Gourd Leaf Research Articles

Glucose and Insulin Activities in the Leaf Extracts of Aloe vera, Bryophyllum, and Ivy Gourd

Objectives: Allopathic medicines, although they play a crucial role in controlling blood sugars among diabetic patients, alone may be insufficient for the effective management of diabetes. Therefore, it is essential to explore the food for its anti-diabetic potential and delay the development of long-term complications of this debilitating disease. Aloe vera, Bryophyllum, and Ivy gourd are edible and, if included in daily food, could contribute to preventing and managing diabetes. In this study, we have estimated the glucose and insulin concentrations of A. vera, Bryophyllum, and Ivy gourd plant extracts. Materials and Methods: The leaf extracts of A. vera, Bryophyllum, and Ivy gourd were assessed for glucose and insulin. Glucose was estimated using the glucose-oxidase peroxidase method and insulin was measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: Ivy gourd leaf extract revealed the highest concentration of both glucose and insulin at concentrations of 56 mg/dL and 46.46 µIU/mL, respectively. Bryophyllum leaf extracts revealed moderate concentrations of insulin (24.14 µIU/mL) and glucose (23.11 mg/dL). Among the extracts tested, the A. vera extract revealed the lowest concentrations of glucose (22 mg/dL) and insulin (10.87 µIU/mL). Conclusions: A. vera, Bryophyllum, and Ivy gourd leaves have reasonable concentrations of insulin which could be explored for pharmacological purposes. Moreover, being edible, these could be included in the diet as alternative methods to prevent and manage diabetes.

Assessing the Overuse and Health Costs of Pesticide Use in Crop Cultivation: Findings from a Micro-level Study

Pesticides are widely used in agricultural production to prevent and control pests, diseases, weeds, and other plant pathogens to reduce or eliminate yield losses and maintain high product quality. Chemical pesticides can cause undesirable effects on human health and also to the environment because of misuse that concerned with its overuse and exposure to human health and environment. This paper made an attempt to examine the current pesticide use practices for agriculture in Keraniganj Upazilla of Dhaka district in Bangladesh. It analyzed the overuse of pesticide and short-term health costs of pesticide exposure using primary data purposively collected from 60 farmers from the study area. It found that the farmers used 21479.4 grams of extra pesticides commonly used in Bangladesh than the recommended amounts that should be used for the 5 different types of crops: boro paddy, cauliflower, potato, eggplant, red leaf vegetable, and gourd leaf vegetable for per acre of land. This generates an additional production cost of Tk.65,640.07 per acre in each growing season. Using the cost of illness (COI) method it is founded that the average health cost generated from pesticide application was estimated to be Tk.284.09 for one incidence of pesticide use related health problem. About 3.3% of the pesticide applicators were found to face breathing problem, 10% faced skin diseases, 13.3% diarrhea, 8.3% eye irritation and 18.3% headache because of pesticide pollution. It is also understood that 88.3% of the surveyed farmers were unaware about the side-effects of pesticide use, while 98.3% applicators did not use any special dress or personal protective equipment (PPE) and 61.7% used no mask during pesticide application in their crop fields. It is also found that there is an absence of bio-pesticide use in the study area. Based on the study findings this paper indicates that there is a need for rigorous training and knowledge sharing efforts among the pesticide applicators in the study area as well as in the entire country. Policy makers and the Agriculture Extension Department (AED) thus are particularly expected to address the issue with utmost importance to ensure proper use of pesticides for agriculture in the country.

Detecting Tomato Leaf Curl New Delhi Virus Causing Ridge Gourd Yellow Mosaic Disease, and Other Begomoviruses by Antibody-Based Methods.

The incidence and severity of begomovirus diseases have been increasing around the world recently, and the ridge gourd [Luffa acutangula (Roxb.) L.] is the latest example of a crop that has become highly susceptible to the outbreak of the tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus (ToLCNDV, genus Begomovirus) in India. Accurate diagnosis of causal agents is important in designing disease management strategies. In this study the coat protein (CP) gene from a ToLCNDV-Rg ridge gourd isolate was used to produce polyclonal antibodies (ToLCNDV-Rg-CP-PAb) in a rabbit. The antibodies successfully detected a 30.5 kDa ToLCNDV-Rg-CP in extracts of symptomatic ridge gourd leaf samples by several assays, such as Western Blotting (WB), Dot Immuno Binding Assay (DIBA), Direct Antigen Coating Enzyme Linked Immuno Sorbent Assay (DAC-ELISA), Immuno Capture Polymerase Chain Reaction (IC-PCR), and Immuno Capture Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (IC-LAMP) assays. However, none of the negative samples tested positive in either of the detection methods. Among all the methods tested, the immunocapture assay, IC-LAMP, was the most sensitive in detecting ToLCNDV-Rg. Furthermore, antibodies generated in this study also detected other commonly occurring begomoviruses in South India, such as tomato leaf curl Palampur virus and squash leaf curl China virus in cucurbits. Together, ToLCNDV-Rg-CP-PAb can be used for detecting at least three species of begomoviruses infecting cucurbits. The obtained antibodies will contribute to monitoring disease outbreaks in multiple crops.

