Aloe Barbadensis Miller (Aloe Vera).

Aloe Barbadensis Miller (Aloe Vera, AV) is a widely recognized for its diverse health-promoting, skin care, and medicinal properties. This narrative review provides a comprehensive overview of AV's bioactive compounds, pharmacological activities, potential applications, its toxic and adverse effects, as well as the clinical evidence supporting AV's efficacy in disease prevention. AV contains over 200 bioactive compounds, with the inner clear gel of the leaves containing the majority of these compounds. These include phenolic acids (274.5-307.5 mg/100 g), flavonoids. (3.63-4.70 g/kg), polysaccharides (3.82-6.55 g/kg), saponins, alkaloids, terpenoids, and anthraquinone derivatives. Findings from clinical studies involving both humans and animals highlight the therapeutic potential of AV across diverse health domains. The studies demonstrate AV's efficacy in reducing blood glucose levels, exhibiting antioxidant and immunomodulatory effects, inducing apoptosis in cancer cells, protecting the liver from damage, and displaying antimicrobial properties. In the fields of dermatology and dentistry, AV has also been observed to promote skin and oral health. However, it is imperative to acknowledge potential risks, adhere to recommended dosages, and seek guidance from healthcare experts before employing AV as a natural therapeutic option. Moreover, considering safety concerns, further well-designed randomized controlled trials are necessary to substantiate the potential benefits of AV and comprehensively assess any associated risks.

Health risk assessment of arsenic, lead and cadmium from milk consumption in Punjab, India.

Milk is an integral part of the human diet and its contamination with heavy metals may alter the health of its consumers. The study was conducted to assess the health risk associated with the heavy metals in milk samples collected from urban and rural households of Ludhiana and Bathinda districts of Punjab, India. One hundred and fifty milk samples were analyzed for heavy metals i.e. arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry ICP-MS. The health risks, such as non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks from heavy metals in milk samples, were calculated for selected males and females of adults, children and elderly subjects. The results indicated that the arsenic, cadmium and lead content in milk samples were within permissible limit whereas mercury was not detected in any sample. The mean values showed that the selected urban and rural population of both districts was safe from non-carcinogenic risk associated with heavy metal content of milk. However, urban (50% males and 86% females) and rural (25% males) children of Bathinda district were at risk of cancer from arsenic and cadmium present in milk samples, respectively. It was also observed that the selected population of both districts were safe from carcinogenic risk due to the combined effects of heavy metals. It was concluded that even with a small amount of heavy metal in milk samples, the rural adults, rural male children and urban female children of Bathinda district had carcinogenic risk due to milk consumption. Hence, regular monitoring and testing of milk samples must be done as a public health measure to prevent heavy metal contamination in milk to safeguard the health of consumers.

Comparison of Prevalence of Metabolic Disorders of Urban and Rural Adults of Punjab, India.

SUMMARY: A study was conducted to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in urban and rural areas of Ludhiana district, Punjab. A total of 1000 subjects aged 25-65 years were selected for screening. The study found that both urban and rural areas had an average body mass index above 23.0 kg/m2, with rural populations having higher waist circumference, hip circumference, and waist-hip ratios. Abdominal obesity was more prevalent in women in both areas. Rural men and women had higher fasting blood glucose and systolic blood pressure/diastolic blood pressure levels. MetS prevalence in urban areas is lower among men (7%) and women (10%) compared to rural areas (34% and 26%). The timely detection of metabolic disorder risk factors and intervention can effectively address MetS in the Indian population, thereby improving the country's health statistics.

Protein, lysine and vitamin D: critical role in muscle and bone health.

