Phytochemicals and Antioxidant Activity of Citrus Seed Oils

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Classification of Aristolochia species based on GC-MS and chemometric analyses of essential oils

Essential oils were obtained from roots of 10 Aristolochia species by hydrodistillation and analysed by GC MS. A total of 75 compounds were identified in the analysed oils. Multivariate analyses of the chemical constituents of the roots enabled classification of the species into four morphological groups. These forms of analysis represent an aid in identification of further specimens belonging to these species. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Composition and screening of antifungal activity against Cladosporium sphaerospermum and Cladosporium cladosporioides of essential oils of leaves and fruits of Piper species

This study investigated the composition and antifungal activity against Cladosporium sphaerospermum and Cladosporium cladosporioides of essential oils of leaves of Piper cernuum, Piper diospyrifolium, Piper crassinervium, Piper solmsianum and Piper umbelata and fruits of P. cernuum and P. diospyrifolium. The essentials oils were analyzed by GC-MS and submitted of the antifungal activity tests. The essential oils of fruits from P. cernuum and leaves of P. crassinervium and P. solmsianum showed potential antifungal activity against C. sphaerospermum and C. cladosporioides. In addition, this is the first report of the composition of essential oils of fruits of P. cernuum and P. diospyrifolium.

Composition and antifungal activity against Candida albicans, Candida parapsilosis, Candida krusei and Cryptococcus neoformans of essential oils from leaves of Piper and Peperomia species

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Essential oils from leaves of cryptocarya spp from the atlantic rain forest

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Production of Pseudomonas aeruginosa LBI rhamnolipids following growth on Brazilian native oils

Oils from Buriti (Mauritia flexuosa), Cupuacu (Theobroma grandiflora), Passion Fruit (Passiflora alata), Andiroba (Carapa gitianensis), Brazilian Nut (Bertholletia excelsa) and Babassu (Orbignya spp.) were evaluated as carbon sources for rhamnolipid production by Pseudomonas aeruginosa LBI. The highest rhamnolipid concentrations were obtained from Brazilian Nut (9.9 l(-1)) and Passion Fruit (9.2 g l(-1)) oils. Surface tension varied from 29.8 to 31.5 mN m(-1), critical micelle concentration from 55 to 163 mg l(-1) and the emulsifying activity was higher against toluene (93-100%) than against kerosene (70-92%). Preliminary characterization of the surfactant mixtures by mass spectrometry revealed the presence of two major components showing m/z of 649 and 503, which corresponded to the dirhamnolipid (Rha(2)C(10)C(10)) and the monorhamnolipid (RhaC(10)C(10)), respectively. The monorhamnolipid detected as the ion of m/z 503 is predominant in all samples analyzed. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Composition and antifungal activity of essential oils from Piper aduncum, Piper arboreum and Piper tuberculatum

The composition of essential oils from leaves, stems and fruits of Piper aduncum, P arboreum and P. tuberculatum was examined by means of GC-MS and alltifungal assay. There was a predominance of monoterpenes in P aduncum and P tuberculatum and of sesquiterpenes in P arboreum. P aduncum showed the richest essential oil composition, including linalool. The essential oils from fruits of P. aduncum and R tuberculatum showed the highest antifungal activity with the MIC of 10 mu g as determined against Cladosporium cladosponoides and C. sphaerospermum, respectively. This is the first report of the composition of essential oils from P. tuberculatum.

Carboxylic acids of marine evaporitic oils from Sergipe-Alagoas Basin, Brazil

A. suite of 10 different marine evaporitic oil samples from Sergipe-Alagoas Basin, Brazil was studied for its biomarker content, in particular its acidic constituents. The oils showed different molecular distributions and relative abundances of n-alkanoic, isoprenoid and hopanoic acids. The observed differences were assigned to the incorporation of immature organic matter in the oils and fractionation along the migration pathway. The diagenetic precursor functionality (alcohol/ether or acid) was proposed based on the comparison of the relative abundances of the neutral and acidic biomarkers (hopanoids, isoprenoids, alkyl-steranes, monoaromatic alkyl-steroids). In the acidic fraction, 3 series of steroid-alkanoic acids and monoaromatic steroid-alkanoic acids (steroid-methanoic, ethanoic and propanoic acids and monoaromatic steroid-methanoic, ethanoic and propanoic acids) were detected, while in the neutral fraction only 2 series of each corresponding class could be observed (methyl and ethyl-steranes and monoaromatic methyl and ethyl-steroids). These carbon shifts suggest that decarboxylation is an important process in the formation of the alkyrsteranes and monoaromatic alkyl-steroids, and we infer that carboxylic acids are the diagenetic precursors of these classes of compounds. When alcohol or ether are the diagenetic precursors (isoprenoids and hopanoids), no significant differences in the molecular distributions between neutral and acidic fractions were observed. (C) 2000 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of the thermal diffusivity of vegetable oils during frying by Thermal Lens Spectrometry

In this work we report on the use of the Thermal Lens method to verify the evolution of the thermal diffusivity of sunflower and soybean vegetable oils utilized in preparation of twenty five snacks portions. Our results show that the thermal diffusivity for sunflower oil does not change between 1 and 25 portions of fried snacks. By another hand, the soybean thermal diffusivity exhibits a little decrease for higher portion of fried snacks, indicating that for this oil the triglyceride level is reduced as a degradation process.

