Asian Journal of Biotechnology and Bioresource Technology

Wild Edible Mushrooms of the Himalayan Region: A Stratified Appraisal of Diversity, Nutritional Value and Commercial Potential

Abhay Sharma, Archana Kushwaha, Aditi Dobhal, Akanksha, Preeti Massey — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Wild edible mushrooms occupy an unusual position in Himalayan food systems. They are gathered across an elevational span of several thousand metres, they enter household diets and long-distance commodity chains, and they are repeatedly described in the regional literature as an underexploited resource of considerable nutritional and economic value. Whether the published evidence supports that description is a separate question, and it is the question this review addresses. The article synthesises peer-reviewed research on the diversity, traditional use, nutritional composition, bioactivity, commercialisation, safety and conservation of wild edible fungi across the Himalayan arc, from the western ranges of Pakistan and the Indian union territories through Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Nepal, Sikkim and the eastern extension into north-east India and adjacent south-western China. Literature was identified through open scholarly indexes and citation searching, appraised for methodological adequacy, and organised thematically rather than study by study. Four findings recur. First, regional inventories are numerous but methodologically heterogeneous, and the species counts they report are not comparable because sampling effort, elevational coverage and identification standards differ substantially. Second, molecular work conducted over the past decade has begun to show that many European binomials applied to Himalayan collections are misapplied, which undermines a large body of earlier ethnomycological and nutritional reporting keyed to those names. Third, nutritional and antioxidant studies are numerous but dominated by small, single-season, laboratory-based analyses whose translation into demonstrated dietary or clinical benefit remains unestablished. Fourth, the commercial narrative surrounding morels and the caterpillar fungus rests on genuine but unevenly distributed income effects, and projections of how climate change will affect these resources are directly contradictory between studies. The review concludes that the diversity of Himalayan wild edible fungi is substantial and the potential real, but that current evidence supports far weaker claims than the regional literature routinely advances.

Assessment of PSP Collected from Targha in Morocco Using the Luminescence of Vibrio fischeri

Mon, 21 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) is a public health concern caused by paralytic shellfish toxins that can accumulate in shellfish. This study assessed PSP-associated toxicity in Acanthocardia tuberculata collected from Targha on the Mediterranean coast of Morocco using a Vibrio fischeri-based Bioluminescence Inhibition Assay (BIA) and compared the result with the Mouse Bioassay (MBA). Shellfish extracts were evaluated under defined pH and dilution conditions. The influence of pH on bacterial bioluminescence was examined from pH 1 to 14, and saxitoxin (STX) concentrations of 0.16, 0.33, 0.99, and 1.65 µM were used to establish a calibration response. Complete inhibition of bioluminescence occurred at pH 1, 13, and 14, while a progressive reduction was observed at pH 2 and no substantial inhibition occurred between pH 3 and 12. Increasing STX concentrations produced progressively greater inhibition of V. fischeri bioluminescence. The MBA yielded 92.8 ± 0.1 µM STX equivalents, whereas the BIA yielded 0.40 ± 0.40 µM STX equivalents. Serial dilution of the shellfish extract generally reduced bioluminescence inhibition. The marked difference between the MBA and BIA estimates indicates that the two methods are not directly interchangeable under the evaluated conditions. Nevertheless, the BIA showed practical advantages in simplicity, rapidity, relatively low operational requirements, and avoidance of experimental animals, supporting further evaluation as a complementary screening approach for PSP surveillance.

