Browsing by Author "Prakash, Bhanu"
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Publication A chitosan-based biopolymer as an encapsulating nanomaterial for enhancing the antifungal and aflatoxin B1 inhibitory efficacy of Zanthoxylum alatum (Roxb) essential oil and elucidation of the mode of action(Royal Society of Chemistry, 2023) Yadav, Amrita; Raghuvanshi, Tanya Singh; Prakash, BhanuThe study reports the green synthesis of nanoencapsulated Zanthoxylum alatum (Roxb) essential oil (Ne-ZAEO) using chitosan biopolymer and its assessment as an antifungal agent against food-borne molds and aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) contamination. Phytochemical analysis of essential oil (ZA-EO) was conducted by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). The fabricated Ne-ZAEO was analysed for average size (30-50 nm by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy), functional group interaction (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy), and nature of crystallinity (X-ray diffraction). The Ne-ZAEO exhibited considerable encapsulation efficiency (37.33%) and loading capacity (6%). The in vitro minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of free ZAEO and Ne-ZAEO against Aspergillus flavus was found to be 1.20 ?L mL?1 and 1.0 ?L mL?1 respectively. The antifungal mechanism was linked to cellular dysfunction including ergosterol content, ion leakage, and carbon source utilization. In addition, the antioxidant activity (IC50 value 59.93 ?L mL?1) of Ne-ZAEO was explored using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). Ne-ZAEO at 1.0 ?L mL?1 significantly protects the Vigna unguiculata legume seed samples from A. flavus growth and AFB1 contamination and preserves its sensory characteristics. The study reports that Ne-ZAEO could be used as a green antifungal agent to protect food-grains from molds and AFB1 contamination and extend their shelf-life. � 2023 RSC.Publication Antifungal and antioxidant activity of plant based essential oils on Aspergillus flavus Link (Trichocomaceae) isolated from stored maize grains of Meghalaya(Taylor and Francis Ltd., 2021) Ramsdam, Mayondi Grace; Chaudhari, Anand Kumar; Singh, Vipin Kumar; Dkhar, Mamtaj S.; Kayang, Highland; Dubey, Nawal Kishore; Prakash, BhanuEssential oils from five medicinal aromatic plants viz. Gaultheria fragrantissima Wall, Artemisia nilagirica Clarke, Curcuma longa Linn, Zingiber officinale Roscoe and Litsea cubeba (Lour.) Pers. were evaluated for their efficacy as antifungal agents against the growth of toxigenic Aspergillus flavus Link isolated from stored maize of Meghalaya. Antifungal activity of essential oils was evaluated by determining the Minimal inhibition concentration (MIC) and Minimal fungicidal concentration (MFC). Among the five essential oils tested, Litsea cubeba essential oil showed high antifungal activity with complete mycelia growth inhibition at 0.8�l/ml. Scanning Electron Microscopy of A. flavus exposed to oils showed hyphae and conidiophore damages. The essential oil exhibited antioxidant activity through DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) assay as IC50 value ranged between 0.59 and 14.44�l/ml and are non-phytotoxic during seed germination experiments with maize seeds. Based on the antifungal, antioxidant and non-phytotoxic potential, the tested essential oils may be recommended as eco-friendly seed protectants. � 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.Publication Assessing the efficacy of chitosan nanomatrix incorporated with Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf essential oil against the food-borne molds and aflatoxin B1 production in food system(Academic Press Inc., 2022) Kumar, Akshay; Singh, Prem Pratap; Prakash, BhanuThe chitosan nanomatrix incorporated with Cymbopogon citratus essential oil (Ne-CcEO) possess enhanced efficacy against the food-borne molds and aflatoxin B1 production compared to free essential oil. The CcEO was encapsulated inside the chitosan nanomatrix with an average size 147.41 � 16.18 nm and characterized by Scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction assay. The encapsulation efficiency and loading capacity were ranged between (41.68�76.78%) and (5.3�8.80%). The biochemical and in-silico analysis results revealed the interference in functioning of membrane integrity, mitochondrial membrane potential, antioxidant defense, carbon source metabolism, methylglyoxal, and laeA gene in