ENEMS MICROSYSTEMS RESEARCH SPOT: April 14

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Friday 14 April 2023

PROXIMATE ANALYSIS OF THE SEED AND PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING OF THE POD OF JATROPHA CURCAS (PHYSIC NUT)

PROXIMATE ANALYSIS OF THE SEED AND PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING OF THE POD OF JATROPHA CURCAS (PHYSIC NUT)

ABSTRACT

Jatropha curcas is an ornamental plant and is also employed to cure various infections in traditional medicine. The proximate analysis of J. curcas seed was examined using method described by the Association of Analytical Chemist (AOAC, 2005). The aqueous extract of J. curcas pod was subjected to phytochemical screening for the presence of seven selected secondary metabolites (Treanse and Evans 2000, Sofowora 2003). The result of the proximate composition was shown to be Moisture 6%, Ash 4%, Fibre 10%, Fat 36%, Protein 27.2% and Carbohydrate 16.8% respectively. The phytochemical screening of the cold aqueous extract of the pod revealed the presence of Saponin, Tannin, Resin, Flavonoid and phenol but the absence of Alkaloids and amino acid. The proximate analysis shows that the seed is rich in Fat and protein. These results suggest that the seed oil can be used industrially to produce biodiesel. The phytochemicals present shows that this plant can be used for treatment of dysentery, diarrhea, skin diseases, rheumatism, malaria, muscular pain and for sores on domestic livestock (Reddy et al., 2012).

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Jatropha curcas belongs to the family Euphorbiaceae and is closely related to other important cultivated plants like rubber tree and castor oil etc. common names in English includes physic nut, Barbados nut, poison nut, bubble bush or purging nut. J. curcas is a semi-evergreen shrub or small tree, reaching a height of 6m or more. The fruit have an “American Football” type of shape of about 40mm length and contains 3 seeds (on average), which look like black beans with similar dimensions, of about 18mm long and 10mm wide. Normally, five roots are formed from seeds: one tap root and 4 lateral roots and cuttings do not develop a taproot only the laterals (Heller, 1996). The branches contain whitish latex, which causes brown stains that are difficult to remove. The plant is monoecious, occasionally hermaphrodite flowers occur (Dehgan and Webster, 1979). The seed coats constitute about 35-40% of the total seeds.Because of its indispensable benefits to mankind it was classified among the first plant in 1753 with a Botanical name “Jatropha” from a Greek word Jatro “meaning Doctor” and pha “meaning nutrition”. The plant is believed to be an origin of South America and Africa but later spread to other continents of the world by the Portuguese settlers (Gubitz, et al:, 1999). It is a vigorous drought and pest-tolerant plant that can grow on barren and eroded lands under harsh climatic conditions. It is easily established and grows very quickly. The life-span of Jatropha may fall between 35-50 years depending on the climatic conditions (Singh, et al., 2008) It is an ornamental plant naturalized in many tropical areas. The roots, stems, leaves seeds and fruits of the plant have been widely used in traditional folk medicine in many parts of West Africa.J. curcas has gained a world reputation as a plant that can be grown in wasteland and infertile land, which does not require much water, fertilizer and management, and has high oil yield (Chitra et al., 2005).

The seeds of J. curcashave been used as a purgative, antihelminthic and abortifacient as well as for treating ascites, gout, paralysis and skin diseases. The seed oil of the plant has been used as an ingredient in the treatment of rheumatic conditions, itch and parasitic skin diseases, and in the treatment of fever, jaundice and gonorrhea, as a diuretic agent, and a mouth-wash. The leaf has been used as a haemostatic agent and the bark as a fish poison. In certain African countries people are accustomed to chewing these seeds when in need of a laxative. Jatropha curcasseeds have been found to be highly effective against Strongyloides papillosus infection in goats. It has also been suggested that J. curcasseeds could be a useful chemotherapeutic agent provided that it agent is active at a non-lethal dose (Grainage and Ahmed, 1988). This may be because of its reported antihelminthic activity (Mok, 1991).

