Total Reducing Sugars Research Articles

Effect of storage temperature on quality parameters of liquid organic fertilizer prepared from Mexican sunflower (Tithonia diversifolia)

Objectives: To determine the effect of storage temperature on physical-chemical properties of tithonia liquid organic fertilizer. To determine the effect of storage temperature on microbial population in tithonia liquid organic fertilizer. To evaluate the effect of tithonia liquid organic fertilizer on kales crop. Problem Statement: Tithonia diversifolia has been used as green manure in soil fertilization and improvement of crop performance. Attempts have been made to extracts tithonia liquid organic fertilizer (LOF) to ease storage and transport. However, not much was known about quality parameters of liquid organic fertilizer (LOF) during storage. This study established the effect of storage temperature on the quality parameters of LOF from Tithonia diversifolia. Methodology: Tithonia LOF was prepared by fermenting 2 kg of tithonia leaves in 20litres of water for 2 weeks to maintain leaf water ratio of 1:10. The fermented extract was filtered using a clean cloth and transferred into 36 one litre specimen jars. Eighteen of the specimen jars were placed in the refrigerator at temperature of 00 C to 50 C while another batch of 18 in the specimen cabinet at room temperature at 230C. Specific laboratory analysis procedures were used to determine the nutritional chemical content of the sampled LOF. Total nitrogen(N) was analyzed by ISO 5315-trimetric method, phosphorus (P) by ultraviolet visible spectrophotometer at λ-420nm, and potassium (K) by AAS ISO17319:2015. Other chemical analysis done were Magnesium (Mg) using method EN 16197:2012 AAS, Calcium by ISO method 17025 AAS and total reducing sugars by normal- phase chromatography HPLC method. The pH of the LOF was analyzed by handheld pH meter. Microbial analysis used plate count agar for bacterial and potato dextrose agar (PDA) for fungus count. Kale plants were arranged in a randomized block design of 9 plots each with 9 potted plants. The treatment was replicated three times for samples stored in the refrigerator and three times for the room temperature storage repeatedly for six months. Plant parameters measured were; plant height, number of leaves and the plant girth. Key findings: The study established that there was a significant change in LOF pH during storage, however correlation was higher for room storage than fridge storage. The study also established that there was no significant change in chemical properties of LOF in both storage conditions however, the room stored LOF had negative correlation with storage time an indicating that plant nutrients in LOF reduced with increase in storage time. In regards to microbial properties, it was found that there was no significant change in microbial count in LOF in both storage temperature experiments. The study also established that treatment of kales with LOF stored at room temperature had higher growth variance than for the fridge stored and control treatment. Discussion There was a significant change in LOF pH during storage where p=0.012. Correlation was higher for room storage than fridge storage. Freshly prepared LOF was slightly acidic at pH 6.5 attaining pH 7.88 and 7.1 at room and fridge temperatures respectively. Change in chemical properties of LOF in both storage conditions was not significant whereas, the room stored LOF had negative correlation with storage time indicating how plant nutrients in LOF reduced with increase in storage time. The microbial count in LOF in both storage temperature experiments had no significant change. The relationship between microbial count and storage period was weak. Application: This study is useful to organic agriculture farmers, researchers and policy makers. Conclusion: The study established that the quality of LOF during storage deteriorated. LOF stored in room temperature reduced in quality faster than the refrigerated one. Therefore, the quality of the LOF is best when freshly prepared. Despite kales performing marginally better when treated with room stored LOF, there was no significant difference with fridge stored LOF. Investment in cold storage of LOF therefore does not make economic sense. Recommendation: The study recommends further research on effect of LOF concentration on crop growth to ensure optimum nutrients for production.

Increasing Ethanol Tolerance and Ethanol Production in an Industrial Fuel Ethanol Saccharomyces cerevisiae Strain

