Joginder Singh Duhan

Nanotechnology: The new perspective in precision agriculture

Highlights • Precision farming is measuring and responding to inter and intra-field variability in crops to form a decision support system.• About 40–70% of N, 80–90% of P and 50–70% of K of the applied fertilizers is lost to the environment causing pollution.• Nanofertilizers helps in slow and sustained release of agrochemicals resulting in precise dosage to the plants.• Green synthesized Ag, ZnO and TiO2 NPs are extensively used for plant protection and treatment of diseases.• Biosensors helps in detecting pesticides in the vegetable crops and form a decision support system for crop commodities.

Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) based detection of bacteria: A Review

Various diseases are caused by pathogenic bacteria and their diagnosis depends on accurate detection of pathogen from clinical samples. Several molecular methods have been developed including PCR, Real Time PCR or multiplex PCR which detects the pathogen accurately. However, every method has some limitations like low detection limit, whereas Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is a powerful and novel nucleic acid amplification method, which detects the DNA at very low level compared to other methods. This method amplifies very few copies of target DNA with high specificity, efficiency and rapidity under isothermal conditions by using a set of four specially designed primers and a DNA polymerase with strand displacement activity. This review presents detection of various bacteria by LAMP method and covers their detection limit in clinical specimens. Keywords: Bacteria, Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), sensitive, rapid, simple. African Journal of Biotechnology , Vol 13(19), 1920-1928

Agro-industrial wastes and their utilization using solid state fermentation: a review

Agricultural residues are rich in bioactive compounds. These residues can be used as an alternate source for the production of different products like biogas, biofuel, mushroom, and tempeh as the raw material in various researches and industries. The use of agro-industrial wastes as raw materials can help to reduce the production cost and also reduce the pollution load from the environment. Agro-industrial wastes are used for manufacturing of biofuels, enzymes, vitamins, antioxidants, animal feed, antibiotics, and other chemicals through solid state fermentation (SSF). A variety of microorganisms are used for the production of these valuable products through SSF processes. Therefore, SSF and their effect on the formation of value-added products are reviewed and discussed.

Bio-enrichment of functional properties of peanut oil cakes by solid state fermentation using Aspergillus oryzae

Solid state fermentation (SSF) is a technological tool to improve the functional and nutritional properties of bio resource products. The present investigation was carried out to evaluate the significance of SSF by means of Aspergillus oryzae on enzyme activity, functional properties and mineral contents of peanut oil cakes (POC). Effect of SSF on the functional properties of POC sample was evaluated and significant improvement was observed in all the tested functional properties except bulk density where significant (p < 0.0.5) decrease was observed. Significant improvement in enzyme activity was also contributed by SSF during different enzyme assays. Microstructural analysis of the fermented POC samples showed a progressive development in the smoothness of granule surface with increasing time of fermentation. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic analysis was done to evaluate the composition of POC samples at the macromolecular level. The results of FTIR showed a significant increase in protein content with advancing fermentation.

In vitro assessment of bio-augmented minerals from peanut oil cakes fermented by Aspergillus oryzae through Caco-2 cells

Present study was carried out to assess the significances of solid state fermentation of peanut oil cakes (POC) by Aspergillus oryzae on in vitro bioavailability of minerals (iron, zinc and calcium) and cellular transport, retention and uptake from POC through Caco-2 cells. Bioavailability of iron, zinc and calcium of POC was examined by means of a combined simulated gastrointestinal digestion/Caco-2 cell system. Bio-augmentation of minerals of fermented POC attributed a positive, statistically significant increased influence on minerals retention, transport and uptake values when compared with that of respective inorganic salts as reference. Results revealed increased cellular ferritin content from fermented POC digests than the digests of free form of respective inorganic salt. In prospect of the present investigation the fermented POC samples showed significantly higher iron, zinc and calcium bioavailability and enormous possible health benefits.

Rapid Detection of Viruses Using Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP): A Review

Most of the diseases caused by viral infection are found to be fatal, and the diagnosis is difficult due to confusion with other causative agents. So, a highly efficient molecular-based advance detection technique, i.e., loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method, is developed for diagnosis of viral infections by various workers. It is based on amplification of DNA at very low level under isothermal conditions, using a set of four specifically designed primers and a DNA polymerase with strand displacement activity. This technique is found to be superior than most of the molecular techniques like PCR, RT-PCR, and real-time PCR due to its high specificity, sensitivity, and rapidity. Major advantage of LAMP method is its cost-effectiveness as it can be done simply by using water bath or dry bath. Here, in this review information regarding almost all the effective LAMP techniques which is developed so far for diagnosis of numerous viral pathogens is presented.

