Advances in the concept of functional foods and feeds: applications of cinnamon and turmeric as functional enrichment ingredients.

Spices are a rich source of vitamins, polyphenols, proteins, dietary fiber, and minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc, all of which play an important role in biological functions. Since ancient times, spices have been used in our kitchen as a food coloring agent. Spices like cinnamon and turmeric allegedly contain various functional ingredients, such as phenolic and volatile compounds. Therefore, this review aims to summarize the current knowledge about the nutritional profiles of cinnamon and turmeric, as well as to analyze the clinical studies on their extracts and essential oils in animals and humans. Furthermore, their enrichment applications for food products and animal feed have also been investigated in terms of safety and toxicity. Numerous studies have shown that cinnamon and turmeric have various health benefits, including the reduction of insulin resistance and insulin signaling pathways in diabetic patients, the reduction of inflammatory biomarkers, and the maintenance of gut microflora in both animals and humans. The food and animal feed industries have taken notice of these health benefits and have begun to promote cinnamon and turmeric as healthy foods. This has resulted in the development of new food products and animal feeds that contain cinnamon and turmeric as primary ingredients, which have been deemed an effective means of promoting cinnamon and turmeric's health benefits.

Non-edible fruit seeds: nutritional profile, clinical aspects, and enrichment in functional foods and feeds.

Nowadays, fruits are gaining high demand due to their promising advantages on human health. Astonishingly, their by-products, that is, seeds and peels, account for 10-35% of fruit weight and are usually thrown as waste after consumption or processing. But it is neglected that fruit seeds also have functional properties and nutritional value, and thus could be utilized for dietary and therapeutic purposes, ultimately reducing the waste burden on the environment. Owing to these benefits, researchers have started to assess the nutritional value of different fruits seeds, in addition to the chemical composition in various bioactive constituents, like carotenoids (lycopene), flavonoids, proteins (bioactive peptides), vitamins, etc., that have substantial health benefits and can be used in formulating different types of food products with noteworthy functional and nutraceutical potential. The current review aims to comprehend the known information of nutritional and phytochemical profiling of non-edible fruits seeds, viz. apple, apricot, avocado, cherry, date, jamun, litchi, longan, mango, and papaya. Additionally, clinical studies conducted on these selected non-edible fruit seed extracts, their safety issues and their enrichment in food products as well as animal feed has also been discussed. This review aims to highlight the potential applications of the non-edible fruit seeds in developing new food products and also provide a viable alternative to reduce the waste disposal issue faced by agro-based industries.

Anti-oxidant potential of plants and probiotic spp. in alleviating oxidative stress induced by H2O2.

Cells produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) as a metabolic by-product. ROS molecules trigger oxidative stress as a feedback response that significantly initiates biological processes such as autophagy, apoptosis, and necrosis. Furthermore, extensive research has revealed that hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is an important ROS entity and plays a crucial role in several physiological processes, including cell differentiation, cell signalling, and apoptosis. However, excessive production of H2O2 has been shown to disrupt biomolecules and cell organelles, leading to an inflammatory response and contributing to the development of health complications such as collagen deposition, aging, liver fibrosis, sepsis, ulcerative colitis, etc. Extracts of different plant species, phytochemicals, and Lactobacillus sp (probiotic) have been reported for their anti-oxidant potential. In this view, the researchers have gained significant interest in exploring the potential plants spp., their phytochemicals, and the potential of Lactobacillus sp. strains that exhibit anti-oxidant properties and health benefits. Thus, the current review focuses on comprehending the information related to the formation of H2O2, the factors influencing it, and their pathophysiology imposed on human health. Moreover, this review also discussed the anti-oxidant potential and role of different extract of plants, Lactobacillus sp. and their fermented products in curbing H2O2­induced oxidative stress in both in-vitro and in-vivo models via boosting the anti-oxidative activity, inhibiting of important enzyme release and downregulation of cytochrome c, cleaved caspases-3, - 8, and - 9 expression. In particular, this knowledge will assist R&D sections in biopharmaceutical and food industries in developing herbal medicine and probiotics-based or derived food products that can effectively alleviate oxidative stress issues induced by H2O2 generation.

Mechanistic insights into the role of actinobacteria as potential biocontrol candidates against fungal phytopathogens.

