The Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri is a university established on March 29, 1968. It became operational in October 1969. Thirty-three kilometers to the south is Ahmednagar city and fifty kilometers to the north is Shirdi. Newasa, land of saint Dnyaneshwar is 33 km from Rahuri. Ahmednagar is a historical city and was the capital of the Nizam rulers. It is famous for co-operative sugar and dairy industries. The annual average maximum and minimum temperature range between 30 and 40 °C and 10 to 20 °C. respectively.
The study investigated the impact of adding ultrasound-assisted Agaricus bisporus (J. E. Lange) lmbach dried powder (5%-15%) to biscuits and evaluated their antioxidant activity, antimicrobial behaviour, nutritional value, physicochemical traits, and sensory quality during 60 days of storage. The nutritional composition of A. bisporus dried powder-supplemented biscuits ABB(5)-ABB(15) (i.e., 5-15% supplementation level), elucidated a significant increase (p < .05) in crude protein, ash, and fibre from 7.3 to 9, 0.9 to 1.4, and 1 to 2.1, respectively. The textural attributes showed increase in oil- and water-holding capacity, and reduction in hardness for ABB(5)-ABB(15), i.e., 2-4.3, 2.5-4.8 g/g, and 7.6-6.4, respectively. Moreover, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, total phenolic content, total flavonoids content, and ferric reducing antioxidant power assay results showed a significant increase (p < .05) for ABB(5)-ABB(15), i.e., 32-45%, 2.8-5.8 mg Gallic Acid Equivalents (GAE)/g, 0.9-1.4 mg Quercetin Equivalent (QE)/g, and 1-1.6 mu mol TE/g, at storage days of 0-60, respectively. The L*, b*, h(0), and C* values reported a significant decline, i.e., 59.5-45.2, 27.5-21.3, 76.1-71, and 28.3-22.5, for B-0-ABB(15) (i.e., 0%-15% supplementation level), at 0-60 days. The total plate counts, mould, and yeast counts demonstrated a significant reduction (p < .05) for ABB(5)-ABB(15) from 3.3 to 2.7, 1.7 to 1.3 Log(10) CFU/g, as compared to the control, i.e., 3.7, and 2.5 Log(10) Colony-Forming Unit (CFU)/g over 60th days of storage, respectively. The sensory panel rated sample ABB(15) with best organoleptic properties for taste, colour, texture, aroma, and overall acceptability. Principal component analysis indicated positive correlations among antioxidant attributes and negative associations with the microbial load. Overall, incorporating 15% ultrasound-assisted A. bisporus powder yielded the greatest nutritional, functional, and sensory benefits in biscuits, supporting its broader application in food formulations.
Suspended sediment concentration (SSC) and turbidity are two essential measurements used to evaluate water quality, as they reflect their impact on aquatic ecosystems. The conventional method requires manual intervention and is unable to promptly sense any environmental changes due to urban development, surface run-off, erosion, or climatic effects. Herein, an optical sensor is developed using light-dependent resistors (LDRs), which are non-linear devices used to measure light attenuation through turbidity in the liquid medium. It aims to create affordable sensors that can be expanded to monitor SSC levels using specific measurement techniques that require specialized equipment for precise calibration across different turbidity levels. LDRs were tested for resistance response at different path lengths (50-500 cm), SSC levels (0-7500 mg/L), and laser light wavelengths (532 and 650 nm). The study conducted baseline tests in air and water to measure light attenuation by assessing LDR performance at the center, top, and bottom locations. Four calibration models were developed and evaluated for their accuracy based on metrics such as R2, RMSE, NRMSE, MAE, and the agreement index. Of these four models, the BiDoseResp model was found to be the best fitting, with R2 and RMSE values of 0.98 and 150.05 mg/L, respectively. The system measures LDR data through its controlled calibration process. The testing of ionic compounds and matrices through dose-response curves establishes the verification of sensor performance. The study develops real-time SSC monitoring systems that enable sustainable water management and environmental protection in aquatic ecosystems.