response to treatment of Ne-CcEO (0.5 ?l/ml). In addition, Ne-CcEO significantly protects the deterioration of Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br. seed samples by A. flavus, aflatoxin B1 contamination, and lipid peroxidation. The Ne-CcEO could be considered as promising antifungal additives for the control of food-borne molds and aflatoxin B1 contamination in the food system. � 2021 Elsevier Inc.Publication Bioinformatics approaches: elucidation of novel sites of action, toxicity prediction tool, and perception of bioactive compounds(Elsevier, 2023) Jaiswal, Atul Kumar; Prakash, BhanuBioactive compounds are found in trace amounts in food and plants such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, and oils. Many of these bioactive compounds are beneficial for human health and have been studied extensively in the past. To study the bioactive compounds bioinformatics resources are of paramount importance as they save time and money as compared to wet lab-based studies. Some of the popular bioinformatics approaches used in such studies are pharmacophore design, toxicity prediction tools, docking, and molecular dynamics simulation. In the present chapter an overview of these bioinformatics methods and tools has been provided along with their applications. � 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Publication Edible mushrooms: Nutritional composition and medicinal benefits for improvement in quality life(Elsevier, 2021) Das, Somenath; Prakash, BhanuFor millennia, edible mushrooms have been used as a common diet for mankind based on their nutritional importance and medicinal benefits. Edible mushrooms are a rich source of carbohydrates (sucrose, xylose, rhamnose, mannose, and fructose), amino acids (glutamic acid, aspartic acid, glutamate, methionine, and cysteine), proteins, fatty acids (linoleic acid, stearic acid, palmitic acid, adrenic acid, and nervonic acid), vitamins (folate, riboflavin, ascorbic acid niacin, thiamine, ergocalciferol, and cyanocobalamine) mineral contents (Ca, Mg, K, P, Na, Fe, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Mo) and phenolic compounds (gallic acid, caffeic acid, protocatechuic acid, p-coumaric acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid and pyrogallol) that control and ameliorate multiple functions of the human body and participate for maintaining the good health by reducing the occurrence of several chronic diseases. Bioactive polysaccharides, peptides, polyphenols, and dietary fibers extracted from mushroom mycelia have health-promoting properties including a number of medicinal benefits such as anticancerous properties, antihypertensive activity, protection against DNA damage, cardiovascular effects, neurodegenerative disorders, and improvement in innate immunity. In developing countries, the utilization of mushrooms for therapeutic applications is being implemented as a boon for promoting human health and natural dietary supplements. Recently, different pharmaceutical companies and food industries have taken initial steps for patenting the medicinal value of edible mushrooms based on their antioxidant, anticancer, hypolipidemic, hypotensive, and immunomodulatory effects. The immense role of nutritional components and bioactive molecules of edible mushrooms in correlation with health problems has become a burning task in modern nutraceutical therapy. Hence, the present article deals with up-to-date knowledge of edible mushrooms as a nutritional adjuvant with emphasis on profound biological properties and potential mechanisms of action to prevent different health diseases. � 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Publication Effect of Environmental Factors on Essential Oil Biosynthesis, Chemical Stability, and Yields(Springer Nature, 2023) Das, Somenath; Prakash, BhanuEssential oils are major secondary metabolites of aromatic plants and composed of complex mixture of terpenoids and phenylpropanoids components. Complex metabolic cross talk between mevalonic acid, methylerythritol, malonic acid, and DOXP pathways are involved for synthesis of essential oils. The biosynthesis and yield of essential oils are regulated by various environmental factors like light, temperature, drought, salinity, heavy metals, seasonal variations, and mineral concentrations. These environmental factors also have significant impact on chemical nature and stability of essential oil components. The essential oil ingredients are converted into