Papers by Dr. Abeer Elhakem
Bioengineering, Sep 4, 2022
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca
Cuscuta reflexa is an extensive leafless, parasitic climber that has been used since ancient time... more Cuscuta reflexa is an extensive leafless, parasitic climber that has been used since ancient times for various purposes and as a therapeutic plant in different areas of Pakistan. The phytochemical, antibacterial, antioxidant, and fatty acid investigations were carried out on the leaves, stems, and fruit extracts of C. reflexa. Preliminary phytochemical screening has shown the presence of various phytochemicals such as carbohydrates, protein, amino acids, alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols, glycosides, saponins, tannins, terpenoids, steroids, and phenolic compounds. The percentage variation of some components fluctuated like moisture (6.85-10.34%), ash (5.38-7.83%), acid insoluble ash (0.28-0.71%), water-soluble ash (0.78-0.96%), hexane extractives (1.23-1.91%), alcohol extractives (10.39-12.23%), water extractives (25.34-30.35%), loss on drying (1.16-1.47%) and crude fiber (15.04-18.26%) for leaves, stems, and fruits respectively. The level of free fatty acid was different as follows: l...
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Frontiers in Microbiology, May 19, 2022
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences
Plants are confronting a variety of environmental hazards as a result of fast climate change, whi... more Plants are confronting a variety of environmental hazards as a result of fast climate change, which has a detrimental influence on soil, plant growth, and nutrient status. As a result, the present study aims to evaluate the influence of various fly ash concentrations (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35% FA) mixed with the optimum concentrations of nitrogen in the form of urea (0.5 g pot À1) on the growth, productivity and biochemical constituents of radish plants. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to assess soil physical-chemical properties and FA nutrient status. Results suggested that FA added many essential plant nutrients to the growth substrate and improved some important soil characteristics such as pH, electric conductivity, porosity, and water holding capacity. Also, the results revealed that the low concentrations of FA up to 20% were found to boost radish growth, yield, chlorophyll, carotenoids, and mineral content. While the highest concentrations of FA (25-35%) decreased radish growth and yield, increased oxidative stress through increased lipid peroxidation (MDA) and caused a significant boost in ascorbic acid, proline, protein, and antioxidant enzyme activities. Furthermore, SEM of radish leaf revealed an enhancement in the stomatal pore of radish leaf under different levels of FA. In conclusion, combining 15% fly ash with 0.5 g nitrogen in the form of urea significantly enhanced radish yield by enhancing antioxidant activity such as catalase, peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase, Guaiacol peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, nitrate reductase and reducing oxidative stress, potentially reducing fly ash accumulation and environmental pollution.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Journal of Biobased Materials and Bioenergy
Pummelo is one of the basic citrus species of horticultural importance for human health and nutri... more Pummelo is one of the basic citrus species of horticultural importance for human health and nutrition security. It has wide genetic diversity due to its breeding behavior during the domestication process. The present research was performed to study the fruits traits and characterization of the studied 21 pummelo genotypes with morphological, fruit quality parameters, and SSR markers. Principal component analysis (PCA) was done to get PC individual plot and clustering the genotypes in five main clusters based on 17 morphological traits. The highest number (08) of genotypes was grouped in cluster V and the lowest (01) in cluster III. Genotypes resided with the highest genetic distance in the individual biplots are promising for suitable parents. Again, molecular characterization or cluster analysis was performed with 5 SSR markers. The PIC values ranged from a low of 0.66 (CAC23) to a high of 0.8787 (TAA41) and averaged 0.78. TAA41 presented the second largest (47 bp) difference among...
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Antioxidants
The perennial aromatic plant Ruta tuberculata Forssk (Rutaceae) has been traditionally used by Me... more The perennial aromatic plant Ruta tuberculata Forssk (Rutaceae) has been traditionally used by Mediterranean peoples as folk medicine against several types of disease to treat diverse illness. The objective of this work is to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo pharmacological activities of the aqueous (RAE) and methanolic (MeOH) 80% (RME) extracts of Algerian R. tuberculata aerial parts. Antioxidant potential, neuro-protective and anti-arthritic activities were investigated in vitro using six antioxidant approaches and by determining acetyl-cholinesterase and bovine albumin denaturation inhibitory capacities, respectively. Furthermore, in vivo anti-ulcer and anti-inflammatory activities were evaluated on EtOH-induced gastric mucosal damage and carrageenan-induced paw edema models in mice. Moreover, bio-compounds’ contents were also quantified using spectrophotometric and cLC-DAD methods. Both in vivo and in vitro investigations showed remarkable antioxidant activity of Ruta tubercula...
