Browsing by Author "Alonkrita Chowdhury"

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Assessing the impact of microwave treatment on the nutritional quality and metabolomic profile of barley flour
(Elsevier B.V., 2025) Mavuri Tejaswini Durga; Alonkrita Chowdhury; Rajesh Rakesh Kumar; S. Suvetha; Dodla Mamatha; Akshita Trivedi; Kratika Maurya; Pavan Kumar Yadav; Mayukh Ghosh
Microwave treatment effectively enhances barley's functional food properties while reducing anti-nutritional factors (ANFs) such as phytates, trypsin inhibitors, and condensed tannins, which limit nutrient bioavailability. Conventional thermal methods reduce ANFs but degrade bioactive compounds. Microwave processing offers an alternative, preserving or enhancing these components. This study evaluated microwave treatments (300–800 W, 1.5–9 min) effects on barley flour compared to untreated samples. Favorable treatments, T-4, T-5, T-6 (600 W, 2, 4, and 6 min), and T-7 (800 W, 1.5 min), increased total phenolic content from 1622.98 μg GAE/g DW (control) to 1890.43 μg GAE/g DW (T-4). Antioxidant activities were enhanced, including DPPH scavenging (2046.11 μg AAE/g DW, T-7), ABTS scavenging (1271.55 μg GAE/g DW, T-6), total antioxidant capacity (4397.14 μg AAE/g DW, T-7), FRAP (1920.80 μg AAE/g DW, T-7), CUPRAC (4278.10 μg AAE/g DW, T-5), and ferrous ion chelation (256.47 μg EDTA eq./g DW, T-6). ANFs, such as phytates (516.83 μg PAE/g DW in T-4), trypsin inhibitors (0.11 mg/g DW in T-6), and condensed tannins (194.23 μg CE/g DW in T-1), were reduced in treatment-specific manner. LC-HRMS-based metabolomics revealed T-7 as the most effective treatment, enhancing various phenolics and flavonoids (e.g., ferulic acid, catechin) while maintaining sugars, lipids, and vitamins. Multivariate analyses confirmed T-7's superiority in preserving metabolite integrity while improving nutritional and functional properties. Excessive power and prolonged exposure (e.g., T-9: 800 W, 5 min) led to the degradation of bioactive compounds. This study highlights microwave processing as a sustainable and effective approach for developing functional foods from barley. © 2025 The Authors
Correction to: Optimization of microwave parameters to enhance phytochemicals, antioxidants and metabolite profile of de-oiled rice bran (Scientific Reports, (2024), 14, 1, (23959), 10.1038/s41598-024-74738-1)
(Nature Research, 2025) Alonkrita Chowdhury; Alla Yaswanth Naveen Kumar; Rajesh Rakesh Kumar; Vivek Kumar Maurya; M. Satyanarayana Mahesh; Abhishek Kumar Singh; Pavan Kumar Yadav; Mayukh Ghosh
Correction to: Scientific Reportshttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-74738-1, published online 14 October 2024 The original version of this Article contained errors in the values of the phytochemical and antioxidant analysis. Consequently, in the Results and discussion section, under the subheading ‘Phytochemical analysis’, “The TPC values varied across the different treatment groups, ranging from 947.95 ± 11.72 to 1304.77 ± 9.50 µg GAE/g of DM. The control group had a TPC of 1164.32 ± 15.63 µg GAE/g of DM. Most treatment groups showed an increase in phenolic content compared to the control group, with T-1 exhibiting the highest TPC at 1304.77 ± 9.50 µg GAE/g of DM, followed by T-2, T-7, T-5, T-4, T-3, T-6, and T-8 in decreasing order (Fig. 1a). In contrast, the T-9 group showed a significant decrease in phenolic content compared to the control. These results indicate that microwave parameters have a notable impact on the total phenolic content of the treated DORB samples, highlighting the importance of optimizing these parameters to enhance nutritive value. The treatment-specific influence on TPC aligns with the findings of Pokkanta et al.8 in rice bran. They reported that microwaving at 260 watts for 0.5 to 3 min and at 440 watts for 0.5 to 2.5 min resulted in a maximum increase in phenolic content, while a decrease occurred at 880 watts. This study corroborates those findings, as the highest TPC was observed with the 300 watts for 3 min treatment (T-1), while a significant reduction was seen in the 800 watts for 5 min treatment (T-9). The reduction in T-9 might be due to the degradation of phenolics caused by prolonged exposure to high temperatures. The effectiveness of the 300 watts for 3 min microwave treatment in enhancing phenolic content could be attributed to factors such as the release of bound phenolics through the breakdown of cell walls and minimal thermal damage to bioactive compounds during the process45. The TFC varied among the different treatment groups, ranging from 482.73 ± 9.96 to 916.82 ± 16.29 µg QE/g of DM, with the control group having a TFC of 900.91 ± 11.5 µg QE/g of DM. Most treatment groups showed a significant increase