The Indian Himalayan Region includes six Indian states from Jammu and Kashmir to Uttarakhand in the Western Himalayas and Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and parts of west Bengal in the Eastern. Due to diverse agroclimatic conditions in these regions, various indigenous fermented foods are prepared. These traditionally prepared fermented foods have been consumed through ancient times. The fermented foods prepared in these regions enrich human diets through development of diverse flavours, aromas and textures in these foods. The fermentation carried out in these products enriches the food substrate with proteins, essential amino acids, essential fatty acids and vitamins. These products also serve as a source of income to the local people and its maximum consumption is considered to be good for health and acts as a remedy for various ailments. In different regions various substrates ranging from cereals, soyabeans, vegetables, meat, fish, bamboo shoots, milk etc are used for the development of traditional fermented foods. The people in these areas also have their traditional starter cultures for the fermentation of raw material. Hence, in the present review different fermented products along with their production technology and starter cultures have been discussed. Further, it would would also help the researchers for future refinement of the traditional technologies used by the people of these regions.

The objective of this study was to develop guava chips applying vacuum frying technique. Guava slices were vacuum fried at 85oC for 55 minutes, at 100oC for 50 minutes and 110oC for 40 minutes at 9 kPa pressure. The prepared chips were analyzed for quality attributes such as oil content, ascorbic acid content, total phenolic content, crude fibre, colour, texture, browning index. The guava chips fried at 85oC and 9 kPa pressure for 55 min demonstrated maximum acceptability to consumer panellists with 8.2 score on nine-point hedonic scale. The composition of vacuum fried guava chips showed 18.66% oil, 27.1% crude fibre, 5120 mg/100gm total phenolic content and 448.36mg /100gm ascorbic acid. The colour values L*, a* and b* were 79.62, 1.74 and 20.95, respectively. The resistance force required to break chips was 1051 gm and fracturability 32.75 mm. The vacuum frying can be better alternative to produce guava chips with high nutritional values and desired quality attributes.

The aim of this study was to to know the scenario of habit of consumption of fruits and vegetables amongst consumers and implement the concept of smoothie as an easy, nutritive and innovative form of their consumption. Smoothie is a liquid refreshing drink usually taken as health- conscious supplement for a healthy living. Smoothie contains either whole or different parts of fruit and vegetable. Fiber and juice are not separated from each other thus, increasing nutritive as well as digestive properties of the smoothie. Fruits and vegetables have low energy value but high nutritive physiological value. They are mainly constituted of starch and dietary fibers. They contain appreciable amount of micro-nutrients such as iron, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium and chromium. Fruits and vegetables are also rich in phytochemicals. These phytochemicals helps in reducing the possibilities of cancer. To increase the uptake of phytochemicals, food industries offer an alternate source of utilization of fresh fruits and vegetables as smoothie. To create distinct flavour and ease in consumption corresponding fruit juices or concentrates can also be used. The natural pigments and antioxidants present in fruits and vegetables also helps in glowing and smooth skin, also increasing better functioning and immunity of the body.

products is one of the oldest and economical methods for production and food preservation. In Northeastern region of India, fermented foods are made from local crops and biological resources. Nagaland is one of the states in North Eastern region of India inhabited by indigenous ‘Naga’ tribe comprising of 16 tribes having varied forms of rich cultural heritage and food habits. The traditional fermented foods and beverages an important constituents of staple diet of Naga tribes are reviewed here. It is more like an art of technology passed from generation to generation. The present paper documents the major fermented foods used by the different Naga tribes and the technique of preparation. Some of them are Axone/Akhone, Anishi, Bastanga, fermented pork fat, Hungrii, Jangpangnagtsu, Jang kap, Zutho, Tsutocie and fermented fruit beverages. The method of their preparation and physico-chemical characteristics are briefly reviewed. The future prospects are also discussed.

Fermented food provides plenty of vital nutrients and bioactive components that affect a number of functions of human body in a positive way. Fermented dairy and food products can be made more functional by incorporating probiotic bacteria such as strains belonging to genera Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. A few strains of such food grade bacteria are capable of synthesizing essential biomolecules such as vitamins, enzymes, exopolysaccharides, bacteriocins or bioactive peptides during the fermentation that aid into the functional and technological properties of the products. Present paper summarises the recent advances found in the field of biosynthesis of vitamins and enzymes. The outcomes of several studies are indicative of promising applications at commercial level

Indigenous or traditional fermented foods have been prepared and consumed world over including South Asia for hundreds of years and are strongly linked to cultures and traditions of millions of people around the world, especially in rural communities. A food is considered fermented when one or more of its constituents have been acted upon by selected microorganisms or their enzymes to produce a significantly altered final product desirable for human consumption. Most fermentations are caused by molds, yeasts, or bacteria, either singularly or in combination. The origins of most fermentation technologies have been lost in the mists of history. Some products and practices no doubt fell by the wayside; those that remain today have survived the test of time. Indigenous Fermented food products are important components of the diet as staples, adjuncts to staples, condiments, and beverages. There a need to protect our traditional technology and foods that are very valuable. In this review we have given a brief account on traditional/indigenous fermented foods (preparation methods, microbes involved, biochemical changes and preservation techniques) especially of Andhra Pradesh (AP), India.

The yield of conversion of absolute ethanol (A% by weight) from four varieties of cassava roots namely: NR 8082 – Type I, TMS 92/00057- Type II, NR 87184 – Type III and TMS 30572 – Type IV- were determined using two fungi (Aspergillus niger and Rhizopus oryzae) and synthetic diastase as sources of hydrolytic enzymes. Results showed that Type II cassava produced significantly (p<0.05) the highest ethanol percentage by weight (Alc 9.5% by wt) and a best yield of 46%. Sample A2 combination of enzyme treatment of Type II with Aspergillus niger, had significantly the highest (p<0.05) ethanol percentage by weight followed by A3, A1,D2/R2, D4, R3, D1, A4 and R4 as the least. Aspergillus niger had the high yield of total percentage of conversion (62%) of cassava to ethanol concentration, 22% and 16% respectively for diastase and Rhizopus oryzae.

Forty genotypes of finger millet (Eleusine coracana) were grouped into seven distinct classes based on their genetic diversity using D2 statistic and Principal component analysis. The maximum inter-cluster distance was between cluster V and VII, followed by cluster IV and VII and cluster V and VI, suggesting there by that there is wide genetic diversity between these clusters. PCA revealed that, the first three principal components with eigen values more than one contributed 76.411 per cent towards the total variability. The significant factors loaded in PC1 viz., number of productive tillers per plant, ear weight per plant, days to maturity, days to 50% flowering, number of fingers per ear, plant height, 1000-seed weight, seed yield per plant and finger length contributed maximum towards divergence. The analysis showed that the genotypes GE-3434, GE-1382 and GE-4976 which are having better per se for yield contributing characters recorded maximum inter-cluster distance hence, can be utilized in hybridization programmes to produce desirable recombinants. Both the analysis revealed that geographical diversity and genetic diversity are not related

Quarg is a sparkling cheese having a smooth texture, barely bitter flavor and is a type of natural un-ripened and clean cheese. Quarg cheese contains more fat and lacks in whey protein which affects its nutritional quality, therefore it is essential to produce low fat quarg cheese using fat replacers. Initially two fat replacers were tried i.e. carragennan and Simplesse-100 @ 0.5 of quarg and after selecting one, its level was optimized. The optimized product was assessed for its storage stability. During investigation cheese was analyzed for its sensory, physico-chemical and microbial analysis. Maximum score was awarded to the quarg cheese prepared using 0.5 per cent Simplesse-100 when added to quarg after removal of whey. The superior product contained 0.62±0.03, 12.68±0.08, 3.33±0.02, 1.32±0.04, 17.87±0.02 % fat, protein, lactose, ash and total solids, respectively whereas, its pH was 4.36±0.06. During the storage, there were significant (p<0.05) differences in change in all the sensory qualities, proximate composition of fat replacer added quarg cheese.

Cellulose is the most abundant biopolymer found on earth present in the form of agricultural, agro-industrial and food waste residues which also have hemicellulose and lignin associated with them. This is also known as lignocellulosic biomass and its disposal is a major global concern as most of it is presently subjected to burning or buried in soil thus leading to environmental pollution and global warming. Some residues are traditionally used as animal fodder, substrate for mushroom cultivation, pulp and paper making, composting, amalgamation and mulching in soil, fuel for domestic and industrial applications etc. It has the potential to act as a renewable and near zero cost substrate for the economical production of high value compounds. They can act as sustainable alternative sources of bioenergy to replace fossil fuels and the production of value added products including industrial enzymes, organic acids, microbial polysaccharides, biofertilizers and fine chemicals is likely to promote bioeconomy by valourisation of lignocellulosic biomass. This piece of work discusses the traditional ways of management that are employed for making use of the agricultural residues. The potential of lignocellulosic resources for bioconversion into high value compounds emphasizing on its economic importance for production of fuels and chemicals by simultaneously minimizing the contribution to environmental pollution because of burning and land filling has also been reviewed.

An adverse reaction to a food or food component that involves the immune system is called as food allergy. Food allergies are most often immunoglobulin E (IgE) mediated but may also be non-IgE or cell-mediated. On exposure of a sensitive individual to a particular food, the allergen stimulates lymphocytes to produce the IgE-antibody and attached to the surface of the mast cells in different tissues of the body. However, non-IgE mediated food allergy is observed in the first few years of life and it is an easily treatable clinical entity. Food allergy is of several types but Type I, Type II, Type III and Type IV are of key importance. The most common foods having allergens are peanuts, milk, eggs, tree nuts, fish, soybean, wheat etc and these foods account for about 90% of all allergic reactions in humans. People suffering from food allergy can undergo several problems such as digestive disorders, respiratory and circulatory symptoms, skin reactions and sometimes anaphylactic shock. Food processing such as ultrafiltration in milk, steam cooking of kiwi fruits and peeling of peaches may reduce the food allergens up to a certain extent. Therefore, it is utmost important to create awareness in people towards food allergy and save the precious life.

Whey, the liquid remaining after milk fat and casein separated from whole milk, is one of the major disposal problem of the dairy industry, and demands simple and economical solutions. The utilization of whey for ethanol production can not only solve the whey disposal problems but also address environmental concern effectively. In the present study, lactose in whey served as a good substrate for the ethanol production by using yeast cultures. During screening of different yeast cultures, isolated yeast strain (Kluyveromyces marxianus WIG2) gave maximum ethanol production and lactose utilization. Among the various nitrogen and salt sources tested, corn steep liquor and sodium chloride resulted in maximum ethanol production and lactose utilization. During optimization of process conditions, maximum ethanol production (1.95%) has been observed at temperature of 35 °C and pH 5 after 40 hr of incubation with lactose utilization of 94.5%.

India is a country with a population of 136 crores and produces an estimated 150 million tons of fruits and vegetables, according to the Indian Agricultural Research Data Book (2004). India being an agro-economy-based country, the production is high. However, the assimilation of waste products is equally high, amounting to nearly 50 million tons. It is seen that the waste by-products, in the form of solid and liquid waste, are formed from the processing industries. This waste is not just a by-product of the remains of fruits and vegetables but is also a bioproduct, rich in nutrients like carbohydrates, protein, fat, minerals, and others. Often remains unused and underutilized, this waste also can add to the increasing pollution in the environment if not disposed of properly. In India, the food processing industry, including fruit and vegetable processing, is the second-largest generator of wastes in the environment after household sewage. This paper thus reviews how food processing industries can look into the components of utilizing the waste by-products of fruits and vegetables, opting for a stabilized and economical procedure and help in the recovery of valuable compounds, which otherwise are getting lost in vain.

The biopreservative property of bacteriocin produced by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from fermented green gram batter was investigated in apple juice and coconut water.LAB was isolated from fermented green gram batter using Man, Rogosa and Sharpe (MRS) media. A total number of four isolates G1, G2, G3 and G4) were isolated from fermented green gram batter. G1 and G2 were identified as Lactobacillus casie and G3 and G4 were identified as Streptococcus species according to Bergeys Manual of Systemic Bacteriology. Antimicrobial activity of the bacteriocin produced by these strains was studied at pH 5 and pH 7 by agar well diffusion method. The bacteriocin produced by these organisms inhibited the growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella species. The biopreservative efficacy of bacteriocins of G1, G2, G3 and G4 was found both in apple juice and coconut water. The bacteriocins of G1, G3, and G4 exhibited highest antagonistic activity at pH 5 and G2 at pH 7. In apple juice, Minimal Inhibitory Concentrational lactobacillus, streptococcus (MIC) bacteriocin was found to be 25 ul and in coconut water MIC of bacteriocin was found to be 400 ul.

Edible coating prepared with the mixer of soybean chunk and wheat grass powder were applied in cricket ball variety of sapota with the end goal of preserving its quality. Preparation of coating was done by measuring the soybean chunks extracts, accordingly based on the treatments i.e. 10, 20, 40, 60 and 80ml/L and mixing it with 1 gm of wheat grass powder which was constant for all the treatments was carried out. Soybean being rich in protein and wheat grass powder, a good source of antioxidants could be used as an alternative for synthetic plastic in food applications which can also be consumed along with the products, thereby, contributing to the reduction of environmental pollution. The post-harvest losses during storage of sapota fruit (variety cricket ball) could be effectively reduced with the application of edible coating up to a period of 12 days under ambient storage conditions. The treatment combination of soyabean chunk extract of 60gm/L with wheat grass powder of 1% (T4) gave the best result in terms of lowest spoilage percentage and physiological loss in weight. Since, sapota fruit is highly perishable and could only be stored for a period of maximum 3-4 days after ripening, therefore extending the storage period up to 12 days could be an effective alternative to get regulated market supply thus, reducing the market glut.

Seedling mango (Mangifera indica L.) fruit is one of the important wild fruits which have got commercial importance due to its utilization in pickle preparation and other culinary purpose. In Himachal Pradesh (HP), it is widely distributed in the lower hills and plain areas with significant difference in the quality characteristics of fruits from location to location. The fruits of seedling mango were harvested from 24 different locations of six districts (Kangra, Una, Hamirpur, Bilaspur, Mandi and Sirmour) of HP and the results of their physical, chemical, sensory, physico-chemical and combined physico-chemical and sensory characteristics were analyzed using cluster analysis (SPSS). On the basis of this analysis of quality characteristics including higher acid-edible content indicator (2.36) and sensory quality, fruits of 10 locations were found suitable for pickle preparation viz. Kangra (Sulah and Bhawarna), Una (Una Sadar and Amb), Hamirpur (Bhoranj), Bilaspur (Ghumarwin), Mandi (Gopalpur and Pandoh) and Sirmour (Nahan and Ponta Sahib).

Alcoholic beverages form an important component of culture and traditions of many civilizations for thousands of years. The people in tribal and rural areas of Himachal Pradesh still practice the preparation of many traditional fermented beverages that form an important component of their socio-cultural life. Chhang, sura, chakti, kinnauri, chulli, etc. are some popular beverages that are quite unique in terms of raw material and the fermentation process. Despite of immense social, economic and medicinal importance as described by the local consumers, most of these beverages are prepared at home scale,limiting their popularity to particular region only. Commercialization of these products with scientific interventions for improvement in quality and methods of production may help in bringing these beverages from household confines to population at large. This will provide an opportunity to the locals to generate a tradable commodity and income generation.

Kuwing oil extracted from Irvingia gabonensis seed mash fermented over 6 days in Agoi Ibami community, Nigeria, was analysed for its essential oil constituents. Both the fresh seed and the ferments oil extracts were analysed for fatty acids, organic acids and essential oils,using GC and GC-MS methods of analysis. Six (6) fatty acids: oleic, linoleic, stearic, lauric, behenic acids were found in both samples, while mystiric was found in the fermented product only. Five(5) organic acids constituents citric, glycolic, oxalic, malic and tartaric acids were identified in both the fresh seed and the ferment. while fifty one (51) chemicals were identified as volatiles or essential oils.The main constituents wereα -pinene, δ3-carene, trans-β-ocimene, α-terpinene, Cis-limonene oxide, perillaldehyde, nootkatone, germacrene-D, and bornol , about 75% of the oil and nineteen (19) of the identified volatiles responsible for flavour and aroma, made up to 43% of the oil

Guava, jamun and Aloe vera are valued for their nutritive and medicinal properties, but their utilization as drink is limited due to certain consumer repelling factors like poor appearance and grittiness of guava juice, high astringent taste of jamun juice and bitter taste of Aloe vera juice. Therefore, present study was designed to optimize the blending of guava pulp with jamun and Aloe vera juice for developing nutritious health drink. Different formulations, where jamun juice concentration varied from 10-50 per cent with two levels of fruit part (10 and 15%) and two levels of TSS (10 and 15oB) were tried for optimizing guava-jamun blended drink. Further, Aloe vera juice from 1 to 9.0 per cent was added to enhance the nutritive and functional value without compromising overall acceptability of the developed beverage. Out of different formulations, the drink prepared by blending guava-jamun in the ratio of 60:40 with 15 per cent fruit part (blended) and 15oB TSS was found the best on the basis of nutritional and sensory characteristics. Herbal fortification with Aloe vera juice @ 5 per cent was optimized for improving nutritional and medicinal properties of the developed beverage. Results revealed that the Aloe vera fortified guava-jamun health drink contained higher values of ascorbic acid (33.91 mg/100g), total phenolics (36.12 mg/100g) and antioxidant potential (13.40 % free radical scavenging activity) compared to control the sample (100% guava drink).

Caffeine content in kombucha is very much lower than that of normal tea infusion. Though this stimulant plays an important role in kombucha fermentation as it regulates the starter or SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeasts) to produce the cellulose network on broth to accelerate the fermentation process. This research was designed to investigate the aftermath of caffeine and related tea alkaloids in kombucha through preliminary biochemical tests and chromatographic analysis where both the broth (beverage) and SCOBY (the cellulose layer) were taken as individual samples. The beverage clearly revealed negative in all the tests where the SCOBY extract showed richness in alkaloid content. Moreover, GC-MS analysis revealed presence of caffeine (8.7%); guanosine (12.01%), the precursor of caffeine; thymine (4.08%); and some undesirable components which has confirmed that SCOBY has an ability to capture a huge amount of stimulants from tea during fermentation.

