Journal of Applied and Natural Science
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Enhancing sensory attributes of dried boneless siganids (Siganus canaliculatus) with cryoprotectant marinades: Extension program guide
Get PDFDrying is one of the important methods of preserving fish throughout the world. The study aimed to explore the sensory attributes of dried boneless siganids treated with cryoprotectant marinades developed across these formulations. This experimental study employed three distinct formulations, varying in the quantities of Carabao milk (CM), Carrageenan powder (CP), Calamansi extract, Salt, and Coconut water treatments. It sought to assess the general acceptability of these mixtures concerning color, flavor, odor, and texture, identify the most preferred formulation (F1, F2, and F3) based on a panel of tasters, and examine potential significant differences among the product attributes. Data analysis involved computing weighted means and conducting One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The findings indicated that F1, comprising 50g CM, 2.5g CP, 5g Calamansi extract, 10g salt, and 500g coconut water, was the most favored in terms of color, flavor, odor, and texture, with overall means of 3.94, 3.90, 4.18, and 3.98, respectively. Furthermore, the results revealed an insignificant relationship between the computed F values and the tabulated F value, leading to the rejection of the null hypothesis. The sensory acceptability rating of the most preferred formulation was deemed "acceptable" with a mean of 4.0. Based on these findings, 50g CM and 2.5g CP were adopted as guidelines for the Extension program “Mugna Kaluwasan”.
Detection of Bacteroides fragilis LuxR gene, involved in quorum sensing, among colitis patients in Mosul, Iraq
Get PDFBacteroides fragilis is the most anaerobic bacteria that infect humans, particularly in the abdominal cavity. Its pathogenesis is linked to numerous virulence factors. Understanding these factors and exploring alternative options for the use of antibiotics in the treatment of this bacterium, molecular techniques offer several advantages over traditional culture techniques because they are easier and more specific. The present study aimed to use specific primers for the 16sRNA and LuxR genes to identify B. fragilis. Genetic identification of the B. fragilis isolates was performed using the 16SrRNA gene, and the obtained sequences were submitted to National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) with accession numbers (OQ448827, OQ448828). Each strain was assigned a unique strain name, AS. AWB94 and AS. AWB79. From the total of all samples, it was found that the growth of various types of bacteria constituted ( 76%), and the samples that did not have growth formed (24%). It was noted that Bacteroidetes constituted only two isolates (2.7%), and these two isolates possessed the gene for quorum sensing (luxR gene), while the results confirmed that they do not possess the sialidase (nanH) enzyme gene. Both isolates possessed the quorum sensing gene (LuxR) out of one hundred samples. This suggests that the isolates have a quorum-sensing mechanism responsible for cell-to-cell communication, multidrug resistance, and biofilm formation.
Effect of chemical mutagen (Ethyl methane sulfonate) on Money plant (Epipremnum aureum)
Get PDFEpipremnum aureum, commonly known as pothos, is a hardy indoor foliage ornamental crop. Mutation breeding in Golden pothos is needed to meet the demand for more valuable and highly sought-after cultivars. The present study aimed to exploit variability on various parameters viz. new leaf emergence, survival percentage, plant height, length and width of leaves. The experiment was set up using a Complete Randomized Design (CRD) with 8 treatments and 3 replications. Rooted cuttings of Golden pothos were treated with varying concentrations of Ethyl Methane Sulfonate (EMS) for 4 hours, and a control treatment was included. The results showed that all the treated cuttings with EMS delays the new leaf emergence period compared to the control. Compared to the control, the minimum number of new leaf emergences was found in EMS-treated plants. The maximum survival percentage (100%) was recorded in 0.1%, 0.5% and control treatment. The lowest plant height (15.3 cm ) was observed in treatment T4 (1.5 % EMS) treated plants. However, maximum plant height was observed in the control treatment at 150 days of interval. In comparison to the control, EMS decreased the length and width of leaves at higher dosages. The minimum leaf length and width, i.e. 2.40 cm and 1.20 cm, were recorded in plants treated with EMS at 2%, while maximum length and width were observed in control and low EMS-treated plants. The study showed that ethyl methane sulfonate affected plant development characteristics and showed some dwarfness of money plants. This appears to be the first report of EMS treatment on pothos.
