Garlic is a health promoter that has important bioactive compounds. The bioactive extraction is an important step in the analysis of constituents present in plant preparations. The purpose of this study is to optimize the extraction with the best proportion of solvents to obtain total phenolic compounds (TPC) and thiosulfinates (TS) from dried garlic powder, and evaluate the antioxidant activities of the optimized extracts. A statistical mixture simplex axial design was used to evaluate the effect of solvents (water, ethanol, and acetone), as well as mixtures of these solvents, after two ultrasound extraction cycles of 15 min. Results showed that solvent mixtures with a high portion of water and pure water were efficient for TPC and TS recovery through this extraction procedure. According to the regression model computed, the most significant solvent mixtures to obtain high TPC and TS recovery from dried garlic powder are, respectively, the binary mixture with 75% water and 25% acetone and pure water. These optimized extracts presented oxygen radical absorbance capacity. Pure water was better for total antioxidant capacity, and the binary mixture of water–acetone (75:25) was better for DPPH scavenging activity. These optimized extracts can be used for industrial and research applications.

In function of the green revolution the indiscriminate use of agrochemicals and pesticides in agriculture has been also shown in the production of medicinal plants, resulting in the increase of productivity but with high residual contamination and low rates in the production of secondary metabolites responsible for the biological and pharmacological activity in vegetable drugs. In another hand, new techniques of elicitation has been applied to stimulate the medicinal plants production through the organic and agroecological management, contributing for the increase of performance, quality and production. In this context, it is aimed with this review to present such as the humic substances: fulvic acid, humic acid and efficient microorganisms which influence and help the ontogeny and the secondary metabolites production of medicinal plants. The reviewed articles show that the use of fulvic acid, humic acid and efficient microorganisms in the production of medicinal plants contributes on the increase of biosynthesis, secondary metabolites production such as coumarins, alkaloids, phenylpropanoids and essential oils, as well as the increase of nutrients absorption, growth and development of species.

<p>A produção de flores de corte constitui uma atividade importante, cuja comercialização exige técnicas de conservação que contribuam para manter a qualidade floral após a colheita. Assim, objetivou-se avaliar diferentes pontos de abertura da espata, na colheita de hastes florais de copo-de-leite e seu efeito na conservação pós-colheita em duas formas de armazenamento, temperatura ambiente e em câmara fria. As hastes foram colhidas pela manhã, adotando 3 estádios diferentes de abertura da espata: espata fechada, 1/3 aberta e aberta. As hastes florais foram padronizadas quanto ao tamanho da pseudo-haste em 40 cm e armazenadas em câmara fria a 4 °C e em temperatura ambiente a 20 °C. As avaliações foram realizadas por 7 dias consecutivos, observando a qualidade visual das hastes florais, expansão da espata em comprimento e largura e a presença de pólen. Observou-se que não<br />houve diferença qualitativa entre todos os estádios de colheita quando as hastes foram armazenadas em câmara fria, sendo que as hastes florais permaneceram na classe qualitativa A1, já em temperatura ambiente, as inflorescências colhidas fechadas e 1/3 abertas apresentaram melhor qualidade, permanecendo na mesma classe qualitativa. As hastes colhidas fechadas e 1/3 abertas,<br />armazenadas em câmara fria ou em temperatura ambiente, expandiram até o final da avaliação, sem apresentar necrose e murcha da espata, contudo, não completaram o processo de abertura. Conclui-se que as hastes florais colhidas com a espata fechada e espata 1/3 aberta continuam o processo de abertura da espata, mas não atingem a abertura completa, contudo apresentam maior<br />durabilidade, independentemente da condição de armazenamento.</p>

