Background: Honey is naturally occurring highly viscous liquid, rich in nutrients, antioxidants and having antibacterial properties etc. Adulteration in honey diminishes its nutritional and therapeutic potential and creates economic and public health implications. Scope and approach: In this review, we discuss the use of electrochemical sensors (ES) as a modern analytical tool for detecting honey adulterants including direct adulteration such as addition of sugar syrups, artificial additives, and indirect adulteration such as feeding honey bees with sugars. Compared to other methods, electrochemical sensors are simple to use, portable, cost-effective, and provide real time quantification. Key findings and conclusions: This work emphasizes several strategies for sensor development including amperometric, voltametric, impedimetric, and potentiometric sensors. It also describes new opportunities for novel electrode development using nanomaterials, polymers, enzyme & antibody modification, surface functionalization techniques and molecularly imprinted polymers. It provides examples of smart electrochemical platforms with artificial intelligence (AI), internet of things (IoT) and deep learning for possible on-field and accurate honey authenticity screening. Highlighting the current challenges, emerging directions, and a roadmap for potential future investigations with the goal of establishing reliable, scalable electrochemical solutions for monitoring honey quality.
Betel leaves have deep roots in India's cultural heritage and have long been known for their use in traditional diets as a masticatory agent. These leaves contain beneficial compounds like antimicrobials, antioxidants, and anticancer properties. This study aims to investigate how betel leaf essential oil (BLEO) can act as a preservative for orange, grape, watermelon, and sugarcane juices. To make sure BLEO doesn't affect the taste, a sensory study was done using fuzzy logic analysis to determine the right concentration. Physicochemical and microbial properties in control and BLEO-treated juices were evaluated at weeks 0 and 2. Results showed that the addition of BLEO in fruit juices yielded a significant reduction in microbial populations, in total plate count and yeast and mold count. The decrease in free radical scavenging activity observed in BLEO-treated juices was comparatively less pronounced than in the control. GC–MS analysis has identified the bioactive compounds present in BLEO, revealing high concentrations of bioactive compounds. The observation of the study demonstrates the remarkable potential of BLEO to serve as a natural preservative in a diverse range of fruit juices.
New knowledge on novel informatic techniques such as metagenomics, scalable computing platforms, and annotated reference databases of microbial genomes has greatly accelerated the profitable use of food microbial genetic resources. The enormous diversity of microbiota facilitates cohabitation and leads to a variety of relationships in food through symbiotic, pathogenic, antagonistic, and competitive associations. This chapter summarizes recent food microbiome studies exploiting the links between food and its associated microbial cluster through conventional and high-throughput sequencing techniques. Special emphasis is placed on the workhorses of traditional fermented foods (microbes such as bacteria and yeast) that stabilize the lipids, sugar, and proteins that are fragile in milk, meat, and fruits. Unraveling the molecular interactions in the food-microbe matrix will be the key challenge in the future industrial adaption of foodborne microbes. Though this omics science is potentially exciting, linking the food microbiome and human gut functions will ensure the safety, authenticity, and traceability of food commodities.
The plants and trees are either utilized partially or wholly as a source of food and for its medicinal value. A wide variety of plants, trees and its parts are used from an ancient time due to its pharmaceutical and health-beneficial properties. In this perspective, the palmyra tree has its own cultural, nutritional and medicinal value of its own. The different parts of palmyra tree like roots, stem, flower, fruit, sprout, spadix, seed embryo are potent anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-diabetic, anti-diuretic activity due to the presence of various bioactive compounds. This review article mainly focused on the nutritional and pharmacological properties, as well as the health benefits of the palmyra tree (Borassus flabellifer). Different parts of the palmyra tree exhibit unique medicinal value. This review outlines the pharmacological and health benefits of palmyra tree (Borassus flabellifer) especially in treating stomach and lung disorders, skin inflammations and other associated ailments. This review also highlights the possible inhibitory action of different parts of palmyra against harmful microbes and other disease-causing agents.
Proteins are widely consumed for their nutritional benefits, and they possess many applications such as emulsifiers, foaming agents, fat replacers, and thickeners which aid in obtaining the desired rheology and texture of food products. Moreover, the formation of protein–carbohydrate complex can further enhance the functional properties. Hence, the present study investigated the effect of ultrasonic cavitation in the formation of soy protein-rice starch complexes. Ultrasound treatment at 60
Present work evaluated the extraction yield and quality of protein from defatted sesame meal (DSM) using ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), low-temperature microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), and moderate electric field-assisted extraction (MEFAE). It was observed that the application of emerging technologies as pre-treatments significantly increased protein yield from 26.4% (without pre-treatments) to 38.9% (with UAE 450 W–20 min), 36.05% for MAE (with 500 W–20 min) and 32.75% for MEFAE (with 100 V–30 min) and improved the functional properties of Sesame protein isolate (SPI). FTIR revealed Amide I to III bands in SPI, with characteristic changes in protein secondary structure. The treated sample showed higher thermal stability evident from the denaturation temperature increase from 203.41 to 221.40 °C. The protein's microstructure in this study was transformed using various extraction techniques into a compact structure with a wrinkled surface. MAE-SPI showed maximum Invitro protein digestibility as 94.44%. The molecular weight profile revealed that the SPI samples' protein bands had molecular weights between 6.5 and 200 kDa. SDS-PAGE results revealed a change in the intensity of protein bands, and all of the main allergen protein bands were degraded.
