Amarinder Singh Bawa

Defence Research and Development Organisation | DRDO · Defence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL)

Curry leaf (Murraya koenigii) or 'Kadipatta' is an important leaf-spice used in curries, pickles and chutneys as a natural flavoring. Curry leaf is a rich source of fibers, minerals and vitamins such as calcium, iron, phosphorus and carotene, niacin, vitamin B2 and vitamin C. The present study aimed to standardize the Curry leaf chutney, assess its...

This chapter discusses the postharvest handling systems and practices for commercial production and marketing of vegetables. The commercial viability of vegetables depends on improved agricultural inputs and harvest and postharvest practices including, storage, transport, and processing infrastructure. The chapter also discusses the principles and...

The effect of pre-conditioning steps in terms of either freezing or partial drying on the quality of vacuum fried jackfruit (JF) chips was evaluated. Pre-partial drying process of the JF bulb slices resulted in the lowest moisture content in the vacuum fried chips. The rate of oil uptake by JF bulb slices was found to be almost same in control and...

Food adjuncts are an assortment of items that add variety, spice and crunch to the common menu. Maharashtra is a western state of India. Traditional food adjuncts of Maharashtra include sandge, sandaya, kurdaya, papad, pickles, chutney and chutney powders,wadi etc. Studies were undertaken to standardize the recipe, process parameters and select sui...

A ready-to-eat food product in the form of compressed bar from beetroot, enriched with dates and oats was developed. Levels of intermediate moisture beetroot shreds (60–100 g), dates (10–30 g) and oats (5–15 g) were optimized using response surface methodology and its quality attributes were investigated over a period of 6 months at different tempe...

Metkut, a dry chutney powder is an adjunct in the Maharashtrian (a western region of India) cuisine. The formulation and process parameters of metkut were standardized with bengal gram (50%), dehulled black gram (24%), rice (12.5%), spice mix (11.5%) and turmeric powder (2%) with the roasting temperature of 150 0 C. The product was found to be rich...

Mango nectar is a commercially familiar and preferred product. The traditional processing of mango nectar has been by thermal processing which resulted in the alteration of the flavour of the product due to the effect of high temperature. The thermal processing of the nectar also resulted in the production of byproducts of non-enzymatic browning su...

The rheological behaviour of pulsed electric field (PEF) processed and thermally pasteurised mango nectar (Mangifera indica) was evaluated using controlled stress rheometer. The mango nectar was subjected to pulsed electric field (PEF) as well as thermal processing. The rheological parameter shear stress was measured up to the shear rate of 750 s-1...

The effects of pre-treatments and a combination of freeze drying (FD) and hot air-drying (HAD) were investigated to optimize the processing conditions for the development of jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus L.) bulb crisps. Response surface methodology (Box-Behnken design) was used to optimize independent pre-treatment variables such as calcium...

Ready to Drink (RTD) mango nectar was subjected to pulsed electric fields (PEF) processing. The effect of process parameters including pulse frequency (70-120 Hz) and pulse width (15-24 μs) on carotenes, total plate count, coliforms, yeast and moulds and over all acceptability was studied using a response surface methodology. Mango nectar exhibited...

The aim of this research was to investigate the influence of hydrocolloid pre-treatment, i.e. pectin, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), gum arabic and sodium alginate on the quality of vacuum fried jackfruit (JF) chips. The control JF samples (no hydrocolloid treatment) showed higher absorption of oil whereas the oil absorption was less in the hydroco...

Ohmic heating or Joule heating has immense potential for achieving rapid and uniform heating in foods, providing microbiologically safe and high quality foods. This review discusses the technology behind ohmic heating, the current applications and thermal modeling of the process. The success of ohmic heating depends on the rate of heat generation i...

An osmotic-dehydration process protocol for Carambola (Averrhoacarambola L.,), an exotic star shaped tropical fruit, was developed. The process was optimized using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) following Central Composite Rotatable Design (CCRD). The experimental variables selected for the optimization were soak solution concentration (°Brix),...

