Utilization of Soybeans as Bio-Catalyst in Calcite Precipitation Method for Repairing Cracks in Concrete

Concrete is a material that has high compressive strength. However, concrete has a lower tensile strength than its compressive strength. As a result, the concrete often cracks and allows the entry of harmful substances such as dan causing corrosion of the reinforcement. Therefore, the repair method began to shift from the conventional way to the concept of self-healing concrete which involves the deposition of CaCO3. Precipitation can be done by the enzymatically – induced carbonate precipitation (EICP) method through a combination of urease, urea, and CaCl2 into a solution. This research used soybean extract as a substitute for pure urease enzyme. Variations in the concentration of soybean flour used as injection solution were variations in the content of soybean flour 15 g/L because it produced an optimum calcite mass of 2.62 grams. As a result, there was an increase in the compressive strength of BI against BR. In addition, there was a decreased value of permeability and porosity and the number of injections carried out. The increase in compressive strength, decrease in permeability, and decrease in porosity in concrete is due to CaCO3 deposition in the concrete which can cover the pores and cracks in the concrete.

Effects of Nitrogen Sources in Phytase Production on Bacterial Strains Isolated from Malaysia’s Hot Spring

Efficient strategies for phytase production gained increasing importance as more applications require high amounts of phytase for the market. Four phytase-producing bacterial strains isolated from Malaysia’s hot springs were used in this study to determine the effect of nitrogen sources on phytase production. All of the strains were screened out by applying halozone method which shows all of the strains were definitely positive phytase producer. Phytase Screening Medium (PSM) with soybean extract as substrate was used as a cultivation medium. Optimised condition with 1.0 % (w/v) of glucose (as carbon source), pH 5.5 and 37°C temperature was applied. Yeast extract and peptone were used to identify optimum nitrogen source in maximum phytase production. Quantitative analysis observed were optical density, colony forming unit, pH values and phytase activity to identify the effect of nitrogen source in phytase production. The finding was bacterial strain L3 as the best producer in producing maximum phytase (0.2162 U/mL) with optimised condition using yeast extract as nitrogen source. Findings in this study proved that yeast extract act as the optimum nitrogen source which contribute to maximum phytase production as supported by previous studies. This study can provide an efficient strategy to produce maximum phytase as few studies stated that phytase is an application tool in functional food production that consists of myo-inositol phosphates that is believed to have important pharmacological effects.

Potensi Formulasi Self Microemulsifying Drug Delivery System (SMEDDS) Ekstrak Biji Kedelai (Glycine soja) Terhadap Penurunan Kolesterol pada Penyakit Jantung Koroner

Background: Coronary heart diseases (CHD) is a disorder that caused by blockage of coronary arteries due to the process of atherosclerosis which disrupts the blood supply to the heart muscle. According to Sample Registration System (SRS) Indonesia in 2014, CHD is a second highest cause of death after stroke that is 12,9% of all cause of death in Indonesia. Therefore, this study aims to examining the effect of soybean extract encapsulated with Self Microemulsifying Drug Delivery System (SMEDDS) on LDL levels in coronary heart model rats. Based on various study, isoflavone aglycone genistein is the main flavonoid in soybean seed that has potential as an antioxidant. To increase bioavailability of aglycone isoflavones, a SMEDDS is needed. In this regard, the purpose of this reseach is to examine the potential of soybean seed (Glycine soja) extract to reduced cholesterol in CHD.Methods: The method used is a literature review with literature sources in the form of relevant articles from the search engines, namely Google Scholar, Pubmed, ScienceDirect, and Research Gate. Inclusion criteria included journals containing the keywords “soybean (Glycine soja)”, “Coronary Heart Disease”, “SMEDDS”, and “genistein isoflavone aglycone”.Result: Isoflavone aglycone as an potential antioxidant that is able to bind free radicals and and also lowering LDL, Triglycerides, and glucose levels in hyperglycemic states and increasing HDL.Conclusion : Soybean seed extract with SMEDDS encapsulation have a potential to decrease LDL level in coronary heart disease.

Improvement of Biophysical Skin Parameters of Topically Applied Fermented Soybean Extract-Loaded Niosomes with No Systemic Toxicity in Ovariectomized Rats

Despite the known beneficial impacts of estrogen used as hormone replacement therapy to ameliorate signs of skin aging in postmenopausal women, its compliance rates are low. A significant amount of estrogen may be absorbed into the blood circulation and can lead to systemic actions. Soy isoflavone exhibits biological activities similar to synthetic estrogen because it is a heterocyclic phenolic compound. The disadvantage of most topical ingredients based on isoflavone is that they contain biologically inactive glycoside forms, which must be converted to a readily absorbed aglycone for the topical application. The purposes of this study were to develop niosomes-loaded Aspergillus oryzae-fermented soybean extract (FSE) to enhance skin absorption with proven systemic side effect compared to estrogen application. Skin hydration and viscoelasticity of 75 days post-ovariectomized (OVX) Wistar rats following 84-day topical treatment with various tested gel formulations containing fermented soybean extract (FSE) were evaluated. The tested formulations were gel + FSE nanoniosomes, gel + FSE microniosomes, gel + FSE (200 µg FSE/9 cm2/rat), gel + blank nanoniosomes (a negative control), and gel + 17β-estradiol (E2) nanoniosomes (a positive control, 20 µg E2/9 cm2/rat). Changes in vaginal cornifications and weights of uteri, livers, and kidneys in the OVX rats and signs of primary skin irritation in the rabbits were evaluated for their toxicities. Results showed that FSE-loaded nanoniosomes improved the skin hydration and viscoelasticity better than gel + FSE microniosomes and gel + FSE, respectively, but lower than those of gel + E2 nanoniosomes (p < 0.05). Unlike all gel + E2 nanoniosomes, the FSE formulations showed no changes in vaginal cells and weights of uteri, livers, and kidneys and no signs of skin irritation. In conclusion, The FSE niosome-based gels should be promising candidates for delivering phytoestrogens against signs of skin aging with no systemic toxicities.

Tempeh extract reduces cellular ROS levels and upregulates the expression of antioxidant enzymes

Tempeh is an Indonesian traditional food produced from soybeans through a mould fermentation involving Rhizopus oligosporus. It is rich in bioactive phytochemicals, including isoflavones that are known to exhibit antioxidant activities. This study aimed to investigate the ability of tempeh ethanol extract to reduce cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in HepG2 cells in vitro. Tempeh extract exhibited greater total phenolics, total flavonoids and free radical inhibition capacity than soybean extract. Both tempeh extract and soybean extract reduced the basal levels of cellular ROS in the cells, but tempeh extract induced higher expression of antioxidant enzymes [catalase, superoxide dismutase-2 (SOD2) and superoxide dismutase-3 (SOD3)] compared to soybean extract. This study provides novel evidence suggesting the ability of tempeh to tackle cellular oxidative stress by upregulating the expression of antioxidant enzymes. These findings would give an insight into the potential of tempeh to be developed as a functional food beneficial for human health.