Immunology involves all the defence mechanisms occurring in the body after the invasion of any infectious agent and the ability to resist this infection is referred to as immunity. The early and later response towards the infection are termed as innate and adaptive immunity. The cells of immune system like neutrophils, macrophages, cytokines, lymphocytes etc. protect human body from various infectious agents like pathogenic micro-organisms, toxins, food borne allergens and other injuries or wounds. The origin of these cells is in the bone marrow from where they are distributed as circulating cells in the blood and lymph. Various food components have an immunomodulatory effect on the immune function and adequate nutrition is required for the proper functioning of immune system. The micronutrients like essential proteins, essential amino acids, vitamins (A, B6, B12, C, D, E and folic acid), fatty acids, minerals (iron, selenium, zinc and copper) and certain phytochemicals are of prime importance towards healthy immune system. In addition to these nutritional components intestinal microflora and certain bacteria (probiotic bacteria), also play an important role in the modulation of healthy immune system. However, over reaction of immune system leads towards the hypersensitivity reactions like autoimmunity which ultimately causes auto immune diseases and allergic reactions.

Fig is an underutilized fruit in-spite of having several health benefits. The most simple and practical approach for extending the shelf-life of fig fruit is by drying. For this purpose, the fruits were halved and quarter as per oven and oven dried for 6 hrs @ 60±2°C. The fresh as well as dried fruits were subjected to analysis of various physico-chemical characteristics. The results show that there was a loss of ascorbic acid in dried fruits. It was 5.6 mg/100g in dried fruits whereas in fresh fruits it was 10.52 mg/100g. The dried fruits had a rehydration ratio of 3.13:1. Antioxidant activity was higher in fresh fruits compared to the dried fruits. Textural property (i.e. hardness) was almost doubled after drying. Sensory analysis showed that dried fruits obtained better scores over fresh fruits for different characteristics. Drying of figs has been found to be a cost effective and an easy method to reduce the bulk and to increase the shelf-life of fruits.

An Attempt was made to prepare wine from mandarin fruit juice using commercial yeast powder and by adjusting the initial TSS of the must at 20, 24, 28 and 32° Brix and SO2 concentration at 100 and 200 ppm. The must having 32° Brix and 100 ppm SO2 had the maximum fermentation rate (1.90). The physico-chemical and sensory quality of wine differed with various treatments. During maturation period, the TSS, acidity and phenol content of the wine decreased while alcohol content increased. After 3 months of maturation period, the wine prepared from the ‘must’ having an initial TSS of 24° Brix and 100 ppm SO2 was found superior with respect to biochemical attributes having 6.67 per cent TSS, 8.89 per cent ethanol and the maximum overall sensory score (7.89/9.00).

Spices or aromatic herbs are added to most of the lactic acid fruit and vegetable fermentation preparations to improve the flavour of the finished products. Aromatic compounds in these spices (including mainly terpenes and polyphenols) often have an antimicrobial effect which means that they can exert a selective role in the growth and activity of microorganisms during fermentation. Hence, investigations were carried out to study the effect of different additives on the lactic acid fermentation of radish. It was concluded from the studies that the acid production pattern in sequential lactic acid fermentation of radish are influenced by the addition of additives. There were also differences in acid production right from the beginning and differences were quite evident after 5 days of fermentation on addition of mustard as compared to other additives. It is clearly evident that addition of 2 per cent mustard produced the highest titratable acid. The addition of mustard seeds correspondingly enhanced the lactic acid bacterial count along with the titrtable acidity. Amongst the interactions, mustard (2 per cent) had the lowest (0.18%) reducing sugar followed by mustard 1 per cent. Based on the reducing sugar concentration it is concluded that it is concluded that, the use of mustard seeds had enhanced the fermentability of sugar into lactic acid. The low alcohol content in treatment with 2 per cent mustard might be due to its influence on the selective growth of lactic acid bacteria in mustard and its antimicrobial effect on other microorganisms thus, allowing lactic acid bacteria to grow and produce maximum lactic acid.

Some of plants mainly contains toxic compound such as saponins, tannins, phytic acid, gossypol, lectins, protease inhibitors, amylase inhibitor, goitrogens etc. which limits their consumption and also reduces nutrient bioavailability when consumed. These factors are responsible for micronutrient malnutrition and mineral deficiencies. On the other hand they act as self defense system to the food. These are categorized into different categories and causes various symptoms upon consumption such as acute toxicity include respiratory distress, impaired body weight gain, anorexia, weakness, apathy and in some cases even death after several days. But there are various traditional methods and improved technologies are available, which can be used to reduce the levels of these anti-nutrient factors. Various processing methodologies such as fermentation, germination, debranning, autoclaving, soaking, drying, irradiation etc. are used to reduce the anti-nutrient contents in foods. The review is focused on some common recently important anti-nutritional factors (ANF) which were of major concern.

Cereals and pulses combination was good nutritional sources of fiber, protein and energy. This research was conducted determining the physio-chemical properties and organoleptic evaluation of developed multigrain idli. Idli was prepared from Sorghum, Pearl millet, Finger millet, Amaranth and Black gram. All the ingredient for preparation of idli was collected from the Krushi exhibition, farmer and local market. Formulation carried out by CRD method. Four different types of idli with varying proposition of ingredients was prepared. The composition was T0 - rice 70 gm and black gram 30 gm, T1 - sorghum: pearl millet: finger millet: amaranth: black gram; 55:5:5:5:30; T2- 45:10:10:5:30; T3-35:15:10:10:30 respectively. These scores compared with standard idli. The quality evaluation of developed idli samples such as organoleptic evaluation and physio-chemical parameters. The organoleptic score and physio-chemical parameters of T3 sample better than other samples. The proximate evaluation of developed idli samples such as T3 sample was rich in fiber, protein, calcium, iron and cheap in carbohydrate and fat. The overall evaluations T3 sample was better than T0, T1 and T2.

Fruits are rich sources of nutrients, macro molecules, good source of energy and a reservoir of antioxidants. In the present study, an attempt has been made to prepare a RTS (Ready-to-serve) functional food. Sensory evaluation of various combinations, followed by screening of the best combination was performed. Proximate analysis such as pH, moisture content, ash content, total solid and Vitamin C content of the combination was estimated. Results of biochemical evaluation revealed that combination of mango: tomato in 50:50 followed by 60:40 proved to be the best combination. The phenolic and flavanoid content was the marker of the antioxidant status. The RTS proved to have a rich calorific value.

The aim of this study was to develop energy bars by incorporating popped amaranth seeds. The control was prepared using puffed rice whereas the other bars were formulated with puffed rice and popped amaranth in different proportions (65%:35%, 45%:55%, 25%:75%). The samples were subjected to proximate analysis, mineral analysis, microbial analysis, and sensory evaluation and shelf-life studies. It was revealed that as the proportion of amaranth increased in the samples, the protein, crude fiber, iron, and phosphorus and calcium contents increased whereas the fat and carbohydrate contents decreased. Microbial analysis showed that the microbial load was within the acceptable limits for a period of 3 months. Based on the sensory evaluation, the sample with 55% popped amaranth was the best.

The present study on production of honey powder using spray drying technology was carried out and the selected physico-chemical properties of spray dried honey powder was estimated at different inlet air temperatures of 180, 190 and 200 °C and tricalcium phosphate concentrations of 1.25, 1.50 and 1.75% were chosen as independent variables to produce the spray dried honey powder. The values with respect to the fructose, glucose, total solids, water activity and hygroscopicity were 18.20, 20.18, 96.72, 0.10 and 10.92 per cent, respectively.

enterprise agreed upon by society. Total of 160 respondents from 8 villages belonging to 4 talukas of Dahod district (Gujarat) were selected using stratified random sampling. Role of women in rural dairy enterprise was hypothesized to have 5 major roles viz. Nutrition, Management, Breeding, Healthcare and Finance. There were 10, 8, 4, 7 and 5 sub roles (Likert variables) allotted to each major role. Responses on these 34 five points Likert type variables measuring social attitude towards different aspects of role of women in rural dairy enterprise were collected using pre-structured questionnaire. Analysis using Kruskal-Wallis (KW) test revealed an arrangement of major roles as eManagement¨Nutrition¨Healthcare¨Breeding¨Financef ordered in decreasing trend of women role in these major activities. Role of women if depicted as five stratum pyramid, management and finance had occupied highest and lowest positions respectively. Further data mining using Mann-Whitney (M-W) test brought healthcare and breeding under common stratum with no significant differences (p<0.05). Therefore, our hypothesized major roles of women with five stratum pyramid were actually agreed as four stratums by society ordered as eManagement¨Nutrition¨Healthcare and Breeding¨Financef. Exploration of sub-roles under each major role was carried out in similar way using Friedman and Wilcoxon Signed Ranks (WSR) tests. Hypothesized sub-roles with 10, 8, 4, 7 and 5 stratum under respective major roles were finally found to be stratified into 4, 4, 2, 4 and 4 stratums respectively. These findings indicated that the perceived role of women in rural dairy enterprise was actually stratified into 18 sub roles instead of 34. Stratified structure of women role in rural dairy enterprise depicted in this study will provide baseline framework for further women role oriented studies. Rural dairying is women dominated enterprise. Women spent more time than men in rural dairy activities.

The study is assessment of pesticide residues in water bodies/ponds of agriculture intensive areas, as the principal source of pesticides in crops and animal /poultry feed are soil and water. The farmers dump the remaining pesticide solutions and wash the containers with pond water near to their fields after spraying the pesticide on their crops. These measurements can be used as baseline levels to monitor and to predict their impact on the population of the area. The determination of organochlorine (OC), pyrethroids and organophosphorous (OP) insecticide residues was carried out in the samples collected from different village ponds of six districts of Haryana and analyzed at Department of Veterinary Public Health and Epidemiology, COVS, LUVAS, Hisar. A gas chromatograph equipped with an electron capture detector (GC-ECD) for OC and pyrethroids and nitrogen phosphorous detector (GC–NPD) for OP’s was employed for analysis. The testing protocol was standardized w.r.t. system precision, specificity and accuracy. The system precision values indicated a good consistency in response by the GC instrument used during present study. A good linearity was noted for standards and spiked tissue samples. Absence of interfering peaks in blank samples indicates good specificity of extraction and clean up method. Accuracy and precision of the method were in accepted range in comparison with international guidelines. Out of 50 samples, none of the sample was found to be positive for OC and Pyrethroid pesticide residues; but 16 pond water samples were detected with OP pesticide residues with prevalence rate of 32%. Monocrotophos and chlorpyriphos were detected in a maximum of eight samples each. Four samples out of 5 from Rohtak, 3 out of 5 from Jind, 3 out of 12 from Mahendergarh and 2 out of 8 from Hisar were found positive for different OP pesticide residues. All the 10 pond water samples from Ambala were found to be below detectable limit for all of the OP pesticides in study. The concentration of 16 positive samples was compared with the MRL’s of drinking water, and it was observed that 4 samples, 2 each from Rohtak and Jind for monocrotophos (3.99 & 1.99 ηg/ml from Rohtak and 1.82 & 6.88 ηg/ml from Jind) violated the normal MRL values (0.5 ηg/ml). The investigation revealed that the pond water samples of Rohtak and Sirsa were found to be most contaminated with OP pesticides, mainly with Monocrotophos followed by Chlorpyriphos which indicates the excessive and irresponsible use of these pesticides in these two districts.

Trends and globalized trade in fresh produce consumption is a challenge and an opportunity to the agri-food sector. An urgent pursuit to develop new efficient antimicrobial agents that show effectiveness across the distribution chain and food manufacturing units have flourished. Among the many strategies proposed for preserving minimally processed fruits and vegetables, bio-preservation is a promising tool. Therefore, the use of lactic acid bacteria and its metabolites (organic acids, hydrogen peroxide, antifungal peptides, and bacteriocins) appeal much interest during recent years. The adjuvant production of lactic acid during growth bestows LAB with notable selective advantages in the diverse ecological niches. Hence, their potential as preservatives in many food matrices appears to be enormous. Notably, authorized regulatory agencies are well for widespread commercial use, the agents remain small. Food bio-preservation is a novel method of preservation that is benignly an ecological approach with natural microflora and non-toxic biologically active compounds. In this review, we delineate several aspects of lactic acid bacteria, antimicrobial potential of potent metabolites, summarize the mechanisms of antimicrobial action and finally,recent potential applications in the curtailment of food borne pathogens.

Laboratory experiments were carried out to evaluate the effect of different tomato fruit decontamination processes like washing, cooking, washing plus cooking and dipping in chemical solutions on reduction of profenofos and cypermethrin residues after application of ready-mix formulation Roket 44EC (profenofos 40% +cypermethrin 4%) on the crop. Ready-mix formulation Roket 44EC was applied twice at the rate of 1ml/L at 15 days interval. Tomato fruits were collected at 0 (2 hours) and 3 days interval after the last spray and subjected to decontamination processes. Washing of zero day contaminated fruit samples provided 32.95-72.08% relief from profenofos residues and 38.12-75.17% relief from cypermethrin residues. Cooking degraded profenofos residues up to 44.74-65.77% and cypermethrin residues by 61.00-66.02%. Washing plus cooking was found to be the best technique in removing the residues. Washing of fruits in solutions like NaOH (2%) and HCl (0.05%) has also shown a good relief from profenofos and cypermethrin residues.

Yoghurt can be enriched with dietary fibre, antioxidant, vitamin C and omega 3 rich oil. In this study functional yoghurt is prepared with flaxseed oil and guava pulp and physico chemical properties were analysed between 0 day and 21 days. Significant decrease in pH and increase in titratable acidity were observed throughout the storage period. There is a mild decrease in the values of fat as well as total solids content noticed from 0 day (23.43±0.05) to 21st day (22.61±0.02 for functional yoghurt. Though the difference was not significant (P≥0.05) up to 7th day of storage and later on there is a significant (P≤0.05) difference observed on 14th and 21st day of storage. There was a static decrement in syneresis from control to other three treatments. In regard to total phenolic content, there was a significant (P≤0.05) difference observed from zero day to 21st day of storage. There was a significant (P≤0.05) decrease in the DPPH radical scavenging activity from 0 day (4.51±0.14) to 21st day (2.32±0.10) for functional yoghurt. The gradual reduction in the antioxidant property of functional yoghurt during the storage period may be attributed to physicochemical changes occur during storage period which lead to loss of both probiotics and phytochemicals.

Colour is a vital constituent of food and its preferences are influenced by the geographical, sociological and cultural aspects of the populations. The food industry have a vast array of synthetic colours made available in the late 1800s and are used very extensively in various food products. In the last twenty years however, consumers have become increasingly aware of the ingredients in their foods and as such they require foods to be as ‘natural’ as possible. Natural colours, extracted from fruits, vegetables, seed, roots and microorganisms are often called “biocolours” due to their biological origin. These colors are chlorophyll, carotene, lycopene, anthocyanins, flavonoids and anthoxanthins. To identify the active health-promoting ingredients, focus is being made on the properties of the flavonoids, a large class of phenolic compounds that is abundant in fruits and vegetables. Anthocyanins (Greek anthos, flower and Greek kyanose, blue) are the largest group of water-soluble pigments in the plant kingdom known as flavonoids and a larger group of compounds known as polyphenols. Anthocyanins are responsible for the red, purple and blue hues in fruits, vegetables, flowers and grains. Different types of anthocyanin found in naturally are cyanidin, delphinidin, peonidin, malvidine and palargonidin. These are responsible for the attractive colour of Black currant nectar and they have been hypothesized as important antioxidant. Anthocyanin rich mixtures and extracts (not purified compounds) have been used historically to treat? An anthocyanin pigment is composed of an aglycone (an anthocyanidin) esterified to one or more sugars, and have four different structures, which are in equilibrium with one another but the relative amount of these structures,are varied and dependent on the pH and anthocyanin structure, Waste from industrial processes, such as wine or juice production is an excellent source of anthocyanin pigment with potential as a food colourant. An alcohol i.e. methanol or ethanol at different concentrations in combination with an acid i.e. hydrochloric acid or acetic acid or citric acid can be used for the extraction of anthocyanin. But the natural colours have lesser stability than synthetic or artificial colours. Due to highly reactive nature of anthocyanins, they degrade or react with other constituents in the medium, to form colourless or brown coloured compounds. The intensity and stability of the anthocyanin pigments is dependent on different factors. Various methods have been used to evaluate the degradation of anthocyanin i.e. pH differential method and substractive methods. Applications of anthocyanin extracts include coloration of acid fruit preparations, jams and preserves. However, relatively little is known about absorption of anthocyanin compounds after consumption in our body and of the mechanisms by which they exert their beneficial health effects. Increased knowledge of their bioavailability and therapeutic will result in better adoption of anthocyanin-based products as functional foods.

A study was carried out to prepare health giving noni supplemented ice cream and to develop eco friendly cups using arecanut sheath to utilize it to store the resultant functional ice cream. Different types of ice cream prepared by supplementing noni at 5, 7.5 and 10 % levels. Owing to the deleterious effect of the usage of synthetic plastics, which has been a greater environmental concern, eco friendly cup using areca nut sheath was developed and one rupee was the expense incurred in connection with the cost of production a 100 ml cup. The control ice cream and 7.5% noni supplemented ice cream (which was adjudged as the ideal product based on overall acceptability scores) stored in oxo biodegradable cups as well as in developed arecanut sheath cups at different storage periods i.e. from 0 to 3rd week and subjected to sensory evaluation at weekly interval. There was no significant difference observed in appearance, flavour, sweetness and overall acceptability scores between control ice cream and noni supplemented ice cream in oxo biodegradable cups up to three weeks. Similarly sensory evaluation of control ice cream in developed arecanut sheath cups at different storage period did not show any significant difference in appearance, sweetness and overall acceptability scores. On the other hand, noni supplemented ice cream showed a significant difference in appearance, flavour, sweetness and overall acceptability scores in developed arecanut sheath cups after 2 weeks of storage period. There was a significant difference in the different types of ice cream in microbial analysis and noni supplemented ice cream showed reduction in both standard plate count and coliform count which can be attributed to the antimicrobial property of the noni.