structurally related components by oxidation, reduction, polymerization, dehydrogenation, and cyclization. However, in changing environmental conditions plants develop various mechanisms related to the production of secondary messengers, and signal transduction through mitogen-activated protein kinase and calcium-dependent protein kinases for activation or repression of different transcription factors. The upstream and downstream regulation of genes regulates the metabolic responses of aromatic plants which ultimately serve a crucial role in essential oil biosynthesis. Based on the above background, the article comprises biosynthesis of essential oils through different pathways, cross talk of metabolic reactions, and effect of various environmental factors, namely, light, temperature, oxygen availability, seasonal variation, salinity, and toxic contaminants on chemical stability of essential oils. � The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2024.Publication Elucidation of antifungal and aflatoxin B1 inhibitory mode of action of Eugenia caryophyllata L. essential oil loaded chitosan nanomatrix against Aspergillus flavus(Academic Press Inc., 2021) Kujur, Anupam; Kumar, Akshay; Prakash, BhanuThe present study investigated the novel antifungal, and anti-aflatoxin B1 mechanism of Eugenia caryophyllata L. essential oil (ECEO) loaded chitosan nanomatrix against the toxigenic strain of A. flavus (AFLV-DK-02). Phytochemical profiling of ECEO was done by GC�MS which revealed eugenol (73.6%) as the primary bioactive compound. ECEO was encapsulated inside the chitosan nanomatrix (ECEO-Np) and characterized using SEM, AFM, FTIR and XRD analysis. The ECEO-Np exhibited enhance antifungal (0.25 ?L/mL) and anti-aflatoxin B1 inhibitory activity (0.15 ?L/mL) than ECEO. Antifungal and antiaflatoxin B1 inhibitory activity was found to be related with impairment in the biological functioning of the plasma membrane (ergosterol synthesis, leakage of membrane ions, UV light (260, 280 nm) absorbing material, dead cell by propidium iodide assay, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), methylglyoxal and inhibition in essential carbon substrate utilization). ECEO-Np exhibited remarkable free radical scavenging activity with IC50 value of 0.002 ?L/mL. ECEO-Np effectively preserves the sensory characteristics of exposed maize crop seed up to six months of storage and shows considerable safety profile (non-toxic, non-mutagenic, non-hepatotoxic, non-carcinogenic, non-tumorigenic and biodegradable) using computational ADMET (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity) analysis. � 2020 Elsevier Inc.Publication Essential Oils: From Traditional to Modern-Day Applications with Special Reference to Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in India(Springer Nature, 2023) Raghuvanshi, Tanya Singh; Singh, Prem Pratap; Kohar, Niraj; Prakash, BhanuEssential oils (EOs) are complex mixtures of volatile secondary metabolites extracted from different parts of aromatic plants such as leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds. They are also referred to as aromatic oils. In general, EOs are cocktail of different low-molecular-weight compounds, such as flavonoids, terpenoids, terpenes, and phenylpropanoids. They represent a diverse class of stereochemistry that results in a range of medicinal properties, viz., antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral effects. Additionally, Eos are biodegradable and hardly affect non-targeted species, which can be beneficial in delaying the development of resistance. EOs have been used for a long time in various areas such as food, medicine, cosmetics, and aromatherapy. However, due to certain limitations associated with them such as high volatility, intense aroma, and chemotypic variation, etc., they were replaced by chemical alternatives that were more efficient and better in terms of bioactivity. However, in view of green consumerism and the increased negative concerns (non-biodegradability and the adverse effects of their by-products on the environment and human health) associated with the indiscriminate use of synthetic chemicals, industries are looking toward green chemicals as a preferred alternative to synthetic ones. � The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2024.Publication Fabrication, Characterization, and Antifungal Assessment of Jasmine Essential Oil-Loaded Chitosan Nanomatrix Against Aspergillus flavus in Food System(Springer, 