Diosgenin encapsulated PCL-Pluronic nanoparticles (PCL-F68-D-NPs) were developed using the nanopr... more Diosgenin encapsulated PCL-Pluronic nanoparticles (PCL-F68-D-NPs) were developed using the nanoprecipitation method to improve performance in brain cancer (glioblastoma) therapy. The nanoparticles were characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS)/Zeta potential, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectra, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The encapsulation efficiency, loading efficiency, and yield were calculated. The in vitro release rate was determined, and the kinetic model of diosgenin release was plotted and ascertained. The cytotoxicity was checked by MTT (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide)assay against U87-MG cells (glioblastoma cell lines). The obtained nanoparticles demonstrated good size distribution, stability, morphology, chemical, and mechanical properties. The nanoparticles also possessed high encapsulation efficiency, loading efficiency, and yield. The...
Natural product extraction is ingenuity that permits the mass manufacturing of specific products ... more Natural product extraction is ingenuity that permits the mass manufacturing of specific products in a cost-effective manner. With the aim of obtaining an alternative chitosan supply, the carapace of dead horseshoe crabs seemed feasible. This sparked an investigation of the structural changes and antioxidant capacity of horseshoe crab chitosan (HCH) by γ-irradiation using 60Co source. Chitosan was extracted from the horseshoe crab (Tachypleus gigas; Müller) carapace using heterogeneous chemical N-deacetylation of chitin, followed by the irradiation of HCH using 60Co at a dose-dependent rate of 10 kGy/hour. The average molecular weight was determined by the viscosimetric method. Regarding the chemical properties, the crystal-like structures obtained from γ-irradiated chitosan powders were determined using Fourier transfer infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses. The change in chitosan structure was evident with dose-dependent rates between 10 and 20 kGy/hour....
Bacterial biofilms are responsible for the development of various chronic wound-related and impla... more Bacterial biofilms are responsible for the development of various chronic wound-related and implant-mediated infections and confer protection to the pathogenic bacteria against antimicrobial drugs and host immune responses. Hence, biofilm-mediated chronic infections have created a tremendous burden upon healthcare systems worldwide. The development of biofilms upon the surface of medical implants has resulted in the failure of various implant-based surgeries and therapies. Although different conventional chemical and physical agents are used as antimicrobials, they fail to kill the sessile forms of bacterial pathogens due to the resistance exerted by the exopolysaccharide (EPS) matrices of the biofilm. One of the major techniques used in addressing such a problem is to directly check the biofilm formation by the use of novel antibiofilm materials, local drug delivery, and device-associated surface modifications, but the success of these techniques is still limited. The immense expan...
Corona viruses were first identified in 1931 and SARS-CoV-2 is the most recent. COVID-19 is a pan... more Corona viruses were first identified in 1931 and SARS-CoV-2 is the most recent. COVID-19 is a pandemic that put most of the world on lockdown and the search for therapeutic drugs is still on-going. Therefore, this study uses in silico screening to identify natural bioactive compounds from fruits, herbaceous plants and marine invertebrates that are able to inhibit protease activity in SARS-CoV-2(PDB: 6LU7). We have used various screening strategies such as drug likeliness, antiviral activity value prediction, molecular docking, ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion), molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and MM/GBSA (molecular mechanics/generalized born and surface area continuum solvation). 17 compounds were shortlisted using Lipinski’s rule. 5 compounds revealed significantly good predicted antiviral activity values and out of them only 2 compounds, Macrolactin A and Stachyflin, showed good binding energy values of -9.22 and -8.00 kcal/mol within the binding pocket...
The mango (Mangifera indica) is a rich source of antioxidants like phenolic acids and flavonoids.... more The mango (Mangifera indica) is a rich source of antioxidants like phenolic acids and flavonoids. Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and polyphenol peroxidase (POD) enzymes oxidize mono and diphenols, and thus the antioxidant potential diminishes. For cost-effective and sustainable preservation of this sub-tropical climacteric fruit, microwave convective dehydration is a prospective choice. Drying operations deactivate PPO and POD. Microwave convective drying was done at 100–300 W of power in a temperature range of 40–80 °C, with a total soluble solid content of 20–30 °B and a puree load of 0.4–0.6 g/cm2 to investigate the effect of the process parameters on the total phenolic content (TPC) of the final product. Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to optimize the TPC value. Furthermore, an artificial neural network (ANN) with the back propagation-feed forward modeling approach was adopted for the experimental results obtained, teaching–learning-based optimization (TLBO) was then e...