Background: Palms are being around human habitation for more than five thousand years. These trees are distributed globally between 25 degrees N and 25 degrees S of the equator and utilized for many household purposes. Every single inch of the tree is utilized without being wasted that serves as the foundation of the arcadian economy and hence known as the "trees of life". Scope and approach: This review addresses the types of palm trees on which the sap collection is practiced and methods used to collect the sap are also elucidated. Additionally, the value added products made from the sap, processing techniques and the economics involved in sustenance of marginal farmers and the health benefits of consuming the sugary sap are also covered in this review. Key findings and conclusion: The data available on palm sap utility are region specific and scattered in the vast ocean of literature. A more in-depth understanding of the chemical constituents, microflora and economics would help to identify suitable preservation method of the palm sap. The sap harvested from the palm trees is rich in sugars, essential amino acids and vitamins, that being so it is consumed as an energy drink by the rural and sub-urban population. In urban area the major hurdles to promote this industry at a larger scale is the general notion of considering the sap as an alcoholic drink, the limitations in marketability due to lack of preservation techniques and lack of awareness among people.
The present study evaluated antibiotic resistance (ABR) in bacteria isolated from different food wastes viz., meat slaughterhouses, dairy and restaurants. About 120 strains isolated from the food waste were subjected to ABR screening. More than 50
The Palmyra tree has its own cultural, nutritional, and medicinal values from ancient times. Every part of the tree is useful either in its native form or a modified form, though the seeds is generally neglected by people as a waste and are not utilized. The current study is conducted with the germinated seed embryo of Asian Palmyra palm (Borassus flabellifer) termed as Palmyra haustorium (PH). The nutritional, phytochemical, and nutraceutical aspects were evaluated to explore the pharmacological significance of three different samples prepared from Palmyra haustorium (PH) i.e., Palmyra haustorium powder (PHP), Palmyra haustorium milk (PHM) and Palmyra haustorium milk extracted cake powder (PHMCP). The PHP is found to be superior in all nutritional aspects compared to other samples analyzed in the study. Proximate analysis of PH samples has shown that it is rich in carbohydrates, protein, and fiber but negligible in fat while PHMCP is a greater source of fiber content. Mineral analysis has shown that PHP is rich in Potassium and Phosphorus, moderate in Calcium and Sodium levels, whereas PHMCP is rich in Iron. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GCMS) analysis showed the presence of different phenolic compounds like Gallic acid and chlorogenic acid in all PH samples; similarly various phytochemicals such as Clindamycin, Sucrose, Hexadecanoic acid, Myristic acid were present in these samples. Functional groups present in samples were identified as aldehydes, primary amines, alkanes were carried out by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The results depict that the germinated seed embryo of Palmyra palm is rich in macro and micronutrients that act as nutraceuticals in enhancing the human health and well-being. Also these products may help in mitigating the effects of malnutrition, prevalent among the vulnerable population and PHM can be an alternate nutrient for individuals susceptible to digest lactose.
The pulp of the banana fruit is rich in bioactive compounds like dietary fibers, low glycemic carbohydrates, natural sugars, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. These beneficial compounds are responsible for the proper functioning of immune system and enhance prevention against various deadly diseases like cancer, diabetes and heart diseases. Despite having, positive effects, the fruit are recognized as an important source for causing allergy to 0.6% of people in general population and up to 67 and 46% for people with asthma or atopic dermatitis. Fruit allergy is one of the most common food allergies witnessed worldwide. Banana fruit allergy results from the abnormal immune response to the banana proteins soon after its consumption. Symptoms range from oral allergy syndrome (OAS) to the life-threatening anaphylaxis. IgE reactivity of banana is associated with different proteins of which six proteins have been identified as major allergens, viz., Mus a1 (Profilin-actin binding protein), Mus a 2 (Class 1 chitinase), Mus a 3 (Nonspecific lipid transfer protein), Mus a 4 (Thaumatin like protein), Mus a 5 (Beta 1,3 glucanase) and Mus a 6 (Ascorbate peroxidase). This review focuses on pathogenesis, clinical features, diagnosis, and different food processing methods to mitigate the allergenicity of banana fruit.
