eChapters

Abstract

Demand for starch is increasing day by day and is met by restricted range of crops. In recent years, substantial progress has been made in obtaining starch from non-conventional sources such as sweet potato, buckwheat, sago, water chestnut, which can be used as a substitute for conventional sources. So it is necessary to search for other underutilized and nonconventional sources of starch to meet the increased demand. Typha angustifolia, an aquatic weed containing appreciable amount of starch in its rhizome and roots, can be used for starch isolation to make its use in food and non-food derivatives. In many parts of the world, starch-rich roots of Typha angustifolia are eaten raw or boiled or dried roots are pulverized into a powder, and then, used as a thickener in soups or added to cereal flours to make biscuits and bread.

Successful cultivation of a crop is governed by various factors including the edaphic and climatic conditions of the region, owing to which the crop responds in terms of quality and productivity. Pineapple (Ananas comosus L. Merr.) is one of the major crops cultivated across the tropical and sub tropical countries worldwide. Adaptability of the crop under different climatic conditions, topography, temperature, photo-periodicity, rainfall and edaphic conditions will be discussed in this chapter.

Climatic zone: Pineapple is a tropical fruit crop though it can thrive well in the sub-tropical condition as well.Pineapple grows well inwarm and humid climate ranging from mild coastal climate up to an altitude of about 1000 meters, provided the area is free from frost (Singh, 2014).Pineapple is commercially grown over a wide range of latitudes from 30° N (Assam, India) in the northern hemisphere to 33°S in the Southern hemisphere (South Africa) (Malezieux et al., 2003; Purseglove, 1972).

Topography: Pineapples are easy to cultivatesince they thrive naturally in a variety of places with different elevation, especially in tropical countries (Kaudo, 2014). Though the plant survives at different altitude, the fruit quality and size may alter at different elevation. When pineapple is grown at altitudes greater than 1000 m, smaller fruits with elevated tartness with less attractive pulp colour (Purseglove, 1968).Moreover, fruit flavour can also vary, wherein the fruit tends to bemore acidic and sour when cultivated above 1800 meters, but will be sweet and tasty under 1350 meters (Kaudo, 2014).

Temperature: On an average, the temperatures required for growing pineapples range within 18-30°C (Kaudo, 2014) andmore specifically at 23 - 24 ° C (Neild and Boshell, 1976; Py et al., 1987). The optimum day and night temperatures for pineapple were reported to be about 30°C and 20 °C, respectively (Neild and Boshell, 1976). Bartholomew and Kadzimin (1977), however have reported that leaves and roots grow best at 32°C and 29°C respectively and the growth practically ceases below 20°C and above 36°C. Py and Tisuucau (1965) have observed 25°C to be optimal for fruit ripening.

1. Introduction

Okara is a by-product generated during processing soybean into soymilk or tofu. Okara is rich in fibre and protein. It contains most of the carbohydrates, some of the protein and a small portion of the oil from soybeans. Okara contains approximately 50% fibre, 27% protein, and 10% fat on dry basis (Li et al., 2012). About 1. 2 kg of fresh okara is produced from every kilogram of soybean processed for soymilk (Vishwanathan et al., 2011). Fresh okara from soymilk production has about 80% moisture. The protein present in okara has good nutritional quality and superior protein efficiency ratio. Other soy components that are also likely present in okara include isoflavones (genistein and daidzein), lignans, phytosterols, coumestans, saponins, and phytates (Li et al., 2012). The most common method of utilization of okara is in the form of animal feed. Tofu or soymilk processing plants primarily dump okara as landfill or resort to burning. Okara can be utilized as a fertilizer as it contains various nutrients required for growth of plants. It can be used as a fermentation substrate for production of ethanol. Okara can also be used in pet foods as it contains high levels of extenders and protein. Apart from these, okara can be used in a variety of food products. It can be used in various food products. Utilization of okara is still in the initial stage. It can be used as a replacement of wheat flour in baked products. It can also be used in various soups, salads or vegetable preparations.

Resistant starch refers to the portion of starch and starch products that resist digestion as they pass through the gastrointestinal tract. Resistant starch is the fraction of starch which is not hydrolysed to D-glucose in the small intestine within 120 min of being consumed, but which is fermented in the colon. It can be used as a functional ingredient in various food formulations (Fuentes-Zaragoza et al., 2010). RS has desirable physicochemical properties (Fausto et al., 1997) such as swelling, viscosity increase, gel formation and water-binding capacity, making it useful in a variety of foods. It helps in improving the appearance, texture, and mouthfeel of the final product compared to conventional fibres. Resistant starch can act as a prebiotic for gut microflora (Sajilata et al., 2006). It has hypocholesterolemic effects, is hypoglycaemic and prevents gall stone formation.

