Freshly harvested guava were dipped in 1, 2 and 3% Calcium lactate solution for 5 min at room temperature and stored in a chamber at 5% CO2 level where humidity and temperature were 80% and 10 ± 1C. The stored guavas were analyzed for total phenolic content, antioxidant activity sugars g/100 g (glucose, fructose and sucrose) and organic acids mg/100 g (citric acid, ascorbic acid, malic acid and tartaric acid). The total phenolic content and antioxidant activity in samples were decreased at termination of storage. The glucose, fructose and sucrose content in control sample were 2.73, 3.30 and 1.66 at the start of storage period which increased to 3.28, 3.66 and 2.08 at the 18th day then after, these declined to 3.22, 3.62 and 2.04 at end of storage, respectively. Citric acid and ascorbic acid content were decreased while malic acid and tartaric acid contents were increased at the termination of storage period.
Practical Applications
Consumer demand for more natural, minimally processed and fresh foods is increasing. Modified atmosphere storage is a well‐proven technology for preserving natural quality of food products in addition to extending the storage life. Modified atmosphere storage is one of the most successful preservation techniques suitable for wide varieties of agricultural and food products. Modified atmosphere storage in combination with pretreatments will help minimize 35–40% postharvest loss of guava fruit which will ultimately benefit guava producers by reducing the wastage of guava fruit.
Propolis is a highly adhesive and resinous product of honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) which is produced from the exudations of plants. Bee propolis being a source of bioactive compounds like polyphenols and flavonoids imparts numerous biological properties including, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and anticancer activities. Present study was designed to elucidate the composition and antioxidant status of locally available propolis using in-vitro conditions. Propolis collected from locally found apiaries and its hydroalcoholic extract of propolis was prepared using different concentrations of ethanol and methanol. The results regarding proximate composition of propolis showed a higher proportion of ether extract (85.59±0.87%) and lowest contents of crude fiber (0.31±0.08%). Among the mineral's sodium, potassium and calcium was found in a concentration of 11.33±0.91, 52.10±2.9 and 10.53±0.83.59±0.23mg/Kg respectively whilst zinc was noticed as 3.59±0.23mg/Kg. HPLC characterization indicates a highest concentration of Chlorogenic acid 31.80±2.56mg/Kg whereas gallic acid (0.21±0.01mg/Kg) was found in lowest concentration among the polyphenols. Ethanol extract represents more phenolic contents, DPPH activity and antioxidant status as 327.30±14.89mg/gGAE, 73.18±4.43% and 60.59±4.38% accordingly in comparison to methanol and water extract. Bee propolis found an effective source of natural antioxidants which retards the production of free radicals and reactive oxygen species thus help to cope oxidative stress.
Biofilm synthesizing multi-drug resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius bacteria has been recognized as the human infectious agent. It has been detected in the diseases of skin, ear, and postoperative infections. Its infections are becoming a major health problem due to its multi-drug resistance capabilities. However, no commercial vaccine for the treatment of its infections is currently available in the market. Here we employed the subtractive proteomics and reverse vaccinology approach to determine the potential novel drug and vaccine targets against S. pseudintermedius infections in humans. After screening the core-proteome of the 39 complete genomes of S. pseudintermedius, 2 metabolic pathways dependent and 34 independent proteins were determined as novel potential drug targets. Two proteins were found and used as potential candidates for designing the chimeric vaccine constructs. Depending on the properties such as antigenicity, toxicity and solubility, multi-epitope based vaccines constructs were designed. For immunogenicity enhancement, different specific sequences like linkers, PADRE sequences and molecular adjuvants were added. Molecular docking and molecular dynamic simulation analyses were performed to evaluate the prioritized vaccine construct’s interactions with human immune cells HLA and TLR4. Finally, the cloning and expression ability of the vaccine construct was determined in the bacterial cloning system and human body immune response was predicted through immune simulation analysis. In conclusion, this study proposed the potential drug and vaccine targets and also designed a chimera vaccine to be tested and validated against infectious S. pseudintermedius species.
Storage of tubers is vital for uninterrupted supply to potato chips/fries industry. Cold storage is preferred to maintain tuber quality. However, prolonged storage at low temperature results in cold induced sweetening (COS) leading to sugar accumulation and browning of chips. Slowing down the COS is of economic importance for potato industry. Screening of potatoes after cold storage for low sugar and invertase activity with exploration of best frying color was the aim of current study. Reducing sugars (RS), invertase activity and chips color were estimated after subjecting the tubers at 3°C and 7°C storage. Analytical techniques were adopted for quantification of RS and invertase activity while nine-point Hedonic scale was used for chips color evaluation. Highest invertase activity with maximum RS (mg 100-1 g) and dark brown chips were observed in Kuroda following the Santé (247.83), Asterix (216.73), Crozo (193.42), Hermes (171.57) and Lady Rosetta (134.07) after storage at 3°C. Low RS were found in tubers stored at 7°C with good frying color in Lady Rosetta (98.23) followed by Hermes (104.31) and Crozo (113.27). Conclusively storage temperatures have significant effect on quality of tubers in which 7°C proved best with less RS and invertase activity having good frying color.
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