Several investigators have therefore developed interest in under-utilized oil seeds as an alternative source of food and energy. In Nigeria, there exists a wide variety of oil crops ranging from the largely known and highly-utilized to under-utilized seed oils. One of such under-utilized seed is the J. curcas seed and its oil. (Oseni and Akindahunsi, 2011). All parts of Jatropha (seeds, leaves, bark, etc) have been used in traditional medicine and for veterinary purposes for a long time (Dalziel, 1955). Extensive public interest and expansion in the use of herbal medicine have led to new emphasis and drive in medical plant research. The research approaches taken recently include activities to develop herbal medicines into quality, efficacious and safe products for human consumption. This can be an advantagefor J. curcas to expand its potential as herbal medicines to cure many illnesses and diseases. The cure for these illnesses and diseases lies in the chemical compositions isolated from different parts of the plant.

Aim and Objectives

Aim

The aim of this study is to carry out the proximate analysis of the seed and phytochemical screening of the pod of Jatropha curcas (physic nut).

Objectives

To determine the moisture, ash, crude fibre, crude protein, fat and carbohydrate content of the seed.
To ascertain the presence of alkaloid, tannin, saponin, flavonoid, resins, phenol and amino acids by utilizing standard conventional protocols.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

It is reported that the seed is used for the treatment of arthritis, gout and jaundice (Khafagy et al., 1977). The seed of this plant has also been used traditionally for the treatment of many ailments including burns, convulsions, fever and inflammation (Osoniyi and Onajobi, 2003). Jatropha adapts well to marginal lands as well as live fence, as farm animals do not browse it. The crop can easily be raised without any difficulty; the rural women can be engaged in all kinds of activities like raising seedlings, collection of seeds, de-shelling, etc. The large scale cultivation of J. curcason waste lands with poor soils and low rainfall in drought prone areas could provide regular employment and could improve their living conditions by providing additional income. Jatropha is not an alternative to agriculture or plantation but it is a new addition to it.

1.3 Justification

Many investigations have been done on the composition and content of the Jatropha seeds. The plant and its seeds are toxic to animals and humans and are therefore used worldwide as hedges to protect agricultural fields. Due to potential demand and better marketing opportunities, cultivation of jatropha appears viable. Today there is considerable interest among biochemist and botanists to screen plants for secondary chemical compounds, which could be used for developing medicals and pesticides, particularly in the tropical rain forests where plant species are numerous but threatened with extinction (Downum et al., 1993).

EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE ON THE CATALYTIC FUNCTION OF CALOTROPIS PROCERA IN MILK FOR CHEESE PRODUCTION

EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE ON THE CATALYTIC FUNCTION OF CALOTROPIS PROCERA IN MILK FOR CHEESE PRODUCTION

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Milk coagulation is the main step for producing cheese, and coagulating enzymes, which are preparations of Proteolytic enzymes, have been used in cheese making for thousands of years, and they seem to be the oldest known application of enzymes. The earliest indication of cheese making descends from cave paintings around 5000 BC (Harboe et al. 2010).

Historically, most enzyme preparations used for cheese have been extracts from the stomachs of ruminants, but coagulants from microbes and plants were also used at very early dates (Harboe et al. 2010; Jacob et al. 2011).

Ruminant stomach especially that of the calf is the source of rennet. It contains chymosin (EC 3.4.23.4) as the main enzyme component and has been the most widely used in cheese making. The cheese production increased by a factor of approximately 3.5 since 1961 but the rennet supply decreased due to the limited availability of ruminant stomachs (Jacob et al. 2011).

Various factors such as high price of rennet, religious concerns (e.g., Islam and Judaism), diet (vegetarianism) or ban on recombinant calf rennet (in France, Germany and The Netherlands) have encouraged the search for alternative milk-clotting sources (Roseiro et al. 2011).

This research will directed towards discovering milk-clotting enzymes from calotropis procera and knowing the effect of temperature of different coagulation of milk which would satisfactory replace calf rennet in cheese making, including microbial, recombinant, and plant-based enzymes (Jacobet al. 2011).