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
The Plant Pathology Journal, 2022
Pathogenicity of eight Bacillus strains to seedlings of four cotton cultivars was evaluated under... more Pathogenicity of eight Bacillus strains to seedlings of four cotton cultivars was evaluated under greenhouse conditions. Each of the tested cultivars was individually treated with powdered inoculum of each bacterial strain. Untreated seeds were planted as control treatments in autoclaved soil. Effects of the tested strains on levels and activities of some biochemical components of the infected seedlings were also assayed. The biochemical components included total soluble sugars, total soluble proteins, total free amino acids, peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase, phenols, and lipid peroxidation. ANOVA showed that Bacillus strain (B) was a very highly significant source of variation in damping-off and dry weight. Cotton cultivar (V) was a nonsignificant source of variation in damping-off while it was a significant source of variation in dry weight. B × V interaction was a significant source of variation in damping-off and a nonsignificant source of variation in dry weight. Bacillus strain ...
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Processes
An eggplant-based salad, called aubergine salad (AS), is a traditional appetizer and as such, is ... more An eggplant-based salad, called aubergine salad (AS), is a traditional appetizer and as such, is quite popular in the Mediterranean area. It is widely produced either on a home scale or on an industrial scale and widely consumed. However, there are cases where preservatives (such as sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate) are added in order to extend the shelf life of the product. In the present study, the stability of this delicatessen against oxidation and microbial spoilage was evaluated, with or without preservatives. The physicochemical properties of the salad were evaluated, along with the tocopherol content, resistance to oxidation, and microbial count. According to the results, it is evident that the induction period of AS is 16% (in the case that preservatives were used) and 26% (in the case without preservatives) increased, compared to a control sample (plain soybean oil). This can be attributed to the increased content in tocopherols, and more specifically to α-tocopherol....
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Applied Sciences
Increasing the yield of extraction of bioactive compounds from plants is of high importance. Grap... more Increasing the yield of extraction of bioactive compounds from plants is of high importance. Grape stems are widely discarded during the wine-making process, despite their high content in many valuable compounds. The aim of this work was to examine whether the use of pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment of the stems could increase the yield of polyphenol and volatile compounds in the extracts. For this reason, a relatively low-energy consuming PEF process was employed (low-electric field strength, 1 kV/cm) for a short time (30 min) at the grape stems. In addition, the effect of different solvents during this pretreatment step was examined. With the use of Folin–Ciocalteu assay, the extracts were compared with the respective control samples (not pretreated with PEF). Moreover, extracts were prepared to assess whether changes occur to the volatile profile of the extracts. The results were conclusive that not only PEF can increase the yield of polyphenols (up to 35% increase recorded)...
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Horticulturae
Prickly pear plant is widely cultivated in arid and semi-arid climates. Its fruits are rich in po... more Prickly pear plant is widely cultivated in arid and semi-arid climates. Its fruits are rich in polyphenols, proteins, vitamin C, minerals, fatty acids, and amino acids. The oil extracted from the seeds also has a significant proportion of linoleic acid (ω6) and might be employed as a therapeutic raw material. The potential of enhancing fruit yield, increasing bioactive compounds of the fruit pulp, and improving the unsaturated fatty acid content of prickly pear oilseed by using the foliar application of brassinolide as a plant growth regulator was the main goal of this study. Prickly pear plants were foliar sprayed with a brassinolide solution at concentrations of 0, 1, 3, and 5 mg L−1. The plant performance was significantly improved following brassinolide applications, as compared with untreated plants. The plants subjected to 5 mg L−1 application exhibited 183 and 188% stimulation in the fruit yield, and 167 and 172% in the seed yield for the first and second seasons, respectivel...
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Plants
Salinity is linked to poor plant growth and a reduction in global food output. Therefore, there i... more Salinity is linked to poor plant growth and a reduction in global food output. Therefore, there is an essential need for plant adaptation and mitigation of salinity stress conditions. Plants combat salinity stress influences by promoting a set of physiological, biochemical, and molecular actions. Tremendous mechanisms are being applied to induce plant stress tolerance, involving amino acid application. For evaluating the growth and productivity of Moringa oleifera trees grown under salt stress conditions, moringa has been cultivated under different levels of salinity and subjected to a foliar spray of proline (Pro) and phenylalanine (Phe) amino acids. Moringa plants positively responded to the lowest level of salinity as the leaves, inflorescences, seeds, and oil yields have been increased, but the growth and productivity slightly declined with increasing salinity levels after that. However, Pro and Phe applications significantly ameliorate these effects, particularly, Pro-treatment...
