Enzymatic and Anti-nutritive Degrading Activities of Mycelial Moulds Isolated from Amylolytic Starters of North East India

Dried, oval to flat-shaped, ball-like traditionally made starters with variable sizes are prepared in North Eastern regions of India for fermentation of alcoholic beverages and drink from cereals. We screened some enzymatic activities such as amylase, cellulase, l-asparaginase, lipase, protease, xylanase and also antinutritive degrading enzymes such as laccase, phytase and tannase of 44 strains of mycelial moulds, which were previously isolated from different amylolytic starter cultures of North East India. Aspergillus niger NKM-8 showed maximum amylase activity of 27.67 U/ml. A. flavus SMM-1 showed high L asparaginase activity of 8.9 U/ml. A. versicolour APM-6 showed maximum protease activity of 54.6 U/ml. Trametes hirsuta MTM-12 showed the maximum cellulase activity of 15.6 U/ml. Penicillium chrysogenum SMM-16 showed xylanase activity of 7.8 U/ml. T. hirsuta MTM-12, A. niger NKM-8 and A. niger NKM-13 exhibited maximum laccase, phytase and tannase activities

Khyopeh, a traditional fermented yak meat product of Sikkim

The preparation of naturally fermented meat product is an integral part of socio-cultural practice of different ethnic groups of people dwelling in the Himalayan regions of India, Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet in China. This study is aimed at documenting the traditional preparation of khyopeh, a naturally fermented meat product of yak prepared by ethnic people of Sikkim and its food safety. This is the first report on khyopeh with emphasis on its traditional method of preparation and food safety

Khyopeh, a traditional fermented yak meat product of Sikkim

187-191The preparation of naturally fermented meat product is an integral part of socio-cultural practice of different ethnic groups of people dwelling in the Himalayan regions of India, Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet in China. This study is aimed at documenting the traditional preparation of khyopeh, a naturally fermented meat product of yak prepared by ethnic people of Sikkim and its food safety. This is the first report on khyopeh with emphasis on its traditional method of preparation and food safety

Enzymatic and Anti-nutritive Degrading Activities of Mycelial Moulds Isolated from Amylolytic Starters of North East India

131-136Dried, oval to flat-shaped, ball-like traditionally made starters with variable sizes are prepared in North Eastern regions of India for fermentation of alcoholic beverages and drink from cereals. We screened some enzymatic activities such as amylase, cellulase, l-asparaginase, lipase, protease, xylanase and also antinutritive degrading enzymes such as laccase, phytase and tannase of 44 strains of mycelial moulds, which were previously isolated from different amylolytic starter cultures of North East India. Aspergillus niger NKM-8 showed maximum amylase activity of 27.67 U/ml. A. flavus SMM-1 showed high L asparaginase activity of 8.9 U/ml. A. versicolour APM-6 showed maximum protease activity of 54.6 U/ml. Trametes hirsuta MTM-12 showed the maximum cellulase activity of 15.6 U/ml. Penicillium chrysogenum SMM-16 showed xylanase activity of 7.8 U/ml. T. hirsuta MTM-12, A. niger NKM-8 and A. niger NKM-13 exhibited maximum laccase, phytase and tannase activities

Mycobiome Diversity in Traditionally Prepared Starters for Alcoholic Beverages in India by High-Throughput Sequencing Method

Chowan, dawdim, humao, hamei, khekhrii, and phut are sun-dried starters used for preparation of alcoholic beverages in North East regions of India. We attempted to profile the mycobiome community in these starters by high-throughput sequencing (HTS) method. All fungal populations were found to be restricted to Ascomycota (67–99%), Zygomycota (0.7–29%), Basidiomycota (0.03–7%), and Chytridiomycota (0.0003%). We found 45 core operational taxonomic units (OTUs) which were universally present and were further weighed to 41 genera level and 22 species level taxonomy. A total number of 594 fungal species were detected by HTS including common species (224), unique species (133) and rare-species (237) in samples of starters. Unique species were recorded in phut (40 species), khekhrii (28), hamei (23), dawdim (21), chowan (13), and humao (8), respectively. Most of the fungal families were found to correlate to a type of nutritional mode and growth morphologies of the community, where saprotrophic mode of mold species were more dominant, whereas morphotypes were more dominant in yeast species

Traditional knowledge of biopreservation of perishable vegetable and bamboo shoots in Northeast India as food resources

89-95Biopreservation of perishable vegetables is a native skill of Northeast Indian women. Lactic acid fermentation is the actual mechanism involve in the biopreservation process of perishable vegetable and bamboo shoots. Some ethnic fermented vegetables of Northeast India are gundruk, sinki, goyang, inziangsang, khalpi, anishi, etc. and ethnic fermented bamboo shoot products are mesu, soidon, soibum, soijim, ekung, eup, hiring, and lung-siej

Naturally fermented ethnic soybean foods of India

Kinema, hawaijar, tungrymbai, bekang, aakhone, and peruyaan are naturally fermented ethnic soybean foods of India; they are popular among the Mongolian-origin races in the Eastern Himalayas. Bacillus subtilis is the dominant functional bacterium in all naturally fermented soybean foods of these regions. Although there is a good demand for ethnic fermented soybean foods among local consumers in north-east India, the production is limited to household level. A ready-to-use pulverized starter culture for kinema production can be introduced to kinema-makers or similar sticky fermented soybean foods of north-east India and adapted to local conditions for additional income generation. Ethnic fermented soybeans are one of the major food resources in the Eastern Himalayas; they supplement inexpensive, high-digested plant protein in the local diet with low fat/cholesterol content and high nutritive value as well as antioxidant and other health-promoting properties

Cultural Adaptation of the Himalayan Ethnic Foods with Special Reference to Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh

The Himalayan people have developed the ethnic foods to adapt to the harsh conditions and environment. The in-take of such foods has been in the systems for centuries and people have adapted such foods to protect and sustain them. People living in high altitude (>2500) are adapted to cereals and food grains grown in dry and cold climates, with less vegetables and more meat products. More diversity of food items ranging from rice, maize to vegetable, milk to meat is prevalent in the elevation less than 2500 to 1000 m. Ethnic foods possess protective properties, antioxidant, antimicrobial, probiotics, bio-nutrients, and some important health-benefits compounds. Due to rapid urbanisation, development, introduction of commercial ready-to-eat foods have adverse effects on production and consequently consumption of such age-old cultural ethnic foods is declining. The people should be ascertained about the worth indigenous knowledge they possess, and biological significance of their foods. Detailed health status in terms of consumption of both fermented and non-fermented foods and their cultural adaption need to be carried out urgently

Indigenous knowledge of traditional processing of <i style="">Selroti</i>, a cereal-based ethnic fermented food of the <i style="">Nepalis</i>

271-274 The Nepalis of the Himalayan regions of India, Nepal and Bhutan prepare a cereal-based fermented food, Selroti using their indigenous knowledge. The paper documents the traditional knowledge of the ethnic Himalayan people on preparation of Selroti and its ethnical importance. </smarttagtype