Browsing by Author "Liyanage, R."

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    Antioxidative properties and Lactobacillus population in traditional Sri Lankan pickle during fermentation
    (Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2015) Madusanki, K.S.; Liyanage, R.; Jayathilake, C.
    In recent years, probiotic products have become a primary choice for the consumers because of their health attributes (Yen-Ping Tan, 2007). Pickle may be a suitable product of carrying probiotic bacterial strains to the host. Pickling is a method of fermentation of vegetables to extend their shelf life. That process consists with the basis of reducing the pH value due to conversion of sugar to acid by lactic acid bacteria (LAB). LAB are greatly important for human health as they help balance human intestinal flora, thereby boosting overall immunity (Amit et al., 2012). Antioxidant compounds in fermented foods play an important role as a health protecting factor. Scientific evidence suggests that antioxidants reduce the risk for chronic diseases including cancer and heart disease. There is no reported study done on evaluating the nutritional properties of Sri Lankan vegetable pickles fermented with coconut vinegar. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the population growth of Lactobacillus, pH, total phenols and antioxidant activity during fermentation of Sinhala pickle. Materials and Methods Sample preparation, determination of pH and Lactobacillus population The samples for the isolation of LAB included the fermented mixed vegetables which was prepared by mixing thoroughly, cleaned and diced vegetables (carrot, red onion, raw papaya, green chili) in coconut vinegar solution, and was allowed to ferment at ambient temperature (32 C±2). The microbial spread plate method was used to isolation of LAB in the MRS media from the pickle sample. The pH of the withdrawn aliquots at every 24h during the fermentation was monitored using a digital pH meter (HI 2211, USA) at 32 C (Shori et al., 2011). Determination of Antioxidant Activity and Total Phenolic Content Antioxidant activity (AOA) was measured by DPPH radical scavenging activity method according to the method developed by Adak et al. (2013) with little modifications. Total phenol content (TPC) was measured by Folin-Ciocalteu method with some modifications (Kriengsak et al., 2006). Results and Discussion Population of Lactobacillus in pickle Traditionally, the fermentation of Sinhala pickle is processed by the LAB. The results showed that the bacteria population increased from an initial number of 8.0997 0.56 Log10 cfu/g after 24 hours fermentation at 37 ⁰C. The maximum bacteria growth was observed after 48 hours fermentation which had significant difference with other ratios of bacteria except 72 hours bacteria count. After three days storage at 37 ⁰C, the bacteria population decreased but, no significant difference was observed among other storage time. In contrast, the numbers of LAB were much reduced at the end of storage (Table 1).
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    Evaluation of Proximate Composition and Mineral Content of Raw and Processed Artocarpus nobilis (Ceylon Breadfruit) Seeds
    (Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Sewwandi, S.M.; Jayasekara, D.A.D.M.; Rathnayaka, I.; Wijesundara, S.; Liyanage, R.
    Nut and seeds are recommended for a healthy diet as being recognized as a source of high-quality protein, lipids with bioactive compounds. Although many indigenous species of edible nuts could address food insecurity in developing countries, there are not enough researches to explore its possibilities of using them to improve the nutritional status of people. Artocarpus nobilis Thwaites (Ceylon breadfruit, Wal del/ Bedi del) is a native underutilized tree nut in Sri Lanka that is yet to be explored for its nutritional and functional properties. This study investigated the proximate composition and mineral content of raw and processed (roasted, microwaved, and boiled) A. nobilis seeds. Mature seeds of A. nobilis were collected from eight locations. Moisture, lipid, crude protein, ash, dietary fiber, and carbohydrate contents were analyzed according to the AOAC (2000) methods. The mineral content was evaluated using Inductive coupled plasma-optical emission (iCPA 7000 series, Thermo Scientific). The proximate composition of the raw A. nobilis seeds was as follows: 12.92±1.08% moisture (fresh weight), 11.73±0.25% crude protein, 26.45±0.86% lipids, 2.33±0.01% ash, and 30.08±0.28% dietary fiber on dry matter basis. The available carbohydrate content of raw seed was around 29.41% and raw seed provided 16842kJ of energy per kilogram of dry matter. Further, these seeds were rich in healthy minerals such as potassium (5398.31±338.39 μg/g) and magnesium (1120.69±58.39 μg/g), along with a lower level of sodium. Iron (21.58±1.99 μg/g) was the predominantly found microelement in raw seeds followed by zinc (16.77±1.82 μg/g). Processing method modulated the proximate composition in studied samples. According to the data, pan roasting and microwaving significantly increased the lipid and protein content of the raw A. nobilis seed. A higher energy value was observed in the processed samples than in the raw state. However, processing did not modulate the mineral composition in studied samples. The current study concluded that A. nobilis seeds are a good source of macro and micronutrients and both pan roasting and microwaving are preferable processing methods to improve their nutritional value. Keywords: Artocarpus nobilis; Processing method; Underutilized, Nuts, Nutrients
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    Nutrient Composition, Antioxidant Activity and Qualitative Phytochemicals Screening of Acrostichum aureum (Kerenkoku) Extracts
    (Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Peduruhewa, P.S.; Jayathunga, K.G.L.R.; Liyanage, R.
