Characterization and quantification of health beneficial anthocyanins in leaf chicory (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cichorium intybus</Emphasis>) varieties

Plants belonging to the genus Cichorium are used as leafy vegetable. Varieties of Chichorium intybus, commonly known as leaf chicory, have also been used in folk medicine to treat liver disorders and inflammation. In the present study, we report bioactive anthocyanin content in C. intybus varieties Balou, Indigo, Manchini, Leonardo, and Erfano and functional food quality based on in vitro lipid peroxidation (LPO) and cyclooxygenase (COX-1 and -2) enzyme inhibitory activities. The chromatographic profiles of these varieties were similar and showed cyanidin-3-O-(6″-malonyl-β-glucopyranoside) (1) as the major anthocyanin (>95%) with the highest amount in Indigo (2.8 mg/g fresh weight). Chichorium intybus varieties were extracted with water and extracts were evaluated for LPO, COX-1 and -2 enzymes inhibitory activities at 250 μg/mL. Among the varieties evaluated, the water extracts of Indigo, Balou, Leonardo, Manchini, and Erfano inhibited LPO by 92, 87.2, 79.6, 54.5, and 65.1%, respectively. In the COX enzyme inhibitory assay, the extracts of Leonardo, Balou, Indigo, Mancini, and Erfano inhibited COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes by 19.7, 26.4, 41.3, 15.6, 18.2% and 68.3, 76.5, 84.9, 43.7, 55.4%, respectively. Bioassay-guided isolation of anthocyanin 1 from C. intybus var. Indigo was achieved by using in vitro LPO and COX enzyme inhibitory assays.     

Non-nutritive functional agents in rattan-shoots, a food consumed by native people in the Philippines

The tender shoots of Calamus ornatus, one of the food items consumed by the native people, Kanawan Aytas, in the Bataan region of the Philippines, have not been studied before. A bioassay-guided investigation of its methanolic extract afforded non-nutritive functional agents (NFAs), steroidal saponins 1–3, along with its aglycone (4). The NFAs 1–4 inhibited cyclooxygenase enzymes, COX-1 and -2, by 47%, 43%, 33%, and 53% and 71%, 75%, 78%, and 73%, respectively, at 28.2, 24.2, 21.2 and 60.4 μM. Treatment of breast (MCF-7), CNS (SF-268), lung (NCI-H460), colon (HCT-116) and gastric (AGS) cancer cell lines with the extract at 100 μg/ml reduced cell proliferation. Similarly, the pure NFAs 2 and 3 reduced the cell viability of breast, CNS, lung, colon and gastric cancer cell lines by 37.5%, 22.4%, 53.3%, 58.2%, 40.3% and 29.8%, 21.3%, 45.6%, 37.1%, 25.0%, respectively, at 24.2 and 21.2 μM. The 50% reduction in cell viability (IC₅₀) concentrations of 2 and 3 against these cancer cell lines were 8.8, 6.1, 7.5, 23.8, 12.1 and 3.8, 7.1, 3.3, 14.3, 12.1 μM, respectively. This is the first report on the isolation of steroidal saponins from C. ornatus shoots and their antiinflammatory and tumor cell proliferation inhibitory activities. Therefore, our results suggest that the Kanawan Aytas may yield health benefits from rattan-shoots in their diet.     

Unusual sesquiterpene lactones with a new carbon skeleton and new acetylenes from Ajania przewalskii

