PNEUMOCOCCAL BIOFILMS AND THEIR INTERVENTION STRATEGIES

Pneumonia is a fatal infection with hard time breathing, cough, and fever. The children are at high risk worldwide due to pneumonia. This is responsible for childhood mortality and morbidity worldwide. It is mainly caused by bacteria. Pneumonia-causing bacteria are resistant to most of the antibiotics and therapeutic agents due to the formation of biofilms. Laboratories around the world are trying to develop strategies to combat pneumococcal biofilms. This review deals with the formation of pneumococcal biofilms and their different intervention strategies.Â

An overview of traditional rice beer of North-east India: ethnic preparation, challenges and prospects

744-757Fermented drinks are always found to be connected with the culture and existence of the ethnic tribes throughout the world. Traditional rice beer of North-east India is an indispensible part of tribal life style attached culturally and religiously with them. There are more than 150 major tribes in Northeast India and almost all are having a traditional way of preparing rice beer from time immemorial. The present paper is a comparative review on the methods of preparing rice beer by some popular tribes of Northeastern India. The methodology they use is found to be unique in many senses from rest of the world. The uniqueness not only lies in the starter culture preparation, which is the prime source of yeast but also in the other ingredients like indigenous plant species and rice varieties used as substrate resulting variation in taste and aroma. Almost all the traditional rice beer has unique soothing taste, aroma, colour and nutritional as well as therapeutic values having significant role in their socio cultural lives. In the present scenario the tradition is fading and facing lots of challenges. But, still the traditional rice beer has got lots of scope for its scientific up-gradation and commercialization

Community-wise evaluation of rice beer prepared by some ethnic tribes of Tripura

Tripura is inhabited by many indigenous communities having unique ethno-socio-cultural lifestyle with age-old rice beer brewing techniques using wild herbs and local rice varieties popularly known as chuwak or zu. The present study is focused on comparative evaluation of brewing methods and nutritional aspects of rice beer among Debbarma, Jamatia, Koloi, and Molsom tribes of Tripura. Sample ingredients and plant species are properly identified before reporting. Rice beer is also prepared in laboratory conditions for comparative studies of qualitative and quantitative aspects. Thirteen different plant species are used by these four tribes for preparation of starter cultures using soaked rice flour. Markhamia stipulate (Wall.) Seem. is common to all communities for starter cake preparation. Litsea monopetala (Roxb.) Pers. is used by all three communities except Jamatia. The use of Ananus comosus Mill. is common among Debbarma and Jamatia tribes, whereas that of Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam. is common among Molsom and Koloi tribes. However, Aporusa diocia (Roxb.) Muell., Combretum indicum (L.) DeFilipps., and Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck. are used only by Debbarma tribe for unique tangy flavor. The physicochemical properties of rice beer varied within tribes for its moisture content, carbohydrate content, reducing sugar, and alcohol percentage. The concentration of alcohol increases with aging and prolonged fermentation. The plants reported here are also reported for having nutritional and medicinal benefits for the metabolic stability in humans, which make the process more prospective for commercialization if a standard for maintaining a quality and associated risk can be determined