International Research Conference of UWU-2021

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Analysis of Consumption Patterns of Probiotic Incorporated Fermented Dairy Products in Sri Lanka
(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Hanouf, M.H.M.; Rathnayaka, S.D.; Abesinghe, A.M.N.L.
Probiotic dairy foods are considered as one of the major functional food substances in the world. Consumers have been more health conscious in recent years, and as a result, they are seeking more information on how to live a healthy life consuming good food. Probiotic and probiotic products are having the possibility to attract those health-conscious consumers because of their health promoting effects and lower cost. To our knowledge there are no studies that analyze the consumer demand for probiotic fermented dairy products in Sri Lanka. This study focused on analyzing the consumer knowledge, attitudes, socio-demographic and economic factors that affect the consumption pattern of probiotic fermented dairy products in Sri Lanka. A total of 405 households from all nine provinces in Sri Lanka were surveyed with an online questionnaire. According to the results, 46% of the respondents have awareness of probiotics. Probiotic consumption was categorized into 4 levels as not at all, low, medium, and high based on the probiotic consumption per week. The study showed that 53% of the respondents belongs to low-level consumption category, 27% have medium level consumption, 9% are in high-level consumption category and 11% of the responders never consumed probiotic incorporated dairy products. An ordered logistic regression model was employed to analyze the relationships between probiotic consumption level and the number of demographics, socio- economic characteristics of consumers such as gender, age, marital status, household size, presence of children, household income, locality, education level, attitudes on health and nutrition aspects, attitude on sensory aspects, advertisement aspects and poor availability of probiotic dairy products. The results reveal that probiotic consumption level is significantly and positively influenced by gender, marital status, household income, advertisements, and consumer‟s attitude on health and negatively influenced by household size and poor availability. Findings of this study give useful information to producers for their production and marketing strategies which are most suitable to fit with the demand characteristics and consumer expectations. Keywords: Probiotic; Dairy Products; Consumption Patterns; Ordered Logistic Regression; Sri Lanka
An Analysis of Supply Chain of Small-Scale Fisheries in Loggal Oya Reservoir in Badulla, Sri Lank
(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Dissanayake, D.M.W.C.J.; Wikramaratne, I.U.; Deyshappriya, N.P.R.; Jayasinghe, A.K.G.R.M.M.Y.
Loggal Oya Reservoir is one of the minor perennial tank located in Badulla District, which has higher production rate compared to other minor perennial tanks in the area. However, the supply chain performance, fisheries activities and livelihood condition are not up to the standard level. The current study attempts to recognize the present condition of the fisheries supply chain along with its main stakeholders and their selected socio-economic characteristics. Moreover, the study also focuses on recognizing the constrains and opportunities related to small scale inland fishery supply chain in Loggal oya reservoir. Primary data were collected using a questionnaire from 59 individuals and while qualitative data was collected through Key Informat Interviews (KIIs) and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs). Additionally, secondary data from various source have also been used and mainly descriptive analysis was employed to accomplish the objectives of the study. Specifically, BCG Matrix, SWOT analysis and Fishbone analysis were used to analyze the supply chain while the Warwick – Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale were used to examine the Wellbeing of the stakeholders. The study reveals that the Loggal Oya fishery supply chain consists of four main stakeholder groups such as fishermen, wholesalers, retailers, and consumers. It is observed that 64% fishermen sell their catch to wholesalers, whereas 34% directly sell their catch to consumers and 2% of the fishermen sell their catch to small scale value added producers. In contrast, the study reveals that 60% wholesalers sell their fish to retailers, while 40% sell and transport their fish catch to local markets located in Badulla and Mahiyangana.100% retailers directly sell their fish to consumers. The majority of the stakeholders had a moderate wellbeing in the study area. The analysis further highlighted constrains such as depletion of fish stock, lack of financial availability, lack of training, knowledge and new technologies, and lack of infrastructure facilities in the fisheries supply chain in Loggal oya reservoir. The study emphasizes the requirement of providing appropriate trainings, credit facilities and funds, infrastructure facilities and inputs, improve market facilities, enhance security around the lake and awareness programs as remedies to the recognized constrains. Moreover, the study also recommends promoting value- added production based on fish in order to improve the supply chain and livelihood condition of the stakeholder. Keywords: Supply chain analysis; Small-scale fisheries; Inland fishery; Wellbeing
Antibacterial activity of entomopathogenic fungi isolated from a beetle (Harmonia sp.) in Sri Lanka
(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Patabedi, S.W.P.N.H.; Ratnaweera, P.B.
