Parkinson's disease (PD) is the most common neurodegenerative movement disorder with obscure etiology and no disease-modifying therapy to date. Hence, novel, safe, and low cost-effective approaches employing medicinal plants are currently receiving increased attention. A growing body of evidence has revealed that cinnamon, being widely used as a spice of unique flavor and aroma, may exert neuroprotective effects in several neurodegenerative diseases, including PD. In vitro evidence has indicated that the essential oils of Cinnamomum species, mainly cinnamaldehyde and sodium benzoate may protect against oxidative stress-induced cell death, reactive oxygen species generation, and autophagy dysregulation, thus acting in a potentially neuroprotective manner. In vivo evidence has demonstrated that oral administration of cinnamon powder and sodium benzoate may protect against dopaminergic cell death, striatal neurotransmitter dysregulation, and motor deficits in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine mouse models of PD. The underlying mechanisms of its action include autophagy regulation, antioxidant effects, upregulation of Parkin, DJ-1, glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor, as well as modulation of the TLR/NF-κB pathway and inhibition of the excessive proinflammatory responses. In addition, in vitro and in vivo studies have shown that cinnamon extracts may affect the oligomerization process and aggregation of α-synuclein. Herein, we discuss recent evidence on the novel therapeutic opportunities of this phytochemical against PD, indicating additional mechanistic aspects that should be explored, and potential obstacles/limitations that need to be overcome, for its inclusion in experimental PD therapeutics.
Introduction: Globally, the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) is high in Punjabi population. This could due to the increased cardiometabolic risks associated with diets high in dietary fats and refined grains. However, studies on the relationship between dietary pattern and cardiometabolic risks involving Malaysian Punjabis popu- lation are scarce. Hence, this study aims to determine the associations between dietary patterns and cardiometa- bolic risks in Malaysian Punjabi adults. Methods: Socio-demographic, lifestyle and dietary intake information was collected using self-administered questionnaire. Anthropometric measurements: weight and height for body mass index (BMI) calculation, waist circumference (WC); systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP); and biomark- ers: blood glucose, glycated haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), triglycerides, total cholesterol (TC), low-density-lipopro- tein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), apolipoprotein A1 and B100 were obtained. Major dietary patterns were derived using principal component analysis. Association between dietary patterns and cardiometabolic risk factors were performed using ANCOVA and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Results: A total of 164 (35.4% males and 64.6% females) Punjabis were included in this study. Four dietary patterns were extracted, namely ‘fruits and vegetables diet’ (FVD), ‘whole grains, condiments and beverages diet’ (WCBD), ‘protein diet’ (PD) and ‘rice, noodles, cereals and meat diet’ (RNCMD). Significant associations were obtained for FVD with BMI (p=0.012), WC (p=0.011), SBP (p=0.020) and DBP (p=0.009); WCBD with TC (p=0.010), LDL-C (p=0.015) and apolipoprotein B100 (p=0.038). Conclusion: Dietary pattern comprised of fruits, vegetables and beverages containing antioxidant-rich spices, ginger, and black tea may lower cardiometabolic risks in Malaysian Punjabis, particularly in obesity, high blood pressure and hyperlipidaemia.
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease of the joint affecting aging populations worldwide. It has an underlying inflammatory cause, which contributes to the loss of chondrocytes, leading to diminished cartilage layer at the affected joints. Compounds with anti-inflammatory properties are potential treatment agents for osteoarthritis. Curcumin derived from Curcuma species is an anti-inflammatory compound as such. This review aims to summarize the antiosteoarthritic effects of curcumin derived from clinical and preclinical studies. Many clinical trials have been conducted to determine the effectiveness of curcumin in osteoarthritic patients. Extracts of Curcuma species, curcuminoids and enhanced curcumin, were used in these studies. Patients with osteoarthritis showed improvement in pain, physical function, and quality of life after taking curcumin. They also reported reduced concomitant usage of analgesics and side effects during treatment. In vitro studies demonstrated that curcumin could prevent the apoptosis of chondrocytes, suppress the release of proteoglycans and metal metalloproteases and expression of cyclooxygenase, prostaglandin E-2, and inflammatory cytokines in chondrocytes. These were achieved by blocking the activation of nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) system in the chondrocytes, by preventing the activation of nuclear factor of kappa light polypeptide gene enhancer in B-cells inhibitor, alpha, phosphorylation, and translocation of the p65 subunit of NF-κB complexes into the nucleus. In conclusion, curcumin is a potential candidate for the treatment of osteoarthritis. More well-planned randomized control trials and enhanced curcumin formulation are required to justify the use of curcumin in treating osteoarthritis.
