Oils, fats including their hydrolytic products (glycerol and fatty acids) are widely used as raw materials in food, cosmetics, chemical and pharmaceutical industries. In this study, the seed oil of Garcinia kola was investigated for its antimicrobial properties. The seed oil, extracted with n-hexane by cold maceration was assessed for the presence of secondary metabolites and thereafter tested ...

Introduction and objective: Detection of the common allergen airborne fungi in any region is critical for prevention and treatment of allergic fungal diseases. Therefore, this study was conducted to identify the most common airborne fungal species of Isfahan, investigate their allergic reactions in animal and obtain local fungal strains for use as antigens in allergy tests to be used. Materials...

Baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) is known in Africa as the tree of life because there are many traditional uses for every part of it, from the leaves to the roots. This study carried out the proximate analysis of baobab leaves, screened the phytochemicals present and determined the leaves’ aqueous extract antimicrobial activity to suit the traditional way of preparation and use. Phytochemicals sc...

Xylanases are hydrolases which depolymerise the plant cell wall component-xylan, the second most abundant polysaccharide. They are mainly produced by microorganisms but can also be found in plants, marine algae, protozoans, crustaceans, insects, and snails. Because of their ability to break down xylan, these enzymes especially of microbial origin, have attracted more attention due to their pote...

Bacteria can be inactivated through various physical and chemical means, and these have always been the focus of extensive research. To further improve the methodology for these ends, two types of plasma systems were investigated: nano-second pulsed plasma (NPP) as liquid discharge plasma and an Argon gas-feeding dielectric barrier discharge (Ar-DBD) as a form of surface plasma. To understand t...

The fruit bodies of three Ganoderma species namely G. lucidium, G. applanatum and G. australe were collected from the decaying logs within the University of Ibadan Botanical Gardens .Invitro antagonistic effect of the ethanol, methanol and distilled water extracts of these macro fungi were tested against some disease causing microorganisms. Both crude and pure extracts of these Ganoderma specie...

In 1928, Alexander Fleming discovered the mould Penicillum notatum, setting the stage for the development of an entirely new syphilis cure. Initial problems with cultivation and isolation waylaid the research until it was taken on by the Oxford team of Howard Florey and Ernst Boris Chain. The first patient was treated in 1943 and within 12 months over 10 000 early syphilis patients had been tre...

It is estimated that 25 to 50% of the crops harvested worldwide are contaminated with mycotoxins. Because of the toxic and carcinogenic potential of mycotoxins, there is an urgent need to develop detection methods that are rapid and highly specific. The highly advanced physico-chemical methods for the analysis of mycotoxins in use, have the disadvantage that highly sophisticated clean-up and/or...

Natural biological suppression of soil-borne diseases is a function of the activity and composition of soil microbial communities. Soil microbe and phytopathogen interactions can occur prior to crop sowing and/or in the rhizosphere, subsequently influencing both plant growth and productivity. Research on suppressive microbial communities has concentrated on bacteria although fungi can also infl...

Background: Medicinal plants are widely used to treat infectious diseases, metabolic disorders and cancer. Argemone mexicana L. (A. mexicana), commonly found on desolate land of Marathwada (Maharashtra, India) has been used to treat oral cavity infections. Methods: In this study, cold aqueous and methanolic extracts were prepared from A. mexicana stem and leaves. These extracts were tested for ...