Reducing Sugar Research Articles

Effect of Delignification on Reducing Sugar Recovery from Crocodile Gourd for Bioethanol Production

A central composite experimental design was used to optimize the key parameters affecting biomass delignification process of crocodile gourd for maximum reducing sugar recovery. The effects of temperature (70 oC to 90 oC), residence time (2 hrs. to 6 hrs.), concentration of sodium chloride (0.05 g/dm3 to 0.1 g/dm3) and volume of acetic acid (0.50 mL to 3 mL) were studied. The result obtained showed that optimum reducing sugar yield for crocodile gourd was achieved at temperature, time, sodium chloride and acetic acid of 70 oC, 6 hrs. 3 g and 3 mL respectively. The results indicate that X3, X4, X1 2 interactions and X2X4 interaction has linear effect on reducing sugar yield for crocodile gourd. The result of the proximate analysis showed moisture content of 6.50+ 0.50 %, Ash Content 11.00+ 0.28 %, Carbohydrate 64.40+0.62 %, Organic carbon 12.95+0.13 (%), Nitrogen 2.10+ 0.02 (%), Carbon/Nitrogen 6.16+0.08 %, Potassium 14100+23 mg/kg, Sodium 228+ 29 mg/kg, and Fixed carbon 7.4+0.80 %. The result of proximate analysis and compositional analysis revealed that the substrate could be utilized for biofuel production.

Effect of Organic Manures and Natural Farming on Soil Properties and Nutrient Uptake by Carrot

The present investigation carried out at the Research Farm Area of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Center of Excellence for Organic Farming, Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar during Rabi season 2022-23 with the objectives to evaluate the effect of organic manures and natural farming on growth, yield and quality of carrot as well as on microbial count and nutrient uptake and economics of carrot. The experiment consisting of 8 treatments i.e., T1- RDN through Farm Yard Manure (FYM), T2- RDN through Vermicompost (VC), T3- RDN through Poultry Manure (PM), T4- RDN through FYM + Biofertilizers, T5- RDN through Vermicompost + Biofertilizerss, T6- RDN through Poultry Manure + Biofertilizers (Azatobecter + PSB), T7- Cow based bio-formulations and T8- Control was laid out in randomized block design with three replications. Total sugar, reducing sugar, non-reducing sugar %, TSS and N content and its uptake in root and shoot was also recorded the highest in treatment T5 whereas, P, K contents and their uptake in root and shoot were recorded highest in treatment T4. Soil organic carbon (0.69 %), available N (165.5 kg ha⁻¹), P (16.82 kg ha⁻¹), K (369.60 kg ha⁻¹) were observed maximum in treatment T5 and remained at par with the treatments receiving organic manures conjointly with biofertilizers. Microbial population of soil was recorded the maximum in treatment T5 (6.94 × 10⁶ cfu count g⁻¹ of soil) which was at par to treatments T1, T2, T4 and T7 but significantly higher over the control (6.52 × 10⁶ cfu count g⁻¹ of soil).

The identification of potato genotype diversity based on morpho-agronomy and nutritional traits in the highland areas of Papua, Indonesia

Abstract. Prabawardani S, Yogi DJ, Mawikere NL, Gari NM, Noya AI, Taberima S, Djuuna IA, Luhulima FDN. 2023. The identification of potato genotype diversity based on morpho-agronomy and nutritional traits in the highland areas of Papua, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 24: 5137-5145. Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.) are a potential food crop in terms of economic value and food security, and, therefore, its development must be considered. The missionaries introduced several potato genotypes from 1959 to the 1960s in Papua; however, this area has not been widely studied. This research aimed to identify the agro-morphological characteristics and analyze the tuber nutritional traits of potato genotypes. The research was conducted in Mimin Village, Oksop Sub-district, Pegunungan Bintang District of Papua Province, Hungku Village, Anggi Sub-district, Pegunungan Arfak District of West Papua Province. The research in both locations was designed using a descriptive method, and the samples were collected based on the random sampling technique. There were 2 potato genotypes found in Mimin (KM-O and KP-O) and 5 in Hungku (KM-A, KH-A, KP-A, KB-A, and KT-A) with quite diverse traits, particularly in tuber components. With several prominent morphological characters, potato genotypes from Hungku (KM-A, KBH-A, KT-A) produced the highest yields (0.8 kg/plant). Based on the agro-morphological and nutritional characteristics, it shows the formation of two main clusters with a dissimilarity index of Squared Euclidean Distance ranging from 6.112 to 46,643. Cluster one consisted of genotypes KM-O, KP-O, KM-A, and KH-A, and cluster two consisted of KP-A, KBH-A, and KT-A genotypes, and the dissimilarity mainly lies in the yield and nutrient characters. Based on the nutrient analysis, the highest dry matter content was found in KH-A. The highest starch content was in KP-O and KBH-A, and the highest reducing sugar was in KM-A. The potato genotype with the lowest reducing sugar content was KP-A. Each potato genotype shows various agro-morphological and nutritional characteristics that can be used as a basis material for plant breeding.

