Physical and Sensory Properties of Ice Cream as Influenced by Pulse Protein Concentrates

Pulses are one of the cheapest sources for the extraction of protein concentrates which can be gainfully utilized for meeting protein needs of specific groups. Techniques for maximum extraction of Pulse protein concentrates were developed for red gram and Bengal gram by standardisation of process parameters involving alkaline extraction followed by isoelectric precipitation. Extraction conditions viz., flour: water ratio – 1:10, pH 9 and stirring time- 4 hours were employed for isolation of the pulse protein concentrates. The protein concentrates extracted from red gram and chickpea were incorporated in ice cream formulations at concentrations of 5 and 10%. The pulse protein concentrate incorporated ice cream at 5% level had a higher sensory score of 8.7 and 8.8 on the nine-point hedonic scale compared to ice cream enriched with 10% pulse protein concentrate (8.4 and 8.5/9.0). The pulse protein enriched ice cream had a high protein content of 11.76 g/100 g compared to 4.90 g/100 g in control. Pulse protein concentrates have a wide food application in designing speciality foods for different age groups and disease conditions. The PPC incorporated protein enriched ice cream would provide for nutritious ice cream having desirable sensory properties with commercialisation prospects.

Clinical significance of an unusual variation anomalous additional belly of the sternothyroid muscle

The infrahyoid muscles are involved in vocalisation and swallowing; among these, the sternothyroid muscle is derived from the common primitive sheet. The improper differentiation of this muscle may therefore result in morphological variations. We report an unusual variation found during the dissection of a 65-year-old male cadaver at the Sri Manakula Vinayagar Medical College, Madagadipet, Pondicherry, India, in 2015. An anomalous belly of the right sternothyroid muscle was observed between the internal jugular [IJ] vein and the internal carotid artery with an additional insertion into the tympanic plate and petrous part of the temporal bone and the presence of a levator glandulae thyroideae muscle. The anomalous muscle may compress the IJ vein if it is related to the neurovascular structures of neck; hence, knowledge of variations of the infrahyoid muscles can aid in the evaluation of IJ vein compression among patients with idiopathic symptoms resulting from venous congestion

Present and Future Climate Change in Indian Cardamom Hills: Implications for Cardamom Production and Sustainability.

Aims: This paper examines the interactions between climate parameters and cardamom capsule yield and its sustainability in Indian Cardamom Hills. Methodology: Temporal trends were evaluated at annual, seasonal and monthly time scale using Mann-Kendall method. Significant trends were identified at annual, seasonal and monthly scale using two tailed Z-Test. The temporal trends were evaluated using the non-parametric Mann-Kendall test. To quantify the slope we used Sen’s non-parametric estimator of slope. The significance of the test was evaluated using two tailed Z-Test. A p value of <0.05 was used to indicate statistical significance, using two tailed Z test. Results: Climate warming was significant in the recent decades in the Indian Cardamom Hills, which is recognized as one of the ecologically sensitive and biologically diverse areas. Considerable and significant spatial and temporal variations have occurred in the main climatic elements like air temperature, rainfall and relative humidity in the hill region. Significant positive trend in day-night time temperature has been observed and the trend differed from one station to another. Significant increasing trend was also observed for minimum temperature than maximum temperature and this had caused decline in diurnal temperature. Both winter and summer monsoon rainfall as well as high relative humidity had a positive influence on the yield of cardamom. However, the variability in these two types of rainfall was high for the entire region and the trend is negative. The variability of monthly mean precipitation is high for May, December and January under AR4 climate scenario. Conclusion: The sustainable yield of cardamom may be possible only when the winter and summer rainfall variabilities were minimal. Increasing trend of soil temperature from 0-10 cm depth was recorded, which was significant at 5 cm depth and can cause considerable negative implications for sustainable cardamom production both in terms of reduced soil moisture availability and altered pest population dynamics.

Phytochemical screening and antibacterial activity of Gymnema sylvestre (Retz) R . Br ex. Schultes and Morinda pubescens J.E. Smith var. pubescens.

Two medicinal plants namely Gymnema sylvestre and Morinda pubescens var. pubescens were screened for potential antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella typhi. The antibacterial activity was determined in petroleum ether, chloroform, acetone, methanol and aqueous extracts using disc diffusion method. The chloroform and methanol extract of leaf of Gymnema sylvestre showed highest inhibition against Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae respectively; whereas, acetone extract of Morinda pubescens var. pubescens leaf exhibited maximum inhibition against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols, tannins, and terpenoids. The results of these studies revealed most valuable information and also support the continued sustainable use of these plants in traditional systems of medicine.

Evaluation of phytochemical analysis and antibacterial activity of Bauhinia purpurea L. and Hiptage benghalensis L. Kurz.

Phytochemicals from the leaves and stem bark of Bauhinia purpurea and Hiptage benghalensis were extracted using different solvents of various polarities such as petroleum ether, chloroform, acetone, methanol and water. The antibacterial activity was carried out against Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella typhi by disc diffusion method. Among the solvent extracts, methanol extract was most effective against the tested microorganisms. Phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of alkaloids, coumarin, flavonoids, phenols, tannins and terpenoids.

Survey on Halophilic microbial diversity of Kovalam Saltpans in Kanyakumari District and its industrial applications.

Halophilic microorganisms are organisms that grow optimally in the presence of NaCl at least 0.2 M. The applications of halophilic bacteria include food and pharmaceutical industries, production of enzymes, polymers and various cosmetic products. The objective of the study was isolation and its characterization of potentially important microorganisms from saltpans. In this preliminary investigation, the total microbial counts were studied from the salt sample at three month intervals for one year. Totally 9 organisms were identified based on standard cultural, physiological and biochemical studies. These strains were subjected to screening of potential enzymes such as; amylase, protease, gelatinase, etc. The organisms Natranobacterium sp-1, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus intermedius and Staphylococcus citreus showed positive for amylase; Halo bacillus salinus, Halococcus salifodinae, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus intermedius showed positive for protease; Halobacillus salinus, Halobacterium salinarum, Natranobacterium sp-1, Staphylococcus intermedius and Staphylococcus citreus showed positive for gelatinase activity.

Incidence of suicides by poisoning with a popular indian brand of hair dye.

Hair dyes are being used extensively by the general populace in India, and several brands are available in the market. There are increasing reports of suicidal ingestion of hair dye from various parts of the country because of easy availability and high lethality. This autopsy study was conducted with reference to deaths resulting from suicidal exposure to one of the most popular brands of permanent hair dye (Super Vasmol 33) in this part of the country, in order to understand the incidence and implications. Results revealed a female preponderance, with the most common age group affected being 20–30 years.