The purpose of this study was to assess Chemical composition, total flavonoid and carotenoid contents with antioxidant and antimicrobial activities in crude and concentrated extracts of pepper fruit (Capsicum annuum var an.). The concentrated extract was obtained by reverse osmosis process. Radical scavenging potential was also determined using in vitro assay: 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals. The GC-MS analysis of concentrated extracts of C. annuum revealed the presence of major constituents such as lactic acid, valeric acid, 5-methoxy, butanedioic acid, phenylalanine, hexadecanoic acid, ethyl ester, 6-methoxy-hexane-2-ol, butane, 2,3diol, pentanoicacid,4-oxo-, 3-methyl-2-hydroxyl butanoic acid, benzeneacetic acid, 4-hydroxyl, 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid ester, 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid, 7-hydroxyl7-methyloctanoïc acid. Furthermore, the results indicated that the total flavonoid (3.7± 0.1g/L Eq Quercetin) and total carotenoid (54.33± 1.1 mg/100 mL of fresh extract) contents and the antioxidant activities ((83.44 ± 0.98%) in concentrated extract of C. annuum fruit were significantly (p≤0.05) higher than those recorded in crude extract. They also showed that the MIC values ranged from 10 to 20 μg/mL. This confirmed the existence of significant activity against the bacterial strains tested. Our results revealed that Gram positive and negative microorganisms were affected by the tested concentrated extract. Moreover, this study indicated that the concentrate of the Capsicum annuum fruit effectively shows the best ability to scavenge the free radicals. This concentrated extract also presents some antimicrobial activity against six microorganisms.
The presence of termites in the cocoa plantations and quarries of Côte d'Ivoire poses a threat to the producers of this sector. Producer yields are insufficient to cover the strong market demand. This situation leads to food insecurity for the population. Knowledge of the specific inhibitory molecules of digestive enzymes of termites is necessary to enhance the effectiveness of insecticides to optimize crop production. The present study was aimed to characterize termite cellulases according to the trophic group. Specifically, the influence of chemical agents on the cellulase activities of four humivorous (Cubitermes fungifaber) and xylophagous termites (Nasutitermes latifrons, Microcerotermes fuscotibialis and Amitermes guineensis) collected in Daloa during the October period was investigated. Thus, the cellulase activities were measured by the spectrophotometric method in the absence and in the presence of the concentrations of 1 and 5 mM of various chemical agents. The chemical agents used behaved differently on cellulase activities. Thus, Cu2+, Pb2+ and EDTA inhibited the cellulase activity of M. fuscotibialis more than 90% at concentrations of 1 and 5 mM, respectively, indicating the presence of a metalloprotein. On the other hand, that of the other two xylophagous species was slightly inhibited. In addition, the cellulase activity of C. Fungifaber was inhibited at the two respective concentrations by Cu2+ at about 70%. In conclusion, Cu2+, pb2+ and EDTA can be used in the formulation of some specific insecticides against humivorous and xylophagous termites.
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