2021) Kujur, Anupam; Kumar, Akshay; Singh, Prem Pratap; Prakash, BhanuThe present study investigated the antifungal and aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) inhibitory efficacy of Jasmine essential oil-loaded in the chitosan nanoparticle (JEO-NP) with probable antifungal and anti-aflatoxin B1 mode of action against Aspergillus flavus. The prepared JEO-NP was characterized through FTIR and XRD. The maximum percent encapsulation efficiency (75.51% w/w) and loading capacity (5.65% w/w) were found at the 1:1 ratio of chitosan: JEO. The results of thermogravimetric analysis exhibited an increase in thermal stability of JEO-NP compared to the free JEO. The antifungal and AFB1 inhibitory concentration of JEO-NP was found to be 2.5 ?L/mL against A. flavus, which was lower than free form JEO (3.0 ?L/mL). Biochemical and in silico approaches revealed the antifungal mechanisms of action of JEO-NP were related to the inhibition in ergosterol biosynthesis, leakage of vital ions (Ca+2, Mg+2, and K+), impairment in carbon substrate utilization, and functioning of the AFB1 regulatory genes (ver-1 and omt A (in silico)) of A. flavus. JEO-NP exhibited free radical scavenging activity through DPPH assay (IC50 1.31 ?L/mL). The in situ results showed that JEO-NP significantly protects the maize seed samples from A. flavus growth, AFB1 contamination and also preserved its nutritional quality. The absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) profiling revealed the JEO major components are non-mutagenic, non-hepatotoxic, non-carcinogenic, non-tumorigenic, biodegradable nature, and predicted toxicity (LD50 mg/kg rat) were ranged 3107.01 to 3960.22 mg/kg. The findings revealed that the nanoencapsulation technique could be used to enhance the antifungal efficacy of plant essential oil in the food system. � 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC part of Springer Nature.Publication Food and human health: An outlook of the journey of food from hunger satisfaction to health-promoting agent(Elsevier, 2021) Prakash, Bhanu; Singh, Prem Pratap; Kumar, Akshay; Gupta, VishalThe present chapter provides an overview of the journey of food from hunger satisfaction to health-promoting agents. The inherent components of food such as carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, lipids, antioxidants, and minerals are required for the normal physiological functioning of the body parts. In the modern era of the 21st century, the lifestyle and eating habits of people have been changed drastically. The change in eating habits and unhealthy diet leads to the emergence of modern diseases such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cancer, allergies, and cardiovascular diseases throughout the world. In view of the increase in life expectancy, side effects of modern-day drugs during their prolonged uses, the use of functional and nutraceutical food as a preventive step to control such diseases would be preferred. The present chapter highlights the role of foods and their bioactive components in human health, associated challenges, and future research perspectives. In addition, the role of science and technological applications especially waste-recycling approaches, nanotechnology, bioinformatics, toxicity prediction tools for the sustainable uses of functional and nutraceutical food, and the need for coordinated regulatory framework are discussed. � 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Publication Green Products in Food Safety(Elsevier, 2023) Prakash, Bhanu; de S�o Jos�, Jackline Freitas BrilhanteGreen Products in Food Safety explores the potential of green chemicals in the sustainable management of food biodeterioration agents and addresses the current existing limitations of green products for their sustainable application. The book summarizes food loss by biodeterioration agents (bacteria, fungi, mycotoxin, and insect pest); novel detection methods for hazardous food contaminants; different sources of green chemicals, their origin, extraction, and characterization methods; and bioactivity of green products against biodeterioration agents with their molecular sites of action. Also included are discussions of pharmacological properties of green chemicals, metabolic engineering of green chemical biosynthesis, natural therapy for bovine mastitis, the role of molecular modeling and dynamics in food science, nanocarriers for application in the food system, elucidation of novel site of action, toxicity prediction, ecological perception, Intellectual Property Right (IPR), regulations, and perspectives on the commercial application of green products. This book covers basic and translational aspects that prove to be beneficial for food scientists, researchers, students, and young professionals.