Physico-chemical leaf attributes of sweet gourd influence the infestation of red pumpkin beetle

The study was conducted to explore the effects of leaf morphological and biochemical properties of twelve sweet gourd genotypes viz., BD 264, BD 265, BD 266, BD 268, BD 269, BD 274, BD 275, BD 277, BARI Mistikumra 1, BARI Mistikumra 2, Gazipur local line, and China line, on the abundance and infestation of red pumpkin beetle. The abundance of red pumpkin beetle with its different leaf infestation levels on the genotypes was observed and then correlated with leaf physico-chemical characteristics of each genotype. The genotypes of sweet gourd showed statistically significant variations in their morphological and biochemical characteristics of leaves. The genotypes having the higher leaf area, adaxial and abaxial leaf trichomes tended to be less infested by red pumpkin beetle. On the other hand, the abundance of the insect showed positive correlation with the number of leaf per plant. All the biochemical properties of sweet gourd leaf except reducing sugar had positive impact on the abundance of red pumpkin beetle.

Influence of varieties and spacing on yield and quality of sprouting broccoli (Brassica oleracea L.)

A field experiment was undertaken at B.B.A. University, Lucknow (UP) during rabi season to study the effect of varieties and spacings on yield and quality characters of sprouting broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica Plenck). Four varieties viz. V1- Pusa Broccoli KTS-1, V2-Palam Kanchan , V3-Palam Vichitra , V4-Palam Samridhi and four spacings viz.- S1- 60x45 cm, S2 - 60×30 cm, S3 - 45×45 cm, S4 - 45×30 cm were evaluated in factorial randomized block design with three replications. Among the varieties, Pusa Broccoli KTS-1had takenearliest days for curd initiation (47.9) and day taken to curd harvest after curd initiation (22.5). Variety Pusa Broccoli KTS-1 significantly produced the highest curd diameter (118.9 mm),weight of curd with gourd leaf(0.9kg), weight of curd without gourd leaf (0.4 kg), yield (24.5 tha-1),ascorbic acid (79.1 mg/100g) and total soluble solids (8.5oBrix). On the other hand, minimum values of these parameters were recorded in Pusa Samridhi. Spacing of 60x45 cm took minimum days (48.9) for curd initiation, (22.5) and days taken to curd harvest after curd initiation. Maximum curd diameter (116.8 mm), weight of curd with gourd leaf (0.9 kg), weight of curd without gourd leaf (0.4 kg) were recorded in 60x45 cm spacing. Quality parameters were also markedly affected with variety Pusa Broccoli KTS-1 and spacing 60x45 cm and relatively higher value of vitamin C (79.9 mg/100g) and total soluble solids (8.80Brix) were recorded under V1S1 treatment.

Antimicrobial activity of bottle gourd leaf extract and its effect on the quality of food

A considerable interest has developed on natural foods preservatives as extend the shelf-life. There is a strong controversy about the safety aspects of synthetic preservatives since they are considered responsible for many teratogenic attributes and carcinogenic as well as residual toxicity. Therefore, the antimicrobial activity, total phenolic and flavonoids of bottle ground leaf extract were examined. And a descriptive detection of the extract was made, where it was found that they contain (phenols, flavonoids, alkaloids, glycosides, terpenes, saponins, phlobatanins, resins, tannins And steroids). 50% ethanolic extract exhibited the highest extraction ability for such phenolic and flavonoid compounds. The total phenolic was 406 mg gallic equivalent/g and the total flavonoid was 42.6 mg quercetin/g dry weight. The antimicrobial activity was studied using Agar well diffusion method and broth dilution method. Results indicated that Gram-negative bacteria E. Coli was more sensitive than Gram-positive bacteria S. aureus and B. subtilis against bottle ground leaf extract, were 25, 18 and 19 mm inhibitory zone for concentration 50mg/well respectively. MIC and MLC where determined, MICs test showed that the lowest concentration was 10 mg/ml against S. aureus, and was equal concentration on E. coli and B. subtilis (20 mg/ml). On the basis of this results bottle ground leaf extract was added to beef sausage at different concentrations (1%, 2%, and 4%) and stored for 90 days at 20-°C to study its effect on the quality of beef sausage. Results indicated a high stability against oxidation in sausage treated with the bottle ground leaf extract compared to control samples. Also, a decrease in microbial load of the treated sausage compared to the control was observed. Finally, it was evident that the bottle gourd leaf extract has a role in reducing the number of microbes, as well as their possession of natural antioxidants that prolongs shelf life of sausage.

