Valorisation of raw mango pickle industry waste into antimicrobial agent against postharvest fungal pathogens.

In mango pickle industry, a significant quantity of mango seed kernels is discarded as solid wastes. These seed kernels can be an ideal source for obtaining extracts rich in bioactive polyphenolic compounds with good antioxidant properties. The potential of mango kernel phenolic extract (MKPE) was investigated as a natural and effective antimicrobial agent for controlling major postharvest fungal pathogen infections, a significant threat to global food supply chains. Fungal pathogens contribute to the deterioration of fruits, vegetables, and grains during storage and transportation, leading to economic losses and compromised food safety. MKPE was obtained from pickling variety 'Ramkela' raw mango kernels, and its phenolic composition was characterized using LC-MS. The in vitro antifungal activity of MKPE against Botrytis cinerea, Colletotrichum gloeosporoides, and Rhizopus stolonifer was evaluated in vitro. A concentration-dependent inhibition of fungal radial growth against all three pathogens was observed, exhibiting the potential of MKPE as a valuable natural resource for addressing postharvest losses caused by fungal pathogens. The extraction process yielded a total phenolic content of 2128 mg GAE/100 g. Major polyphenolic bioactive compounds present were mangiferin, quercetin, and rhamnetin. The in-vitro antimicrobial assay showed reduction in the radial growth and inhibition percent of the pathogens. EC50 values of MKPE for B. cineria, C. gloeosporoides, and R. stolonifer was found to 364.17, 963.8 and 926 ppm, respectively. Our results demonstrate an economical, sustainable, and eco-friendly approach to manage post-harvest diseases rendered by fungi using mango MKPE from pickling industry waste.

Development, validation and a GAPI greenness assessment for the determination of 103 pesticides in mango fruit drink using LC-MS/MS.

A robust method was developed using LC-ESI-MS/MS-based identification and quantification of 103 fortified pesticides in a mango fruit drink. Variations in QuEChERS extraction (without buffer, citrate, and/or acetate buffered) coupled with dispersive clean-up combinations were evaluated. Results showed 5 mL dilution and citrate buffered QuEChERS extraction with anhydrous (anhy) MgSO4 clean-up gave acceptable recovery for 100 pesticides @ 1 µg mL-1 fortification. The method was validated as per SANTE guidelines (SANTE/11813/2021). 95, 91, and 77 pesticides were satisfactorily recovered at 0.1, 0.05, and 0.01 µg mL-1 fortification with HorRat values ranging from 0.2-0.8 for the majority. The method showed matrix enhancement for 77 pesticides with a global uncertainty of 4.72%-23.89%. The reliability of the method was confirmed by real sample analysis of different brands of mango drinks available in the market. The greenness assessment by GAPI (Green Analytical Procedure Index) indicated the method was much greener than other contemporary methods.

Palladium encapsulated nanofibres for scavenging ethylene from sapota fruits.

Scavenging ethylene is a useful intervention during the transportation and storage of tropical climacteric fruits like sapota. Sapota (Manilkara achras Mill.) is a delicious tropical fruit with a very high respiration rate and poor shelf life. To prolong its post-harvest shelf life, the use of palladium chloride in electrospun nanomats was evaluated at a concentration varying from 1 to 4% levels. Encapsulation of 1-2% PdCl2 in nanomats increased the ethylene scavenging capacity (ESC) by 47-68%. Although, upon encapsulation, both PdCl2 and potassium permanganate showed significantly the same ethylene scavenging activity, the efficacy of PdCl2 was found better in presence of sapota fruits. The PdCl2 nanomats were brighter (L* > 73) in colour compared to the potassium permanganate mat. The placement of nanomats (2 cm2 × 9 cm2) in corrugated fibre board boxes in which the sapota was packed showed higher quality indices (firmness, TSS, ascorbic acid, and phenolics) along with lower PLW and respiration rate during the 8 days of storage period. Compared to control (8.35%), physiological loss in weight of 4.47% was recorded in fruits stored with ethylene scavenging nanomats. PdCl2 encapsulated PVA nanomats can emerge as a promising option for the retention of quality in fruits during storage and transit.

Guar gum and chitosan-based composite edible coating extends the shelf life and preserves the bioactive compounds in stored Kinnow fruits.

The present investigation aimed to elucidate the effects of chitosan (CH) and guar gum (GG) based composite edible coating on physicochemical quality and storability of Kinnow fruit under ambient conditions. Composite coating materials were prepared by using tamarind (TAM) seed starch and jackfruit (JACK) seed starch with CH and GG separately. The results indicated that GG + TAM coated fruits maintained significantly (P ≤ 0.01) lower physiological losses in weight (PLW) (3.12 %), decay incidence (0.83 %), and respiration rate (13.57 ml CO2 kg-1 h-1) compared to control. The reduced activity of pectin methylesterase (PME) (0.97 µmol min-1 g-1 FW) and lipoxygenase (LOX) (1.97 µmol min-1 g-1 FW) were noted in GG + TAM coated fruits. Also, the GG + TAM coated fruits retained higher fruit firmness (6.77 N), titratable acidity (TA) (0.94 %), ascorbic acid (AA) (27.83 mg 100 g-1), total phenols (213.05 mg GAE 100 g-1 FW), antioxidants activity (23.57 µmol TE g-1) along with higher sensory score over the control. Based on findings, it can be concluded that GG + TAM coating could be gainfully utilized for prolonging the shelf life of Kinnow fruits up to 25 days without losing desirable quality traits at ambient storage.

Thermal treatments reduce rancidity and modulate structural and digestive properties of starch in pearl millet flour.

Pearl millet is a nutrient dense and gluten free cereal, however it's flour remains underutilized due to the onset of rancidity during its storage. To the best of our knowledge, processing methods, which could significantly reduce the rancidity of the pearl millet flour during storage, are non-existent. In this study, pearl millet grains were subjected to a preliminary hydro-treatment (HT). Subsequently, the hydrated grain-wet flour have undergone individual and combined thermal treatments viz., hydrothermal (HTh) and thermal near infrared rays (thNIR). Effects of these thermal treatments on the biochemical process of hydrolytic and oxidative rancidity were analyzed in stored flour. A significant (p < 0.05) decrease in the enzyme activities of lipase (47.8%), lipoxygenase (84.8%), peroxidase (98.1%) and polyphenol oxidase (100%) in HT-HTh-thNIR treated flour compared to the individual treatments was documented. Upon storage (90 days), decline of 67.84% and 66.4% of free fatty acid and peroxide contents were observed in flour under HT-HTh-thNIR treatment without altering starch and protein digestibility properties. HT-HTh treated flour exhibited the highest (7.6%) rapidly digestible starch, decreased viscosity and increased starch digestibility (67.17%). FTIR analysis of HT-HTh treated flour divulged destabilization of short-range ordered crystalline structure and altered protein structures with decreased in vitro digestibility of protein. Overall, these results demonstrated the effectiveness of combined thermal treatment of HT-HTh-thNIR in reducing rancidity and preserving the functional properties of the stored flour.