Comparative study on the microbiological quality of vegetables collected from local markets and super shops of Dhaka city

Vegetables are major source of vitamins and fibers but presence of pathogens in salad vegetables can cause outbreak of diseases. Several studies have been conducted on commonly consumed vegetables so far to detect the level of microbial contamination. However, few of them compare the microbial quality of local and super shop vegetables. The present study was conducted for microbiological assessment and comparing four types of vegetables collected from two different market conditions. In this study, Green chili (Capsicum frutescens L.), Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) and Lady’s finger (Abelmoschus esculentus) were analyzed to determine Total Viable Bacterial (TVB) Counts, Total Fungal (TF) Counts, Total Coliform Counts (TCC), Total Fecal Coliform (TFC) Counts and occurrence of Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas spp., Listeria spp., Bacillus spp., Salmonella spp., and Vibrio spp. Among these microorganisms, Klebsiella spp. and Pseudomonas spp. were significantly present in coriander of both local market and super shop. All pathogenic bacteria and fungi were found in huge amounts in the vegetable samples of the local market. Although some pathogenic bacteria and fungi were also found in the same samples of the super shop, relatively lower than the local market’s vegetables. In conclusion, contamination in collected vegetable samples were not acceptable but comparatively higher load in local market samples indicated that the hygienic condition in these markets is not sufficiently maintained. Stamford Journal of Microbiology, Vol.11 (1) 2021: 24-27

PERCEPTION AND ATTITUDE OF THE FARMERS TOWARDS IMPROVED OKRA CULTIVATION PRACTICES IN EAST GODAVARI DISTRICT OF ANDHRA PRADESH

Okra (Abelmoschus esculentusL.) also known as Lady’s Finger is an economically important summer vegetable crop that belongs to the family Malvaceae. It is known to have originated in tropical Africa. The crop is quite popular due to its easy cultivation, dependable yield and resistant to drought & water logging adaptability to varying moisture conditions & soil types. (Maurya et al., 2013). the major findings are 74.16 percent of the respondents have knowledge on soils that are Loose, loamy soils are required for Okra cultivation, followed by 64.16 percent of the respondents are saying that they cultivate Okra crop throughout the year. Okra plant produces fiber by 20.2 to 7.2 percent. (Chauhan 1972) East-godavari district of Andra pradesh state was selected purposively based on the maximum farmers’ availability. Descriptive research design was used for the present study. A total of 120 respondents were selected purposively as a sample for the present investigation. The data was collected by using pre-tested schedule and analyzed using appropriate statistical tools. Karl Pearson’s Co-efficient of Correlation test was applied to find out the association between farmers socio-economic profile with independent variables. It was concluded that the socio-economic status of the respondents constitute medium level. It was observed that majority of the respondents belonged to the high level of perception and towards improved okra cultivation practices. There was a positive and significant relationship between independent variables with dependent variables.

Anatomical and morphological traits of the okra root system and the growing practice in plastic-covered greenhouses

The article presents studies of the anatomical and morphological traits of the okra root system and elements of the okra growing practice in plastic-covered greenhouses. The studies were carried out in 2018–2020 on the territory of the Educational and Scientific Production Center “Vegetable Experimental Station named after V. I. Edelstein”, Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education Russian State Agrarian University – Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy. The two ways of formation were studied (1 and 2 stems). As a result of the research, the anatomical and morphological traits of the okra root system were clarified, the highest yield of okra fruits of the Lady’s Finger variety was established when plants were formed in two shoots. To obtain the highest yield of fruits, we recommend growing the Lady’s Finger variety, forming plants in 2 shoots, while the yield is 1.6 kg/m2, which is 0.2 kg/m2 higher than the yield of this variety obtained when plants were formed in 1 shoot.

