Kuwait Journal of Science最新文献

{"title":"Diversity and variability of biomolecules under material and environmental factors in Cymbopogon citratus L., traditional uses, antimicrobial properties, and recommendations for future research","authors":"Noura Jaouad ,&nbsp;Ahmed Tazi ,&nbsp;Faouzi Errachidi ,&nbsp;Souad Maache ,&nbsp;Belkheir Hammouti ,&nbsp;Mustapha Taleb","doi":"10.1016/j.kjs.2025.100459","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.kjs.2025.100459","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Studies conducted on <em>Cymbopogon citratus</em> L., or lemon grass, have identified several active compounds that promote a variety of biological functions. However, existing data demonstrates a significant variability in the quality and quantity of chemicals that impact their biological properties and medicinal uses of the plant. Therefore, this study summarizes existing data on the diversity and variability of bioactive compounds in extracts of <em>Cymbopogon citratus</em>, their traditional uses, and their antimicrobial properties. To achieve these goals, we used an electronic literature review using targeted keywords related to the study topics and research gathered from papers published between 1980 and 2024. Recorded data demonstrated a wide range of chemical compounds, including polyphenols, flavonoids, terpenes, etc. These chemicals were variable between extracts and essential oils depending on plant materials, growing conditions, and extraction methods. Due to their richness in chemicals, different parts and extracts of <em>Cymbopogon citratus</em> are used in traditional medicine to manage anticancer, antimicrobial, antidiarrheal, antiamoebic, antifilarial, antiseptic, antitussive, analgesic, anesthetic, and anti-inflammatory diseases. In terms of antimicrobial activities, extracts and essential oils, as well as their components, showed a significant inhibitory effect against bacteria, fungi, and viral agents. These inhibitory effects are related to the capacity of bioactive molecules to impact the cells and intracellular components of treated microorganisms. To confirm these early findings, more in vitro and in vivo research on the anticancer and antioxidant mechanisms revealed by lemongrass components is necessary. Equally, in silico studies are needed to clarify the action mechanism of chemical compounds contained in the extracts and essential oils of lemongrass.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17848,"journal":{"name":"Kuwait Journal of Science","volume":"52 4","pages":"Article 100459"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144470383","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Morpho-biochemical evaluation and biodiversity assessment of multi-origin apricot cultivars in Algeria","authors":"Kaouther Boutiti ,&nbsp;Awais Ali ,&nbsp;Ines Bellil ,&nbsp;Douadi Khelifi","doi":"10.1016/j.kjs.2025.100463","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.kjs.2025.100463","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Fruit quality is a major concern for distributors, producers, and consumers alike, and it is mostly determined by facets related to nutrients and taste. The development of cultivated Prunus species, such as apricot trees, is influenced by multiple factors in which the disruptions can lead not only to reduced production but also to a loss of genetic diversity. This study was aimed at investigating the genetic diversity and analysing the traits related to apricot's fruit quality through morphological characterization, including both qualitative and quantitative traits, biochemical analysis, including pH, total soluble solids (TSS), and titratable acidity (TA), and protein analysis by using sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) gel. The results revealed significant variability among the apricot cultivars for morpho-biochemical as well as protein analysis. Morphological analysis revealed that cultivars such as Boufarik, Khad Romia, Lokmi, Pavi, and Bish yielded medium-sized fruits, while in terms of red hue in the overcolour, cultivars namely Tounsi, Polonais, Rosi, and Louzi were the prominent ones. In terms of medium firmness, Tounsi, Boufarik, and Khad Romia were remarkable, while a predominant skin colour of light orange was observed in Boulachourand and Louzi cultivars. On the other hand, biochemical analysis showed that the cultivars with TSS exceeding exhibited better fruit quality, while the cultivars such as Pavi and Polonais yielded lower TSS than 12°Brix. Similarly, the Lokmi cultivar recorded TA below 0.90 %, and Tounsi, Bedai, Khad Romia, Monte, Bensermoukh, Boulachour, Rosi, Lokmi Louzi, and wild apricot had pH above 3, marking them as the cultivars with high taste quality. SDS-PAGE analysis highlighted the diversity among cultivars by displaying distinct protein bands, which can