Improvement of postharvest quality, secondary metabolites, antioxidant activity and quality attributes of Prunus persica L. subjected to solar drying and slice thickness

Peach is a fruit highly appreciated by consumers; however, it is highly perishable, so drying is an alternative to preserve its physical and chemical properties. In this study, the effect of different drying methods (oven, solar, and open sun) and slice thicknesses (0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 cm) on quality, shelf life, color, total phenol, flavonoid, reducing sugar, non reducing sugar, ascorbic acid contents and antioxidant capacity of peach (Prunus persica L. Cv. Indian blood red), were evaluated. The results showed that, 0.5 cm slice thickness recorded the best results with minimum moisture content (%), drying time (7 hrs), titratable acidity (%), reducing sugars (%), non-reducing sugars (%), total soluble solids (°Brix), disease incidence (%), drying rate, TSS-Acid ratio, ascorbic acid, color and flavor, and total phenolic contents. Storage conditions showed significant results on 90 days of storage with maximum total soluble solids (°Brix), TSS-Acid ratio, reducing sugars (%), minimum titratable acidity (%), ascorbic acid, disease incidence (%), and non-reducing sugars (%), while color and flavor also retained. Peach fruits sliced at 0.5 cm thickness and dried in a solar collector may be considered best to retain the bio chemical attributes for 90 days and solar collector considered as environmentally friendly technology.

Optimization of the Hydrolysis Process of Microalgae Porphyridium cruentum Biomass with Variations of Hydrochloric Acid Concentration, Temperature, and Time using Response Surface Methodology (RSM)

Microalgae Porphyridium cruentum has potential as a raw material for bioethanol production because it has a high carbohydrate content. These carbohydrates can be broken down into reducing sugars through the hydrolysis process. The reducing sugar obtained will be used as a substrate in the production of bioethanol. This study aimed to produce a substrate with the best-reducing sugar indicator and to determine the optimum conditions for hydrolysis of P. cruentum microalgae biomass following the Box-Behnken statistical experimental design, using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). The parameters of the optimized hydrolysis process were HCl concentration (2 - 0.2 N), temperature (60 -120 ˚C), and hydrolysis time (30-180 min). The optimum conditions that have been achieved using RSM are an HCl concentration of 1.91 N, a temperature of 60 °C, and a hydrolysis time of 180 min were predicted a maximum total reducing sugar production of 810 mg/L. The experimental result of total reducing sugar obtained at optimum conditions was 895 mg/L, which was well close to the predicted value, verifying the appropriateness of the model.Abstract is informed about the statements of the problem, methods, scientific finding results and conclusion concisely

Influence of foliar application of boron, iron and magnesium on quality attributes and leaf nutrient status of guava cv. Hisar Surkha

Foliar application of nutrients escalates efficient use of nutrients along with quick response. An experiment was undertaken to study the effect of foliar application of mineral nutrients viz., boron (B), magnesium (Mg) and iron (Fe) sprayed at different growth stages viz., at fruit set and one month after first spray at the experimental orchard of Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Haryana during year 2020–21 and 2021–2022. The experiment was conducted in a Randomized Block Design with 21 treatments and 3 replications with a spacing of 6 × 6 m. Foliar sprays with boron, magnesium and iron significantly affected the physio-chemical properties of the fruits. Total soluble solids, TSS acidity ratio, ascorbic acid, total sugar, reducing sugar, non-reducing sugar and pectin content were found to be maximum under the treatment T21 [FeSO4 (0.5%) + H3BO3 (0.5%) + MgSO4 (0.5%)] while in case of titratable acidity was found significantly lowest under the treatment T21 [FeSO4 (0.5%) + H3BO3 (0.5%) + MgSO4 (0.5%)]. Treatments also affected the leaf chlorophyll content and leaf nutrient status significantly. It can be concluded from this study that foliar sprays of boron, magnesium and iron are beneficial for improving fruit quality, leaf chlorophyll content and leaf nutrient status of guava cv. Hisar Surkha. Further, 0.5 per cent each of FeSO4, H3BO3 and MgSO4 foliar sprays two times at one month’s interval can obtain the best results in terms of quality of fruits.

