In order to discourage the use of chemicals in raisin processing, the effect of microwave and pulsed electric field (PEF) pretreatments on the drying rate and other quality parameters like color, total soluble solids, bulk density, appearance, and market quality were compared with that of chemically pretreated raisins dried at 65 C. The untreated and pretreated samples had a statistically significant difference in drying rate (P < 0.05). The drying rate of chemically pretreated raisins was the highest when compared to others. The results showed that the PEF and microwave-treated samples had a significantly high Total Soluble Solids (TSS), along with good appearance and market quality. INTRODUCTIONRaisins are valued for their medicinal and nutraceutical properties. They are widely used and are popular as a good source of potassium, magnesium, and fiber. Fresh grapes in general contain about 85% moisture content on wet basis. In the process of raisin making it is reduced to 18% (wet basis). This is done traditionally by sun drying. The natural waxy coating on the grapes delays moisture removal. In order to reduce drying time, especially in mechanical drying and to improve quality, grapes are pretreated before the drying process.Pretreatments in raisin processing include dipping in a hot solution of sodium hydroxide and ethyl oleate and sulphur fumigation. With a view to find alternate methods that could reduce drying time using no chemicals, pretreatment with microwaves (MW) and pulsed electric field (PEF) has been explored in this study.

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In present study, a series of 3-[(5-methyl-1,3-benzoxazol-2-yl)amino]-2-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-4H-1,3- benzothiazin-4-ones (6a-n) were synthesized and elucidated by elemental, FT-IR, 1H & 13C NMR and LC-MS studies. The in vitro antibacterial screening against Gram-positive bacterial strains such as B. subtilis, S. aureus, S. epidermidis and Gram-negative bacteria such as E. coli, P. aeruginosa was carried in comparison with tetracycline as reference standard. Antifungal activities against different fungal strains namely R. oryzae, A. niger, A. favus, C. albicans and S. cerevisiae have been evaluated by comparing with fluconazole as reference standard. Compounds 6b, 6c, 6e, 6j, 6m and 6n emerged as highly potent antimicrobial agents. The DPPH radical scavenging assay of the synthesized moieties showed good antioxidant potency comparable to standard ascorbic acid. The molecular docking simulation studies of all the title compounds in their active conformation analogues with target proteins (PDB ID 2XCT-antibacterial, PDB ID 1IYL-antifungal, PDB ID 2HCK- antioxidant) exhibited good binding interactions in top scoring poses. The pharmacokinetic properties prediction by ADMET descriptors and Lipinski′s rule of five endorse the properties of newly synthesized compounds to a drug molecule. The results of the docking protocols were compatible with the in vitro studies which validates the potency of the molecules.

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