Characterization of cellulase immobilized by different methods of entrapment and its application for carrot juice extraction.

In the present study, cellulase has been immobilized by two different methods of entrapment viz. encapsulation in calcium alginate and matrix entrapment in agar. The calcium alginate encapsulated beads showed an immobilization efficiency of 92.

Preparation and characterization of potato starch-based composite films reinforced by modified banana fibers and its application in packaging of grapes.

The current study focuses on the preparation and characterization of potato starch-based biocomposite films by reinforcing them with banana fiber. The banana fibers were modified using ultrasonication and cellulase enzyme, individually and in combination. Both native and modified banana fibers underwent physical, morphological, FTIR, and crystallinity analyses.

Comprehensive review on single and dual modification of starch: Methods, properties and applications.

Starch is a natural, renewable, affordable, and easily available polymer used as gelling agents, thickeners, binders, and potential raw materials in various food products. Due to these techno-functional properties of starch, food and non-food industries are showing interest in developing starch-based food products such as films, hydrogels, starch nanoparticles, and many more. However, the application of native starch is limited due to its shortcomings.

Mosquito Larvicidal Activity and Cytotoxicity of the Extracts of Aromatic Plants from Malaysia.

Despite ongoing control efforts, the mosquito population and diseases vectored by them continue to thrive worldwide, causing major health concerns. There has been growing interest in the use of botanicals as alternatives to insecticides due to their widespread insecticidal properties, biodegradability, and adaptability to ecological conditions. In this study, we investigated the larvicidal activity and cytotoxicity effects of solvent extracts from three aromatic plants- (turmeric), (hoary basil), and (parsley)-against .

Application of natural extracts as active ingredient in biopolymer based packaging systems.

Active packaging systems come under novel techniques and are creating demands in food packaging aspects. They are specially designed for food products where shelf life is a key driving factor. Their wide range of functionality preserves the color, texture, smell, and taste of the food item retaining their freshness and edibility for longer than any other methods available on market.

Prevalence, time trends and treatment practices of asthma in India: the Global Asthma Network study.

Objective: The objective of this subanalysis of data from centres across urban areas in India of the Global Asthma Network (GAN) was to study 1) the prevalence of symptoms of asthma in children and adults, 2) the change in prevalence of asthma and its trigger factors since the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC), and 3) current asthma treatment practice.

Methods: In this cross-sectional, multicentre, school-based and self-administered questionnaire, responses from children aged 6-7 years and 13-14 years, and their respective parents, were analysed.

Results: The GAN Phase I study included 20 084 children in the 6-7-year age group, 25 887 children in the 13-14-year age group and 81 296 parents.

Effect of Alpha-S1-Casein Tryptic Hydrolysate and L-Theanine on Poor Sleep Quality: A Double Blind, Randomized Placebo-Controlled Crossover Trial.

This randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover and double-blind study investigates the effects of RLX2™ containing alpha-s1-casein tryptic hydrolysate and L-theanine in working adults affected by poor sleep quality. The supplement or placebo was randomly and blindly assigned to 39 subjects for four weeks and the changes in the subjective sleep assessment via the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), heart rate, blood pressure, salivary cortisol by high-performance liquid chromatography method and alpha power of awake electroencephalogram (EEG) were studied. The data were analyzed in two ways, by crossover and crossover summed up.

Global Asthma Network Phase I, India: Results for allergic rhinitis and eczema in 127,309 children and adults.

Background: The Global Asthma Network phase I study in India aimed to study the prevalence, time trends, and associated risk factors of allergic rhinitis and eczema among 6-7-year-old, and 13-14-year-old school children and their parents.  The objective of the study was to understand the current prevalence and associated risk factors of Allergic Rhinitis and Eczema in India among 6-7-year-olds, 13-14-year-olds and in their parents/guardians for newer directions to health care providers, policy makers and academicians.

Methods: Cross-sectional, multicenter study using self- and parent-administered questionnaire among randomly selected school children aged 6 to 7 years from 8 centers and 13 to 14 years from 9 centers and their respective parents/guardians across India.

Convective drying of orange pomace at different temperatures and characterization of the obtained powders.

In the present study drying of orange pomace was carried out at 50, 60 and 70 °Cand drying kinetics was evaluated. The characterization of the orange pomace powder dried at the three different temperatures was carried out. Modified page model was found to best fit the data on drying, whereas effective moisture diffusivity ranged from 3.

Chemical composition, antioxidant, antimicrobial and antiviral activities of the leaf extracts of .

This study was conducted to evaluate the chemical composition and biological activities of the leaf extracts of Walp. (Myrtaceae). The results indicate that the leaf extracts of contain various classes of phytochemicals (alkaloids, anthraquinones, flavonoids, phenolics, saponins, tannins and triterpenoids) and possess antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral activities.

Botanical Origin Differentiation of Malaysian Stingless Bee Honey Produced by and Using Chemometrics.

Stingless bee honey, specifically honeydew honey, is generally valued for its better health benefits than those of most blossom types. However, scientific studies about the differentiation of stingless bee honey based on honeydew and blossom origins are very limited. In this study, C NMR spectroscopy was employed to quantify the seven major sugar tautomers in stingless bee honey samples, and the major sugar compositions of both honeydew and blossom types were found not significantly different.

Bioactivity of medicinal plant extracts against human fungal pathogens and evaluation of toxicity using Vero cells.