A survey was conducted to investigate patterns of fruits and vegetables consumption among Malaysian adults residing in Selangor, Malaysia. Two hundred forty two subjects comprises of male (28%) and female (72%) of major ethnics (Malays-52.3%; Chinese-30.5%; Indians-16.9%) with the mean age of 43.5±18 years were studied from July to November 2002. Consumption data for vegetables were collected using 24 hours duplicate samples method while for fruits 24-hour diet record was used. The results showed that most frequently consumed leafy, leguminous, root, brassica and fruits vegetables were celery (Apium graveolens), spinach (Spinacia oleracea), water spinach (Ipomoea aquatic), long beans (Vigna sesquipedolis), French beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), carrot (Daucas carota), potato (Solanum tuberosum), Chinese mustard (Brassica juncea), round cabbage (Brassica reptans), cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var cauliflora), chilies (red, green, small or dried) (Capsicum sp.), tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum), cucumber (Cucumis sativus), long eggplant (Solanum melongena) and okra (Hibiscus esculentus). While most consumed ulam and traditional vegetables were petai (Parkia speciosa), sweet leaves (Sauropus andragynus) and Indian pennywor (Hydrocotyle asiatica). Other vegetables inclusive spices and flavorings that were preferred by subjects were shallot (Allium fistulosum), garlic(Allium sativum), onion (Alium cepa), green bean sprout (Phaseolus aureus) and curry leaves (Murraya koenigii). The most preferred fruits were banana (Musa spp.) and apples (.Malus domestica). A total consumption of fruits and vegetables among adults in Selangor was 173 g/day and the consumption among Malays (202 g/day) was significantly higher (P
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Little is known about the dietary patterns (DPs) of women during pregnancy. The present study aimed to identify the DPs of pregnant Malaysian women and their associations with socio-demographic, obstetric, and anthropometric characteristics.
SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This prospective cohort study included 737 participants enrolled in Seremban Cohort Study between 2013 and 2015. Food consumption was assessed using a validated 126-food item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (SFFQ) at four time-points, namely, pre-pregnancy and at each trimester (first, second, and third). Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to identify DPs.
RESULTS: Three DPs were identified at each time point and designated DP 1-3 (pre-pregnancy), DP 4-6 (first trimester), DP 7-9 (second trimester) and DP 10-12 (third trimester). DP 1, 4, and 7 appeared to be more prudent diets, characterized by higher intakes of nuts, seeds & legumes, green leafy vegetables, other vegetables, eggs, fruits, and milk & dairy products. DP 2, 5, 8, and 11 had greater loadings of condiments & spices, sugar, spreads & creamer, though DP 2 had additional sweet foods, DP 5 and 8 had additional oils & fats, and DP 11 had additional tea & coffee, respectively. DP 3 and 6 were characterized by high protein (poultry, meat, processed, dairy, eggs, and fish), sugars (mainly as beverages and sweet foods), and energy (bread, cereal & cereal products, rice, noodles & pasta) intakes. DP 9 had additional fruits. However, DP 12 had greater loadings of energy foods (bread, cereal & cereal products, rice, noodles & pasta), sugars (mainly as beverages, and sweet foods), and good protein sources (eggs, nuts, seeds & legumes). Malays were more likely to have lower adherence (LA) for DP 1 and 10 than non-Malays. DP 2, 8, and 11 were more prevalent among Malays than non-Malays. Women with a higher education were more likely to have LA for DP 10, and women with a greater waist circumference at first prenatal visit were more likely to show LA for DP 11.
