River pattern influences the composition of small indigenous species (SIS) of fish in deltaic Rajbari district, Bangladesh.

Bangladesh is endowed with diverse rivers providing huge ecosystem services, but the diversity status and the abundance of the small indigenous species (SIS) are not identical in all rivers due to the natural water flow regime and anthropogenic challenges. Therefore, the present study endeavors to elucidate the composition and conservation status of SIS fish from four rivers namely, the Padma, the Gorai, the Chandana and the Horai rivers of Rajbari District, Bangladesh. Data were meticulously collected through fish sampling in each season, field observations, focus group discussions, and individual interviews by using a semi-structured questionnaire spanning from May 2021 and April 2022. The number of SIS in the Padma, the Gorai, the Chandana and the Horai rivers of Rajbari were 60, 36, 33 and 26, respectively, whereas a predominant concentration of fishes was notably observed in the benthopelagic zone of these rivers. Among the 60 riverine SIS, 23 fish were common in the four rivers. Additionally, Cyprinidae (>30%) was observed to be the most abundant SIS in the studied rivers. The fishermen in the research area used seven major fishing equipment of which cast nets are the most common for catching fish species. The abundance of SIS during the rainy season was the highest for all the studied rivers than the other seasons and 12 SIS were available throughout the year. Notably, the least concerned SIS outnumbered the other categories whereas, more than 10% was under the vulnerable category in the four rivers. The leading threats to the fish diversity were pollution followed by illegal and overfishing, siltation, reduced depth, degeneration of rivers and others. Consequently, to safeguard the existing SIS, reducing human pressure, implementing fishing regulations strictly, establishing and administering fish sanctuaries, and raising public awareness can be helpful for the sustainability of aquatic resources in deltaic areas.

Yield optimization, physicochemical characterizations, and antioxidant properties of food grade agar from Gracilaria tenuistipitata of Cox's Bazar coast, Bangladesh.

The present study was aimed at investigating the optimization of extraction variables for food grade quality agar from Gracilaria tenuistipitata, so far, the first study on Bangladeshi seaweed. Water (native)- and NaOH (alkali)-pretreated agars were comparatively analyzed by several physicochemical parameters. All extraction variables significantly affected the agar yield in both extraction conditions. Alkali-pretreated agar provided a better yield (12-13% w/w) and gel strength (201 g/cm2) in extraction conditions as followed by 2% NaOH pretreatment at 30°C for 3 h, seaweed to water ratio at 1:150, and extraction temperature at 100°C for 2 h. Gelling and melting temperatures, color, and pH values of both agars were found to be comparable with commercial agar. Significantly higher sulfate contents including organic and inorganic and total carotenoids were reported in native (3.14% and 1.29 µg/mL) than that in alkali-pretreated agar (1.27% and 0.62 µg/mL). FTIR spectrum demonstrated the purity of the agar as characterized by the stronger relative intensity with higher degree of conversion of L-galactose 6-sulfate to 3,6-anhydrogalactose in alkali pretreatment group than that of native ones. Moreover, antioxidant activity (% DPPH scavenging) was observed and confirmed by IC50 values of 5.42 and 9.02 mg/mL in water- and alkali-pretreated agars, respectively. The results suggested that agar from G. tenuistipitata with optimized alkali extraction conditions could promote cost-effective yield with improved physicochemical characteristics and biofunctional values upon consumption by the consumers as food materials.

Comparative Evaluation of Chlorella vulgaris and Anabaena variabilis for Phycoremediation of Polluted River Water: Spotlighting Heavy Metals Detoxification.

