Isuru Wijesekara

University of Sri Jayewardenepura · Department of Food Science and Technology

Ulva fasciata, a green seaweed, is emerging as a promising food source. The present study aimed to evaluate the biochemical and functional effects of incorporating U. fasciata into wheat breads as a value-addition. The dried powder of U. fasciata exhibited a crude protein content of 16.38 ± 0.38% (dry weight basis), phenolic content of 309.47 ± 23...

The global concern about environmental pollution caused by conventional packaging materials has driven governments to restrict certain polythene types. Interest in biodegradable packaging has arisen as a result of its potential to reduce the impacts of pollution. The present study developed packaging materials using cassava pomace, a major waste fr...

This study investigates the impact of substituting lactose with maltodextrin in milk-tea formulations to enhance their physicochemical and structural properties. Various lactose-to-malto-dextrin ratios (100:0, 90:10, 85:15, 80:20, 75:25) were evaluated in both post-pasteurized and concentrated skim milk-tea (SM-T) and whole milk-tea (WM-T) formulat...

Citation: Wijegunawardhana, D.; Wijesekara, I.; Liyanage, R.; Truong, T.; Silva, M.; Chandrapala, J. Process-Induced Molecular-Level Protein-Carbohydrate-Polyphenol Interactions in Milk-Tea Blends: A Review. Foods 2024, 13, 2489. https:// Abstract: The rapid increase in the production of powdered milk-tea blends is driven by a growing awareness of...

Researchers are becoming more interested in biodegradable packaging materials as a result of the harmful effects generated by conventional materials. There is a growing trend of incorporating oils into biodegradable packaging materials to improve their barrier and functional properties. Surfactants are required to create an emulsion between mixture...

The pollution of the environment caused by conventional packing materials such as plastic has driven the need for biodegradable alternatives. Although starch is an important component in the development of such materials, starch is not suited for use as a biodegradable packaging material due to global hunger challenges. The current study successful...

Goldstripe Sardinella (Sardinella gibbosa) and green seaweeds (Ulva fasciata) are underutilized sea food sources but can be used to food value-additions based on their’ nutritional importance, abundance, and cost effectiveness. The objective of this study was to develop dry powders from both sources, fish powder (FP) and Ulva powder (UP), togeth...

The environmental pollution caused by conventional packaging materials like plastic and polythene has led to the exploration of biodegradable alternatives. Starch is a key component in developing such materials, but due to global hunger-related issues, starch is not suitable for use as a biodegradable packaging material. In the present study, the m...

Many countries, including Sri Lanka, regulate plastic, polythene, and other non-biodegradable packaging materials to reduce environmental pollution. As a result, both industry and researchers are focusing on alternatives for plastic packaging materials. Corn and cassava starch are key ingredients in biodegradable packaging. However, due to global h...

Kappaphycus alvarezii Doty (Doty), commonly known as elkhorn sea moss, is a popular seaweed cultivated globally. It is a well-known source of carrageenan, which is a thickening agent used in food and other industries. Even though different morphotypes of K. alvarezii are reported globally, it has been cultivated and marketed as a single genotype. H...

In this study, Dioscorea alata flour was employed to substitute wheat flour to formulate gluten-free crackers enriched with locally available domestic curry leaves (Murraya koenigii), widely used for culinary practices, and Clausena indica, which is called ‘Mee-gon karapincha’ by the local community in Sri Lanka. The study is focused on assessing t...

This study is focused on developing a rice flour-based (RFB) gluten-free cookie incorporated with germinated mung bean flour (GMBF). Here, the physicochemical characteristics and sensory attributes of the cookies were examined against a control group prepared with wheat flour. Improved rice varieties At 306 and At 313 by Rice Research Station, A...

Hands are the primary way to spread microorganisms, thus hand washing is the primary defence and an essential element of personal hygiene for infection control. Hand sanitizers that contain ethanol as their main constituent are used to kill a broad range of microbes. Bioethanol production has relied heavily on the use of first-generation feedstock....