A Comparison of Dilute Aqueous Isethionic Acid and Sulfuric Acid in Hydrolysis of Three Different Untreated Lignocellulosic Biomass Varieties.

Efficient catalytic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass to sugars is a major challenge in the production of sustainable biofuels and chemical feedstocks. In this study isethionic acid was compared with H2SO4 for hydrolysis of polysaccharides in corn stover, switch grass, and poplar. The catalytic activities of acids were compared by analysis of total reducing sugar (TRS) and glucose yields in a sequence of experiments in water at 90-190 °C using 0.050 mol of H+/L isethionic acid and H2SO4. In comparison to using H2SO4, the use of isethionic acid catalyst lowered the maximum TRS percent yield temperatures by 25, 24, and 21% for corn stover, switch grass, and poplar. A similar effect was observed for glucose percent yields as well. This temperature reduction is due to lowering of the activation energy in the polysaccharide depolymerization reaction and most likely due to hydrogen-bonding-type dipolar interactions between the isethionic acid -OH group and -OH groups in biomass polysaccharides.

Designing of recombinant hydrolytic enzymes cocktail for effective saccharification of delignified rice straw

Enzymatic saccharification is the most crucial and challenging step in lignocellulosic biorefineries for bioethanol production. The enzymatic saccharification requires a cocktail of hydrolytic enzymes, cellulases and hemicellulases for effective degradation of biomass. However, the complete bioconversion of biomass is governed by the proportion and synergistic action of hydrolytic enzymes present in the cocktail. Thus, this study aims to formulate an enzyme cocktail consisting of recombinant cellulases (bifunctional cellulolytic chimeric enzyme, CtGH1-L1-CtGH5-F194A and cellobiohydrolase, CtCBH5A) and xylanases (endo-1,4-β-xylanase, CtGH11A, and β-xylosidase, BoGH43), all in crude form (unpurified enzyme present in the total cellular proteins) for producing high yield of total reducing sugars using choline chloride:acetic acid pretreated rice-straw (CApRS). D-optimal mixture design approach was used for statistically designing the optimal proportion of crude recombinant enzyme cocktail for hydrolysis of delignified rice straw. The developed enzyme cocktail comprising chimera, CtCBH5A, CtGH11 and BoGH43 in ratio 35.1:41.8:10.0:13.1 resulted in cellulolytic enzyme activity, 5.6 FPU/mL and xylanase activity, 102 U/mL. Enzymatic saccharification of 3% (w/v) delignified CApRS using developed enzyme cocktail at 187 FPU/gCApRS, pH 5.8 and 35 °C, yielded total reducing sugar of 498 mg/gbiomass, glucose yield (410 mg/g) and xylose yield (71.3 mg/g) resulting in 72% saccharification efficiency. Whereas, significantly low total reducing sugar yield of 80 mg/g and 218 mg/g were released from raw RS and partially pretreated RS, respectively, by the developed cocktail under the same hydrolytic conditions, thereby inferring the effectiveness of the enzyme cocktail against CApRS biomass. The developed enzyme cocktail was compared with a commercial enzyme cocktail and prospects its applicability in lignocellulosic biorefineries.