Four new compounds, a noreudesmanolide (1), a guaianolide (4), and acetylenes (7–8), together with 16 other known compounds, were isolated from Ajania przewalskii. The novel sesquiterpenolide (1) possesses a rare carbon skeleton. Acetylation of 1 gave 1a. New compounds were elucidated as 1β-hydroxyl-2-noreudesm-4(15)-en-5α,6β,7α,11αH-12,6-olide (1), 1β-acetoxyoxyl-2-noreudesm-4(15)-en-5α,6β,7α,11αH-12,6-olide (1a), 8α-angeloyloxyl-3α,4α-dihydroxyguaia-1,9,11(13)-trien-6,12-olide (4), (E)-3β,4α-dihydroxyl-2-(2′,4′-hexadiynylidene)-1,6-dioxaspiro[4,5]decane (7) and 2-hydroxyl-2-[(E)-1α,2β,3-trihydroxyl-3-nonaene-5,7-diyne]-4H-pyran (8), by chemical and spectroscopic methods, including HRESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR. Cytotoxicity of nine compounds was assessed by their effects on selected cancer cell lines, K562, K562/ADM, BGC-823, and Hep-G2 cells. Phenolic acid 12 exhibited strong activity against K562 and K562/ADM cells and sesquiterpenolide 3 strong activity against K562/ADM cells. Radical-scavenging activities of 12 compounds, the mixed solvent extract (petrol ether–ether–methanol = 1:1:1), and the n-butanol extract were determined by ABTS and DPPH radical-scavenging assays. Phenols and coumarins (11–16), MSE, and n-BE displayed significant antioxidation (IC₅₀ < 20 μg/ml).     

Water-extractable phytochemicals from Phyllanthus niruri exhibit distinct in vitro antioxidant and in vivo hepatoprotective activity against paracetamol-induced liver damage in mice

The antioxidative and hepatoprotective potential of Phyllanthus niruri, a widely used medicinal plant in Brazil, were investigated. The aqueous extracts of leaves showed inhibition against thiobarbituric acid-reactive species (TBARS), induced by different pro-oxidants (10 μM FeSO₄ and 5 μM sodium nitroprusside) in rat liver, brain and kidney homogenates. The extracts also lowered the formation of TBARS in phospholipids extracted from egg yolk. The plant exhibited strong antioxidant activity in the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical (IC₅₀, 43.4 ± 1.45 μg/ml) and iron chelation assay. The hepatoprotective activity of the extracts were also demonstrated in vivo against paracetamol-induced liver damage, as evidenced by the decrease in serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT), and glutamate pyruvate transaminase (GPT), and increased catalase activity in the liver in treatment groups, compared to the control. The results of the present study suggest the potential use of P. niruri in the treatment of various diseases, among which liver disease is the most important, due to its ability to act as an antioxidant. Furthermore, since the treatment of human intoxications with paracetamol is always limited to the administration of N-acetyl-cysteine, additional studies would be important to determine whether aqueous extracts of P. niruri could increase the efficacy of N-acetyl-cysteine against paracetamol acute hepatotoxicity.     

Anti-inflammatory effects of Punica granatum Linne in vitro and in vivo

Inflammation can cause various physical dysfunctions. Punica granatum Linne (pomegranate), a high phenolic content fruit, is widely used as an antipyretic analgesic in Chinese culture. Pomegranate has shown potential nitric oxide (NO) inhibition in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. Moreover, pomegranate (100 mg/kg) significantly decreased carrageenan-induced mice paw edema for 1, 3, 4, and 5 h. Therefore, column chromatography combined with in vitro bioassay-guided fractionation was used to isolate the active anti-inflammatory components from the pomegranate. Punicalagin (1), punicalin (2), strictinin A (3), and granatin B (4) were obtained with yields of 0.093%, 0.015%, 0.003%, and 0.013%, respectively. All these hydrolysable tannins inhibited NO production and iNOS expression in RAW 264.7 cells. Among them, 4 showed the strongest iNOS and COX-2 inhibitory effects, and exhibited these effects in the inhibition of paw swelling and the PGE₂ level in carrageenan-induced mice. Taken together, we suggest that 4 could be used as a standard marker for the anti-inflammatory effect of pomegranate.     

Antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of phytochemicals from Quince (Cydonia vulgaris) peels

Fifty-nine secondary metabolites have been isolated from Cydonia vulgaris peels and characterised on the basis of their spectroscopic features. Among them, five metabolites, 3β-(18-hydroxylinoleoyl)-28-hydroxyurs-12-ene (12), 3β-linoleoylurs-12-en-28-oic acid (15), 3β-oleoyl-24-hydroxy-24-ethylcholesta-5,28(29)-diene (24), tiglic acid 1-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (35), and 6,9-dihydroxymegastigmasta-5,7-dien-3-one 9-O-β-d-gentiobioside (46), have been isolated and elucidated for the first time. All of the compounds were tested for their radical-scavenging and antioxidant activities by measuring their capacity to scavenge the 2,2′-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical, and anion superoxide radical and to induce the reduction of Mo(VI) to Mo(V). The antiproliferative activity of all the most abundant compounds by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) bioassay on murine B16-F1 melanoma cells has been also assessed.     

