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AGRICULTURE & FOOD:

e-newsletter

A MONTHLY ONL INE

MAGAZINE IN AGRICULTURE ,

FOOD SC IENCE AND ALL IED

SECT IONS

WWW.AGRIFOODMAGAZINE.CO.IN

ISSN : 2581-8317

VOLUME 1 : ISSUE 1JANUARY 2019

Volume 1 – Issue 1

www.agrifoodmagazine.co.in

AGRICULTURE & FOOD: e-Newsletter - An online magazine of Agriculture, Food Technology and Life Science

- Inauguration : 1st January 2019

- Release of 1st Issue - 1st January 2019

- Article Submission: www.agrifoodmagazine.co.in

Articles Published in 1st Issue – (18) 1. Vertical gardens - An urban perspective horticulture Page 1

2. Integrated pest management: a solution for doubling farmers' income Page 4

3. Nutraceutical potential of tree bean (Parkia roxburghii) Page 6

4. Grafting-an alternative tool for combating biotic and abiotic stresses in brinjal Page 8

5. Role of food processing to sustain life Page 10

6. 3D food printing - to meet demand of food designs Page 12

7. Farming as a profession: my perspective Page 18

8. Emerging shelf-life extension techniques for minimally processed fruits and

vegetables

3

9. Application of prebiotics as a functional food Page 28

10. Valorization of horticultural waste Page 32

11. Measures to attract youth towards horticulture education Page 37

12. Mushrooms: An ideal food source Page 40

13. Importance of professional ethics and value education in teaching Page 47

14. Organic farming - Need of the hour Page 51

15. Capsicum: It’s potency in therapeutic uses beyond the taste and colour Page 55

16. Examination system in India and e-governance pattern for university examination

system

Page 58

17. Production and health benefits of food peptides Page 65

18. Microgreens: arising trend in food and nutrition world Page 68


ISSN: 2581-8317

ISSN: 2581-8317

http://www.agrifoodmagazine.co.in AGRICULTURE & FOOD: e-Newsletter

Volume 1 – Issue 1 Article no. 11001

1

VERTICAL GARDENS - AN URBAN PERSPECTIVE HORTICULTURE Pradipta Dutta

1, Chandan Karak

1 and Arghya Mani

2

1- Dept. of Vegetable Science, BCKV, Mohanpur, Nadia, India

2- Department of Post harvest technology, BCKV, Mohanpur, Nadia, India

Corresponding Email: [email protected]

INTRODUCTION:

India is a nation with a severe problem of

population explosion. With increasing

population and urbanization, the area under

forest have decreased tremendously in the last

decades. Deforestation has several long term and

short term consequences. Our ecosystem is on

the verge of destruction mainly because of

disrupting anthropogenic activities. Phenomenon

such as global warming, climate change, melting

of ice caps, glacial breakdown is very common,

To compensate these losses due to deforestation,

it is needed to be ensured that atleast the O2:CO2

ratio is maintained.

In India, it could be expected that by the

end of 2050, more than 60 percent population

will live in urban area. Rapid urbanization along

with its population pressure on food, fiber and

fuel is a major concern to livelihood security as

well as environmental security.

Owing to the challenges, different

strategies, policies on urban and peri-urban

horticulture have been initiated and sprouted

throughout the world by vertical greening

system. Vertical Gardens are special kind of

urban gardens where suitable plants species are

accommodated in a vertical manner to small

spaces, particularly for decorating the walls and

roofs in various styles. The main concept of

vertical gardening is space management. The

approaches may include development and

maintenance of greenery within & around

someone’s house, around area & township. For

the domestic requirement of water in urban

horticulture & human needs, sufficient water

bodies must be created and properly maintained.

Conservation of soil and soil health beside

maintenance and augmentation of vegetation.

History of vertical garden - The Green walls

concept was proposed for the 1st time in

Babylon about 2500 -2600years ago by King

Nebuchadnezzar II. He was the one towho built

the Hanging Gardens of Babylon is the ancestor

of modern green. Between 3rd

BC and 17th AD

Romans trained grape on garden trellis and on

villa walls. (Timur, B. O. and Karaca, E., 2013)

Types of vertical greening system

Living walls: A typical living walls consist of

an integrated fabric system which are the pre

vegetated panels. These panels are composed of

plastic. Plastics include synthetic fabrics,

expanded polystyrene, metal, clay, and concrete.

The construction of living walls or vertical

garden is advocated to be done both in interior

and also in the exterior of buildings. Any kind of

area can be used at its maximum capacity by this

technology (Dumitras et al., 2010).

Green Walls: Green walls have potential to

absorb polluted air which is being released due

to anthropogenic activities. Green walls are

known to lower both indoor and outdoor

temperature, providing a quality indoor air as

well as a more beautiful space. They hold rain

water and slow it down. This system also

provides food and shelter to wildlife. Green

skins (living architectures) are therefore a new

approach for a sustainable and dynamic urban

biophilia. Vertical garden or living wall can also

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AGRICULTURE & FOOD: e-Newsletter

be built using the ecological design principles of

built wetlands (Revell, G. and Anda, M., 2014).

Green facades: Green facades allow additional

surfaces with vegetation and contribute to the

enhancement of the thermal performance of any

buildings or multistoried constructions. In this

particular system, a simple array of climbing

plants at the base of the façade occur (Perini, K.

and Ottele, M., 2014). Three green facade

systems are used for vertical garden; these are

modular grid system, trellis panel and wire/rope

net system.

Vegetated mat walls– This technique innovated

by Patrick Blanc. These walls are prepared by

using a dual layer of synthetic fabric. The fabric

walls are well reinforced by a frame and

supported by a waterproof membrane. The

building wall is needed to be moisture guarded

because of high moisture content of the

irrigation system of the wall.

Landscape walls –Landscape walls are usually

sloped in nature unlike vertical gardening. The

primary function of landscape walls are noise

reduction and slope stabilization. They usually

are constructed from some form of stacking

material. These staking materials are made of

plastic or concrete with room for growing media

and plants (Green Roof Organization 2008).

Plants suitable for vertical gardens (Vegetable plants) Climbing plants - Cucumber, squash, tomato, green beans, peas and lima Beans.

Non climbing plants - Peppers, Lettuce, Radishes, Onions, Potato, Parsley, Eggplant.

Outdoor plants (Flower plants): Syngoniums, Philodendron, Peperomia, Epipremnum,

Begonia, Anthuriums, Nephrolepis, Chlorophytum, Lantana, Pilea, Rheodiscolor, Cuphea,

Fittonia, Schefflera, Spathiphylum,

Indoor Green walls: Syngoniums, Peperomia, Spathiphylum, Epipremnum, Philodendron,

Begonia, Anthuriums, , Pilea, Rheodiscolor, Fittonia, Chlorophytum, Schefflera, Ficus spp.

Exterior Green walls: Asparagus spp., Alternenthera, Mentha spp, Pilea microphylla, Sedums,

Jade plant, Dusty miller, Portulaca, Cuphea, Baby’s tear, Ophiophogon, Callisarepens, Dianella

tasmanica.

3. Benefits of vertical gardening

A. Add aesthetic, beautification and visual

value–

According to Perpeet, M. (1994), the visual and

other sensory elements influence perception of

landscape. The ecological factors should be

considered in dealing with different types of

landscaping situations. Yazgan, M.E. and

Khabbaz, P. A., 2013 reported that, vertical

gardening is established with recreational,

aesthetic and ecological goal.

B. Decrease noise pollution –Plants grown in

vertical gardens are very useful to absorb extra

noise which are produce in different urban cities.

Vertical garden improves energy saving,

reduction of pollution, noise and CO2 release and

oxygenation (Urrestarazu, M. and Bures, S.

2009).

C. Reduce CO2 levels and increases oxygen

and improved air quality through

photosynthesis- Air quality in urban cities cause

bad effects of people’s health and performance

directly. But green wall increases the

biodiversity and ecological value, mitigation of

urban heat island effect, outdoor and indoor

comfort, insulating properties, improvement of

air quality and of the social and psychological

well - being of city dwellers (Zia, A., Zia, K. and

Larki, A N, 2013).

D. Prevent from harmful pollutant–Xiong T.

et. al., 2014, proposed that, plants in garden not


3

only add oxygen and remove carbon dioxide,

when plants are kept in airborne particles, they

can accumulate metals in their edible portions

through root or foliar transfer. Lettuce, radish,

and parsley were used to recycle atmospheric

pollutants like Pb and Cd.

Holds rain water, providing extra income -

Green spaces reduce rainwater runoff providing

more percolation into aquifers and also reducing

potential flooding in cities. Moustier, P. 1994

studied that, Vertical and market gardening is an

important and traditional form of income,

requiring little capital but lots of labour.

Improved Energy Efficiency: Vertical

gardening enhance the sustainability of the

urban environment by providing energy

efficiency and insulation to buildings and

increasing biodiversity (Bures, S. 2013).

REFERENCES

[1]. Bures, S. 2013. A view beyond traditional growing media uses. Acta-Horticulturae. (1013): 109-116

[2]. Dumitras, A.; Damian, A.; Mazare, G.; Singureanu, V.; Oroian, I.; Zaharia, D. and Pop, P., 2010. Living

walls as transitional element in urban growth. Acta-Horticulturae. (881): 729-732

[3]. Green Roof Organization, 2008. Introduction to Green Walls Technology,Benefits& Design.

[4]. Moustier, P. 1994. The economy of agronomic research and development. The situation of fresh vegetables

in Africa. Fruits-Paris.49(4): 315-322

[5]. Perini, K.; Ottele, M.; Haas, E. M. and Raiteri, R. 2011. Greening the building envelope, facade greening

and living wall systems. Open Journal of Ecology. 1(1): 1-8

[6]. Perpeet, M. 1994. Landscape experience as a problem of landscape planning and design.

ZeitschrifturKulturtechnik und Landentwicklung. 35(3): 189-199

[7]. Revell, G. and Anda, M., 2014. Sustainable urban biophilia: the case of Greenskins for urban density.

Sustainability. 6(8): 5423-5438

[8]. Timur, B. O. and Karaca, E. (2013). Advances in Landscape Architecture, (10.5772/51738): 587 – 616.

[9]. Urrestarazu M and Bures S. 2009. Application of soilless culture in architecture. HorticulturaInternacional.

16(70): 10-15

[10]. XiongTianTian, Leveque, T, Muhammad Shahid, Foucault, Y, Mombo, S and Dumat, C. 2014.

Lead and cadmium phytoavailability and human bioaccessibility for vegetables exposed to soil or

atmospheric pollution by process ultrafine particles. Journal of Environmental Quality.43(5): 1593-1600

[11]. Yazgan, M.E.andKhabbaz, P. A. 2013. Green cities. Journal of Tekirdag Agricultural Faculty.

10(1): 99-104

[12]. Zia, A, Zia, K. and Larki, A. N. 2013. A comparative study on green wall systems. Middle-East-

Journal of Scientific Research. 16(5): 706-720









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4

Integrated Pest Management: a solution for doubling farmers' income 1Arghya Mani and

2Sujayasree O.J

1 - Ph.D. Research Scholar, Department of Post Harvest Technology, BCKV, Mohanpur, Nadia,

India

2 - Ph.D. Research Scholar, Division of Postharvest Technology, ICAR-Indian Agricultural

Research Institute, New Delhi

Integrated Pest Management is an

environmentally sustainable, economically

feasible and socially acceptable multidimensional

approach of pest management by using biological,

cultural, mechanical, physical and chemical

methods. Integrated pest management does not

suggest a 100% organic practice but suggest

adopting a smart approach towards pest

management. Principles of IPM renders the use of

agro chemicals to manage the pest population

when it is needed the most and all other methods

of pest management have not shown sufficient

efficacy. Integrated Pest management does not

solely suggest the application of pest management

techniques but actually suggests the proper

assessment of the environmental conditions and

details study of agroecosystem analysis. This

analysis of the crop ecology along with the

prevailing soil conditions, climate and crop

density ensures a perfect understanding of the

probability of pest infestation and the host

susceptibility. Application of a particular

management practice is supposed to be of higher

efficacy if it is applied at the perfect stage when

the vector is highly susceptible. Hence IPM,

collaborates all the important measures that can

ensure a better management of a particular crop

pest and help in reduction of crop loss due to pest

infestation. Following are the main highlights

which may be considered as the main factors

responsible for doubling of farmers’ Income:

[1]. IPM ensures a better management

of crop pest than a single management

technique

In conventional method of pest management,

usually a single method of pest management is

adopted. Whereas, IPM involves the integration of

different pest management techniques that can

effectively manage the pest in a better possible

way as compared to that of the conventional

methods. In managing a particular pest which may

be sporadic in nature is hard to be managed by a

single possible way. In this regard, the pest is

better managed when a multidimensional approach

is adopted. If one way of pest management fails,

the 2nd

option could be very much effective.

[2]. Use of chemical mode of

management is considered to be the last option

Integrated Pest Management is never

considered to be a 100% organic practice. Unlike

biological control or any other method of pest

management, IPM is never advocated as a 100%

organic practice but the use of agro chemicals is

limited. In IPM principles, chemical mode of

management of any insect, pest or weed is

considered to be the penultimate option.

Chemicals are used only when all other mode of

pest management has failed.

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5

In today’s date, agro-chemical

companies are extracting a huge profit by selling

their agro chemicals. These agro chemicals would

be very effective in managing the pest population

initially. In the first application only, the pest

population would significantly decrease but there

would be a huge resurgence of pest population

after that. In the 2nd

attempt, that particular dose

would not be enough to control that amount of

pest. Hence, according to the natural instinct a

farmer usually goes for a higher than optimum

dose. The use of a higher dose of agrochemical has

the following impacts:

a) The particular pest becomes resistant to

a particular formulation of chemical.

b) Cost of agro-chemical keeps on

increasing with increasing dosage / unit land.

c) The pest shows insurgence in

population and damages a higher percentage of

crops.

[3]. Management practices are not

undertaken until pest population crosses ETL

ETL (Economic Threshold Level) is defined as

the pest density at which control measures should

be applied to prevent an increasing pest population

from reaching EIL (Economic Injury Level). Pests

are also a part of the ecosystem and their total

eradication is biased morally and can disrupt the

entire ecosystem. But pest population is needed to

be managed if it is rendering too much loss to the

host crop. To ensure that the pest does not do a

measurable considerable loss to the host crop, it is

advocated to start the management of pest a stage

prior to that injury level. That level is ETL. The

duration between ETL and EIL is the duration in

which the effect of management is visible. As this

system ensures a concept of tolerance, hence it

saves a considerable cost of management.

[4]. Use of cheaper management inputs

before adopting chemical means

As chemical mode of management is the last

option, hence a considerably cheaper source of

management practice like that of biological pest

control, cultural methods, physical methods,

mechanical methods and host resistance can be

employed to ensure a reduced pest population.

This means a low cost of management and higher

income.

[5]. Environmentally safe

As IPM advocates a need based application of

chemicals, so it is comparatively a safe option of

environment. The soil health is maintained and the

pest does not become tolerant to the applied

chemical. This in turn improves the yield in

coming years.

[6]. Conserves and harbor growth of

natural enemies

As IPM does not promote indiscriminate

application of deadly pesticides, so this does not

kill the beneficial microbes and insects that

predates on deadly crop pests. As natural enemies

are not affected, hence they naturally controls the

pest population. This reduces the necessity for pest

management.

[7]. Utilizes natural resistance of host

IPM involves use of resistant variety. This is

one time investment for the farmers. The farmers

only need to buy resistant seed for a disease

prevailing in a particular area. This saves a huge

cost of management as well.

CONCLUSION: As we all know that total

income is equal to total expenditure subtracted

from selling price. Total expenditure includes

expenditure from purchasing of seeds to crop

management, pest management and harvesting. By

adopting integrated pest management, cost for

managing pest is reduced that is why the total

income is also increased.

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6

Nutraceutical potential of Tree bean (Parkia roxburghii) Subhrajyoti Chatterjee

1, Debmala Mukherjee

1, Arghya Mani

2 and Partha Choudhuri

1

1Department of Vegetable Science, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur,

Nadia- 741252, West Bengal 2Department of Post Harvest Technology of Horticultural Crops, Bidhan Chandra Krishi

Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur, Nadia- 741252, West Bengal

Numerous legume species exists in nature.

However, less than twenty species are

extensively used as food sources and many

more retain to be exploited. Among the

numerous less familiar foods used by the

local communities in north-eastern India is

tree legume, commonly known as Tree

bean (Parkia roxburghii) or ‘Youngchak’

and various vernacular names by the local

communities in the region. Of the several

plant grown, Parkia roxburghii G. Don

(Syn: Parkia timoriana (DC.) Merr.;

Parkia javanica, (Lam.) Merr.; Inga

timoriana DC.) is considered

nutritious. Various parts of the plant right

from the inflorescence and tender pods to

the matured seed are edible. The flowers

are taken in the form of salads whereas

pods are used in the preparation of salads,

curries, chutnies or in frying items. The

pods and seeds of the plant are considered

a much valued vegetable in Manipur, some

North-Eastern States and other South-East

Asian countries [1].

The proximate composition and

mineral content of Parkia roxburghii

kernels and that of the pods at different

stages of maturity are given in Table 1.

Protein content of the pod ranged from

12.1% in tender to 18.8% in mature pods.

Like any other grain legumes, protein

content of the kernels (28.8%) was much

higher than the pods. Though, protein

content of Parkia roxburghii kernel was

lower than soybean (43%) it was higher

than most other grain legume such as

Bengal gram (23%), cowpea (24%), green

gram (24%) and red gram (22%). Though

the fat content of Parkia roxburghii kernel

was lower than oilseed such as groundnut

(42%) it was higher than other grain

legumes such as Psophocarpus

tetragonolobus (18%) [2] or soybean

(20%). Maturity of the pods led to an

increase in protein and fat content

accompanied by a decrease in the ash as

well as carbohydrate content. Compared to

the other grain legumes [3] Parkia

roxburghii kernel, as well as the pod

samples showed good mineral contents. It

contains Ca (97.47), K (2400), Cu (2.3)

and Zn (2.77 mg/100 gm) at par with other

legumes (Table 1). As regard Fe and Mn,

P. roxburghii was found to be a good

source. Its protein fractionation revealed

that globulin and albumin are the major

fractions. Globulin to albumin ratio was

very less (1.6) thereby indicating higher

amounts of albumins (8.14%) to compare

with the globulins (13.05%). Higher

amounts of albumins indicate more protein

digestibility and higher content of sulphur

containing amino acids which means more

nutritive values as these are the limiting

amino acids in legumes [1].

Tree bean is considered as a

multipurpose tree species having a variety

of uses beside human food like it has

insecticidal, antibacterial, alleopathic

properties. It is also used as firewood and

paper pulp are also prepared from it [1].

Being a legume it also helps to enrich the

soil through nitrogen fixation. There are

also reports of using P. roxburghii extract

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7

for various medicinal purposes by the

tribal communities’ of the region. The

seeds as well as the tender pods are known

to cure stomach disorders and regulate

liver functions. The fruits are used in

bleeding piles. Pods pounded in water are

used in washing the head and the face.

Bark and leaves are used in making lotions

for skin disease and ulcers, decoction of

the leaves to the rheumatic affected parts is

beneficial. There are also reports on the

presence of secondary plant products in

tree bean like saponin, flavonoids and

tannins etc which are known to exhibit

antioxidant and anticancer properties The

presence of anthocyanin, leucoanthocyanin

suggest for its nutraceutical features [1].

Table 1: Proximate composition and inorganic constituents of Parkia roxburghii at

different stages of maturity.

The tree bean also find wide adaptability in different soils and in varies climatic conditions in

addition to its nutritious pods and prolong availability for use. Cultivation of this plant will

not compete for the available land with other legumes and if properly exploited may be a

supplementary source of vegetable proteins and exploration of their antioxidant potential

would provide new paradigms of this wonder crop through scientific researches and studies

on the functions attributes of tree bean.