Aims: To assess the nutritional content in the body wall of an underutilized sea cucumber species: Holothuria atra and to extract and characterize the potential collagen types from the body wall Study Design: The specimens of H.atra were identified based on morphology and the nutritionally analyzed with respect to lipid profile, vitamins, minerals,...

Increasing human population and extreme consumption of fossil fuels create the potential to generate alternative energy sources. Bioethanol is an alternative and renewable energy resource for fossil fuels, which can be generated from low-cost raw materials. The objective of the study is to optimize pretreatment and culture conditions to enhance bio...

Starch-based biodegradable packaging materials are gaining popularity as an alternative to the adverse environmental effects caused by conventional packaging materials. Despite the fact that cassava can withstand harsh environmental conditions and convert a greater quantity of solar energy into carbohydrates, its postharvest shelf life is extremely...

Quality evaluation of unfermented coconut (Cocosnucifera) sap was done using two sap collection methods of application of Hal bark (Vateria acuminate) to the clay pots of 4L (TM) and novel sap collection method (NSCM), during 12 hours (from 6pm to 6 am). The novel sap collecting device is a recent innovation by Coconut Research Institute(CRI) – Sri...

The rising population, depletion of petroleum-based fossil fuel and atmospheric contaminations by combustion of fossil fuel have opened avenues for alternative, eco-friendly and renewable energy sources. Bioethanol is an alternative and renewable source that has drawn attention due environmental concerns and energy security with non-renewable sourc...

Edible algae, including seaweeds, are a source of functional food, dietary supplements, metabolites and bioactive compounds. Algal-based functional foods have potential health benefits, and their commercial value depends on their applications in the food and nutraceutical industries. This book covers several aspects of algal-based functional foods....

Diabetes mellitus has become a global pandemic progressively rising and affecting almost every household in all world regions. Diet is a significant root cause of type II diabetes; thus, the significance of dietary interventions in preventing and managing the disease cannot be neglected. Lowering the glycemic impact of diet is an alternative way of...

Cassava is considered as a low-risk crop due to the ability of adaptability to various agrochemical constituents. The postharvest shelf life of cassava is reduced due to the accumulation of cyanogenic glucosides and microbial actions. Cassava starch production is one of the major industrial utilization of cassava. A solid residual called cassava p...

Papad is a popular “ready-to-fry” traditional snack in Asian cuisine and can be consumed as a direct snack or as an appetizer. The development of seafood papad as a snack, incorporating underutilized Ulva fasciata and Sardinella gibbosa to improve the nutritional composition and the sensory properties, was the expected objective of this study. Cond...

Type 2 diabetic mellitus is a predominant metabolic disorder that has a direct impact on human health. Although scientific data are deficit, coconut jaggery has been suggested as a better alternative for cane sugar by some individuals. This study was conducted to assess the credibility of this claim. Coconut jaggery was prepared at Coconut Research...

Gracilaria species are found to be a rich source of natural hydrocolloid agar-agar but are currently under-exploited in Sri Lanka. The gel characteristics of agar extracted from Gracilaria corticata and Gracilaria edulis from Sri Lankan waters were investigated in this study. The agar yields (%, dry weight basis) obtained from G. corticata and G....

Hydrocolloids in foods play a vital role in developing food systems with enhanced rheology, quality, organoleptic properties and nutritional value in food industry. Hydrocolloids possess the ability to modify viscosity and texture of a food system. Modification of viscosity and texture in a food will directly affect for the sensory attributes of a...

Jellyfish are marine invertebrates notorious for tentacles that contain venom-bearing nematocytes, which cause painful stings. Climatic changes and human activities have resulted in increasing jellyfish blooms, which have negatively affected functioning of the marine ecosystem as well as human socioeconomic activities. However, some edible jellyfis...

Accumulation of non-biodegradable plastics has adversely affected the environment. Hence, there is a need of promoting biodegradable polymer packages as substitutes for non-biodegradable plastic packages. Various studies have focused on utilisation of seaweed-derived polysaccharides in the development of coatings and films because of their renewabi...

