The Inhibitory effect of hydroalcoholic extract from the Algerian Echium trygorrhizum Pomel roots on α-amylase activity.

Background: Species of Echium trygorrhizum Pomel , are used traditionally in Algeria folk medicine for the treatment of Diabetes, Jaundice and Tonsillitis. To our knowledge, no previous study has been conducted out on the pharmacological activities of this species. Objective: The objective of the present research was to evaluate the content of polyphenols , flavonoids and condensed tannins compounds and to assess in vitro the antioxidant activity and the inhibitory effect of the hydroalcoholic extract of this plant, on α-amylase activity, an enzyme responsible for digestion of carbohydrate before the process of intestinal absorption. Methods: Polyphenols, flavonoids and condensed tannins were evaluated spectrophotometrically using Folin–Ciocalteu, the Aluminum chloride and vanillin methods respectively. The antioxidant activity using DPPH radical scavenging, ABTS, Ferric reducing antioxidant power and β- carotene bleaching tests and the assessment of in vitro α- amylase inhibitory potential by an Aspergillus oryzae α- amylase have been studied. Results: The hydroalcoholic crude extract was able to inhibit the α-amylase enzyme in vitro, with an IC50 of 0.56 ± 0.044 mg/ml, in addition the contents of polyphenols and flavonoids were found to be 157.403 ± 0.835 µg GAE/mg extract and 30.156±2.634µg Q E / mg extract, respectively, Whereas the amount of tannins was 65.293 ± 0.883µg Cat E/ mg of dry extract. Conclusion: The present study revealed that the extract is rich in phenolic compounds, which play a really important role in the scavenging of free radicals. It has been reported the inhibitory capacity of hydroalcoholic roots extract on Aspergillus oryzae α-amylase enzyme might be used as a natural agent within the management of diabetes mellitus.

Germinated Chickpea and Lupin as Promising Ingredients for Breadmaking—Rheological Features

Improving the alpha-amylase activity of wheat flour represents an opportunity to valorize wheat grains of low baking quality. In this sense, germinated legumes can be used to increase enzymatic activity, giving superior final product characteristics at the same time. The aim of this study was to underline the effects of chickpea (CGF) and lupin germinated flours (LGF) added simultaneously to white wheat flour on the rheological behavior of dough and to evaluate an optimal product microstructure. For this purpose, the falling number, dough rheological properties during mixing, 3D-deformation and fermentation, and the visco-elastic behavior were evaluated, the effects of factors (CGF and LGF levels) and their optimization have been studied by applying a full factorial design and response surface methodology (RSM). The LGF sample had a composition of 39.4% protein, 10.3% moisture, 6.9% fat, and 3.4% ash, whereas the CGF presented 21.1 % protein, 9.4% moisture, 5.2% fat, and 3.6% ash. The results showed that CGF and LGF determined the decrease of the falling number, dough water absorption, tolerance to kneading, dough consistency at 250 and 450 s, extensibility, the maximum height of the gas release curve, volume of gas retained by the dough at the end of the test, total volume of CO2 production, visco-elastic moduli, and gelatinization temperatures. On the other hand, dough elasticity and alveograph curve ratio increased proportionally to the increase of CGF and LGF addition levels. The optimal combination considering the rheological properties of dough was found to be 8.57% CGF, 5.31% LGF, and 86.12% wheat flour, with enhanced alpha-amylase activity being obtained compared to the control. These results provide valuable information on the possibility of using germinated legumes such as chickpeas and lupin in breadmaking to enhance wheat flour technological properties (besides traditionally used barley malt flour).

Aspergillus oryzae Grown on Rice Hulls Used as an Additive for Pretreatment of Starch-Containing Wastewater from the Pulp and Paper Industry

From an industrial point of view, the use of microorganisms as a wastewater bioremediation practice represents a sustainable and economic alternative for conventional treatments. In this work, we investigated the starch bioremediation of paper mill wastewater (PMW) with Aspergillus oryzae. This amylase-producing fungus was tested in submerged fermentation technology (SmF) and solid-state fermentation (SSF) on rice hulls. The tests were conducted to assay the concentration of the reducing sugars on paper mill wastewater. The bioremediation of starch in the wastewater was carried out by A. oryzae, which proved capable of growing in this complex media as well as expressing its amylase activity.

Assessment of the Starch-Amylolytic Complex of Rye Flours by Traditional Methods and Modern One

The properties of the starch-amylolytic complex of commercial low-extract rye flour were determined based on the traditional method, such as falling number and amylograph test as well as differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The starch, pentosans and protein had a significant effect on the thermal properties of the tested rye flours. Based on the falling number, it was revealed that rye flours were characterized by medium and low alpha-amylase activity. The falling number and amylograph test are not sufficient methods to determine the suitability of currently produced rye flours for bread making. The gelatinization process of the rye flour starch could be evaluated by the DSC test, which, together with the falling number and amylograph test, may allow a better way to evaluate the usefulness of rye flours for bread making. Many significant correlations between parameters determined by DSC endotherm and quality parameters of rye bread, such as volume and crumb hardness, were reported. Breads made from flour with higher enthalpy in DSC were characterized by higher volume and softer crumb.