References:

1) Dubey RK, Pandey S, Devi J, Singh V, Singh PM, Gautam K and Singh B.

Nutritional and antioxidant potential of underutilized vegetables. Souvenir on

‘National Conference on food and nutritional security through vegetable crops in

relation to climate change’ (December 9 to 11, 2017), at IIVR, Varanasi. pp. 150-151.

2) Udayasekhara RP and Belavady B. Chemical composition and biological evaluation

of Goa Beans (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus) and their tubers. Journal of Plant Foods

3, 169-174.

3) Gopalan C, Ramasastri BV and Balasubramanian SC. Nutritive value of Indian foods.

Revised and updated by Narasinga Rao BS, Deosthale YG and Pant KC. 1989.

National Institute of Nutrition, ICMR, Hyderabad, India.

Tender pod Immature

pod

Mature

pod

Mature

kernel

Moisture(%)

Protein (%)

Fat (%)

Ash (%)

Carbohydrate and fibre (%)

Energy(kcal)

Phosphorous (mg/100g)

Magnesium (mg/100g)

Calcium (mg/100g)

Iron (mg/100g)

Manganese (mg/100g)

Zinc (mg/100g)

Copper (mg/100g)

Chromium (µg/100g)

8.4

12.1

1.0

7.4

71.1

342

320

520

176

88

2.8

3.1

0.6

74.0

7.1

15.6

7.8

6.9

62.6

383

315

505

181

8.4

2.1

3.4

0.5

73.0

6.7

18.8

15.5

6.1

52.9

426

298

480

172

9.1

2.4

3.3

0.6

71.0

10.0

28.8

33.5

5.7

22.0

505

270

420

180

13.3

2.9

5.6

0.7

79.0













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Volume 1 – issue 1 Article no. 11004

8

Grafting-An alternative tool for combating biotic and abiotic stresses in

Brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) Satish Kumar Subba

Department of Vegetable Science, Faculty of Horticulture,

Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanur, Nadia, West Bengal, Pin: 741252

Brinjal or eggplant (Solanum melongena L.)

is one of the important, popular and

principle vegetables in tropical countries as

well as among people of all social strata and

is commonly recognized as the vegetable of

masses. It has been ranked amongst top-ten

vegetables due to its great potential in terms

of different medicinal uses, high nutritional

value and presence of different

phytochemicals and antioxidant such as fruit

phenols, glycoalkaloid and flavonoid etc.

The production of brinjal in India came

down from 13557.8’000 MT (NHB 2013-

14) to 12323,000 MT (NHB third estimated

data 2016-17), the possible reasons behind

this reduction maybe due to more impact of

biotic and abiotic stress. The yield of brinjal

is very low due to numerous pests and

diseases in particular to verticillium wilt,

bacterial wilt, brinjal fruit and shoot borer

and nematodes. It is reported that

Leucinoides orbonalis and Psedomonas

solancearum causes up to 100 percent and

70-80 percent crop loss, respectively. In the

eastern part of India, particularly in West

Bengal, Bacterial wilt (Pseudomonas

solanacearum) has become a major problem

for cultivation of brinjal.

Vegetable grafting has been safely

adapted for the production of organic as well

as environmentally friendly produce and

minimizes uptake of undesirable

agrochemical residues. In addition to widely

recognized advantages of disease tolerance

and high crop yields, grafting technology is

also highly effective in ameliorating crop

losses caused by adverse environmental

conditions such as low soil temperature and

high salinity, especially under protected

cultivations where successive cropping or

continuous farming is routinely practiced.

Bogoescu et al., (2014) reported that

grafting process led to significant reduction

in the incidence of attack produced by

soilborne disease (Fusarium oxysporum f.

sp. melongenae, Verticillium dahlia) and

nematodes (Meloidogine incognita).

Many researchers found interaction

between rootstock and scion which led to

vigorous root system and higher absorption

of water and minerals resulting in improving

fruit yield and quality (Lee, 1994; Oda,

1995; Besri, 2002; Leoni et al., 1990) from

lower plant population (Core, 2005; Yetisir

and Sari, 2003). Also grafting on suitable

rootstock improves the resistance to salt

stress (Romero et al., 1997), resistance to

low root temperature (Bulder et al., 1991)

and heat stress (Rivero et al., 2003),

synthesis of endogenous hormones and

production of aerial parts (Zijlstra et al.,

1994) and also involved in the utilization

and metabolism of macronutrients (Ruiz et

al., 1996; Ruiz and Romero, 1999). Grafted

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9

plants showed resistance for biotic stress and

consistent yield in many vegetable crops.

Grafting of cultivated brinjal varieties on

related wild species as rootstocks, which are

resistant to pests and diseases is one of the

handy methods. Grafting will be a profitable

alternative for the production of healthy,

toxic free brinjal to the consumers and is

well proven. Grafted materials with resistant

rootstocks in brinjal will go a big way to

combat these biotic stresses concomitant

with improved productivity.

Constant and continuous use of

fungicides and nematicides to control the

above menace pose ecological threats

warranting safe disease management

practices. Breeding for resistance to these

biotic stresses, a viable option has not

yielded so far in any varieties besides

resistance is not reported to be available in

any of the available varieties of brinjal.

Therefore selection of a genotype would

pave way with high yield and resistant

nature minimizes the yield loss on one hand

and increases the availability of the produce

to the market which is fairly free from

pesticide residue on the other hand to some

extent. But the yield loss may not be

reduced to a desirable level. Active research

has to be focused to develop efficient root

stocks and the quality of grafted transplants

in order to maximize yield and quality.
















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ROLE OF FOOD PROCESSING TO SUSTAIN LIFE

FASLUDEEN.N.S

Aligarh Muslim University,Aligarh

Agriculture has the potential to be an important

part of the solution through mitigation

(reducing and/or removing a significant amount

of global emissions). Hence, a sustainable food

system is climate-smart and simultaneously

increases agricultural productivity, enhances

climate resilience, and reduces GHGs for

agriculture and related land use change. A food

system's sustainability is influenced by natural

and human factors. These factors interact with

each other within a food system. For example,

the availability of water and land for food

production is influenced by human actions,

while human choices are influenced by

environmental conditions.

The political, economic, religious

structure was based solely on food production

and distribution. The development of irrigation

and food surplus storage lead to political

centralization. Food became a medium of

payment and taxation. Feasts became a means

to demonstrate status and garner influence.

Throughout the ancient history before the

invention of money, food was wealth and

control of food was power.

Food is the most essential requirement

for sustenance of human life. Even if a human

being does not have shelter over their head or

clothes over their body, they would still survive

if they get wholesome nutrition. That is why

all-over human history, we have been

motivated to search and seek food. Throughout

history food has acted as a catalyst for societal

transformation, societal organization,

competition, development, conflict and

expansion.

From the earliest cavemen who

survived on hunting to the more advanced

civilizations which used agriculture, food

transformed human life by giving it structure. It

paved way to the path of the modern

civilization we know. We moved from caves to

fertile lands near water. While adopting staple

crops humans increased their chances of

survival several fold. These genetic engineers

laid down the tools which would shape the

emergence of civilization as we know it. It

resulted in families and social structure which

emerged into the complex societies.

Food is important for life. To be healthy

and active, we should certainly have enough

food. But the foods we eat should also be safe

and rich in all the nutrients our body needs. We

should choose from a wide variety of foods and

we should eat them regularly, throughout the

day, every day of the year. Do not forget that

we should also enjoy the food that we eat; it

should look, smell and taste good. Without

good nutrition, children and young people

cannot develop their potential to the full, and

adults will have difficulty in doing their best.

The human body is just like a machine. Like an

engine burning up fuel, in order to generate the

required energy, the human body uses the

consumed food in order to generate the driving

forces to keep the heart beating, the lungs

breathing and the limbs functioning. Good food

is a basic need of human body. It is of prime

importance in the attainment of normal growth

and development. The role of nutrition food

cannot be neglected in the promotion of health

and prevention of disease. Thus it sustains life.

Food Processing sector comprise of

fruits and vegetables, dairy, edible oils, meat

and poultry, non-alcoholic beverages, grain-

based products, marine products, sugar and

sugar-based products, alcoholic beverages,

pulses, aerated beverages, malted beverages,

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11

spices, and salt. Out of these segments, dairy

(16%), grain-based Products (34%), bakery-

based products (20%), and fish and meat

products (14%) contribute to a major portion of

industry revenues, apart from the manufacture

of beverages. Technological innovations in

food preservation were dependent on advances

in the sciences, especially chemistry and 97

microbiology. How these sciences and

technologies are applied within each society

depends on the economic, biological, cultural,

and political contexts for each society. For

example, vegetarian groups require certain

technologies, but not others; rice-eating

societies may reject, sometimes strongly, foods

based on other grains; and slaughtering

procedures vary with religious backgrounds.

Advances in agriculture and food

science and technology have led to reduction in

nutrient deficiency-related diseases; a generally

safe food supply with consistent high quality

available independent of seasons; food choices

that do not require preparation time; a wide

range of delicious foods; reduced food waste;

lower household food costs than ever before;

convenience foods requiring much less

preparation time than before, a benefit for

working families; and efficient global food

distribution that can be exploited in times of

natural and man-made disasters.

Thermal processing generally involves

heating of food for a predetermined time at a

pre-selected temperature to eliminate the

pathogenic microorganisms that endanger the

public health as well as those microorganisms

and enzymes that deteriorate the food during

storage. But due to very high temperature, the

nutritional factors of food such as vitamins,

minerals, proteins, fats etc which are highly

sensitive to high temperature, deteriorates

during processing which leads to reduction of

nutritional quality and generation of off

flavour, off colour and other sensory properties

of food products. Therefore, in order to

improve food quality and sensory properties,

novel non-thermal food processing

technologies are the need of food engineers,

food processors and product developers. The

need for enhanced food safety and quality,

without compromising the nutritional and

sensory characteristics of foods, has created an

increasing interest in low-temperature

innovative food processes. These emerging

technologies mainly rely on physical processes

that use ambient or moderately elevated

temperatures and short treatment times to

inactivate microorganisms.

Lack of employment and earning

opportunities, and the rapidly growing cities

and slums are the most threatening unsolved

problems of developing countries. Processing

of agricultural commodities could, under

certain conditions, counteract both rural exodus

and unemployment. However, transfer of

techniques from industrialized countries to

Third World countries hampers development

instead of being a tool for development.

Adapting processing methods to the

skills and knowledge of people in developing

countries, and adapting products to their

environment and their prevailing conditions, is

a prerequisite for rural industrialization and

thereby making life in rural areas possible and

attractive. Food processing is very important

for value addition. Vegetable and fruit growers

sometimes get a very low price because of

overproduction and glut in the market. Value

addition through processing can help to boost

the price of these products and help the

growers to get a high price. The new

technologies of food processing are expected to

give a better result than the traditional methods.














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3D Food Printing: To Meet Demand of Food Designs 1Karthik Nayaka V.S ,

2Sujayasree O.J,

3Sachin A.J

Ph.D Scholars, Division of Postharvest Technology

ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi

INTRODUCTION The three-dimensional (3D)

printing is a form of additive manufacturing

technology where a three-dimensional object is

created by laying down successive layers of

material directly based on pre-designed file like

CAD, which are equipped with computers. This

3D printing has been widely applied in many

fields, such as machinery, biomedicine,

engineering and also recently in food industry

(Chia and Wu, 2015). This innovative

technology is bound by numerous advantages

such as, customized food designs, personalized

nutrition, simplifying supply chain, and

broadening of the available food material with

varied attractive colour, shape and size.

Various techniques for 3D food printing

basically includes extrusion, selective sintering,

binder jetting and inkjet printing (Liu et al.,

2017).

History The earliest 3D printing technologies

first became visible in the late 1980’s at which

time they were called Rapid Prototyping (RP)

technologies. This is because the processes

were originally conceived as a fast and more

cost-effective method for creating prototypes

for product development within industry. first

patent application for RP technology was filed

by a Dr. Kodama, in Japan, in May 1980.

Unfortunately for Dr. Kodama, the full patent

specification was subsequently not filed before

the one-year deadline after the application,

which is particularly disastrous considering that

he was a patent lawyer. when the first patent

was issued for stereolithography apparatus

(SLA) to Charles Hull in 1986.

Market Share of various domain in 3D printing

Application of 3D printing in different domain

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13

Architecture & Automobile

Industrial design

Jewellery

Aerospace

Dental & Medical

Engineering & Construction

Food Industry

3D Food Printing:

3D food printing is also referred as additive manufacturing(AM) and solid free form

fabrication(SFF). This technology is characterized by a layer by layer material deposition mode

based directly from a pre-designed file.

3D food printer was firstly, introduced in food sector by researchers from cornell university

using an extrusion based printer (fab@home). After this good number of 3D printer were brought

to market they are.,

Why to Print foods

Customized food designs

Personalized Digitalized

Nutrition Broadening food availability

Simplifying food supply chain

Multi-disciplinary workflow in 3D Food Printing

14

Techniques

• Extrusion Based Printing

• Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)

• Binder Jetting

• Inkjet Printing

Extrusion Based Printing

Melted material or paste like slurry is extruded out continuously from a moving nozzle, and

welds to the preceding layers on cooling. This type of 3D food printing applied in chocolate

printing and soft-materials printing, such as dough, mashed potatoes, cheese and meat paste. Wide

variety of soft-materials printed - complex and delicate shapes are inherently limited. Additional

structural objects to support the product geometry – finally remove.

Critical properties for EBP:

• Moisture content

• Rheological properties

• Specific crosslinking mechanisms

• Thermal properties

Selective laser sintering (SLS) Technology that applies a power laser to

selectively fuse powder particles together

layer by layer finally into a 3D structure. This

Scan cross-section on the surface of each

layer and selectively fuses the powder. After

scanning each cross-section, the powder bed

is dropped and a new layer of powder is

covered on top. This process is repeated until

the desired structure is finished. Unfused

powder recovered for next printing. Allows

for the production of free standing complex

3D structures with high resolution. Available

material is limited to powder material, such

as sugar, fat or starch granule (low melting

point).Material properties (particle size,

flowability, bulk density and wettability) and

processing factors (laser types, laser power,

laser spot diameter, etc.). Are both critical to

the printing precision and accuracy of

fabricated parts (Shirazi et al., 2015).

Screw Air pressure Syringe

15

Binder jetting Powdered materials were deposited

layer by layer and the binder was selectively

ejected upon each material layer at certain

regions based on the data file. Binder fuses

the current cross-sections to previous and

afterwards fused cross-sections.

The un-fused powdered support the fused

parts at all times during the fabrication

process, allowing for the production of

intricate and complex structures. Fabricate

complex and delicate 3D structures, and have

the potential to produce colorful 3D edible

objects by varying binder

composition.Structural material is only

limited to powder stuff. Powdered material

and binder are critical to the successful

fabrication. A free-flowing powder with

suitable spreading and packing properties is

preferred in binder jetting. Binder must have

suitable concentration, viscosity, surface

tension, ink density, and suitable properties to

prevent spreading from nozzles.Post

processing such as Baking and Drying is

most important.

Inkjet printing Inkjet printing are designed to

dispenses a stream of droplets from a thermal

or piezoelectric head to certain regions for

the filling or image decoration on food

surfaces.

In a continuous jet printer, ink is ejected

continuously through a piezoelectric crystal

vibrating at a constant frequency. To get a

desired flowability of the ink, it is charged by

the addition of some conductive agents. Ink is

ejected out from heads under pressure exerted

by a valve. Generally, the printing rates of

drop-on-demand systems are slower than that

of continuous jet systems. Resolution and

precision of produced images are higher.

Generally, inkjet printing handles low

viscosity materials that do not possess

enough mechanical strength to hold 3D

structure.

Printing precision and accuracy depend on,

Compatibility

Viscosity

Rheological

Temperature

Printing rate

Binder film - shellac, polyglycerol oleates

and polysorbates eg: chocolate. Viscosity and

rheological properties of edible ink is also

critical to the printing precision and accuracy

(Godoi, Prakash & bhandari, 2016).

16

Advantages in specified food areas

Military food

• Meals on demand in the battlefield

• Individual Soldier can make food

based on their nutrition and energy

requriments

• Storable in raw form/ semi processed

form

Space food

• Nutritional stability without any

change in quality

• Acceptable meals with good flavour

and sensory attributes

• Sterile package used to pack foods

and are safe to consume

Elderly food

• Old age people who have problem in

chewing and swallowing difficulties

can use these technologies for

production of soft attractive foods.

Confectionery market

• 3D food makers are focusing on

sweets, especially chocolates - such as

Hershey and chocedge

Constraints

• Cost of production is more which

further increase the burden on

consumers to purchase

• Lack of industry standards which lack

strict rules to guide and support

consumer

• Material compatibility: different

printers are required to print different

stages of food.

• Process productivity is very low and

they consume more of electric power

CHALLENGES Color, flavor and texture of food are

critical to the experience of people, it is

necessary to fabricate a 3D edible structure

with these desired attributes. At present

reduction of precision and resolution of

printed objects, thus placing 3D food printing

in an unfavorable circumstance. Improving

production efficiency can reduce production

costs. When is come to safety ensuring the

machines, processes and finished products

meet FDA safety standards are required.

Another potential way to improve printing

productivity is to use multi-nozzle printers to

fabricate multiple objects simultaneously.

Complexity of control system is technical

challenge, thus it is necessary to carry out

considerable studies to achieve both accurate

printing and high process productivity.

CONCLUSION

3D food printing has several great

advantages, such as customized food designs,

personalized nutrition, simplifying supply

chain, and broadening of the available food

material. 3D printing has been recently

investigated in food sector. However, few

studies have focused on how to achieve an

accurate and precise printing where, material

properties, process parameters, and post-

processing treatments are three main aspects

affecting the printing precision and accuracy,

which could produce a delicate and complex

edible structures if controlled. Presently

applied in food areas such as military, space,

elderly, sweets foods, and chewing gum.

Though the investigation of 3D food printing

has been expanding at the moment, there are

still a few challenges that need to be

addressed such as printing precision and

accuracy, printing speed and production of

food with multiple equality and nutritional

attributes. Wider application of 3D food

printing is expected once these challenges are

overcome.

17

REFERENCE: Chia, H. N. and Wu, B. M., 2015, Recent advances in 3D printing of biomaterials. Journal of Biological

Engineering, 9(4): 1-14.

Godoi, F. C., Prakash, S., and Bhandari, B. R., 2016, 3D printing technologies applied for food design:

Status and prospects. Journal of Food Engineering, 179: 44-54.

Lille M., Nurmela, A., Nordlund, E., Metsa-Kortelainen, S. and Sozer, N., 2017, Applicability of protein

and fiber-rich food materials in extrusion-based 3D printing. Journal of Food Engineering,220: 20-

27.

Liu, Z., Zhang, M., Bhandari, B. and Wang, Y., 2017, 3D printing: Printing precision and application in

food sector. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 69: 83-94.

Shirazi, S. F. S., Gharehkhani, S., Mehrali, M., Yarmand, H., Metselaar, H. S. C., Adib Kadri, N. and

Osman, N. A. A., 2015, A review on powder-based additive manufacturing for tissue engineering:

selective laser sintering and inkjet 3D printing. Science and Technology ofAdvanced Materials, 33:

401-502.

Yang, F., Zhang, M., Bhandari, B. and Liu, Y., 2018, Investigation on lemon juice gel as food material for

3D printing and optimization of printing parameters. Food Science and Technology, 87: 67-76.
















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Volume 1, Issue 1 Article no. 11007

18

FARMING AS A PROFESSION: MY PERSPECTIVE

SUJAYASREE.O.J


Agro-climatic situations in India are very

much congenial for the crop production and

crop diversification. With abundant rainfall,

many rivers, multifariousness in soil profile,

richness of biological diversity by virtue of its

tropical location, climate and physical features

which paves the way for adopting agriculture

or farming as a profession. Moreover,

agriculture has been a principal source of

obtaining diet of humans for thousands of

years. Agriculture was a crucial science that

gave rise to the earliest of settlements and

allowed humans to grow. Agriculture began

around the same time in different areas around

the world and with agriculture came the very

start of modern civilization. Indus valley

civilization is important to know and

understand the fact that farming begun quite

earlier and already carried out by the old

civilization for their sustenance. In the past,

agriculture has played and will continue to

play a dominant role in the growth of Indian

economy in the foreseeable future. The total

share of agriculture & allied sectors (includes

agriculture, livestock, forestry and fishery sub

sectors) in terms of percentage of GDP is 18

percent during 2013-14.

