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  • ThesisItemOpen Access
    Genetic studies in red gram (eafanui caiaixL)
    (Department of Agricultural Botany, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 1988) Radhakrishnan, V V; KAU; Narayanan Namboodiri, K N
  • ThesisItemOpen Access
    Studies on induced mutations in rice (Oryza sativa L.)
    (Division of genetics and plant breeding ,Agricultural college and research institute , Coimbatore., 1971) Gopinathan Nair, V; KAU
  • ThesisItemOpen Access
    Effect of planting date, weight of rhizome and spacing on the growth, yield and quality constituents on turmeric (Curcuma longa L)
    (Department of Horticulture (Plantation Crops & Spices), College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 1983) Chatterjee, R K; KAU; Mohanakumaran, N
  • ThesisItemOpen Access
    Genetic variability, path analysis and stability parameters in sesame
    (Department of Plant Breeding, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 1985) Sverup, John; KAU; Gopinathan Nair, V
    Biometric analysis in a varietal collection of sesame was undertaken to study the genetic variability, correlations, path analysis and stability parameters. One hundred sesame types were evaluated in replicated trials at Vellayani in uplands during rabi and at Kayamkulam in rice fallows during summer. Genetic variability and correlations were estimated and path analysis worked out independently as both the locations. Location trials for estimating stability parameters were conducted at three places viz. in uplands during rabi at Pattambi and Vellayani and in rice fallows during summer at Kayamkulam. Large values for genotypic coefficients of variation were obtained for characters such as number of capsules on branches, number of capsules perplant, number of capsules on main stem and number of branches during rabi as well as summer. The lowest genotypic coefficient of variation was obtained for number of days to maturity during both rabi and summer. High values of heritability were recorded by seed protein content , seed oil content, height upto first capsule and weight of 1000 seeds under both conditions.
  • ThesisItemOpen Access
    Participatory action research for renumerative rice production
    (Department of Agricultural extension, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2004) Parvathy, S; KAU; Ahamed, P
    As with the Complex, Diverse and Risk- prone (CDR) rice systems of many Asian countries, the Kerala state of peninsular India suffers from the fast depleting paddies and the ' high cost- low remuneration syndrome'. Crucial rice technologies have been blamed by stakeholders for the insensitivity to micro farming situations A multidisciplinary stakeholder Participatory Action Research (PAR) of emancipatory type and collaborative mode was done for three years (2001-2004) on identification and prioritization of constraints to profitable rice production to explore the available cost-reducing and productivity increasing technological options. The project focussed on screening of technological modules through farmer participatory field assessment and arrived at locally adaptable and remunerative technology packages. The project also developed and standardised an extrapolatable stakeholder participatory assessment model and protocol. The programme had a blend of extension approaches, research designs and tools like "ex-post facto", benchmark appraisal through Participatory Learning and Action (PLA), exploratory, diagnostic, evaluative, field experiments and analytical studies. The PAR was done in two rice ecosystems (irrigated and rainfe:l) of the midland, laterite belt of Kerala state, India. Fourteen technology modules were fitted into the PAR, under .. , each of the three treatments, viz., farmers' practice, recommended packages of the formal research system and location specific I technology components" jointly decided by the research team extensionists and farmers. Each technology component was subjected to five types of analysis viz., agronomic, statistical, economic, farmers perceptions and reactions, post-trial follow up analysis of adoption in the succeeding cropping seasons. The participatory interventions significantly influenced the level of technical knowledge and extent of adoption of adaptable technology modules, typifying the cognitive impact of an emancipating action research. The short duration red rice varieties "Kanchana" (Ptb 50) and "Kairali" (Ptb 49) proved to be the best first crop and second crop varieties respectively, to replace the ruling cultivars. The technology modules recommended by the formal research system viz., seed treatment with fungicides for the first crop season and Pseudomonas fluorescence for the second crop season were adaptable technologies. The PAR came out with an efficient planting density and crop geometry package (line transplanting; 15 x 10 cm; 67 . , hills/m'; 2-3 seedlings/hill) to replace the conventional planting system. The existing formal recommendations including IPM and INM practices could enhance and combat weeds, pest and diseases thereby enhancing crop yield. Harvesting with self- propelled reaper and threshing with mechanised thresher were cost effective, drudgery alleviating and time saving. The net result of the action research was a set of adaptable technological package for remunerative rice production in the CDR rice production systems. Cognitive and behavioural impact on the participants; and the standard methodology and protocol for participatory technology validation for rice in particular, and for any farm enterprise in general, with extrapolative effect.
