Shruti Shukla

• Doctor of Philosophy
• ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR at North Eastern Hill University

In this study, an alginate-chitosan (AL-CS) nanocomplex decorated with vitamin C coated iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4-vit C NPs) was investigated as a novel nanoiron fortification agent. The Fe3O4-vit C NPs decorated on AL-CS nanocomplex underwent comprehensive characterization, including zeta potential, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X...

Calcium carbide (CaC2) is generally used as an artificial ripening agent in the agricultural and food sectors but has been prohibited due to its negative impacts on the environment and human. Therefore, in the present study, a novel and cost-effective detection technique was developed for the detection of CaC2 using L-cysteine functionalized gold n...

Pesticides negatively affect the environment and human health, primarily through bioaccumulation in the food system. The detection of pesticides in the agriculture system is needed to reduce their negative impacts. Furthermore, there are several conventional methods such as chromatography, etc. available to detect and quantify the different types o...

Abstract Recently, the availability of point-of-care sensor systems has led to the rapid development of smart and portable devices for the detection of hazardous analytes. The rapid flow of artificially ripened fruits into the market is associated with an elevated risk to human life, agriculture, and the ecosystem due to the use of artificial fruit...

This work probes the effects of clove essential oil (EO) (2.5% v/v) and ultrasonic treatments on the physicochemical, rheological, and microbial properties of three starches-based (corn starch, mango kernel, and litchi starch) edible coatings/films. A total of 9 starch-based formulations were prepared to investigate their effects on the shelf life...

Millets are gaining attention as a superfood due to their higher nutritional value and cost‐effectiveness. In this regard, extraction condition for the development of finger millet‐based beverage was optimized using a central composite design. Soaking time (X1) and temperature (X2) in the range of 5–10 h and 40–60°C, respectively, were the independ...

Citrus is one of the most widely grown fruits globally, because of its remarkable organoleptic features, nutritional content and bioactive ingredients. Microbial spoilage and other factors such as physiological disorder, mechanical and physical damage, and fruit senescence are the major factors of postharvest loss to citrus industry. The postharves...

This review intends to integrate the relevant information related to different sensing methods for pesticide detection in agriculture industry. The use and/or misuse of industrial pesticides results in agricultural pesticide toxicity. Pesticides have been shown to have negative health and environmental consequences. Exponential advancement in nanot...

Edible packaging plays an important role in protecting food products from physical, mechanical, chemical, and microbiological damages by creating a barrier against oxidation, water, and controlling enzymatic activation. The employment of active agents such as plant extracts, essential oils, cross-linkers, and nanomaterials in edible packaging promi...

Iron deficiency is a significant cause of iron deficiency anemia (IDA). Treatment of IDA is challenging due to several challenges, including low target bioavailability, low palatability, poor pharmacokinetics, and extended therapeutic regimes. Nanotechnology holds the promise of revolutionizing the management and treatment of IDA. Smart biogenic en...

Point-of-care sensing systems have led to the rapid development of smart and portable devices in the field of analyte detection technology. The high flow of artificially ripened fruits (ARFs) in the market results in severe health risks, and simultaneously, the unavailability of consumer-level 1st screening tool flares up its exigency. Calcium carb...

In recent years, the application of biocompatible and non-toxic nanomaterials for the detection of fingerprints has become the major interest in the forensic sector and crime investigation. In this study, waste chickpea seeds, as a natural resource, were bioprocessed and utilized for the synthesis of non-toxic graphene nano-sheets (GNSs) with high...

In recent years, the development and application of biocompatible nanomaterials in the detection of fingerprints have become a major focus for the forensic sector and crime investigators. This study aims to synthesize biocompatible silica nanoparticles (Si NPs) through cost-effective green methods and will be used to detect a latent fingerprint on...

The persimmon fruit (Diospyros kaki) belonging to the family Ebenaceae, is a famous conventional Korean medicinal herb. Calyx of persimmon has been used to prepare herbal drinks in Korea, China, and Japan due to its various functional ingredients, including fructose, glucose, and triterpenoid. In addition, persimmon is generally used as traditional...