Optimum body composition in terms of higher muscle and bone mass is crucial for balancing metabolic activities for sustainability of healthy human life. Individuals with lesser muscle mass respond poorly to stressed states such as traumatic injury, sepsis and advanced cancers. Most common diseases like obesity, heart disease, cancer and diabetes can be prevented by muscle mass modification. The nutrients like protein, lysine, calcium and vitamin D play a critical role in the maintenance of muscle mass and bone health. Poor dietary protein quality owing to high amounts of cereals and little animal foods have a marked negative impact on health in resource-limited settings. Lysine intake in developing countries is low mainly due to lesser food intake, consumption of cereals as staple diet and processing loss of lysine. Furthermore, lysine intakes have been shown to be marginal in low socio-economic groups which are of even greater concern. Cereal-based diets and cereal-based food subsidy programs offer low quality proteins and pose a risk of quality protein deficiency. Diets lacking in vitamin D contribute to vitamin D deficiency which is prevalent in epidemic proportions in large part of the world. Cereal-based vegetarian diets are responsible for lesser bioaccessibility of calcium as well. For obtaining optimal health, optimal muscle mass should be maintained at a younger age, which can be achieved by improving nutritional quality of diets. Dietary and medicinal supplementation of lysine, calcium and vitamin D may improve the body composition of young adult women in the form of proportionally more muscle mass, bone mass and lesser fat mass, which in turn, may prove helpful in improving general well-being, physical fitness as well as preventing metabolic diseases in developing countries.

Conducting theory-based qualitative interviews with adults with intellectual disabilities and their carers: Adaptations to facilitate participation.

BACKGROUND: Adults with mild-moderate intellectual disabilities have difficulties in accessing traditional evidence-based health promotion initiatives despite experiencing health disparities; yet there are few studies with this group and their carers exploring how their needs can be met. METHOD: This study adapted a behaviour change theory-based approach to interview this group and their carers and ascertain if this method was feasible and appropriate to explore how healthier behaviour uptake could be improved amongst adults with intellectual disabilities. RESULTS: A community-based, staged recruitment process and iterative approach to data collection and analysis supported successful participation amongst adults with intellectual disabilities in behaviour-change theory-based interview research. Methodological adaptations enabled richer data collection amongst adults with mild-moderate intellectual disabilities and carers. CONCLUSIONS: It is feasible and important to include adults with intellectual disabilities in qualitative health research that uses theory-based complex constructs to inform development of person-centred health promotion interventions with this underserved cohort.

Assessing intake and consumption level of spices among urban and rural households of Ludhiana district of Punjab, India.

BACKGROUND: Spices are the esoteric food adjuncts that are used for enhancing the sensory quality of the food in Punjabi diets and add many health benefits. Estimating the intake of spices at the individual level is a challenging task as they are consumed in very small quantities as compared to other foods. The present study aimed to assess the intake and spices consumption level of spices among urban and rural households. METHODS: A study was carried out among 100 households each from urban and rural areas from Ludhiana district of Punjab, India to collect the information regarding frequency of spice usage and portion sizes using a questionnaire. The information pertaining to sociodemographic characteristics of female respondents from urban and rural households were also collected. The commonly used 25 spices in Punjabi diets were selected to assess their dietary intake at the individual level among households. RESULTS: Spice consumption frequency was more in urban households in comparison to rural households. The maximum mean consumption frequency score among urban and rural households was observed for red chilli powder (5.00) and turmeric powder (5.00). Maximum percentage (76 and 72%) of urban and rural households preferred to use the unroasted form of spices, respectively. The highest mean intake and range was observed for red chilli powder (3.19 g with range 0.35-5.23 g) among urban women and (2.41 g with range 0.25-3.75 g) for rural women. Spice intake from individual dishes showed the maximum number of portion sizes for red chilli powder that were from vegetable>dhal > curry preparations among urban and dhal > vegetable>curry preparation among rural households. Average amount of spices consumed by urban adult women was 10.04 g per day which was higher as compared to spices consumed by rural adult women per day (7.68 g). CONCLUSIONS: The study concluded that the urban households showed higher consumption of spices as compared to rural households thus assessing the quantifying intake of spices. Urban adult women consumed more spices per day as compared to rural women. Therefore, more encouragement for increased use of spices is required to reap various health benefits of spices in combating metabolic disorders.

Effect of drying procedures on nutritional composition, bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity of wheatgrass (Triticum aestivum L).