  • ThesisItemOpen Access
    Bioactivity of carotenoids from shrimp shell waste
    (Department of Processing Technology,College of Fisheries,Panangad, 2010) Sindhu, S; KAU; Sherief, P M
    Shrimp processing waste is the single largest industrial waste in the country causing diverse environmental problems. A study was carried out to assess the extractability of astaxanthin from shrimp waste in different organic solvents and vegetable oils. Extraction was tried using wet and dried waste, with and without deproteinisation. Waste was subjected to deproteinisation using alkali and enzyme (pancreatin). The different solvent systems tried were ether:acetone:water (15:75:10 v/v/v), acetone, hexane:isopropanol (3:2 v/v) and 90% acetone v/v. Astaxanthin in the extract was quantified by measuring the OD at 470 nm in hexane. Extraction was also done using vegetable oils viz. coconut oil, soybean oil and sunflower oil. Quantification of astaxanthin in pigmented oil was done by measuring the absorbance at 485 nm using 2155 as extinction coefficient. Astaxanthin yields from deproteinised samples were significantly lower than those from non deproteinised samples. The highest astaxanthin yield of 87.14 ± 4.55μg/g was obtained with non deproteinised wet waste extracted using acetone. The astaxanthin yield was significantly lower when oil was used as the extraction medium. Of the three oils coconut oil gave the highest yield. The results showed that acetone is the best solvent for extracting astaxanthin from shrimp shell waste in wet condition. The astaxanthin content in Aristeus alcocki shell waste is double that of Pandalus borealis shell waste, which is currently used as the commercial source of astaxanthin. The deep sea species Aristeus alcocki can thus be considered as a better source of astaxanthin for commercial exploitation than Pandalus borealis. TLC analysis of the shell waste extract showed that it contains free astaxanthin, astaxanthin monoester and astaxanthin diester in the ratio 1:1:2. GLC identification of the fatty acids esterified with astaxanthin revealed that saturated fatty acids, MUFA and PUFA are in the ratio 5:3:2 in monoester, whereas in diester they are in the ratio 4:3:3. The main fatty acids in monoester and diesters are palmitic acid, oleic acid, stearic acid and PUFAs: DHA and EPA. The in vitro antioxidant activity of the astaxanthin extract showed significant hydroxyl radical scavenging activity, superoxide anion scavenging activity and inhibition of lipid peroxidation. The IC50 values obtained were 56.43 ± 1.06 ng/ml, 27.91 ± 0.54 ng/ml and 26.54 ± 0.42 ng/ml, respectively. The antioxidant activity of astaxanthin from Aristeus alcocki was obtained at nanogram levels. This powerful antioxidant function may be due to the unique molecular structure of astaxanthin and synergistic effect of astaxanthin and PUFAs present in the astaxanthin monoester and diester fractions. The astaxanthin extract from shrimp shell waste significantly reduced carageenan induced paw edema in mice, percentage inhibition being 47.83 and 67.11 percent at astaxanthin concentrations of 0.5 mg/kg body weight and 1.0 mg/kg body weight, respectively. The inhibition of inflammation at 1.0mg/kg body weight was greater than that produced by the standard reference drug diclofenac. Cardioprotective effect of astaxanthin was examined in isoproterenol induced myocardial infarction in rats. Levels of diagnostic marker enzymes, LDH, CPK, GOT, GPT, CK, CK-MB in plasma, lipid peroxides, ascorbic acid, reduced glutathione and the activities of glutathione-dependent antioxidant enzymes GPx, GR, GST and antiperoxidate enzymes CAT, SOD and the membrane bound enzyme Na+ - K+ ATPase in the heart tissues of experimental groups of rats were determined. The prior administration of astaxanthin @ 