Nutritional and amino acid contents of differently treated Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.)seeds

The effects of sun-drying and boiling sun-drying on the nutritional composition of Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) seeds, grown from Malaysia, were investigated. The treatments were raw freeze-dried Roselle seeds (RRS), sun dried Roselle seeds (DRS) and boiled sun-dried Roselle seeds (BRS). Protein, lipids and dietary fibre were found to be high in all the treatments. The seeds, regarded as by-product of Roselle processing had 57.3% moisture. Raw freeze-dried, sun dried and boiled sun-dried seeds contained 6.81%, 9.9% and 9.8% moisture; 35.4%, 33.5% and 30.6% protein; 27.2%, 22.1% and 29.6% lipids; 2.3%, 13.0% and 4.0% available carbohydrate; 25.5%, 18.3%, and 19.2% total dietary fibre; and 7.4%, 7.5% and 6.6% ash, respectively. The carbohydrate, protein, lipids and moisture of RRS were significantly different (p < 0.05) from DRS and BRS. The predominant minerals in Roselle seeds were potassium (99–109 mg/100 g), magnesium (26–28 mg/100 g) and calcium (24–31 mg/100 g). The total dietary fibre of the seeds was within the acceptable range, with soluble and insoluble fibre ratios ranging from 1.2 to 3.3. The study detected 17 essential and nonessential amino acids. The seeds were rich in lysine (14–15 g/100 g), arginine (30–35 g/100 g), leucine (15.4–18.6 g/100 g), phenylalanine (11–12 g/100 g) and glutamic acid (21–24 g/100 g). The study indicated that Roselle seeds may serve as a potential source of functional ingredients

The inhibitory activity of cocoa phenolic extract against pro-inflammatory mediators secretion induced by lipopolysaccharide in RAW 264.7 cells

Cocoa is a rich source of polyphenols that has been traditionally used as the treatment of several types of inflammation related disease. The response to inflammation comprises the consecutive release of mediators and the enlistment of circulating leukocytes, such as macrophages. Currently, Cocoa-derived polyphenolics have shown anti-inflammatory effects in vivo, but the therapeutic benefits in vitro remain unclear. Therefore, in this study, the effect of cocoa polyphenolic extract (CPE) on RAW 264.7 macrophage cells sensitized by lipopolysaccharide as in vitro inflammatory model was investigated. The anti-inflammatory activity of CPE was assessed by measuring its ability to inhibit the pro-inflammatory enzyme 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) and the pro-inflammatory mediators prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), reactive oxygen species (ROS), nitric oxide (NO) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). The results show that CPE significantly inhibits 5-LOX activity (p < 0.01). In addition, CPE dose-dependently suppressed the production of PGE2, ROS, NO and TNF-α in RAW 264.7 cells. These data suggest that CPE may be used for the treatment of inflammation and it’s related-diseases

Antioxidant peptides purified and identified from the oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) kernel protein hydrolysate

Protein extracted from oil palm kernel was hydrolyzed using pepsin-pancreatin (OPKH) and subsequently used to identify the potential antioxidative peptides. Then, the OPKH was purified sequentially by ultrafiltration, reversed-phase and semi-preparative HPLC. Antioxidant capacities (ACs) of the purified peptides from OPKH were evaluated using ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), β-carotene-linoleate bleaching (BCB) assay and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging activity assay. Amino acid compositions of the purified peptide fractions were also determined. The amino acid sequence of the antioxidative peptide was identified by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization/multi-stage mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS/MS) using de novo sequencing. There were nine fractions purified and collected where F6 demonstrated the highest AC. Three antioxidative peptides, Val-Val-Gly-Gly-Asp-Gly-Asp-Val (VVGGDGDV), Val-Pro-Val-Thr-Ser-Thr (VPVTST) and Leu-Thr-Thr-Leu-Asp-Ser-Glu (LTTLDSE) were identified in fraction F6. These peptides did not show any similarity with other antioxidant peptides listed in BLAST database of NCBI. These peptides may be useful ingredients in food and pharmaceutical applications

Rice bran phytic acid (IP6) induces growth inhibition, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis on human colorectal adenocarcinoma cells

Phytic acid (inositol hexaphosphate or IP6) is one of the bioactive compound that is present in cereals, nuts and legumes. IP6 is a naturally occurring polyphosphorylated carbohydrate, recognized to posses various significant health benefits including anticancer effects. Several in vitro and in vivo studies provide convincing evidence for the anticarcinogenic properties of commercial rice IP6 whilst the underlying mechanisms by which IP6 exerts anti-tumorigenic effects are still not fully known. The purpose of this present study is to investigate the growth inhibitory effects of IP6 extracted from rice bran on human colorectal cancer cell line (HT-29). IP6 extracted from rice bran induced marked growth inhibition in HT-29 with an IC50 value of 12.0 ± 2 μg/ml, in a dose and time dependent manner. Flow cytometry was performed for the analysis of cell cycle and apoptosis. Rice bran IP6-extract induced cell cycle arrest in HT-29 cell at G0/G1 phase. Staining with Annexin V-based assay and propidium iodide confirmed that apoptosis occurred early and late in the HT-29. IP6 is expected to exert anticarcinogenic activity through disruption of cell cycle progression and induction of apoptosis. Our study further supports the function of rice bran IP6 as a chemopreventive agent for human colorectal cancer

Nutritional composition and in vitro evaluation of the antioxidant properties of various dates extracts (Phoenix dactylifera L.) from Libya

