Crude oil utilization by fungi.

Sixty fungal isolates, 34 obtained by a static enrichment technique from soils of northern Canadian oil-producing areas and 26 from culture collections, were screened for their ability to grow on n-tetradecane, toluene, naphthalene, and seven crude oils of varying composition. Forty cultures, including 28 soil isolates, were capable of growth on one or more crude oils. The genera most frequently isolated from soils were those producing abundant small condida, e.g. Penicillium and Verticillium spp. Oil-degrading strains of Beauveria bassiana, Mortieriella sp., Phoma sp., Scolecobasidium obovatum, and Tolypocladium inflatum were also isolated. Qualitative and quantitative differences were noted among the capacities of different crude oils to sustain the growth of individual fungal isolates. Data are presented which show that ability to grow on a pure n-alkane is not a good indicator of ability to grow on crude oil. Degradation of Rainbow Lake crude oil by individual isolates was demonstrated by gravimetric and gas-chromatographic techniques. The problems involved in determining the response and the potential of fungi to degrade oil spilled in the environment are discussed.     

Intestinal absorption of fish oil in rats previously adapted to diets containing fish oil or corn oil.

A study was conducted to evaluate whether the composition of previous dietary fat affects the absorption and composition of lymph obtained after a meal of fish oil. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed diets containing either corn oil or fish oil (MaxEPA) for 2 weeks. They were then given intraduodenally a bolus of an emulsion of 0.5 ml of fish oil plus 0.5 ml of 20 mM sodium taurocholate. Intestinal lymph was collected from a cannula in the main intestinal lymph trunk for various times after oil administration. Rats proportion of the test dose fo fish oil than those fed corn oil. There was an effect of previous diet on the fatty acid composition of the lymph. Rats fed fish oil had a higher percentage of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids in the lymph lipids than those fed corn oil while those fed corn oil had a higher percentage of linoleic acid. These results rule out decreased intestinal absorption as a mechanism for the hypotriacylglycerolemic effect of dietary fish oils. They also indicate a significant contribution of endogenous lipids to the fatty acids in lymph.     

Genotoxicity of heated cooking oil vapors.

Epidemiological studies of lung cancer in Chinese women indicated that factors other than cigarette smoking are related to lung cancer risk. A case-control study suggested that indoor air pollution, particularly from cooking oil emissions, may be involved. Condensates of volatile emissions from rapeseed and soybean cooking oils were prepared and found to be genotoxic in short-term tests including the Salmonella mutation assay, SV50 forward-mutation assay, and sister-chromatid exchange assay, as well as the micronucleus assay in mouse bone marrow. In contrast, condensates from rapeseed oil with butylated hydroxyanisole or hydrogenated rapeseed oil were not mutagenic, implicating oxidation products as the cause for mutagenicity. Peanut oil and lard condensates were not mutagenic in any assay. The association of exposure to Chinese rapeseed cooking-oil emissions and lung-cancer risk may be related to the mutagenic component of these condensates.     

Utilisation of fish oil in ruminants: I. Fish oil metabolism in sheep

Five sheep with rumen and abomasal cannulae were offered three diets sequentially in the order: control (C) pellets (lucerne hay-oat grain: 60/40, w/w), control plus unprotected tuna oil (UTO pellets), and control plus tuna oil protected (casein-formaldehyde matrix) against ruminal biohydrogenation (PTO pellets). In supplemented diets, tuna oil constituted 3% (w/w) of total dry matter (DM), and each supplement was fed for 12 days, with 9 days allowed between the two fish oil feeding periods to minimise carry-over effects. Daily DM intake was 785±38 g/head during the control period. It was significantly reduced by UTO feeding (6.2%, P<0.05) but not PTO feeding. The level of EPA in the abomasum during PTO feeding was double that measured during UTO feeding (1.30 versus 0.61% of FA, P<0.05). The level of DHA in the abomasum did not significantly differ between UTO and PTO feeding periods. Both tuna oil supplements significantly increased the levels of 18:1 trans and that of a fatty acid derivative identified as 10-hydroxystearic acid (10-HSA) in both the rumen and abomsum. Tuna oil supplementation also altered the fatty acid composition of plasma lipid fractions and 10-HSA was solely incorporated into plasma free fatty acids. This study indicates that substantial protection of tuna oil against ruminal hydrogenation inhibited reduced feed intake, but increased the proportion of 18:1 trans isomer and fatty acids derivatives (10-HSA), which indicate interference with metabolism in the rumen.     

Antibacterial activity of Ocimum gratissimum L. essential oil.

The essential oil (EO) of Ocimum gratissimum inhibited Staphylococcus aureus at a concentration of 0.75 mg/ml. The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for Shigella flexineri, Salmonella enteritidis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella sp., and Proteus mirabilis were at concentrations ranging from 3 to 12 microg/ml. The endpoint was not reached for Pseudomonas aeruginosa (>=24 mg/ml). The MICs of the reference drugs used in this study were similar to those presented in other reports. The minimum bactericidal concentration of EO was within a twofold dilution of the MIC for this organism. The compound that showed antibacterial activity in the EO of O. gratissimum was identified as eugenol and structural findings were further supported by gas chromatography/mass spectra retention time data. The structure was supported by spectroscopic methods.