10mg/kg feed for 45 days significantly prevented the isoproterenol-induced elevation in the levels of diagnostic marker enzymes in plasma, induction of lipid peroxidation and alterations in the level of reduced glutathione and in the activities of glutathione dependent antioxidant enzymes and antiperoxidative enzymes of experimental rats. Feeding astaxanthin caused a decrease in the inhibition of Na+ - K+ ATPase activity against isoproterenol induced myocardial infarction. The powerful cardioprotective effect of astaxanthin can be attributed to the multiple independent mechanisms viz. antioxidant effects, singlet oxygen quenching ability and inhibition of lipid peroxidation of membranes, increased functional gap junctional intercellular communication, anti-inflammatory effects etc. Immunostimulatory action of astaxanthin extract was evaluated in experimental mice. Astaxanthin administration was found to enhance the proliferation of spleen cells and bone marrow cells. Esterase activity was found to be enhanced in bone marrow cells indicating increased maturation of cells of lymophoid linkage. Astaxanthin also enhanced number of antibody forming cells and circulating antibody titre. Thus astaxanthin exhibits strong immunomodulating properties. A significant reduction in the viability of ascites tumour cells DLA in vitro was noted in the current study. The % viability was reduced to 4.34 % at a concentration of 15μg astaxanthin/ml. The cytotoxic action of astaxanthin against DLA may be through induction of apoptosis or through a different pathway. Antitumour activity of astaxanthin was studied by ascite and solid tumour models in mice. An increase in life span of about 67 % was noted in DLA bearing mice administered with astaxanthin at 5 mg/kg body weight. The tumour volume and tumour weight were significantly lower in mice injected with 5 mg/kg body weight astaxanthin. In vitro studies revealed that astaxanthin from shrimp shell waste of Aristeus alcocki inhibited the proliferation of cervical cancer cells HeLa in a dose dependent manner.
  • ThesisItemOpen Access
    Formulation of low fat beef burger with fat replacers
    (Department of Livestock Products Technology, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences,Mannuthy, 2010) Govande Premanand, Laxmanrao; KAU; George Oommen, T
    Health conscious meat consumers prefer low fat meat products due to increasing incidents of high fat induced diseases. Manufacturing meat products with fat replacers (FR) enable to reduce fat and to alleviate the problems with the reduction of fat in products. Therefore, the present study was undertaken with the objectives of developing a palatable and economic formulary for low fat beef burger (LFBB) with carrageenan (CG), tapioca starch (TS), pregelatinised pork skin collagen (PSC) and their blends as FR and to assess its pH, cooking characteristics, proximate composition, nutritional value, textural and organoleptic qualities and shelf life under aerobic (AP) and vacuum packaging (VP) at 0-4oC and -20oC and its cost of production. Beef burgers (BB) are formulated at two different fat levels, viz., full fat (FF) 20 per cent and low fat (LF) 5 per cent as controls. Seven formulations of LFBB with 5 per cent fat are prepared with 0.5 per cent CG, 1.5 per cent TS, 2 per cent PSC and their blends, viz., CG-TS - 0.5% CG & 1.5% TS; CG-PSC - 0.5% CG & 2.0% PSC; TS-PSC - 1.5% TS & 2.0% PSC; CG-TS-PSC - 0.5% CG, 1.5% TS & 2.0% PSC as FR. BB are prepared as per the formularies with minced lean beef trimmings, tallow, salt, spices and condiments, rusk, ice flakes and FR. They are packaged aerobically in HDPE and in vacuum in polyethylene-polyamide (PEPA) pouches. pH, cook yield (CY), cook loss (CL), fat retention percentage (FRP), moisture retention percentage (MRP), dimensional