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The aim of the present study was to investigate the ability of fish collagen peptides (FCP) from the skin of great hammerhead shark (Sphyrna mokarran) to avert the occurrence of gastric ulcer in experimental rats. FCP treatment prevented the formation of ulcerative lesions on gastric tissues with 86% of inhibition. The histopathology analysis of gastric tissue revealed that the FCP intake prevented the occurrence of hemorrhage and erosion in gastric tissue with formation of mild edema and necrosis, as well as normalized the pH and volume of gastric juice. It also downregulated the expression of pro-inflammatory marker interferon-ɤ (IFN-ɤ) and upregulated the anti-inflammatory marker interleukin-4 (IL-4) in gastric tissue. FCP is capable to modulate the oxidative stress by enhancing the activity of antioxidant defense enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase and by lowering the levels of membrane lipid peroxidation.

Methotrexate (MTX), an antifolate drug, is extensively prescribed for patients suffering from diseases like cancer, psoriasis, neoplasms, and rheumatoid arthritis. Despite its effectiveness, MTX sometimes finds limited application because its undesirable side effects, including hepatic or renal impairment, bone marrow toxicity and gastrointestinal mucosal injury. Squalene, a highly unsaturated isoprenoid compound, isolated from shark liver oil has great potential in neutralizing the damaging effects triggered by free radicals. Therefore, in this study, the protective role of dietary squalene supplementation on oxidative stress induced by methotrexate in experimental rats was evaluated. A significant reduction was displayed in the activities of catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in MTX-intoxicated groups compared to other groups. Similarly, the activities of glutathione dependant enzymes (GPx and GST) and reduced glutathione (GSH) in MTX-induced groups were shown to be lower compared to the untreated control. Increased LPO (lipid peroxide) level was found in MTX-intoxicated groups compared to other groups. In addition, alterations in the levels of liver marker enzymes like AST, ALP, ALT, and LDH were noticed in MTX intoxicated groups compared to other groups. Biochemical results were confirmed by the histopathological examination of liver sections. In conclusion, the result obtained in the present study proposes that squalene exerts antioxidant activity and is capable of ameliorating oxidative stress and liver injury induced by MTX.

Background Anthocyanins are flavonoids that are potential antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity, and anti-carcinogenic nutraceutical ingredients. However, low chemical stability and low bioavailability limit the use of anthocyanins in food. Nanoencapsulation using biopolymers is a recent successful strategy for stabilization of anthocyanins. This study reports the development, characterization, and antioxidant activity of black carrot anthocyanin-loaded chitosan nanoparticles (ACNPs). Results The ionic gelation technique yielded the ACNPs. The mean hydrodynamic diameter d and polydispersity index PDI of chitosan nanoparticles and ACNPs were found to be d = 455 nm and PDI = 0.542 respectively for chitosan nanoparticles and d = 274 nm and PDI = 0.376 respectively for ACNPs. The size distribution was bimodal. The surface topography revealed that the ACNPs are spherical and display a coacervate structure. Fourier transform infrared analysis revealed physicochemical interactions of anthocyanins with chitosan. The loading process could achieve an encapsulation efficiency of 70%. The flow behavior index η of encapsulated ACNPs samples revealed Newtonian and shear thickening characteristics. There was a marginal reduction in the in vitro antioxidant potential of anthocyanins after nanoencapsulation, as evidenced from 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, ferric reducing antioxidant power, and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) assays. Interestingly, the in vivo antioxidant potential of anthocyanins improved following nanoencapsulation, as observed in the serum antioxidant assays. Conclusion The optimized nanoencapsulation process resulted in spherical nanoparticles with appreciable encapsulation efficiency. The nanoencapsulation process improved the in vivo antioxidant activity of anthocyanins, indicating enhanced stability and bioavailability. The promising antioxidant activity of the ACNPs suggests a potential for utilization as a nutraceutical supplement. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Management of waste generated in fish processing industries is of great concern worldwide. Shrimp processing waste can be used for the generation of various biobased products along with its remediation. The present work was carried out to valorize shrimp processing waste using biorefinery approach. Ridgeback shrimp (Solenocera choprai) waste was used to produce commercially important biomolecules such as astaxanthin-rich oil, protein, chitin, and chitosan. Supercritical carbon dioxide extraction was performed for the extraction of astaxanthin and oil. Astaxanthin yield using super critical fluid extraction method was 30.26 ± 0.06 mg/kg dry shell weight. Extracted oil was found to have high content of health promoting polyunsaturated fatty acids, in particular omega-3 fatty acids, viz, eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid. The remaining waste after the supercritical fluid extraction was used for protein extraction and the recovery yield was found to be 22.25 ± 0.15%. The residue left after extraction of astaxanthin and protein was used to extract chitin and the extracted chitin was used to produce chitosan. The yield of chitin and chitosan was 224.36 ± 0.32 g/kg and 156.99 ± 0.16 g/kg, respectively. The significant findings of the study suggest the potential of biorefinery in utilizing shrimp processing waste to produce commercially important products.

