Shruti Sethi

SIGNIFICANCE OF ISCHEMIA-MODIFIED ALBUMIN AS A SIMPLE MEASURE OF OXIDATIVE STRESS AND ITS DISCRIMINATORY ABILITY IN DIABETIC RETINOPATHY: Literature Review and Meta-Analysis.

Purpose: Oxidative stress (OXS) plays critical role in the development of diabetic retinopathy (DRP). Increased concentrations of serum ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) have been demonstrated as a novel and inexpensive measure of oxidative stress. Although few pilot studies have reported increased IMA in DRP, the available literature is limited to comprehensively describe the potential significance of IMA in predicting DRP. Methods: The authors performed a meta-analysis to investigate IMA in DRP compared with control and diabetes mellitus subjects. The authors also performed a meta-analysis of area under curve for IMA. PubMed (Medline), Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct, Springer Link, and Google Scholar databases were searched for relevant studies in serum IMA in DRP. The authors obtained five observational studies. Meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.3 and MEDCALC 15.8 software to present the pooled-overall effect size as standardized mean difference and overall area under curve value of IMA. Results: Random-effects meta-analysis indicated a significant increase in serum IMA in patients with DRP compared with control (standardized mean difference = 2.48, P < 0.0001) and diabetes mellitus groups (standardized mean difference = 1.43, P < 0.0001). Our results also show that IMA can significantly predict the development of DRP (area under curve = 0.86, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Serum IMA may be useful as a simple marker in monitoring of oxidative stress status in DRP and showed significant discriminatory ability in DRP. Future comparative studies in large are needed to further investigate IMA in different types of DRP; proliferative and nonproliferative.

Effect of hot water treatment on the incidence of lenticel browning and quality of mango fruits

The present investigation was undertaken to evaluate the effect of hot water treatment on the incidence of lenticel browning (LB) in mango, which is becoming one of the main problems in handling and trade of fresh fruits. Fruits of four selected mango varieties (Indian – ‘Dashehari’, ‘Langra’; Exotic – ‘Sensation’, ‘Eldon’) which were found susceptible to LB, were subjected to hot water treatment (HWT) at different levels (45°, 50° and 55°C for 30 min.). After treatment, the fruits were stored at ambient conditions (35 ± 4oC and 65 ± 5% RH) for 10 days. At the end of storage period, observations were recorded on various parameters. Our results revealed that fruits of ‘Langra’ exhibited 100% LB, followed by ‘Dashehari’ (52.8%), ‘Sensation’ (35.9%) and ‘Eldon’ (28.3%). All levels of hot water treatment reduced the LB to a greater extent as well as improved fruit quality attributes significantly over untreated fruits. The best results were obtained with HWT at 50°C for 30 min. for reducing LB and fruit decay in different mango varieties and maintaining better quality over untreated fruits. Thus, it can be concluded that hot water treatment at 50°C for 30 min. could be recommended for reducing incidence of LB in mango.

Effect of edible coatings on eating and functional quality of Japanese plum cv. Santa Rosa

Plum (Prunus salicina L.) fruits of cv. Santa Rosa, were treated with SemperfreshTM (1:3), vegetable wax (1:5) and lac based (2:3) as an edible coating on the farm as well as after transportation to the laboratory (off-farm). Analytical determinations were made after 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15 days at 20 ± 2°C. All surface coatings, especially lac based wax were effective in inhibiting loss of moisture, ascorbic acid, total antioxidant activity and total phenols content. Lac based and SemperfreshTM displayed better efficacy in maintaining firmness followed by vegetable wax. At the end of storage period, lac based coated fruits showed higher fruit firmness (8.87 and 8.53 N) than control (6.50 and 6.30 N) in both on-farm and off-farm treatments, respectively followed by SemperfreshTM coated fruits (7.84 and 7.79 N). Maximum loss in titratable acidity (52%) was observed in control fruits whereas minimum loss was observed in on-farm treated lac based and SemperfreshTM coated fruits. The delay of the ripening process was also related to lower anthocyanin accumulation and least colour changes. After 15 days of storage, lac based coated fruits showed ∼13% lower anthocyanin content. The maximum total antioxidant activity and ascorbic acid content at end of storage were recorded in on-farm treated fruits with lac based coating (17.49 μmole Trolox/g and 3.92 mg/100 g, respectively), followed by SemperfreshTM and vegetable wax. Overall, results suggest that the surface treatments with lac based and SemperfreshTM coatings could effectively maintain the acceptability of plum fruits.

Cold Plasma Technology for Surface Disinfection of Fruits and Vegetables

Abstract Various methods of preservation have been developed and commercialized since ancient times for the preservation of fresh as well as processed foods. Though most of these methods could effectively control the spoilage/pathogenic microbes and enzymes, they have certain negative effects on the sensory as well as nutritional parameters of the treated foods. Thus, the perishable food industry was in great need of alternative, nonthermal technologies that could be used to meet the food safety measures with minimal or no impact over their nutritional and sensory quality. One such demand-driven nonthermal preservation technique is cold plasma technology, which uses cold ionized gases for surface disinfection of fresh fruits and vegetables. It was shown to effectively reduce the foodborne pathogens, viz., Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, and Shigella spp. Being flexible and antimicrobial in nature, cold plasma has a great potential for use with a wide variety of food materials. The exact clear mechanism of antimicrobial mode of action of cold plasma treatment systems was not established so far, hence there is a great need for research in that direction. Understanding the mode of action is a key step toward optimization of the technology for specific applications in the food processing industry.

UV Treatment of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

Abstract Over the past two decades, ultraviolet (UV) radiation has been exploited for use as a germicidal agent for surface decontamination, water, and air disinfection. Subsequent to the FDA approval of UV radiation for pathogen control in 2000, application of this nonthermal technology for diverse uses has taken a boost. Research on application of this technology on fresh horticultural produce has resulted in enhanced storage life and reduced incidence of microbial infection. This chapter discusses UV-generating procedures, mechanism of germicidal action, and the favorable response of fruits and vegetables to hormetic dose of UV radiation. A brief discussion on the changes occurring in the physical and nutritional quality of the fruits and vegetables as a result of this nonthermal preservation approach has also been presented.

Quality evaluation of modified atmosphere packed minimally processed garlic cloves

In this study, the quality of modified atmosphere packed minimally processed garlic cloves of two Indian varieties, viz., Yamuna Safed (G-1) and Yamuna Safed-4 (G-323) were evaluated during storage. To select the most appropriate modified atmosphere conditions, 3 concentrations each of oxygen (1, 2 and 3%) and carbon dioxide (5, 10 and 15%) were selected. The minimally processed garlic cloves were packed in these 9 combinations and stored at 10oC and 75–85% RH for 28 days. The technique of repeated measures was applied by using Proc mixed methodology to statistically measure the changes in various parameters during storage. Among the different gas compositions, samples stored with 1–2% O2 and 5% CO2 were found to be the most effective for retaining firmness, colour, total antioxidant capacity, total phenolic content and pyruvic acid of the samples and minimizing the physiological loss in weight and respiration rate throughout the storage period of 28 days irrespective of variety used.