Fruits and vegetables contain excellent amounts of nutritional and bioactive compounds. The maintenance their shelf-life and prevention from decay, quality deterioration, and microbial spoilage of the fresh produce are the major challenges for food processing industries. Several techniques such as physical, chemical, and bio-preservation are used t...

Arsenic contamination in water has threatened lives globally. The capability of arsenic to interact with the sulfhydryl group of amino acids in human body is considered as one of the factors leading to its increased toxicity and there is the dire need for development of better detection platforms. In this study, advantage of natural biomimetic inte...

The present study was undertaken to investigate the ability of a drug curcumin-loaded polymer to inhibit the growth of cervical cancer cells by enhancing the anti-cancer efficiency of curcumin. We synthesized poly(methacryloyl beta-alanine) (PMBA) as a nanocarrier by radical polymerization in supercritical CO2. The results showed that the curcumin...

Mycotoxins are produced primarily as secondary fungal metabolites. Mycotoxins are toxic in nature and naturally produced by various species of fungi, which usually contaminate food and feed ingredients. The growth of these harmful fungi depends on several environmental factors, such as pH, humidity, and temperature; therefore, the mycotoxin distrib...

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is one of the predominant mycotoxins that contaminate a wide range of food commodities. In the present study, a 36-mer aptamer was used as a molecular recognition element coupled with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) for colorimetric detection of OTA in a microfluidic paper-based analytical device (μPADs). The μPADs consisted of three...

Oxya chinensis sinuosa (rice field grasshopper) is an edible insect with numerous health beneficial properties, traditionally being used to treat many ailments in Korea and other countries. O. chinensis sinuosa has been used from centuries, however, a little is known about the chemical functionality of its bioactive compounds. Therefore, this study...

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is one of the predominant mycotoxins that contaminate a wide range of food commodities. In the present study, a 36-mer aptamer was used as a molecular recognition element coupled with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) for colorimetric detection of OTA in a microfluidic paper-based analytical device (µPADs). The µPADs consisted of three...

An ultrasensitive electrochemical immunosensor has been prepared using an immunofunctionalized zirconium (Zr)-based metal–organic framework (MOF) with gold (Au) decoration Au@UiO-66(NH2) composite-coated glassy carbon electrode (GCE) for the determination of infectious hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). We fabricated GCE with specific composite v...

A sesquiterpene quinone, ilimaquinone, was accessed for its cellular antioxidant efficacy and possible antimicrobial mechanism of action against foodborne pathogens (Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli) in vitro and in vivo. Ilimaquinone was found to be protective against H2O2-induced oxidative stress as validated by the reduction in the ROS...

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a major causative agent of chronic gastritis, gastric ulcer and gastric carcinoma. H. pylori cytotoxin associated antigen A (CagA) plays a crucial role in the development of gastric cancer. Gastric cancer is associated with glycosylation alterations in glycoproteins and glycolipids on the cell surface. H. pylori c...

Background : Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is an important enzyme with numerous biological functions. Overexpression of COX-2 has been associated with various inflammatory-related diseases and therefore, projected as an important pharmacological target. Purpose : We aimed to investigate the inhibitory potential of isolated bioactive compounds, 3-caffeo...

Background Nanotechnology is an emerging, novel area of applications in antimicrobial and eco-friendly food packaging that have tremendous potential benefits. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been extensively studied and frequently used in food packaging applications due to their superior physicochemical, biological and antimicrobial properties....

Phthalates are pervasive compounds, and due to the ubiquitous usage of phthalates, humans or even children are widely exposed to them. Since phthalates are not chemically bound to the plastic matrix, they can easily leach out to contaminate the peripheral environment. Various animal and human studies have raised vital health concern including devel...

Understanding how the natural products structural diversity interacts with cellular metabolism and infectious disease targets remains a challenge. Inflammation is an important process in the human healing response in which the tissues respond to injuries induced by many agents, including pathogens. In recent years, several drugs derived from plant...