Facile synthesis of rGO/Ag@AgCl core-shells nanocomposite and their multifunctional efficacy as a photocatalyst and antimicrobial agent for decontamination of water

An environmentally friendly process for synthesis of rGO/Ag@AgCl Core-shells nanocomposite was developed by Bitter gourd leaf extract. The core-shell morphology was confirmed by STEM-EDX line profile and elemental mapping images. As-synthesized nanocomposite was utilized as photocatalyst for degradation of Clofibric acid (CA) and Naphthol Green B (NGB) from aqueous phase under solar irradiation. As-synthesized nanocomposites showed photodegradation up to 98% of CA and 98.7% of NGB within 40 and 30 min, respectively. Here, we also investigated the optimum amount of nanocomposites for the photodegradation process. ESR analyses confirmed that the active species such as hydroxyl and superoxide anion radicals were mainly accountable for the degradation of organic pollutants. The presence of rGO enhanced the catalytic activity of Ag@AgCl NPs. The as-prepared nanocomposite was also utilized for the removal of biological impurities against bacterial strains. Hence form the present study, it was confirmed that the synthesized rGO-Ag@AgCl nanocomposites act as a potential material for wastewater treatment.

Identification and characterization of the Cucurbitacins, a novel class of small-molecule inhibitors of Tropomyosin receptor kinase a

BackgroundNGF-TrkA is well known to play a key role in propagating and sustaining pruritogenic signals, which form the pathology of chronic pruritus. Inhibition of NGF-TrkA is a known strategy for the treatment of pruritus. In the present paper, we describe the identification, in vitro characterization, structure–activity analysis, and inhibitory evaluation of a novel TrkA inhibitory scaffold exemplified by Cucurbitacins (Cus).MethodsCus were identified as TrkA inhibitors in a large-scale kinase library screen. To obtain structural models of Cus as TrkA inhibitors, AutoDock was used to explore their binding to TrkA. Furthermore, PC12 cell culture systems have been used to study the effects of Cus and traditional Chinese medicinal plants (Tian Gua Di and bitter gourd leaf) extracts on the kinase activity of TrkA.ResultsCus block the phosphorylation of TrkA on several tyrosine sites, including Tyr490, Tyr674/675, and Tyr785, and inhibit downstream Akt and MAPK phosphorylation in response to NGF in PC12 cell model systems. Furthermore, traditional Chinese medicinal plants (Tian Gua Di and bitter gourd leaf) containing Cu extracts were shown to inhibit the phosphorylation of TrkA and Akt. These data reveal mechanisms, at least partly, of the anti-pruritus bioactivity of Cus.ConclusionTaken together, with the recent discovery of the important role of TrkA as a therapeutic target, Cus could be the basis for the design of improved TrkA kinase inhibitors, which could someday help treat pruritus.

Efficacy of new insecticide molecules against leaf eating caterpillar, Diaphania indica in bitter gourd

Field experiment was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of seven new insecticides against leaf eating caterpillar, Diaphania indica in bitter gourd, being maintained by farmer field in Thuyyaneri, Madurai district, Tamil Nadu. It revealed that Chlorantraniliprole @ 150ml/ ha was most effective, followed by Chlorantraniliprole 18.5 SC 125 ml/ha, spinosad 45 % SC 160 ml/ha, Thiodicarb 75 %WP 750 g/ha, and Imidacloprid 17.8 SL 250 ml/ha, were moderately effective. While Dichlorovos 76 %EC 325 ml/ha and spiromesifen 22.9 SC 500 ml/ha, were least effective against bitter gourd leaf eating caterpillar.