� � 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Publication Green products in the management of stored food grains: Challenges, recent advances and future prospects(Elsevier, 2023) Prakash, Bhanu; Singh, Prem Pratap; Raghuvanshi, Tanya SinghFood biodeterioration due to the activity of stored grain insect pests, microbes, and associated metabolites is one of the major problems associated with food security, especially in tropical and subtropical countries, where the climatic condition is favorable to the growth and proliferation of a range of deteriorating agents. The cumulative effects of deteriorating agents may impose undesirable changes in organoleptic properties (odor, flavor, and taste), nutritional composition, and adverse effects on the overall quality of food products and make them unsafe and unpalatable. The application of most of the currently used physical and chemical methods is under scrutiny due to their prolonged adverse effects on health, sensory properties of food products, and the emergence of resistant pests and microbes. Therefore nowadays the industries are looking toward cost-effective and ecofriendly approaches for the management of food-biodeterioration agents. This chapter presents an overview of food biodeterioration agents, significant postharvest losses, and effective control strategies using ecofriendly approaches to secure the availability of safe food for the overgrowing population. In addition, special emphasis has been given to the possible practical application of natural products exhibiting strong insecticidal and antimicrobial agents using bioinformatics approaches. Further the future prospects for commercial application of plant chemicals and their current hurdles have been discussed to extend the shelf-life of food commodities and safeguard the agro-ecosystems. � 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Publication Insights into the antimicrobial efficacy of Coleus aromaticus essential oil against food-borne microbes: Biochemical and molecular simulation approaches(Elsevier Ltd, 2023) Singh, Prem Pratap; Jaiswal, Atul Kumar; Raghuvanshi, Tanya Singh; Prakash, BhanuThe study reported the antimicrobial efficacy of chemically characterized Coleus aromaticus essential oil (CEO) against food-borne bacteria, molds (Aspergillus flavus), aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and explored its mechanism of action using biochemical and molecular simulation approaches. The chemical profile of CEO was explored by Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis, which revealed thymol (46.0%) as the major compound. The minimum inhibitory concentration values of CEO for bacterial species Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, Bacillus cereus, and Shigella flexneri was found to be 0.9 ?l/ml, 0.7 ?l/ml, 0.16 ?l/ml, and 0.12 ?l/ml respectively. The MIC value for A. flavus and AFB1 contamination was 0.6 ?l/ml. The DPPH radical scavenging activity of CEO was recorded with IC50 0.32 ?l/ml. Biochemical and computational approaches (docking and dynamics simulation) have been performed to explore the multi-faceted antimicrobial inhibitory effects of CEO at the molecular level, which shows the impairment in membrane functioning, leakage of cellular contents, release of 260-nm absorbing materials, antioxidative defense, carbon catabolism and vital genes (7AP3, Nor1, Omt1, and Vbs). The findings indicated that CEO could be used as natural antimicrobial agents against food-spoilage bacteria, A. flavus and AFB1 contamination to extend the shelf-life of food product and prevention of food-borne diseases. � 2023Publication Mechanistic investigations on antifungal and antiaflatoxigenic activities of chemically characterised Carum carvi L. essential oil against fungal infestation and aflatoxin contamination of herbal raw materials(Taylor and Francis Ltd., 2022) Maurya, Akash; Kumar, Susheel; Singh, Bijendra Kumar; Chaudhari, Anand Kumar; Dwivedy, Abhishek Kumar; Prakash, Bhanu; Dubey, Nawal KishoreThis study aimed to investigate the efficiency of chemically characterised Carum carvi essential oil (CcEO) against aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) producing