A SIMPLE AND EFFICIENT MICROPROPAGATION PROTOCOL FOR DEVELOPING PLANTLETS OF EXACUM BICOLOR ROXB. – AN ENDANGERED, ORNAMENTAL, AND ANTIDIABETIC HERB

Objective: Exacum bicolor Roxb. is an endangered medicinal herb due to overexploitation by humans and its inefficient vegetative reproduction. Here, we report an efficient and simple procedure for the regeneration of E. bicolor Roxb. using leaf as an explant. Methods: The optimal concentrations of the hormones needed for callus induction were determined by full factorial method using DOE (Design expert ver. 8.0). The hormones selected based on literature were kinetin, indole acetic acid, and 6-Benzylaminopurine (BAP). Multiple shoot regeneration was carried out in liquid and solid media with the optimal concentrations of the hormones obtained by DOE. Rooting was initiated using Murashige and Skoog media containing naphthalene acetic acid 0.5 mg/l, indole butyric acid (IBA) 1.0 mg/l, and gibberellic acid 3 0.5 mg/l along with 0.2% of activated charcoal. Results: Analysis of full factorial design run showed that BAP in combination with kinetin was effective for the growth of callus and multiple shoot regeneration was higher in liquid media (81.25%). The rate of rooting was observed to be 88.23% and the average number of roots was 0.26. Plantlets with budding apical region and well-established leaves and roots were observed in 30 days. Conclusion: The protocol reported here can be used for effective production of E. bicolor plants in a shorter duration compared to the conventional approach

Physico-Chemical Studies on the Effect of Preservatives in Storage of ABC Juice

<p>Consuming the fruit and vegetable juices are considered as a simple and easy method to gain maximum health benefits. Preserving the nutritive value of these juices is important during their storage. So, preservatives and additives are used to increase their shelf life, along with ensuring the product safety. In this study, three kinds of natural preservatives were used to preserve a juice blend obtained from apple, carrot and beetroot under ambient room temperature and refrigerated conditions. The samples were examined every day for any changes in physical parameters and after 7 days, an aliquot of juice was studied for its chemical properties. The sample with lemon juice as preservative and stored under ambient room temperature had no contamination with least amount of reducing sugars and total proteins. Hence, the results observed in this preliminary study corroborate the usage of lemon juice as an effective natural preservative for preserving juice blend of apple, beetroot and carrot.</p><p>Keywords:- ABC Juice, Lemon Juice, Natural Preservative, Storage.</p&gt