Monika Thakur

Underutilized food crops: treasure for the future India.

Underutilized crops are lesser-known plant species in terms of marketing and research, but well adapted to marginal and stress conditions. Their indigenous potential and ethnobotanical data are well known to people, whereas, commercial importance and market value is unknown to the public. The survey conducted and the indigenous data gathered gave information that, UUC’s make Indian economy sounder and in many cases benefit the environment as well, by replacing the depleting resources with the new ones. In India, strategy development and appropriate policies are limited to a large extent because of the lack of authentic documentation on these crops. The Indian government policies and strategies for food security should take into account the diversity of underutilized crops. Although the options for scaling-up neglected crops for large-scale agriculture appear to be increasingly exhausted, many species have the potential to contribute to food security, nutrition, dietary and culinary diversification, health and income generation. Basically, these UUC’s are multifold food crops as the treasures for the future India have greater potential for food and security, income generation and environmental services.

Mushrooms as a Biological Tool in Mycoremediation of Polluted Soils

One of the major environmental problems faced by today’s world is the contamination of soil, water, and air by toxic chemicals, and the distinct and unique role of microorganisms in the detoxification of polluted soil and environments is well recognized. Fungal mycelia have been primary governors for maintaining ecological equilibrium because they control the flow of nutrients. The strength and health of any ecosystem is a direct measure of its main components—the fungal populations and their interaction with other organisms such as plants, animals, and bacteria. Using fungi as the starter culture species in a mycoremediation project sets the stage for other organisms to participate in the rehabilitation process. The introduction of fungal mycelium into a polluted site triggers a flow of activity and begins to replenish the polluted ecosystem. Mycoremediation is an economically and environmentally sound alternative for bioremediation. It is not widely used at present, but this technology has wider potential than other technologies. Fungi perform a wide variety of functions in ecosystem and potentially have been proven to be clean, simple, and relatively inexpensive for environmental remediation. Examples of fungi used as mycoremediators are Pleurotus ostreatus ; Rhizopus arrhizus; Phanerochaete chrysosporium and P. sordida; and Tramates hirsuta and T. versicolor; and Lentinus edodes and L. tigrinus. Thus, this clean technology has greater potential and its untapped potential has to be fully exploited.

Global Dimming and Global Warming: Dangerous Alliance

Global dimming is a phenomenon which produces forces that act opposite to global warming in nature. Global dimming reduces the amount of sun’s rays reaching the earth’s atmosphere causing a drop of temperatures around the globe. In addition, global dimming interferes with the hydrological cycles in the biosphere and reduces evaporation rate. The study on global warming wouldn’t be complete without mentioning global dimming. Global dimming is caused by an increase in particulates such as sulfate aerosols in the atmosphere. The pollutants that lead to global dimming also lead to various environmental problems, such as phytochemical smog, respiratory problems, and acid rain. The present review discusses the combined effect of global dimming and global warming. Global Dimming and Global Alliance have been opposite phenomenon with contrasting effects and are destructive to plants. The effect can be reduced by every individual playing his role by reducing fuel consumption, creating awareness for the consumption of nonessential commodities, walking, and planting trees.

In-vitro antioxidant and antibacterial activities of pumpkin, quince, muskmelon and bottle gourd seeds

Ethanol and chloroform extracts of pumpkin, quince, muskmelon, and bottle gourd seeds were studied for in-vitro antioxidant and antibacterial activities. Crude protein and fat contents of all the seeds compared favorably with high protein legumes and high oil containing oilseeds. Ethanol and chloroform extracts of bottle gourd seeds had highest phenolic content. A direct positive relationship between antioxidant activities and extract concentration was observed with the relationship being more pronounced in chloroform extract of quince seeds (R2 = 0.9685 and 0.9829) followed by ethanol extract of pumpkin seeds (R2 = 0.9666 and 0.9685) as per 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) method, respectively. Seed extracts were also studied for in-vitro antibacterial activity against Salmonella typhii, Enterococcus sp., Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus. Ethanol extract of pumpkin seeds inhibited the growth of all bacteria; however, both the extracts of quince seeds did not show any activity against S. typhii, E. coli and S. aureus.

Qualitative phytochemical screening, total phenolic content and antioxidant activity in methanolic extracts of Myristica fragrans Houtt. (Mace).

Mace, also known as the flower of nutmeg, belongs to the family Myristicaceae. Traditionally, mace is known to be anti-fungal, antidepressant, aphrodisiac, digestive and carminative agent. The active components present in mace are responsible for its antioxidant properties. Qualitative phytochemical analysis showed the presence of tannins, saponins, flavonoids, terpenoids, phenolics, carbohydrates as well as proteins and amino acids. The total phenolic content of methanolic extracts of mace was 238.52 (mg Gallic acid equivalents per gram weight). The DPPH scavenging activity was 85.2% at 500μg/ml concentration, comparable to that of ascorbic acid. The present study evaluates the quantitative phytochemicals, total phenolic content and antioxidant potential of methanolic extracts of Mace, so that it can be used as complete functional food.

Effect of Thermal Processing on Total Phenolic Content and Antioxidant Activity of Mentha Leaves

Mint is a promising health promoting herb, which is not only used for flavour and aroma, but also has many potential health benefits. Effect of refrigeration as well as thermal processing methods (blanching and boiling) on potential health benefits of mint was studied by determination of antioxidant activity and content of total phenolic substances in ethanolic extracts of mint leaves. The leaves were subjected to blanching (80°C), boiling (100°) as well as storage at refrigerated temperature (4°C). A qualitative phytochemical screening was performed. The ethanolic extracts were analyzed for total phenolic content using Folin-Ciocalteau assay and free radical scavenging activity using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals. Thermal treatment caused significant decrease in antioxidant activity as well as total phenolic content of mint leaves. Total phenolic content in fresh sample was 115.81 mg GAE/g, which decreased to 3.59 mg GAE/g when leaves were subjected to 100°C. Antioxidant activity reduced from 77.9 per cent in fresh leaves to 48.7 per cent in boiled leaves. The study indicated that polyphenols and phenolic acids, responsible for antioxidant action of mint, were degraded by heat, thereby reducing the medicinal value of herb. The study thus, suggests the consumption of fresh mint leaves to obtain the maximum health benefits.