Fresh wheatgrass was dried using shade, oven and freeze drying methods. The ascorbic acid and ß-carotene and content of oven dried wheatgrass was significantly lower (133.13 µg and 1.98 mg) in comparison to shade dried (193.62 µg and 2.30 mg) and freeze dried (230.35 µg and 3.18 mg) wheatgrass. A significantly lower iron and zinc was observed in freeze dried (13.19 and 6.55 mg) wheatgrass in comparison to shade dried (28.94 and 7.40 mg) and oven dried (19.65 and 8.35 mg) wheatgrass. The chlorophyll in freeze dried (3.61 g) wheatgrass was significantly higher than shade dried (2.35 g) and oven dried (2.14 g) wheatgrass. The tannin content in wheatgrass was significantly higher in oven dried wheatgrass (8.18 mg/100 g) as compared to shade dried (6.68 mg/100 g) and freeze dried (6.34 mg/100 g) wheatgrass. The antioxidant activity of shade, oven and freeze dried wheatgrass was 50.13, 48.94 and 53.78%, respectively. The study concluded that freeze drying had preserved maximum amounts of chlorophyll, flavonoids, saponins and antioxidant activity in wheatgrass.

Interplay between proteins and metabolic syndrome-A review.

Metabolic syndrome is characterized by hypertension; hyperglycemia; hypertriglyceridemia; reduced high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and abdominal obesity. Abundant data suggest that, compared with other people, patients meeting these diagnostic criteria have a greater risk of having substantial clinical consequences, the two most prominent of which are the development of diabetes mellitus and coronary heart disease. The metabolic syndrome is a health issue of epidemic proportions. Its prevalence in the world continues to increase, hand in hand with that of obesity. Protein, on the other hand, is the foundation of cell-building, especially in muscle tissue. The body needs protein to build not only muscle cells, but the cells of major organs, skin and red blood cells. For people with metabolic syndrome, one of the other functions of protein is to slow down the absorption of carbohydrates. When proteins are consumed with carbohydrates, it takes longer for the digestive system to break down that meal. This means that the sugar created from those carbohydrates is released at a slower rate, preventing spikes in both blood sugar and insulin. As the understanding of the metabolic syndrome evolves, it is likely that more comprehensive therapeutic options will become available.

Relationship of Eating Behaviors with Age, Anthropometric Measurements, and Body Composition Parameters among Professional Indian Women.

One hundred volunteer female college teachers were selected from Jalandhar, Punjab, India. General obesity was found in 56.6%, 76.9%, and 76.2%, abdominal obesity in 56.6%, 57.7%, and 81.0%, of 30- to 39-year-old (Group I), 40- to 49-year-old, (Group II) and 50- to 59-year-old (Group III) participants, respectively. A significantly (p ≤ .05) lower mean value of uncontrolled eating domain was observed in the participants belonging to Group I in comparison to Groups II and III. The cognitive restraint was less in Group III (13.71%), followed by Group II (14.04%) and I (13.71%). The mean values of emotional eating domain revealed not much difference in Group I (12.19%), Group II (12.65%), and Group III (12.00%). Adiposity showed a significant (p ≤ .10, .05) relationship with age and eating behaviors. In conclusion, lesser cognitive dietary restraint and emotional eating were the variables associated with adiposity in the participants.

Relationship of dietary factors with dialyzable iron and in vitro iron bioavailability in the meals of farm women.

Sixty rural women with age varying between 25 and 35 were selected randomly to determine the role of dietary factors on bioavailability of iron in their diets. Food samples of selected subjects were collected for three major meals i.e. breakfast, lunch and dinner for three consecutive days. The samples were analyzed for meal constituents associated with iron absorption as well as for total and dialyzable iron. Based on dietary characteristics, the diets of the farm women were in the class of intermediate diets as per FAO/WHO classification with iron bioavailability of 8.11 %. The statistical analysis revealed that the meal constituents which were found to influence iron absorption positively were ascorbic acid and ß-carotene in breakfast and only ß-carotene in dinner. The meal constituents which affected iron absorption negatively were zinc and calcium in breakfast as well as lunch and phytates and NDF in dinner, however, polyphenols present in the meals of the subjects did not show any relationship with iron absorption.

