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Evaluating the crude protein contents of some selected seaweeds of Sri Lanka
(Colombo : Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science ,, 2021) Samarathunga, R. M. J. N.; Wijesekara, I.; Jayasinghe, M. A.
Seaweeds have become an emerging source of proteins in the world. The objective of this study was to evaluate the crude protein content of selected seaweeds from Jaffna (Northern coast), Trincomalee (East coast), Hikkaduwa (West coast), Kalpitiya (North Western coast) and Matara (Southern coast) of Sri Lanka. The crude protein contents of cultivated and wild grown seaweeds were determined using the Kjeldahl method. The crude protein content of brown seaweeds such as Padina sp. (12.58 ± 1.05%), Sargassum filipendula (10.43 ±0.14%) and Turbinaria ornata (8.15 ± 0.00%) were determined. Moreover, the crude protein content of green seaweeds such as Caulerpa racemosa (13.75 ± 1.08%), Ulva lactuca (6.95 ± 0.22%), Ulva fasciata (16.38 ± 0.38%) and Caulerpa lentilifera (14.51 ± 0.01%) as well as red seaweeds including Gracilaria edulis (10.64 ± 0.10%), Gracilaria corticata (16.21 ± 2.22%), Eucheuma denticulatum (6.62 ± 0.22%), Gracilaria verrucosa (16.77 ± 0.20%), Gracilaria salicornia (9.61 ± 0.01%) and Kappaphycus alvarezii (10.53 ± 0.06%) was evaluated. Data were statistically analysed by ANOVA method in Minitab software. There was a significant difference between the crude protein contents of different seaweed species (p≤0.05 at 95% confidence interval). Generally, the crude protein content of seaweeds varies with the species, geographical location and harvesting period. Although Sri Lankan seaweeds contain considerable amounts of crude proteins, further studies on how these factors affect the protein content of seaweeds of Sri Lanka are essential before producing seaweed incorporated food products.
Comparative evaluation of five unpopular cooking type banana accessions for their proximate composition
(Colombo : Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science ,, 2021) Hettiarachchi, H. A. I. D.; Abeysinghe, D. C.; Dharmadasa, R. M.
Banana (Musa spp.) is one of the most widely grown and consumed fruits in Sri Lanka. Cooking type bananas are starchy and are mostly consumed after cooking. Although Sri Lanka has a diverse range of cooking-type bananas, the information is scattered. Many cooking type bananas are not so popular among people. Therefore, the present study was conducted to evaluate and compare the approximate composition of five unpopular cooking type banana accessions in Sri Lanka, namely; “Alumondan” (ABB), “Kannannoru” (AAB), “Diyamondan” (ABB), “Kithala” (ABB) and “Kadili” (ABB). The proximate composition (moisture, dry matter, crude protein, crude fat and crude ash contents) of the samples were determined according to the official AOAC methods. Results were generated from mean comparison using SAS statistical software (SAS Institute, 1999). All tested banana pulps possessed considerable amounts of moisture, dry matter, crude protein, crude fat and crude ash. The moisture content of the tested pulps was decreased as “Kithala” > “Kannannoru” > “Alumondan” > “Diyamondan” > “Kadili” and ranged between 59.83 ± 0.6 % and 72.22 ± 2.2 %. The dry matter content ranged between 27.78 ± 2.2 % and 40.17 ± 0.6 % and highest dry matter content was recorded in the pulp of “Kadili”. The highest crude ash content was reported in “Kithala” (4.50 ± 0.2 %) whereas the lowest crude ash content was recorded in “Alumondan” (3.25 ± 0.1%). There was no significant difference (P<0.05) between the ash contents of “Alumondan”, “Kadili” and “Kannannoru”. The crude fat contents of tested samples were ranged from 0.26 ± 0.13 % to 1.45 ± 0.17 %, while the crude protein contents varied from 3.03 ± 0.1 % to 5.71 ± 0.1%. The highest crude fat and protein contents were reported in the pulp of “Kannannoru”. The fat contents of “Kannannoru”, “Diyamondan” and “Kadili” were not significantly different. In conclusion, the results imply that the pulp of “Kannannoru” and “Kithala” are rich in nutrients compared to the other three unpopular cooking banana accessions. Hence, they could be popularized as a vegetable among people. Also, it could be suggested that all five accessions can be incorporated into the formulation of banana-based value-added products.
Development of a functional tea (Camellia sinensis L.) blend rich in phenolics and antioxidants
(Colombo : Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science ,, 2021) Marapana, R. A. A. P.; Abeysinghe, D. C.; Dharmadasa, R. M.
