Institute of Bio-Resources and Sustainable Development

The use of enzymes or microorganisms in food preparations is an age-old process. With the advancement of technology, novel enzymes with wide range of applications and specificity have been developed and new application areas are still being explored. Microorganisms such as bacteria, yeast and fungi and their enzymes are widely used in several food preparations for improving the taste and texture and they offer huge economic benefits to industries. Microbial enzymes are the preferred source to plants or animals due to several advantages such as easy, cost-effective and consistent production. The present review discusses the recent advancement in enzyme technology for food industries. A comprehensive list of enzymes used in food processing, the microbial source of these enzymes and the wide range of their application are discussed.

Diabetic foot complications are the most common occurring problems throughout the globe, resulting in devastating economic crises for the patients, families and society. Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) have a neuropathic origin with a progressive prevalence rate in developing countries compared with developed countries among diabetes mellitus patients. Diabetic patients that are of greatest risk of ulcers may easily be diagnosed with foot examination. Economic burden may be carefully examined. The budget costing must include both the clinical and social impact of the patients.

BACKGROUND: Secondary metabolites are reported to interfere with the isolation of RNA particularly with the recipes that use guanidinium-based salt. Such interference was observed in isolation of RNA with medicinal plants rheum (Rheum australe) and arnebia (Arnebia euchroma). A rapid and less cumbersome system for isolation of RNA was essential to facilitate any study related to gene expression. FINDINGS: An RNA isolation system free of guanidinium salt was developed that successfully isolated RNA from rheum and arnebia. The method took about 45 min and was successfully evaluated on twenty one tissues with varied secondary metabolites. The A260/280 ratio ranged between 1.8 - 2.0 with distinct 28 S and 18 S rRNA bands visible on a formaldehyde-agarose gel. CONCLUSIONS: The present manuscript describes a rapid protocol for isolation of RNA, which works well with all the tissues examined so far. The remarkable feature was the success in isolation of RNA with those tissues, wherein the most commonly used methods failed. Isolated RNA was amenable to downstream applications such as reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), differential display (DD), suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) library construction, and northern hybridization.

In this experiment, biosynthesized silver nanoparticles were synthesized using aqueous leaf extract of Erythrina suberosa (Roxb.).The biosynthesis of silver nanoparticle was monitored using ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. The effect of the phytoconstituents present in E. suberusa, on formation of stable silver nanoparticles was analyzed by fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The size, charge and polydispersity nature of silver nanoparticles were studied using dynamic light scattering spectroscopy. The morphology of the nanoparticles was determined by scanning electron microscopy. The result indicates that the glycosides, flavonoids and phenolic compounds present in the plant extract played a major role in the biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles. The antimicrobial activities of nanoparticles were evaluated against different pathogenic bacterium and fungi. The antioxidant property was studied by radical scavenging (DPPH) assay and cytotoxic activity was evaluated against A-431 osteosarcoma cell line by MTT assay. The characteristics of the synthesized silver nanoparticles suggest their application as a potential antimicrobial and anticancer agent.

Abstract Gradual increase in concentration of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) in the atmosphere due to the various anthropogenic interventions leading to significant alteration in the global carbon cycle has been a subject of worldwide attention and matter of potential research over the last few decades. In these alarming scenario microalgae seems to be an attractive medium for capturing the excess CO 2 present in the atmosphere generated from different sources such as power plants, automobiles, volcanic eruption, decomposition of organic matters and forest fires. This captured CO 2 through microalgae could be used as potential carbon source to produce lipids for the generation of biofuel for replacing petroleum-derived transport fuel without affecting the supply of food and crops. This comprehensive review strives to provide a systematic account of recent developments in the field of biological carbon capture through microalgae for its utilization towards the generation of biodiesel highlighting the significance of certain key parameters such as selection of efficient strain, microalgal metabolism, cultivation systems (open and closed) and biomass production along with the national and international biodiesel specifications and properties. The potential use of photobioreactors for biodiesel production under the influence of various factors viz., light intensity, pH, time, temperature, CO 2 concentration and flow rate has been discussed. The review also provides an economic overview and future outlook on biodiesel production from microalgae.