Protein production from cellulosic waste using candida utilis

With rapid population growth there is a lot of interest in developing alternative protein sources, like protein yeast cultures. For growth of yeast could be used agricultural and food processing waste, but such source of hydrocarbons need to be pretreated. The purpose of the presented study is to assess the effect of steam explosion treatment on the process of feed protein production, including the influence on the enzymatic hydrolysis, cultivation of yeast and resulting products characteristics. Wheat straw, spelt hull and sunflower husk were subjected to steam explosive activation at 165 °C and 210 °C. The products were subjected to enzymatic hydrolysis at the following conditions: enzyme dose 12 g/kg of raw material and temperature of 45 °C. Total reducing sugars content and component composition were evaluated in the hydrolysates using IR spectrometry and HPLC respectively. A pure yeast culture of Candida utilis, was grown on hydrolysates (2 g/L) in a 10 L bioreactor unit at 35 °C for 24 h. The samples of protein were evaluated for crude protein, true protein, fiber, fat and ash content. Conversion efficiency was calculated. The highest conversion efficiency was observed for spelt husks activated at 165 °C: reducing sugars yield was 56.2 % out of 73.3 % of theoretical yield; biomass concentration reaches 52.9 g/L, with reducing sugar conversion of 80.1 %. The crude protein content of yeast was 53.9 % (42 % according to Barnstein). Hydrolysates from activated materials, give a higher yeast biomass yield of 21–42 % compared to hydrolysates of non-activated raw materials.

Enzymatic methods for the preparation of fragrant rapeseed oil: Effect of reducing sugars on flavor production using the Maillard reaction

This study investigated the effects of different reducing sugars (glucose, fructose, and maltose) on quality and flavor during the enzymatic preparation of fragrant rapeseed oils (FROs) through Maillard reaction. The FROs was determined using sensory and physiochemical analyses. The fructose group had a reasonable fatty acid composition, lower acid value (1.28 mg/g), peroxide value (0.12 g/100g), moisture (0.08%), and benzo(a)pyrene content (1.43 μg/kg); higher total tocopherol content (597.78 mg/kg), sterol content (790.00 mg/kg), and sensory evaluation score (3.81 score); a sweeter nutty/toasted flavor and a weaker spicy flavor. The flavor was attributed to the presence of furfural, a sweet-tasting compound, and the nitrile content, which was responsible for the spicy flavor, was lower than that of traditional FROs, resulting in weaker spiciness. Overall, the results suggest that fructose is the best reducing sugar for enzymatic preparation of FROs, providing key directives for the industrial production of FROs.

Low-sugar egg-based dessert (sweet egg yolk drops): Characterization, consumer acceptance and driver of liking

The addition of sweeteners and fructooligosaccharides (FOS) to partially reduced-sugar syrup allows for the development of high-sugar egg-based desserts, which are a healthier alternative with good consumer acceptance. This study aimed to analyze the effects of different sweeteners and sugar reductions on physicochemical properties, consumer liking, and emotional responses of sweet egg yolk drops. Five experimental desserts were prepared: four with 25 % low-calorie sweeteners (erythritol, mannitol, sorbitol, and tagatose) combined with 25 % FOS in reduced-sugar syrup (50 %), and one as a control (full-sugar formulation). Substitution of erythritol (E50), mannitol (M50), and tagatose (T50) in the syrup significantly decreased the quality of the desserts. This implies a decrease in the sensory properties, leading to negative emotional responses among consumers. However, the application of external preference mapping (EPM) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) revealed that two of the four commercial desserts and one control sample (F100) included sorbitol desserts (S50). Desserts in this group that are related to specific attributes as drivers of liking, such as appearance, yellowness, sweetness, cohesiveness, and juiciness evoke positive emotional responses in consumers (‘Auspicious’, ‘Glad’, ‘Attractive’, ‘Secure’, ‘Loving’, ‘Natural’). Therefore, sorbitol and FOS are suitable sweeteners in reduced-sugar syrups for producing egg-based desserts with reduced calories and improved consumer acceptance. This study thus paves the way for the development of healthy dessert products.

Bitter gourd flavored Non-Alcoholic Wheat Beer (NAWB) exhibited antidiabetic properties by modulating carbohydrate metabolizing enzymes and upregulates insulin and GLUT-2 mRNA expressions in High Fat Diet/Streptozotocin (HFD/STZ) induced diabetic rats

