The bitter yam tuber is consumed as a staple in various regions of the world and is known to possess medicinal properties due to the presence of bioactive compounds such as saponins. These compounds may induce health complications resulting in tissue damage in cases of overconsumption. This study was geared towards determining the effects of Jamaican bitter yam (5%) on tissue damage parameters ...

In addition it may be of interest to put on record the results of tests in two among a number of families8 examined in which the results vary from those already published. In one family both parents found the substance tasteless in each of three different tests, the father stating on two of these occasions that the substance was not at all bitter but only very slightly sour. Of the six children...

We report on the results of two online experiments designed to compare different soundtracks that had been composed (by various researchers and sound designers) in order to evoke/match different basic tastes. In Experiment 1, 100 participants listened to samples from 24 soundtracks and chose the taste (sweet, sour, salty, or bitter) that best matched each sample. Overall, the sweet soundtracks ...

Amygdalin is a cyanogenic diglucoside and constitutes the bitter component in bitter almond (Prunus dulcis). Amygdalin concentration increases in the course of fruit formation. The monoglucoside prunasin is the precursor of amygdalin. Prunasin may be degraded to hydrogen cyanide, glucose, and benzaldehyde by the action of the β-glucosidase prunasin hydrolase (PH) and mandelonitirile lyase or be...

In order to study potential mixture interactions among bitter compounds, selected sodium salts were added to five compounds presented either alone or as binary bitter-compound mixtures. Each compound was tested at a concentration that elicited 'weak' perceived bitterness. The bitter compounds were mixed at these concentrations to form a subset of possible binary mixtures. For comparison, the co...

To investigate radical scavenging effects and protective activities of bitter melon (Momordica charantia) against oxidative stress, in vitro and a cellular system using LLC-PK1 renal epithelial cells were used in this study. The butanol (BuOH) fraction of bitter melon scavenged 63.4% and 87.1% of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals at concentrations of 250 and 500 μg/mL, respectively....

The effects of blanching, freezing, and frozen storage on the retention of radical-scavenging activity (RSA), total phenolics, and ascorbic acid in bitter gourd were investigated. Blanching of sliced bitter gourd resulted in considerable losses of RSA and total phenolics, and most extensively, of ascorbic acid. In the subsequent frozen storage at -18 degrees C, RSA and total phenolic content of...

This study reports the effect of heating rate and addition H3PO4 on pyrolysis three representative agricultural wastes different lignocellulosic composition, namely pistachio shell, bitter orange peel, saffron petal. Pyrolysis was carried out at 500 °C in a fixed-bed, lab scale reactor. Slow provided lower water contents liquid fraction. Fast increased yield for all feedstocks, promoting format...

Momordica charantia (bitter melon) is commonly known as vegetable insulin, but the mechanisms underlying its hypoglycemic effect remain unclear. To address this issue, the effects of bitter melon extracts on postprandial glycemic responses have been investigated in rats. An aqueous extract (AE), methanol fraction (MF) and methanol insoluble fraction (MIF) were prepared from bitter melon. An ora...