Majority of human pathogenic bacteria has become resistant to the exsisting antibiotics causing a human health crisis in the world. Thus discovering novel antibacterial drug leads has become an urgent concern. Entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) infect insects and kill or disable them. Previous research have shown entomopathogenic fungi exhibit various bioactivities. Thus, the objective of the current study was to isolate entomopathogenic fungi from a beetle, a Harmonia sp. in Sri Lanka and evaluvate their potential of producing antibacterial compounds. EPF were isolated from surface sterilized insect cadavers collected from Balangoda area in Sri Lanka. Isolated fungi were grown in potato dextrose agar and broth media, incubated close to sporulation, harvested and extracted into ethyl aceate. The obtained weights of the crude extracts of solid and liquid cultures were compared using ANOVA. Antibacterial activity of the crude extracts were evaluated using agar disc diffusion bioassays at 400 μg/disc, against two Gram-positive bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923), Bacillus cereus (ATTC 11778) and two Gram-negative, Escherichia coli (ATCC 35218) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 9027). The positive control used was Gentamycin and the negative control was methanol. Seven morphologically different EPF were isolated from Harmonia sp. The crude weights of the solid cultures were significantly higher than the crude weights of the liquid cultures (ANOVA, p < 0.05). This result showed fungi have preferred to synthesize more metabolites under solid culture conditions than liquid. Six out of the seven fungi showed antibacterial acitivities against at least one bacterium tested. EPF cultures BET 06, 08 and 10 showed high inhibition zones against the S. aureus and B. cereus. According to ANOVA there was a significant difference between the antibacterial activities of the crude extracts (p < 0.05). None of the fungal extracts showed activity against P. aeruginosa while BET 05, 06 and 08 showed mild activity against E. coli. According to the microscopic characteristics the fungi were tentatively identified as belong to Penicillium and Aspergillus species. A bioautography study reveled the presence of several bioactive compounds in BET 05, 06, 08 and 10 extracts. The results of this study showed that entomopathogenic fungi are potential sources for isolating antibacterial compounds. Keywords: Antibacterial; Entomopathogenic fungi; Harmonia sp.; Penicillium; Aspergillus
Applicability of Brown Seaweed Species (Sargassum crassifolium) for Treating Lobster Farm Wastewater
(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Pirashanthy, K.; Rajapaksha, R.M.G.N.; Bambaranda, B.V.A.S.M.; Nirooparaj, B.; Chirapart, A.
Wastewater generation in aquaculture farms, including all lobster culture practices is a serious issue in the industry. The present study was carried out at lobster farm located at Northern Province in Sri Lanka. Approximately 756,000 L of wastewater is generated on this farm annually and discharges wastewater without proper treatment to the natural environment. The wastewater discharged from lobster farm consists of organic and inorganic chemical components that can be caused potential environmental problems. Present study focused to investigate applicability of Brown seaweed Sargassum crassifolium biomass to efficient removal of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorous) from the lobster farm wastewater. The Sargassum crassifolium is an abundant species in Northern Province, Sri Lanka. Seaweed biomass optimization was performed using three different seaweed biomasses, viz 20 g, 30 g and 40 g and 20 g (1 g L-1) identified as the efficient seaweed biomass. Wastewater initial physicochemical parameters pH (7.9 ± 0.02), Temperature (29 ± 0.04 ⁰ C), Salinity (36 ± 0.03 ppt), Dissolved Oxygen (3.58 ± 0.02 mg L-1), Biological Oxygen Demand (115 ± 0.05 mg L-1), Ammonia (1.37 ± 0.01mg L-1), Nitrite (0.143 ± 0.00 mgL-1), Nitrate (0.243 ± 0.01 mg L-1) and Phosphate (4.760 ± 0.02 mg L-1) were analyzed using the standard methods. Then wastewaters were collected from the farm and transferred to six glass tanks of 50 L capacity each. The seaweed was used at 1 g L-1 density in each tank except in the control tank. Complete randomized design was used to the experiment. Three replicates were used. Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate and Phosphate were analyzed once in three days from beginning to the end of the treatment period (28 days) to investigate the initial wastewater qualities and quality changes after Phycoremidiation. After phycoremidiation physiochemical parameters pH (7.4 ± 0.06), Temperature (29 ± 0.03 ⁰ C), Salinity (36 ± 0.05 ppt), Dissolved Oxygen (5.74 ± 0.04 mg L- 1), Biological Oxygen Demand (95 ± 0.03 mg L-1) were analyzed in wastewater. Sargassum crassifolium removed 1.19 ± 0.34 mg L-1 of Ammonia, 0.12 ± 0.03 mg L-1 of Nitrite, 0.14 ± 0.04 mg L-1 of Nitrate and 2.40 ± 0.72 mg L-1 of Phosphate. Nutrient removal amounts were significantly differed (P<0.05) between control and treatment tank. The weight gains Sargassum crassifolium during the study period was of 8.7 g thus, the seaweed has been utilized the nutrients present in the discharged waste waters. The results of the study concluded that the nitrogen and phosphorus in the lobster farm waste waters, can be effectively removed through Sargassum crassifolium. Keywords: Lobster, Sargassum crassifolium, Seaweed, Phycoremidiation
Assessment of the Omega-3 Fatty Acids Composition and Heavy Metals Content in Fish Oils in Sri Lankan Marine Fishes
(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Jayakody, J.A.K.S.; Senevirathne, S.A.; Senarathna, L.; Edirisinghe, E.M.R.K.B.