Effect of Different Levels of Tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum) Leaf Powder Supplementation on the Productive Performance of Broiler Breeder Hens

V. Preethi, C. Senthamil Pandian, P. Shamsudeen — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Phytogenic feed additives are increasingly examined as dietary supplements in poultry, but information on Tulsi supplementation in broiler breeder hens remains limited. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different levels of Tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum; synonym Ocimum sanctum) leaf powder supplementation on the productive performance of broiler breeder hens. A total of 120 broiler breeder hens at 40 weeks of age were randomly allotted to four treatment groups: T1 (control: basal feed without supplementation), T2 (basal feed + 0.5% Tulsi powder), T3 (basal feed + 1.0% Tulsi powder), and T4 (basal feed + 1.5% Tulsi powder), with three replicates of 10 hens each. The trial lasted six weeks (40–45 weeks of age), and body weight, body weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion ratio (FCR), feed clean-up time, egg production, and livability were recorded. At 45 weeks, T2 had the highest body weight (4646.66 g; p < 0.05), while T3 had higher hen-day egg production (79.52%) and hen-housed egg production (76.82%), lower FCR (1.09), and shorter feed clean-up time (3.22 h) at the end of the trial (p < 0.01). Cumulative livability was highest in T2 (100.00%; p < 0.05). These findings indicate that different Tulsi inclusion levels were associated with different productive responses in broiler breeder hens, with the 0.5% level associated with later body weight and livability and the 1.0% level associated with egg production, FCR, and feed clean-up time. Further studies under different breeder-management conditions are warranted.

Screening, Optimization and Characterization of Amylase Production from Lactobacillus Species

Tochukwu Precious Chukwujindu, Uzoamaka Ogechi George-Okafor — Sat, 10 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Amylases are important industrial enzymes involved in the hydrolysis of starch and have wide applications in food and other biotechnological industries. Amylolytic Lactobacillus species are of particular interest because of their ability to produce extracellular enzymes and their established relevance in food fermentation. This study evaluated selected characterised Lactobacillus strains for extracellular amylase production, optimised culture conditions for enhanced enzyme yield, and characterised the amylases produced by the most active isolates. Three previously characterised isolates were screened for amylase production using the starch agar plate method. The selected isolates were cultivated in de Man, Rogosa and Sharpe broth under submerged shake flask fermentation at 37°C and 150 rpm for 48 h. Crude enzymes were partially purified by 90% ammonium sulphate precipitation and dialysis, while amylase activity was determined using the 3,5-dinitrosalicylic acid method with soluble starch as substrate. The effects of pH, temperature, and fermentation time on enzyme production were investigated using a one-factor-at-a-time approach. All screened isolates demonstrated amylase activity, with Lactobacillus fermentum ON406509 producing the largest starch hydrolysis zone (22 mm) and the highest initial amylase yield (32.31 U/mL), followed by Lactobacillus plantarum KCB4 (18 mm; 23.72 U/mL) and Lactobacillus plantarum ON406571 (14 mm; 22.68 U/mL). Optimisation increased amylase production, with maximum yields of 35.7 U/mL for L. fermentum ON406509 and 35.4 U/mL for L. plantarum KCB4 at pH 6.0. The optimum temperature for production was 40°C, producing 34.83 U/mL and 34.44 U/mL, respectively, while maximum production was obtained after 48 h of fermentation, with yields of 34.11 U/mL and 33.37 U/mL, respectively. Characterisation of the partially purified enzymes showed that amylase activity increased with temperature from 25°C to 40°C, reaching maximum activities of 24.648 U/mL for L. fermentum ON406509 and 27.407 U/mL for L. plantarum KCB4 at 40°C. For pH activity, L. fermentum ON406509 exhibited maximum activity at pH 7.0 (29.074 U/mL), whereas L. plantarum KCB4 showed maximum activity at pH 8.0 (28.888 U/mL). Both enzymes showed their lowest activities at pH 3.0. Temperature stability studies showed that both enzymes retained maximum activity at 40°C, followed by a gradual decline at higher temperatures. Both enzymes exhibited maximum pH stability at pH 4.0. L. plantarum KCB4 retained approximately 96–100% residual activity between pH 3.0 and 5.0, whereas L. fermentum ON406509 demonstrated broader stability, retaining approximately 89–100% residual activity from pH 3.0 to 8.0. These findings demonstrate that the selected Lactobacillus strains are efficient extracellular amylase producers and that optimisation substantially improves enzyme yield. The broad pH stability of L. fermentum ON406509 and the favourable activity profile of both enzymes at 40°C further indicate their potential for applications in food processing and other biotechnological processes.