We herein describe a facile method to synthesize stable bovine serum albumin-based nanoparticles (BNPs) loaded with two anticancer therapeutics, doxorubicin (DOX) and a photosensitizer, chlorin e6 (Ce6), in combination with folic acid (FA) as a target cancer cell receptor for the development of an effective combined chemo and photodynamic (FA-Ce6/D...

A protoberberine alkaloid, (­)-tetrahydroberberrubine∙acetate (THBA) was assessed for its antioxidant potential and ability to inhibit the growth of a food hazard bacterium Bacillus cereus in vitro and in situ. THBA displayed significant and dose-dependent cellular antioxidant potential against hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress in NIH 3T3...

Rationale: The present study reports the multifunctional anticancer activity against B16F10 melanoma cancer cells and the bioimaging ability of fluorescent nitrogen-phosphorous-doped carbon dots (NPCDs). Methods: The NPCDs were synthesized using a single-step, thermal treatment and were characterized by TEM, XPS, fluorescence and UV-Vis spectroscop...

We report a facile one-step thermal treatment method for the synthesis of biocompatible, fluorescent nitrogen-phosphorus-doped carbon nanodots (NPCDs) as multifunctional agents for the food matrix decontamination, cancer targeting, and cellular bio-imaging. NPCDs exhibit high toxicity towards L. monocytogenes , as illustrated by fluorescent live-de...

Plant beneficial rhizobacteria (PBR) is a group of naturally occurring rhizospheric microbes that enhance nutrient availability and induce biotic and abiotic stress tolerance through a wide array of mechanisms to enhance agricultural sustainability. Application of PBR has the potential to reduce worldwide requirement of agricultural chemicals and i...

In this research, we successfully synthesized a reduced graphene oxide/tin oxide (rGO/SnO2) composite for the electrochemical detection of fungal contaminant, patulin (PAT) that does not require a biological or chemical receptor or specific antibodies. The resulting rGO/SnO2 composite exhibited promising electrochemical properties and demonstrated...

In this research, we successfully synthesized a reduced graphene oxide/tin oxide (rGO/SnO 2) composite for the electrochemical detection of fungal contaminant, patulin (PAT) that does not require a biological or chemical receptor or specific antibodies. The resulting rGO/SnO 2 composite exhibited promising electrochemical properties and demonstrate...

The antibiotic resistance of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli has increased drastically in recent years. In our study, we determined the principle mechanisms of action for the food-grade additive carvacrol against ESBL E. coli isolated from the blood of patients with a urinary tract infection. Carvacrol, which has a m...

We aimed to develop a consortium of starter culture of effective microorganisms to prepare doenjang, a traditional Korean fermented food. Different ratios of Bacillus subtilis TKSP 24 (B), Aspergillus oryzae complex (A), Rhizopus nigricans (also named as Rhizopus stolonifera) (R), and Mucor racemosus 15 (M15) were selected as meju starter cultures...

In this study, environment-friendly cost-effective, non-toxic, and reusable strategy was developed using Bacillus subtilis (a GRAS-grade bacterium, isolated from the Korean traditional food, Kimchi) immobilized in edible alginate bead composite for the reduction of ochratoxin A (OTA) toxin from red wine. Initially, B. subtilis-immobilized sodium al...

The present study aimed to develop a consortium of nutritive fermented food products, supplemented with phytochemicals, with reduced toxicological contents. We developed new flavored Doenjang products (protein rich) fermented with lotus, ginkgo, and garlic plant extract-based Meju (termed as EMD) as the starter culture and by using traditional Meju...

Fungi are increasingly recognized as major clinical pathogens in critically ill patients. Emerging groups of fungal pathogens such as Candida and Cryptococcus spp. are most frequently isolated from clinical setup, including filamentous fungi. Assessment of risk factors of these infections such as hospital-acquired fungal infection and environmental...

Nanoemulsion-based synthesis has been introduced to enhance the bioavailability of natural compounds at target sites for their various biomedical applications. In this study, we synthesized carvacrol nanoemulsion (CN) an oil-in-water (O/W) as a nano-emulsion vehicle system by using ultrasonication emulsification for anti-an-giogenesis therapy formu...

