Food processing in Andhra Pradesh: Opportunities and challenges

There has been diversification of Indian diets away from foodgrains to high value products like milk, meat products, vegetables and fruits. Food-processing industry has been registering good growth since the past few decades and particularly after nineties. The conditions are now ideal for the growth of this industry. The central government has taken some steps to deregulate and encourage the sector after 1991. However, the role of states is vital. The government of Andhra Pradesh released a policy in November 2003. There are no major initiatives in the policy and still can be called a good beginning. As against the robust growth at the All-India level, the growth rate in net value - added in the nineties was almost the same as that in the eighties in the state.

Food Processing in Andhra Pradesh Opportunities and Challenges

There has been diversification of Indian diets away from foodgrains to high value products like milk, meat products, vegetables and fruits. Food-processing industry has been registering good growth since the past few decades and particularly after nineties. The conditions are now ideal for the growth of this industry. The central government has taken some steps to deregulate and encourage the sector after 1991. However, the role of states is vital. The government of Andhra Pradesh released a policy in November 2003. There are no major initiatives in the policy and still can be called a good beginning. As against the robust growth at the All-India level, the growth rate in net value - added in the nineties was almost the same as that in the eighties in the state. Against this background, the study is taken up in the state of Andhra Pradesh with the following objectives 1. To study the opportunities and challenges in processing of rice, fruits and vegetables, oilseeds and livestock products 2. To study the working of contracts between processors and farmers 3. To identify the future areas 4. To recommend suitable policy options The contracts are working, on the whole, well in both oil palm in West Godavari and gherkin in Chittoor district of the state. The firms try to attract with favourable conditions initially, but later tighten them as a part of agribusiness normalization. Therefore caution is needed before a final conclusion can be drawn on the usefulness of contract farming in the state for the farming community. The contracts in oil palm 3 are widespread, covering many farmers and stabilized. The total extent under gherkin is very low. The contracts work through facilitator in gherkin. There are some signs of some mistrust between the facilitator-company and local farmers. The contracts are also evolving gradually to accommodate both parties. The participation of small farmers in oil palm cultivation is almost negligible. On the other hand, in gherkin, participation of small farmers was considerable. The contracts are oral and price is not assured in oil palm. In oil palm gardens, the depletion of ground water level is faster compared to other crops. In the case of gherkin, the processing industry is totally dependent on exports for sustenance, which may not be ideal. The establishment of an independent ministry of food processing and department, enacting of contract farming laws and providing for an efficient arbitration in cases of contract violation, encouraging NGOs participation in food processing sector, formation of product-wise farmers' associations, changing the animal slaughter laws and formation of some more agri-export zones for livestock products are some of the recommendations under institutional aspects. In the case of taxes and subsidies, the recommendations are - exemption from sales tax and market cess and relaxation of duties and taxes on packing material industry. Under research and training, large scale publicity to promote processed foods, undertaking demand driven research by developing processable varieties and required equipment, establishing food processing training centers, developing technology for the tiny food processing units, evolving marketing plan covering the recently emerging super markets, DWCRA bazaars, international markets etc., are some of the suggestions. In case of infrastructure, encouraging some large aseptic packaging units, establishment of a radiation technology plant, encouraging private sector in cold storages, precooling units, pack houses etc., establishment of training courses for service and repair of food processing machinery, formation of expert consultant committee and provision of one incubator are the major suggestions. Other major recommendations are provision of insurance facilities to all horticultural crops and livestock products, taking steps to ensure participation of small farmers in the contract farming, launching of a common brand of mango juice and enactment to regulate the feed industry and nurseries in the state.food processing, Andhra Pradesh, India

Socio-economic Impact of Transgenic Cotton

Agricultural and Food Policy,

Electrochemical immunosensor for the detection of staphylococcal enterotoxin B using screen-printed electrodes

