Antioxidant activities and lutein content of 11 marigold cultivars (Tagetes spp.) grown in Thailand

Antioxidant activities and total phenolic content (TPC) were analyzed in ethanol extracts of 11 marigold cultivars grown in Thailand. Antioxidant activity assays performed in this study were the 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) radical cation scavenging activity, ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, oxygen radical absorbance activity (ORAC), and superoxide anion radical scavenging activity (SRSA) assays. ‘Optiva Orange’ showed the best activity in the ORAC assay and in % SRSA, as well as the highest content of lutein (20.59 mg), gallic acid (25.77 mg), and quercetin (12.61 mg) per gram dry marigold petal among the 11 cultivars. Furthermore, ‘Optiva Orange’ showed the highest lutein yield per plant, as compared to other cultivars. In contrast, ‘Rodeo Gold’ showed the highest activity by ABTS testing (0.92 mmol of trolox/g dry sample), as well as an 89.90% inhibition of DPPH. Lutein content showed a positive correlation with TPC and all antioxidant activity assays. In conclusion, ‘Optiva Orange’ and ‘Rodeo Gold’ could be utilized as a good lutein source for functional food products and cosmetics.

Phenolic content and antioxidant capacity in organically and conventionally grown eggplant (Solanum melongena) fruits following thermal processing

AbstractThermal processing and production practices used in vegetables can cause changes in their phytochemical contents. Eggplant is characterized by its high antioxidant content. The objective of this work was to determine levels of anthocyanins, polyphenols, and flavonoids and antioxidant capacity in organically and conventionally grown eggplant prepared fresh or subjected to one of three thermal preparation methods: boiling, baking or steaming. The soluble and hydrolyzable polyphenols and flavonoids content were quantified by Folin-Ciocalteu and Aluminum chloride methods, respectively. Anthocyanins were quantified according to the pH differential method. Antioxidant capacity was determined by DPPH and ORAC methods. The results showed differences between organic and conventional eggplant for some variables although cultivation method did not have a consistent effect. Hydrolysable polyphenol content was greater, and soluble and hydrolysable antioxidant capacities were higher in organically grown eggplant, while anthocyanin content was greater in conventionally grown eggplant. Fresh eggplant produced under conventional cultivation had a much greater content of anthocyanins compared to that of other cultivation method-thermal treatment combination. In general, steamed eggplant contained higher total polyphenol and flavonoid levels as well as greater antioxidant capacity. Steamed eggplant from both conventional and organic systems also had high amounts of anthocyanins compared to other thermal treatments.

Chemical composition and nutritive value of hot pepper seed (Capsicum annuum) grown in Northeast Region of China

Chemical composition and nutritive value of hot pepper seeds (Capsicum annuum) grown in Northeast Region of China were investigated. The proximate analysis showed that moisture, ash, crude fat, crude protein and total dietary fiber contents were 4.48, 4.94, 23.65, 21.29 and 38.76 g/100 g, respectively. The main amino acids were glutamic acid and aspartic acid (above 2 g/100 g), followed by histidine, phenylalanine, lysine, arginine, cysteine, leucine, tryptophan, serine, glycine, methionine, threonine and tyrosine (0.8-2 g/100 g). The contents of proline, alanine, valine and isoleucine were less than 0.8 g/100 g. The fatty acid profile showed that linoleic acid, palmitic acid, oleic acid, stearic acid and linolenic acid (above 0.55 g/100 g) as the most abundant fatty acids followed lauric acid, arachidic acid, gondoic acid and behenic acid (0.03-0.15 g/100 g). Analyses of mineral content indicated that the most abundant mineral was potassium, followed by magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc, sodium and manganese. The nutritional composition of hot pepper seeds suggested that they could be regarded as good sources of food ingredients and as new sources of edible oils.

Characterisation of Transparent Conducting Thin Films Grown by Pulsed Laser Deposition and RF Magnetron Sputtering

Materials exhibiting transparency and electrical conductivity simultaneously, transparent conductors, Transparent conducting oxides (TCOs), which have high transparency through the visible spectrum and high electrical conductivity are already being used in numerous applications. Low-emission windows that allow visible light through while reflecting the infrared, this keeps the heat out in summer, or the heat in, in winter. A thin conducting layer on or in between the glass panes achieves this. Low-emission windows use mostly F-doped SnO2. Most of these TCO’s are n type semiconductors and are utilized in a variety of commercial applications, such as flat-panel displays, photovoltaic devices, and electrochromic windows, in which they serve as transparent electrodes. Novel functions may be integrated into the materials since oxides have a variety of elements and crystal structures, providing great potential for realizing a diverse range of active functions. However, the application of TCOs has been restricted to transparent electrodes, notwithstanding the fact that TCOs are n-type semiconductors. The primary reason is the lack of p-type TCOs, because many of the active functions in semiconductors originate from the nature of the pn-junction. In 1997, H. Kawazoe et al.[2] reported CuAlO2 thin films as a first p-type TCO along with a chemical design concept for the exploration of other p-type TCOs.

