Zafar Iqbal

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Agricultural University, Peshawar | AUP · Department of Agricultural Chemistry

Bolinea lutea F23523 is an ascomycetes fungus and known producer of potential antifungal metabolites, the strobilurins. To facilitate genetic engineering studies for production of new analogues of strobilurins, the gene cluster isolation and sequence analysis are essential prerequisites. Degenerate primers-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is c...

Background The conjugation of gold nanoparticles with biocides such as natural products, oligosaccharides, DNA, proteins has attracted great attention of scientists recently. Gold NPs covered with biologically important molecules showed significant enhancement in biological activity in comparison with the activity of the free biocides. However, the...

Transcription of the 74kb Pseudomonas fluorescens mupirocin [pseudomonic acid (PA)] biosynthesis cluster depends on quorum sensing-dependent regulation via the LuxI/LuxR homologues MupI/MupR. To facilitate analysis of novel PAs from pathway mutants, we investigated factors that affect mup gene expression. First, the signal produced by MupI was iden...

Problem Background Penicillin was the first and most famous fungal secondary metabolite used as broad spectrum antibiotic that revolutionarised pharmaceutical research and also saved millions of lives. The over optimistic belief in 1967 that sufficient antibiotics had been discovered to defeat infectious diseases was quickly crashed with the appear...

The studies of metal oxides in environmental remediation of chemical and biological pollutants are gaining colossal importance. Herein, we report the facile synthesis of multifunctional copper oxide nanosheets (CuO NS) using an aqueous extract of Rhazya stricta. The phytochemical investigation of R. stricta indicated the presence of saponins, tanni...

The studies of metal oxides in environmental remediation of chemical and biological pollutants are gaining huge importance. Herein, we report the facile synthesis of multi-functional copper oxide nanosheets (CuO NS) using an aqueous extract of Rhazya stricta. The phytochemical investigation of R. stricta indicated the presence of saponins, tannins,...

Using a dual culture antagonism assay, Aspergillus niger exhibited 51.5 ± 1.1% growth inhibition against Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici, the wilt pathogen of tomato. For enhanced production of antifungal metabolites, nutrient optimization was performed and in vitro well-diffusion antifungal assays demonstrated that crude extract obtained from...

A high concentration of fluoride in water can cause various problems for animals and plants. The aim of this research was to utilize nanotechnology for the treatment of fluoride-contaminated water. For this purpose silver nanoparticles (AgNP (Xs)) were synthesised using an aqueous extract of Xanthium stumariumas as both a reducing and a stabilizing...

Introduction: Eating disorders have frequently been reported among young adults including university students. Detailed information on the prevalence and associated gender-specific determinants of eating disorders are lacking, particularly among students in the north western region of Pakistan. The current cross-sectional study was designed to fil...

In the present study, thirty commonly consumed Pakistani dishes were prepared using standard recipes and analyzed for their proximate composition. Meal planning exchange lists were then developed for those dishes. Significant variations in macronutrient content were observed among the dishes. The fat content varied from 5.2% in chicken biryani to 2...

The present study was aimed to carry out quality assessment of different commercial apple juices available in the market of Peshawar city. Physiochemical characteristics like moisture, total soluble solids (Brix°), pH, acidity (%), Vit-C (%), total dissolved solids (ppt), reducing sugars (%), nonreducing sugars (%) and SO2 residue concentration (g/...

The samples of six (06) bottled mineral water were collected from the local market of Peshawar in 2016. These samples were assessed for their mineral contents, alkalinity, heavy metals, conductivity, pH, Total Dissolved Salts, total hardness, Ca hardness , Mg hardness, Ca ions, Mg ions and HCO3 ions to confirm their quality assurance and suitabil-i...

In order to ascertain the effectiveness of nutrient rich diet and dietary counseling on the health status of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients, this experimental study was conducted at the Institute of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Peshawar. A sample of 30 leukemia patients were divided into experimental and control groups based on...

Radish (Raphanus sativus L.) seed oil extract was analyzed for the presence of potential non-volatile phytochemicals and in vitro antibacterial activity against two phytopathogenic bacterial species (Clavibacter sp. and Xanthomonas sp.) and a human pathogenic bacterium (Escherichia coli) in 2016. Experiment was carried out by using complete randomi...