174-180Staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) is responsible for large number of food poisoning cases throughout the world. SEB is an exotoxin and it is one of the several harmful substances produced by the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. Therefore, it is required to develop methods for the sensitive, reliable, reproducible, cheaper, easy to use and rapid detection of SEB. An electrochemical immunosensor has been studied for the fast detection of SEB using disposable screen-printed electrodes. Ascorbic acid-2-phosphate (AA-2P) is used as a new substrate for the voltammetric detection of SEB. In the alkaline buffer solution the alkaline phosphate (ALP) enzymatic hydrolysis product of AA-2P is ascorbic acid (AA). Ascorbic acid is an electroactive substance and gives differential pulse voltammetric oxidative response at +380 mV (versus Ag/AgCl). The potential +0.39 V corresponds to the oxidation of AA. Indirect sandwiched enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has been used for the detection of SEB. In this method, anti-rabbit IgG for SEB (capturing antibody) is first immobilized on the surface of SPE followed by reacting with SEB (antigen) to form antigen-antibody complex. After that, anti-mice IgG for SEB (secondary antibody) are added, followed by ALP-conjugated anti-mice IgG (revealing antibody). The optimal conditions for ALP enzymatic reaction and the volumetric detection have been optimized. It is found that the response of voltammetric immunosensor is proportional to the SEB concentration in the range 0.1–100 ng/mL and the detection limit was found to be 0.1 ng/mL

Genetic architecture of purple pigmentation and tagging of some loci to SSR markers in pearl millet, Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.

This report describes the construction of integrated genetic maps in pearl millet involving certain purple phenotype and simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. These maps provide a direct means of implementing DNA marker-assisted selection and of facilitating “map-based cloning” for engineering novel traits. The purple pigmentation of leaf sheath, midrib and leaf margin was inherited together ‘en bloc’ under the control of a single dominant locus (the ‘midrib complex’) and was inseparably associated with the locus governing the purple coloration of the internode. The purple panicle was caused by a single dominant locus. Each of the three characters (purple lamina, purple stigma and purple seed) was governed by two complementary loci. One of the two loci governing purple seed was associated with the SSR locus Xpsmp2090 in linkage group 1, with a linkage value of 22 cM, while the other locus was associated with the SSR locus Xpsmp2270 in linkage group 6, with a linkage value of 23 cM. The locus for purple pigmentation of the midrib complex was either responsible for pigmentation of the panicle in a pleiotropic manner or was linked to it very closely and associated with the SSR locus Xpsmp2086 in linkage group 4, with a suggestive linkage value of 21 cM. A dominant allele at this locus seems to be a prerequisite for the development of purple pigmentation in the lamina, stigma and seed. These findings suggest that the locus for pigmentation of the midrib complex might regulate the basic steps in anthocyanin pigment development by acting as a structural gene while other loci regulate the formation of color in specific plant parts

Disinfection of impression materials: A comprehensive review of disinfection methods

Impression making is one of the most common procedures that are performed by dentists in day-to-day practice. These impressions can act as vehicles of transmission and carry various types of microorganisms, which further cause diseases like Hepatitis B, C, HIV, Tuberculosis etc. This contamination and cross contamination of microorganisms can be prevented by disinfecting the impressions immediately after removing from the mouth and label them as disinfected. Usually the impressions are placed under running water to remove saliva and blood, but this will eliminate the disease-causing microorganisms, so a standard protocol to disinfect the impressions and casts should be known to dentists and dental personnel. Various methods of impression disinfection like chemical disinfection, Microwave, Autoclave, Ultraviolet radiation have been described in literature having their own advantages, disadvantages and effects on impression material and casts. Recently antimicrobials and nanoparticles have been incorporated into the impression material itself to make it self- disinfecting. This will not only disinfect the impression material from inside but also disinfect the impressions from the time it is inserted in patient’s mouth.  A broad search on the literature available was performed to provide knowledge about mechanism of action, concentration of usage along with commercial preparations available of different disinfectants. This review article will enhance the knowledge and improve the behavior of dental health care workers about impression disinfection

Propellant Grade Hydrazine in Mono/Bi-propellant Thrusters: Preparation and Performance Evaluation