in flavonoid content compared to the control. The T-6 treatment group exhibited the highest TFC, followed by T-4, T-7, T-1, T-2, T-5, and T-3 (Fig. 1b). A significant decrease in flavonoid content was observed in the T-9 group, while the TFC of T-8 was comparable to the control. The decrease in T-9, which involved treatment at 800 watts for 5 min, is likely due to the degradation of flavonoids caused by prolonged exposure to high-intensity microwaves13,46. A similar wattage-time -dependent variation in TFC in microwaved rice bran was also reported by Pokkanta et al.8 The flavonol content ranged from 6.59 ± 0.77 to 43.35 ± 0.88 µg CE/g of DM among the treated samples, whereas the control group had a much lower flavonol content of 1.87 ± 0.22 µg CE/g of DM. All treated samples exhibited a significant (p < 0.05) increase in flavonol content compared to the control, indicating that microwave treatment positively influenced flavonol levels in DORB. The highest flavonol content was observed in the T-7 group (800 watts for 1.5 min), which yielded a concentration of 43.35 ± 0.88 µg CE/g of DM, followed by T-6, T-5, T-4, T-3, T-2, T-1, T-8, and T-9 (Fig. 1c).” now reads: “The TPC values varied across the different treatment groups, ranging from 1743.69 ± 3.2 to 3879.31 ± 24.67 µg GAE/g of DM. The control group had a TPC of 2082.75 ± 5.58 µg GAE/g of DM. Most treatment groups showed an increase in phenolic content compared to the control group, with T-1 exhibiting the highest TPC at 3879.31 ± 24.70 µg GAE/g of DM, followed by T-2, T-7, T-5, T-4, T-3, T-6, and T-8 in decreasing order (Fig. 1a). In contrast, the T-9 group showed a significant decrease in phenolic content compared to the control. These results indicate that microwave parameters have a notable impact on the total phenolic content of the treated DORB samples, highlighting the importance of optimizing these parameters to enhance nutritive value. The treatment-specific influence on TPC aligns with the findings of Pokkanta et al.8 in rice bran. They reported that microwaving at 260 watts for 0.5 to 3 min and at 440 watts for 0.5 to 2.5 min resulted in a maximum increase in phenolic content, while a decrease occurred at 880 watts. This study corroborates those findings, as the highest TPC was observed with the 300 watts for 3 min treatment (T-1), while a significant reduction was seen in the 800 watts for 5 min treatment (T-9). © The Author(s) 2025.
Engineered nanomaterials and the microbiome: assessing disruptions in environmental and human microbial communities
(Frontiers Media SA, 2025) Alonkrita Chowdhury; Mayukh Ghosh
The rapid advancement and integration of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) into consumer products, industrial processes, biomedical applications, and environmental technologies have revolutionized multiple sectors. However, their increased production and environmental release raise critical concerns about unintended interactions with microbial ecosystems. ENMs, including metal-based nanoparticles (silver, titanium dioxide, zinc oxide) and carbon nanomaterials (graphene, carbon nanotubes), possess unique physicochemical properties such as high surface area-to-volume ratios, tunable reactivity, and antimicrobial potential that allow them to interact directly with microbial cells or indirectly influence their habitats. This review critically examines the emerging evidence on ENM–microbiome interactions across human, aquatic, terrestrial, and agricultural systems. In human-associated microbiomes, especially the gut, ENMs can induce dysbiosis by disrupting microbial diversity, altering metabolite production (e.g., short-chain fatty acids), and impairing gut barrier integrity, contributing to inflammation and metabolic disorders. In environmental settings, ENMs influence key microbial functions like nitrogen fixation, organic matter decomposition, and biogeochemical cycling, potentially undermining ecosystem stability and agricultural productivity. Moreover, ENMs are increasingly implicated in accelerating antimicrobial resistance by promoting horizontal gene transfer and enriching resistance genes in microbial communities. The review highlights methodological advances such as high-throughput sequencing, meta-omics approaches, in vitro colon simulators, and in vivo models that have enhanced the assessment of ENM-induced microbiome alterations. Despite these advances, significant gaps remain in understanding long-term and low-dose effects, dose–response relationships, and ecological thresholds. Addressing these gaps through multidisciplinary research and regulatory frameworks is essential for ensuring the safe and sustainable deployment of nanotechnologies in a microbiome-sensitive world. © © 2025 Chowdhury and Ghosh.