Worldwide mounting demand for better food production to nurture exasperating population emphasizes on reduced crop losses. The incidence of pathogens into the agricultural fields has tend to dwindle plethora of cereal, vegetable, and other fodder crops. This, in turn, has seriously impacted the economic losses on global scale. Apart from this, it is quite challenging to feed the posterity in the coming decades. To counteract this problem, various agrochemicals have been commercialized in the market that no doubt shows positive results but along with adversely affecting the ecosystem. Therefore, the excessive ill-fated use of agrochemicals to combat the plant pests and diseases highlights that alternatives to chemical pesticides are need of the hour. In recent days, management of plant diseases using plant-beneficial microbes is gaining interest as safer and potent alternatives to replace chemically based pesticides. Among these beneficial microbes, actinobacteria especially streptomycetes play considerable role in combating plant diseases along with promoting the plant growth and development along with their productivity and yield. The mechanisms exhibited by actinobacteria include antibiosis (antimicrobial compounds and hydrolytic enzymes), mycoparasitism, nutrient competition, and induction of resistance in plants. Thus, in cognizance with potential of actinobacteria as potent biocontrol agents, this review summarizes role of actinobacteria and the multifarious mechanisms exhibited by actinobacteria for commercial applications.

Machine learning can guide suitability of consultation and patient referral through telemedicine for hepatobiliary diseases.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Telemedicine is an evolving tool to provide health-care services. We evaluated the suitability of telemedicine to deliver effective consultation for hepatobiliary disorders. METHODS: In this prospective study spanning over a year, we interviewed hepatologists delivering the teleconsultations through a pre-validated questionnaire. A consult was deemed suitable based on the physician's judgment in the absence of unplanned hospitalization. We evaluated factors determining the suitability through inferential statistics and machine learning models, namely, extreme gradient boosting (XGB) and decision tree (DT). RESULTS: Of 1118 consultations, 917 (82.0%) were deemed suitable. On univariable analysis, patients with skilled occupation, higher education, out-of-pocket expenses, and diseases such as chronic hepatitis B, C, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) without cirrhosis were associated with suitability (P < 0.05). Patients with cirrhosis (compensated or decompensated), acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF), and biliary obstruction were likely unsuitable (P < 0.05). XGB and DT models predicted suitability with an area under the receiver operating curve of 0.808 and 0.780, respectively. DT demonstrated that compensated cirrhosis with higher education or skilled occupation with age < 55 years had 78% chance of suitability whereas hepatocellular carcinoma, decompensated cirrhosis, and ACLF patients were unsuitable with a 60-95% probability. In non-cirrhotic liver diseases, hepatitis B, C, and NAFLD were suitable, with a probability of 89.7%. Biliary obstruction and previous failure of teleconsultation were unsuitable, with a probability of 70%. Non-cirrhotic portal fibrosis, dyspepsia, and dysphagia not requiring intervention were suitable (probability: 88%). CONCLUSION: A simple decision tree can guide the referral of unsuitable and the management of suitable patients with hepatobiliary diseases through telemedicine.

Feasibility, Outcomes, and Safety of Telehepatology Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has hampered health care delivery globally. We evaluated the feasibility, outcomes, and safety of telehepatology in delivering quality care amid the pandemic. A telemedicine setup using smartphones by hepatologists was organized at our tertiary-care center after pilot testing. Consecutive patients availing telehepatology services were recruited between March and July 2020. An adapted model for assessment of telemedicine was used after validity and reliability testing, to evaluate services 7-21 days after index teleconsultation. Of the 1,419 registrations, 1,281 (90.3%) consultations were completed. From 245 randomly surveyed patients, 210 (85.7%) responded (age [years, interquartile range]: 46 [35-56]; 32.3% females). Seventy percent of patients belonged to the middle or lower socio-economic class, whereas 61% were from rural areas. Modes of teleconsultation were audio (54.3%) or hybrid video call (45.7%). Teleconsultation alone was deemed suitable in 88.6% of patients. Diagnosis and compliance rates were 94% and 82.4%, respectively. Patients' convenience rate, satisfaction rate, improvement rate, success rate, and net promoter scores were 99.0%, 85.2%, 49.5%, 46.2% and 70, respectively. Physical and mental quality of life improved in 67.1% and 82.8% of patients, respectively, following index teleconsultation. Person-hours and money spent by patients were significantly lower with teleconsultation (P < 0.001); however, person-hours spent by hospital per teleconsultation were higher than in physical outpatient services (P < 0.001). Dissatisfied patients were more likely to have lower diagnosis rate, unsuitability for teleconsultation, noncompliance, poorer understanding, and uncomfortable conversation during teleconsultation. Connectivity issues (22.9%) were the most common barrier. Three patients, all of whom were advised emergency care during teleconsultation, succumbed to their illness. Conclusion: Telehepatology is a feasible and reasonably effective tool for rendering health care services using smartphones during the COVID-19 pandemic. Systematic implementation, possible integration into routine health care delivery, and formal cost-effectiveness of telehepatology services need further exploration.

