The present research was focused on probiotic characterization of lactic acid bacteria from fermented foods and beverage of Ladakh. Twenty five lactic acid bacteria were examined in vitro for ...potential probiotic properties based on their low pH tolerance, bile-salt resistance, lysozyme tolerance, cholesterol removal, hydrophobicity, autoaggragation, production of antimicrobial substances, exopolysaccharide production, β-galactosidase activity and haemolytic activity. The outcome of these studied parameters was used as input data for a principal component analysis (PCA) to select the most promising isolate and ten most potential probiotic isolates were identified through 16S rDNA sequencing. On the basis of PCA, isolate 84 (Lactobacillus plantarum KJ722784) showed similar trend to Lactobacillus casei Shirota used as reference strain in terms of probiotic properties. Fermented milk sample inoculated with L. plantarum KJ722784 exhibited decrease in viable count during storage at 4 °C on day 28. However, the survival count is greater than 7 log CFU/ml which is higher than the requirement of 6 log CFU/ml to exhibit health benefit.
•LAB from fermented foods and beverage of Ladakh, India were characterized.•Principal component analysis (PCA) used to select the most promising isolate.•Isolates 29, 55, 72 and 84 were the most promising probiotic candidates.
A total of 15 isolates of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were isolated from traditional pickles of rural and urban areas of Himachal Pradesh. These isolates were identified as
Enterococcus faecalis
(7),
...Lactobacillus plantarum
(3),
Pediococcus pentosaceus
(2),
Leuconostoc mesenteroides
(1),
Lactococcus lactis
(1) and
Enterococcus
sp. (1) on the basis of morphological, biochemical and 16S rDNA sequence analysis. All the LABs produced exopolysaccharides, have antibiotic susceptibility, and possess activity of β-galactosidase, β-glucosidase, protease and amylase, while none of the isolates showed haemolytic activity. Out of 15 isolates tested, only 6 isolates showed the phytase activity. These LAB exhibited antimicrobial activity against food borne pathogenic bacteria i.e.
Bacillus cereus
,
Escherichia coli
,
Staphylococcus aureus
and
Shigella dysenteriae
. These results suggested that LAB isolates from traditional pickles of Himachal Pradesh have very good potential to be used as probiotics.
Traditional knowledge (TK) in Ladakh encapsulates a repository of experimental wisdom cultivated over millennia. Despite this cultural wealth, dwindling interest among the younger generations in the ...region's age-old practices underscores the urgency to document TK. The current study investigates the diverse usage of plants in Surru, Wakha and Lower Indus valleys of Western Ladakh exploring the influence of socioeconomic and ecological factors.
A stratified random sample approach was adopted to select 540 respondents for gathering information of useful plants through interviews and questionnaires. Participant observation, questionnaires, open-ended and semi-structured interviews were conducted for data collection. Free listing was done to create an extensive list of plants and their uses. Ethnobotanical metrics such as relative frequency of citation (RFC), relative importance index (RI), cultural value (CV) index and cultural importance (CI) index were computed to assess species applicability. Additionally, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was utilized to discern significant differences in knowledge levels based on valleys, gender, education and religion using TK as a response variable.
Altogether, we recorded 246 plant species under various ethnobotanical uses from Western Ladakh. These include medicinal (126), fodder (124), wild ornamentals (86), food (81), fuel wood (54), dye (20), religious (31) and others (34). Novel plant reports include Berberis brandisiana Ahrendt and Dactylorhiza kafiriana Renz. The dominant plant family is Asteraceae with 35 species. Suru valley exhibits the highest number of cited plants followed by Wakha-chu and Lower Indus valleys (192, 168 and 152 species, respectively).
Disparities in plant use understanding are evident among different groups, prompting further investigation through intercultural comparisons. Plants such as Arnebia euchroma, Juniperus semiglobosa, and Artemisia species emerge with cultural importance. Gender, valley affiliation, religious background and the remoteness of a village all influence local plant knowledge. These variations are linked to socioeconomic disparities among communities.