To improve the control of Type 2 diabetes (T2D), this study investigated the potential benefits of an alcohol-free beer flavored with bitter gourd leaves, a plant with proven hypoglycemic properties. The high fat/streptozotocin (HFD/STZ) model was used to induce diabetes in Wistar rats as test subjects. The rats were divided into eight groups (n = 5) as follows: HP (STZ + 100% Hops); BG (STZ + 100% Bitter Gourd); 75:25BG (STZ + 75% Hops; 25%BG); 50:50BG (STZ + 50%Hops50%Bitter Gourd); 25:75BG (STZ + 25%Hops75%Bitter Gourd); Acarbose (STZ + Acarbose); DC (STZ-diabetic control group); NC (Normal Control group). Following a 14-day treatment, there was a significant (p < 0.05) reduction in blood sugar, serum glucose, α-amylase activity, α-glucosidase activity, and lipase activity. As the percentage of bitter gourd inclusion increased, the expression of GLUT-2 and insulin genes was upregulated. The beer sample with the lowest percentage inclusion of Hops (25:75BG) had the lowest glycemic index (GI). The study suggested that bitter gourd-flavored alcohol-free beer reduces blood glucose through muptiple pathways and could be a useful dietary intervention in the management of type 2 diabetes.Graphical

Characteristics of Honey Powder with Maltodextrin And Gum Arabic Addition Using Vacuum Foam-Drying Method

Honey powder is a solution to overcome the weakness of liquid honey. This study aims to determine the characteristics of the addition of maltodextrin and gum arabic as fillers and their ratio to produce the best honey powder characteristics in terms of water content, water activity (aw), hygroscopicity, reducing sugar content, solubility, and dissolving time. This study consisted of 6 treatment levels, namely Maltodextrin 1 (MD1) with a ratio of honey and filler of 2:1 and solid concentration of honey (% d.b) and filler (g) of 40:20, Maltodextrin 2 (MD2) with a ratio of honey and filler of 1:1 and solid concentration of honey (% d.b) and filler (g) of 40:20. b) and filler (g) 40:40, Maltodextrin 3 (MD3) with a ratio between honey and filler of 1:1 and solid concentration of honey (% d.b) and filler (g) 40:60, followed by Gum Arabic 1 (GA1), Gum Arabic 2 (GA2), and Gum Arabic 3 (GA3) which have the same ratio and concentration as the treatment using maltodextrin. In addition, commercial honey powder data was also included as a control (CHP). This study showed that the best moisture content was in MD3, with a value of 0.591%. Then, MD1 at 0.301% had the best result in water activity. In addition, the use of gum arabic has better hygroscopicity compared to maltodextrin. Meanwhile, the results showed that gum arabic gave high reducing sugar content in honey powder compared to the addition of maltodextrin; the more the addition of gum arabic, the higher the sugar content. The use of maltodextrin as a filler in honey powder provides better solubility compared to gum arabic. In addition, the reported addition of maltodextrin can reduce the dissolving time of food powders.

The Impact and Burden of Dietary Sugars on the Liver.

NAFLD, or metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, has increased in prevalence hand in hand with the rise in obesity and increased free sugars in the food supply. The causes of NAFLD are genetic in origin combined with environmental drivers of the disease phenotype. Dietary intake of added sugars has been shown to have a major role in the phenotypic onset and progression of the disease. Simple sugars are key drivers of steatosis, likely through fueling de novo lipogenesis, the conversion of excess carbohydrates into fatty acids, but also appear to upregulate lipogenic metabolism and trigger hyperinsulinemia, another driver. NAFLD carries a clinical burden as it is associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease. Patient quality of life is also impacted, and there is an enormous economic burden due to healthcare use, which is likely to increase in the coming years. This review aims to discuss the role of dietary sugar in NAFLD pathogenesis, the health and economic burden, and the promising potential of sugar reduction to improve health outcomes for patients with this chronic liver disease.

Preliminary Assessment on Pretreatment Methods For Landfill Waste Utilization in Biohydrogen Production

Landfill waste consists of a mixture of components that have high potential as a substrate for hosting various microorganisms’ growth. Utilizing this waste as a fermentation substrate is seen as an economical solution for the management of the waste. Treating this waste is crucial to remove unnecessary components for the growth of specific organisms to ensure a high reaction yield. Fermentative hydrogen production from this waste specifically requires the hydrogen-consuming bacteria to be reduced. In this work, heat, ultraviolet (UV) radiation, acid, and alkaline pretreatment were conducted on the landfill waste. The changes in the reduced sugar content and appearance of bacterial colonies were observed and compared. Heat pretreatment at 65 °C was found to give among the best increase (74 – 88%) in reducing sugar content and reduction (50 – 85%) in the number of aerobic bacterial colonies detected. Global warming potential and eutrophication potential recorded from simulated heat pretreatment plant was comparable to other heat-based pretreatment reported by other researchers with a potential reduction in severity as the plant size increased.

