The relative composition of the fatty acids in Pachira aquatica seed oil were determined using GC-MS and 1H NMR. The results obtained from GC-MS and 1H NMR show that the oil contained saturated fatty acids (>67%), oleic acid (>18%), linoleic (>3%) and linolenic acid (≤0.01%). 1H NMR gave more reliable and reproducible results.
Almond (Terminalia catappa) seeds are rich in oil; however, their study has received limited attention, with researches focused mainly on their health potentials. The present study assesses the composition of the fatty acid (FA) components present in the almond seed oils extracted using soxhlet apparatus and analysed by 1H-NMR (Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) and Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). Generally, there was significant agreement between the results from the 1H-NMR and GC-MS analyses, however, 1H NMR gave more reliable and reproducible results. The GC-MS and 1H NMR results revealed that the oils contained oleic acid (>18 %), linoleic (>28%) linolenic acid (≤0.03 %) and saturated fatty acids (>44 %).
The studies on fish genetic diversity and its conservation in Nigeria are still at its preliminary stages. The country needs to document the diversities of all the water bodies and also embark on a DNA barcoding project for rapid identification of the enormous populations and consequent deposition in the global genebank for references. All molecular studies usually start with the isolation, purification, and recovery of DNA and this usually depends on the types of tissue, mode of sample collection, the medium of storage, duration of storage, and used extraction protocols. The current study embarked on fish collection in four major freshwater habitats as a preliminary study to a proposed fish barcoding project and to comparatively determine the extraction protocol that will be cost-effective, fast, safe, and yield adequate molecular materials for downstream amplification, cloning, and sequencing reactions. In the current study, three DNA extraction protocols, Zymo Research Kit (ZR), modified conventional SNET method, and modified Urea-SDS Method were compared to establish the best DNA extraction method from freshwater fishes. Sixty-two (62) fish samples were collected belonging to 16 different families, 23 Genera, and 32 Species. The average yield of the three protocols in terms of concentration (ng/μL: Purity) are: ZR (30.59: 1.58); UREA, (705.49: 1.75) and SNET (562.22: 1.73). Hence, in terms of DNA concentration recovery, the sequence of the best method is UREA > SNET > ZR, and the same trend followed in the case of Purity. Statistical tests did not show any significant difference when the extraction protocols were compared among fish families. Cytochrome B gene was successfully amplified on the DNA template to confirm their suitability for further studies. The result of the study can be concluded that among the best DNA extraction methods, UREA protocol can be recommended for fish DNA extraction, this is not only cost-effective, but also gave quality yield and adequate for downstream analysis.
The present study investigated the nutritional and phytochemical properties of seeds oils and flours from Pachira aquatica seed cultivated in Nigeria. Proximate composition and phytochemical composition were determined by standard methods while mineral content of the seed flours and oil was determined using Thermo Scientific iCAP 6200 Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES) and Agilent 7900 Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS). The oil which was extracted using Soxhlet extraction method had a yield of 44.43%. The proximate composition of the flour gave carbohydrate 18.12%; moisture 9.74%; protein 19.90%; ash 4.11%; fat 44.43; fibre 3.70%; while phytochemicals showed that phenol was 4.90 mg/100 g; Tannins 0.76 mg/100g; flavonoids 0.68 mg/100 g; glycosides 17.54%; saponins 6.03% and alkaloids 10.68%. Macro-element concentrations from the seed oil and seed flour respectively were 63.55 and 10611.74 mg/Kg K; 22.38 and 628.44 mg/Kg Mg; 67.55 and 4007.86 mg/Kg P; 52.65 and 1387.00 mg/Kg Ca; 17.95 and 35.23 mg/Kg Na. Micro-elements were 4.18 mg/Kg and 24.59 mg/Kg Cu; 4.43 mg/Kg and 40.16 mg/Kg Fe; 1.50 and 9.61 mg/Kg Mn; 2.92 mg/Kg and 25.68 mg/Kg Zn; 2.74 mg/Kg and 15.40 mg/Kg Al; 0.82 ( mg/Kg103) and 2.27 ( mg/Kg103) Ni; 1.11 ( mg/Kg103) and 3.30 (mg/Kg103); 3.55 (mg/Kg103) and 17.19 (mg/Kg103) B; 0.20 (mg/Kg103) and 0.40 ( mg/Kg103) Mo; 0.01 (mg/Kg103) and 0.03 (mg/Kg103) Se. Toxic elements recorded 0.17 and 0.85 µg/Kg Cr; 0.18 and 0.23 µg/Kg Co; 0.01 and 0.01 µg/Kg As; 0.01 and 0.02 µg/Kg Cd; and 0.09 and 0.11 µg/Kg Pb for the seed oil and seed flour respectively. The investigation showed that Pachira aquatica seed is safe and nutritious for domestic purposes and industrial applications. The energy value indicates that the seed is a good alternative source of energy and could be taken when energy given food is required as it falls within the recommended energy dietary allowances especially for children. The bioactive properties of Pachira aquatica seed shows that it has medicinal potential worth exploring for pharmacological purposes.
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