Introduction: Litchi (Sonn.) is an important subtropical fruit (Huang , 2016) that is believed to... more Introduction: Litchi (Sonn.) is an important subtropical fruit (Huang , 2016) that is believed to be originated in China and grows well in India too (Zheng , 2014; Kaushik , 2016; Singh & Babita, 2002). Litchi fruits are popular for their excellent flavor, aroma, white aril, and eye-catching red skin (Chaikham , 2017; Zheng , 2014; Prakash , 2017; Yang , 2011). It is very specif ic to climate conditions like soil, temperature, rainfall and for this reason cultivation of litchi is restricted to very few countries in the world (Chaikham , 2017; Singh & Babita, 2002). Litchi was introduced in India through Burma in the 18 century (Singh & Babita, 2002) and got spread in many countries. The total annual production of litchi worldwide is between 2.6 to 2.8 million tons (Chen & Huang, 2014). Though India and China produce 91% of litchi worldwide (Prakash , 2017; Singh & Babita, 2002), the market of this fruit is limited to local areas near its production (Singh & Babita, 2002). Litchi pulp contains proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, vitamins (mainly Vitamin C, Vitamin B-complex) and phytonutrient flavonoids and minerals like manganese, magnesium, copper, iron, folate to name a few but amounts vary with the litchi variant (Prakash , 2017; Reyes , 2016; Menzel, 2002).Litchi fruit also contains rich nutraceutical components such as anthocyanins and tannins (Reyes , 2016). Litchi polysaccharides also act as one of the main bioactive ingredients present in the fruit (Huang , 2016; Huang , 2014). Consuming litchi contributes to 2-4% Recommended Daily Intake
Corona viruses were first identified in 1931 and SARS-CoV-2 is the most recent. COVID-19 is a pan... more Corona viruses were first identified in 1931 and SARS-CoV-2 is the most recent. COVID-19 is a pandemic that put most of the world on lockdown and the search for therapeutic drugs is still on-going. Therefore, this study uses in silico screening to identify natural bioactive compounds from fruits, herbaceous plants and marine invertebrates that are able to inhibit protease activity in SARS-CoV-2(PDB: 6LU7). We have used various screening strategies such as drug likeliness, antiviral activity value prediction, molecular docking, ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion), molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and MM/GBSA (molecular mechanics/generalized born and surface area continuum solvation). 17 compounds were shortlisted using Lipinski’s rule. 5 compounds revealed significantly good predicted antiviral activity values and out of them only 2 compounds, Macrolactin A and Stachyflin, showed good binding energy values of -9.22 and -8.00 kcal/mol within the binding pocket...
Corona viruses were first identified in 1931 and SARS-CoV-2 is the most recent. COVID-19 is a pan... more Corona viruses were first identified in 1931 and SARS-CoV-2 is the most recent. COVID-19 is a pandemic that put most of the world on lockdown and the search for therapeutic drugs is still on-going. Therefore, this study uses in silico screening to identify natural bioactive compounds from fruits, herbaceous plants and marine invertebrates that are able to inhibit protease activity in SARS-CoV-2(PDB: 6LU7). We have used various screening strategies such as drug likeliness, antiviral activity value prediction, molecular docking, ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion), molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and MM/GBSA (molecular mechanics/generalized born and surface area continuum solvation). 17 compounds were shortlisted using Lipinski’s rule. 5 compounds revealed significantly good predicted antiviral activity values and out of them only 2 compounds, Macrolactin A and Stachyflin, showed good binding energy values of -9.22 and -8.00 kcal/mol within the binding pocket...
A comparative analysis of the theoretical-experimental study on the hydration characteristics of ... more A comparative analysis of the theoretical-experimental study on the hydration characteristics of soybean was performed through several soaking experiments at temperatures 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60°C by measuring moisture content over 8 hour time span. The mass transfer kinetics is modeled using a Linear Driving Force (LDF) approximation with effective diffusivity, which is capable of predicting the moisture uptake profile with time. The absorption curves of soaked soybean at different time and temperatures were calculated with this approach in spherical coordinates. The objective of this present work is to develop a simplified moisture uptake model, based on LDF approximation, for this variety of soybean cultivar. The effect of time and temperature on the hydration characteristics of soybean was studied and effective diffusion coefficients at this temperature range were calculated. The method gives a reasonably good agreement with the experimental data. It is observed that the temperature has a significant importance in the soaking process.
