No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

The encapsulation of purslane seed oil in the yeast cells of S. cerevisiae can be considered as an efficient approach for extending the oxidative stability of this nutritious oil and facilitating its application in food products. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Aims The current study aimed to investigate the ability of lactic acid bacteria (LABs) in removing four polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) namely, benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), benz(a)anthracene (BaA), chrysene (Chr) and benzo(b)fluoranthene (BbF) from contaminated phosphate buffer saline (PBS). Method and Results The effect of initial PAH concentrations (5, 10, 15, 20 μg ml−1), bacterial population (107, 108, 109, 1010 CFU per ml) and pH (3, 5, 7) was studied to evaluate bacterial binding ability. All the tested bacteria could remove BaA, Chr, BbF and BaP from phosphate buffer solution and in almost all assays, removing of PAHs was as follows: BaP>Chr>BaA>BaF. Bifidobacterium lactis BB‐12 had the lowest binding rate for all four PAHs, while the highest binding ability was related to Lactobacillus acidophilus LA‐5. Moreover, cell viability was not required for the binding ability and even acid‐treated, heat‐treated and ultrasonic‐treated bacterial cells showed more binding ability. The results showed that the bacteria–PAH complex was irreversible after washing with PBS. Conclusions The removal of PAHs was significantly related to pH of media, strains of bacteria, type and concentration of PAHs Significance and Impact of the Study This study has been focused on the reduction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons using LABs and probiotics. Our results showed that not only live strains but also inactivated tested strains are able to remove PAHs from aqueous media, presenting new methods to diminish the amount of these contaminants in foods. Furthermore, the results of this study can be used in future research on evaluating the effects of oral administration of probiotic supplements and even dead probiotic strains on reducing PAHs in humans.

No abstract

No abstract

It has been previously reported that the essential oil of L. seeds and its major active component, thymoquinone (TQ), possess a broad variety of biological activities and therapeutic properties. In this work, microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) of the essential oil from L. seeds and its antioxidant activity were studied. Response surface methodology based on central composite design was used to evaluate the effects of extraction time, irradiation power and moisture content on extraction yield and TQ content. Optimal parameters obtained by CCD and RSM were extraction time 30 min, irradiation power 450 W, and moisture content 50%. The extraction yield and TQ content of the essential oil were 0.33 and 20% under the optimum conditions, respectively. In contrast, extraction yield and TQ amount of oil obtained by hydrodistillation (HD) were 0.23 and 3.71%, respectively. The main constituents of the essential oil extracted by MAE and HD were -cymene, TQ, α-thujene and longifolene, comprising more than 60% of total peak area. The antioxidant capacity of essential oils extracted by different methods were evaluated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and Ferric reducing antioxidant power assays, and compared with traditional antioxidants. The results showed that MAE method was a viable alternative to HD for the essential oil extraction from seeds due to the excellent extraction efficiency, higher thymoquinone content, and stronger antioxidant activity.