Effect of inclusion of key foods on in vitro iron bioaccessibility in composite meals.

The in vitro bioaccessibility of iron in context to fortification of key foods to cereal based diets was studied to optimize the meals for enhanced iron bioaccessibility to meet the needs of vegetarian and non-vegetarian adult women. Four individual food items and thirty six composite meals were selected to represent a wide spectrum of meal ingredients. The four individual foods: chapati, rice, dal and saag were choosen on the basis of data reported on meal pattern of surveyed households of north India. The basic meals were then fortified with key food ingredients which may influence in vitro iron bioaccessibility. Eight selected key foods were salad, orange, lemonade, milk, curd, chicken, egg and tea. The results revealed that inclusion of 200 g of chicken, 135 g of salad and 120 g of orange to the basic meals of rice or chapati with either dal or saag enhanced iron bioaccessibility by 1.6 fold to 5.0 fold; 5.2 to 28.9 % and 4.7 to 10.7 %, respectively. The best enhancer of iron absorption for vegetarians was lemonade (250 ml) which resulted in 70.2 and 61.0 % increase of in vitro bioaccessibility of iron to the rice based meals with dal and saag, respectively. The inclusion of lemonade resulted in 1.3 fold increase in iron bioaccessibility in chapati based meals. The major inhibitors of iron bioaccessibility were egg and tea, the percent reduction caused by egg being 16.1 to 50.2 % while by tea, it was between 21.5 to 55.3 %. The study recommends that those vulnerable to iron deficiency should be encouraged to increase overall intake of iron from iron rich foods. The increase should be coupled with efforts to combine appropriate foods in the diet to enhance the bioaccessibility of iron and reduce inhibitory factors.

Iron and Zinc Status of 6-Month to 5-Year-Old Children From Low-Income Rural Families of Punjab, India.

BACKGROUND: Iron and zinc are the 2 micronutrients that are deficient in the diet of the people of Third World countries. OBJECTIVE: Assessment of iron and zinc status of 6-month to 5-year-old children from low-income rural families of Punjab, India. METHODS: Thirty clusters (villages) from 12 blocks of Ludhiana district of Punjab, India, were chosen randomly to select 413 households of agricultural laborers and of small and marginal farmers to obtain a sample of 312 children (6 months to 5 years). RESULTS: Wheat is the major contributor of iron (65.5%) and zinc (58.0%) in the diets of children. The percentage of adequacy of iron in 0.5- to 2-year-old and 3- to 5-year-old children was 18.5% and 37.2% when compared to the estimated average requirements of World Health Organization/Food and Agriculture Organization. The corresponding zinc adequacy was only 7.2% and 25.3%, respectively. The results showed that 65% of 2- to 5-year-old children had dietary zinc adequacy. Serum zinc values below normal values were 17.9%, whereas 84.6% and 71.8% of children had low serum iron and serum ferritin levels, respectively. The raised soluble transferrin receptors were found in 79.8% of children. Anemia was found in 55.8% children, of which 20.2%, 33.0%, and 2.9% of children were mildly, moderately, and severely anemic, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Iron-deficiency anemia is a more serious problem among reference children, however, zinc deficiency also prevails. The suboptimal iron and zinc status pose a serious threat to the physical and mental growth of these children. Hence to curb these deficiencies necessary steps should be taken.

Diet and physical activity in relation to metabolic syndrome among urban Indian men and women.

The relationship of diet and physical activity with metabolic syndrome (MS) was studied among 60 male and female (40-60 y) urban Indian MS patients. Intake of green leafy vegetables, other vegetables, fruits and milk were significantly (p ≤ .01) associated with reduced fat mass and waist circumference and increased lean body mass. Energy, carbohydrates, and fat intakes were significantly (p ≤ .01) correlated with increased body fat and waist circumference and reduced lean body mass. Energy, total and saturated fat intake were positively and significantly (p ≤ .05; .01) correlated with total cholesterol. Total fat was also significantly (p ≤ .05; .01) correlated with increased systolic blood pressure (r = 0.33), serum triglycerides (r = 0.33), LDL-C (r = 0.29) and VLDL-C (r = 0.28). Increased TDEE was significantly (p ≤ .01) associated with decreased body fat and waist circumference (r = 0.53 and 0.60) and increased lean body mass (r = 0.68).