The stress imposed by ethanol to Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells are one of the most challenging limiting factors in industrial fuel ethanol production. Consequently, the toxicity and tolerance to high ethanol concentrations has been the subject of extensive research, allowing the identification of several genes important for increasing the tolerance to this stress factor. However, most studies were performed with well-characterized laboratory strains, and how the results obtained with these strains work in industrial strains remains unknown. In the present work, we have tested three different strategies known to increase ethanol tolerance by laboratory strains in an industrial fuel–ethanol producing strain: the overexpression of the TRP1 or MSN2 genes, or the overexpression of a truncated version of the MSN2 gene. Our results show that the industrial CAT-1 strain tolerates up to 14% ethanol, and indeed the three strategies increased its tolerance to ethanol. When these strains were subjected to fermentations with high sugar content and cell recycle, simulating the industrial conditions used in Brazilian distilleries, only the strain with overexpression of the truncated MSN2 gene showed improved fermentation performance, allowing the production of 16% ethanol from 33% of total reducing sugars present in sugarcane molasses. Our results highlight the importance of testing genetic modifications in industrial yeast strains under industrial conditions in order to improve the production of industrial fuel ethanol by S. cerevisiae.

Production of Polyhydroxyalkanoates through Soybean Hull and Waste Glycerol Valorization: Subsequent Alkaline Pretreatment and Enzymatic Hydrolysis

Alkaline pretreatment and sequential enzymatic hydrolysis of soybean hull were investigated to obtain fermentable sugars for polyhydroxyalkanoates production along with residual glycerol as low-cost carbon sources. Soybean hull is composed of approximately 32% cellulose, 12% hemicellulose, 6% lignin, and 11% protein. Alkaline pretreatment was carried out with 2% NaOH concentration, 10% (w/v) biomass loading, and 60 min incubation time in an autoclave at 120 °C. The response surface methodology (RSM) based on the central composite design (CCD) tool was employed to optimize the enzymatic hydrolysis process, where the variables of biomass loading, enzymes’ concentration, and time were considered. The maximum total reducing sugars concentration obtained was 115.9 g∙L−1 with an enzyme concentration of 11.5 mg protein/g dry substrate for enzyme preparation B1, 2.88 mg protein/g dry substrate for XylA, and 57.6 U/g dry substrate for β-glucosidase, after 42 h at 45 °C, and pH was 4.5. Subsequently, the saccharification step was conducted by increasing the processing scale, using a 1 L tank with stirring with a controlled temperature. Implementing the same enzyme concentrations at pH 4.5, temperature of 45 °C, 260 mL working volume, and incubation time of 42 h, under fed-batch operation with substrate feeding after 14 h and 22 h, a hydrolysate with a concentration of 185.7 g∙L−1 was obtained. Initially, to verify the influence of different carbon sources on Cupriavidus necator DSMz 545 in biomass production, batch fermentations were developed, testing laboratory-grade glucose, soybean hull hydrolysate, and waste glycerol (a by-product of biodiesel processing available in large quantities) as carbon sources in one-factor-at-a-time assays, and the mixture of soybean hull hydrolysate and waste glycerol. Then, the hydrolysate and waste glycerol were consumed by C. necator, producing 12.1 g∙L−1 of biomass and achieving 39% of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHB) accumulation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that soybean hull hydrolysate has been used as a carbon source to produce polyhydroxyalkanoates, and the results suggest that this agro-industrial by-product is a viable alternative feedstock to produce value-added components.

Efficient saccharification of Lycium barbarum leaf biomass by using enzyme cocktails produced by a novel fungus Aspergillus costaricensis LS18

The utilization of agro-industrial residues is an interesting issue contributing to sustainable development and environmental protection. Lycium barbarum leaves (LBL) are agro-industrial residues of the L. barabrum berry cultivation and seriously underutilized, leading to resource waste and environmental pollution. In this study, we prepared cost-effective enzyme cocktails with high xylanase activity from a novel soil-derived fungal strain Aspergillus costaricensis LS18. The xylanase activity of these on-site produced enzyme cocktails was 3.49 ± 0.55 U/mL. Through the hydrolysis using the enzyme cocktails with 6% substrate loading at 45 °C for 12 h, 86.57 ± 1.81% of total reducing sugars (RS) from LBL was released. The concentration of RS in the hydrolysates reached 8.17 ± 0.33 mg/mL. In this study, LBL were added values by two mutually independent bioprocess ways. On the one hand, LBL were used as the only nutrients in the medium for the on-site production of enzyme cocktails by fermentation. On the other hand, through hydrolysis using this enzyme cocktail, LBL biomass was efficiently hydrolyzed and fermentable monosugars were gained. This study could benefit to the exploitation of LBL resources and provide the references for utilization of other agro-industrial residues.

Impact of Pre-anthesis Salt Stress on Biochemical and Yield Related Traits in Salt Sensitive and Salt Tolerant Genotypes of Triticum aestivum L.

