Frontiers of Agriculture and Food Technology

Frontiers of Agriculture and Food Technology ISSN 2736-1624 Vol. 10 (5), pp. 001-005, May, 2020. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Purification of acidic protease from the cotyledons of germinating Indian bean ( Dolichos lablab L. var lignosus) seeds

Vadde Ramakrishna* and P. Ramakrishna Rao

Department of Biochemistry, Sri Krishnadevaraya University, Anantapur – 515 003. A.P., India.

Accepted 15 March, 2020

Abstract 

The positive correlation between the developments of acid, neutral and alkaline proteases (azocaseinolytic) with protein depletion suggest the involvement of these proteases in the degradation of proteins in germinating Indian bean. These proteases increased in the early stages of germination and decreased later. However, the activity of acid proteases was higher throughout the germination period compared with the activities of neutral and alkaline proteases. The acid protease from the cotyledons of 4-day old germinating Indian bean seedlings was purified to 152 folds by a five step procedure comprising - crude extract from cotyledons, (NH ₄)₂SO₄ fractionation, DEAE-cellulose, CM-cellulose and finally casein-agarose affinity chromatography. The molecular mass of acidic protease is 32 kDa.

Key words: Dolichos lablab, proteolytic enzymes, acidic protease, purification, protein mobilization, germination.

Frontiers of Agriculture and Food Technology ISSN 2736-1624 Vol. 10 (5), pp. 001-008, May, 2020.© International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Reduction of the cyanide content during fermentation of cassava roots and leaves to produce bikedi and ntoba mbodi, two food products from Congo

S.C. Kobawila, D. Louembe*, S Keleke, J. Hounhouigan and C. Gamba

Faculté des Sciences, BP 69, Brazzaville-Congo / BP 1286, Pointe-Noire, Congo.

Accepted 24 March, 2020

Abstract

Cassava roots and leaves constitute energy-rich and protein-rich foods, respectively, for the populations in Central Africa, where they are consumed as staple foods. But cassava roots and leaves contain some cyanide in the form of cyanogenic glucosides, notably the linamarine, which can constitute a poison for the consumers when roots or leaves are processed improperly. Cassava roots and leaves processing in Congo, as in most central African countries, involve fermentation. The fermentation of the cassava roots is a lactic fermentation (pH 3.8) with Lactobacillus as dominant microflora whereas that of the cassava leaves is an alkaline fermentation (pH 8.5) where Bacillus constitute the main microflora. The hydrolysis of cyanogenic glucosides takes place as well in acid medium during the cassava tubers fermentation as in basic medium with the cassava leaves fermentation. The cyanide content decreases during the fermentation of cassava roots and leaves by more than 70% through the activities of the bacterial produced linamarase, allowing the hydrolysis of cyanogenic glucosides. Certain lactic bacteria present in the environment of fermentation are resistant to the strong cyanide concentrations of between 200 and 800 ppm.

Key words: Fermentation, cassava roots, cassava leaves, lactic acid bacteria, bacillus, cyanogenic glucosides.

Frontiers of Agriculture and Food Technology ISSN 2736-1624 Vol. 10 (5), pp. 001-005, May, 2020. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Agricultural waste plastics conversion into high energy liquid hydrocarbon fuel by thermal degradation process

Moinuddin Sarker*, Mohammad Mamunor Rashid and Md Sadikur Rahman

Natural State Research Inc., 37 Brown House Road, Stamford, CT-06902, USA.

Accepted 17 April, 2020

Abstract

For worldwide cultivation purposes farmers use numerous plastics. To cultivate watermelon, grapes, pumpkin, cucumber, potatoes, etc. they use polyethylene poly bags or polyethylene sheets. Polyethylene poly bags parts and polyethylene sheets are used to protect Crops from adverse situation such as natural disaster, muddy water and some external parasites insects. After that, the used plastics become a waste and they are non-biodegradable. Most common way to deal with those agricultural waste plastics is landfill/incineration. However this method is not a sustainable solution in the long run, because it will create ecological problems. So the problems of waste agriculture plastics cannot be solved by landfilling/incineration. Because safe depots are expensive and incineration stimulates the growing emission of harmful green house gases for example, NOx, SOx, COx etc.; Natural State Research, Inc. (NSR) can resolve the problems of agricultural waste plastics by converting it into high energy liquid hydrocarbon fuel. Produced fuel can be use alternative of Gasoline, Diesel, Heating oil, and Aviation fuel. To mitigate the present market demand we can substitute the method as a potential source of energy.

Key words: Cultivation, non-biodegradable, parasites, atmosphere, incineration, contamination, conversion, fuel, thermal degradation, agriculture plastic.