India’s record of progress in

agriculture over the past four decades has been

quite impressive. The agriculture sector has

been successful in keeping pace with rising

demand for food. The contribution of

increased land area under agricultural

production has declined over time and

increase in production in the past two decades

has been almost entirely due to increased

productivity. Increased productivity has

helped to feed the poor, enhanced farm

income and provided opportunities for both

direct and indirect employment. The success

of India’s agriculture is attributed to a series

of steps that led to availability of farm

technologies which brought about dramatic

increases in productivity in 70s and 80s often

described as the “Green Revolution era”. The

major sources of agricultural growth during

this period were the spread of modern crop

varieties, intensification of input use and

investments leading to expansion in the

irrigated area. These factors together with a

strong determination to achieve self-

sufficiency in food grains production have

ensured a high priority for agriculture sector in

the successive development plans of the

country.

As we all knows, population of our

nation is increasing rapidly year by year. It is

told that by 2050, India will become the nation

with the highest population. But the awareness

is that with the increase in population, land

availability is decreasing. So chances of

extensive cultivation in India are less. In order

to ease the impact of tremendous rise in

population, it is immediate requisite to think

of extensive cultivations, exploration of

nontraditional areas for cultivation,

penetration of horticulture to the

nontraditional areas. If you know the fact that

India has 66% of rainfed dependent

agriculture areas, there is a need to develop

more water use efficient technologies and crop

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19

selection for sustainable farming. Here the

scope of research and development works.

The demographic dividend has

decreased the dependency ratio leading to the

hypothesis that the bulge in working

population will lead to acceleration in growth.

But recent employment figures indicate that

the absorption of the Indian youth into the

labor force is not as high as one would expect.

Only few opportunities are utilized in public

and private sectors. So, the scope for shifting

to farming is an observed trend, sometimes

because of passion or sometimes because of

lack of any other alternatives.

According to me, professionalism can be

bred in farming in the areas of crop

production, improvement and post-harvest

managements. The crystal clear fundas of the

farming profession is employment generation,

income generation, environmental and

economic security, more crops per drop etc.

And i will be excited to be a part of such a

remarkable profession.

'Farming as my profession' can be

overlooked by the various interested aspects to

adopt like high value crop production to incur

income, livestock sector, fishing sector,

forestry and logging sector, apiculture,

contract farming, corporate farming, co-

operate farming, precision farming, crop

improvement as an income source, nursery

production, protected cultivation, post-harvest

processing, entrepreneurship in agriculture,

agri marketing and agri exports.

Earlier times farmers were following

primitive farming or subsistence farming

where farming was done on self-sufficient

basis and farmers used to grow food only for

themselves and their families and small

surpluses would either be exchanged by

barter. The resultant economy was thus static

with little chance for improvement. But later a

gradual change in trend of farming happened

with the desire of farmers to reap more

quantity to earn profit, acquire better lifestyle,

gather knowledge and secure their lives which

steered the way for converting farming as a

profession. When I am planning to be a

professional in farming, I could think of

various field in which I can invest capital to

reap the profit for my livelihood.

The changed trend in farming led to

commercial farming. It is just the opposite of

subsistence farming. In this case, most of the

produce can be sold in the market. In this

system, farmers use inputs like irrigation,

chemical fertilizers, insecticides, pesticides

and High Yielding Varieties of seeds etc.

Contract farming is an emerging

notion among farmers which is an institutional

arrangement in which both producers and the

processors/exporters enter into a contract to

supply and purchase, respectively, a specified

quantum of commodity, at a pre-determined

price and for a specified period of time. It is

mainly to bring about a market focus in terms

of crop selection by farmers and to generate a

steady source of income at individual farmer

level. Thus, act as a virtuous profession.

With the application of genetics,

biotechnology and engineering in agriculture,

there is a scope of converting crop

improvements and evolution of new varieties

of desirable traits having consumer preference

and marketability to gain better earnings. Even

nursery production and supply of planting

materials off seasonally with finest quality

like seedlings and cuttings, protected

cultivation of high value floriculture crops like

gerbera, anthurium, orchids & vegetable crops

like gherkin, capsicum, tomato intensively is

considered as the best dollar earning emerging

ventures. If I have enough knowledge in these

sectors, I can emerge as a good entrepreneur

in these sectors.

Agriculture which including all food-

crops, oilseeds, fiber, plantation crops, fruits

and vegetables is the accounting for nearly 70

per cent of the agriculture sector as a whole.

The rapid growth in this sub-sector through

exploitation of wastelands and fallows spread

of irrigation and adoption of production

20

enhancing technologies was critical in

transforming India from a country vulnerable

to food shortages to one with exportable

surplus. Thus, this farming profession

promotes foreign exchange leading to national

economic security.

Why should not I think about

poultry, fisheries and livestock act as a better

profession to sustain livelihood. Fishery is

source of livelihood for about 14 million

people and contributed to Rs 30,213 through

exports during 2013-14 India is the second

largest producer of fish in the world. Fishery

provides for cheap and nutritious food besides

being a foreign exchange earner. Most

importantly, it is the source of livelihood for a

large section of economically backward

population of the country, particularly in the

coastal state.

Animal Husbandry sector provides

large self-employment opportunities. This

sector plays a significant role in

supplementing family incomes and generating

gainful employment in the rural sector,

particularly among the landless labourers,

small and marginal farmers and women,

besides providing cheap nutritional food to

millions of people. So, it can be categorized

under one among the best earning venture to

farmers.

Integrated Farming is a whole farm

management system, which enables the

farmers to identify opportunities and threats

and act accordingly, and, at the same time,

consider consumer interests in their business.

Sustainable development in agriculture must

include environment friendly and cost-

effective practices. In IFS, the waste of one

enterprise becomes the input of another for

making better use of resources. So, I can have

a plan to utilize my whole farm to obtain

better earnings.

I am finding scope in self-employment

also. It refers persons who operate their own

farm or non- farm enterprises or were engaged

independently in a profession or trade on own-

account or with one or a few partners were

treated as self-employed in household

enterprises. Entrepreneurship can be

developed in the streams of cottage industries,

biodiesel production, vermicompost

preparation, hydroponics, processing and

value addition of fruits and vegetables in small

scales.

Agro-processing center model has

presented a tremendous opportunity for

ushering a silent revolution in rural areas

especially for poor rural women who are being

encouraged to start their own microenterprise.

The processing and value addition have the

potential to earn more than any other sector.

Let this opportunity be fully comprehended

and grabbed to form as a profession.

Agribusiness as a farming profession

involves productive utilization of resources.

There is growing demand for agricultural

inputs like feed and fodder, inorganic

fertilizers, bio-fertilizers. Biotechnology

applications in agriculture have vast scope in

production of seed, bio-control agents,

industrial harnessing of microbes for bakery

products. Export can be harnessed as a source

of economic growth. The vast coastal line and

internal water courses provides enormous

opportunity for production of marine and

inland fish and ornamental fish culture gaining

popularity with increase in aesthetic value

among the citizens of India. The forest

resources can be utilized for production of

byproducts of forestry. Beekeeping and apiary

can be taken up on large scale in India.

Mushroom production for domestic

consumption and export can be enhanced with

improvement in the state of art of their

production. Organic farming has highest

potential in India as the pesticide and

inorganic fertilizer application are less in India

compared to industrial nations of the world.

So I am seeing a fabulous future if I adopt

these farming techniques.

The farmers can be encouraged and

educated to switch over for organic farming.

21

There is wide scope for production and

promotion of bio-pesticides and bio-control

agents for protection of crops. Seeds, hybrid

and genetically modified crops, have the

highest potential in India in the future, since

the productivity of high yielding varieties

have reached a plateau. Micro-irrigation

systems and labor-saving farm equipment

have good potential for the years to come due

to declining groundwater level and drudgery

of labour for agricultural operations like land

preparation, transplanting, weeding and

harvesting. Exploiting these potentialities will

surely strengthen Indian farming.

Another area which I can think of is

peri-urban agriculture. It is recognized for its

potential role in increasing food security,

employment and income generation, poverty

alleviation, community resource development,

waste management and environmental

sustainability. The fast-changing dietary habits

and increasing income in urban and peri-urban

areas will exert still greater demand for fresh

fruits, vegetables, flowers, fish, milk and eggs.

So it acts as a new intervention and scope to

exploit the opportunity to adapt vegetable or

fruit farming.

Production of vegetables and flowers

under greenhouse conditions can be taken up

to harness the export market. Trained human

resources in agriculture and allied sciences

will take on agricultural extension system due

to dwindling resources of state finance and

downsizing the present government

agricultural extension staff as consulting

services. The enhanced agricultural production

throws open opportunities for employment in

marketing, transport, cold storage and

warehousing facilities, credit, insurance and

logistic support services.

Agricultural diversification towards

high-value crops can potentially increase farm

incomes, especially in a country like India

where demand for high-value food products

has been increasing more quickly than that for

staple crops. This attempt provokes farmers to

adopt farming as a profession.

High-yield crops are crops that are

specifically designed to produce more overall

yield. A method known as multiple cropping

was also implemented during the Green

Revolution and led to higher

productivity. Multiple cropping is when a field

is used to grow two or more crops throughout

the year, so that the field constantly has

something growing on it. These new farming

techniques and advances in agricultural

technology were utilized by farmers all over

the world, and when combined, intensified the

results of the “Green Revolution”.

Information technology application

in agriculture, precision farming is a feasible

approach for sustainable agriculture. Precision

farming makes use of remote sensing to

macro-control of GPS to locate precisely

ground position and of GIS to store ground

information. It precisely establishes various

operations, such as the best tillage, application

of fertilizer, sowing, irrigation, harvesting etc,

and turns traditional extensive production to

intensive production according to space

variable data. Precision farming not only may

utilize fully resources, reduce investment,

decrease pollution of the of the environment

and get the most of social and economic

efficiency, but also makes farm products, the

same as industry, become controllable, and be

produced in standards and batches. Thus, can

be an excellent technical profession.

Finally based on the analysis of

strength, weakness, opportunities and threats

in adopting any of the above-mentioned fields

I can select a suitable farming technique.

Many farmers including me need assistance to

adapt to the changes in the economy and to

develop their capacity as successful

entrepreneurs. This can be achieved by

various programs and strategies organized by

both private and public sector. It includes

National Food Security Mission, National

Horticulture Mission, RKVY programs,

22

National Mission on Food processing etc. To

accelerate agricultural development in the

country, protect plant breeders’ rights,

stimulate investment for research and

development both in public & private sector

for the development of new plant varieties.

Also facilitate the growth of seed industry in

the country which will ensure the availability

of high-quality seeds and planting material to

the farmers. So by utilizing all the provisions

of government support like funds, subsidies

and assistance I am interested to choose

farming as my profession.

After all, as a farm entrepreneur, I

can see my farm as a business. I am passionate

about my farm business and I am willing to

take calculated risks to make their farms

profitable and my business grow. I find this

profession as a key factor for the survival of

small-scale farming in an ever-changing and

increasingly complex global economy. But

beyond this, for being successful in this field I

should be technically competitive, innovative

and plan ahead so that I can steer my farm

business through the stages of enterprise

development from establishment and survival

to rapid growth and maturity. However, there

are many challenges has to be faced like social

barriers, economic barriers, regulations, access

to finance and information, and own

managerial capacity to cope with risks and

changes and to seize opportunities. This

profession can grow if efficiently managed

with commitment and determination.

Thus, farming as a profession is having

massive impact in socio-economic security,

food security, nutritional security and

sustainability of population of our nation.

Also, it has a mitigating effect of poverty and

unemployment by producing required amount

of food grains and providing employment

opportunities all over the nation. It will not

only improve incomes and welfare but will

also make investments in technology and

resource conservation more attractive.


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Emerging shelf-life extension techniques for minimally processed fruits and

vegetables Bhukya Jithender

1, Nickhil C

2, Sujayasree O.J

3


INTRODUCTION:

The human nutritional research has been

increased showing the importance of well-

balanced diet which is rich in fruits and

vegetables that promotes good health, also

may reduce the risk diseases, hence fresh

fruit and vegetable consumption demand is

increasing day to day around the world,

mainly recommendations made by

different international organizations, such

as the World Health Organization(WHO),

the Food and Agricultural Organization

(FAO), the US Department of Agriculture,

and the European Food and Safety

Authority, etc., because of their healthy

properties. The quality of fruits and

vegetables varies with different processing

techniques. During processing of fruits and

vegetables, various techniques are

employed to improve the quantity and

quality of the agricultural produce,

including blanching, dehydration, salting,

smoking, and concentration. Most of these

technologies hold adverse consequences on

the quality of food, e.g., blanching is

carried out with the major objective to

destroy or inactivate harmful enzymes

before freezing or drying; however, it

affects the colour, texture, flavour, and

nutritive value of fruits and vegetables.

Minimally Processed Fresh Fruit

and Vegetables (MPFVs) is the processing

technology, where the fruit and vegetable is

subjected to different processing steps (e.g.,

peeling, trimming, cutting, washing,

disinfection, rinsing, etc.) to obtain a fully

edible product while providing convenience

and functionality to consumers and

ensuring food safety. These commodities

contain exclusively natural ingredients, and

are bagged or pre-packed in polymeric

films which able to generate optimal

modified atmosphere packaging conditions,

and they are kept under chilling until

consumption. MPFVs have similar

characteristics of original fruit or vegetable,

and there is no requirement for further

processing before use. This processing

offers wide advantage to the consumers

because fruits and vegetable is maintained

with high quality and in addition to

convenience. However, compare to

conventional food processing methods, the

minimal processing of fruits and vegetables

are submitted to render with highly

perishable products, which requires chilled

storage to ensure a reasonable shelf life.

Sometimes, during the preparation of

MPFVs there is a chance for causing

damage to plant tissue in which the natural

protective layers are eliminated, that

promotes many physical and physiological

disorders that accelerate produce decay,

which reduces shelf life compared with the

intact fruits and vegetables, and provide an

easy entry for microbial pathogens and

chemical contaminants.

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24

WHY MINIMAL PROCESSING OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES IS REQUIRED?

KEY REQUIREMENT FOR THE MINIMAL PROCESSING OF FRUITS AND

VEGETABLES:

Good quality of raw material (correct cultivator variety, harvesting & storage

condition).

Strict hygiene & good manufacturing practices.

Good quality water.

Use of mild additives in washing water for disinfection or the prevention of browning.

Gentle spin-drying following washing.

Gentle cutting, slicing & shredding.

Gentle peeling.

Careful washing & cleaning before & after peeling.

Correct temperature & humidity during distribution & retailing.

Low temperature during processing.

Gentle packaging materials & packaging methods.

PROCESS FLOWCHART FOR MINIMAL PROCESSING OF FRUITS AND

VEGETABLES:

Harvest

Transport

Pre cooling and chilling storage

Manual selection and

Whole product washing


25

Cooling

Trimming operation

Disinfection washing

Rinsing

Dewatering and spin drying

Weight and optional mixing

Active and modified atmosphere packaging

Whole sale cold storage and control

Cold transport and distribution

Retail cold storage

Consumer

Minimally processed products of fruits and vegetables


26

Table 1: Emerging preservative techniques for the minimal processing of fruits and

vegetables:

Techniques Mechanisms Applications

Ozonation

Antimicrobial effect (inhibition of

vegetables aerobic or anaerobic

microorganisms): altered respiration

rates in fruits and vegetables.

Disinfection of fruits and vegetables

Onions, Beans, Cauliflower,

Peas, Potato, Cabbage, and

Guava etc.

Natural

Chemical

Sanitizers

Antimicrobial inhibition

All fruits and vegetables.

Edible Coatings Retention of colors, acids, sugars, and

flavor compounds.

Reducing the respiration rate and

moisture loss

Controlling browning of fresh-cut.

Dry, frozen and semi-moist

foods. Fruits and vegetable

such as Apple, Strawberry,

Sliced Mango, Carrot,

Tomato, citrus etc.

Modified

Atmosphere

Packaging and

active

packaging

Delays ripening, decreases ethylene

production and sensitivity, retards

textural softening, reduces chlorophyll

degradation, and alleviates physiological

disorders.

Maintain a product’s desired shelf-life

throughout.

Antimicrobial effect (inhibition of

aerobic or anaerobic microorganisms);

altered respiration rates in fruits and

vegetable.

Guava, orange, Tomato,

Mushroom, and

Cauliflower, Carrot etc.

Sous-vide

technology

Excessive temperatures are avoided,

allowing for high moisture retention and

juiciness. As the microbiological safety

of sous-vide cooking.

Especially finished meal.

High Pressure

processing

Avoid contamination of the product

after packaging preserve the nutritional

value and sensory properties of fresh

juices.

Killing microorganisms is a

combination of various reactions,

disintegration of non-covalent bonds,

and disruption of the permeability of the

cell membranes.

Jams, Jellies, Fruit dressings

and Sauces, Toppings,

yoghurt, and Grapefruit,

Avocado and Orange juice.

Irradiation reproduction of microbes and insect

gametes is prohibited,

maintaining postharvest quality

and enhancing antioxidant capacity in

fruits and vegetables

Fresh fruits and vegetables,

poultry , spices

Cold plasma Microbial inactivation

Surface disinfestations

Blue berry, Straw berry,

kiwifruit, Orange juice ,


27

Mandarins, Apple and Pears

etc.

Pulsed electric

field

Low initial counts of contaminating

bacteria in fresh-squeezed juice.

Reduced the microbial growth.

Cucumber, Carrots, Potato,

Pineapple and Mango etc.

UV light Microbial growth reduced and maintains

the quality during storage of fresh cut

products.

Grapefruit, Peach, Pear,

Pomegranate, Bell peppers,

Broccoli, Onion, Mushroom

and Spinach etc.

Ohmic heating Inactivation microbial load and

maintaining the quality characteristics of

minimally processed fresh fruits and

vegetable

Acerola, apple , apricot,

Pineapple,Pomegranate,

Beetroot ,Brocolli,

Cauliflower and Cabbage

Microwave

heating

Optimized heating regime reduces levels

of undesired microorganisms while

minimizing thermally induced quality

losses (e.g. impaired flavour)

Pea, Potato, Radish,

Tomato and Turnip etc.

Future prospects

Food commodities are subjected to minimal processing for capturing

the market owing to the widespread concept will be helpful in meeting the current

requirement of vital nutrients. The minimal-processing technology meets the well-

established, long-term trends in consumer demands for convenience, variety and fresh-like

quality. This technology will allow the food industry the possibility of producing high-

quality, high value added and ready-to-eat products to meet future consumer demands. The

most importantly, these technologies require investment into product and process know-how,

not only of the minimal-processing technology itself, but also of the integrated chain of food

distribution from agricultural production to the consumer.

References

[1]. Yousuf, B., Qadri, O. S., & Srivastava, A. K. (2018). Recent developments in shelf-

life extension of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables by application of different edible

coatings: A review. Lwt, 89, 198-209.

[2]. Pasha, I., Saeed, F., Sultan, M. T., Khan, M. R., & Rohi, M. (2014). Recent

developments in minimal processing: a tool to retain nutritional quality of

food. Critical reviews in food science and nutrition, 54(3), 340-351.

[3]. Artes, F., & Allende, A. (2014). Minimal processing of fresh fruit, vegetables, and

juices. In Emerging technologies for food processing (pp. 583-597). Academic Press.
















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Application of prebiotics as a functional food 1Rigzen Tsewang and

2Sujayasree O.J.