Various studies have focused on extracting fish oil using a variety of methods, yet, the wet reduction process is the common industrial method as it is environmentally friendly. However, the use of autoclaving in extracting oils from fish or fish by-products are comparatively less. Therefore, this study was conducted to extract crude oils from the...

Seaweeds, as a dietary protein source originated in Asian countries and later expanded towards France, Chile, etc. Food applications have been narrowed down due to complications in extraction. Therefore, products are not yet available in the market. Extraction of other phytochemicals along with seaweed proteins provides value addition in food produ...

Cheese is an extremely perishable food product that needs proper packaging to minimize the contamination with spoilage microbes, and the development of the unpleasant appearance, off-odors, which leads to deterioration. In this research, a seaweed-based edible antimicrobial coating was developed using alginate extracted at the laboratory from Sarga...

Extraction of crude oil from yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) head wastes of processing industry, was carried out using wet reduction process by steaming the samples as the initial preheat treatment. The effect of preheating duration (15, 30, and 45 min) on yield and quality of extracted oil was evaluated. Yields of crude oil obtained for 15 min,...

Marine fish oils are good sources of polyunsaturated fatty acids which are extensively used for food, feed and pharmaceutical purposes. Many studies have focused on extracting fish oil using various methods, but the wet reduction process is a popular industrial method as it is environmentally safe. However, the evaluation of the effect of preheatin...

Seaweeds are underutilized abundant natural resources in Sri Lanka due to the lack of (a) awareness of the value of seaweed consumption and (b) availability of seaweed based food products, that match with Sri Lankan taste. The aim of present study was to develop a novel Ulva fasciata incorporated pie crust as an opportunity to incorporate seaweeds...

This study mainly compare glycaemic responses of a control yoghurt (typical dairy yoghurt) against two novel yoghurt products with added spices oleoresins (Cinnamon yoghurt - Cinnamomum zeylanicum, turmeric yoghurt - Curcuma longa) using 16 healthy volunteers in a randomized crossover study. Blood glucose concentrations were measured at fasting sta...

In the present study, proximate and flour properties including thermogravimetric (TGA/DSC) and X-ray defraction (XRD) analysis of whole and dehulled mung bean (Vigna radiata) flours were studied. Moreover, food gels were developed from whole and dehulled mung bean flours with incorporating Kithul palm (Caryota urenus) flour without adding sugar and...

Seaweeds are a rich source of health beneficial bioactive nutraceuticals and currently, they are under-utilized in Sri Lanka. Thus, this study is to get an idea about the possibility of utilizing seaweed in Sri Lankan food industry. In the present study, elemental composition analysis of Ulva fasciata obtained from 3 locations Mirissa (5°56/40.5//...

Banana (Musa acuminata) is grown abundantly in tropical and subtropical countries, and it is consumed as raw or processed. Banana is a significant source of nutrients, and it has been found to contain carbohydrates and other nutritional components. The present study was conducted to evaluate the proximate composition, antioxidant composition, and p...

Purpose of the conducted study was to evaluate the possibility of using underutilized seaweed (Sargassum sp.) to encapsulate prebiotics in dairy food applications. This will enable dairy based industries to utilize local materials instead of imports, whereas direct crude exports of the seaweeds can also be consumed for more valued added purposes. F...

The effectiveness of four aquatic floating plants: Eichhornia crassipes, Pistia stratiotes, Lemna minor, Salvinia sp., and a submerged plant Hydrilla sp. on decolorization and detoxification of five structurally different textile dyes: CI Direct Blue 201 (DB 201), Cibacron Blue FR, Cibanone Gold Yellow RK, Vat Green FFB, and Moxilon Blue GRL were s...