Detection of Bacterial Pathogens and Antibiotic Residues in Chicken Meat: A Review.

Detection of pathogenic microbes as well as antibiotic residues in food animals, especially in chicken, has become a matter of food security worldwide. The association of various pathogenic bacteria in different diseases and selective pressure induced by accumulated antibiotic residue to develop antibiotic resistance is also emerging as the threat to human health. These challenges have made the containment of pathogenic bacteria and early detection of antibiotic residue highly crucial for robust and precise detection. However, the traditional culture-based approaches are well-comprehended for identifying microbes. Nevertheless, because they are inadequate, time-consuming and laborious, these conventional methods are not predominantly used. Therefore, it has become essential to explore alternatives for the easy and robust detection of pathogenic microbes and antibiotic residue in the food source. Presently, different monitoring, as well as detection techniques like PCR-based, assay (nucleic acid)-based, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA)-based, aptamer-based, biosensor-based, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry-based and electronic nose-based methods, have been developed for detecting the presence of bacterial contaminants and antibiotic residues. The current review intends to summarize the different techniques and underline the potential of every method used for the detection of bacterial pathogens and antibiotic residue in chicken meat.

Biocontrol and plant growth promoting potential of phylogenetically new Streptomyces sp. MR14 of rhizospheric origin.

The detrimental effects of synthetic fungicides have increased the emphasis for biological control as an effective and safe sustainable alternative method. In the present work, a potent rhizospheric actinobacterium MR14 showed broad spectrum antifungal and plant growth promoting activities indicating the potential to fulfill the need. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed that the isolate could be assigned as new species of the Streptomyces, coded as Streptomyces sp. MR14. It formed clade with Streptomyces daghestanicus but with very low bootstrap value (14%). The MR14 supernatant showed potent antagonistic activity against 13 different tested fungal phytopathogens. The most and least sensitive fungal phytopathogens were found to be Pyricularia oryzae and Fusarium oxysporum with inhibition zones of 31 mm and 11 mm, respectively. The antifungal metabolites produced by strain MR14 were thermostable, photostable, and remained active at extreme acidic and neutral pH. In pot experiments, the Streptomyces sp. MR14 cells, supernatant and extract significantly suppressed Fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium moniliforme in tomato plants. Various growth parameters such as shoot and root lengths, and plant fresh and dry weights were significantly enhanced by 19.65 to 321.62% over the pathogen infested plants only. The treatment with culture cells/supernatant/extract in the rhizosphere soil also reduced the microbial count as compared to control. In addition, the strain also possessed plant growth promoting potential which was indicated by the increase in various agronomic traits from 3.64 to 116.88%. This study provided a scientific validation that the new rhizobacterium Streptomyces sp. MR14 could be further developed as bioformulation, exhibiting biocontrol and plant growth promoting capabilities.

Biocontrol Potential of Streptomyces hydrogenans Strain DH16 toward Alternaria brassicicola to Control Damping Off and Black Leaf Spot of Raphanus sativus.

