Latha Sabikhi

Significance of coarse cereals in health and nutrition: a review

This review assesses the nutritional attributes of coarse cereals and also their utilization as food and as formulated foods. These cereals are laden with phytochemicals including phenolic acids, tannins, anthocyanins, phytosterols, avenenathramides and policosanols. They possess high antioxidant properties in vitro than staple cereals and fruits by different purported pathways. There are also some anti-nutritional factors that may be reduced by certain processing treatments. Several epidemiological studies show that these cereals are helpful in reducing several kinds of chronic diseases like cancers, cardiovascular diseases, type II diabetes and various gastrointestinal disorders. Being coarse in nature, they cannot replace our staple cereals, but can be used in different proportions with rice and wheat to formulate various nutritional products. They can be used to make porridges, biscuits, cakes, cookies, tortillas, bread, probiotic drinks, ladoo, ghatta, flakes and several fermented foods. The coarse cereals also have good potential in manufacturing bioethanol, paper, oil and biofilms.

Nutritional advantages of oats and opportunities for its processing as value added foods - a review.

Oats (Avena sativa L.) have received considerable attention for their high content of dietary fibres, phytochemicals and nutritional value. It is believed that consumption of oats possesses various health benefits such as hypocholesterolaemic and anticancerous properties. Oats have also recently been considered suitable in the diet of celiac patients. Owing to their high nutritional value, oat-based food products like breads, biscuits, cookies, probiotic drinks, breakfast cereals, flakes and infant food are gaining increasing consideration. Research and development on oat and its products may be helpful in combating various diseases known to mankind. This paper provides an overview of the nutritional and health benefits provided by oats as whole grains and its value added products. It is designed to provide an insight on the processing of oats and its effect on their functional properties. The manuscript also reviews various uses of oats and its fractions for clinical and industrial purposes and in development of value added food products.

Double Emulsions: Emerging Delivery System for Plant Bioactives

Bioactives have shown excellent protective effect against chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases and metabolic disorders. However, many of the bioactives like anthocyanins, carotenoids, flavonoids, vitamins and essential fatty acids are sensitive to surrounding environment stresses like pH, ionic strength, light, temperature, oxygen and gastro-intestinal (GI) conditions during transit. Hence, the functionality diminishes upon exposure to such unfriendly environment and leads to reduction in bioavailability. Double emulsions are designed to provide protection to bioactives in the innermost compartment through encapsulation and prevent loss of functionality in food matrix as well as during the GI transit. This article reviews the work done on double emulsion for food applications, covering various aspects of double emulsion like its matrix, constituents (aqueous phase, oil phase, emulsifiers, and other additives) and properties (viscosity, particle size, electrical conductivity and zeta potential). In addition to the stability of double emulsion, various means to express and modern techniques to measure it, the review also elucidates the role of newer emulsifiers and additives in improving the stability of double emulsion. The developments in target delivery of bioactives through double emulsion are highlighted. In vitro and in vivo studies proved target delivery of bioactives through double emulsion; however, confirmation through human trial is still pending.

Flavour, chemical and textural profile changes in accelerated ripened Gouda cheese

This investigation was carried out to study the flavour, chemical and textural changes during the accelerated ripening of buffalo milk Gouda cheese. Gouda cheese was manufactured using heat-shocked cells of Lactobacillus helveticus and Flavorage enzymic preparation. Cheese was analysed for different attributes at pre-determined intervals. The study revealed that the flavour and body and texture developments were more rapid in the experimental cheeses. The pH, soluble protein and FFA values were higher in experimental cheeses than in the controls. Synergistic action of Lactobacillus helveticus and Flavorage resulted in the fastest changes in cheese. The Instron textural studies revealed that hardness, springiness, gumminess and chewiness decreased during ripening, whereas cohesiveness increased. All textural attributes, except cohesiveness, were lower in experimental cheese as compared to control.

