In this review, we wish to show that in the recent years a
significant progress was done in the EC analysis of practically
all proteins, based on electroactivity of amino acid (aa)
residues in proteins. Also electrochemistry of polysaccharides,
oligosaccharides and glycoproteins greatly advanced in creating
important steps for its larger application in the glycoprotein
research. In recent decades, a great effort was devoted to the
discovery and application of biomarkers for analysis of
different diseases, including cancer. In the following
paragraphs, special attention will be paid (i) to intrinsic
electroactivity of peptides and proteins, including the
sensitivity to changes in protein 3D structures, as well as to
recent advances in EC investigations of DNA-protein
interactions, (ii) to intrinsic electroactivity of glycans and
polysaccharides, advances in EC detection of
lectin-glycoprotein interactions and to introduction of
electroactive labels to polysaccharides and glycans and finally
(iii) to EC detection of protein biomarkers, based
predominantly on application of antibodies in immunoassays,
nucleic acid and peptide aptamers for construction of
aptasensors, and lectin biosensors for detection of
glycoprotein biomarkers.

Electrochemistry of Nonconjugated Proteins and Glycoproteins. Toward Sensors for Biomedicine and Glycomics

Castor (Ricinus communis L.) is one of the oldest cultivated crops, but currently it represents only 0.15% of the vegetable oil produced in the world. Castor oil is of continuing importance to the global specialty chemical industry because it is the only commercial source of a hydroxylated fatty acid. Castor also has tremendous future potential as an industrial oilseed crop because of its high seed oil con- tent (more than 480 g kg -1 ), unique fatty acid composition (900 g kg -1 of ricinoleic acid), potentially high oil yields (1250-2500 L ha -1 ), and ability to be grown under drought and saline conditions. Th e scientifi c literature on castor has been generated by a relatively small global community of researchers over the past century. Much of this work was published in dozens of languages in journals that are not easily accessible to the scientifi c community. Th is review was conducted to provide a compilation of the most relevant historic research information and defi ne the tremendous future potential of castor. Th e article was prepared by a group of 22 scientists from 16 institutions and eight countries. Topics discussed in this review include: (i) germplasm, genetics, breeding, biotic stresses, genome sequencing, and biotechnology; (ii) agronomic production practices, diseases, and abiotic stresses; (iii) management and reduction of toxins for the use of castor meal as both an animal feed and an organic fertilizer; (iv) future industrial uses of castor including renew- able fuels; (v) world production, consumption, and prices; and (vi) potential and challenges for increased castor production.

A Review on the Challenges for Increased Production of Castor

Castor oil, produced from castor beans, has long been considered to be of important commercial value primarily for the manufacturing of soaps, lubricants, and coatings, among others. Global castor oil production is concentrated primarily in a small geographic region of Gujarat in Western India. This region is favorable due to its labor-intensive cultivation method and subtropical climate conditions. Entrepreneurs and castor processors in the United States and South America also cultivate castor beans but are faced with the challenge of achieving high castor oil production efficiency, as well as obtaining the desired oil quality. In this manuscript, we provide a detailed analysis of novel processing methods involved in castor oil production. We discuss novel processing methods by explaining specific processing parameters involved in castor oil production.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.4137/LPI.S40233

Castor Oil: Properties, Uses, and Optimization of Processing Parameters in Commercial Production

Castor oil is increasingly becoming an important bio-based raw material for industrial applications. The oil is non-edible and can be extracted from castor seeds from the castor plant belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae. The oil is a mixture of saturated and unsaturated fatty acid esters linked to a glycerol. The presence of hydroxyl group, a double bond, carboxylic group and a long chain hydrocarbon in ricinoleic acid (a major component of the oil), offer several possibilities of transforming it into variety of materials. The oil is thus a potential alternative to petroleum-based starting chemicals for the production of materials with variety of properties. Despite this huge potential, very little has recently been reviewed on the use of castor oil as a bio-resource in the production of functional materials. This review therefore highlights the potential of castor oil in the production of these diverse materials with their projected global market potential. The review gives the background information of castor oil and its geographical availability, the properties and its uses as bio-based resource for synthesis of various materials. The review further highlights on the use of castor oil or ricinoleic acid as a green capping agent in the synthesis of nanomaterials.

