http://hdl.handle.net/10204/894 2013-06-18T23:17:36Z http://hdl.handle.net/10204/6788 Title: Sunflower press cake as a substrate for eicosapentaenoic acid production by representatives of the genus Mortierella Authors: Jacobs, A; Botha, A; Van Zyl, WH; Reddy, JK Abstract: Long chain omega-3 fatty acids such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) are essential for the regulation of critical biological functions in humans and other mammals. EPA production via solid state fermentation of sunflower press cake was investigated using eight fungal strains representing the genus Mortierella. During this study the effect of supplementing the sunflower press cake substrate with 10% (w/w) linseed oil was studied with regard to the supplement’s impact on EPA production and the polyunsaturated fatty acid profile of the fermented substrate. The addition of the linseed oil improved the EPA yield of most strains, leading to a reduction in the average arachidonic acid:EPA ratio from 50.68 to 3.66. The ratio of polyunsaturated to saturated fatty acids was increased significantly (t=5.75, p=0.05) by the addition of linseed oil, with higher desaturation levels among the 20-carbon fatty acids. The strains that produced the highest levels of EPA on sunflower press cake supplemented with linseed oil were Mortierella alpina Mo 46 and Mortierella basiparvispora Mo 88, which produced 6.4 mg and 5.8 mg EPA per g of sunflower press cake, respectively Description: This is the definitive version of the work. 2010-05-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10204/6779 Title: Effect of four medicinal plants on amyloid-beta induced neurotoxicity in SH-SY5Y Cells Authors: Adewusi, EA; Fouche, G; Steenkamp, V Abstract: Amyloid-beta peptide (Aß) is implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a neurodegenerative disorder. This study was designed to determine the effect of four medicinal plants used to treat neurodegenerative diseases on Aß-induced cell death. Cytotoxicity of the ethanol extracts of the plants was determined against SH-SY5Y (human neuroblastoma) cells which were untreated, as well as toxically induced with Aß, using the MTT and neutral red uptake assays. Cell viability was reduced to 16% when exposed to 20 µM Aß25-35 for 72 h. The methanol extract of the roots of Ziziphus mucronata Willd., Lannea schweinfurthii (Engl.) Engl. and Terminalia sericea Burch. ex DC., were the least toxic to the SH-SY5Ycells at the highest concentration tested (100 µg/ml). All four plants tested were observed to reduce the effects of Aß-induced neuronal cell death, indicating that they may contain compounds which may be relevant in the prevention of AD progression. Description: Copyright: 2013. AJTCAM. This an ABSTRACT ONLY. The definitive version is published in African Journal of Traditional Complementary Alternative Medicine, vol. 10(4) 2013-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10204/6607 Title: Production, consumption, and quality attributes of Akpan – a yoghurt-like cereal product from West Africa Authors: Sassa, C; Adinsi, L; Anihouvi, V; Akissoe, N; Dalode, G; Mestres, C; Jacobs, A; Dlamini, N; Pallet, D; Hounhouigan, D Abstract: Akpan is a high-potential, traditional yoghurt-like product made from fermented cereal starch, and consumed as a thirst-quenching beverage in Benin. This study investigated the characteristics of consumers, the traditional processing techniques and constraints, and the quality attributes of the product in order to find out the best options for possible industrial development. For this purpose, a survey was carried out in different municipalities using a questionnaire administered to stakeholders. While the production and commercialization of Akpan are undertaken exclusively by women, consumption cuts across all classes of people, with consumers in a wide range of socio-cultural groups, ages, and educational levels. Four types of Akpan were encountered, varying in their raw materials and processing technologies. Maize and sorghum were used either singly or in combination through submerged or solid-state fermentation processes. Among the product types, Akpan from maize ogi was the most preferred, mainly because of its long-established history, white colour, sour taste, and pronounced ogi aroma. Description: Copyright: 2012 Practical Action publishing. This is an ABSTRACT ONLY. The definitive version is published in Food chain, vol. 2(1), pp 1-14 2012-05-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10204/6353 Title: Recovery of calcium carbonate from steelmaking slag and utilization for acid mine drainage pre-treatment Authors: Mulopo, J; Mashego, M; Zvimba, JN Abstract: The conversion of steelmaking slag (a waste product of the steelmaking process) to calcium carbonate (CaCO3) was tested using hydrochloric acid, ammonium hydroxide and carbon dioxide via a pH-swing process. Batch reactors were used to assess the technical feasibility of calcium carbonate recovery and its use for pre-treatment of Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) from coal mines. The effect of key process parameters, such as the amount of acid (HCl/Calcium molar ratio), the pH and the CO2 flow rate were considered. It was observed that calcium extraction from steelmaking slag significantly increased with increase in the amount of hydrochloric acid. The CO2 flow rate also had a positive effect of the carbonation reaction rate but did not affect the morphology of the calcium carbonate produced for values less than 2 L/min. The CaCO3 recovered from the bench scale batch reactor demonstrated effective neutralization ability during AMD pre-treatment compared to the commercial laboratory grade CaCO3. Description: Copyright: 2012 IWA Publishing. This is an uncorrected proof of the article. The definitive version is published in Water Science and Technology, vol. 65(12), pp 2236-2241 2012-06-01T00:00:00Z