India tops the chart of the world's leading milk producers. Hence it is only natural that the Ind... more India tops the chart of the world's leading milk producers. Hence it is only natural that the Indian cuisine would have a number of milk based desserts. Rasgulla is one such sweet dish based on coagulated milk protein, locally known as chhana. This East Indian dessert enjoys widespread popularity all over the country not only for its delicious taste but also for the rich nutritional constituents. The health benefits of Rasgulla can be further enhanced by the addition of pineapple (Ananas comosus) powder. Pineapple is a rich source of vitamin C and malic acid and it also has beneficial effects on the digestive system. Hence pineapple powder forms an appropriate choice for enrichment of Rasgulla. However the nutritional enrichments become futile if the taste is compromised. Therefore sensory evaluation is performed in order to ensure the marketability of the product. However traditional sensory evaluation has the serious limitation of subjectivity. It depends strongly on the individual preferences of the panelists. In order to remove this subjectivity fuzzy logic analysis is used. Fuzzy logic is used to mathematically modify the sensory scores given to each sample for each parameter (colour, flavor, taste, mouth feel) and thereby obtain comparable scores. These final scores are used to rank each of the Rasgullas containing different amounts of pineapple powder. Abstract India tops the chart of the world's leading milk producers. Hence it is only natural that the Indian cuisine would have a number of milk based desserts. Rasgulla is one such sweet dish based on coagulated milk protein, locally known as chhana. This East Indian dessert enjoys widespread popularity all over the country not only for its delicious taste but also for the rich nutritional constituents. The health benefits of Rasgulla can be further enhanced by the addition of pineapple (Ananas comosus) powder. Pineapple is a rich source of vitamin C and malic acid and it also has beneficial effects on the digestive system. Hence pineapple powder forms an appropriate choice for enrichment of Rasgulla. However the nutritional enrichments become futile if the taste is compromised. Therefore sensory evaluation is performed in order to ensure the marketability of the product. However traditional sensory evaluation has the serious limitation of subjectivity. It depends strongly on the individual preferences of the panelists. In order to remove this subjectivity fuzzy logic analysis is used. Fuzzy logic is used to mathematically modify the sensory scores given to each sample for each parameter (colour, flavor, taste, mouth feel) and thereby obtain comparable scores. These final scores are used to rank each of the Rasgullas containing different amounts of pineapple powder.
Nutritionally enriched pineapple rasgulla can be produced through different methods and visual ap... more Nutritionally enriched pineapple rasgulla can be produced through different methods and visual appearance being the most vital concern for the consumer acceptance. Therefore, total colour difference of the processed products should be optimized for better marketability. The central composite design (CCD) was adopted to design the experimental runs, response surface methodology was implemented to study the predictive models for hot air dried (HA), microwave dried (MW), microwave convective dried (MWC) and freeze dried (FD) pineapple fortified rasgulla along with fresh pineapple pulp (PR) fortified rasgulla. Artificial neural network (ANN) model was developed for all of the above mentioned rasgulla samples and optimization was attained by coupling the ANN model with particle swarm optimization (PSO) methodology. The non-linear rasgulla processing was modeled by using the input parameters like oven temperature (for HA), microwave power level (for MW), drying temperature (for MWC), pineapple percentage, cooking time (for HA, MW, MWC, FD and PR) and output as total colour difference. The optimum results obtained at oven temperature of 58.51 C, 30.27% of pineapple and cooking time of 14.32 min (HA); microwave power level of 100 W, 35% of pineapple and cooking time of 13.51 min (MW); drying temperature of 100 C, 35% of pineapple and cooking time of 15 min (MWC); 35% of pineapple for both FD and PR, while the cooking time of 12.57 and 15 min for FD and PR respectively.
