​Health-promoting Effects of Developed Probiotic Orange Beverage: An in vitro Study

Background: Probiotic food has evolved as the new trend among the health fanatics because of their proven benefits in preventing many diseases. With change in time the way of consuming probiotics has also changed. Unlike past dairy is not the only option for commercial probiotic production, recently fruit juices have become the popular choice for it. So the current study aimed to assess the feasibility of orange juice (Citrus reticulate) as a potential probiotic carrier for the production of probiotic orange juice with lactic acid bacteria. Methods: Three test samples (TS) were developed with different combination of lactic acid probiotic bacteria viz. test sample 1 (TS1) (L. bulgaricus and L. casei), TS2 (L. bulgaricus, L. casei and L. gasseri) and TS3 (L. bulgaricus, L. casei, L. gasseri and L. fermentum). The orange juice was pasteurized for 2 min at 90°C and was inoculated at a rate of 10% inoculum. All the test samples were fermented for 4 hrs at 37°C and the physicochemical and nutritional characteristics were evaluated along with their in vitro hypocholesterolemic and in vitro hypoglycemic efficacies. Result: The probiotic orange test samples did not show inferior properties than the control in terms of physicochemical and nutritional properties. The bacterial count was decreased with time but remained above standard limit (107cfu/100ml) until 28th day of refrigerated storage. All the test samples showed promising antioxidant activity, in vitro hypocholesterolemic activity and in vitro hypoglycemic activities. Hence orange juice could be used as a suitable probiotic carrier for production of novel probiotic beverages.

Canopy Volume Extraction of Citrus reticulate Blanco cv. Shatangju Trees Using UAV Image-Based Point Cloud Deep Learning

Automatic acquisition of the canopy volume parameters of the Citrus reticulate Blanco cv. Shatangju tree is of great significance to precision management of the orchard. This research combined the point cloud deep learning algorithm with the volume calculation algorithm to segment the canopy of the Citrus reticulate Blanco cv. Shatangju trees. The 3D (Three-Dimensional) point cloud model of a Citrus reticulate Blanco cv. Shatangju orchard was generated using UAV tilt photogrammetry images. The segmentation effects of three deep learning models, PointNet++, MinkowskiNet and FPConv, on Shatangju trees and the ground were compared. The following three volume algorithms: convex hull by slices, voxel-based method and 3D convex hull were applied to calculate the volume of Shatangju trees. Model accuracy was evaluated using the coefficient of determination (R2) and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE). The results show that the overall accuracy of the MinkowskiNet model (94.57%) is higher than the other two models, which indicates the best segmentation effect. The 3D convex hull algorithm received the highest R2 (0.8215) and the lowest RMSE (0.3186 m3) for the canopy volume calculation, which best reflects the real volume of Citrus reticulate Blanco cv. Shatangju trees. The proposed method is capable of rapid and automatic acquisition for the canopy volume of Citrus reticulate Blanco cv. Shatangju trees.

STANDARDIZATION OF DOSES OF PHOSPHORUS AND POTASIUM ON GROWTH AND FRUIT QUALITY OF YOUNG KINNOW (CITRUS RETICULATE BLANCO)

Plants require a balanced nutrition program formulated to provide specific needs for maintenance and for expected production performance. Hence this experiment was conducted to evaluate the optimum level of phosphorus and potassium for growth and productivity of young Kinnow (Citrus reticulata Blanco) plants. The experiment was designed under Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) comprised with seven treatments and replicated thrice. The treatments included, T1= 200 g P2O5 + 200 g K2O, T2= 150 g P2O5 + 200 g K2O, T3= 250 g P2O5 + 200 g K2O, T4= 300 g P2O5 + 200 g K2O, T5= 250 g P2O5 + 150 g K2O, T6= 200 g P2O5 + 250 g K2O and T7= 200 g P2O5 + 300 g K2O. Maximum plant height (3.12 m) and Juice (43.48%) was observed in T5= 250 g P2O5 + 150 g K2O. The highest number of flush (33.08), number of leaves (101.25 m2), length of flush (13.75 cm), Seed weight (1.33 g), Aborted seeds/fruit (8), mature seed fruit (5.48) were noted in T7. Leaf area index and peel thickness were significantly increased in T6= (200 g P2O5 + 250 g K2O) with values 1.91 cm3 and 4.30 mm respectively. So, it is concluded that T5= 250 g P2O5 + 150 g K2O and T7= 200 g P2O5 + 300 g K2O is the best treatments for the growth and better yield of young Kinnow plants.

Plant-Mediated Green Synthesis of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Using Peel Extract of Citrus reticulate for Boosting Seed Germination of Brassica nigra Seeds

High demand of food for rapidly increasing population requires novel but ecofriendly fertilizers. Green reducing and capping agents are being explored to minimize production cost and toxicity of chemicals in synthesis of nanoparticles (NPs) which could be used to increase the production of crops and plants. In present research, Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) are produced by employing an eco-friendly, simple and efficient green route using peel extract of Citrus reticulate. The optical properties of green synthesized ZnO NPs are explored by UV-Visible and Photoluminance spectroscopies where NPs presented 3.21 to 3.13 eV band gap. The morphology and purity of the ZnO NPs are analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction technique (XRD) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), respectively. The spherical like ZnO NPs having 23–90 nm size exhibited hexagonal structure with 8.89 to 8.62 nm crystallite size. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) explores the existence of specific functional groups which are responsible for stabilization, capping and reduction during synthesis of nanoparticles. The green synthesized ZnO NPs are tested for seed germination of Brassica nigra (black mustard) seeds at standard temperature and pressure. The activity shows that germination percentage of the Brassica nigra seeds is enhanced 100% and seedling vigor index 16.45 after treatment with ZnO NPs and can be controlled by the concentration of NPs. Therefore, it can be expected that ZnO NPs can serve as the cost effective and ecofriendly nano-fertilizers in agriculture.

