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Carotenoid Pigments (carotenoid + pigment)
Selected AbstractsAnalysis of carotenoids in ripe jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) kernel and study of their bioconversion in ratsJOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Issue 2 2005UG Chandrika Abstract Vitamin A deficiency is of public health importance in Sri Lanka. Carotenoids are a significant source of provitamin A. The objective of this study was to analyse the carotenoid composition of jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus sinhala: Waraka) kernel using MPLC and visible spectrophotometry and to determine the bioavailability and bioconversion of carotenoids present in jackfruit kernel by monitoring (i) the growth and (ii) levels of retinol and carotenoids in the liver and serum of Wistar rats provided with jackfruit incorporated into a standard daily diet. Carotenoid pigments were extracted using petroleum ether/methanol and saponified using 10% methanolic potassium hydroxide. Six carotenoids were detected in jackfruit kernel. The carotenes ,-carotene, ,-carotene, ,-zeacarotene, ,-zeacarotene and ,-carotene-5,6-epoxide and a dicarboxylic carotenoid, crocetin, were identified, corresponding theoretically to 141.6 retinol equivalents (RE) per 100 g. Our study indicated that jackfruit is a good source of provitamin A carotenoids, though not as good as papaya. Serum retinol concentrations in rats supplemented with jackfruit carotenoids were significantly higher (p = 0.008) compared with the control group. The same was true for liver retinol (p = 0.006). Quantification was carried out by RP-HPLC. These results show that the biological conversion of provitamin A in jackfruit kernel appears satisfactory. Thus increased consumption of ripe jackfruit could be advocated as part of a strategy to prevent and control vitamin A deficiency in Sri Lanka. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry [source] SUPERCRITICAL CO2/ETHANOL EXTRACTION OF ASTAXANTHIN FROM BLUE CRAB (CALLINECTES SAPIDUS) SHELL WASTEJOURNAL OF FOOD PROCESS ENGINEERING, Issue 2 2001LETICIA FÉLIX-VALENZUELA ABSTRACT Astaxanthin (AX) is the major naturally occurring carotenoid pigment in marine crustaceans and the flesh of salmonids. These organisms are unable to synthesize AX de novo and when farmed commercially, require it in their feed. The high cost of synthetic AX has promoted research into new natural sources of ihe pigment, such as crustacean wastes. In this work, AX from demineralized crab (Callinectes sapidusj shell waste was extracted with a mixture of supercritical C2 and ethanol as a cosolvent. The effect of total solids load, pressure and temperature was assessed by response surface methodology (RSM). Extracted AX was determined by HPLC. The experimental data were fined to a second order model whereby the conditions for maximum extraction yield were defined (, 34 MPa, 45C and solids load of 25 g). Pressure and solids load were the most important factors affecting AX extraction yields. [source] Characteristics of paint systems prepared from dammar with the addition of natural pigmentPOLYMERS FOR ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES, Issue 3 2009N. M. Omar Abstract Adhesion and electrochemical properties of paint system prepared from dammar binder or binder from Dipterocarpus grandifolius with the addition of natural pigment have been investigated. In this work, carotenoid pigment obtained from Capsicum annum (dried chili pepper) was added into the mixture of dammar resin and acrylic polyol resin to form the organic paint system. Five different paint systems were formulated on the basis of various concentrations of dammar resin, and their viscosities were measured by using Brookefield Viscometer. The paint systems were proofed on Aluminum steel Q-panels as a substrate. The cured paint systems were then evaluated by using the crosshatch adhesion method to test their adhesion properties according to ASTM D3359 standards. The corrosion potential property of paint was characterized by using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) while the coated substrate was exposed to 3% NaCl for 30 days. Comparative results have been presented in terms of number of damage grids for the crosshatch test in each sample at different viscosity conditions and also regarding the ability of the coated sample to resist the corrosion potential. The result shows that the paint system with a composition of 35% dammar (CD35%) possessed the best adhesion performance compared to other CD paint compositions. Furthermore, CD35% also had higher corrosion resistance after 30 days of exposure in the 3% NaCl solution. The decrease in coating resistance values is associated with the electrolyte penetration into the coating system. The results showed that the developed organic paint system prepared from dammar improved the adhesion and electrochemical properties of a paint system. Addition of natural pigment to the formulation may enhance the attractiveness and vibrancy of the color. