Vol. 27 No. 4 (2022): Romanian Biotechnological Letters
The covered topics and subjects include biotechnology (i.e., green, red, white, blue, bioinformatics) and interdisciplinary research in medicine, neuroscience, agriculture, animal husbandry, ecology and environmental protection.
Full Issue
Articles
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The use of mushrooms as source of protein in market products
Abstract
To satisfy the needs of a growing population as well as changing dietary habits, the food industry is looking for alternative sources of protein that are sustainable and better for the environment than those of animal origin. Plant protein sources are therefore very promising. However, some of them do not have all the essential amino acids and are therefore considered as low quality protein sources. Nevertheless, mushrooms are plants that generally have a complete profile of essential amino acids. For this reason, edible mushrooms are an interesting protein source for the food industry, which can use them to create high-quality protein-enriched food products. This review will therefore discuss the use of mushrooms as sustainable functional foonds are more specifically as an alternative protein source in protein bars.
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Assessing the structure and interaction of sustainable Bio – Composite Films Prepared form deamidated Rice Bran Protein
Abstract
Rice bran protein (RBP) was utilized to prepare bio-composite films after deamidation modification process with deferent percentages. The physical, mechanical properties, exposure to light properties, FT-IR analysis, surface shape by SEM, thermal stability by DSC and X-ray diffraction were applied to study the potential interaction, structure and stabilizing the thermal property of the prepared films. The deamidation process has proven successfully, depending on the cleared changes of shapes of FTIR curves resulting from RBP compared with deamidated rice bran protein (DRBP). The deamidation
process enhanced tensile strength, elongation at break, haze, transparency, gloss and opacity properties of produced films from DRBP. Additionally, the produces films from DRBP presented smooth and homogenous surface with increasement of thickness, solubility and decrement of water vapor permeability and cristallinity compared with films from RBP. -
Bioactivity of two plant products against Tribolium castaneum infesting wheat grains and their impact on some biological parameters in Japanese quail
Abstract
Several experiments were carried out in the current study to assess the efficacy of Caraway seed (Carum carvi) and petitgrain lemon (Citrus aurantium) plants against the stored product insect Tribolium casteneum. To measure some factors, various plant preparations (powder, oil, extract, and new formulation) with concentrations of 5-10-15- and 20% oils and extracts and 5-10-20- and 40% powder and their formulations were used (biological effect, insect mortality rate). Furthermore, to assess the negative effects of tested materials on certain biochemical parameters of Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica). There have been no significant effects of oral treatment on creatinine level while significant effect were noticed on total protein, total anti-oxidants and Serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT) levels in quail. In every treatments for quail, caraway was more effective than petitgrain lemon on some biological parameters. The determination of some biological parameters revealed that treatment after two weeks was affected in comparison to treatment four weeks later. The findings suggest that the tested plant products could be used to protect wheat grains from T. castaneum adults in Egyptian storage facilities.
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Extending of Shelf Life of Mushroom and Asparagus using Rice bran Protein edible coating
Abstract
Button mushrooms and asparagus have a very short shelf life after harvesting and are sensitive to mechanical damage, browning, moisture loss and chlorophyll degradation. An edible coating based on rice bran protein (RBP) was tested in order to determine the shelf-life extension period of mushroom and asparagus. Weight loss, color browning, ascorbic acid, total chlorophyllm pH, total titrable acidiity, polyphenol oxidase activity and peroxidase activity of mushrooms and asparagus were studied. Also, microbiological analysis of the coated samples was studied. The results revealed that, weight loss and firmness of samples decreased with of using RBP coating compared to the control samples. Also, RBP coating maintain the pH values for samples during storage compared to control. Ascorbic acid decreased during storage for both coated and uncoated while, the uncoated samples decreased more. Also, RBP coating was effective to maintain of the color compared to control. Finally, the study showed also that RBP coating with bacteria, molds and yeasts of mushroom and asparagus samples compared to control.