Impact of Interleukin-37 and Vitamin D on children with Streptococcus pyogenes sore throat in Salah al-Din Governorate, Iraq
Get PDFSore throat is a common presentation in pediatric office settings and emergency departments. Bacterial infection due to Streptococcus pyogenes represented about 25% of sore throat in children. The study aimed to find a relationship between interleukin-37 and vitamin D levels in children with sore throat infection by S. pyogenes bacteria from Salah Al-din General Hospital and Samarra General Hospital in Salah al-Din Governorate, Iraq. The number of sore throat patients in the present study was 317, aged between 5 and 17 years old. The control group included 80 healthy individuals. Throat swabs from children were collected and aseptically inoculated on Petri plate media. Blood samples were collected from patients and control children for determination of Vitamin D and IL-37 by ELISA. The study showed that 30.28% (96 of 317) of the children studied were infected with S. pyogenes bacteria. The results revealed a significant elevation in the mean IL-37 level among children with S. pyogenes infection (96.9±12.2 pg/ml) compared to the control group (62.5±11.3 pg/ml) (p-value = 0.0001). Furthermore, children with S. pyogenes infection had a significantly lower mean vitamin D level (22.3±6.1 pg/ml) compared to the control group (52.8±3.08 pg/ml) (p-value = 0.0001). In conclusion, this study provides evidence of significant alterations in immune markers, including IL-37, and vitamin D levels, in children with S. pyogenes infection compared to the control group. These findings suggest the involvement of these immune markers in the pathogenesis of S. pyogenes infection.
Yield assessment of rice-black gram, rice-maize and rice-groundnut sequential cropping system influenced by rice establishment methods and nutrient management practices in the dry tract of the Southern zone of Tamil Nadu, India
Get PDFIntegrated nutrient management (INM) practices and suitable cropping systems are an effective and promising way for enhancing crop productivity. However, the impact of proper INM practices and cultivation methods in rice cropping systems in dry tracts remains unclear. The field study evaluated the suitable cropping system under different rice establishment methods with INM practices in a sequential cropping system( rice-black gram, rice-maize, and rice-groundnut). Treatments were designed as two rice establishment methods [Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) and Transplanted Rice (TPR)] and five INM practices [RDF-Recommended Dose of Fertilizer (120:40:40 kg NPK ha-1) alone, RDF + Poultry manure compost @ 5 t ha-1, RDF+ Coir pith compost @ 5 t ha-1, RDF+ Green manure @ 6.25 t ha-1 and RDF-Green leaf manure @ 6.25 t ha-1]. TPR with the INM practice of RDF + poultry manure compost @ 5 t ha-1 recorded maximum productive tillers m-2 (351), number of filled grains panicle-1 (130.2), grain yield (6709 kg ha-1) and straw yield (9015 kg ha-1) of rice. Rice fallow crops (black gram, maize and groundnut) recorded 10 – 24,10-18 and 10 - 21 % higher values of yield components and yield, respectively, in DSR with INM treatment of RDF + Green manure @ 6.25 t ha-1 . Thus, RDF plus green manure or poultry manure application is an apt INM practice for a rice-based sequential cropping system under DSR, and the rice-black gram is an economical and sustainable cropping system for dry tracts of the southern zone of Tamil Nadu.
Using algae and brine shrimp as food chain model for bioaccumulation and biomagnification of lead and cadmium
Get PDFBioaccumulation and biomagnification of heavy metals occur constantly in the aquatic environment. Therefore, this study aimed to simulate the environment in the laboratory conditions and study the amount of lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) accumulation in two types of algae microalgae Dunaliella salina and Tetraselmis suecica. These algae were exposed to metals for a short duration of 21 days. After this period, they used these algae as food for Artemia salina (brine shrimp). The results showed that Pb was bio-accumulated in D. salina, between 12.65 and 1262 ppm, respectively, when exposed to a concentration of 50 and 1500 ppm., while the T. suecica was bio-accumulated Pb at a concentration of 20 and 1363 ppm when exposed to the same concentrations respectively. Also, Cd bio-accumulated in D. salina between 9.99 and 1148 ppm, while bioaccumulated Cd in T. suecica at a concentration of 10.71 and 1110.8 ppm, respectively, while when Artemia feed on algae (D. salina and T. suecica), that accumulated Pb and Cd after 21 days. The high biomagnification of Artemia for Pb (688.56 ppm) and the high bio-magnification of Artemia for Cd (700.99 ppm) when using D. salina as food. There are many environmental studies on the transfer of pollutants, especially heavy metals, in the food chain, but this study is one of the few studies that simulate the aquatic environment under controlled laboratory conditions for the accumulation of heavy metals in the food chain while minimizing the influence of interactions from other influences.
Evaluation of few bioactive components of spice origin for their antimicrobial potential towards microbes commonly implicated in food spoilage and foodborne pathogenesis
Get PDFNatural components isolated from spices are gaining the attention of food researchers to prevent the growth of microbes associated with food spoilage and foodborne pathogenesis to meet the ever-increasing consumers’ demand for safe and wholesome food free from harmful synthetic preservatives. In the present study, five bioactive components of spice origin, namely, allylisothiocyanate (AITC), cinnamic aldehyde (CIA), cuminic aldehyde (CUA), eugenol (EU), and menthol (MT) were evaluated for their antimicrobial potential towards six bacterial strains (Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas alcaligenes, Shigella sonnei, Staphylococcus aureus) and eleven fungal strains (Alternaria solani, Aspergillus niger, Botrytis cinerea, Cladosporium herbarum, Fusarium oxysporum, Geotrichum candidum, Penicillium citrinum, Penicillium expansum, Phoma exigua, Rhizopus arrhizus and Rhizopus stolonifer), by opting agar well diffusion assay, impregnated paper disc method and broth dilution technique. All these seventeen microbes pose deleterious effects on food and human health. Among the bioactive compounds, CIA and CUA turned out to be the most potent inhibitors of microorganisms, whereas MT was found to be the least effective. Lower concentrations of bioactive components, ranging from 1.95 µL/mL to 15.62 µL/mL, were needed to inhibit fungi, while higher concentrations ranging from 15.62 µL/mL to 1000 µL/mL were needed to inhibit bacterial strains. Among the bacterial strains tested, gram-negative bacteria were inhibited at higher component concentration levels (31.25 µL/mL-1000 µL/mL) compared to gram-positive bacteria. The present study updates the existing information on the antimicrobial potency of natural substances, paving the way to further research on establishing spice bioactive components as ‘natural additives’.