This study investigated the phycoremediation abilities of Chlorella vulgaris (microalga) and Anabaena variabilis (cyanobacterium) for the detoxification of polluted river water. Lab-scale phycoremediation experiments were conducted for 20 days at 30 °C using the microalgal and cyanobacterial strains and water samples collected from the Dhaleswari river in Bangladesh. The physicochemical properties such as electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), biological oxygen demand (BOD), hardness ions, and heavy metals of the collected water samples indicated that the river water is highly polluted. The results of the phycoremediation experiments demonstrated that both microalgal and cyanobacterial species significantly reduced the pollutant load and heavy metal concentrations of the river water. The pH of the river water was significantly raised from 6.97 to 8.07 and 8.28 by C. vulgaris and A. variabilis, respectively. A. variabilis demonstrated higher efficacy than C. vulgaris in reducing the EC, TDS, and BOD of the polluted river water and was more effective at reducing the pollutant load of SO42- and Zn. In regard to hardness ions and heavy metal detoxification, C. vulgaris performed better at removing Ca2+, Mg2+, Cr, and Mn. These findings indicate that both microalgae and cyanobacteria have great potential to remove various pollutants, especially heavy metals, from the polluted river water as part of a low-cost, easily controllable, environmentally friendly remediation strategy. Nevertheless, the composition of polluted water should be assessed prior to the designing of microalgae- or cyanobacteria-based remediation technology, since the pollutant removal efficiency is found to be species dependent.

Abundance, distribution and composition of microplastics in sediment and fish species from an Urban River of Bangladesh.

Microplastics (MPs) are a growing concern due to its ubiquitous presence and exceptional stability. We examined the abundance, dispersion, and attributes of MPs in the sediment and fish species of the Turag River in Bangladesh, which separated the industrial city Gazipur from the Mega-city Dhaka. Collected samples were digested and the chemical structure was identified using ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. The concentration of MPs in the sediment ranged from 10 to 35 particles kg-1, with a mean abundance of 19.2 ± 2.44 particles kg-1and MPs of the fragment type account for 34 % of all. The majority of MPs were discovered in the 3-5 mm size range. MPs concentrations in freshwater fish gut from the Turag River ranged from 0.63 ± 0.18 to 7.0 ± 1.1 microplastics individual-1. Fiber was found to be the most commonly ingested MPs type (43 %), followed by fragments (41 %), film (12 %), and foam (4 %). The most common type of MPs was transparent (34 %) followed by red (28 %), white (20 %), green (9 %) and black (8 %). The results showed that demersal (1.87 ± 0.39 items individual-1) and benthopelagic (1.5 ± 0.26 items individual-1) fish species had more MPs than pelagic fish (0.63 ± 0.18 items individual-1) species. Polypropylene (PP) was found to be the most dominant polymer type in the sediment sample, and PS (39 %) in the fish sample. Polyethylene (PE) was discovered to be 30 % and PP 25 % in sediment and fish samples, respectively. Other commonly detected polymer types include polyamide (PA), polystyrene (PS), cellulose acetate (CA), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). In different sampling sites along the Turag River, the pollution load index (PLI) of MPs contamination was found to be in the risk level category I. The PLI values reflected the city's anthropogenic influence. The findings of the study could be used to establish a baseline for MPs pollution in Bangladesh's vast freshwater ecosystem.

Physicochemical and Nutritional Characteristics of Cookies Prepared with Untapped Seaweed Ulva intestinalis: An Approach to Value Addition as a Functional Food.

The present study was investigated to know the sensory, physicochemical, nutritional and fatty acid properties of seaweed-based cookies prepared with untapped seaweed Ulva intestinalis (UI) from Bangladesh coast. The cookies were formulated with different percentages of UI inclusions both in powdered (PUI) and fragmented (FUI) forms, in order to evaluate different quality attributes in prepared value-added cookies. In sensory analysis, seaweed inclusion levels of 1% PUI, 2.5% PUI, 1% FUI, 2.5% FUI and 5% FUI to cookies were acceptable by panelists. Considering the maximum percentage of seaweed inclusions, 2.5% PUI and 5% FUI were selected for further analysis. The results of physicochemical properties such as moisture content, spread factor, baking loss, pH, cookie density, color, texture properties, volatile basic nitrogen and thiobarbituric acid reactive species were within acceptable limits. In nutritional analysis, 2.5% PUI and 5% FUI cookies showed a remarkable and significant increase in lipid and ash contents, compared to untreated controls. Being the first report on fatty acids profile by UI from Bangladesh, among 24 fatty acids identified, the amount of total saturated, mono-unsaturated, omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids were reported to be 641.9 (36.2%), 563.7 (31.8%), 133.8 (7.6%) and 436.3 (24.6%) µg/g DW, respectively. The results suggest that cookies with 2.5% PUI and 5% FUI can be marketed as healthy foods for consumers.