1Ph.D Scholar, Department of Post Harvest Technology, University of Horticultural Sciences,

Bagalkot 2Ph.D Scholar, Division of Post Harvest Technology, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research

Institute, New Delhi

Introduction:

Food is nothing but any nutritious

substance that people or animals eat or

drink or that plants absorb in order to

maintain life and growth. Different

organisms including plants, animals and

minute micro-organisms need food for their

sustenance and growth. But unlike animals,

humans need food not merely for satisfying

hunger but to lead a healthy and happy life.

The advancement of science and

technology has led us to know more about

food that we are consuming. We have

become much more aware and informed of

the nutritional quality and health aspects of

foods. During the past decade, consumer

perception and requirement in the field of

food production have changed

considerably. They believe that food

contributes directly to their health (Mollet

& Rowland, 2002). So, the concept of

functional foods came into existence. There

are many definitions from various authors

and institutes on functional foods. But

according to the National Institute of

Nutrition, India: “Foods or food

components that may have health benefits

that reduce the risk of specific diseases or

other health concerns”.

Prebiotics are short-chain

carbohydrates (SCCs) that are non-

digestible by digestive enzymes in humans

and that have been called resistant SCCs

(Quigley, Hudson, & Englyst, 1999).

Prebiotic is a non-active food constituent

that shifts to the colon and is then

selectively fermented. The benefit to the

host is mediated during selective

stimulation of the growth and/or activity of

one or a limited number of bacteria (Gibson

& Roberfroid, 1995). The definition of

prebiotics overlaps significantly with the

dietary fibre definition; with the exception

of its selectivity for several genus or kinds

of indigenous bacteria. Currently, only non-

digested carbohydrate (CHO) molecules, a

range of di-, oligo- and polysaccharides,

resistant starches and sugar polyols have

been claimed to have prebiotic properties.

The functional foods include:

i. Usual foods with naturally occurring bioactive substances (e.g., dietary fibre)

ii. Foods supplemented with bioactive substances (e.g., probiotics, antioxidants), and

iii. Food ingredients derived and introduced to conventional foods (e.g., prebiotics).

Health benefits of functional foods:

i. A decrease of cancer risk and improvement of heart health

ii. Enhancement of the immune system

iii. Reducing menopause symptoms

iv. Enhancement of gastrointestinal health

v. Preservation of urinary tract health

vi. Anti-inflammatory influences

vii. Diminution of blood pressure

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29

viii. Antibacterial and antiviral activities and

ix. A decline of osteoporosis and anti obese influences

It should also be mentioned that functional foods are not medicines such as pills or capsules

but are consumed as part of a normal daily diet (Grajek, Olejnik, & Sip, 2005).

Prebiotics are sometimes referred to as non-digestible oligosaccharides (NDOs) which

are soluble in 80% ethanol. They pass by the small intestine to the lower gut and become

accessible for probiotic bacteria without being utilised by other intestinal bacteria. Lactulose,

galactooligosaccharides, fructooligosaccharides, inulin and its hydrolysates,

maltooligosaccharides, and resistant starch are prebiotics normally used in the human diet.

The essential end components of carbohydrate metabolism are short-chain fatty acids,

particularly acetic acid, propionic acid and butyric acid, which are used by the host organism

as an energy source. They can also be found in different sources such as chicory, onion,

garlic, asparagus, artichoke, leek, bananas, tomatoes and many other plants.

Types and sources of probiotics:

There are different types of prebiotics (Table 1) from different food sources:

Table 1: Types and sources of prebiotics (Al-Sheraji, 2013)

Type of prebiotic Sources of prebiotic

Fructooligosaccharides Asparagus, sugar beet, garlic, chicory, onion, Jerusalem

artichoke, wheat, honey, banana, barley, tomato and rye

Isomaltulose Honey, sugarcane juice

Xylooligosaccharides Bamboo shoots, fruits, vegetables, milk, honey and

wheat bran

Galactooligosaccharides Human’s milk and cow’s milk

Cyclodextrins Water-soluble glucans

Raffinose oligosaccharides Seeds of legumes, lentils, peas, beans, chickpeas,

mallow composite, and mustard

Soybean oligosaccharide Soybean Soybean

Lactulose Lactose (Milk)

Lactosucrose Lactose

Isomaltulose Sucrose

Palatinose Sucrose

Maltooligosaccharides Starch

Isomaltooligosaccharides Starch

Arabinoxylooligosaccharides Wheat Bran

Enzyme-resistant dextrin Potato starch

Criteria of classification:

The criteria to classify prebiotics can be considered if they achieve the following criteria:

(A) Resistance to gastric acidity and mammalian enzymes

(B) Susceptibility to fermentation by gut bacteria and

(C) The function of its ability to enhance the activity and/or viability of beneficial

microorganisms (Fig. 1) (Rastall & Gibson, 2006).

Galactooligosaccharides (GOS), fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and inulin are the prebiotics

most commonly known. GOS are non-digestible and are derived from lactose that occurs

30

naturally in mammalian milk and consist of chains of galactose monomers. Inulin and inulin-

type fructans are known as soluble dietary fibres (Roberfroid, 2005).

Food applications of prebiotics:

Prebiotics are found in vegetables and fruits and can be industrially processed from

renewable materials. They can significantly improve organoleptic characteristics, of food

formulations by upgrading both taste and mouthfeel. To consider prebiotics as functional

food ingredients, they must be chemically stable during food processing treatments such as

heat, low pH, and Maillard reaction conditions. The results showed that only heating at low

pH caused a significant reduction in probiotic activity, with one of the fructooligosaccharides

(FOS) products being the least stable. Most prebiotics materials considered today are

nondigestible oligosaccharides. They are obtained by extraction from plants such as chicory

inulin, from an enzymatic hydrolysis such as oligofructose from inulin or by synthesis from

mono- or disaccharides such as lactose (trans-galactosylated oligosaccharides or

galactooligosaccharides) or sucrose (fructooligosaccharides) (Table 2).

Table 2: Food applications of prebiotics (Wang, 2009)

Applications Functional properties

Beverages and

drinks

Sugar replacement, mouthfeel, foam stabilization, and

prebiotics

Yoghurts and

desserts

Sugar replacement, texture and mouthfeel, fibre, and

prebiotics

Bread and fillings Fat or sugar replacement, texture, fibre, and prebiotics

Meat products Fat replacement, texture, stability and fibre

Dietetic products Fat or sugar replacement, fibre, and prebiotics

Cake and biscuits Sugar replacement, moisture retention, fibre, and prebiotics

Chocolate Sugar replacement, heat resistance and fibre

Sugar Confectionery Sugar replacement, fibre, and prebiotics

Soups and sauces Sugar replacement, and prebiotics

Baby food Texture, body and mouthfeel, fibre, stability, and prebiotics

Criteria of classification

Resistance to the upper gut tract

Fermentation by intestinal microbiota

Beneficial to the host health

Selective stimulation of probiotics

Stability to food processing treatments

Fig. 1. Criteria for classification of a food ingredient as prebiotic. (Wang, 2009)

31

Conclusion:

Prebiotics, in general, have a significant effect on human health and have more

possibilities for incorporation into a wide range of common foodstuffs. It is probably more

than any other nutrient/food ingredient, a ‘‘prebiotic” is essential to human (and mammals)

nutrition. Their role is played by fermentable carbohydrates, which stimulate, preferentially,

the growth of probiotic bacteria (bifidobacteria and lactic acid bacteria), thus enhancing the

gastrointestinal and immune systems. Last but not the least prebiotics have been shown to

increase the absorption of certain minerals such as calcium and magnesium, influence blood

glucose levels and improve plasma lipids. Therefore, long terms clinical trials are required to

confirm the health benefits of prebiotics in human.

References: [1]. Gibson, G. R. and Roberfroid, M. B., 1995, Dietary modulation of the human colonic

microbiota. Introducing the concept of prebiotics. Journal of Nutrition,

125:1401– 1412.

[2]. Grajek, W., Olejnik, A. and Sip, A., 2005, Probiotics, prebiotics and antioxidants as

functional foods: A review. Acta Biochimica Polonica, 52:665–671.

[3]. Mollet, B. and Rowland, I., 2002, Functional foods: at the frontier between food and

pharma. Current Opinion in Biotechnology, 13:483e485.

[4]. National Institute of Nutrition, 2000, Consumer awareness of and attitudes towards

functional foods, highlights and implications for informing consumer. Leaflet.

[5]. Quigley, M. E., Hudson, G. J. and Englyst, H. N., 1999, Determination of resistant

short- chain carbohydrates (non-digestible oligosaccharides) using gas-liquid

chromatography. Food Chemistry, 65:381–390.

[6]. Rastall, B. and Gibson, G., 2006, Prebiotics: Development and application. Wiley.

[7]. Roberfroid, M. B., 2005, Introducing inulin-type fructans. British Journal of

Nutrition, 93:S13–S25.

[8]. Sadeq, Hasan, Al-Sherajia., Amin, Ismaila., Mohd, Yazid, Manap., Shuhaimi,

Mustafa., Rokiah, Mohd, Yusof., Fouad, Abdulrahman, Hassan., 2013,

Prebiotics as functional foods: A review. Journal of Functional Foods, 5:1542–

1553.

[9]. Yanbo, Wang., 2009, Prebiotics: Present and future in food science and technology: A

review. Food Research International, 42:8–12.
















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http://www.agrifoodmagazine.co.in AGRICULTURE & FOOD: e-Newsletter ISSN no: To be updated soon


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VALORIZATION OF HORTICULTURAL WASTE 1Karthik Nayaka V.S,

2Sujayasree O.J,

3Sachin A.J

Ph.D Scholars, Division of Postharvest Technology


Introduction:

India has diverse agro climatic

condition which enabled us to grow a wide

variety of horticultural crops. India entered

into an era of Golden Revolution during 11th

Five Year Plan with unprecedented increase

in area expansion, productivity and

production. India’s horticultural production

has reached 310 million tonnes. The constant

research efforts by the scientists and the

adoption by farmers have resulted in

manifold increase in the productivity of

several horticultural crops. Parallel with

increase in area and productivity, the crop

residue and post-harvest waste also has

grown proportionately.

Horticultural based farming systems

and processing industries generates huge

amounts of crop residues and processing

wastes. Though the data on all the

horticultural crop residues and wastes are not

available, it is estimated that during mango

processing approximately 32-45 per cent of

the weight of mangoes used goes as various

forms of waste like peels, pulper waste and

stones. Similarly, in banana cultivation

approximately 65 per cent of biomass goes

as field waste. Ripe banana peel waste

constitutes to about 20 per cent while 35-40

per cent of peel waste is generated in banana

(plantains) chips industry. Among the

vegetables the waste index of cauliflower is

48-58 per cent. Similarly, the crop residues

of various crops range from 25 to 50 per cent

besides processing waste and post-harvest

commodity handling waste. Present post

harvest loss: 4.9-15% (CIPHET, Ludhiana).

Importance of waste processing

Horticultural waste provides ample opportunities for value addition

Reduce cost of production of crops besides leads to optimum utilization of biomass.

Provides additional returns to farmer.

Creates ample opportunities for employment

Protect environment from pollution.

Commercial products can be prepared by using waste either as a source or as an

ingredient.

Table 1: Nutritional value in waste

Novel value-added products from fruit and vegetable wastes

The huge quantity of fruit and vegetable wastes and by-products produced throughout

the world, both in the organized and un-organized sectors, can be effectively utilized as

livestock feed. These resources, i.e. peels, pomace and seeds etc. are rich sources of bioactive

compounds, which can be extracted and utilized in food, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and bio

fuel industries. Some of such novel value-added products and their utilities are discussed

below.

Essential oils: The citrus peels are a

potential source of essential oil (EO) and

yield 0.5 to 3.0 kg oil/tonnes of fruit.

Citrus EO is widely used in alcoholic

beverages, confectioneries, soft drinks,

perfumes, soaps, cosmetics and household

products owing to its aromatic flavor. It

also serves as a masking agent in

pharmaceutical products. It improves the

shelf-life and the safety of fresh fruits,

skim milk and low-fat milk and exhibits

broad spectrum antibacterial activity. Oils

from both sweet and bitter oranges are

used in tea formulations and as an

ingredient in stomachic, carminative and

laxative preparations. Lemon EO contains

D-limonene, which improves the

immunity, counters occasional feelings of

depression, promotes clarity of thought

and purpose, energizes and stimulates the

mind and body, opens and releases

emotional blocks and supports skin health

and reduces the appearance of wrinkles.

Polyphenolic compounds: The

concentration of total phenolic compounds

in the peels, pulp/pomace and seeds of

citrus fruits, apples, peaches, pears, yellow

and white flesh nectarines, banana,

pomegranate, mulberry, blackberry,

tomatoes and sugar beet etc. is more than

twice the amount present in edible tissue.

Apple and grape pomace are rich in

proanthocyanidins and flavonoids, banana

in catechin and gallocatechin, carrot

pomace in hydroxycinnamic derivatives

like chlorogenic acid and dicaffeoylquinic

acids. Litchi seeds and grape seeds can

serve as potential sources of antioxidants

for use in food and pharmaceutical

industries. The beet root pomace is a rich

source of flavonoids. The polyphenolic

compounds exhibit anti-cancer, anti-

microbial (pathogens) and anti-oxidative

effects in vertebrates. The peel and pulp of

guava fruits could be used as a source of

antioxidant dietary. Polyphenols reduce

the level of plasma cholesterol in humans

and inhibit platelet aggregation.

Edible oils: The fat in mango seed kernel

is a promising source of edible oil and its

fatty acid and triglyceride profiles are

similar to those of cocoa butter. Guava

seeds, usually discarded during processing

of juice and pulp, contain 5–13 percent oil

rich in essential fatty acids. The oil has

free radical scavenging activity.

Pigments: Tomato peel is a rich source of

carotenoids such as lycopene. It may be

beneficial in curing cancer, coronary heart

disease and other chronic conditions. The

addition of tomato peel to meat products

can result in a healthier product due to

both the lycopene and fibre present in this

by-product of tomato processing. Carrot

pomace is also a good source of

carotenoids. Anthocyanin pigments in

banana bracts (leaves below calyx) and

beet root pulp were evaluated for their

potential application as natural food

colorants. The beet root pomace contains

11−23 mg β-xanthins/g of dry extract. Beet

root peel is a potential source of valuable

water-soluble nitrogenous pigments, called

betalains, which comprise two main

groups, the red betacyanins and the yellow

betaxanthins. They are free radical

scavengers and prevent active oxygen-

induced and free radical-mediated

oxidation of biological molecules.

Betalains have been extensively used as

natural colorants in the modern food

industry.

Food additives: Carrot pomace can be

used in bread, cake, dressing and pickles.

Onion pomace in snacks. In the food

industry, synthetic antioxidants, such as

butylated hydroxyanizole (BHA) and

butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), have

long been widely used as antioxidant

additives to preserve and stabilize the

freshness, nutritive value, flavour and

colour of foods. BHT could be toxic,

especially at high doses. Therefore,

interest in the substitution of synthetic

food antioxidants by natural ones has

increased over the recent years. The

antioxidant compounds from waste

products of the food industry could be

used for protecting the oxidative damage

in living systems by scavenging oxygen

free radicals, and also for increasing the

stability of foods by preventing lipid

peroxidation.

Anti-carcinogenic compounds: Brassica

extracts are reported to possess

anticarcinogenic properties, which have

mainly been ascribed to the hydrolytic

products rather than to the intact

glucosinolates (GLSs). The hydrolysis of

GLSs by the myrosinase leads to the

production of bioactive compounds such

as isothiocyanates, nitriles, thiocyanates,

epithionitriles, and oxazolidines.

Glucosinolate hydrolysis products from

glucoiberin, sinigrin and progoitrin have

also been reported to possess anticancer

effects.

Dietary fibre: Fruit and vegetable

wastes/by-products such as apple, pear,

orange, peach, blackcurrant, cherry,

artichoke, asparagus, onion and carrot

pomace, mango peels and cauliflower

trimmings are used as sources of dietary

fibre supplements (gelling and thickening

agents) in refined food. These compounds

increase the bulk of the food and help

prevent constipation by reducing gastro-

intestinal transit time. They also bind to

toxins in the food which helps to protect

the mucus membrane of the gut and thus

reduces colon cancer risk. The typical

inclusion levels of fruit and vegetable by-

products varies between 2−15 percent. The

vegetable materials were found to maintain

antioxidant activity after extrusion,

retarding product oxidation.

Enzymes: Plant food residues including

trimmings and peels might contain a range

of enzymes capable of having a wide range

of applications. Proteolytic enzyme

bromelain may be extracted from the

mature pineapple and papain from latex of

papaya fruit. Banana waste can be used for

the biotechnological production of α-

amylase. Apple pomace can be used for

production of lignin and manganese

peroxidase and laccase production. Sapota

peels and citrus peels can be used as

substrate for the production of pectinase.

Mango peels can be used for the

production of cellulose.

Citric acid: It is used mainly in foods and

pharmaceuticals. Most of the citric acid is

manufactured mainly through solid-state

fermentation (SSF) of starch/molasses

exclusively by Aspergillus niger (Dhillon

et al., 2011). Recently molasses, fruit and

vegetable pomace and cassava bagasse etc.

have been used as a substrate for citric acid

production.

Bio-ethanol: These resources can either be

used directly as an untreated material for

microbial growth or be used by appropriate

treatment with enzymes for bio energy

production. The products generated from

perishable wastes can be in liquid or

gaseous forms of bio fuels. Amongst

various wastes used for ethanol

production, potato peels, apple pomace,

waste apples, banana peel, banana waste,

beet waste, beet pomace. Pineapple pulp

contains substantial amounts of sucrose,

starch and hemicelluloses and may

therefore be used for ethanol production.

Bio-gas: Peels, fruits and vegetable waste

can be used in bio gas production. About

30 percent of the total production of

Chinese cabbage is discarded as waste.

Mesophilic fermentation condition was

more suitable compared with thermophilic

condition for biogas production from

cabbage leaves.

Single cell protein: Single cell proteins

can be produced from dried and pectin

extracted apple pomace by using

Trichoderma viride and Aspergillus niger.

The grape waste and pressed apple pulp

have also been used as a substrate for

Aspergillus niger to generate crude protein

and cellulose. Pineapple waste for

production of single cell protein

production has also been utilized. Citrus

peel juice has also been used to generate

single cell protein using Fusarium. Potato

peels supplemented with ammonium

chloride have also been used for the

production of protein by using a non-toxic

fungi Pleurotus ostreatus. Similarly, waste

from orange, sugarcane and grape

processing industry have also been utilized

for the production of single cell protein.

Fermented edible products: A number of

beverages such as cider, beer, wine and

brandy, and vinegar can be obtained from

the fermentation of fruit wastes. Apple

pomace has been utilized for the

production of cider. The possibility of

making brandy from dried culled and

surplus apples, grapes, oranges and other

fruits has also been explored. Vinegar can

also be prepared from fruit wastes. The

fruit waste is initially subjected to

alcoholic fermentation by acetic acid

fermentation by Acetobacter bacteria,

which produce acetic acid. Vinegar

production by fermenting waste from

pineapple juice and orange peel juice has

been reported. Apple pomace extract can

also be mixed with molasses in the ratio of

2:1 for producing vinegar.

Compost: Vegetable and fruit wastes can

be composted and used to replace a

significant part of the mineral nitrogen

fertilization with nitrogen recovery of

6−22 percent. The plots fertilized

according to the nitrogen

recommendations had comparable yields,

whether this had been provided (partially)

through VFG-compost. Long-term VFG

applications resulted in a carbon

accumulation in the top soil, mainly due to

increase of the more resistant carbon

fractions. The long-term compost

applications improved the nitrogen status

of the soil over the years.

Livestock feed: Cauliflower, cabbage

leaves, pea pods, culled snow peas and

tomato pomace, citrus, carrot and bottle

gourd pulp; banana and mango peels etc

can be used in pellet preparations. This

reduce the cost for preparation of livestock

feed.

