Cutibacterium acnes is one of the most common bacterial species residing on the human skin. Although the pathogenic properties of C. acnes , such as its association with acne vulgaris, have been widely described, its beneficial aspects have not been well characterized.

Soybean oil and palm oil are the most preferred vegetable oils in the world. The aim of the study was the correlative and qualitative appraisement of the edible vegetable oils available in Bangladesh. Five brands of soybean and one brand of palm oil were comparatively assessed to select which one was better for edible purpose. In this study the quality of the edible oils was analyzed by evaluating some physicochemical attributes such as specific gravity, color and odor, moisture content, acid value, saponification value, iodine value and peroxide value using standard methods. A significant difference (P<0.05) was found in all characteristic parameters of different oil samples. The study expressed the following properties as ranged values for soybean oils and single value for palm oil: Iodine value (82.34±0.633 –108.63±0.96 g I2/100 g; 45.68±0.604 g I2/100 g), Saponification value (182.33±2.670–197.39±1.987 mg KOH/g; 203.68±2.346 mg KOH/g), Acid value (0.33±0.06–0.57±0.03 mg KOH/g; 1.07±0.07 mg KOH/g), Peroxide value (1.13±0.01–1.96±0.006 meq O2/kg; 1.09±0.02 meq O2/kg), Moisture content (0.30±0.005–0.63±0.026%; 0.65±0.015%), specific gravity (0.88±0.15–0.94±0.07 g/ml; 0.91±0.03 g/ml). Taking consideration of all parameters the study concluded that Rupchanda and Fresh soybean oil had superior quality than other samples. Asian Australas. J. Biosci. Biotechnol. 2018, 3 (2), 156-161

Yoghurt is the common fermented dairy product consumed worldwide and it is considered a potential source of probiotic bacteria (Lactobacilli and Lactococci). To assess the in-vitro probiotic properties of lactic acid bacteria, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, Lactobacillus delbrueckii and Lactobacillus plantarum species isolated from yoghurt sold in different local markets of Chittagong region in Bangladesh were examined by morphological characteristics and biochemical tests. In the preliminary test, all isolates were grown well at acidic pH (pH 3-5) while the optimum growth temperature was 37°C and better growth was observed in the presence of 1-8% NaCl concentrations. In addition, the selected isolates were able to survive up to 3% bile salt concentrations while the best tolerance was at 1% bile salt. The strains successfully inhibited the growth of common pathogenic bacteria likely Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella Paratyphi, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis examined by in vitro growth inhibition test. Most of the isolated strains exhibited resistance pattern against ten commonly used antibiotics in foodborne illness in the country. However, the strains in yoghurt sold at Chittagong city have ideal probiotic characteristics and this fermented dairy product could be a potential source of human probiotic bacteria.

This study is carried out to determine the level of three common heavy metals i.e. mercury (Hg), lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) from different branded frozen shrimp samples from different processing plants in Chittagong Metropolitan Area, Bangladesh. The level of heavy metals is investigated by using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) in twenty different frozen shrimp samples from four different processing plants. The range of mean level of concentration (mg/kg) of mercury (Hg), lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) are 0.011-0.042 mg/kg, 0.065-0.087 mg/kg and 0.024-0.081 mg/kg respectively. Lead (Pb) has the highest mean concentration of 0.087 mg/kg while mercury has the lowest mean of 0.011 mg/kg. The mean concentration of mercury (Hg), lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) in shrimps was observed within the range of BSTI (Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution) standards for aquatic foods.

Cutibacterium acnes plays roles in both acne disease and healthy skin ecosystem. We observed that mutations in the tir-1/SARM1 and p38 MAPK cascade genes significantly shortened Caenorhabditis elegans lifespan upon Cutibacterium acnes SK137 infection. Antimicrobial molecules were induced by SK137 in a TIR-1-dependent manner. These results suggest that defense responses against SK137 involve the TIR-1-p38 MAPK pathway in Caenorhabditis elegans.