Compounds in functional food fenugreek spice exhibit anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities

The seeds of fenugreek plant (Trigonella foenum-graecum) are widely used in the preparation of seasonings, pickles, curry powders and dietary supplements. The fenugreek seeds are also used in traditional medicine to relieve the common cold, arthritic pain and high blood sugar. Therefore, we have investigated the functional food quality of fenugreek seeds by determining the lipid peroxidation (LPO) and cyclooxyganase enzyme (COX) inhibitory activities of their hexane, ethyl acetate, methanolic and water extracts using MTT, LPO, COX-1 and -2 enzyme inhibitory assays. The extracts inhibited LPO by 55-95%, COX-1 by 6-87% and COX-2 by 36-70%, respectively, at 250 μg/ml. Bioassay-guided purification of these extracts yielded triglycerides (1-3), fatty acids (4-5), saccharides (6-8) and flavonoid-C-glycosides (9-11). The isolates, excluding the saccharides, inhibited LPO and COX-1 and -2 enzymes between the ranges of 8-89%, 4-51% and 15-70%, respectively, at 25 μg/ml. This is the first report of compounds 1-8 from fenugreek seeds and the biological activities described herein.     

Modeling within the Bayesian framework, the inactivation of pectinesterase in gazpacho by pulsed electric fields

The inactivation of pectinesterase (PE) activity in gazpacho (a Spanish ready-to-use cold vegetable soup) under pulsed electric fields (PEFs) was studied. Samples were exposed to 4 μs monopolar or bipolar square-wave pulses at 5–35 kV cm⁻¹ electric field intensity for up to 1500 μs and 200 Hz (temperature below 40 °C). Inactivation of PE was greater when treatment time and electric field intensity increased, and bipolar pulses were more effective inactivating PE than monopolar ones. Estimation of parameters and quantities involved in the tested models were performed within the Bayesian framework. The kinetic evolution of the enzyme was explained using a 3-parameter biexponential model based on a mechanism involving two irreversible consecutive steps. Rate constant k₁ was not dependent on neither electric field intensity nor pulse polarity. Rate constant k₂ and ratio between the activities of intermediate forms and the native ones of the enzyme Λ were affected by those conditions.     

Identification and characterization of Dekkera bruxellensis, Candida pararugosa, and Pichia guilliermondii isolated from commercial red wines

Yeast isolates from commercial red wines were characterized with regards to tolerances to molecular SO₂, ethanol, and temperature as well as synthesis of 4-ethyl-phenol/4-ethyl-guaiacol in grape juice or wine. Based on rDNA sequencing, nine of the 11 isolates belonged to Dekkera bruxellensis (B1a, B1b, B2a, E1, F1a, F3, I1a, N2, and P2) while the other two were Candida pararugosa (Q2) and Pichia guilliermondii (Q3). Strains B1b, Q2, and Q3 were much more resistant to molecular SO₂ in comparison to the other strains of Dekkera. These strains were inoculated (10³–10⁴ cfu/ml) along with lower populations of Saccharomyces (<500 cfu/ml) into red grape juice and red wine incubated at two temperatures, 15 °C and 21 °C. Although Saccharomyces quickly dominated fermentations in grape juice, B1b and Q2 grew and eventually reached populations >10⁵ cfu/ml. In wine, Q3 never entered logarithmic growth and quickly died in contrast to Q2 which survived >40 days after inoculation. B1b grew well in wine incubated at 21 °C while slower growth was observed at 15 °C. Neither Q2 nor Q3 produced 4-ethyl-phenol or 4-ethyl-guaiacol, unlike B1b. However, lower concentrations of volatile phenols were present in wine incubated at 15 °C compared to 21 °C.     