To assess the microbiological quality of cut cucumbers (Cucumis sativus) sold by itinerant roadside vendors in and around Kolkata, 25 such samples were collected over a two-months period during summer, and tested for total aerobic plate counts (TPCs), coliform and fecal-coliform (Escherichia coli) counts, and other food-borne pathogens. TPCs ranged from 5.093 to 7.477 log cfu/g, 18 samples out of which (72%) had counts >7 log cfu/g. Coliforms were detected in all 25 samples (100%). E. coli was detected in 23 of them (92%), having an average count of 140.80 MPN/g, with 18 samples (78.26%) showing counts >7 log cfu/g. Salmonella and Vibrio cholerae were detected in 12 (48%) and 1 (4%) of the total samples respectively, with 7 of the 12 samples of the former (58.33%), and the latter (100%) showing counts >7 log cfu/g respectively.

Osmo-dried apple pops and rings were prepared from “Golden Delicious” apples. The technology has been optimized for osmo-dried apple pops with a diameter of 28 mm and apple rings with a thickness of 0.5 cm. In case of apple pops drying time of eight hour for sugar syrup and seven hours for honey syrup at 70oB osmotic sugar syrup at 50oC was optimized. The drying time of five hours has been optimized for osmo-dried apple rings with sugar and four hours for osmo-dried rings with honey. Honey osmo-dried apple pops and rings rated better in quality and sensory characteristics and with less water activity. The developed technology can be explored commercially at an industrial level for the production of quality osmo dried apple pops or apple rings.

Maize (Zea mays) is a major cereal crop for human nutrition worldwide with its high content of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, some of the important vitamins and minerals. However, in spite of several important uses, maize has an inbuilt drawback of being deficient in two essential amino acids, viz., lysine and tryptophan. To overcome this, the breeding scientist mutated the opaque-2 (o2) gene in normal maize and made grain proteins in the endosperm nearly twice as nutritious as those found in normal maize. These mutations, which derive their names from soft, floury/opaque endosperm, alter the amino acid profile and composition of maize endosperm protein and result in two-fold increase in the levels of lysine and tryptophan in comparison with the normal genotypes which is called as Quality Protein Maize (QPM). Effective utilization of QPM in diversified way, by conversion into a variety of products for use as infant foods, health foods/ mixes, convenience foods specialty foods and emergency ration can achieve the food and nutritional security of our country. Hence, the present study was undertaken to develop nutritious recipes based on QPM maize as flour and suji (semolina) by supplementing with pulses. Quality protein maize (QPM) was substituted in different proportions in traditional foods (Idli, Dosa, Pittu and Adai), convenience foods (Papad and Noodles), bakery foods (Cookies and Bread) and snack foods (Vada and pakoda) were organoleptically evaluated using 9 point hedonic scale and also estimated their nutrient composition. All the products scored maximum acceptability and their nutrients content were higher compared to the native maize based products. Thus, their introduction could contributes food and nutritional security by meeting energy and protein needs of consumer.

The mungbean seeds were soaked (overnight), germinated (for 24 hrs) and heated at (80°C) for 15 min. The germinated seeds were dried in a tray drier at 40-45oC for about 12 hrs till the desired moisture content was obtained and then converted into flour. The flour was blended with refined wheat flour in different ratios for the preparation of noodles which were stored under ambient conditions in polypropyelene packs and subjected to physico-chemical evaluation at 30 days interval. Blending of mungbean flour produced noodles rich in moisture, protein, fibre, ash with reduced amount of fat content. The mungbean flour could be incorporated upto 15% level in the refined wheat flour having good functional properties. The noodles were found to be acceptable by the sensory panelists

Phytochemicals are naturally occurring chemical compounds found in plants that provide health benefits for humans. Generally the phytochemicals are produced as a result of various metabolic reactions in the plants. They play an important role in protecting plants from environmental hazards such as stress, drought and pathogenic attack etc. They also contribute to plant colour, aroma and flavour. Phytochemicals are broadly described as polyphenols, flavonoids, isoflavonoids, anthocyanidins, phytoestrogens, terpenoids, carotenoids, limonoids, phytosterols, glucosinolates and fibers. Majority of foods, such as whole grains, beans, fruits, vegetables and herbs contain varied types and amounts of phytochemicals. Among these, fruits and vegetables contribute to the significant sources of phytochemicals. Phytochemicals have tremendous impact on the health care system and may provide medical health benefits including the prevention and treatment of diseases and physiological disorders. Foods containing these phytochemicals are known as functional foods which play an increasingly important role in the treatment of various chronic diseases. Hence, phytochemicals are potentially involved as protective compounds for a number of chronic diseases and also used as good health food.

The development of delayed bitterness in citrus products is a major problem to citrus producers and juice processors worldwide due to limonin and naringin, the bitter components, thereby affecting its consumer acceptability. The present study was carried out on fermentative production of debittered kinnow (Citrus reticulate Blanco) beverage using inducible enzymes naringinase, limonin dehydrogenase and α-L-rhamnosidase producing fermentative yeast Clavispora lusitaniae. The two process optimized are: bioprocess for low alcoholic naturally carbonated beverage and debittering of juice by partially purified enzymes. The physico-chemical characteristics of freshly prepared beverage were; TSS 13.00±0.20 °B, acidity 0.14±0.03%, pH 3.40±0.10, Brix acid ratio 92.85±0.00, limonin 6.90±0.10 ppm, naringin 443.00±10.00 ppm, total sugars 12.90±0.30%, reducing sugars 2.42±0.20 and ascorbic acid 27.80±1.00 mg/100 mL. The significant reduction of limonin and naringin content observed in T11 (beverage) during storage was 42.53% and 45.82%, respectively

Caffeine content in kombucha is very much lower than that of normal tea infusion. But, this stimulant plays an important role in kombucha fermentation as it regulates the starter or SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeasts) to produce the cellulose network on broth to accelerate the fermentation process. This research was designed to investigate the aftermath of caffeine and related tea alkaloids in kombucha through preliminary biochemical tests and chromatographic analysis where both the broth (beverage) and SCOBY (the cellulose layer) were taken as individual samples. The beverage clearly replied negative in all the tests where the SCOBY extract showed richness in alkaloid content. Moreover, GC-MS analysis revealed presence of caffeine (8.7%); guanosine (12.01%), the precursor of caffeine; thymine (4.08%); and some undesirable components which has confirmed that SCOBY has an ability to capture a huge amount of stimulants from tea during fermentation.

Instant multigrain porridge mix was developed from buckwheat and barley grits along with apricot powder in the ratios of 100:0:0::BWG:BG:AP (Buckwheat Grits: Barley Grits: Apricot Powder), 0:100:0::BWG:BG:AP, 80:10:10::BWG:BG:AP, 70:20:10::BWG:BG:AP, 60:30:10::BWG:BG:AP and 50:40:10::BWG:BG:AP. Quality evaluation of multigrain porridge revealed that incorporation of barley grits and apricot powder to buckwheat grits in all the formulations increased mean values of crude protein, crude fiber, ash and antioxidant activity from 7.39 to 10.45 %, 2.02 to 2.39 %, 1.32 to 1.99 % and 40.69 to 48.02 %. However, there was a decrease in crude fat and carbohydrate from 2.56 to 1.72 % and 71.60 to 66.98 %, respectively. The developed porridge mix was stored in cotton bags for 150 days under ambient conditions (temperature: 28 ± 3°C and moisture content 12 ± 0.8%) to ascertain the changes in these parameters. Storage studies done at an interval of 30 days revealed that, there was a decrease in crude protein (9.81 to 7.15 %), crude fat (2.40 to 1.20 %), crude fibre (2.90 to 1.55 %), ash (1.98 to 1.55 %) and antioxidant activity (48.87 to 38.68 %), whereas, carbohydrate content increased from 68.80 to 70.72 %. Economics of the multigrain product revealed that porridge mix were economically profitable.

The adulteration of fish and seafood products, in general, is a global challenge that is constantly increasing. Seafood fraud usually involves adulteration or substitution of a type of species with the meat of lower nutritional value and quality, and therefore of the lower price, aiming for economic profit. Besides the consumer financial protection issues, another important matter is the health risks posed by the occurrence of allergic reactions. For these reasons, regular controls of meat products are in great demand, to protect consumers and producers from fraud, and ensure food safety and public health. Therefore, sensitive, fast, simple, inexpensive and effective analytical methods are required to confirm the species origin of seafood-based products and detect seafood fraud. Development of nucleic acid probes paves a way to onsite detection of species within an hour and which is a growing need for food inspecting agencies. All these aspects have been revised.

The aim of the present study was to determine the acceptance level of biscuits made with maida: wheat in the ratio of (100:0, 50:50, 0:100) incorporated with dried carrot powder through sensory and physio-chemical evaluation (weight, diameter, thickness, spread ratio, moisture, ash, carbohydrate, fat, proteins). The butter, egg and sugar mixture were mixed after which flours, baking powder were rubbed uniformly. The dough was then, shaped and baked on a greased tray at 160°C for 10 to 15 minutes. The biscuit produced were analysed for proximate composition using standard AOAC methods. Physical and chemical analysis of cookies was in accordance with sensory analysis. On consumption of 100g cookies with maida and wheat per day gives around 11% recommended daily allowance of Vitamin A. Fortifying food with vitamin A could help in meeting the RDA of vitamin A especially and thus, could serve as a supplement to kids.

Linseed (Linum usitatissimum) is a highly nutritious oilseed with exceptionally high contents of α-linolenic acid (ALA), dietary fiber, good quality protein and phyto-estrogens. It is the richest known vegetable source of omega-3 fatty acid and various minerals. But it also contains anti-nutritional factors like phenolics, tannins and cyanogenic glycosides that are known to inhibit the activity of digestive enzymes and interfere with availability of nutrients especially minerals like calcium and iron. Hence, an attempt was made to reduce anti-nutrients by different processes like soaking, roasting, fermentation etc. Lactic acid bacterial strains were isolated from linseed, screened and isolate LAB-3 was selected based on high titrable acid production (0.08%), desired sour-sweet taste and good flavor after fermentation. Probiotic cultures viz., Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bacillus mesentericus and Saccharomyces boulardii; wine yeast Saccharomyces ellipsoideus and lactic acid bacterial isolate LAB-3 were used in fermentation of linseed beverage. The quantity of anti-nutritional factors viz., total phenolics, tannins and cyanogenic glycosides were estimated. Significant reductions in total phenolics and tannins were observed in L. acidophilus and isolate LAB-3 treatments. Fermented beverage had 58% reduced phenolics and 66% reduced tannins compared to raw seed (control). This significant reduction in phenolics and tannins were observed with lactic acid bacteria than yeasts. The highest per cent reduction in cyanogenic glycosides was observed with L. acidophilus inoculation (66% followed by isolate LAB-3 (65%) and B. mesentericus (58%). The observed antinutritional factors reduction ability may be due to enzymes like linamarase and β-glucosidase production by tested microorganisms. It is concluded that, microbial intervention can be exploited very conveniently to reduce the anti-nutrients contents and to improve nutritional quality of linseed.

Sugar free biscuit were developed by fortifing with fenugreek seed powder and with sugar replaced with natural sweetener stevia. The functional component of fenugreek seed powder is trigonelline which is helpful in the production of insulin. In the present research work, 31 trials were performed by taking four factors viz; skimmed milk powder (SMP), stevia, butter, and fenugreek seed powder and the responses were analysed by RSM for optimization of developed sugar free biscuits. The ingredients used to prepare sugar free biscuits were 0.5 g to 6.5g SMP, 0.5g to 5.5 g stevia, 10 to 50 g butter and fenugreek seed powder 0.5 to 6.5%. Taking into account, these four factors optimization was done by RSM. The optimized parameters for developed sugar free biscuits includes SMP (1.7727 %), Stevia (4.3485 %), butter (37.8788 %) and fenugreek seed powder (0.5 %).After optimization of sugar free biscuit, diameter, thickness and spread ratio was recorded as 5.04 cm, 0.82 cm, and 4.92 cm, respectively. The final optimized product contained carbohydrate (76.75 %), protein (5.90 %), fat (14.85), ash (~ 1%), moisture (4%) and crude fibre (1.5 %).

In recent past years, a lot of research work has been done to develop innovative films and coatings for packaging of fruits and vegetables which improve their qualitative parameters during storage. Recently, researchers are focusing to design films and coatings based on biodegradable materials which would serve as covering to the food and reduce the hazards caused by use of plastics and by degrading biologically. The objectives behind the preparation of packaging such films and coatings is to reduce the loss of moisture, migration of gases and to extend the shelf life of the fruits and vegetables. This paper not only reviews introduction and need of coating but also provide the knowledge about types of coating on different fruits and vegetables. The main focus on the review is on the coating of fruits and vegetables based on natural sources.

Vacuum impregnation (VI) is an improved osmotic dehydration technology emerging in food industry for the development of high quality and nutritionally rich food products. The VI technology helps to rapidly impregnate animal or plant tissue pore spaces with required external solution producing a product with improved qualities and better shelf-life with minimal changes in nutritional and sensory properties. This paper provides a general review of the principles, mechanisms of VI technology and different external and internal factors affecting the treatment on foods. Different applications of VI such as calorie densification, food salting, fortification, pre drying and freezing etc. are also discussed. The VI has considerable potential to be employed in the food industry. Yet, technological problems like precise control and maintenance of process conditions need to be solved in order to achieve better impregnation and treatment homogeneity.

Low-calorie intake among poor, in our society, have resulted in deficiencies due to inadequate diet, however the nutritional concern of the present day is related more to over-nutrition with rise in chronic metabolic disorders. While enormous efforts have been directed globally, to grow nutritionally rich foods, in the coming years, it will be prudent to systematically evaluate the effect of consumption of nutritionally-dense food. Emerging evidences indicate that traditional food system of cereals, legumes lentils and more importantly roots and tubers, when integrated into diet, can enhance the health status and the nutritional security of the populace. This review explores the merits of tuber-enriched diet and tries to evaluate whether roots and tuber crops are poised to be the super foods?

Cereals i.e. wheat, rice, oat, maize and sorghum were fermented by using GRAS fungal strain A. awamori to study the effect of fermentation on upgradation of phenolic level of cereals. Significant (P < 0.05) increase in phenolics, flavonoids, DDPH (2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS (2, 2-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) diammonium salt radical scavenging potential of all the fermented cereals was observed mainly on 4th and 5th day of incubation. Increased levels of polyphenols and antioxidants after fermentation was observed maximum in O. sativa and T. aestivum followed by S. bicolor > A. sativa > Z. mays which was mainly due to high enzymatic activities as observed during their fermentation. A positive correlation was obtained between total phenolic and flavonoids content with antioxidant activity while linear correlation obtained between total phenolic and flavonoid contents with enzymatic activities,justified the role of α-amylase, xylanase and β-glucosidase enzymes in release of polyphenols and antioxidants during solid state fermentation (SSF).

Fibre rich cookies were prepared by substituting refined wheat flour with beetroot pomace powder (BPP) at 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% and 25% and evaluated for its physical properties, chemical composition, textural properties and sensory characteristics. The thickness of the cookies increased whereas the diameter, spread ratio and spread factor decreased with the increase in BPP in flour blend except for the cookies with 5 % BPP which showed contrary results. The moisture, crude fibre, protein and ash increased but carbohydrates decreased with the increase in the level of incorporation of BPP. The fat content of the cookies showed no pronounced variation. The hardness of the cookies increased with increase in the level of incorporation of BPP in the flour blends except for the cookies with 5% BPP that showed lower value as compared to the control sample. Incorporation of BPP however, showed detrimental effect on appearance of cookies by imparting it dark colour; texture score decreased with the increase in the level of incorporation. Cookies with 10 % BPP were found to be the most acceptable due to better taste and flavour.

Seasoned vinegar is plain or natural vinegar to which sugar, salt, and spices are added. Different condiments and spices are added to the vinegar which is used as a salad dressing. Seasoned vinegar was prepared from brewed cider vinegar, using three recipes. After physic-chemical and sensory evaluation, it was found the second recipes (45 ml cider vinegar, 5g each salt, pepper, ginger and mustard, 15 ml olive oil, 10 g mint and honey each) gave a product of acceptable sensory qualities. Further, evaluation showed that the seasoned vinegar possessed both antimicrobial and antioxidant activities.

The effect of microwave and Infrared roasting methods on the physico-chemical and antioxidant properties of peanuts (Arachis hypogaea) were studied and the results were compared with conventional roasting methods. Roasting by all the three methods significantly affected the moisture, total protein and total fat contents. Protein and fat contents increased significantly (p≤0.05) with the significant (p≤0.05) decrease in moisture content. However, roasting by all the methods did not cause any significant change in the mineral contents. Chemical changes like PV, FFA and TBA increased significantly (p≤0.05) more during conventional roasting in comparison to the microwave and IR roasting of peanuts. Total phenols, total flavonoids and antioxidant activity were found significantly (p≤0.05) higher in peanut skin as compared to their kernel part, and roasting enhanced them significantly though the increase in absolute term was small. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) decreased significantly (p≤0.05) with the concomitant increase in their saturated fatty acid (SFA) contents but the observation was more true in peanuts treated by conventional roasting methods. Between microwave and IR roasting, the above changes were found almost insignificant.