Biocontrol agents and their bioactive metabolites provide one of the best alternatives to decrease the use of chemical pesticides. In light of this, the present investigation reports the biocontrol potential of Streptomyces hydrogenans DH16 and its metabolites towards Alternaria brassicicola, causal agent of black leaf spot and damping off of seedlings of crucifers. In vitro antibiosis of strain against pathogen revealed complete suppression of mycelial growth of pathogen, grown in potato dextrose broth supplemented with culture supernatant (20% v/v) of S. hydrogenans DH16. Microscopic examination of the fungal growth showed severe morphological abnormalities in the mycelium caused by antifungal metabolites. In vivo studies showed the efficacy of streptomycete cells and culture supernatant as seed dressings to control damping off of Raphanus sativus seedlings. Treatment of pathogen infested seeds with culture supernatant (10%) and streptomycete cells significantly improved seed germination (75-80%) and vigor index (1167-1538). Furthermore, potential of cells and culture supernatant as foliar treatment to control black leaf spot was also evaluated. Clearly visible symptoms of disease were observed in the control plants with 66.81% disease incidence and retarded growth of root system. However, disease incidence reduced to 6.78 and 1.47% in plants treated with antagonist and its metabolites, respectively. Additionally, treatment of seeds and plants with streptomycete stimulated various growth traits of plants over uninoculated control plants in the absence of pathogen challenge. These results indicate that S. hydrogenans and its culture metabolites can be developed as biofungicides as seed dressings to control seed borne pathogens, and as sprays to control black leaf spot of crucifers.

Evaluation of in vitro and in vivo nematicidal potential of a multifunctional streptomycete, Streptomyces hydrogenans strain DH16 against Meloidogyne incognita.

The present work demonstrated the nematicidal potential of Streptomyces hydrogenans strain DH16 (a strain with strong antagonism against fungal phytopathogens and insect pest) against Meloidogyne incognita. The culture supernatant and solvent extract significantly inhibited egg hatching (almost 100%) along with J2 mortality of more than 95% after 96h. The nematicidal activity of 10-(2,2-dimethyl-cyclohexyl)-6,9-dihydroxy-4,9-dimethyl-dec-2-enoic acid methyl ester (SH2; a new antifungal compound) purified from this streptomycete was also evaluated using different concentrations. The juvenile mortality of the nematode increased with increasing concentration and exposure time and reached the maximum (95%) after 96h at concentration of 100µg/ml. After 160h of incubation, egg hatch of 16% was observed at concentration of 100µg/ml as compared to control where 100% egg hatching was achieved. However, at the highest concentration of the compound (200µg/ml), 100% J2 mortality and 0% egg hatching were observed after 72 and 160h of incubation, respectively. In vivo pot experiments further revealed the nematicidal potential of S. hydrogenans where soil drenching with its culture supernatant and cells effectively controlled root galls, egg masses in nematode infested tomato plants and at the same time promoted the growth of tomato plants. Additionally, in the absence of nematodes, soil drenching with culture supernatant and cells significantly enhanced the various agronomic traits of plants as compared to control plants. Thus, the outcomes of the current study endorse the potential of S. hydrogenans strain DH16 and its metabolites to be developed as safe nematicidal and plant growth promoting agents.

Purification and Characterization of a New Antifungal Compound 10-(2,2-dimethyl-cyclohexyl)-6,9-dihydroxy-4,9-dimethyl-dec-2-enoic Acid Methyl Ester from Streptomyces hydrogenans Strain DH16.

In agriculture, biocontrol agents have been emerged as safe alternative to chemical pesticides where Streptomyces spp. and their metabolites constitute a great potential for their exploration as potent agents for controlling various fungal phytopathogens. The present study reports an antifungal compound purified from Streptomyces hydrogenans strain DH16, a soil isolate, using silica gel chromatography and semi preparative HPLC. The compound was characterized using various spectroscopic techniques (IR, (1)H and (13)C NMR) and named 10-(2,2-dimethyl-cyclohexyl)-6,9-dihydroxy-4,9-dimethyl-dec-2-enoic acid methyl ester (SH2). Compound (SH2) showed significant inhibitory activity against fungal phytopathogens and resulted in severe morphological aberrations in their structure. Minimal inhibitory and minimal fungicidal concentrations of the compound ranged from 6.25 to 25 µg/ml and 25 to 50 µg/ml, respectively. In vivo evaluation of the compound showed strong control efficacy against Alternaria brassicicola, a seed borne pathogen, on radish seeds. In comparison to mancozeb and carbendazim, the compound was more effective in controlling damping off disease. Additionally, it promoted plant growth with increased rate of seed germination, and displayed no phytotoxicity. The compound retained its antifungal activity after its exposure to temperature of 100°C and sunlight for 1 h. Furthermore, the compound (SH2) when tested for its biosafety was found to be non-cytotoxic, and non-mutagenic against Salmonella typhimurium TA98 and TA100 strains. This compound from S. hydrogenans strain DH16 has not been reported earlier, so this new compound can be developed as an ideal safe and superior biofungicide for the control of various fungal plant diseases.

