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Awadhesh Kumar

Bio: Awadhesh Kumar is an academic researcher from Rice University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Glycemic index & Resistant starch. The author has an hindex of 10, co-authored 44 publications receiving 270 citations. Previous affiliations of Awadhesh Kumar include Indian Agricultural Research Institute.

Papers published on a yearly basis

Papers
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Rice starch is hydrolyzed by enzymes in the digestive tract and converted into glucose which is the main energy source for metabolic functions and after meeting the energy requirement of the body, the extra calories from starch are stored as glycogen or fats for later use.

77 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The negative charge on PA attracts and chelates metal cations resulting in a mixed insoluble salt, phytate, which is the principal storage compound of phosphorus (P) and account for 65%-85% of the seeds total P.

67 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Analysis and management of postprandial blood glucose level while eating starchy crops would help to understand the risk of diabetes and other lifestyle-related diseases.
Abstract: Background The starchy crops which normally form the staple diet of people are rich in carbohydrates. People leading a sedentary lifestyle and consuming high amounts of carbohydrate-rich food normally invite obesity and type-II diabetes. Upon digestion of starchy food, postprandial blood glucose level rises rapidly and sharply, which reflects a high glycemic index (GI) value. Scope and approach Various factors affect starch digestibility and the GI of a food or its products. The internal factors such as amylose, lipid, protein, phytic acid, dietary fibre and resistant starch (RS) have been correlated with lower GI value. The external factors which affect GI and starch digestibility include cooking, processing, retrogradation, soaking and germination. Various food matrices are also responsible for alteration in the GI value. Moreover, changes in the environmental conditions including abiotic and biotic stresses are also responsible for the change in starch structure and composition which ultimately affects GI of starchy crops. Key findings and conclusions The GI and starch digestibility of foods are affected by intrinsic and extrinsic factors which affect strategies for management of sugar level to ensure better human health. High amylose, RS, lipid and protein in the food were found to reduce starch hydrolysis. Further, retrogradation, various cooking methods and modification of starch by physical and chemical means resulted in lower GI and increased RS considerably. Analysis and management of postprandial blood glucose level while eating starchy crops would help to understand the risk of diabetes and other lifestyle-related diseases.

60 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the impact of PA on bioavailability of Fe and Zn was investigated in brown and processed rice, and a significant correlation of PA of brown rice with PA of milled rice was observed.
Abstract: Phytic acid (PA) is considered as an anti-nutritional factor (ANF) present in cereals and legumes and bind to cationic minerals including iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn), thus reducing their bioavailability in both ruminants and nonruminants. The present study was aimed at finding the impact of PA on bioavailability of Fe and Zn. Six rice cultivars with contrasting PA were evaluated for total phosphorus (P), PA, Fe, and Zn in brown and processed rice. A significant correlation of PA of brown rice with PA of milled rice (r = .69) was observed. PA and Zn content were negatively correlated (r = −.55) in brown rice while no significant correlation was found between PA and Zn in milled rice. The rice cultivar Bindli, with lowest PA (0.82 g/100 g) was found to exhibit high Zn bioavailability, while PB267, with highest PA (2.62 g/100 g) showed low Zn and Fe bioavailability. Practical applications Rice is staple food for millions of people, especially the Asians. Fe and Zn are essential micronutrients required for human growth and development, but the rice grain is deficient in Fe and has only moderate amounts of Zn. The bioavailability of these minerals are impaired by PA which chelates and bind cationic minerals in both ruminants and nonruminants. Screening of rice genotypes with low PA and high minerals bioavailability may be suitable for people suffering from micronutrient malnutrition.

39 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Overall study suggested that the maintenance of grain yield in the tolerant variety under low light might be results of accelerated expression of the genes which enable the plant to keep the photosynthetic processes moving at the same pace even underLow light.
Abstract: Low light intensity is a great limitation for grain yield and quality in rice. However, yield is not significantly reduced in low light tolerant rice varieties. The work therefore planned for comparative transcriptome profiling under low light stress to decipher the genes involved and molecular mechanism of low light tolerance in rice. At active tillering stage, 50% low light exposure for 1 day, 3 days and 5 days were given to Swarnaprabha (low light tolerant) and IR8 (low light sensitive) rice varieties. Illumina (HiSeq) platform was used for transcriptome sequencing. A total of 6,652 and 12,042 genes were differentially expressed due to low light intensity in Swarnaprabha and IR8, respectively as compared to control. CAB, LRP, SBPase, MT15, TF PCL1 and Photosystem I & II complex related gene expressions were mostly increased in Swarnaprabha upon longer duration of low light exposure which was not found in IR8 as compared to control. Their expressions were validated by qRT-PCR. Overall study suggested that the maintenance of grain yield in the tolerant variety under low light might be results of accelerated expression of the genes which enable the plant to keep the photosynthetic processes moving at the same pace even under low light.

