Authentication of traditional Chinese medicine using infrared spectroscopy: distinguishing between ginseng and its morphological fakes

The quality of pharmaceutical products such as ginseng is important for ensuring consumer safety and efficacy. Ginseng is an expensive herb, and adulteration with other cheaper products may occur. Quality assurance of ginseng is needed since many of its commercial products now come in various formulations such as capsules, powder, softgels and tea. Thus traditional means of authentication via smell, taste or physical appearance are hardly reliable. Herbs like ginseng tend to exhibit characteristic infrared fingerprints due to their different chemical constituents. Here we report for the first time a rapid means of distinguishing American and Asian ginsengs from two morphological fakes – sawdust and Platycodon grandiflorum, via pattern differences and principal component analysis of their infrared spectra. Our results show that ginseng can be distinguished from both sawdust and Platycodon grandiflorum, hence there is a potential of using infrared spectroscopy as a novel analytical technique in the authentication of ginseng.     

Effect of Compost and Manure Soil Amendments on Nematodes and on Yields of Potato and Barley: A 7-Year Study

A 7-year study located in Prince Edward Island, Canada, examined the influence of compost and manure on crop yield and nematode populations. The compost used in this study consisted of cull waste potatoes, sawdust, and beef manure in a 3:3:1 ratio, respectively. No plant-parasitic nematodes were detected in samples collected from windrow compost piles at 5- and 30-cm depths prior to application on field plots. Low population densities of bacterial-feeding nematodes were recovered from compost windrows at the 5-cm depth. Field plots of potato (Solanum tuberosum cv. Kennebec) received compost applied at 16 metric tonnes per hectare, or beef manure applied at 12 metric tonnes per hectare. An adjacent trial with barley (Hordeum vulgare cv. Mic Mac) received only the compost treatment. In both trials the experimental design was a complete randomized block with four replicates. Data averaged over seven growing seasons indicated that population levels of root-lesion nematodes (primarily Pratylenchus penetrans) were higher in root-zone soil in potato plots treated with either compost or manure compared to the untreated control plots. The soil amendments did not affect root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne hapla) population densities in the potato plots, but clover-cyst nematodes (Heterodera trifolii) were more numerous in the root-zone soils of barley treated with compost compared to the untreated plots. Numbers of bacterial-feeding nematodes (primarily Diplogaster lheritieri) were greater in soil in potato plots treated with manure and in soil around barley roots than in untreated plots. Total yields of potato tubers averaged over seven growing seasons increased by 27% in the plots treated with either compost or manure. Grain yields of barley also were increased by 12% when compost was applied. These results indicated that organic amendments increased crop yields, but the impacts on different nematode species varied and usually increased soil population levels.     

Evaluating the Adsorption Potential of Alachlor and Its Subsequent Removal from Soils via Activated Carbon

Alachlor, a globally used aniline herbicide, has great agronomic interest for controlling the development of broadleaved weeds and grasses. This research aspires to evaluate the sorption attributes of Alachlor through batch equilibrium method and its successive removal through biomass based activated carbon prepared from Sawdust (Cedrus deodara). Six soil samples were collected from selected regions of Pakistan to assess the adsorption and removal phenomena. Adsorption capacity for Alachlor varied in soils depending upon their physicochemical properties. Adsorption coefficient (K_d) values ranged from 12 to 31 µg ml^?1 with the highest K_d value observed in soil sample with highest organic content (1.4%) and least pH (5.62). The Gibbs free energy values ranged from ?17 to ?20 kJ mol^?1 proposing physio-sorption and exothermic interaction with soils. Values of R² (0.96–0.99) exhibited the best fit to linear adsorption model. Adsorption coefficient displayed a negative correlation (r = ?0.97) with soil pH and positive correlation with organic matter (r = 0.87). The effect of contact time and pesticide concentration on the removal efficiency by activated carbon was investigated. The highest removal percentages observed through activated carbon were 66% and 64% at concentrations of 5 and 7.5 ppm respectively. Activated carbon from sawdust (Cedrus deodara) was investigated as a suitable adsorbent for the removal of Alachor from selected soils. Biomass based activated carbon can prove to be an effective and a sustainable mean to remove pesticides from soil.     