Development of baked and extruded functional foods from metabolic syndrome specific ingredient mix.

The study was aimed to develop baked and extruded functional foods from Metabolic Syndrome (MS) specific designed ingredient mixes with optimum amino acid makeup using key food ingredients with functional properties such as whole cereals, legumes, skimmed milk powder, along with flaxseeds and fenugreek seeds. Two cereals viz. barley and oats and four pulses viz. mung bean, cowpea, bengal gram and soybean were blended in different proportions in order to balance the limiting amino acid lysine in the wheat flour. Three products namely bread, extruded snack and noodles prepared from twenty five ingredient mixes. Six ingredient mixes of breads and four ingredient mixes each of extruded snack and noodles specifically designed for MS patients were organoleptically at par with control wheat flour products. The acceptable products had significantly (p ≤ 0.05) higher lysine, crude protein, ash and fibre and low carbohydrates in compare control whole wheat flour products, hence appropriate for MS patients.

Optimization of germination time and heat treatments for enhanced availability of minerals from leguminous sprouts.

Germinated legumes are highly nutritious food especially for their enhanced iron bioavailability primarily because of reduction of phytates and increase in ascorbic acid with an advancement of germination period. Length of germination time followed by different heat treatments affect the nutritive value of leguminous sprouts. To optimize germination time and heat treatments for enhanced availability of iron from leguminous sprouts, three legumes namely, mungbean, chickpea and cowpea were germinated for three time periods followed by cooking of sprouts by two cooking methods ie. pressure cooking and microwaving. Optimized germination time for mungbean was 12, 16 and 20 h; 36, 48 and 60 h for chickpea and 16, 20 and 24 h for cowpea. Germination process increased ascorbic acid significantly in all the three legumes, the values being 8.24 to 8.87 mg/100 g in mungbean, 9.34 to 9.85 mg/100 g in chickpea and 9.12 to 9.68 mg/100 g in cowpea. Soaking and germination significantly reduced the phytin phosphorus in all the three legumes, the percent reduction being 5.3 to 16.1% during soaking and 25.7 to 46.4% during germination. The reduction in phytin phosphorus after pressure cooking was 9.6% in mungbean, 18.4% in chickpea and 6.1% in cowpea. The corresponding values during microwaving were 8.4, 19.7 and 4.5%. Mineral bioavailability as predicted by phytate:iron enhanced significantly with an increase in germination time. Further reduction i.e. 0.9 to 16.3% was observed in three legumes after the two heat treatments. The study concluded that the longer germination periods ie. 20 h for mungbean, 60 h for chickpea and 24 h for cowpea followed by pressure cooking for optimized time were suitable in terms of better iron availability.

Analysing the Impact of Resistant Starch Formation in Basmati Rice Products: Exploring Associations with Blood Glucose and Lipid Profiles across Various Cooking and Storage Conditions In Vivo.

Common cooking methods were used to prepare basmati rice products, including boiling 1 (boiling by absorption), boiling 2 (boiling in extra amount of water), frying, and pressure cooking. The cooked rice was held at various temperatures and times as follows: it was made fresh (T1), kept at room temperature (20-22 °C) for 24 h (T2), kept at 4 °C for 24 h (T3), and then reheated after being kept at 4 °C for 24 h (T4). The proximate composition, total dietary fibre, resistant starch (RS), and in vitro starch digestion rate of products were examined. The effect of RS on blood glucose and lipid profiles was measured in humans and rats, including a histopathological study of the liver and pancreas in rats. The basmati rice that was prepared via boiling 1 and stored with T3 was found to be low in glycaemic index and glycaemic load, and to be high in resistant starch. Similarly, in rats, the blood glucose level, cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL were reduced by about 29.7%, 37.9%, 31.3%, and 30.5%, respectively, after the consumption of basmati rice that was prepared via boiling 1 and stored with T3. Awareness should be raised among people about the health benefits of resistant starch consumption and the right way of cooking.