Profiling of organosulfur compounds and amino acids in novel variety of Allium sativum (Hisar garlic 17) by HR-LCMS-QTOF
Get PDFOver the past few years, the biological properties of garlic have been utilized as an attractive natural alternative to many therapeutic drugs. The biological effects of garlic have been ascribed to organosulfur compounds, secondary metabolites derived from amino acids. The present study aimed to investigate the extracts of a novel garlic variety (Hisar garlic 17) after processing it as fresh, dry, heated, and aged in different solvents and then analyzed with highly sensitive and rapid technique i.e., High resolution liquid chromatograph mass spectrometer quadrupole time of flight (HR-LCMS-QTOF) Mass spectrometer to study the amino acids and organosulfur compounds. 47 amino acids and 11 organosulfur compounds were detected out of which 8 organosulfur compounds were found as secondary metabolites of amino acids. Among the 22 crucial α-amino acids, garlic extracts revealed the presence of 18 amino acids, either in their native state or associated with various complex compounds. The study reported major organosulfur compounds, including Alliin, S-allyl cysteine, S-methyl cysteine, N-gamma-Glutamyl-S-allylcysteine, and 2-Propenyl 1-(2- propenylsulfinyl)propyl disulfide. This study demonstrated that HG17 garlic is abundant in amino acids and organosulfur compounds, suggesting its potential utilization as a supplement in nutraceuticals.
Detection of vegetation cover change in the Southern region of Bangladesh using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) practices
Get PDFBangladesh is extremely vulnerable to climate change, and vegetation indices serve as sensitive indicators. Due to the impacts of climate change, the cropping intensity of Southern region of Bangladesh is very low. So, this study aimed to analyze the changes in vegetation cover over time using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and identify the use of Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) technologies and the benefits of using such technologies. A questionnaire survey was carried out by purposive random sampling method to detect 120 farmers’ socioeconomic status, hazards faced by climate change, adopted climate smart agricultural practices and its benefits for assessing Adaptive Strategy Index (ASI) in Amtali upazila of Barguna district and Kalapara upazila of Patuakhali district. NDVI analysis of multi-spectral remote sensing data from 2012 and 2022 indicated the extent of sparse vegetation of Kalapara has increased. Western part of Amtali upazila, fallow areas have become lessened in 2022 (354.55 km2) compared to 2012 (368.78 km2) due to adopting different CSA practices. Saline-tolerant crop varieties, sunflowers, and watermelon cultivation were the highest ranked among the CSA practices, with 301, 300, and 296 ASI, respectively. Calculated weighted average of CSA practices indicated the reduction of production cost, increased family income (49.19%) and cropping intensity (51.67%), which impacts developed social bonding.
Quality assessment of value-added Indian recipe papad prepared from dehydrated carrot pomace powder
Get PDFFruit and vegetable processing byproducts have a high concentration of biologically useful components and nutritional fibre, though they are frequently discarded as manufacturing waste. The purpose of this study was to improve the nutritional value of the Indian recipe papad, a low-moisture dish with a thin, crisp, wafer-like texture, by utilizing the beneficial properties of dehydrated carrot pomace powder (CPP), which is usually discarded as a food industry bio-waste. Carrot pomace powder was prepared and examined for nutritional and functional properties (10, 20, and 30%), and the developed samples were coded as P0 (control, 100% black gram flour), P1 (black gram flour: carrot pomace powder; 90:10), P2 (black gram flour: carrot pomace powder; 80:20), and P3 (black gram flour: carrot pomace powder; 70:30). The physical, sensory, and storage properties of the developed value-added papads were evaluated. Adding CPP to the flour mix increased the moisture, ash, and crude fiber content while decreasing the protein and carbohydrate content. Based on sensory evaluation, sample P1 was found to be the most acceptable by the sensory panel. The product\u27s microbiological studies showed that, up to a 30-day storage period, the product was well within safe limits. Based on the water activity (at 36.7ºC/ 83% RH) and overall acceptability scores, triple-laminated aluminum bags were considered an appropriate packaging material for storing the value-added papads. This study has established the incorporation of CPP as a healthier alternative to produce an inexpensive, fiber-rich, value-added papads.