Pineapple, a tropical fruit that is well known for its excellent nutritional characteristics. Ras... more Pineapple, a tropical fruit that is well known for its excellent nutritional characteristics. Rasgulla (sweetened cheese ball) is a dairy based popular sweet found all over India. To enrich the nutritional profile, vitamin content, organic acid and carotene content profile of normal dairy rasgulla (sweetened casein ball) and to make it functionally more active for human health, fortification of rasgulla has been done by using normal pineapple pulp along with hot air, freeze, microwave and microwave convective dried pineapple pulp for overall comparative analysis and they are coded as PP, PH, PF, PMW and PMWC respectively. By using RP-HPLC method quantifi-cation of vitamin A, vitamin B group (B 1 , B 2 , B 3 , B 5 , B 6 , B 7 and B 12), tocopherols (α, β, γ and δ form), vitamin C, carotene (α, β, γ and δ form) profile and organic acid profile (oxalic acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, lactic acid, acetic acid, citric acid, propionic acid, succinic acid [SA], and fumaric acid) of all the rasgulla samples are estimated. A significant increase is found for differently fortified rasgulla samples in terms of vitamins content, organic acid and carotene content. B 1 , B 3 , B 7 and B 12 are found maximum in PF whereas B 5 , B 6 and B 2 are found maximum for PMWC, PP and NR. The maximum amount of vitamin C and tocopherol are found in PP and PF. PMWC is reported to have maximum carotene content compared to all other samples.
Aegle marmelos or bael has been known from prehistoric times in India with mythological importanc... more Aegle marmelos or bael has been known from prehistoric times in India with mythological importance. Each part of the tree like root, bark, fruit, leaf, and flower has therapeutic significance in Ayurvedic as well as other traditional medicinal systems in treating ailments. Modern researches have successfully supported the pharmacological action of bael by discovering the presence of valuable bioactive compounds. Studies have revealed the anti-oxidant, anti-microbial nature of bael which aids in inhibiting gastrointestinal problems, different cardiac issues. Hep-atoprotective, radioprotective, anti-diabetic, wound healing activities are also unveiled by bael. The aim of the present research work is to study the ethno-botanical importance of each part of the tree, nutritional and phytochemical profiling, preservation techniques of the fruit, and medicinal actions of it.
Diosgenin encapsulated PCL-Pluronic nanoparticles (PCL-F68-D-NPs) were developed using the nanopr... more Diosgenin encapsulated PCL-Pluronic nanoparticles (PCL-F68-D-NPs) were developed using the nanoprecipitation method to improve performance in brain cancer (glioblastoma) therapy. The nanoparticles were characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS)/Zeta potential, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectra, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The encapsulation efficiency, loading efficiency, and yield were calculated. The in vitro release rate was determined, and the kinetic model of diosgenin release was plotted and ascertained. The cytotoxicity was checked by MTT (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide)assay against U87-MG cells (glioblastoma cell lines). The obtained nanoparticles demonstrated good size distribution, stability, morphology, chemical, and mechanical properties. The nanoparticles also possessed high encapsulation efficiency, loading efficiency, and yield. The...
Natural product extraction is ingenuity that permits the mass manufacturing of specific products ... more Natural product extraction is ingenuity that permits the mass manufacturing of specific products in a cost-effective manner. With the aim of obtaining an alternative chitosan supply, the carapace of dead horseshoe crabs seemed feasible. This sparked an investigation of the structural changes and antioxidant capacity of horseshoe crab chitosan (HCH) by γ-irradiation using 60Co source. Chitosan was extracted from the horseshoe crab (Tachypleus gigas; Müller) carapace using heterogeneous chemical N-deacetylation of chitin, followed by the irradiation of HCH using 60Co at a dose-dependent rate of 10 kGy/hour. The average molecular weight was determined by the viscosimetric method. Regarding the chemical properties, the crystal-like structures obtained from γ-irradiated chitosan powders were determined using Fourier transfer infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses. The change in chitosan structure was evident with dose-dependent rates between 10 and 20 kGy/hour....