Background: Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan L.) is the fifth most significant grain legume globally and ranks second in importance in India, following chickpea. Pigeonpea is an ideal base crop for intercropping with various cereal and pulse crops to enhance system productivity and soil health. This study aims to assess the performance of different pigeonpea based intercropping systems by computing PEY and various intercropping indices. Methods: The field experiment was conducted on organically certified field at Organic Farming Research and Training Centre (OFRTC), MPKV, Rahuri, Ahilyanagar, (M.S.) during two consecutive kharif season of 2021-22 and 2022-23 to study the performance of different crops in pigeonpea based intercropping system in RBD design with 13 treatments replicated thricely. Intercropping indices of different systems were evaluated by using standard formulae. Result: The pooled data over two years of research revealed that among the various intercropping systems, Pigeonpea + Soybean (1:5) intercropping system was identified as the most effective system and was found significantly highest in respect to pigeonpea equivalent yield. It was at par with Pigeonpea + Greengram (1:5). Similarly, Pigeonpea + Soybean (1:5) intercropping system recorded higher values of different intercropping indices viz., land equivalent ratio, area time equivalent ratio, relative crowding coefficient, system productivity, production efficiency, price equivalent ratio, relative value total when compared to Sole Pigeonpea and other intercropping systems. However, Pigeonpea + Greengram (1:5) intercropping system was found comparable with Pigeonpea + Soybean (1:5) in terms of these intercropping indices on two years mean basis.
Selenium is an essential trace element with a dual role in plant physiology; it acts either as a pro-oxidant or as an antioxidant depending on its concentration and chemical form. A plant assimilates Se present in the soil, which constitutes the main determining factor for its availability due to the presence of different forms (e.g. selenite, selenate, organic Se). Efficient uptake facilitates the assimilation of Se mostly through sulfate transporter genes. Once inside the plant, selenium undergoes complex speciation, transforming into organic compounds like selenomethionine and selenocysteine, which are then distributed throughout the plant tissues. As an antioxidant, selenium plays a crucial role in enhancing plant stress tolerance. Being part of selenoenzymes, e.g. glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and thioredoxin reductase (TrxR), selenium can neutralize reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced inside the cells, protecting them from oxidative deterioration. Selenium treatment enhances the enzyme activities of antioxidation and the accumulation of non-enzymatic antioxidants in plants, thus improving resistance to abiotic stress such as drought, salinity, and heavy metal toxicity. Reaching a higher level, selenium opposes its antioxidant activity and turns into pro-oxidants. Selenium toxicity in plants is characterized by a redox imbalance, causing excessive production of certain types of ROS and their related oxidative stress. This pro-oxidant activity further compounds cellular damage since it may disrupt the metabolism of essential metals. To apply selenium safely, it is important to know precisely at what concentrations it ceases to have beneficial effects on health. Despite these challenges, selenium biofortification may be a good method to improve the nutritional quality of crops and to uplift human health. Selenium-enriched crops are one of the key food sources of this vital trace element necessary for antioxidant defense and immune function in humans. Future research should focus on optimizing selenium biofortification protocols to maximize the antioxidant properties of selenium while minimizing the risk of pro-oxidant effects so as to promote sustainable agriculture and human nutrition.
Acid lime is known for its tart flavor and is commonly used for culinary uses. Market glut during its peak production and high demand in its off season has been a key issue in the post-harvest handling and management of acid lime. Processing this fruit into a powder form for its several food uses can be solution to avoid distress sale by farmer, making a ready to use product available to the consumers. Spray drying has been a novel technique for powder production from liquid foods without affecting its nutritional properties. Experiments were carried out for production of spray dried powder from acid lime juice using Maltodextrin as additive. The parameters viz., temperature of inlet air (140-160 degrees C), concentration of maltodextrin (14-18%) and feeding rate (62.5-112.5 mL/h) were optimized with Response Surface Method. The optimized levels of temperature of inlet air, concentration of maltodextrin concentration and feeding rate were, 147.63 degrees C, 16.27% and 90.94 mL/h, respectively for desirable recovery and quality of powder. The powder prepared at optimized conditions resulted maximum recovery (18.77%), water solubility index (94.788%), vitamin C (365.937 mg/100g) and total phenols content (183.695 mg/100g). Acid lime powder produced at optimized conditions showed mixture of heterogeneous particles (150 to 6000 nm). The scanning electron microscopy analysis presented variable shape particles with smooth surface as result of encapsulation.