In a natural ecosystem, the plant is in a symbiotic relationship with beneficial endophytes contributing huge impact on its host plant. Therefore, exploring beneficial endophytes and understanding its interaction is a prospective area of research. The present work aims to characterize the fungal endophytic communities associated with healthy maize and rice plants and to study the deterministic factors influencing plant growth and biocontrol properties against phytopathogens, viz, Pythium ultimum, Sclerotium oryzae, Rhizoctonia solani and Pyricularia oryzae. A total of 123 endophytic fungi was isolated using the culture-dependent approach from different tissue parts of the plant. Most dominating fungal endophyte associated with both the crops belong to genus Fusarium, Sarocladium, Aspergillus, and Penicillium and their occurrence was not tissue specific. The isolates were screened for in vitro plant growth promotion, stress tolerance, disease suppressive mechanisms and based on the results, each culture from both the cereal crops was selected for further study. Acremonium sp. (ENF 31) and Penicillium simplicisssum (ENF22), isolated from maize and rice respectively could potentially inhibit the growth of all the tested pathogens with 46.47±0.16 mm to 60.09±0.04mm range zone of inhibition for ENF31 and 35.48±0.14 to 62.29±0.15mm for ENF22. Both significantly produce the defensive enzymes, ENF31 could tolerate a wide range of pH from 2-12, very important criteria, for studying plant growth in different soil types, especially acidic as it is widely prevalent here, making more land unsuitable for cultivation. ENF22 grows in pH range 3-12, with 10% salt tolerating ability, another factor of consideration. Study of root colonization during 7th to 30th days of growth phase reveals that ENF31 could colonize pleasantly in rice, though a maize origin, ranging from 1.02 to 1.21 log10 CFU/g root and in maize, it steadily colonizes ranging from 0.95 to 1.18 log10 CFU, while ENF22 could colonize from 0.98 to 1.24 Log10CFU/g root in rice and 1.01 to 1.24Log10CFU/g root in maize, just the reverse observed in Acremonium sp. Therefore, both the organism has the potency of a promising Bio-resource agent, that we must definitely explore to fill the gap in the agriculture industry.

The gut bacteria exert phenotypic traits to the host but the factors which determine the gut bacterial profile (GBP) is poorly understood. This study aimed to understand the effect of ethnicity and geography on GBP of Mongoloid and Proto-Australoid tribes of India. Fecal bacterial diversity was studied in fifteen tribal populations representing four geographic regions (Assam, Telangana, Manipur and Sikkim) by DGGE followed by NGS analysis on Illumina MiSeq platform. Geography and diet had significant effect on GBP of the Indian tribes which was dominated by Prevotella. The effects were more prominent with lower taxonomic levels, indicating probable functional redundancy of the core GBP. A comparison with the worldwide data revealed that GBP of the Indian population was similar to the Mongolian population (Mongolia). The bacterial genera Faecalibacterium, Eubacterium, Clostridium, Blautia, Ruminococcus and Roseburia were found to be core genera in the representative populations of the world.

Fermented milk is a potential source of various biologically active peptides with specific health benefits. Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitory (ACE-I) peptides are one of the most studied bioactive peptides produced during milk fermentation. The presence of these peptides is reported in various fermented milk products such as, yoghurt, cheese, sour milk, etc., which are also available as commercial products. Many of the ACE-I peptides formed during milk fermentation are resistant to gastrointestinal digestion and inhibit angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) in the rennin angiotension system (RAS). There are various factors, which affect the formation ACE-I peptides and their ability to reach the target tissue in active form, which includes type of starters (lactic acid bacteria (LAB), yeast, etc.), substrate composition (casein type, whey protein, etc.), composition of ACE-I peptide, pre and post-fermentation treatments, and its stability during gastrointestinal digestion. The antihypertensive effect of fermented milk products has also been proved by various in vitro and in vivo (animal and human trials) experiments. This paper reviews the literature on fermented milk products as a source of ACE-I peptides and various factors affecting the production and activity of ACE-I peptides.