A sawdust-derived soil conditioner promotes plant growth and improves water-holding capacity of different types of soils

Sawdust, a bulky waste generated by wood processing industries, has very few profitable and ecofriendly uses and poses a problem of proper disposal. Treatment with the fungusVolvariella volvaceae and a dilute solution of urea converted sawdust from a phytoinhibitory material to a phytostimulatory soil conditioner. In different types of soils, the soil conditioner increased the moisture retention and facilitated the cohesive interaction of particles. Analyses of the major biopolymers of sawdust after fungal treatment indicated that levels of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin decreased; however, these changes did not account for the plant growth stimulatory property attained by this material.     

Carbon Addition as a Countermeasure Against Biological Invasion by Plants

Increased nitrogen availability is known to favor invasion by non-native plants into natural grasslands. This suggests that decreasing nitrogen availability might serve as a countermeasure against invasion. One way to at least temporarily decrease nitrogen availability to plants is to increase microbial nitrogen uptake by adding carbon to the soil, and sawdust is a carbon source whose low cost could make it a practical conservation tool. To test whether adding sawdust to soil can counter the tendency of nitrogen enrichment to promote invasions by non-native plants, we hand-tilled 1.5kg sawdust/m² into the upper soil of the bare, nitrogen-rich patches left by dead shrubs of the nitrogen-fixing shrub Lupinus arboreus in two nearby areas with contrasting levels of invasion in a coastal grassland in northern California. After two years, in both areas, patches with sawdust had 40% less biomass of non-native plants than patches without sawdust, whereas biomass of native plants was not affected by sawdust addition. The more negative effect of sawdust on non-native species was specifically due to an effect on non-native grasses; adding sawdust increased the frequency of both native and non-native forbs. Results suggest that adding carbon as sawdust to soil can help counter invasion of grassland by non-native plants when invasion is being promoted by increased nitrogen availability, especially when the major invasive species are grasses.     

不同基质栽培的药用鲍姆桑黄孔菌体外抗肿瘤活性的比较研究

比较3种不同栽培技术的鲍姆桑黄孔菌Sanghuangporus baumii——3年生栎树段木鲍姆桑黄孔菌、桑枝代料鲍姆桑黄孔菌和发酵鲍姆桑黄孔菌中多糖、总酚、黄酮及总三萜含量和体外抗肿瘤活性。分别采用硫酸-蒽酮、福林-酚、亚硝酸-硝酸铝和香草醛-冰醋酸法对4种主要成分进行含量测定。选用人大细胞肺癌细胞（H460）、人前列腺癌细胞（PC3）、人乳腺癌细胞（MDA-MB-231）、人肝癌细胞（SMMC-7721和BEL-7402）和人神经母细胞瘤细胞（SH-SY5Y）为待检细胞株,采用CCK-8检测细胞活力。结果显示,发酵鲍姆桑黄孔菌多糖含量最高（29.64%）,代料鲍姆桑黄孔菌和3年生段木鲍姆桑黄孔菌多糖含量均低于2.57%;2种代料鲍姆桑黄孔菌的总酚和黄酮含量较高,而发酵鲍姆桑黄孔菌最低（0.24%和0.68%）,尤其是代料鲍姆桑黄孔菌1号的总酚和黄酮含量高达4.02%和32.13%;三萜含量在4种栽培法的鲍姆桑黄孔菌中差异不明显。体外对6种肿瘤细胞增殖抑制能力最强的均为代料鲍姆桑黄孔菌,其IC₅₀值最低,其次是3年生段木鲍姆桑黄孔菌,发酵鲍姆桑黄孔菌在本研究设置的浓度范围内无明显的细胞毒性。结果表明：不同栽培方式鲍姆桑黄孔菌产生体外抗肿瘤活性不同,代料鲍姆桑黄孔菌最强,其次是3年生段木鲍姆桑黄孔菌,发酵鲍姆桑黄孔菌活性最差,这种活性差异与其有效成分含量高低直接相关;鲍姆桑黄孔菌发挥抗肿瘤活性的物质基础主要是总酚和黄酮。     

Bioremediation potential of a widespread industrial biowaste as renewable and sustainable biosorbent for synthetic dye pollution

In this study, a model synthetic azo dye (Basic red 46) bioremoval by Carpinus betulus sawdust as inexpensive, eco-friendly, and sustainable biosorbent from aqueous solution was examined in a batch biosorption system. The effective environmental parameters on the biosorption process, such as the value of pH, amount of biosorbent, initial dye concentration and contact time were optimized using classical test design. The possible dye-biosorbent interaction was determined by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The equilibrium, thermodynamic, and kinetic studies for the biosorption of Basic red 46 onto the sawdust biomass were performed. In addition, a single-stage batch dye biosorption system was also designed. The dye biosorption yield of biosorbent was significantly influenced by the change of operating variables. The experimental data were best described by the Freundlich isotherm model and both the pseudo-first-order kinetic and the pseudo-second-order kinetic models. Thermodynamic research indicated that the biosorption of dye was feasible and spontaneous. Based on the Langmuir isotherm model, the biosorbent was found to have a maximum biosorption potential higher than many other biosorbents in the literature (264.915?mg g^?1). Thus, this investigation presents a novel green option for the assessment of waste sawdust biomass as a cheap and effective biosorbent material.     