Bacterial pathogens of water origin have potential public threats thus suggesting the need of developing efficient and sustainable water disinfection strategies from waterborne pathogens. We set out to synthesize different controlled morphologies of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) polymer, evaluate their comparative effects on the generation of r...

Alcoholism is a serious addiction that can lead to various health complications such as liver fibrosis, steatosis, and cirrhosis. Carvacrol is present in many plant-based essential oils and used as a preservative in the food industry. In this study, we have investigated the hepatoprotective role of carvacrol against ethanol-induced liver toxicity i...

Human health and environment have been continuously getting exposure to toxic chemicals including nanomaterial; therefore, nontoxicity has recently attracted huge amount of attention. In this study, RU-AgNPs were synthesized by a green synthesis procedure and evaluated for their toxicity in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) as well as...

The utilization of sustainable and lightweight graphene aerogel (GA), synthesized from crude biomass, as a cell growth promoter and an adsorbent for the efficient removal of histamine (HIS), a food toxicant, from the real food matrix have been explored. Due to the self-supported three-dimensional nanoporous honeycomb-like structure of the graphene...

Three different forms of garlic, namely, fresh garlic (2%, 6%, 10%), heat-dried (1%, 2%, 3%) and freeze-dried (1%, 2%, 3%), were supplemented in soybean paste to prepare Doenjang and further evaluated for functional, nutritional and safety aspects. Results showed a considerable antioxidant and anti-proliferative activity of garlic-supplemented Doen...

Cronobacter species are foodborne pathogens that pose a high risk in infant formula and can cause fatality rates of 40–80% in infected infants. To develop a rapid and easy detection method for Cronobacter species, especially in powdered infant formula (PIF), an immunoliposome-based immunochromatographic strip assay was developed using an anti-Crono...

Chlorpyrifos is one of the most widely used pesticides that acts on the nervous system by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase. Prolonged use of chlorpyrifos causes severe neurological, autoimmune, and persistent developmental disorders in humans. Therefore, in this study, a highly sensitive and robust biosensor platform was devised by fabricating graph...

Several industries using gamma sterilization techniques for food safety, and long shelf-life purposes. Nuclear energy production has increased the amount of spent nuclear fuel produced, which poses risks of severe diseases in human. Cesium is one of the most hazardous material can cause human exposure to air, water, and food. The efficient removal...

This study aimed to determine an optimal method for patulin (PAT) reduction for application in apple juice production. PAT levels in spiked apple juice (100 μg/L) were measured after treatment with citric acid, sodium bicarbonate, vinegar, mixture of sodium bicarbonate and vinegar, baking powder, and ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. Treatments with so...

The rapid developme nt of nanotechnolog y has transforme d many domains of food science, especially those that invol ve the processing , packaging , storage, transportation, functional ity, and oth er safety aspect s of food. A wide range of nanostructured materials (NSMs), from inorganic metal, metal oxides, and their nanocompo sites to nano-organ...

We examined the anti-inflammatory effects of (+)-syringaresinol (SGRS), a lignan isolated from Rubia philippinensis, in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells using enzyme-based immuno assay, Western blotting, and RT-PCR analyses. Additionally, in vivo effects of SGRS in the acute inflammatory state were examined by using the carrageen...

In the present study, a new biocontrol strain, Bacillus subtilis KU-153, was isolated from the Korean traditional fermented food Kimchi and evaluated for its ability to reduce the ochratoxin A (OTA) content in culture medium. A 16 S rRNA gene sequencing analysis revealed the identity of newly isolated strain KU-153 as B. subtilis. The growth kineti...

Current trends in the application of nanomaterials are emerging in the nano-biotechnological sector for development of medicines. Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) are photosynthetic prokaryotes that have applications to human health and numerous biological activities as dietary supplements. Cyanobacteria produce biologically active and chemically d...