Enzymatic digestibility of lignocellulosic wood biomass: Effect of enzyme treatment in supercritical carbon dioxide and biomass pretreatment

Energy and resource intensive mechanical and chemical pretreatment along with the use of hazardous chemicals are major bottlenecks in widespread lignocellulosic biomass utilization. Herein, the study investigated different pretreatment methods on spruce wood namely supercritical CO2 (scCO2) pretreatment, ultrasound-assisted alkaline pretreatment, and acetosolv pulping-alkaline hydrogen peroxide bleaching, to enhance the enzymatic digestibility of wood using optimized enzyme cocktail. Also, the effect of scCO2 pretreatment on enzyme cocktail was investigated after optimizing the concentration and temperature of cellulolytic enzymes. The impact of scCO2 and ultrasound-assisted alkaline pretreatments of wood were insignificant for the enzymatic digestibility, and acetosolv pulping-alkaline hydrogen peroxide bleaching was the most effective pretreatment that showed the release of total reducing sugar yield (TRS) of ∼95.0 wt% of total hydrolyzable sugars (THS) in enzymatic hydrolysis. The optimized enzyme cocktail showed higher yield than individual enzymes with degree of synergism 1.34 among the enzymes, and scCO2 pretreatment of cocktail for 0.5–1.0 h at 10.0–22.0 MPa and 38.0–54.0 °C had insignificant effect on the enzyme's primary and global secondary structure of cocktail and its activity.

Bio-based succinic acid production from durian husk: A rising Southeast Asia agricultural waste

The spiking availability of durian husk in Southeast Asia reveals a promising yet underutilized lignocellulosic biomass. Compositional characterization via National Renewable Energy Laboratories protocols (NREL) showed that durian husk contained 40.96% glucan, 9.51% xylan, and 26.48% of lignin. Enzymatic hydrolysis of durian husk was improved upon dilute sulfuric acid pretreatment. The optimal conditions for particle size and pretreatment duration were determined to be − 80/+ 100 mesh size durian husk exposing to an hour of acid pretreatment, resulting in a maximum reducing sugar recovery of 37.29 and 24.32 g/L for acid and enzyme hydrolysate, respectively. Fermentability tests using Actinobacillus succinogenes 130Z for both acid and enzyme hydrolysates demonstrated succinic acid yields of 49% and 63% (g/g), respectively. A stoichiometry equation describing the formation of substrate and all products was established based on the results obtained from batch fermentation: C6H12O6 + 0.377 C5H10O5 + 0.130NH3 + 0.238CO2 → 0.864 C4H6O4 + 0.224 C2H4O2 + 0.134CH2O2 + 0.292CH2.096O0.111N0.658 + 0.231 H2O. This equation serves as a useful reference for future investigations into succinic acid production reactions. The cost-effectiveness of succinic acid production and its environmental performance were evaluated to highlight the potential of durian husk as feedstock. This study presents the first report on the utilization of durian husk as an alternative and sustainable feedstock for the production of bio-based succinic acid.

Physiochemical and mineral characterization of unexplored local grapes (Vitis vinifera L.) cultivars growing in Balochistan province, Pakistan

Grapes (Vitis vinifera L.) are highly valuable crops enriched with minerals, vitamins, phenolics, and antioxidants required for daily human activities and to prevent cancer and cardiovascular diseases. The objective of this study was to elucidate the physicochemical and mineral evaluation of seven neglected local grape cultivars (‘Kishmish’, ‘Sra Kishmish’, ‘Askari’, ‘Sahibi’, ‘Haita’, ‘Sundar Khani’ and ‘Toran’) growing in Baluchistan, as it can help in future breeding, processing, and species conservation. Therefore, these cultivars were evaluated for different physical, biochemical, and availability of macro– and micro–mineral contents. In physical evaluation, the local cultivar ‘Haita’ showed maximum bunch length (19.72 cm) and bunch width (11.88 cm), while the highest bunch weight (527.33 g) was recorded in ‘Sahibi’. Similarly, significant differences were noted in biochemical traits, and maximum total soluble solids (24.76%) and titratable acidity (1.58%) were observed in ‘Sundar Khani’, while the highest vitamin C (26.17 mg 100 g–1), total sugars (30.26%) in Sundar Khani, and nonreducing sugars (8.79%) were recorded in ‘Haita’. The cultivars growing in Balochistan also showed variations in phenolics (113.79–346.50 mg GAE L–1) and antioxidants (85.77– 90.87%). Likewise, the concentrations of macro- and microelements were also highly variable in these cultivars. Overall, among these cultivars, ‘Toran’ performed better in the agroclimatic conditions of Balochistan, as it has high yield attributes such as berry length, width, and weight. Moreover, it was also enriched with total soluble solids, antioxidants, and calcium contents.