Electrical Characteristics of n-ZnO/p-Si Heterojunction Diodes Grown by Pulsed Laser Deposition at Different Oxygen Pressures

Heterojunction diodes of n-type ZnO/p-type silicon (100) were fabricated by 12 pulsed laser deposition of ZnO films on p-Si substrates in oxygen ambient at 13 different pressures. These heterojunctions were found to be rectifying with a 14 maximum forward-to-reverse current ratio of about 1,000 in the applied 15 voltage range of -5 V to +5 V. The turn-on voltage of the heterojunctions was 16 found to depend on the ambient oxygen pressure during the growth of the ZnO 17 film. The current density–voltage characteristics and the variation of the 18 series resistance of the n-ZnO/p-Si heterojunctions were found to be in line 19 with the Anderson model and Burstein-Moss (BM) shift.

Spin-orbit effects in GaAs quantum wells: Interplay between Rashba, Dresselhaus, and Zeeman interactions

The interplay between Rashba, Dresselhaus, and Zeeman interactions in a quantum well submitted to an external magnetic field is studied by means of an accurate analytical solution of the Hamiltonian, including electron-electron interactions in a sum-rule approach. This solution allows us to discuss the influence of the spin-orbit coupling on some relevant quantities that have been measured in inelastic light scattering and electron-spin resonance experiments on quantum wells. In particular, we have evaluated the spin-orbit contribution to the spin splitting of the Landau levels and to the splitting of charge- and spin-density excitations. We also discuss how the spin-orbit effects change if the applied magnetic field is tilted with respect to the direction perpendicular to the quantum well.

Spin-orbit effects in GaAs quantum wells: Interplay between Rashba, Dresselhaus, and Zeeman interactions

The interplay between Rashba, Dresselhaus, and Zeeman interactions in a quantum well submitted to an external magnetic field is studied by means of an accurate analytical solution of the Hamiltonian, including electron-electron interactions in a sum-rule approach. This solution allows us to discuss the influence of the spin-orbit coupling on some relevant quantities that have been measured in inelastic light scattering and electron-spin resonance experiments on quantum wells. In particular, we have evaluated the spin-orbit contribution to the spin splitting of the Landau levels and to the splitting of charge- and spin-density excitations. We also discuss how the spin-orbit effects change if the applied magnetic field is tilted with respect to the direction perpendicular to the quantum well.

Surface evolution of amorphous nanocolumns of Fe–Ni grown by oblique angle deposition

The growth of Fe–Ni based amorphous nanocolumns has been studied using atomic force microscopy. The root mean square roughness of the film surface increased with the deposition time but showed a little change at higher deposition time. It was found that the separation between the nanostructures increased sharply during the initial stages of growth and the change was less pronounced at higher deposition time. During the initial stages of the column growth, a roughening process due to self shadowing is dominant and, as the deposition time increases, a smoothening mechanism takes place due to the surface diffusion of adatoms

Photoluminescence studies of spray pyrolytically grown nanostructured tin oxide semiconductor thin films on glass substrates

SnO2 nanocrystalline thin films were deposited on glass substrates by the spray pyrolysis technique in air atmosphere at 375, 400, 425, 450 and 500 ◦C substrate temperatures. The obtained films were characterized by using XRD. The room temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectra of these films have near band edge (NBE) and deep level emission under the excitation of 325 nm radiation. NBE PL peak intensity decreased consistently with temperatures for samples prepared at 400, 450 and 500 ◦C, while a sudden reduction in intensity is observed for the sample prepared at 425 ◦C. A similar effect was observed for the optical transmittance spectra. These effects can be explained on the basis of the change in population of oxygen vacancies as indicated by the change in a values

Mn2þ-induced room-temperature ferromagnetism and spin-glass behavior in hydrothermally grown Mn-doped ZnO nanorods

The magnetic properties of Mn-doped ZnO (ZnO:Mn) nanorods grown by hydrothermal process at a temperature of 200 8C and a growth time of 3 h have been studied. The samples were characterized by using powder X-ray diffraction with Rietveld refinement, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis and SQUID magnetometry. Mn (3 wt%) and (5 wt%)-doped ZnO samples exhibit paramagnetic and ferromagnetic behavior, respectively, at room temperature. The spin-glass behavior is observed from the samples with respect to the decrease of temperature. At 10 K, both samples exhibit a hysteresis loop with relatively low coercivity. The room-temperature ferromagnetism in 5 wt% Mn-doped ZnO nanorods is attributed to the increase in the specific area of grain boundaries, interaction between dopant Mn2þ ions substituted at Zn2þ site and the interaction between Mn2þ ions and Zn2þ ions from the ZnO host lattice