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Density, dispersal, and feeding impact of western flower thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) on flowering chrysanthemum at different spatial scalesECOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 1 2005Marc Rhainds Abstract., 1. This study evaluated the effect of dispersal on the density and feeding impact of a phytophagous insect in relation to the spatial distribution of its host plants. 2. The interaction between density, dispersal, and feeding impact of western flower thrips on flowering chrysanthemum was quantified at three spatial scales, with infested and uninfested plants either isolated in 0.25 m2 individual cages, or enclosed together in 2.25 m2 communal cages or 75 m2 greenhouses. 3. In individual cages, the rate of dispersal from chrysanthemum plants to blue sticky traps increased with the density of thrips for females but not males. Uninfested plants consistently had fewer thrips when they were individually caged rather than enclosed with plants infested with adults, indicating that dispersal mediates inter-plant distribution of thrips. 4. The feeding impact of thrips on inflorescences was evaluated using the absorbance of ethanol extracts at wavelengths characteristic of yellow carotenoid pigments associated with chrysanthemum inflorescences (415, 445, and 472 nm). Increasing absorbance of extracts with increasing density of thrips per inflorescence suggests that feeding by thrips results in ruptured cells leaching carotenoid pigments. 5. In communal cages, the distribution of thrips was uniform for infested and uninfested plants, whereas the density and feeding impact of thrips in greenhouses were higher for infested than uninfested plants. These results suggest that short-range dispersal by adults homogenises the density and feeding impact of thrips among host plants only on a small spatial scale. [source] Carotenoid accumulation strategies for becoming a colourful House Finch: analyses of plasma and liver pigments in wild moulting birdsFUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY, Issue 4 2006K. J. MCGRAW Summary 1Male House Finches (Carpodacus mexicanus) colour their sexually selected plumage with carotenoid pigments, and there has been much interest in the factors that affect their ability to become bright red rather than drab yellow. 2There is good support for the notions that health, nutritional condition and total carotenoid intake influence colour expression, but there are also suggestions that acquiring particular types of carotenoids from the diet may be important for developing red plumage. 3We used high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to analyse the types and amounts of endogenous (in plasma and liver) and integumentary (in newly grown feathers) carotenoids in a wild, native population of moulting male and female House Finches from the south-western United States to determine the carotenoid-accumulation strategies for becoming optimally colourful. 4Four plant carotenoids , lutein, zeaxanthin, ,-cryptoxanthin and ,-carotene , were detected in plasma and liver. However, as was found previously, 11 carotenoids were observed in colourful plumage, with xanthophylls (e.g. lutein, dehydrolutein) predominant in yellow feathers and ketocarotenoids (e.g. adonirubin, 3-hydroxy-echinenone) in red feathers. This indicates endogenous modification of ingested carotenoids. 5Birds that accumulated more of one type of carotenoid in plasma and liver did not necessarily accumulate more of all other types, suggesting that individuals are not employing a simple ,more is better' strategy for coloration. Instead, when forward stepwise regression was used to examine the ability of individual types of carotenoids in plasma and liver to explain variation in red plumage pigments and plumage redness, we found that the lone variable remaining in all models was ,-cryptoxanthin concentration. 6This supports the idea that, unlike some other songbirds (e.g. yellow Carduelis finches), there is a specialized biochemical strategy that male House Finches follow to become red and most sexually attractive , to accumulate as much ,-cryptoxanthin in the body as possible. ,-Cryptoxanthin is a less common dietary carotenoid than the typical xanthophylls and carotenes in grains and fruits and may be limited enough in the diet that, to become colourful, House Finches might adopt selective foraging strategies for the most ,-cryptoxanthin-rich foods. [source] How feather colour reflects its carotenoid contentFUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY, Issue 4 2003Lauri Saks Summary 1Many birds sequester carotenoid pigments in colourful patches of feathers to advertise or compete for mates. Because carotenoids can be scarce in nature and serve valuable physiological functions, only the highest-quality individuals are thought to acquire or allocate more pigments for use in sexual displays. 