Search Results (5)

A new pH-sensitive film was developed using Artemisia sphaerocephala Krasch. gum (ASKG), soybean protein isolate (SPI), and natural anthocyanin extracted from Lycium ruthenicum Murr. The film was prepared by adsorbing anthocyanins dissolved in an acidified alcohol solution on a solid matrix. ASKG and SPI were used as the solid matrix for the immobilization of the Lycium ruthenicum Murr. anthocyanin extract, which was absorbed into the film as a natural dye using the facile-dip method. Regarding the mechanical properties of the pH-sensitive film, the tensile strength (TS) values increased approximately 2–5-fold, but the elongation at break (EB) values decreased significantly by about 60% to 95%. With the increase in anthocyanin concentration, the oxygen permeability (OP) values first decreased by about 85%, and then increased by about 364%. The water vapor permeability (WVP) values increased by about 63%, and then decreased by about 20%. Colorimetric analysis of the films revealed variations in color at different pH values (pH 2.0–10.0). Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra and XRD patterns indicated compatibility among ASKG, SPI, and anthocyanin extracts. In addition, an application test was conducted to establish a correlation between film color change and carp meat spoilage. At storage temperatures of 25 °C and 4 °C, when the meat was totally spoiled, the TVB-N values reached 99.80 ± 2.53 mg/100 g and 58.75 ± 1.49 mg/100 g, and the film’s color changed from red to light brown and from red to yellowish green, respectively. Therefore, this pH-sensitive film could be used as an indicator to monitor the freshness of meat during storage. Full article

Soil desertification is a serious problem in arid northwestern China that threatens ecological sustainability. Artemisia sphaerocephala, a dominant shrub species, play an important role in the conservation of water and the restoration of soil in the desert ecosystem. However, the poor establishment of A. sphaerocephala often limits plant revegetation, and the optimal population density for sustainable growth is largely unknown. Here, we determined key soil properties and plant growth characteristics associated with different population densities of A. sphaerocephala (including from 1.1, 2.1, 3.1, 3.9 to 5.3 plants per m²) in the resource-limited Alashan desert of northwestern China. The results showed that plant population density was the primary factor determining the revegetation of A. sphaerocephala, followed by soil water availability. Soil N, P and K content, and soil fractal dimensions also contributed to the vegetation and productivity. Soil nutrients were mostly accumulated in the topsoil layers, coincidental with the root distribution pattern in which 57% to 82% of total roots were distributed in the top 20 cm soil layer. The concentrations of soil nutrients in higher population densities (3.9 to 5.3 plants per m²) were greater than those in lower population densities (1.1 to 2.1 plants per m²), suggesting that A. sphaerocephala may have the ability to promote nutrient cycling in the desert ecosystem. We conclude that the optimal population density for the best growth of revegetated A. sphaerocephala was 3 plants per m². Full article

Artemisia sphaerocephala seeds are rich in polysaccharides and linoleic acid (C18:2), which have been widely used as traditional medicine and to improve food quality. The accumulation patterns and molecular regulatory mechanisms of polysaccharides during A. sphaerocephala seed development have been studied. However, the related research on seed oil and C18:2 remain unclear. For this study, A. sphaerocephala seeds at seven different development stages at 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, and 70 days after flowering (designated as S1~S7), respectively, were employed as experimental samples, the accumulation patterns of oil and fatty acids (FA) and the underlying molecular regulatory mechanisms were analyzed. The results revealed that oil content increased from 10.1% to 20.0% in the early stages of seed development (S1~S2), and up to 32.0% in mature seeds, of which C18:2 accounted for 80.6% of the total FA. FA and triacylglycerol biosynthesis-related genes jointly involved in the rapid accumulation of oil in S1~S2. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis showed that transcription factors FUS3 and bHLH played a critical role in the seed oil biosynthesis. The perfect harmonization of the high expression of FAD2 with the extremely low expression of FAD3 regulated the accumulation of C18:2. This study uncovered the gene involved in oil biosynthesis and molecular regulatory mechanisms of high C18:2 accumulation in A. sphaerocephala seeds; thus, advancing research into unsaturated fatty acid metabolism in plants while generating valuable genetic resources for optimal C18:2 breeding. Full article

A low-water-sensitive Artemisia sphaerocephala Krasch. gum (ASKG) based intelligent film was developed. Red cabbage extracts (RCE) was selected as a natural pH-sensitive indicator, and anionic cellulose nanofiber (ACNF) was added as a hydrophobic and locking host. The zeta potential, rheology, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometry, and release results indicated that the RCE was locked by the ACNF via electrostatic interactions, moreover, broke the original complicated network and ordered arrangement of polymer molecules in the developed intelligent films. RCE addition decreased the tensile strength, oxygen, and water vapor barrier properties and light transmission of the developed intelligent films, while increasing the elongation at break. The films could respond to buffer solutions and NH₃ through different color changes. The developed intelligent film was hydrophobic, which could precisely detect the freshwater shrimp freshness in real time via color changes, which indicated that the films have potential in intelligent packaging and gas-sensing label fields. Full article

This research examines traffic-source trace elements accumulations and distributions in roadside soils and wild grasses in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. A total of 100 soil samples and 100 grass samples including Achnatherum splendens, Anaphalis nepalensis, Artemisia sphaerocephala, Carex moorcroftii, Iris lacteal, Kobresia myosuroides, Oreosolen wattii, Oxytropis ochrocephala and Stellera chamaejasme were collected at 100 sites from different road segments. The contents of metals and metalloids, including Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, Cr, Co, Ni and As, in the soil and grass samples were analyzed using ICP-MS. The total mean concentrations of the eight trace elements in soils are Cu (22.84 mg/kg), Zn (100.56 mg/kg), Cd (0.28 mg/kg), Pb (28.75 mg/kg), Cr (36.82 mg/kg), Co (10.24 mg/kg), Ni (32.44 mg/kg) and As (21.43 mg/kg), while in grasses are Cu (9.85 mg/kg), Zn (31.47 mg/kg), Cd (0.05 mg/kg), Pb (2.06 mg/kg), Cr (14.16 mg/kg), Co (0.55 mg/kg), Ni (4.03 mg/kg) and As (1.33 mg/kg). The metal and metalloid concentrations in the nine grass species were all below the critical values of hyperaccumulators. The mean values and Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) results indicate that: (1) the concentrations of the trace elements in the soils are higher than those in the grasses, (2) the concentrations of Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb in the soils decrease as the roadside distance increases, (3) the concentrations of trace elements in the grasses are the highest at 10 m from the road edge, (4) the higher the traffic volume, the higher the concentrations of the trace elements in the roadside soils and grasses, and (5) when the land cover is meadow, the lower the sand content in the soil, the lower the trace element concentrations. With a trace element's bioavailability represented by its transfer factor (TF) from the soil to the grass, the TFs of the eight trace elements are not in the same orders for different grass species. Full article