Salinity stress negatively affects the growth and development of wheat leading to diminished grain yield and quality. Salt stress during the reproductive stage is one of the significant factors leading to the drastic reduction in grain yield. The objective of this study was to investigate the biochemical responses of pre-anthesis stage salt stress and yield-related traits in the KRL1-4 salt tolerant and UP2338 salt-sensitive cultivar of wheat. Three different levels of salinity stress (100, 200 and 300 mM NaCl) were induced. Untreated plants were kept in control. Samples were analyzed at pre- anthesis stage (50 DAS and 60 DAS) for various biochemical parameters viz., proline content, total reducing sugar content, total nitrogen content and total protein content. Yield-related traits harvest index, tiller numbers per plant, spike height and spike weight were recorded at the maturity stage. The amount of proline and reducing sugar increased with increasing salinity, the increase being more tolerant than in sensitive cultivar. Total nitrogen and total protein content, however, decreased with increasing salt concentration and reduction being more sensitive than in tolerant cultivar. Yield attributes were affected negatively. The effect was more pronounced in sensitive cultivars compared to tolerant ones.

Valorisation of date fruits by-products for the production of biopolymer polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) using the bacterial strain Bacillus paramycoides

The aim of this research was to study the valorization of the date fruit by-product by conversion of date syrup into biopolymer polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), based on the metabolic capacity of the bacterial strain Bacillus paramycoides to accumulate PHB from date syrup. Total reducing sugars in date syrup was essayed using 3',5-dinitrosalicylic acid (DNS) and HPLC methods. Bacillus paramycoides was isolated from soil of the botanic garden of Skikda university, Algeria. The accumulated PHB was extracted using chloroform. It was quantified as crotonic acid in concentrated sulfuric acid (H2SO4) by spectrophotometry at 300nm. Date syrup is characterized by high levels of total sugars (79.66 g/L) with 31.86 g/L of total reducing sugars. PHB accumulation reached its maximum (104.3 ug/mL) after 96 h of incubation at pH 7 and temperature 37°C using Tryptophane as the nitrogen source and acid pretreated syrup at a concentration of 8%. HPLC analysis on Aminex HPX-87H showed that the produced PHB from date syrup is characterized by a chromatogram peak with a retention time at 22.5 min.

Bioprocess development of 2, 3-butanediol production using agro-industrial residues

The valorization of agricultural and industrial wastes for fuel and chemical production benefits environmental sustainability. 2, 3-Butanediol (2,3-BDO) is a value-added platform chemical covering many industrial applications. Since the global market is increasing drastically, production rates have to increase. In order to replace the current petroleum-based 2,3-BDO production, renewable feedstock's ability has been studied for the past few decades. This study aims to find an improved bioprocess for producing 2,3-BDO from agricultural and industrial residues, consequently resulting in a low CO2 emission bioprocess. For this, screening of 13 different biomass samples for hydrolyzable sugars has been done. Alkali pretreatment has been performed with the processed biomass and enzyme hydrolysis performed using commercial cellulase. Among all biomass hydrolysate oat hull and spruce bark biomass could produce the maximum amount of total reducing sugars. Later oat hull and spruce bark biomass with maximum hydrolyzable sugars have been selected for submerged fermentation studies using Enterobacter cloacae SG1. After fermentation, 37.59 and 26.74 g/L of 2,3-BDO was obtained with oat hull and spruce bark biomass, respectively. The compositional analysis of each step of biomass processing has been performed and changes in each component have been evaluated. The compositional analysis has revealed that biomass composition has changed significantly after pretreatment and hydrolysis leading to a remarkable release of sugars which can be utilized by bacteria for 2,3-BDO production. The results have been found to be promising, showing the potential of waste biomass residues as a low-cost raw material for 2,3-BDO production and thus a new lead in an efficient waste management approach for less CO2 emission.Graphical

YEAST CULTIVATION FOR SINGLE-CELL PROTEIN PRODUCTION USING THE CARBOHYDRATE HYDROLYSATE OF STEAM-EXPLODED EUCALYPTUS WOOD

This study was aimed at producing single-cell (SCP) protein from the carbohydrate hydrolysate of steam-exploded eucalyptus (Eucalyptus urophylla) wood. Two yeast strains including Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida utilis 2.587 were used for batch fermentation. Results showed that the total reducing sugars (TRS), glucose and xylose in hydrolysate had concentrations of 17.52, 10.71, and 4.30 g·L-1, respectively.During fermentation, yeast strains of S. cerevisiae and C. utilis 2.587 used monosaccharides sequentially, and secondary growth occurred. The yeast biomass contained 43.59% crude protein and was rich in all essential amino acids such as lysine, leucine, and valine. Total amino acid reached 401.45 g·kg-1, and corresponded with the standard recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organization of theUnited Nations for amino acids, except sulfur-containing amino acids.

