Study of Dielectric Relaxation of Insulating Oil from Lagenaria siceraria Seeds

The present work concerns the study of the dielectric relaxation of dielectric oil based on Lagenaria siceraria (calabash) seeds. Dielectric spectroscopy was used to measure the loss angle, the dielectric constant and the electrical modulus. Three relaxation processes in calabash oil were identified. It was also found that the relative permittivity decreases with increasing temperature and frequency. A study of the imaginary part of the electrical modulus was done and revealed a relaxation process at low frequencies. At higher frequencies, the dielectric relaxation is thermally activated. The increase in temperature leads to a decrease in the relaxation rate. The result obtained indicates that relaxation type is not of the Debye type in the high-frequency region. The Cole-Cole model of the imaginary part of the permittivity as a function of its real part in calabash oil for different temperatures was drawn and analyzed. It shows the existence of a negative temperature coefficient of resistance in the fluid and helps identifying a relaxation process in the conductivity of the sample studied. It highlights the presence of Debye relaxation which characterizes the presence of an abnormal dispersion of the dielectric constant over a frequency range. Calabash seed oil exhibits better dielectric constant (relative permittivity) compared to other oils.

New Process for Extracting Oil and Starch from Tea Seeds

A new process for extracting oil and starch from tea seed was introduced. The new process included one special link compared with all of the processes used now for tea seed oil and starch production. The link was static fermentation by which oil bodies and starch were separated naturally from tea seeds. By the process, tea seed oil and starch which were in conformity with government standards about edible oil and starch were successfully produced with 16% and 8% of production rate, respectively. The new process has many advantages, such as more simple equipments, lower production cost and whole natural products, etc..

Optimization of Oil Extraction Conditions from Watermelon Seeds by Response Surface Methodology

Response surface methodology was used to optimize the extraction conditions of oil from watermelon seeds. Based on single factor experiments, the material to liquid ratio, extraction time and extraction solvent exhibited the highest effects on oil extraction. The mathematical model was established according to the Box-Behnken central composite design. The optimal extraction conditions consisted of a material to liquid ratio of 1：16.3 （g/ml）, an extraction time of 45.4 min, and petroleum ether as the organic solvent. The predicted and actual yields of watermelon seed oil were 27.92% and 28.04%, respectively. The extracted oil was analyzed by GC-MS. The results revealed that watermelon seed oil contained several types of acids and esters ; the relative percentages of the components were determined by a normalization method. The main fatty acids included linoleic acid, palmitic acid, oleic acid, and stearic acid, which accounted for 91.24% of the total components.

Anti-inflammatory potential of black cumin seed oil and its nanoemulsion formulation against lipopolysaccharide-induced liver injury in mice

Objective:To evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of black cumin seed oil(BCSO)and its nanoemulsion on lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced liver injury in mice.Methods:LPS-induced acute liver injury mouse model was used to evaluate the effects of BCSO and its nanoemulsion formulation on liver function.Hepatic inflammatory markers including Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4),interleukin(IL)-1β,heme-oxygenase 1,BAX,and BCL-2 were assessed using real-time PCR.Additionally,protein levels of reduced glutathione,tumor necrosis factor-α,and IL-6 were measured using ELISA,and histological analysis was performed.Indomethacin was used as a standard positive control for comparison.Results:BCSO reduced LPS-induced liver injury and exhibited strong anti-inflammatory effects by downregulating the expression of TLR4,IL-1β,IL-6,tumor necrosis factor-α,and heme-oxygenase 1.Additionally,BCSO demonstrated antioxidant properties by increasing reduced glutathione protein levels and decreasing key apoptotic markers BAX and BCL-2 in hepatocytes.The nanoemulsion formulation further enhanced these anti-inflammatory,antioxidant,and anti-apoptotic effects,and histological examination confirmed this effect.Combining BCSO with indomethacin at a lower dose improved efficacy,thereby reducing its potential side effects.Conclusions:The investigation reveals the anti-inflammatory impact of BCSO and its nanoemulsion formulation on LPS-induced liver oxidative stress,inflammation,and apoptosis.

Synthesis of Monoglycerides with Cinnamomum Burmannii Seeds Oil and Its Application in Moisturizing Cream

Synthesis of monoglycerides with Cinnamomum burmannii seeds oil and its application in moisturizing cream were studied. The results showed that the optimal transesterification conditions of synthesis of monoglycerides with Cinnamomum burmannii seeds oil were as follows： the glycerol to oil molar ratio of 3 ： 1 ; NaOH catalyst dosage of 0.8% of the oil mass; reaction temperature of 180 ℃ for 3 hours; and the yield reached 62.6% . The crude product was purified by molecular distillation and the purity of the final product achieved 92.8%. Physicochemical properties of moisturizing cream prepared by using the final product can meet the requirements of China National Standard and the cosmetic product displayed good performance in application.