Efficient post-harvest handling storage can tremendously contribute to socio-economic empowerment in developing nations. Farmers use traditional storage containers for storing food grains for their own need. These storage structures are comparatively cheap, eco-friendly and impart high shelf life to the stored commodities. These traditional storage systems could be applied in modern storage areas with minor modification, could save food commodities that would be damaged by insects. Although chemical methods of management of stored produce pests are highly successful, they leave behind toxic residues. The traditional wisdom and methods of storage can protect commodities from insect infestation for substantially longer periods.

Gradual rise in levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) due to burning of fossil fuels has become a matter of environmental concern in the recent years. In this alarming situation capturing CO 2 and storing it to restrict its release to the atmosphere could be an attractive approach toward mitigation. Photosynthesis has been recognized as the most sustainable means to arrest CO 2 from the atmosphere and microalgae; a photosynthetic microorganism has been identified as the potential sequestering candidate with the highest carbon fixing capabilities. Cyanobacteria and algae have developed their own exclusive editions of photosynthetic carbon concentrating mechanisms (CCMs) to aid ribulose‐1,5‐bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO) in efficient CO 2 capture. Carbonic anhydrase (CA), a zinc‐containing metallo‐enzyme has been observed to play a key role in the CCM by catalysing the reversible hydration of CO 2 into bicarbonate and a proton thereby helping in fixation of atmospheric CO 2 . This review gives an account of the importance of the different types of CA enzymes along with its locations, mechanism of action and the various studies on biosequestration of CO 2 through microalgae. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 35: 1605–1615, 2016

Fungal aetiology of keratitis/corneal ulcer is considered to be one of the leading causes of ocular morbidity, particularly in developing countries including India. More importantly, Fusarium and Aspergillus are reported commonly implicating corneal ulcer and against this background the present work was undertaken so as to understand the current epidemiological trend of the two fungal keratitis. During the project period, a total of 500 corneal scrapings were collected from suspected mycotic keratitis patients, of which 411 (82.2%) were culture positive for bacteria, fungi, and parasites. Among fungal aetiologies, Fusarium (216, 52.5% of 411) and Aspergillus (68, 16.5% of 411) were predominantly determined. While the study revealed a male preponderance with both the fungal keratitis , it further brought out that polyene compounds (natamycin and amphotericin B) and azoles were active, respectively, against Fusarium spp. and Aspergillus spp. Additionally, 94.1% of culture proven Fusarium keratitis and, respectively, 100% and 63.6% of A. flavus and A. fumigatus were confirmed by multiplex PCR. The sensitivity of the PCR employed in the present study was noted to be 10 fg/ μ l, 1 pg/ μ l, and 300 pg/ μ l of DNA, respectively, for Fusarium , A. flavus, and A. fumigatus. Alarming fact was that Fusarium and Aspergillus regionally remained to be the common cause of mycotic keratitis and the Fusarium isolates had a higher antifungal resistance than Aspergillus strains against most of the test drugs.

Since the birth of civilization, people have recognized that infectious microbes cause serious and often fatal diseases in humans. One of the most dangerous characteristics of microorganisms is their propensity to form biofilms. It is linked to the development of long-lasting infections and more severe illness. An obstacle to eliminating such intricate structures is their resistance to the drugs now utilized in clinical practice (biofilms). Finding new compounds with anti-biofilm effect is, thus, essential. Infections caused by bacterial biofilms are something that nanotechnology has lately shown promise in treating. More and more studies are being conducted to determine whether nanoparticles (NPs) are useful in the fight against bacterial infections. While there have been a small number of clinical trials, there have been several in vitro outcomes examining the effects of antimicrobial NPs. Nanotechnology provides secure delivery platforms for targeted treatments to combat the wide range of microbial infections caused by biofilms. The increase in pharmaceuticals’ bioactive potential is one of the many ways in which nanotechnology has been applied to drug delivery. The current research details the utilization of several nanoparticles in the targeted medication delivery strategy for managing microbial biofilms, including metal and metal oxide nanoparticles, liposomes, micro-, and nanoemulsions, solid lipid nanoparticles, and polymeric nanoparticles. Our understanding of how these nanosystems aid in the fight against biofilms has been expanded through their use.