Antibacterial activity of bitter gourd (Momordica charantia l.) leaf extract against Aeromonas hydrophila

Bacterial resistance against antibiotic in the field of fisheries is mainly caused by the wide usage of antibiotics over the last decade, allowing the bacteria to mutate to adapt against the antibiotic. The most common bacteria that infected freshwater fish is Aeromonas hydrophila, which is now resistant to mostantibiotics. Bacterial resistance against antibiotics is a problem that can be handled by phytopharmaco; one of them is the bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) leaf which has antibacterial properties. The aim of this study was to find out the antibacterial activity of the bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.). The parameters observed were antibacterial activity determined from the inhibition zone around the paper disc and the minimal concentration required which produced the biggest inhibition zone. The minimal concentration of bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) leaf extract that produced the biggest inhibition zone against Aeromonas hydrophila based on the CLSI M-45 category was 5 mg/ml with an inhibition zone diameter of 12.3 mm. This is categorized into the intermediate category. The intermediate category indicates that bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) leaf extracts with the concentrations used in this study wasn’t effective enough to be used as an antibacterial substance.

Effect of bottle gourd leaf (Lagenaria siceraria) extract on the quality of beef meatball

The experiment was conducted to find out the effect of different levels of bottle gourd leaf extraction on beef meatballs. Ground beef samples were divided into four treatment groups having bottle gourd leaf extracts as control T1 (0%), T2 (1%), T3 (2%), T4 (3%). Proximate analysis, sensory tests (color, flavor, tenderness, juiciness, and overall acceptability), cooking loss, pH value, free fatty acids (FFA), thiobarbituric acid values (TBARS), peroxide value (POV) and microbiological examination were determined. Days of intervals of experiment were 0, 15th, 30th and 45th days. Data were analyzed using SAS Statistical software. DM content of all the treatment groups differ significantly (p<0.05). In contrast, DM content increased significantly (p<0.05) with the advancement of different days of intervals. The CP and EE content at different treatment levels differ significantly (p<0.05). The FFA, TBARs, POV values were decreased significantly (p<0.05). The color, flavor, tenderness, juiciness, overall acceptability, raw and cooked pH were increased at different treatment levels significantly (p<0.05). The cooking loss (%) with the advancement of days of intervals were differ significantly (p<0.05). TCC (log CFU/g) and TYMC (log CFU/g) were decreased significantly (p<0.05) at different treatment levels. Parameters studied showed that, 2% bottle gourd leaf extract added meat balls were the best quality, so it may be concluded that 2% bottle gourd leaf extract can be used in beef meatball as a source of antioxidant and antimicrobial agent to increase shelf-life of meatballs.
 Bang. J. Anim. Sci. 2018. 47 (2):105-113

Nutrients Content in Some Vegetables Grown in South-Central Coastal Regions of Bangladesh

Soil salinity is one of the most important abiotic stresses for crop production. A study was conducted to analyze the relationship between salinity level and nutrient contents in some popular vegetables grown in some selected tidal areas of Barguna and Patuakhali districts of Bangladesh. Samples of six different vegetables such as bottle gourd leaf (Lagenaria siceraria), sweet gourd leaf (Cucurbita maxima), radish leaf (Raphanus sativus), bean (Lablab niger), red amaranth (Amaranthus gangeticus) and spinach (Spinacia oleracea) were collected along with soils from different locations of the study areas and were analyzed for phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sulphur (S) contents. Soil pH and electrical conductivity (EC) were determined. In saline areas, comparatively lower amounts of P, K, Ca, Mg and S were detected in most of the collected vegetables than those of non-saline areas. Conversely, bottle gourd leaf, radish leaf and bean accumulated comparatively higher amount of Ca at higher salinity levels. The uptake of P by bottle gourd leaf and radish leaf, Mg by bottle gourd leaf and red amaranth was also higher in the saline soil. The inconsistent uptake of Ca, Mg and P were found in some vegetables due to the differences of fertilizer application and intercultural operation. The vegetables could tolerate moderate soil salinity (soil EC up to7.9 dSm-1) and might be recommended to grow in the tidal saline areas of Barguna and Patuakhali districts of Bangladesh.
 The Agriculturists 2018; 16(2) 43-57

The effectiveness of dichloromethane extract of various plants on eggs hatchability, and life cycle of Aedes aegypti L. mosquitoes