In this research, an edible coating was developed to improve the physicochemical, microbiological, and sensory attributes of Swiss cheese using sweet whey as the main ingredient (84.1%wt/wt). Glycerol (5%wt/wt), sunflower oil (10%wt/wt), guar gum (0.7%wt/wt), and Tween 20 (0.2%wt/wt) were used as other ingredients. Use of sweet whey provided an ant...

Diabetes mellitus, which is characterized by high levels of blood glucose, is one of the most common metabolic disorders. Blood glucose level of individuals can be controlled by the incorporation of spices in the diet. The main objective of this study was to manufacture spice oleoresin (Cinnamomum zeylanicum, Curcuma longa) incorporated, high quali...

Fish processing offcuts such as heads, viscera and skin are frequently discarded without realising its potential except some low level of value-addition in limited fields. Therefore, this study was designed to compare the oil contents of processing offcuts from three different commercial fish species. Different body parts such as heads, viscera and...

The prevalence of diabetes mellitus, characterized by high blood glucose levels, is increasing worldwide. Blood glucose level of individuals can be controlled by incorporation of tropical herbs and spices in the diet. The main objective of this study was to manufacture spice oleoresin (Cinnamomum zeylanicum, Curcuma longa) incorporated high quality...

Seaweeds are considered as a functional food across many regions of the world and has an increasing consumption trend due to its health benefits. However, there is a concern regarding the amount of heavy metals and metalloids present in seaweeds. Therefore, the study aimed to assess the levels of metals present in specific seaweeds and its potentia...

South Asian region possess an abundant growth of seaweeds. Due to unappealing taste of seaweeds, most South Asians reject seaweed based products in the global market. Thus, the research aims to develop a seaweed snack appealing to the taste of South Asians using Ulva fasciata with the intention of popularizing seaweed consumption in the South Asia....

Recently, there is a trending demand by consumers on plant-derived low-calorie healthy foods than animal-derived high calorie foods. Currently, commercial food jellies are made of animal-derived gelatin and added sugar with other artificial food additives. In the present research, "Kithul" flour added value-added mung bean jelly was developed with...

Today, people in the world hungers natural foods. This study is an attempt taken to investigate the compatibility of utilizing plant sources in fortification rather than pharmaceutical sources. Two sets of drinking yoghurt products were prepared using cow’s milk and fortified using selected plant and pharmaceutical sources of Ca and Zn separately;...

Gelatin, which is widely used in the food industry, is a protein derived from partial denaturation of collagen. The primary sources of industrial gelatin are porcine skin or bovine hide, but their utilization is restricted due to disease outbreaks and on religious grounds. Therefore, gelatin derived from aquatic organisms is attracting widespread i...

Introduction: The use of natural plant extracts to reduce blood glucose response has been practised from ancient times, although their industrial applications are rare. For the convenience of typical cane sugar consumers, selected tropical plant extracts were incorporated with cane sugar to make a low glycaemic sugar product. Methods: This study c...

The core purpose of the current study is to explore the use of Moringa oleifera leaves, to produce a herbal tea with acceptable sensory properties and nutritional properties by utilizing the steam blanching technique, different dehydration temperatures and time, which can be accepted in the Sri Lankan market. Six sets of samples were prepared where...

With the urbanization and changing food habits, most of these underutilized yams have lost their significance. However, the study of their nutritional value is insufficient. The overall objective of this study was to evaluate the nutritional composition, functional properties and phytochemical composition of four selected underutilized yam varietie...

The edible seaweed; Ulva lactuca is a rich source of dietary fiber, protein, and minerals but currently underutilized in Sri Lanka. In the present study, nutribars (composed of cereals and golden syrups) were developed with or without incorporating dried U. lactuca powder (moisture content; 15.29 ± 0.03%, dry basis) at 0, 5, and 10% (w/w) ratios. S...

Seaweeds are a rich source of health beneficial bioactive nutraceuticals and currently they are under-utilized in Sri Lanka. In the present study, proximate analysis of seaweed varieties Chnoospora minima and Porphyra sp. obtained from Mirissa, Matara, Sri Lanka and Ulva fasciata was taken from Point Dondra Matara, Sri Lanka on June, 2018 were inve...