Root-induced increases in soil pH and nutrient availability to field-grown cereals and legumes on acid sandy soils of Sudano-Sahelian West Africa

A field experiment with millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.), sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench], cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) and groundnut (Arachnis hypogeae L.) was conducted on severely P-deficient acid sandy soils of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso to measure changes in pH and nutrient availability as affected by distance from the root surface and by mineral fertiliser application. Treatments included three rates of phosphorus (P) and four levels of nitrogen (N) application. Bulk, rhizosphere and rhizoplane soils were sampled at 35, 45 and 75 DAS in 1997 and at 55 and 65 DAS in 1998. Regardless of the cropping system and level of mineral fertiliser applied, soil pH consistently increased between 0.7 and two units from the bulk soil to the rhizoplane of millet. Similar pH gradients were observed in cowpea, but pH changes were much smaller in sorghum with a difference of only 0.3 units. Shifts in pH led to large increases in nutrient availability close to the roots. Compared with the bulk soil, available P in the rhizoplane was between 190 and 270% higher for P-Bray and between 360 and 600% higher for P-water. Exchangeable calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) levels were also higher in the millet rhizoplane than in the bulk soil, whereas exchangeable aluminium (Al) levels decreased with increasing pH close to the root surface. The results suggest an important role of root-induced pH increases for crops to cope with acidity-induced nutrient deficiency and Al stress of soils in the Sudano-Sahelian zone of West Africa.

Discrimination between organically and conventionally grown winter wheat by means of holistic and selected analytical methods

Die Verordnung des Europäischen Rates (EC) 834/2007 erkennt das Recht des Konsumenten auf eine Entscheidung basierend auf vollständiger Information bezüglich der enthaltenen Zutaten im Produkt und deren Herkunft (Qualität der Verarbeitung). Die primäre Kennzeichnungsverordnung betont „organische“ Produktionsstandards ebenso wie die Notwendigkeit zur Kontrolle und Aufsicht. Jedoch ist zurzeit keine validierte Methode zur analytischen Diskriminierung zwischen „organischer“ und „konventioneller“ Herkunft von angebotenen Lebensmitteln verfügbar. Das Ziel der Dissertationsarbeit war die Überprüfung der Möglichkeit mit ausgewählten analytischen und holistischen Methoden zwischen organisch und konventionell angebautem Weizen objektiv zu unterscheiden. Dies beinhaltete die Bestimmung des Gesamtstickstoff (Protein) nach Dumas, zweidimensionale Fluoreszenzdifferenz Gelelektrophorese (2D DIGE) und die Kupferchloridkristallisation. Zusätzlich wurde die Anzahl der Körner pro Ähre (Kornzahl) bestimmt. Alle Bestimmungen wurden an rückverfolgbaren in den Jahren 2005 – 2007 in Belgien gesammelten Proben des Winterweizen (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Cubus) durchgeführt. Statistisch signifikante (p < 0.05) Unterschiede wurden innerhalb der untersuchten Probengruppen sowohl in der Kornzahl, dem Gesamtsticksoff (Eiweißgehalt), als auch in der Gesamtausbeute gefunden, wobei in den meisten Fällen die konventionellen Proben höhere Kornzahlen und Gesamtsticksoff (Eiweißgehalte) aufwiesen. Eine mit der 2D DIGE kompatible Probenvorbereitungsmethode für Winterweizen wurde entwickelt und auf einen internen Winterweizenstandard sowie die entsprechenden Proben angewendet. Die organischen Proben waren im Vergleich mit den konventionellen Gegenstücken in allen Fällen durch eine kleinere Anzahl von signifikant (p < 0.05) stärker exprimierten Proteinspots gekennzeichnet. Gewisse Tendenzen in Richtung der Bevorzugung bestimmter Regionen von stärker ausgeprägten Proteinspots auf aufeinanderfolgenden 2D Abbildungen in Abhängigkeit von der landwirtschaftlichen Methode konnten zwar beobachtet werden, jedoch konnte kein universelles Markerprotein zur Unterscheidung von konventionell und biologisch angebautem Winterweizen identifiziert werden. Die rechnergestützte Verarbeitung der digitalisierten Kristallisierungsbilder mittels multivariater statistischer Analyse und der Regression partieller kleinster Quadrate ermöglichte eine 100%ig korrekte Vorhersage der landwirtschaftlichen Methode unbekannter Proben sowie der Beschreibung der Kristallisierungsbilder. Diese Vorhersage bezieht sich nur auf den hier verwendeten Datensatz (Proben einer Sorte von drei Standorten über zwei Jahre) und kann nicht ohne weiteres übertragen (generalisiert) werden. Die Ergebnisse deuten an, dass die Quantifizierung der beschriebenen Parameter ein hohes Potential zur Lösung der gestellten Aufgabe besitzt.