Bio-degradable plastic: Potato or

cornstarch waste is hydrolyzed to glucose

by high-temperature α amylase to

solubilize the starch, and by glucoamylase

to break it down into glucose. The glucose

is fermented to lactic acid by

Lactobacillus. Lactic acid with equal

amounts of hydroxyl and carboxyl groups

can self-condense to form linear

thermoplastic polyester poly-lactic acid

(PLA), a biodegradable plastic. It can be

used as timed release coatings for

fertilizers, pesticides, and agricultural

mulch films, which degrade in the soil.

Miscellaneous products: Neohesperidin

and naringin from bitter orange peel can

serve as starting materials for the

production of sweeteners. The orange

peels can be used as low-cost and eco-

friendly adsorbents for removing dyes

from waste water. Banana leaves can be

used for the cultivation of Volvariella

volvacea, an edible mushroom.

Conclusion

Horticultural based farming systems and processing industries generate huge amounts

of crop residues and processing wastes.

As these wastes are rich source of many bio active compounds it should be effectively

extracted and efficiently used either as a source or as an ingredient in the preparation

of value added products

Environmental pollution can be mitigated.

Antioxidants, biofuel, bioethanol, handmade papers, dietary fibres, cattle feeds, wine

etc. products can be obtained from various fruits and vegetable wastes.

Waste processing makes farming more profitable which aims at sustainable

horticultural production.

Reference

[1]. Gil, L. S. And Maupoey, P. F., 2018, An Integrated Approach for Pineapple Waste

Valorisation. Bioethanol Production and Bromelain Extraction from Pineapple

Residues.Journal of Cleaner Production, 172: 1224-1231.

[2]. Talekara, S., Pattib, A. F., Singh, R., Vijayraghavanb, R. And Aroraa, A., 2018, From

waste to wealth: High recovery of nutraceuticals from pomegranate seed waste using

a green extraction process. Industrial Crops and Products, 112: 790-802.
















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37

MEASURES TO ATTRACT YOUTH TOWARDS HORTICULTURE EDUCATION 1Sujayasree.O.J,

2Arghya Mani ,

3Fasludeen.N.S,

4Rigzen Tsewang

1ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi

2BCKV,Mohanpur

3Aligarh Muslim University

4University of Horticultural Sciences, Bagalkot

Ours is a land of the youth. This is our

greatest asset. Young minds are creative

minds and youth are capable of achieving

seemingly impossible tasks such as

monsoon management, climate change

adaptation and mitigation and enduring

malnutrition. Average farm size in our

country is getting smaller. Hence, group

cooperation is important to harness the value

of scale both in the production and post

harvest phases of farming. Youth are the

primary productive human resource of

socio-economic development. It is therefore,

essential to locate the role of youth in

mainstream development. The youth of

India is diverse in ethnicity, religion, and

socioeconomic backgrounds. Such a

diversity necessitates customized initiatives

to meet needs and activate their untapped

potential.

Global population is expected to

increase to 9 billion by 2050, with youth

(aged 15–24) accounting for about 14

percent of this total. While the world’s youth

cohort is expected to grow, employment and

entrepreneurial opportunities for youth –

particularly those living in developing

countries’ economically stagnant rural areas

– remain limited, poorly remunerated and of

poor quality.

Over the next two decades the

agriculture sector in India will undergo

significant transformation which will result

in both challenges and opportunities for

young people, depending on who and where

they are. In order to achieve food security,

India must change from extensive

production systems, characterized by

minimal inputs and low yields to intensive

systems which require greater investments

in external inputs and labour saving

technologies, but hold the potential to

greatly increase yields and provide decent

incomes for young farmers now and in

future. The agriculture sector has the

potential to provide numerous employment

opportunities in food production, marketing,

processing, retail, catering, and research

and, input sales, among others. Agriculture

is the backbone of India. The best

agricultural practices will combine

traditional agricultural methods reinforced

by modern technology and innovations, just

as how an elevated life will be led by

merging the soul and the spiritual

knowledge to attain salvation. It is possible

to attain such an enriched goal in agriculture

too.

Nowadays, youngsters constitute only

13-19% of Farmers. It is imperative to make

agriculture a lucrative and profitable

occupation in order to increase that number.

Such a steady income can be achieved only

by combining hard work with modern

technology. Youngsters play a major role

and duty in conserving the natural resources

of this country. This is important to ensure

that our children and grandchildren do not

think our life experiences with the beautiful

natural environment now as myths or

cooked-up stories. The time is not far away

when we shall have to pay for oxygen, when

water will be rationed, and grave bodily

disorders will be rampant. The youth have

the skill set and the knowledge to address

the issues.

Since agriculture is a basic need for

humans, there is always a lot of scope in this

field of study. With the advent of technology

and developments that comes with it, there

has been a wide variety of job opportunities in

both public and private enterprises.

Prospects and opportunities in horticulture field

Production and sales: Operating a business or managing cultivable land for catering

plants and food processing

Public Gardens: Managing landscapes and collecting plants is best for persons interested

in both plants and people

Marketing: Involves the sale of fresh or processed fruits and vegetables • Research and

development: Developing ways to improve the yield and quality of the plant produce

Teaching: Teaching in schools and colleges and to all people who are open to learn new

ideas of horticulture

Agricultural engineering: This deals with the conservation of soil and water and farm

structures

Landscape design, construction and management: Creating gardens and knowing the

appropriate plants to use to achieve the desired aesthetic effect.

Pest management: Working with the regulatory agencies, agricultural suppliers,

processing corporations, large farm organization as agricultural specialists

Approaches to involve youth to agriculture or horticulture

Capacity Building of youth – There is need for training and skill-building opportunities

for young people that can mould them for active participation in decision-making

processes.

Engage youth actively -Youth must be recognized as major stakeholders and need a

platform where their voices will be heard on issues that directly concern them.

Link youth to planning and policy efforts. This can be accomplished by involving youth

in the examination of existing policies as well as determining and evaluating potential

policy alternatives

Allow youth to identify their individual interests. Within the greater framework of

agriculture policy making, youth may have expertise or interests in specific topics.

Facilitation - Youth Communication, Advocacy and Networking. There is a need to guide

youth in terms of how to communicate their challenges, ideas and experiences.

Institutionalizing Youth Policy Engagement at Primary – Secondary - University Levels

– There is need to learn from other programmes that have been successful in engaging

young people in different sectors.

The first principal challenge identified is youth’s insufficient access to knowledge, information

and education. Poor and inadequate education limits productivity and the acquisition of skills,

while insufficient access to knowledge and information can hinder the development of

entrepreneurial ventures. Particularly in developing countries, there is a distinct need to improve

young rural women’s access to education, and to incorporate agricultural skills into rural

education more generally. Agricultural training and education must also be adapted to ensure that

graduates’ skills meet the needs of rural labour markets.

Measures to promote youth in horticulture field and educaton.

1.Agri-enterprise development and management

2. Rebranding agriculture in school

3. Young Women Open School

4. PhD training in agriculture

5. Distance learning for young farmers

6. ICTs for extension services

7. Youth resource centres on agriculture

8. Distributing hillside land to landless youth

9. Young rural entrepreneur and land fund programe

10. Reclaiming desert land for young graduates

11. Small landlords and large tenants programme

12. Short-term land leases for youth

13.Youth Venture Capital Fund

14. Youth socio-economic empowerment services

15. Financial services for youth through rural entrepreneurship

16. Finance and mentorship for innovative young social entrepreneurship

17.Junior Farmer Field and Life School programme

18. Vocational training in small biogas companies

19. Vocational training for young beekeepers

20. Certifying social youth business.

For youth to successfully participate in the agricultural sector, access to both information and

education are crucial. In addition to knowledge of agricultural production and processing

techniques and the relative know-how, young farmers need access to information about finance,

land and markets. This applies to developed and developing countries alike. However, the

situation is particularly dire in many developing countries, where access to appropriate education

and training often remains quite limited in rural areas. Thus it can be concluded that involvement

of youth in horticulture will certainly make revolution in horticulture development.
















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40

Mushrooms: An ideal food source 1Muhammed Muneer Bilal,

2Nivedya Venus

1 M.Sc Food Science and Technology,Pondichery Central University

2 M.Sc Biotechnology,Calicut University

Introduction

Mushroom is vegetable delicacy and a suitable substitute for meat and egg. It is

also called the future vegetable which is a guarantee for food insecurity, malnutrition problem

and has medicinal value. It is very popular in most of the developed countries and being accepted

in many developing countries like India. Fresh and preserved fruit bodies of about 200

Mushroom species consumed throught the world as delicacy particularly for their specific aroma,

texture and taste. Among 200 species only 20 of them are cultivated worldwide, among over 20

cultivated species Agaricus bisporus (Button mushroom) dominate worldwide followed by

Lentinula edodes (shiitake mushroom) and Plurotus oystrus (Oyster mushroom). In India only

three types namely button, oyster and straw mushroom are commercially cultivated.

Button Mushroom Milky Mushroom

Oyster Mushroom Paddy straw Mushroom

It is known to have medicinal values and certain varieties of mushrooms can

inhibit growth of cancerous tumor. The productivity of mushroom is higher than any crop. Food,

nutritional and medicinal values apart, mushroom growing can be efficient means of waste

disposal (agricultural, industrial and family wastes), since it can use the wastes as medium of

growth. Hence, it could be considered as eco-friendly. Market for mushrooms is growing rapidly

because of their nice aroma, subtle flavor, nutritious values and special taste. Many exotic

preparations are made from them like soup, pickles, vegetables etc. It is also used for stuffing

several food preparations and for garnishing. But its consumption is still confined to urban and

semi urban population. Mushrooms have very short life after harvesting and hence they are sold

in fresh form. Their shelf life can be enhanced by processing them.

Nutritional Value of Mushrooms

Mushrooms are healthy foods, low in calories and fat, but rich in vegetable

proteins, chitin, vitamins and minerals. The moisture content of fresh mushrooms varies within

the range of 70% to 95% depending upon the harvest time and environmental conditions,

whereas it is about 10% to 13% in dried mushrooms. Mushrooms are low in calories containing

4% carbohydrate in fresh and 40 to 50% in dried with no starch and sugars which make them

diabetic delight. Mushrooms are rich in good quality proteins but the crude protein content varies

from 30% to 40% among different species. This good quality protein especially rich in lysine and

tryptophan thus good supplement in cereal based Indian diet.

FAO recognizes mushroom as right source of protein to fight protein malnutrition

in the cereal-dependent developing countries like India. In terms of the amount of crude protein,

mushrooms rank below animal meats, but well above most other foods, including milk, which is

an animal product. In addition to their good proteins and low calorie, mushrooms are a relatively

good source of the following individual nutrients like fat, dietary fiber, vitamin and mineral. The

total lipid content varying between 0.6 and 3.1 % of the dry weight is found in the commonly

cultivated mushrooms. It is known that 72 % of the total fatty acids are found to be unsaturated.

It should be noted that unsaturated fatty acids are essential in our diet. Mushrooms are excellent

sources of vitamins and minerals. They contain appreciable amount of niacin, pantothenic acid

and biotin. In addition, mushroom also contain folic acid and vitamin B12 which are absent in

most of the vegetables. It is also good in calcium (3%), iron (1.3%), magnesium (18%),

phosphorus (120%) & selenium (2.6%). Along with availability of iron and protein, are reported

to maintain hemoglobin level as single source of diet; anemia is rampant in India specially in

pregnant women

Nutritional properties of mushrooms

Mushroom Protien

(g/100g

dw)

Fat

(g/100g

dw)

Carbohydr

ate

(g/100g

dw)

Minerals(mg/100g) Vitamin

D

(IU/100

g)

Dietry

fibere

(g/100g) Calciu

m

Iron Sodiu

m

Button

mushroom

34.4

3.10

47.38

23

2.1

52

235

20.90

Shiitake

mushroom

32.93

3.73

47.60

23

5.5

18

110

28.80

Oyster

mushroom

27.25

2.75

56.61

20

9.1

48

116

34.10

Source: Stamets (2005)

Medicinal Value of Mushrooms

Mushrooms are rich sources of nutraceuticals that are responsible for their

antioxidant, antitumor and antimicrobial properties. Medicinal mushroom extracts were

considered as important remedies for the prevention of many diseases for thousands of years

such as diabetic, cancer, heart diseases, atherosclerosis and cirrhosis. From 14,000-15,000

species of mushrooms in the world, around 400 have known medicinal properties. However, it

has been estimated that there are about 1,800 species of mushrooms with the potential of

medicinal properties. Both these mushrooms and their root-like structure (called mycelium)

produce several medicinal or nutriceutical (general immune enhancing) compounds, central of

which are the polysaccharides (high molecular weight strings of sugars), triterpenes, and

immunomodulatory proteins.

Some mushrooms contain compounds that have been classified as Host Defense

Potentiators (HDP) and can have immune system enhancement properties. These compounds

include polysaccharides (β-glucans), polysaccharide-peptides, nucleosides, triterpenoids,

complex starches, and other metabolites. For example, L. edodes has been reported to possess

antitumor, antihypertensive, hypocholesterolemic, and antibacterial activities. G. lucidum has

been proved to have antimicrobial and anti-HIV effects, while the β-glucan polysaccharide and

the ganoderic acid of this mushroom have shown antitumorogenic effects.

Mushrooms of Pleurotus species were reported to have hypocholesterolemic,

anti-inflammatory, and immunostimulatory activity. The consumption of mushroom-containing

diet prevented serum cholesterol increase at the end of four-week period and lowered by almost

40% as compared with control group which have not had mushroom in their diet. Oyster

mushrooms are also suitable additions to the diets of people with obesity, diabetes, dyslipidemia

and high blood pressure. This is primarily because these mushrooms are low in sodium and zero

in cholesterol.

Post Harvest Handling of Mushroom

Mushroom is a highly perishable crop. Like that of most horticultural crop post

harvest losses are very high in mushroom. Almost all mushroom has very short shelf life but the

milky mushroom has good shelf life (3-4 days) compired to paddy straw mushroom (few hour) at

ambient condition. During post harvest physiological changes take place like veil opening,

browning, weight loss, wilting and final spoilage. This change makes them unacceptable for

human consumption. Shelf life of mushroom is mainly determined by metabolic respiration rate

and presence of micro organism as well as enzymes. In products with such high-water content

(>85%) and with no conventional cuticle as mushrooms, evaporation and consequently loss of

weight usually have detrimental effect on quality and shelf-life; therefore, mushroom respiration

rate is an index of their shelf-life.

Bacteria may activate even in cold-storage conditions and in the high-moisture

mushroom surface along with the enzymatic action occurred on mushroom tissues can cause

rapid deterioration of mushrooms when heated, such as tissue browning, presence of brown or

yellowish spots and slime in pileus or stipe (e.g., Pseudomonas sp.), and loss of firmness.

Nonenzymatic browning is also inevitable as mushrooms contain carbohydrates, proteins, and

amino acids that interact and (particular at temperatures above 5°C) can result in tissue

darkening. Major part of cultivated mushrooms is consumed in the fresh condition, trading

mushrooms totally at fresh status seems unfeasible for every point of the chain and for all year

around. Mushroom post harvest care includes proper storage/packaging and minimal processing

of fresh mushrooms for their short-term maintenance, as well as various processing techniques

for their long-term preservation.

Packed mushroom Canned mushroom Dried mushroom

Technologies such as cooling and modified atmosphere packaging can be use to

delay the rate of senescence, while preservative technologies such as canning, drying, pickling,

freezing and irradiation arrest biological function to prevent senescence. Fresh mushrooms are

best-stored unwashed in brown paper bags in the refrigerator. It is important that fresh

mushrooms are packaged in materials that allow them to breathe, so they do not ‘sweat’ and

become slimy.

Value addition of mushroom

The national mushroom industry still includes the production and trading of fresh

mushrooms. Mushroom processing is still limited to the curing and not to the actual value-added

aspect. The current situation emphasizes more of the awareness towards quality and demand of

food products that are ready-to-use or are ready to be cooked. Value can be added to mushroom

products at all levels of their processing, from grading until the final product snacks that are

ready for consumption or the main course in dinner dishes. Attractive packaging for value-added

products is an important aspect of mushroom retailing.

Small industrial growers, however, are putting in added values like grading and the

packaging of fresh mushrooms, but the industry needs to focus on processed products. This will

bring in better returns, as well as improving demands from consumers and thus will result in an

effective positive flow of production. There are several value-added products that have the

potential to be marketed: Mushroom soup powder, Mushroom biscuits, Mushroom nuggets,

Mushroom sauce, Mushroom ketchup, Mushroom sweets, Mushroom chips and ready to serve

mushroom curry.

Mushroom biscuit Mushroom pickle Mushroom Chips

Mushroom powder is used as a direct food additive to increase content of dietary fibbers

in various foods or as a partial substitute for wheat flour in bakery products. It is obtained after

pulverization of dried mushroom slices and used to enhance flavor of a dish or to provide

specific mushroom aroma for soups, biscuits, nuggets, and snacks preparation. Soup is prepared

by mixing the powder with milk power, corn flour, and other ingredients. Biscuits are prepared

by mixing mushroom powder with ingredients like sugar, oil, baking powder, ammonium

bicarbonate, salt, vanilla, milk powder, and glucose and finally the required shape is given to the

dough before baking in the oven. Nuggets and snacks are also made (e.g., in India) after mixing

the powder with different vegetable (like soybean) powder, water, and spices.

Mushroom paste and ketchup is prepared after boiling the sliced mushrooms in water and

grinding them in a mixer. Then acetic acid, salt, sugar, onion, garlic, pepper, and other

ingredients are mixed in the paste before filling in the sterilized bottles or jars. For mushroom

chips production, mushrooms are sliced (2 mm), blanched in 2% brine solution, and dipped

overnight in a solution of 0.1% of citric acid + 1.5% of NaCl + 0.3% of red chilli powder. After

draining off the solution, the mushrooms are subjected to drying at 60°C for 8 h and finally fried

in oil. The presence of these value-added products will indirectly increase the income of

mushroom entrepreneurs and make the industry more competitive and viable

References

1. Azahar bin Harun. 2017. Post Harvest Control for Maintenance of Quality Mushrooms.

Economic and Social Science Research Centre, MARDI Headquarters, Persairan MARDI-UPM

2. Bora, Parul and Kawatra, Asha. 2014. Study on development of value added products from

oyster mushroom (Pleurotus florida). Food Science Research Journal. 5(2): 165-167.

3. Karuna Singh and Monika Thakur. 2016. Formulation, organoleptic and nutritional evaluation of

value added baked product incorporating Oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostearus) powder.

International Journal of Food Science and Nutrition. Vol 1: 16-20

4. L.H.D.Bandusoma. 2006. Development of Value added Products from Dehydrated Oyster

Mushrooms M.Sc. thesis, Dept. Food science and Technology, University of Sri

Jayewardenepura

5. Manjit Singh. 2015.Presentation on Technologies for Mushroom Production. Director,

Directorate of Mushroom Research, Chambaghat, Solan (HP)

6. M.I. Ibrahium and A.I. Hegazy. 2014. Effect of Replacement of Wheat Flour with Mushroom

Powder and Sweet Potato Flour on Nutritional Composition and Sensory Characteristics of

Biscuits. Current Science International. 3(1): 26-33.

7. Panagiota A. Diamantopoulou and Philippoussis N. Antonios. 2015. Cultivated Mushrooms:

Preservation and Processing. Handbook of Vegetable Preservation and Processing. 22: 495-517

8. Prajakta J. Nande. 2017. Sensory Characteristics of Papad Prepared using Mushroom Powder.

International Journal of Advanced Nutritional and Health Science 2017. 5(1): 234-241.

9. R.D. Rai and T. Arumuganathan. 2008. Post Harvest Technology Of Mushrooms. National

Research Centre for Mushroom (ICAR) Chambaghat, Solan – 173 213 (HP), India

10. Stamets, Paul. 2000–2001. A novel approach to farm waste management. Mushroom the Jour-

nal. Winter. p. 22.

