Process Optimization and Characterization of Enhanced Vanillin Yield Using Bacillus aryabhattai NCIM 5503

Background and Objective: Vanillin is a strong flavor used widely in food industries, but the quantity of this compound from plant sources is minimal. In the present study, vanillin was produced as bio-vanillin using biotechnological techniques and effects of the process parameters (carbon-source, nitrogen-source and pH) on ferulic acid bioconversion to vanillin for enhancing vanillin concentration were studied using Bacillus aryabhattai NCIM 5503. Material and Methods: Briefly, culture media included 5 g l-1 each carbon (glucose, sucrose, fructose, sorbitol, lactose, xylitol and mannitol) and nitrogen (ammonium sulphate, peptone, beef extract, yeast extract and urea) sources in distilled water supplemented with 5% (w v‑1) of ferulic acid and 1% (v v-1) of Bacillus aryabhattai NCIM 5503 as inoculum at a pH range of 4.5-12. Fermentation broth was extracted using centrifuge and further analyzed for the presence of vanillin using spectrophotometry and high-performance liquid chromatography. Results and conclusion: This study revealed that a maximum vanillin concentration of 0.87 g l-1 was achieved under optimum conditions (culture media with fructose and beef extract at pH 9) of 30 ºC and 150 rpm. Furthermore, vanillin in the extracted fermented broth was characterized using high-performance liquid chromatography and spectrophotometric analysis with thiobarbituric acid assay at 55 ºC for 10 min followed by 20 min of incubation at room temperature

Aiming to Improve Dairy Cattle Welfare by Using Precision Technology to Track Lameness, Mastitis, Somatic Cell Count and Body Condition Score

Specific animal-based indicators that may be used to predict animal welfare have been at the basis of techniques for monitoring farm animal welfare, such as those developed by the Welfare Quality project. In addition, the use of technical instruments to accurately and immediately measure farm animal welfare is obvious. Precision livestock farming (PLF) has enhanced production, economic viability, and animal welfare in dairy farms by using technology instruments. Despite the fact that PLF was only recently adopted, the need for technical assistance on farms is getting more and more attention and has resulted in substantial scientific contributions in a wide range of fields within the dairy sector, with a focus on the health and welfare of cows. Among the most important animal-based indicators of dairy cow welfare are lameness, mastitis, somatic cell count and body condition, and this chapter aims to highlight the most recent advances in PLF in this area. Finally, a discussion is presented on the possibility of integrating the information obtained by PLF into a welfare assessment framework

Mapping local patterns of childhood overweight and wasting in low- and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2017

A double burden of malnutrition occurs when individuals, household members or communities experience both undernutrition and overweight. Here, we show geospatial estimates of overweight and wasting prevalence among children under 5 years of age in 105 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) from 2000 to 2017 and aggregate these to policy-relevant administrative units. Wasting decreased overall across LMICs between 2000 and 2017, from 8.4% (62.3 (55.1–70.8) million) to 6.4% (58.3 (47.6–70.7) million), but is predicted to remain above the World Health Organization’s Global Nutrition Target of <5% in over half of LMICs by 2025. Prevalence of overweight increased from 5.2% (30 (22.8–38.5) million) in 2000 to 6.0% (55.5 (44.8–67.9) million) children aged under 5 years in 2017. Areas most affected by double burden of malnutrition were located in Indonesia, Thailand, southeastern China, Botswana, Cameroon and central Nigeria. Our estimates provide a new perspective to researchers, policy makers and public health agencies in their efforts to address this global childhood syndemic

Mapping inequalities in exclusive breastfeeding in low- and middle-income countries, 2000–2018

Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF)—giving infants only breast-milk for the first 6 months of life—is a component of optimal breastfeeding practices effective in preventing child morbidity and mortality. EBF practices are known to vary by population and comparable subnational estimates of prevalence and progress across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are required for planning policy and interventions. Here we present a geospatial analysis of EBF prevalence estimates from 2000 to 2018 across 94 LMICs mapped to policy-relevant administrative units (for example, districts), quantify subnational inequalities and their changes over time, and estimate probabilities of meeting the World Health Organization’s Global Nutrition Target (WHO GNT) of ≥70% EBF prevalence by 2030. While six LMICs are projected to meet the WHO GNT of ≥70% EBF prevalence at a national scale, only three are predicted to meet the target in all their district-level units by 2030