Moisture sorption isotherms of freeze dried whey–grape beverage powder were determined at 20, 30 and 40 °C. A gravimetric static method was used under 0.11–0.85 water activity range and the sorption isotherms were found to be Type II. Various mathematical models were fitted to experimental data and it was found that Peleg model suits best in descri...

The effect of frying temperatures and durations on the quality of vacuum fried jackfruit (JF) chips was evaluated. Moisture content and breaking force of JF chips decreased with increase in frying temperature and time during vacuum frying whereas the oil content increased. The frying time for JF chips was found to be 30, 25, and 20 minutes at 80, 9...

In the present study a recipe for frozen carrot based dessert (carrot halwa) was standardized on the basis of sensory characteristics such as appearance, odor, texture, taste and overall acceptability (OAA). The product was developed without addition of pure ghee to improve the storage stability under frozen conditions (−20 °C). Sensory properties...

Instant wheat porridge (Dalia) mix based on precooked broken wheat, sugar, skim milk powder and flavouring agents was developed using response surface methodology and central composite rotatable design. Stability of instant wheat porridge (Dalia) mix packed in polypropylene (PP) and metallised polyester (MP) pouches was evaluated. Instant porridge...

Genetic modification is a special set of gene technology that alters the genetic machinery of such living organisms as animals, plants or microorganisms. Combining genes from different organisms is known as recombinant DNA technology and the resulting organism is said to be ‘Genetically modified (GM)’, ‘Genetically engineered’ or ‘Transgenic’. The...

The study deals with two whey‐fruit‐based energy drink mixes developed using freeze drying. D‐optimal mixture design with 2 factors at 5 levels was used for the optimisation of ingredients. The responses studied were overall acceptability and acidity of the formulations. The whey/grape juice and whey/pomegranate juice ratios selected on the basis o...

Bacteriocins produced by lactic acid bacteria are attractive as food biopreservatives in place of chemical preservatives. Pediococcus acidilactici was found to produce bacteriocin that can inhibit bacterial and fungal food contaminants. Based on the conventional deMan, Rogosa and Sharpe (MRS) medium, simplified food-grade medium for bacteriocin pro...

The effect of different hydrocolloids (pectin, carboxy methylcellulose, xanthan gum and sodium alginate) pre-treatment used at different concentrations (0.2 - 0.4 %) on instrumental texture parameters as well as on the sensory attributes of frozen-thawed pre-cut carrots was evaluated. Instrumental Texture profile analysis (TPA) of frozen-thawed car...

Standardization of thermal processing conditions for RTD Mango nectar in multilayered flexible pouches and its effect on quality characteristics of mango (Mangifera indica) nectar were systematically evaluated on a pilot scale using typical batch production operations. Thermal processing is still one of the most effective methods for inactivating u...

Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris is a spore-forming food spoilage bacterium. Its spore is problematic to the juice industry because of its ability to grow in low pH environments and survive pasteurization processes. Thermal processing has been considered as the only way to reduce the initial spore number of Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris and prev...

Omega–3-rich bar was developed using flax seed and walnut as sources of omega-3-fatty acids. Bars packed in polypropylene (PP, 75 μ), paper (42 GSM) aluminum foil (20 μ) polyethylene (PFP, 37.5 μ) and metalized polyester (12 μ) low-density/linear low-density (MP 150 μ) (with and without vacuum) films, were stored under ambient conditions and 37C. T...

Investigation was carried out to study kinetics of moisture loss, oil uptake and tristimulus colour during deep fat frying of Gethi (Dioscorea kamoonensis kunth) strips. Deep fat frying of Gethi strips of size 6 × 6 × 40 mm was carried out in a laboratory scale fryer at different temperatures ranging from 120 to 180 °C. The investigation showed tha...

Coconut water obtained from the mature coconuts was blended with lemon juice to develop a refreshing beverage. The levels of total soluble solids (°Brix) in the coconut beverage and lemon juice (%), were optimized using response surface methodology and considering pH, CIE L* value and sensory attributes (colour, aroma, taste, consistency and overal...

