Development of Tropical Fruit Bars and Assessment of its Shelf Life

Five tropical fruits are chosen to make fruit bars on three important aspects namely high nutritive value, easy availability and cost effective. These different fruit bars prepared from a new process with better textural and sensory properties are assessed for storage stability with three different packaging materials. The bars are subjected to accelerated shelf life study by varying temperature and relative humidity. Changes in the soluble solid content, pH, titrable acidity and microbiological attributes are monitored. Minimally processed fruit bars are microbial sensitive entities. The data given provide an useful tool for describing microbial spoilage and seems expandable to specific microorganisms. Microbial growth is affected by pH, storage temperature or relative humidity. The sugar content did not change during the first weeks of storage but significant small declines are observed after prolonged storage. The proliferation of mesophilic bacteria, which are dominant in the product will explain these slight depletions

Gluten-Free Products for Celiac Susceptible People

The gluten protein of wheat triggers an immunological reaction in some gluten-sensitive people with HLA-DQ2/8 genotypes, which leads to Celiac disease (CD) with symptomatic damage in the small intestinal villi. Glutenin and gliadin are two major components of gluten that are essentially required for developing a strong protein network for providing desired viscoelasticity of dough. Many non-gluten cereals and starches (rice, corn, sorghum, millets, and potato/pea starch) and various gluten replacers (xanthan and guar gum) have been used for retaining the physical-sensorial properties of gluten-free, cereal-based products. This paper reviews the recent advances in the formulation of cereal-based, gluten-free products by utilizing alternate flours, starches, gums, hydrocolloids, enzymes, novel ingredients, and processing techniques. The pseudo cereals amaranth, quinoa, and buckwheat, are promising in gluten-free diet formulation. Genetically-modified wheat is another promising area of research, where successful attempts have been made to silence the gliadin gene of wheat using RNAi techniques. The requirement of quantity and quality for gluten-free packaged foods is increasing consistently at a faster rate than lactose-free and diabetic-friendly foods. More research needs to be focused on cereal-based, gluten-free beverages to provide additional options for CD sufferers

Standardization of process for development of instant chickpea using Desi and Kabuli variety

Chickpea is considered among the most important leguminous crops in the world but is not a regular meal pulse due to their long cooking time and lengthy preparatory procedure. This gives rise to the need of converting raw chickpea into convenient food. For the preparation of instant chickpea from Desi and Kabuli variety, Central Composite Rotatable Design (CCRD) under Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was employed which consisted of four variables i.e. sodium chloride (NaCl), sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3), ammonium carbonate (NH4)2CO3 and temperature for soaking treatments. This design was used to develop models for the soaking time, change in colour, split %, alkalinity and cooking time for prepared instant chickpea samples. High-temperature hydration (60 °C) required lesser time to achieve the maximum hydration, whereas low-temperature hydration (30 °C) enhanced the hydration time and reduced the cooking time of instant chickpea significantly (P≤ 0.01) but this condition was inverse for the splitting/butterfly defects. Increasing the concentration of sodium bicarbonate and ammonium bicarbonate from 0.5 to 1.5 % during soaking treatments increased the splitting and alkalinity and produced undesirable colours in treated samples of chickpea. RSM optimized values concerning concentrations of different salts i.e. NaCl, NaHCO3, and (NH4)2CO3 in soaking solution were 0.59, 0.85 % and 0.82 %, respectively at 49.81 °C temperature for Desi instant chickpea having 11 minutes of cooking time whereas corresponding values for Kabuli chickpea were 1.07 % NaCl, 0.79 % NaHCO3, and 0.70 % (NH4)2CO3 at 46.53 °C temperature with 13 min cooking time.Keywords: Central Composite Rotatable Design, Chickpea, Soaking, Cooking time, Instan

Standardization of process for development of instant chickpea using Desi and Kabuli variety