38 citations


Cited by
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is argued that the improvement of the nutritional value of crops, especially cereals, through reduced phytic acid and increased zinc and iron contents should be among the most important drivers toward the development of innovative fertilizer products and fertilization technologies.
Abstract: Mineral phosphorus (P) fertilizers support high crop yields and contribute to feeding the teeming global population. However, complex edaphic processes cause P to be immobilized in soil, hampering its timely and sufficient availability for uptake by plants. The resultant low use efficiency of current water-soluble P fertilizers creates significant environmental and human health problems. Current practices to increase P use efficiency have been inadequate to curtail these problems. We advocate for the understanding of plant physiological processes, such as physiological P requirement, storage of excess P as phytate, and plant uptake mechanisms, to identify novel ways of designing and delivering P fertilizers to plants for improved uptake. We note the importance and implications of the contrasting role of micronutrients such as zinc and iron in stimulating P availability under low soil P content, while inhibiting P uptake under high P fertilization; this could provide an avenue for managing P for plant use under different P fertilization regimes. We argue that the improvement of the nutritional value of crops, especially cereals, through reduced phytic acid and increased zinc and iron contents should be among the most important drivers toward the development of innovative fertilizer products and fertilization technologies. In this paper, we present various pathways in support of this argument. Retuning P fertilizer products and application strategies will contribute to fighting hunger and micronutrient deficiencies in humans. Moreover, direct soil P losses will be reduced as a result of improved P absorption by plants.

199 citations

13 Jan 2014
TL;DR: The SNP genotypes of all accessions were imputed and evaluated, resulting in an overall missing data rate of 0.42% and an estimated accuracy greater than 99%.
Abstract: Rice Variation Map (RiceVarMap, http:/ricevarmap.ncpgr.cn) is a database of rice genomic variations. The database provides comprehensive information of 6 551 358 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 1 214 627 insertions/deletions (INDELs) identified from sequencing data of 1479 rice accessions. The SNP genotypes of all accessions were imputed and evaluated, resulting in an overall missing data rate of 0.42% and an estimated accuracy greater than 99%. The SNP/INDEL genotypes of all accessions are available for online query and download. Users can search SNPs/INDELs by identifiers of the SNPs/INDELs, genomic regions, gene identifiers and keywords of gene annotation. Allele frequencies within various subpopulations and the effects of the variation that may alter the protein sequence of a gene are also listed for each SNP/INDEL. The database also provides geographical details and phenotype images for various rice accessions. In particular, the database provides tools to construct haplotype networks and design PCR-primers by taking into account surrounding known genomic variations. These data and tools are highly useful for exploring genetic variations and evolution studies of rice and other species.

156 citations

Journal Article
TL;DR: In this article, the authors study new problems in large scale food preparation, kitchen sanitation and training of personnel in quantity cookery in restaurants and other catering establishments in most of the countries.
Abstract: "Eating out" in restaurants and other catering establishments is on the increase in most of the countries. This has led to the study of new problems in large scale food preparation, kitchen sanitation and training of personnel in quantity cookery.

87 citations

Book ChapterDOI
TL;DR: Dietary fiber is extensively fermented by gut microbiota and it is associated with carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, with important health benefits due to its hypocholesterolemic properties, and is widely used as functional ingredients in food industry.
Abstract: Dietary fiber (DF) includes the remnants of the edible part of plants and analogous carbohydrates that are resistant to digestion and absorption in the human small intestine with complete or partial fermentation in the human large intestine. DF can be classified into two main groups according to its solubility, namely insoluble dietary fiber (IDF) that mainly consists on cell wall components, including cellulose, some hemicelluloses, lignin and resistant starch, and soluble dietary fiber (SDF) that consists of non-cellulosic polysaccharides as non-digestible oligosaccharides, arabinoxylans (AX), β-glucans, some hemicelluloses, pectins, gums, mucilages and inulin. The intake of DF is associated with health benefits. IDF can contribute to the normal function of the intestinal tract and it has an important role in the prevention of colonic diverticulosis and constipation. SDF is extensively fermented by gut microbiota and it is associated with carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, with important health benefits due to its hypocholesterolemic properties. Due to these nutritional and health properties, DF is widely used as functional ingredients in food industry, being whole grain cereals, pulses, fruits and vegetables the main sources of DF. Also some synthetic sources are employed, namely polydextrose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose or cyclodextrins. The DF content of cereals varies depending on cultivars, their botanical components (pericarp, emdosperm and germ) and the processing conditions they have undergone (baking, extrusion, etc.). In cereal grains, AX are the predominant non-cellulose DF polysaccharides followed by cellulose and β-glucans, while in pseudocereals, pectins are quantitatively predominant.

84 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The negative charge on PA attracts and chelates metal cations resulting in a mixed insoluble salt, phytate, which is the principal storage compound of phosphorus (P) and account for 65%-85% of the seeds total P.

67 citations