11. W.I. WanRosli, A.R. Nurhanan and M.S. Aishah. 2012. Effect of Partial Replacement of Wheat

Flour with Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus sajor-caju) Powder on Nutritional Composition and

Sensory Properties of Butter Biscuit. Sains Malaysiana . 41(12): 1565–1570.
















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47

IMPORTANCE OF PROFESSIONAL ETHICS AND VALUE EDUCATION IN

TEACHING Neha Singh

1, Rekha Rani

2* and Hridesh Rajput

1

1Ph.D. Scholar, Warner College of Dairy Technology, SHUATS, Allahabad (UP), INDIA

2Assistant Professor, Warner College of Dairy Technology, SHUATS, Allahabad (UP), INDIA

Abstract

Education along with science has become one of the fundamental pillars of societal development.

It has gained considerable importance in knowledge production, transfer and in preparing an

individual for further life and work. Ethics means the moral principles that govern a person’s

behavior or the conducting of an activity. Within such a framework ethics education is very

important that involves systematizing, defending and recommending concepts of right and wrong

conduct. Intercultural dialogue and critical thinking have a significant role in forming an

ethically mature human person. Speaking about the profession of teacher, it is essential to

consider contemporary global ethical issues in education and educational research. For a student,

they should be aware about ethical issue by their experiences or practices. They should have a

level of awareness and ability to identify these within their profession. In a school context,

ethical education helps students to develop for example in depth knowledge and awareness of

their own and other cultures. Thus, this paper considers the nature of professional ethics for an

emerging professional, the role of values and ethics education in empowering the emerging

professional to shape and change their workplace.

Keywords: Teacher, professional ethics, value education, professionalism, critical moral agents

INTRODUCTION

A profound and rapid change has been

observed in our society due to globalization

processes, economic crisis, advancement of

technology and social innovation, migrations

and challenges to traditional identities and

memberships, etc. All these societal

transformations present the educational

sector and especially education professionals

with new challenges. The development of a

knowledge-based society and the

globalization process are creating new social

and individual needs in the areas of culture,

scientific and technological development,

social cohesion and education and these

directly related to the position and the role of

an individual as a citizen as well as in the

area of an individual’s personal development.

Ethics in education constitutes the repository

of their social and cultural values, and the

medium of their historical memory. In

multicultural education, it generally refers to

education about different ethnic groups. As

dialogue on cultural difference and education

has spread to other nations, it has become

more sharply focused on complex issues of

identity, diversity and citizenship. Educators

around the world are faced with new

challenges of balancing local, national and

global norms and moral as well as ethical

values in the process of educating children.

While fostering a sense of citizenship

remains an important function of mass

schooling, it is becoming less and less viable

to do so at the expense of socializing children

for their futures in a global society (Sutton,

2005).

PROFESSIONAL ETHICS AND VALUES EDUCATION

Ethics has always been the preservation of

the human being as a person, human dignity

and the conditions for leading a good life.

The term ethics and values education applies

to all aspects of education which either

explicitly or implicitly related to ethical

dimensions of life and as such that can be

structured, regulated and monitored with

appropriate educational methods and tools.

For an encompassing nature of ethical

reflections and awareness, an integrative

approach is needed in which ethical topics

like the notion of fair play and prevention of

violence or substance abuse in physical

education, phenomenon of bullying etc.

should be addressed in almost all the schools.

We always live in relationship to others,

namely in a relationship of mutual giving and

receiving, therefore recognition of our

dependence on others and caring for others is

essential. Such efforts and discoveries are

closely related to dialogue, which builds

upon openness, reciprocity, and mutual

recognition. These aspects are important for

ethics education. Since, the main goal is to

strengthen such dialogical and emphatic

stance on all levels of educational process.

Dialogical nature of ethics and ethics

education therefore prescribes openness

towards the other and invites us to be open in

the process of mutual growth and learning.

IMPORTANCE OF PROFESSIONAL ETHICS EDUCATION

The main aims of ethical and value education

should be encourage ethical reflection,

awareness, responsibility and compassion in

children, provide children’s with insight into

important ethical principles and values, equip

them with intellectual capacities like critical

thinking and evaluation, reflection, discovery,

understanding, decision-making, non-

cognitive abilities like compassion for

responsible moral judgment and to develop

approaches to build a classroom or school

environment as an ethical community and to

reflectively situate individuals into other local

and global communities with a mission to

contribute to the common values. All these

enable students to overcome prejudice,

discrimination and other unethical practices

and attitudes.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PROFESSIONAL ETHICS AND COOPERATIVE

EDUCATION

Cooperative education is defined as those

experiences undertaken by students as part of

their course of study, which involve an

experience undertaken within a practice

setting i.e. there is a deliberate and intentional

engagement in learning situated in the practice

of the workplace (Cooper et al., 2010). In

some places, this is referred as work-

integrated learning (WIL), professional

experience, practicum, internships and

sandwich courses. Engaging in cooperative

education involves student learning which is

complex in nature as students are

simultaneously developing technical skills and

knowledge (Eames and Cates, 2011) as well

as shaping their personal and professional

identity and subsequently their values

(Campbell et al., 2009). Garavan and Murphy

(2001) concluded that a student engaging in a

cooperative education experience moves

through three phases of socialization into the

workplace. The first phase is the process of

‘getting in’ (i.e. recruitment and job

preparation), the second phase is ‘breaking in’

(i.e. orientation, establishing relationships,

etc.) and the final phase being ‘settling in’.

Within the third phase, Garavan and Murphy

(2001) asserted that the student undertake the

personal change and ‘personalization and

value acceptance’ within the workplace. It is

within this third phase that they argue the

prior learning and experiences of the student

come to the fore in the interpretation and

understanding of the practices in the

workplace. Within cooperative education,

students often engage in performance of

required skills, practices and ways of being,

where they feel are pleasing to their

supervisors and assessors. Such performativity

may well limit the ability of the student to

enact fully their agency in making decisions

about their learning and practice. The

performativity of education plays a particular

role in reorienting education, institutions and

students towards the competitive needs of the

economy (Ball, 1999).

Professional ethics education should

be a foundation stone in the facilitation of the

exploration by students of the existing moral

and values frameworks, allowing them to

actively reconstruct these through reflection

on (and in) the experiences of the practice

setting. Furthermore, there is a role for

professional ethics education to facilitate a

critical engagement within cultural norms and

workplace value systems, the ethical

transformation of the workplace and therefore

there must be an acknowledgement of the

importance for engagement in discourses of

power and hierarchy with respect to moral

courage. As Bagnall (1998) acknowledges, a

situational ethical reasoning is best summed

up as ‘respect for experience’, where

experience is seen as the inter-subjective

realities that gives form and values to the

particular practice setting. Therefore, based on

the approaches to ethics education,

particularly with respect to its relationship to

cooperative education programs, there is a

need to develop skills within students that

facilitate sensitivity to their context such as

issues of power, hierarchy, culture and

position and allowing them to act in an

empathetically informed manner.

ROLE OF PROFESSIONAL ETHICS EDUCATION IN FORMING THE EMERGING

PROFESSIONAL

Students emerging into professional fields

need to understand and navigate the

increasingly important ethical aspects of being

a professional, transforming the workplace

and themselves (Campbell and Zegwaard,

2011). The student entering a workplace is

limited in their professional knowledge and

still forming their identity within the

profession (Nystrom, 2009). A primary goal

of a cooperative education program, and

likewise professional ethics education, is the

evolution within the student of a sense of self

and the development of an identity within

their chosen profession and/or workplace.

Professionalism is a dedication to doing what

one does out of a commitment to it and with

the determination to do it to the best of one’s

ability (Kleinig, 1996). The students need to

be developed as critical moral agents who

actively make their choices while critically

evaluating their moral implications and

developing their understandings of

professionalism and professional obligations.

The ideal professional has, therefore, an

obligation to affect positive change and

actively respond to ethical ideals and

misconduct; that is, the professional, at any

stage of their career, must be actively engaged

in the construction and negotiation of

acceptable ethical practice.

CONCLUSION

In today's time and culture where our life is

characterized mainly by pluralism with which

we have to deal with crises and turmoil that

we are experiencing, with the increasing

interconnectivity of the World and the

dependence of one another, and the

“relativization” of values, which is primarily

an expression of decreased confidence in

society and the loss of certainty about the

answers to the fundamental questions of our

existence. Ethics protects and nurtures

humanity of our existence, both in ourselves

and in others. The students, through

cooperative education experiences, interact

with the practice settings of their chosen

profession, often for the first time. As

emerging professionals they need to develop

both technical abilities and ethical values to

critically respond to the practices of the

workplace rather than being enculturated. and

socialized into cultures, which may or may not

be inherently ethical. Thus, there is a need to

explore and develop effective educational

strategies that can be specifically scaffolded.

into cooperative education programs, bearing

in mind the challenge of positional power

differences between the student and

professionals in the workplace, and should be

reviewed with respect to the goals of both

cooperative education and professional ethics

education.

REFERENCES [1]. Bagnall, R. G. (1998). Moral education in a postmodern world: Continuing professional

education. Journal of Moral Education, 27(3): 313-331.

[2]. Ball, S. (1999). Labour, learning and the economy: A policy sociology perspective. Cambridge

Journal of Education, 29(2): 195-206.

[3]. Campbell, M. and Zegwaard, K. E. (2011). Ethical considerations and workplace values in

cooperative and work-integrated education. In R. K. Coll and K. E. Zegwaard (Eds),

International handbook for cooperative and work-integrated education: International

perspectives of theory, research and practice (2nd ed., pp. 363-369). Lowell, MA: World

Association for Cooperative Education.

[4]. Campbell, M., Herrington, A. and Verenikina, I. (2009). Journeying from college to work: The

changing identity of early-career police. Journal of Cooperative Education and Internship, 43(1):

55-64.

[5]. Cooper, L., Orrell, J. and Bowden, M. (2010). Work integrated learning: A guide to effective

practice. New York, NY: Routledge.

[6]. Eames, C. and Cates, C. (2011). Theories of learning in cooperative and work-integrated

education. In R. K. Coll and K. E. Zegwaard (Eds.), International handbook for cooperative and

work-integrated education: International perspectives of theory, research and practice (2nd ed.,

pp. 41-52). Lowell, MA: World Association for Cooperative Education

[7]. Garavan, T. and Murphy, C. (2001). The cooperative education process and organisational

socialisation: A qualitative study of student perceptions of its effectiveness. Education and

Training, 43(6): 281-302.

[8]. Gluchmanova, M. (2015). The importance of ethics in the teaching profession. Procedia - Social

and Behavioral Sciences, 176: 509-513

[9]. Kleinig, J. (1996). The ethics of policing. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

[10]. Nystrom, S. (2009). The dynamics of professional identity formation: Graduates’

transitions from higher education to working life. Vocation and Learning, 2(1): 1-18.

[11]. Sutton, M. (2005). The Globalization of Multicultural Education. Indiana Journal of

Global Legal Studies, 12(1): 96-108.
















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AGRICULTURE & FOOD: e-Newsletter ISSN no: To be updated soon


ORGANIC FARMING - NEED OF THE HOUR

Gyanendra Maurya

Agro-consultant, SHUATS Agrarian Society

Concept of organic farming The term of organic farming is not new for the farmers. The method of organic farming

has been adopted from centuries for the cultivation of crops due to their diverse climatic

conditions. Ten thousand years ago the ancient civilization start farming by adopting the methods

of organic farming. The cultivation of natural herbs and medicinal plants in the forest and

wilderness is also in the same category. The method of organic farming among all the other

farming practices is becoming special focus of the agricultural scientists now days. The main

reason for adopting organic farming is to minimize the use of artificial fertilizers, pesticides,

weedicides and other agricultural chemicals. In fact, it not only saves money but also protects the

environment, land fertility, increased employment opportunities on long term basis. For the

many of the organic concept came and one is zero budget natural farming by Mr. Subhash

Palekar.

Zero Budget Natural Farming, Mr. Palekar and his vision Mr. Subhash Palekar studied natural system and verified natural processes of the forest

on his farm for six year, since 1989 to 1995. There were about 154 research projects during these

six years of research work. After six years of verified research work, he got the package of

technique about Zero Budget Natural Farming; which he is giving to the farmers throughout

India. He (Krishi ka Rishi) also awarded by many awards some are:

BASAVA SHRI AWARD (2005)

GOPAL GAURAV AWARD (2007)

PADMA SHRI (2016) This model eliminates the cost of fertilizers, pesticides and seeds and greatly reduces the

incentive to borrow, one of the chief causes for farmer suicides in the country.

Definition of Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) or holistic agriculture is a method of agriculture

that counters the commercial expenditure and things required for the growth of plant are present

around the root zone.

In the Zero Budget Natural Farming nothing has to be purchased from the outside. All things

required for the growth of the plant are available around the root zone of the plants.

98 to 98.5% nutrients are taken from air, water & solar energy. Remaining 1.5% nutrients taken

from the soil are also available free of cost as it is taken from the prosperous soil which is

enriched with these nutrients.

52

WHY ZBNF? An approach towards sustainability

Expense-free farming

Farming up to 30 acres with one native cow

Farming with minimum electricity and water consumption

Producing quality, poison-free food

Agriculture without external input

Techniques of multi-crop cultivation for higher net income

Reducing external labor requirement

Farming in tune with nature

Saving the farmers from suicide themselves and leaving behind their families as beggars.

Despite all these things there is contradiction between the people that promote organic

farming and the people that don’t promote the use of organic farming? Due to increased use of

inorganic fertilizers now people feel fear in using organic fertilizers as these are slow in

providing nutrients. That’s why so many questions arise related to the nutrition and reliability of

these organic fertilizers. Some of these questions are listed below:

Can we provide enough food for everyone through organic farming?

Is it possible to fulfill the nutritional needs of crops from organic sources?

What are the environmental benefits of organic farming?

Is the quality of the food produced by organic farming is good?

Is organic farming economically beneficial?

Is the control of diseases caused by insect pest possible through organic farming?

The yield from organic farming may be less than the yield from conventional farming

systems but it’s not same for each crops some of the crops yields much better than that of

conventional farming, during drought the production of organic crops is much higher. Due to

green revolution, per acre yield remains almost same even through the adaptation of organic

farming in the areas where irrigation facilities are available. Traditionally in arid regions the

inputs mostly used in small amounts. So the production through organic farming gives better

results.

Organic farming (ZBNF) and food security To provide sufficient amount of good quality food to the human beings and animals

different management techniques including balanced fertilizer, crop rotation, crop residues

recycling, good quality irrigation water and use of good quality seeds should be adopted. During

crop rotation leguminous crops should be preferred than other crops. It is normally believed that

by the use of organic farming the production will be reduced fiercely. However it is not proved

practically. Studies have shown that while moving from conventional farming toward organic

farming the demand and supply of the food will not be affected. However its effect on exports

depends upon the crop quality. But later on the production of most of the crops get better in yield

and quality.

53

Nutritional management in organic farming (ZBNF) The organic farming critics say that the fertility and productivity of soil cannot be

improved by the addition of organic manures because the availability of organic resources is

limited. But due to climatic change and soil constraints the use of organic manures is useful than

inorganic fertilizers. In organic farming the availability of nitrogen from organic sources

sometimes lowers the production of edible commodities. In limited water conditions or in arid

areas the difference between production through organic farming and conventional farming

remains only about 10-15% per acre.

Rearing of animals is an old tradition and is helpful in organic farming. Because the

animals eat plant residues and other fodder crops growing on the soil and their waste material is

used as an organic fertilizer and ensures the improvement in soil fertility. Dairy farming played a

significant role in improving the financial situations of the poor farmers. Farmers can collect

these organic manures but do not store properly that’s why 40-60% of the nutrients especially

nitrogen lost. In organic farming these losses can be minimized through composting and vermi

composting. One gram of desi cow dung contains 300 to 500 crores of beneficial effective

microbes.These micro-organisms decompose the dried biomass on the soil and make available

the nutrients to the plants. All Indian cow breeds are suitable for ZBNF.

Dung and urine from one desi cow is sufficient to cultivate 30 acres of land in ZBNF.

Economic aspects of organic farming (ZBNF) In organic farming very small amount of inputs is needed to purchase. Organic fertilizers

and insecticides can be prepared from animal wastes and locally available trees and grasses.

Biological and mechanical methods are adopted for insect control. The use of available resources

as inputs decreases the cost. Sometimes it is seen that cost in organic farming can increases due

to the purchase of organic fertilizers but this gap can be controlled due to high costs of the

products.

What farmer wants…..?

They want good green crop and high yield but what about ENVIRONMENT? By managing the organic farming through cultural practices we can achieve both

economic and environmental benefits. Organic farming provides environmental protection,

increase in biodiversity, energy use and reduction in carbon dioxide emission in developed

countries. While in developing countries it increases per acre production at low cost, increase

biodiversity and also environmental protection.

Palekar’s Principles of ZBNF to overcome from farmer’s problems 1. Low Input farming:

The production cost for the farmer is zero as no input needs to be purchased. As 1.5 to

2.0 % of the nutrients are taken from the soil by the plant, there is no need to add fertilizers.

These nutrients provided by nature (as in the forest) are totally free of cost.

2. Natural input

Natural farming does not require chemicals inputs or organic compost like vermiculture

(S. Palekar considers these external inputs as destructive as chemicals) but promotes a natural

catalyst of biological activity in the soil and natural protection from diseases.

3. Soil mulching

It is necessary to create the micro-climate under which micro-organisms can well

develop, that is 25 to 32 °C temperature, 65 to 72 % moisture. It creates darkness and warmth in

the soil. It conserves humidity of the soil, cools it and protects its micro-organisms.

54

Mulching promotes humus formation, suppresses weeds and maintains the water requirement of

crops.

4. Multicropping

Multicropping is a good way to minimize the risks for the farmer who is able to enjoy

continuity of yield throughout the year. In case of a crop’s failure he can also rely on the other

crops. It has expanded farmers’ income sources.

The arid and dry regions where land is barren for many years but social, economic, and

environmental factors are favorable. There is a possibility of success in organic farming. So the

lands of arid region can be brought under cultivation immediately without any potential risk of

lack of production.

Application of ZBNF towards Low Input and High Yield Crop Role of Jeevamrita

Soil is saturated with all the nutrients, but these are in the unavailable form to the roots of

the plants. Beneficial microorganism in Jeevamrita converts the nutrient in non available form

into dissolved form, when it is inoculated to the soil.

Jeevamrita is either sprayed/sprinkled on the crop field or added to the irrigation tank in regular

interval of 15 days until the soil is enriched.

Role of Beejamrut

Naturally occurring beneficial microorganisms are found in cow dung.These microorgani

sms are cultured in the form of beejamrut and applied to the seeds as inoculms.

It is reported that seed treatment with beejamrut protects the crop from harmful soilborne

pathogens and also helpful in producing IAA and GA3.

Insect-Pest Management in ZBNF

Allowing for an acceptable level of pest damage.

Encouraging predatory beneficial insects to control pests.

Encouraging beneficial insects and microorganisms by serving them nursery plants

and/or an alternative habitat, usually in a form of a shelterbelt or hedge row.

Careful crop selection, choosing disease-resistant varieties.

Companion crops that discourage or divert pests.

Row covers to protect crops during pest migration periods

Pest regulating plants and ecologic pesticides and herbicides

no-till farming, and no-till farming techniques as false seedbeds

crop rotation to different locations from year to year

Conclusion Savings on cost of seeds, fertilizers and plant protection chemicals has been substantial

because of continuous incorporation of organic residues and replenishment of soil fertility. Help

to maintain the soil health. The new system of farming has freed the farmers from the debt trap

and it has instilled in them a renewed sense of confidence to make farming an economically

viable venture.

Pest management is a key component in zero budget natural farming crop production

systems.

To successfully control pest in a zero budget natural farming, it is important to understand the

interactions of different components in a specific ecosystem.
