Red meat from tuna canning factory was used to develop a pet food for dogs. Feed was developed by mixing cooked, dried, and powdered red meat with cereal flours in varying proportion. The combinati...

In the present investigation, bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) skin waste was utilized for the extraction of gelatin. Physico-chemical, rheological, and surface-active properties of the obtained gelati...

Chitosan, a biocompatible functional polysaccharide, often in conjunction with proteins is being employed as efficient food delivery systems assuring better stability and release properties.In the present study, the formulation of a stable squalene-in-water emulsion was attempted using chitosan-whey protein isolate complex as the wall material. Six different treatments (A–F) of biopolymers were prepared by varying the pH (4.5 and 5.5) and chitosan concentration (0.25, 0.5 and 1%), whereas the concentration of whey protein isolate was kept constant (10%). Emulsions were prepared by high speed homogenization after addition of squalene at the rate of 30% of the total wall material weight (w/w). Emulsions prepared using 1% chitosan, 10% whey protein isolate at pH 5.5 (Treatment F) was found to be significantly stable (p

Metal-based nanoparticles with potential antioxidant and antimicrobial properties have led to their incorporation of biomaterials for human health care importance. The present investigation is to study on the silver nanoparticles grafted chitosan (Chi-Ag-NPs) composite materials due to their potential applications. Chi-Ag-NPs were synthesized by chemical reduction of silver nitrate salts and biodegradable chitosan. The obtained Chi-Ag-NPs were characterised for Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray powder diffraction, antioxidant and antibacterial properties. UV–visible spectra showed the configuration proficiency of Ag-NPs and chitosan. FTIR spectra indicated that the functional groups of chitosan have particular interactions with Ag-NPs. Particle size and TEM analyses showed that Chi-Ag-NPs were equivalently dispersed in matrix with an average size of 10–230 nm. The surface morphological structures of chitosan has played important role in influencing the adsorption of Ag-NPs. Chi-Ag-NPs were tested for their bioactive properties and results exhibited higher antioxidant and antibacterial activities by the addition of Ag-NPs. Chi-Ag-NPs composites were non-toxic to L929 fibroblast cells. The present investigation suggested that chitosan will be a good source for the preparation of bionanocomposite materials and also could be useful in different industrial and biomedical applications.

Chitosan is more prominent in food applications due to its versatile properties. Anthocyanins have gained much research attention due to their multifaceted role in preventing various lifestyle ailments. Encapsulated anthocyanin- loaded chitosan nanoparticles (ACNPs) were prepared by conventional ionotropic gelation method. In the present study, the gastro-protective effect of encapsulated ACNPs was evaluated against absolute ethanol-hydrochloric acid (HCl-Ethanol mixture) induced gastric ulcer in male Wistar rats. The histopathology and microscopic scoring of ulcer data of stomach tissue sections revealed that oral administration of encapsulated ACNPs group can alleviate inflammation of induced-gastric ulcer. Further, the expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines (Interleukin 4, IL-4) and suppression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (Interferon gamma, IFN-γ) confirm the cytoprotective effect of encapsulated ACNPs against HCl-Ethanol induced necrotic damage to mucosal membrane. The results of the present study indicate that the gastro protective action of encapsulated ACNPs ascribable to at least in parts to its anti-inflammatory property.[Formula: see text].