2A critical but rarely tested assumption of carotenoid-based signals is that the colour of pigmented feather patches directly reveals the total amount of carotenoids contained within them. 3We studied the relationship between carotenoid-based coloration (hue, chroma and brightness) and the pigment content of tail feathers in wild-caught and captive male greenfinches (Carduelis chloris[Linnaeus]). Greenfinches incorporate two main carotenoids , canary xanthophylls A and B , into feathers to develop yellow patches of colour in their tail. 4Variation in feather carotenoid content explained 32,51% of variation in chroma and hue of the yellow parts of tail feathers, while feather brightness was not significantly related to carotenoid concentration. Hence, chroma and hue appear good candidates to indicate feather carotenoid content. 5Birds with the most colourful feathers deposited significantly more of both canary xanthophylls into plumage. Thus, there does not appear to be a specific biochemical strategy for becoming colourful in greenfinches; males instead follow the general decision rule to deposit as many xanthophylls as possible into feathers to become yellow. [source] Fat stores in birds: an overlooked sink for carotenoid pigments?FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2001J. J. Negro Summary 1,Carotenoids are responsible for the most striking colours in birds, but also play an important role as enhancers of the immune system. Consequently, a trade-off between the ornamental and health functions of carotenoids in birds has been proposed. 2,Although it is well known that birds can store carotenoids in different organs and tissues, including the fat stores, until now all field studies of the regulation of carotenoid stores have focused on plasma carotenoids. 3,Carotenoids in the fat of 44 wild Greylag Geese (Anser anser L.) wintering in south-western Spain were identified and quantified. In addition, the relationships between carotenoids and the size of the fat stores, as well as the sex and age of the geese, were analysed. 4,The major carotenoid in goose fat was lutein. This and related carotenoids are also the most prevalent pigments in bird plasma and secondary sexual characters. We also detected ,-cryptoxanthin, ,-carotene, neochrome and neoxanthin. Total carotenoid concentration was negatively correlated with the size of the fat stores. Males had higher concentrations of carotenoids than females. 5A possible explanation for these patterns is that male birds tend to have higher plasma carotenoids than females, a difference that could be transposed to fat if carotenoids diffused passively from the blood into adipose tissues. Carotenoids, however, may tend to remain in the fat stores. If this were true, fat would not be a reservoir of carotenoids, but a sink where a significant amount of these pigments would be sequestered, being no longer available for other functions. [source] Red-winged blackbirds Agelaius phoeniceus use carotenoid and melanin pigments to color their epauletsJOURNAL OF AVIAN BIOLOGY, Issue 6 2004Kevin J. McGraw Over the past three decades, the red-winged blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus has served as a model species for studies of sexual selection and the evolution of ornamental traits. Particular attention has been paid to the role of the colorful red-and-yellow epaulets that are striking in males but reduced in females and juveniles. It has been assumed that carotenoid pigments bestow the brilliant red and yellow colors on epaulet feathers, but this has never been tested biochemically. Here, we use high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to describe the pigments present in these colorful feathers. Two red ketocarotenoids (astaxanthin and canthaxanthin) are responsible for the bright red hue of epaulets. Two yellow dietary precursors pigments (lutein and zeaxanthin) are also present in moderately high concentrations in red feathers. After extracting carotenoids, however, red feathers remained deep brown in color. HPLC tests show that melanin pigments (primarily eumelanin) are also found in the red-pigmented barbules of epaulet feathers, at an approximately equal concentration to carotenoids. This appears to be an uncommon feature of carotenoid-based ornamental plumage in birds, as was shown by comparable analyses of melanin in the yellow feathers of male American goldfinches Carduelis tristis and the red feathers of northern cardinals Cardinalis cardinalis, in which we detected virtually no melanins. Furthermore, the yellow bordering feathers of male epaulets are devoid of carotenoids (except when tinged with a carotenoid-derived pink coloration on occasion) and instead are comprised of a high concentration of primarily phaeomelanin pigments. The dual pigment composition of red epaulet feathers and the melanin-only basis for yellow coloration may have important implications for the honesty-reinforcing mechanisms underlying ornamental epaulets in red-winged blackbirds, and shed light on the difficulties researchers have had to date in characterizing the signaling function of this trait. As in several other birds, the melanic nature of feathers may explain why epaulets are used largely to settle aggressive contests rather than to attract mates. [source] The oxidation