The consumption of fish oil provides numerous speculated health benefits due to the presence of long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). These health benefits may be challenged by the presence of heavy metals in fish oil. The objective of the present study was to compare the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids and assess the risk of some heavy metals in fish oil extracted from marine fish. Sixteen species of fish were collected (n=3) from the Trincomalee fish market and fish oils were extracted using standard Bligh and Dyer method. Fatty acid composition of extracted fish oils were quantitatively determined by Gas Chromatography - Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). The Arsenic (As), Cadmium (Cd) and Lead (Pb) contents were determined by using Inductively Coupled Plasma - Mass Spectrophotometer (ICP-MS). The amount of fat present in fish varieties was varied over a wide range of 0.619% (Acanthocybium commersoni) to 8.626% (Carangoides fulvoguttatus). Among these species, the omega-3 content ranged from 7.814% - 31.818% of total fatty acids and the highest of omega-3 content was showed in Hemiramphus sp. (9.20 mg/100 g) and lowest level was reported in Auxis thazard (0.036 mg/100 g). In all species studied, Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are the major omega-3 fatty acids and amounts of EPA and DHA have been exceeded 70% of the total omega-3 PUFAs. The content of As in extracted fish oils were ranged from 2.4353-18.3975 mg/kg in Nemapteryx caelata and Elagatis bipinnulata while Cd content were varied from 0.0262 - 1.2305 mg/kg in Scomberomorus commersoni and Nemapteryx caelata respectively. Platax sp. reported the lowest Pb content (0.467 mg/kg) while Acanthocybium commersoni reported the highest (2.282 mg/kg). Some of the fish oil samples had exceeded recommended human daily intake values of heavy metals, thus benefite of omega-3 fatty acids is challenged. Keywords: Fish oil; Omega-3 fatty acids; Heavy metals; GC-MS; ICP-MS
Association between Body Weight and Gait Score of Broiler Meat Chicken
(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Sonali Marasinghe, M.A.; De Silva, P.G.J.C.; Kurukulasuriya, M.S.
The global demand for chicken meat is increasing and new poultry strains have been developed by genetic improvement targeting production traits to fulfill the higher demand. Since, genetic improvements have not focused on improving skeletal confirmation in parallel to production traits; birds can get leg deformities disturbing their walking pattern which can manifest as higher gait score (GS). Study focused to identify the association between body weight (BW) and GS in broiler chicken. A total of 100, day-old Cobb chicks (76-female; 24-male) were randomly selected and managed conditions. GS with 0(zero) to 5(severe) levels and BW of the birds were recorded separately at the age day-14, day-21, day-28 and day-35. Spearman correlation was calculated between BW and GS at each sampling day using MINITAB-17 and mean BWs difference of birds in each GS category was obtained by repeated measures of ANOVA (RMANOVA) using SAS-9.2. Frequency of birds in each GS category was obtained. Significant weak positive correlation between BW and GS is reported only at day-35 (Spearman-Rho=0.289; P<0.05). When consider the sex, similar significant weak positive correlation is observed in females (Spearman-Rho=0.364; P<0.05) at day-35 reflecting correlations observed in whole flock at day-35, may have mainly contributed from females. RMANOVA revealed a significant effect of time and GS×time interaction on BW (P<0.05). Significantly higher BW (P<0.05) has observed in birds belonging to the higher GS categories at day-35 (GS0=1660.83±59.13; GS2=1796.49±38.65; GS3=1913.39±30.16; GS4=1803.00±111.18) indicating BW of birds has directly affected on their walking pattern. Frequency of birds belonging to GS-0 is continuously declining from 99% at day-14 to 15.2% at day- 35. Further, more than 50% of birds showed GS-3 (48.5%) and GS-4 (3%) at day-35 reflecting without external visible changes in the skeletal confirmation; birds are suffering from pain in walking which is an important animal welfare issue. None of the birds reported GS-5 throughout the experiment. It can be concluded that increase BW leads to chronic pain which reflects as higher GS. At slaughtering age, birds are suffering from pain in walking without changes in external skeletal confirmation. Future research can be focus on genetic improvement of skeletal confirmation of birds to tolerate increased BW. Keywords: Body weight; Broilers; Chicken; Gait score
Bird Call Recognition using a Convolutional Neural Network
(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Shalika, K.T.M.N.M.; Imalka, K.H.J.
Birds are an important indicator of biodiversity in an eco-system as well as identified as a crucial indicator of health of an environment. They are susceptible to environmental changes therefore; it is significant to investigate and monitor bird species. Birds have different sounds (which are called „birds calls‟) that are melodious to the human ear. Therefore, bird call identification and classification remains as very interesting and important area because it requires expert naturalists to manually identify bird type according to the bird call. Furthermore, birds have different types of voices. Such as calling, singing and mimicking representing different acoustic characteristics and this research suggests a novel pre-tained neural network model using verbosity,number of epochs, frequency and batch size of bird calls in identification of bird type and analysis how these factors will affect to the accuracy of bird call prediction. This research introduces a novel and a scientific method which can be used in bird explorations and helps ecologist to be aware of environmental changes. But there are some challenges when doing bird call classification such as background noises, different types of bird voices, inter-species variance and multi -label classification problem. This study use as pre-trained Neural Network (CNN) Model with bird recordings acquired by the Xeno-canto bird sharing database. Spectrograms are generated for every bird call and background noises were filtered. The key fact of bird species identification is the extraction of features of bird vocalizations. And neural network model has a strong self-learning and signal extraction ability, and it can automatically acquire and combine characteristic information from the bird recordings. Mel-Frequency cepstrum(MFC), Finite Impulse Response (FIR) filter and Fast Fourier Transform(FFT) techniques were performed on each and every spectrogram and after creation of Mel-spectrogram data were split into train process and train the dataset using Keras and Librosa libraries. The proposed methodology predicts the birds‟ name analyzing the bird call with 90% of accuracy. This is of great significance to the identification of birds with small sample size. Keywords: Convolutional Neural Network; Mel-Frequency Cepstrum; Fast Fourier Transform; Finite Impulse Response
Cetacean Diversity, Encounter Rates, and Behavior in Whale-Watching Waters off Southern Sri Lanka
(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Sankalpa, D.M.R.; Thilakarathne, E.P.D.N.; Li, Songhai; Kumarasinghe, C.P.