shrinkage (DS), water holding capacity (WHC), Warner-Bratzler Shear Force (WBSF), Hunter L*, a*, b* colour values, proximate and mineral composition and nutritional value, purge loss (PL), Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances (TBARS) value and sensory qualities are assessed on d 0, 10, 20 and 30 of storage at 0-4oC and -20oC or till spoilage, whichever is earlier. Six trials of the experiment were conducted. Cooking reduced the acidity of all the burgers. By the addition of FR a significantly (P< 0.05) very low acid cooked LFBB could be prepared. CY of burgers with CG-TS-PSC was significantly (P< 0.05) the highest with 85.84 per cent. LFBB with blends of FR significantly (P< 0.05) increased CY and correspondingly reduced CL. The DS in LFBB with CG-TS-PSC was significantly (P< 0.05) the lowest with 13.21 per cent. Addition of blends of FR holds water and fat in LFBB and reduces DS during cooking. FRP and MRP in CG-TS-PSC formulation was significantly (P< 0.05) the highest with 97.66 and 74.36 per cent, respectively due to blends of CG, TS and PSC. The WHC of LFBB with CG-TS-PSC was 95.36 per cent and WBSF value 5.30 N comparable to FF and the burgers were significantly (P< 0.05) most succulent, juicy and tender with the addition of blends of FR compared to tougher BB without FR. According to Hunter L*, a*, b* values, LFBB with blends of FR, especially CG-TS-PSC was lighter, less reddish (more bluish) and less yellowish (more greenish) and comparable to FF burger. Fat content in the beef trimmings and PSC were < 1.76 per cent. Cooking significantly (P< 0.05) reduced moisture content with a corresponding increase in the protein, fat, carbohydrate and ash. The percentage total calorific value of LFBB ranged from 6.36 to 7.18 of the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA). The contribution of fat to RDA of calorific value was from 2.22 to 2.42 per cent only, which was below the recommended 30 per cent. More than one third of the daily requirement of protein is obtained from 100g of LFBB. LFBB with FR are good sources of Na, K and P but not of Ca. Blends of FR in LFBB, especially CG-TS-PSC, were more efficient in significantly (P< 0.05) reducing PL and TBARS value on storage at 0-4oC for 10 days and at -20oC for 30 days in AP and VP. TBARS values were lower than the acceptable range of 1mg malonaldehyde/kg for oxidative rancidity. The low fat content and the presence of onion containing antioxidants in the formulary would have synergistically acted with CG in reducing the TBARS. On sensory evaluation on zero day, the LFBB with CG-TS-PSC scored significantly higher (P< 0.05) values of 7.00 and above for very good appearance and colour, very intense flavour, very desirable texture, juiciness, practically nil mouth coating and very acceptable overall acceptability similar to FF burger. But saltiness was very desirable than in FF. The LFBB with CG-TS-PSC in AP and VP retained all the sensory attributes and proximate composition even on storage. The very acceptable nature of CG-TS-PSC formulation might be due to the synergistic effect of fat replacers. The LFBB with 5 per cent fat and CG (0.5%), TS (1.5%), PSC (2%) and their blends as FR are developed economically with very acceptable overall acceptability, CY, nutritional quality, reduced PL and oxidative rancidity and shelf life up to 10 days at 0-4oC and 30 days at -20oC under AP and VP. The best LFBB with overall acceptability was CG-TS-PSC followed by CG-TS, CG-PSC, TS-PSC, PSC, CG and TS. Blends of FR are better than single FR, particularly CG-TS-PSC, as they increased CY, FRP, MRP, WHC, sensory attributes and decreased pH, CL, DS, WBSF, PL and TBARS. Further investigations with production of large quantities are required for calculation of cost of production at commercial scale.
