BackgroundChia (Salvia hispanica L.) is known as power house of omega fatty acids which has great health benefits. It contains up to 78% linolenic acid (ω-3) and 18% linoleic acid (ω-6), which could be a great source of omega-3 fatty acids for functional foods. Therefore, in this study, margarines were prepared with supplementation of different concentrations of chia oil to enhance omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidant characteristics and oxidative stability of the product.MethodsMargarines were formulated from non-hydrogenated palm oil, palm kernel and butter. Margarines were supplemented with 5, 10, 15 and 20% chia oil (T1, T2, T3 and T4), respectively. Margarine without any addition of chia oil was kept as control. Margarine samples were stored at 5 °C for a period of 90 days. Physico-chemical (fat, moisture, refractive index, melting point, solid fat index, fatty acids profile, total phenolic contents, DPPH free radical scavenging activity, free fatty acids and peroxide value) and sensory characteristics were studied at the interval of 45 days.ResultsThe melting point of T1, T2, T3 and T4 developed in current investigation were 34.2, 33.8, 33.1 and 32.5 °C, respectively. The solid fat index of control, T1, T2, T3 and T4 were 47.21, 22.71, 20.33, 18.12 and 16.58%, respectively. The α-linolenic acid contents in T1, T2, T3 and T4 were found 2.92, 5.85, 9.22, 12.29%, respectively. The concentration of eicosanoic acid in T2, T3 and T4 was 1.82, 3.52, 6.43 and 9.81%, respectively. The content of docosahexanoic acid in T2, T3 and T4 was present 1.26, 2.64, 3.49 and 5.19%, respectively. The omega-3 fatty acids were not detected in the control sample. Total phenolic contents of control, T1, T2, T3 and T4 samples were 0.27, 2.22, 4.15, 7.23 and 11.42 mg GAE/mL, respectively. DPPH free radical scavenging activity for control, T1, T2, T3 and T4 was noted 65.8, 5.37, 17.82, 24.95, 45.42 and 62.8%, respectively. Chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, quercetin, phenolic glycoside k and phenolic glycoside Q in T3 were present 0.78, 0.73, 1.82, 4.12 and 4.49 mg/mL, respectively. After 90 days of storage period, free fatty acids and peroxide value of all the treatments were less than 0.2 (% and MeqO2/kg). Sensory characteristics of treatments were not different from the control.ConclusionMargarines supplemented with chia oil showed enhanced level of omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidant characteristics. These results suggest that chia oil can be used for formulation of margarine with increased level of omega-3 fatty acids and acceptable sensory characteristics.

Background: Wound infection is the cause of mortality and morbidity on a global scale. Microorganisms infecting wounds can multiply and colonize in the wound, resulting in host tissue damage. Objectives: The present study was conducted to identify Proteus mirabilis in wounds of patients in Quetta district. Methods: This study was conducted from June 2017 to June 2018 at the Center for Advanced Studies in Vaccinology and Biotechnology, University of Balochistan, Quetta. Overall, 480 different wound samples were collected from patients admitted to Bolan Medical Complex Hospital, Quetta. Proteus mirabilis was isolated using differential and selective media and characterized by biochemical tests (catalase, oxidase, IMViC, and sugar fermentation), antimicrobial susceptibility tests, and PCR. Results: There were 64 (13.3%) samples positive and 416 (86.6%) samples negative for P. mirabilis. The results showed that wounds infected with P. mirabilis were more common in male patients (n = 40; 8.3%) than in female patients (n = 24, 5%). The age distribution showed that the infection of wounds with P. mirabilis was the highest in 16-30-year-old group (n = 32; 6.70%), followed by the age groups of 5-15 (n = 24; 5%) and 30-50 years (n = 8; 1.60%). Diabetic (n = 24; 5%) and surgical (n = 24; 5%) wounds were more affected by P. mirabilis than burn wounds (n = 16; 3.30%). Proteus mirabilis was sensitive to gentamicin (n = 50; 78%) and amikacin (n = 53; 82.8%) but resistant to penicillin G (n = 58; 90%), ampicillin (n = 56; 87.5%), amoxicillin (n = 60; 93.7%), cefuroxime (n = 61; 95.3%), ceftriaxone (n = 57; 89%), ceftazidime (n = 59; 92.1%), imipenem (n = 62; 96.8%), ciprofloxacin (n = 55; 85.9%), and tetracycline (n = 59; 92%). The PCR-based identification of P. mirabilis showed clear bands of 533 bp of the ureC1 gene. Conclusions: The pathogenesis of P. mirabilis in wound infection and its antimicrobial sensitivity are major problems worldwide. The use of aminoglycosides such as gentamycin and amikacin is effective against P. mirabilis and can help prevent the spread of infection and reduce the cost of treatment. The PCR technique is one of the sensitive, timesaving, specific, and cost-effective ways for the identification of the pathogenic genes of P. mirabilis.

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Rhizobia are the true bacteria that establish symbiotic relationship leading to the development of new root nodules. This study has been designed to evaluate the microbiological aspects of Rhizobium leguminosarum in target area. A total of 1000 (200 from each site) roots were collected from five different agriculture fields (Quetta, Pishin, Killa Abdulla, Kuchlak and Hanna Urak) and screened through different standard microbiological procedures. Results revealed that 665/1000 (66.5%) roots samples were positive for Rhizobium leguminosarum. The highest percentage was from Pishin 180/200 (18%) and Killa Abdullah 160/200 (16%). A remarkable growth of Rhizobium leguminosarum was noted at 28 to 30°C whereas, less growth was recorded at 24, 34 and 42°C. Similarly, Rhizobium leguminosarum showed growth at pH 5 to 10, but superlative pH values for the growth of Rhizobium leguminosarum were from 6 to 8 pH. The PCR reconfirmed 1300 bp band of 16S rRNA gene of Rhizobium leguminosarum. The organism was further applied as biofertilizer and showed promising results in subjected plants. Medicinal plants application showed that Rhizobium leguminosarum was sensitive to different plants. However, the effects of insecticides showed that Cypermethrin exhibited least zone of inhibition 10 and 11 mm, while Chlorpyrifos showed least zone of inhibition 14 and 17 mm by using disc and well method with (1: 16) dilution. These findings ensure the devastation of microbiota in rhizosphere with rational use of these pesticides that may result in adverse effects over crop productions in the region.

Alkaline proteases are one of the most widely used as industrial enzyme recently explored for its effective degrading ability in bioremediation. In the present study alkaline protease producing bacteria was isolated from soil samples collected from waste dumped area in poultry farm. The isolate was identified as Staphylococcus cohnii N3 strain by 16s rRNA sequencing analysis. The effect of pH and temperature on alkaline protease was found that showed maximum activity at pH 9 and at temperature 60 ℃ (162.U/ml). The isolated S. cohnii N3 was further experimented for silver recovery and gelatin hydrolysis. Gelatin hydrolysis was monitored by measuring increase in turbidity in the hydrolysate. Gelatin layer was stripped completely within 20 min at 40 ˚C, pH 9. Rate of gelatin hydrolysis increased with increased in time shows complete decolorization of X-ray film proves its suitability for silver recovery.