Effect of microencapsulation and spray drying on oxidative stability of flaxseed oil and its release behavior under simulated gastrointestinal conditions

ABSTRACT Flaxseed oil is one of the richest sources of omega-3 fatty acid (α-linolenic acid, ALA). It contains high amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids, making it extremely susceptible to oxidation. In the present study, flaxseed oil was stabilized using microencapsulation followed by spray drying and studied for its oxidative stability in terms of peroxide value (PV), thiobarbituric acid, and p-anisidine value at room temperature (35 ± 1°C) and low temperature (4–7°C) storage for 6 months. Results revealed that the developed flaxseed oil powder was stable throughout the storage period and PV remained below to the maximum permissible limit (≤5 mEq/kg oil) prescribed by the Codex Alimentarius Commission. The fatty acids profile measured by gas–liquid chromatography indicated a 14.28–15.13% decrease in ALA content in flaxseed oil as a result of microencapsulation and storage at room temperature. In vitro digestion behavior of microcapsules showed 4.39 ± 0.53 to 19.87 ± 0.47% release of flaxseed oil under simulated gastric continued, whereas under gastrointestinal conditions it was 20.00 ± 3.66 to 59.99 ± 9.29%.

Process optimisation for a ready‐to‐serve breakfast smoothie from a composite milk–sorghum base

A composite milk and sorghum-based smoothie containing varying levels of sorghum flour (2–4% w/w), sugar (9–11% w/w) and pectin (0.2–0.4% w/w) was optimised by response surface methodology on the basis of sensory (colour and appearance, flavour, consistency, sweetness and overall preference) and physical (viscosity, sedimentation and wheying off) attributes. Flour and pectin levels influenced the flavour, consistency, viscosity and sedimentation significantly. Sugar helped to increase the overall preference and had a positive correlation with sedimentation. An optimised smoothie composition of acceptable quality was obtained with 2.79% (w/w) germinated sorghum flour (GSF), 10.30% (w/w) sugar and 0.35% (w/w) pectin.

Impact of octenyl succinylated pearl millet (Pennisetum typhoides) starch addition as fat replacer on the rheological, textural and sensory characteristics of reduced-fat yoghurt

The current study evaluated the impact of octenyl succinic anhydride (OSA)-esterified pearl millet (Pennisetum typhoides) starch as a fat replacer (0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0%) on various characteristics of reduced-fat yoghurt (1.5% fat). Firmness, flow point, storage and loss modulus increased with increasing levels of the OSA starch. The Herschel–Bulkley model was best fit for elucidating their pseudoplastic behaviour. Syneresis decreased considerably, whereas sensory acceptability improved with increasing OSA starch level. Owing to this reduced syneresis, improved structural strength and sensory acceptability, OSA-esterified pearl millet starch functions as a fat replacer in reduced-fat yoghurt.

Immunosuppressive Potential of Low Fat Buffalo Milk Supplemented with Omega-3 Fatty Acids

The present investigation reports the evaluation of the immunosuppressive potential of low fat buffalo milk supplemented with omega-3 fatty acids in mice. The phagocytic activity of omega-3 milk group was 32% less than that of control group after 4 weeks and 42% less after 8 weeks of dietary regime. The lymphocyte proliferation index was 26% and 61% less than that of control after 4 and 8 weeks, respectively, when lipopolysaccharide was used as mitogen and 17.8% (4 weeks) and 19% (8 weeks) when concanavalin A was used as mitogen. The IgG level in serum reduced after dietary supplementation. IgG in intestine and IgA in intestine did not show any particular trend.

Effect of Fermentation by Probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilus NCDC 13 on Nutritional Profile of a Dairycereal based Composite Substrate

Effect of Fermentation by Probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilus NCDC 13 on Nutritional Profile of a Dairycereal based Composite Substrate The current study was aimed at evaluating the effects of fermentation on the nutritional profile of a composite dairy-cereal substrate. The organism (Lactobacillus acidophilus NCDC 13, a dairy isolate probiotic strain) had a biomass concentration 1012/ml in MRS medium and was starch hydrolysis-negative and phytasepositive with a phytase activity of 0.705 unit/ h/ ml.

Role of Food Micro-molecules in the Prevention of Cancer

Diet is now recognized as one of the major factors contributing to the etiology of cancer. Among the several dietary components, micronutrients have attracted much attention of the scientific community worldwide. This chapter deals with the role of food micro-molecules such as dietary fibre, vitamins C, D and E, calcium, iron, folate and carotenoids on cancer. Inclusion of these micronutrients through the diet may protect an individual from the onset and prevention of cancer. Consumption of fruits and vegetables that contain vitamins, fibre and carotenoids and dairy products rich in calcium have the potential to produce folate through fermentations are recommended dietary interventions. Caution should be exercised in the consumption of iron, as excess iron content in blood may prove tumerogenic.In summary, risk of cancer may be decreased by increasing the consumption of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, dairy products, particularly fermented ones and by decreasing the intake of red meat and processed foods.