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Tea is one of the most popular and oldest beverages available in many varieties and the use of different flavoring ingredients is becoming more common. The present study aimed to examine tea consumption behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic and analyzed the bioactive compounds of tea flavoring ingredients. At first, a cross-sectional study was carried out with 140 randomly selected participants to determine tea consumption patterns and data was collected through face-to-face interviews. Then 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) test, the Folin-Ciocalteu technique, and the quercetin method were used to assess antioxidant activity, total phenolic content (TPC), and total flavonoid content (TFC) of tea flavoring ingredients. The study found that 57.86% of the participants increased their tea consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic, whereas 22.80% increased their tea consumption by at least one more cup per day. It was also found that ginger was the most popular (29.5%) among fifteen tea flavoring agents. By analyzing tea flavoring ingredients, the maximum antioxidant activity found in cinnamon was 87%, and lemon leaves had the lowest, which was 60%. On a dry weight basis, the TPC of the tea flavoring components ranged from 36.52 mg GAE/g for cloves to 9.62 mg GAE/g for ginger. The maximum TFC was also found in clove with 13.68 mg QE/g, and moringa was the second highest with 12.26 mg GAE/g. The antioxidant activity of flavoring compounds has a significant correlation (p

Introduction: Vitamin A deficiency is one of the most serious health problems in developing countries. This study aims to explore the comparative figure of vitamin A knowledge, household consumption frequency of vitamin A-rich foods, and association of socio-demographic factors with knowledge and consumption in four residential areas in Tangail district, Bangladesh. Methods: This study used a population-based cross-sectional design with 400 study participants selected using purposive sampling technique. Knowledge and consumption frequency were assessed by a structured questionnaire along with food frequency table. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Results: Only 33.5% participants had primary vitamin A knowledge, where most from urban (48.5%) and semi-urban (30.6%) areas had comparatively higher knowledge than those from rural (11.2%) and slum (9.7%) areas. Specific knowledge level was also poorer in rural and slum areas than urban and semi-urban areas. Most of the participants received knowledge through commercial advertisements (65.7%). Household consumption frequency of vitamin A-rich foods (plant and animal) was comparatively lower in rural and slum areas than in urban and semi-urban areas. Different socio-demographic factors (place of residence, education and household income) significantly influenced participant’s vitamin A knowledge and household consumption of vitamin A-rich foods (p

In the present study rice bran protein concentrate (RBPC) was extracted from defatted rice bran by alkali extraction method and the extracted protein concentrate was characterized and utilized in biscuit production. Protein concentrate was extracted from rice bran at different rice bran water ratio (25.86-54.14) and solution pH (8.09-10.91). The extraction parameters were optimized by response surface methodology. Optimum conditions for protein concentrate extraction ratio were 1:40.77 bran/water and 9.55 pH of solution. At the optimum conditions the extraction yield of protein concentrate was 11.76% and protein content was 36.29% where native rice bran contained 20.78% protein. RBPC contained most of essential amino acids except tryptophan and phenylalanine, among them arginine was the highest 2.27 mg/100g and the lowest was histidine 0.59 mg/100g. RBPC also contained non-essential amino acid like aspartic acid, serine, glutamic acid, alanine, glycine and tyrosine. The emulsifying capacity, emulsion stability, water absorption capacity, bulk density and oil absorption capacity of RBPC were 56 percent, 36 min, 3.02 g/g, 0.49 g/ml and 1.72 g/g respectively. A 5% rice bran protein concentrate supplemented biscuits upgrade the total protein content in biscuits from 7.54 to 9.13. Therefore, utilization of RBPC can be beneficially achieved through formulation of protein enriched biscuits with enhanced nutritional value especially for malnourished or undernourished people.

