The study was conducted to standardize the protocol for preparation of wild apricot fruit bar. Wild apricot fruits were harvested at optimum maturity from Distt Tehri Garhwal, Uttarakhand and after thorough sorting and proper washing, used for hot extraction of pulp through a pulper. Pulp was preserved in 500 ppm SO 2 (using potassium metabisulphite). For preparation of fruit bars, additives like sugar and pectin were added to the pulp in different proportions and the mixture dried in mechanical dehydrator. Dried fruit bar sheets were cut into rectangular shapes (2.5×4.0 cm 2 ) using a stainless steel knife and wrapped in polythene paper. Best recipe was selected on the basis of sensory evaluation. For storage, wild apricot fruit bar was packed in aluminium laminated pouches and polyethylene pouches, kept for 6 months and analyzed periodically for changes in quality. Results of the sensory evaluation indicate that a very good quality fruit bar can be prepared by using wild apricot pulp +60% sugar +0.30% pectin and drying the mixture in a mechanical dehydrator at 55±2°C for 6 h. During 6 months of storage, there was about 3% moisture gain, 6.00 and 9.35% loss in total sugars and vitamin C respectively, along with slight losses in titratable acidity and sensory quality. The changes in chemical and sensory quality attributes were minimum in wild apricot fruit bar, packed in aluminium laminated pouches as compared to those packed in polyethylene pouches, and the product stored under vacuum than that under normal atmosphere. Further, the products were stable up to 6 months during storage under ambient condition.
An experiment was conducted to evaluate and standardize the protocol for enhancing recovery of oil and quality from cold pressed wild apricot kernels by using various enzymes. Wild apricot kernels were ground into powder in a grinder. Different lots of 3 kg powdered kernel were prepared and treated with different concentrations of enzyme solutions viz. Pectazyme (Pectinase), Mashzyme (Cellulase) and Pectazyme + Mashzyme. Kernel powder mixed with enzyme solutions were kept for 2 h at 50(±2)°C temperature for enzymatic treatment before its use for oil extraction through oil expeller. Results indicate that use of enzymes resulted in enhancement of oil recovery by 9.00-14.22 %. Maximum oil recovery was observed at 0.3-0.4 % enzyme concentration for both the enzymes individually, as well as in combination. All the three enzymatic treatments resulted in increasing oil yield. However, with 0.3 % (Pectazyme + Mashzyme) combination, maximum oil recovery of 47.33 % could be observed against were 33.11 % in control. The oil content left (wasted) in the cake and residue were reduced from 11.67 and 11.60 % to 7.31 and 2.72 % respectively, thus showing a high increase in efficiency of oil recovery from wild apricot kernels. Quality characteristics indicate that the oil quality was not adversely affected by enzymatic treatment. It was concluded treatment of powdered wild apricot kernels with 0.3 % (Pectazyme + Mashzyme) combination was highly effective in increasing oil recovery by 14.22 % without adversely affecting the quality and thus may be commercially used by the industry for reducing wastage of highly precious oil in the cake.
The objectives of this study were to investigate whether seed biopriming through drought tolerant isolates of Trichoderma harzianum induces drought tolerance in wheat. Physiological and biochemical parameters were also monitored under greenhouse conditions to explore the mechanism underlying plant water stress resilience in response to Trichoderma inoculation.The impact of bioprospecting Trichoderma harzianum drought tolerant isolates, Rani and Rani Th-39 on wheat response to drought was studied. Measurements of the stomatal conductance, net photosynthesis, chlorophyll fluorescence and greenness of plants were performed. In addition, analysis of the total phenolic compounds, free proline, MSI (membrane stability index) as well as lipid peroxidation was carried out. With or without exposure to drought conditions, colonization by Trichoderma isolates promoted seedling growth, the most consistent effect being an increase in shoot and root growth. The primary direct effect of colonization was promotion of root growth, regardless of water status, and an increase in water content, which it is proposed, caused a delay in many aspects of the drought response of wheat. Colonization of Trichoderma by seed biopriming enhanced drought tolerance of wheat plants as they delayed drought induced changes like stomatal conductance, net photosynthesis, chlorophyll fluorescence and greenness of plants.Drought stress from 4 to 13 d of withholding water induced an increase in the concentration of many stress induced metabolites in wheat leaves, while Trichoderma colonization caused a decrease in proline, MDA and H 2 O 2 contents and an increase in phenolics concentration.Among different Trichoderma isolates, Rani Th-14 induced maximum drought tolerance as treated plants recorded only 20-40 per cent wilting even at 13 days drought stress (DDS). The study is important as the experiments confirmed that the drought tolerant isolates of Trichoderma through seed bio priming are critical in inducing tolerance to drought.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.