (FAB.) (coleoptera: coccinellidae)

The study was carried out to assess the larvicidal efficacies of some indigenous plant seed extracts against epilachna beetle, Epilachna vigintioctopunctata in the laboratory of the Department of Entomology, HSTU, Dinajpur, Bangladesh. Petroleum ether and methanol solvent extracts of ata (Annona squamosa), neem (Azadirachta indica), dhutura (Datura metel) and castor (Ricinus communis) seeds were evaluated for their larvicidal properties against the larval stage of E. vigintioctopunctata. The result revealed that all the tested plant extracts had more or less insecticidal effect against the larvae and their progeny. Among the plant extracts, ata seed extract in methanol solvent performed the highest toxicity (LD50 value 0.031 mg/insect) in larval stage after 72 hours exposure time. The effects of the extracts on fecundity, fertility and F1 adult emergence of the epilachna beetle at doses 4.0, 2.0 and 1.0 ml/l of water including untreated control were also evaluated. The result indicated that, among the extracts, ata seed extract at maximum dose (4.0 ml/l water) showed the highest efficacy with the inhibition of total eggs (74.1%), viable eggs (80.4%) and number of emergent adult progeny (87.3%). The result also revealed that the number of eggs, number of viable eggs and F1 progeny production decreased with the increase of doses. All the treated doses effectively reduced the epilachna beetle as compared to untreated control.Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 40(3): 451-463, September 2015