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is the third largest carbohydrate food source in the tropical region, after rice and corn. Cassava is considered as a food security crop which can be left in the ground for extended periods of up to two years, until required. Cassava was procured from the Department of Vegetable Science, Punjab Agricultural University. Starch was extracted from cassava by peeling, chopping, grinding with water for 5 minutes, filtration, decantation and drying at 55oC for one hour. Percentage of starch obtained was 25%. Flour was prepared from cassava by peeling, grating, drying in hot air oven at 55oC for 24 hrs and then, milling. Percentage of flour obtained was 40% while that of flour after extraction of starch was 12 %. Different blends were prepared with wheat flour, soy flour, cassava flour in the ratio of 90:5:5, 85:5:10, 75:10:15 and 70:10:20, respectively and their baking quality for preparation of cookies was evaluated. The blend with wheat flour, soy flour, cassava flour in the ratio of 85:5:10 was found to be the best with regard to baking and sensory quality. It was concluded that cassava can be utilized in the form of flour in bakery products, as a replacement of wheat flour in gluten free diets and for starch, as the demand of starch for various food and non-food purposes is increasing.

The study was conducted to develop formulations of Aloe vera blend by mixing it with ginger, sweet lime and amla. Varied ratio of the Aloe vera:ginger:sweetlime:amla in the formulated drinks (40:5:40:15), (50:5:30:15) and (60:5:20:15) were used for F1, F2 and F3 respectively. The products were subjected to standard physico-chemical, sensory and microbial analysis and accordingly, F3 was found to be the most preferred variant with respect to the sensory quality. The Aloe vera RTS blends prepared were found to be good source of Vitamin C besides other nutritional parameters. The storage stability studies carried out showed that the physico-chemical and the sensory quality of the RTS blends were acceptable up to 60 days of storage. Microbial analysis of the RTS during storage period up to 60 days revelead that it was free from any spoilage.

The present study was carried out to assess the functional properties of the flour mix, prepared from the combination of millet flours (ragi, bajra and jowar), pulses flour (green gram, whole bengal gram (black) and horse gram) and curry leaves flour subjected to processing methods like sprouting and roasting. The unprocessed samples were also included. The functional properties like swelling capacity, water absorption capacity, oil absorption capacity, water solubility index, moisture, true density, hydration capacity, hydration index and bulk density content of flours were evaluated. Roasted flour mix had the lowest moisture content while sprouted flour mix had highest the value of bulk density, hydration capacity, swelling capacity, water absorption capacity, oil absorption capacity, and hydration index compared to others. Sprouted millets, pulses and curry leaves flour mix showed good functional properties, which could also enhance the nutritional quality of the value added products formulated by incorporating them.

In the present investigation physical, chemical and functional properties of apple, carrot and beetroot pomace powder were evaluated and compared in order to access its potential for valorisation of food products. Physical properties of pomace powders indicated that apple pomace powder (APP) had good flowability characteristics whereas carrot pomace powder (CPP) and beetroot pomace powder (BPP) were having fair flowability. All the three pomace powders were having intermediate cohesiveness. CPP had the highest water holding capacity (WHC), swelling capacity (SC) and oil absorption capacity (OAC) whereas WRC (water retention capacity) was found to be highest in the BPP. CPP and BPP showed good ash content while the highest crude fibre content was found in APP. Overall, all three pomace powders were having high crude fibre content and good hydration properties. The results obtained suggested that all three pomace powders are good source of dietary fibre and thus can be used for fibre enrichment in food products.

Custard apple is a delicious and commercially important fruit with pleasant flavor, mild aroma, sweet taste, good nutritional and medicinal values. However, the pre-harvest, post-harvest and processing and value addition practices have not been sufficiently developed. The pre-harvest practices like mulching, irrigation nutrition supplement and bio-fertilizers application play an important role on the development and shelf-life of fruits. The fruit has a short self-life due to high respiration and ethylene production. The temperature, type of packaging and chemical application have effect on storage life, however very low temperature storage is not recommended due to chilling injury. The shelf-life of custard apple fruit can be enhanced upto 12 days in modified atmosphere storage at 10°C, whereas pulp can be stored for six months with potassium meta-bisulphite. A number of value added products like ready-to-serve beverages, fermented beverage, ice cream, squash, and toffee can be prepared to exploit the nutritional potential and adding a new flavor/taste in the market. This review attempts to outline some of the important findings on pre-harvest practices, post-harvest, processing value addition and storage of this fruits.

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are known to possess probiotic potential and play a significant role to combat intestinal pathogens. The objective of the present investigation was to isolate, characterize and screen lactobacilli associated with camel milk for probiotic properties such as antibacterial activity, bile tolerance and antibiotic resistance. Among various isolates screened Lactobacillus fermentum CM36 showed remarkable antibacterial activity against B.cereus, B.subtilis, and E.coli in supernatant even after neutralization and protease treatment confirming bacteriocin activity. L. fermentum CM36 tolerated oxgall up to 0.4% (w/v) and showed resistance to various antibiotics used in the study. L. fermentum CM36 showed potential for antibacterial and thus, bile tolerance and may be further explored for its benefits towards animal and human health.

Cassava (Manihot esculenta crantz), a perennial shrub is cultivated mainly by resource-limited small farmers for its starchy roots. It is used as a human food either fresh when low in cyanogens or in many processed products, mostly starch, flour and for animal feed. Because of its inherent tolerance to stressful environments, where other food crops fail, it is often considered as a food-security source against famine, requiring minimal care. Cassava flour and starch may act as potential valuable substitutes of maize, rice and wheat crops. The benefits ranged from being a human staple food, constituent of animal feeds, raw material in food processing, edible coatings, paper making industry, indigenous alcoholic beverages to ethanol production. The vast production of cassava under marginal soil conditions can be explored in order to maximize its potential as an industrial crop for interested entrepreneurs. All these aspects have been reviewed here especially with respect to food and fermentation industry.

Fermentation of apple juice was done for 72 hrs by lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus plantarum and Streptococcus thermophilus)and physico-chemical characteristics of fermented apple juices were recorded at 0. 24, 48 and 72 hrs intervals. On the basis of highest lactic acid bacterial counts, rate of fermentation (°B/24hr), acidity, sugar utilization percentage, retention of ascorbic acid and total phenols, antioxidant activity and antimicrobial activity against pathogenic bacteria such as E. coli and S. aureus, while lowest pH, coliform, yeast and mold counts, the best treatments L. plantarum 107cfu/ ml for apple fermented apple juice was selected for storage study viz. During fermentation both vitamin C and total phenols declined, while, the antioxidant activity, antimicrobial activity, viable cell counts and lactic acid bacteria counts were increased. As the antimicrobial activity increased, the counts of coliform, yeast and mold declined. During storage of selected treatment of fermented apple juice for four weeks at 4°C retained physico-chemical parameters above the value of significance. Lactic acid bacteria remained viable in prescribed number (4.76-6.00 × 106 cfu/ml), acid and bile resistance, imparted antimicrobial activity and antioxidant activity to the apple juices during storage and thus, could be called as probiotics juices. Based on the sensory evaluation (visual colour and flavours) of fermented apple juice, it was concluded that lactic acid fermentation did not influence the desirable characteristics of apple juices. So the probiotic juices were acceptable. Identification of lactic acid bacteria by biochemical test concluded that the bacteria were L. plantarum in apple juices which were inoculated in juices for fermentation, after storage apple juice were suitable for lactic acid fermentation to produce a probiotic beverage. So, this juice can serve as healthy beverage for vegetarians and lactose allergic consumers.

Quantifying the contents of copper in various samples of soy-products by indirect micellar spectrophotometry using green chemistry approach. In the Green synthesis of ligand N-(2’-Thiazolyl)-2-hydroxybenzamide (N2T2HB) has been synthesized by the reaction of 2-aminothiazole with salicylic acid which is a weak acid and is found to be soluble in alcohol, acetone and in chlorinated hydrocarbons such as chloroform. The present investigations have revealed that N2T2HB is suitable for determination of copper, as spectrophotometric reagent. The method is quite sensitive, simple and rapid in Triton X-100 micellar medium. The developed methods has been applied successfully for the determination of copper in soya milk and soy-paneer. It was also observed that the market samples of both soya milk and tofu contained copper significantly lower than the products prepared at Lab while all were within permissible limit.

Please find the Table of Contents for the Volume 6 Issue Number 2, December 2016

Fermented foods are commonly consumed in our daily diets. They not only provide nutritional benefits but can also act as functional foods when optimal level of lactic acid bacteria is achieved which might have probiotic potential. The viability of lactic acid bacteria depends on various intrinsic and extrinsic factors. The packaging material plays an important role in maintaining the shelf life of the product. In the present study various Indian fermented foods were prepared by spontaneous fermentation and effect of packaging material on lactic acid bacteria viability was explored. Products like mix vegetable pickle, raw papaya pickle, mix mango pickle, lemon-ginger and green chilli pickle and kanji was prepared under standardised conditions. Three packaging material; borosil glass bottles, air tight pearlpet bottles and tinted borosil glass bottles were used. As noted from the results that statistically no significant difference was observed. Thus the viability of lactic acid bacteria is not dependent on the material used for packaging unless it is air tight and on the exposure to light till uniform heat is provided.

Amla fruit is known for its antioxidant activity (Vitamin C) and medicinal properties. Value added products make the fruit available throughout the year and help to promote the use of amla among the public. Hence, an attempt was made to standardized sweet based products viz., jam, squash and jelly with different treatments. The prepared amla products were standardized on the basis of sensory evaluation. The bio-active components and sensory evaluation of amla products were analysed during storage. The shelf-life studies of amla jam, squash and jelly were also determined at room temperature.

Rosa damascena also known as desi gulaab, belongs to the Damask variety of rose. It is deep red coloured variety with a sweet fragrance and has been used traditionally in different food preparations. Physico-chemical evaluation revealed that it is a rich source of phytochemicals. The content of phenolic compounds, anthocyanins, ascorbic acid and per cent radical scavenging activity in the fresh petals was 2230 mg GAE/100 g, 98.64 mg/100g, 293.37 mg/100 g and 83.91%, respectively. Fresh petals were also a good source of minerals. The content of potassium, phosphorus, calcium, copper and iron was 153.39 mg/100g, 34.59 mg/100g, 13.78 mg/100g, 1.82 mg/100g and 1.33 mg/100g, respectively. It was concluded from the optimization process that 30:70 of rose petals to sugars, produced syrup with high overall acceptability and in compliance with the specifications of Food Safety and Standardization Authority of India. Whereas, the optimization of temperature revealed that heat treatment at 70°C was most suitable to produce a syrup rich in phytochemicals and high sensorial acceptability.

An α-L-rhamnosidase enzyme [E.C.3.2.1.40] has potential application in food and pharmaceutical industry. Naringin is the dominant flavanoid bitter compound found in citrus fruit juices of the objective of present study was to isolate α-L-rhamnosidase producing fungus, study their morphological and molecular characteristics. A total twelve fungal strains were isolated from agro-industrial waste of lemon and sweet lemon peels for α-L-rhamnosidase enzyme production. Of these, only 4 isolates were capable of producing the α-L-rhamnosidase enzyme to hydrolyze naringin for removal of bitter taste from juices. Fungal isolates were selected according to their higher α-L-rhamnosidase enzyme activities (3.481 IU mL-1). For morphological studies, macroscopic features like colony colour, texture, elevation, growth and margins as well as microscopic characteristics such as the size of conidia and conidiophores, and their arrangements were examined for species differentiation. DNA was isolated from the best α-L-rhamnosidase producing fungal strain, and amplification of 18S rRNA gene, using specific primers ITS-1 and ITS-4 was done. This gene was subsequently sequenced and phylogenetic affiliations was accordingly assigned. Fungal isolate was identified as Aspergillus flavus.

Liquid Chromatographic analysis was done to determine the antimicrobial drug residue in baby foods and bovine milk. Different baby foods and bovine milk samples were subjected to analysis of the antimicrobial drug residues. Bovine milk, Dexolac-1, Dexolac-2, first food, Nestogen, Lactogen-2, Cerelac-1, Cerelac-2 and Nutricia Infacare were analysed for chloramphenicol and sulfamethazine residues. While milk collected from different parts of country were analysed for albendazole, fenbendazole and diminazene residue. The results in this study indicated that Bovine milk and baby foods which were analysed for antimicrobial drug residue had their quantities and were safe to use.

Paneer has a very low shelf-life. Hurdles like spices, pH, water activity, temperature, redox potential, packaging etc. can be used to enhance the shelf-life of paneer. Present study was conducted to investigate the effect of low pH on sensory, textural, microbial quality and shelf-life of paneer. The paneer block was dipped in 0.50 percent citric acid solution for 12 hours which, as expected, reduced the pH of the sample from 5.61 to 5.23. Dipping of paneer resulted in increase of hardness, gumminess and chewiness from 1088, 889 and 849 g to 1160, 933 and 881 g, respectively while springiness decreased from 0.955 to 0.943. Standard Plate Count (SPC) of control paneer increased from 26,000 to 2,96,000 cfu/g on 8th day whereas the figure for treated paneer was 2,40,000 cfu/g. Yeast and mould count in control paneer increased from 27 to 290 cfu/g and for treated paneer from 14 to 127 cfu/g on 8th day of storage at refrigeration temperature. The body and texture, flavor and overall acceptability scores of dipped samples were lower than those of control while color and appearance score of treated paneer was higher than the control paneer. Reduced pH did not enhance the shelf-life of paneer at ambient temperature while it extended from 6 to 12 days at refrigeration (7±1°C) temperature.

Bamboo shoot are an important traditional food delicacies which are consumed as fresh, fermented, or canned in many Asian countries and is intricately related with human diet. In this study, several bamboo shoot samples (fermented and succulent bamboo shoots) were collected to determine the cynogenic glycoside content, followed by process optimization by using Exiguobacteruim aurantiacum FB6-1b, which was used for fermentation at different conditions. E. aurantiacum was isolated from bamboo shoot. The cyanide content was analyzed and fermentation process was also evaluated by estimating nutritional parameters of final product. Fresh succulent bamboo shoot had high cyanide content (approx 43 mg/g) compared with fermented samples (22.8-30.4 mg/g). It was observed that boiling the succulent bamboo shoots and fermented shoots removed all the cyanide content. The amount of protein, sugar, amino acid for fermentation of sterilized bamboo shoot with FB6-1b, against fermentation in presence of indigenous bacteria in raw bamboo shoot were found to be (2.2±0.6, 1.3±0.04, 0.38±0.004) mg/g and (2.44±0.03, 1.85±0.3, 0.31±0.006) mg/g, respectively. The nutritional parameter including concentrations of protein, sugar, amino acid were better when fermentation was done at temp 30oC (3.56±0.04, 11.1±0.2, 0.75±0.05 g/100g, respectively) and inoculum size 104 cfu/ml (2.57±0.1, 10.5±0.1, 0.27±0.04 g/100g, respectively).

Botrytized wines are the sweet wines made from grapes that have been botrytized with the fungus Botrytis cinerea Pers. (B. cinerea). This fungus grows on grapes and are responsible for causing Botrytis bunch rot and/or grey mould rot in many vineyards around the world. Under specific climatic conditions fungus produces pourriture noble or noble rot which is a desirable stage for the production of botrytized wines from these infected berries. The infection has been found to cause dehydration of the grape berries along with other significant modifications like skin-cell degradation, glucose degradation and generation of glycerol and aromatic compounds. During rotting aromatic compounds have been found to be highly modified and lead to the formation of characteristic compounds like 3-hydroxy-4,5-dimethyl-2-furanone, furfural, benzaldehyde, phenylacetaldelyde and benzyl cyanide which are known for their distinctive aroma. To exploit the higher concentration of various chemical constituents including sugars the sweet white table wines are produced commercially from these infected berries. The botrytized wines are rich source of polyphenolic antioxidants which provide various health benefits to the cosumers.

Bitter gourd fruit (Momordica charantia L.) contains many nutraceutical compounds and possess antioxidant and hypoglycemic activity but, its utilization in foods products has not received much attention. Efforts were made to prepare antioxidant rich palatable bitter gourd based functional squash by blending bitter gourd juice with kiwi fruit (Actinidia deliciosa) juice in different ratios viz. 90:10, 80:20, 70:30, 60:40 and 50:50 using different levels of fruit part (25, 30 and 35%) and TSS (40 and 45oB) separately. Among different combinations, the squash prepared using 30% blended juice of treatment T32 (80% bitter gourd juice+20% kiwi juice) with 45oB TSS recorded highest sensory scores. The developed products were analyzed for their bio-chemical, antioxidant potential and sensory quality characteristics at different storage intervals (0,3 and 6 months). The bitter gourd- kiwi blended squash contained 44.83oB TSS, 1.25% acidity and 37.54% total sugars. Blending has increased ascorbic acid content (33%) and total phenolics (24%) of the blended beverage over bitter gourd squash. The products exhibited only slight changes in their physico-chemical, nutritional and sensory characteristics during storage, yet were shelf-stable and remained acceptable up to a period of six months. The high antioxidant potential (68.29%) of the developed product compared to the control sample revealed its health benefits.

Fermentation is a very vital stage of cocoa processing to obtain high quality chocolate product. This study was conducted to obtain an optimal result of chocolate fermentation by determining the concentration and types of amino acid of lindak clone cacao beans using HPLC. Pre-conditioned process was done in order to get water content to 15% in pulp the same level as the traditional process from farmer. Before fermentation dried cocoa beans were rehydrated to obtain a water content of pulp at the same level as fresh cocoa bean pulp. The fermentation, was conducted for 120 h. The fermentation the three level treatments an control without inoculum, mixed with culture of microbies add and the begining of fermentation. The fermentation was started using Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Lactobacillus lactis and Acetobacter aceti was added the fermentation and finally, treatment gradually microbies added during fermentation. The analysis of amino acids was conducted using HPLC separation method based on the procedure at outlined earlier. The measurement of amino acid was performed in two phases, liquid hydrolysis, and derivatization proceeded by chromatographic analysis. Condition of HPLC was measured at 37 °C. Mobile phase contains of 60% acetonitril - AccqTag Eluent A, gradient system and the flow rate was 1.0 ml per minute. Fluorescence detector had 250 nm excitation and 395 nm emission. Injecting volume was 5 uL. The results of this study showed that cocoa beans 120 h fermentation has higher products of aspartic acid, glutamic acid, hydrophobic amino acids (Alanine, leucine, proline, valine, isoleucine) and amino acids such as serine, glysine, histidine, treonine and lysine, while local clones of cocoa beans with 3-days fermentation produce more amino acids such as aspartic, glutamic, hydrophobic (isoleucine, leucine, valine) and amino acids such as histidine, threonine, glysine, serine and lysine.