This study was aimed to determine the cholesterol lowering and maintaining lipid profile effects of Lactobacillus strains in alloxan induced diabetic rats. Diabetic rats were treated with Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus acidophilus (10 8 CFU/ml) orally for 2 h or 21 days followed by measuring body weight and serological biomarkers such as...

Meju, a cooked and fermented soy bean based food product, is used as a major ingredient in Korean traditional fermented foods such as Doenjang. We developed a novel type of Meju using single and combined extracts of Allium sativum (garlic clove), Nelumbo nucifera (lotus leaves), and Ginkgo biloba (ginkgo leaves) at 1% and 10% concentrations to impr...

We developed a novel type of Meju starter culture using single and combined extracts of Allium sativum (garlic clove), Nelumbo nucifera (lotus leaves), and Ginkgo biloba (ginkgo leaves) to improve the quality and functionality of Meju-based fermented products. Meju samples fermented with plant extracts (10 mg/ml) showed phenolic contents of 11.4–31...

Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) root has been used as an edible vegetable in East Asia for thousands of years. The present research was aimed to explore the physicochemical, nutritional and microbiological safety of lotus root fermented sugar syrup as a fermented food supplement or condiment for human health benefits. In this study, the physicochemical, n...

Cronobacter species are foodborne pathogens that can affect the human central nervous system. Survivors of Cronobacter infections often suffer from severe neurological impairments, including hydrocephalus, quadriplegia, and developmental delays in all ages, especially in infants and the immunocompromised. Moreover, Cronobacter species pose a high r...

This study was aimed to evaluate the fungal microflora in Meju samples fermented using single and/or multiple additions of ethanolic extracts from plants, including Nelumbo nucifera leaves, Ginkgo biloba leaves, and Allium sativum cloves, at different concentrations (1 and 10%) and mixtures of these extracts at a 1:1:1 ratio. Fungal species were gr...

p>Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has a profound impact on knowledge and understanding of bacteria and other microbial populations. The 1000-fold improvement in resolution provided by TEM has allowed visualization of bacterial cells. Of all the types of microscopy exploited to date, TEM is the one with the most advantageous resolution limit...

This research was aimed to investigate anti-hyperglycemic effects of two Lactobacillus spp. on alloxan induced diabetic rats. Alloxan was administered intraperitoneally to induce the diabetic conditions in experimental rats. Animals were treated with oral administration of Lactobacillus spp., such as L. plantarum and L. acidophilus at the dose of 1...

Aflatoxins are very toxic secondary metabolites produced by fungi. Fermented foods are considered major sources of aflatoxin contamination. Consumption of fermented food contaminated with high amounts of aflatoxins often results in serious health complications. Chronic exposure to aflatoxins from fermented foods affects 4.5. billion persons living...

In recent years, much attention has been paid on microbial peptides with biological activities and proteins derived from foods that might have beneficial effects for humans. Microbial peptides are small chain amino acid molecules with multitude of biological and therapeutic potential. Moreover, many studies have reported that marine bioactive pepti...

Invertebrates belonging to marine environment along with a growing number of marine organisms including bacteria, actinobacteria, cyanobacteria, fungi, microalgae, seaweeds, mangroves, and other halophytes making over 90% of the oceanic biomass are considered novel sources of anticancer molecules production. These marine floras diverse in taxonomy...

The current scenario regarding the widespread Zika virus (ZIKV) has resulted in numerous diagnostic studies, specifically in South America and in locations where there is frequent entry of travelers returning from ZIKV-affected areas, including pregnant women with or without clinical symptoms of ZIKV infection. The World Health Organization, WHO, a...

This study aimed to optimize the applicability of an immunoliposome-based immunomagnetic concentration and separation assay to facilitate rapid detection of Cronobacter sakazakii in powdered infant formula (PIF). To determine the detection limit, specificity, and pre-enrichment incubation time (0, 4, 6, and 8 h), assay tests were performed with dif...

