Dietotherapeutic potency of ornamental lentil dumpling, a traditional food preparation from South West Bengal, India

Gahana bori (in Bengali) or ornamental lentil dumpling is a state-of-art preparation designed in the form of paisleys, ornaments or flowers, used as a decorative adjunct with the main dish.. Here, we have made an attempt to evaluate the dirtotherapeutic potency of this traditional preparation. The principal ingredient is the Vigna mungo (blackgram/ urad bean). In its preparation, the soaked bean is pasted and placed on a cloth piece having a central small pore. The fermented paste is squeezed onto the poppy seeds containing plate in such a way that it looks like an ornament. The sundried preparation is generally fried in oil and served along with the meal. For the first time, we have scientifically explored Gahana bori. The number of total aerobes, total anaerobes, yeast, mould, and LAB were increased during soaking. The contents of free phenolics and flavonoids were increased in the fermented paste and that also reflected by the higher in vitro DPPH antioxidant activity. The levels of B-group of vitamins particularly the quantity of riboflavin, thiamin, folic acid, vitamin B12, and vitamin C were also enriched in the products. The water extract of this product exhibited a notable antibacterial activity against enteropathogens. Thus, the lentil-based Gahana bori is not only improved the appearance or presentation of food product but also the same have a good health beneficial potentiality

Antihyperglycemic studies with boiled and non-boiled Vigna mungo seeds.

Vigna mungo is a common leguminous crop cultivated in Bangladesh for its edible seeds, which are consumed following boiling or cooking. Since many lentil plants are known to have antihyperglycemic activity, it was of interest to determine the antihyperglycemic potential of seeds of V. mungo both in its boiled and non-boiled form. In oral glucose tolerance tests conducted in glucose-loaded Swiss albino mice, crude methanol extract of non-boiled seeds reduced blood glucose levels by 29.1, 36.5, 42.6, and 48.9%, respectively, at doses of 50, 100, 200, and 400 mg per kg body weight. At the afore-mentioned four doses, the percent reductions in blood glucose levels were, respectively, 24.1, 35.1, 39.4, and 46.5% with crude methanol extract of boiled seeds. Glibenclamide, a standard antihyperglycemic drug was observed to reduce blood glucose levels by 48.2%, when administered at a dose of 10 mg per kg. Thus the extracts of both non-boiled and boiled seeds demonstrated good antihyperglycemic potential comparable to glibenclamide and can be used as a readily available alternative to alleviate high blood glucose levels in diabetic patients.

Screening of Locally Isolated Aspergillus species for Their Cellulolytic Potential and Their Optimization on Vigna mungo in Solid State Fermentation.

Aims: To evaluate cellulolytic potential of locally isolated Aspergillus species and emphasis the importance of screening on qualitative bases. Also, to enhance cellulase production by optimizing the process parameters of the solid state fermentation of Vigna mungo with the isolated Aspergillus species. Place and Duration of Study: Institute of Biological Sciences, Department of Botany, University of Gujrat, Gujrat, Pakistan, from February, 2012 to November, 2012. Methodology: Aspergillus species were isolated from different deteriorated plant materials and maintained on potato dextrose agar. The purified isolated species were qualitatively screened on caboxymethylcellulose agar plates. The cellulolytic ability was further tested by culturing Aspergillus species on V. mungo in solid state fermentation. Various nutritional and cultivation parameters were optimized for the production of cellulases by Aspergillus species on V. mungo. Results: Most of the isolated Aspergillus species showed potential for cellulase production. However, A. terreus gave qualitatively, the highest cellulase activity by fermenting V. mungo of 0.566 IU/g while A. niger gave quantitatively, the highest cellulase activity of 0.435 IU/g. Cellulase production by A. terreus reached at its maximum with 0.1% of urea as nitrogen source and 80% of initial moisture level at 35°C after 144 hours of fermentation. Conclusion: A. terreus was identified as highest cellulase producer among the isolated Aspergillus species. The cellulolytic ability of Aspergillus specie greatly depends upon the nutritional and cultivation parameters of fermentation.

Comparative effect of Trichoderma hamatum and host-specific Rhizobium species on growth of Vigna mungo.

The present study was designed to investigate the combine effect of Trichoderma hamatum and host-specific Rhizobium sp. of Vigna mungo on growth and biochemical parameters of same legume. The results proved that T.hamatum and host-specific Rhizobium sp are compatible with each other and their combine use was found effective not only in improving the growth parameters including lengths of roots & shoots and fresh biomass of experimental crop but also increasing the total chlorophyll, carbohydrate and crude protein contents as compared to control plants (p<0.05). Similarly, the amount of both nitrogen and phosphorus was significantly increased in leaves of the same legume (p<0.05). Therefore, T.hamatum could be a good alternate of chemical fertilizer and fungicide for improving the growth and productivity of V.mungo.

Purification and characterization of two major lectins from Vigna mungo (blackgram).

Blackgram (Vigna mungo L. Hepper) seeds contain two galactose-specific lectins, BGL-I and BGL-II. BGL-I was partially purified into two monomeric lectins which were designated as BGL-I-1 (94 kDa) and BGL-I-2 (89 kDa). BGL-II is a monomeric lectin of 83 kDA. The purified lectins were associated with galactosidase activities. BGL-I-1 and BGL-II were copurified with α-galactosidase activity while BGL-I-2 was largely associated with β-galactosidase activity. These lectins agglutinate trypsin treated rabbit erythrocytes, but not the human erythrocytes of A, B or O groups. They were stable between pH 3·5 and 7·5 for their agglutination. The lectins did not show any metalion requirement. They were inactivated at 50°C. The lectin activity was inhibited by D-galactose (0·1 mM). The Scatchard plots of galactose binding to these lectins are nonlinear and biphasic curves indicative of multiple binding sites. The data show that the monomeric lectins have both lectin and galactosidase activities suggestive of a bifunctional protein.