Browsing by Author "Vanniarachchy, M.P.G."

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    Development and Characterization of a Herbal Extracts Incorporated Confectionery with Immune Enhancing Active Compounds
    (Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Bhagya, O.K.D.J.; Vanniarachchy, M.P.G.
    Immune enhancement is a widely discussed area in the world. Several medicinal herbs namely ginger, shallot, coriander, and green tea have been found out to be possessing active compounds which aid in enhancing the immune function by stimulating innate and cell mediated immune responses. The aim of this study was to develop a confectionery using convenient herbs available in Asian regions to enhance human immunity. Initially ethanolic extracts of ginger, shallot, coriander and green tea were obtained using soxhlet extraction and Gas Chormatography Mass Spectrometric (GCMS) study was done. The candy was developed with incorporated herbal extracts and the optimal amounts were calculated using previous research data. Flavor profile was characterized with concentrated lime juice. The herbal candy with no added lime juice, 0.7%, 1.0% and 1.3% citric acid from concentrated lime juice were given to a semi-trained sensory panel of 36 panelists and the sensory data were used to perform one way ANOVA to compare the preference. The final product was tested for immune boosting active compounds using GCMS analysis. Analytical tests for moisture, ash, titratable acidity, reducing sugar, polyphenols, texture and test for yeast and moulds were also done. The product with 1.0% citric acid was the best formula. Six active compounds, namely Quercetin, Linalool, Zingiberene, Gingerol, Caffeine and Shogaol were present in the final product out of the 8 main active compounds detected in plant extracts. The main immune boosting active compounds in shallot and coriander respectively were Quercetin and Linalool. Ginger was detected with Gingerol, Shogaol, Zingerone and Zingiberene, and green tea was detected with Epigallocatechin gallate and Caffeine as the main immune boosting active compounds. Product contained 2.137% of moisture, 1.313% of ash, 31.22% of reducing sugar and 0.138 mg GAEg-1 of total phenols. A total of 0.970% titratable acidity was also present in the candy. Texture analysis with 50 kg load cell, at the first hardness cycle resulted a 54500.00g with 1.79 mm deformation. Yeast and mould test was negative after five days of incubation. As the final outcome, a herbal extracts incorporated hard candy was developed with 75% of targeted immune boosting active compounds. Keywords: Immunity; Herbal candy; Ginger; Shallot; Green tea; Coriander
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    Development of an Alginate Based Edible Coating and its Application on Unripen Pre- cut Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam)
    (Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Jayakody, M.M.; Vanniarachchy, M.P.G.; Wijesekara, I.
    Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam) is a fruit which is highly demanded by Asians. It is a large fruit which is difficult to peel, therefore consumers prefer to buy it ready to cook. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of application of an alginate based edible coating on quality parameters of pre-cut jackfruit samples. Alginate is a polysaccharide which can be used in development of coatings and films using its gelling property. Alginate for the study was extracted from Sargassum sp. by hot extraction method. An FT-IR analysis was done to confirm the presence of functional groups of extracted sodium alginate. FT-IR analysis resulted peaks at wavenumbers (cm-1), 1562.973, 849.208, 949.176 and 3461.391. According to previous literature, appearance of peaks at these wavenumbers indicated the presence of carboxylate, mannuronic acid, uronic acid and an O-H groups respectively. 1% alginate based edible coating was developed using extracted alginate to apply on pre-cut jackfruit samples which are to be stored for 5 days under refrigerated conditions (6+1 0C).Total soluble solid content (TSS), weight loss percentage, titrable acidity, pH and ascorbic acid content of coated and uncoated jackfruit samples were measured for a period of 5 days. According to the results, TSS and pH of both coated and uncoated samples has increased. On the fifth day, a significantly higher TSS and a pH value was observed in the uncoated sample. Weight loss was observed in both coated and uncoated samples. During the storage period of 5 days, a significantly higher weight loss percentage was observed in uncoated sample than the coated sample. Titratable acidity decreased during the storage period. Significantly higher decrement in the titratable acidity was observed in uncoated sample. Ascorbic acid content was decreased during the storage period but there was no any significant difference in the decrement of ascorbic acid content between coated and uncoated sample. Thus, within 5 days of storage lesser weight loss and better- quality values of Tss, titratable acidity and pH were obtained for jackfruit samples coated with 1% alginate. Microbial analysis and sensory analysis of the study is in progress. Keywords: Jack fruit; Alginate; Edible coating; Packaging; Shelf life