Bacterial biofilms are responsible for the development of various chronic wound-related and impla... more Bacterial biofilms are responsible for the development of various chronic wound-related and implant-mediated infections and confer protection to the pathogenic bacteria against antimicrobial drugs and host immune responses. Hence, biofilm-mediated chronic infections have created a tremendous burden upon healthcare systems worldwide. The development of biofilms upon the surface of medical implants has resulted in the failure of various implant-based surgeries and therapies. Although different conventional chemical and physical agents are used as antimicrobials, they fail to kill the sessile forms of bacterial pathogens due to the resistance exerted by the exopolysaccharide (EPS) matrices of the biofilm. One of the major techniques used in addressing such a problem is to directly check the biofilm formation by the use of novel antibiofilm materials, local drug delivery, and device-associated surface modifications, but the success of these techniques is still limited. The immense expan...
Corona viruses were first identified in 1931 and SARS-CoV-2 is the most recent. COVID-19 is a pan... more Corona viruses were first identified in 1931 and SARS-CoV-2 is the most recent. COVID-19 is a pandemic that put most of the world on lockdown and the search for therapeutic drugs is still on-going. Therefore, this study uses in silico screening to identify natural bioactive compounds from fruits, herbaceous plants and marine invertebrates that are able to inhibit protease activity in SARS-CoV-2(PDB: 6LU7). We have used various screening strategies such as drug likeliness, antiviral activity value prediction, molecular docking, ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion), molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and MM/GBSA (molecular mechanics/generalized born and surface area continuum solvation). 17 compounds were shortlisted using Lipinski’s rule. 5 compounds revealed significantly good predicted antiviral activity values and out of them only 2 compounds, Macrolactin A and Stachyflin, showed good binding energy values of -9.22 and -8.00 kcal/mol within the binding pocket...
The mango (Mangifera indica) is a rich source of antioxidants like phenolic acids and flavonoids.... more The mango (Mangifera indica) is a rich source of antioxidants like phenolic acids and flavonoids. Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and polyphenol peroxidase (POD) enzymes oxidize mono and diphenols, and thus the antioxidant potential diminishes. For cost-effective and sustainable preservation of this sub-tropical climacteric fruit, microwave convective dehydration is a prospective choice. Drying operations deactivate PPO and POD. Microwave convective drying was done at 100–300 W of power in a temperature range of 40–80 °C, with a total soluble solid content of 20–30 °B and a puree load of 0.4–0.6 g/cm2 to investigate the effect of the process parameters on the total phenolic content (TPC) of the final product. Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to optimize the TPC value. Furthermore, an artificial neural network (ANN) with the back propagation-feed forward modeling approach was adopted for the experimental results obtained, teaching–learning-based optimization (TLBO) was then e...
Introduction: Litchi (Sonn.) is an important subtropical fruit (Huang , 2016) that is believed to... more Introduction: Litchi (Sonn.) is an important subtropical fruit (Huang , 2016) that is believed to be originated in China and grows well in India too (Zheng , 2014; Kaushik , 2016; Singh & Babita, 2002). Litchi fruits are popular for their excellent flavor, aroma, white aril, and eye-catching red skin (Chaikham , 2017; Zheng , 2014; Prakash , 2017; Yang , 2011). It is very specif ic to climate conditions like soil, temperature, rainfall and for this reason cultivation of litchi is restricted to very few countries in the world (Chaikham , 2017; Singh & Babita, 2002). Litchi was introduced in India through Burma in the 18 century (Singh & Babita, 2002) and got spread in many countries. The total annual production of litchi worldwide is between 2.6 to 2.8 million tons (Chen & Huang, 2014). Though India and China produce 91% of litchi worldwide (Prakash , 2017; Singh & Babita, 2002), the market of this fruit is limited to local areas near its production (Singh & Babita, 2002). Litchi pulp contains proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, vitamins (mainly Vitamin C, Vitamin B-complex) and phytonutrient flavonoids and minerals like manganese, magnesium, copper, iron, folate to name a few but amounts vary with the litchi variant (Prakash , 2017; Reyes , 2016; Menzel, 2002).Litchi fruit also contains rich nutraceutical components such as anthocyanins and tannins (Reyes , 2016). Litchi polysaccharides also act as one of the main bioactive ingredients present in the fruit (Huang , 2016; Huang , 2014). Consuming litchi contributes to 2-4% Recommended Daily Intake
Corona viruses were first identified in 1931 and SARS-CoV-2 is the most recent. COVID-19 is a pan... more Corona viruses were first identified in 1931 and SARS-CoV-2 is the most recent. COVID-19 is a pandemic that put most of the world on lockdown and the search for therapeutic drugs is still on-going. Therefore, this study uses in silico screening to identify natural bioactive compounds from fruits, herbaceous plants and marine invertebrates that are able to inhibit protease activity in SARS-CoV-2(PDB: 6LU7). We have used various screening strategies such as drug likeliness, antiviral activity value prediction, molecular docking, ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion), molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and MM/GBSA (molecular mechanics/generalized born and surface area continuum solvation). 17 compounds were shortlisted using Lipinski’s rule. 5 compounds revealed significantly good predicted antiviral activity values and out of them only 2 compounds, Macrolactin A and Stachyflin, showed good binding energy values of -9.22 and -8.00 kcal/mol within the binding pocket...