Insect pests inflict severe damage to stored food grains in many parts of the world. Though effective and reliable, several discouraging aspects of synthetic pesticides such as high cost, non-biodegradability, and the harmful effects on humans and the environment have urged agriculturist to look for an alternative approach that is powerful, eco-friendly, and economically viable. Plant volatile organic compounds are known to possess insecticidal properties. They may be advocated for alternatives to synthetic insecticides. This review focused on how plant volatile organic compounds can be used as botanicals pesticides, which could reduce the application of synthetic insecticides in stored grain pest's management. The review discussed key challenges for product commercialization for instance i) availability of natural resources, ii) maintaining quality, iii) simplification of the legislation. The review also highlights the importance of having clear objectives in the biopesticides research. While a dedicated regulatory framework exclusively for biopesticides manufacturing could help in expanding its use.

BACKGROUND: Actinomycetes have provided a wealth of bioactive secondary metabolites with interesting activities such as antimicrobial, antiviral and anticancer. The study aims at isolation, characterization and the antimicrobial potentiality of Streptomyces sannanensis SU118 obtained from Phoomdi, a unique habitat of Loktak Lake of Manipur, India. RESULTS: An actinomycete strain isolated from Phoomdi soil of Loktak Lake of Manipur, India was identified as Streptomyces sannanensis SU118. It is a Gram-positive filamentous bacterium which exhibits antimicrobial activity only against Gram-positive bacteria, while Gram-negative organisms were not affected. Glucose Soyabean meal broth was found to be the suitable medium for antibiotic production at 28°C for seven days of incubation. The antimicrobial agent produced by the strain was extracted with ethyl acetate as solvent and purified by thin layer chromatography. Screening and bioassay - guided fractionation of the ethyl acetate extract from the culture filtrate led to the isolation of an active potential compound (R f value 0.56) with λmax 275.0 nm which has got the lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (0.5 μg/ml) against Staphylococcus aureus MTCC 96 and Staphylococcus aureus (clinical isolate), whereas highest (3.0 μg/ml) was recorded against Mycobacterium smegmatis MTCC 6 and Bacillus circulans MTCC 8074. CONCLUSION: This study has therefore uncovered the potential of exploring virgin untapped habitats in the Indo-Burma biodiversity hot spot region as reservoir of promising antimicrobial metabolite producer. These results highlighted the scope for further characterization of the metabolite and could be a candidate in the generation of new antimicrobial agents.

BACKGROUND: The NE region of India falls in the global hotspot of biodiversity. Wild edible plants (WEPs) are widely consumed in the daily diet of the local people. WEPs are critical for the sustenance of ethnic communities and also as a source of income. However, WEPs received a little attention in research activities, economic development, biodiversity conservation and sustainable management. Many are largely ignored and remained unexplored. With a view of reducing the gap in traditional knowledge and tapping the hidden potential resources for proper utilization, exploitation, and sustainable management of WEPs are crucial. METHODS: Surveys were conducted at 20 major markets in all districts of Manipur throughout different seasons from August 2012 to March 2014. A total of 154 avid plant collectors and sellers were interviewed using semi-structured questionnaire, formal, informal and extensive interactions to gather detailed information about these species. An integrated assessment of 68 wild leafy vegetables was also carried out to prioritize them for proper exploitation, conservation, and sustainable management. RESULTS: A total of 68 wild edible vegetables belonging to 42 families were documented which are being used by indigenous communities for nutritive and therapeutic purposes. Of these species, 54 are perennial (79 %) while others are annual (19 %). Herbaceous plants make up the highest proportion of edible plants. Leaves are dominant edible part followed by shoot and stem, and most are consumed through cooked food. Further, 57 species (84 %) are commonly available, and 11 (16 %) are rare. According to integrated assessment, 2 species have highest integrated value, 26 species have high value, 31 species have general value and 9 species are of low value. The majority of the species have a high or general value. CONCLUSION: Manipur has rich wild vegetable resources. However, many of them are seldom collected or cultivated given their importance in sustaining and diversifying diet. A comprehensive assessment indicated that majority of these plants have high value. Priority species require further research into their nutritional components to understand the potential as a source of future food and nutritional security. They should be promoted for integration into the agricultural system and income generation for local sustenance.