The Effect of Everyday Stressors and the Perceived Stress Reactivity Scale on Variability in Sympathetic Arousal

This ecological momentary assessment study examined the effect of naturally occurring stressors and perceived stress reactivity on alpha-amylase, a proxy of sympathetic nervous system arousal. There are age-related changes in physiological systems sensitive to stress, so the sample included 174 adults ages 20-78 (M=48.65, SD=19.28). At the beginning of the study, participants completed the Perceived Stress Reactivity Scale (PSRS; Schulz et al., 2005). For 10 consecutive days, participants were prompted five times per day to report exposure to stressors. During the same 10-day period, participants provided seven saliva samples per day, assayed for alpha-amylase. Multilevel modeling was used to examine daily and momentary associations between stressors, the PSRS, and alpha-amylase activity. On a daily basis, stressors did not predict changes in the diurnal alpha-amylase pattern, but higher perceived stress reactivity predicted steeper diurnal slopes and lower total daily output. A significant cross-level interaction emerged showing people higher in perceived stress reactivity had steeper awakening responses on days they experienced more stressors than usual. On a momentary basis, alpha-amylase levels were higher on occasions when participants reported stressors. In addition, higher levels of perceived stress reactivity predicted lower overall alpha-amylase levels. Findings suggest that 1) stressors are associated with elevations in momentary but not daily aggregate levels of alpha-amylase, and 2) the PSRS has prospective validity as a predictor of stress-related fluctuations in diurnal alpha-amylase patterns. Age was not a significant moderator of the relationship between stressors and alpha-amylase, potentially suggesting the effect of stressors on alpha-amylase activity is age invariant.

Evaluation of Lactobacillus spp. Based on Phenotypical Profile as Direct-Fed Microbial Candidate for Poultry Nutrition

The present study was conducted to isolate, identify and characterize a lactic acid bacteria strain from turkey ileum content (46-day-old). The new strain was phenotypical confirmed as Lactobacillus acidophilus (L. acidophilus) and conserved under the code IBNA 09. Bacterial profile of L. acidophilus was compared with other strains known as L. paracasei CCM 1837 and L. plantarum ATCC 8014, based on cultural, morphological, biochemical and enzymatic activity (amylase and cellulase). The strains appear as Gram positive bacilli, thin, non-spore-forming, isolated, diplo form, in short chains or in small irregular piles on Man Rogosa and Sharp (MRS) broth and agar medium. The identification and biochemical traits were performed by catalase assay, API 50 CHL V 5.1 soft (L. acidophilus biotype 2, 99.9% ID; good identification to the genus L. paracasei spp. paracasei 1 or 3, 48-51% ID; L. plantarum 1, 99.9% ID) and ABIS online (L. acidophilus ~ 88%; L. paracasei spp. paracasei, ~ 90%; L. plantarum, ~91%). The highest total score of extracellular amylase activity was recorded by L. acidophilus IBNA 09 at 24-48 h (5.10 ± 0.176 U/mL, 4.99 ± 0.409 U/mL), follow by L. paracasei CCM 1837(0.12 ± 0.002 U/mL, 0.15 ± 0.001 U/mL). During entire period, cellulase production was observed only for L. acidophilus (0.28 ± 0.019 U/mL), comparative with L. paracasei where the activity was observed in the first 24 h, respectively at 72 h for L. plantarum. These results suggest that L. acidophilus IBNA 09 possesses potential probiotic traits as a suitable candidate for amylase and cellulase production, and starter culture can improve cereal fermentation and the process of digestion in poultry nutrition.

Genetic variation among selected pure lines from Turkish barley landrace ‘Tokak’ in yield-related and malting quality traits

Aim of study: Improvement of barley cultivars for malting traits suffers from narrow genetic pool in barley for these traits. Landraces are resources that could be used for this purpose. The present study was conducted to determine the variation for malting quality traits within a Turkish barley landrace. Area of study: The study was undertaken in Tokat, a province in Black Sea Region of Turkey. Material and methods: Twenty-five diverse lines, out of 42 unique genotypes previously identified in ‘Tokak’ landrace (PI 470281) based on DNA markers, were evaluated for malting quality traits along with the malting barley cv. ‘Tokak 157/37’ in four field trials. Thousand-seed weight, test weight, grain yield, lodging, malt extract percentage, diastatic power, alpha amylase and malt beta glucanase activities, malt protein and starch contents were determined. Main results: Principal component analysis of malting quality traits revealed that thousand-seed weight, alpha amylase activity, beta glucanase activity and diastatic power were the most discriminatory traits for the lines. As the average of four trials, 15 of the 25 lines evaluated had higher grain yields and 10 of 25 lines had higher malt extract percentages than the standard cultivar ‘Tokak 157/37’. Malt extract was highest in Line 59 in all environments, and this line also had the highest values for beta glucanase activity and starch content. Line 215 had highest values for alpha amylase activity. Lines 59 and 215 clearly had superior malting quality. Research highlights: These lines could harbor novel alleles for these traits to be used in malting barley improvement.

Influence of Spring Wheat Growing Conditions on Alpha-Amylase Activity in Grain

The meteorological conditions in which organogenesis stages take place and hydrothermal regime can determine the phenotypic manifestation of quantitative signs, such as, for example, the activity of alpha-amylase. The purpose of our work was to determine what factors (temperature, precipitation, heterothermal coefficient) affect the enzyme activity, at what time of the vegetation, and in what way this influence is evident. The analysis of weather conditions and falling number (FN) for the period from 2011 to 2020 was carried out. Analysis of the FN value over 10 years showed that it can vary from 90 s to 429 s, and at that, the nature of its change is the same, regardless of whether we are considering one variety or the average value for a group of varieties. The correlation coefficient between the FN of a group of varieties and individual FN is 0.94-0.98. Generally, during the vegetation season, the alpha-amylase activity was influenced to a greater extent by the amount of precipitation than by temperature. This dependence is negative - an increase in precipitation leads to a decrease in the FN, and, consequently, to an increase in the enzyme activity. However, it was found that in different phases of ontogeny the influence of temperature and precipitation can be diametrically opposite.