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Asian Journal of Plant Sciences, 2020
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences, 2022
Plants are confronting a variety of environmental hazards as a result of fast climate change, whi... more Plants are confronting a variety of environmental hazards as a result of fast climate change, which has a detrimental influence on soil, plant growth, and nutrient status. As a result, the present study aims to evaluate the influence of various fly ash concentrations (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35% FA) mixed with the optimum concentrations of nitrogen in the form of urea (0.5 g pot À1) on the growth, productivity and biochemical constituents of radish plants. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to assess soil physical-chemical properties and FA nutrient status. Results suggested that FA added many essential plant nutrients to the growth substrate and improved some important soil characteristics such as pH, electric conductivity, porosity, and water holding capacity. Also, the results revealed that the low concentrations of FA up to 20% were found to boost radish growth, yield, chlorophyll, carotenoids, and mineral content. While the highest concentrations of FA (25-35%) decreased radish growth and yield, increased oxidative stress through increased lipid peroxidation (MDA) and caused a significant boost in ascorbic acid, proline, protein, and antioxidant enzyme activities. Furthermore, SEM of radish leaf revealed an enhancement in the stomatal pore of radish leaf under different levels of FA. In conclusion, combining 15% fly ash with 0.5 g nitrogen in the form of urea significantly enhanced radish yield by enhancing antioxidant activity such as catalase, peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase, Guaiacol peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, nitrate reductase and reducing oxidative stress, potentially reducing fly ash accumulation and environmental pollution.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca, 2022
A nematicide is a type of chemical pesticide used to kill plant-parasitic nematodes. Nematicides ... more A nematicide is a type of chemical pesticide used to kill plant-parasitic nematodes. Nematicides have tended to be broad-spectrum toxicants, possessing high volatility or other properties that promote migration through the soil. In addition, the nematicides used are more expensive and have adverse effects on health and the environment, so it must use more eco-friendly and less expensive alternative methods to control root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne incognita). Chili (Capsicum annum) suffers from nematode infestation, which reduces its quality and quantity. Therefore, the goal of this research was to assess the effect of different doses of fly ash (FA) mixed soil (5%, 10%, 15 and 20% FA) with two doses of Trichoderma harzianum (1 g and 2 g) for the management of root-knot nematode infection in chili crop. The results showed that significant enhancement in plant growth, yield, chlorophyll, and carotenoid content, protein, carbohydrate, amino acid, tryptophan, indole acetic acid, phenolics, flavonoids, proline, and nitrate reductase content of chili plants was recorded at 10% fly ash with 2 g of T. harzianum (T6). The inoculated plants registered the greatest damage with galling indexes. The lowest galling index was estimated at the T6 treatment. At higher levels of FA + combined with both doses of T. harzianum, nematode could not survive that’s why eighter galls or egg masses were observed. Nematodes may have ceased to function, lost their activity, and hence been unable to resist the stress of fly ash and T. harzianum set. The application of T. harzianum with a lower dose (10%) of fly ash to control the nematode favored plant growth in general. In conclusion, 10% fly ash and 2 g of T. harzianum have the ability to operate as growth promoters and biocontrol agents for M. incognita.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Phyton, 2022
Meloidogyne incognita is a plant pathogen causing root-knot disease and loss of crop yield. The p... more Meloidogyne incognita is a plant pathogen causing root-knot disease and loss of crop yield. The present study aimed to use Trichoderma harzianum as a biocontrol agent against plant-parasitic nematodes and used press mud, which is a solid waste by-product of sugarcane, as a biocontrol agent and biofertilizer. Therefore, the combined application of T. harzianum and press mud may enhance nematode control and plant growth. Elemental analysis of press mud using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) integrated with an Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) analyzer revealed the presence of different elements such as C, O, Mg, Si, P, K, Ca, Cu and Zn. In addition, a greenhouse study was conducted to investigate the combined effects of press mud and T. harzianum on M. incognita reproduction and growth and the biochemical features of Psoralea corylifolia. The results showed that plant length, dry biomass, leaf area, the number of seeds per plant, chlorophyll a, chl b, carotenoid content, nitrate reductase, carbonic anhydrase, and nitrogen content were significantly increased (P ≤ 0.05) in the T2 plants (plants were treated with 100 g of press mud + 50 mL T. harzianum before one week of M. incognita inoculation), over inoculated plants (IC). Antioxidant enzyme activity of ascorbate peroxidase (APX), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the foliage of P. corylifolia was significantly increased when plants were treated with press mud + T. harzianum. A significant reduction in the number of egg masses, nematode population, and root-knot index (RKI) was found in plants with T2 plants. These results suggest that the combined application of T. harzianum and press mud has the potential to control the M. incognita infection and can be used as an environmentally safe alternative to chemical nematicides and also help in the removal of sugarcane waste that causes environmental pollution.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca, 2021
Root-knot nematodes are believed to be amongst the biological constraints causing severe damage a... more Root-knot nematodes are believed to be amongst the biological constraints causing severe damage and a great reduction in the productivity of okra. The purpose of this study was to apply organic matter and non-symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria to minimize the addition of chemical fertilizers that constantly pollute the environment. Experimental studies were conducted in the field for two summers to determine the effect of inoculations of non-symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria, such as Azotobacter chroococcum and Azospirillum brasilense singly and in combinations, with different recommended doses of inorganic nitrogen as well as organic matter such as neem seed cake on the growth, yield, and organic parameters of the okra crop towards the management of plant-parasitic nematodes. The results show a significant reduction in nematode multiplication through soil application of nitrogen-fixing bacteria and neem seed cake along with different recommended doses of nitrogen inoculated plant...
