The growing consumer demand for healthier beverages has increased interest in functional drinks with enhanced nutritional benefits. The present study aimed to develop, standardize, and evaluate a low-calorie ready-to-serve (RTS) beverage combining hill lemon (Citrus pseudolimon Tan.) and ginger (Zingiber officinale) juice blends as a refreshing antioxidant-rich drink. Fresh hill lemon fruits (447 g average weight, 42.7% juice yield, and 4.94% acidity) and ginger juice with high antioxidant activity (72%) but low TSS (3.1°Brix) were used. Three formulations were prepared using different ratios of hill lemon-ginger juice and sweeteners (sugar, sorbitol, honey, and stevia). The highest sensory acceptability was observed for the 85:15 juice ratio with a stevia: sugar (75:25) blend. Nutritional analysis showed that stevia-based formulations significantly reduced sugar content while maintaining antioxidant activity and ascorbic acid. FTIR analysis confirmed functional groups (O–H, C–H, and C–O) associated with key bioactive compounds. During 90 days of storage, acidity, ascorbic acid, antioxidant activity, and sensory quality gradually declined, with glass bottles performing better than PET. Overall, the developed low-calorie hill lemon–ginger RTS beverage shows strong potential as a functional drink for health-conscious consumers and commercial applications.

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) is a nutritionally important pulse crop with strong potential to enhance dietary protein and mineral intake. A pot experiment was conducted at CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar (India) during the summer season of 2023-24 to assess genotypic variability in quality traits and nutrient composition across ten cowpea genotypes. The study was arranged in a completely randomized design with three replications. Grain samples collected at harvest were analysed for protein, carbohydrate, nitrogen, potassium, and micronutrients (Zn, Fe, Mn, Cu), along with Zn concentration in pods and the overall index of nutritional quality (OINQ), using standard procedures. Significant (p ≤ 0.05) differences were observed among genotypes for all parameters. Protein content was in the range of 18.0–23.5%, while seed Zn and Fe concentrations varied between 28.12 and 41.66 ppm, and 40.2 and 59.2 ppm, respectively. Correlation analysis revealed strong positive associations among protein, nitrogen, Zn, Fe, and Cu, suggesting coordinated accumulation of these traits, whereas carbohydrate content showed strong negative correlations, indicating a dilution effect. Principal component analysis (PCA) explained 90.26% of total variance within the first three components, with PC1 representing a nutritional quality axis dominated by protein and micronutrients. Genotypes ‘Kashi Kanchan’ and ‘Cowpea-263’ consistently exhibited superior nutritional profiles and higher OINQ values. The study highlights the utility of multivariate approaches in identifying nutritionally superior cowpea genotypes and provide promising candidates for biofortification-oriented breeding under semi-arid Indian conditions.

Helminthic infections remain a significant global health concern, particularly in immunocompromised individuals where disease severity and tissue responses may be altered. Ancylostoma caninum infection, primarily a parasite of dogs, has widely been used as an experimental model to study host-parasite interactions due to its ability to induce systemic pathological changes. Moreover, metabolic disorders such as diabetes mellitus are known to modulate immune responses, potentially exacerbating infection outcomes. This study was aimed to elucidate the tissue-specific histopathological responses following experimental infection with A. caninum in both healthy and diabetic Wistar rats. A total of 108 rats were randomly allocated to six groups (n = 18 per group). Groups I and II served as healthy and diabetic controls, respectively. Experimental infection was performed using L3 larvae of A. caninum administered either orally (200 larvae rat-1) or percutaneously (1000 larvae rat-1) based on group designations. Histopathological assessments of lung, liver, skeletal muscle, and brain tissues were conducted on six randomly selected rats from each group on days 15, 30, and 45 post-infections. No significant lesions were observed in groups I, II, V, and VI. In contrast, group III and IV (orally infected healthy and diabetic rats, respectively) exhibited pronounced pathological changes, with severe manifestations in diabetic animals. These findings highlight the exacerbated tissue responses associated with hyperglycemia in helminthic infections and provide insights into the pathogenesis of ancylostomiasis in immunocompromised hosts.

Powdery mildew is a common disease in sunflower ecosystems, particularly during the flowering stage, and is caused by the obligate pathogen Golovinomyces cichoracearum (G. ambrosiae). The disease produces powdery growth on leaves, petioles, and flowers, leading to significant seed and oil yield losses. In present study, a mixed population of G. cichoracearum and Podosphaera xanthii was observed, with G. cichoracearum being predominant. To manage powdery mildew, twenty-one naturally occurring mycoparasitic fungi were isolated from different host plants. Based on culturo-morphological characteristics, ten isolates resembling Ampelomyces spp. were selected for further study. Under laboratory conditions, these isolates produced pycnidia within 7 days. Molecular characterization using ITS (18S and 28S rDNA regions) revealed genetic diversity among the isolates. Pycnidiospore concentration of 10⁸ spores mL⁻¹ effectively parasitized the conidia and conidiophores of G. cichoracearum in vitro. Among the isolates, HP 003 (A. quisqualis AQ 003; NCBI accession ON502948) showed superior pycnidial production and faster mycelial growth, resulting in reduced disease severity under field conditions. The mycoparasitic activity was associated with the production of hydrolytic enzymes and secondary metabolites. GC-MS analysis identified 39 compounds, including 2-methylfuran and 3-pentanol, which are implicated in metabolic pathways and plant defense responses. These findings highlight the potential of A. quisqualis AQ 003 as an eco-friendly biocontrol agent against powdery mildew disease in sunflower crop.

Biological synthesis of metallic nanoparticles using plant extracts is a sustainable, low-cost, and eco-friendly alternative to conventional physico chemical methods. In this study, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) were synthesized for the first time using the aqueous extract of underutilized medicinal herb Dipsacus inermis, rich in phytochemicals. The synthesized nanoparticles were thoroughly characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X ray diffraction to confirm nanoscale dimensions, crystalline ZnO structure, and phytochemical-mediated surface functionalization. The characterization studies revealed that the phytochemicals in the extract simultaneously acted as bio reducing and stabilizing agents and further confirmed the formation of spherical nanoparticles with an average hydrodynamic diameter of 37 nm and a crystalline ZnO structure. The synthesized ZnONPs were then evaluated for antimicrobial and cytotoxicity studies, which revealed that the nanoparticles exhibited significant antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, with respective inhibition zones reaching 9.1 ± 0.2 and 8.9 ± 0.1 mm at 500 μg mL-1. Anticancer potential was assessed on human breast cancer (MDA MB231) cells and cytocompatibility on human embryonic kidney (HEK293T) cells, which revealed potential anticancer activity with only 37% ± 1.01 cells viable at the highest test concentration of 100 μg mL-1 and showed no significant cytotoxicity to normal cells with more than 70% ± 3.6 cells viable at highest test concentration. These findings highlight the potential of D. inermis-mediated ZnONP as ecofriendly therapeutic agents with multifunctional properties, including antibacterial activity, emphasizing further biomedical studies.