Synthesis and Characterization of Phenyl Camellia oleifera Seed Oil Ester Plasticizing PVC

Plasticizers are essential additives in the processing of polyvinyl chloride(PVC),with phthalate plasticizers being widely used.However,these conventional plasticizers have been shown to be harmful to human health and environmentally unfriendly,necessitating the exploration of eco-friendly bio-based alternatives.In this study,Camellia oleifera seed oil,a specialty resource in China,was utilized as a raw material and reacted with 4,4′-Methylenebis(N,N-diglycidylaniline)(AG-80)to synthesize Phenyl Camellia seed Oil Ester(PCSOE).PCSOE was employed as a plasticizer to prepare modified PVC films with varying concentrations,with the conventional plasticizer dioctyl phthalate(DOP)serving as a control.Experimental results demonstrate that PSCOE-plasticized PVC films exhibit enhanced hydrophilicity,tensile strength,and thermal stability compared to DOP-modified PVC films.The contact angle of PSCOE-plasticized PVC films ranges from 66.26°to 78.48°,which is generally lower than the contact angle of DOP-modified PVC films at 78.40°,indicating improved hydrophilicity due to the modification with PCSOE.The tensile strength of PSCOE-plasticized PVC films ranges from 17.73 to 20.17 MPa,all surpassing the value of 16.41 MPa for DOP-modified PVC films.Moreover,the temperatures corresponding to 5%,10%,and 50%weight loss for PVC samples modified with PCSOE are higher than those for DOP.Hence,PCSOE presents a viable alternative to DOP as a plasticizer for PVC materials.

Development of a KASP Marker on Chromosome A05 for Seed Oil Content of Brassica napus

In order to identify the molecular markers that can be widely used in the breeding of Brassica napus L.varieties with high seed oil content under different genetic backgrounds,we developed a Kompetitive Allele Specific PCR(KASP)marker for seed oil content on the basis of the results from available studies.The verification in the F_(2) population showed that the marker was closely linked to the quantitative trait locus(QTL)for oil content on chromosome A05.The findings helped to breed the‘Fengyou’varieties with high seed oil content in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River.

Functional evaluation for effective compositions in seed oil of Korean pine

The effect of seed oil of Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) on the rats' blood-fat and its anti-ageing function was stud-ied for appraising the efficacy of the seed oil of Korean pine. Sixty experimental rats were randomly divided into 5 groups (half males and half females in each group) as normal control group, high fat diet control group, and three groups (Group 1 Group 2, Group 3) that were fed with feedstuff with the contents of the seed oil of 2.0g/(kgd-1), 4.0g/(kgd-1) and 8.0g/(kgd-1), respec-tively. The indexes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) and anti-oxidation capacity (AOC) were measured by Reagent Kit method. It was found that the seed oil of the Korean pine could reduce the content of triglyc-eride and improve SOD as well as GSH-PX activity in serum. These indexes of the rats in Group 2 fed with Korean pine seed oil of 4.0 g/(kgd-1) reached the significant level and those of rats in Group 3 fed with the seed oil of 8.0 g/(kgd-1) reached the extremely significant level. The results indicated the seed oil of Korean pine had function of regulating the level of blood-fat and anti-ageing.

Evaluation of Seed Oil Content in Cucumber Germplasm

With 35 different ecological types of cucumber germplasm resources as test materials, the soxhlet extraction was used to extract the crude fat from the cu- cumber seeds to analyze the seed oil content, with the aim to lay foundations for the application and new variety breeding related with cucumber seed oil. The results showed that there were significant differences in seed oil content between different cucumber varieties with the amplitude of variation rangeing from 31.03% to 40.59%, among which the seed oil content of south China cucumber was the highest of 40.59%, while the seed oil content of north China cucumber was the lowest of 31.03%. Four va.rieties with oil content of greater than 38.50% and four varieties with oil content of less than 32.01% werescreened out.