Our previous studies have demonstrated that the physico-chemical and structural properties of encapsulated anthocyanin loaded chitosan nanoparticles (ACNPs) have potential in vitro antioxidant properties. The study explores the hypolipidemic effect and mechanism of dietary supplementation of ACNPs in male Wistar rats, fed on experimental high fat-alcohol diets. The ACNPs treated group has significantly higher catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzyme activity levels (p > 0.05). The supplementation with ACNPs significantly reduced the serum total cholesterol and triglycerides levels. The lipid-mediated oxidative stress and lipid levels in serum and liver were reduced too. The western blotting experiments revealed normalization of the fatty acid synthase (FAS), and HMGCR (Hydroxymethylglutaryl Co-A reductase) activities after supplementation with ACNPs. The study concludes that the ACNPs are promising functional dietary supplement with definite hypolipidemic activity.

The present study was aimed at investigating the efficacy of chitosan as a wall material for microencapsulation of squalene by spray drying for functional food applications. Based on different core to wall material ratio (1:1, 0.5:1 and 0.3:1 on w/w basis), emulsions were prepared and evaluated in terms of emulsion stability, particle size, zeta potential, polydispersity Index (PDI), rheology and microstructure. The optimized emulsion combination was spray dried and characterized, physically and chemically. The encapsulation efficiency of the powder was found to be 26 ± 0.6% whereas other properties such as particle size, zeta potential, water activity, hygroscopicity, Carr Index, Hausner ratio have shown satisfactory results. SEM analysis showed that the squalene microcapsules were smooth spherical particles free from dents and fissures. FTIR data further confirmed the encapsulation of squalene with chitosan. However, TGA, oxidative stability and accelerated Rancimat results showed that chitosan was not able to protect squalene from oxidation during storage. The results suggest that chitosan is not an appropriate wall material for microencapsulation of squalene and hence a combination of wall materials could be attempted for the encapsulation of squalene.

Background: Fish oils, which are rich in health-promoting polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), have emerged as promising functional foods in the global health and wellness food market. Their source regarding the fish type, season, and location of harvesting might influence the nutritional value of such bioactive oils and determine their market price. The differences in price among such oils often lead to economically motivated mislabeling and adulteration. Objective: In this study, our objective was to demonstrate how a qualitative targeted shotgun lipid profile workflow using an electrospray ionization–quadrupole-linear ion trap MS (QTrap) could differentiate fish oils originating from two different species. Methods: Five samples each of sardine (Sardinella longiceps) oil and shark (Echinorhinus brucus) liver oil were diluted to a concentration of 80 µg/mL in chloroform–methanol (1 + 2, v/v) with 5 mM ammonium acetate. These samples were directly infused into a QTrap MS. The data were acquired for 23 precursor ion and 4 neutral loss scan experiments in the positive ionization mode and compared. Results: We identified the following major lipid classes: cholesteryl ester, diacyl glycerol, triacylglycerol, monoalkyldiacylglycerol, and phophatydyl choline. The relative peak areas of the identified lipid species, when subjected to supervised multivariate analysis, could effectively distinguish the sardine oil and shark liver oil. Conclusions: The approach will be useful in establishing authenticity of fish oil and to support the regulatory agencies in dispute resolution. It can also be extended to establish authenticity in other agricultural and food commodities. Highlights: This paper reports a proof of concept for authenticating PUFA-rich fish supplements. A shotgun targeted lipidomics profile and chemometrics modeling successfully discriminated sardine oil and shark liver oil.

Squalene, a triterpenoid compound possessing excellent bioactivities, is not being utilized as a functional food ingredient due to its high susceptibility to oxidation. In the present study, the feasibility of chitosan-whey protein as an efficient wall material for squalene encapsulation using spray drying technique was attempted for functional food applications. The encapsulation efficiency of the squalene powder was found to be 75.4 ± 0.22% whereas other physico-chemical properties such as moisture content, flowability, solubility, peroxide value, etc. have shown satisfactory results. The thermogravimetric analysis showed that chitosan-whey protein was able to retain the thermal stability of squalene up to a temperature of 422 °C. Furthermore, the functional food application of the encapsulated squalene in a bakery product (cake) exhibited significantly (p 0.05) better properties in terms of oxidative stability, sensory attributes than that of cake with pure squalene and control treatment. Hence, it can be concluded that emulsification of squalene in chitosan-whey protein and its subsequent encapsulation by spray drying can be a potential process to produce oxidatively stable encapsulates for the development of functional foods.