In the present investigation, two strains Lactobacillus brevis UN and Lactobacillus spicheri G2 were used to prepare flavored probiotic curd. Flavor was added in the curd by adding fresh papaya cubes. Four different sets of papaya curd were prepared by taking different combinations of probiotic inoculums during fermentation process. Control was also prepared by using native inoculum of curd. Fermentation of each set was carried out at 30 °C for 4h, product formed was kept at a refrigerated temperature upto 12 days. Sensorial, microbiological and physiochemical analysis of each prepared set of probiotic curd was performed during storage interval. Results obtained after sensorial evaluation revealed that different combinations of L. brevis UN and L. spicheri G2 exerted a significant influence on the sensory quality of the flavored curd. Microbiological evaluation of each set of product proved that there was no loss in total number of viable cells in the product during storage. Statistical analysis of physio-chemical attributes revealed that changes taking place during storage intervals in various sets of Probiotic curd were non-significant.

The aim of this research was to develop a novel chocolate “energy” bar supplying sufficient energy to the body. The ingredients like Dates (Phoenix dactylifera), Oats (Avena Sativa), Raisin, Rice Crispies, Nuts (Almonds, Cashew Nut), Honey (multiflora), chocolate (dark), seeds (sunflower and watermelon) were used to make this energy bar. Based on sensory analysis the developed chocolate “energy” bar containing 30% oats, 15% honey, 14% chocolate, 10% nuts, 10% seeds, 8% dates, 8% rice crispies and 5% raisin is highly recommended. The novel chocolate “energy” bar was highly acceptable with desirable sensory quality by all consumers as compared to commercial energy bar.

Fresh and processed tomato consumption has increased significantly over the past two decades. Tomato as vegetable and fruit occupy a prominent place in healthy diet. Tomato is grown extensively throughout India for fresh consumption and commercial processing. The aim of the present investigation was to develop heat processed tomato salsa (HPTS) as shelf life extension point of view. In present work, Mexican tomato salsa was reformulated and prepared by heat processing with slight modification in recipe, packed in retort pouches and HDPE packs and kept for storage at 25°C to 30°C (ambient room temperature). Prepared HPTS were evaluated for chemical and microbial analysis. It was found that, retort pouches and HDPE pouches preserve the physico-chemical parameters of HPTS up to 90 days as compared to fresh tomato salsa (control sample) (4 days at room 25°C to 30°C and refrigeration temperature (1°C to 4°C). Negligible microbial activity found up to 105 days in both the packaging material which was far better than control salsa. HPTS was further studied for sensory analysis and found to have better acceptability in HDPE packs (up to 90 days) and retort pouches (up to 60 days) as compared to control it was better. It was revealed that HPTS packed in HDPE packs and retort pouches had shown to be 22 times and 15 times extended shelf-life compare with Fresh tomato salsa.

Minimal processing adds to convenience of consumption and marketing of fruits and vegetables suitable for retail markets. In the present study, an attempt has been made to freshly process and pack Moringa oleifera leaves in different packaging materials and storage conditions as a convenience product. Freshly harvested Moringa leaves were stripped in a mechanical stripper to remove the leaflets from the branches, washed in chlorinated water, surface dried and packed in different packaging materials viz., LDPE (40 micron), LDPE (80 micron), Polypropylene (40 micron), Polypropylene (60 micron), at different levels of ventilation (0, 1% & 2%) and kept for storage under ambient (29±33 °C, 50-70% RH) and refrigerated (5±2 °C, 90-95% RH) conditions. The physiological changes based on Weight Loss, % wilting and the changes in the nutrient content (chlorophyll, vitamin C, vitamin A & Iron) were periodically analysed during storage. The study revealed that packaging treatment with Polypropylene 40 micron at 1% vent was found to be the best for freshly processed Moringa leaves under ambient conditions and LDPE 80 micron with 1% vent was found to be best for refrigerated storage. Quality analysis revealed that there was not much difference in the nutrient content of Moringa leaves except for ascorbic acid content during storage.

Value added fermented food products (naan, kulcha, bread, bhatura, vada and wadiyan) were developed by using dehydrated curry leaves at different levels i.e. 2.5 and 5 per cent. Highly acceptable samples supplemented at 2.5 and 5 per cent level were analysed. All the developed products using dehydrated curry leaves were found to have significantly higher content of protein ranging from 5.54-15.40%, fibre 0.36-1.73% and total ash 1.61-3.63% as compared to unsupplemented (control) samples. However, there was also a significant increase in antinutritional components of test samples of fermented food products as compared to the control samples. The oxalate content of test samples ranged from 22.40 to 100.81 mg/100g. The phytate phosphorus content was found to be the highest in wadiyan (136.13 mg/100g) and lowest in kulcha (26.60 mg/100g). Trypsin inhibitor (TI) content of test samples ranged from 51.24 to 183.03 TIU/g of protein and were found to be highest the in wadiyan and lowest in bread. Efforts to reduce the content of anti nutritional factors in these foods are required to be made.

The present study was aimed at preparation of rice wine using Pichia kudriavzeii by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) and separate hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF). Two varieties of rice PUSA 1121 and PR116 were used to produce ethanol by SSF and SHF. Ethanol concentration of 7.64% (w/v) and 6.82% (w/v) (72 hrs) from PUSA 1121 and PR116, respectively was obtained by SHF giving fermentation efficiency of approx. 87% in both the cases. SSF showed decrease in ethanol production 5.88% (w/v) ethanol from parmal rice (PR116) in 72 h with fermentation efficiency of 82.08% and from basmati rice (PUSA 1121), 6.82% (w/v) ethanol was produced with fermentation efficiency of 72% only in 72 h. Hence, SHF proved to be advantageous in rice saccharification and subsequent ethanol production.

The freshly harvested Sweet Corns (Zea Mays L.) were packed in different packaging materials like low density polyethylene (LDPE) with (0.2%) and without ventilation, MAP using diffusion channel and silicone membrane, vacuum packing and Shrink wrapped materials stored in refrigerated conditions. The temperature 0 °C was maintained to evaluate the nutritional quality of sweet corns. Among six different packaging systems tested for the sweet corn storage, the least value of PLW (0.533%), better retention of total sugar in corn kernels without conversion into starch, maximum shelf-life (16 days) and high sensory quality was documented with shrink wrapping package system which showed encouraging results with respect to physical properties and sensory quality evaluation when compared with the other treatments.

The present study was undertaken to formulate and analyze the nutritional composition of value added food products prepared by the incorporation of finger millet flour (Eleusine coracana), pearl millet flour (Pennisetum glaucum) and drumstick leaves (Moringa oleifera). Three value added food products were namely ‘Idli’, ‘Dhokla’ and ‘Uthapam’ were analyzed for proximate constituents and total phenolic content. ‘Idli’, ‘Dhokla’ and ‘Uthapam’ were prepared by the incorporation of finger millet flour, pearl millet flour and drumstick leaves in ratio of 20:20:10. Results showed that ‘Idli’, ‘Dhokla’ and ‘Uthapam’ were rich in calcium, vitamin C and total phenolic content (141.48mg/100g, 23.42mg/100g and 712.43mg/100g), (154.84mg/100g, 24.78mg/100g and 622.6mg/100g) and (142.91mg/100g, 25.23mg/100g and 687.03mg/100g) respectively. Incorporation of finger millet flour, peal millet flour and drum stick leaves improved the nutritional composition of the products. It can be concluded that these products prepared from millets and drumstick leaves have potential to in the prevention of ageing and various diseases associated with oxidative stress.

India is the largest producer of fruits in the world with an annual production of 46 million tons, However, accounting to 10% of the world production 20-30% of production get spoiled and remain unutilized as post-harvest losses and mango is no exception. Mango (Mangifera indica L.) is the most popular and the choicest fruit of India. Wine production from mango is a very good alternative to utilize the surplus and value addition. The literature available on mango wine production and characterization, the need of fruit wine and mango wine production and optimization of conditions has been reviewed briefly. The characterization of mango wine in terms of primary metabolite, ethanol and secondary metabolites like glycerol, volatile flavour compounds and phenolic compounds and antioxidant potentiality have also been covered. Cell immobilization in mango wine production, stabilization, other varieties of fermentation products like vermouth and economics has been focussed. To utilize the surplus for wine production, has potential to contribute considerably to postharvest loss reduction and providing value added products.

Book Review By Prof. V.K. Joshi, Visiting Professor, Shoolini University, Former Prof & Head, FST, Nauni, Solan (HP) India, Member of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India

A study on the preparation of wine from Amla (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.) using varied levels of sugar was carried out. Amla wine was prepared with extractions using whole fruits in 20, 22, 24, 26 and 28oB sugar syrups. Alcohol content was found to increase with an increase in sugar concentration. Sensory evaluation was conducted for all the fresh wine samples, prior to ageing. The results revealed that the wine developed from the first five treatments were acceptable, after which the sensory acceptability scores was the best seen to decline. The wine prepared using Amla fruits with 28 oB sugar syrup were best out of all treatments.

Ethanolic extract of Rhododendron arboreum flowers was analyzed for antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. Antioxidant activity was determined by DPPH (1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) and FRAP (Ferric reducing antioxidant power) assays. The antioxidant activity of flowers extract for DPPH assay was 134.1±2.34 mM TE/g and for FRAP assay was 140.6±2.76 mM TE/g. The antimicrobial activity was measured by agar well diffusion method against six different bacterial species out of which; three were Gram-positive and three were Gram-negative. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimum bacteriocidal concentration (MBC) were also determined for each pathogen using a 96-well microtiter plate method. The results reported in mg/ml, indicated that all the bacterial strains (Gram-positive and Gram-negative) were effectively inhibited by the ethanolic extract of Rhododendron flowers. E.coli exhibited highest sensitivity to flowers extracts with maximum zone of inhibition (17mm) at extract concentration 50mg/ml and Bacillus cereus and Bacillus subtilis showed minimum inhibition (8mm each) at extract concentration of 25mg/ml. Highest MIC was observed against E.coli (1 mg/ml) and Shigella flexneri (1 mg/ml).

Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) isomers have attracted significant attention due to their important functional traits with plenty of health prospects to humans. Many Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) demonstrate the ability to produce CLA isomers C18:2 cis-9, trans-11 and C18:2 trans-10, cis-12 from the Linoleic Acid (LA) in-vitro. In the present study, 16 LAB with ability to produce CLA were isolated from diverse ecosystem. Three LAB isolates, CMLAB2, BMLAB1 and PMLAB1 had shown their potential to convert in-vitro free LA to CLA. The FAME extracts of CLA produced in fermentation experiments by these isolates were studied. The isolates CMLAB2, BMLAB1 and P2MLAB1 were found to produce 21.21; 14.68; 6.35 μg/ml of CLA respectively. Among these isolates, CMLAB2 isolate was found to produce physiologically important and most studied c9, t11CLA and t10, c12 CLA isomers in significant amount in-vitro. Upon characterization of this isolate, it was identified as a species of Lactobacilli.

This study was under taken to improve the nutritional contents of mango peel and seed meal (var. Totapuri) by solid state fermentation, using different yeasts viz., Saccharomyces boulardii, S. cereviceae (MTCC 170) and lactic acid bacteria viz., Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus plantarum. The results revealed that the mango peel fermented by single inoculation with lactic acid bacteria, L. plantarum and yeasts S. boulardii showed more decrease in pH (3.21) and TSS (4.23 Brix) while combined inoculation significantly enhanced the protein (7.88%), fat (4.18), ash (5.74 %) and minerals Ca (0.70%), Mg (0.46%), K (1.30%), Fe (313ppm), Mn (45.80 ppm) over the control. Similarly, fermentation of mango seed meal by combined inoculation of L. plantarum and probiotic yeasts S. boulardii showed a significant enhancement of protein (13.01%) over the control (7.81%). The results showed that the strains L. plantarum and S. boulardii were more efficient in enhancing the nutrients in mango peel and mango seed wastes.

Conventional hot air method of cashew kernel conditioning is time consuming besides other limitations, hence rapid infrared conditioning was tried as an alternative conditioning method. Comparative study of different temperature levels of infrared conditioning was carried to determine the effects on quality parameters of cashew kernel conditioning before peeling were compared with hot air conditioned kernels. Second level of infrared conditioning i.e., 160 °C for 8 minutes was found to the best conditioning treatment out of all infrared heating levels tried, yielding kernel quality comparable to conventional hot air conditioning. Moisture removal during infrared conditioning was analyzed using different established drying models. Page model was found to fit well in all three selected infrared conditioning levels. Diffusion coefficients during infrared and hot air conditioning were found to be 1.40×10-08 and 9.00×10-10 m2/s respectively.

Fermented foods are the important components of the diets of many parts of the world since time immemorial as it increase the nutritive value, organoleptic characteristics, decreases the cooking time and enhance the shelf-life. Hence, a study was undertaken with the objective to develop fermented food (Idli) using multigrain flour mixture and to assess its organoleptic and nutritional properties. Standard recipe (Idli) served as a Control (T0). Along with control; four variations of Idli were prepared by replacing rice with different ratio of multigrain flour mixture which was referred to as T1, T2, T3 and T4, respectively. They were tested for different sensory attributes. Proximate analysis was used to determine the nutritional composition of Idli. Appropriate statistical technique was adopted for the analysis. The result revealed that the T2 (8.30±0.14) was found to be the most acceptable with regards to its overall acceptability followed by T1(8.22±0.81), T0(8.11±0.29), T3 (7.44±0.54) and T4 (6.66±0.81), respectively. Nutrients content was significantly increased in treatments as compared to control. Thus it can be concluded that value added fermented multigrain product has good organoleptic and nutritional quality.

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) is a major cereal consumed widely in Asian and African countries as a human food, while in other countries it is consumed as a feed. Despite having an adequate nutrient content, its use in food is limited, mainly due to the content of antinutritional factors such as condensed tannins. Fermentation technology has been shown to improve the nutritional characteristics of products and help to decrease the content of these anti-nutritional compounds. The study was aimed to evaluate the effect of the solid-state fermentation (SSF) process with Rhizopus oryzae (MUCL 28168) on the chemical composition, physical-structural characteristics and nutritional value of sorghum grains. The physical structure of the sorghum starch granules was modified during the fermentation process due to the action of the enzymes, mainly amylases, produced by the microorganism. The results showed that the total carbohydrate content decreased by 1.74%, while the crude protein content increased by 23.87%. Moreover, there was an increase of 19.62% in protein digestibility. For the amino acids, some increased their concentration while others decreased it. An important result was that the lysine and tryptophan content were higher at the end of the fermentation. The fermentation process improved the nutritional characteristics of sorghum, therefore the use of sorghum can be considered for human and animal consumption.

The present research was intended to study the feasibility of incorporation of Aloe vera juice in different ratios for preparation of Aloe vera incorporated peda and assess their storage life at ambient room temperature. The peda samples were analyzed for chemical quality attributes (moisture, protein and acidity) and microbial quality attributes (total plate count and yeast and mould count) during storage at room temperature (37±1°C). The analysis was carried out on 0th, 3rd, 5th and 7th days of storage. A reducing trend was observed in moisture content and increasing trend was observed in acidity content during the storage of peda samples at room temperature over a period of 7 days. The microbial analysis revealed that both total plate count and, yeast and mould count decreased with the increased incorporation of juice. During storage however, both the counts increased.

Proximate composition, anti-nutritional compounds and sensory quality attributes of flakes based on corn and peanut for possible use as ready to eat food. The product takes were prepared as per the standard protocol from corn - peanut blends in the ratios of 100:0, 90:10, 80:20 and 70:30. The analysis of flakes revealed significant differences among different blends. On basis of sensory evaluation the flakes prepared from germinated corn flour: roasted peanut flour of (80: 20) attained highest overall acceptability score (8.57±0.01) and it contained 9. 94 ±0.04 % crude fat, 16.24 ±0.04 % crude protein, 2.56 ±0.01% crude fibre, 3.12±0.02% ash, 64.27±0.07% carbohydrate content and 2.92±0.01 mg/100g β-carotene. The results obtained in this study also showed that flakes prepared from germinated corn flour: roasted peanut flour of 80: 20 contained 14.60±0.01 mg/100g calcium, 0.86±0.01 mg/100g zinc and 0.73±0.01 mg/100g iron.

This study was conducted to prepare functionally enrich squash from Rhododendron (Rhododendron arboreum Sm.) petals. The prepared product was evaluated for various physico-chemical functional properties. The addition of extract effected all the parameters positively. Antioxidant compounds viz. ascorbic acid 33.12±0.03, 14.93±0.09 and 18.80±0.11mg/100g, total anthocyanins 29.67±0.85, 10.88±0.21 and 14.10±0.18mg/100g and total phenols 34.14±0.43, 20.61±0.15 and 21.00±0.11mg/100g were documented in Rhododendron flowers, sugar based Rhododendron squash and honey based Rhododendron squash, respectively. The advancement of storage decreased TSS, total sugars, reducing sugars, acidity, ascorbic acid, total anthocyanins and total phenols but slight increase in pH value of both type of squashes took place. Overall, 30 per cent rhododendron juice and final TSS 45°Brix is recommended to prepare a good quality honey based rhododendron squash.

