Abstract The current study aimed at the quinoa-wheat composite flour's characterization (including total phenolics, total flavonoids, and antioxidant activity) as well as its effect on dry cake sensory quality. Findings revealed a rise in ash content, fat, protein, and crude fiber of composite-flour (0.56-1.23%, 1.13-1.76%, 10.14-11.02%, and 0.23-1.04%, respectively) with an increase of quinoa flour (5-20%). The addition of quinoa flour to the composite flour enhanced cake texture (0.26-.70 kg), but it also decreased L-value of cake crumb (55.29-50.73). Total flavonoids (56.44-59.48 mg QE/100 g) and antioxidant activity (4.66-9.76%) increased as quinoa flour was increased, whereas total phenolics (8.68-5.46 mgGAE/g) decreased. By mixing wheat flour with quinoa flour, the nutritional value of wheat flour was increased. During sensory evaluation, the cake made from composite-flour containing 10% quinoa-flour scored the highest overall acceptability. Sensory quality of last two treatments, which included 15% and 20% quinoa flour, was lower. Quinoa seeds had a better nutritional profile than wheat, with higher levels of amino acids, minerals, dietary fibers, and oil. Since wheat is a staple food in Pakistan, adding quinoa-flour would help to reduce malnutrition in Pakistan. Furthermore, no previous research on the suitability of quinoa-wheat flour for dry cake has been conducted on Pakistani wheat flour.

Abstract This study investigated lytic enzyme activities in three indigenous Trichoderma strains namely, Trichoderma asperellum, Trichoderma harzianum and Trichoderma sp. Native Trichoderma strains and a virulent strain of Rhizoctonia solani isolated from infected bean plants were also included in the study. Enzyme activities were determined by measuring sugar reduction by dinitrosalicylic acid (DNS) method using suitable substrates. The antagonists were cultured in minimal salt medium with the following modifications: medium A (1 g of glucose), medium B (0.5 g of glucose + 0.5 g of deactivated R. solani mycelia), medium C (1.0 g of deactivated respective antagonist mycelium) and medium D (1 g of deactivated R. solani mycelia). T asperellum showed presence of higher amounts of chitinases, β-1, 3-glucanases and xylanases in extracellular protein extracts from medium D as compared to medium A. While, the higher activities of glucosidases and endoglucanses were shown in medium D extracts by T. harzianum. β-glucosidase activities were lower compared with other enzymes; however, activities of the extracts of medium D were significantly different. T. asperellum exhibited maximum inhibition (97.7%). On the other hand, Trichoderma sp. did not show any effect on mycelia growth of R. solani on crude extract.

resumo Uma série de acetamidas 2-{[5-(1H-indol-3-ilmetil)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-il]sulfanila} N-substituídas (8a-w) foi sintetizada em três fases. A primeira etapa envolveu a conversão sequencial de ácido 2-(1H-indol-3-il)acético (1) a éster (2), seguido por hidrazida (3) e, finalmente, a e ciclização na presença de CS2 e KOH alcoólico produziu 5-(1H-indol-3-il- metil)-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-tiol (4). Na segunda etapa, aminas arílicas/aralquílicas(5a-w) reagiram com brometo de 2-bromoacetila (6), em meio básico, para se obter acetamidas 2-bromo-N-substituídas (7a-w). Na terceira etapa, estes eletrófilos (7a- w) reagiram com 4, para se obter os compostos alvo (8a-w). A elucidação estrutural de todos os derivados sintetizados foi realizada por 1H-NMR, IR e técnicas de espectrometria de EI-MS. Além disso, eles foram submetidos a triagem de atividade antibacteriana e hemolítica. Análise da inibição enzimática foi bem apoiada pelos resultados de docking molecular. Por exemplo, o composto 8q exibiu melhor potencial inibitório contra α-glicosidase, e os compostos 8g e 8b exibiram, comparativamente, melhor inibição contra butirilcolinesterase (BChE) elipoxigenase (LOX), respectivamente. Do mesmo modo os compostos 8b e 8c mostraram excelente potencial antibacteriano contra SalmonellaTyphi, semelhante ao do ciprofloxacino, antibiótico padrão usado neste estudo. Os compostos 8c e 8l também mostraram excelente potencial antibacteriano contra Staphylococcus aureus . Quase todos os compostos mostraram pequena atividade hemolítica, sendo que o composto 8p apresentou menor atividade. Assim, as moléculas sintetizadas podem ter a sua utilidade como agentes terapêuticos adequados.

abstract A series of N-substituted 2-{[5-(1H-indol-3-ylmethyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl]sulfanyl}acetamides (8a-w) was synthesized in three steps. The first step involved the sequential conversion of 2-(1H-indol-3-yl)acetic acid (1) to ester (2) followed by hydrazide (3) formation and finally cyclization in the presence of CS2 and alcoholic KOH yielded 5-(1H-indole-3-yl-methyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-thiol (4). In the second step, aryl/aralkyl amines (5a-w) were reacted with 2-bromoacetyl bromide (6) in basic medium to yield 2-bromo-N-substituted acetamides (7a-w). In the third step, these electrophiles (7a-w) were reacted with 4 to afford the target compounds (8a-w). Structural elucidation of all the synthesized derivatives was done by 1H-NMR, IR and EI-MS spectral techniques. Moreover, they were screened for antibacterial and hemolytic activity. Enzyme inhibition activity was well supported by molecular docking results, for example, compound 8q exhibited better inhibitory potential against α-glucosidase, while 8g and 8b exhibited comparatively better inhibition against butyrylcholinesterase and lipoxygenase, respectively. Similarly, compounds 8b and 8c showed very good antibacterial activity against Salmonella typhi, which was very close to that of ciprofloxacin, a standard antibiotic used in this study. 8c and 8l also showed very good antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus as well. Almost all compounds showed very slight hemolytic activity, where 8p exhibited the least. Therefore, the molecules synthesized may have utility as suitable therapeutic agents.

Five locally available plant taxa of Solanum nigrum Complex were investigated to resolve the International taxonomic controversy about these plants by analyzing their favonoid profles. Total favonoid contents in the taxa were determined by two complementary colorimetric methods, aluminum chloride method and 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine method. Thin layer chromatography was used to detect the glycosides of quercetin. Whereas GC-MS analysis of the hydrolyzed extracts showed the relative percentage of quercetin aglycon in the taxa under study. Statistical analyses of the results were employed for grouping of these taxa into various clusters. The signifcant distance found between S. americanum, S. chenopodioides, S. nigrum and S. villosum indicated them as distinct species. But S. retrofexum did not show such a marked difference and hence might be regarded as a variety or subspecies of S. nigrum.