Fungal removal of gaseous hexane in biofilters packed with poly(ethylene carbonate) pine sawdust or peat composites

The removal of volatile organic compounds (VOC) in biofilters packed with organic filter beds, such as peat moss (PM) and pine sawdust (PS), frequently presents drawbacks associated to the collapse of internal structures affecting the long-term operation. Poly(ethylene ether carbonate) (PEEC) groups grafted to these organic carriers cross linked with 4,4'-methylenebis(phenylisocyanate) (MDI) permitted fiber aggregation into specific shapes and with excellent hexane sorption performance. Modified peat moss (IPM) showed very favorable characteristics for rapid microbial development. Water-holding capacity in addition to hexane adsorption almost equal to the dry samples was obtained. Pilot scale hexane biofiltration experiments were performed with the composites after inoculation with the filamentous fungus Fusarium solani. During the operation of the biofilter under non-aseptic conditions, the addition of bacterial antibiotics did not have a relevant effect on hexane removal, confirming the role of fungi in the uptake of hexane and that bacterial growth was intrinsically limited by an adequate performance of the composites. IPM biofilter had a start-up period of 8-13 days with concurrent CO(2) production of approximately 90 g m(-3) h(-1) at day 11. The final pressure drop after 70 days of operation was 5.3 mmH(2)O m(-1) reactor. For modified pine sawdust (IPS) packed biofilter, 5 days were required to develop an EC of about 100 g m(-3) h(-1) with an inlet hexane load of approximately 190 g m(-3) h(-1). Under similar conditions, 12-17 days were required to observe a significant start-up in the reference perlite biofilter to reach gradually an EC of approximately 100 g m(-3) h(-1) at day 32. Under typical biofiltration conditions, the physical-chemical properties of the modified supports maintained a minimum water activity (a(w)) of 0.925 and a pH between 4 and 5.5, which allowed the preferential fungal development and limited bacterial growth.     

Zeta potential of yeast cells: application in cell immobilization

The zeta potential of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells has been studied. Zeta potential was measured by microelectrophoresis with a Laser Zee meter model 500. Haploid (a and α) and diploid cells were tested and their zeta potential was found to be comparable. The influence of agents such as CaCl₂, NaCl, carboxymethylcellulose, Al₂(SO₄)₃ and cationic starch, on the zeta potential of cells has been studied. Moreover, zeta potential measurement has been used for improvement of cell immobilization by adhesion on sawdust.     

Co-firing of eucalyptus bark and rubberwood sawdust in a swirling fluidized-bed combustor using an axial flow swirler

Co-combustion of eucalyptus bark (as shredded fuel) and rubberwood sawdust was conducted in a swirling fluidized-bed combustor using a 22-vane axial flow swirler. During the co-firing tests, the fuel blend feed rate was maintained at about 60 kg/h, while the mass/energy fraction of the blended fuels was variable. Excess air supply ranged from 20% to 80% for each fuel option via variation of primary air, while secondary air was injected tangentially into the bed splash zone at a constant flowrate. For comparison, tests with pure rubberwood sawdust at similar operating conditions were performed as well. Temperature and concentrations of O₂, CO and NO were measured along radial and axial directions in the combustor as well as at stack. For all fuel firing options, the radial and axial temperature profiles in the reactor were found to be weakly dependent on operating conditions. However, the gas concentration profiles exhibited apparent effects of fuel properties, excess air and secondary air injection, which resulted in variable emission characteristics of the combustor. For the sawdust energy fraction in the fuel blend of about 0.85, CO and NO emissions can be controlled at acceptable levels (both complying with the national emission limits) by maintaining excess air between 50% and 55%. Under such conditions, the co-combustion of high-moisture eucalyptus bark and rubberwood sawdust in the proposed combustor occurs in a stable regime with high, 99.6%, combustion efficiency.