Recent Advances in Disease Control by Natural Products in Animals and Birds in Bangladesh

Use of herbs for curing diseases is well documented in the history of all civilizations. Because of the increasing reports of the possible hazards in using synthetic products in animals, natural products are rapidly establishing their credibility. At least 60 different varieties of plants, herbs and shrubs grown in Bangladesh have recognized medicinal properties, and are being used by Village Doctors like Hekims and Quacks for treating diseases in man and animals. A number of natural products are commercially available in Bangladesh most of which are used as feed additives, though few have antibacterial and anticoccidial use. Recent studies revealed that ethanol extract of Ata (Annona reticulatd) at 2% concentration as spray showed highest efficacy (100%) followed by aqueous extract of Bishkatali (Polygonum hydropiper) against Boophilus microplus. Ethanol extracts of Neem (Azadirachta indica), bitter gourd (Momordica charantia) and Padmagulancha (Tinospora tomentosa) were highly effective against common stomach worm Haemonchus contortus in both in vitro and in vivo studies. Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia) has been found very effective against chicken coccidiosis. Birds receiving bitter gourd powder with feed had almost a similar weight gain compared with uninfected control chicks, and both these groups of chicks gained significantly higher (P<0.05) weight compared with chicks receiving sulphaclozine sodium. Anticipating the bright prospect, our research is now targeted mostly on the use of different plants against different parasitic infections in animals and birds. This presentation will cover the details of the currently used natural products in Bangladesh and our efforts in revealing the greatness of these natural products

Physicochemical properties of mango kernel fats extracted from different mango varieties cultivated in Sabah, Malaysia

This study was set out to determine the total fat content, physicochemical properties, and crystal morphology of mango kernel fat (MKF) obtained from three popular mango varieties cultivated in Sabah, Malaysia. The total fat contents of the MKFs were 7.02, 9.50, and 8.41% for Air, Manila, and Harumanis. Gas chromatography with flame ionization detector analyses revealed three major fatty acids namely, palmitic (6.67 to 7.51%), stearic (42.32 to 48.95%), and oleic (32.91 to 38.14%) acids in studied MKFs as novel mango kernel constituents. The iodide, saponification, acid, peroxide, and slip melting point values of the MKFs were found to be 47.79–52.27 g I2/100 g, 181.4–194.5 mg KOH/g, 5.15–6.26 mg KOH/g, 1.05–1.32 meq O2/kg, and 31.0–35.2°C, respectively. The crystals of the three MKFs were spherulites and densely packed. With respect to the characteristics, MKFs potentially can be applied as cocoa butter equivalents and ideal for use in confectionery industry

Mixed Biopolymer Systems Based on Starch

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Mixed biopolymer systems based on starch

A binary mixture of starch–starch or starch with other biopolymers such as protein and non-starch polysaccharides could provide a new approach in producing starch-based food products. In the context of food processing, a specific adjustment in the rheological properties plays an important role in regulating production processing and optimizing the applicability, stability, and sensory of the final food products. This review examines various biopolymer mixtures based on starch and the influence of their interaction on physicochemical and rheological properties of the starch-based foods. It is evident that the physicochemical and rheological characteristics of the biopolymers mixture are highly dependent on the type of starch and other biopolymers that make them up mixing ratios, mixing procedure and presence of other food ingredients in the mixture. Understanding these properties will lead to improve the formulation of starch–based foods and minimize the need to resort to chemically modified starch

Biochemical and Radical-Scavenging Properties of Sea Cucumber (Stichopus vastus) Collagen Hydrolysates

The molecular mass distribution, amino acid composition and radical-scavenging activity of collagen hydrolysates prepared from collagen isolated from the sea cucumber Stichopus vastus were investigated. β and α1 chains of the collagen were successfully hydrolysed by trypsin. The molecular mass distribution of the hydrolysates ranged from 5 to 25 kDa, and they were rich in glycine, alanine, glutamate, proline and hydroxyproline residues. The hydrolysates exhibited excellent radical-scavenging activity. These results indicate that collagen hydrolysates from S. vastus can be used as a functional ingredient in food and nutraceutical products

Newborn signal functions in Bangladesh: identification through expert consultation and assessment of readiness among public health facilities—study protocol using Delphi technique

Introduction There is a set of globally accepted and nationally adapted signal functions for categorising health facilities for maternal services. Newborn resuscitation is the only newborn intervention which is included in the WHO recommended list of emergency obstetric care signal functions. This is not enough to comprehensively assess the readiness of a health facility for providing newborn services. In order to address the major causes of newborn death, the Government of Bangladesh has prioritised a set of newborn interventions for national scale-up, the majority of which are facility-based. Effective delivery of these interventions depends on a core set of functions (skills and services). However, there is no standardised and approved set of newborn signal functions (NSFs) based on which the service availability and readiness of a health facility can be assessed for providing newborn services. Thus, this study will be the first of its kind to identify such NSFs. These NSFs can categorise health facilities and assist policymakers and health managers to appropriately plan and adequately monitor the progress and performance of health facilities delivering newborn healthcare.Methods and analysis We will adopt the Delphi technique of consensus building for identification of NSFs and 1–2 indicator for each function while employing expert consultation from relevant experts in Bangladesh. Based on the identified NSFs and signal function indicators, the existing health facility assessment (HFA) tools will be updated, and an HFA survey will be conducted to assess service availability and readiness of public health facilities in relation to the new NSFs. Descriptive statistics (proportion) with a 95% CI will be used to report the level of service availability and readiness of public facilities regarding NSFs.Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval was obtained from Research Review and Ethical Review Committee of icddr, b (PR-17089). Results will be disseminated through meetings, seminars, conference presentations and international peer-review journal articles