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55

Capsicum: It’s potency in therapeutic uses beyond the taste and colour B. Vanlalneihi, Sujayasree.O.J

PhD Scholars

ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bengaluru

INTRODUCTION

India is a country of vast biodiversity and rich in its natural resources. Varieties of

spices, herbs, plants, and trees are grown in various parts of the country, which have more than

one use. Most of them are rich source of nutrition, some are popular spices, and some have

exclusive medicinal uses also. The objective of this article is to give a brief and compact

information on capsicum and its versatile potential medicinal values, and to consider those for

developing some potent and effective drugs with minimum or no side effects for wide range of

pathological conditions.

Capsicum species has been commonly used as a spice and broadly as medicinal

applications. The genus Capsicum contains capsaicin, the pungent irritating compound in the

placental area. The concentration of capsaicin molecule differs among and between the species.

Capsaicin finds its way in the treatment of various neurological pain syndromes, obesity, non-

allergic rhinitis and the associated symptoms in various formulations. Despite the study as an

important spice crop, in-depth scientific research for the medicinal benefits is still in infancy

stage.

Chemistry

All plants from the Capsicum genus produce varied

amounts of capsaicin and all of them have been

used as a spice ingredient and consumed by

humans for over 6000 years. It contains a phenolic

compound known as capsaicin (8-methyl-N-

vanillyl-6-nonenamide); which is a primary

pungent principle and constitutes 80% of

capsaicinoid content of chilli peppers that

represents an important ingredient of the

majority of spicy foods. Capsicum species are native to the tropical and humid zones of Central

and South America and belong to the Solanaceae family, which includes peppers of important

economic value. Capsaicin (trans-8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-nonenamide) is a naturally occurring

alkaloid extracted from fruit of the capsicum plant family. It is a member of the vanilloid family

of compounds such as vanillin from vanilla, eugenol from bay leaves and cloves, zingerone from

ginger and capsaicin from hot peppers. The vanilloids possess a vanillyl (4-hydroxy-3-

methoxybenzyl) moiety and this confers their biological activity. Structurally, like other

vanilloids, capsaicin has a benzene ring and long hydrophobic carbon tail with a polar amide

group.

It is grown widely and consumed as a food additive throughout the world for its

pungency compound. Capsaicin is an intriguing molecule since the consumption of chilli peppers

evokes opposing sensations (pleasant and unpleasant) depending on the individual experience

and chilli pepper consumption habits. Therefore, it is important to understand the mechanisms of

capsaicin action in pain modulation as well as in other pathological conditions. If used in the

right dosage and frequency, capsaicin promotes pain relief, and so caught the attention of

researchers.

Pharmaceutical formulation of capsaicin

1. Topical application

The most common therapeutic use of capsaicin is for

the management of pain. For the treatment of various

pain syndromes, including post-herpetic neuralgia,

diabetic neuropathy, and chronic musculoskeletal pain,

low-concentration creams, lotions, and patches

containing capsaicin (0.025%–0.1% wt/wt) intended for

daily topical application have been used. Meanwhile,

the high concentration patch containing 8% capsaicin is

widely used to treat post-herpetic neuralgia, HIV neuropathy, and other conditions with

neuropathic pain symptoms. The application of this formulation does not required medical

prescription and is often self-administered. The studies have revealed that three to five topical

skin applications per day for periods of two to six

weeks have modest beneficial effects against various

pain syndromes.

2. Oral administration of capsaicin

The therapeutic dose of

capsule capsaicin has not been

established, however, the

generally recommended daily

dose stated on labels of

commercially available

capsules is 1350–4000 mg of capsicum with 0.25% capsaicin. Both the

lower (0.4–2 mg) and higher (135–150 mg) doses of capsaicin are also

effective in accelerating energy expenditure, fat oxidation, thermogenesis,

and decrease appetite in humans. Hence, many findings lead to the role of

capsaicin as an effective weight loss and amelioration of obesity. It has

been reported that the capsaicin (extracted of Capsicum frutescens Linn.)

at the doses of 2.5–10.0 mg/kg may reduce thromboembolism without

non-significant alteration in platelets.

3. Nasal sprays

To treat non-allergic rhinitis and the associated symptoms, capsicum nasal sprays and

homeopathic preparation of Capsicum annum and Eucalyptol nasal sprays are used. Although a

therapeutic dose has not been established yet, some finding has shown that 4 µg/puff of

capsicum, three times a day for three consecutive days, is efficacious for non-allergic, non-

infectious perennial rhinitis.

Conclusion:

Capsaicin plays an important role in plants health and find its way in the used as spice and

condiments. It has been essential to our understanding of physiological and pathological

processes of this molecule in improving human health. Though this molecule exists for

thousands of years, capsaicin is still an interesting challenge among researchers and presents a

wide horizon of potential therapeutic uses. However, for pharmaceutical industry,

characterization of capsaicin molecule is needed due to the influence of genetics and

environmental on the frequency of this molecule. Though varied pharmaceutical formulations

and clinical applications are available, the efficacy of capsaicin is still in infancy stage.

Therefore, new pharmaceutical formulations, development of new analogs, or targeting the

capsaicin-activated receptor are promising pharmacological approaches in the following years.

Thus, we may look forward for wonderful potent drug formulations from Capsicum to enrich,

upgrade, and strengthen our pharmaceutical reserves for more than one pathological conditions.

References

[1]. Suh YG, Oh U. Activation and activators of TRPV1 and their pharmaceutical

implication. Curr Pharm Des 2005;11(21):2687–98.

[2]. Watson CP, Evans RJ. The postmastectomy pain syndrome and topical capsaicin: a

randomized trial. Pain 1992 Dec;51(3):375–9.
















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Volume 1 – issue 1 Article no. 11016

58

EXAMINATION SYSTEM IN INDIA AND E-GOVERNANCE PATTERN FOR

UNIVERSITY EXAMINATION SYSTEM

Hradesh Rajput1, Rekha Rani

2 Neha Singh

1, Pratisha Srivastava

1

1 Assistant Professor, Warner Collage of Dairy Technology (WCDT), SHUATS, Allahabad

2 Ph. D.

(Food Science and Technology), WCDT, SHUATS, Allahabad

ABSTRACT

Education is important for learning and it can be accessed by examination system in better ways. In

schools, colleges and professional degree colleges all have different examination system. In

professional degree colleges mainly semester and annual examination pattern is followed. Various

comparative studies had been conducted to analyze better examination system better. Each pattern

has its own merits and demerits. Information and communication technology is a very helpful tool

for providing good governance or electronic government (E-governance) to the community which is

bringing a sea-change in the working of organizations and institutions. E-governance can act as a

facilitator for equal access of information at different level and refers to the delivery of national or

local government information and services via the internet or other digital means to citizens or

business or other governmental agencies. It is emerging at a very rapid speed in India and all over

the world.

INTRODUCTION

Education is described as a process of facilitating

learning, acquisition of knowledge,

reorganization, construction and reconstruction of

values, habits, attitude, perception and actions

(Hume and Beauchamp, 2006; Qamar et al.,

2017). Learning or knowledge acquiring mainly

concerned with the experience of a person as a

whole, not imposing one’s characteristic or habit

and also focusing on individual social, intellectual,

moral, emotional and physical growth in life

(Hume and Beauchamp, 2006). Examination

system is a systematic process to create pillars for

society, conjures up an image of fear and dread

(Malik et al., 2010). Generally, the examination

means testing and estimating one’s academic

ability and performance by oral or written

examination which was based on the prescribed

syllabus provided for the test within a specified

period of time (Aggarwal, 2005; Collins and

O’Brien, 2011). Examination occupies a very

significant place in a university system.

Examination is an instrument to test what the

student had learned and retained in his mind

during course of study. University examinations

have stimulating effect on both students and

teachers. To the Student, it gives a goal towards

which he/she is directed and impels him to attain

that goal with in specified period of time.

Examination may be used as a means to organize

and integrate knowledge, it encourages student to

go through various books and integrate ideas to

respond to a given problem. For a teacher too,

examination gives a stimulus and goal orientation

towards his/her works. In a nutshell, we can say

that examinations are inevitable, without

examination the work of students and teachers will

neither have precision and any direction.

Examination is always an effective instrument to

evaluate the quality and quantity of knowledge or

say learning in a specific field and time.

University examinations are conducted for each

stage at the end of the academic session. There is

hardly any month for when exams are not

conducted.

SEMESTER VERSUS ANNUAL EXAMINATION SYSTEM

Different examination systems were used all over

the world, mainly semester (6 months) and annual

systems were in focused with their unique

characteristics used to evaluate student and quality

of education. Each examination system has its

own importance in different regards. In semester

system, students had to grab knowledge, concepts

in short duration of time as compared to annual

system, but at same time students felt convenient

in semester system as courses are divided and

learnt in short duration as compared to annual

system, where whole course leant and evaluated at

end of year. Quick picking and screening is more

in semester exams and intellectual challenge as

well as improves intellectual learning in the

semester system (Malik et al., 2010; Yousaf et al.,

2012; Singh et al., 2013). The annual examination

system gives an opportunity to grasp concepts and

study of texts in detailed manner. In this system,

students get enough time to do mastery over

subjects, but in semester system students built

concepts in short duration. For cognitive learning

semester system moves to the higher level of

learning and student is evaluated on both

intellectual and behavioural basis. Proper training

of teachers, however, can help the students to pass

through examination in the Semester system

(Aggarwal, 2005; Bell et al., 2013).

Figure 1 Annual vs semester examination system

Annual system of examination is the one

which conducts one examination at the end of

year in which papers are set by

internal/external professors and are checked

by internal /external examiner under the

supervision of the concerned University, little

or no role for internal assessment and

examiner, so there are little chances of biases

for evaluation of students (Malik et al., 2010;

Yousaf et. al., 2012; Khattak et al., 2011).

Annual system allows teachers to teach

student while taking help from not only from

books but also by using modern technologies,

multimedia, internet facilities to help students

to get into the depth of any topic and to

improve knowledge, as students get enough

time in annual system to make their grip

strong on tough subjects by revising them,

again and again, that helps them making

strong concepts over the subjects (Khattak et

al., 2011; Shah, 1988) and will improve not

only his/her theory knowledge but also

practical skills can be improved (Khattak et

al., 2011).

In semester system students had the

advantage of appearing in exams after the

short interval after almost every 6 months,

marks are divided into separate categories in

term of assignments, presentations, mid-term

and final terms theory and practicals. Students

get more chances to improve their grading in

this type of system (Khattak et al., 2011;

Munshi et al., 2012; Rana and Perveen,

2013). The greatest advantage of semester

system is that students get evaluated about

their progress through continues feedback and

tests (Aslam et al., 2012). Previous data

determined that students motivation is an

important factor in their performance and

most students get motivation from their final

results and positions in exams and to achieve

such satisfaction can be achieved by proper

planning and management through the

academic year (McClure and Spector, 2005;

Slavin and Davis, 2006). Semester system

provides flexibility to their students regarding

improving their learning quality by decreasing

their work load but it does not allow students

to do mastery over subjects involving in their

course and making concepts (Bell et al., 2013;

Aslam et al., 2012; Jadoon et al., 2012;

Rahman, 2013). Previous studies concluded

that semester system of examination is

accepted by the students and teachers in terms

of marks obtained, personality development

and flexible environment for learning (Hill

and Solent, 1999) while such system

disagrees in terms of making concepts (Aslam

et al., 2012), doing mastery over subjects

(Yousaf et al., 2012) and taking part in extra-

curricular activities (Aslam et al., 2012).

Semester system has a disadvantage in

making students overburdened in their studies

as well as financially as they have to deposit

fees in every semester (Munshi, et al., 2012;

Rana and Perveen, 2013; Abbasi et al.,

2011).

COMPARATIVE STUDIES OF ANNUAL VERSUS SEMESTER EXAMINATION

SYSTEM

A comparative study was conducted in

Government. Colleges, Universities and

among staff for annual and semester system,

regarding marks obtained and the passing

ratio of students. They had taken feedback

from 216 students of Bachelor of Commerce

(B.Com.) and 265 students of Bachelor in

Business Administration (BBA) in 2010 and

75 students of B.Com and 72 students of BBA

in 2011. On the basis of qualitative research,

data collected through questionnaires and face

to face discussions with the students as well

as staff of their university. They concluded

that students agreed with semester system as

it provides good marks in exam as compared

to the annual system (Khattak et al., 2011).

A study was conducted in five

dominant Universities with the objective to

rule out student’s consummation about

semester exams in different universities

(McClure and Spector, 2005). Previous data

considers student’s gratification in the context

of coursework, teachers and teaching

methods, time of coursework. They

distributed self-administered questionnaires

among students randomly and 5-point scale.

Results favored the semester system for

providing a flexible environment for

improving marks obtained and to make a

student less burdened as they had to go

through short course (Slavin and Davis, 2006;

Abbasi et. al., 2011; Ayubbuzder and Ali,

2013).

DEMERITS OF EXAMINATION SYSTEM IN INDIAN UNIVERSITIES

Examinations continue for months causing physical and mental stress both for students as

well as for university administration.

Declaration of results also takes very long time owing to which students remain ideal for

months together.

Moreover, the dates of examinations and declaration of result also vary between different

universities and sometimes students are not able to get admission to higher studies in the

universities or academic fields of their choice.

E-GOVERNANCE PATTERN FOR UNIVERSITY EXAMINATION SYSTEM

University education in India is at the

crossroads. Changes are inevitable in the

education system, particularly at the university

level challenges arising from complexities of

educational process and changing demands and

needs of society. With the increase in number

of students, number of universities and number

of colleges, there is a need of advanced

technology with skilled individuals to fulfill the

requirements and it poses huge challenge for

the administrators of all the institutions to

manage the administration, examination and to

improve the quality of education. With the

advancement in the technology, it is very

important for the educational institutions,

especially universities to have an optimum use

of technologies by implementing automated

system in the universities. Information and

communication technology is a very helpful

tool for providing good governance or

electronic government (E-governance) to the

community which is bringing a sea-change in

the working of organizations and institutions.

E-governance can act as a facilitator for equal

access of information at different level and

refers to the delivery of national or local

government information and services via the

internet or other digital means to citizens or

business or other governmental agencies. It is

emerging at a very rapid speed in India and all

over the world. It is of information technology,

people and governments. It is the application of

information technology to the government

processes to bring Simple, Moral, and

Accountable, Responsive and Transparent

(SMART) governance. The strategic objective

is to support and simplify government for E-

government community comprised of citizens,

civil society organizations, private companies,

government lawmakers and lawmakers, and

regulators on networks. Wadhwa (2006) has

redefined the term 'Governance' as Public

Administration because of its wide perspective

and generous sense and E-governance is

electronic governance or the governance

through Information Communication

Technology (ICT) or computerization and has

analyzed the need of the hour to automate the

integrated examination system.

Many Universities are now embracing the use

of information communication technology

(ICT) in search for more efficient and

competitive processes both in delivery of

lectures as well as in administrative processes.

ICT is a major vehicle for process change. The

entire governance and the policy makers are

also stressing hard for adoption of new

technology to make the system more

transparent. It is a known fact that computer is

a very sophisticated communication device. It

can bring both authentic and logic to bear upon

problems and can bring the same arithmetic and

logic to the matter of communication. In such

an event, communication becomes more

efficient. ICT is growing all over the world and

this technology has reached the common people

by breaking all the geographical barriers. Thus,

it is vital for the people to have access to

information at their door step with a minimum

cost. The interactive nature of ICT and its

ability can help the citizen without wasting

much time and money. Maki (2008) had

described ICT as that technology which can be

used right from student administration to

various resource administrations in an

education institution, whereas administrative

sub-systems include personnel administration,

student administration, resources

administration, financial administration and

general administration. O'Donoghue et al.,

(2001) stated that utilizing the internet to

deliver electronic learning had created

expectations both in the business market and in

the higher education institutions. Volery (2000)

argues that the fast expansion of the internet

and related technological advancements, in

conjunction with limited budgets and social

demands for improved access to higher

education, has produced a substantial incentive

for universities to introduce e-resources. If

universities do not embrace e-learning

technology that is readily available, they will be

left behind in the pursuit for globalization.

Hearn (2000) contends that university

structures are rigid and unproven, regarding the

incorporation of technological advancements.

Traditional universities should also compete

with other independent education providers in

relation to social demands for 'lifelong learning'

and globalized education services. It has

become essential to consider not only access to

education but also exploit the technology,

where computers have become an indispensable

element of present education system.

The existing approach to tackle this

challenge is to increase technology capacity in

terms of infrastructure building and enhance

awareness level among users to utilize the full

potential of Information Technology (IT) as

electronic resources in higher education system

to become a strong knowledge economy in the

world map. With the introduction of

Information Technology Act (ITA), 2000, in

India, transactions on the internet have got legal validity in India (ITA, 2000).

Information Technology Act 2000 addressed the following issues:

1. Legal recognition of electronic documents

2. Legal recognition of digital signatures

3. Offenses and contraventions

4. Justice dispensation systems for cybercrimes

MERITS OF E-GOVERNANCE IN UNIVERSITY EXAMINATION SYSTEM

An integrated university E-governance solution

can empower the university and its affiliated

colleges to administer the progress of education

and services to the stakeholders in a much better

manner. E-governance not only helps in managing

all the activities online and also supports better

control and monitoring of all the processes of the

university providing unique serving stakeholders.

In the context of university, features of E-

governance are –

a) Automating the routine work of universities;

b) Web-enabling the various functions so that

colleges and students can have a direct access,

c) Improving the functioning of various processes

so that accountability, effectiveness, reliability and

efficiency may be achieved.

Different universities had initiated the process of

computerization of the University examination

system. Computerization of the University system

was inaugurated by Government of India in

November, 2008, taking a quantum step in

automation of the University system to make as a

paper free University and whole automation

system was finally operational within a short span

of time. With this, university's examination system

was completely revamped. Optical mark

recognition (OMR)-based answer books were

introduced and the results were also computerized

(The Tribune, 2008). To support the

computerization of the system, the universities had

created new facilities in terms of hardware and

software for automation of activities related to

administrative block, teaching departments and all

other students and faculty-related activities. The

automation of the evaluation and preparation of

the results will cut down the time of declaration of

results and automated issue of the detailed marks

cards (DMCs).

Some of the processes like on-line filling of

examination form, admit card, result declaration

etc. Computerization of all the administrative and

service functions of the university, such as

admissions, examinations, financial matters, store

inventory management at an advanced stage of

implementation from registration to issue of hall

tickets. The process regarding result processing,

generation of result cards and issuing of result is

yet to finalize (The Hindu, 2010). Indian

Universities are striving hard for computerization

of its functional units to make the system

transparent, so that credibility of universities can

be maintained. Universities which go for

computerization will have to make strong

commitment for instructions and administration.

In the Indian Universities, well planned and

careful implementation of the computers as a tool

or aid will have far reaching benefits in Indian

Universities (Binod et al., 1994).

EARLIER EFFORTS IN COMPUTERIZATION OF EXAMINATION SYSTEM

Recognizing the importance of ICT which is a

major vehicle for process change and an

effective tool to transfer the entire governance,

Himachal Pradesh University has initiated a

process for computerization of its examination

system from the year 2006. It was started in

some of the under graduates (UG)-BA, BSc. and

B.Com and post graduate’s (PG) - MA (Hindi,

English and M.Com. classes on a pilot basis.

University examinations had stimulating effect

on both students and teachers. To the students, it

gives a goal towards which he/she is directed

and impels him to attain that goal within

specified period of time. The performance of

student can be judged on the declaration of the

result. The whole career of a student is based on

the timely processing of results and which also

reflects how fast and accurately the University/

Institute declare the results. For the teachers too,

the examination gives a stimulus and a goal

orientation towards their work.

CONCLUSION

Examinations are conducted for each stage at the

end of the academic session. Continuous

examinations cause both physical and mental

stress to the students and teachers. Publication of

results also takes a very long time and students

remain ideal for months together. This period

becomes longer if universities are using traditional

method of examination processing. Manual

method of examination process is very time

consuming, tedious, costly and prone to errors

especially where bulk data handling is involved

such as in the examination wing of the

universities. Though lakhs of students are

receiving education every year, yet in most of the

universities, the management of examination

system is still manual. By automating the

examination system we meant to minimize human

intervention by adopting ICT since the technology

promises compact storage, speedy retrieval of data

and untiring diligent work.

