Quality Aspects and Storage Evaluation of Freeze Dried Probiotic Pineapple Lassi Powder

Freeze dried probiotic pineapple lassi powder was developed using Bifidobacterium bifidum (NCDC 235). Quality aspects were determined in terms of physico-chemical parameters, vitamin composition and probiotic viability. Storage changes were monitored at 25±20C and -18±20C for 1 year. The reconstituted lassi has carbohydrate content of 22.2%, thiamin 2mg which meets 2/3rd of suggested micronutrient intake goal for those working either in cold or at high altitudes. The niacin content in the product is 2.27mg, riboflavin 0.375 mg and pyridoxine 67.5mg.  An increasing trend in ΔE values 0 to 6.06 was observed at 25±2°C while no significant difference (p<0.05) was observed at -18±20C.   pH decreased from 4.71 to 4.1 at 25±2°C and to 4.3 at -18°C±2°C  after 12 months.  Browning in terms of absorbance increased significantly (p<0.05) from 0.015 to 0.061 at 25±2°C.  Bifidobacterium bifidum count decreased from 9.55 log10 cfu.ml-1 to 8.87 log10 cfu.ml-1 and 8.95 log10 cfu.ml-1 after 12 months at 25±2°C and -18°C±2°C respectively. Probiotic viability did not change significantly throughout the storage period at both the temperatures. This instant powder can also be utilised as a health drink mix with reduced bulk suitable for combat conditions and in high altitudes to overcome logistic problems.

Treatment of Molluscum Contagiosum with 10% Potassium Hydroxide Solution

Background: To determine the efficacy and safety of topical 10% potassium hydroxide solution in the treatment of molluscum contagiosum (MC) .Methods: An open, prospective, non-randomized study of one year duration was conducted using 10% KOH solution to treat MC. Twenty eight patients completed the study. A total of seven appointments were planned; one baseline and six follow-up visits. 10% KOH was applied to molluscum lesions daily till the lesions resolved or till 3 months had elapsed.Results: Twenty eight patients, among which 22 were children, completed the study. The mean age of patients was 10.6 years. The total lesion count in the patients varied from 5 – 94, with the mean lesion count of 22.14 SD +_ 18.32. There was complete resolution of lesions in 20 (71.4%) of patients , 4 (14.3) had a near complete, 2 (7.1%) had partial and 2 (7.1%) patients had no improvement. 82% patients tolerated the treatment well with no side effects.Conclusion:10% KOH solution is an effective and well tolerated treatment for MC. It is less painful and cost-effective as compared to many well-established therapeutic modalities. It has the advantage of ease of application at home making it an acceptable and feasible option for the treatment of MC

Comparative analysis of chromogenic vs clot based CDC modified, Nijmegen-Bethesda assay for detection of factor viii inhibitor titre

Background:-Inhibitors to infused factor VIII are the most significant complication of hemophilia treatment. These inhibitors are usually IgG antibodies, that react with FVIII in a time and temperature dependent manner. Coagulation factor VIII inhibitors can be detected by Chromogenic, clot based and immunological assays. However, there is lack of consensus as to what constitutes a positive inhibitor, including the appropriate cut-off for inhibitor measurement The main objective of this study is to compare the sensitivity and specificity of chromogenic Nijmegen Bethesda assay (CNBA) with Centre for disease control modified Nijmegen Bethesda (CDC-NBA) assay against the Reference control method (RCM).Materials and Methods: The Coagulometer used for inhibitor titre  quantification is Sysmex CS-5100. APTT reagent used isPathromtin SL supplied by seimensSeimens. All data were expressed as Mean ± SD. Statistical formulae were used for sensitivity and specificity calculations. Unpaired students t test was used whereever necessary and a P value of <0.05 is considered as statistical significanceResults: A total of 150 cases were tested for inhibitor titre using CNBA vs CDC-NBA. For low titre Inhibitor (<2 NBU), CNBA has 92% and 86% and CDC-NBA has 80 and 60% sensitivity and specificity respectively. These results show that CDC-NBA shows false positive results at low inhibitor titre. For High titre Inhibitor ( >2 NBU) CNBA has 88% and 80% and CDC-NBA has 85 and 70 % sensitivity and specificity respectively.Conclusion :- These results shows that CNBA is more sensitive and specific than CDC-NBA at both low and high inhibitor titre. Moreover chromogenic assays can differentiate factor specific inhibitor from nonspecific inhibitors like lupus anticoagulant and unfractionated heparin therapy.Keywords: Hemophilia, Bethesda assay, ELISA, Factor VIII, Inhibitor, Mixing studyAbbrevations: APLA- Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, CDC:NBA- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Nijmegen-BethesdaAssay, CNBA:- chromogenic Nijmegen Bethesda assa