Experiments were conducted to extend the shelf-life of fresh fenugreek in different forms (leaves and bunch), using different packaging material viz. polypropylene, cling film, paper with an unpacked control sample. The packed fresh fenugreek was stored under refrigerated conditions (temperature 6 ± 1°C and RH 95±2%) and were analyzed at regular intervals for their quality attribute i.e. β-carotene, physiological loss in weight (PLW), chlorophyll content, colour change and sensory attributes. It was observed that packaging material had significant effect on of PLW, chlorophyll content, visual appearance and water accumulation. Polypropylene package and bunch form of sample were the best for enhancement of shelf-life of fenugreek up to 7 weeks. Lower PLW was observed to be 2.11 and 2.85% of initial weight in polypropylene material for leaves and bunch, respectively. Chlorophyll content decreased as much as by 91% for leaf and 90% for bunch wrt fresh (220mg/100g) in polypropylene packaging. It was observed that packaging of fenugreek in polypropylene package in bunch form resulted in best maintenance of chlorophyll, colour, weight loss, aroma and visual appearance. Overall it can be concluded that the fresh fenugreek in the form of bunch can be stored safely upto 48 days when packed in polypropylene package and stored under refrigerated conditions.

Book Review

Mozzarella cheese is soft, unripened cheese variety of the pasta filata family which had its origin in the Battipaglia region in Italy and was traditionally made from buffalo milk. In the present work, it is prepared by admixing of two different kinds of milk viz., Cow and Buffalo milk. The samples were prepared as To to T5 and the sample T1 and T2 proved to be the best samples on the basis of sensory evaluation. The protein content of sample T1 and T2 was observed to be 22.95% and 22.87%, respectively, whereas, the fat content of sample T1 and T2 was 22.77% and 20.61%, respectively. The observation recorded shows that yield and moisture content of mozzarella cheese depend on total solid content of buffalo or cow milk. The cheeses were subjected to microbiological analysis and sensory evaluation at storage refrigerated temperature (40oF) and at intervals of 15, 30, 45 and 60 days. New imitated process cheese, similar to stretched cheese, was used successfully as a topping material for pizza instead of Mozzarella cheese.

Innovations in gut-healthy food products

CONTENTS Vol. 7, No. 2, December 2017

Spirulina (Spirulina platensis), the blue green algae is a rich source of proteins and has several therapeutic properties. The present study focused on incorporating spirulina powder with little millet (Panicum miliare) flour in the preparation of cookies. Physico-chemical properties, textural profiles and sensory qualities of spirulina incorporated little millet special cookies were prepared and analysed. Cookies were prepared by incorporating spirulina powder (5-10%). Results of sensory evaluation showed that 8% spirulina powder with 75% little millet flour was highly acceptable, with a score for overall acceptability being 8.6. Carbohydrate, protein, fat, fibre, calcium and iron content of the standardized cookies were found to be 65.00; 12.31; 20.18; 5.41g; 27.50 and 6.92mg/100g, respectively. The shelf-life of the product was better in plastic containers (600G) than propylene bags (200G) for a storage period up to 30 d.

Studies were conducted to develop a novel product- osmotically dried and appetizing flakes from fresh ginger rhizomes keeping in view its nutritional significance. Ginger contains ascorbic acid (8.48 mg/100 g), antioxidant activity (57.45%), crude protein (2.73%) and total phenols (10.18 mg/100 g) that accounts for its characteristic aroma and therapeutic properties. Mechanically peeled rhizomes were sliced into suitable size of 3.5×0.4×0.4 cm3 followed by blanching in 1.0% lemon juice or citric acid for 15 minutes for the preparation of osmotically dried and appetized ginger flakes. The cost of production of osmotically dried ginger flakes was calculated as ` 22.64 to 22.97/200g for glass jars and ` 15.65 to ` 15.72/ 200g for aluminium laminated pouches for citric acid and lime juice blanching, respectively. The commercial adoption of this technology seems to be a profitable venture for efficient utilization of fresh ginger rhizome as well as enhancing the income of growers.

De-fatted soy cereal bar (DSCB) was prepared by substituting different proportions of defatted soy flour viz., 100:0(T0), 90:10 (T1), 80:20 (T2) 70:30 (T3), 60:40 (T4), 50:50 (T5), 40:50 (T6) with basic meal. Sensory evaluation was done for different treatments. T2 was highly acceptable from all the other treatments and was analyzed for proximate composition viz., moisture, protein, fat, fiber, ash, carbohydrate, energy, in-vitro protein digestibility (IVPD), total calcium and iron, in-vitro calcium and iron bioavailability and shelf-life. Protein content was significantly higher in DSCB compared to the control (CCB). IVPD, total Ca and Fe, in-vitro Ca and Fe bioavailability of DSCB was found to be significantly higher than the CCB. Storage studies showed that the DSCB and CCB were found stable and highly acceptable at the end of the storage period of three months in HDPE polypouches by vaccum packaging at ambient temperature (23-44oC). DSCB were developed to supply the public nutritious food alternatives with good nutrition combinations and good protein quality in cereal-legume complementation.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of UV- irradiation, hot water dip (HWD) and ethanol vapours on the quality and storage life of chickpea sprouts. Chickpea seeds were washed, soaked and allowed to sprout (24 h). The chickpea seeds after sprouting were subjected to various treatments viz., ethanol vapour (30 min), hot water dip (50 °C for 2 min) and UV-Irradiation (10 kJm-2 for 1 h). The sprouts after treatments were examined at 24 h interval until the spoilage. Sprout length, weight and total plate count were enhanced during storage at both the storage temperature. There was no significant effect of various treatments on sprout length and weight, except in ethanol treatment, where suppression was observed. The total plate count was not significantly affected by various treatments. Sensory quality (for appearance, taste, odour and overall acceptability) decreased with increasing storage period. Hot water dip treatment results in enhancing the shelf-life of sprouts which maintained upto 72 h at room temperature and 120 h at low temperature.

The suitability of defatted flaxseed flour for cracker preparation was investigated in this study. The defatted flaxseed flour was blended with refined wheat flour in the ratios of 100:0, 95:5, 90:10, 85:15, 80:20, 75:25 and 70:30. The developed products were packed in laminate aluminium pouches and stored for 90 days at room temperature to ascertain the changes in chemical and mineral composition. From the results it was concluded that with the incorporation of roasted and partially defatted flaxseed the mean antioxidant activity was 33.87%, total phenolic content 113.33 mg/100g, free fatty acid 0.57% as oleic acid and peroxide value 0.29 meq. peroxide/kg of sample were observed the highest in treatment S7 (30% flaxseed flour). However, minimum mean calcium and potassium content of 491.64 and 94.59 mg per 100 g were recorded in S1 (0% flaxseed flour), respectively. In general, with the incorporation of roasted and partially defatted flaxseed flour, all the chemical parameters increased whereas, with the advancement of storage period decreased.

The sensorial and nutritional evaluation of four products developed by using niger seeds (Guizotia abyssinica) was investigated. Idli, poha, dhokla and pop ups were prepared by supplementing niger seeds at different levels for different recipes and were sensorily evaluated using 9 point hedonic rating scale. Incorporation of the quantity of niger seeds higher than 20% decreased the acceptability due to dark colour and high fibre content. Idli, poha, dhokla and pop ups, were found to be acceptable at 15, 20, 10 and 9% level of supplementation of niger seeds, respectively with overall acceptability scores as 8.3, 7.8, 8.5 and 7.8. The developed products were found to have increased nutritive value as compared to their respective control samples in terms of protein, fat, fibre, iron and in vitro protein digestibility. Supplementation of these products to the vulnerable groups can help in combating protein-energy malnutrition and anaemia.

Bacteriocins are the metabolites produced by lactic acid bacteria having antimicrobial activity thus, with a tremendous potential as a biopreservative agent for processed food. In this study, bacteriocinogenic LAB were isolated from the fermented food, “Idli”. Morphological and biochemical analyses of these isolates were done by the traditional methods. The isolates (10) were able to produce bacteriocin whose antibacterial activity was analyzed by agar well diffusion assay test against indicator organisms. The antibacterial protein (bacteriocin) was characterized based on the sensitivity to heat, pH, chloroform, NaCl and incubation time. It was observed that 1% NaCl enhanced the bacteriocin production of all the bacteriocin positive isolates. The bacteriocins produced by the lactic acid bacteria isolated in this work could act as a good source to inhibit the growth of spoilage bacteria and foodborne pathogens.

Contents- Volume 7 Issue 1 June 2017

Cucumber is valued for its nutritive and medicinal properties. The optimization of the fermentation process with reference to yeast concentration and the period of fermentation has been attempted by using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) for its value addition. The statistical design suggested 13 formulations, with the yeast concentration ranging from 0.29-1.70% and the fermentation process period varied from 0.17-5.82 days. The responses such as acidity, pH, Brix, ascorbic acid, and sensory quality attributes were studied. Overall the fermentation time and yeast concentration were optimized with 1.3% yeast concentration and 1 day fermentation time for preparation of fermented beverage. The optimized results were acidity (%) 0.25, pH 3.56, Brix° 22.7, Vitamin-C 5.28 mg/100ml. The product gave a score of sensory evaluation for more than 8 in various attributes.

Ochratoxin A (L-phenylalanine-N-[(5-chloro-3, 4-dihydro-8-hydroxy-3-methyl-1-oxo-1H-2 benzopyrane-7-yl)carbonyl] -(R)-isocoumarin) (OTA) one of the most studied mycotoxins is produced by Penicillium verrucosum and by Aspergillus ochraceus but a few isolates of Aspergillus niger. It is one of the most important mycotoxin contaminants in agricultural products and continues to attract global attention concerning the hazard and impact on both human and animals due to its toxicity and occurrence. It has been detected in food commodities such as cereals, wine, coffee, figs, dried fruits and beer and in feeds for animals. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies it as a possible carcinogen to human (group 2B). Its symptom includes low appetite, weight loss, faintness, depression, high thirst and increased urination. OTA is one of the major causes of death in human beings and animals. These toxic fungi, contaminate food products in different phases of production and processing, especially in suitable environmental conditions viz., temperature and moisture conditions.

Mulberry (Morus spp.) is a fruit known for its nutritional qualities and flavor. Traditionally, it is used as a natural medicine due to high content of active therapeutic compounds. Its fruits are rich in sugar and therefore, are potential substrate for wine production. Mulberry accessions viz., MI-118, MI-497 and MI-362 were screened for wine preparation. The sensory evaluation revealed that the wine prepared from variety MI-497 was the best due to an attractive deep red colour, 7.60B TSS; 0.34 per cent acidity; 0.16% tannins; 0.23% reducing sugar; 0.41% total sugar; 2.89 mM/ml antioxidants; 10.17 mg/100ml anthocyanin and 13.2 % (v/v) alcohol. The wine from mulberry accessions MI-362 was comparatively sweeter with higher TSS and acidity but low in anthocyanins content (2.46 mg/100 ml). HPLC analysis detected gallic acid, p – coumaric acid, catechins, kaempferol and epi-catechin as major phenolic compounds present in the wines. The data obtained revealed that the mulberry accessions MI-497 and MI-362 are suitable for wine production. Wine prepared from Indian mulberry accession MI-497 had the high antioxidant (2.89 mM/ml) and anthocyanins (10.17 mg /100 ml) content and thus, could have good market potential.

This study was conducted to evaluate the quality and shelf-life of chicken meat cutlets by incorporating functional ingredients like carrots and oats at optimized levels carrots (0, 5, 10, 15, 20% levels) and oats (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5% levels) in the products for their optimization in the formulation of chicken meat cutlets. On the basis of sensory evaluation, best levels of carrots (10%) and oats (5%) were incorporated in the chicken meat cutlets and stored under frozen conditions (-20± 2ºC) for two months after packaging in coextruded plastic film (conventional and vacuum packs) packs to evaluate shelf-life of the product. It was observed that functional chicken meat cutlets (carrots and oats) chicken meat cutlets had significantly (p≤0.05) higher moisture, cooking yield, color (L, a, b values) sensory attributes and lower ash, fat, protein, free fatty acids, peroxide values, lower shrinkage, shear force, pH and total viable count in comparison to control chicken meat cutlets. The chicken meat cutlets containing functional ingredients had significantly (p≤0.05) higher acceptability than control chicken meat cutlets. Vacuum packed chicken meat cutlets had significantly (p≤0.05) higher moisture, lower free fatty acid content, lower peroxide value and higher overall acceptability than conventionally packed chicken meat cutlets at the end of two months of frozen storage period (-20± 2ºC).

The aims of this study was to determine the effects of temperature and yeast count on the fermentation kinetics and chemical properties of guava fruits were determined for its suitability to produce low alcoholic beverage. The fermentation conditions were optimized by varying temperature at 22,27 and 32°C and the yeast concentration of 1,2 and 3%. The increase in temperature and yeast count, sugar level was deceased. However, at low temperature (22°C±2°C) and yeast concentration (1%) the sugars were not completely utilized during fermentation At high temperature of 32°C ±2°C, the alcohol yield was highest (6.02%) relative to the low temperature of 22°C±2°C that gave the lowest yield (2.60%), the yeast count of 3% and fermentation temperature of 32°C±2°C gave the optimal characteristics for guava low alcoholic beverage.

The present investigation was undertaken with the objective of funding out the physicochemical and microbial quality of spiced fish sauce made from the fresh water Catla catla fish for a period of 60 days storage. The spiced fish sauce was prepared by anaerobic fermentation for about 2 months and evaluated different physico-chemical for characteristics such as moisture, fat, protein carbohydrate, salt, total ash, pH and TSS were examined at an interval of 15 days. The microbial study of fish sauce during study showed that the TPC (Total Plate Count) and yeast and mold count were gradually decreased from that the fresh of 5.4 × 104 cfu/ml 4.3 × 103 cfu/ml and from fresh (3.1 × 103 cfu/ml) (2.0 × 102 cfu/ml), respectively during 60 days. The lactic acid bacteria count was progressively increased during storage (fresh day (2.9 × 103 cfu/ml) (4.1 × 103 cfu/ml)) during 60 days. Further, objectionable colony of Coliform and Salmonella was detected during the whole storage. The microbial counts were within the specified standards for the consumption of the fishy food products. However, the organoleptic evaluation of the fish sauce during storage showed that the highest score for overall acceptability was recorded for 60 days (8.6) and followed by 45 days (8.5) and 30 days (8.3). It can be concluded that the prepared fish sauce can be stored for 60 days with good physiochemical and sensory quality storage quality and acceptability.

Wild fruits: nutritional and nutraceutical opportunities

Tomato slices pre-treated with 4% potassium metabisulphite (KMS) and dried by hot air drying at 58˚C and freeze drying at 0.008 m Bar vacuum were assessed for phytonutrient quality. Freeze drying was found to retain better antioxidant activity and phytonutrients in tomato slices compared to the hot air dried tomato slices. Sulphur dioxide exerted beneficial effect (antioxidative) on retention of phytonutrients during hot air drying but had negligible effect during freeze drying. Total carotenoids in pretreated hot air dried tomato slices were 17.49% higher than control samples whereas in case of freeze drying, carotenoids were 3.01% higher in control samples than pretreated samples Rehydration ratio was the highest in pretreated freeze dried tomato slices (6.69) compared to pretreated hot air dried tomato slices (5.77). Maximum nutrients were retained by KMS treated slices during storage.

Xylanase is the enzyme that degrades xylan, causes decreasing in degree of polymerization, hence releasing oligomers such as xylobiose and xylose. Compared to the plants and animals, fungi are the most preferable microorganisms for this purpose due to their growth conditions and structural sturdiness. Xylanase is produced by several microorganisms such as Aspergillus, Penicillium, Trichoderma, Streptomyces and Bacillus spp. Nonetheless, Aspergillus is identified as the major producer of xylanase. Xylan is commonly used as a substrate for determining the xylanase activity. Due to the potential applications of xylanase in the industries and environment, it is essential to minimize the cost of production by optimising medium formulation and culture conditions of microorganisms in submerged fermentation. Its high demand worldwide, requires optimization of microbial xylanase production by specific carbon and nitrogen sources with optimum growth conditions, both are apparently managed to reduce production cost besides providing adequate amounts of nutrients for biomass and xylanase production, respectively. Xylanase has become valuable and attractive enzyme due to its vast applications in pulp and paper, food and beverage, detergent and textiles industry. All these aspects have been reviewed in this article.

People in the south-west coast of India preserve raw jackfruit kernels in the brine solution by natural fermentation. Traditionally, high salt concentration brine is utilized to maintain texture and avoid contamination; the product is then, stored and consumed until the next fruiting season. Study was conducted to identify salt-tolerant microbiota in traditionally fermented jackfruit. Given priority to the texture, taste and odour of the fermented kernels, attempt was made to prevent excess use of salt by standardizing brine solution and at the same time inhibiting undesirable yeasts and moulds in the fermented product. Study revealed the presence of salt tolerant lactic acid bacteria, Leuconostoc and Lactobacillus spp. and yeasts belonging to genera Saccharomyces and Geotrichum. Population of moulds and yeasts reduced significantly at 12 % salt concentration compared to 5 % and 10 %. Texture, odour and overall acceptability of the fermented kernels were recorded as the best at 12 % brine solution though it revealed saltish taste.

The study was conducted to determine physico-chemical characteristics and sensory qualities of sorghum-finger millet papad. Papads were prepared from different sorghum varieties by incorporating finger millet flour and analyzed for physical, chemical and sensory qualities. Parbhani Moti sorghum variety was selected among five sorghum varities based on sensory evaluation of papads. Finger millet flour was added to Parbhani Moti sorghum variety based papad as 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50% with other ingredients. The results revealed that Sorghum-finger millet papad prepared with 40% finger millet flour had moisture range of 9 to 9.25%, proteins 8.39 to 12.64%, fat 0.88 to 1.05 %, ash 0.54 to 1.27% and total carbohydrates 76.77 to 80.21% respectively.

Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) juice which contains high amount of sugar was used as a raw material and an attempt was made to prepare sugarcane wine blended with content fruits viz. watermelon (Citrullus lanatus Thunb.). Among the prrparation of sugarcane blended with watermelon juice, the concentration of 1:1 (v/v) maintained at total soluble solids (TSS) 30.3 °Brix, temperature 26 °C and pH 4.5 during fermentation, was found to be the best as it produced wine of alcohol percentage (9.6%), TSS (14.2 °Brix), titrable acidity (0.92%) and total reducing sugar (11.98%) with good flavour, colour and overall acceptability. Changes during maturation were also documented. Therefore, maturation storage yields high quality wine.