strain of Aspergillus flavus (AF-LHP-WS-4) causing deterioration of herbal raw materials (HRM). GC-MS analysis of the EO revealed the presence of carvone (69.85%) as a dominant component. CcEO caused complete suppression of A. flavus growth and AFB1 secretion at 0.7 and 0.6 �L/mL, respectively. The investigation on antifungal mode of action showed that CcEO inhibited fungal growth via abrogating ergosterol biosynthesis and triggered efflux of vital cellular ions. The inhibition of AFB1 biosynthesis was attributed to the inhibition of cellular methylglyoxal (MG) biosynthesis. In addition, CcEO showed remarkable antioxidant activity (IC50 = 10.564 �L/mL) against DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radicals. Based on overall results, it can be concluded that the CcEO may be recommended as potential antifungal agent for protection of HRM from fungal infestation and AFB1 contamination. � 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.Publication Metabolic engineering of green chemical biosynthesis(Elsevier, 2023) Das, Somenath; Prakash, BhanuGreen chemicals play a prime role in plant survivability, including various metabolic activities like growth, development, synthesis of nutrients, and defense components. Genetic engineering of the green chemicals, basically, the plant secondary metabolites, helps in alleviation of natural product demand in the current generation. Biotechnology application of plant cell and tissue culture is an alternative strategy for production of secondary metabolites, but limited commercial success has occurred in the current times due to a lack of understanding and critical assessment on cost-effectiveness. Successful metabolic engineering in green chemical biosynthesis involves manipulation of genes during methyl-erythritol and mevalonic acid pathways, overexpression of rate-limiting steps, and regulation of transcription factors with the branch pathway to divert the biosynthesis of unique secondary metabolites with segmental compartmentalization. Here, we discuss how metabolic engineering offers unprecedented advancement in mass production of secondary metabolites along with plant biochemical capacities and metabolic flux through competitive and feedback pathways. � 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Publication Mycotoxin Contamination of Food: Plant-Based Preservatives as Safer Alternatives to Synthetics: Editorial(John Wiley and Sons Inc, 2022) Dubey, Nawal Kishore; Shukla, Ravindra; Prakash, Bhanu; Dwivedy, Abhishek Kumar[No abstract available]Publication Nanoencapsulated plant essential oils as a shelf-life enhancer for herbal raw materials(Elsevier, 2023) Gupta, Vishal; Singh, Prem Pratap; Kumar, Akshay; Kumar, Manoj; Raghuvanshi, Tanya Singh; Prakash, BhanuHerbal raw materials have been widely utilized around the world since antiquity, especially for primary health care. They have been acknowledged for their superior therapeutic value over contemporary medications. The diverse indigenous systems of medicine in India such as Siddha, Ayurveda, Unani, and Allopathy employ many herbal formulations to cure different types of diseases. Herbal raw materials are important as traditional remedies and as trade commodities that satisfy the needs of far-flung markets. During postharvest storage, the raw materials of herbal drugs are prone to contamination by different microorganisms and their associated toxic chemicals that deteriorate the active principles of drugs and make them unsafe for consumption. Nanoencapsulated plant essential oils (EOs) could be used as a green preservative agent for herbal raw materials against the microbes and their associated toxins. The present chapter deals with the therapeutic efficacy of herbal raw materials, possible toxic contaminants, and their management by using nanoencapsulated plant EOs. In addition, it also highlights the current challenges and future perspectives that lie in the use of herbal raw materials in the global market. � 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Publication Nanoencapsulated plant-based antifungal formulation against the Aspergillus flavus and aflatoxin B1 contamination: Unraveling the biochemical and molecular mechanism of action(Elsevier B.V., 2022) Kumar, Akshay; Singh, Prem Pratap; Kumar, Manoj; Prakash, BhanuAflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is one of the most toxic fungal secondary metabolites associated with Aspergillus flavus