The utilization of biopolymers gained recent attention worldwide due to their effective role in producing eco-friendly and economical products. Mucilage from Opuntia ficus-indica (OFI, and other succulent plants) has the capacity to absorb huge amounts of water, forming a viscous colloid with interesting rheological properties. It also had the potential ability for use as food additives or food technological products. We, therefore, aimed at extracting and characterizing pure liquid mucilage from the cladodes of OFI (Egyptian variety) using multidimensional approaches including HPLC-RID, FTIR, XRD, NMR, DSC, and TGA assays. The chemical composition, total polyphenols, total flavonoids, total flavonols, and antioxidant capacity by DPPH and ABTS assays were also measured. HPLC-RID analysis showed that the mucilage’s sugars are composed of glucose, xylose, rhamnose, galacturonic acid, arabinose, galactose, and fucose with total sugars of 0.375 mg/mL, which were subsequently confirmed by FTIR and NMR results. The specific signals of these sugars were also observed in 13C and 1H NMR spectra and their chemical fingerprint was obtained by FTIR. XRD patterns showed that mucilage has high calcium content, and the glass transition temperature was observed at 85.9 °C. Meanwhile, total phenolic content, flavonoids, and flavonols were about 7.96 mg GAE/g FW, 3.61 mg QE/g FW, and 1.47 mg QE/g FW, respectively. The antioxidant capacity of mucilage was around 26.15 and 22.5 µmol TE/g FW for DPPH and ABTS methods, respectively. It can be concluded that OFI cladode mucilage showed promising properties that would improve and open new opportunities and trends in the food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and other industries. The use of pure liquid mucilage could also be economically profitable due to its low cost, availability, and effectiveness for many edible applications.

The present work was directed to study the effect of bio and inorganic fertilizer treatments on the ultra structure antennae of female and male silkworm (Bombyx mori L.), as a trail to understand the effect of the type of fertilization on mulberry trees and silkworm antennal sensilla. The sensory organs on the antennae were visualized by scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that the surface of the antenna is covered with scales overlapped together and is provided with sense sensilla that found on the ventral and lateral surface of the antenna. On the silkmoth antennae, six different types of sensilla have been identified: Olfactory sensilla trichodea, s. basiconica, s. coeloconica, putative gustatory s. chaetica that are multimodal receptors, s. styloconica, that are thought to be thermo-and hygroreceptors and the mechano-sensory sensilla (squamiformia). Silkworm (B. mori) is a monophagous insect that drives almost all required nutrients for its growth and development from mulberry leaf. Mulberry trees were treated with bio fertilizes, chemical fertilizers and the mixture of them through the addition in soil. The results of chemical fertilizer, bio-fertilizer and its mixture increased the growth, development, health, feed consumption and larval weight, total larval duration and this reflected on the number and length of sensilla. Chemical fertilizer, biofertilizer and its mixture increased the size of sensilla than control. Moreover, application by bio-fertilizer resulted in better values larval weight, total larval duration and the size of sensilla. Both chemical and bio fertilizes exhibited better values for pupal weight which reflect on the size of sensilla.

http://eajbsf.journals.ekb.eg/ Toxicity of Nanosilica Particles on Eobania vermiculata and Their Effects on Biochemical Changes in Rats.

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