Cereals are the major source of energy to good health over the world. The major and minor cereals are consumed either processed and semi processed with addition of other food ingredients. The cereals contains nutrients like carbohydrates, proteins, minerals, vitamins, fat and some of cereals having good amount of dietary fibre (soluble and insoluble). Some cereals especially colored rice, colored wheat, colored maize and some millets having the functional bioactive components such as polyphenols, tocopherol, orzyzenol (antioxidants) and vitamins these cereals having functional properties and ultimately fight against diseases and prevent or control the some disease in body i.e. cardiovascular risk, reduces the risk of cancer, type-2 diabetes, hypertension, high blood pressure etc. The cereal is consumed with pulses and fulfils the requirements essentials amino acid and its availability. Functional foods are consumed around the world; each functional food has its significance unique properties like taste, aroma, texture, consistency and flavour. The food may be consumed fermented while some are non-fermented. Fermented cereals are increasing the vitamins B complex and some other nutrients.
The recent coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Wuhan, China, has led to millions of infections and the death of approximately one million people. No targeted therapeutics are currently available, and only a few efficient treatment options are accessible. Many researchers are investigating active compounds from natural plant sources that may inhibit COVID-19 proliferation. Flavonoids are generally present in our diet, as well as traditional medicines and are effective against various diseases. Thus, here, we reviewed the potential of flavonoids against crucial proteins involved in the coronavirus infectious cycle. The fundamentals of coronaviruses, the structures of SARS-CoV-2, and the mechanism of its entry into the host’s body have also been discussed. In silico studies have been successfully employed to study the interaction of flavonoids against COVID-19 Mpro, spike protein PLpro, and other interactive sites for its possible inhibition. Recent studies showed that many flavonoids such as hesperidin, amentoflavone, rutin, diosmin, apiin, and many other flavonoids have a higher affinity with Mpro and lower binding energy than currently used drugs such as hydroxylchloroquine, nelfinavir, ritonavir, and lopinavir. Thus, these compounds can be developed as specific therapeutic agents against COVID-19, but need further in vitro and in vivo studies to validate these compounds and pave the way for drug discovery.
The present study aimed to optimize the process parameters for the development of ready-to-eat (RTE) instant sand pear candy using response surface methodology. The independent variables were solute concentration, process temperature and process duration. The responses evaluated for deciding the optimum conditions were water loss, solute gain, color difference, water activity, ascorbic acid, hardness and overall acceptability. The derived optimum conditions were used for the development of sand pear candy to check the validity of the quadratic model. The results showed that 70°Brix solute concentration, 70C temperature and 110.15-min duration were the most desirable optimum osmo-convective dehydration conditions for the development of RTE instant sand pear candy with a slight increase in crude fat, protein, ash and crude fiber. However, the percentage of total dietary fiber was found to be low as compared to the fresh fruit. Microstructural changes using scanning electron microscopy were also observed between the fresh fruit and candy.
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSSand pear is a seasonal fruit available for a short period of time. However, owing to its nutritional benefits, it should be consumed regularly. Sand pear can be processed into candy so that it can be made available throughout the year for the consumers. Also, traditional candy-making process is a long time process (4-5 days), but the candy prepared from this method takes only 4-5 h with minimum loss of nutrients and time.
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