INVESTIGATION OF ANOMALOUS BEHAVIOUR OF SOLUTIONS OF VARIOUS MALLOW EXTRACTS

Authors: MYERS, DWIGHT - EAST CENTRAL UNIVERSITY; MILLER, MATTHEW - EAST CENTRAL UNIVERSITY; BILES, CHARLES - EAST CENTRAL UNIVERSITY; Russo, Vincent; Webber Iii, Charles

Submitted to: Oklahoma Academy of Science Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/11/1996
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: A previous study of fresh and weathered kenaf (Hibiscus cannibinus) extracts revealed anomalous behavior during measurement of osmolality. Some of the solutions proved difficult to supercool, indicating the presence of ice nucleation activity (INA). Further experimentation revealed that this effect also occurs with extracts from okra (H. esculentum), but not with (Gossypium hirsutum). Certain species of the bacterium Pseudomonas also exhibit INA, as do some antarctic plants. SDS-PAGE experiments revealed differences in banding for okra and kenaf compared to cotton. Further experimentation is in progress to isolate the proteins unique to okra and kenaf and determine whether they exhibit INA.