Abstract

Quinoa is a pseudo-cereal which belongs to family Chenopodiaceae. Quinoa can act as highly potential crop for areas where ecological conditions do not support other food crops because of its rusticity, tolerance to frost, salinity, drought and ability to grow in marginal soils. Recently, much attention is focused on quinoa for people with celiac disease and allergic to gluten. Quinoa contains high-quality protein, complete with all essential amino acids and is a good source of carbohydrates, lipids, vitamin C, vitamin E (natural antioxidants) and adequate amount of important micronutrients such as minerals. Carbohydrates of quinoa possess excellentfreeze-thaw stability and can be used as thickener in frozen foods.

Quinoa also consists of bioactive components such as phytosterols, squalene, fagopyritols and polyphenols which act as powerful anti-oxidants in-vitro and thus couldprevent degenerative diseases such as coronary heart disease, atherosclerosis and Alzheimer's disease. Fibre accounts for 6% of the grains total weight, and quinoa intake therefore promotes intestinal transit, regulates cholesterol, stimulates the development of beneficial bacterial flora and helps prevent colon cancer. The quinoa grain can be used to combat liver disease, angina and cystitis. The radical scavenging ability and Angiotensin I converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition activity of quinoa is higher than that of amaranth, rice and wheat. Recent studies have identified significant amounts of ecdysteroids, kaempferol, quercetin, two phytoestrogen - daidzein and cenistema in quinoa. Ethanolic extract of quinoa was observed to have Antioxidant and antihypertensive activity.

1. Introduction

Organophosphate (OP) and organocarbamate (OC) pesticides are highly used in modern agriculture due to their low persistence and high insecticidal activity. Although they are relatively less persistent than the organochlorines, they have greater acute toxicity with tolerance level ranging from 1 to 8 μg mL-1 (Mulchandani et al., 2001). The high toxicity of OP and OC neurotoxins and their large use in modern agriculture practices has increased public concern, health risk and the consequent contamination of water and food sources (Buonasera et al., 2010). Development of fast and cost effective analytical tools for onsite monitoring of OP and OC contaminations in food, water and in the environment is highly necessary. An approach toward that has resulted the evolution of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) based biosensors for OP and OC pesticides. Ample literature is available on AChE based biosensors (Zhou et al., 2013). But some intrinsic disadvantages remain that limits its utility and field deployment. The most influencing ones are their inability to sustain in organic solvents and the limited class selectivity that demands alternate bioreceptor for pesticide detection. Given the diversity in mode of action of different classes of pesticide, it is quite challenging to come up with different sensor molecules for each class of pesticides. As a continuous effort towards that goal, attempts have been made to use the Glutathione S –transferses (GSTs; EC 2.5.1. 18) for the purpose. GSTs are a multigenic family of cytosolic proteins with multifunctional biological roles, widely distributed throughout the body and found in the liver, kidney, brain, pancreas, testis, heart, lung, small intestine, skeletal muscles, prostate and spleen (Jancova et al., 2010). The important biological functions those are making GSTs the focus of current research includes its catalytic role in detoxification reaction (Lumjuan et al., 2011) over expressions during phase II metabolism as well as drug resistance associated with anticancer therapies of human and the resistance acquired by certain insects while getting exposure to pesticides (Borah et al., 2016).

Abstract

This review presents an idea on the botanical description, medicinal properties and traditional usage of wild, edible and aromatic plant (Nymphaea alba) in the human nutrition. Nymphaea alba Lin, also known as the White Water lily, White Lotus, or Nenuphar is an aquatic flowering plant of the family Nymphaeaceae. Nymphaea is a weed in India and its production pretty much as good as water chest nut and Nelumbo nucifera. Its rhizome is rich in tannic acid, gallic acid, alkaloids, sterols, flavonoids, glycosides, hydrolysable tannins and high-molecular-weight polyphenolic compounds. It is used as associate aphrodisiac, anodyne, antiscrophulatic, astringent, cardiotonic, demulcent, sedative and antiinflammatory. Further, it conjointly produces calming and sedative effects upon the nervous system, and is beneficial within the treatment of sleep disorder, anxiety and similar disorders. Moreover, the content of starch in the rhizome is said to be 40%. Extensive work has been carried out on agronomic and phenotypic properties for most plants, but relatively little study has been carried out on the properties which are of direct technical and economic interest to competitive food and nonfood industry. Non-conventional food resources and their value addition have attracted attention in the recent yearsfor their potential use as functional ingredients in food formulations, besides food they have also been used for non-food applications. Moreover, Plants provide the predominant ingredients of medicines in most medical traditions. So, there is tremendous potential for the profitable industrial use of these medicinal plants and exploring them for further use. Keywords: Non-conventional food resources, Nymphaea alba, Rhizome.

