Saghir Ahmed Sheikh

Characterization of Auricularia auricula polysaccharides and its antioxidant properties in fresh and pickled product

The study planned to determine proximate composition, antioxidant activity and chemical characterization in the fruit bodies of Auricularia auricula and pickled product. Two polysaccharide fractions (AAPF, AAPP) were purified from the fruiting body of A. auricula by ethanol precipitation, deproteination and macroporous resins and were subsequently lyophilized. The results showed that AAPF consisted of five monosaccharides, including glucose, rhamnose, arabinose, mannose and galactose with a molar ratio of 16.74:1.0:1.18:1.0:1.0; in contrast, AAPP was composed of four monosaccharides, namely arabinose, mannose, galactose and xylose with the molar ratio of 15.59:1.52:4.76:1.0. AAPF and AAPP were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), which indicated peaks at approximately 3500cm(-1) and 522.28cm(-1) in the carbohydrate region and composed of β-glycoside linkages at the 1200-1000cm(-1) peaks. However, the antioxidant activity of AAPF demonstrated a significant result in scavenging free radicals except for DDPH. The in vitro test indicated that AAPF and AAPP have good antioxidant activity, demonstrating that A. auricula polysaccharide has immense potential as a functional food.

Effect of storage on the physicochemical characteristics of the mango (Mangifera indica L.) variety, Langra

This study was carried out to evaluate “the effect of storage on the physicochemical composition of mango”. The experiment involved determination of the physicochemical compositions of moisture, total soluble solid (TSS), acidity, total sugar, reducing sugar, non reducing sugar, crude fat and ash. Washed mangoes were stored either at room temperature (25 ± 4°C) or storage temperature (4 ± 1°C) to determine their storage life. The results were statistically highly significant among all the observations at probability level of (P<0.01). Results indicate that increase in storage time increases the chemical compositions in the stored mangoes, except for acidity and fat that were decreased with the increase of storage time. Besides, refrigerator temperature increases shelf life of the stored mangoes than room temperature. Key words: Mango, Langra, storage conditions, chemical compositions.

Phenolic Contents and Antioxidants Activities in Jamman Fruit (Eugenia jambolana) Products

In this study, total phenolic contents and antioxidant activity were determined in various products made from two cultivars of jamman fruit (Eugenia jambolana) i.e. improved (V1) and indigenous (V2). Five products were made from each cultivar such as jam, squash, ready-to-drink juice, pulp powder and seed powder. Fruit cultivars were endogenous to the typical region of Sindh-Pakistan. Total phenolic contents were analyzed by Folin-Ciocalteu colorimetric method, whereas, the total antioxidant activity was analyzed by using the 2, 2-diphenil-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging capacity (DPPH) assays. The highest total phenolic contents and antioxidants were observed in freeze dried seed powder while the lowest contents were found in squash. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.6000/1927-5951.2011.01.01.08

Removal of Pesticide Residues from Tomato and its Products

Plant protection agents (more commonly known as pesticides) are widely used in agriculture to increase the yield, improve the quality and extend the storage life of food crops. The study was carried out in order to determine the effectiveness of various traditional processing treatments on reducing the residual load of pesticides from tomato and its products. Results showed that lipid soluble pesticides residues were reduced most effectively in sun-drying (90-97%) followed by frying (91-99%) and thermal dehydration (89-90%). The data further indicated that profenofos residues dislodged more effectively than bifenthrin and endosulfan. The least reduction was noticed in endosulfan residues. Similarly in case of water soluble pesticides, the effect of sun-drying, frying and thermal dehydration on reduction of pesticide residues were within the range of 94-97%, 92-96% and 91-96%, respectively. Maximum reduction was found in emamectin benzoate residues followed by imidacloprid and diafenthiuron.

Quality Attributes of Immature Fruit of Different Mango Varieties

The study was carried out to evaluate quality attributes of immature fruits of four commercially grown varieties of mango namely Sindhri, Chaunsa, Langra and Desi. The immature mango fruits were collected from basin of mango tree in the end of April followed by washing, surface drying and extraction of fruit pulp. The extracted fruit pulp was assessed for pH, TSS, moisture and ash percentage, acidity, vitamin C, fat, protein and sugars. Besides, minerals including sodium, calcium, potassium, magnesium, zinc, iron, copper, chromium, and manganese were also determined. On the basis of varietal comparison Sindhri had more moisture (88.60%), ash and fat (0.60%) each, total sugars (6.99%) and reducing sugars (2.78%) as compared to rest of the varieties. However TSS (9.35%), protein (0.71%), and non reducing sugars (4.86%) were recorded the highest in Langra variety. Only the Chaunsa variety had maximum pH of 3.01 and vitamin-C (27.16 mg 100g -1 ). Regarding mineral elements, Desi was found potential in terms of sodium (453.93 mg kg -1 ), calcium (403.79 mg kg -1 ), Zinc (3.47 mg kg -1 ) and iron (5.95 mg kg -1 ). The zinc and iron was at par with the results obtained from Langra. However, potassium (904.58 mg kg -1 ) and copper (2.58 mg kg -1 ) were observed the highest in Langra, magnesium (78.09 mg kg -1 ) in Chaunsa and manganese (2.43 mg kg -1 ) in Sindhri.

