Selsa Jose Chakkalakal

Toxicity profile of a nutraceutical formulation derived from green mussel Perna viridis.

The short-term (acute) and long-term (subchronic) toxicity profile, mean lethal dose 50 (LD50), and no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) of a nutraceutical formulation developed from green mussel Perna viridis, which showed in vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory properties, were evaluated in the present study. The formulation was administered to the male and female Wistar rats at graded doses (0.5, 1.0, and 2.5 g/kg body weight) for two weeks of acute toxicity study and 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 g/kg body weight for 90 days in subchronic toxicity study. The LD50, variations in clinical signs, changes in body weight, body weight, food/water consumption, organ weight (liver, kidney, spleen, and brain), hematology, serum chemistry, and histopathological changes were evaluated. The LD50 of the formulation was 5,000 mg/kg BW. No test article related mortalities as well as change in body weight, and food and water consumption were observed. No toxicity related significant changes were noted in renal/hepatic function, hematological indices, and serum biochemical parameters between the control and treated groups. Histopathological alterations were not observed in the vital organs of rats. The subchronic NOAEL for the formulation in rats is greater than 2000 mg/kg. This study demonstrated that the green mussel formulation is safe to consume without any adverse effects in the body.

Nutritional and Antioxidative Attributes of Green Mussel (Perna viridis L.) from the Southwestern Coast of India

ABSTRACT The present study reports the biochemical composition of Perna viridis from the southwestern coast of India. A balanced essential to nonessential amino acid ratio (0.7:1.1) along with the optimum and balanced quantities of vitamins, mineral nutrients, and low cholesterol contents characterized P. viridis. The n-3/n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid ratio of P. viridis was found to be 3.7:5.3 and therefore may serve as an alternative to balance the higher intake of n-6 fatty acids. High oxyradical scavenging capacity (24–32%) and total phenolics (2–5 mg GAE−1) suggest the nutraceutical potential of P. viridis.

Nutritional Composition of Edible Oysters (Crassostrea madrasensis L.)from the Southwest Coast of India

ABSTRACT Nutritional composition of edible oysters (Crassostrea madrasensis) from the wild and cultured growth habitats from the southwest coast of India were evaluated over 4 years (2008–2011) during the premonsoon season. The important nutritional qualities of this species have been correlated with chlorophyll-a concentration, sea surface temperature, and phytoplankton density in their growth environments. The higher proportions of total polyunsaturated fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic, and docosahexaenoic acids in the edible oysters collected from the wild habitats were significantly correlated with chlorophyll-a concentration revealing the role of the phytoplanktons to contribute to the occurrence of these vital fatty acids. The ideal atherogenic index (AI); thrombogenicity index (TI); hypocholesterolemic/hypercholesterolemic ratio (HH); and balanced quantities of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and low cholesterol contents qualified C. madrasensis as a potential health food.

Seasonal and inter-annual lipid dynamics of spiny cheek grouper (Epinephelus diacanthus) in the southern coast of India

The muscle lipid, fatty acids and total cholesterol profiles of the spiny cheek grouper, Epinephelus diacanthus, collected from south-west (Arabian Sea) and south-east coasts (Bay of Bengal) of India were evaluated over four years (2008-2011) with regard to three seasons (pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon). Fatty acids were correlated with chlorophyll-a concentration and sea surface temperature. Lipid content, total polyunsaturated, eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic fatty acids of the samples from the south-west coast showed positive correlation with chlorophyll-a concentration during the monsoon (r(2) = 0.93, 0.97, 0.97 and 0.99, respectively). Higher hypocholesterolaemic/hypercholesterolaemic ratio (>1.0) and low atherogenic ( 19% during post-monsoon), important in the human diet for their platelet anti-aggregating and blood pressure-reducing properties, for groupers collected from the south-west coast, with higher n-3/n-6 fatty acid ratio (>5.1) proved this species from the coast of the Arabian Sea to be a desirable item in the human diet.

Inter Annual and Seasonal Dynamics in Lipidic Signatures of Sardinella longiceps

ABSTRACT Seasonal variations (premonsoon, monsoon, and postmonsoon) of the lipid, fatty acid, and total cholesterol profile in edible tissues of Sardinella longiceps collected from the southwest and southeast coasts of India over 4 yr (2008–2011) were studied. The correlation between the fatty acid composition with chlorophyll-a concentration, sea surface temperature, total phytoplankton density, diatom concentration, and fatty acid profiles of pooled stomach microalgal content were also evaluated. Significant correlation was observed between oil sardine and pooled stomach microalgal content polyunsaturated fatty acids along with chlorophyll-a concentration, especially during the monsoon at the southwest coast and monsoon and postmonsoon at the southeast coast of the Indian subcontinent. Similarly, the health indices such as atherogenic index, thrombogenicity index, total cholesterol, and hypocholesterolemic/hypercholesterolemic ratio of oil sardine were found to be ideal, which contributed toward its parameters to be qualified as an ideal health food.

Antioxidative Status of a Nutrient Enriched Formulation of Perna viridis in a Time Series Shelf-Life Study

ABSTRACT The freeze-dried concentrate of green mussel, Perna viridis, was added with naturally derived antioxidative oleoresins of rosemary and turmeric along with trace amounts of other natural additives to prepare different treatments and was subjected to accelerated shelf life study (50°C) to evaluate its oxidative stability. The total oxyradical scavenging activities of samples with higher concentrations of turmeric over rosemary demonstrated the prominent role of the turmeric extracts to arrest free radical chain reactions. Time dependent antioxidative status in relation to the nutritional compositions was evaluated to identify the oxidative changes for different treatments. The addition of natural additives with polyphenolic moieties in the treatments shielded the mussel’s unsaturated fatty acids against oxidation as evident by higher polyunsaturated fatty acids in the two treatments as compared to control after 90 days of accelerated shelf-life study. Higher n-3/n-6 ratios after 90 days’ storage were also observed in these treatments. A threshold level of combined turmeric (0.8 g/100 g) and rosemary (0.4 g/100 g) was sufficient for optimum antioxidant activity and to maintain nutritional composition of the green mussel extract at desired levels.

Interannual and Seasonal Dynamics in Lipidic Signatures ofTrichiurus lepturus

ABSTRACT Interannual and seasonal (premonsoon, monsoon, and postmonsoon) variability in the lipid, fatty acids, and total cholesterol content of ribbon fish, Trichiurus lepturus were determined for a period of 4 years (2008–2011) along the southwest (SW) and southeast (SE) coasts of India. The lipidic compositions were studied along with chlorophyll-a concentration and sea surface temperature (SST) data obtained from MODIS and Sea WiFS. The lipid content shows seasonal fluctuations with higher values in the postmonsoon season along the SE coast and during the monsoon in the SW coast. Among polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) dominated over eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) throughout the seasons except in winter on the SE coast. The health indices such as atherogenic/thrombogenicity indices, total cholesterol, and hypocholesterolemic/hypercholesterolemic ratio of ribbon fish were found to be ideal, which contributed toward its parameters to be qualified as a potential health food.