contaminated food products. Although a range of synthetic chemicals has been used to control molds contamination, most of them possess a risk to the health and environment. The study reports the efficacy of nanoencapsulated plant-based synergistic antifungal formulation (Ne-CGT) as a green chemical agent against Aspergillus flavus and AFB1 contamination. The antifungal formulation (CGT) was prepared using the mathematical model based on different proportions of plant compounds (citral (C), geraniol (G), and terpineol (T)) and encapsulated inside the chitosan. Ne-CGT exhibited enhanced antifungal and AFB1 activity (0.15 ?l/ml) compared to its free form CGT (0.3 ?l/ml). Toxicity mechanism was related with impairment in functioning in the cell membrane (ergosterol and ion leakage), biochemical perturbance (mitochondrial membrane potential, enzyme activity Superoxide dismutase (SOD), Catalase (CAT), Glutathione reductase (GR), and carbon source metabolism), and functioning of aflatoxin biosynthesis gene Ver-1 and Nor-1. In addition, Ne-CGT effectively preserves the nutrition properties (lipid peroxidation, total carbohydrate, and crude protein) of Sorghum bicolor seed. The quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) approach revealed the favorable safety profile and ecological acceptability of Ne-CGT. Hence, the study recommends its application as a plant-based antifungal agent to manage the growth of fungal and AFB1 contamination in agricultural food products. � 2022 Elsevier B.V.Publication Pesticidal efficacy, mode of action and safety limits profile of essential oils based nanoformulation against Callosobruchus chinensis and Aspergillus flavus(Academic Press Inc., 2021) Yadav, Amrita; Kumar, Akshay; Singh, Prem Pratap; Prakash, BhanuThe study explores the pesticidal efficacy, mode of action, and safety limit profile of essential oils-based formulation using the combination of Myristica fragrans (M), Bunium persicum (B), and Zanthoxylum alatum (Z) (1:1:1 v/v/v) and their nanoformulation (Ne-MBZ) against the Callosobruchus chinensis, Aspergillus flavus and aflatoxin B1 production. Linalool, ?-terpinene, and cuminaldehyde were identified as the major compounds of the formulation (MBZ) by Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC�MS). Nanoencapsulation of developed formulation (Ne-MBZ) was prepared using chitosan and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The pesticidal efficacy of nanoformulation (Ne-MBZ) against C. chinensis IC50 (0.14 ?l/ml), A. flavus (0.8 ?l/ml) and AFB1 (0.8 ?l/ml) was significantly higher in both in-vitro and in-situ conditions than the sum of their individual revealing a notable synergistic effect. Besides, the detailed mode of pesticidal action and safety limit profile were explored using biochemical, in-silico and ADMET (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity) approaches. � 2021 Elsevier Inc.Publication Plant Essential Oils: From Traditional to Modern-day Application(Springer Nature, 2023) Prakash, Bhanu; Dubey, Nawal Kishore; Brilhante de S�o Jos�, Jackline FreitasThis book is a comprehensive collection of information on essential oils and their industrial application. It provides reader with a systematic and advanced knowledge of the role of essential oils as natural preservatives and therapeutic agents. Food and pharmaceuticals are two important pillars of human civilization. Plant essential oils and their volatile compounds have been used for preservation as well as for the treatment of human illness for long as traditional practices in biodiversity-rich countries. This book deals with the potential uses of essential oils against insect pests and spoilage microbes of agri-food commodities such as pulses, cereal, fruits, and their shelved products. It also highlights the molecular-assisted engineering of plant essential oils, the pharma-kinetic facet, and their potential in pharmaceutical and aromatherapy. In addition, the book covers recent advances in science and technology such as extraction methods, metabolomics, phytochemical genomics, bioinformatics, conformational dynamics, mathematical modeling, and nanotechnology application. This book is of interest to teachers, researchers, food scientists, capacity builders, and policymakers. Also, it serves as an additional reading material for undergraduate and postgraduate students of agriculture, food, and pharmaceutical sciences. � The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2024.