Soluble Dietary Fiber from Aloe Vera and Lady's Finger; Effect on Glucose Absorption in Type-2 Diabetic Model Rats

Despite considerable progress in diabetes mellitus by conventional synthetic drugs, the search for natural anti-diabetic plant products is going on. The effects of soluble dietary fibre (SDF) of Aloe Vera and Lady’s Finger on glucose absorption were evaluated by the gut perfusion method in Type-2 diabetic model rats. SDFs were extracted from Aloe Vera and Lady’s Finger by enzymatic digestion method. Both the SDF extracts of Aloe Vera and Lady’s Finger and glucose (control) suspended in buffer solution at a dose of 1.25 g/kg were perfused at a rate of 0.5 mL/min for 30 min through the gut. The % of glucose absorption observed for up to 30 min. The % of glucose absorption for Aloe Vera and Lady’s Finger during the 30 min was 52.98±5.67 and 57.74±4.81, respectively, compared to control 67.74±8.62. The p-value (0.061) for Aloe Vera was quite closer to the level of significance. On the other hand, Lady’s Finger had a non-significant effect on glucose absorption (p=0.145) in Type-2 diabetic model rats' gut. The results suggested the therapeutic potential of the SDF of Aloe Vera and Lady’s finger, which suppressed postprandial hyperglycemia after glucose ingestion.

MOISTURE AND ECONOMICS STUDY BY THE EFFECT OF MULCHING AND METHODS OF IRRIGATION ON OKRA (HIBISCUS ESCULENTUS L. MOENCH)

Okra (Hibiscus esculentus L. Moench) or Lady’s finger is one of the important vegetables grown throughout the tropics and subtropics. It is one of the most important vegetable grown commercially almost during the year in India. Irrigation scheduling is considered as a vital component of water management to produce higher irrigation efficiency under any irrigation system, as excessive or sub-optimum irrigation both have detrimental effects on productivity parameters of okra (Aiyelaagbe and Ogbonnaya, 1996). Mulching is effective in reducing evaporation, conserving soil moisture and has been known to modify the hydrothermal regime of soil. The result of method of irrigation is found to be non significant due to continuous rainfall. Hence, there are no differences among the methods of irrigation. Mulching with plastic sheet in okra var. VRO-6 proved the best mulch practice which produced superior growth and yield attributing characters

KARAKTERISTIK SENSORIS DAN KANDUNGAN LOGAM BERAT MINUMAN FUNGSIONAL OKRA-JAHE DENGAN BERBAGAI JENIS PEMANIS

Okra merupakan sayuran yang dapat dikonsumsi dalam keadaan segar maupun diolah. Okra dapat dimanfaatkan menjadi minuman kesehatan karena kaya akan zat gizi dan fitokimia yang bermanfaat bagi kesehatan. Minuman okra memiliki nilai sensori yang kurang baik, sehingga perlu adanya bahan tambahan untuk memperbaiki hal tersebut. Bahan tambahan yang dapat digunakan adalah jahe dan pemanis untuk meningkatkan nilai sensori aroma dan rasa. Jahe merupakan tanaman herbal yang memiliki kandungan yang baik bagi kesehatan serta memiliki flavor yang khas. Pemanis yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah daun stevia, madu, sorbitol dan sukrosa. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengkarakterisasi sifat sensori dan kandungan logam berat minuman fungsional okra-jahe dengan penambahan berbagai jenis pemanis. Sifat sensori menggunakan uji hedonik dengan parameter warna, rasa, aroma, dan kekentalan, sedangkan pengujian kimia terhadap kadar logam berat meliputi Pb, Cd, As, Hg, Sn. Perbandingan antara okra:jahe:pemanis adalah 75%:3%:22%. Berdasarkan uji hedonik, untuk parameter warna dan kekentalan minuman okra dengan pemanis sorbitol mendapatkan skor yang tertinggi. Sedangkan pada parameter rasa dan aroma, minuman okra dengan pemanis sukrosa mendapatkan skor yang tertinggi. Hasil analisis kadar logam berat Pb, Cd, As, Hg, dan Sn menunjukkan hasil negatif di semua sampel. ABSTRACT: Lady’s finger is a vegetable that can be consumed fresh or processed. Lady’s finger can be used as a functional drink because it is rich in nutrients and phytochemicals that are beneficial to health. Unfortunately this drink has poor sensory performance, so it needs additional ingredients to improve this sensory properties. Additional ingredients include ginger and sweetener to increase the sensory acceptability of aroma and taste. Ginger is an herbal plant that has a bioactive content that is good for health and has a distinctive flavor. The sweeteners used in this study were stevia leaves, honey, sorbitol and sucrose. This study aimed to characterize the sensory properties and heavy metals contet of lady’s finger-ginger functional drinks with the addition of various types of sweeteners. Sensory properties were observed using hedonic tests with parameters of color, taste, aroma, and viscosity, while the chemical analysis was focused on the levels of heavy metals including Pb, Cd, As, Hg, Sn. The ratio of lady’s finger: ginger : sweetener in the formulation were 75: 3: 22. Based on the hedonic test, for color and viscosity of lady’s finger drinks with sorbitol sweetener got the highest score. While on the taste and aroma parameters, lady’s finger drinks with sucrose sweetener get the highest score. The results of heavy metals on Pb, Cd, As, Hg, and Sn showed undetected in all samples. Keywords: Drink, ginger, lady’s finger, sweeteners