Recent Biotechnological Approaches to Study Taxonomy of Legume Nodule Forming Rhizobia

Nodule forming bacteria commonly referred as rhizobia establish N2-fixing symbiosis with legumes. Legumes and their rhizobial symbionts are of prime importance due to their ability to improve the nitrogen fertility of soils. To discriminate rhizobia into species and subspecies, identification and classification of bacteria and particularly rhizobia using polyphasic approaches is becoming the most accepted technology. Phenotypic and biochemical analysis includes: Gram staining, cell morphology and motility, oxidase and catalase activity, Biolog tests, NaCl tolerance, antibiotic, pH and temperature profiling, fatty acid composition, nodulation and nitrogen fixation studies. Genetic analysis includes DNA–DNA hybridization, G + C contents, and PCR analysis using large number of genes including housekeeping genes. Sequence analysis of 16SrRNA, 16-23S rRNA ITS region, other housekeeping genes, and complete genome sequencing and comparison with existing database using various bioinformative techniques is frequently being used. Further multilocus sequence analysis and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization are widely used to study taxonomy of legume nodule forming rhizobia. In the early 1970s only 1 rhizobial genera (Rhizobium) with 6–7 species was recognized. But now the use of these multiple approaches has resulted in the identification of 16 α and β rhizobial genera. These genera belong to α and β proteobacteria – Rhizobium, Shinella, Ensifer (Sinorhizobium), Aminobacter, Neorhizobium, Allorhizobium, Mesorhizobium, Phyllobacterium, Bradyrhizobium, Methyllobacterium, Microvirga, Azorhizobium, Devosia, Ochrobacterum, Burkholderia, and Cuprivadus belonging to seven families. About 176 species belonging to these rhizobial genera nodulating different legumes have been reported from different parts of the World. Most of the Indian legumes including pulse crops are nodulated by more than one species belonging to one or even more than one genera, though reports from India are very limited.

Antibacterial activities of Origanum vulgare alone and in combination with different antimicrobials against clinical isolates of Salmonella typhi

Background: Typhoid fever continues to remain a major public health problem especially in the areas where there is problem of sanitation and hygiene. The emergence of multidrug resistance of Salmonella typhi, the bacteria responsible for Typhoid to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, and cotrimoxazole has further complicated the treatment and management of enteric fever. One strategy for the treatment of the multidrug resistant bacteria is to use herbs in combination with conventional drugs. The present study was done to find out the interaction effect of phenolic, nonphenolic fractions, and volatile oil of Origanum vulgare with ciprofloxacin. Materials and Methods: The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) by microdilution method for individual phytoconstituents and in combination with ciprofloxacin was compared for clinically isolated bacteria from patients infected with S. typhi. Fractional inhibitory concentration (FIC) and Fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI) were also calculated. Results: The MIC declined to a significant level indicating synergistic relationship between ciprofloxacin and phenolic, nonphenolic fractions and volatile oil in vitro. The FICI exhibits synergistic effect for all the three samples while indifferent and antagonistic for samples and for phenolic and nonphenolic fractions. Conclusions: Present study shows that not only the formulation using O. vulgare and ciprofloxacin can overcome multidrug resistance but also will reduce the toxic effects of ciprofloxacin.

In-Silico Drug Designing: Transition to Modern-Day Drug Discovery

From the development of vaccines to the formulation of drugs, the medicinal industries have transformed a lot. With an increase in the in-depth knowledge of modern biology and chemistry, there has been a correspondingly marked increase towards research and discovery of ‘novel’ medicinal compounds. However, the journey of a drug from identification to its appearance in the market is lengthy, time-consuming and a tedious task with a high risk of failure. Therefore, there is a need for highly focussed, more certain and cost-effective technologies which can eliminate these cons and provide a cutting edge in the field of drug discovery and development process. In silico drug designing is one such upcoming technique which has the potential to replace the conventional drug discovery process by finding a suitable potential candidate against a target in vitro. It can create alterations of a native biological molecule in silico, which in turn may affect its structural and chemical properties, making it more effective towards binding to a target. Hence, using this method, efficacy of millions of chemical compounds can be checked, and the best potential drug candidate with exquisite properties can be picked out of a vast library of different chemical compounds. The present chapter provides an insight into the details of drug designing, highlighting the complete drug designing process including the various stages through which a potential drug candidate undergoes before it is marked as a ‘drug’.

Fermentation: A Boon for Production of Bioactive Compounds by Processing of Food Industries Wastes (By-Products)

A large number of by-products or wastes are produced worldwide through various food industries. These wastes cause a serious disposable problem with the environment. So, now a day’s different approaches are used for alternative use of these wastes because these by-products are an excellent source of various bioactive components such as polyphenols, flavonoids, caffeine, carotenoids, creatine, and polysaccharides etc. which are beneficial for human health. Furthermore, the composition of these wastes depends on the source or type of waste. Approximately half of the waste is lignocellulosic in nature produced from food processing industries. The dissimilar types of waste produced by food industries can be fortified by various processes. Fermentation is one of the oldest approaches and there are three types of fermentation processes that are carried out such as solid state, submerged and liquid fermentation used for product transformation into value added products through microorganisms. Selections of the fermentation process are product specific. Moreover, various studies were performed to obtain or fortified different bioactive compounds that are present in food industries by-products or wastes. Therefore, the current review article discussed various sources, composition and nutritive value (especially bioactive compounds) of these wastes and their management or augmentation of value-added products through fermentation.