Fusarium wilt of tomato is a devastating fungal disease with several infectious strategies leading to the complete death of plant. None of the strategies in controlling the wilt have shown fruitful results. Dual culture assay was employed is this study to identify the fungal species with their potent antifungal activity against the Fusarium wilt of...

Introduction: it has previously been shown that parasitic infections (PI) have deleterious effects on the nutritional status of the host, particularly among young children. Objective: the objective of this study was to estimate the severity of the problem of malnutrition and anemia in association with PI in preschool children and to identify the p...

Strobilurins from fungi are the inspiration for the creation of the β-methoxyacrylate class of agricultural fungicides. However, molecular details of the biosynthesis of strobilurins have remained cryptic. Here we report the sequence of genomes of two fungi that produce strobilurins and show that each contains a biosynthetic gene cluster, which enc...

This study aimed to investigate the effect of olive and palm oils blends on the sensory attributes of potato (Solanium tuberosum L.) cultivar Carola chips during three successive frying sessions. Olive and palm oils were blended in the ratios of 10:90, 20:80, 40:60 and 60:40% and the blends as well as the sole oils were used for frying of potato ch...

The strobilurins are important antifungal metabolites isolated from a number of basidiomycetes and have been valuable leads for the development of commercially important fungicides. Isotopic labelling studies with early and advanced intermediates confirm for the first time that they are produced via a linear tetraketide, primed with the rare benzoa...

Trichoderma harzianum was cultured on potato dextrose broth media at 20°C in an incubator and mycelial cells were extracted with ethyl acetate to obtain the organic extract for in-vitro bio-activities including antifungal, insecticidal and phytotoxicity. Different strains of fungal pathogens including Aspergillus flavus, Rhizopus stolonifer and Pyt...

p class="Abstract">Boerhavia procumbens is a medicinal herb used in the treatment of various ailments including asthma, cough and jaundice. The concentration of calcium (280.7 ± 0.0 mg/100 g, 102.3 ± 0.0 mg/100 g), potassium (240.4 ± 0.0 mg/100 g, 92.1 ± 0.0 mg/100 g), aspartic acid (30.9 ± 0.0 g/100 g, 26.1 ± 0.0 g/100 g), glutamicacid (25.2 ± 0.0...

Peach fruit is enriched with natural antioxidants but oxidation caused by biotic and abiotic stresses, reduce these antioxidants and consequently effect the quality and yield of the fruit. Therefore, an experiment was conducted to investigate the role of ascorbic acid to sustain the natural antioxidant activity, improve the fruit quality and yield...

| Boerhavia procumbens is a Pakistani medicinal herb, used in the treatment of various ailments, including asthma, cough and jaundice. The aim of the study was to determine and compare the proximate, mineral, amino acid compositions of the aerial parts and roots of B. procumbens. The result of carbohydrate (75.56±0.046%) of aerial parts was found h...

In the quest for bioactive natural products of fungal origin, Aspergillus flavus was isolated from rhizosphere of Mentha piperita using Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) and Czapec Yeast Broth (CYB) nutrient media for metabolites production. In total, three different metabolites were purified using HPLC/LCMS and the structures were established using 500 V...

| The present study was carried out with the aim to assist screening of various fungal species for antimicrobial natural products. During this study five different fungi, including Alternaria alternata, Acremonium sp., Alternaria brassicicola, Pythium sp. and Aspergillus flavus were screened against Wilt causing pathogens using the dual culture ass...

The present study was aimed to carry out quality assessment of different commercial apple juices available in the market of Peshawar city. Physiochemical characteristics like moisture, total soluble solids (Brix°), pH, acidity (%), Vit-C (%), total dissolved solids (ppt), reducing sugars (%), non-reducing sugars (%) and SO2 residue concentration (g...

Dietary patterns vary greatly by race, ethnicity and region. Assessment of the dietary patterns of specific population groups improves our understanding of the complex relationship between diet and risk of chronic diseases. This cross-sectional study was conducted to identify major dietary patterns among minority women and to assess socioeconomic,...

Introduction: An increasing number of evidence has demonstrated that poor antenatal psychological health can lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes. Studies conducted in various countries demonstrated a wide range of factors associated with psychological distress during pregnancy. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between September 2011...

