Central Tuber Crops Research Institute

About: Central Tuber Crops Research Institute is a facility organization based out in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Starch & Fermentation. The organization has 475 authors who have published 587 publications receiving 10285 citations.

Enzyme inhibitors in tuber crops and their thermal stability.

Abstract: Tubers of Cassava (Manihot esculenta), yams (Dioscorea esculenta),aroids (Amorphophallus campanulatus, Colocasia esculenta, Xanthosoma sagittifolium) and Coleus (Solenostemon rotundifolius) were screened for inhibitory activities against amylase, trypsin and chymotrypsin. Coleus tuber possessed the highest anti-amylase activity, whereas Colocasia tuber was the most potent source of anti-tryptic and anti-chymotryptic activity. Xanthosoma tubers exhibited amylase inhibitory activity and Amorphophallus tubers antiprotease activity. Dioscorea esculenta had low levels of amylase and chymotrypsin inhibitors, while Cassava tubers were totally free of inhibitors. When tubers were processed by pressure cooking, there was significant reduction/complete elimination in inhibitory activity. Partial retention of inhibition was observed in the case of amylase inhibitor in Dioscorea, chymotrypsin inhibitor in Colocasia and trypsin inhibitor in Colocasia, Coleus and Amorphophallus. In vitro experiments on heat stability of the different inhibitors revealed almost similar pattern of inactivation.

In Vitro Synergistic Effect of Curcumin in Combination with Third Generation Cephalosporins against Bacteria Associated with Infectious Diarrhea

Abstract: Diarrhea is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in humans in developed and developing countries. Furthermore, increased resistance to antibiotics has resulted in serious challenges in the treatment of this infectious disease worldwide. Therefore, there exists a need to develop alternative natural or combination drug therapies. The aim of the present study was to investigate the synergistic effect of curcumin-1 in combination with three antibiotics against five diarrhea causing bacteria. The antibacterial activity of curcumin-1 and antibiotics was assessed by the broth microdilution method, checkerboard dilution test, and time-kill assay. Antimicrobial activity of curcumin-1 was observed against all tested strains. The MICs of curcumin-1 against test bacteria ranged from 125 to 1000 μg/mL. In the checkerboard test, curcumin-1 markedly reduced the MICs of the antibiotics cefaclor, cefodizime, and cefotaxime. Significant synergistic effect was recorded by curcumin-1 in combination with cefotaxime. The toxicity of curcumin-1 with and without antibiotics was tested against foreskin (FS) normal fibroblast and no significant cytotoxicity was observed. From our result it is evident that curcumin-1 enhances the antibiotic potentials against diarrhea causing bacteria in in vitro condition. This study suggested that curcumin-1 in combination with antibiotics could lead to the development of new combination of antibiotics against diarrhea causing bacteria.

Chlorophyll meter and leaf colour chart to estimate chlorophyll content, leaf colour, and yield of cassava

Abstract: A field experiment was conducted with two cassava cultivars and eight levels of nitrogen to examine the relationship between extractable chlorophyll (Chl) content of cassava leaves and both the Chl meter value (SPAD) and leaf colour chart (LCC) score. The SPAD, LCC, and Chl a+b content were influenced by leaf position, growth stage, cultivar (cv.), and N fertilization. The cvs. and N fertilization had significant effect on SPAD, LCC, and Chl a+b content of youngest fully expanded leaf (leaf 1) blade in most cases. An F-test indicated that common equations pooled across cvs., N fertilization, and growth stages could be used to describe the relationships between Chl a+b content and LCC and between SPAD and LCC, but not between SPAD and Chl a+b content. Relationships between tuber yield and SPAD, LCC, and Chl a+b content were significant (p<0.05) and positive at 30 and 60 d after planting. Thus LCC and SPAD can be used to estimate leaf Chl content which is an indicator of leaf N status.

Review on tropical root and tuber crops. II. Physiological disorders in freshly stored roots and tubers

Abstract: Tropical root and tubers, including cassava, sweet potato, yams and aroids, have been reported to show an increase in respiratory activity after harvest and injury and subsequent storage in association with their deterioration. This leads to loss of water and carbohydrate. Cassava roots often show discoloration of the tissue with development of pigments in the xylem vessels (vascular streaking or primary/physiological deterioration). This has been established to be enzymatic in nature. Pruning the cassava stem, leaving about a 20- to 30-cm stub prior to harvest, could delay the onset of primary deterioration. Sweet potato roots and yam tubers show a peak respiratory activity immediately or 1 d after harvest. The respiratory rate, however, declines during the subsequent storage period. Yam tubers show a further increase in respiratory activity at the breakage of dormancy occurring at the time of sprouting. Dormancy in yam tubers has been studied in some detail. Different species of yams vary in their dormancy period, a major factor that accounts for the variation in their storage life. Little information is available on the dormancy of sweet potato and aroids. Tropical roots and tubers exhibit "chilling injury" when stored at temperatures below a critical level. The critical cold-storage temperatures range between 10 and 15 degrees C for different tropical root and tuber crops.

Plant Growth Promoting Traits of Indigenous Phosphate Solubilizing Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolates from Chilli (Capsicumannuum L.) Rhizosphere

Abstract: Phosphorus (P) is the second key nutrient for plants and it affects several attributes of plant growth. Identification of a potent phosphate solubilizing microorganism capable of transforming the i...