/pdf/castor-oil-as-a-potential-renewable-resource-for-the-1wab42est2.pdf

Castor oil as a potential renewable resource for the production of functional materials

Challenges and opportunities for new industrial oilseed crops in EU-27: A review

Genetic variability and character association in castor (Ricinus communis L.).

An experiment was conducted during rabi, 1998 to assess whether there will be any yield reduction, if the crop duration is is shortened by growing the crop upto primaries/secondaries/tertiaries and whether this yield reduction can be compensated by manipulating the plant population, in castor (var. DCS-9). Different treatments tried were; keeping only primaties (P) with sppacing of 30 x 15, 30 x 30, 45 x 30, 60 x 30cm, primary and secondary (P+S) branches with spacing of 45 x 30, 60 x 30, 90 x 30 cm and all the branches i.e. control with spacing of 90 x 30 cm. Dry matter, seed yield per plant were significantly more in control, but seed yield m - 2 was on par with 30 x 15 cm with primary, 60 x 30 cm with P + S and control plants than all other treatments. Harvest index was significantly more (59.4%) with P + S treatment under 60 x 30 cm which shows that assimilate translocation especially from stem reserves increased with closer spacing. Therefore, spacing of 60x 30 cm with branches upto secondaries is more advantageous in castor than the normal spacing of 90 x 30 cm with all branches and long duration. The crop duration was reduced by 50 days under the spacing of 30 x 15 cm with primaries, but the yield was on par with control. It is concluded that plant types of short duration with single spike should be developed in castor to fit into different cropping systems.

Yield variation due to nipping of branches in combination with population manipulations in castor (Ricinus communis L.)

Field investigation was carried out during 2005–07 to determine yield loss to different levels of defoliation at different growth stages in ‘DCS 9’castor (Ricinus communis L.) Treatments consisted of 4 defoliation levels (25, 50, 75, and 100%) at primary, secondary and tertiary spike initiation stages along with control. Per cent defoliation affected was not exactly at the prescribed levels, but nearer to them. Number of leaves removed at 25% defoliation ranged from 3 to 6, at 50% from 5 to 11 at 75% from 7 to 17 and from 10 to 25 at 100% at different stages of defoliation. The actual defoliation was 23–32% for 25% defoliation, 50–55% for 50%, 58–71% for 75% defoliation at different stages of defoliation. With increase in per cent defoliation, there was significant reduction in seed yield. The reduction in seed yield ranged from 10 to 20%, 20 to 23%, 24 to 36% and 26 to 55% with 25, 50, 75 and 100% defoliation, respectively. On an average, defoliation at primary stage showed 21% yield reduction and at secondary stage showed 33% yield reduction. Tertiary stage defoliation showed 26% yield reduction. Defoliation at secondary spike initiation stage was found to be the most sensitive stage which reduced total seed yield. The practical information generated during the study could be utilized in designing the pest management strategies in castor.

Effect of defoliation on seed yield of castor (Ricinus communis).

An experiment was conducted to idendify germplasm lines for drought tolerance among one hundred extra early and early maturing lines sown during late rabi. Drought was imposed at 25 DAS and released at 85 DAS. After relieving stress, secondary and teriary branches production increased in stressed plants. Germplasm lines that maintained growth in terms of plant height, branches production and stem girth as that of control plants even under stress were RG 17, RG 18, RG 22, RG 25, RG 43, RG 52, RG 68, RG 72, and RG 90. The lines that showed less than 30% yield reduction due to stress and with low drought susceptibility index were RG 72 (11%), RG 17 (22%) and RG 52 (27%).

P. Lakshmamma

Papers

A Review on the Challenges for Increased Production of Castor

Genetic variability and character association in castor (Ricinus communis L.).

Yield variation due to nipping of branches in combination with population manipulations in castor (Ricinus communis L.)

Effect of defoliation on seed yield of castor (Ricinus communis).

Screening of castor germplasm accessions for drought tolerance