Ethnobotany,leaf anatomy,essential oil composition and antibacterial activity of Pteronia onobromoides (Asteraceae)

Available ethnobotanical information on Pteronia onobromoides (first recorded in 1685) indicates that the plant was once of considerable cultural and commercial importance and that it was powdered, mixed with fat, and applied to the skin for cosmetic and/or medicinal purposes. Sâb, as well as Son or San, are considered to be the original Nama names for this aromatic bush and also the origin of various names for San people, such as Sonqua and Bushman. A study of the leaf anatomy showed that essential oil is produced in globose oil glands situated below some of the vascular bundles in the spongy parenchyma, adjacent to the palisade parenchyma. The oil is relatively complex but contains a combination of myrcene, limonene, 1,8-cineole and p-cymene as main compounds, with smaller amounts of sabinene, trans-linalooloxide, linalool, terpinen-4-ol, α-terpineol, eugenol, thymol and α-phellandrene. Dichloromethane extracts exhibited antibacterial activity (especially against Staphylococcus epidermidis) with MIC values as low as 0.83 mg/ml. Other solvent extracts and the essential oil itself were less active. The results show that the traditional method of mixing powdered leaves with fat and applying it to the skin may have had deodorant, disinfectant and medicinal benefits.     

Geraniol and linalool synthases from wild species of perilla

Geraniol and linalool synthases were isolated from three pure strains of Perilla hirtella and Perilla setoyensis, which are wild species of perilla. Their amino acid sequences were very similar to those of Perilla citriodora and Perilla frutescens that were reported previously. However, comparison of the sequences of the same functional synthases derived from different species of Perilla demonstrated that the similarities were high among P. citriodora, P. hirtella and P. frutescens, but low between P. setoyensis and any of the others. This result corresponds well with our previous results showing that P. setoyensis is remotely related to the other perilla species. Both geraniol and linalool synthases utilize geranyl diphosphate (GDP) as their catalytic substrate and they were expressed simultaneously in perilla. The linalool synthase is considered to be the enzyme whose metabolite seems not to be oxidized nor reduced in the plant body and the geraniol and limonene synthases are the initial-step-catalyzing enzymes for a variety of oil compounds. The regulation of the substrate flow between them would be interesting for further study.     

Intraspecific variation in essential oil composition of Eremophila longifolia F. Muell. (Myoporaceae): Evidence for three chemotypes

Volatile oils of Eremophila longifolia F. Muell. (Myoporaceae) leaves were obtained by hydrodistillation and analysed using GC-MS. A total of 33 compounds were identified in the oils examined and a high degree of intraspecific variability in chemical composition between specimens occurring in separate geographic localities was found. Multivariate statistical analysis of chemical composition of volatile oils enabled classification of three chemotypes in this species.     

Chemical composition,intraspecies variation and seasonal variation in essential oils of Calendula arvensis L.

The essential oil composition of Calendula arvensis was established for the first time using GC and GC/MS. Eighty-five essential oil components were identified, which accounted for 90.3 g/100 g of essential oil. The oil contained a high concentration of sesquiterpenes, of which δ-cadinene and α-cadinol were the main components. The chemical composition of 25 Corsican C. arvensis oils was analyzed to determine intraspecies variation in essential oil composition. A matrix linking essential oil composition to sample location was composed to identify relationships between concentrations of volatile samples and the geographical origins of samples. Two main groups of compounds were identified according to the amount of sesquiterpenic compounds (hydrocarbons and alcohols) and soil characteristics. Seasonal variation (winter vs. spring) in the concentrations of two major compounds during the flowering period was observed.     

Protein recovery from enzyme‐assisted aqueous extraction of soybean

Enzyme‐assisted aqueous oil extraction from soybean is a “green” alternative to hexane extraction that must realize potential revenues from a value‐added protein co‐product. Three technologies were investigated to recover protein from the skim fraction of an aqueous extraction process. Ultrafiltration achieved overall protein yields between 60% and 64%, with solids protein content of 70%, and was effective in reducing stachyose content, with fluxes between 4 and 10 L/m² hr. Protein content was limited because of high retention of lipids and the loss of polypeptides below 13.6 kDa. Isoelectric precipitation was effective in recovering the minimally hydrolyzed proteins of skim, with a protein content of 70%, again limited by lipid content. However, protein recovery was only 30% because of the greater solubility of the hydrolyzed proteins. Recovery by the alternative of protein capture on dextran‐grafted agarose quaternary‐amine expanded bed adsorption resins decreased with decreasing polypeptide molecular weight. Proteins with molecular mass greater than 30 kDa exhibited slow adsorption rates. Expanded bed adsorption was most effective for recovery of proteins with molecular weight between 30 and 12 kDa. Overall, adsorption protein yields were between 14% and 17%. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2010     

