Dietotherapeutic potency of ornamental lentil dumpling, a traditional food preparation from South West Bengal, India

Gahana bori (in Bengali) or ornamental lentil dumpling is a state-of-art preparation designed in the form of paisleys, ornaments or flowers, used as a decorative adjunct with the main dish.. Here, we have made an attempt to evaluate the dirtotherapeutic potency of this traditional preparation. The principal ingredient is the Vigna mungo (blackgram/ urad bean). In its preparation, the soaked bean is pasted and placed on a cloth piece having a central small pore. The fermented paste is squeezed onto the poppy seeds containing plate in such a way that it looks like an ornament. The sundried preparation is generally fried in oil and served along with the meal. For the first time, we have scientifically explored Gahana bori. The number of total aerobes, total anaerobes, yeast, mould, and LAB were increased during soaking. The contents of free phenolics and flavonoids were increased in the fermented paste and that also reflected by the higher in vitro DPPH antioxidant activity. The levels of B-group of vitamins particularly the quantity of riboflavin, thiamin, folic acid, vitamin B12, and vitamin C were also enriched in the products. The water extract of this product exhibited a notable antibacterial activity against enteropathogens. Thus, the lentil-based Gahana bori is not only improved the appearance or presentation of food product but also the same have a good health beneficial potentiality

Hepatotoxic effect of Rifampicin as an Anti-Tuberculosis drug on male Albino rat

Tuberculosis is one of the serious airborne infectious diseases. Rifampicin is commonly used as anti-tuberculosis drug which creates drug-induced hepatotoxicity. Physiologically, liver maintains metabolic homeostasis and also regulates the detoxification process. The study of rifampicin mediated hepatotoxicity had been performed on male albino rat after its oral administration with a dose of 50 mg/kg body weight/day for 14 days. Several biochemical markers like serum glutamate pyruvate tranaminase (AST), serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), serum total protein, serum bilirubin, serum cholesterol were considered to evaluate the toxicity. Significant elevation of level of AST (115.89%), ALT (134.40%), ALP (46.15%), serum cholesterol (91%) and bilirubin content (119.44%) had been observed in treated group compared with control group. High level of MDA content as lipid peroxidation marker was also been noticed in drug induced group. Histopathological studies had shown the disintegrated hepatolobular structure with dilated central vein. All these findings indicated that the selected dose of rifampicin is hepatotoxic; proper monitoring and care are essential during the treatment of tuberculosis. Keywords: rifampicin; hepatoxicity; anti-tuberculosi

Ethnic Preparation of Haria, a Rice-Based Fermented Beverage, in the Province of Lateritic West Bengal, India

Haria is a rice-based fermented beverage that is popular among tribal and low income people in lateritic West Bengal and East-Central India. The principal ingredient of this beverage is low grade boiled rice (Oryza sativa L.), which is mixed with a traditional starter, called bakhar, and fermented within a heat-sterilized earthen pot for 3-4 days. The main aim of this study was to investigate the ethnobotanical importance and traditional process of haria preparation. The method adopted for this study was based on interactive questionnaires and laboratory experiments. It was found that the pH decreased during the course of fermentation with increased titratable acidity of 1.42%. The alcohol content was 2-3% (v/v) in the consumable beverages. This documentation will be useful for further exploitation of haria as a health drink

<span style="mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt" lang="EN-GB">Potentialities of newly isolated <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Bacillus subtilis</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Lactobacillus sp</i> for curd preparation and a comparative study of its physico-chemical parameters with other marketed curds </span>

910-918Two Bacillus sp. were isolated from the local fermented milk and identified on the basis 16S rRNA sequence profile as Bacillus subtilis AKL1 and by biochemical process as Lactobacillus acidophilus AKL2. These isolates were <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">used as fresh inoculums for curd preparation individually and in combinations. Different physico-chemical and therapeutic properties of the newly prepared curd were examined and compared with marketed local (sweet and sour) and branded (Mother Dairy and Thackar) curds. The total hydrolyzed peptides, free amino acids, lactic acid were significantly higher, whereas, total solid, ash content, syneresis and free reducing sugar were lower in the curd prepared by a mixture of AKL1 and AKL2 (0.5:0.5, v/v). The antioxidant activity against ABTS+, DPPH•, OH• and Fe3+ were also higher in the newly formulated curd. Polyphenols (85.5µg/g), flavonoids (12.5µg/g) and free aromatic amino acids contents were also higher in AKL1+AKL2. All these components prevent excess protein oxidation that was revealed by SDS-PAGE. The curd also exhibited potent antimicrobial activity against some entero-pathogens like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Clostridium perfringens, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Escherichia coli, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Shigella dysentery, Vibrio cholerae <span style="background:white;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold;mso-bidi-font-style: italic" lang="EN-GB">and Staphylococcus<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"> aureus. It can be concluded that the combination of these Lactobacillus sp. will be a fruitful inoculum for the preparation of curd having better health promoting effects. </span

Ethnic preparation and quality assessment of Chhurpi, a home-made cheese of Ladakh, India

Chhurpi is a traditional cottage cheese found in different hilly regions of India including Sikkim, Darjeeling, Ladakh, etc. The main aim of this study was to explore the preparation process, microbial, and chemical compositions of chhurpi in Ladakh. There are mainly two types of chhurpi found in Ladakh: soft and hard (sun dried). Results showed that yeast, mold, lactic acid bacteria, and Bifidobacterium sp. were the major participating microbes in Ladakhi chhupri. The amount of riboflavin (162.71 μg/g), thiamine (64.48 μg/g), and vitamin C (23.53 μg/g) were higher in soft chhurpi than the hard chhurpi. However, lactic acid and acetic acid contents in hard chhurpi (0.23 mg/g and 0.16 mg/g, respectively) were higher than the soft chhurpi (0.12 mg/g and 0.06 mg/g, respectively). It also contains a very good amount of protein (60–63%) and carbohydrates (23–24%); and a low amount of fat (7–8%). Very low amounts of ethanol and methanol were also detected. This study clearly demonstrated that microbial interaction during fermentation of milk makes it more nutritious as it enriches the fermented material with vitamins and organic acids

Role of probiotic Lactobacillus fermentum KKL1 in the preparation of a rice based fermented beverage

A dominant lactic acid bacteria, Lactobacillus fermentum KKL1 was isolated from an Indian rice based fermented beverage and its fermentative behavior on rice was evaluated. The isolate grown well in rice and decreased the pH, with an increase of total titratable acidity on account of high yield in lactic acid and acetic acid. The production of alpha-amylase and glucoamylase by the strain reached plateau on 1st and 2nd day of fermentation respectively. The accumulation of malto-oligosaccharides of different degrees of polymerization was also found highest on 4th day. Besides, phytase activity along with accumulation of free minerals also unremittingly increased throughout the fermentation. The fermented materials showed free radical scavenging activity against DPPH radicals. In-vitro characteristics revealed the suitability of the isolate as probiotic organism. The above profiling revealed that probiotic L.fermentum KKL1 have the significant impact in preparation of rice beer and improves its functional characteristics