The impact of addition of pearl millet starch-germ complex in white bread on nutritional, textural, structural, and glycaemic response: Single blinded randomized controlled trial in healthy and pre-diabetic participants.

The rise of pre-diabetes at the global level has created a significant interest in developing low glycaemic index food products. The pearl millet is a cheaper source of starch and its germ contains significant amount of protein and fat. The complexing of pearl millet starch and germ by dry heat treatment (PMSGH) resulted an increase in the resistant starch content upto 45.09 % due to formation of amylose-glutelin-linoleic acid complex. The resulting pearl millet starch germ complex was incorporated into wheat bread at 20, 25, and 30 %. The PMSGH incorporated into bread at 30 % reduced the glycaemic index to 52.31. The PMSGH incorporated bread had significantly (p < 0.05)increased in the hardness with a reduction in springiness and cohesiveness. The structural attributes of the 30 % PMSGH incorporated bread revealed a significant (p < 0.05)increase in 1040/1020 cm-1 ratio and relative crystallinity. The consumption of functional bread incorporated with pearl millet starch germ complex reduced blood glucose levels and in vivo glycaemic index in healthy and pre-diabetic participants when compared to white bread. Hence, the study showed that the incorporation of pearl millet starch-germ complex into food products could be a potential new and healthier approach for improving dietary options in pre-diabetes care.

Bacillus circulans exopolysaccharide: Production, characterization and bioactivities.

A bacterium with the ability to produce appreciable amount of exopolysaccharide was isolated from slimy layer of coconut. 16S rDNA analysis identified the organism as Bacillus circulans. EPS production was observed at all stages of culture growth and reached maximum of 0.065mg/ml by 96h, which on further incubation started to decrease. Response Surface Methodology using Box Behnken design has shown the influence of sucrose which was found to be directly proportional to exopolysaccharide production with production reaching 1.09mg/ml. HPLC analysis identified the presence of glucose, mannose, fructose and verbascose and NMR analysis confirmed the presence of glucose, mannose and galactose. Even though the extracted B. circulans EPS did not show appreciable anti-bacterial or anti-fungal activity, it exhibited appreciable antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor activity.