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Not AvailableThe ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2, has now spread across the nations with high mortality rates and multifaceted impact on human life. The proper treatment methods to overcome this contagious disease are still limited. The main protease enzyme (Mpro, also called 3CLpro) is essential for viral replication and has been considered as one of the potent drug targets for treating COVID-19. In this study, virtual screening was performed to find out the molecular interactions between 36 natural compounds derived from sesame and the Mpro of COVID-19. Four natural metabolites, namely, sesamin, sesaminol, sesamolin, and sesamolinol have been ranked as the top interacting molecules to Mpro based on the affinity of molecular docking. Moreover, stability of these four sesame-specific natural compounds has also been evaluated using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations for 200 nanoseconds. The molecular dynamics simulations and free energy calculations revealed that these compounds have stable and favorable energies, causing strong binding with Mpro. These screened natural metabolites also meet the essential conditions for drug likeness such as absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) properties as well as Lipinski’s rule of five. Our finding suggests that these screened natural compounds may be evolved as promising therapeutics against COVID-19.Not Availabl

A comprehensive review on genomic resources in medicinally and industrially important major spices for future breeding programs: Status, utility and challenges

In the global market, spices possess a high-value but low-volume commodities of commerce. The food industry depends largely on spices for taste, flavor, and therapeutic properties in replacement of cheap synthetic ones. The estimated growth rate for spices demand in the world is ∼3.19%. Since spices grow in limited geographical regions, India is one of the leading producer of spices, contributing 25–30 percent of total world trade. Hitherto, there has been no comprehensive review of the genomic resources of industrially important major medicinal spices to overcome major impediments in varietal improvement and management. This review focuses on currently available genomic resources of 24 commercially significant spices, namely, Ajwain, Allspice, Asafoetida, Black pepper, Cardamom large, Cardamom small, Celery, Chillies, Cinnamon, Clove, Coriander, Cumin, Curry leaf, Dill seed, Fennel, Fenugreek, Garlic, Ginger, Mint, Nutmeg, Saffron, Tamarind, Turmeric and Vanilla. The advent of low-cost sequencing machines has contributed immensely to the voluminous data generation of these spices, cracking the complex genomic architecture, marker discovery, and understanding comparative and functional genomics. This review of spice genomics resources concludes the perspective and way forward to provide footprints by uncovering genome assemblies, sequencing and re-sequencing projects, transcriptome-based studies, non-coding RNA-mediated regulation, organelles-based resources, developed molecular markers, web resources, databases and AI-directed resources in candidate spices for enhanced breeding potential in them. Further, their integration with molecular breeding could be of immense use in formulating a strategy to protect and expand the production of the spices due to increased global demand

Strain induced electronic structure, and magnetic and structural properties in quaternary Heusler alloys ZrRhTiZ (Z = Al, In)

Electronic structure, and magnetic and structural properties of quaternary Heusler alloys ZrRhTiZ (Z = Al, In) have been analyzed from first principles calculations. The ferromagnetic ground state and thermodynamical stability of these compounds are supported by relative total energies, and by derived formation and cohesive energies, respectively. The investigated Curie temperatures of the compounds exceed room temperature indicating that these compounds are promising candidates for beyond room temperature spintronics and magneto-electronics applications. Both compounds follow the Slater-Pauling 18 electron rule and exhibit half-metallic ferromagnetic behavior with magnetic moments of 2 μB with 100% spin polarization in one spin channel at the Fermi-level. The effect of uniform strain on half-metallicity of these compounds inverts the band gap from one spin channel to another spin channel with a mixed spin (magnetic moment) regime that can be mapped to an exchange bias like effect observed in some of the magnetic Heusler compounds. The half metallic ferromagnetic behavior is retained within −2 to 2% strain contrasting with the anomalous spin flip in −1% and 1% strain in ZrRhTiZ (Z = Al, In).</p