Naturally fermented milk (NFM) products are popular ethnic fermented foods in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim states of India. The present study is the first to have documented the bacterial community in 54 samples of NFM products viz. chhurpi, churkam, dahi and gheu/mar by high-throughput Illumina amplicon sequencing. Metagenomic investigation showed that Firmicutes (Streptococcaceae, Lactobacillaceae) and Proteobacteria (Acetobacteraceae) were the two predominant members of the bacterial communities in these products. Lactococcus lactis and Lactobacillus helveticus were the predominant lactic acid bacteria while Acetobacter spp. and Gluconobacter spp. were the predominant acetic acid bacteria present in these products.

Plants produce a wide range of secondary metabolites that play vital roles for their primary functions such as growth, defence, adaptations or reproduction. Some of the plant secondary metabolites are beneficial to mankind as nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals. Metabolic pathways and their regulatory mechanism are crucial for targeting metabolite engineering. The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9-mediated system has been widely applied in genome editing with high accuracy, efficiency, and multiplex targeting ability. Besides its vast application in genetic improvement, the technique also facilitates a comprehensive profiling approach to functional genomics related to gene discovery involved in various plant secondary metabolic pathways. Despite these wide applications, several challenges limit CRISPR/Cas system applicability in genome editing in plants. This review highlights updated applications of CRISPR/Cas system-mediated metabolic engineering of plants and its challenges.

Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), a hepatotoxic agent is widely used to study the toxic mechanisms in experimental animals. We have investigated whether oxidative stress is induced in the brain at a single hepatotoxic dosage (1 ml/kg bw) of CCl4. Increased lipid peroxidation (LPO), protein carbonyls (PC) content and glutathione (GSH) depletion were observed in the brain regions of rats treated with CCl4 which was higher than that of liver. A drastic reduction in the activity of glutathione-S-transferase (GST) was seen in the brain regions which was higher than that of liver. Similarly, activities of glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), NADH- and NADPH-dehydrogenase were reduced in the brain regions similar to that of liver. Higher induction of oxidative stress in the brain compared to that of liver implies vulnerability of the brain for CCl4 neurotoxicity. Our study shows that a single hepatotoxic dose of CCl4 is equally neurotoxic to rats.

Different protocols are usually used for extracting total deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) from different plant species of same order and DNA of the associated viruses. Here, we describe a rapid, efficient and universal protocol for isolating total DNA from the members of Zingiberales which harbor a high amount of polysaccharides and secondary metabolites. DNA isolated with this protocol was successfully used for PCR based downstream applications viz. random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), Inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR), DNA barcoding gene (Internal transcribed spacer and trnl-f) amplification and detection of the viruses.

Recent studies proved that the biofumigants could be an alternative to chemical fumigants against stored grain insect pests. For this reason, it is necessary to understand the mode of action of biofumigants. In the present study the prospectus of utilising Lantana camara as a potent fumigant insecticide is being discussed. Inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) by Coumaran, an active ingredient extracted from the plant L. camara , was studied. The biofumigant was used as an enzyme inhibitor and acetylthiocholine iodide as a substrate along with Ellman’s reagent to carry out the reactions. The in vivo inhibition was observed in both dose dependent and time dependent in case of housefly, and the nervous tissue (ganglion) and the whole insect homogenate of stored grain insect exposed to Coumaran. The possible mode of action of Coumaran as an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor is discussed.