CONCLUSIONS: DPs observed in the present study were substantially different from those reported in Western populations. Information concerning associations between ethnicity, waist circumference and education with specific DPs before and throughout pregnancy could facilitate efforts to promote healthy dietary behavior and the overall health and well-being of pregnant women.
Study name: Seremban Cohort Study (SECOST)
Fungi are distributed worldwide and can be found in various foods and feedstuffs from almost every part of the world. Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by some fungal species and may impose food safety risks to human health. Among all mycotoxins, aflatoxins (AFs), ochratoxin A (OTA), trichothecenes, deoxynivalenol (DON and T-2 toxin), zearalenone (ZEN), and fumonisins (FMN) have received much attention due to high frequency and severe health effects in humans and animals. Malaysia has heavy rainfall throughout the year, high temperatures (28 to 31 °C), and high relative humidity (70% to 80% during wet seasons). Stored crops under such conditions can easily be contaminated by mycotoxin-producing fungi. The most important mycotoxins in Malaysian foods are AFs, OTA, DON, ZEN, and FMN that can be found in peanuts, cereal grains, cocoa beans, and spices. AFs have been reported to occur in several cereal grains, feeds, nuts, and nut products consumed in Malaysia. Spices, oilseeds, milk, eggs, and herbal medicines have been reported to be contaminated with AFs (lower than the Malaysian acceptable level of 35 ng/g for total AFs). OTA, a possible human carcinogen, was reported in cereal grains, nuts, and spices in Malaysian market. ZEN was detected in Malaysian rice, oat, barley, maize meal, and wheat at different levels. DON contamination, although at low levels, was reported in rice, maize, barley, oat, wheat, and wheat-based products in Malaysia. FMN was reported in feed and some cereal grains consumed in Malaysia. Since some food commodities are more susceptible than others to fungal growth and mycotoxin contamination, more stringent prevention and control methods are required.
Food poisoning is still a major problem in the state of Terengganu. The study was conducted during an episode of food poisoning outbreak which occurred in October, 1999, at Universiti Tekonologi Mara (UiTJ1rO, Dungun to determine the etiology, mode of transmission, source and the risk factors of the outbreak and hence to take appropriate remedial actions and preventive measures. A retrospective cohort study was conducted amongst 925 students using a standard questionnaire as well as environmental investigation and bacterial subtyping. All the samples were Malay females, age ranging jrom /9 — 22 years. It was found that majority ofthe victims (72 %) presented with abdominal cramp, 68.5% headache, 60.0% diarrhea, 55.2% fever, 45.0% nausea, 39.0% muscle
ache and 3]. 7% vomiting. The epidemic curve suggested of a common source of infection and the most probable food that has been contaminated was taken during lunch hour on October 20'I'1999, Statistical analysis showed that spices jiied chicken and "nasi minyak" were significantly associated with the illness (p < 0. 05). The most likely causative organism was Salmonella spp as supported by the clinical presentation and incubation period of the disease, identdication of contaminated food, bacterial subtyping result and environmental findings. Following the outbreaks, several remedial actions were taken including immediate close—up ofthe canteen for I4 days, treatment for the cases and health examination and typhoid immunization for all food handlers.
Edible medicinal plants are often used in the treatment of various ailments and spice in traditional food preparation. In this study, 45 of tropical edible medicinal plants extracts from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand were screened for their antimicrobial activity against five standard microorganisms for food preservative namely Aspergillus niger, Candida albicans, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. The methanol extracts of Piper nigrum L. seed, Piper cubeba L. seed, and the root of Ligusticum acutilobum Siebold and Zucc. showed antimicrobial activity against five species of standard microorganisms. Among them, P. cubeba L. extract demonstrated the most susceptible against all tested microorganisms. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bactericidal or fungicidal concentration (MBC or MFC) were performed by the broth microdilution techniques as described by the Clinical and Laboratory Standard Institute. MIC values of P. cubeba L. extract to A. niger, C. albicans, E. coli, P. aeruginosa and S. aureus were 12.8, 1.6, 3.2, 6.4, and 1.6 mg/ml, respectively. P. cubeba extract killed A. niger, C. albicans, E. coli, P. aeruginosa and S. aureus with MBC values of 25.6, 3.2, 6.4, 12.8, and 3.2 mg/ml, respectively. The potent antimicrobial activity of P. cubeba L. extract may support its use for natural food preservative.
