Many aldehydes are important components of natural flavours. They are used in food, cosmetic, and biomedical industries in large amounts. Plant cells or microorganisms carry out their production by biotransformation, which is one of the biotechnological methods that allow them to be defined as 'natural'. Cell cultures of Silybum marianum and Peganum harmala have been studied with a view to in...

A comprehensive survey of the extensive literature relevant to the evolution, physiology, biochemistry, regulation, and genetic engineering applications of plant aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylases (AADCs) is presented. AADCs catalyze the pyridoxal-5'-phosphate (PLP)-dependent decarboxylation of select aromatic L-amino acids in plants, mammals, and insects. Two plant AADCs, L-tryptophan decarb...

INTRODUCTION Artemisia annua plant from the family Asteracea is a powerful antimalarial plant introduced to Uganda around 2003. In addition to the artemisinin component, the plant also contains flavonoids which work in synergy to artemisinin against malaria parasites. The plant also contains aromatic oils which repel mosquitoes. In this paper we report the variations in antimalarial components ...

Aromatic plant species present in the natural Park of Tuscany Archipelago are used as flavoring agents and spices, as dietary supplements and in cosmetics and aromatherapy. The plants are usually collected from wild stands, inducing a depletion of the natural habitat. Therefore, micropropagation of these aromatic plants can play a role in the protection of the natural ecosystem, can guarantee a...

Medicinal and aromatic plants are offered in a wide variety of products on the market. At least every fourth flowering plant is used. The enormous demand in botanicals results in a huge trade from local to international level. In the 1990s, the reported annual world-wide importation of pharmaceutical plants amounted on average to 400,000 t valued at USD 1,224 million. The international trade is...

Botany, the science of plants, is linked with medicinal and aromatic plants in many different ways. The ca. 40,000 plant species used for ethnomedicinal purposes, since the beginning of recorded history, have traditionally been collected and gathered from the wild. Botanical sciences (like plant systematics, morphology and physiology) have been assisting the study and utilization of MAPs in a m...

The exposure of Estonian cokery workers to polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons at an oil shale processing plant was assessed by occupational hygiene and biomonitoring measurements. To assess the external dose of exposure to polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, pyrene and benzo[a]pyrene concentrations were measured from the breathing zone of workers during a workshift. Skin contamination with pyrene...

Definition, analysis, and certification of biochar quality are crucial to the agronomic acceptance of biochar. While most biochars have a positive impact on plant growth, some may have adverse effects due to the presence of phytotoxic compounds. Conversely, some biochars may have the ability to adsorb and neutralize natural phytotoxic compounds found in soil. We evaluated the effects of biochar...

We developed a novel procedure for the selection of a microbe-plant pair for the stable and efficient degradation of naphthalene. Based on the rationale that root exudate is the best nutrient source available in soil, the grass (Lolium multiflorum) cultivar Barmultra was selected because of its abilities to produce a highly branched root system, root deeply, and carry a high population of Pseud...