Thermophysical properties of enzyme clarified lime (Citrus aurantifolia L.) juice were evaluated at different moisture contents ranging from 30.37 % to 89.30 % (wet basis) corresponding to a water activity range of 0.835 to 0.979. The thermophysical properties evaluated were density, Newtonian viscosity, thermal conductivity, specific heat and ther...

Fruits and vegetables are very important sources of Vitamin C which meet the nutrient requirements of a healthy diet. However this vitamin is extremely vulnerable to atmospheric oxidation and no known preservation technique is capable of preserving the levels of ascorbic acid initially present in fruits and vegetables. In the present work various p...

The present study was undertaken to elucidate the mechanism responsible for ameliorating effect of asiaticoside rich Centella asiatica leaf extract (CAE) on fatigue. CAE at 10 mg kg(-1) b.wt. was administered orally to rats for 2 weeks and subjected to weight-loaded forced swim test (WFST) every alternative day for a period of three weeks to evalua...

Effect of addition of various hydrocolloids in gravy was studied to improve the quality of frozen-thawed vegetable curry. Hydrocolloids such as pectin, sodium alginate, carboxymethyl cellulose, and gellan gum were added (0-0.2%) in the gravy prepared from dry and green spice mix. Frozen-thawed gravy samples showed significantly (P<0.05) lower drip...

Jams and jellies constitute an important segment of fruit products and the range of these products is undergoing extension due to the increase in the types of various fruits being used for manufacturing of jams and jellies. The fruits include apple, pear, sapota, apricot, loquat, peach, papaya, plum, mango, grapes, muskmelon, etc. The chapter descr...

India is bestowed with vast livestock wealth and it is growing at the rate of 6% per annum. The contribution of livestock industry including poultry and fish is increasing substantially in GDP of country which accounts for >40% of total agricultural sector and >12% of GDP. This contribution would have been much greater had the animal by-products be...

Protein rich composite cereal bar based on cereal ingredients was prepared using semi automatic tablet making machine, packed in poly propylene (PP), paper aluminium foil polyethylene (PFP), metallised polyester (MP) followed by vacuum packing in metallized polyester films. Proximate composition, mineral contents as well as changes in peroxide valu...

An attempt was made to utilize the residual coconut pulp left in the tender coconuts after removal of coconut water. The coconut pulp was mixed with pineapple pulp in different proportions to increase the acceptability of the jam. An increase in the level of coconut pulp was found to significantly (p < 0.05) increase the fat content as well as Na,...

The present research is on understanding the storage, nutritional and sensory characteristics of high-fat fish (khoira) and rice flour coextrudates at storage temperature of 30C. The extruder processing conditions used are barrel temperature (200C), screw speed (109 rpm), fish content of feed (44%) and feed moisture content (39%). Sorption isotherm...

The rheological behaviour of enzyme clarified depectinated Indian gooseberry juice and its concentrate was studied as a function of total soluble solids concentration in the range of 8.2 to 35.9°Bx and temperatures from 20 to 80°C using coaxial controlled stress rheometer up to a shear rate of 600 s-1. The results indicated that the enzyme clarifie...

The antifatigue effect of bacoside extract (BME) from Bacopa monniera (L.) Wettst. was investigated. Rats were subjected to weight-loaded forced swim test (WFST) every alternate day for 3 weeks. The BME at a dosage of 10 mg/kg body weight was administered orally to rats for 2 weeks in order to evaluate the following biomarkers of physical fatigue:...

Depression is a term that has been used to describe a variety of ailments, ranging from minor to incapacitating. Clinically significant depression, termed as major depression, is a serious condition characterized not only by depressed mood but also by a cluster of somatic, cognitive, and motivational symptoms. Significant research efforts are aimed...

The white and black varieties of Sesamum indicum were extracted in ethanol and the extracts were assayed for their antioxidant activities. The study revealed that both the extracts showed antioxidant activity. Respect to its abilility in inhibiting the lipid peroxidation. The hydroxyl radical scavenging by the white sesame extract was found to be m...