The present study aimed to prepare a highly efficient power ultrasound modified novel biosorbent using seaweed (UAS). Response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural network (ANN) were applied for modeling and optimizing the removal of methylene blue (MB), a cationic dye from the aqueous solution. The optimal adsorption efficiency of the biosorbent was achieved at the ultrasonic amplitude of 100%, treatment time of 7 min, and the solid–liquid ratio of 70 mL. The application of ultrasound on the raw seaweed increased the surface area by 27.33%, which was then analyzed for its adsorptive capacity on MB dye. Langmuir isotherm model described the best adsorption behavior and showed a maximum adsorption capacity of 1095.29 mg/g which was 63.47% higher compared to the tomato waste-based activated carbon for MB dye. Furthermore, adsorbent doses, pH, temperature, and dye concentration affect the adsorption capacity of UAS. The optimum values of pH and adsorbent doses were observed as 6.3 g/L and 2 g/L, respectively. The maximum desorption efficiency (DE) was observed for ethanol (95%), whereas it was least (58%) for sodium chloride (NaCl). The result shows the potential use of prepared power ultrasound-assisted seaweed biosorbent for removal of cationic dye (MB) as well as an efficient green technology for ecological and environmental sustainability. Prediction of increased adsorption capacity of prepared biosorbent was successfully done by artificial neural networks with a coefficient of correlation of 0.9991.
Protein-carbohydrate interactions occur naturally in glycoproteins which are highly stable in nature and are involved in various food complexes and can enhance the quality and functional properties of foods. In the current study, we characterized the protein-carbohydrate complex formed between commercial soy protein isolate and rice starch using different treatments namely heat treatment alone, ultrasound treatment alone, combination of ultrasound and heat treatment and mixing alone. The structural data obtained using circular dichroism indicated that during the complex formation, the α-helix values were reduced by a maximum of 67% compared to soy protein isolate alone. The crystalline nature of the complexes formed by ultrasound treatment preserved the techno-functional properties as compared to complexes formed by heat treatments. The FTIR analysis of the complexes formed indicated the formation of glycosidic bond. Molecular docking analysis revealed the interaction between the complexes occurred due to hydrogen bonds which make the proteins more stable in nature thus enhancing their denaturation temperature. Glutamine, Proline and Arginine present in the D subunit of 7S 3AUP interacts with the starch molecule. The obtained results suggest that sonication combined with heat treatment led to higher interaction between the soy proteins isolate and rice starch.
The thermal and functional properties of the levan produced by Bacillus subtilis from coconut inflorescence sap and its application as an icing sugar replacer were studied. Differential scanning calorimetry results revealed that levan is thermally stable even at above 300 degrees C. It is observed to have strong foaming, emulsifying, water and oil holding capacity. Interestingly, levan exhibited anti-inflammatory and non-hemolytic activities. DPPH and FRAP assay revealed the strong antioxidant activity of levan. In vitro studies revealed antimicrobial activity of levan at 100 and 200 mu g/mL concentrations. The sensory study revealed that levan is sweeter than icing sugar and cake cream made with 25% icing sugar and 75% levan got the highest overall acceptability. The potential of levan produced from sucrose-rich substrates sugar cane molasses, and pineapple extract were explored individually and in combination with coconut inflorescence sap.
Fluoride (Fˉ) is a non-biodegradable pollutant that is relatively persistent in nature and poses serious threats even at low contamination levels. The drastic increase in urbanization, industrialization, and population resulted in alarming Fˉ ion pollution and intensive search for effective and inexpensive measures to combat its consequences. This study aims to identify Fˉ resistant bacteria out of 80 strains isolated from fruit and dairy wastes and their tolerance across a range of sodium fluoride concentrations (10 mM to 500 mM) through plate diffusion and tube dilution methods. This study was also navigated to investigate the exopolysaccharides (EPS) production capacity of strains identified for a high degree of Fˉ resistance. The fed-batch fermentation method was employed to bio-convert the food waste through supplementation of additional nitrogen sources. The yield of microbial EPS ranges from 1 10 mg/ 250 mL, and the FT-IR analysis confirmed their presence. This paper describes the potential of food waste as a valuable resource for producing biologically important polymers with commercial applications and mitigation of wastewater metals.
