Superdispersive iron, cobalt and copper nanocrystalline powders were synthesized in a water-ethanol medium by the reduction method using sodium borohydride as a reducing agent and carboxymethyl cellulose as a stabilizer (for Fe and Co nanoparticles). Transmission electron microscopy micrographs and x-ray diffraction analyses of the freshly prepared nanocrystalline powders indicated that they were in a zerovalent state with particle sizes ranging from 20 to 60 nm. The soybean seeds were treated with an extra low nanocrystalline dose (not more than 300 mg of each metal per hectare) and then sowed on an experimental landfill plot consisting of a farming area of 180 m 2 . This pre-sowing treatment of soybean seeds, which does not exert any adverse effect on the soil environment, reliably changed the biological indices of the plant growth and development. In particular, in laboratory experiments, the germination rates of soybean seeds treated with zerovalent Cu, Co and Fe were 65, 80 and 80%, respectively, whereas 55% germination was observed in the control sample; in the field experiment, for all of the nanoscale metals studied, the chlorophyll index increased by 7-15% and the number of nodules by 20-49% compared to the control sample, and the soybean crop yield increased up to 16% in comparison with the control sample.
The aril around the seeds of Gac fruit is rich in fatty acids and carotenoids (lycopene and β‐carotene). Understanding how these qualities are affected by fruit maturity at harvest may identify indices for quality assessment. Some physical and chemical properties of Gac fruit were determined for fruit harvested between 8 and 16 weeks after pollination (WAP). Fruit respiration rates and ethylene production rates were assessed after harvest and up to 20 days in storage at 20°C. Fruit harvested at 14 WAP had the highest oil (0.27 ± 0.02 g/g DW), lycopene content (0.45 ± 0.09 mg/g FW), and β‐carotene content (0.33 ± 0.05 mg/g FW) which declined by 16 WAP. External skin color and aril TSS were indicative of oil and carotenoid contents in aril. Skin color, TSS and potentially firmness were good indices of fruit quality. Harvesting less mature fruit at 12 WAP would be practical as the fruit were firmer and more capable of transport; however, quality during postharvest ripening may be limited. Fruits continued to ripen after they were harvested and an ethylene peak in the least mature fruit may reflect a climacteric behavior but this needs further investigation.
Abstract-Gac fruit (Momordica cochinchinensis Spreng.) is a rich source of bioactive compounds especially carotenoids. Currently, only the aril of the Gac fruit is processed and the peel is discarded although it contains high levels of carotenoids and phenolic compounds, which could be extracted for commercial use. In the present study, solvent type, ratio of solvent to material, extraction time and temperature were investigated for the extraction yields of carotenoids and phenolic compounds, the antioxidant activity of the extract from Gac peel. Ethyl acetate extract showed the highest extraction yield of carotenoids, phenolics and ABTS antioxidant capacity. The highest levels of carotenoid yield and antioxidant capacity were obtained at 2 hours of extraction with the ratio of solvent to material of 20:1 (ml/g). Phenolic extraction yield reached the highest level after 2.5 hours of extraction and rose with the increase in extraction temperature while the highest extraction yield of carotenoids was obtained at 40 to 50°C and declined at higher temperature. The extraction using ethyl acetate with the ratio of 20:1 (ml solvent/g Gac peel) for 2 hours at 50°C is suggested for extraction of bioactives from Gac peel.
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