be useful as a biochemical marker. Variations were observed at 337 kDa, between 130 kDa and 72 kDa, and at 59 kDa and 47 kDa. The results obtained qualify these varieties for large-scale commercial use due to their gustatory qualities and identify them as promising candidates in breeding programs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17848,"journal":{"name":"Kuwait Journal of Science","volume":"52 4","pages":"Article 100463"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144491450","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Bounded sine hyperbolic distribution with applications to real datasets","authors":"Anwaar Saeed ,&nbsp;Abdus Saboor ,&nbsp;Farrukh Jamal ,&nbsp;Najwan Alsadat ,&nbsp;Oluwafemi Samson Balogun ,&nbsp;Abdoulie Faal ,&nbsp;Mohammed Elgarhy","doi":"10.1016/j.kjs.2025.100467","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.kjs.2025.100467","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this paper, a novel hyperbolic trigonometric probability distribution with a bounded support on (0,1) named the bounded sine hyperbolic (BSH) distribution is proposed. It has a simple closed form cumulative distribution function (CDF). Various structural properties of the distribution are obtained, such as quantile function, moments, entropy, order statistics, reversed order statistics, upper record statistics, residual lifetime function, and reversed residual life function. The distribution exhibits a wide range of shapes with the bathtub shape of the failure rate function (FRF). The performance of the bounded sine hyperbolic distribution has been verified using both mathematical and graphical approaches. Maximum log likelihood estimation (MLE) has been utilized to estimate the unknown parametric values of the BSH distribution. To assess the consistency of the maximum likelihood estimation, a simulation study is conducted. The BSH distribution is compared with established models (unit Lindley, unit Teissier, and unit Rayleigh) using two real-world datasets. Different evaluation criterion and goodness-of-fit statistics, i.e. AIC, AICC, BIC, HQIC, CAIC, Anderson Darling (A*), Cramer Von-Mises (W*), and Kolmogorov–Smirnov (KS) tests, confirm the superiority of the BSH distribution as per numerical values provided in Tables 7 and 8. The lowest values of all these tests demonstrate that the BSH distribution outperforms other related models.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17848,"journal":{"name":"Kuwait Journal of Science","volume":"52 4","pages":"Article 100467"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144632617","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fabrication of omega-3 fatty acid nanoencapsulation with a sodium alginate-acacia gum complex: In vitro digestibility and biocompatible therapeutic potential","authors":"Naorem Rojita Devi,&nbsp;Sital Khandelwal,&nbsp;Srinivasan Pappu","doi":"10.1016/j.kjs.2025.100450","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.kjs.2025.100450","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Omega-3 fatty acids (ω3FAs) possess various health benefits but face challenges due to limited solubility and susceptibility to oxidation. In this study, a sodium alginate-acacia gum (SA-AG) complex was developed to address these issues. The stability of the complex was confirmed through zeta potential and thermogravimetric analysis. ω3FAs were encapsulated within the SA-AG complex, and their physical, morphological, and chemical characteristics were evaluated. Simulated <em>in vitro</em> digestion was used to assess the bio-accessibility of the encapsulated ω3FAs (Enω3FAs), and antioxidant, antibacterial, and toxicity tests were conducted. The SA-AG complex exhibited a zeta potential of −40.3 ± 9.48 mV and remained stable up to 240 °C. The oxidative stability of the complex was maintained for up to 90 days post-formulation. The average particle size was 961.9 nm, with spherical structures observed. Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis (EDAX) showed the presence of ω3FAs at specific peaks (0.05, 0.5, and 1–1.2 KeV), while Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) analysis confirmed the functional groups of ω3FAs at specific bands (3301 cm⁻¹ and 1630 cm⁻¹). Enω3FAs exhibited rapid release of ω3FAs under gastrointestinal conditions, starting at 45 min with 40 % lipolysis. The highest antioxidant activities of ω3FAs were observed at a concentration of 2 mg/ml through DPPH (35 ± 3.8 %), ferric reducing antioxidant power (48.85 ± 0.002 %) at 5.12 mg/mL, 20.71 ± 0.95 nmol of nitric oxide at 5.12 mg/mL, and 0.204 ± 0.001 absorbance for lipid peroxidation at 5.12 mg/mL. The minimum inhibitory concentration of Enω3FAs was 64 mg/ml against <em>E. coli</em>, <em>S. pneumoniae</em>, and <em>P. aeruginosa</em>, and 16 mg/mL against <em>S. aureus</em>. Enω3FAs also demonstrated