1. Introduction

The culinary banana (Musa ABB) of Assam and North East India (locally known as kachkal) is an important and cheap source of vegetable in the diet of local people. It is considered as one of the potential sources of carbohydrates, starch, polyphenols, micronutrients and functionally important bioactive compounds (Khawas et al., 2016). Native starches have limited use in food application as it has many weakness such as narrow peak viscosity range, poor process tolerance, low shear stress resistance, hydrophilicity, thermal decomposition, high retro gradation, and synersis and cooked starches will formed a weak, cohesive and rubbery paste. These facts motivated the employment of modified starches as important functional ingredients in processed foods in recent years because of their improved functional properties over unmodified starches (Fleche et al., 1985).

To overcome these problems physical. Chemical and enzymatic modification of Starch is done. Chemical modification of starch generally involves esterification, cross linking, etherification or oxidation of the available hydroxyl groups on the β-D-glucopyranosyl units that make up the starch polymer.

Abstract

Pomegranates are usually consumed as fresh fruit, with only a limited quantity being processed into products like juice, syrup, beverages, wine, confectionary and anardana. The special structure of fruit is one of main factors which limit its industrial processing. Knowing the importance of health benefits of pomegranate and all related aspects, the present study was carried out in order to utilize pomegranate fruit for preparation of pomegranate mouth freshener. Arils of two cultivars like Ganesh and Araktaweredried by two drying methods viz., sun drying (SD) and cabinet drying (CD).Nutritive and palatable mouth freshener was prepared from anardana of two different cultivars as Ganesh (G) and Arakta (A). Production cost of 100g pomegranate mouth freshener is about Rs.55/. It was noticed that moisture content, acidity and ascorbic acid content decreased at the end of storage.

Abstract

India has got a pool of medicinal herbs which are proved to be beneficial in curing various diseases. Their regular consumption not only will improve the health status but also reduce risk of lifestyle diseases. Though simple solutions, associated colloids, suspensions and emulsions are some of the traditional techniques for encapsulating functional agents, micro-encapsulation techniques is the most successfully employed technique for the controlled release of sensitive bioactive compounds. Owing to the targeted delivery of functional components directly to the human gut system, emulsion based delivery system are getting more attention now-a-days. With advancement in science, more complex and novel structures can be created which can successfully deliver these nutraceutical and bioactive ingredients into existing food systems. The technological interventions in emulsion science have opened great opportunities to improve the delivery of bioactive herbal components into milk and milk products. Various milk and milk products functionality can be improved in this way which will improve the gut- microflora within short period of time after consumption.

Introduction

In this modern era, educated and health-conscious people are increasingly demanding such food products that preserve their nutritional value, retain a natural and fresh colour, flavour and texture, and free from chemical preservatives. Besides, urbanization has extensively affected the life-style of people all over the world. Competition has made their life extremely busy and time has become a very important factor. Hence, recently there has been increase in demand for ready-to-cook or ready-to-use fresh food products of fruits and vegetables along with convenience and safety. This new demand by consumers has opened a new avenue of food preservation known as minimal processing. The products prepared by this processing method are known as fresh cut or pre-pared products. Minimally processed products are also known as lightly processed, partially processed, fresh processed, fresh cut, and pre prepared. It can be defined in many ways for example as "least possible treatment to achieve a purpose". A more specific definition is as the method that "preserve foods but also retain to a greater extent their nutritional quality and sensory characteristics by reducing the reliance on heat as the main preservative action. In a broader way it can also be defined as the processed foods have been slightly altered for the main purpose of preservation but which does not substantially change the nutritional content of the food. Generally minimal processing involves cleaning, washing, trimming, coring, slicing, shredding before packaging and storage at specific temperature. Some of the examples of minimally processed fruits and vegetables include sliced mango cheeks/melons/papaya/apple, pieces of pomelo segments, peeled and cored pineapple, chilled peach, pomegranate arils dressing, shredded lettuce, shelled peas, cauliflower florets, peeled sliced potatoes, diced onion etc. Minimally processed products are important to food service industry such as eateries and catering companies as they offer many advantages over traditional products, with respect to convenience, expense, labor, and hygiene. Even if it is very much liked by people, the production of minimal processed products is limited due to rapid deterioration and short shelf life. Whereas most food processing methods stabilize the products and prolong their shelf-life, minimal processing of fruits and vegetables increases their perishability.

