Nutritional Evaluation of Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) Rind Petha for Its Sensory, Shelf-life and Consumer Acceptability

Background: Petha is a translucent soft candy historically and geographically originated from Agra that is usually rectangular or cylindrical made from the ash gourd. With growing demand and innovation, more varieties of the original preparation are available in the market. Watermelon is most relished fruit and people just eat reddish pulpy portion and discard the rind. But watermelon rind is by product with good amounts of protein, fat, carbohydrates, crude fiber and ash. Methods: The present study was carried out to develop petha from watermelon rind by osmotic dehydration with varied concentrations of Sugar viz., 50° Brix(T1), 60° Brix(T2) and 70° Brix(T3) and the sensory evaluation was carried out from initial to 45 days of storage at both room as well as refrigerated temperature and further evaluated microbial load, texture analysis and consumer acceptability of petha. Result: Among the three variations T2 was more acceptable than T1 and T3 after 45 days of sensory evaluation. The nutrient composition for the best accepted watermelon rind petha indicated low fat with adequate amount of crude fibre (0.6 g), carbohydrate (52.49 g), calcium (18.68 mg) and phosphorous (9.28 mg). Hence, it can be concluded that watermelon rinds can be better option for byproduct utilization for development of petha with good nutritional profile that is economical too.

Screening and Molecular Identification of Pectinase Producing Microbes from Coffee Pulp

Application of enzymes in biotechnological process has expanded considerably in recent years. In food and related industry, major importance was being attached to the use of enzymes in upgrading quality, increasing yields of extractive processes, product stabilization, and improvement of flavor and byproduct utilization. Pectinases or pectinolytic enzymes are today one of the upcoming enzymes of the commercial sector. It has been reported that microbial pectinases account for 25% of the global food enzymes sales. For this reason, this study was undertaken with aims of screening microorganisms for the pectinase activity from coffee pulp samples and molecular identification of the potential pectinolytic isolates. In the present investigation, in total, ninety-five (95) isolates were identified from thirty coffee pulp samples. Based on characterization on the selective growth media, the isolates were grouped as actinomycete (21.06%), bacteria (65.26%), and fungi (13.68%). Among these, 31.58% showed colonies surrounded by clear zones which indicate the presence of pectinase activity. After rigorous screening steps, the isolates with high potential pectinase activity were identified molecularly by sequencing 16S rDNA region of the isolates. Based on the molecular identifications, about 70% of the isolates are under genus Bacillus.

A “green” industrial revolution: Using chitin towards transformative technologies

Even with the high costs of environmental exposure controls, as well as the chance of control failures, options for industries wanting to implement sustainability through frameworks such as green chemistry are not yet cost-effective. We foresee a “green” industrial revolution through the use of transformative technologies that provide cost-effective and sustainable products which could lead to new business opportunities. Through example, we promote the use of natural and abundant biopolymers such as chitin, combined with the solvating power of ionic liquids (ILs), as a transformative technology to develop industries that are overall better and more cost-effective than current practices. The use of shellfish waste as a source of chitin for a variety of applications, including high-value medical applications, represents a total byproduct utilization concept with realistic implications in crustacean processing industries.