No abstract

Rose essential oil is rich in compounds widely used by the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry, due to the biological activities it presents. However, obtaining oil is costly, as the yield per plant is low, which requires several techniques that aim to increase its production. The application of growth-promoting bacteria has been studied for this purpose. Thus, the objective of this work was to select efficient bacteria for production and evaluate their influence on the phytotechnical characteristics and composition of the essential oils of roses. Seven species of bacteria were evaluated for the potential to promote growth in vitro, being tested for nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilization, protease production and auxin production. From bacteria tested, four were selected and inoculated on rose plants of cultivar Black Prince to evaluate the influence on phytotechnical variables of flower and stem and the oil production. The evaluation of the production of roses was performed through the characteristics of the flowers (size, weight, and diameter of the stem) and floral bud. The essential oils from the inoculated flowers were extracted and evaluated in terms of content, yield, and chemical composition. The application of B. acidiceler, B. subtilis and B. pumilus resulted in flowers with a diameter up to 29% larger. The floral stem was increased by up to 24.5% when B. acidiceler and B. pumilus were used. Meanwhile, the stem diameter was around 41% greater in the presence of B. acidiceler, B. subtilis and in the control. Bacillus pumilus also increased the weight of fresh petals (104%) and essential oil yield (26%), changing the chemical composition of the extracted essential oil. Thus, it is concluded that B. acidiceler, B. pumilus, and B. subtilis improved the phytotechnical characteristics of roses. Among bacteria, B. pumilus increased the essential oil content as well as positively changed the chemical composition of the extracted essential oil.

Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) is not endemic in Brazil; however, it is a symbolic plant for traditional peoples and was present in ancestral cultural resistance. Several species were introduced to Brazil through the slave trade on the Africa-Brazil transatlantic route. In addition, the active constituents of basil are of great pharmaceutical and biological importance, and the plant has been used for therapeutic purposes by a wide variety of people, from quilombola communities to the pharmaceutical industry. Thus, based on African ethnobotany and modern science, this review article aimed to contextualize the endemic and epistemic importance of the origin, traditional, ancestral, medicinal and therapeutic uses of basil, consumed en masse in Brazil (during and after) the slavery period. The bibliographic review was carried out by consulting historical books and Scopus scientific databases. Scielo, transatlantic slave traffic database and Web of Science. The results showed that traditional communities, quilombos and terreiros, already made medicinal and liturgical uses of basil, before its use by the pharmaceutical industry. And that after the period of slavery, several studies carried out by researchers with basil proved that this species has several therapeutic properties, already reported by traditional communities. Thus, it is concluded that O. basilicum L. is an endemic species of the African continent, introduced in Brazil on the transatlantic route and that the traditional and ancestral knowledge for therapeutic use and application was already present in the territory, before the studies of proof of activity, post slavery period. Currently, the species is widely applied in the pharmaceutical and biological industry. However, there is a need for strategies that recognize, value and integrate the knowledge of the traditional peoples of the African diaspora, scientific productions.

The objective this stud was to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of essential oils (organic vs. conventional) of Origanum vulgare L. in the action against Candida albicans, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The inoculation of rhizobacteria (environmental (ME) and Bacillus subtilis) potentiated the antimicrobial action.  The essential oils of Traditional (organic) cultivation presented antibacterial action and antifungal, while the essential oil of conventional cultivation (NPK) showed no any antibacterial or antifungal activity. It was concluded that the formulation of vermicomposting and the use of rhizobacteria are potential technologies and tools for family farmers and traditional community in the cultivation of orégano.

The growing concern to promote sustainable agriculture, seeking environmental preservation and, at the same time, increased productivity resulted in the search for technologies for the implementation of agricultural production systems, with ecological approaches and responsible use of natural resources, in the economic, political and social contexts in each region. One of the potential alternatives to achieve these results would be the use of humic substances, considering their direct and indirect mechanisms aimed at increasing agricultural production. Thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate the bioactivity of humic and fulvic acids, as well as to promote improvements in the phytotechnical attributes of banana cv. Prata-Anã micropropagated. The treatments consisted of five doses of humic acid and fulvic acid (2; 5; 10; 20 and 40 mg L-1) and a control without humic substances. Higher values ​​for the length of the aerial part and the larger root were obtained with the use of 40 mg L-1 fulvic acid. The results prove the ability of fulvic acid to improve the in vitro development of banana explants.