Fish protein hydrolysate (FPH) has gained importance in recent times due to its growth and health promoting properties. Forty days feeding trial was carried out to study the effect of FPH prepared from tilapia fish processing waste (TFW) on growth, metabolism, immunity and resistance against bacterial infection induced by Vibrio anguillarum in silver pompano (Trachinotus blochii) fingerlings. During the study, fishes were fed practical diets containing 0, 30, 60 and 90 g/kg tilapia protein hydrolysate (TPH) at 70 g/kg body weight per day initially which was gradually reduced to 30 g/kg. Animals fed with 90 g/kg tilapia protein hydrolysate in diet showed significantly (P

Soft tissue from cultured farm fresh oysters (Crassostrea madrasensis) was subjected to two standard enzymatic peptide extraction procedures using pepsin and papain. The crude extracts obtained were partially purified by column chromatography and were freeze-dried. The hydrolysates obtained were compared with respect to their degree of hydrolysis (DH), antioxidant potential (AP) and total phenolic content (TPC). The hydrolysate showing better antioxidant property was further subjected to purification by high performance liquid chromatography and characterized by LC-MS/MS. Papain-digested oyster protein (OPHpap) hydrolysate showed higher DH, AP and TPC. OPHpap was further subjected to ultrafiltration and fractionated into 3 sizes namely, above 10, 3–10 and 1–3 kDa according to the molecular size. Antioxidant capacity of

The lack of shrimp cell lines and difficulty in establishing shrimp cell culture systems, with an appropriate medium is a major concern in the aquaculture sector. The present study attempts to address this issue by developing an in vitro cell culture system from various tissues (hemocytes, heart, lymphoid tissue, hepatopancreas, gill, eye stalk, and muscle) of Penaeus vannamei (P.vannamei) using commercially available L-15 medium. The cell culture medium was formulated using five different media such as HBSCM-1, HBSCM-2, HBSCM-3, HBSCM-4, and HBSCM-5 containing L-proline and glucose with fetal bovine serum (FBS) supplements. Among the different media used, the HBSCM-5 medium with supplements showed good attachment and proliferation of cells with fibroblast-like, epithelioid, round, and adherent cell morphology in hemocyte culture. The same medium was further screened using different tissues to enhance the cell growth. The hemocytes, heart, and lymphoid tissue cells were passaged five times and maintained up to 20 days. Hepatopancreas and gill cells initially showed good morphological features and survived for more than ten days following subculture cells. Eye stalks and muscle cells perished within five days and did not show any unique morphology. The primary hemocyte cells were subjected to species identification, using cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. To assess the primary hemocyte cell culture, cells were used for in vitro propagation of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) and confirmed by the conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Similarly, the primary cells were treated with bacterial extracellular products (ECPs) from Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio harveyi, to evaluate the cytotoxicity.

Therapeutic potential of water soluble vitamins has been known for long and in recent times they are being widely supplemented in processed food. Phenolic acid-grafted chitosan derivatives can serve as excellent biofunctional encapsulating materials for these vitamins. As a proof of concept, thiamine and pyridoxine loaded ferulic acid-grafted chitosan microspheres were developed. Ferulic acid was successfully grafted on chitosan by a free radical mediated reaction and the structure was confirmed by FTIR and NMR analysis. When compared to FTIR spectra of chitosan, intensity of amide I (at around 1644 cm(-1)) and amide II (at around 1549 cm(-1)) bands in spectra of ferulic acid-grafted chitosan were found increased, indicating formation of new amide linkage. Strong signals at δ = 6.3-7.9 ppm corresponding to methine protons of ferulic acid were observed in NMR spectra of ferulic acid-grafted chitosan, suggesting the successful grafting of ferulic acid onto chitosan. Grafting ratio of the derivative was 263 mg ferulic acid equivalent/g polymer. Positively charged particles (zeta potential 31 mv) of mean diameter 4.5 and 4.8 μ, corresponding to number distribution and area distribution respectively were observed. Compact microspheres with smooth surfaces and no apparent cracks or pores were observed under scanning electron microscope. Efficient microencapsulation was further proved by X-ray diffraction patterns and thermal analysis. Preliminary anti-inflammatory activity of the vitamin-loaded microspheres was demonstrated.

