In this review, we gathered information regarding the carotenoid composition of selected Amazonian fruits: peach palm (Bactris gasipaes), buriti (Mauritia flexuosa), tucumã (Astrocaryum vulgare), taperebá (Spondias mombin), and araçá-boi (Eugenia stipitata); also discussed stability extracts their potential to be used as natural colorants in foods. Notwithstanding claimed health benefits, on te...

One hundred methanolic plant extracts were screened for antiviral activity against seven viruses. Twelve extracts were found to have antiviral activity at the non-cytotoxic concentrations tested. The extracts of Rosa nutkana and Amelanchier alnifolia, both members of the Rosaceae, were very active against an enteric coronavirus. A root extract of another member of the Rosaceae, Potentilla argut...

The results from the investigation and analysis of the chromosome numbers and ploidy levels of 141 species and not nominal subspecies of Brassicaceae, their distribution and phytogeographical relations are discussed. Nearly 65 % of the taxa are diploids, most of them perennials, Mediterranean, Anatolian and Pontic floristic elements. Another 35 % are polyploids, c. 2/3 of them with tetraploid c...

The effects of increasing ammonium concentrations in combination with different pH levels were studied on five heathland plant species to determine whether their occurrence and decline could be attributed to ammonium toxicity and/or pH levels. Plants were grown in growth media amended with four different ammonium concentrations (10, 100, 500 and 1000 micromol l(-1)) and two pH levels resembling...

UNLABELLED PREMISE OF THE STUDY As only six useful microsatellite loci that exhibit broad cross-amplification are so far available for Prosopis species, it is necessary to develop a larger number of codominant markers for population genetic studies. Simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers obtained for Prosopis species from a 454 pyrosequencing run were optimized and characterized for studies in...