Impact of microwave processing on phytochemicals, antioxidant status, anti-nutritional factors and metabolite profile of maize flour
(Elsevier B.V., 2025) Alla Yaswanth Naveen Kumar; Alonkrita Chowdhury; Rajesh Kumar; Vivek Kumar Maurya; Subhasis Batabyal; Mayukh Ghosh
Microwave processing can enhance phytochemicals and antioxidants, and reduce anti-nutritional factors (ANFs) in food grains but optimizing processing parameters and investigating effects on overall metabolite profile are needed to ensure desirable nutritional outcomes. This study investigates the effects of microwaving maize flour at different wattage (300, 600, and 800 watt) and duration (1.5–9 min) combinations on its phytochemicals, antioxidant capacity, ANFs, and metabolomics profile, using nine treatment groups (T1-T9) and non-microwaved control samples. Phytochemicals exhibited treatment-dependent changes. Total phenolics (947.95–1304.77 µg GAE/g) and flavonoids (482.73–916.82 µg QE/g) varied, with flavonol content increasing (6.59–43.35 µg CE/g) and soluble sugar content decreasing (6563.13–15,578.75 µg DE/g) compared to the control. Antioxidant activities, such as ABTS scavenging (360.45–638.92 µg GAE/g), total antioxidant capacity (1888.38–2250.54 µg AAE/g), and cupric-reducing capacity (1008.64–2004.09 µg AAE/g), showed treatment-specific variations. DPPH scavenging (559.64–981.07 µg AAE/g) and ferric-reducing ability (790.18–1175.89 µg AAE/g) increased, whereas ascorbic acid content decreased (742.5–1423.75 µg/g). For ANFs, condensed tannin content showed overall decrease (338.17–626.58 µg CE/g), while oxalate (0.29–0.47 mg/g) and phytate content (32,078.33–36,270 µg PAE/g) showed treatment-specific reduction. LC[sbnd]HRMS analysis revealed significant metabolite variations among treatment groups, forming distinct clusters in PCA, sPLS-DA, and dendrogram analyzes, comprising a diverse range of primary and secondary metabolites. The 600-watt, 2-minute microwave treatment was identified as optimal, boosting phytochemicals and antioxidants in maize flour while minimally impacting the main metabolite profile. The outcomes of this comprehensive analysis espouse microwave technology in maize-based food processing to benefit humans as well as the animal and poultry feed industries. © 2025 The Authors
Optimization of microwave parameters to enhance phytochemicals, antioxidants and metabolite profile of de-oiled rice bran
(Nature Research, 2024) Alonkrita Chowdhury; Alla Yaswanth Naveen Kumar; Rajesh Kumar; Vivek Kumar Maurya; M.S. Mahesh; Abhishek Kumar Singh; Pavan Kumar Yadav; Mayukh Ghosh
The current study explores the effects of microwave treatment at varying wattage and durations on the phytoconstituents, antioxidant status, anti-nutritional factors (ANFs), and metabolite profiles of de-oiled rice bran. The total phenolics and flavonoids showed both increases and decreases depending on specific microwave parameters, while flavonol content consistently increased across all treated groups compared to the control. The DPPH and ABTS free radical scavenging activity, total antioxidant capacity, FRAP, CUPRAC, metal chelating activity, and ascorbic acid content were enhanced in most of the microwaved samples; however, longer microwave exposure at higher wattage led to their reduction. A treatment-specific decrease in ANFs, including condensed tannins, oxalates, and phytates, was observed. HRMS-based untargeted metabolomics identified a diverse range of primary and secondary metabolites, which clustered in a group-specific manner, indicating notable group-wise metabolite variations. Analysis of discriminating metabolites revealed no significant differences in the overall levels of phenolics, flavonoids, vitamins and cofactors, sugars, amino acids, terpenoids, fatty acids, and their derivatives among the treated groups compared to the control; however, several individual metabolites within these metabolite classes differed significantly. These findings suggest that optimized microwaving of de-oiled rice bran can enhance phytochemicals and antioxidants while improving the metabolite profile. © The Author(s) 2024.