Medicinal plants are a potential source of new antifungal agents to combat the development of drug-resistant fungi. This study aims to investigate the aerial parts of Alternanthera sessilis (Amaranthaceae) and Ipomoea aquatica (Convolvulaceae), and the leaves of Catunaregam spinosa (Rubiaceae) and Tradescantia spathacea (Commelinaceae) for antifungal activity and cytotoxicity. The plant materials were extracted sequentially using hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, ethanol, methanol, and distilled water.

Self-management using crude herbs and the health-related quality of life among adult patients with hypertension living in a suburban setting of Malaysia.

Purpose: To determine the prevalence of crude herbs' use in the self-management of hypertension and the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with hypertension.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed among patients with hypertension attending a government health clinic. Socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle modifications, medical history and predictors of crude herbs users were obtained.

Mode-Dependent Antiviral Activity of Medicinal Plant Extracts against the Mosquito-Borne Chikungunya Virus.

The lack of specific treatment for chikungunya fever makes the need for anti-chikungunya virus agents more crucial. This study was conducted to evaluate 132 extracts obtained by sequential solvent extraction from 21 medicinal plants for cytopathic effect inhibitory activity using virus-infected Vero cells in two different sample introduction modes. Among the extracts, 42 extracts (31.

Effect of dual modification sequence on physicochemical, pasting, rheological and digestibility properties of cassava starch modified by acetic acid and ultrasound.

Dual modification of cassava starch was carried out using ultrasonication and acetylation by acetic acid by altering the sequence. The results revealed that the type of modification and sequence of modification for dual modified starches significantly affected the properties of starch. The swelling decreased for all the modified starches whereas solubility decreased for ultrasonicated starches but increased for acetylated starch and dual modified starch where acetylation was done after ultrasonication.

Application of ultrasound in combination with other technologies in food processing: A review.

The use of non-thermal processing technologies has been on the surge due to ever increasing demand for highest quality convenient foods containing the natural taste & flavor and being free of chemical additives and preservatives. Among the various non-thermal processing methods, ultrasound technology has proven to be very valuable. Ultrasound processing, being used alone or in combination with other processing methods, yields significant positive results on the quality of foods, thus has been considered efficacious.

The Antibacterial Potential of Honeydew Honey Produced by Stingless Bee () against Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria.

Scientific studies about the antibacterial effects of honeydew honey produced by the stingless bee are very limited. In this study, the antibacterial activities of 46 blossom and honeydew honeys produced by both honey bees and stingless bees were evaluated and compared. All bacterial isolates showed varying degrees of susceptibility to blossom and honeydew honeys produced by the honey bee () and stingless bee ( and ) in agar-well diffusion.

Effect of ultrasonication on functional properties of tamarind seed protein isolates.

In the present study protein was isolated from tamarind seed powder and was subjected to ultrasonication by varying the time (15 and 30 min) and intensity (100 and 200 W) of treatment. The effect of the ultrasound treatment on the various properties like solubility, emulsifying property, foaming property, water holding capacity, oil holding capacity, particle density and molecular weight was investigated. The solubility, emulsifying property, foaming property, water holding capacity and oil holding capacity of the ultrasonically treated tamarind seed protein isolates improved after treatment and was found to increase with time or intensity of the treatment.

Optimization of banana juice extraction using combination of enzymes.

Banana juice extraction was optimized using central composite rotatable design with four numerical factors was employed to design the experiments. The numerical factors were incubation temperature (30-50 °C), and incubation time (20-60 min), cellulase concentration (0-0.4 g/100 g banana) and pectinase concentration (0-0.

Effect of single and dual steps annealing in combination with hydroxypropylation on physicochemical, functional and rheological properties of barley starch.

Dual modification of barley starch using annealing and hydroxypropylation was carried out. The native starch was first annealed in single step and dual step. After that, hydroxypropylation of the native, single step and dual step annealed starches were performed.

In vitro antidermatophytic activity and cytotoxicity of extracts derived from medicinal plants and marine algae.

Objectives: This study was conducted to evaluate the antidermatophytic activity of 48 extracts obtained from medicinal plants (Cibotium barometz, Melastoma malabathricum, Meuhlenbeckia platyclada, Rhapis excelsa, Syzygium myrtifolium, Vernonia amygdalina) and marine algae (Caulerpa sertularioides, Kappaphycus alvarezii) against Trichophyton rubrum and Trichophyton interdigitale (ATCC reference strains), and the cytotoxicity using African monkey kidney epithelial (Vero) cells. Active plant extracts were screened for the presence of phytochemicals and tested against clinical isolates of Trichophyton tonsurans.

Methods: Six different extracts (hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, ethanol, methanol and water) were obtained from each plant or algae sample using sequential solvent extraction.

High-resolution axon reflex sweat testing for diagnosis of neuropathy.

Objective: The aim of this study was to report a method that quantifies axon reflex sweating from individual sweat glands with nanoliter precision. Measurement of the axon reflex is generally expressed as a single variable (e.g.

Antifungal and cytotoxic activities of selected medicinal plants from Malaysia.

This study was conducted to investigate the antifungal potential and cytotoxicity of selected medicinal plants from Malaysia. The extracts from the stem of Cissus quadrangularis and the leaves of Asplenium nidus, Pereskia bleo, Persicaria odorata and Sauropus androgynus were assayed against six fungi using p-iodonitrotetrazolium-based on colorimetric broth microdilution method. All the plant extracts were found to be fungicidal against at least one type of fungus.

Investigation of twenty selected medicinal plants from Malaysia for anti-Chikungunya virus activity.

Chikungunya virus is a reemerging arbovirus transmitted mainly by Aedes mosquitoes. As there are no specific treatments available, Chikungunya virus infection is a significant public health problem. This study investigated 120 extracts from selected medicinal plants for anti-Chikungunya virus activity.