Non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health risk assessment of heavy metals in cooked beans and vegetables in Punjab, North India.

Beans and vegetables are consumed with cereals in India on daily basis. The aim of the study was to assess carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk of heavy metals in cooked beans and cooked vegetables consumed by adults (18-59 years) and elderly (≥60 years) subjects from two districts (Ludhiana and Bathinda) of Punjab. A total of 150 households were selected from 30 different locations covering both rural and urban areas. The mean daily consumption of beans and vegetables in Ludhiana was recorded as 35.09 and 215.93 g, respectively. The corresponding figures in Bathinda were observed as 26.85 and 230.54 g. The average amounts of arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury were 1.44 × 10-5, 8.21 × 10-5, 1.30 × 10-3, and 2.61 × 10-7 mg/kg for cooked vegetables in urban households of Ludhiana district, respectively. The corresponding values for rural households were 1.53 × 10-5, 5.58 × 10-5, and 2.98 × 10-4 mg/kg while mercury was not detected. The mean chronic daily intake (CDI) of arsenic from cooked beans was significantly (p ≤ .001) higher in urban adult males of Ludhiana (7.74 × 10-9 mg/kg/day) and Bathinda (5.31 × 10-9 mg/kg/day) compared to their rural counterparts. Similar trend was observed in CDI of heavy metals from vegetables. The mean CDI of cadmium from cooked vegetables in urban adult females of Ludhiana (3.76 × 10-7 mg/kg/day) was significantly (p ≤ .001) higher than their rural counterparts and both urban and rural adult females of Bathinda. The study concluded that the subjects of both districts were found safe from non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risk associated with heavy metals present in cooked beans and vegetables, except for urban subjects and rural adult subjects of Ludhiana district who had cancer risk due to cadmium present in cooked vegetable samples.

Effect of cooking and storage temperature on resistant starch in commonly consumed Indian wheat products and its effect upon blood glucose level.

Background/objectives: The health benefits provided by resistant starch have been well documented; however, few studies are available on the resistant starch content of wheat products in India. Moreover, few studies have examined the in vivo efficacy of resistant starch in wheat products in improving glucose levels. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of cooking and storage temperature on the formation of resistant starch in Indian wheat products and its effect on blood glucose levels in humans and rats. Methods: Wheat products were prepared by common cooking methods including roasting (Chapati), boiling (Dalia), Shallow frying (Paratha), and Deep frying (Poori). They were then stored at different temperatures including freshly prepared within 1 h (T1), stored for 24 h at room temperature (20-22°C) (T2), kept at 4°C for 24 h (T3) and reheated after storing at 4°C for 24 h (T4). The products were then analyzed for proximate composition (moisture, crude protein, crude fat, ash crude fibre, and carbohydrates). The effect of different cooking methods and storage temperatures on Resistant, non-resistant and total starch, total dietary fibre (soluble and insoluble), in vitro starch digestion rate (rapidly and slowly digestible starch), amylose and amylopectin content were analysed using standard operating procedures. The effect of products found to have higher resistant starch was studied on the post prandial blood glucose response of 10 healthy individuals using change in by analysing their glycemic index and glycemic load of wheat products. Further, the effect of resistant starch rich chapati on the blood glucose level of rats was also studied. Tukey's test in factorial CRD was used to assess the effect of cooking and temperature on various parameters. Results: The amount of resistant starch was found to be high in dalia (boiling, 7.74%), followed by parantha (shallow frying, 4.94%), chapati (roasting, 2.77%) and poori (deep frying 2.47%). Under different storage temperatures, it was found high in products stored at 4°C (T3), followed by products stored at room temperature (T2), reheated products (T4) and lesser in freshly prepared products (T1). The glycemic index and glycemic load were found low in chapati (43, 32.3) and dalia (41.1, 28.6) stored at 4°C (T3) compared to others. The resistant starch content found in chapati stored at T3 was found to be more effective at reducing blood glucose levels in rats from 291.0 mg/100 mL to 225.2 mg/100 mL in 28 days of study compared to freshly prepared chapati (T1) and stored at room temperature (T2). Conclusion: Cooking methods including boiling, roasting and shallow frying increased the amount of resistant starch in foods, but cooking methods such as deep frying decreased the amount of resistant starch in food. Products stored at 4°C and at room temperature for 24 h increased the amount of resistant starch whereas the products that were freshly cooked and reheated decreased the amount of resistant starch in foods. At 4°C the stored products have a high amount of insoluble dietary fibre, slowly digestible starch, high amylose and low glycemic index. They take time to digest, meaning that they slowly increase blood glucose levels. The effect of insoluble dietary fibre and resistant starch in the inhibition of glucose diffusion in the small intestine is suggested to be due to the absorption or inclusion of the smaller sugar molecules. In vivo research showed that fibre and resistant starch in the digestive system of rats acts as the main factors in slowing glucose absorption and reducing a rise in blood glucose levels by promoting glycogen synthesis and inhibition of gluconeogenesis.

