[Latin Name] Glycine max(L.) Mere

[Specification] 90%; 95%

[Appearance] White powder

[Melting point] 134-142℃

[Particle size] 80Mesh

[Loss on drying] ≤2.0%

[Heavy Metal] ≤10PPM

[Storage] Store in cool & dry area, keep away from the direct light and heat.

[Shelf life] 24 Months

[Package] Packed in paper-drums and two plastic-bags inside.

[Net weight] 25kgs/drum

[What is Phytosterol?]

Phytosterols are compounds found in plants that resemble cholesterol. The National Institutes of Heath report that there are over 200 different phytosterols, and the highest concentrations of phytosterols are found naturally in vegetable oils, beans and nuts. Their benefits are so recognized that foods are being fortified with phytosterols. At the supermarket, you may see orange juice or margarine advertising phytosterol contents. After reviewing the health benefits, you may want to add phytosterol-rich foods to your diet.

[Benefits]

Cholesterol-Lowering Benefits

The most well-known, and scientifically proven, benefit of phytosterols is their ability to help lower cholesterol. A phytosterol is a plant compound that is similar to cholesterol. A study in the 2002 issue of “Annual Review of Nutrition” explains that phytosterols actually compete for absorption with cholesterol in the digestive tract. While they prevent the absorption of regular dietary cholesterol, they themselves are not easily absorbed, which leads to a total lower cholesterol level. The cholesterol-lowering benefit does not end with a good number on your blood work report. Having lower cholesterol leads to other benefits, such as a reduced risk for heart disease, stroke and heart attacks.

Cancer Protection Benefits

Phytosterols have also been found to help protect against the development of cancer. The July 2009 issue of the” European Journal of Clinical Nutrition” offers encouraging news in the fight against cancer. Researchers at the University of Manitoba in Canada report that there is evidence that phytosterols help prevent ovarian, breast, stomach and lung cancer. Phytosterols do this by preventing the production of cancer cells, stopping the growth and spread of cells that are already in existence and actually encouraging the death of cancer cells. Their high anti-oxidant levels are believed to be one way phytosterols help fight cancer. An anti-oxidant is a compound that fights free radical damage, which is negative effects on the body produced by cells that are unhealthy.

Skin Protection Benefits

A lesser known benefit of phytosterols involves skin care. One of the contributing factors in the aging of the skin is the breakdown and loss of collagen — the main component in connective skin tissue — and sun exposure is a major contributor to the problem. As the body ages, it is not able to produce collagen as it once did. The German medical journal “Der Hautarzt” reports a study in which various topical preparations were tested on skin for 10 days. The topical treatment that showed anti-aging benefits to the skin was the one that contained phytosterols and other natural fats. It is reported that phytosterols not only stopped the slow-down of collagen production that can be caused by the sun, it actually encouraged new collagen production.

หญ้าหวาน

This is Pandeeswari Jeeva’s application video for the Engage your Audience! 2017 contest, which she participated in during FEMS 2017.

Genetic engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for hyaluronic acid production

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is vital for normal growth and development of vertebrate which makes it as a commercially valuable polysaccharide in pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries. HA is synthesized by polymerization of two nucleotide sugars UDP-glucuronic acid and UDP-N-acetylglucosamine by the enzyme HA synthase (hasA). Two major genes required for the formation of HA monomers are hasB (UDP-glucose dehydrogenase) and hasD (glucosamine-phosphate acetyl transferase) respectively. Native Streptococcal species are being used for industrial scale production of HA, however, the presence of endotoxins and pathogenic factors renders it unsuitable for medical purposes. Hence, this demands for metabolic engineering of Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) microbes to produce HA. We have chosen Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a host for HA production due to its advantages such as lack of pathogenecity and hyaluronidase. In addition, it does not produce HA or any other polysaccharide that contains glucuronic acid due to absence of hasA and hasB. Thus, it makes S. cerevisiae a superior model system to elucidate HA biosynthesis. Jeong et.al., (2014) has demonstrated the expression of has genes from Xenopus laevis, though with low yield, in Pichia pastoris for HA production. In the current work, we have expressed X. laevis has genes in S. cerevisiae for producing medical-grade HA.