Data on the diversity, encounter rates, and behavior of cetaceans is vital to the conservation and the management of whale-watching activities. The southern coast of Sri Lanka is distinguished with a continental shelf, extremely steep slope, and deep submarine canyons. Though cetaceans are known to be abundant in these waters, there is a dearth of up-to-date data pertaining to the relative abundance, and species occurring in the whale-watching waters off Mirissa. Data collected during rapid boat-based cetacean surveys following the random line transects from January to May 2017 were analyzed to investigate the diversity, encounter rates, and behavior of cetaceans in the waters off Mirissa, covering a total of 788.9 km2 survey area. During the 55 survey days, nine species were recorded: Balaenoptera musculus, Balaenoptera omurai, Balaenoptera edeni, Stenella longirostris, Physeter macrocephalus, Tursiops truncates, Globicephala macrorhynchus, Peponocephala electra, and Orcinus orca. The Simpson diversity index for the entire study area was 0.5 and the encounter rate for the entire study area was 16.5 sightings per 100 km. Traveling and foraging behavioral states were frequently observed in large whales while socializing was observed in small toothed whales and the dolphins in the present study. Additionally, it is noteworthy that the temporal changes of the sightings of small toothed whales and the large whales were inverse, reflecting sequential use of the Mirissa waters by different species to reduce interspecies competition. However, the study also found differential regional preferences among cetaceans as common bottlenose and spinner dolphins being sighted mostly in inshore waters (< 500 m isobaths), while large whales (blue whales and sperm whales) being more frequently sighted along the continental slope (> 500 m isobaths). It was also observed that blue whales were feeding along the outer shelf and high slope waters where a major shipping route is crossing. This study further recommends that implication of proper management strategies for conservation and sustainable whale-watching activities are needed. Keywords: cetaceans; encounter rates; diversity; Sri Lanka; diversity index
Classification of Monkeys for the Automatic Monkey Repellenter using Transfer Learning
(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Liyanage, K.L.K.S.; Vithanage, D.S.
Monkeys take over the cultivations looking for foods, and it makes the fields wasted and it has become one of the major problems that farmers have to face in many areas. Furthermore, monkeys attack the normal households, and cities have become a common problem in the present society. The typical method to warding off monkeys is through human involvement such as shouting and lighting torches, air riffles, and fire crackers to repel the monkeys that come to their crops. Moreover, these methods are not easy, and some of them are harmful to monkeys as well as human. Additionally, these methods are familiar to the monkeys. Therefore, even if they leave at those times, they are used to coming back again. This is a lot of time wasting for the farmers, and it is difficult to protect the cultivations whole day. In some scenarios, monkeys attack farmers when they attempt to repel them from cultivations. Due to the damages that made by monkeys to the cultivations in Sri Lanka, there is a huge lose to economy. Therefore, accurate, efficient automatic method for chase different classes of monkeys is very useful tool. This paper describes classification of three classes of monkeys using transfer learning and electronic monkey repellenter to prevent this issue. This can help to protect the cultivation for the farmers whole the day without any labor cost. This can fill the gap of experts with cheap labors and computers or mobiles. The developed application consists of four main steps namely image pre-processing, data augmentation, train the model and visualize the results. Furthermore, this model can identify the three classes of monkeys and repel them from the cultivations by emitting a frequency wave. The accuracy of the system was calculated after visualized the results with the help of the prediction of the labels of the test images, and found as 98%. In the conclusion, the developed method can help farmers to recognize three classes of monkeys and warding off them early and cheaply using the Automatic Repellenter. Keywords: Monkey; Transfer learning; Data augmentation; Cultivations
Development of an Appropriate Micro Propagation Protocol for Nymphaea×erangae
(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Wijekoon, W.M.A.P.; Herath, H.M.I.; Bambaranda, B.V.A.S.M.
The Nymphaea × erangae Yakandawala, Guruge & Yakandawala is one of the most conspicuously attractive and eye catching plant which has high demand in local and export markets. However the production of these plants takes a long time where wild collection is not sustainable and cannot cater the demand. Micro propagation is one of the best techniques which can be practiced in commercial production of Nymphaea × erangae plants. The studies on Nymphaea × erangae are very limited and the contamination rates is very high when the mother plants collected from muddy soil media,can easily exposed and contaminated by microbes. This research study focuses to investigate the ability to use soil less culture system for mother plants of Nymphaea × erangae to minimize contamination in micro propagation. Three treatments ( duration of 1, 2, and 4 weeks maintenance of mother plants in soil less culture system treated by 0.5g/1L Albert solution and 1g/10L Fungicide in twice a week) were tested and plants were maintained in muddy soil were used as the control. The leaf blade and rhizome buds were used as explants. The results revealed Nymphaea × erangae tissue culture in MS media, which were placed for a week in the soil less culture system showed significantly higher (p<0.05) survival rate and 25 % of non-contaminated surviving culture vessels after two months, compared to control and other treatments, which is suitable for micropropagation of Nymphaea × erangae in commercial scale. Keywords: Nymphaea × erangae Yakandawala, Guruge & Yakandawala, Soil less culture system, MS medium, Albert solution, Fungicide
Effect of Aquaponic System in Increased Stocking Densities of Guppy Fish (Poecilia reticulata) at Grow-out Phase One
(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Aththanayake, A.M.M.B.; Liyanage, N.P.P.; Bambaranda, B.V.A.S.M.; Silva, S.S.U.