Usos etnofarmacológicos de plantas en el tratamiento de enfermedades crónicas no transmisibles en Santiago de Cuba

Existe una marcada tendencia en la utilización empírica de plantas medicinales para el tratamiento de enfermedades crónicas no transmisibles siendo necesario el inventario de las mismas. En el presente trabajo se realizó un estudio etnofarmacológico, exploratorio y descriptivo, con enfoque cualitativo y cuantitativo en comunidades urbanas y rurales de Santiago de Cuba. Se entrevistaron un total de 100 pacientes, realizando la caracterización sociodemográfica y clínica de la comunidad; el análisis de las variables relativas al uso de plantas medicinales y la selección de especies vegetales con potencialidades para el desarrollo de estudios fitoquímicos y farmacológicos. Los entrevistados refirieron las especies más empleadas para el tratamiento de sus enfermedades crónicas, prevaleciendo el sexo femenino, el grupo de edades comprendido entre 40 y 59 años de edad y el nivel de escolaridad en la enseñanza técnico-profesional. Se informaron un total de 51 especies, agrupadas 34 familias. Las plantas con mayores niveles de uso significativo, índice de valor de uso e índice de fidelidad fueron, en el municipio Santiago de Cuba: Allium sativum L. y Ocimum gratissimum (L.) (IF=96%), Chamaemelum nobile L. y Eucalyptus maculata (IF=90%), mientras que en Songo La Maya: Calendula officinalis (L.), Carica papaya (L.) (IF=100%) y Citrus reticulate (IF=95.65%). Las especies con mayores potencialidades para futuros estudios fitoquímicos y farmacológicos resultaron ser: Eucalyptus maculata, Camellia sinensis, Ocimum gratissimum L, Psidium guajaba L, Persea americana, Anacardium occidentale L., Nasturtiumo fficinale R. Br, Zingiber officinale, Citrus paradise, Plectranthus neochillus Benth ex E. Meg y Dichrostachys cinerea (L.) Wight &Arn.

Lavender Flower/Mandarin Orange Peel Essential Oil-Soybean Oil to Repel Culex sp.

Diseases including Japanese B encephalitis and filariasis can be transmitted to humans by Culex sp. Many methods could be applied to prevent their bites from reducing their population or preventing them from their bites. N, N-diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET) has been widely used as an effective synthetic repellent, but DEET needs to be applied carefully, especially for children. Other repellents based on natural origin, i.e., Lavandula angustifolia D.C. (lavender) flower and Citrus reticulate L. (mandarin orange) peel essential oil and their combination with soybean oil, were studied in Parasitology Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Kristen Maranatha, Bandung on July–August 2018, for their repellent duration against female Culex sp. to find out the optimal formula. It is a simple randomized design with four replications and seven treatments, i.e., negative control, DEET, pure essential oil, pure soybean oil, three kinds of combination of essential oil and soybean oil in various ratios. The study was carried out using the arm in the cage method against four human arms, following Fradin and Day. The data were analyzed using ANOVA, continued with Tukey HSD with α=0.05. The result shows that DEET has the longest duration (p=0.000), the combination of each essential oil with soybean oil in 1:2 ratio had longer duration than the pure essential oil (p=0.000), soybean oil (p=0.000), and other combination ratios (p=0.000). It was concluded that a mixture of L. angustifolia D.C. flower/C. reticulata L. peel essential oil with soybean oil in a certain ratio was the ideal preparation to repel Culex sp. CAMPURAN MINYAK ATSIRI BUNGA LAVENDER/KULIT JERUK MANDARIN-MINYAK KEDELAI UNTUK MENOLAK CULEX SP.Beberapa penyakit termasuk Japanese B encephalitis dan filariasis dapat ditransmisikan ke manusia melalui gigitan nyamuk Culex sp. Banyak cara dapat dilakukan untuk mencegah gigitan nyamuk ini, baik dengan mengurangi populasinya atau mencegah gigitannya. N, N-diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET) telah digunakan secara luas sebagai repellent sintetik yang efektif, tetapi pemakaian DEET harus dilakukan dengan hati-hati khususnya pada anak. Repellent lain yang berasal dari alam, yaitu minyak esensial bunga Lavandula angustifolia D.C. (lavender) dan kulit buah Citrus reticulate L., serta campurannya dengan minyak kedelai telah diuji durasi proteksi terhadap Culex sp. betina sehingga diperoleh formula repellent yang optimal. Penelitian dilaksanakan di Laboratorium Parasitologi, Fakultas Kedokteran, Universitas Kristen Maranatha, Bandung pada Juli–Agustus 2018 dan menggunakan desain simple randomized dengan empat replikasi dan tujuh perlakuan, yaitu kontrol negatif, DEET, minyak esensial murni, minyak kedelai murni, dan tiga macam rasio campuran minyak esensial dengan minyak kedelai. Pengujian menggunakan metode lengan dalam kandang menurut Fradin dan Day dengan empat lengan sebagai empat replikasi. Analisis data menggunakan ANOVA, dilanjutkan Tukey HSD dengan α=0,05. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa DEET memiliki durasi proteksi paling lama (p=0,000), durasi proteksi kombinasi minyak esensial dengan minyak kedelai rasio 1:2 lebih panjang dibanding dengan minyak esensial murni (p=0.000), minyak kedelai (p=0.000), dan rasio kombinasi lainnya (p=0.000). Simpulan, rasio tertentu campuran minyak esensial bunga L. angustifolia D.C./kulit buah C. reticulata L. dengan minyak kedelai merupakan sediaan ideal untuk menolak Culex sp.