the ability to reduce biofilm formation by approximately 50 % and induce a 30 % reduction in existing biofilms at a concentration of 4 mg/ml. Additionally, Enω3FAs were found to be biocompatible, with 0 % mortality observed after 24 h of treatment on <em>Artemia franciscana</em> nauplii. In conclusion, Enω3FAs show therapeutic potential within a stable formulation using the SA-AG complex, providing a promising approach for drug and food delivery systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17848,"journal":{"name":"Kuwait Journal of Science","volume":"52 4","pages":"Article 100450"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144366654","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Secured cloud-based image data processing of self-driving vehicles using full homomorphic encryption","authors":"Kamran Saeed,&nbsp;M.Fatih Adak","doi":"10.1016/j.kjs.2025.100449","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.kjs.2025.100449","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Self-driving vehicles leverage internet of things (IoT) technology to utilize multiple sensors to continuously monitor their environment and make decisions without human intervention. Data collected from these sensors require secure transmission and encrypted storage in cloud servers, where retrieving the data without decryption is necessary to ensure privacy. A novel method using full homomorphic encryption (FHE) image-based data is proposed, incorporating three different methods to search for the desired encrypted images stored in the cloud. This method involves converting images and objects detected by YOLOv9c into pixel data, then applying the Brakerski/Fan-Vercauteren (BFV) scheme to encrypt the data and store it on the cloud. Administrators can search through the encrypted images using the combination of techniques, including percentile similarity-based image detection, unknown object-based image detection, and known object-based image detection from encrypted images. FHE is used to provide various secure search approaches, contrasting with conventional index-based encrypted searching. The proposed solution provides a mechanism in the scenario of self-driving vehicles where object/image detection stored in the cloud can be done without decrypting it, hence enhancing privacy and security of data on the cloud generated by self-driving vehicles and IoT devices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17848,"journal":{"name":"Kuwait Journal of Science","volume":"52 4","pages":"Article 100449"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144502395","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessment of toxicity profile of Mollusca hemolymph: Insight into its potential biocompatibility and anti-biofilm efficacy","authors":"Minati Soren ,&nbsp;Sambit Kumar Mishra ,&nbsp;Awdhesh Kumar Mishra ,&nbsp;Pradipta Ranjan Rauta ,&nbsp;Jibanjyoti Panda ,&nbsp;Sarvesh Rustagi ,&nbsp;Seydur Rahman ,&nbsp;Yugal Kishore Mohanta ,&nbsp;Debasis Nayak","doi":"10.1016/j.kjs.2025.100455","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.kjs.2025.100455","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Traditional food habits followed by indigenous populations have a huge potential in providing nutrition to the world community aided with nutritional supplements. The phylum mollusca can provide alternative supplements for food and biochemical potentials. In the current investigation, the hemolymph of <em>Pomacea canaliculata, Achatina fulica,</em> and <em>Lamellidense marginalis</em> was collected through the heart puncture method and they were characterized through fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS), Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), antioxidant activity, hemolysis, antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity. The collected hemolymph demonstrated a prominent 65 kDa protein band in Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate- Poly Acrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The hemolymph samples exhibited strong antioxidant activity against standard free radicals. They were found to be highly haemocompatible through hemolysis and hemagglutination assay. The hemolymph exhibited antimicrobial activity against the pathogenic <em>Escherichia coli</em>, <em>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</em> and <em>Vibrio cholerae</em>. All the test samples demonstrated high biofilm inhibiting activity through tube assay and Congo red assay. The hemolymph extracts confirmed dose dependent cell toxicity against the A431 skin carcinoma cells. Hence, this study provides an insight into the potential application of the hemolymph in various biomedical applications, which can be validated through future in vitro experimentations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17848,"journal":{"name":"Kuwait