Vegetable oil rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids is an important element in the diet of most transitional countries. The ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 in modern diets is approximately 15:1, whereas ratios of 2:1 to 4:1 have been associated with reduced mortality from cardiovascular disease, suppressed inflammation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, and decreased risk of breast cancer. The study was designed to investigate the fatty acid profile of six types of seed oils such as peanut, linseed, olive, soybean, sesame and sunflower oil. Afterwards the author prepared mixed vegetable oils with effective Omega-6 (n-6)/omega-3 (n-3) fatty acid ratio. It was found that the highest percentage (39.9%) of saturated fatty acid found in Linseed oil and the highest percentage (37.1%) of monounsaturated fatty acid found in Sesame oil. It was also observed that olive and soybean oil contain 100% polyunsaturated fatty acid and the lowest percentages (35.2%) of polyunsaturated fatty acid were found in Sesame oil. After preparing a mixed vegetable oil The ratio of n-6 to n-3 were 3.5:1 (soybean), 19:1 (olive), 0.43:1 (linseed), 0.13:1 (peanut) and sesame (16.5:1). It is also noted that n-3 was not detected in sunflower oil. Thus the investigation showed that Soybean oil contains the balanced omega-6/omega-3 fatty acid ratio than others.J. Environ. Sci. & Natural Resources, 9(2): 65-69 2016

Considering the severity of the effects of COVID-19 on psychological health and quality of life, the present study investigates the direct effects of government strategies and social distancing and the moderating effect of emotional recovery on psychological distress and quality of life using the tenets of the theory of attachment and learned helplessness. The snowball sampling technique was used to recruit respondents from Bangladesh who completed a self-administered questionnaire via Google Forms, which provided cross-sectional data. The results revealed that both social distancing and government strategies have significant negative influences on psychological distress. Besides, government strategies have a significant positive influence on social distancing. Although psychological distress has a significant negative influence on quality of life, emotional recovery shows no moderating effect on the relationship between psychological distress and quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study provides insights for regulatory bodies and policymakers for developing effective policy interventions to ensure the well-being of people during this pandemic. Finally, the study highlights the implications for both theory and practice and a few notes for further research., COVID-19; Social distancing; Government strategies; Psychological distress; Emotional recovery; Quality of life

An attempt has been made in the present study to develop aloe vera jelly with honey in a view using it as an anti-diabetic agent for its therapeutic properties. Different aloe vera jellies were prepared with different sweetening agents including honey, sugar and aspartame to make a comparison on the basis of nutrient content, bioactive compounds, organoleptic quality, syneresis and microbial stability. Prepared jellies were analyzed for physico-chemical properties, bio-active compound (total phenolic content, vitamin C, and antioxidant) and organoleptic properties. Among the three jellies aloe vera jelly with honey exerts better organoleptic properties, higher consumer acceptance, higher textural profile, highest amount of bio-active compounds (total phenolic content, vitamin C and antioxidant) and lowest syneresis. Thus formulation of aloe vera jelly with incorporation of honey increases the sensory attributes, textural profile and decrease syneresis followed by longer shelf life. Therefore, aloe vera jelly with honey could be recommended for large scale production of aloe vera jelly which can be promoted as an anti-diabetic agent due to hypoglycemic properties of aloe vera and honey.

A cross sectional study was conducted to find out the prevalence and underlying causes of childhood overweight and obesity among 7 selected English medium schools of Dhaka, Bangladesh. For study purpose, 112 participants were selected from English medium schools located different places of Dhaka city to collect data through a well structured questionnaire by face to face interview. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was found 20.5% and 24.1 % respectively and also the prevalence of overweight and obesity among boys were 16.4% and 26.9% respectively, and for girls were 26.7%, 20.0% respectively. Most (7.46% and 8.95%) of the male obese students were in the age group of 9-10, 13-14 years and most (6.67% and 6.67%) of the female obese students were in the age group of 9-10 & 11-12 years. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was found quite high in this study. It is demonstrated that several risk factors such as more meal taking habit, snacking habits, physically less active lifestyle and high levels of sedentary activities to be major underlying factors for increasing prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity among English medium school children in Dhaka, Bangladesh. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jesnr.v7i1.22146 J. Environ. Sci. & Natural Resources, 7(1): 63-67 2014