  • ThesisItemOpen Access
    Influence of different levels of energy on growth performance of crossbred pigs
    (Department of Animal Nutrition, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, 2001) Rekha, P; KAU; George, Mathen
    An experiment was conducted to assess •the influence of different levels of energy on the growth performance of crossbred (Large White Yorkshire x Desi) pigs. Fifteen male (castrated) and fifteen female weaned crossbred piglets with an average body weight of 12.9 kg were divided into three equal groups as uniformly as possible with regard to age, sex and body weight. The three groups of piglets were maintained on three rations with 16 per cent crude protein but differing in their energy content, viz., 2800 kcal (T1), 3000 kcal CT2) and 3200 kcal (TI) of digestible energy (DE) per kg. The average daily gains recorded for the three groups T1, T2 and TI were 262.9, 302.0 and 362.8 g respectively. The cumulative feed conversion efficiencies were 6.0, 5.2 and 4.1 for the groups T1, T2 and TI respectively. The values recorded for TI were higher (P<0.01) than those for T1 and T2. The digestibility coefficients of nutrients except that of crude fibre and crude protein were found to improve with increase in the energy content of the rations. Study of the carcass traits revealed that the body weight at slaughter and dressed weight without head improved as the energy content of the rations increased. However, dressing percentage, carcass length and back fat thickness were not significantly influenced by the energy content of the ration. The cost of feed per kg weight gain of animals was significantly lower (P<0.01) for the dietary treatment T3 compared to that of T2 and Tl, the values being Rs.49.90, 43.30 and 34.10 for Tl, T2 and T3 respectively. The above results indicate that crossbred pigs require 3200 kcal of DE/kg of the ration for better growth performance provided the crude protein level is maintained at 16 per cent.
  • ThesisItemOpen Access
    Trematodes of Paramphistomatidae Infecting Domestic Ruminants
    (Department of Parasitology, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, 1987) Tarun Shankar, Nath; KAU; George Varghese, C
    The thesis embodied the results of an investigation on the prevalence of amphistome infection and their specific identity in different domestic ruminants (cattle, buffaloes, sheep and goats) of Kerala state. A total of 1490 faecal samples from domestic ruminants were collected from different places of Kerala State during a period from April 1985 to March 1986. These samples were examined by sedimentation technique to detect infection with amphistomes and their prevalence. Viscera of 780 slaughtered/ dead ruminants from different parts of Kerala were examined in addition and the available amphistomes were collected for the study and specific identification. The flukes were studied alive, flattened and stained and in certain cases by microtomy sections. Result of the study indicated that the prevalence of infection was far more in cattle and buffaloes than in sheep and goats. The rate of prevalence in cattle, buffaloes and goats was 20.16%, 28.57% and 3.22% respectively. In slaughtered/dead animals the prevalence was 33.09%, 34.67%, 4.17% and 5.81% respectively in cattle, buffaloes, sheep and goats. The highest prevalence was recorded during the rainy season and lowest in dry/summer season. Prevalence during south west monsoon was 38.08% and 20.73% during North East monsoon. The seasonal prevalence hardly varied between cattle and buffaloes but it was consistently low in sheep and goats. Most of the prevalence in all animals were of mixed origin. A total number of 17 species belonging to eight genera of amphistomes were identified. Cevlonocotyle spinicephalus (Tandon, 1955) was recorded from new hosts i.e, cattle and goats, cotylophoron chauhani from goats, in addition to the already reported hosts, buffaloes and sheep respectively. The following conclusions are drawn on the basis of the results of this study: Amphistomes are most prevalent in cattle and buffaloes. Though the infection with amphistomes exists throughout the year, it is definitely more in monsoon seasons. Ceylonocotyle spinicephalus (Tandon, 1955) occurs in cattle and goats and cotylophoron chauhani (Gupta and Gupta, 1972 ) in goats also.