Corona viruses were first identified in 1931 and SARS-CoV-2 is the most recent. COVID-19 is a pan... more Corona viruses were first identified in 1931 and SARS-CoV-2 is the most recent. COVID-19 is a pandemic that put most of the world on lockdown and the search for therapeutic drugs is still on-going. Therefore, this study uses in silico screening to identify natural bioactive compounds from fruits, herbaceous plants and marine invertebrates that are able to inhibit protease activity in SARS-CoV-2(PDB: 6LU7). We have used various screening strategies such as drug likeliness, antiviral activity value prediction, molecular docking, ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion), molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and MM/GBSA (molecular mechanics/generalized born and surface area continuum solvation). 17 compounds were shortlisted using Lipinski’s rule. 5 compounds revealed significantly good predicted antiviral activity values and out of them only 2 compounds, Macrolactin A and Stachyflin, showed good binding energy values of -9.22 and -8.00 kcal/mol within the binding pocket...
A comparative analysis of the theoretical-experimental study on the hydration characteristics of ... more A comparative analysis of the theoretical-experimental study on the hydration characteristics of soybean was performed through several soaking experiments at temperatures 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60°C by measuring moisture content over 8 hour time span. The mass transfer kinetics is modeled using a Linear Driving Force (LDF) approximation with effective diffusivity, which is capable of predicting the moisture uptake profile with time. The absorption curves of soaked soybean at different time and temperatures were calculated with this approach in spherical coordinates. The objective of this present work is to develop a simplified moisture uptake model, based on LDF approximation, for this variety of soybean cultivar. The effect of time and temperature on the hydration characteristics of soybean was studied and effective diffusion coefficients at this temperature range were calculated. The method gives a reasonably good agreement with the experimental data. It is observed that the temperature has a significant importance in the soaking process.
India tops the chart of the world's leading milk producers. Hence it is only natural that the Ind... more India tops the chart of the world's leading milk producers. Hence it is only natural that the Indian cuisine would have a number of milk based desserts. Rasgulla is one such sweet dish based on coagulated milk protein, locally known as chhana. This East Indian dessert enjoys widespread popularity all over the country not only for its delicious taste but also for the rich nutritional constituents. The health benefits of Rasgulla can be further enhanced by the addition of pineapple (Ananas comosus) powder. Pineapple is a rich source of vitamin C and malic acid and it also has beneficial effects on the digestive system. Hence pineapple powder forms an appropriate choice for enrichment of Rasgulla. However the nutritional enrichments become futile if the taste is compromised. Therefore sensory evaluation is performed in order to ensure the marketability of the product. However traditional sensory evaluation has the serious limitation of subjectivity. It depends strongly on the individual preferences of the panelists. In order to remove this subjectivity fuzzy logic analysis is used. Fuzzy logic is used to mathematically modify the sensory scores given to each sample for each parameter (colour, flavor, taste, mouth feel) and thereby obtain comparable scores. These final scores are used to rank each of the Rasgullas containing different amounts of pineapple powder. Abstract India tops the chart of the world's leading milk producers. Hence it is only natural that the Indian cuisine would have a number of milk based desserts. Rasgulla is one such sweet dish based on coagulated milk protein, locally known as chhana. This East Indian dessert enjoys widespread popularity all over the country not only for its delicious taste but also for the rich nutritional constituents. The health benefits of Rasgulla can be further enhanced by the addition of pineapple (Ananas comosus) powder. Pineapple is a rich source of vitamin C and malic acid and it also has beneficial effects on the digestive system. Hence pineapple powder forms an appropriate choice for enrichment of Rasgulla. However the nutritional enrichments become futile if the taste is compromised. Therefore sensory evaluation is performed in order to ensure the marketability of the product. However traditional sensory evaluation has the serious limitation of subjectivity. It depends strongly on the individual preferences of the panelists. In order to remove this subjectivity fuzzy logic analysis is used. Fuzzy logic is used to mathematically modify the sensory scores given to each sample for each parameter (colour, flavor, taste, mouth feel) and thereby obtain comparable scores. These final scores are used to rank each of the Rasgullas containing different amounts of pineapple powder.