This study evaluated the efficacy of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from traditional fermented foods and beverage of Ladakh as biocontrol agents against Yersinia enterocolitica. The antagonistic ...activities of 46 LAB isolates were screened for their ability to inhibit the growth of Y. enterocolitica at refrigeration temperatures using agar spot tests. On the basis of the 16S rDNA sequences, two selected inhibitory isolates were identified as Lactobacillus sp. and Lactobacillus brevis and their accession number were KJ722775 and KJ722777, respectively. The growth of Y. enterocolitica in mixed cultures coinoculated with Lactobacillus sp. and L. brevis separately in de Man Rogosa Sharpe (MRS) broth at 4°C for 28 days was investigated. It was found that the growth of Y. enterocolitica on 28th day decreased to 1.22log CFU/ml (Lactobacillus sp.) and 2.17log CFU/ml (L. brevis) in mixed culture. Y. enterocolitica was added to meat samples and coinoculated with Lactobacillus sp. and L. brevis separately, stored at 4°C for 28 days. Y. enterocolitica count was dropped to 4.90 log CFU/ml (Lactobacillus sp.) and 4.44 log CFU/ml (L. brevis) on 28th day of storage indicating bactericidal activity. It was observed that the inhibition was higher as the incubation period progressed. Cell-free supernatants of selected antagonistic bacteria were studied to determine the nature of the antimicrobial compounds produced. The low pH and production of lactic acid were the main factors for inhibition of growth of Y. enterocolitica.
•Potential of Lactobacillus brevis and Lactobacillus sp. as biopreservative in refrigerated meat has been reported.•Decrease in the count of Yersiniaenterocolitica during storage has been observed.•Low pH and lactic acid were found to be the major inhibition factors for Y. enterocolitica.
Pashmina is our national asset. It is one of the finest natural fibers of the world found in our country. This valuable commodity belongs to few far flung and remote areas of Changthang region of ...Ladakh (Jammu and Kashmir). It is the main source of livelihood of the people of Changthang rearing Pashmina goats. But because of the prevailing circumstances of fodder scarcity and nutrient deficiency, death due to harsh climate (snowfall) and diseases, lack of knowledge and facilities, overcrowding and poor yield, people especially youth are losing interest in this traditional and valuable venture and are joining other fields like Government jobs, business, tourism etc. To preserve this natural fiber and to save our national asset besides making Pashmina rearing a productive industry, the cause of concern should be addressed with special focus on fodder production and conservation on local basis, health and housing management of Pashmina goats and nutrient supplementation. This will also help in improving socio-economic status of Pashmina farmers of Changthang region. This review is based on our field survey in the Changthang region and the review of the researches of other research scholars related to this area.
The present research was designed to explore indigenous probiotic Lactic acid bacteria from traditional fermented foods and beverages of North-western Himalayas for their probiotic potential. It was ...achieved through a step-by step approach focused on the technological characterization, evaluation of the probiotic traits and adherence ability. Fifty one LAB isolates from traditional fermented foods and beverages were initially screened for their technological properties and among them twenty isolates were selected. These isolates were further characterized and identified using 16S rRNA gene sequencing as
Lactobacillus brevis
(7 isolates),
Lactobacillus casei
(5),
Lactobacillus paracasei
(2),
Lactobacillus buchneri
(1),
Lactobacillus plantarum
(1) and
Lactobacillus
sp. (3). Identified isolates were evaluated by in vitro methods including survival in gastrointestinal tract, antibiotic susceptibility, antimicrobial activity, cell surface characteristics, exopolysacharride production and haemolytic activity. The results of these experiments were used as input data for Principal Component Analysis; thus, to select the most promising probiotic isolates. Three isolates (
L. brevis
PLA2,
L. paracasei
PLA8 and
L. brevis
PLA16) were found to be most technological relevant and promising probiotic candidates in comparison to commercial probiotic strains.
L. brevis
PLA2 was selected as best isolate with probiotic potential by in vitro adherence to the human intestinal HT-29 cell line.
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