REFRENCES

[1]. Abbasi, M. N., Malik, A., Chaudhry, I. S. and Imdadullah, M. A. (2011). Study on student satisfaction in Pakistani

universities: the case of BahauddinZakariya University, Pakistan. Asian Social Science, 7(7):209.

[2]. Aggarwal, J. (2005). Essentials of Examination System: Evaluation. Tests and Measurement New Delhi, Vikas

Publication.

[3]. Aslam, H. D., Younis, A., Sheik, A. A., Maher, M. and Abbasi, Z. A. (2013). Analyzing Factors Affecting

Students’ Satisfaction regarding Semester System in Universities of Pakistan. Journal of American Science,

8(10):163-70.

[4]. Ayubbuzder, M. and Ali, A. (2013). Assessment of students’ learning achievements under semester system in

Pakistan. Journal of Basic and Applied Scientific Research, 3(6):79-86.

[5]. Bell, C., Mills, R. and Fadel, K. (2013). An analysis of undergraduate information systems curricula: Adoption of

the IS 2010 curriculum guidelines. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 32(2):73-94.

[6]. Binod, C., Agrawal, B. C. and Symes, L.R. (1994). "Potential of a Computer as a Tool in Higher Education",

Future of Computerisation in Institutions of Higher Learning, Concept Publishing Company (P) Ltd. 1994, pp 65.

[7]. Collins, J. W. and O’Brien, N. P. (2011). The Greenwood dictionary of education: ABC-CLIO.

[8]. Hill, A. D. and Solent, M. N. (1999). Geography on the Web: Changing the learning paradigm? Journal of

Geography, 98(3):100-107.

[9]. Hume, D. and Beauchamp, T. L. (2006). An enquiry concerning the principles of morals: Oxford University Press.

[10]. Jadoon, J., Jabeen, N. and Zeba, F. (2012). Towards Effective Implementation of Semester System in Pakistan:

Lessons from Punjab University. 2nd International Conference on Assessing Quality in Higher Education.

[11]. Khattak, Z. I., Ali, M., Khan, A. and Khan, S. A. (2011). Study of English teachers and students’ perception

about the differences between annual and semester system of education at postgraduate level in Mardan. Procedia-

Social and Behavioral Sciences, 15:1639-1643.

[12]. Maki, C. (2008). Information and Communication Technology for Administration and Management for

secondary schools in Cyprus, Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 4 (3).

[13]. Malik, T., Avais, P. and Khanam, T. (2010). Comparative analysis of MA English Results under Annual and

Semester system: Quality Assurance in Pakistan. Language in India, 10(5).

[14]. McClure, J. E. and Spector, L. C. (2005). Plus/minus grading and motivation: an empirical study of student

choice and performance. Assessment and evaluation in higher education, 30(6):571-579.

[15]. Munshi, D. P., Javed, M. and Hussain, D. I. (2012). Examination in semester system: What is observation of

faculty and students. The Sindh University Journal of Education-SUJE, 41.

[16]. O'Donoghue, J., Singh, G., and Dorward, L. (2001). "Virtual Education in Universities: A Technological

Imperative", British Journal of Educational Technology. 32(5).

[17]. Qamar, M. M., Rasul, A., Tariq, M., Basharat, A., Farooq, R., Khaliq, I., Azam, K., Rabia, I., Khalid, R., Nawaz,

S., Ashraf, F., Khan, I., Shmashi, M., Irshad, S. (2017). An analysis of physical therapy student’s attitude towards

pursuing higher education in pakistan. Medical Channel.

[18]. Rahman, T. P. M. A. (2013). Perception of students and teachers towards semester system: A study in some

selected degree colleges of Nagaon Town of Nagaon district of Assam. Perception. 4(1).

[19]. Rana, A. M. K. and Perveen, U. (2013). A study to investigate the views of punjab university students regarding

semester system in pakistan. Asian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2(2):79-83.

[20]. Shah B. (1988). Revamping the Examination System: Northern Book Centre. ISBN No 81-85119-45-7.

[21]. Singh, A., Patel, J. and Desai, R. (2013). Attitude of Student Teachers towards Continuous Comprehensive

Evaluation With Reference To Gender, Caste and Habitat. Educationia Confab. 2(1).

[22]. Slavin, R. E and Davis, N. (2006). Educational psychology: Theory and practice. The Hindu (2010). Automated

exam system to test Kerala University", November 1, 2010, Thriruvananthapuram, India.

[23]. The Information Technology Act 2000 (ITA-2000). http://www.eprocurement.gov.in/news/act2000mod.pdf

accessed on March 15, 2018.

[24]. The Tribune (2008). "PU goes hi-tech", Tuesday, November 4, 2008, Chandigarh, India.

[25]. Volery, T. (2000). Critical Success Factors in Online Education". The International Journal of Educational

Management, 14(5):.216-233.

[26]. Wadhwa,O. M. (2006). E-govemance for Universities, University Today – 572. Vol XXVI-No-9-1" :2.

[27]. Yousaf, A., Hashim, M. A. (2012). Case study of annual and semester systems of examination on government

college of management sciences, Peshawar, Pakistan. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and

Social Sciences, 2(9):53.

http://www.eprocurement.gov.in/news/act2000mod.pdf%20accessed%20on%20March%2015

http://www.eprocurement.gov.in/news/act2000mod.pdf%20accessed%20on%20March%2015
















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65

Production and Health Benefits of food peptides

K.Shunmugapriya

Ph.D Scholar, Department of Food Science and Nutrition, TNAU, Madurai.

Introduction

Proteins in foods do not only serve

as nutrients but also perform physiochemical

roles that promote health. Most of the

physiological activities of proteins are

performed by peptide sequences encrypted

in the parent protein which become active

when cleaved intact. Bioactive peptides are

released during enzymatic proteolysis

(gastrointestinal digestion in vitro hydrolysis

using proteolytic enzymes) of proteins and

also during food processing (cooking,

fermentation, ripening). Nature remains the

largest source of bioactive peptides since

plants, animals, fungi, microbes and their

products contain various proteins in them.

So far, bovine milk, cheese and dairy

products are the greatest sources of bioactive

proteins and peptides derived from foods.

However, they can also be obtained from

other animal sources such as bovine blood,

gelatin, meat, eggs, and various fish species

such as tuna, sardine, herring and salmon.

Some vegetable sources of bioactive

peptides and proteins are wheat, maize, soy,

rice, mushrooms, pumpkin, sorghum and

amaranth

Production of Bioactive peptides

Bioactive peptides are produced

mainly by enzymatic hydrolysis and

Microbial fermentation. Sometimes

combination of these two methods produces

better and shorter functional peptide than

single method.

Enzymatic Hydrolysis method (In vitro)

In this method, the peptide bond

formation is mediated by an enzyme

(protease) in free or immobilized form. The

enzymatic method is especially useful in the

synthesis of very short peptides (2–5

oligomers) and in the condensation of large

peptide fragments. Proteolytic enzymes such

as chymotrypsin, papain, pepsin, subtilisin,

termolisin, trypsin, among others, have been

used in the presence of organic solvents as

catalysts for the synthesis of peptide bonds.

Microbial Fermentation method (In vitro)

This involves culturing some

bacteria or yeast on protein substrates to

hydrolyze the proteins with their enzymes as

they grows. The growing bacteria or yeast

secret their proteolytic enzymes into the

protein material to release peptides from the

parent protein

Several lactic acid bacteria (LAB)

(e.g. Lactococcus lactis, Lactobacillus

helveticus) have been reported to release

bioactive peptides by the process of

fermentation. This system consists of a

number of distinct intracellular peptidases

including endo-peptidases, amino-

peptidases, di-peptidases, and tri-peptidases.

Apart from bacteria starter, yeast and

filamentous fungus have also been used in

producing bioactive peptides. Proteins can

be co-cultured using a combination of

different bacteria or even yeast and bacteria

to accelerate the proteolytic process.

After fermentation, the mixture is

centrifuged and the supernatant recovered.

The supernatant may then be subjected to

further hydrolysis using proteolytic enzymes

to obtain shorter peptide sequences.

Alternatively, the low molecular weight

peptides in the supernatant can be recovered

by solvent extraction.

Production of peptides by

Gastrointestinal Digestion (In vivo)

Bioactive peptides may be released

in vivo during gastrointestinal digestion by

the action of digestive enzymes like pepsin,

trypsin or chymotrypsin. Dietary proteins

undergo denaturation in the presence of

hydrochloric acid secreted by the parietal

cells of the stomach. This acid activates

pepsinogen and converts it into its active

form, pepsin. Pepsin acts on proteins to

metabolise them to amino acids.

Gastrointestinal digestion permits the

consequent action of the enzymes present in

the small intestine such as pepsin, trypsin or

chymotrypsin, which are responsible for

protein hydrolysis Some other proteolytic

enzymes such as alcalase, thermolysin, may

be utilized with pepsin and trypsin in order

to simulate gastrointestinal digestion. They

have also been employed to release various

bioactive peptides.

Health benefits of bioactive peptides

Antihypertensive activity

The angiotensin is one of two

polypeptide hormones and a powerful

vasoconstrictor that functions in the body by

controlling arterial blood pressure through

the contraction of smooth muscles of the

blood vessel. Angiotensin converting

enzyme (ACE)-inhibitory peptide blocks the

conversion of angiotensin I to angiotensin II.

The ACE causes elevation of blood pressure

by converting angiotensin-I to the potent

vasoconstrictor, angiotensin-II, and by

degrading bradykinin, a vasodilatory

peptide, and enkephalins. ACE inhibitory

peptides such as β-casein, κ-casein have

been isolated from enzymatic digest of sour

milk. ACE inhibitory peptides such as α -

lactorphin and β-lactorphin are also

generated from whey proteins a-lactalbumin

and lactoglobulin, respectively.

Immunomodulatory activity

Immunomodulatory bioactive

peptides derived from both casein and whey

proteins are related to the stimulation and

proliferation of human lymphocytes,

macrophage phagocytic activity, anti-body

synthesis and cytokine regulation.

Cytomodulatory peptides produced from

casein may inhibit cancer cell growth by

stimulating the activity of immune

competent cells.

Antimicrobial peptides

These peptides have bacterial

membrane-lytic activities which disrupt

normal membrane permeability. Factors

influencing the antibacterial activity are the

electrostatic interactions between the peptide

and positively charged and anionic lipids on

the surface of the target microorganism.

Also, the hydrophobicity of the peptide

(factor required for insertion into the

membrane) and peptide flexibility allow

peptide interaction with the microbial

membrane. Chymosin digested casein

releases caseicidin peptide that exhibits

antimicrobial activity against

Staphylococcus spp.,Sarcina spp., Bacillus

subtilis and Streptococcus pyogenes.

Antitumor activity

Cancer, also known as malignant

neoplasm. All forms of cancer are

characterized by abnormal cell growth, that

is, they lack the mechanisms that control nor

mal cell division. Several peptides, such as

the cecropins, buforins, and magainins have

shown antitumor activity without affecting

normal eukaryotic cells. The peptide Lanak,

isolated from oyster hydrolysate showed

anticancer activity against human colon

carcinoma cell lines.

Hypocholesteremic activity

Peptide having high bile acid-

binding capacity can inhibit the reabsorption

of bile acid in the ileum, whereby it can

decrease the blood cholesterol level. Cumin

seed derived peptides CSP1, CSP 2 and

CSP3 have been shown to inhibit cholesterol

micelle formation, inhibit lipase activity and

bind strongly to bile acids and may therefore

lower cholesterol when consumed.

Mineral binding peptides Mineral-binding phosphopeptides or

caseinophosphopeptides have the function of

carriers for different minerals by forming

soluble organophosphate salts, especially

Ca2+

ion.

Application of peptides in Food

Packaging

The development of active

packaging by incorporating antimicrobial

peptides in food packaging material can be

done either to prolong the life of the product

or to reduce the microbial load of the

packing before use. The development of

active packaging with antimicrobial peptides

can be accomplished by 3 main methods of

incorporation: direct peptide incorporation

in the polymer; peptide coating on the

polymeric surface; and peptide

immobilization in the polymer.

Conclusion

Peptides produced by chemical and

Enzymatic hydrolysis occurring during

digestion or fermentation can liberate an

enormous amount of bioactive peptides

whose activities span from antimicrobial,

anti-thrombotic, antihypertensive, opioid,

immunomodulatory, mineral binding, and

antioxidative. As a result of this broad

spectrum of activities, bioactive peptides

have the potential to be used as food

additives and ingredients of pharmaceuticals

for the treatment or prevention of some

medical conditions and life style diseases,

such as obesity, diabetes type II and

hypertension.

Fig 1. Production of bioactive peptides by various methods
















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Microgreens: Arising trend in food and nutrition world Anusree Anand, Sujayasree.O.J, Deeplata

Ph.D Scholars


Email:[email protected]

INTRODUCTION

The spectrum of life in terms of income,

life style and spending is changing rapidly with

economic development. Diet related diseases

such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular

disease, hypertension, stroke and cancer are

escalating both in developed and developing

countries, in part due to imbalanced food

consumption patterns. In developing countries

like India, 13.5% people are chronically

undernourished with Western-Asia and Sub-

Saharan Africa, the most severely affected

regions. Microgreens are a new class of edible

vegetables with lots of potential in term of

nutritional ability to cure various deficiencies

(Pinto et al., 2015).

Microgreens are trending now as people

include them in their smoothies, piling them on

sandwiches, mixing them into salads, and even

growing them at home. This is due to the

change of life style pattern and health

consciousness among consumers. This article

provides nutritional importance of microgreens

and their possible health benefits along with

some of the post-harvest risks and its

management.

What are microgreens?

Microgreens are seedlings of vegetables

or herbs. Once the seed of a plant begins to

grow, it is considered a sprout. Once the sprout

begins to grow, at a particular stage, it is

considered as baby greens. Microgreens stand

between sprouts and baby greens. These are

older than sprouts but younger than baby

greens. They are of size ranging from 5-10cm

and contain a central stem, cotyledon leaf and

first pair of young true leaves. Sprouts are

usually grown in water and harvested within 2-

3 days while microgreens are grown in soil,

require sunlight, and are harvested after 1-3

weeks of growing time, when they are about 2

inches tall. Baby greens are grown for longer

periods and are usually around 3-4 inches tall

when they are harvested.

Sprouts Microgreens Babygreens

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs1164

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs1164

Popular plants as microgreens

Variety of high-quality microgreens is grown commercially and sometimes they are

grown by individuals at lower scale for home use. The flavour of microgreens depends on the

plants they comes from. It can range from mild to tangy, spicy, or peppery. Microgreens can

be grown from any herb or vegetable. Some of the most popularly consumed microgreens are

given below:

Table 1: Commonly used microgreens

Commercial name Botanical Name Family Microgreen colour

Beet Beta vulgaris L. Chenopodiaceae Reddish green

Celery Apium graveolens L. Apiaceae Green

Cilantro Coriandrum sativum L. Apiaceae Green

Garnet amaranth Amaranthus hypochondriacus L. Amaranthaceae Red

Golden pea tendrils Pisum sativum L. Fabaceae Yellow

Green basil Ocimum basilicum L. Lamiaceae Green

Green daikon radish Raphanus sativus L. Brassicaceae Green

Magenta spinach Spinacia oleracea L. Chenopodiaceae Red

Pea tendrils Pisum sativum L. Fabaceae Green

Pepper cress Lepidium bonariense L. Brassicaceae Green

Purple kohlrabi Brassica oleracea L. Brassicaceae Purplish green

Purple mustard Brassica juncea L. Brassicaceae Purplish green

Red cabbage Brassica oleracea L. Brassicaceae Purplish green

Red mustard Brassica juncea L. Brassicaceae Purplish green

Growing microgreens

Microgreens are relatively easy to grow

on a small scale and can even thrive indoors if

sunlight is available. These can be grown in

garden bed, window sill as well as in containers,

depending upon the requirement. They are grown

in a standard, sterile, loose, soil, and many mixes

can be used successfully with peat, vermiculite,

perlite, and bark. Mixed cultivation of

microgreens is also done by the growers. Having

the appropriate mix of microgreens at the right

stage of harvest is one of the most important

production strategies for success. The time from

seeding to harvest varies greatly from crop to

crop (Pinto et al., 2015). The growers are

selecting the crops having a similar growth rate

during seeding a mixture of crops, so the entire

crop can be harvested at once.

Nutritional importance of microgreens

Phytonutrient levels differ according to

growth stages of the plant and often decrease

from the seedling to the fully developed stage

(Ebert et al., 2014). Microgreens are 4-6

times more nutrient dense than their mature

counterparts (Xiao et al., 2012). So, microgreens

can be termed as ‘Functional Foods’, which have

health promoting or disease preventing

properties.

In recent years, consumption of

microgreens has increased along with consumer

awareness and appreciation for their tender

texture, distinctive fresh flavours, vivid colours

and concentrated bio-active compounds such as

vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, etc. Researchers

found that, there is higher amount of total

ascorbic acid in cabbage microgreens,

phylloquinone and violaxanthin in garnet

amaranths, β-carotene and lutein in red sorrel,

etc., and some microgreens like red cabage, green

daikon radish and cilantro contain highest

concentration of vitamins and carotenoids

(vitamin C, vitamin E and lutein respectively).

Nutritional importance and storage of some

common microgreens are given in Table 2.

Table.2: Nutritional component and storage of some microgreens

Crop Nutritional component Harvesting

stage

Storage

Spinach Vitamin C, Carotenoids 10 days Polyethylene (PE) films at 5°C ; 14

days

Buckwheat Total phenolics, radical

scavenging activity and

flavonoids

5cm height Polyethylene films, stored at 1, 5, 10,

15 or 20°C for 14 days and at 5°C for

21 days

Broccoli Antioxidant activity 9 days Polyethylene film at 5°C for 21 days

Radish Ascorbic acid,

phylloquinone and phenols

7 days Polyethylene films at 1°C for 21 days

Lettuce Minerals 14 days Freeze dried

The industrial production and marketing is limited due to their rapid deterioration in product

quality associated with short shelf life, usually 3–5 days at ambient temperature. Hence they

are characterized as highly perishable products (Chandra et al., 2012).

Conclusion

There is a great potential for growing microgreens from variety of crops which will

cater their demand in the market. Combined with the great advances from past years, the

future development will contribute to deeper understating of microgreen production.

Microgreen industry is the growing field and there is a good scope for future research in this

area due to increase of consumer demand. The achievement of appropriate type of crop,

harvesting, and marketability will act as vehicle for this industry. Progress toward

establishment of shelf life stable techniques will also likely to accelerate the demand of this

crop in the coming years. The physiological and biochemical changes occurring during

microgreen storage deserves more attention. Advancements of postharvest processing

techniques and pack-aging technology will help to maintain the quality for longer periods of

time and extend their shelf life. In addition to quality parameters, the functional information

of microgreens will help to select the specific crop and harvest at appropriate stage of growth.

REFERENCE

[1]. Chandra, D., Kim, J. G. and Kim, Y. P., 2012, Changes in microbial population and

quality of microgreens treated with different sanitizers and packaging films. Hort. Env.

Biotech., 53: 32-40.

[2]. Ebert, A. W., Wu, T. H. and Yang, R.Y., 2014, In: Sustaining Small Scale Vegetable

Production and Marketing Systems for Food and Nutrition Security, pp, 234-244.

[3]. Pinto, E., Almeida, A. A., Aguir, A. A. and Ferreira, I. M. P. L.V.O, 2015, Comparison

between the mineral profile and nitrate content of microgreens and mature lettuces.

Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, 37: 38-43.

[4]. Xiao, Z. L., Lester, G. E., Luo, Y. G. and Wang, Q., 2012, Assessment of vitamin and

carotenoid Concentrations of emerging food products: Edible microgreens. Journal of

Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 60: 7644-7651.

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