Need to Preserve Food

Food is vital for human existence. Conservation and preservation of food is a prerequisite for food security and it provides economic stability and self reliance to a nation. The need to preserve food has been felt by mankind since time immemorial. The seasonal nature of production, long distances between production and consumption centers and rising gap between demand and supply have made this need even more relevant today. The hot and humid climate of a country like India is quite favorable for the growth of numerous insects and microorganisms that destroy stored crops and cause spoilage of food every year. Spoilage can also occur due to chemical and physiological changes in stored foods. Sea-foods, meat and poultry may carry harmful microbes and parasitic organisms that cause illnesses associated with their consumption. As in other parts of the world, India has also practiced various methods of food preservation such as sun drying, pickling and fermentation which were supplemented with more energy consuming techniques such as refrigeration, freezing and canning. Each of these methods has its merits and limitations. Man has always been on the search for newer methods to preserve foods with least change in sensory qualities. Radiation processing of food is one of the latest methods developed for this purpose.

Horticultural sector, which is contributing significantly for food and nutrition security, employment opportunity and poverty alleviation, got a real boost only in the early 1990s which coincided with liberalization of Indian economy. National area and production of horticultural crops are showing increasing trend over the years and production of horticultural crops has outpaced the production of food grain since 2012-13(Press Information Bureau, Govt. of India, Ministry of Finance, 2016). According to Economic Survey 2015-16, the share of horticultural output in agriculture is more than 33% over last decade and the sector contributes 30.4% to GDP of Agricultural sector. Horticulture sector accounts for 37% of total export of agricultural commodities at present and the exports have recorded sustained rising trend (Jha et al., 2019). The export status of APEDA (Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority) products in the recent years shows 28.18% growth in value of horticultural products over the previous year. The investment in horticultural sector with focused attention has resulted in spectacular change in the horticultural scenario and production and productivity of horticultural crops.

Introduction

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the vital cereal crop, probably the oldest cultivated grain crop, produced under varied ecosystems is consumed as the primary source of food by the billions of people throughout the world covering 9% of total arable land among world. India is one of the top leading countries in the entire world in case of both production and consumption of rice. Rice is cultivated in 43.86 m ha geographical area of the country producing 115.6 million tons (2018- 2019) of rice. It is produced in various ecosystems throughout the country under diverse climatic and soil condition but the productivity is much lower as compared to other countries. According to Pandey et al. (2006), the average loss of rice production during drought years in major rainfed rice grown states like Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha was found to be 30 percent of the annual production in case of non-drought years.

Introduction

Proteins are the most abundant organic compounds constituting major part of the body. Chemically, proteins are nitrogen containing macromolecules and polymers of L α-amino acids, which serve a wide range of structural and biological functions in animal body. For example, connective tissue made up of collagen, metabolicenzymes, neuro transmitters,signal in gmolecules, structural components of cell membranes and cell organelles, etc. all are chemically proteins.

Before goinginto the details of protein metabolism, first, we need to understand that there are majorly two sources of proteins in our body: dietary protein and body protein. Dietary protein is taken in diet, while body protein indicates the protein and amino acids synthesized in animal body to fulfill the requirements for growth and development. The digestion of proteins will not be discussed here as it has been described in detail in chapter 12. Dietary protein is digested in presence of several enzymes such as trypsin, pepsin, chymotrypsin, aminopeptidases and carboxypeptidases and is converted into mono-, di- and oligopeptides in stomach and small intestine; and finally converted into amino acids. These amino acids are transported to the systemthrough intestinal mucosa via active transport, from where they enter into the cells for further metabolism. Therefore, ‘metabolismof proteins’ is more appropriatelylearnt as ‘metabolism of amino acids’.

Introduction

Pulses are a part of healthy and balanced diet and have special importance for vegetarians in fulfilling their daily requirements for body proteins. Low productivity in pulses is due to nutritional deficiency in soil and imbalanced external fertilization (Awomi et al., 2012). Nitrogen (N) is more important as it is essential component of amino acids and proteins. It fixes atmospheric N of about 35 kg ha-1 by the help of symbiotic Rhizobium, a soil bacterium (Movalia et al., 2020). Globally, Rhizobium and Bradyrhizobium can fix approximately 175 x 106tons of N every year which is higher than the annual total chemical N fertilizer production of 30 x 106tons (Hidayatullah et al., 2016). The element molybdenum (Mo) is crucial for functions of nitrogenase and nitrate reductase, the two important enzymes that act as catalyst for N fixation. These two enzymes work properly in presence of Mo as nitrogenase contains Fe-Mo and Fe-Fd proteins, and N fixation cannot take place without these proteins (Hidayatullah et al., 2016).