The kinetics of colour and carotenoids degradation in jackfruit bulb slices was evaluated during hot air drying at 50, 60 and 70°C. Visual colour as well as total carotenoids (TC) content was found to be influenced by the drying process. Tri-stimulus colour parameters such as Hunter L and b values decreased and a value increased during drying. The...

Changes in proximate composition of fish and rice flour coextrudates like moisture, protein, and fat content were studied with respect to extrusion process variables like barrel temperature, x 1 (100–200 °C); screw speed, x 2 (70–110 rpm); fish content of the feed, x 3 (5–45%); and feed moisture content, x 4 (20–60%). Experiments were conducted at...

Classical pathogenic strains of Yersinia enterocolitica produce a 17 kDa outer membrane protein, Ail (attachment-invasion locus), which mediates bacterial attachment to some cultures epithelial cell lines and invasion of others. In the present study, hybridomas were developed for the production of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against Ail protein of...

A formulation for the development of a crispy texture of crust in vegetable snack after freezing and frying was standardized using different flours such as whole-wheat flour (WWF), refined wheat flour (RWF), rice flour (RF) and semolina (S). Formulation with 60% WWF, 20% RWF, 10% RF and 10% S was selected based on sensory characteristics (overall a...

Traditionally, lactic fermentation of vegetables is spontaneous and uncontrolled leading to unstable and inconsistent product. The present work used Leuconostoc mesenteroides and Lactobacillus plantarum in a two-step controlled fermentation to ensure shelf stable, fermented cabbage with 0.5% added salt concentration. The pH, titratable acidity, lac...

Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus L.) bulbs were minimally processed using variables such as CaCl2 concentration (0.13–1.47%), ascorbic acid (AA) concentration (0.005–0.03%), and treatment time (8–43 min). Second-order polynomial model was proposed with regard to effect of independent variables on responses such as juice leakage, firmness, browni...

Kinetics of texture development during frying of snacks subjected to different initial conditions such as frozen, frozen–thawed, and unfrozen was investigated. The temperature dependency of the changes in the form of reaction constants was explained by Arrhenius equation. The increase in hardness and decrease in cohesiveness followed first-order re...

The rheological behaviour of enzyme clarified Lime (Citrus aurontifolia L.) juice was studied as a function of the total soluble solid (TSS) content (7.3-55.7°Brix), corresponding water activity (aw) (0.985-0.831) at different temperatures (20-80°C) using co-axial controlled stress rheometer. The rheological parameter shear stress was measured up t...

Ashgourd-Mint leaves juice was formulated using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) and the storage stability of the juice was investigated. The juice was aseptically processed, sterilized at 95°C for 30 second and packed in 6 layer laminated packet under sterilized environment. The physicochemical, microbiological and sensory characteristics of the...

Various agencies such as American Association of Cereal Chemists (AACC), International Pulse Quality Committee (IPQC), and Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) are involved in developing new or improved methods for measuring and assessing pulse and end-use quality. Such initiatives by various agencies provide new and valuable tools, which assist all...

Fresh-cut jackfruit bulbs were evaluated for quality changes as effect of an additive pretreatment with CaCl2, ascorbic acid, citric acid, and sodium benzoate followed by chitosan coating. Different types of samples such as pretreated and coated, only pretreated, only coated, and untreated were subjected to controlled atmosphere (CA) storage (3 kPa...

Abstract Effect of irradiation in combination with retort processing on the shelf life and safety aspects of an ethnic Indian food product like vegetable pulav was investigated. Gamma irradiation of RTE vegetable pulav was carried out at different dosage rates with 60Co followed by retort processing. The combination processed samples were analysed...

Insect species of sole oil palm, sole cocoa and oil palm cocoa intercrop was studied at the CSIR-Oil Palm Research Institute; on plot K4 while cocoa monocrop at a farm on the boundary of the Institute’s plantation at Kusi, in the Eastern Region of Ghana. The objective was to identify the occurrence and relative abundance of these insect species in...