This study examined the relationship of psychological distress with dietary intake of food groups, energy, macronutrients and micronutrients among pregnant women from Peshawar, Pakistan. A total of 230 pregnant women who attended antenatal care between September 2011 and December 2012, were enrolled. Psychological symptoms were assessed using Depre...

http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/tjpr.v13i1.13 Abstract Purpose: To evaluate the antimicrobial, cytotoxic and phytotoxic activities of the organic extract of Rhizopus stolonifer whole cell static culture in order to determine the presence of potentially bioactive compounds in the culture. Methods: The organic extract was obtained by extracting the whole c...

Irradiation an alternative to antibiotics is an interesting area of poultry feed research and has been recognized as a reliable and safe method for preservation. Present study was conducted to investigate the influence of gamma irradiation (5kGy) and storage at ambient conditions on proximate analysis of antibiotic free broiler feed packed in diffe...

A simple, specific, precise and rapid RP-HPLC-UV method was developed for simultaneous determination of lumefantrine and its metabolite desbutyl lumefantrine in human plasma. Experimental parameters were optimized and the method was validated according to standard guidelines. The method showed adequate separation for lumefantrine and desbutyl lumef...

The aim of this study was to identify potential socio-demographic and dietary determinants of overweight and obesity in men to provide basis for effective prevention strategies. A stratified random sample of 897 men (aged >30 years and free from any chronic / congenital diseases) were selected for the study from Mardan city located in the North Wes...

In this study, the effect of different concentrations of L-phenylalanine (0, 0.10, 0.25, 0.50, 1 and 2 mM) was used as a precursor to enhance antifungal natural product strobilurin A, which was investigated in the fungus Strobilurus tenacellus. The putative precursor was added to the fungal shake flask culture and the concentration of strobilurin A...

Bolinea lutea F23523 is an ascomycetes fungus and known producer of potential antifungal metabolites, the strobilurins. To facilitate genetic engineering studies for production of new analogues of strobilurins, the gene cluster isolation and sequence analysis are essential prerequisites. Degenerate primers-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is c...

The experiment was conducted at Hazara Agricultural Research Station, Abbottabad, Pakistan during the year 2004-05. The most popular variety of potato "Desiree" was analyzed to find out the effect of different doses of NPK on its proximate composition. The results showed that NPK fertilizers had significant effect on nutrient composition of potato....

Four different types of pulses viz. chickpea (Cicer areitinum L.), lentil (Lens culinaris L.), mungbean (Vigna radiata L.) and mashbean (Phaseolus aureus L.) were analyzed both in raw and cooked forms for proximate composition and mineral elements (Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu, Zn and Mn) in order to study the retention of each nutrient. In all four pulse...

To study the influence of rhizobium inoculation on growth and yield of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) cultivars, an experiment was conducted at Kurram Agency, Pakistan during 2007. The rhizobium inoculation significantly enhanced the growth and yield parameters of groundnut cultivars. However, the maximum plant height (88.43 cm), number of shoots (19...

The experiment was conducted at Hazara Agricultural Research Station, Abbottabad, Pakistan during the year 2004-05. The most popular variety of potato " Desiree " was analyzed to find out the effect of different doses of NPK on its proximate composition. The results showed that NPK fertilizers had significant effect on nutrient composition of potat...

Vegetables included in daily schedule of diet viz. Sweet Pepper, Cauliflower, Carrot, Cabbage, Lettuce, Spinach, Tomato, Potato, Reddish, and Bottle Gourd were analyzed for their proximate composition, vitamin and mineral contents to evaluate their importance in human nutrition. The results showed that almost all vegetables contain appreciable amou...

Vegetables included in daily schedule of diet viz. Sweet Pepper, Cauliflower, Carrot, Cabbage, Lettuce, Spinach, Tomato, Potato, Reddish, and Bottle Gourd were analyzed for their proximate composition, vitamin and mineral contents to evaluate their importance in human nutrition. The results showed that almost all vegetables contain appreciable amou...

In order to study the response of okra cultivars to different sowing times, an experiment was conducted at Horticultural Research Farm, Department of Agriculture ,Skardu (Northern Areas) during summer 2005. Five-cultivars of Okra i.e. Mala v-27, Sabz Pari, Super Green, Pusa Sawani and Punjab Selection were sown in three different sowing dates with...

Irradiation an alternative to antibiotics is an interesting area of poultry feed research and has been recognized as a reliable and safe method for preservation. Present study was conducted to investigate the influence of gamma irradiation (5kGy) and storage at ambient conditions on proximate analysis of antibiotic free broiler feed packed in diffe...