Enzymes in Processing of Functional Foods Ingredients and Nutraceuticals

Functional foods are nutriments consumed to cover the nutritional needs that cannot be met by a normal diet alone. Consumption of functional foods has proven to have physiological benefits such as reduced risk of certain chronic diseases, thus differentiating them from conventional foods. Several health benefits have been reported to be associated with the consumption of nutraceuticals and functional foods. Many natural sources have been successfully implemented in imparting additional health benefits and preventing the onset of chronic diseases related to aging, faulty genetics, or lifestyle. Functional foods can basically be categorised into different groups based on their nature and source of origin. The functional food industry utilises enzymes in large scale for synthesis of new and better products. Enzymes play different roles in the production of nutraceuticals and functional foods as well as the fortification of food. Enzymes are used over conventional methods due to cost effectiveness and higher yield in addition to being a cleaner and greener alternative. Nutraceutical and functional food products developed by the application of enzymes include non-digestible oligosaccharides, cereal and dairy based ingredients, prebiotic products, phytochemicals, nutraceutical lipids, bioactive peptides, special protein hydrolysates, and anti-oxidant peptides. However, there are certain limitations pertaining to the use of enzymes. Enzymes are proteins and therefore extremely sensitive to ambient conditions. Furthermore, they cannot be reused adding up the production cost. Nevertheless, this problem can be resolved by immobilising enzymes to compatible nanoparticles. Studies have shown that immobilised enzymes exhibit higher activities compared to their native counterparts in aqueous phase

Novel Fermented Marine-Based Products

Consumption of fermented food contributed to several ethnic and geographical identity since prehistoric period. Though the fermentation process was initially used as a tool for food preservation but nowadays it is commonly applied to improve the sensory properties, shelf life and nutritional quality of food products. Either in traditional foods or as new opportunities, the global scenario indicates that the consumers are more inclined towards such savoury products. The current trend in context has also generated a new spurt in the application of probiotic bacteria for the production of healthy fermented food products. Most fermented products these days are either dairy based or of terrestrial origin whereas skills to ferment marine based products are quite limited. This chapter, therefore focuses on various marine based fermented products currently consumed by various cultural groups worldwide. It also explores their usage through history along with current research trends and future challenges associated with their production

Genetic variability in strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) cultivars assessed by morphological traits and EST-SSR markers of Rubus ellipticus

81-90Strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) being an important commercial member of Rosaceae family, accounts for high nutritive value in terms of antioxidative and antibacterial properties. Owing to its unique therapeutic values, present study was done with the objective of characterizing 20 Fragaria x ananassa cultivars from Dr Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan, India based on their morphological descriptors and expressed sequence tags - simple sequence repeat (EST-SSR) markers of Rubus ellipticus L. (Smith). Broad phenotypic variability among the Fragaria x ananassa cultivars was detected using morphological descriptors. A set of 68 R. ellipticus EST-SSR primers were used for cross transferability analysis in strawberry cultivars for polymorphic marker identification and genetic diversity analysis. Out of 68 EST-SSRs, 51 (75%) showed amplification among the strawberry cultivars. The average (PIC) values of all the polymorphic loci for 20 strawberry cultivars were 0.34. Highest polymorphism information content (PIC) value (0.68) was obtained with contig 218, followed by contig 714 (0.65) and contig 408 (0.63), indicating that contig 218 has the most regions of diversity as amplified with these SSR and was found most suitable for cross transferability. The unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) was designed showing two separate groups for 20 cultivars of Fragaria x ananassa. The present study revealed that R. ellipticus microsatellites when used were able to distinguish strawberry cultivars accurately

Pharmacological Investigation of Antioxidants and Antidiabetic Activity of Vitex Trifolia Bark In Diabetic Zebrafish Model

Both diabetes and obesity have now been deemed global epidemics. Scientists coined "diabesity", to describe this relationship, as both obesity and diabetes are on the rise. Obesity increases the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and many other diseases. Both diabetes and obesity are complex illnesses that can be influenced both by hereditary factors and environmental ones. In order to develop pharmacological or surgical treatment for obesity and diabetes we need more research. It is therefore essential that animal models be used to better understand diabetes or obesity, and to develop effective treatments. Zebrafish are a good model for metabolic disease research due to their functional conservatism in terms of lipid metabolism and adipose tissue, pancreas structures, glucose homeostasis, etc. It is well suited to finding new ways of treating and preventing human diseases such as diabetes. The review examines both the benefits and drawbacks of using the zebrafish model for studying the diseases associated with diabetes and obesity. This review focuses on studies which have used zebrafish to model these diseases

Development and Valiation of Stability Indicating Chromatographic Methods for Drugs Used in Bacterial Infection Diseases Applying Experimental Design

This study was motivated by the fact that certain food poisonings and harmful microorganisms in ethanol and water determine roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), clove (Syzygium aromaticum), and thyme (Thymus vulgaris). is to exhibit the capacity to eliminate Least inhibitory focuses (MICs) of different plant extricates against Gram-positive microorganisms (Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus), Gram-negative microscopic organisms (Escherichia coli, Enteritidis, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and parasites (Candida albicans) and antibacterial impacts were explored. It is dissolved and measured using the agar well dispersion technique. The concentrate showed antimicrobial efficacy against the microorganisms and yeast used in the tests. Both pHint reduction and cell layer hyperpolarization indicated that the plant extract had a profound effect on the membranes of Gram-positive and Gram-negative microorganisms. Overall, plant extracts have significant potential as unique regular food additives due to their antibacterial properties