Metal concentration in commonly sold fruit vegetables in dhaka city market and probable health risk

The present study evaluated the concentration of heavy metals in six different fruit vegetables collected from Kawran Bazar market of Dhaka city of Bangladesh. The analyzed fruit vegetable samples were randomly collected, processed and analyzed for heavy metal determination using atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS). Mean concentrations (mg kg-1) of Cr, Cd, Pb, Ni, Cu, Zn, Fe and Mn of Lady’s finger, Pumpkin, Tomato, Brinjal, Snake gourd and Cucumber were within the range of 0.83 to 4.88, 0.08 to 0.18, 0 to 3.00, 0.33 to 3.70, 8.10 to 10.88, 17.81 to 45.91, 53.00 to 131.50 and 10.40 to 45.90 mg kg-1 of dry weight, respectively. Mean concentration (mg kg-1) of Cr in Brinjal (4.88); Pb in Pumpkin (3.00) and Brinjal (0.50); Ni in Snake gourd (3.70); Cu in Lady’s finger (10.10), Brinjal (10.88), Snake gourd (10.53) and Cucumber (10.48) were higher than the maximum permissible limit (MPL). The study suggests regular monitoring of heavy metals in vegetables to prevent excessive accumulation in human body. Dhaka Univ. J. Biol. Sci. 30(1): 35-47, 2021 (January)

Sunflower seed husk combined with poultry droppings to degrade petroleum hydrocarbons in crude oil-contaminated soil

To remediate crude oil-contaminated soil, poultry droppings and sunflower seed husk were incorporated at various concentrations. Initially, the pH, moisture content, total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen content, and bacterial population of soil, poultry droppings, and sunflower seed husk were determined. The initial bacterial population was 35 × 10⁸ colony forming units/g soil (dry weight basis). The total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) content in crude oil-contaminated soil was 7,048.4 mg/kg, in which 857.9 mg/kg accounted for eicosane. Naphthalene and acenaphthalene were the two polyhydroxy aromatic hydrocarbons present in soil at low concentrations. After the amendment, the pH, moisture content, microbial population, and TPH content of soil were determined on days 20, 40, and 60. The TPH concentration was considerably decreased in the treatment T4 wherein 250 g of soil was mixed with 125 g of poultry droppings and 125 g of sunflower seed husk. The indigenous bacterial population was also increased tremendously. The dehydrogenase enzyme activity was increased in the amended soil (T4: 0.74 ± 0.06 μg TPF/g/h). After the treatment of soil, the germination percentage and vigour index of maize, lady’s finger and tomato seeds were enhanced.