Propellant grade hydrazine was prepared with 64 per cent yield and 95.5 per cent purity. Purity of the propellant grade hydrazine was determined using wet chemical, gas chromatographic (GC) and eudiometric methods. It was observed that the compositions containing blends of hydrazine-methyl alcohol-ammonium nitrate and hydrazine-methyl alcohol-ammonium perchlorate were not found to be frozen even after cooling to -65 °C for 30 minutes. Mono and bi-propellant thrusters were designed and developed to demonstrate the performance of prepared propellant grade hydrazine as a promising rocket fuel. Five static tests with 22 N thruster and one static test with 1 N thruster were performed successfully in mono-propellant mode. The hurdles of chamber pressure oscillations were overcome by compact packing of the catalyst. The desired decomposition and chamber pressure were achieved. One static test was performed successfully with 60 N bi-propellant thruster. The desired chamber pressure and thrust were achieved. The combustion was smooth and C* achieved was higher than that of UH-25, N2O4 combination. The performance of prepared propellant grade hydrazine shows it as a promising rocket fuels.Defence Science Journal, Vol. 65, No. 1, January 2015, pp.31-38, DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/dsj.65.798

Effect of Cocaine on HIV Infection and Inflammasome Gene Expression Profile in HIV Infected Macrophages

We have observed significantly increased HIV infection in HIV infected macrophages in the presence of cocaine that could be due to the downregulation of BST2 restriction factor in these cells. In human inflammasome PCR array, among different involved in inflammasome formation, in HIV infected macrophages in the presence of cocaine, we have observed significant upregulation of NLRP3, AIM2 genes and downstream genes IL-1? and PTGS2. Whereas negative regulatory gene MEFV was upregulated, CD40LG and PYDC1 were significantly downregulated. Among various NOD like receptors, NOD2 was significantly upregulated in both HIV alone and HIV plus cocaine treated cells. In the downstream genes, chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2), CCL7 and IL-6 were significantly up regulated in HIV plus cocaine treated macrophages. We have also observed significant ROS production (in HIV and/or cocaine treated cells) which is one of the indirect-activators of inflammasomes formation. Further, we have observed early apoptosis in HIV alone and HIV plus cocaine treated macrophages which may be resultant of inflammasome formation and cspase-1 activation. These results indicate that in case of HIV infected macrophages exposed to cocaine, increased ROS production and IL-1? transcription serve as an activators for the formation of NLRP3 and AIM2 mediated inflammasomes that leads to caspase 1 mediated apoptosis

Ultrafast Tracking of Exciton and Charge Carrier Transport in Optoelectronic Materials on the Nanometer Scale.

We present a novel optical transient absorption and reflection microscope based on a diffraction-limited pump pulse in combination with a wide-field probe pulse, for the spatiotemporal investigation of ultrafast population transport in thin films. The microscope achieves a temporal resolution down to 12 fs and simultaneously provides sub-10 nm spatial accuracy. We demonstrate the capabilities of the microscope by revealing an ultrafast excited-state exciton population transport of up to 32 nm in a thin film of pentacene and by tracking the carrier motion in p-doped silicon. The use of few-cycle optical excitation pulses enables impulsive stimulated Raman microspectroscopy, which is used for in situ verification of the chemical identity in the 100-2000 cm-1 spectral window. Our methodology bridges the gap between optical microscopy and spectroscopy, allowing for the study of ultrafast transport properties down to the nanometer length scale.We acknowledge financial support from the EPSRC and the Winton Program for the Physics of Sustainability. This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant agreement No 758826). C.S. acknowledges financial support by the Royal Commission of the Exhibition of 1851

DRINET –an Online Drought Research and Collaboration Environment

DRINET is a research environment for collecting and disseminating local to regional scale drought information while interoperating with other resources and tools. The disseminated information via the DRINET will be based on a comprehensive evaluation of causal factors for short and long term droughts, as well as on a standardization of data formats and collection practices. It thus lays the foundation for investigating and providing improved drought risk and trigger indicators