    Hundreds of wild edible species, which are capable of contributing to improve healthy dietary patterns are available in Sri Lanka. Although Acrostichum aureum (Kerenkoku) is an important wild edible species, its nutritional properties are still unexplored. This study was carried out to determine the nutrient composition, antioxidant activity and to screen the phytochemicals in different crude extracts of A. aureum. Different organic solvents including hexane, ethanol and chloroform were used to prepare crude extracts. Different crude extracts were tested to determine the antioxidant activity using DPPH assay. The proximate nutritional composition including, ash, moisture, crude protein, crude fat and crude fiber were determined using AOAC standards. In DPPH assay, IC 50 values of crude extracts varied between 1.53 mgmL-1 to 4.3 mgmL-1. According to the results, the highest antioxidant activity was found in chloroform extract followed by ethanol and hexane extracts. Qualitative In vitro phytochemicals screening for all crude extracts had shown the presence of alkaloid, phenol, flavonoid and quinine compounds. Moreover, ethanol extract contained tannin and saponin compounds. On the other hand, all the crude extracts did not show positive results for coumarin and steroids. Moisture and ash contents were 86.90% and 0.03% of fresh weight, respectively. The corresponding values for crude fat, crude fiber and crude protein were 2.80%, 7.53% and 3.53% respectively in dry weight basis. Nutritional compositions of A. aureum showed similar values to most leafy vegetables in Sri Lanka, while the identified crude fiber level was higher than the other common leafy vegetables. In conclusion, most of the screened phytochemicals in A. aureum are potent antioxidants and have corresponded to free radical scavenging activity. A. aureum has a good potential to be used as a food source due to its significant nutritional values. Accordingly, these underutilized plants can play an important role in improving human dietary patterns as well as to fight against food insecurity in future. Keywords: Acrostichum aureum; Antioxidant activity; Proximate composition; Phytochemicals
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    Water Safety Plan for Dehigolla Water Supply System
    (Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2012) Caranniya, S.; Udagedar, , D.T.; Liyanage, R.
    Absolutely pure water does not exist in nature. Organizations such as NWS&DB provide safe water from natural sources with proper treatments. To ensure the satisfaction of consumers they are doing operational and maintenance projects of water supply schemes through Water Safety Plans. Dehigolla is a small supply scheme which is monitored by NWS&DB. This site was selected for the research and safety plan was developed. Research has been started based on the guidelines given by WHO for Water Safety Plan. Two field visits were conducted for sample collection, data collection and sanitary survey. Sample points were selected in between the catchment and consumer which is divided into three locations (i) Raw water at intake, (ii) Treated water at collecting chamber, (iii) Distributed water at household. Information gathered was used in the systems assessment part of the water safety plans. Walk through survey was carried out in the concerned area and discussions with the stake holders were held regarding the history of intake, distribution and health risks. Water quality data, sanitary survey data and walk through survey data were assessed and interpreted for hazard identification and risk management.Six component water safety frame work was Prepared. The components include (i) Description of the existing water supply (ii)Hazard analysis via water quality monitoring (iii) Hazard identification (iv)Establishment of corrective actions (v) Establishment of record keeping and (iv) Verify the effectiveness of the water safety plan. Investigating the water Quality of supply system at each sampling points formed a major part of the systems' hazard identification. The investigation was coupled with Complementary sanitary surveys of the supply and storage tanks at household. As a result of water quality analysis problems are encountered with higher Turbidity, coliform content and iron content. According to the results, major outcomes of the survey demonstrate that existing scheme was providing unsafe water because of poor construction of intake and distribution network, absence of protection for supply system and unawareness on the water quality. Therefore, construction developments and future maintenance is needed for Dehigolla water supply system.