Analysis of biodiesel and frying vegetable oils by means of FTIR photoacoustic spectroscopy

Fourier Transform Infrared Photoacoustic Spectroscopy was used to determine the mid-infrared vibrational modes of biodiesel and vegetable oils. Our results indicate that this method can contribute significantly to the biodiesel wash process during the sample preparation. Besides, by analyzing the spectra of vegetable oils used to fry snacks we could to monitor the degradation in function of the fried time.

Quality traits and lipid composition of meat from Nellore young bulls fed with different oils either protected or unprotected from rumen degradation

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Rapid, quantitative determination of polar compounds in fats and oils by solid-phase extraction and size-exclusion chromatography using monostearin as internal standard

A rapid and simple method was developed for quantitation of polar compounds in fats and oils using monostearin as internal standard. Starting from 50 mg of oil sample, polar compounds were obtained by solid-phase extraction (silica cartridges) and subsequently separated by high-performance size-exclusion chromatography into triglyceride polymers, triglyceride dimers, oxidized triglyceride monomers, diglycerides, internal standard and fatty acids. Quantitation of total polar compounds was achieved through the internal standard method and then amounts of each group of compounds could be calculated. A pool of polar compounds was used to check linearity, precision and accuracy of the method, as well as the solid-phase extraction recovery. The procedure was applied to samples with different content of polar compounds and good quantitative results were obtained, especially for samples of low alteration level.

Influence of different drying temperatures on the amount of essential oils and citral content in Cymbopogon citratus (DC) Stapf. - Poaceae

Studies were conducted to show the effect of different temperatures in the drying process on the amount and quality of essential oils of Cymbopogon citratus (DC) Stapf. Leaves were harvested in the experimental field of the Agronomical Sciences College, UNESP, Botucatu, SP, Brazil in September, 1996. Blades of the leaves were cut in small parts (about 1-1,5 cm length), dried for several days at 30°, 50°, 70° and 90°C, until establishment of the weights. In the following process a hydrodistillation, during 2.5 hours, by Clevenger apparatus, was subsidized to extract the essential oils. A higher amount of oil could clearly be collected with the lower drying temperatures, except at 30°C, affected by fungus growing. Aspergillus sp., Penicillium sp., Rhyzopus sp., Cladosporium sp., Trichoderma sp. and Alternaria sp. were observed in the leaves. The analysis of the oil by GC-MS showed the variation of citral concentration of the treatments (86,1 to 95,2%). The results proved it is worthwhile to spend more time and effort in the production process using longer times of careful drying.

Antimicrobial activity of essential oils from plants used in Brazilian popular medicine

Essential oils from, Salvia officinalis L. (SO), Mentha sylvestris L. (MS), Casearia sylvestris Sw. (CS), Mentha piperita L. (MP), Ocimum micrantum Willd. (OM) and Mentha arvensis L. (MA), plants used in Brazilian popular medicine were extracted using method I, as described in the Brazilian Pharmacopoeia, in order to obtain the phytochemical profile and to evaluate their antimicrobial activity against the following microorganisms: Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Micrococcus luteus, Escherichia coli, Serratia marcescens, Candida albicans and Aspergilus oryzae. Test was made by means of the disk-plaque diffusion test in liquid medium using 1% essential oil. In the disk-plaque diffusion test, all the essential oils exhibited activity against B. subtilis, but OM showed the greatest inhibition zone and was the only one to show activity against S. aureus. Samples of SO, MS, MP, OM and MA were active against M. luteus, E. coli and S. marcescens, while A. oryzae was sensitive to MS, MP, OM and MA. No sample, however, was active against C. albicans. In the liquid medium test, significant results were observed for OM and MA, which inhibited the growth of all microorganisms for 24 hours, and OM continued active against E. coli and A. oryzae until the last reading.

Antimicrobial activity of the essential oils of some spice herbs

Essential oils were obtained from fennel seeds, dill, cumin and coriander. Their antimicrobial activity was tested on isolated clinical specimens of patients treated at the University Hospital of the School of Medicine of Botucatu, SP, UNESP. Microorganisms were grown in BHI (Brain Heart Infusion/Oxoid) at 37oC/18 hours and resuspended in 0,5 Mac Farland's Standard (1,5 x 108 CFU/mL). The diffusion method was performed, putting 10 μl of the essential oils on paper disks (6mm of diameter) (Blank Disks/CECON) at 37oC/24 hours. After this period, the disks were put on plates containing Mueller Hinton Agar (Oxoid) and inoculated with the microorganisms. After 48 hours at 37oC, inhibitory zones were measured (mm) for the respective oils and strains. The essential oil from Anethum graveolens showed antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (inhibitory zone=18 mm), Salmonella sp. (=11 mm) and E. coli (10 mm). The Cuminum cyminum essential oil was effective against E. coli, P. aeruginosa and Salmonella sp. and their inhibitory zones were 18, 10 and 23 mm, respectively. Coriandrum sativum oil was active only against Salmonella sp. (18 mm) and Foeniculum vulgare inhibited only E. coli (9 mm).