The objective of this study was to identify the major peptides generated by the in vitro hydrolysis of Amaranthus cruentus protein and to verify the effect of these peptides on the activity of 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-CoA reductase (HMG-CoA reductase), a key enzyme in cholesterol biosynthesis. A protein isolate was prepared, and an enzymatic hydrolysis that simulated the in vivo digestion of...

The aim of the study was to determine the influence of the source material and the applied S. cerevisiae strain on the concentrations of carbonyl fractions in raw spirits. Acetaldehyde was the most common aldehyde found, as it accounted for 88-92% of the total amount of aldehydes. The concentration of acetaldehyde in maize, rye and amaranth mashes was highly correlated with fermentation product...

Malnutrition is one of the foremost causes of death among children below 5 years in developing countries. Development of nutrient-dense food formulations using locally available crops has been proposed as a means to combat this menace. This study optimized the extrusion process for the production of a nutritious amaranth-based porridge flour. Least cost formulations containing grain amaranth, g...

qPCR (quantitative polymerase chain reaction) and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) were utilized to investigate genetic stability of Palmer amaranth cloned plants over 10 generations. DNA from original parent Palmer amaranth plants (grown from seeds) was re-analyzed using qPCR, and confidence levels for determining ∆∆Ct (threshold crossing) values were established. ANOVA was used to dete...

Locusta-DP is a corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF)-related diuretic peptide isolated from the migratory locust Locusta migratoria. At nanomolar concentrations, synthetic Locusta-DP stimulated fluid secretion and cyclic AMP production by Malpighian tubules isolated in vitro and increased the rate of amaranth clearance in starved locusts to levels comparable with those observed during post-feed...

Amaranth oil can be enzymatically modified to match breast milk fat analog requirements. We have developed a structured lipid (SL) from amaranth oil that, in combination with milk fat, delivers recommended amounts of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) with palmitic acid specifically esterified at the sn-2 position of the triacylglycerol (TAG) backbone. The aim of this study was to study the final fatty...

Biomass estimation of arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) fungi, widespread plant root symbionts, commonly employs lipid biomarkers, predominantly the fatty acid 16:1ω5. We briefly reviewed the application of this signature fatty acid, followed by a case study comparing biochemical markers with microscopic techniques in an arable soil following a change to AM non-host plants after 27 years of continuous...

The effect of organic manure and chemical fertilizers on vegetable crops and soil properties in the radish-stem amaranth-Indian spinach cropping pattern was studied in a homestead area of Gazipur district in Bangladesh. There were eight treatments poultry manure (PM) 5 t ha (T1), cowdung (CD) 10 t ha -1 (T2), household waste (HW) 10 t ha -1 (T3), PM 2.5 t ha -1 + reduced RDF (recommended dose o...

Background: Type 2 diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder. Recently, dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV) inhibitors that protect incretin hormones from being cleaved by DPP-IV have been used as drugs to control glycemia. This study examined the potential hypoglycemic effect of amaranth grain storage protein hydrolyzates to control postprandial glycemia in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mi...

Alcalase is the enzyme of choice to release antihypertensive peptides from amaranth proteins, but the hydrolysis conditions have not been optimized yet. Furthermore, in vivo assays are needed to confirm such a hypotensive effect. Our aim was to optimize the hydrolysis of amaranth protein with alcalase and to test in vivo the hypotensive effect of the hydrolysates. A response surface analysis wa...