Functional tea blends are recently popularized because of their wellness properties for better functioning of the body. During the COVID 19 pandemic, demand for black tea and green tea has been grown up due to their health benefits; especially, antiviral and immunity-boosting properties. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to find out the best blending ratio of black and green teas in order to make a functional tea blend rich in phenolics and antioxidants. The studied blends were prepared with black tea: green tea; 1:1, 1:2, 2:1, 1:3, 3:1 and 2:2 ratios. Among the six different blends, the premier functional tea blend was determined based on its phenolic content and antioxidant capacity. Total phenolic content (TPC) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in both methanolic and aqueous extracts of the functional tea blends were determined by using the FolinCiocalteu method and ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay, respectively. Among aqueous extracts of tested tea blends, the highest TPC was recorded in the blend made up with a 1:2 ratio of black and green tea (111.06 ± 4.83 mg GAE/ g DW), whereas the lowest TPC was recorded in the blend having a 3:1 ratio of black and green tea (7.82 ± 0.98 mg GAE/ g DW). The total phenolic content of functional tea blends in methanolic extracts was not statistically (P>0.05) significant. Similarly, aqueous extracts of the 1:2 (black tea: green tea) blend recorded the significantly highest TAC (637.15 ± 29.75 mg TE/ g DW), and the same blend also showed significantly the highest TAC in methanolic extracts (273.07 ± 2.60 mg TE/ g DW) as well. The lowest TAC in the methanolic extract was observed in the 3 black tea: 1 green tea (225.16 ± 4.39 mg TE/ g DW) blend. The lowest TAC in the aqueous extract was recorded in 2 black tea: 1 green tea (310.87 ± 21.84 mg TE/ g DW) blend. The findings of this study conclude that the blend with 1 black tea: 2 green tea is rich in TPC and TAC. Therefore, it would be ideal to develop as the premier functional tea blend rich in phenolics and antioxidants.
Effect of coconut variety (Cocos nucifera L.) on quality of virgin coconut oil extracted from the dry processing method
(Colombo : Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science ,, 2021) Hewa Pathirana, H. P. D. T. ; Yalegama, L. L. W. C.
Coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) kernel is the base for products such as coconut oil, desiccated coconut and coconut milk. Different types of coconut oil are produced from coconut kernels by changing processing conditions and the status of raw materials. Virgin coconut oil (VCO) is obtained from fresh, mature coconut kernel by mechanical or natural means and is a superior natural edible oil extracted from mixed coconut varieties. The variety of coconut shows diverse characteristics. Therefore, this research focuses on the quality evaluation of VCO extracted from four types of coconut varieties, namely Tall×Tall (TT), Gon Thambili (GT), Ran Thambili (RT), and San Ramon (SR). Mature coconuts from each variety (50 nuts) were collected from Bandirippuwa Estate of Coconut Research Institute, Sri Lanka to extract VCO by cold press oil extraction method. Extractability of VCO, moisture (SLSI 2012), free fatty acid (FFA) (SLSI 2012), fatty acid profile (gas chromatography) ( AOCS, 1998) peroxide value (PV) (SLSI 2012), colour (Lovibond scale) (SLSI 2012), total phenolic substances (Galic acid equivalent) (Folin-Ciocalteau reagent method), antioxidant capacity (α, α-diphenyl-β-picrylhydrazyl, 0.1 mM) and sun protection factor (SPF) of VCO extracted from each variety were determined. The experiment was arranged as a complete randomized design with three replicates. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and Tukey’s test with pairwise comparision by MINITAB 17 software. Oil extractability (58% - 59%), FFA (0.04% - 0.12%), colour (0.43 -0.93), and fatty acid profile of VCO did not show variation among varieties. A characteristic fatty acid profile was observed from virgin coconut oil from all varieties. A higher concentration of total phenolic substances was observed in GT (0.24 ± 0.03 mg GAE/100 g) while antioxidant capacity (857.19 ±14.99 mg/ml) and SPF (8.99 ± 1.26) were rich in RT. The varietal difference did not affect significantly the physicochemical properties of VCO whereas the antioxidant capacity and SPF of RT are significant from others.
Formulation and characterization of Elephant Foot Yam (Amorphophallus paeoniifolius) flour incorporated bread
(Colombo : Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science ,, 2021) Kottage, S. M. ; Wijesekara, I.
The Elephant Foot Yam (EFY) is an underutilized yam variety with high yield potential that is known in Sri Lanka as “Kidaram”. The goal of this study was to formulate loaves of bread incorporating EFY flour that were blanched at 85 °C for 30 s, before being sun-dried at 40±3 °C for 36 h and to assess the physicochemical attributes and consumer preferences. The control loaves of bread were developed without incorporating EFY flour and the EFY flour incorporated loaves of bread were developed using Two-Factor Three-Level Factorial Design. According to the results, the volume and the specific volume have decreased and the density has increased with increasing the EFY ratio. The sensory evaluation data revealed that the bread formulated with 30% EFY and 70% wheat flour (c2d2) was in the acceptable range. Soluble proteins, crude fiber, ash content, DPPH radical scavenging activity and the total phenolic content (as Gallic acid equivalent GAE/g) were higher in c2d2 than in control breads and the values were 0.5080±0.0057 mg/ml, 2.5695±0.0623 g/100 g, 3.714±0.318 g/100 g, 1.8148±0.0396 mg/ml and 14.298±0.228 mg GAE/g, for c2d2, and 0.442±0.019 mg/ml, 0.295±0.019 g/100 g, 1.019±0.157 g/100 g, 12.872±0.237 mg/ml and 6.468±0.347 mg GAE/g for control bread, respectively. Furthermore, the total plate count and the yeast and mold count for c2d2 were 18x102 CFU/g and 18x102 CFU/g, respectively on the 6th day under ambient conditions and the values were within the safe level for consumption. The control bread made with 100% wheat flour expressed to be unacceptable for consumption after 4 days of production. Collectively, this study shows the potential application of underutilized EFY flour as an ingredient in the formulation of value-added loaves of bread.