Inhibition of cytochrome P450 (P450) enzymes (CYP) has been shown to lower the metabolism of drugs that are P450 substrates and to consequently alter their pharmacokinetic profiles. Curcumin (CUR), piperine (PIP), and capsaicin (CAP) are spice components (SC) that inhibit the activities of a range of P450 enzymes, but the selection of which SC to be prioritized for further development as an adjuvant will depend on the ranking order of the inhibitory potential of the SCs on specific P450 isozymes. We used common human recombinant enzyme platforms to provide a comparative evaluation of the inhibitory activities of CUR, PIP, and CAP on the principal drug-metabolizing P450 enzymes. SC-mediated inhibition of CYP3A4 was found to rank in the order of CAP (IC501.84 ± 0.71 µM) ∼ PIP (2.12 ± 0.45 µM) > CUR (11.93 ± 3.49 µM), while CYP2C9 inhibition was in the order of CAP (11.95 ± 4.24 µM) ∼ CUR (14.58 ± 4.57 µM) > PIP (89.62 ± 9.17 µM). CAP and PIP were significantly more potent inhibitors of CYP1A2 (IC502.14 ± 0.22 µM and 14.19 ± 4.15 µM, respectively) than CUR (IC50> 100 µM), while all three SCs exhibited weak activity toward CYP2D6 (IC5095.42 ± 12.09 µM for CUR, 99.99 ± 5.88 µM for CAP, and 110.40 ± 3.23 µM for PIP). Of the three SCs, CAP thus has the strongest potential for further development into an inhibitor of multiple CYPs for use in the clinic. Data from this study are also useful for managing potential drug-SC interactions.
Combining feeding appendage morphology and behavioural observation of the motion pattern of the feeding appendages clarified many aspects underlying the feeding processes of the giant freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) and the marine whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) in aquaria. The food intake behaviour was video recorded during eating pellet food, and pieces of fresh squid and fish. While M. rosenbergiitook pellet one by one, L. vannamei picked up many pellets at one time and held them at the mouth with the 3rd maxilliped endopods and the 1st walking legs. Both species used the right chelate walking legs rather than the left walking legs to pick up the food. The 3rd walking legs of L. vannameiwere longest and heaviest among the chelate walking legs but their major role was not for feeding but for feeding contests often in the form of aggression. While M. rosenbergii easily crunched pellets by the mandibles, L. vannamei did not crunch pellets due to the softer and not so strong mandibles and frequently spat out them, indicating that the present hard pellets are not suitable for L. vannamei. Both the species kept a piece of elastic fresh squid or fish flesh at the mouth and tore the food into small pieces with the help of repeated pulling down motion of the 3rd maxilliped endopods. However, the mandible teeth of the two spices were not sharp enough to gnaw off the fibrous muscle in one bite. The 2nd and 3rd maxilliped endopods were used for holding food at the mouth and did not contribute to mastication of food. The 2nd and 3rd maxilliped exopods exhibited the horizontal fanning motion, which caused a unidirectional water flow moving backwards in the gill chamber (visualized with milk). The maxilliped exopods were found to contribute not to feeding but ventilation. Based on the results obtained, development of softer pellets was recommended for L. vannamei.