Information regarding realistic macronutrient gains by consuming cooked Sri Lankan leafy vegetables are rare. Some available information often overestimates available carbohydrate contents and under-estimates dietary fibre contents, as a result of not using in-vitro digestion models prior to proximate analysis. In aim to address this issue, nine mo...

Sugarcane bagasse is a by-product of sugarcane processing and it is rich in insoluble dietary fibers. The objective of this study was to develop cookies enriched with sugarcane bagasse as a fiber source with no added sugars. Bagasses with or without peel were collected from a jaggery manufacturing plant and they were dried, grinded, and sieved to o...

In this study, the effect of fortification of aqueous extracts of Moringa oleifera dried leaf powder and Phyllanthus emblica fresh fruit as plant ingredients and calcium carbonate and zinc aspartate from Unizink® 50 capsule as pharmaceutical ingredients in drinking yoghurts was investigated. The aim was to manufacture drinking yoghurts, which fulfi...

Underutilized Sri Lankan mangroove palm Nipa kernel was used to produce cookies.

Muffins from traditional yam Dioscorea spp.

Gluten-free cup-cakes were developed from traditional yam flour.

Drinking yoghurts were fortified using aqueous extracts of Moringa oleifera dried leaves powder and Phyllanthus emblica fruit as plant ingredients and food grade calcium carbonate and zinc aspartate from Unizink® capsule as pharmaceutical ingredients in order to manifest the objective of this study, to develop drinking yoghurt fortified with nutrie...

Sugar" generally refers to sucrose, which is manufactured primarily from sugar cane (Saccharum officinarum) or sugar beets (Beta vulgaris) has been part of the human diet for millennia. Excessive consumption of sugar can increase the risk of adverse health outcomes, including type Ⅱ diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease. The main objective o...

Background: The glycemic index (GI) is a concept that r anks the glycemic potency of foods. Some herbal ingredients are known to lower the risk of type Ⅱ diabetes mellitus when regularly consumed, by causing a lower and slower rise in blood glucose and therefore, can be used as ingredients in the processing of low GI foods. Objective: The main obje...

Developed edible green seaweed Ulva lactuca powder incorporated muffins.

Given the current interest to reach sustainable protein supplies, seaweed proteins represent a potential source for pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, cosmeceutical, or food and feed applications. Some species are reported to contain high quantities of protein with original amino acid composition, which has been comparable to the values reported for ot...

The glycaemic index (GI) is a measure of the food's power to raise blood glucose (β-glucose) concentration after a meal. Low-GI carbohydrates lower the risk of adverse health outcomes, including type Ⅱ diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease by causing a lower and slower rise in blood glucose and insulin levels. The main objective of this pros...

The glycaemic index (GI) is a measure of the food’s power to raise blood glucose (β-glucose) concentration after a meal. Low-GI carbohydrates lower the risk of adverse health outcomes, including type Ⅱ diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease by causing a lower and slower rise in blood glucose and insulin levels. The main objective of this pros...

Cassava (ManihotesculantaCrantz) is an important food source in tropical countries, and it is a readily available root crop variety in Sri Lanka as well. Yet the utilization of processed cassava (flour) is in under consideration. The objective of this study was to identify the effect of conventional and microwave heating on two selected cassava cul...

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is an important food source in tropical countries, and it is a readily available root crop variety in Sri Lanka as well. Yet processed cassava (flour) is underutilized. The objective of this study was to identify the effect of conventional and microwave heating on two selected cassava cultivars namely; Kirikawadi...

Seaweed-enriched food products development and extracting seaweed gels agar-agar from Sri Lankan under-utilized agarophytes.

With changes of lifestyles and social values in the food culture, many individuals working as managerial level employees in the as private sector are seemingly selecting more improper daily meal combinations. This study was designed to determine whether this occurrence can have a severe impact to imbalance the daily nutrient intakes by the individu...