Reduce the acrylamide content in frying potatoes by olive leaves and reduce the toxicity of acrylamide by arginine in rats

Acrylamide was determined in some traditionally commercial and homemade Egyptian foods in addition to mother milk. Some additives were used during preparation of home fried potatoes. Fried onions and fried eggplants contained very high amounts of acrylamide. Olive leaves prevented formation of acrylamide in home fried potatoes. Egyptian mother milk contained large quantities of acrylamide [482 microg/L]. Arginine, lysine or valine was administrated into rats without or with acrylamide daily for 35 consecutive days, as antidotes. Two groups of rats were administrated acrylamide and vehicle [control]. Acrylamide decreased the initial weight of rats, serum and brain contents of total proteins, albumin and glutathione in addition to lactate dehydrogenase activity, while malonaldehyde content, glutathione-Stransferase, superoxide dismutase and lysosomal enzymes activities [Acid phosphatase, N-acety-beta-galactosidase and beta galactosidase] were increased comparing to control. Histopathological studies showed also a great damage in brain by acrylamide. Arginine ameliorated the harmful effects of acrylamide to great extent followed by lysine to lesser extent

Using some industrial and agricultural wastes for the production of animal feed through biotechnology

During this activity, tomato pomace as food industrial waste beside two agricultural wastes dry olive wastes [branches and leaves] and lentil straw as well as combination mixtures of them in a ratio of 1:1 were me starting materials of the current work. After chemical evaluation of the previous wastes, they were subjected to fungal treatment using a strain of white rot fungi [Pleuroteus ostreatus] [10% based on dry weight]. The obtained data revealed an increase in protein content ranged 30- 40% as well as an appearent decrease in lignocellulosic materials [lignin, cellulose, hemicellulose], a fact that is considered to be a promising screen of the use of these treated wastes as applied and useful non traditional feed stuffs. These results were confirmed by in-vitro digestibility determination

Improving the nutritive value of maize stalks by using pleurotus ostreatus and phanerochaete chryrospoium

The ability of fungi [white rot fungi] to degrade the lingocellulosic substrates was initiated. Two strains of white rot fungi namely, Pleurotus ostreatus and Phanerochaete chrysosporium were used to improve the nutritive value of selected agricultural crop residue namely, maize stalks mixed with an agro industrial waste namely, pea nut husk at different ratios 3:1, 1:1 and 1:3, respectively. After pasteurizing mixtures of maize stalks and pea nut husk at the previously mentioned ratios, they were packed in polyetylene bags then inoculated with two strains of white rot fungi [Pleurotus ostreatus and Phanerochaete chrysosporium] and incubated for 30 days at 28 degree sign C and 35 degree sign C, respectively, using solid state fermentation technique. Results showed that maize stalks and pea nut husk with a ratio of 3:1 decreased lignin content from 10.90 to 100.30% and 7.00%, and increased protein value from 9.75 to 11.73%, and from 11.00 to 13.04%, when combined mixture were treated with Pleurotus ostreatus and Phanerochaete chrysosporium, respectively

Okra and Jew's mellow mucilages as hypoglycemic agents

Adult male normal and diabetic rats were maintained on diets containing 1,2,3 or 4% mucilage extracted from okra pods and jew's mellow leaves. The blood samples were taken every two weeks for measuring glucose, insulin, total cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C and triacylglycerols. At the end of experiment [6 weeks], the animals were sacrificed and hepatic glycogen contents were measured. The mucilages decreased plasma levels of glucose, total cholesterol, LDL-C and triacylglycerols, while HDL-C and hepatic glycogen were increased