Cost-effectiveness of dental caries prevention strategies in South African schools

BackgroundIn South Africa, an estimated 85% of the population relies on the public sector for oral health services. With poor infrastructure and inadequate personnel, over 80% of children with dental caries remain untreated. To reduce this burden of disease, one key goal is to promote good oral health and address oral diseases through prevention, screening, and treatment among children. While all policies have been proven to be effective in the control and prevention of dental caries, it is unclear which of those strategies provide value for money. This study evaluated five caries preventative strategies in terms of the cost and benefits among South African school children.MethodsThe study uses a hypothetical South African population of school aged learners aged 5–15. The context and insights of the strategies utilized at the schools were informed by data from both grey and published literature. Using Markov modeling techniques, we conducted a cost-effectiveness analysis of Acidulated Phosphate Fluoride (APF) application, atraumatic restorative treatment (ART), sugar-reduction and fissure sealants. Markov model was used to depict the movement of a hypothetical patient cohort between different health states over time. We assessed both health outcomes and costs of various interventions. The health outcome metric was measured as the number of Decayed, Missing, Filled Tooth (DMFT). The net monetary benefit was then used to determine which intervention was most cost-effective.ResultsThe results showed that school-based caries prevention strategies are cost-effective compared to the status quo of doing nothing. The average cost per learner over the 10-year period ranged from ZAR4380 to approx. ZAR7300 for the interventions considered. The total costs (including screening) associated with the interventions and health outcome (DMFT averted) were: sugar reduction (ZAR91,380, DFMT: 63,762), APF-Gel (ZAR54 million, DMFT: 42,010), tooth brushing (ZAR72.8 million, DMFT: 74,018), fissure sealant (ZAR44.63 million, DMFT: 100,024), and ART (ZAR45 million, DMFT: 144,035). The net monetary benefits achieved for APF-Gel, sugar reduction, tooth brushing, fissure sealant and ART programs were ZAR1.56, ZAR2.45, ZAR2.78, ZAR3.81, and ZAR5.55 billion, respectively.ConclusionBased on the net monetary benefit, ART, fissure sealant and sugar-reduction appear to be the most cost-effective strategies for preventing caries in South Africa. In a resource-scarce setting such as South Africa, where there is no fluoridation of drinking water, this analysis can inform decisions about service packages for oral health.

Mixture design approach for the development of a cowpea and banane cochon flour-based gluten-free biscuit: Chemical, glycemic load, sensory and microbiological characteristics of the optimal biscuit

This research aimed to formulate a protein-enriched, low lipid, low reducing sugar gluten-free biscuit from blend flour of Vigna unguiculata (cowpea) and Musa sapientum (banane cochon) which was safe for consumption and had an acceptable glycemic load. Five blend flours from banane cochon and cowpea were generated using mixture design. The former were evaluated for their pasting and physicochemical properties. Also, the numerical optimization technique was used to predict the desired protein, lipid and reducing sugar contents of the biscuit. This was followed by the evaluation of the nutritional, sensory, microbial stability and glycemic load of the optimal biscuit. This study revealed a significant (p < 0.05) difference in the pasting and nutritional properties of the blend flours. When it comes to optimization of the blend flour proportion for biscuit production, the appropriate flour ratio was 79.42 % (banane cochon flour) and 20.59 % (cowpea flour). This gave an optimal gluten-free biscuit with protein content that increased from 6.8 % to 11.64 %, while the lipid and reducing sugar content were maintained at a low amount of 18.73 % and 12.33 % respectively. The formulated product had a glycemic load of 18.9, acceptability score of 7.18 and was microbiologically safe for consumption for three months.