Functional food components of Antigonon leptopus tea

The tubers and flowers of Antigonon leptopus, belonging to the family Polygonaceae, are consumed as food in several parts of the world. The aerial portion, including flowers, is used in the preparation of tea used as a cold remedy. This prompted us to investigate its functional food qualities and found that the methanol extract of the aerial parts of A. leptopus, inhibited lipid peroxidation (LPO) by 89% and cyclooxygenase enzymes, COX-1 and COX-2 by 50.4% and 72.5%, respectively, at 250 μg/ml. Purification of the methanolic extract yielded n-hentriacontane (1), ferulic acid (2), 4-hydroxycinnamic acid (3), quercetin-3-rhamnoside (4), and kaempherol-3-glucoside (5) along with β-sitosterol, β-sitosterol-glucoside and d-mannitol. Compounds 3, 4 and 5 inhibited LPO by 19.5%, 41.0%, and 60.5%, respectively, at 5 μg/ml. Similarly, compounds 3, 4 and 5 inhibited COX-1 enzyme by 64.7%, 16.9%, and 38.5% and COX-2 enzyme by 87.4%, 88.8%, and 90.2%, respectively, at 25 μg/ml. Compounds 3, 4 and 5 showed 50% inhibition (IC₅₀) at 17.4%, 68.9% and 36.3 μg/ml, against COX-1 and 8.57%, 7.86% and 6.78 μg/ml for COX-2, respectively. This is the first report of the isolation of compounds 2–5 from A. leptopus and their LPO and COX inhibitory activities.     

Pods of Khejri (Prosopis cineraria) consumed as a vegetable showed functional food properties

The arid plant Prosopis cineraria (Fabaceae) is known as Khejri in India or the golden tree of Indian deserts. The dried pods are consumed as a vegetable and leaves as traditional medicine to cure a wide range of diseases in the state of Rajasthan, India. The pods of this plant have not been investigated for their bioactive components, hence we have done so in this study. The dried pods were boiled with water to afford the aqueous extract. Extraction of the residue gave methanolic extract. The lipid peroxidation (LPO) and cyclooxygenase enzymes (COX-1 and -2) inhibitory activities of extracts and major compounds present in the bioactive extracts were then determined. Purification of bioactive extracts yielded compounds 1–7. The absorbance of 1–7 at 570 nm ranged between 0.15 and 0.45 at 50 μg/mL whereas vitamin C and tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) at 25 μg/mL gave an absorbance of 0.5 in the MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazole-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] assay. At 25 μg/mL concentration, compounds 1–7 inhibited LPO, COX-1 and -2 enzymes between the ranges of 15–87%, 21–67% and 16–59%, respectively. This is the first report of the chemical and biological activities of the edible part of this plant.     

Bioactivity of Ocimum gratissimum L. oil and two of its constituents against five insect pests attacking stored food products

The fumigant and repellent effects of Ocimum gratissimum L. oil and its constituents, β-(Z)-ocimene and eugenol, were evaluated against adults of Sitophilus oryzae (L.), Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), Oryzaephilus surinamensis (L.), Rhyzopertha dominica (F.) and Callosobruchus chinensis (L.). The fumigant toxicities of the oil and two of its constituents were assessed at four rates (0, 1, 5 and10 μL/L air) in space fumigation, whereas repellence of the oil and eugenol in acetone was evaluated in choice bioassays at five rates (0, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0 μL oil/2 g grain). Results showed that fumigant toxicity and repellence of the oil and its constituents were significantly (P<0.0001) influenced by concentration and time after treatment. At 1 μL/L air, the oil caused 98%, 99% and 100% mortality of R. dominica, O. surinamensis and C. chinensis, respectively, 24 h after treatment, whereas eugenol achieved 79%, 61% and 100% kill of the same insects. β-(Z)-ocimene produced a weaker toxicity with 8%, 11% and 59% mortality of R. dominica, O. surinamensis and C. chinensis, respectively. Except for T. castaneum which was more tolerant, LC₅₀ values for tested insects ranged from 0.20 to 14, 0.01 to 17 and 0.80 to 23 μL/L air 24 h after treatment for O. gratissimum oil, eugenol and β-(Z)-ocimene, respectively. All test insects had percentage repellence (PR) values which ranged from 37.5% to 100% and 45% to 100% for the oil and eugenol, respectively. However, C. chinensis showed a dose-dependent decrease in PR values in the eugenol bioassay with a corresponding dose-dependent mortality on treated grains. Ocimum gratissimum oil and its constituents are potential alternatives to synthetic fumigants in the treatment of durable agricultural products. Successful adoption of plant oils in the protection of food commodities promises an eco-friendly option compatible with international biosafety regulations.     