Available lysine and digestible amino acid contents of proteinaceous foods of India.

Cereals and legumes are staple foods in India and are limiting in lysine and sulphur amino acids, respectively. Available lysine loss, due to Maillard-type reactions that may occur during food preparation, exacerbates the problem of lysine deficiency particularly in cereals. Consequently, determining the contents of digestible essential amino acids, particularly lysine, is important. True ileal digestibilities of most amino acids (including total and reactive lysine) were determined for ten food ingredients and eleven foods commonly consumed in India. Semi-synthetic diets each containing either an ingredient or the prepared food as the sole protein source were formulated to contain 100 g kg(-1) protein (75 g kg(-1) for rice-based diets) and fed to growing rats. Titanium dioxide was included as an indigestible marker. Digesta were collected and the amino acid content (including reactive lysine) of diets and ileal digesta determined. Available (digestible reactive) lysine content ranged from 1·9-15·4 g kg(-1) and 1·8-12·7 g kg(-1) across the ingredients and prepared foods respectively. True ileal amino acid digestibility varied widely both across ingredients and prepared foods for each amino acid (on average 60-92 %) and across amino acids within each ingredient and prepared food (overall digestibility 31-96 %). Amino acid digestibility was low for many of the ingredients and prepared foods and consequently digestibility must be considered when assessing the protein quality of poorer quality foods. Given commonly encountered daily energy intakes for members of the Indian population, it is estimated that lysine is limiting for adults in many Indian diets.

Effect of germination periods and hydrothermal treatments on in vitro protein and starch digestibility of germinated legumes.

Germination of legumes followed by hydrothermal treatments is an effective mean of improving nutritive value of legumes. The protein content of mungbean, chickpea and cowpea increased by 9-11, 11-16 and 8-11% after germination. A significant (p ≤ 0.05) decrease in protein content was observed on pressure cooking and microwaving in all three legumes. The carbohydrates decreased by 1 to 3% during soaking and 2 to 6% during germination. A significant (p ≤ 0.05) improvement in in vitro protein digestibility (IVPD) was observed after soaking as well as after three germination periods. Germination resulted in an increase in IVPD from 15 to 25% in mungbean, 6 to 17% in chickpea and 6 to 17% in cowpea. A significant (p ≤ 0.05) increase in IVPD was observed when raw sprouts of three legumes were subjected to pressure cooking and microwaving. In vitro starch digestibility (IVSD) increased significantly (p ≤ 0.05) after germination, the percent increase being 8 to 12% in mungbean, 9 to 11% in chickpea and 10 to 13% in cowpea. The duration of germination had significant (p ≤ 0.05) effect on IVSD. A significant (p ≤ 0.05) improvement in IVSD was observed when legume sprouts were subjected to pressure cooking and microwave cooking.