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences, 2021
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Cabbage head is one of the main essential vegetables grown worldwide and... more BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Cabbage head is one of the main essential vegetables grown worldwide and contains high antioxidants compounds that fight the inflammation of many diseases. In this study, antioxidant activities and several characteristics of four different cabbage heads (Red, Savoy, Green and Napa) have been investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS Characteristics included: Head dimensions, sphericity, aspect ratio, mass, moisture content, project and surface areas. The (static and dynamic) frictions were detected on different surfaces. RESULTS Napa cultivar had the highest TEAC assay (5.69 μmol TE g-1 fw). Green head had the highest DPPH assay (91.22 μmol TE g-1 fw), while the red head had the highest FRAP assay (79.77 μmol TE g-1 fw). The highest moisture content was in the Napa heads (94.91%). Savoy heads recorded the highest width, thickness, aspect ratio, mass and sphericity. The highest static and dynamic frictions were found on galvanic iron (0.29-0.51) and stainless steel (0.36-0.66), respectively. CONCLUSION The measured data will be used in the cabbage horticultural processing for quality improvement and diet planers due to the high antioxidant activities.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Applied Sciences, 2021
Onions belong to the Allium genus that has been frequently used for human diet and the traditiona... more Onions belong to the Allium genus that has been frequently used for human diet and the traditional medication due to the bioactive compounds. The main nutritional values, vitamins, and amino acid compositions of onion bulbs (Yellow, Red, Green, Leek, and Baby onions) with some essential structural parameters for the packaging process were investigated. Physical and structural parameters with frictions were applied for the packaging process. The results reported that moisture content was the main component of onion bulbs (88.65%). Besides, they were rich in proteins (9.22–13.21 g/100 g infresh weight) (FW). Results reported that Red and Yellow varieties established the largest vitamin C and carotenoids contents (45.07 mg/100 g−1 FW) and (1.44 µg/mL FW), respectively. The major amino acid was arginine which was highly found in Green variety (17.02 mg/g FW) and a relatively high amount of glutamic and aspartic acids as (9.88–14.89 mg/g FW) and (4.93–10.55 mg/g FW), respectively. Yellow...
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Membranes, 2021
The prime objective of the research was to explore the coating effects of chitosan and nano-silic... more The prime objective of the research was to explore the coating effects of chitosan and nano-silicon dioxide with nisin as an antimicrobial agent on physicochemical properties, microbiological stability, and sensorial quality changes during the storage at 4 °C. The combination of nano-material and chitosan in addition to nisin was effective for reducing the postharvest attributes of fresh-cut cantaloupes in addition to the highest score in sensory evaluation. Chitosan coating treatment enhanced the microbiological quality 2.50 log CFU/g and 1.87 log CFU/g for aerobic counts and mold/yeasts populations, respectively. In a word, the combination of chitosan/nano-silica/nisin treatment was the best condition for fresh-cut cantaloupe shelf life extension by maintaining color, vitamin C 22.29 mg/100g, peroxidase activity 8.06 U/min.g, and other microbiological tests up to storage time of 8 days.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Coatings, 2021
Nutrient-rich edible white button mushrooms were coated with Chitosan (1%), Chitosan/nano-silica,... more Nutrient-rich edible white button mushrooms were coated with Chitosan (1%), Chitosan/nano-silica, and Chitosan/nano-titanium and then stored at 4 °C to investigate the physical, mechanical properties, chemical changes, and microbial load contamination at an interval of 3 days up to a 12 days storage period. It was noticed that Chitosan/nano-titanium and Chitosan/nano-silica preserved the weight loss percentages as 11.80% and 12.69%, respectively. Treatment with Chitosan/nano-silica coating was found to have positive impacts on the overall color parameters. Both of the nano-coating films enhanced headspace gas compositions and firmness. Chitosan/nano-silica samples recorded the least electrolyte leakage value (24.44%), as low oxygen gas concentration can reduce the respiration rate, weight loss, and cap opening. Chitosan/nano-titanium treatment showed the lowest cap opening value (19.58%), PPO activity (16.98 mg−1 protein), and microbial load contamination (6.12 log CFU/g) at the end...
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Uploads
Papers by Dr. Abeer Elhakem