Isolation,identification, and performance studies of a novel paraffin-degrading bacterium of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gordonia amicalis</Emphasis> LH3

In this study, we describe the isolation and identification of a novel long-chain n-alkane degrading strain, Gordonia amicalis LH3. Under aerobic conditions, it utilized approximately 18.0% of paraffin (2% w/v) after 10 day of incubation, and the paraffin compositions of C₁₈∼C₂₄ alkalines were utilized preferentially. Under anaerobic conditions, paraffin utilization was approximately 1/8 that seen under aerobic conditions, and the compositions of C₃₄ and C₃₆ alkalines were utilized preferentially. The effects of salinity, temperature, and biosurfactants on paraffin degradation were also evaluated. The strain was also demonstrated to grow on oil, and decreased oil viscosity by 44.7% and degraded oil by 10.4% under aerobic conditions. Our results indicated that G. amicalis LH3 has potential applications in paraffin control, microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR), and the bioremediation of hydrocarbon-polluted environments.     

海滨锦葵油制备生物柴油工艺条件优化

以海滨锦葵油为原料制备生物柴油。通过单因素试验及正交试验研究了反应温度、催化剂用量、醇油摩尔比、反应时间、搅拌强度等因素对酯交换率的影响。结果表明,在试验范围内各影响因素对酯交换率作用的大小依次为：搅拌强度＞催化剂用量＞醇油摩尔比＞反应时间＞反应温度。海滨锦葵油制备生物柴油的最佳工艺参数为：搅拌强度为1800r.min-1,催化剂KOH用量为海滨锦葵油质量的1%,醇油摩尔比6/1,反应时间60min,反应温度65℃,在该工艺条件下,酯交换反应三次,酯交换率达到97.8%。     

Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of Cacalia tangutica (Maxim.) Hand.-Mazz

Essential oil of the subterranean part of Cacalia tangutica (Maxim.) Hand.-Mazz was analyzed by gas chromatography (GC)-mass spectrum (MS) technique in two different capillary columns of different polarities. Thirty-one components were identified in the oil and the main compounds were α-zingiberene (13.49%), germacrene D (10.76%), α-pinene (8.54%), caryophyllene(Z-) (6.36%), linalool (6.16%), β-myrcene (4.89%), β-ocimene (Z-) (4.40%)and ocimenone(Z-) (3.58%). The antimicrobial activity of the oil was evaluated against 2 fungi and 12 bacteria including 6 clinically isolated strains using the agar disc diffusion and broth microdilution methods. The results show that the oil presented a broad antimicrobial spectrum and had better antimicrobial activity against yeast and gram-positive bacteria. The minimum inhibitory concentration values were 0.16–5.00 g/L and minimum bactericidal concentration values were 0.16–5.00 g/L. __________ Translated from Journal of Wuhan University (Science Edition), 2007, 53 (2): 198–203 [译自: 武汉大学学报(理学版)]     

石榴籽油的提取及成分分析

采用正交试验方法研究了超临界CO_2萃取石榴(Punica granatum L)籽油的技术体系,并用气相色谱-质谱联用仪对石榴籽油的化学成分进行了分析。结果表明,超临界CO_2萃取石榴籽油的最佳工艺条件为:萃取压力25 MPa,萃取温度30℃,分离温度55℃,萃取时间70min,在此条件下油脂产率为20.4%。GC-MS分析的结果显示,石榴籽油的主要成分是脂肪酸。饱和脂肪酸以棕榈酸为主,不饱和脂肪酸主要是亚麻酸和亚油酸,占脂肪酸总量的86.86%。     

Investigations on influencing plant-associated bacteria in tissue cultures of black locust (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Robinia pseudoacacia</Emphasis> L.)

During tissue culture of black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.), serious problems with plant-associated bacteria led to a reduction of propagation potential in several clones. Four dominant strains of plant-associated bacteria could be isolated and were assigned to the genera Acidovorax, Dyella, Microbacterium and Sphingomonas. Out of five essential oils tested, thyme and lemongrass oil at a concentration of 0.03% each and 0.015% of both oils in combination clearly inhibited the growth of these bacteria strains on bacteriologic medium. There were no significant differences in total bacterial population density when penicillin, thyme and lemongrass oil or thyme plus lemongrass oil were added to the plant propagation media. The use of lemongrass oil changed the proportion of dominant bacterial strains.