Chemically modified biofunctional chitosan derivatives may open up new applications in functional food and nutraceuticals development. Two new conjugates, namely vanillic acid and coumaric acid grafted chitosan derivatives were developed and comparative evaluation of their antioxidant and antimicrobial activities was carried out with ferulic acid and gallic acid grafted chitosan. The synthesized water soluble (1.0–4.5 mg/mL) chitosan-phenolic acid conjugates showed characteristic FTIR-spectroscopy band at around 1644 and 2933 cm−1. Free phenolic acid was not observed in TLC plate of the chitosan-phenolic acid conjugates and UV–vis spectra showed primary absorption peak of the corresponding phenolic acids confirming the grafting reaction. Total antioxidant activity of the chitosan-phenolic acid derivatives ranged from ~12 to 29 g ascorbic acid equivalent/100 g of the conjugate. Minute quantity of the derivatives (~57–162 μg and 82–109 μg respectively) could give 50 % inhibition of 2, 2′-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical and hydroxyl free radical. Broad spectrum antibacterial activity was observed for all four derivatives against an array of foodborne pathogens and spoilage bacteria. Coumaric acid grafted chitosan showed promise as a food preservative as it inhibited the growth of several foodborne pathogens and spoilage bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus. Among all the four derivatives, ferulic acid and gallic acid grafted chitosan had lowest minimum inhibitory concentration against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa respectively.

Despite the potential of LC with tandem MS (MS/MS) in improving sensitivity and selectivity, analytical methods are scarce for the determination of protein-bound and phosphorylated forms of B vitamins in food. This prompted us to develop a method for LC-MS/MS determination of naturally occurring nicotinamide, nicotinic acid, thiamine, pyridoxine, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, biotin, folic acid, and cyanocobalamin in fish. Baseline separation of the vitamins was achieved in a hydrophilic interaction LC condition. An ultrasonication-assisted enzymatic extraction protocol for sample preparation was optimized and validated. The time required for extraction was significantly reduced (to 4 h), while maintaining good extraction efficiency. Acetonitrile content (80%, v/v) in the prepared sample was found to be optimum for excellent peak shape and sensitivity. The dynamic linear range of the vitamins ranged from 2.5 to 500 ng/g, and the regression coefficient values were greater than 0.99. LOQ values ranged from 0.4 to 50 ng/g for the different vitamins. The spike recovery values at 50 and 100 ng/g ranged from 87.5 to 97.5%. The intra- and interday precision values were satisfactory. Accuracy of the developed method was determined by analysis of a Certified Reference Material. The method could also be used for unambiguous determination of the natural content of the target vitamins in fish.

In recent years, hygienic handling of fishery waste is demanded owing to the fact that the fishery waste is an ideal raw material for the preparation of bioactive compounds. In the present study, the effect of pre-processing storage (at 4 ± 2 °C) of whole tilapia waste (WTW) on the properties of its protein hydrolysate derived using pepsin was evaluated. Fish protein hydrolysates (FPH) were prepared from 0, 24 and 48 h old ice stored WTW and designated as FPH-0, FPH-1, and FPH-2, respectively. Total amino acids, total essential amino acids and total hydrophobic amino acids of FPH samples increased with the storage period of raw material (WTW). Antioxidant activities such as DPPH (2, 2 diphynyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) free radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing power of FPH samples were dose dependent. FPH-0 had better antioxidant properties including linoleic acid peroxidation inhibition activity than FPH-1 and FPH-2. The DNA nicking assay revealed the protective effect of FPH preparations against Fenton’s reaction mediated oxidative damage. FPH-2 had better emulsifying properties and foaming stability whereas the FPH-0 had relatively good foaming capacity. SDS–PAGE indicated the presence of peptides ranging from 116 to