Phytochemical studies on cyanidin 3-O glucoside•HCl from the ripened fruit pulp of Terminalia catappa

Context :Terminalia catappa (Combretaceae) is a large tropical tree grows mainly in the tropical regions of Asia, Africa, and Australia. The fruits a drupe 5-7 cm long and 3-5.5 cm broad, green at first, then yellow, and finally red when ripe, containing a single seed. Ripened fruit pulp contains anthocyanins. Objectives: To extract and isolate active anthocyanin from fruit pulp of Terminalia catappa. And characterize isolated cyanidin-3-0-glucoside by spectral analysis.Methods: An easy and efficient technique for isolating and extracting anthocyanin from Terminalia catappa ripen fruit pulp. Besides the total phenolic, flavonoid, anthocyanin, and reducing sugar content of the extract, the antioxidant capacity of T.catappa fruit pulp was evaluated and by DPPH, H2O2 methods. Characterization of cyanidin-3-o-glucoside done by UV, IR spectral analysis. While single crystal structure and elemental detection done by EDS analysis. And further structural confirmation done by LCMS analysis.Result: Fresh extract contain 26.17 % and isolated compound contain 83.79% total anthocyanin content, the total phenolic content was found to be 1.58 % in fresh extract as compared with gallic acid standard. 34.48 % total reducing sugar content and 54.50 % total flavonoid content observed.

Effect of Induced Ageing on Nutrients Content of some Selected Castor Seeds Genotypes

Castor is an important oilseed crop with great utilitarian value in industrial, pharmaceutical and agricultural sectors, the major constituents of the seeds are the lipids, carbohydrates, proteins and, of course, the nucleic acids. Seed deterioration is associated with various cellular, metabolic and chemical alterations to the seed constituents. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of induced ageing on the nutrient content of castor seeds. The study was carried out by subjecting castor seeds of various accessions to induced ageing by placing the seeds in an incubator at a temperature of 40OC and 100% relative humidity for 0, 2, 4 and 6 days. A total of twelve (12) castor accessions were used for the study. Percentage total fats, total protein, total reducing sugar was determined in the aged seeds using standard biochemical procedures. The result showed a progressive decrease in fats, protein and reducing sugar content with increased ageing time which became significant at (p < 0.05) on day four in all parameters measured. The percentage decrease of fats ranged from 38.01% in NCRI-P-007 to 9.0% NCRICAS036, protein 57.98% in NCRI-P-40 to 54.10% NCRICAS019 and reducing sugar 39.93% in NCRI-P-39 to 14.55% in NCRICAS036. The result has led to the conclusion that castor seeds lose its nutrients content with storage time.

Selective Identification for Glucose in the Presence of Fructose Using Imprinted Polyeugenol Modified Graphite Paste Electrode

High blood glucose levels indicate diabetes mellitus. The conventional way was carried out to determine glucose levels, but this method just shows the total reducing sugar levels. An electrode was developed to analyze glucose in the presence of fructose by potentiometry. The optimum graphite paste electrodes-Imprinted based on polyeugenol and Ethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as crosslinkers, had been used as a glucose sensor. Polyeugenol was made by the polymerization reaction with a BF3 catalyst with a molecular weight of 6451.338 g/mol. A total of 2135.99 glucose was contacted with polyeugenol, and the result was crosslinked with EGDMA and 2,2'-Azobis(2-methylpropionitrile) (AIBN) initiator, then Molecularly Imprinted Polymer (MIP) was generated. The optimization of electrodes showed that the best composition of MIP: paraffin: graphite is 20:35:45 with the 19.16 mV/decade Nernstian Factor, which can measure samples at the range 10–5–10–1 M with a detection limit of 1.0334 × 10–5 M, a response time of 6–15 s, a lifetime (use) of 19 times and has good selectivity on fructose sample with Kij less than 1. Measurements using this electrode showed that honey contains 28.78% of glucose, not much different from the UV-Vis spectrophotometry, which is 29.68%, and HPLC is 30.42%.