Bio-preservation of Pineapple Juice Using Candidate Probiotic Lactic Acid Bacteria

Wed, 14 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Background & Aims: Pineapple juice (Ananas comosus) is susceptible to microbial spoilage because of its nutrient content and high water activity. This study evaluated the survival and biopreservation potential of three candidate probiotic lactic acid bacteria, Weissella confusa, Levilactobacillus brevis, and Lactiplantibacillus pentosus, during storage of pineapple juice.

Study Design: A controlled storage study compared pasteurised pineapple juice inoculated with three lactic acid bacteria with uninoculated controls, including a potassium sorbate control, under room-temperature and refrigerated conditions for 28 days.

Place and Duration of Study: Food Biotechnology and Microbiology Laboratory, Food Science and Technology Research Department, Nangui Abrogoua University, between March and June 2025.

Methodology: Pineapple juice was prepared from 6 kg of pulp with 3 L of water, filtered, dispensed into 250 mL jars, and pasteurised at 85 °C for 5 min, except for an unpasteurised baseline sample. Pasteurised juice was either left uninoculated, supplemented with potassium sorbate (0.2 g/L), or inoculated with 1 mL of a 10^5 CFU/mL working bacterial suspension per 100 mL of juice. Samples were stored at 25-30 °C or 4 °C for 28 days and analysed on days 0, 7, 14, and 28 for pH, titratable acidity, and selected microbiological indicators.

Results: The inoculated juices maintained high culturable lactic acid bacterial counts during storage, generally reaching approximately 10^7 CFU/mL. The pH of inoculated juices remained acidic and, in several treatments, decreased during storage. Titratable acidity changed substantially with time and treatment. Presumptive staphylococci and coliform counts differed between room-temperature and refrigerated storage, with refrigerated samples generally showing lower recovery of the hygiene-indicator organisms reported in this study. Yeast and mould counts remained within approximately 10^3-10^4 CFU/mL in the reported observations.

Conclusion: The three lactic acid bacteria remained culturable in the pineapple-juice matrix and were associated with changes in acidity and microbiological profiles during storage. Refrigeration provided an important additional preservation hurdle. The findings support further evaluation of these strains as candidate cultures for pineapple-juice biopreservation; confirmation should include strain-level identification and safety assessment, validated challenge studies, sensory testing, and in vivo evidence before probiotic or commercial claims are made.

Candidate Peripheral Blood Transcriptomic Signals Associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Re-analysis of Public Dataset GSE111175

Zahoorullah Shaik Mohammed, Aysha Sherieff — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental condition for which diagnosis remains primarily behavioural, while robust blood-based molecular markers remain investigational. This study re-analysed publicly available peripheral blood leukocyte microarray data from the Gene Expression Omnibus series GSE111175 to characterise transcriptomic differences between male toddlers with ASD and Typically Developing (TD) controls. The two-group analysis comprised 98 samples (28 ASD and 70 TD) measured on the Illumina HumanHT-12 V4.0 platform. Differential expression was evaluated with GEO2R/limma using Benjamini-Hochberg false-discovery-rate correction, with statistical significance defined as an adjusted P value < 0.05 and no additional absolute log2-fold-change threshold. The re-analysis identified 129 significant transcript probes, including 77 with positive and 52 with negative log2 fold changes in ASD relative to TD. Among the prioritised probes, TOMM5 and NDUFA12 showed modest negative log2 fold changes, whereas PHF2, IP6K1, GABARAPL1 and ABCA1 showed modest positive changes. These observations are biologically compatible with mitochondrial, autophagy-related and lipid-homeostasis processes, but the present probe-level associations do not establish pathway dysfunction, causal mechanisms or clinical diagnostic performance. Accordingly, the findings should be regarded as discovery-stage peripheral transcriptomic signals that require replication in independent cohorts, adjustment for leukocyte composition and other covariates, and prospective validation before biomarker utility can be inferred.