Determination of Ground Water Quality for Agriculture and Drinking Purpose in Sindh, Pakistan

The study was conducted to assess the quality of ground water from different Talukas of district Tando Muhammad Khan for drinking and agriculture purpose. Water samples for determining the water quality were collected in one liter polyethylene bags by observing standard sample collection method. It was ensured that sample collection sites must be at least 500 feet away from each other. Physical and chemical parameters of ground and surface water samples such as pH, Electrical Conductivity (EC), Turbidity, Colour, Taste, Odour, Alkalinity as CaCO 3 , Bicarbonate (HCO 3 ), Carbonate (CO 3 ), Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), Hardness, Sodium (Na), Potassium (K), Chloride (Cl), Phosphate (PO 4 ), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) and Arsenic (As) were determined. The study clarified that pH and odour was within the permissible limits in majority of samples whereas, Arsenic (As), Hardness, Sodium (Na), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Taste, Chloride (Cl) and turbidity were beyond the permissible limits set by WHO. The groundwater status in Tando Muhammad Khan district, TDS in 50% samples, Chloride in 54.16% samples, Sulphate in 44.8% samples, Calcium in 38.5% samples, Sodium in 54.16% samples, hardness in 21.88% samples were beyond the WHO’s permissible limits for human consumption.

Analysis of Nutritional Components of Horse Radish Tree Flowers (Moringa oleifera) Wildly Grown in Sindh Province

The present research study was aimed at determining the proximate and mineral composition of horse radish tree flowers by utilizing standard methodologies. The mean moisture content in fresh, thermally dehydrated, curry, shade dried and boiled fresh /processed samples of horse radish tree flowers was 80.98, 5.40, 68.07, 5.84 and 86.26%, respectively. The vegetable had the highest pH, carbohydrates, total solids, nitrogen free extracts and calorific values in thermally dried samples and crude fiber, ash and protein values were higher in shade dried samples. Whereas, fat and total fatty acids were found higher in curry samples. There was a significant presence of dietary essential micro-nutrients. It was therefore revealed that horse radish tree flowers ( Moringa oleifera ) when consumed in curry form could also be a good source of nutrients. The inclusion of horse radish tree flowers into the diet could potentially address some of the challenges, such as health benefits, food security and increase life expectancy in Sindh, Pakistan.

Effect of Different Packaging Materials on Chemical Composition of Fried Onion (Allium cepa L.): A Comparative Study

Onion is a commonly used vegetable in entire world. The onions have been utilized as a main component in many recipes by different cultures for thousands of years. Due to its significant medicinal properties, nutritional and energy value, onions ( Allium cepa L. ) impart numerous health benefits to consumers. Therefore, a comparative study was conducted to evaluate the effect of various packaging materials (T 1 = Polyethylene bags, T 2 = Aluminum foil, T 3 = Butter paper and T 0= without packaging) on physico-chemical characteristics of fried onion. During storageat the Institute of Food Sciences and Technology, Sindh Agriculture University Tandojam. The pH value, titratable acidity (%), moisture (%), ash(%) and total carbohydrates were determined. The results indicated that pH value and total carbohydrates content were significantly affected by storage periods (P<0.05); whereas non-significant effects of packaging were found in titratable acidity, moisture, ash content, respectively.

Estimation Spatial Distribution of Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR) and Residual Sodium Carbonate (RSC) in Groundwater of Tando Muhammad Khan Pakistan

This study was conducted to evaluate factors regulating groundwater quality in an area with agriculture as main use. Water samples for determining the water quality were collected in one liter polyethylene bags by observing standard sample collection method. It was ensured that sample collection sites must be at least 500 feet away from each other. Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR) and Residual Sodium Carbonate (RSC) were determined from the collected water and it was observed that in Tando Muhammad Khan taluka, the Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR) in the samples ranged from 11.06 to 53.29, the highest (53.29) SAR was in UC Tando Saindad, while lowest (11.06) in the sample collected from UC-2 of Tando Muhammad Khan. The Residual Sodium Carbonate (RSC) in 36 collected groundwater samples ranged from 0.61 to 5.15 meq/l, the highest (5.15 meq/l) was in UC Tando Saindad, while lowest (0.61) in the sample collected from UC-3 of Tando Muhammad Khan. It was concluded that the SAR levels of groundwater samples indicated an alarming situation and most of the ground-water samples had SAR (<7.5 meq/l) and RSC (<2.0 meq/l) above permissible limits of WHO for agriculture use therefore, it is not suitable for agriculture as well as drinking.

Studies on the Nutritional Characteristics of some Commercial Wheat Varieties of Dry Land and Wet Land Grown in Sindh Province

The present research was carried out to investigate the nutritional characteristics of some commercial wheat varieties of dry land and wet land grown in Sindh province during 2011-12 at Institute of Food Sciences and Technology, Faculty of Crop Production, Sindh Agriculture University Tandojam. Four irrigated land (Inqulab, TD-1, Sarsabz and kherman) wheat varieties and four dry land (TK-3, Marvi, PK-85, Sassi) wheat varieties were collected from their respective areas and subjected to chemical analysis. The bio-chemical characteristics of dry land and wet land wheat varieties differed significantly. Chemical analysis indicate that moisture (13.06%), protein (14.83%), dry gluten (9.03%), wet gluten (35.66%), gluten index (73.8%), starch (75.83%) and zeleny (68.66%) contents were recorded higher in wet land wheat varieties than those of dry land wheat varieties with moisture (12.66%), protein (11.9%), dry gluten (8.2%), wet gluten (32.93%), gluten index (64.53%), starch (68.66%) and zeleny (58.33%). This study reveals that availability of water and environmental factors are directly related with the nutritional characteristics of wheat varieties. This study clarify that wet land wheat varieties are better in the context of nutritional qualities.