Extraction of Perilla Seed Oil Using Supercritical Carbon Dioxide and GC-MS Analysis

[Objective] This study was aimed to determine the optimal parameters for the extraction of perilla seed oil to obtain high-quality perilla seed oil and analyze its compositions. [Method] In this study, perilla seed oil was extracted using supercritical CO2 （SC-CO2）. The effects of extraction time, temperature and pressure were investigated by single-factor experiments and orthogonal array testing （ORT）. The chemical compositions of extracted perilla seed oil were investigated by GC-MS. [Result] The optimal conditions for the extraction of perilla seed oil using SC-CO2 were extraction time of 4 h, extraction temperature at 40 ℃, and extraction pressure at 23 MPa. Under these conditions, the extraction yield of perilla seed oil was maximized to 12.43%. GC-MS analysis revealed that perilla seed oil was a complex mixture containing 76.183% α-linolenic acid. [Conclusion] Supercritical CO2 extraction was proven to be an effective technology to extract oil from perilla seed, and GCMS was also a satisfactory method for analyzing the compositions of perilla seed oil.

Ultrasound-associated extraction of seed oil of Korean pine

Experiment on ultrasound- associated extraction of seed oil of Korean pine(Pinus koraiensis) was conducted in Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China. The factorsaffecting extraction yield, such as ultrasonic frequency, extracting temperature, extracting timeand the ratio of material to liquid (ratio of Korean pine seed to absolute alcohol), were analyzedunder specific condition and the optimal extracting parameters were obtained as the ultrasonicfrequency 32 000 Hz, the extracting temperature 80 ℃, the extracting time 50 min, and the ratio ofmaterial to liquid 1: 30. The study demonstrates that ultrasound is a reliable and great efficiencytool for the fast extraction of Korean pine seed oil.

Diversity in seed oil content and fatty acid composition in Acer species with potential as sources of nervonic acid

Nervonic acid(NA,cis-15-tetracosenoic acid)is a very long-chain monounsaturated fatty acid that has been shown to be a core component of nerve fibers and nerve cells.It can be used to treat and prevent many neurological diseases.At present,commercially available NA is mainly derived from Acer truncatum seeds,which contain about 5%e6%NA in their seed oil.The aim of this study were to identify and analyze NA-containing Acer species that could be used as NA resource plants.For this purpose,46 Acer species seeds were collected in China and in some or all of the seed oils from these species 15 fatty acids were detected,including linoleic acid,oleic acid(C18:1D9,C18:1D11),erucic acid,palmitic acid,NA,linolenic acid(C18:3D6,9,12,C18:3D9,12,15),eicosenoic acid(C20:1D11,C20:1D13),stearic acid,behenic acid,tetracosanoic acid,arachidic acid,and docosadienoic acid.Nervonic acid was detected in all samples,but the content was highly variable among species.NA content over 9%was detected in eleven species,of which Acer elegantulum had the highest levels(13.90%).The seed oil content,seed weight,and fatty acid profiles varied among species,but the comprehensive evaluation value(W)showed that A.coriaceifolium could be a new potential NA resources plant.The results also showed that NA was significantly negatively correlated with palmitic acid,oleic acid,and eicosenoic acid,but positively correlated with eicosadienoic acid,behenic acid,erucic acid,and tetracosanoic acid,which indicate the probable pathway for NA biosynthesis in Acer plants.This study has identified Acer species that may serve as NA resources and will help guide subsequent species breeding programs.

Sperm quality improvement after date seed oil in Vitro supplementation in spontaneous and induced oxidative stress

In vitro supplementation with date seed oil （DSO） can protect spermatozoa against hydrogen peroxide （HiO2）- mediated damage and can improve sperm function, possibly owing to antioxidant properties. We tested the antioxidant effects of DSO on human sperm motility, sperm viability, reacted acrosome and lipid peroxidation assessed in vitro after H202-mediated oxidative damage in spermatozoa. Sixteen patients （mean age： 35 years; range： 25-45 years） referred to the Histology-Embryology Laboratory of the Medicine Faculty of Sfax for semen analysis after 12-24 months of sexual intercourse without conception were selected. After spermiogram, sperm selection by twointerface discontinuous Sill Select gradient was performed, and selected spermatozoa were used in four experimental assays： control; incubation with 100um H2O2; incubation with 0.1% DSO; and co-incubation with 0.1% DSO and 100 um H2O2. Motility and viability were determined using World Health Organization criteria. Acrosome reaction and lipid peroxidation were assessed by staining with fluorescein isothiocyanate-Pisum sativum and spectrophotometric measurement of malondialdehyde, respectively. Results showed that incubation with H2O2 alone led to a significant increase in lipid peroxidation （57.83%, P 〈 0.05） associated with a significant decrease in sperm motility, sperm viability （after 30 min and 24 h） and percentage of reacted acrosome （P 〈 0.05）. Date seed oil im- proved sperm motility after 24 h of incubation （P 〈 0.05） and protected spermatozoa against the deleterious effects of H2O2 on motility, viability, acrosome reaction and lipid peroxidation. We conclude that supplementation with DSO may have a function in antioxidant protection against male infertility.