Effect of pulsed electric field treatment on cell-membrane permeabilization of potato tissue and the quality of French fries

The effect of pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment on the cell membrane permeabilization of potato tissue and the quality of French fries was investigated. Pulses with an electric field strength of 0.5, 1.5, and 2.5 kV/cm and a width of 20 μs were applied to the potato. PEF treatment permeabilized the membrane of potato cells. The magnitude of cell-membrane permeabilization was estimated by ion leaching and biological impedance tests and verified by microscopic observation. As the PEF field strength increased, the accumulation of neutral red dye decreased due to increased cell rupture. The index Z-values (relative cell membrane breakdown values) for 0.5-, 1.5-, and 2.5-kV/cm PEF-treated samples were 0.01, 0.28, and 0.52, respectively. PEF treatment at 2.5 kV/cm reduced the cutting force of potatoes by 33%; it also increased the degree of the crispness of French fries by 64% and decreased crude fat content by 28%. The total reducing sugar content was decreased by PEF treatment, which could be attributed to increased lightness and yellowness after frying. Therefore, PEF treatment improved the quality of French fries by increasing crispness, improving color, and reducing crude fat content.

Storability of Irish Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) Varieties Grown in Kenya, Under Different Storage Conditions

Long-term use of fresh potatoes is constrained due to post-harvest losses and limited or poor storage systems. Loss of potato quality during storage is mostly due to weight loss, excessive sprouting, decaying, greening, pest attack and changes in sugar content which is a major concern for processors. The storability of three potato varieties namely Shangi, Unica, and Dutch Robijn was evaluated under four storage conditions: (1) room temperature (RT) (21.7 ± 5 °C) and ambient relative humidity (RH) (73.5 ± 6.7%); (2) 10 °C/75% RH; (3) 10 °C/ambient RH and (4) 7 °C/75% RH for 3 months. Parameters analysed included weight loss, sprouting, greening, rotting incidence and changes in simple sugars (sucrose, glucose and fructose) content. Shangi variety had the poorest storability having exhibited the highest weight loss, sprouting, greening and rotting rates among the varieties and in all storage conditions. In all the varieties, weight loss was highest at room temperature/RH (6.9–35.13%) and lowest at 7 °C/75% RH (1.6–3.7%). Sprouting rate was highest at RT/RH (100%) and lowest at 7 °C/75% RH (2.0–45.2%). Greening incidence was highest at RT/RH (10.3–24.0%) and lowest at 7 °C/75% RH (2.0–16.1%). The tubers accumulated simple sugars during storage with the highest relative accumulation recorded at 7 °C/75% RH. Total reducing sugars increased by 3.8–9.3-fold at RT/RH to 26.0–68.5-fold at 7 °C/75% RH. Low-temperature storage minimized the rate of physical tuber deterioration with 7 °C/75% RH best preserving the potatoes’ physical properties while it led to the highest accumulation of simple sugars.

Synthesis and utilization of meso and microporous catalysts for the valorization of newspaper waste to bio-based chemicals using Choline chloride as biodegradable solvent

The present study develops an effective and sustainable catalytic system using mesoporous (KIT-6 and NbKIT-6) and microporous catalysts (ZIF-8) for the conversion of newspaper waste to value-added products such as TRS (Total reducing sugars) and 5-HMF (5-Hydroxymethyl furfural). The bio-based products were produced using green and biodegradable solvent Choline chloride in presence of sustainable catalysts under mild operating conditions at 1 atm pressure. The study demonstrated the potential of monophasic (Choline chloride and Catalyst) and biphasic (Choline chloride, Catalyst and Extracting solvent) system and revealed their comparative insights. It was observed that both the systems were highly effective but the purity and stability of products were higher in the biphasic system compared to the monophasic system. The synthesised catalysts possess high surface area 588.528, 534.414 and 351.85 m2/g with pore volume 0.7587, 0.3574 and 0.2362 cc/g for KIT-6, NbKIT-6 and ZIF respectively. The selected extracting solvents were found to be promising and the maximum 5-HMF yield was found to be 62.12%, 73.45% and 79.66% in DMSO medium using KIT-6 (160 °C, 135 min), NbKIT-6 (140 °C, 90 min) and ZIF-8 (140 °C, 105 min) catalysts respectively. Also, all the catalysts are reusable for up to five runs with minimal loss in catalyst activity. The proposed catalytic system will help to resolve the challenges associated with biorefineries in terms of product separation and recyclability of catalysts.