Macaroni (pasta)—a popular extruded product prepared using durum wheat semolina is rich in complex carbohydrate, vitamin-B but deficient in proteins especially lysine and threonine leading to low biological value of the product. The present study was conducted to prepare a nutritionally enriched macaroni by supplementing semolina with white button mushroom. The fresh mushrooms are a rich source of proteins having most of the essential amino acids in good proportions, thus, can be a better option for nutritional enrichment of pasta with 10 to 30% supplementation. The mushroom fortified pasta showed better antioxidant activity of 11.14 percent as compared to 5.61% in control with phenol contents ranging from 0.559 to 0.660% with increased mushroom fortification. A gradual increase in moisture content, carbohydrates was also noticed with decreased crude fibre, crude protein, and fat as well. The SEM study and rheological properties showed the clear picture of protein network, a smooth outer surface, and significant increase in chewiness and springiness that resulted in a desirable mouthfeel during eating. Therefore, on the basis of sensory and rheological properties of mushroom supplemented pasta, the ratio of 80:20 was found to be the best and thus optimized for development of nutritionally enriched macaroni.

In this forum, we invite academicians, the educators the researcher's students and the public to open up their mind, express their views and send these to the editor-in-Chief which would be published as letters to the editor. Of course, no fee would be charged for the publication of the letter to the editor.

The wine has a rich history of preparation and consumption dating back thousands of years, with its earliest traces so far discovered in 6000 BC in Georgia as revealed by the ancient scriptures like the Rigveda and the New Testament, and the literary writings. Not only this, it is regarded as a gift from God, describing as a divine fluid in Indian mythology. Admittedly, except for water and milk, no other beverage has earned such universal acceptance and esteem throughout the ages as wine. It has been a part of the human diet ever since his settlement in the Tigris–Euphrates Basin. The Codex Alimentarius Commission has defined the wine as a food: which means any substance, whether processed, semi-processed, or raw, which is intended for human consumption, and this includes drink. Preparation of wine though accidently, is an important method of preservation and preparation of perishables and to make a product with appealing qualities, even today.

A study was undertaken for developing a pickled product using meat of the carp, rohu (Labeo rohita). The meat pieces were subjected to different preprocesses treatments, viz., salting, drying, frying, baking, smoking and marinating in various combinations. The most acceptable combination was marinating fish meat pieces for 15 min followed by smoking for 3 h at 60oC and frying for 30 sec at 180oC in refined vegetable oil. Vinegar- tamarind juice mixture in 1:1 proportion was found to be the most preferred acid source for preparing the pickle. Three types of pickles were prepared, selected pretreatments and acid mixture, of pH values 4.0, 4.5 and 5.0, and storage studies were conducted for a period of 72 days. Sensory scores for odour, texture, taste and overall quality dropped significantly after 24 days in the case of pickle of initial pH value 5.0, and became unacceptable on the 36th day. Pickles adjusted to pH values 4.0 and 4.5, showed an increasing trend in sensory quality during first few weeks of storage, after which the sensory scores remained more or less steady for rest of the period. The total plate count showed no increase in pickles of pH 4.0 and 4.5 during storage, but it significantly increased in pickle of pH 5.0. This was accompanied by significant increases in total volatile base nitrogen content and pH in the latter. The peroxide value also increased at a greater rate indicating oxidation of tat. Thus, it was concluded that pH of 5.0 is unsuitable. Among the other two lots pH 4.5 was found more suitable as the product could be well preserved and the sourness was found to be less organoleptically compared to the pickle of pH 4.0.

Book Review  by Prof. R.S. Singh, Carbohydrate and Protein Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Biotechnology, Punjabi University, Patiala, India

Bacteriocins as antimicrobial metabolites from lactic acid bacteria has potential to find application as a biopreservative agent both in processed as well as fresh food. The present investigation was performed to elucidate the antifungal activity of bacteriocins of Lactobacillus plantarum MTCC 9503 against two common food spoilage fungi, Aspergillus awamori and Penicillium citrinum. Bacteriocins were purified to contain 1,00,000 AU/g of food grade adsorbing agent Diatomite calcium silicate (Micro-Cel). Antifungal efficacy was determined by observing fungal growth, spore viability and spore germination in presence of 2000 AU/ml of bacteriocin preparation. A decrease of 46% (A awamori) and 34% (P citrinum) of fungal mat, on dry weight basis was observed over the control after 10 days of incubation. Spore viability of P citrinum decreased by 20.3% and that of A awamori by 24.2% after 30h of incubation. Control runs recorded 44% spore germination compared to 29.7% (P citrinum) and 27.6% (A awamori) in trial runs after 18h of incubation. Analysis using Sigma-Statistics (One way ANOVA) indicated statistical significance of differences in control and trial results at p< 0.05.

Fresh vegetables have a very short shelf-life since these are subjected to physiological and rapid microbial spoilage and in some cases contamination by pathogens also. Processing or modification of raw foods by using food processing methods and techniques is needed to meet the challenges of food security and safety, nutrition demand and availability of food. Fermentation is one of the important methods of preservation of vegetables. It is one of the oldest means of food preservation and reduces the risk of food borne diseases and food spoilage. Sauerkraut is a traditional fermented vegetable product and is prepared by the fermenting salted cabbage by naturally occurring lactic acid bacteria. Kimchi is another such products made by lactic fermentation of radish and other vegetables. Carrot when fermented similarly gives ‘kangi’, a beverage very popular in several parts of India. In this review is focussed on the lactic acid fermentation of vegetables.

Efforts were made to develop Tikhur based Gulabjamun with the addition of Tikhur flour viz, 10% (T2), 20% (T3) and 30% (T4) by replacing 10% maida (T1) especially to consume during fastening and it has been reported that Gulabjamun prepared with the addition of 30% Tikhur flour obtained highest acceptability (score 9.0 on 9-point Hedonic scale). Tikhur flour used for Gulabjamun preparation contains 15.0 % moisture, 0.20% fat, 1.60% protein, 82.30 % carbohydrate and 0.90% ash. The fresh product T4 (30%) had 26.14% moisture, 23.52 % fat, 16.98 % protein, 47.82 % carbohydrate, 6.10 % ash and 73.86% total solids. During the storage period at room temperature, there was a consistent increase in free fatty acid and peroxide value in all the samples due to hydrolytic and oxidative rancidity while though these changes were slower in T4 sample compared to T2 and T3. It is also concluded that Tikhur flour based Gulabjamun of treatment T4 (30% Tikhur flour) was the best having the cost of ` 15,680/- /100 Kg which is lower than control (T1).

It is with great pleasure and a sense of fulfilment to state that we have successfully brought out three volumes of our journal “International Journal of Food and Fermentation Technology” during 2011 and 2012, catering to the needs of food scientists, R and D workers, and the academician in the field. The inaugural issue of the journal was released by the honourable Vice-chancellor of Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan (India) Dr K. R. Dhiman on 26th June 2012 in a function held in the University to mark the beginning of the ICAR sponsored training on ‘’Advance in Fruit and Vegetable Processing and Preservation” with me as a Course Director.

The relationship among total solids content, textural and sensory parameters of dahi was investigated and reported here. The total solids (TS) content of fresh skim milk was adjusted to 9, 12, 15, 18, 21 and 24% using spray dried-skim milk powder. Dahi was prepared from these milks with adjusted TS and were chilled to 5oC. Firmness, consistency and viscosity index of dahi samples, measured by texture analyzer, showed a general increasing trend with increasing %TS in milk. Sensory scores were the highest at 15% TS. The TS content, texture and sensory quality were interdependent and instrumental texture parameters highly influenced the sensory scores. By univariate analysis, sensory score showed a linear relation with consistency and firmness exhibiting low RMS values. Relationships were much better with multivariate analysis as indicated by multiple regression involving consistency, firmness, viscosity index and their products indicating that the sensory acceptance of dahi is dependent on more than one textural parameter.

Effect of removal of reaction substrate (amino acids) from sweet orange juice by using cation exchange resin was studied for reduction of browning of single strength juice and semi-concentrates of 15 and 30 oBrix. Cation exchange resin (CER), Dowex-50W was used for removal of amino acids. The treated and untreated juices were concentrated to 15 and 30oBrix in a rotary vacuum evaporator. Single strength juice alongwith semi-concentrates of 15 and 30 oBrix were stored for a period of one month at refrigerated, ambient and accelerated temperature (37+2oC, 65% RH). During 30 days storage, loss of amino acids was mere 3.07% in the concentrates prepared from cation exchange resin treated juice as compared to about 6.68% loss in the products prepared from untreated juice. Ascorbic acid content showed a net loss of 14.59% (dwb) after 30 days storage in products prepared from untreated juice as compared to far lesser losses of just 4.85% (dwb) in the products prepared from cation exchange resin treated juice under similar conditions of storage. Total sugar registered a net loss of 3.52% on dry weight basis. Treated juice showed higher amount of total sugars with mean value of 75.48% as compared to untreated juices with corresponding value of 71.01%. Cation exchange resin treatment of malta juice resulted into about three folds in non-enzymatic browning during storage.

The present investigation was carried out with the objective to find out the effect of different treatments on preservation of strawberry pulp at ambient and low storage temperature condition. The samples were pasteurized at 100°C for 15 minutes (T1), preserved with sodium benzoate 250 ppm (T2) and sodium benzoate 500 ppm (T3). The respective samples were stored for two months at room (25±5°C) and low (7±2°C) temperature conditions and various physic-chemical characteristics were recorded at three days interval. The total soluble solids, ascorbic acid and anthocyanin decreased and acidity increased in the stored pulp at room temperature and finally spoiled completely on 18th day of storage. However, in TSS, in acidity increased and ascorbic acid and anthocyanin decreased at low temperature upto 60 days of storage. Among the treatments, sodium benzoate @ 500 ppm was found to be the most effective which maintained the qualitative characteristics of preserved pulp at low (7±2°C) temperature condition up to the 60 days of storage.

An attractive and stable colour is important in the marketability of foods and beverages. However, replacing synthetic dyes with natural colorants poses a challenge due to the higher stability of synthetic colorants with respect to various conditions like light, temperature, pH and is therefore, a major concern in colouring foods. However, the lower stability of natural colourants against environmental factors could pose restriction to their utilization as food colorants in industry. Therefore, the stability of food bio-colour extracts from soybean meal fermented by Monascus purpureus (MTCC 410) in SSF was investigated under various conditions. The food bio-colour extracts were characterized for considerable stability and it was found that these extracts are stable in dark, at low temperatures (20°C, 40°C and 60°C) while the red, orange and yellow bio-colour extracts showed a good stability at pH of 6, 4 and 2, respectively. The stability of Monascus food bio-colours compares well with other natural colours, so that these food bio-colours will be a promising colour additive for food industry.

Conceptual Editorial by S.K. Patyal, Principal Scientist, Department of Entomology, Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry,Nauni, Solan (HP), India

Yoghurt was prepared from fresh cow and buffalo milk with standardized fat content of 4% , 5% and 6%; SNF 10%, 11% and 12% along with 2% starter culture of Streptococcus salivarious subsp. thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbruechii subsp. bulgaricus in the ratio of 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 2:1 and 3:1; at 2 temperature levels of 39°C and 42°C for 6 hours. The acidity of yoghurt was higher in samples with higher levels of solid. Protein lactic and ash contents increased as the SNF contents increased in milk. The yoghurt based diet was fed to experimented albino rate. The levels of S. thermophilus and L. bulgaricus (3:1) acidity increased and pH were decreased in yoghurt. The levels of cholesterol decreased (P<0.01) from 61.59-50.80 mg/100 ml of blood when the levels of yoghurt increased and the triglycerides decreased (89.0 to 83.0 mg /100ml) as the levels of yoghurt increased (10 % - 30%) in the diet. The concentration of phospholipids in the blood increased (P<0.01) 27.27% in 10% yoghurt fed group and 13.64% to 27.27% in yoghurt fed group than the control.

Conceptual Editorial

Gums are polysaccharide compounds having many medicinal and food uses. The tapping and extraction of gum was carried out with the trees of desired diameter at different tapping height from ground level. 4-7 cm wise cut treated with different concentration of H2SO4. After collection and purification of the gum, the different quality parameters and their optimum value in the gum sample were determined such as moisture content 15.31 %, wb, ash content 1.89 %, volatile matter content 65.78 %, pH 4.44, protein content 16.54 mg/g, tannin content 0.0032 mg/g, methoxyl content 1.37 %, major elemental contents in ppm like copper 67.02, ferrous 1247.90, manganese 95.39 and zinc 94.97 when tree diameter was more than 20 cm and tapping height either more than 80 cm or less than 40cm from ground level. Treating the tapped portion with different concentration of H2SO4 did not show significant effect.

Bioactive yoghurt an innovative functional dairy food refers to the incorporation of bioactive components from Aloe vera to promote better health. The process parameters like incubation temperature, percentage of total solids, starter culture and bioactive component were optimized based on the incubation time and quality of the developed bioactive yoghurt. The optimized process parameters were Incubation time, Incubation temperature 4 hours (43°C), Total Solids (23 %), Aloe vera (1%) and (2%) Starter cultures (L.lactis : L.acidophilus). Quality parameters such as hardness, firmness, cohesiveness, consistency and the index of viscosity of bioactive yoghurt were found to be 10.5 g, 69.97 g, -17.29 g, 366.29 g mm, -5.89 g mm, respectively. pH and the titratable acidity were found to be 4.59 and 0.96 %, respectively. The microbial analysis revealed that the bioactive yoghurt had a shelf life of 12 days under refrigerated condition (8±2˚C) with overall acceptability score of 7.

Mandarin oranges are perishable in nature and to utilize surplus the fruit for the preparation of alcoholic wine is a good option. So, the present study was planned to prepare orange wine of acceptable quality. For this, variable initial sugar concentrations were kept. Different content of SO2 were added to the orange must. Physico-chemical and sensory analyse of prepared wines were performed. With increase in initial TSS, the fermentatoin rates decreased. However, no such differences with respet to SO₂ levels were recorded. The physico-chemical characteristics of orange were comparable for other similar wines. The wine with initial TSS 28°C and SO₂ @150 ppm was adjudged to be the best for preparation of mandarine orange wine of acceptable quality.

For the last few decades, the scientific community has been in frenzy and as a food biotechnologist I dare say its becoming impossible not to get pulled into the beautiful world of designing and development of functional foods which is getting creative and innovative with each passing day. New functional food ingredients are being discovered every day and consumer demand for ‘food with a healthy function’ is a growing trend. While the novel foods are absolutely unresistable with its color, texture, aroma, let’s not ignore the potential of traditional foods which have a long history of safe use and consumer acceptability.

Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) has shown a great potential for the extraction and isolation of phytochemicals from various food samples as it minimizes sample handling, provides fairly clean Process extracts, SC-CO2 is the fluid most commonly used in SFE with several advantages. Supercritical fluid extraction was carried out at selected SC-CO2 pressures (100, 150 and 200 bar) and temperatures (40, 50 and 60 °C). The concentrations of food phyto-chemicals viz., total phenols, total flavonoids, total carotenoids, total sterols and total tocopherols from Moringa oleifera. Lam seed kernels were found to be 41.82 to 44.71 mg GAE/g, 14.82 to 18.25 mg RE/g, 15.45 to 17.06 ppm, 892.05 to 984.17 ppm, 80.27 to 92.26 ppm were highest at 200 bar pressure and 50 °C temperature. All of these parameters were significantly (p<0.01) affected by SC-CO2 conditions. With increasing in pressure from 100 to 200 bar, the extraction of phyto-chemicals increased, in case of temperature up to 50 °C phyto-chemicals extraction increased, further increasing in temperature from 50 to 60 °C there will be a decrees in phyto-chemical concentration. Extraction yield of phyto-chemical constituents found 35.26 % in a SFE, which is more than the conventional soxhlet extraction technique (17.12 %). Therefore, phyto-chemical constituents present in the Moringa oleifera. Lam seed kernels could be efficiently extracted by using SC-CO2 with standardized process conditions.

Mulberry (Morus alba L.) is one of the underutilized fruit which is a rich source of antioxidants like phenols, besides its appealing taste and strong aroma. Investigations were conducted to develop jelly and its quality evaluation during storage is reported here. Different combinations of juice (40, 45, 50 and 55 %) and sugar (45 and 50 %) were tried to standardize proper combination for jelly. The jelly prepared by following the best selected recipe was packed in glass and PET jars and stored for six months under ambient and refrigerated temperature conditions. Jelly could be safely stored for a period of six months under both the conditions without much change in various quality characteristics. Different quality characteristics like TSS (oB), reducing sugars (%), total sugars (%) and pH of jelly increased from 66.00 to 66.56, 48.21 to 51.42, 63.08 to 63.46, 3.56 to 3.62 while other chemical characteristics like titratable acidity (%), ascorbic acid (mg/100 g), anthocyanins (mg/100 g), total phenols (mg/100 g), pectin (%) decreased from 0.75 to 0.67, 5.83 to 4.11, 9.00 to 6.71, 72.18 to 69.13, 1.06 to 0.88 and sensory characteristics scores of colour, texture, taste, aroma, overall acceptability score from 7.50 to 7.02, 7.83 to 7.27, 8.19 to 7.92, 8.00 to 7.55, 7.90 to 7.40, respectively during refrigerated storage. However, the changes in the quality characteristics of jelly were slower in refrigerated storage conditions as compared to ambient conditions during six months of storage period the quality of the product was retained better in glass jars than PET jars under refrigerated storage condition.

