BACTERIOLOGICAL QUALITY AND SENSORY EVALUATION OF WINE PRODUCED FROM BLENDS OF DATE PALM FRUIT AND CUCUMBER JUICE USING Saccharomyces cerevesiae

Bacteriological quality and sensory evaluation of wine produced from blends of date palm fruit and cucumber juice using Saccharomyces cerevisiae was investigated. The yeast was isolated and identified using standard techniques. The S. cerevisiae inoculum was produced using standard procedures and used to ferment the blends of date and cucumber to produce wine. Five (5) samples of wine were produced from date and cucumber at various concentration of substrates, anaerobically (Aerobic fermentation were terminated after 6 days and the fermented ‘’musts’’ were sieved to remove the shaft and debris of the crushed fruits.During the anaerobic phase of fermentation, the filtrates obtained after sieving the ‘’musts’’ were transferred into anaerobic fermentation round bottom flask (s) and incubated at room temperature. An air trap were fixed to the fermenting jars. Fermentation were terminated after four (4) weeks). Physicochemical, microbiological and sensory evaluation (using 7 point hedonic scale by 20 panelist) of the produced wine were studied. The yeast was identified as Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The physiochemical analysis of the produced wines showed that percentage of alcoholic content of wine B had the highest at 16.6 %, as Wine A had 15.8 %, Wine D had 13.17 %, Wine C had 11.17% and Wine E had 10.18% of alcohol content after fermentation. The suspected bacteria isolate were Corynebacterium sp. Neisseria sp, Corynebacterium sp., Micrococcus sp. Enterobacteriaceace sp. Lactobacillu sp.and Micrococcus sp. and some fungi sp. were isolated from the wines before pasteurization for sensory evaluation. But no microorganisms were detected after pasteurization of the produced wines. The sample C (Date and Cucumber) of ratio 3:1 was significantly preferred (p<0.05) from other wine A, B, D and E in respect to the aroma, test and appearance and over all acceptability. The S. cerevisiae used in the production of the wines gave excellent results. Harnesing the date and cucumber for wine production will reduce post-harvest loss of the fruit (wastage), improve, conribute to the economy and reduce unemployment.

Efficacy of Saccharomyces cerevesiae on promoting growth in tomato

This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of Saccharomyces cerevesiae as a growth promoting agent in tomato. Soaking the seeds in yeast suspension at 5 g/L for 12h increased germination percentage, root length, root fresh and dry weight, plant height, foliage fresh and dry weight, attained 88.5% ; 8.1 cm ; 84.3 mg ; 7.03 mg ; 10.75 cm ; 839 mg and 37.75 mg compared with 80% ; 5.33 cm ; 39 mg ; 4.8 mg ; 7.35 cm ; 608 mg and 25.5 mg in seedlings grown from non treated seeds respectively. Similar results were obtained with seedling from seeds soaked in S. cerevesiae filtrate for 12 hrs. with values of 77.5% ; 6.875 cm ; 91.5 mg ; 7.5 mg ; 9.5 cm ; 777 mg and 40.35 mg compared to 66% ; 5.8 cm ; 57.7 mg ; 5.03 mg ; 5.9 cm ; 493 mg and 27.28 mg in control (non treated seeds) for the same above criteria respectively. Watering the soil together with spraying the foliar parts with S. cerevesiae suspension at 5 and 8 g/L were found to be more effective than watering and spraying the plants separately in plant growth stimulation under plastic house conditions. The leaf contents of chlorophyll attained to 60.4 and 61.17 SPAD unit compared with 50.37 SPAD units in control respectively and leaf area reached to 3124 and 3119 cm2 / plant compared with 1904 cm2 / plant in control for the two concentrations respectively. The treatment induced also an increasing in plant high ; fresh and dry weights which attained 222 cm ; 223.3 cm ; 1485.7 g ; 1489 g ; 340.7 g ; 341.7 compared to 186 cm ; 1169.3 g ; 286 g in control for the two concentrations respectively. Similar increasing in root length , root fresh and dry weight and yields which attained 30.33 cm ; 30.7 cm ; 61 g ; 61.33 g ; 14.33 g ; 14.33 g ; 6.9 kg / plant and 6.95 kg / plant compared to 24.13 cm ; 46 g ; 10 g and 4.22 kg / plant in control , were found. The stimulations of plant growth criteria was found in concomitance with increase of N ; P and K in treated plant leaves which reached 2.293 ; 2.3 ; 0.4007 ; 0.402 ; 0.5506 and 0.5723% compared to 1.458 ; 0.2283 and 0.1226% in control for the two concentrations respectively . In addition increasing in total solid soluble material (TSS), 5.2 and 5.2023% compared to 3.867% in control treatment were observed.

Crystal structure of the catalytic core of Saccharomyces cerevesiae histone demethylase Rph1: insights into the substrate specificity and catalytic mechanism

Saccharomyces cerevesiae Rph1 is a histone demethylase orthologous to human JMJD2A (Jumonji-domain-containing protein 2A) that can specifically demethylate tri- and di-methylated Lys36 of histone H3. c-Rph1, the catalytic core of Rph1, is responsible for the demethylase activity, which is essential for the transcription elongation of some actively transcribed genes. In the present work, we report the crystal structures of c-Rph1 in apo form and in complex with Ni2+ and α-KG [2-oxoglutarate (α-ketoglutarate)]. The structure of c-Rph1 is composed of a JmjN (Jumonji N) domain, a long β-hairpin, a mixed structural motif and a JmjC domain. The α-KG cofactor forms hydrogen-bonding interactions with the side chains of conserved residues, and the Ni2+ ion at the active site is chelated by conserved residues and the cofactor. Structural comparison of Rph1 with JMJD2A indicates that the substrate-binding cleft of Rph1 is formed with several structural elements of the JmjC domain, the long β-hairpin and the mixed structural motif; and the methylated Lys36 of H3 is recognized by several conserved residues of the JmjC domain. In vitro biochemical results show that mutations of the key residues at the catalytic centre and in the substrate-binding cleft abolish the demethylase activity. In vivo growth phenotype analyses also demonstrate that these residues are essential for its functional roles in transcription elongation. Taken together, our structural and biological data provide insights into the molecular basis of the histone demethylase activity and the substrate specificity of Rph1.

Inhibition of yeast respiration and fermentation by benomyl, carbendazim, isocyanates, and other fungicidal chemicals

The inhibition of yeast (Saccharomyces cerevesiae) metabolism by fungicidal chemicals was investigated. Glucose- or ethanol-dependent yeast respiration was measured with an oxygen electrode, and manometric determination of carbon dioxide release was used to measure fermentation. Both respiration and fermentation were inhibited more by benomyl than by identical molar concentrations of its breakdown product, carbendazim. Butyl isocyanate, another benomyl breakdown product, inhibited respiration more but inhibited fermentation less than the parent compound. Of the isocyanates tested, hexyl isocyanate was the most inhibitory towards both activities. Captan was more active and iprodione less active than benomyl. Because benomyl rapidly broke down to carbendazim when it was prepared in 80% ethanol, only 59% of the dissolved benomyl was intact when it was added to yeast to determine its effect on respiration or fermentation.