Investigation of biochemical and biotechnological potential of a thermo-halo-alkali-tolerant endo-xylanase (GH11) from Humicola brevis var. thermoidea for lignocellulosic valorization of sugarcane biomass

Hemicellulose is an important source of pentose sugars, which are precursors of products of high economic value, such as prebiotic oligomers, sugar alcohols, organic acids, and biofuels. Enzymatic hydrolysis is the most efficient method of converting hemicellulose into sugars, where efficient thermotolerant fungal xylanases hydrolyze the xylan fractions present in the hemicellulose into xylose and xylooligomers. Xylanases are potential candidates for improved enzyme cocktails that increase saccharification yields in synergy with other cellulolytic and hemicellulolytic enzymes complexes. In this context, endo-xylanase from the thermophilic fungus Humicola brevis var. thermoidea (XylHb) was purified, biochemically and biophysically characterized, and its biotechnological potential was evaluated. XylHb exhibited a molecular weight of 26 kDa and biophysical analyzes revealed that XylHb is mainly formed by β sheets, and exhibits maximum exposure of its tryptophan residues at high temperatures. The characterization of the biochemical properties of XylHb indicated greater tolerance to wide pH (5.0–10.0), temperatures (50–70 °C), and NaCl concentrations (0.1–2.0 mol L−1), as well as better kinetic efficiency than the Cellic®HTec2 cocktail for birchwood xylan hydrolysis. Additionally, saccharification tests of pre-hydrothermally treated sugarcane bagasse after 72 h showed that the complementation of Cellic®CTec2 with XylHb (1:1; w/w) caused a significant increase in glucose released (7.52 ± 0.01%) and total reducing sugars (14.07 ± 0.02%) about commercial enzymatic control. Thus, the addition of XylHb to commercial cellulase suggests a potential for diverse industrial applications improving the saccharification of lignocellulosic biomass.

Postharvest Salicylic Acid Treatment Affects Weight Loss, Spoilage and Biochemical Attributes of Bartlett Pear Fruits

The present study aimed to determine the effect of postharvest salicylic acid (SA) treatments on storability and biochemical quality of Bartlett pear fruits at ambient storage conditions. Freshly harvested fruits were treated with salicylic acid solution at 0 (control), 0.5, 1 or 2 mM and fruits were stored at ambient conditions (room temperature) for 21 days storage studies. Data on physiological loss in weight (PLW), fruit spoilage and biochemical quality of fruits (total soluble soils, titratable acidity, ascorbic acid, reducing and total sugars) were recorded. Results revealed that the salicylic acid treatments significantly minimized the PLW and fruit spoilage. At 21 days of storage at ambient conditions, the lowest PLW (13.76 %) and fruit spoilage (21.70 %) was noted with SA at 2 mM. All three SA treatments effectively retained the biochemical attributes of fruits i.e. total soluble soils, titratable acidity, ascorbic acid, reducing and total sugars as compared to control fruits. In conclusion, Salicylic acid at 2 mM treatment to the Bartlett pear fruits after harvest can be useful in minimizing the PLW and fruit spoilage and also maintaining the biochemical quality of fruits during ambient storage conditions.

Postharvest Salicylic Acid Application Affects the Biochemical Quality and Stability of Strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) cv. Chandler Fruits under Ambient Storage Conditions

The present study aimed to determine the effect of postharvest salicylic acid (SA) application on storability and biochemical quality of strawberry fruits cv. Chandler under ambient storage conditions. Freshly harvested fruits were subjected to salicylic acid treatment at 0 (control), 0.5, 1 or 2 mM and fruits were stored at room temperature for 6 days storage studies. Data on physiological loss in weight (PLW), fruit spoilage and biochemical quality of fruits (total soluble soils, titratable acidity, ascorbic acid, reducing and total sugars) were recorded. Results showed that postharvest salicylic acid treatment significantly minimized the PLW and fruit spoilage. At 6 days of storage, the lowest PLW (14.43 %) and fruit spoilage (21.70 %) was observed with SA at 2 mM. All the salicylic acid treatments were effective in retaining the biochemical quality of fruit (total soluble soils, titratable acidity, ascorbic acid, reducing and total sugars). In conclusion, Salicylic acid at 2 mM treatment of strawberry fruits after harvest can be useful in minimizing PLW and fruit spoilage and also maintaining the biochemical quality of fruits during ambient storage conditions.