Radiation losses in the microwave Ku band in magneto-electric nanocomposites.

A study on radiation losses in conducting polymer nanocomposites, namely La-Co-substituted barium hexaferrite and polyaniline, is presented. The study was performed by means of a vector network analyser, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, electron spin resonance spectroscopy and a vibrating sample magnetometer. It is found that the maximum loss occurs at 17.9 GHz (-23.10 dB, 99% loss) which is due to the composition of a conducting polymer and a suitable magnetic material. A significant role of polyaniline has been observed in ESR. The influence of the magnetic properties on the radiation losses is explained. Further studies revealed that the prepared material is a nanocomposite. FTIR spectra show the presence of expected chemical structures such as C-H bonds in a ring system at 1512 cm(-1).

Insecticidal and growth inhibitory potential of Streptomyces hydrogenans DH16 on major pest of India, Spodoptera litura (Fab.) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

BACKGROUND: Destructive impacts of insecticides on non targeted populations necessitate the development of an eco friendly pest control method. Streptomyces spp. are rich source of bioactive secondary metabolites which may provide valuable alternatives to chemical insect-control agents as they can be less toxic and readily biodegradable. Because of its potent biocontrol attributes, ethyl acetate extract of Streptomyces hydrogenans DH16, a soil isolate, was tested to assess its anti-insect potential against polyphagous noctuid, Spodoptera litura. RESULTS: The secondary metabolites in the ethyl acetate extract of S. hydrogenans DH16 exhibited larvicidal and growth inhibitory activities. The results indicated that highest concentration of 1600 µg/ml was significantly effective as 70% larval, 66.66% prepupal and 100% pupal mortality was noticed. The metabolites also prolonged the larval developmental period. The LC50 and LC90 values were 1337.384 and 2070.516 µg/ml, respectively for the insect. Negative effects of S. hydrogenans were also observed on development of the insect. Significant decline in adult emergence, adult longevity, fecundity and % hatching was recorded at higher concentrations along with morphological abnormalities as compared to control. Significant decrease in relative growth and consumption rate, efficiency of ingested and digested food and increase in approximate digestibility in larvae reared on diet supplemented with ethyl acetate extract accounts for the toxic as well as anti-nutritive nature of extract. CONCLUSION: Secondary metabolites in the fermentation broth from S. hydrogenans were toxic to the larvae at higher concentrations whereas lower concentrations significantly reduced the reproductive potential of S. litura. Therefore, these metabolites show considerable potential for incorporation in pest management programmes as new biopesticidal formulation.

Antifungal, insecticidal, and plant growth promoting potential of Streptomyces hydrogenans DH16.

In the present study, an actinobacterium strain, possessing antagonistic activity against different fungal phytopathogens viz. Colletotrichum acutatum, Cladosporium herbarum, Alternaria brassicicola, Exserohilum sp., Alternaria mali, Colletotrichum gleospoiroides, Alternaria alternata, Cercospora sp., Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. dianthi and Fusarium moniliformae, was isolated from soil and identified as Streptomyces hydrogenans DH16. Application of culture supernatant (5%)/cells (10(7) cfu ml(-1) ), 2 h post inoculation with A. brassicicola (10(5) spores ml(-1) ), resulted in 85.95 and 93.75% suppression of black leaf spot of Raphanus sativus, respectively on detached leaves. Whereas cells/culture supernatant (above 5%) completely suppressed the disease incidence when co inoculated with fungal pathogen. The crude extract containing antifungal components was completely stable at 70 °C for 1 h retaining 90 and 67.67% activity after boiling (for 1 h) and autoclaving (121 °C for 30 min), respectively. No loss in activity was observed when treated with proteinase K and on exposure to sun and UV light and found to be active over a wide range of pH (2 to 14). Bioautography of the solvent extract against test phytopathogens revealed the presence of three active components. Ethyl acetate extract of DH16 also demonstrated insecticidal activity against Spodoptera litura, causing 40% larval mortality and extension of larval period. In addition, it produced 30 µg ml(-1) of Indole Acetic Acid (IAA) in a medium containing tryptophan which promoted lateral root formation in Vigna radiata (green gram). These results indicate that Streptomyces hydrogenans holds the potential to be used as antifungal, insecticidal, and plant growth promoting agent.