Journal of Science","volume":"52 4","pages":"Article 100455"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144491448","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of Citrullus colocynthis mediated silver nanoparticles against toxicity and demographic characteristics of the Oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Diptera: Tephritidae)","authors":"Dilawar Khan ,&nbsp;Asim Gulzar ,&nbsp;Mohammad Tariq ,&nbsp;Rashid Mehmood Rana","doi":"10.1016/j.kjs.2025.100458","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.kjs.2025.100458","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Bactrocera dorsalis</em> is a major destructive pest in the Asia-Pacific regions because of its very broad range of host plants. Due to indiscriminate application of pesticides, the <em>B. dorsalis</em> has developed resistance to insecticides. The phytosynthesized AgNPs have potential for application as an alternative to synthetic pesticides in the management of <em>B. dorsalis</em> infestations. Therefore, in this study we examined the toxicity of <em>Citrullus colocynthis-</em>synthesized AgNPs against <em>B. dorsalis</em> and their effects on life table parameters. The results revealed that AgNPs are face-centric in nature, having an average size of 37 nm. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) analysis identified different bioactive compounds that helped in the reduction of Ag ions into AgNPs. The toxicity bioassay results confirmed that phytosynthesized <em>Cc</em>-AgNPs caused higher mortality than other tested treatment, and the LC₅₀ values of <em>Cc</em>-AgNPs were 0.270 g/L for larvae and 0.0.413 g/L for adults. These concentrations were subsequently applied in investigating the demographic profiles of <em>B. dorsalis</em>. In comparison with the control and standard trichlorfon treatment, immature duration and adult longevity were significantly increased by <em>Cc</em>-AgNPs. The key population parameters, such as intrinsic rate of increase (<em>r</em> = 0.1026 d⁻¹), finite rate of increase (λ = 1.1081 d⁻¹) and net reproductive rate (<em>R</em>_o = 121.12 offspring), were significantly lower in the <em>Cc</em>-AgNPs. In addition, the fecundity of female <em>B. dorsalis</em> was decreased considerably in <em>Cc</em>-AgNPs. In conclusion, phytosynthesized <em>Cc</em>-AgNPs exhibit potential as an innovative Integrated Pest Management (IPM) tool for controlling <em>B. dorsalis</em> populations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17848,"journal":{"name":"Kuwait Journal of Science","volume":"52 4","pages":"Article 100458"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144491449","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhancing the control of fungal diseases in Ficus carica L. using Zn–Se nanocomposites","authors":"Sana Naveed ,&nbsp;Naveed Iqbal Raja ,&nbsp;Sajid Hussain ,&nbsp;Amna Mushtaq ,&nbsp;Noorah AlKubaisi","doi":"10.1016/j.kjs.2025.100465","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.kjs.2025.100465","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Ficus carica</em> is sensitive to a variety of fungal infections, which have an influence on fig yield and quality. Fig rust, caused by the fungus <em>Cerotelium fici</em>, is one of the most frequent fungal diseases affecting fig plants. Fig rust attacks the leaves and accounts for 100 % of crop infections. Furthermore, there are no long-term strategies for managing fig rust. In recent years, nanotechnology has emerged as a novel option in agriculture, proving to be more effective against fungal infections. The primary goal of the study was to assess the efficiency of ZnSe nanocomposite in suppressing fungal illness that attacked <em>F. carica</em>. In this work, ZnSe nanocomposites were made using Melia azedarach leaf extract. UV examination validated the production of ZnSe nanocomposite, revealing a peak at 394 nm and a predicted band gap energy of 3.15 eV. X-ray Diffraction (XRD) measurements indicated a cubic crystal structure with crystallites measuring 28.82 nm. The energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) pattern revealed that zinc, selenium, oxygen, and carbon are the primary components of the ZnSe nanocomposite. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) exhibited irregular forms with a homogeneous distribution of ZnSe nanocomposite particles ranging in size from 20 to 30 nm. The Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) findings revealed strong peaks, indicating the presence of many functional groups. The investigation discovered that the fungal illness was fig rust, which is caused by the fungal pathogen <em>Cerotelium fici</em>. The unique use of ZnSe nanocomposite efficiently prevented fig rust while simultaneously boosting development, with a maximum effective concentration of 150 ppm. This dose suppressed the growth of fig rust by 97.93 % in the pre-infection group, while in the post-infection group, 150 ppm decreased the severity by 95.36 %. The study's findings indicate the effectiveness of ZnSe nanocomposite as a long-term and alternative solution to fig rust management and crop quality improvement.