handicap hypothesis and the carotenoid allocation trade-offJOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY, Issue 6 2008C. ALONSO-ALVAREZ Abstract The oxidation handicap hypothesis proposes that testosterone mediates the trade-off between the expression of secondary sexual traits and the fight against free radicals. Coloured traits controlled by testosterone can be produced by carotenoid pigments (yellow,orange,red traits), but carotenoids also help to quench free radicals. Recently, it has been shown that testosterone increases the amount of circulating carotenoids in birds. Here, a testosterone-mediated trade-off in the carotenoid allocation between colour expression and the fight against oxidative stress is proposed. Male red-legged partridges were treated with testosterone, anti-androgens or manipulated as controls. Testosterone-treated males maintained the highest circulating carotenoid levels, but showed the palest red traits and no evidence of oxidative damage. Increased levels of a key intracellular antioxidant (i.e. glutathione) indicated that an oxidative challenge was in fact induced but controlled. The trade-off was apparently solved by reducing redness, allowing increased carotenoid availability, which could have contributed to buffer oxidative stress. [source] The effects of carotenoid and food intake on caudal fin regeneration in male guppiesJOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY, Issue 4 2006G. R. Kolluru The trade-offs involved in allocating carotenoid pigments and food to healing and regrowing damaged caudal fin tissue v. other functions were examined in guppies Poecilia reticulata, a species in which females prefer males that display larger amounts of carotenoids in their skin. The guppies were derived from four natural populations in Trinidad that differed in resource availability but not predation intensity. Carotenoids, food and site of origin did not affect either absolute or relative fin regrowth, which suggested that fin regeneration in guppies was not constrained by carotenoid availability. It is possible that carotenoid intake influences fin regeneration in the presence of natural stressors such as predators. There was a significant negative interaction between food level in the laboratory and resource availability in the field: males from low-resource-availability sites regrew more fin tissue when raised on the high food level, and males from high-resource-availability sites regrew more fin tissue when raised on the low food level. The direction of this interaction runs counter to theoretical expectations. [source] The first Raman spectroscopic study of San rock art in the Ukhahlamba Drakensberg Park, South AfricaJOURNAL OF RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY, Issue 5 2008Linda C. Prinsloo Abstract San rock art sites are found throughout southern Africa; unfortunately this unique heritage is rapidly being lost through natural weathering processes, which have been the focus of various studies conducted in the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park since 1992. It has recently been shown that the ability of Raman spectroscopy to identify salts on rock faces on a micro, as well as nano scale, can make a contribution to these projects. In order to test the feasibility of undertaking on-site analyses, a small rock fragment with red and white pigments still attached, which had weathered off the rock face, was analysed with Raman spectroscopy under laboratory conditions, using a Dilor XY Raman instrument and a DeltaNu Inspector Raman portable instrument. A small sample of black pigment (<1 mm2), collected from a badly deteriorated painting and a few relevant samples collected on site, were analysed as well. It was possible to identify most of the inorganic pigments and minerals detected with previous XRD and EDX measurements including whewellite and weddellite coatings, which could be a tool for carbon dating purposes. Two carotenoid pigments were detected for the first time in San rock art pigments. Animal fat was also observed for the first time on both red and white pigments, on the rock face adjacent to the paintings and in highest concentrations on the back of the rock fragment. The spectra quality makes successful on-site measurements a good prospect. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Attack of the artillery fungus on vinyl sidingJOURNAL OF VINYL & ADDITIVE TECHNOLOGY, Issue 2 2005Richard F. Grossman The artillery fungus, Sphaerobolus stellatus, ejects dark-colored spores for a distance of several meters. These are enclosed in an adhesive layer comprised of carotenoid pigments. On exposure to sunlight, the pigment layer resinifies and develops a strong bond to vinyl siding capstock. The damage is compounded when the homeowner removes the bonded spores abrasively, destroying the protective capstock layer. Strategies to protect vinyl siding or to defeat the microorganism are discussed. J. VINYL. ADDIT. TECHNOL., 11:63,64, 2005. © 2005 Society of Plastics Engineers [source] Induction of purple sulfur bacterial growth in dairy wastewater