Myocardial infarction is emerging as a foremost public health concern in most parts of the world even in developing countries still afflicted by infectious diseases, under nutrition and other illnesses related to poverty. There has been increasing recognition that certain natural substances have the potential to reduce the detrimental effect of a number of cardiovascular risk factors. In the present study, we have investigated the protective effect of betaine administration on changes in the levels of protein, glycoproteins and amino acids was studied in isoprenaline-induced myocardial infarction in rats as an animal model of myocardial infarction in man. Oral pre-treatment with betaine significantly attenuated (P

Three important myctophid species of fish viz., Diaphus watasei, Diaphus luetkeni and Myctophum obtusirostre from commercial deep-sea shrimp trawlers operated off Quilon, Kerala, India were collected and analysed for lipid profile to elucidate its importance a dietary component with a view to understand its health benefits. Immediately after catch the fishes were iced immediately and were transported to the laboratory in 24 hours. The lipid profile of myctophids showed that they are rich in triacylglycerides (TAG). Saturated fatty acids were the predominated fatty acids (45–47 %) followed by monounsaturated (27–31 %) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (21–25 %). Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and arachidonic acid were major PUFAs. Myctophids were a good source of fat soluble vitamins.

The aims of the present study were (a) to extract and quantify the main phenolic acids and tocopherols from the petiole, leaves, and flowers of Eichornia crassipes; (b) to evaluate the antioxidant capacity of the extracts in four in vitro systems (1,1-diphenyl-2-pycryl-hydrazyl [DPPH] radical scavenging ability, iron chelating activity, reducing power, and prevention of oxidation in a liposome model system); and (c) its effectiveness in retarding lipid peroxidation in fish oil by accelerated stability test. Significant differences were observed in total and individual phenolic contents and in the antioxidant activities of extracts from the various parts of E. crassipes. Out of the 11 phenolic acids analyzed, ethanolic extracts contained high amounts of gallic, protocatechuic, gentisic, and p-hydroxybenzoic acid, whereas, water extracts contained less amounts of a varied number of phenolic acids. Ethanolic extracts of flower, which contained the highest total phenolic content, were found to have high DPPH ...

In the present investigation, the effect of dietary supplementation of thiamine and pyridoxine loaded vanillic acid-grafted chitosan microspheres (TPVGC) on growth, metabolic and immune responses in Wistar strain albino rats was studied. Eight experimental groups, namely four groups each for male and female rats were fed with 0, 0.4, 0.8 and 1.6% of TPVGC in the diet. At the end of 45days feeding trials, both male and female rats supplemented with TPVGC had higher weight gain% and specific growth rate than the control groups. Significantly (p

Fish is a healthy food, rich in quality animal proteins, polyunsaturated fatty acids especially the (ω)-3 eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid and micronutrients. In addition, fish are more available and affordable than other sources of animal proteins in tropical countries. Aquaculture, which is one of the fastest growing food production sectors, could play a big role in eradicating hunger, malnutrition and nutrient-deprivation globally. However, nutritional information on fish is necessary for utilization of fish in achieving nutritional security and will be helpful in prioritizing species for aquaculture. In this context, we have studied the detailed nutritional composition of selected fishes from India and developed a database (http://www.cifri.res.in/nutrifishin/index.php) with the food data generated. This review explore the implications of such nutritional information in consumer guidance, dietary counselling, food-policy planning and prioritization of species for aquaculture to fight hunger, malnutrition and micronutrient deficiency; ultimately contributing to food and nutritional security.

Seafood is an excellent source of metabolically essential proteins, vitamins, trace elements and polyunsaturated fatty acids. There is a rising awareness of the beneficial role of fish and other marine foods in human nutrition. The knowledge regarding the nutritional significance of fish in counteracting the malnutrition and age-associated chronic diseases are relatively scanty. In this present study, an attempt has been made to examine the proximate composition, amino acid profile and fatty acid composition of small pelagic fishes (sardine, mackerel and anchovy) available in Indian south-west coast waters. The biochemical parameters were determined using standard experimental protocols. The low value small pelagic fishes are found to be rich sources of ω-3 Fatty acids [eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) & docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)], which are very much essential for the development of brain and heart tissues. Sardine and mackerel possess all the essential and non-essential amino acids in a balanced proportion capable of ameliorating the protein deficiency disorders. The non-protein amino acid taurine essential for various physiological functions was also found to be present in rich quantities in small pelagic fishes. Presence of sulphur containing amino acids cysteine and methionine and high histidine content adds functionality to the nutritional value of small pelagic fish protein. Anchovies and sardine are valuable sources of calcium, which can effectively be used to combat calcium deficiency in children. The result of the present study has indicated that small pelagic fishes [sardine, mackerel and anchovy] are potential sources of attenuating malnutrition-related diseases and age-associated disorders.