The aim of this study was to examine the nutritional content and antioxidant potential of three date fruit varieties (Phoenix dactylifera L.) native to Libya, namely, Bekraray, Deglet-nour and Khathori. The fruits were collected from three districts of Libya covering the northern, southern and eastern areas, respectively. The fruits were pitted and the flesh was extracted at 60° C for 6 h. The antioxidant activity of the extract was measured using 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method and iron (3) reduction (FRAP) assay. The Total Phenolic Content (TPC) of the date was measured using the Fohn-Ciocalteau method. The results showed that the nutritional content of dates varied by source. The flesh of Bekraray dates contained high percentage of carbohydrates (76.97%), vitamin C (8.50 mg 100 g) and potassium (6043.2 mg kg-1) whereas, Deglet-nour variety demonstrated the high percentage of total sugar (73.25%), vitamin A (10.50 μ/100g) and vitamin E (12.98 mg kg-1). On the other hand, Khathori variety showed high percentage of vitamin B2, magnesium, calcium, sodium and ferum with concentrations of 824.98, 660.74, 614.21,485.86 and 20.29mg kg-1, respectively. The Bekraray dates exhibited a significantly high concentration of TPC (p&lt;0.05) from those of the two other varieties. The antioxidant activity correlated positively with the TPC of the extracts. The Bekraray also showed high FRAP value and free radical scavenging activity (DPPH) among the studied date varieties and the values corresponded to 13.46±0.11 umol (Fe)/g and 78.9%, respectively. These results suggest that Libyan dates varieties have a high nutritional value and possess beneficial antioxidant properties. Bekraray date was found to be superior than Deglet-nour and Khathori variety

Protein quality of roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) seeds

This study investigated the protein quality of two sets of Roselle seeds processed differently (dried and boiled). Twenty weanling Sprague Dawley rats were used to conduct the growth and nitrogen balance studies. Rats were fed with 10% (w/w) protein from dried (DS) and boiled (BS) Roselle seeds powder for 4 weeks. Casein was used in this study as a standard reference protein. There was a significantly higher (p < 0.05) food intake and weight gain by rats fed with BS compared with DS. In the growth study, there was no significant difference (p < 0.05) in protein efficiency ratio (PER) and net protein ratio (NPR) of BS compared to DS, but it was significantly different with casein (CD). PER value of rats fed with DS was significantly lower (p < 0.05) than casein. In the nitrogen balance study, true nitrogen absorption (TNA) and nitrogen balance (NB) of BS group was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than DS group. However, apparent digestibility (AD), true digestibility (TD) and biological value (BV) for both diets was not significantly different. This study showed that the protein quality of dried Roselle seeds was similar to the Roselle seeds boiled at 100oC for 30 minutes

Cytotoxicity effect of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) kernel protein hydrolysates

This study was conducted to ascertain the cytotoxicity effect of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) kernel protein hydrolysates (OPKHs) produced from its protein isolate. A modified microplate titer WST-1 [2-(4-iodophenyl)-3-(4-nitrophenyl)-5-(2,4-disulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium] assay was used to investigate the cytotoxicity of hydrolysates produced from protease and pepsin-pancreatin hydrolysis at various concentrations (0.1, 1, 10, 100 μg/ml and 1 mg/ml) using HepG2 cell model. Additionally, peptide stimulation test using OPKHs at 1 mg/ml was carried out to investigate whether OPKHs could serve as growth factor for HepG2 cells other than affecting its viability. As a result, oleic acid appeared to normalize the WST-1 readings of HepG2 cells treated with both hydrolysates at 1 mg/ml. The presence of amino acids in OPKHs could stimulate the growth and prolongs the viability of HepG2 cells. Both OPKHs were non-cytotoxic to HepG2 cells at all tested concentrations even at high concentrations. This study indicated that pepsin-pancreatin and protease hydrolysates produced from oil palm kernel protein were non-cytotoxic on HepG2 cells

Selected recommendations from international guidelines on obstructive sleep apnoea / Nurul Yaqeen Mohd Esa and Ahmad Izuanuddin Ismail.

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is increasingly seen as a major health threat globally. However, it is still underdiagnosed mainly among Asian population partly due to lack of understanding on the pathophysiology, and limited access to the diagnostic and management aspect of the disease. Recurring complete and/or partial collapses of the upper airways define OSA. Based on the number of apnoeas and/or hypopnoeas per hour of sleep, OSA is categorized as mild, moderate and severe. Both the American Association of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and American College of Physicians (ACP) has published guidelines regarding the management of OSA in adults. Three recommendations have been suggested by the guidelines which can be used to tailor the management of OSA. The aim of this article is to select relevant recommendations from these guidelines in epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnostic procedures and treatment for proper management of OSA, while considering specific patient populations, such as hypertensive, diabetic, obese and Asian patients

Language learning strategies of students in content-based instruction

This study investigates the learning strategies of students at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). The study was mainly motivated by concerns about the standards of English of graduates of Malaysian universities. These concerns have also been expressed by the IIUM, one of the few universities in Malaysia using English as the medium of instruction. The primary objective of this research has been to identify what good language learners do to learn a second language. The study investigated frequency of strategy use according to type of courses (i.e. content-based versus non content-based), gender, and proficiency levels. There were 312 students taking English for Occupational Purposes (EOP) and English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses. Their learning strategies were investigated through an analysis of their responses to Rebecca Oxford’s Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) (Oxford, 1990), an instrument that has been validated in a number of studies. The study found that the students from the different degree programmes differed in the use of the six different strategies. The study also did not find any significant relationship between language learning strategies and gender