Marine ecosystem, covering over 70% of the Earth's area, is the place for a wide variety of animal and plant species whose number greatly exceeds that of terrestrial ones. Amongst those biodiversity, microbial world represents a potential research object to be explored as the recent investigations on marine microbes have given the impact to the ent...

In the present study, we carried out a research on fresh water algal sample of upper-lake of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India. Several different species of fresh water mixture algal samples were collected such as cyrophyceae (46.17%), chlorophyceae (39.27%) and bavillarior phyceae (26.65%). Further, the collected algal material was extracted with 70%...

This study deals with understanding the effects of starter cultures on the safety aspects of soy sauce fermentation and their application to compensate undesirable changes occurring during fermentation processes. Various starter cultures of bacterial and fungal combinations with different microbial strains were used for the production of soy sauce...

Cronobacter sakazakii (C. sakazakii) is a foodborne pathogen, posing a high risk of disease to infants and immuno-compromised individuals. In order to develop a quick, easy, and sensitive assay for detecting C. sakazakii, a rabbit anti-C. sakazakii IgG was developed using sonicated cell protein from C. sakakzakii. The developed anti-C. sakazakii Ig...

Cronobacter species (Cronobacter spp.) are hazardous foodborne pathogens associated with baby food, powdered infant formula (PIF). To develop a rapid and sensitive method for simultaneous detection of seven Cronobacter spp. in PIF, an indirect non-competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (INC-ELISA) was developed based on a novel immunoglobuli...

p>Aflatoxin are potentially toxic metabolites produced by microscopic fungi when grow on food. Hence, determining content of mycotoxins such as aflatoxin has significant pharmaceutical value. This study reports step-by-step visual demonstration of determination of aflatoxin contents in peanut and maize (corn)-based food samples through employing en...

Nowadays, viruses of foodborne origin such as norovirus and hepatitis A are considered major causes of foodborne gastrointestinal illness with widespread distribution worldwide. A number of foodborne outbreaks associated with food products of animal and non-animal origins, which often involve multiple cases of variety of food streams, have been rep...

This study quantitatively determined contents of amino acids and free sugars in soybean fermented samples (Doenjang) using amino acid autoanalyzer and HPLC, respectively. As a result, hreonine, serine, glycine, alanine and lysine categorized as total sweet amino acids and free sugars (sucrose, maltose, glucose, galactose and fructose) were found in...

The goals of this study were to develop a new functional beverage and/or syrup from Nelumbo nucifera (lotus) root by fermentation utilizing brown sugar and to determine its various functional properties and nutritive components. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents significantly increased after 15 and 30 days of fermentation as compared to control...

In this study, samples of Korean Doenjang, a dietary soybean fermented food, were prepared using three fungal strains (Aspergillus oryzae J (A), Mucor racemosus 15 (M15), and Mucor racemosus 42 (M42) and bacterial strain Bacillus subtilis TKSP 24 (B) as starter cultures. The resulting Doenjang samples were evaluated for their total phenolic content...

p class="Abstract">The antibacterial mechanism of action of Caesalpinia bonducella seed oil on membrane permeability of Listeria monocytogenes NCIM 24563 (MIC: 2 mg/mL) and Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 (MIC: 4 mg/mL) was determined by measuring the extracellular ATP concentration, release of 260-nm absorbing materials, leakage of potassium ions and...

p>Proteins for foods, in addition to providing nutrition, should also possess specific functional properties that facilitate processing and serve as the basis of product performance. Soy protein is a major component of the diet of food and is increasingly important in the human diet. Hence, here in the present article, we are focusing a rapid and e...

The aim of the present study was to investigate phytochemical analysis, and qualitative and quantitative determination of major bioactive compound present in various organic extracts of T. aestivum L. grass. Soxhlet apparatus was used for the extraction purpose using hexane, chloroform, methanol and distilled water as a solvent system. All the extr...

This research examined antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic activities of ethanolic extract of C. bonducella whole seeds in experimental albino rats. Three doses, 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg of the whole seed ethanolic extract prepared as a suspension in 2 ml of 2% gum acacia were used. Acute inflammatory and antipyretic activities were evaluat...