The most important substitutes which fulfill the requirements of cheese manufacture include microbial, recombinant, and plant-based enzymes which have been isolated and studied. Rennet substitutes produced by microorganisms and genetically engineered microorganisms have proven to be suitable substitutes for animal rennet, but increasing interest has been directed toward vegetable coagulants i.e., the milk-clotting enzymes extracted from plants. According to Tamer and Mavituna (1997), these enzymes are present in almost all kinds of plant tissues and it appears to be a general rule that all proteolytic enzymesbhave the ability to clot milk under appropriate conditions. Almost all the enzymes usedbas milk coagulants belong to aspartic proteases, but enzymes from other groups such as cysteine and serine proteases have also been used.

Plant extracts have been used as milk coagulants in cheese making since ancient times. Cheeses made with vegetable coagulant can be found mainly in Mediterranean, West African, and southern European countries. Spain and Portugal have the largest variety and production of cheeses using Cynara sp. as the vegetable coagulant (Roseiro et al. 2003).

The extracts of Cynara spp. have been used in the making of Portuguese Serra and Serpa cheeses (Macedo et al. 1993) and Spanish Los Pedroches, La Serena (Roa et al. 1999) and Torta del Casar cheeses (from ewes’ milk) as well as Los Ibores cheese (from goats’ milk) and Flor de Guía cheese (from a mixture of ewes’ and cows’ milk) (Fernández-Salguero et al. 1991; Fernández-Salguero 1999; Sanjuán et al. 2002).

In West African countries like Nigeria and the republic of Benin, extracts from Calotropis Procera (Sodom apple) have been used in traditional cheese making (Roseiro et al. 2003).

However, the excessive proteolytic nature of most vegetable coagulants has limited their use in cheese manufacturing due to lower cheese yield and defects in flavor and texture (Lo Piero et al. 2002).

Therefore, the search for new potential milk-clotting enzymes from plants is in continuous process, so as to make them industrially useful and go with the increasing global demand for diversified and high quality cheese production (Hashim et al. 2011).

Several studies have been performed using plant-derived enzymes for cheese making. Sousa and Malcata (2002) reviewed the role of plant coagulant (Cynara cardunculus) in vitro and during ripening of cheeses from several milk species, while as Roseiro et al. (2003) reviewed the use of plant extracts with special reference to Cynara species. Jacob et al. (2011) reviewed the important types of milk-clotting enzymes including animal rennet, microbial coagulants, recombinant coagulants, and plant-derived clotting enzymes. Yegin and Dekker (2013) have recently reviewed the progress in the field of aspartic proteinases from animal, plant and microbial origin with a special emphasis on 6 M.A. Shah et al. structures, functions, catalytic mechanism, inhibition and engineering. The objective of this review is to summarize the latest research findings on plant-derived clotting enzymes with special emphasis on enzyme chemistry, production and techno-functional properties.

Calotropis Procera is a species of flowering plant in the family Apocynaceae that is native to North Africa, Tropical Africa, Western Asia, South Asia, and Indochina. The green globes are hollow but the flesh contains a toxic milky sap that is extremely bitter and turns into a gluey coating resistant to soap.

Common names for the plant include apple of Sodom, Sodom apple, stabragh, king’s crown, rubber bush, and rubber tree. The name apple of Sodom derives from the Hebrew Tapuah Sodom.

1.1 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

Many scientist have researched on how to develop coagulation of milk through speeding up the rate of reaction because the enzymes used then was very expensive and difficult to get and it was gotten from rennin calf of animals that is why scientist felt that there is a strong need to find a cheap safe and more easily available milk coagulant that could speed up the rate of chemical reaction in the production of cheese called Calotropis Procera it is a flowering green plant that the flesh contain a toxic milky sap that is extremely bitter and turns into a gluey coating resistant. The research work on Calotropis Procera regarding its multifunctional use in human medicine and special emphasis is given to the milk coagulating properties it has in the coagulation of milk and with the view to know at what temperature the coagulation of milk using the plant enzyme will coagulate.

1.3 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study is to determine the effect of temperature on the catalytic function of Calotropis Procera in milk for cheese production.

13.1 OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this study are:

To carry out the coagulation of milk using Calotropis Procera extract and Lactic Acid bacteria.
To investigate the effect of temperature on the properties of cheese
Compare the properties of cheese obtained using Calotropis Procera and Lactic Acid bacteria
To determine some physical parameters and metals on the produced cheese.