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Grain Yield Seed Hybrids Maize per Different Way of Detasseling
Abstract
The experiments were conducted in field conditions, comprising two maize hybrids and two methods of detasseling, in the period 2014-2016 in a randomised block design. The seed yield was 3.64 t/ha, as average for all the hybrids and the methods of detasseling. “Suanito“ yielded 2.88 t/ha while “MAS 26K“ yielded 4.41 t/ha. The highest yield was obtained in 2015 (3.81 t/ha), then in 2014 (3.47
t/ha), while the lowest yield was obtained in 2016 (3.12 t/ha). Manual detasseling resulted in the seed yeld of 3.94 t/ha, whereas a significantly lower yield was achieved with mechanised detasseling (3.34 t/ha). There was a highly significant interaction found between the year and the hybrid, the year and the method of detasseling and the hybrid and the method of detasseling, whereas there was a significant interaction between the year, the hybrid and the method of detasseling. -
Research on the action of fenugreek extract on the growth of the pathogen Monilinia spp. in vitro
Abstract
Moniliosis caused by the species of the Monilinia genus attacks fruit tree orchards wherever seeds fruits tree and stone fruits tree species are cultivated, producing economically significant losses. Moniliosis is also present in Romanian orchards, requiring control of this disease because it can evolve both in the field and in storge conditions, too. The research aimed to test the antifungal in vitro activity of fenugreek extract against the pathogen Monilinia spp. Monilinia spp was isolated and successively replicated from fresh plant material, represented by appl fruits with specific sporodochia. The fenugreek extract (ska) was tested in concentrations of 3.3% (ska 3,3%) and 10% (ska 10%), comparing the results with the control variant. At the 10% fenugreek extract, the fungus did not grow in the first 3 days, registering a vegetative growth after 6 days of incubation. After 12 days of incubation with the
10% fenugreek extract, the diameter of the mycelium colonies was 6.3 mm compared to the control variant, where the value of the colony diameter was 56.3 mm. The effectiveness of the fenugreek extract at a concentration of 10%, as a percentage of inhibition, was 88.80%. -
Study on the opportunity to improve the quality of the flour for pastry by adding chemical leavening agents
Abstract
Food products that do not require practices for processing, and are easy to prepare have attracted the attention of consumers. An example of this type of product is the premixes formulations for cake mix which allows the cake to be made easily and quickly. The consumer of this type of product has the expectation, when following the instructions, to obtain a uniform and quality product. There are many different chemical leavening agents available to the baker. These include baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), ammonium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate, baking powder (baking soda, calcium phosphate and sodium aluminum sulfate) and leavening acids. Generating CO2 and neutralizing sodium bicarbonate is the primary role of leavening acids, but, it is important not to forget their secondary role and their effects. Taking into consideration these facts, the objective of experiments was to establish the connection between quantity and quality of leavening agents and the quality of bakery products. As the chemical leavening agents get into flour, it is also important to comprehend how they influence the rheological parameters of flour with direct implication in the quality of the products made. For experiments, baking powder was used, which was added in specific quantities to wheat flour. The flour samples were made, and the samples obtained were sensory evaluated in the panel. Correlating Mixolab Profiler indices with the baking samples, and also with the legislation regarding, the best results were obtained for flour with 2% baking powder.
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Microbial Extracellular Enzymatic Activity Unveils the Anthropic Impact on Riparian Ecosystems From Southern Romania
Abstract
The anthropization processes can cause complex, often irreversible changes in natural ecosystems. Several decades ago, on the upper course of the Arges River flowing in the Southern Romania, a series of anthropic interventions took place, which resulted in several new accumulation lakes. Above the socioeconomic benefit to the local communities along the watercourse, their construction also influenced the structure and functioning of the existing ecosystems. In the present study, we have analysed the rate of the detrital organic matter decomposition processes achieved by the heterotrophic microbial communities in several ecosystems located on the upper course of the river. The obtained results revealed that the intensity of these procceses was infleunced both by the type of anthropic area the sampled
ecosystems attain - rural or urban, and by the sampling time. -
Hairy root induction and plant regeneration of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.)
Abstract
The present study showed the morphogenic potential of an important aromatic and industrial tobacco plants for the development of transgenic plants through Agrobacterium rhizogenes (strain 15834) for rolA, rolB, and rolC genes. Leaf explants were inoculated with 1/25, 1/30, and 1/50 diluted bacterial culture (OD600=0.8) for 30 min. containing different acetosyringone doses 250 microM, 200 microM and 150 microM respectively. The highest number of hairy roots was obtained by 1/25 containing 250 microM acetosyringone was 100%. These hairy roots were then transferred to media containing different combinations of plant growth hormones 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 mg/L of BAP and NAA. The nutrient medium consisting of MS vitamins supplemented with 2 mg/L BAP and 0 mg/L NAA 91.7 had the highest callus formation. However, the highest callus weight was detected in 0.5 mg/L BAP and 1 mg/L NAA
medium, while the highest shoot formation explant rate was 56.7% in 2 mg/L BAP and 1 mg/L NAA medium. Number of shoots per explant was detected in 1 mg/L BAP medium. Putative transgenic plants identified by PCR analyzez. As a result of the study, out of 54 putative transgenic plants 37 samples were confirmed by PCR for primers rolA, rolB, and rolC. -
The members of the RAS–RAF–MEK–ERK signaling pathway and cancer
Abstract
Cancer is one of the biggest health problems of contemporary humanity, representing the second cause of death after cardiovascular diseases, caused by many contributing factors, such as population growth, ageing, stress, pollution, unhealthy diet, tumor diversity and heterogenity, difficulties in correct and early diagnosis and inefficiency of current treatments (e.g. cytoreduction, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, etc.). This leads us to look for new ways of dealing with cancer, such as immunotherapy
and personalized therapy, which consider the type of tumour, mutations and expression levels of certain genes, making it necessary to detect specific markers. A category of such specific markers is represented by the proteins involved in inter- and intra-cellular signaling which play essential roles in tumor transformation, progression and dissemination. In cancer, some canonical signaling pathways, including RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK, P13K-PKB/AKT, JAK-STAT, HIF1-VEGF, TGFB, NOTCH, RAP1, TP53, B-catenin/WNT, HIPPO, KEAP-NRF2, MYC and CDKN2 (cell cycle), may be dysregulated. In this review, we detail the roles of RAS–RAF–MEK–ERK signaling pathway in tumorigenic processes and the types of abnormalities that affect them in cancer.
