Evaluation of whey protein concentrate as a functional ingredient on quality of goat milk rasogolla - an Indian dessert

In the literature, a variety of dairy products are made from goat milk; however, information related to the manufacture of rasogolla from goat milk is very scant. During preliminary trials, it was observed that chhena prepared from goat milk was not suitable for the preparation of rasogolla because it has a very soft and sticky body that is difficult to handle. Therefore, this investigation was conducted to formulate an acceptable quality goat milk rasogolla using whey protein concentrate (WPC) as a functional ingredient. Chhena (also known as Indian cottage cheese, a heat- and acid-coagulated indigenous dairy product) was prepared from fresh Surati goat milk (3.5% fat/8.5% milk solids-not-fat (MSNF). Twelve batches of rasogolla were prepared from chhena coagulated at three temperatures viz. 75, 80 and 85⁰C containing WPC at 4 levels (i.e., 0, 0.25, 0.50 and 0.75% w/w of milk). Rasogolla prepared from chhena containing 0.50% WPC in milk  and coagulated at 80°C was preferred the most with respect to all the sensory attributes evaluated. It had significantly (P<0.05) highest sucrose content, i.e., 35.73% and a higher sugar absorption ratio, i.e., 2.63, compared to all the other experimental samples. The composition of drained samples of goat milk rasogolla was as follows: moisture 50.07%; protein 7.04%; fat 6.44%; ash 0.45% and sucrose 35.73%. The pH was 6.34 and acidity was 0.76% lactic acid. Based on the results obtained in this study, a method was developed for the preparation of acceptable quality goat milk chhena and rasogolla

Plant diversity assessment of selected forest sites of Gaya district of Bihar, India

Regular inventorization and monitoring of biodiversity is paramount for its conservation and sustainable utilization.  Gaya district of the Bihar is endowed with rich biodiversity. For proper understanding of plant diversity, quantitative status of the vegetation is essentially required. The aim of the study was to assess different forest sites of the Gaya district of Bihar in India for their plant diversity. Study was carried out in these randomly selected eleven forest sites (Site I to Site XI). A total of 174 species belonging to 150 genera and58 families(48 Dicotyledons, 7 monocotyledons and 3 pteridophytes) were reported from all eleven study sites.  Five largest families in the area were  Poaceae (22 spp.), Fabaceae (14 spp.), Asteraceae (11 spp.), Rubiaceae (9 spp.) and Acanthaceae (7 spp). Different diversity attributes such as Important Value Index (IVI ), Species richness, Shannon Wiener index, Concentration  of dominance and Evenness for tree, shrub and herb layers  were estimated. For different sites highest IVI values for tree, shrubby and herbaceous layers were reported.Shannon wiener Index values for tree, shrubby and herbaceous layer of Nagobar site were estimated3.376, 1.986 and 2.350 respectively. Tree diversity was highest at Nagobar site whereas shrub and herb diversity was also reasonably better than most of the sites. Hence, it was revealed from the study that Nagobar site was most diverse site in the Gaya district. Study will be immense use for officials of forest department, researcher, students etc. for carrying out conservation and management work. Similar kind of study should be carried out in different forest sites of the country to get capture the status of the plant diversity for conservation and sustainable utilization.

Study of feto-maternal outcome in patients with hepatitis E infection during pregnancy

Background: Hepatitis E is considered as a common cause of high maternal morbidity and mortality particularly in third trimester and also high perinatal morbidity and mortality. Thus, this study is conducted to evaluate the feto-maternal outcome in patients infected with hepatitis E during pregnancy.Methods: It is a retrospective observational study conducted in department of obstetrics and gynecology at L. G. hospital. Fifty pregnant women with clinical hepatitis in third trimester of pregnancy were included in this study and thorough investigation were carried out. Patients were monitored till postpartum period and fetal monitoring data were collected from neonatal ICU.Results: In this study, majority of pregnant patients with hepatitis B were admitted during monsoon season suggests that HEV outbreaks are more common during monsoon months. Majority of the patients (70%) were emergency cases. Majority of these patients (82%) were belonged to lower socio-economic class. Co-infection with HAV was in 2% and with HBV in 4%. S. bilirubin >15 mg/dl in 16% of patients. PT and APTT were raised in 28% of patients. FDP was raised in 70% of patients. 76% were delivered vaginally and 22% were delivered by LSCS. Most common complication in HEV infected pregnant women was disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) (26%). Maternal mortality rate is 14%. Out of 50 patients, 88% delivered live baby, out of which 72% needed NICU admission. Perinatal mortality rate was as high as 28%.Conclusions: Hepatitis E infection and pregnancy is a deadly and fatal combination. Specifically, in 3rd trimester of pregnancy, acute hepatitis E has a grave prognosis with high maternal morbidity and mortality. Prevention is the mainstay of controlling HEV especially in developing countries

