OBJECTIVES The mature jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) is consumed in Sri Lanka either as a main meal or a meal accompaniment. However, there is no scientific data on the nutrient compositions of cooked jackfruit meals. Thus, the objective of the study was to carry out a nutritional assessment of a composite jackfruit breakfast meal comprising seeds and flesh. DESIGN A jackfruit meal comp...

Faecal samples were collected from seventeen animals, each fed three different diets (high fibre, high fibre with a starch rich supplement and high fibre with an oil rich supplement). DNA was extracted and the V1-V2 regions of 16SrDNA were 454-pyrosequenced to investigate the faecal microbiome of the horse. The effect of age was also considered by comparing mature (8 horses aged 5-12) versus el...

Starch and fibre can be extracted, using wet or dry processes, from a variety of grain legumes and used as ingredients for food. alpha-Galactosides can be isolated during wet processes from the soluble extract. Starch isolates or concentrates are mostly produced from peas, whereas dietary fibre fractions from peas and soyabean are commercially available. The physico-chemical characteristics of ...

The aim of this work was to identify enzymes that participate in the degradation of transitory starch in Arabidopsis. A mutant line was isolated by screening leaves at the end of the night for the presence of starch. The mutant had a higher starch content than the wild-type throughout the diurnal cycle. This accumulation was due to a reduction in starch breakdown, leading to an imbalance betwee...

Effect of cooking, fermentation, dehulling and the use of utensils on flavonoids (quercitin and pelargonidin) - antioxidants present in pearl millet (Pennisetum typhoideum) rabadi, along with proximate composition and sensory acceptability of the product were studied. Study revealed an increased ash and flavonoids and reduced crude fibre after cooking in all samples, while fermentation enhanced...

The aim of this study was to establish relationships between chemical and physical parameters of wheat with performance and digestibilities of feed components in broiler chickens fed on wheat-based diets. Ninety-four wheat samples were selected for inclusion in four bird trials. Birds were housed in individual wire metabolism cages from 7 to 28 d and offered water and feed ad libitum. Dry matte...

The effect of the fibre content of lifelong (18 months) diets on proximal and distal colonic cellular proliferation and short chain fatty acid (SCFA) content was investigated in 40 rats. Rats were fed a low fibre diet (17 g/kg non-starch polysaccharides NSP) or the stock diet (133 g/kg NSP). The higher fibre fed rats had increased caecal and colonic total contents (p < 0.001) and SCFAs than the...

Investigations were carried out on the mineral nutrients and organic food contents of seeds of three fodder Lablab purpureus, Leucaena leucocephala and Mucuna utilis for domestic consumption and industrial utilization. Leucaena leucocephala seeds contained the highest amount of lipids crude protein carbohydrates and ash contents. Lablab purpureus contained the lowest amount of lipid crude prote...

Several epidemiological studies link consumption of fibre-rich foods to a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes and CHD. The 'fibre hypothesis' suggested that this was a direct effect of fibre. However, fibre-rich foods contain different types of fibre as well as other potentially beneficial compounds, and many foods naturally high in fibre have low glycaemic and insulinaemic indices, possibly due to...

Background/Objectives: Musa paradisiaca (Plantain) is used as a traditional therapeutic medicinal plant employed in various diseases. This study was carried out to evaluate the nutraceutical potentials of ripe and unripe peels paradisiaca. The phytochemical screening well antimicrobial activity extracts (methanol ethanol) also evaluated. Methods: Proximate mineral analyses samples were performe...