The Composition and Antimicrobial Activities of Cyperus conglomeratus, Desmos chinensis var. lawii and Cyathocalyx zeylanicus Essential Oils
The essential oil compositions of the rhizomes of Cyperus conglomeratus (Cyperaceae) collected from Oman and the leaves of two Annonaceae plants, Desmos chinensis var. lawii and Cyathocalyx zeylanicus collected from India were studied by GC, GC-MS and 13C NMR spectroscopy. Twenty-six compounds, representing 84.4% of the oil were identified in C. conglomeratus, where eugenol (31.3%), α-cyperone (10.5%) and cyperotundone (8.4%) were the major compounds. Twelve compounds, constituting 100%, were identified in D. lawii oil, of which benzyl benzoate (58.7%), β-caryophyllene (23.2%), limonene (4.9%) and α-humulene (4.0%) were the major constituents. Thirty-two compounds, comprising 98.0%, were identified in C. zeylanicus oil, of which β-caryophyllene (21.6%), α-pinene (20.4%) and E-β-ocimene (11.8%) were the major components. The antibacterial and antifungal activities of the oils were tested against a panel of five bacterial and two fungal strains. The oils showed moderate activity against all the tested microbial strains. The minimum inhibitory concentrations of the oils were also determined.
Impact of disturbance on species diversity and composition of Cyperus conglomeratus plant community in southern Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Abstract The changes in species diversity and composition of Cyperus conglomeratus plant community caused by anthropogenic disturbance were estimated and analyzed in four selected sites at southern Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. The ecological disturbances in the study area have their major effect on species richness, where about 76% of the perennial species in the study area were disappeared as the result of the human impact on C. conglomeratus community in the most disturbed sites. Interspecific competition results from C . conglomeratus indicated that it is a competitor species led to exclusion of the other species from the highly disturbed sites which affected by the Industrial City in Jeddah. Therefore, resulting in a remarkable decrease in species diversity (Shannon’s index = 0.664) coinciding with maximum dominance of C. conglomeratus (Simpson’s index = 0.656). The general trend of plant species richness and diversity in moderately disturbed sites in the study area showed remarkable increase in both richness (S = 16 species) and diversity (Shannon’s index = 1.792), coinciding with minimum dominance (Simpson’s index = 0.253). The resulting graphs of species abundance distribution models representing the highly disturbed sites tend toward geometric series pattern of species abundances, where one ( C. conglomeratus ) species dominate the community with the remainder fairly uncommon, assuming competitive exclusion and resource exhaustion in such degraded and harsh ecosystems.
The status of FAO and codex alimentarius developments on vegetable proteins
The FAO is interested in increasing world protein supplies both by advising and assisting developing countries to increase their production of staple foods and by encouraging the development of technology to produce protein concentrates both from vegetable and animal sources to supplement diets which are low in protein content. Recent revisions of the amount of protein required in the diet in relation to total per capita energy requirements and the difficulties encountered in introducing novel foods into established dietary patterns has led FAO to concentrate on increased agricultural productions in developing countries as the primary means of combatting malnutrition. In the meantime, in North America and Europe, advances in the technology of processing vegetable proteins has given highly acceptable products simulating meats which are being used as meat extenders and meat analogues. The consequent increase in vegetable protein production has revealed a need for international, agreement on standardization, and it has been agreed that this will be undertaken by the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards’ Programme. The program operates chiefly through the Codex Alimentarius, Commission, an international governmental body, the purpose of which is to protect consumers against health hazard in food and against fraud. The Commission, which has 116 member governments, controls an intensive program of work covering the composition, labeling, additives, contaminants, pesticide residues, hygiene, sampling and analysis aspects of foods and has established a procedure which allows member governments ample opportunity to reach agreement on food standards and to accept them for incorporation into national legislation. The Codex Commission, at its 12th session, decided to establish a Committee on Vegetable Proteins with the following terms of references: “to elaborate definitions and world-wide standards for vegetable protein products deriving from soybeams, cottonseed, groundnuts, cereals and from other vegetable sources as they come into use for human consumption, and to elaborate guidelines on utilization of such vegetable protein products in the food supply system, on nutritional requirements and safety on labeling and on other aspects as may seem appropriate.” The question of which country will host the Committee is still under discussion.