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is the principal constituent of a variety of cells especially the brain neurons and retinal cells and plays important role in fetal brain development, development of motor skills, and visual acuity in infants, lipid metabolism, and cognitive support and along with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) it plays important role in preventing atherosclerosis, dementia, rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, and so forth. Being an essential nutrient, it is to be obtained through diet and therefore searching for affordable sources of theseω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) is important for consumer guidance and dietary counseling. Fish is an important source of PUFA and has unique advantage that there are many food fish species available and consumers have a wide choice owing to availability and affordability. The Indian subcontinent harbors a rich fish biodiversity which markedly varies in their nutrient composition. Here we report the DHA and EPA content and fatty acid profile of 39 important food fishes (including finfishes, shellfishes, and edible molluscs from both marine water and freshwater) from India. The study showed that fishesTenualosa ilisha,Sardinella longiceps,Nemipterus japonicus, andAnabas testudineusare rich sources of DHA and EPA. Promotion of these species as DHA rich species would enhance their utility in public health nutrition.

Aging has been defined as the changes that occur in living organisms with the passage of time that lead to functional impairment and ultimately to death. Free radical-induced oxidative damage has long been thought to be the most important consequence of the aging process. In the present study, an attempt has been made to study the salubrious effects of dietary supplementation of chitosan on glutathione-dependent antioxidant defense system in young and aged rats. The dietary supplementation of chitosan significantly reduced the age-associated dyslipidemic abnormalities noted in the levels of total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, and LDL-cholesterol in plasma and heart tissue. Its administration significantly (P < 0.05) attenuated the oxidative stress in the heart tissue of aged rats through the counteraction of free radical formation by maintaining the enzymatic [glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione reductase (GR)] and non-enzymatic [reduced glutathione (GSH)] status at levels comparable to that of normal young rats. Our results conclude that dietary intake of chitosan restores the depleted myocardial antioxidant status and suggest that it could be an effective therapeutic agent in treatment of age-associated disorders where hypercholesterolemia and oxidative stress are the major causative factors.

Indian mackerel (Rastrelliger kanagurta) was processed in brine in indigenous polymer-coated tin-free steel cans to a common lethality value of 8 min at three different retort temperatures, namely 115, 121 and 130C. All the three batches were found to be commercially sterile upon testing using sodium thioglycollate broth. The heat penetration parameters were found to be significantly influenced by the retort temperature. The lag factor of heating (jh value) decreased, whereas the lag factor of cooling (jc value) increased with increase of retort temperature (P

Myocardial infarction is one of the most common manifestations of cardiovascular disease. In the present study, we investigated the protective effect of betaine, a potent lipotropic molecule, on changes in the levels of lysosomal enzymes and lipid peroxidation in isoprenaline-induced myocardial infarction in Wistar rats, an animal model of myocardial infarction in man. Male albino Wistar rats were pretreated with betaine (250 mg/kg body weight) daily for a period of 30 days. After the treatment period, isoprenaline (11 mg/100 g body weight) was intraperitoneally administered to rats at intervals of 24 h for 2 days. The activities of lysosomal enzymes (beta-glucuronidase, beta-galactosidase, beta-glucosidase, and acid phosphatase) were significantly (p0.05) increased in plasma with a concomitant decline in the activities of these enzymes in heart tissue of isoprenaline-administered rats. Also, the level of lipid peroxidation was higher in heart lysosomes of isoprenaline-injected rats. Pretreatment with betaine daily for a period of 30 days to isoprenaline-induced rats prevented the changes in the activities of these lysosomal enzymes. Oral treatment with betaine (250 mg/kg body weight) to normal control rats did not show any significant effect in all the biochemical parameters studied. Thus, the results of our study show that betaine protects the lysosomal membrane against isoprenaline-induced myocardial infarction. The observed effects might be due to the free radical-scavenging and membrane-stabilizing properties of betaine.