Nutritionally enriched pineapple rasgulla can be produced through different methods and visual ap... more Nutritionally enriched pineapple rasgulla can be produced through different methods and visual appearance being the most vital concern for the consumer acceptance. Therefore, total colour difference of the processed products should be optimized for better marketability. The central composite design (CCD) was adopted to design the experimental runs, response surface methodology was implemented to study the predictive models for hot air dried (HA), microwave dried (MW), microwave convective dried (MWC) and freeze dried (FD) pineapple fortified rasgulla along with fresh pineapple pulp (PR) fortified rasgulla. Artificial neural network (ANN) model was developed for all of the above mentioned rasgulla samples and optimization was attained by coupling the ANN model with particle swarm optimization (PSO) methodology. The non-linear rasgulla processing was modeled by using the input parameters like oven temperature (for HA), microwave power level (for MW), drying temperature (for MWC), pineapple percentage, cooking time (for HA, MW, MWC, FD and PR) and output as total colour difference. The optimum results obtained at oven temperature of 58.51 C, 30.27% of pineapple and cooking time of 14.32 min (HA); microwave power level of 100 W, 35% of pineapple and cooking time of 13.51 min (MW); drying temperature of 100 C, 35% of pineapple and cooking time of 15 min (MWC); 35% of pineapple for both FD and PR, while the cooking time of 12.57 and 15 min for FD and PR respectively.
Pineapple, a tropical fruit that is well known for its excellent nutritional characteristics. Ras... more Pineapple, a tropical fruit that is well known for its excellent nutritional characteristics. Rasgulla (sweetened cheese ball) is a dairy based popular sweet found all over India. To enrich the nutritional profile, vitamin content, organic acid and carotene content profile of normal dairy rasgulla (sweetened casein ball) and to make it functionally more active for human health, fortification of rasgulla has been done by using normal pineapple pulp along with hot air, freeze, microwave and microwave convective dried pineapple pulp for overall comparative analysis and they are coded as PP, PH, PF, PMW and PMWC respectively. By using RP-HPLC method quantifi-cation of vitamin A, vitamin B group (B 1 , B 2 , B 3 , B 5 , B 6 , B 7 and B 12), tocopherols (α, β, γ and δ form), vitamin C, carotene (α, β, γ and δ form) profile and organic acid profile (oxalic acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, lactic acid, acetic acid, citric acid, propionic acid, succinic acid [SA], and fumaric acid) of all the rasgulla samples are estimated. A significant increase is found for differently fortified rasgulla samples in terms of vitamins content, organic acid and carotene content. B 1 , B 3 , B 7 and B 12 are found maximum in PF whereas B 5 , B 6 and B 2 are found maximum for PMWC, PP and NR. The maximum amount of vitamin C and tocopherol are found in PP and PF. PMWC is reported to have maximum carotene content compared to all other samples.
Aegle marmelos or bael has been known from prehistoric times in India with mythological importanc... more Aegle marmelos or bael has been known from prehistoric times in India with mythological importance. Each part of the tree like root, bark, fruit, leaf, and flower has therapeutic significance in Ayurvedic as well as other traditional medicinal systems in treating ailments. Modern researches have successfully supported the pharmacological action of bael by discovering the presence of valuable bioactive compounds. Studies have revealed the anti-oxidant, anti-microbial nature of bael which aids in inhibiting gastrointestinal problems, different cardiac issues. Hep-atoprotective, radioprotective, anti-diabetic, wound healing activities are also unveiled by bael. The aim of the present research work is to study the ethno-botanical importance of each part of the tree, nutritional and phytochemical profiling, preservation techniques of the fruit, and medicinal actions of it.
Uploads
Papers by Tanmay Sarkar