Physicochemical Properties and Floral Sources of Honey Produced in Marsabit Forest Reserve, Northern Kenya

This study assessed the physicochemical properties and floral sources (botanical origin) of sixteen honey samples collected from beekeepers in five clusters surrounding the Marsabit Forest Reserve (MFR) in northern Kenya. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to determine the differences in physicochemical properties of honey, while relative frequencies of pollen types in each honey sample were calculated and expressed as percentages. The mean physicochemical parameter values were moisture, 18.09 ± 0.86%; total reducing sugars, 73.03 ± 1.00%; apparent sucrose, 2.43 ± 0.66%; acidity, 20.25 ± 0.86 meq/kg; hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), 11.01 ± 5.39 mg/kg. All parameter values were within limits set in the East African Standard, Codex Alimentarius, and the European Union directive standards for honey. Pollen analysis showed a total of 108 pollen types representing 55 families and 97 genera. The highest represented family in the honey samples was Euphorbiaceae. The study recommends the further uptake of apiculture and the training and facilitation of honey producers, processors, and traders on quality assurance and certification of honey to make them competitive in the markets beyond the local level.

Chemical Characterisation of Tamarind Plum Squash

Tamarind plum containing red flesh when peeled is very intriguing fruit due to its high content of bioactive compounds, such as the anthocyanins and other polyphenolic compounds with a high antioxidant capacity. These natural substances found in plum acts to prevent diseases, including diabetes and cancer. Objective: In this study squash was prepared with tamarind plum to evaluate the quality and shelf-life extension of the fruit at different concentrations. Methods: The tamarind plum was used to prepare squash with different percentages of tamarind juice and plum juice but at same percentages of sugar, water, and sodium benzoic acid. Prepared squash was filled in polyethylene terephthalate bottles and analysed after 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, and 90 days of storage. The tamarind plum squash was subjected to total phenolic compounds, pH, TSS, Titratable acidity, reducing and non-reducing sugar, and sugar acid ratio. Result: Maximum TSS (49.54), ascorbic acid (33.46), pH (2.29), titratable acidity (2.11), reducing sugar (24.29), and non-reducing sugar (37.64) was observed in squash prepared using tamarind juice (350ml), plum juice (400), sodium benzoic acid, sugar and water (2g, 1kg and 250ml). Storage showed significant effect on reducing sugar and non-reducing sugar, ascorbic acid, pH and titratable acidity during nineteen-day storage. Conclusion: On the basis of above results it was concluded that sample TPS3 show best in keeping quality during storage time intervals. Hence, the results of sample TPS3 of tamarind plum blended squash is more recommended in terms of commercial use and for large scale industrial production. Squash prepared from tamarind and plum are more acceptable to consumers because of sour test, need commercialisation.

Two-stage acid-alkali pretreatment of vetiver grass to enhance the subsequent sugar release by cellulase digestion

Vetiver grass (VG; Chrysopogon zizanioides) can be used as a potential feedstock for biofuels and biochemical production due to its chemical composition, which is rich in cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. However, the complex and recalcitrant nature of a lignocellulosic biomass requires a pretreatment process to disrupt the lignin seal in the cell wall in order to increase the accessibility for enzymatic hydrolysis and to liberate the sugars contained within the cellulose. The sequential acid-base pretreatment of VG using dilute sulphuric acid (H2SO4) followed by sodium hydroxide (NaOH) was found to be optimal when using a 5% (w/v) VG loading in 0.5% (v/v) H2SO4 at 120 °C, 60 min in the first stage followed by 4% (w/v) NaOH at 120 °C, 60 min in the second stage. This gave the highest yield of total reducing sugars (32.6 g/L as 22.0 and 10.6 g/L of hexose and pentose, respectively) in the subsequent cellulase digestion, which was 10.3% and 46.1% higher than that obtained with the single-stage alkali (24.1 g/L) or acid (13.5 g/L) pretreatment, respectively.