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Biscuits prepared from composite flours substituted with unconventional plant resources have been considered important for enriching the overall nutritional quality. The present study was undertaken to explore the potential of banana pseudostem flour for the valorization of wheat flour biscuits. At the same time, the study attempts to address the problem of bioresource wastage as huge amounts of banana pseudostem are wasted every year after harvesting of the fruits. In this study, composite flours were prepared by partially substituting wheat flour with banana pseudostem core flour (BPF10, BPF20, BPF30) in different proportions (10, 20, 30% w/w), and biscuits were prepared from these composite flour formulations. Analyses of the physicochemical properties, pasting properties, colour and texture, quantification of phytochemicals and antioxidant properties, and overall sensory evaluation of the flours and biscuits were performed for comparative evaluation. BPF-substituted composite flours showed higher moisture and ash content, pasting temperature and water and oil absorption capacity. BPF-fortified biscuits were found to be rich in ash content, protein, proline, antioxidative phytochemicals, viz. phenols, flavonoids, tannins, ascorbate, and alkaloids, whereas fat, moisture content, and viscosity were comparatively lower than that of the control (wheat flour biscuits). Significant free radical scavenging activities of the BPF-substituted biscuits were also observed. Colour and texture analysis showed desirable changes in lightness (L*), yellowness (b*), chroma (C*), fracturability, and hardness of the BPF-substituted biscuits. Most importantly, considering the sensory characteristics like taste and crispiness, control and BPF10 biscuits were highly comparable. Therefore, the formulation of BPF-substituted biscuits presents an effective way to utilize banana pseudostems, which is also rich in nutraceutical and antioxidative properties.

Soil salinity severely affects plant growth and development and imparts inevitable losses to crop productivity. Increasing the concentration of salts in the vicinity of plant roots has severe consequences at the morphological, biochemical, and molecular levels. These include loss of chlorophyll, decrease in photosynthetic rate, reduction in cell division, ROS generation, inactivation of antioxidative enzymes, alterations in phytohormone biosynthesis and signaling, and so forth. The association of microorganisms, viz. plant growth‐promoting rhizobacteria, endophytes, and mycorrhiza, with plant roots constituting the root microbiome can confer a greater degree of salinity tolerance in addition to their inherent ability to promote growth and induce defense mechanisms. The mechanisms involved in induced stress tolerance bestowed by these microorganisms involve the modulation of phytohormone biosynthesis and signaling pathways (including indole acetic acid, gibberellic acid, brassinosteroids, abscisic acid, and jasmonic acid), accumulation of osmoprotectants (proline, glycine betaine, and sugar alcohols), and regulation of ion transporters (SOS1, NHX, HKT1). Apart from this, salt‐tolerant microorganisms are known to induce the expression of salt‐responsive genes via the action of several transcription factors, as well as by posttranscriptional and posttranslational modifications. Moreover, the potential of these salt‐tolerant microflora can be employed for sustainably improving crop performance in saline environments. Therefore, this review will briefly focus on the key responses of plants under salinity stress and elucidate the mechanisms employed by the salt‐tolerant microorganisms in improving plant tolerance under saline environments.

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Introduction: Fruits of Litsea cubeba (Lour.) Pers. has been reported to be used traditionally in the treatment of diabetes in Darjeeling Himalayan region of India; though the hypoglycemic potential of the fruit has not been assessed till now, and the active constituents are yet to be discovered. Therefore, there is a necessity for the appraisal and characterization of the hypoglycemic properties of the fruits. Methods: Fresh fruits were collected and sequentially extracted with solvents of gradient polarity. In vitro antidiabetic activity was performed by α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitory assays. Free radical scavenging activity was performed by DPPH, ABTS, TPTZ (FRAP assay), NO and OH radical scavenging assays. To identify the bioactive components, GC-MS analysis was also performed. Result: Phytochemical screening of secondary metabolites in different solvent extracts showed the presence of phenols, flavonoids, alkaloids, cardiac glycosides, tannins, saponins, and anthocyanins. Methanolic extract exhibited highest antidiabetic potential with IC 50 values of 514.9 µg/ml and 1435.7 µg/ml in α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition assay respectively followed by ethanol extract. Significant free radical scavenging activities were also found in the alcohol extracts. GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of principle compounds like oleic acid, morin, apigenin etc. which might be responsible for hypoglycemic activity. Conclusion: Here we report the appraisal of traditional usage of L. cubeba (Lour.) Pers. fruits based on in vitro antidiabetic and antioxidant assays along with GC-MS characterization of potent molecules. Our study confirms the traditional knowledge of the people of Darjeeling Hills regarding the use of the fruit of this plant in curing diabetes.