The research in effectiveness of dichloromethane extract of Eggs Hatchability, the life cycle of larvae-pupae, pupae-adult, phytochemical screening of bitter gourd leaf (Momordica charantia L.), basil leaf (Ocimum basilicum L.), and lemon grass (Cymbopogon winterianus Jowitt.,) has been conducted using Completely Randomized Factorial Designs, 3 times iterations, concentration (0, 200, 400, 600, 800, 1000 ppm) on 25 eggs of Aedes aegypti and were analyzed using SPSS release 23 computer application. The result showed that the Eggs hatchability rate of eggs-larvae and the survival rate of larvae-pupae experienced a decrease of 4%-40% and 16%-64% respectively. However this does not effect the life cycle of pupae-adult. The decrease of eggs hatchability, survival rate of larva-pupae, pupae-adult is greater in the extract of bitter gourd leaf (M. charantia), and basil (O. basilicum) than in the extract of lemon grass (C. winterianus). The result of phytochemical screening showed that there are 1 secondary metabolite compounds contained in bitter gourd leaf (saponin), 1 in basil leaf(tanin), 3 in lemon grass (flavonoid, tanin, saponin).

Genome-wide identification of new reference genes for RT-qPCR normalization in CGMMV-infected Lagenaria siceraria.

Lagenaria siceraria is an economically important cucurbitaceous crop, but suitable reference genes (RGs) to use when the plants are infected by cucumber green mottle mosaic virus (CGMMV) have not been determined. Sixteen candidate RGs of both leaf and fruit and 18 candidate RGs mostly from separate RNA-Seq datasets of bottle gourd leaf or fruit were screened and assessed by RT-qPCR. The expression stability of these genes was determined and ranked using geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper and RefFinder. Comprehensive analysis resulted in the selection of LsCYP, LsH3, and LsTBP as the optimal RGs for bottle gourd leaves, and LsP4H, LsADP, and LsTBP for fruits. LsWD, LsGAPDH, and LsH3 were optimal for use in both leaves and fruits under the infection of CGMMV. Isopentenyl transferase (IPT) and DNA-directed RNA polymerase (DdRP) were used to validate the applicability of the most stable identified RGs from bottle gourd in response to CGMMV. All the candidate RGs performed in RT-qPCR consistently with the data from the transcriptome database. The results demonstrated that LsWD, LsGAPDH and LsH3 were the most suitable internal RGs for the leaf, and LsH3, LsGAPDH, LsP4H and LsCYP for the fruit.

Gradation of yellow mosaic virus disease of okra and bitter gourd based on entropy based binning and Naive Bayes classifier after identification of leaves

Crop diseases in India are a major concern in the field of agriculture today. Efforts are being made to tackle this problem as agriculture is an important aspect of our economy. Due to diseases, a major part of crops produced is lost every year. This is due to lack of expertise among the farmers, failing to detect and diagnose the disease correctly in time or due to commencement of control measure in late. To prevent crop loss, image processing for diagnosis of disease symptom using soft computing techniques is a need of modern day agriculture. In this study, initial focus was paid towards automatic identification of leaves between okra and bitter gourd from the images. To diagnose disease symptom from leaf images, forty-three morphological features of leaves of both the crops were chosen. The Pearson Correlation Coefficient technique was exercised to set key identifying features depending on a particular type of leaf image. Ten key morphological features of okra leaf and nine key morphological features of bitter gourd leaf were selected for the purpose. The proposed technique was experimented on 79 and 75 okra and bitter gourd leaf images, respectively. Finally Yellow Vein Mosaic Virus (YVMV) disease gradation was done based on entropy based binning and Naive Bayes classifier. The success rate of leaf identification was 96.78%.YVMV disease affected leaves were graded with a success rate of 95% for okra and 82.67% for bitter gourd.

Phenolic Composition and Evaluation of Methanol and Aqueous Extracts of Bitter Gourd (Momordica charantia L) Leaves on Angiotensin-I-Converting Enzyme and Some Pro-oxidant-Induced Lipid Peroxidation In Vitro.

This study sought to assess the effects of bitter gourd leaf extracts (methanol and aqueous) on enzyme linked with hypertension (angiotensin-I-converting enzyme and some pro-oxidants (iron sulfate, sodium nitroprusside, and cisplatin]-induced lipid peroxidation in rat kidney homogenates. Chromatographic analysis of the extract was done using high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection. The results revealed that methanol extract (IC50 = 109.63 µg/mL) had significantly (P < .05) higher angiotensin-I converting enzyme inhibitory activity than aqueous extract (IC50 = 182.95 µg/mL). Similarly, methanol extract had significantly (P < .05) higher inhibitory effect on Fe2+- and cisplatin-induced lipid peroxidation than aqueous extract. However, there was no significant (P > .05) difference in the inhibition of sodium nitroprusside-induced lipid peroxidation of both extracts. High-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection analysis revealed the presence of quercetin, caffeic, gallic, and chlorogenic acids in the leaf. Thus, inhibition of angiotensin-I converting enzyme activity and the antioxidant properties of the extracts could be linked to the presence of phenolic phytochemicals.