Diffuse small bowel thickening in aids patient - a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Diarrhea is common in HIV/AIDS patients, caused by both classic enteric pathogens and different opportunistic agents. <it>Infection with these different pathogens may lead to similar radiological findings, thus causing diagnostic confusion</it>.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 30-yr-old female with AIDS presented with chronic diarrhea of 4 months duration. She had diffuse small bowel thickening present on CT scan of her abdomen, with stool examination showing no parasites. She was erroneously diagnosed as abdominal tuberculosis and given antituberculosis drugs with which she showed no improvement. Repeat stool examination later at a specialized laboratory revealed <it>Cryptosporidium parvum </it>infection.</p> <p>The patient was given an extended course of nitazoxanide treatment, as her stool examination was positive for <it>Cryptosporidium parvum </it>even after 2 weeks of drug consumption. Parasite clearance was documented after 10 weeks of treatment. Interestingly, the bowel thickening reversed with parasitological clearance.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p><it>Cryptosporidium parvum </it>may lead to small bowel thickening in AIDS patients. This small bowel thickening may reverse following parasitological clearance.</p

Schistosome Eggs Impair Protective Th1/Th17 Immune Responses Against Salmonella Infection

Countries with a high incidence of helminth infections are characterized by high morbidity and mortality to infections with intracellular pathogens such as Salmonella. Some patients with Salmonella-Schistosoma co-infections develop a so-called “chronic septicemic salmonellosis,” with prolonged fever and enlargement of the liver and spleen. These effects are most likely due to the overall immunoregulatory activities of schistosomes such as induction of Tregs, Bregs, alternatively activated macrophages, and degradation of antibodies. However, detailed underlying mechanisms are not very well investigated. Here, we show that intraperitoneal application of live Schistosoma mansoni eggs prior to infection with Salmonella Typhimurium in mice leads to an impairment of IFN-γ and IL-17 responses together with a higher bacterial load compared to Salmonella infection alone. S. mansoni eggs were found in granulomas in the visceral peritoneum attached to the colon. Immunohistological staining revealed IPSE/alpha-1, a glycoprotein secreted from live schistosome eggs, and recruited basophils around the eggs. Noteworthy, IPSE/alpha-1 is known to trigger IL-4 and IL-13 release from basophils which in turn is known to suppress Th1/Th17 responses. Therefore, our data support a mechanism of how schistosomes impair a protective immune response against Salmonella infection and increase our understanding of helminth-bacterial co-infections

Reporting trends, practices, and resource utilization in neuroendocrine tumors of the prostate gland: a survey among thirty-nine genitourinary pathologists

Background: Neuroendocrine differentiation in the prostate gland ranges from clinically insignificant neuroendocrine differentiation detected with markers in an otherwise conventional prostatic adenocarcinoma to a lethal high-grade small/large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma. The concept of neuroendocrine differentiation in prostatic adenocarcinoma has gained considerable importance due to its prognostic and therapeutic ramifications and pathologists play a pivotal role in its recognition. However, its awareness, reporting, and resource utilization practice patterns among pathologists are largely unknown. Methods: Representative examples of different spectrums of neuroendocrine differentiation along with a detailed questionnaire were shared among 39 urologic pathologists using the survey monkey software. Participants were specifically questioned about the use and awareness of the 2016 WHO classification of neuroendocrine tumors of the prostate, understanding of the clinical significance of each entity, and use of different immunohistochemical (IHC) markers. De-identified respondent data were analyzed. Results: A vast majority (90%) of the participants utilize IHC markers to confirm the diagnosis of small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma. A majority (87%) of the respondents were in agreement regarding the utilization of type of IHC markers for small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma for which 85% of the pathologists agreed that determination of the site of origin of a high-grade neuroendocrine carcinoma is not critical, as these are treated similarly. In the setting of mixed carcinomas, 62% of respondents indicated that they provide quantification and grading of the acinar component. There were varied responses regarding the prognostic implication of focal neuroendocrine cells in an otherwise conventional acinar adenocarcinoma and for Paneth cell-like differentiation. The classification of large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma was highly varied, with only 38% agreement in the illustrated case. Finally, despite the recommendation not to perform neuroendocrine markers in the absence of morphologic evidence of neuroendocrine differentiation, 62% would routinely utilize IHC in the work-up of a Gleason score 5 + 5 = 10 acinar adenocarcinoma and its differentiation from high-grade neuroendocrine carcinoma. Conclusion: There is a disparity in the practice utilization patterns among the urologic pathologists with regard to diagnosing high-grade neuroendocrine carcinoma and in understanding the clinical significance of focal neuroendocrine cells in an otherwise conventional acinar adenocarcinoma and Paneth cell-like neuroendocrine differentiation. There seems to have a trend towards overutilization of IHC to determine neuroendocrine differentiation in the absence of neuroendocrine features on morphology. The survey results suggest a need for further refinement and development of standardized guidelines for the classification and reporting of neuroendocrine differentiation in the prostate gland