Fatty acid analysis in the seeds of 50 Paeonia ostii individuals from the same population

Tree peony seeds are rich in α-linolenic acid(ALA), and the peony seed oil is now being produced in China. Paeonia ostii is the most widely used tree peony species for oil extraction, which is commercially called Fengdan and treated as a single cultivar. Here, 50 P. ostii individuals from the same population in northern China were randomly selected for fatty acids(FAs) analysis. Thirteen FAs were isolated, and the most abundant five were palmitic acid(5.31–6.99%), stearic acid(1.22–2.76%), oleic acid(18.78–28.15%), linoleic acid(11.86–26.10%), and ALA(41.11–57.51%). There were significant individual differences of plants in FA quality and quantity and the linoleic acid content in Plant No. 48 even exceeded the scope of 1–99%. Further statistical analysis indicated that most of the individual FAs, saturated FAs, unsaturated FAs, and total FAs levels showed significant positive correlations to each other, whereas the seed yield per plant was independent and not correlated to the factors mentioned above. Ward’s hierarchical clustering results grouped the 50 plants into four clusters based on FA contents and seed yield, and the seven plants in Cluster IV were identified as good candidates for oil production. Our results confirmed that the individual differences did occur in P. ostii and Fengdan cannot be simply treated as one uniform cultivar. Also, these results may help simplify the selection of plants for oil peony breeding and accelerate the development of the oil peony industry.

Chinese Torreya grandis cv.Merrillii seed oil affects obesity through accumulation of sciadonic acid and altering the composition of gut microbiota

Torreya grandis cv.Merrillii(Taxace,Torreya)is mainly distributed across the hilly areas of subtropical China and is well known for its nutritional value.In this study,the ameliorative effects of T.grandis seed oil on lipid metabolism were investigated,and the underlying mechanism was explored from the perspective of gut microbiota.Mice experiments showed that the rate of body mass gain in the group where the mice were fed a high-fat diet(HFD)and supplemented with 550 mg/(kg·day)T.grandis seed oil(HFD+TO550 group)was 42.27%,while it was 62.25%in the HFD group.Compared with the HFD group,the liver and fat indices,total cholesterol,triglycerides,and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were reduced in the oil-supplement groups.Moreover,the oil supplement significantly changed the fatty acid composition and alleviated pathological damage to the liver caused by the high-fat diet.Additionally,the distinct clustering of bacteria in the composition of gut microbiota was observed in the oil treatment group compared with that in the HFD group.T.grandis seed oil significantly increased the abundance of the beneficial bacteria and short-chain fatty acid producers,including Lactobacillus,Bifidobacterium,Faecalibaculum and Allobaculum.Our results suggest that the supplements of T.grandis seed oil could alleviate hyperlipidemia caused by HFD.These positive effects are considered to be related with sciadonic acid(SCA)and are partially mediated by alterations in gut microbiota composition and functionality.

Response Surface Optimization of Nigella glandulifera Freyn Seed Oil Yield by Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Extraction

Supercritical carbon dioxide （SC-CO2） extraction was employed to extract oil from Nigella glandulifera Freyn seed in this study. Response surface methodology （RSM） was applied to evaluate the effects of the process parameters （pressure, temperature, and CO2 flow rate） on oil yield of N. glandulifera seed. A Box-Behnken design was used to optimize the extraction parameters. The analysis of variance indicated that the linear coefficients of pressure and CO2 flow rate, the quadratic term coefficients of pressure and temperature and the interactions between pressure and temperature, as well as temperature and CO2 flow rate, had significant effects on the oil yield （P〈0.05）. The optimal conditions to obtain the maximum oil yield from N. glandulifera seed were pressure 30.84 MPa, temperature 40.57°C, and CO2 flow rate 22.00 L h-1. Under these optimal conditions, the yield of oil was predicted to be 38.19%. The validation experiment results agreed with the predicted values. The fatty acid composition of N. glandulifera seed oil extracted using SC-CO2 was compared with that of oil obtained by Soxhlet method. The results showed that the fatty acid compositions of oil extracted by the two methods were similar. Identification of oil compounds with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry （GC-MS） showed that the contents of unsaturated fatty acids linoleic acid （48.30%）, oleic acid （22.28%） and saturated fatty acids palmitic acid （16.65%）, stearic acid （4.17%） were the most abundant fatty acids in seed oil from N. glandulifera.