Compositions, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of Helichrysum (Asteraceae) species collected from Turkey

The methanolic extracts of 16 Helichrysum species were investigated for their in vitro antioxidant, radical scavenging and antimicrobial activities. All the extracts showed strong antioxidant and radical scavenging activity. The highest total antioxidant capacity as ascorbic acid equivalents (AAE) of 194.64 mg/g dry extract was obtained for Helichrysum noeanum in the phosphomolybdenum assay. The highest IC₅₀ value (7.95 μg/ml) was observed for the extract of Helichrysum stoechas subsp. barellieri in the DPPH assay. The total phenolic contents of the extracts ranged from 66.74 to 160.63 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g dry extract. The major component present in the extracts was identified as chlorogenic acid followed by apigenin-7-glucoside and apigenin by HPLC analysis. All the extracts showed significant antimicrobial activity against microorganisms containing 13 bacteria and two yeasts in the agar diffusion method.     

Understanding E. coli internalization in lettuce leaves for optimization of irradiation treatment

Irradiation penetrates food tissues and effectively reduces the number of food microorganisms in fresh produce, but the efficacy of the process against internalized bacteria is unknown. The objective of this study was to understand the mechanisms of pathogen colonization of plants relative to lettuce leaf structures so that radiation treatment of fresh leafy vegetables can be optimized. Leaves of iceberg, Boston, green leaf, and red leaf lettuces were cut into pieces, submerged in a cocktail mixture of two isolates of Escherichia coli (Rifampicin resistant), and subjected to a vacuum perfusion process to force the bacterial cells into the intercellular spaces in the leaves. Sixty bags containing 20 g of lettuce each were tested. The inoculated leaves were gamma irradiated (Lanthanum-140, 0.16 kGy/h) at 0.25–1.0-kGy (surface dose values), with increments of 0.25 kGy at 15 °C. Microbial analysis was performed right after irradiation, including non-irradiated leaf pieces (controls). A dose uniformity ratio (max/min dose) of 2.8 was set to confirm the effect of non-uniform dose distribution. Calculated D₁₀-values varied between 48 and 62% based on the dose distribution from the entrance dose. However, despite the subtle differences in composition and structure among the four lettuce varieties, the D₁₀-values were not significantly different. Irradiation up to 1.0-kGy resulted in 3–4-log reduction of internalized E. coli on the lettuce leaves. The SEM images suggest that the contamination sites of pathogens in leafy vegetables are mainly localized on crevices and into the stomata. This study shows that irradiation effectively reduces viable E. coli cells internalized in lettuce, and decontamination is not influenced by lettuce variety. Ionizing irradiation effectively reduced the population of internalized pathogen in a dose-dependent manner and could be used as an effective killing step to mitigate the risk of foodborne disease outbreaks.     

Bioactive dammarane-type triterpenoids derived from the acid hydrolysate of Gynostemma pentaphyllum saponins

From an acid hydrolysate of the crude saponins of Gynostemma pentaphyllum, three triterpenes, including a new compound (23S)-3β-hydroxydammar-20,24-dien-21-oic acid 21,23-lactone (1) and two known aglycons (20S, 23R)-3β,20β-dihydroxydamma-24-dien-21-oic acid 21,23-lactone (2) and (20S, 24S)-20,24-epoxydammarane-3β,12β,25-triol (3), were isolated. Their structures were established on the basis of extensive spectral evidence (HR-ESI-MS, IR, 1D and 2D-NMR experiments). In bioactive assays in vitro, compound 1 was found to have potent cytotoxicity against the human breast cancer cells MDA-MB-435, whereas compounds 2 and 3 exhibited modest inhibitory activity toward porcine pancreatic lipase. The results indicated that acid treatment of G. pentaphyllum extract could produce diverse structures with interesting bioactivity.     