Saffron, Crocus sativus (Iridaceae), is a perennial herb, which earned its popularity as both medicine and spice. It is an inhabitant of different mountainous regions of Asia Minor to Greece, Western Asia, Egypt, and India. The benefits of saffron as an antidepressant are well-documented. Almost 150 volatile and nonvolatile compounds are obtained from the chemical analysis of this plant. Fewer than 50 constituents elucidated and identified so far showed phytochemical characteristics. The major bioactive compounds identified are safranal, crocin, and picrocrocin, which are responsible for its aroma as well as its bitter taste. This review is an attempt to encompass the methods of analysis and pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties of saffron followed by its efficacious and safe potential.
Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.) and coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) are known to possess good antimicrobial properties. In the present work, spice-infused frozen parathas were formulated to investigate the effect of fennel and coriander on microbial (aerobic mesophilic bacteria, yeast and mould, and Bacillus cereus) reduction and sensory acceptability of frozen paratha throughout the storage at -18°C. The present work was also aimed at determining the relationship between spice concentrations and storage durations on microbiological quality of the samples. Fennel and coriander seed powder were used at concentrations of 2, 4 and 6% of wheat flour (w/w). The microbiological analysis was performed by total plate count, yeast and mould count, and Bacillus cereus count after 9, 12 and 15 weeks of storage. Sensory evaluation was conducted using hedonic scales at the end of storage durations. Results showed that spice infusion in frozen paratha significantly delayed the growth of aerobic mesophilic bacteria, yeasts and moulds, and Bacillus cereus during storage. The lowest log count was demonstrated by coriander at 6% in total plate count (3.85, 3.90 and 3.91 log10 CFU/g), and yeast and mould count (2.54, 2.59 and 2.60 log10 CFU/g) after 9, 12 and 15 weeks, respectively. Bacillus cereus was not detected throughout the storage durations. Fennel exhibited minimum activity against Bacillus cereus with no significant difference on log count reduction when compared with control. Coriander showed the highest decrease in both total plate count and Bacillus cereus count during the storage duration. Sensory evaluation result indicated that control sample exhibited the highest preference over all attributes when compared with fennel and coriander. Coriander-infused paratha was slightly darker in colour due to high concentration of 6%. Fennel yielded the lowest score in terms of taste among all samples. Fennel and coriander showed no significant difference for sensory acceptability. Overall, all frozen parathas were in good quality after 15 weeks of frozen storage. It can thus be concluded that fennel and coriander can be used as potential natural preservatives to inhibit the growth of microorganisms in paratha during frozen storage. Nevertheless, the optimum spice concentration should be determined to minimise the effects on the sensory attributes.
Capsicum annuum L. is a significant horticulture crop known for its pungent varieties and used as a spice. The pungent character in the plant, known as capsaicinoid, has been discovered to have various health benefits. However, its production has been affected due to various exogenous stresses, including diseases caused by a soil-borne pathogen, Pythium spp. predominantly affecting the Capsicum plant in younger stages and causing damping-off, this pathogen can incite root rot in later plant growth stages. Due to the involvement of multiple Pythium spp. and their capability to disperse through various routes, their detection and diagnosis have become crucial. However, the quest for a point-of-care technology is still far from over. The use of an integrated approach with cultural and biological techniques for the management of Pythium spp. can be the best and most sustainable alternative to the traditionally used and hazardous chemical approach. The lack of race-specific resistance genes against Pythium spp. can be compensated with the candidate quantitative trait loci (QTL) genes in C. annuum L. This review will focus on the epidemiological factors playing a major role in disease spread, the currently available diagnostics in species identification, and the management strategies with a special emphasis on Pythium spp. causing damping-off and root rot in different cultivars of C. annuum L.