Guppy (Poecilia reticulata) is one of the widely marketed ornamental fish. Fry rearing density recommended by NAQDA, Sri Lanka for grow-out phase one was 20 fish ft-2. However, grow-out farmers are using different stocking densities. Production efficiency of existing facilities can be enhanced by increasing the recommended stocking densities. Therefore, identifying possibility of enhancing stocking density is vital for increasing production. Current study was focused to improve the efficiency of grow-out rearing of Guppy by incorporating aquaponic system using water spinach (Ipomea aquatica). Guppy juveniles with mean body size of 2.63±0.06 cm were stocked in similar glass tanks at three different stocking densities as 20 fish ft-2 (T1), 25 fish ft-2 (T2), and 30 fish ft-2 (T3), with three replicates. NAQDA recommended stocking density was used in T1 and increased densities were used in T2 and T3. Fish were fed three times a day with commercial larval rearing feed at 10% of their mean body weight. A mixture of sterilized brick-lets and coconut coir were used as media for the grow bed with 10.6 cm thickness. Six plants of same size and age were introduced to each aquaponic system. Temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen level, nitrate, nitrite, and phosphate concentrations were tested. Growth performance was determined using Mean Length Gain (MLG), Specific Growth Rate (SGR), Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR), and condition factor (K). Collected data were subjected to one-way ANOVA and Tukey’s pairwise comparison at a significance level of p < 0.05, using Minitab 17 software. T3 showed significantly lowest MLG and SGR, whilst T1 showed the highest. However, T1 and T2 did not show significant difference. Significantly highest FCR was observed in T3. Condition factor did not show significant difference and no mortality was observed. Nitrate, nitrite concentrations were significantly high in T3 whilst other parameters did not vary significantly among treatments. According to the results obtained, the medium stocking density of 25 fish ft-2 can be suggested as the optimum stocking density for guppy grow-out phase one for aquaponic coupled rearing facilities as it allows medium level stocking density while obtaining satisfactory growth and maintaining favorable water quality. Keywords: Aquaculture; Aquaponics; Fish growth performance; Ornamental fish
Effect of Boomi Tree (Litsea glutinosa) Wax on Internal Quality and Sensory Attributes of Chicken Eggs Stored Under Room Temperature
(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Rathnayake, H.M.N.C.; Pitawala, H.M.J.C.; Abeyrathne, E.D.N.S.
Shell eggs having a short shelf life at room temperature. Surface coatings can be used to extend the shelf life and minimize economic losses. Edible mineral oil is used as a coating material but several drawbacks are associated. Waxes are most commonly used hydrophobic film forming materials. Boomi tree (Litsea glutinosa) is found throughout Sri Lanka and its bark mucilage consists of hetero-polysaccharide used in ayurvedic medicine. However, information on boomi tree wax coating on egg quality attributes does not exit. Hence, this study was done to check the effect of boomi tree wax as an external coating material on shelf life, internal quality and sensory attributes of chicken eggs stored under room temperature. Total of 270 freshly laid brown, medium sized, clean eggs were purchased from a layer farm in Demodara. Eggs were individually weighed and coated with boomi wax and mineral oil separately while non-coated eggs were used as the negative control and kept in room temperature. Weight loss, air sac volume, Haugh unit, yolk color, albumen and yolk pH, yolk index, FTIR analysis, Salmonella test and sensory attributes were weekly determined. Albumen and yolk pH were increased. But the increment in the mineral oil coated was significantly lower than the other two (p<0.05). Haugh unit (75.0 to 53.6) and yolk index (0.44 to 0.22) decreased during storage in wax coated and non-coated eggs (p<0.05). Grades of non-coated and boomi wax coated, eggs changed from AA to B within 04 weeks whereas those of mineral oil coated eggs remained in AA. Weight loss of wax coated eggs were significantly higher compared to mineral oil coated eggs (p<0.05). Salmonella sp. were detected in several weeks during storage conditions showing permeability of the microorganisms. FTIR analysis revealed that no chemical changes occurred due to the wax. Increase of air sac was higher in noncoated eggs (5.39±0.3mm) after 42 days compared to wax (4.59±0.2mm) and mineral oil (1.19±0.3mm) coated eggs. In 3 week of storage sensory data was showed significant in sensory parameters. In conclusion, this study showed that Boomi wax is not a suitable coating material for chicken eggs. Keywords: Boomi tree wax; Chicken egg; Haugh unit; Yolk index; Mineral oil
The Effect of Coriandrum Sativum as Feed Additives on Growth Performance, Immunity and Disease Resistance of Southern Platy Fish (Xiphophorus Maculatus)
(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Bowalage, B.W.G.S. L.; Coswatte, A.C.W.W.M.C.L.K.; De Silva, D.P.N.