Inhibitory effect of Antrodia camphorata constituents on the Helicobacter pylori-associated gastric inflammation

Helicobacter pylori infection plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of peptic ulcer, and gastric cancer. Among the 13 chemical constituents isolated from fruiting bodies of Antrodia camphorata, methyl antcinate B (4), antcins K (10) and A (12) displayed potential anti-H. pylori activity with inhibition zones of 13, 12 and 10 mm, respectively, at a concentration of 0.2 mM. The isolates 4 and 10 exhibited a dose response inhibition of H. pylori adhesion and invasion to AGS cells in a range of concentrations between 0.005 and 0.02 mM, while 12 has moderate effect at relatively higher concentration. Furthermore, at these concentrations (0.005–0.02 mM) the isolates 4 and 10 also inhibited the H. pylori-induced nuclear factor (NF)-кB activation, and the subsequent release of interleukin (IL)-8 in AGS cells. These results open the possibility of considering A. camphorata a chemopreventive agent for peptic ulcer or gastric cancer, but this bioactivity should be confirmed in vivo in the future.     

Optimisation of antioxidant activity of grape cane extracts using response surface methodology

Solid–liquid extraction and response surface methodology were used to optimise conditions for the antioxidant activity of grape cane extracts. The independent processing variables were ethanol concentration, temperature and solvent to solid ratio. Ethanol concentration and temperature significantly affected antioxidant activity measured by the Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) assay and the oxygen radical absorbance capacity using fluorescein (ORAC_FL) method (p  0.01), whereas the solvent to solid ratio did not significantly affect the activity (p > 0.05). Antioxidant activity of the extracts, determined by the TEAC assay, varied from 85.6 to 238.6 μmol Trolox equivalents/g of dry sample. ORAC_FL values ranged from 308.4 to 1302.7 μmol Trolox equivalents/g of dry sample. Ethanol concentrations of 40.4% and 55.4% were optimal for the highest antioxidant activities measured by the TEAC assay and the ORAC_FL method, respectively. The optimal temperature was 83.6 °C. Antioxidant activity correlates with total phenolic content of extracts.     

Phenolic contents and antioxidant activities of bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) leaf, stem and fruit fraction extracts in vitro

Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) has long been regarded as a food and medicinal plant. We investigated the antioxidant activity of the water extract of leaf, stem and fruit fractions by several in vitro systems of assay, namely DPPH radical-scavenging activity, hydroxyl radical-scavenging activity, β-carotene–linoleate bleaching assay, ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) assay and total antioxidant capacity. Total phenolic content was measured by Folin–Ciocalteu reagent. Identification of phenolic compounds was achieved using HPLC with the UV-diode array detection. The extracts of different fractions were found to have different levels of antioxidant activity in the systems tested. The leaf extract showed the highest value of antioxidant activity, based on DPPH radical-scavenging activity and ferric reducing power, while the green fruit extract showed the highest value of antioxidant activity, based on hydroxyl radical-scavenging activity, β-carotene–linoleate bleaching assay and total antioxidant capacity. The predominant phenolic compounds were gallic acid, followed by caffeic acid and catechin. The present study demonstrated that the water extract fractions of bitter gourd have different responses with different antioxidant methods. Total phenol content was shown to provide the highest association with FRAP assay in this present study (R² = 0.948).     

Biochemical and thermal characterization of crude exo-polygalacturonase produced by Aspergillus sojae

Crude exo-polygalacturonase enzyme (produced by Aspergillus sojae), significant for industrial processes, was characterized with respect to its biochemical and thermal properties. The optimum pH and temperature for maximum crude exo-polygalacturonase activity were pH 5 and 55 °C, respectively. It retained 60–70% of its activity over a broad pH range and 80% of its initial activity at 65 °C for 1 h. The thermal stability study indicated an inactivation energy of E_d = 152 kJ mol⁻¹. The half lives at 75 and 85 °C were estimated as 3.6 and 1.02 h, respectively. Thermodynamic parameters, ΔH^*, ΔS^* and ΔG^*, were determined as a function of temperature. The kinetic constants K_m and V_max, using polygalacturonic acid as substrate, were determined as 0.424 g l⁻¹ and 80 μmol min⁻¹, respectively. SDS-PAGE profiling revealed three major bands with molecular weights of 36, 53 and 68 kDa. This enzyme can be considered as a potential candidate in various applications of waste treatment, in food, paper and textile industries.