Shailesh Kumar Singh

Ginger as an Alternative Medicine to Urban Population - A Review

Urbanization with rapid changes in diet and lifestyle in various social classes, and possibly aging of the population seem to be responsible for many common diseases like cardiovascular diseases, respiratory problems, diabetes, cold, flu and cancer as well. In most of the urban diseases stress is a contributing factor and it can aggravate diseases caused due to polluted environment with lead fumes, chloroflouro carbons, CO2, hydrocarbons and other green house gases. Ginger is known for its powerful antioxidant, antiviral, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties from time immemorial. It has been used in traditional Chinese and Indian medicine (Ayurveda) for over 25 centuries as a digestive aid and antinausea remedy, treat bleeding disorders, respiratory conditions, block excessive clotting (i.e. heart disease), reduce cholesterol etc. Hence, it can be used as an alternative medicine with zero side effects to suppress such common urban diseases and reduces stress from busy life. This article furnishes the uses of ginger concerning health care in urban areas.

Role of Packaging on Shelf Life and Quality of Kinnow – A Review

Citrus fruits are grown commercially in tropics and subtropical regions of the world. A mandarin hybrid, Kinnow (King x Willow leaf), one among the citrus group, secures the leading position among the other citrus fruits that were grown in India. Under subtropical regions of Punjab, it occupies around 50% area of fruit growing regions. Due to its nature, kinnow considered as a precocious, prolific bearer with excellent fruit quality and better juice content. Kinnow fruits due to its attractive orange yellow colour rind attracts consumers and gains better market potential that helps to obtain assured income by growers. As of these characters, kinnow tends to acquire greater demand not only in Indian markets, but also in other countries viz., Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

Integrated Approach to Control of Fruit Drop and Improvement of Yield in Kinnow (Citrus nobilis X Citrus deliciosa)

A series of 20 new biologically active derivatives of 2-{4, 5-(substituted diphenyl)-4H-1,2,4-triazol-3-ylthio}acetyl chloride has been synthesized, with the aim to investigate antimicrobial, free radical scavenging activity. All the synthesized compounds were characterized by spectroscopic data and elemental analysis. The final compounds were tested for antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria: Staphylococcus aureus MTCC 3160, Bacillus subtilis MTCC 441; Gram-negative bacteria: Escherichia coli MTCC 443, and, for antifungal activity, against Candida albicans MTCC 227 and Aspergillus niger MTCC 281, taking ciprofloxacin as antibacterial and fluconazole as antifungal standard drugs. Compound 7a 6 was found to be the most effective antibacterial (MIC = 3.12 µg/ml), and compounds 7a 2 and 7d 1 (MIC = 3.12 and 6.25 µg/ml) had the most effective antifungal effects on the selected strains, as compared to the standard drugs. The results of antioxidant studies revealed that compound 7b 1 was found to be most active antioxidant, with 40.4±0.687 µg/ml, and compounds 7b 3 , 7d 7 , and 7d 4 also showed promising free radical scavenging activity, as compared with the standard drug ascorbic acid.

Quality regulation in banana through post-harvest treatment with ethylene and ethylene inhibitors

Banana (Musa spp.) is a climacteric and perishable horticultural produce so postharvest treatment with suitable chemicals like potassium permanganate and gibberellic acid is suitable for enhancing shelf-life, while ethylene treatment is done to bring uniform ripening. Post-harvest treatment of banana fingers with different concentrations of potassium permanganate, gibberellic acid and ethylene and analysis of shelf-life of treated fruits through titratable acidity, ascorbic acid and TSS content of fruit has been carried out during storage. The analysis revealed superiority of gibberellic acid and potassium permanganate as ethylene inhibitor and absorbent to improve storage life of banana fruits up to 18 days without loss of nutrient content below significant value.