NIPA

This study was aimed to improve the quality of nipa wine. Specifically, it was intended to determine what fruit juices that can be added to nipa wine that improve its quality; compare the sample treatments in terms of taste, color and aroma; and determine the cost of production of the different samples. The different treatments were: T0-Nipa wine (NW) control, T1 Nipa wine + Mulberry fruit extract T2 NW + Pineapple, and Treatment 3 NW + Calamansi. The samples were evaluated by 30 panel of judges in terms of taste, aroma and color. Data were analyzed using ranking and rank difference was further tested using the Friedman’s rank test. Results revealed that T1 was the most preferred sample in terms of taste and color while treatment 2 on aroma. The least preferred treatment was the control. Rank differences showed highly significant result in their taste, aroma and color. Hence, nipa wine can be further improve using fruit juice additives. Hence, the following recommendations are forwa...

To valorize the underutilized nipa sap composed mainly of sucrose, glucose and fructose, acetic acid fermentation by Moorella thermoacetica was explored. Given that M. thermoacetica cannot directly metabolize sucrose, we evaluated various catalysts for the hydrolysis of this material. Oxalic acid and invertase exhibited high levels of activity towards the hydrolysis of the sucrose in nipa sap to glucose and fructose. Although these two methods consumed similar levels of energy for the hydrolysis of sucrose, oxalic acid was found to be more cost-effective. Nipa saps hydrolyzed by these two catalysts were also fermented by M. thermoacetica. The results revealed that the two hydrolyzed sap mixtures gave 10.0 g/L of acetic acid from the 10.2 g/L of substrate sugars in nipa sap. Notably, the results showed that the oxalic acid catalyst was also fermented to acetic acid, which avoided the need to remove the catalyst from the product stream. Taken together, these results show that oxalic acid hydrolysis is superior to enzymatic hydrolysis for the pretreatment of nipa sap. The acetic acid yield achieved in this study corresponds to a conversion efficiency of 98%, which is about 3.6 times higher than that achieved using the traditional methods. The process developed in this study therefore has high potential as a green biorefinery process for the efficient conversion of sucrose-containing nipa sap to bio-derived acetic acid.

This study was aimed to improve the quality of nipa wine. Specifically, it was intended to determine what fruit juices that can be added to nipa wine that improve its quality; compare the sample treatments in terms of taste, color and aroma; and determine the cost of production of the different samples. The different treatments were: T0-Nipa wine (NW) control, T1 Nipa wine + Mulberry fruit extract T2 NW + Pineapple, and Treatment 3 NW + Calamansi. The samples were evaluated by 30 panel of judges in terms of taste, aroma and color. Data were analyzed using ranking and rank difference was further tested using the Friedman's rank test. Results revealed that T1 was the most preferred sample in terms of taste and color while treatment 2 on aroma. The least preferred treatment was the control. Rank differences showed highly significant result in their taste, aroma and color. Hence, nipa wine can be further improve using fruit juice additives. Hence, the following recommendations are forwarded: Mass Production of the improved nipa wine should be undertaken as part of the income generating activities of the college; Promotion of the improved nipa wine should be done especially in trade fairs; The alcohol, sugar content and other nutrients content should be done which is a needed in the development of product label; Design and development of packaging materials should be done for an added market value; Conduct other researches which focuses on other fruit additives should be done; Similar studies should be conducted especially to other wine of less economic value.

Earlier studies noted that patients who underwent cord blood (CB) transplantation had a lower incidence of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) than those who underwent bone marrow transplantation (BMT). The premise that the immune reactivity of CB mononuclear cells (CB-MNC) to HLA mismatched combinations and to noninherited maternal antigens (NIMA) may be one of the factors involved in this phenomenon is still debatable. In this study we have attempted to evaluate the alloresponse and alloreactivity induced by CB-MNC by means of the standard mixed lymphocyte reaction test (SMLR) and the more sensitive, modified mixed lymphocyte reaction test (MMLR). Both techniques were used to test CB-MNC (n ϭ 28) against HLA class II mismatched MNC from mothers (n ϭ 26), fathers (n ϭ 12), and unrelated individuals (n ϭ 60) who served as controls. Alloresponse capabilities and stimulation capacities of CB-MNC in the SMLR were similar to those of control MNC: relative response (RR) ϭ 73 vs. 65 and 58 vs. 65, respectively. Similar results were obtained in the MMLR. CB-MNC responded weakly to the maternal MNC in comparison with control MNC (RR ϭ 47 vs. 73 [p ϭ 0.0099]), while a stronger response was noted to the paternal than the maternal MNC (RR ϭ 72 vs. 47 [p ϭ 0.045]). Our results demonstrate that CB-MNC both respond to and induce alloresponse in HLA mismatched combinations. Moreover, the hyporesponse of CB-MNC to maternal cells that we observed suggests a form of tolerance to NIMA, which is probably due to the fetus's exposure to these antigens in its intrauterine life.

The origins of autoimmunity are not yet understood despite significant advances in immunology. The trafficking of maternal cells to the offspring represents the very first immunological event in foetal life and is reinforced during lactation. The persistence of maternal cells in offspring's tissues and circulation has been associated with several autoimmune disorders. However a direct causal effect has never been demonstrated. Maternal T cells specifically targeting foetal insulin producing cells have been shown to generate islet inflammation without directly participating in this process. Our objective was to evaluate if alloreactive maternal cells could directly trigger a graft-versus host like reaction or indirectly influence the development of the offspring's regulatory T cells favouring autoimmunity. We adopted a breeding strategy comparing genetically identical offspring from either strongly alloreactive transgenic mothers compared to immunodeficient mothers. We detected maternal alloreactive T cells in the offspring and early signs of inflammation in small intestine of 6 weeks old offspring. Interestingly, CD4 þ Foxp3 þ regulatory T cell frequency was diminished in mesenteric lymph nodes from eight months old offspring born of alloreactive mothers compared to offspring of immunodeficient mothers. Our study favours a hypothesis where highly alloreactive maternal cell microchimerism indirectly predisposes offspring to autoimmunity.