During the sweet orange juice extraction process a large quantity of peel is produced which is a waste. At present, peel is used for animal feeds and as a source of dietary fibres due to their high fibre content. It could an interesting source of dietary fibre for food also. Efforts were made to investigate the effect of four drying methods (open yard sun drying, solar tunnel drying, hot air drying and dehumidified air drying) and three grinding methods (hammer mill grinding at ambient temperature, with water cooling and with liquid nitrogen cooling) on functional properties of sweet orange peel powder are reported here. Among all combinations of treatments, dehumidified air drying and hammer mill with LN2 grinded powder showed the highest specific volume, lowest bulk density and apparent density due to good hydration properties with highest swelling capacity, water retention capacity, water holding capacity and oil holding capacity. It concluded that powder can be rich source of dietary fibres.

An attempt was made to study the effect of lime treatment, packaging materials and storage periods on biochemical qualities of CO1 and HQPM 7 maize varieties flour. The flours were treated with calcium hydroxide, packed in the two packaging materials viz., polyethylene bags (P1) and metalized polyester polypropylene laminated bags (P2) and its biochemical qualities were determined at 15 days storage intervals of 90 days storage. It was found that an increase in moisture content was noticed during storage but it was lesser in the lime treated flour compared to the untreated maize flour of both varieties. In P2 package, moisture content was significantly lower in compared to P1. The free fatty acid and peroxide value increased on storage but the changes were minimum in samples packaged in P2. Biochemical qualities of maize flour showed that lime treated maize flour can be stored for a longer period compared to untreated maize flour in the both the varieties.

Traditional Indian cereal based fermented food products like Kurdi(Maharashtra) and Seera(Himachal Pradesh) are prepared from batter of fermented wheat grains. These wheat batters were prepared by soaking wheat grains (TriticumAstivum L., variety: PBN51) in water at different temperatures (30, 37.5 and 45°C) for four days (natural fermentation), crushed, centrifuged and characterized for rheological properties.Prepared wheat batters were characterized for rheological properties like viscosity (Pa.s) vs shear rate (s-1), viscosity (Pa.s) vs shear stress (Pa), loss modulus/ storage modulus/ Tan δ/ complex viscosity vs temperature. It was determined that the viscosity and gelatinization temperature of the wheat batters decreased with increase in the soaking temperature of the wheat grains.

Development of ready to eat mint coriander sauce’ with objectives to standardize the method of preparation, preservation and shelf-life of the sauce is reported here. Mint, coriander, other ingredients and the prepared sauce were analyzed for their physicochemical, phytochemical and sensory characteristics. It was observed that solids were separated, so guar gum and CMC were added in the combination of 0.3%+0.3% and homogenization was carried out at 7400 RPM for 7-8 minutes at 20°C to improve the consistency. The samples were stored in five batches i.e. control, preserved with KMS, preserved with sodium benzoate, preserved with combination of KMS+ sodium benzoate and thermal processed sauce for a storage interval of four months. The results observed that the control sample retained shelf life of 30 days while the samples preserved with sodium benzoate remaining for acceptable quality for four months.

Salt preconditioning provides an alternate to very high gravity fermentation for increasing osmotolerance and thermotolerance of yeast. In the current study, a fermenting yeast strain (Saccharomyces cerevisiae MTCC 11815) was sequentially preconditioned at 4% (w/v) NaCl in a synthetic medium and optimized using RSM on the basis of osmotolerance and thermotolerance for maximum ethanol production. A maximum ethanol of 12.53% (v/v) was observed at a temperature of 35ºC with high residual Brix of 17 °B from initial 39 °B. Further, ethanol fermentation carried out between 20 to 30 °B revealed 24 °B as optimum with an ethanol production of 12.4 % (v/v) and residual brix of 3.5 °B. Validation studies on sugarcane juice as well as on molasses (10L) recorded the optimized fermentation parameters (Brix 24°B, Inoculum size 7.5% (v/v) and DAHP 0.3% (w/v)) with ethanol production of 12.4% (v/v) on sugar cane juice and 10.6% (v/v) on molasses having fermentation efficiencies of 86.10% and 81.20% by pre-conditioned S.cerevisiae MTCC 11815 cells.

For production of mango powder, the mango pulp treated with different foaming agents such as glycerol-mono-stearate (T1), methyl cellulose (T2) and egg albumen (T3) were chosen for the processing of ready to use mango powder. Mango powders was prepared for the processing of fruit powder based ice creams and standardized using various levels of fruit powders (10-40%) with other ingredients. The ice creams prepared by incorporation of mango powders (10, 20, 30, and 40) were tested for consumer acceptability. The ice cream prepared by incorporation of mango fruit powder at 20% replacement was superior followed by 30% and 40% replacement in all foaming agents treated mango powders. Hence the 20% incorporation level of fruit powder was selected for preparing of ice creams. The mango powder incorporated ice creams were stored in freezing condition for 8 days. Physical properties of ice cream like volume, freezing time and temperature, surface, texture, crystal formation, melting time and viscosity were observed during storage period. The chemical characteristics and organoleptic evaluation, were also studied during storage. Based on all quality parameters, glycerol-mono-stearate (T1) treated mango powder incorporated ice cream was best followed by methyl cellulose (T2) treated and egg albumen (T3) treated ice creams.

The influence of different osmotic dehydration methods on morphological and nutritional attributes of plums and berries has been reviewed and presented in this review. Several researches have been done for retention of bioactive compounds varying osmotic conventionally drying solution, brix, critical moisture content, drying temperature, drying time and methodology of osmotic dehydration process. Osmotic dehydration is a counter flow process which results in solids gain or impregnation, enhancing the textural and rheological properties of plum and related fruits. Osmotically dehydrated plums require less drying time than which results into improved overall quality. Reviews suggested that various osmotic agents with low molecular weight lead to higher water loss. Osmotic dehydration improves the overall quality of plums and berries as compared to the conventional drying methods.

Cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase (CGTase) catalyzes the formation of Cyclodextrins from starch by an intramolecular transglycosylation reaction. In the present study, the CGTase enzyme was produced from Bacillus macerans NCIM 2131, using shake flask fermentation. Soluble starch and yeast extract were screened as the best carbon and nitrogen source at an individual factor level for enhancing CGTase activity. Similarly, ferrous ion and arginine were found to activate CGTase production in comparison to various other trace metals and amino acids tested. The synergistic effect of individual parameters of CGTase activity and process optimization of cultural condition was performed by response surface methodology (RSM). The optimized media comprised 24 g/L soluble starch; 32.5 g/L ferrous ion, and 15.0 g/L arginine with CGTase activity of 24.23 IU/mL. The final CGTase activity was very close to the predicted value of 24.82 IU/mL with 97.0% validation. Shake flask optimized conditions were further scaled up to 7.5 L fermenter (working volume: 3.0 L) which gave 2.6 folds (64.3 IU/mL) increase in enzyme activity. The enzyme was partially purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) was used to study the qualitative properties of produced enzyme.

Editorial for the December Issue, 2016

Content Volume 13 Issue 1 June 2023

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The objective of this study was to develop cucumber chips applying deep frying technique. The cucumber chips were deep-fried at 180°C for 13-44 sec. Physicochemical properties of the prepared chips, such as moisture content, ash content, pH, acidity, color (L*, a*, b*), and whitening index. Colors of fried in mustard oil, sunflower oil, groundnut oil and canola oil cucumber chips blackness to lightness, green to red and blue to yellow range of L* (25.38-75.46), a* (-7.14 to + 13.79) b* (7.15- 30.66). The whiteness index of the cucumber chips was range of (16.60-69.50). The maximum sensory acceptability of cucumber chips fried at 180 °C in mustard oil, sunflower oil, groundnut oil, and canola oil to consumer panelists was T

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In the present study, the effect of incorporation different levels of dehydrated ripe Jackfruit bulbs i.e. at 10%, 20%, and 30% and Baking temperature 180, 200, and 220oC on quality of cup cake has been investigated. The effect of these independent parameters were accessed as the responses i.e. baking time (min), textural parameters i.e. Hardness, Cohesiveness, Springiness, Guminess, Chewiness, specific volume, and browning index of cupcake. The desirable quality of cup cake was based on the responses i.e. lower baking time, more specific volume, less browning index, and lower hardness. The optimum zone for acceptability of cup cake was observed at baking time 14 min., the lower value of Hardness 48.3-52.2g, Cohesiveness 0.346-0.354, Springiness 2.77-2.925 mm, Guminess 17.2-18.1, Chewiness 0.48-0.52, more Specific volume 1.97-2.03 (cm3/g), and Browning Index 168.9-171 was observed at dehydrated ripe jackfruit bulbs were 19.7 to 22.4% and baking temperature was 194 to 201oC. The quality parameters were correlated with sensory score for acceptability of the cup cake. The cup cake could be prepared by using dehydrated ripe jackfruit bulbs 19.7-22.4% and Baking temperature 194-201oC for lower baking time, lower value of Hardness, Cohesiveness, Springiness, Guminess, Chewiness, more Specific volume, and Browning Index of cup cake.

Pectin, a complex structural heterogeneous polysaccharide widespread in terrestrial plants cell walls, About one-third of the dry substance in the cell walls of higher plants is made up of pectin, a complex mixture of polysaccharides. Pectin polysaccharides, in addition to proteins, make up practically the whole middle lamella and cellulose is absent. Pectin contributes between 2 and 35% of the weight of plant cell walls and cellulose is absent. Pectin contributes between 2 and 35% of the weight of plant cell walls and is crucial for the development defense and control of ion and water exchange as well as plant growth. Pectin is a naturally occurring component of fruits and vegetables. In addition to being a natural part of fruits and vegetables, pectin also contributes to the soluble fibre in the human diet. There is evidence that soluble fibre is healthy, although not being digested by the upper gastrointestinal system. Pectin is used to make a variety of products, such as edible and biodegradable films, adhesives, paper substitutes, foams and plasticizers, surface modifiers for clinical devices, materials for biomedical implantation, and drug delivery systems.

The snow ball of tender coconut of variety Banavali was used for the study. The snow ball tender coconut (6-7 month maturity) of Banavali verity scooped out from the shell. The snow ball tender coconuts were packed in the different packaging material i.e. polypropylene bags, PVC film and Aluminum film. The packed snow ball tender coconut were exposed for the storage conditions i.e. at ambient storage condition (24±2 oC) The storability of the snow ball tender coconut stored at ambient condition 3 days duration i.e. 0, 3, 6 and 9 days. The sample without packaging was kept as a control sample. The snow ball tender coconut was observed for its Firmness and weight loss for 0, 3, 6 and 9 days. The quality analysis of the snow ball tender coconut water was analyzed for its pH, TSS, Acidity, Reducing sugar and Non- Reducing sugars for 0,3,6 and 9 days.

Because of its nutritionally dense and health-promoting chemical composition, dragon fruit is currently gaining significant prominence in India among all tropical and subtropical fruits. The fruit lime is native to Gujarat, India. The physical, chemical, and nutritional profiles of red and white dragon fruit grown along Peru’s central coast were studied in the current research. Here, the physicochemical makeup of dragon fruit, the chemical and nutritive qualities of lime, the thermal, chemical, and processing of juices were also discussed. The current study additionally evaluated the impact of temperature and storage conditions on the antioxidant and betalain content of juices. According to reviews, dragon fruit is a good source of phenols, vitamin C, and a variety of minerals. After reading through all of these reviews, it is clear that using dragon fruit to produce lime-flavored RTS beverages and extend their shelf lives is the most practical and convenient way to appeal to as many people as possible.

Edible films has received considerable attention in recent years because of their advantages including use as edible packaging materials over synthetic films. This could contribute to the reduction of environmental pollution because they are made from natural resources and they are degradable. By functioning as barriers, such edible films can feasibly reduce the complexity and thus improve the recyclability of packaging materials, compared to the more traditional non-environmental friendly packaging materials, and may be able to substitute such synthetic polymer films. New materials have been developed and characterized by scientists, many from abundant natural sources that have traditionally been regarded as waste materials. The objective of this review is to provide a comprehensive introduction to edible films by providing resource materials, reviewing their properties and describing methods of their applications and potential uses.

The major carbohydrate of tuber and root crops is starch, which accounts for 16-24% of their total weight. In recent years, substantial process has been made in understanding the relationship between starch structure and physicochemical properties. However, these studies have been mainly on cereal starches. The present status of knowledge on the composition, structure, gelatinization, and rheology also reviewed. The tropical tuber crops contain starch as the major component and thus act as important source of starch. Except cassava and to a smaller extent sweet potato, starch from other tuber crops has not been exploited for industrial applications partly because of difficulty in the extraction of the pure starches and partly because of non-availability of information about the properties of these lesser known starches. This review attempts at collecting data available on the physicochemical and functional characteristics of the tropical tuber starches, highlighting their unique properties and potential field of applications. The physicochemical properties like granule shape and size, X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns, amylose content, or content of non-starchy components, show considerable variation among the tuber starches. The starch granules of Colocasia esculenta and Dioscorea esculenta tubers are very small whereas those of Canna edulis are very large. DSC gelatinisation temperatures are low for cassava starch and high for the aroid starches. The functional characteristics like viscosity, swelling power and solubility also depend on a number of factors such as varietal variation, method of extraction, processing conditions and instruments used for analysis. Viscosity is high for cassava and C. edulis starches, but low for most aroid starches. Clarity is good for cassava and yam starches compared to the others. The diversity available in the tuber starches shows that some of the starches can be used in place of chemically modified starches available on the market. The realisation of their importance can help in value addition of these neglected crops and also provide starch with special properties for specific applications.

Paneer is similar to tofu is most popular indigenous dairy product which is also identified as South Asian variety of soft cheese obtained by acid and heat coagulation it is similar to unripe variety of soft cheese which is used in preparation of different culinary dishes and snacks. It is a rich source of high quality animal protein, fat, minerals and vitamins. Paneer is marble white appearance having firm, cohesive and spongy body with a close knit texture and a sweetish acidic nutty flavor. About 4-5 % of the total milk produced in India is converted into paneer. Annual production of paneer is estimated at 0.2 million tones having the market value of ` 18 × 109. It is confined to unorganized sector. Now a day it is possible to manufacture paneer by using different types of milk along with different composition like cow milk, buffalo milk, got milk, or blends of these milks, skimmed milk whole milk, butter milk. Along with cow and buffalo milk the paneer is also prepared from soymilk, groundnut milk, peas milk, blends of soy-cow milk, soy-buffalo milk, flavored tofu by incorporating carrot, soy-groundnut milk and spices incorporation and different techniques have been developed for the production of paneer as per requirement of the consumer with appreciable improvement in yield and other quality characteristics such as physiochemical microbiological and sensory quality of the product. The chhana, a het-acid coagulated product of milk, is used as base material for production of paneer. For production of chhana, milk is heated to near a boiling temperature, followed by cooling and coagulation at 70-75 °C by using 1-2% citric acid, calcium sulphate and magnesium chloride as a coagulants or sour whey. Free whey is drain off to obtain coagulum further, coagulum is pressed to get firm, cohesive and spongy body paneer. Paneer block of required size are packed in laminated plastic pouches, preferably vacuum packaged, heat sealed and stored under refrigeration. Paneer keeps well for about a day at ambient temperature and for about a week under refrigeration (7 oC), through its freshness lost within 3 days. The spoilage of paneer is mainly due to bacterial action. Hence, to increase the shelf-life and storability of paneer the paneer is incorporated with spices like turmeric, clove, cinnamon, black papper and cardmom which helps in enhancing shelf-life of paneer. Among the spices studied cardmom was found to be the best spices to improve shelf-life of paneer up to 28 days of storage at 7± 1°C. Microwave convective drying of paneer also helps in enhancing self-life up to 118 days along with good color, rehydration ratio without appreciable loss of quality in HDPP pouches under acceleration condition of storage (38±2°C, 90% RH).

Instant dhokla was developed using the optimised composition of both unfermented and fermented battters consisting of bengal gram dhal, salt, citric acid, chilli: ginger paste etc. Both unfermented (100 min) and fermented (120 min) dhoklas were dried in a fluidized bed drier, packed in metallised polyester (MP 12µ, LD/LLD 150 µ) pouches, stored at ambient conditions (15-37o C) to establish their stability. Protein and total ash contents were found more in fermented dhokla than the unfermented one. During storage, peroxide and thiobarbituric acid values were found significantly (p<0.05) less with significantly (p<0.05) higher values of free fatty acid values in fermented dhokla in comparison to unfermented dhokla. Dhokla prepared from unfermented batter received higher acceptance in terms of texture and rehydration characteristics. Both the type of dhoklas were found stable and acceptable for 6 months at ambient temperature conditions (15-37o C).

Garcinia indica  Choisy commonly known as Kokum belonging to the Gutifferae family. Kokum is one of the important indegenous tree spice crops grown in tropical rain forests of western ghats in Konkan, Goa, South Karnataka and Kerala. It is also flourish in ever green forest of Assam, Khasi, Jayantia hills, West Bengal and Surat district of Gujarat. Area under cultivation of Kokum is 1200 ha in South Maharashtra and total production 10200 ha tonnes with ripe fruit yield of 8.5 tonnes/ha. In the present study the effect of temperature of Soaking and time of soaking on TSS, Acidity, viscosity, anthocyanins of extract has been studied. The Kokum powder at 0.30 mm, 0.25 mm and 0.15 mm particle was taken for extraction. The Kokum powder at 0.30 mm, 0.25 mm and 0.15 mm particle sizes has been soaked in water at Kokum powder: water ratio 1:3 and 1:2. The temperature of soaking were (ambient (22°C), 40°C, 50°C, 60°C). The desirable quality of Kokum rind powder extract was based on the responses i.e. maximum TSS, maximum acidity, maximum viscosity and maximum anthocyanins. The effect of temperature of soaking and time of soaking of Kokum powder in water indicated that the optimum values i.e. the maximum values of TSS, acidity, viscosity and anthocyanins are 19.0°B, 0.47%, 14.2 cP and 7.0% respectively. These values were achieved at the 0.30 mm particle size of Kokum rind powder, the Kokum rind powder: water ratio 1:2 and 50°C soaking temperature for soaking duration 6.5 h.