Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Pigments Based on Bentonite: Strategies to Stabilize the Quinoidal Base Form of Anthocyanin.

Anthocyanins are one of the natural pigments that humanity has employed the most and can substitute synthetic food dyes, which are considered toxic. They are responsible for most purple, blue, and red pigment nuances in tubers, fruits, and flowers. However, they have some limitations in light, pH, oxygen, and temperature conditions.

Modulatory-antibiotic activity of the essential oil from Eucalyptus citriodora against MDR bacterial strains.

The growing number of bacterial strains resistant to therapeutic agents has been surpassing the various antibiotics developed by the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. This problem has driven the development of research using agents with antimicrobial potential, with an emphasis on plant-derived natural products. This study evaluated the chemical compounds present in Eucalyptus citriodora essential oil (EOEc) cultivated in northeastern Brazil and its properties as an antibacterial agent and resistance modifier against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and β-lactamase-producing strains.

Bioreduction of aldehydes and ketones using Manihot species.

Biocatalysis constitutes an important tool in organic synthesis, especially for the preparation of chiral molecules of biological interest. A series of aliphatic and aromatic aldehydes and two ketones were reduced using plant cell preparations from Manihot esculenta and Manihot dulcis roots. The reduced products were typically obtained in excellent yields (80-96%), and with excellent enantiomeric excess (94-98%), except for vanillin.