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17848,"journal":{"name":"Kuwait Journal of Science","volume":"52 4","pages":"Article 100465"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144517417","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An examination of air quality in Kuwait: Implications for environmental sustainability and public health","authors":"Naeimah Alkharafi","doi":"10.1016/j.kjs.2025.100447","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.kjs.2025.100447","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Kuwait is one of five nations located in the Gulf region characterized by arid-desert climate—extreme hot temperature and dust storms. Frequent dust events elevate fine (PM_2.5) and coarse (PM₁₀) particulate matter levels, posing various health risks. Using longitudinal data from 2021 to 2024, this study identifies and quantifies the impact of dust storms, blowing dust, and dust haze on fine and coarse particulate matter levels. Data is analyzed through a pooled OLS two-way fixed effects model to control for unobserved heterogeneity from long-term and seasonal effects. Meteorological variables and air pollutants are incorporated to account for their impacts. Results indicate that dust storms, while rare, have the strongest impact on elevating fine and coarse particulate matter levels. The relative impacts of blowing dust and dust haze differ, with dust haze playing a larger role in PM_2.5 pollution and blowing dust contributing more to PM₁₀ levels. These findings have important policy implications for air policy management and public health, emphasizing the need for dust control measures, climate adaptation strategies, and improved air pollution monitoring to mitigate health risks associated with high PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ levels in Kuwait.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17848,"journal":{"name":"Kuwait Journal of Science","volume":"52 4","pages":"Article 100447"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144322377","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Purification and characterization of extracellular pectinase produced by a newly isolated strain, Aspergillus cervinus ARS2 and its potential application in Citrus sinensis juice clarification","authors":"Anil R. Shet,&nbsp;Sharanappa Achappa,&nbsp;Shivalingsarj V. Desai","doi":"10.1016/j.kjs.2025.100446","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.kjs.2025.100446","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the purification and characterization of pectinase synthesized by a newly isolated strain, <em>Aspergillus cervinus</em> ARS2, using solid-state fermentation. The crude pectinase, exhibiting a total activity of 5408 IU and a protein content of 214 mg, underwent a systematic purification process that resulted in a purification fold of 1.33 for membrane filtration (50 kDa cut-off), 2.52 for ammonium salt precipitation, 5.77 for dialysis, and an impressive 24.17 for gel filtration chromatography (Sephadex G-75 column), culminating in a purified pectinase with a molecular weight of 37 kDa as determined by sodium dodecyl-sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Characterization of the purified pectinase revealed an optimal incubation time of 40 min, an incubation pH of 4, and stability in acidic conditions (pH 4) over a 5-h storage period. The enzyme exhibited an optimal incubation temperature of 35 °C and maintained stability under the same conditions for 5 h. Kinetic analysis indicated a Michaelis- Menten constant (<em>K</em>_<em>m</em>) of 0.78 mg/mL and a maximum velocity (<em>V</em>_max) of 111.12 IU/mL. The purified enzyme was immobilized using a polyvinyl alcohol-alginate encapsulation method and subsequently utilized in the clarification of <em>Citrus sinensis (orange)</em> juice. Optimization of the juice clarification process, employing full factorial design (FFD) and response surface methodology (RSM), identified optimal conditions of 39.09 °C incubation temperature, 62.12 min incubation time, and an enzyme load of 3.33 mL. These parameters achieved juice clarity of 45.24 ± 1.68 %. These results underscore the potential of the pectinase produced by <em>A. cervinus</em> ARS2 to address the growing demands of the fruit juice industry.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17848,"journal":{"name":"Kuwait Journal of Science","volume":"52 4","pages":"Article 100446"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144491447","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}