Indian organic market: A new horizon of opportunities and growth of entrepreneurs

The organic market in India has witnessed tremendous growth in the last decade. The organic market possess inherent strengths and offers lot of opportunities that can be utilized. The organic products market has been growing at a CAGR of 25% and it is expected to grow at the same pace till 2020. The current market size is 4,000 crore and is expected to treble by 2020, according to a report by ASSOCHAM and Ernst & young. The report also estimates that the market size for Indian organic packaged food is expected to cross 87.1 crore by 2021 from 53.3 crore in 2016, growing at a rate of 17%. The substantial growth of this sector is attributed to an expanding urban population base, rising health concerns, increasing disposable income and substantial support from the government. As demand for organic food in the metro cities increase, the companies in this sector are witnessing notable growth with the entry of several new players in the organic food market. This conceptual paper gives an overview of organic market in India with the aim of identifying the opportunities and benefits of organic market. The paper also aims to understand the present market conditions that favour entrepreneurs who are interested to explore it. It also throws light on the factors responsible for the growth of organic market

Retailers’ perception on factors influencing purchase of organic food products: a factor analysis

Organic Food Product marketing is one of the emerging areas of business in the wake of sustainable development. To develop efficient marketing strategy for Organic Food Products, a retailer should know the consumers’ buying behavior. Accordingly, in the present study an attempt has been made to understand the retailers’ perception of consumer behavior by using primary data and factor analysis. It has been found from the present study that factors like chemically free, naturally grown, safety, healthy, tasty, hygiene and freshness have jointly determined the demand for organic food product with mean score above 4.5 (component 1). Factors such as free from GMO (Genetically Modified Organism), eco-friendly, ideal for children and ideal for elders represent mean score of less than 4.5 (component 2). Supporting the farmers is identified just below 4.5 (component 3). At the same time, craze to consume is not important in determining the demand for organic food products according to retailers. Therefore, the retailers have to develop the strategy based on the results obtained by the present study. The efficient marketing strategy should focus on chemical free, naturally grown, safety, healthy, tasty, hygiene and freshness factors in advertising and promotion of organic food products

Factors influencing purchase of organic food products: An empirical estimation

The major purpose of the present study is to empirically identify the factors which significantly influence the purchase of organic food products. Factor analysis helps to identify the component which is a combination of factors. Accordingly, the principle component analysis has been used in the present work. Twelve factors (like, taste, safety……….) have been considered for the study and data collected from 220 respondents which is in Likert scale. It is found from the analysis that in the first place, naturally grown, safety and health issues have jointly and significantly determined the demand for organic food. In the second place, children and elderly issues are dominant in determining the demand for organic food. In the third place, taste and fashion issues are important in deciding the demand for organic food. Lastly, GMO free (Genetically Modified Organism) is also found significant in determining the demand for organic food product. Hence, to market and promote the purchase of organic food products, sellers and farmers should give more importance to nature, safety and health issues