lagoons by circulationLETTERS IN APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 4 2009J.A. McGarvey Abstract Aims:, To determine whether circulation of dairy wastewater induces the growth of phototrophic purple sulfur bacteria (PSB). Methods and Results:, Two dairy wastewater lagoons that were similar in size, geographic location, number and type of cattle loading the lagoons were chosen. The only obvious visual difference between them was that one was stagnant and the water was brown in colour (Farm 1), and the other was circulated and the water was red in colour because of the presence of PSB that contained carotenoid pigments (Farm 2). Both wastewaters were sampled monthly for 3 months and assayed for PSB and extractable carotenoid pigments (ECP). After this point, circulators were placed in the wastewater lagoon on Farm 1, and samples were taken monthly for 9 months and assayed for PSB and ECP. Before the installation of circulators, no PSB-like 16S rRNA sequences or ECP were observed in the wastewater from Farm 1; however, both were observed in the wastewater from Farm 2. After the installation of circulators, statistically greater levels of PSB and extractable carotenoid pigments were observed in the wastewater from Farm 1. Conclusions:, Circulation enhances the growth of PSB in dairy wastewater. Significance and Impact of this Study:, Because PSB utilize H2S and volatile organic acids (VOA) as an electron source for photosynthesis, and VOA and alcohols as a carbon source for growth, the increase in these bacteria should reduce H2S, volatile organic compounds and alcohol emissions from the lagoons, enhancing the air quality in dairy farming areas. [source] Marine yeast diet confers better protection than its cell wall component (1-3)-,- d -glucan as an immunostimulant in Fenneropenaeus indicusAQUACULTURE RESEARCH, Issue 15 2009Thavarool Puthiyedathu Sajeevan Abstract A comparative study was performed to evaluate the immunostimulatory effect of yeast and yeast-derived glucan in white prawn Fenneropenaeus indicus (sub-adults of ,20 gm). Feed with a whole cell biomass of marine yeast Candida sake S165 (CSY) at a concentration of 10% (w/w) and another feed with 0.2% glucan of C. sake S165 (CSG) were used in the study. Fenneropenaeus indicus were fed with these diets for 40 days and subsequently challenged with the white spot syndrome virus (WSSV). Haematological parameters such as the total haemocyte count, phenoloxidase activity, superoxide anion (O2,) level, haemolymph peroxidase level and post-challenge survival against WSSV infection were determined to assess the immune status. In the present experiment, a higher immunity index and post-challenge survival were recorded in shrimps fed with the whole cell yeast diet. The better immunostimulatory performance of the whole cell yeast diet compared with the glucan diet could be attributed to the cellular constituents of yeast including the cell wall glucan, nucleotides, carotenoid pigments and vitamins. Here we observed that whole cell yeast performed better as an immunostimulant than the extracted cell wall glucans. Therefore, the use of yeast biomass in diets, rather than the yeast cell wall extract, glucan, would confer better protection against microbial infection besides reducing the cost of shrimp production. [source] Determination of microbial community structures of shrimp floc cultures by biomarkers and analysis of floc amino acid profilesAQUACULTURE RESEARCH, Issue 2 2008Zhi Yong Ju Abstract Simple, rapid and reliable methods are required to monitor the microbial community change in aquatic pond for better animal performance. Four floc (suspended organic matter) samples were collected from outdoor raceways and tanks used for culturing Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei. Twenty-two chlorophyll (Chl) and carotenoid pigments were separated, identified and quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography,ultraviolet/Vis-mass spectrometry in the freeze-dried floc samples. Algal community composition (diatoms, chlorophytes, cyanobacteria, dinoflagellates and cryptophytes) was determined by measuring concentrations of the respective taxonomic biomarkers (carotenoid fucoxanthin, lutein, zeaxanthin, peridinin and alloxanthin) as independent variables and Chl a as the dependent variable using a multiple regression model. This analysis found that the phytoplankton community of the floc samples from two groups of shrimp tanks (32 g L,1 -salinity) were diatom-dominated (81.7% and 84.4%); and two floc samples from shrimp raceways (5 and 18 g L,1 -salinity) were chlorophyte-dominated (75.4% and 82.3%). Assessment of total algal and bacterial biomass by quantification of Chl a and muramic acid, respectively, indicated that the 18 g L,1 -salinity raceway sample was bacteria-dominated, whereas the other three floc samples were algae-dominated. Sample protein quality was evaluated by its essential amino acid (AA) score and index. Arginine and lysine were found to be the two most limiting AAs for all floc samples. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||