A TTO fills the important intermediary position of linking research institution with industry so that innovations and new ideas can reach market. To be able to facilitate that effectively, the institutions must have well-defined R&D policies that include Sponsored R&D, Collaborative R&D, and Grant-in-Aid R&D. These ensure that the research remains properly managed, regulatory compliance assured and aligned with institutional priorities. This chapter has discussed about key policies that can help in successful operation of TTO while aligning institution’s mission and interests Various core policies that help in successful technology transfer include:
• Intellectual property policy
• Technology transfer policy
• Revenue sharing policy
• Startup/Spinout/Venture creation policy
• Conflict of interest/Conflict of commitment policy
Each policy has specific objectives. These policies collectively ensure a clear and consistent framework for technology commercialization.
11.1 Intellectual property policy
An IP policy is a formal document that provides guidelines for managing IP by an organisation. A strong IP policy build trust by ensuring efficiency and transparency. Other benefits of IP policy includes creation of environment to encourage innovation and commercialisation of IP. It also lays foundation to set out the rules for public-private partnerships while addressing issues among various stakeholders and ensures compliance. IP Policy is not law, but a proposed course of action.

Introduction

The much awaited new educational Policy 2020 approved and released by the Central Government on July, 29, 2020. A document which is set to transform Indian education system in most holistic way and will exert a long lasting influence on framing the Indian education system by addressing the vivid issues across the discipline and streams. The implementation of this policy will be under a single body HECI (Higher Education Council of India) well supported by multiple bodies like National Higher Education Regulatory Council(NHREC), Meta-accrediting body referred as Nation accreditation Council (NAC), Higher Education Grant Council (HEGC), General Education Council(GEC) also called Graduate attributes, it will formulate the National Higher Education Qualification Frame work (NHEQF). This council will take over presently regulating bodies of higher education like University Grant Commission, All India Council of Technical Education and National Council of Teachers Education.

Introduction

Agriculture is the main sector of the Odisha economy and contributes approximately 42% to the gross domestic product (GDP) and employs over 80% of the population. Despite its role, agricultural production is constrained by high climate variability where rainfall distribution is extremely uneven and this has negative implications for the livelihoods of people .Drought frequently results in crop failure, while high rainfall intensities result in low infiltration and high runoff causing enhanced soil erosion and land degradation. Land degradation in the form of soil erosion and declining land fertility is a serious challenge to agricultural productivity and economic growth (Lemenih, 2004).Studies indicate that the tribal district of Odisha have experienced high rates of soil erosion and deforestation, resulting in sediment accumulation in downstream reservoirs and rivers.

India is one of the most populous country in the world with a population of 1.26 billion (Census,2011). Of which women constitute about 49 percent of the population. Women act as a significant factor in development of the nation. Women from all sphere of life are contributing meaningly towards the prosperity of the nation. Especially, the rural farm women who constitute nearly half of the total rural population. The rural women are the mainstay of Indian agriculture. Their contribution towards agriculture development is worthy of praises. They are capable of accomplishing sustainable development in all the various activities which they have carried out and shown interest. Women are the essential part of society. For a society to develop, women should be given equal importance as the male counterpart. Nurturing of society is possible only if women are nurtured with equivalent opportunities and progress. Indian society is still male dominant, which accounts for low reputation of women. Women are treated as less competent human being. Through passing of time there have been acknowledgement by the Constitution of India on the part of importance of women as a productive humane resource for development of nation. Many measures have been adopted for the gender equality. This paved the way for advancement of empowerment of women.

Research being a continuous process for a scientific study, previous study provides basis for the research. The review of literature is necessary for developing conceptual frame work and suitable design for the study. It assists the researcher to keep his work going in right direction. The available literature related to the present study has been reviewed under the following heading:

2.1 Differential role accomplished by women dairy farmers from different social strata

Toppo et al. (2004) examined the participation of women farmers in dairy occupation in Anand district of Gujarat and their result revealed that 18.34 percent of the farm women were mostly engaged in activities related to artificial insemination, majority of the respondent (68.34%) participated in cleaning of the shed, while 25.00 percent of the farm women practised manure preparation and 95.00 percent of the respondent were not involved in preparation of gobar gas mixture.

Badole (2006) reported that majority of the responded had low socio-economic status.