Ornamental fish production and trade is a profitable alternative in the aquaculture industry. Nutrition is one of the key factors to obtain a higher productivity while maintain immunity of ornamental fishes. These fishes live in an environment surrounded by stress factors. Increasing immunity via feed additives may help them to thrive such stressors. Therefore, this study was carried out to assess the effect of coriander as feed additives and immune enhancers, on growth performance, immunity and disease resistance of southern platy fish (Xiphophorus maculatus). Sixty healthy platy fish, of 2 months old with an average weight of 0.17 ± 0.01 g were used in the experiment. Fish were fed with coriander incorporated commercially available feed for one month. The experiment was triplicated and controls were also maintained without incorporating coriander to commercially available feed. The weight gain, length and specific growth rate (SGR) were measured. The infection trial was carried out using Aeromonas hydrophila. Immune response and disease resistance of fish were determined by analyzing white blood cell (WBC) count. Results revealed that the, mean length and SGR obtained from coriander fed fish were significantly higher than the control (p<0.05). The fish fed with Coriander incorporated feed obtained 20% of neutrophil count while fish fed without coriander incorporated feed obtained 10% of neutrophil count. In conclusion, there was a positive effect on disease resistance and immunity by the coriander incorporated feed on southern platy fishes and significant length and weight gain indicated the feasibility of using coriander as feed additives and immune enhancers in aquaculture. Keywords: Coriandrum sativum; Disease Resistance; Innate Immunity; Ornamental fish; Specific Growth Rate; White Blood Cell
Effect of Feeding Silage Incorporated Ration on Production Performances of Temperate Crossbred Dairy Cows in Dry Zone of Sri Lanka
(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Priyankara, D.M.; Silva, K.F.S.T.; Mudannayake, D.C.; Abesinghe, A.M.N.L.; Rajapaksha, R.M.C.L.; Epa, A.; Ranaweera, K.K.T.N.
Forage scarcity during the drought seasons has a negative impact on productivity of dairy cows reared in the Dry Zone of Sri Lanka. Therefore, utilization of conserved forages (i.e., silage) was identified as a reliable solution for this. Current study was conducted to assess the effect of commercially available silage on production performances and profitability of temperate crossbred dairy cows reared in Dry Zone, Sri Lanka. Fourteen multiparous, temperate crossbred (Jersey Friesian) dairy cows with 430.1 ± 4.01 kg average body weight were used for the experiment. Cows were divided in to two groups considering the provision of a forage-based ration (Control) and a forage & silage (30% fresh matter) mixed ration (Treatment). Silage utilized in the study was a commercially available corn-based silage product. Cows were fed for 5 weeks during the months of February and March. The experiment was on a randomized complete block design with two treatments (i.e., forage-based diet alone and forage & silage mixed diet) and the lactation stage was considered in blocking the animals (early lactation and mid lactation). Body weight, fresh matter intake, individual milk yields were recorded. Ration samples were collected and analyzed for dry matter, ash, crude protein, crude fat, acid detergent fiber content and neutral detergent fiber content. Benefit Cost ration (B:C Ratio) was calculated to assess the profitability of the feeding regimens. Cows fed with corn silage had recorded significantly higher (P<0.05) per day milk production compared to cows did not receive a corn silage-based ration. As such, silage feeding resulted 23.57 L/cow higher (P<0.05) cumulative milk production at five weeks compared to their counterparts (104.96 vs. 81.39 L/cow). Silage feeding did not indicate any significant (P>0.05) effect on fresh matter intake and body weight gain of the experimental cows. Further, both control and treatment rations indicated B:C ratios higher than one (01) throughout the experimental period. It indicted that both rations were profitable to be utilized in proper circumstances. Considering the increment of milk production and the profitability, silage feeding could be recommended as a promising solution for forage scarcity faced by dairy farmers during the drought seasons. Keywords: Corn silage; Dairy cows; Drought season; Milk production
Effect of Physico-chemical Properties of Local Bee Honey on the Sensory Properties of Developed Honey Wine
(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Raveesha, P.G.S.; Lakshman, P.L.N.; Bulathgama, B.E.A.U.
Honey wine is an alcoholic beverage developed by the fermentation of natural bee honey. It is a better way of imparting nutraceutical value to an internationally recognized beverage type, where today‟s health concerned consumer patterns have a developing trend towards nutraceuticals. Additionally, it adds value to local bee honey production. In this study, the effects of Physico- chemical parameters; pH, Brix, titratable acidity, and colour of the bee honey on the sensory and Physico-chemical properties of developed honey wine were examined. Bee honey samples were collected from two different geographic areas of the country, Anuradhapura and Matale. Initially, the pH, Brix, titratable acidity, and colour of the bee honey were measured using standard AOAC methods. Honey wine was developed using both the samples and kept for maturation for 30 days under similar conditions at room temperature (around 300 C). A sensory evaluation was conducted to identify the organoleptic properties of honey wine, using a 30-membered panel using a 5-point hedonic scale. The bee honey sample collected from Anuradhapura showed, pH, Brix, titratable acidity, and colour values, 3.87±0.02, 73.73±0.49%, 0.52±0.03 g/100ml and (L*=55.73, a*=29.15, b*=59.35) respectively. While the same parameters, of bee honey sample collected from Matale, showed 3.5±0.01, 80.2±0.21%, 0.65±0.21 g/100ml and (L*=62.03, a*=20.66, b*=49.87) respectively. Those Physico-chemical properties were significantly different from each other for the two bee honey samples whereas, the honey wines prepared from two bee honey samples also showed a significant difference in sensory properties. The developed wine using bee honey from Anuradhapura showed better organoleptic preference; for colour, appearance, aroma, mouthfeel/body, taste, alcoholic flavour and overall acceptability than the Matale honey wine. The Physico-chemical properties of both wines have also differed from each other. A higher alcohol production (8.1%±0.21 V/V) was also evident in Anuradhapura wine samples as the only sugar source for the fermentation process was given by bee honey. This concludes that even though developed honey wine with local bee honey is a success, a prior standardization of bee honey is needed in commercialization. Therefore, the researchers suggest further research on standardizing the bee honey and optimizing the fermentation process for scaling up for commercial level bee honey wine production. Keywords: Honey wine; Bee honey; Organoleptic properties; Physico-chemical properties
Effects of a Novel Starter Feed on Growth Performances of Underweight Broiler Chicks
(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Sinhadhipathi, S.M.W.; Prabashwari, T.I.G.; Jeyaharan, T.; Himali, S.M.C.
