A Zymogram technique for preliminary screening and characterization of feruloyl esterases.

We report here, for the first time, a zymogram technique designed for rapid screening of feruloyl esterase using ethyl ferulate as enzyme substrate and casein precipitation as enzyme activity indicator.

The antioxidant effect of mulberry and jamun fruit wines by ameliorating oxidative stress in streptozotocin-induced diabetic Wistar rats.

Polyphenols act by scavenging reactive oxygen species during oxidative stress and hence are useful in the treatment of metabolic disorders including diabetes. This study describes the effect of polyphenol rich mulberry and jamun wines fed to streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. To male adult Wistar rats, divided into groups (n = 10 per group) intraperitoneal injection was administered with streptozotocin at 38 mg per kg body weight for inducing diabetes.

Resveratrol content and antioxidant properties of underutilized fruits.

In the present study, resveratrol content and antioxidant properties of underutilized fruits such as Jamun (Syzygium cumini L.), Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) and Mulberry (Morus rubra) were investigated keeping Grape (Vitis vinifera) as a reference. Ethanol/water (80:20 v/v) extracts of different parts of fruit samples including skin, pulp and seeds were analyzed by HPLC and MS for the quantification of resveratrol.

A short-term toxicity study of Aspergillus carbonarius carotenoid.

In a pharmacokinetic study, high-performance liquid chromatography analysis of blood samples of Wistar female rats fed with partially saturated canthaxanthin (PSC) of Aspergillus carbonarius showed the presence of the carotenoid in the plasma within 6 hours of feeding. In another study for safety assessment of PSC fed to rats over a period of 28 days at 0.05%, 0.

Antioxidant and lipid peroxidation activities in rats fed with Aspergillus carbonarius carotenoid.

Effect of feeding partially saturated canthaxanthin (PSC), purified from Aspergillus carbonarius mutant, was studied using four groups of female albino rats (n=6) for 4 weeks. While the control group received basal diet ad libitum, Groups I, II and III were fed with basal diet containing 50, 100 and 250 ppm PSC, respectively. PSC feeding did not cause any significant changes in food intake and there was no gain in body weight either.

Partially saturated canthaxanthin purified from Aspergillus carbonarius induces apoptosis in prostrate cancer cell line.

A mutant Aspergillus carbonarius selected for temperature tolerance after UV treatment, when grown in shake flasks, produced mycelia bearing yellow pigment. Since the mutant was affected in sterol biosynthetic pathway, the pigment was apparently produced to maintain membrane fluidity and rigidity for growth sustenance in low-pH culture broth. Nuclear magnetic resonance analyses characterizing the pigment as a partially saturated canthaxanthin, containing beta-ionone end rings, suggested its application as a retinoid.