The effect of high pressure processing on total antioxidant activity, phenolic and flavonoid content of black grapes juice was studied. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used for designing the experiment keeping high pressure (400–600 MPa), temperature (40–60 °C) and processing time (2–4 min) as independent variables. The data obtained were an...

Studies were carried out on cookies prepared by incorporating barley flour (10%, 20%, 30%, and 40%) into wheat flour. The cookies were evaluated for their physical, chemical, nutritional, textural and sensory characteristics. All the cookie samples showed high fiber, mineral and protein contents when compared to those from 100% wheat flour. Incorpo...

Effects of various osmotic agents (i.e., glucose, fructose, sucrose, maltose, sorbitol, and honey) were evaluated in terms of moisture loss and solid gain besides objective measurements of colour, texture, glass transition temperature; subjective sensory profile; and scanning electron microscopic cellular structure of osmotically dehydrated apple s...

Antimicrobial potential of ethanolic extract of clove (Eugenia caryophyllata) on fresh mutton during storage at 25 ± 2 °C was evaluated. The extract inhibited spoilage and pathogenic microflora of mutton previously treated with acidulants to reduce surface microbial load and the surface pH, up to 4 days without any deleterious change in sensory and...

Apple slices, ozonised in water (1:2 w/v; 200 mg O3/h, for 5 min) and then soaked in a solution containing ascorbic acid (200 mg kg−1), citric acid (200 mg kg−1) and sodium benzoate (200 mg kg−1) for 10 min, were coated with edible surface coatings made up of shellac and aloe gel (AG), separately and in combination. Application of coatings was foun...

This chapter deals with the important features of jackfruit composition, growth, maturation and harvest. Postharvest handling methodology concentrates on the normal packhouse unit operations with emphasis on packaging of bulbs as a unit package for retail marketing. The chapter further describes various value added products developed from jackfruit...

Various pre-treatments were given to water chestnut slices before drying in the process of optimizing method for flour preparation. Treatment of water chestnut slices with 0.1 g/100 g KMS (Potassium metabisulphite) and 0.5 g/100 g citric acid for 30 min before drying exhibited best results in terms color of the flour. The calculated mean particle s...

Oxytetracycline (OTC) as an antibiotic as well as a growth promoter for animals in many countries pose health risks to the consumers on consumption of such animals or their produce as food. Relatively simple and quick extraction procedures as well as HPLC-UV method developed for quantifying of OTC residue in cow's milk, hen's egg and broiler meat....

Introduction Vegetable Production and Priorities for Pre- and Postharvest Handling Postharvest Systems and Practices Standards and Grades Conclusion References

A study was undertaken to evaluate the antioxygenic activity of bitter gourd pulp and seed powders as well as their various solvent extracts using different methods and to minimise the oxidative deterioration of lipids by natural antioxidants. Bitter gourd pulp and seed powders at 20 g kg(-1) and their ethanol/water extracts exhibited stronger anti...

Bottlegourd ( Lagenaria siceraria ) and Basil ( Ocimum sanctum ) leaves blended juice was formulated with the help of Response surface methodology. The central composite design with 15 experimental combinations was used to optimize the product. The surface plots are used to represent the effects of variations in the ingredient levels. The physico-c...

Withania somnifera Dunal, commonly known as Ashwagandha, has been used for centuries in Ayurvedic medicine to increase longevity and vitality. Various groups of researchers support its polypharmaceutical uses by confirming anti.inflammatory, immuno-modulatory and antistress properties in the whole plant extract. The present investigation adds up th...

Fresh-cut carrots were ozonized in water (1:2 w/v; @ 200mg O3/h) for 10min and stored under controlled atmosphere (CA) conditions (2% O2, 5% CO2 and 93% N2) at 6±1°C and 85% RH for up to 30d. Ozonation was found to reduce lignification and maintaining the keeping quality of fresh-cut carrots during CA storage. The maximum decrease in respiration an...