This study was carried out to evaluate the effects of a novel starter feed for underweight broiler chicks to achieve the expected growth performances and feed conversion ratio (FCR) than the available commercial starter ration. The novel starter feed was formulated with addition of 3% digestible lysine, Bioplex organic mineral and organic acid (Avila Zn) at a rate of 750 g and 330 g per metric tons of feed respectively with other essential amino acids compared to Pussalla Feed Broiler Starter Crumble. The control feed was basically formulated with corn and soya bean meal without addition of organic mineral and organic acid. In this present study, a feeding trail was conducted using underweight (32.48 ± 1.79 g) day old Hubbard Classic chicks (1200) by providing ad libitum of two types of starter feed to each 12 groups having 50 birds. The two groups of underweight chicks were fed with two starter feed up to 14 days and the Pussalla Feed Broiler Finisher Pellet was fed on 14-33 days to both groups. Daily feed intake, weekly body weight, FCR and mortality of underweight broiler chicks were recorded during the experimental period. The experimental design was Complete Randomized Design and data were analyzed by using one way ANOVA. Proximate analysis, sugar, starch and metabolizable energy were not different (p>0.05) in two starter rations. The results revealed that the novel starter feed directly influenced to higher weekly weight gain of broiler chicks at 7 and 14 days as 11.70% and 21.95%, respectively while lower FCR at 7 and 14 days as 20.48% and 13.33%, respectively compared with the control group (p<0.05). The novel starter fed chicks had lower (p<0.05) mortality (3.0 ± 0.01%). Thus, it can be recommended as a solution for low growth performance of underweight chicks and reduction of profit losses of Pussalla Broiler Farm in economically when compared to previous farm records of growth performances. Keywords: Feed conversion ratio; Feed intake; Growth performance; Starter feed; Underweight chicks
Evaluation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Smoked Catla (Catla catla) Harvested from Selected Reservoir with Different Combustion Materials and Storage Conditions
(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Alahakoon, D.A.J.N.; Alakolanga, A.G.A.W.; Abeyrathne, E.D.N.S.
Smoking is one of the oldest techniques of fish preservation and at present smoked fish has higher consumer demand due to their specific taste and aroma which is generated using partial combustion of woods. But, accumulation of carcinogenic Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) through the wood smoke is a major problem associated with smoked fish. Hence, the present study was carried out to evaluate the carcinogenic PAHs levels and their penetration with the storage time in smoked Catla (Catla catla). Freshly harvested Catla fishes (2.5 – 9.7 kg) were (n=3) brought from Handapanagala reservoir, Monaragala and equal size (6 × 5 × 2.5 cm3) fish cubes were smoked in electrical smoker (180 ºF for 1.5 hrs.) using Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) and Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) wood smoke separately and stored at -20 ºC. Acetonitrile extract of smoked and raw fish samples were treated with a mixture of anhydrous MgSO4: NaCl followed by a mixture of MgSO4: silica propylsulfonic acid cation exchanger to extract and purify PAHs at predetermined time intervals as day 1 and day 7(QuEChERS). Outer layer and center part of the smoked fish were analyzed for sixteen PAHs by Dionex Ultimate 3000 UHPLC system equipped with Hypersil Green PAH column (250 mm x 4.6 mm x 5 μm) and Diode Array detector (254 nm, 1 ml/min, Acetonitrile: water gradient elution) separately and compared with standards. Moisture content and crude fat content of raw fish samples were also analyzed. Indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene was detected in one of the raw fish sample, while Benzo[a]pyrene, Benzo[ghi]perylene, Indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene were detected in fish samples smoked with Cinnamon wood. Indeno[1,2,3-cd] pyrene was found to be the most abundant PAH and it varies between 198 – 212 μg kg-1. No pattern of penetration of PAHs to center was observed. Detectable amounts of PAHs were not found in any of the samples smoked with Mahogany wood. Therefore, it can be concluded that modern smokers under controlled conditions produce lower levels of PAHs and Mahogany wood could be a suitable wood type to smoke Catla catla. Keywords: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Catla; QuEChERS method; Cinnamon; Mahogany
Extraction and Purification of Chitin and Chitosan from Portunus pelagicus Crab Shell Waste
(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Tissera, W.M.J.C.M.; Rathnayake, S.I.; Abeyrathne, E.D.N.S.
