Browsing by Author "Saxena, S"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Assessment of Indian cooking practices and cookwares on nutritional security: A review
    (2021-03) Saxena, S; Saini, S; Samtiya, M; Aggarwal, S; Dhewa, T
    Food provides us nutrients and the energy required for growth, reproduction, and maintenance. Energy is required to perform all voluntary and involuntary activities like digestion, respiration, circulation, carrying out professional, household and recreational activities. Despite having rich food diversity, we are using only a few items as our staple food. With the adoption of eastern cooking practices and cookwares, risk of both pre-and post-transitional diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, malnutrition, obesity, etc. has increased significantly. Aluminium toxicity and nutrients breakdown has become a common problem in pressure cooking. To overcome this problem, it is important to shift from the modernized cooking methods to our traditional cooking practices, i.e., use of earthen cookwares, clay pots and some selected metal utensils, e.g., copper, iron, brass, etc. It has been shown that earthen, copper, iron, and soapstone cookwares do not leach toxic trace elements into the food and enhance the sensory qualities without decreasing the food nutrients. Adoption of traditional Indian cooking practices (such as fermentation, roasting, germination, etc.), cookwares (such as earthen, copper, iron, soapstone, etc.) and increasing the consumption of healthy diet grains like millets, etc. can easily combat the pre- and post-transition health problems in India, effectively. This review would provide a deep understanding to the people to decide the best cookware and cooking processes that will improve their health and provide ample nutritional value to them.
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    Fostering nanoscience’s strategies: A new frontier in sustainable crop improvement for abiotic stress tolerance
    (2023-03) Mohapatra, B; Chamoli, S; Salvi, P; Saxena, S
    Advanced nano-engineering is a convenient technology to attain food security and ensure sustainable agri cultural yield and productivity. In addition to addressing the yield barrier, the application of nanoscience em phasizes its potential through innovations such as precision farming, site-targeted delivery of agrochemicals, disease control, and mitigation of environmental stresses in plants. Abiotic stresses negatively influence growth and yield of plants by affecting the physiological, biochemical, and molecular aspects of plants. As seen in recent years, such precedents in plants can be significantly alleviated through the implementation of nanoparticles. The application of nanoparticles helps in understanding the appropriate mechanisms in plants against abiotic stresses and enhances those responses more effectively. Biochemical and physiological adaptations stimulated by na noparticles include the activation of the antioxidative defense system, stress regulatory gene expressions, sti mulation of crucial biochemical pathways, and hormonal regulations. Considering the potential advantages of nanomaterials to date, their full implementation is yet to be a reality in the agricultural sector, largely limited due to concerns regarding the uptake, translocation, bioavailability, and eco-toxicity of nanoparticles. Understanding the underlying mechanisms and responses induced by nanoparticles through molecular ap proaches is critical in assessing nanomaterials' biological potential. The present review addresses the possible scope of nanotechnology to counter abiotic stress in economically important crops, and their influence on de velopment, growth, absorption, and translocation in plants. Here, an attempt is made to provide an elucidative framework on recent findings related to nanoparticle-induced stress tolerance in plants through a comprehensive insight into molecular mechanisms and biochemical responses that may help to meet the need for adaptive measures in crops during abiotic stress conditions.
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    Potential of underutilized millets as Nutri-cereal: an overview
    (2021-02) Saini, S; Saxena, S
    In this current scenario with changing food habits, escalating population and unrestricted use of natural resources, there are lacking of resources to provide nutri tious food to all. Natural plant resources are fast depleting and need to explore new alternatives. Besides the staple rice and wheat; lots of underutilized crops are being con sumed that are having great potential to replace the staple crops. Millets are one of the major underutilized crops with a Nutri-cereal potential. Millets are highly nutritive, non acid-forming, gluten-free and having dietary properties. Despite the fact that millets are highly nutritious, their consumption is still limited to the conventional and poor population due to lack of awareness towards its nutritional values. There is lack of processing technologies, lack of food subsidies and inconvenience in food preparations which makes millets more obsolete. Millets are Nutri cereals and rich in carbohydrates, dietary fibres, energy, essential fatty acids, proteins, vitamin-B and minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc, which helps to prevent from post-translational diseases like, dia betes, cancer, cardiovascular and celiac diseases, etc. Millets help in controlling blood pressure, blood sugar level and thyroid but inspite of these functional properties, millets consumption is still declining. Millets utilization in combination with other staple food crops to develop food alternatives has become an emerging area for food indus tries. Besides, to strengthen our fight against malnutrition in children and adolescents, consumption of millets can help to foster immunity and health. Here, author’s have reviewed the potential of millets for their Nutri-cereal qualities.
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    Sea urchins like Zinc oxide nanometric mitigating Meloidogyne incognita infection in eggplant
    (2024-06) Khan, A; Mfarrej, M; Khan, M; Khan, S; Malan, P; Saxena, S; Muddassir, M; Ahmad, F
    This study focused on the nematicidal potential of sea urchin-like zinc oxide nanometrics (SUZN) against the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita. XRD, SEM, UV-vis spectroscopy, TEM, and EDX have been utilized to characterize the SUZN. Various SUZN concentrations (150–750ppm) were examined for their implications for M. incognita second-stage juveniles (J2s) and egg masses, including mortality as well as hatching inhibition. The largest J2s hatching inhibition (83.07%) was seen at 750ppm SUZN after 48hours of incubation, whereas the lowest hatching occurred at 150ppm when compared to the control. SUZN illustrated increased nematicidal efficiency with increasing concentration and incubation duration. LC50 values for J2s were calculated at various time points. In root-dip trials, all SUZN doses substantially reduced J2s penetration into eggplant roots relative to the untreated control. The study emphasizes SUZN’s strong nematicidal activity against M. incognita, suggesting its promise as a long-term alternative to chemical nematicides for root-knot nematode management while reducing the environmental concerns associated with traditional pesticides.