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Not AvailableFish protein hydrolysate (FPH) was incorporated in chicken cutlet to study the effect on quality aspects and storage stability of chicken cutlet. The experiment was conducted in 4 lots of various percentage of FPH on chicken meat at 0 per cent , 5 per cent , 10 per cent and 15 per cent, respectively. Cooking parameters of chicken which included cooking yield and cooking loss was studied. It was observed that with 15 per cent FPH on chicken gave a better cooking yield of 63.64 plus or minus 0.08 and a lower cooking loss of 36.55 plus or minus 0.53 with respect to that of control. Based on the cooking properties, 15 per cent FPH was used for the formulation of chicken cutlet with various binder and chicken combination for the optimization of the blend. It was found that a combination of 70 per cent chicken and 30 per cent binder exhibited low oil uptake, minimum shrinkage, optimum pH, and Over Acceptability during sensory evaluation. Finally the optimised combination of 70 colon 30 was used to prepare the chicken cutlet and analysed for the storage stability by subjecting to MAP and normal packaging at 2 degree celsius. It was observed that the oxidative parameters such as PV and TBARS was lower for the samples which was given MAP than the samples stored under normal packaging. Overall acceptability also scored highest for the samples which was given MAP. Hence, it can be concluded that FPH exerts a positive impact on storage stability and quality parameters of chicken cutlet. This study indicates the potential use of FPH as an additive to enhance cooking yield, improve the frying characteristics and oxidative stability of meat based system and deep fat fried products.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableFish Protein Hydrolysate (FPH) was incorporated in chicken cutlet to study its effect on quality aspects and storage stability. FPH was added at four different concentrations viz., 0, 5, 10 and 15%. It was observed that 15% FPH in chicken cutlet gave a better cooking yield of 63.64 ± 0 .08% and a lower cooking loss of 36.55± 0.53%. Hence 15% FPH among the treatment groups was used for the formulation of chicken cutlet with various proportions of chicken and binder (60% chicken and 40% potato, 70% chicken and 30% potato, 80% chicken and 20% potato) for optimization. The combination of 70% chicken and 30% binder exhibited low oil uptake, minimum shrinkage, optimum pH, and overall acceptability during sensory evaluation (OA). Finally, the optimised combination of 70:30 was used to prepare the chicken cutlet and analysed for the storage stability by MAP and Normal Packaging. It was observed that the oxidative parameters such as PV, TBARS and TPC were lower for the samples which were given MAP. OA was highest for the samples with MAP. It could be concluded that FPH imparts a positive impact on storage stability and quality parameters of chicken cutlet.Not Availabl

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on final year medical students: A Case study of Pakistani Medical College

We explored the impact of COVID 19 on final year medical college students in Pakistan during the COVID-19 outbreak. Our investigation aimed to distinguish the effect of the COVID-19 outbreak on the medical students' examinations, assessments, electives and assistantship situations and the resulting psychological impact on readiness and certainty of the students going into FY1. An online survey was administered to a total of 150 participants (students enrolled in a medical college of Pakistan). Motivational, behavioral and psychological variables were measured via the multivariate analysis. The study identified that the effect of COVID-19 on final year medical students has been critical in Pakistan. Most of the students feel less ready for starting work as a doctor, with the study revealing that the disturbances to understudy assistantships essentially affected readiness. Regardless of being unprepared, numerous students felt keen on joining the workforce during this pandemic. It is recommended that medical schools and employers should take into account the COVID-19-related interferences in the final months of preparation by this cohort of students, and ensure that their well-being is not compromised. The changes compelled by this pandemic provides a critical opportunity to assess elective medical education and assessment methods, including novel online summative assessments. During the COVID-19 outbreak, medical students faced many problems such as confidence level, psychological issues and a lack of practical classes which hindered the acquisition of practical medical knowledge through face to face involvement. On the basis of the findings of the study, a number of recommendations are made. &nbsp

Age-Related Decrease in Striatal DA Produces Cognitive Deficits in Male Rats

Aging is a process that presents various alterations in physiological, behavioral and neurochemical processes. It causes impairment of CNS functions which lead to changes in memory, cognition and other behavioral performances. Reports have shown that aging causes neurochemical alterations in various physiological functions. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the cognitive changes in relation to process of aging. For this 20 male rats were taken, 10 young (4-6 months) and 10 old (18-22 months). Morris Water Maze (MWM) test was performed to monitor changes in learning and memory while Object-Recognition Task (ORT) was performed to evaluate changes in cognitive function. After behavioral assessment decapitation was done and rat brain was dissected to isolate striatum. Then neurochemical analysis was performed by HPLC-EC to monitor changes in striatal DA and DOPAC levels. Results of behavioral tests showed that aged rats exhibited a significant impairment of long-term memory. While cognitive ability assessed by ORT was also impaired in aged rats. Neurochemical results showed that there was a significant decline in striatal dopamine (DA) concentration while its metabolite DOPAC was significantly increased in aged rats. Hence aging has a significant negative influence on cognitive functions. Age-related behavioral deficits may occur as a result of decline in DA levels in striatum leading to changes in memory and cognitive performance