Crab (Portunus pelagicus) shell waste is highly accumulated in Sri Lankan seafood processing factories, but not many efforts have been taken on utilizing it for commercial level chitin and chitosan extraction with a higher percentage purity. Therefore the objective of this study was to modify and develop a scale-up, simple, and high-yielding chemical method for extraction and purification of chitin and chitosan from locally underutilized Portunus pelagicus crab shell waste. A modified process including pre-demineralization (acetic acid), demineralization (citric acid), deproteinization (NaOH), decolourization (n-butanol) deacetylation (NaOH), and purification (EDTA and SDS) was optimized to obtain a new combination of treatments. Pre-demineralization was introduced as a new step when developing the process. Citric acid was found as the best alternative organic acid to replace HCl in demineralization. The final product was characterized by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) Spectroscopy and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy and various physicochemical and functional properties were analyzed. Control chitin and chitosan samples were produced using a conventional method for comparison. The yields of crude chitin, crude chitosan, and purified chitosan were 32.52±0.68%, 26.28±0.47%, and 21.78±0.34% respectively whereas in the control chitin and chitosan the yields were 20.34±0.72% and 13.79±0.93% respectively (p<0.05). Percentage purity of the final product on a weight basis was 82.54±1.73% with a degree of deacetylation of 85.84±2.45%. The XRD data revealed that chitosan extracted from the developed methodology is a semi-crystalline compound with two characteristic crystalline peaks at 2θ =9.05° and 19.1° and Crystallinity Index of 67.22%. FTIR analysis revealed that developed chitosan was comparable with control chitosan. Chitosan produced from the developed method showed higher results in physicochemical parameters namely moisture (5.27±0.39%), ash (1.95±0.22%) whiteness index (72.37±0.66%), and functional properties namely water binding capacity (318.74±0.48%), fat binding capacity (351.663±0.69%) DPPH free radical scavenging activity (61.12±0.59%) and ferrous chelating activity (40.19±0.47%) compared with the control (p<0.05). Developed chitosan had no antimicrobial activity for Salmonella and Micrococcus but showed positive antimicrobial activity against locally isolated Escherichia coli at 2.5mg/ml. Thus the developed methodology can be used to obtain high purity and high-quality chitosan with better physicochemical and functional properties from crab shell waste Keywords: Portunus pelagicus; Shell waste; Chitosan; Pre-demineralization; XRD; Percentage purity
Fisheries Status of Valaichchenai Lagoon, Sri Lanka
(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Naganathan, Z.; Wickramaratne, I.U.
Valaichchenai lagoon is one of the major inland fishery sources in the Batticaloa district where productivity has been estimated approximately 3482.21 kg ha-1 yr-1. However, status of fishery information were lacking in literature. Therefore, this study aimed to fulfil this research gap. Piolet survey was conducted, then as primary data, including fishing practices, species, marketing system and supply chain, catch per unit effort, sustainable fishery constraints, and environmental impacts of fishing & related activities were collected using a questionnaire from 242 individuals, group and individual interviews, and direct field observation from January to May 2021. Secondary data were obtained from Fisheries Department of Batticaloa and journal articles. Data were statistically analyzed. SWOT analysis & Fish Bone analysis were also performed. The study revealed that a total of 12 types of fishing gears and the outrigger lagoon canoes (Thoni) were used for fishing. Total number of 38 species were identified during study period. Higher percentage of fishermen sell their harvest to intermediate vendors and a very small percentage, directly sell fish catch to final consumers. Supply chain includes both local and foreign market interventions. Fishermen caught 0.009 to 0.027 kg/net square meter/day, and 0.75 to 3.1 kg/day using a gill net and cast net, respectively, on average. Regulations for mesh sizes and certain unauthorized activities, licensing system, and seabass cage culture for sustainable fisheries have been imposed in Valaichchenai lagoon, but there were no species/size limitations, off-season/time limitations with prevailing irresponsible fishing (IUU), seagrass/benthic environment destruction, shrimp farm effluent discharge, waste disposal from cage cultures, fishing harbor & adjacent boat repairing centers, oil spilling from canoes/boat and, sound pollution issues. It can be suggested that introducing co- management system, implementing voluntary code of conduct, proper rules & regulations, frequent monitoring, conducting awareness and training programmes for Valaichchenai lagoon fishery sustainability. Keywords: Valaichchenai lagoon; Fishery sustainability; Catch per unit effort; Supply chain; Co- management.
Functional Properties of Hydrolysates of Bioactive Peptides Extracted from Water Soluble Crude Protein from Hilsa kelee
(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Meepegamage, L.S.; Abeyrathne, E.D.N.S.
Hilsa kelee also known as “Karattaya” is a marine pelagic, seasonal fish species which has a high catch during April to September. It is mainly used to produce fish meal and used as baits even though it has high nutrients. In addition, it has a low market value and a demand due to its bony structure leading to high wastage and production of fish protein hydrolysates (FPH) can be an alternative. 20 mg/ml concentrated water-soluble crude protein extractions were mixed with Protease from Bacillus licheniformis (60°C, pH 6.5-8.5), Papain from papaya latex (65°C, pH 5.8- 7.0), α-chymotrypsin from bovine pancreas (50°C, pH 7.8) and Elastase from porcine pancreas (37°C, pH 7.8-8.5) separately in 1:100 (enzyme: substrate) ratios. Each sample was incubated at different time intervals (0, 3, 6, 9, 12 and 24 hr) in predetermined optimum pH and temperatures. Then, 15% SDS-PAGE was used to determine the best hydrolysis condition. Bulk hydrolysates were prepared with Papain-6 h, Protease-3 h, α-chymotrypsin-3 h, Elastase-6 h followed with heat inactivation at 100°C for 15 miutes for further experiments. Then, TBARS assay, Ferrous chelation activity and antibacterial activities by agar well diffusion method was conducted. All treatments were triplicated (n=3). According to the results obtained from TBARS assay, FPHs from papain showed the highest antioxidant properties (5.84±0.05 MDA mg/L) compared to other treatments (p>0.05). Fe (II) chelation activity analysis revealed the FPHs produced from α-chymotrypsin showed the highest chelation (20.81±0.02%) (p<0.05). None of the hydrolysates showed any antimicrobial activities for tested microorganismas up to 20,000 ppm. Thus, FPHs produced using papain for 6 h followed with heat inactivation at 100°C for 15 miutes contain strong antioxidant activity Keywords: Hilsa kelee; Fish Protein Hydrolysates (FPH); Antioxidant; Metal Chelating; Antibacterial activity

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