Effect of hot smoking treatment in improving Sensory and Physicochemical Properties of processed Japanese Spanish Mackerel Scomberomorus niphonius.

Japanese Spanish Mackerel (JSM) Scomberomorus niphonius (Cuvier 1832) is an important commercial fish species in South Korea. The postharvest handling, preservation, and storage of JSM have not been clearly understood, and therefore, it is very often oxidized to produce off-flavor while marketed as the raw or frozen state. To overcome these problems, the present study was designed to adapt the hot smoke processing technique for improving the sensorial, physicochemical, and microbial qualities of JSM with extended shelf life. The hot smoking (70°C) with different sawdusts at the different smoke times (0, 20, 25, and 30 min) was applied to process JSM fillet. The smoked JSM obtained higher sensory attributes (appearance, odor, taste, color, texture, and overall preferences) and suppressed bacterial growth, pH, volatile base nitrogen, thiobarbituric acid-reactive species, and trimethylamine N-oxide at an optimum smoking time of 25 min using oak sawdust. Moreover, it possessed higher nutritional value and beneficial polyunsaturated fatty acids such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), 4.19 g/100 g, and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), 1.82 g/100 g. The smoked JSM product extended shelf life up to 42 days at 10°C storage temperature. The overall findings indicate that the hot smoking technology with JSM could be effective in achieving good sensorial, nutritional, and functional attributes to the consumer.

Improvement of Sensorial, Physicochemical, Microbiological, Nutritional and Fatty Acid Attributes and Shelf Life Extension of Hot Smoked Half-Dried Pacific Saury (Cololabis saira).

Half-dried Pacific saury of Cololabis saira (HDPS) is a fatty fish of high nutritional value with remarkable consumer interest in the Asia Pacific region, however, it undergoes various deteriorative changes associated with browning, bacterial contamination, oxidation, and decreased sensory attributes while marketed in various processed forms. To withstand these complications, research aimed to investigate the hot smoking technology to improve physicochemical, microbiological, and sensory attributes of HDPS with prolonged shelf life in storage conditions. The HDPS fillets were processed with hot smoking (70 °C) using various sawdust materials of Apple, Chestnut, Oak, Cherry, and Walnut, wherein the smoke time was set at different time points of 0, 20, 25, and 30 min. The results indicated that 25 min of smoking time with the selective Oak sawdust showed better sensorial characteristics, physicochemical properties, and microbiological qualities. Moreover, HDPS possessed higher nutritional value and valuable functional fatty acids, particularly docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid, having a storage ability of up to 30 days at 10 °C. The processed HDPS offered a reduced level of Trimethylamine-N-oxide and Benzo[a]pyrene contents, indicating the acceptable and safe for human consumption. Therefore, HDPS with hot smoking could likely be a promising technique for preserving the premium quality of the product by providing desired characteristics of health and nutrition to end-point consumers.

Fish and Meat Are Often Withheld From the Diets of Infants 6 to 12 Months in Fish-Farming Households in Rural Bangladesh.

BACKGROUND: Fish is a widely available animal-source food in Bangladesh and a rich source of nutrients, yet little is known about practices related to incorporating fish into the diets of infants and young children. OBJECTIVE: Use dietary diversity data to explore consumption patterns of fish and high-quality food items within the household and examine factors associated with delayed introduction of fish to infants and young children. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey of 496 households with children <36 months participating in the Aquaculture for Income and Nutrition project in Bangladesh. Data collected included household characteristics, women's dietary diversity score, and minimum dietary diversity score along with data on Infant and Young Child Feeding practices. RESULTS: Most children (63.4%) met the threshold for minimum dietary diversity. Despite having received extensive nutrition education related to including fish in complementary foods, only half of the caretakers introduced fish at 6 months and the mean age of introduction of small fish was 8.7 months. Meat and fish were not common in infant diets but increased with child age. Concerns about bones were a major barrier to incorporating fish into infant diets. CONCLUSION: Given its nutrient profile and widespread availability in certain contexts, fish could be an underutilized opportunity to improve nutrition and health outcomes of infants and young children. Further research, including utilizing food processing technologies, is needed to develop appropriate responses to overcome these barriers.