Genome-wide analysis of the B3 transcription factors reveals that RcABI3/VP1 subfamily plays important roles in seed development and oil storage in castor bean(Ricinus communis)

The B3 transcription factors(TFs)in plants play vital roles in numerous biological processes.Although B3 genes have been broadly identified in many plants,little is known about their potential functions in mediating seed development and material accumulation.Castor bean(Ricinus communis)is a non-edible oilseed crop considered an ideal model system for seed biology research.Here,we identified a total of 61 B3 genes in the castor bean genome,which can be classified into five subfamilies,including ABI3/VP1,HSI,ARF,RAV and REM.The expression profiles revealed that RcABI3/VP1 subfamily genes are significantly up-regulated in the middle and later stages of seed development,indicating that these genes may be associated with the accumulation of storage oils.Furthermore,through yeast one-hybrid and tobacco transient expression assays,we detected that ABI3/VP1 subfamily member RcLEC2 directly regulates the transcription of RcOleosin2,which encodes an oil-body structural protein.This finding suggests that RcLEC2,as a seed-specific TF,may be involved in the regulation of storage materials accumulation.This study provides novel insights into the potential roles and molecular basis of B3 family proteins in seed development and material accumulation.

A method to refine crude cottonseed oil using non-toxic polyamine-based cationic polymers

The traditional method to refine crude cottonseed oil is time-consuming and expensive.This study evaluates the effectiveness of coagulation–flocculation–sedimentation process using quaternary polyamine-based polymers in refining crude cottonseed oil.Flocculated by four commercial polyamine-based cationic polymers(SL2700,SL3000,SL4500 and SL5000)with varied molecular weight(MW)and charge density(CD)and followed by coagulation with sodium hydroxide,crude cottonseed oil can be effectively purified.Free fatty acids,gossypol,pigments and trace elements are all effectively and sufficiently removed by the four polymers in a MW-and CDdependent manner.Our results suggest that the use of polyamine-based cationic polymers may offer an effective and feasible alternative to the traditional method for crude cottonseed oil refining.

Seed-specific overexpression of cotton GhDGAT1 gene leads to increased oil accumulation in cottonseed

As the main byproduct of cotton fiber,the cotton seed yields about 1.6 times that of fiber,with its oil rich in unsaturated fatty acids,mainly linoleic acid.It is desirable for breeders to increase the oil content of cottonseed without affecting the yield and quality of cotton fiber.In this study,a seed-specific promoter-(alpha-globulin gene promoter-)driven GhDGAT1 overexpression vector(P_(aGlob)-GhDGAT1)was constructed and used to transform an upland cotton line YZ1(Gossypium hirsutum).Overexpression of the cotton gene GhDGAT1 in cotton seeds increased its total oil content from 4.7%to 13.9%in different transgenic lines and different generations.With the increase of oil content,the composition and contents of the main fatty acids in cotton seed also changed,as reflected by the contents of the main saturated fatty acids and unsaturated oleic acid.GhDGAT1 could be used to increase oil content and improve oil composition in cottonseed.

Hepatoprotective effect of Opuntia dillenii seed oil on CCl_4 induced acute liver damage in rat

Objective:To investigate the hepatoprotective effect of Opuntia dillenii seed oil(ODSO)on CCl_4 provoked liver injury in rat.Methods:Animals were treated orally with ODSO at a concentration of 2 mL/kg,once daily for one week before the first intraperitoneal injection of CCl_4,and thereafter the administration of the oil was continued for 7 days until the introduction of the second injection of CCl_4.Fourteen hours after the last dose of CCl_4,rats were sacrificed,and the relative liver weight,weight gain,alkaline phosphatase,aspartate amino transferase,alanine aminotransferase,direct bilirubin,total bilirubin,triglycerides,total cholesterol,very low density lipoprotein,low density lipoprotein,high density lipoprotein,plasmatic glucose,urea,creatinine,acid uric and malondialdehyde were determined.Results:The significant increase was found in relative liver weight and plasma levels of alanine aminotransferase,aspartate amino transferase,alkaline phosphatase,total bilirubin,direct bilirubin,triglycerides,very low-density lipoprotein,urea,uric acid and malondialdehyde.Likewise,the significant decrease was indicated in the weight gain and the level of glucose plasmatic,and high-density lipoprotein levels in CCl_4 produced liver injury in rats were re-established to normal levels when treated with ODSO.While,no change was observed in the total cholesterol,low-density lipoprotein and creatinine in all animals.Conclusions:We conclude that the ODSO has a protective effect on CCl_4-mediated liver injury.Hence,we suggest its inclusion as a preventive control of liver disorders.