Enhancement of Ethanol Production in Electrochemical Cell by Saccharomyces cerevisiae (CDBT2) and Wickerhamomyces anomalus (CDBT7)

Bioethanol (a renewable resource), blended with gasoline, is used as liquid transportation fuel worldwide and produced from either starch or lignocellulose. Local production and use of bioethanol supports local economies, decreases country's carbon footprint and promotes self-sufficiency. The latter is especially important for bio-resource-rich land-locked countries like Nepal that are seeking alternative transportation fuels and technologies to produce them. In that regard, in the present study, we have used two highly efficient ethanol producing yeast strains, viz., Saccharomyces cerevisiae (CDBT2) and Wickerhamomyces anomalous (CDBT7), in an electrochemical cell to enhance ethanol production. Ethanol production by CDBT2 (anodic chamber) and CDBT7 (cathodic chamber) control cultures, using 5% glucose as substrate, were 12.6 ± 0.42 and 10.1 ± 0.17 mg·mL−1 respectively. These cultures in the electrochemical cell, when externally supplied with 4V, the ethanol production was enhanced by 19.8 ± 0.50% and 23.7 ± 0.51%, respectively, as compared to the control cultures. On the other hand, co-culturing of those two yeast strains in both electrode compartments resulted only 3.96 ± 0.83% enhancement in ethanol production. Immobilization of CDBT7 in the graphite cathode resulted in lower enhancement of ethanol production (5.30 ± 0.82%), less than free cell culture of CDBT7. CDBT2 and CDBT7 when cultured in platinum nano particle coated platinum anode and neutral red-coated graphite cathode, respectively, ethanol production was substantially enhanced (52.8 ± 0.44%). The above experiments when repeated using lignocellulosic biomass hydrolysate (reducing sugar content was 3.3%) as substrate, resulted in even better enhancement in ethanol production (61.5 ± 0.12%) as compared to glucose. The results concluded that CDBT2 and CDBT7 yeast strains produced ethanol efficiently from both glucose and lignocellulosic biomass hydrolysate. Ethanol production was enhanced in the presence of low levels of externally applied voltage. Ethanol production was further enhanced with the better electron transport provision i.e., when neutral red was deposited on cathode and fine platinum nanoparticles were coated on the platinum anode

Evaluation of antioxidative, proteolytic, and ace inhibitory activities of potential probiotic lactic acid bacteria isolated from traditional fermented food products

Probiotic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have been engrossed in plentiful food fermentations, known to man for millennia. The current investigation was aimed at investigating technical attributes, such as production of bioactive peptides, particularly ACE-I activity (anti-hypertensive property), proteolytic activity, and antioxidant activities of the potential probiotic LAB strains isolated from a diverse dairy and non-dairy based fermented foods. Among all ten LAB isolates, PFC21, isolated from sauerkraut, exhibited the highest antioxidative potential and showed maximum free radical scavenging ability using both ABTS (83.8±3.77%) and DPPH (59.4±2.18%) assays. It was followed by PD2 (dosa batter isolate) that showed (79.4±1.61%) activity in ABTS assay. PD2 revealed the highest proteolytic activity during 24 h and 48 h (with 0.82 and 1.12 absorbance, respectively) of fermentation at 37 °C; followed by a curd isolate, PC6, and PFC21 with 0.99 and 0.90 absorbance, respectively, at 48 h incubation. Furthermore, PD2 also showed the significantly (P<0.05) highest (49.39%) ACE inhibition followed by PFC21 (41.38%). These fascinating results led us to further evaluate the potential probiotic strains with regard to their utilization in the production of healthy quality foods with additional technical advantages