Preparation, characterization and application of antibody-conjugated magnetic nanoparticles in the purification of begomovirus

Purification of begomovirus from infected ash gourd leaf samples using anti-ACMV antibody-conjugated magnetic nanoparticles (Ab-MNPs) and their characterization.

Ivy gourd (Coccinia grandis L. Voigt) root suppresses adipocyte differentiation in 3T3-L1 cells.

BackgroundIvy gourd (Coccinia grandis L. Voigt) is a tropical plant widely distributed throughout Asia, Africa, and the Pacific Islands. The anti-obesity property of this plant has been claimed but still remains to be scientifically proven. We therefore investigated the effects of ivy gourd leaf, stem, and root on adipocyte differentiation by employing cell culture model.MethodsDried roots, stems, and leaves of ivy gourd were separately extracted with ethanol. Each extract was then applied to 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes upon induction with a mixture of insulin, 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine, and dexamethasone, for anti-adipogenesis assay. The active extract was further fractionated by a sequential solvent partitioning method, and the resulting fractions were examined for their abilities to inhibit adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 cells. Differences in the expression of adipogenesis-related genes between the treated and untreated cells were determined from their mRNA and protein levels.ResultsOf the three ivy gourd extracts, the root extract exhibited an anti-adipogenic effect. It significantly reduced intracellular fat accumulation during the early stages of adipocyte differentiation. Together with the suppression of differentiation, expression of the genes encoding PPARγ, C/EBPα, adiponectin, and GLUT4 were down-regulated. Hexane-soluble fraction of the root extract also inhibited adipocyte differentiation and decreased the mRNA levels of various adipogenic genes in the differentiating cells.ConclusionsThis is the first study to demonstrate that ivy gourd root may prevent obesity based mainly on the ability of its active constituent(s) to suppress adipocyte differentiation in vitro. Such an inhibitory effect is mediated by at least down-regulating the expression of PPARγ-the key transcription factor of adipogenesis in pre-adipocytes during their early differentiation processes.

Determination of elemental concentrations in environmental plant samples by instrumental neutron activation analysis

The intake of leafy vegetables in daily diet is very important to meet our nutritional needs. Vegetables provide the essential elements which are necessary and recommended for human growth. However, due to rapid industrialization and urbanization our environment becomes polluted and this affects the normal growth of agricultural products and composition of environmental species. The elemental concentrations present in the environmental samples are good indicators to assess the toxicological levels due to pollution affects. In the present work we have analysed several vegetable plant samples by instrumental neutron activation analysis to determine the elemental concentrations at major, minor and trace levels. The leafy vegetables like spinach, red leafy veagetable, pui, gourd leaf, lettuce and katoua were chosen as these are extensively consumed by local peple in eastern part of India. We have determined 15 elements in the above mentioned vegetable samples and some of these are essential elements and some are toxic elements. It was found that Na and K were present as major elements, Fe and Zn as minor elements and As, Ce, Cr, Co, La, Mo, Rb, Sc, Sm, Sr as trace elements. The concentration level of Cr was found to be higher than that of recommended value certified by WHO and National environment quality control for human consumption. The validation of our analytical results have been performed by the Z-score tests through the determination of concentrations of the elements of interest in certified reference materials.

Assessment of Certain Essential Elements in Some Common Edibles from Dadara and Agyathuri Villages of Kamrup District of Assam

Accumulation of certain essential elements as well as few non-essential heavy metals in some cereals and legumes, and several vegetables that are locally grown by the Sunni Muslims in two villages of Kamrup district of Assam, situated in the north-eastern region of India, have been assessed using atomic absorption spectroscopy. The samples recorded varied concentration of essential elements, but low iron in most of the samples viz. in coriander leaf, sweet gourd leaf, amaranthus leaf etc. Interestingly, selenium was recorded in all the samples examined except in pigeon pea. On the other hand, non-essential heavy metal such as cadmium was recorded in very low concentration in most of the samples. The aim of this study was to assess the concentration of different essential elements namely calcium, cobalt, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, sodium, selenium and zinc, as well as few non-essential metals such as cadmium, nickel and lead in some locally grown edibles from this region. The significance of presence or absence of these essential and non-essential elements in the daily diet of the population has also been discussed.