Chickpea is considered among the most important leguminous crops in the world but is not a regular meal pulse due to their long cooking time and lengthy preparatory procedure. This gives rise to the need of converting raw chickpea into convenient food. For the preparation of instant chickpea from Desi and Kabuli variety, Central Composite Rotatable Design (CCRD) under Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was employed which consisted of four variables i.e. sodium chloride (NaCl), sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3), ammonium carbonate (NH4)2CO3 and temperature for soaking treatments. This design was used to develop models for the soaking time, change in colour, split %, alkalinity and cooking time for prepared instant chickpea samples. High-temperature hydration (60 °C) required lesser time to achieve the maximum hydration, whereas low-temperature hydration (30 °C) enhanced the hydration time and reduced the cooking time of instant chickpea significantly (P≤ 0.01) but this condition was inverse for the splitting/butterfly defects. Increasing the concentration of sodium bicarbonate and ammonium bicarbonate from 0.5 to 1.5 % during soaking treatments increased the splitting and alkalinity and produced undesirable colours in treated samples of chickpea. RSM optimized values concerning concentrations of different salts i.e. NaCl, NaHCO3, and (NH4)2CO3 in soaking solution were 0.59, 0.85 % and 0.82 %, respectively at 49.81 °C temperature for Desi instant chickpea having 11 minutes of cooking time whereas corresponding values for Kabuli chickpea were 1.07 % NaCl, 0.79 % NaHCO3, and 0.70 % (NH4)2CO3 at 46.53 °C temperature with 13 min cooking time.Keywords: Central Composite Rotatable Design, Chickpea, Soaking, Cooking time, Instan

Banana Peel: A Green and Economical Sorbent for the Removal of Heavy Metals from Industrial Wastewater

Industrial effluents cause main threat to the rural areas and the living habitat of the ecosystem. Biological waste has the potential to reuse it in productive output. This study describes the use of banana peel, a commonly produced fruit waste, for the removal of heavy metals like Cr, Cd, etc from industrial wastewater. The high concentration of metal ions in effluents causes concern because of their carcinogenic properties, non-biodegradability and bio-accumulation. Cadmium causes metabolic disorders such as itai-itai disease, testicular atrophy, hypertension, emphysema and renal damage. While Cr (VI) causes acute tubular & glomerular damage, chronic ulceration of other skin surfaces, asthma and cancer of the respiratory tract. Effluents from industries like tannery industry, chrome plating, metal finishing, oil refinery, electroplating, nickel-cadmium batteries, fertilizers and dyes contains Cr and Cd. Rice straw,  raw seaweed, tea factory waste, maize cob, bagasse, and sawdust are generally used as biosorbents. But these have other uses as well when compared to banana peel. Banana peel is suitable as biosorbent due to its easy availability and high sorption capacity of heavy metals due to the presence of functional groups like -COOH, -OH, esters and amines

The case of a glomus tumour

A 46 year old man presented to the dermatology clinic with a seven year history of intermittent pain under the fingernail of his left fourth proximal digit that was noticeably exacerbated by cold weather. Examination revealed a tender and subtle 3 mm circular dusky blue lesion under the nail (fig 1<a href="http://www.bmj.com/content/355/bmj.i5149?hwoasp=authn%3A1479125798%3A4223703%3A1342448045%3A0%3A0%3AEjgAIrZTf6FvKmhkTEmhWw%3D%3D#F1">⇓</a>). This was excised and histologically confirmed as a glomus tumour. This is a rare smooth muscle neoplasm, most common in subungual sites and the fingers and toes. It arises from the glomus body—a thermoregulatory component in the dermis. This diagnosis can be made on history alone: a subungual lesion with pain induced by cold is pathognomonic of glomus tumour. Treatment is by excision of the tumour

Targeting β-Cell Plasticity: A Promising Approach for Diabetes Treatment

The β-cells within the pancreas play a pivotal role in insulin production and secretion, responding to fluctuations in blood glucose levels. However, factors like obesity, dietary habits, and prolonged insulin resistance can compromise β-cell function, contributing to the development of Type 2 Diabetes (T2D). A critical aspect of this dysfunction involves β-cell dedifferentiation and transdifferentiation, wherein these cells lose their specialized characteristics and adopt different identities, notably transitioning towards progenitor or other pancreatic cell types like α-cells. This process significantly contributes to β-cell malfunction and the progression of T2D, often surpassing the impact of outright β-cell loss. Alterations in the expressions of specific genes and transcription factors unique to β-cells, along with epigenetic modifications and environmental factors such as inflammation, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction, underpin the occurrence of β-cell dedifferentiation and the onset of T2D. Recent research underscores the potential therapeutic value for targeting β-cell dedifferentiation to manage T2D effectively. In this review, we aim to dissect the intricate mechanisms governing β-cell dedifferentiation and explore the therapeutic avenues stemming from these insights