Introduction: Demand for dietary fibre-enriched and low sugar bakery products is rapidly increasing due to the current high incidence of Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Cinnamon, a spice which acts as a natural sweetener and insulin mimetic is believed to have health benefits. The objective of this study was to determine the properties of butter biscuits containing cinnamon powder (CP) that partially replaced sucrose at levels of 0 (control), 2, 4 or 6%. Methods: Nutritional composition, physical properties and sensory acceptability of the biscuits were analysed using AOAC methods, texture profile analyser and 7-point hedonic scaling method, respectively. Results: Protein, ash and dietary fibre contents of the biscuits increased significantly (P < 0.05) whereas the moisture and sucrose contents were reduced significantly, proportionately to the increasing levels of CP. In texture profile analyses, increment of firmness and reduction of crispiness of the biscuits were detected with increasing levels of CP, but not significantly. The sensory scores for control and 2% CP biscuits were not significantly different for all the sensory attributes. Biscuits with 4% CP received lower scores only for aroma and appearance whereas the scores for colour, crispiness and flavour showed no significant differences compared to the control and 2% CP biscuit. Conclusion: The addition of 4% CP in biscuit could be an effective way to produce nutritious butter biscuits without any apparent change to its desirable physical properties and sensory acceptability.
Over the years, natural products have shown success as antidiabetics in in vitro, in vivo studies and clinical trials. Because natural product-derived drugs are more affordable and effective with fewer side-effects compared to conventional therapies, pharmaceutical research is increasingly leaning towards the discovery of new antidiabetic drugs from natural products targeting pathways or components associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) pathophysiology. However, the drug discovery process is very lengthy and costly with significant challenges. Therefore, various techniques are currently being developed for the preclinical research phase of drug discovery with the aim of drug development with less time and efforts from natural products. In this review, we have provided an update on natural products including fruits, vegetables, spices, nuts, beverages and mushrooms with potential antidiabetic activities from in vivo, in vitro and clinical studies. Synergistic interactions between natural products and antidiabetic drugs, and potential antidiabetic active compounds from natural products are also documented to pave the way for combination treatment and new drug discovery, respectively. Additionally, a brief idea of the drug discovery process along with the challenges that arise during drug development from natural products and the methods to conquer those challenges are discussed to create a more convenient future drug discovery process.
Bacterial spores have special significance in foods because they are much more resistant to physical and chemical antimicrobial treatment. Nowadays, there is interest in using natural products such as plant extract for food preservation. In this study, 26 of tropical medicinal plants and spices were screened for their sporicidal activity against the spores of Bacillus cereus. The spores of B. cereus was harvested after incubation at 30°C for 1 week and treated with various plant extracts using the method of Standard Operating Procedure for the AOAC (Association of Official Analytical Chemists) Sporicidal Activity. Glutaraldehyde was used as a positive control. Among them, Indonesian bay leaf (Eugenia polyantha Wight) inactivated more than 3 log of spores/ml of B. cereus (99.99%) at the concentration of 1% and completely killed B. cereus spores at concentration of 2.5%. These results suggest that Indonesian bay leaf extract has strong sporicidal activity against spores of B. cereus.
Radiation processing of food materials by gamma-radiation is a well-established method for
microbial decontamination and insect disinfestation. Irradiation of spices at doses ranging from
10 to 30 kGy has been reported to result in complete elimination of microorganisms with
negligible changes in the flavour quality. The effect of gamma-radiation on microflora and
vanillin content of cured vanilla beans in the dose range of 5 - 50 kGy has been investigated, but
its effect on other major aroma compounds and vanillin glucoside (vanillin aroma precursor)
remaining after curing have not been studied so far. Vanillin (4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde)
is one such compound used as a flavouring agent and as a dietary component. It is the major
component of natural vanilla, which is one of the most widely used and important flavouring
materials throughout the world. Vanillin is an antioxidant capable of protecting membrane
against lipid peroxidation and DNA against strand breaks induced by reactive oxygen species.
The present work was aimed to study the effect of gamma-radiation processing on the major
aroma compounds of cured vanilla beans and also to investigate possible enhancement in vanillin
content by the radiolytic breakdown of vanillin glucoside present already. Cured vanilla beans
were irradiated (5, 10, 15, 20 and 30 kGy) and the vanillin content of control and irradiated
samples were analysed, respectively for possible enhancement of vanillin content by radiolysis of
vanillin glucoside. Radiolytic breakdown of glycosidic precursors of aroma constituents and
consequent release of free aroma was shown to result in the enhancement of aroma quality of
these products. Since a considerable amount of vanillin exists as its glycosidic precursor in cured
vanilla pods, a possible enhancement in yield of vanillin by radiation processing is thus expected.
