Two species of desert truffles, Tirmania and Terfezia were collected from the Northern desert region in Saudi Arabia for antimicrobial and antioxidant activity testing. Both species were extracted with four types of extraction solutions, methanol, ethanol, ethyl acetate and water to test for antimicrobial activity and with three extraction solutions, methanol, ethanol and water for antioxidant activity. Using disc diffusion method, the extracts were subjected to twenty three different microorganisms to observe the antimicrobial activity by measuring clear zones. Methanol extract from Tirmania was the most effective, followed by those extracted with ethanol, water and ethyl acetate respectively. In Terfezia, ethanol extract was better than methanol extract in effectiveness. Ethyl acetate extracts were the least effective. The results indicate that truffles possess antimicrobial activity with broad spectrum effects against Gram positive, Gram negative, aerobic and anaerobic bacteria as well as Saccharomyces, while no effect was recorded with fungi. The results on antioxidant activity showed that truffles have very strong antioxidant property with 99.9% with ethanol extracts of Tirmania species and 95.5% with ethanol extract of Terfezia species using beta-carotene bleaching method and antioxidant property with 96.1% with ethanol extracts of Tirmania species and 95.3% with methanol extract of Terfezia species using DPPH free radical method.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.99316 |
| Date | January 2006 |
| Creators | Ali, Saleh A. |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Science (Department of Food Science and Agricultural Chemistry.) |
| Rights | © Saleh A. Ali, 2006 |
| Relation | alephsysno: 002571311, proquestno: AAIMR28461, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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