The objective of the study is to evaluate the potential usage of fresh coconut inflorescence sap (FCIS) as a fermentation medium for levan production using Bacillus subtilis. The fermentation conditions such as temperature, pH and agitation speed were optimized using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). The levan yield was enhanced by optimizing the downstream process by altering the pH (5-12) with different solvents (Ethanol, Methanol and Isopropanol) at different ratios. The yield was enhanced further by fed batch fermentation process by feeding with sucrose alone or sucrose and yeast extract. The maximum levan yield was observed as 51.84 g/L at the optimized conditions (Temperature - 35 degrees C, pH 6.5, and Agitation speed - 150 rpm) using Response Surface Methodology. Whereas, in fed-batch fermentation process the levan yield was increased to 62.1 g/L. The maximum levan was obtained at pH 10 with ethanol at 1:5 ratio. The obtained levan was characterised and confirmed by TLC, FTIR, NMR and GPC analysis. To best of our knowledge, this is the first study conducted to produce levan from FCIS and results showed that FCIS can be a natural low-cost substrate for levan production.
RESEARCH BACKGROUND:The presence of insect fragments is one of the major constrains in stored food commodities and it causes considerable loss in the quality of the produce. The management of the pest is viewed as a huge challenge in foodprocessingindustry. Conventionally, the detection of Tribolium castenaum in the food processing industry is carried out by acid hydrolysis and staining methods that are time consuming and lack precision.EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH:Considering the importance of a quick and effective method, a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)-based approach was developed and elucidated in this study. The mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (mtCOI) gene was identified as a target due to its abundance in the pest. Specific primers were designed against the target gene by Primer Premier software and amplified in a qPCR.RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS:This method is capable of detecting all the ontogenic stages of T. castaneum in stored wheat flour. Earlier experiments had demonstrated that about 20 µg of DNA can be obtained from 2.2 mg of insects. To quantify the infestation levels, the cycle threshold (Ct) values obtained from known samples were subjected to regression analysis and expressed as adult equivalents. In the unknown samples, the infestation was calculated as 1.74 and 0.046 adult insects in 5 g of wheat flour. The maximum permissible limit of insect fragments in flour is 75 insect fragments or approx. 3 adults per 50 g of flour as per the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Hence, by adopting this new method, it is possible for the warehouse operators to arrive at a decision to proceed with efficient management practices where wheat flour is stored. Also, this method can be ratified by government agencies associated with international business to ascertain whether the wheat flour meets the standards set by the respective country before subjecting to foreign trade.NOVELTY AND SCIENTIFIC CONTRIBUTION:This study is the first of its kind in the detection and quantification of T. castaneum in milled products. So far, only conventional methods have been employed to assess the presence of the pests and manual counting of fragments are practiced to quantify the infestation levels. The developed qPCR method is faster, reliable and can be employed in milling industries, bakery industries, food processing plants and foreign trade units for critical detection and quantification of T. castaneum pest infestation.
Diabetic non healing wounds often result in significant morbidity and mortality. The number of effective targets to detect these wounds are meagre. Slow lymphangiogenesis is one of the complex processes involved in impaired healing of wounds. Long non coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been importantly recognized for their role in pathological conditions. Multiple studies highlighting the role of lncRNAs in the regulation of several biological processes and complex diseases. Herein, we investigated the role of lncRNA Metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) in the progression of diabetic foot ulcer (DFU). We report a significant reduction in the expression of lncRNA MALAT1 in the infected DFU subjects which was positively correlated with the expression of angiogenic factors such as Nrf2, HIF-1α and VEGF. Further, expression of pro-inflammatory markers TNF-α and IL-6 were found to be increased while, the expression of anti-inflammatory marker IL-10 was decreased in infected DFU tissues. Involvement of lncRNA MALAT1 in angiogenesis in EA.hy926 cells was demonstrated by silencing the expression of Nrf2, HIF-1α, and VEGF through interference mediated by MALAT1. In addition, its inflammatory role was demonstrated by decreased expression of TNF-α, IL-6 and not affecting the expression of IL-10. Further, CRISPR-Cas9 knock out of Nrf2 decreased the expression of lncRNA MALAT1, HIF-1α and VEGF which revealed the association of Nrf2 in regulating MALAT1/HIF-1α loop through positive feedback mechanism. Collectively, our results suggested the role of Nrf2 on MALAT1/HIF-1α loop in the regulation of angiogenesis, which could act as a novel target in the treatment of diabetic wounds.
Potassium bromate, is an oxidizing agent and one of the best and cheapest dough improvers in the baking industry. Due to its positive effects it plays a major role in the bread-making industry. Potassium bromate has significant effect on food biomolecules, such as starch and protein, as it affects the extent of gelatinization, viscosity, swelling characteristics as well as gluten proteins; it removes the sulfhydryl group and leads to the formation of disulfide linkages and thus improves the bread properties. However, there are many reports elucidating its negative impact on human health. It is deemed as a potential human carcinogen by IARC and classified under class 2B. Due to this, countries across world have either partially or completely banned it. Numerous techniques have evolved to determine the concentration of potassium bromate in bread. This review explains in detail, the effects of potassium bromate on biomolecules, human health, environment and various methods of analysis.