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The contamination of pathogenic microbes in street vended foods is a serious public health concern associated with foodborne illnesses (FBIs). The street vended Cholay Chat (SVCC) is a popular savory chickpea-based ready-to-eat food in Pakistan. The microbial quality of 18 SVCC samples was assessed through conventional and molecular identification. A total of three (03) bacterial species (i.e., Bacillus cereus, Macrococcus caseolyticus and Staphylococcus sciuri) were characterized via phenotypic and biochemical analysis in SVCC. Among them, B. cereus remained highly prevalent (88.88%) followed by M. caseolyticus (61.11%) and S. sciuri (11.11%). The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based DNA amplification of the 16S rRNA gene and sequencing of isolated bacterial species were performed. The BLASTn analysis revealed that sequences were significantly aligned with B. cereus (97.38 %), M. caseolyticus (93.16%), and S. sciuri (97.21%). It is concluded that the microbial quality of SVCC is highly detrimental and thus is liable to cause FBIs among consumers. Therefore, safe food handling and manufacturing practices must be mandatorily assured by street food vendors to lessen the burden of FBIs among consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Date bar is an energy-dense snack food with a high content of carbohydrates and bioactive compounds and deficits protein. The date bar can be fortified with different protein sources and may be used as a functional food product to overcome protein related malnutrition. The present study was conducted to develop protein fortified date bars using skim milk, soybean and almond powders as protein sources and to examine their physico-chemical and sensory characteristics. Four different treatments for protein fortified date bar samples were prepared with different formulations and coded as A (control, 100% date fruit), B (80% date fruit + 20% skim milk powder), C (80% date fruit + 20% soybean powder) and D (80% date fruit + 20% almond powder). Among the treatments, D and C were found to have significantly higher (P<0.05) mean values for most of the physico-chemical properties in comparison to A and B. The average moisture content (18.50%) and carbohydrates (74.02%) remained significantly higher (P<0.05) in A, pH value (6.63) and TSS (28.26 °Brix) in B, ash (2.81%), protein content (12.52%) and vitamin C (11.54 mg/100g) in C and titratable acidity (0.33%), fat content (4.16%) and fibre content (5.15%) in D. The average score for sensory attributes i.e. colour, flavour, texture, aroma and overall acceptability remained significantly higher (P<0.05) in B, while significantly higher (P<0.05) score for taste was recorded in D. It was concluded from the present study that fortification of date bars with different protein sources improved the physico-chemical properties, sensorial attributes particularly protein content of the date bars in comparison to A (control), thus protein-fortified date bars are ideal for human nutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alternative strategies are being utilised to extend the storage ability and preserve the quality of crops including bitter gourd. The present study was conducted to assess the potential of beeswax (BW) and lemongrass oil (LO) on the shelf life and Alternaria alternata disease of bitter gourd during cold storage. The experiment included the following treatments: (1) distilled water (control), (2) BW 5%, (3) BW 10%, (4) BW 5% + LO 0.5%, and (5) BW 10% + LO 0.5%. The bitter gourds were stored at 25°C for 15 days. The results revealed that BW 10% + LO 0.5% proved to be the best treatment followed by BW 5% + LO 0.5% and BW 10%. The BW 10% + LO 0.5% treatment exhibited inhibitory effects on mycelium growth, spore germination, disease incidence, and disease severity. It also reduced weight loss and ion leakage and conserved higher contents of titratable acidity, firmness, ascorbic acid, and total phenolic content of bitter gourd. Overall, these results revealed that beeswax and lemon grass oil can be effectively utilised to inhibit Alternaria alternate disease and prolong the storage ability of bitter gourd fruit in a cost-effective and eco-friendly way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]