An-Najah Staff

Rhus coriaria L. (Sumac), belonging to the Anacardiaceae family, is an important and most used species of the genus Rhus in the Mediterranean region since antiquity. Sumac has long been used as a flavoring spice, drink, appetizer, and as acidulant in food recipes; in addition to its use in traditional medicine. The role of plant in leather and textile industry is also significant. R. coriaria is very rich in phenolics mainly, tannins and flavonoids, in addition to its abundance in organic acids. The leaves and fruits of R. coriaria are recognized to have defensive and beneficial effects on a wide set of diseases including, but not limited to, diabetes mellitus, cancer, stroke, oral-diseases, inflammation, diarrhea, and dysentery. On the other hand, Sumac extracts were found to possess a potential antiviral, antimicrobial, antifungal, antioxidant and hypolipidemic activities. This review updates the current phytochemical, biological and therapeutic knowledge so far exist on R. coriaria. It also aims at highlighting the importance of Sumac extracts as a promising and potential source of functional ingredients and nutriceuticals with desirable bioactivities, prompting the further use of Sumac in food preservation, pharmacology and functional food industries.

The effect of temperature (30°C, 37°C, uncontrolled) and initial pH adjustment at pH 7 in the anaerobic digestion process was investigated to enhance the production of organic acids from restaurant waste. The highest organic acid level obtained was 39.6 g/L on the fifth day of fermentation conducted at 30°C and initial pH 7. The acids produced corresponded to 39.4% of the yield based on the initial concentration of substrate. The main organic acids produced were lactic and acetic acids. Using organic acids from fermented restaurant waste, recombinant Escherichia coli pnDTM2 gave PHB concentration, PHB content and PHB productivity of 9.2 g/L, 44% w/w and 0.54 g/L/h, respectively, in a pH stat fed-batch culture.