Hence the highly stable oxygen–carbon linkage between vanillin and glucose limits the possible
enhancement of aroma quality of irradiated beans.
Natural antioxidants in spices and herbs have attracted considerable attention as potential inhibitors against the formation of mutagenic heterocyclic amines (HCAs) in heat-processed meat. In this study, the inhibitory activity of four spices/herbs and their mixtures on HCAs formation in grilled beef were examined. A simplex centroid mixture design with four components comprising turmeric, curry leaf, torch ginger and lemon grass in 19 different proportions were applied on beef samples before grilling at 240 ºC for 10 min. The HCAs were extracted from the samples using solid phase extraction (SPE) method and analysed using Liquid chromatography mass spectrometry LC-MS/MS. All spices/herbs in single or mixture forms were found to reduce total HCA concentrations in marinated grilled beef ranging from 21.2% for beef marinated with curry leaf to 94.7% for the combination of turmeric and lemon grass (50:50 w/w). At the optimum marinade formula (turmeric: lemon grass 52.4%: 47.6%), concentration of 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinolone (IQ), 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP), Harman, Norharman and AαC were 2.2, 1.4, 0.5, 2.8 and 1.2 ng/g, respectively. The results of the mutagenic activity demonstrated that this optimised marinade formula significantly (p
Zingiberaceae is one of the largest plant families consisting of rhizomes that are commonly used as spice in soups and curries as well as alternative medications in folklore medicine. Zingiber officinale or commonly known as ginger is extensively employed in Asian, Ayurvedic, Chinese, and Arabian folklore medicine for the treatment of pain, inflammation and various spasm-associated gastric ailments. The past few decades saw rapid advancements in the extraction process of ginger bioactive constituents and validation of their corresponding pharmacodynamic and pharmacotherapeutic activities, and biological properties in vivo and in vitro. Results reported from several biological studies on ginger showed that extracts and compounds from this tuberous rhizome exhibit antiemetic, anticancer, antipyretic, antispasmogenic and antimicrobial activities. This article reviews the effect of Zingiber officinale and its bioactive constituents on isolated organ preparations from several species of animals in view of its potential use as an alternative treatment for muscle spasms and common gastric ailments.
In this study, we synthesized covalently functionalized graphene nanoplatelet (GNP) aqueous suspensions that are highly stable and environmentally friendly for use as coolants in heat transfer systems. We evaluated the heat transfer and hydrodynamic properties of these nano-coolants flowing through a horizontal stainless steel tube subjected to a uniform heat flux at its outer surface. The GNPs functionalized with clove buds using the one-pot technique. We characterized the clove-treated GNPs (CGNPs) using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). We then dispersed the CGNPs in distilled water at three particle concentrations (0.025, 0.075 and 0.1wt%) in order to prepare the CGNP-water nanofluids (nano-coolants). We used ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy to examine the stability and solubility of the CGNPs in the distilled water. There is significant enhancement in thermo-physical properties of CGNPs nanofluids relative those for distilled water. We validated our experimental set-up by comparing the friction factor and Nusselt number for distilled water obtained from experiments with those determined from empirical correlations, indeed, our experimental set-up is reliable and produces results with reasonable accuracy. We conducted heat transfer experiments for the CGNP-water nano-coolants flowing through the horizontal heated tube in fully developed turbulent condition. Our results are indeed promising since there is a significant enhancement in the Nusselt number and convective heat transfer coefficient for the CGNP-water nanofluids, with only a negligible increase in the friction factor and pumping power. More importantly, we found that there is a significant increase in the performance index, which is a positive indicator that our nanofluids have potential to substitute conventional coolants in heat transfer systems because of their overall thermal performance and energy savings benefits.