Short Science Articles

Why the food fortification program is important for the health of a community? The answer lies in the fact that 50% of metabolic diseases in developing and underdeveloped countries are caused due to malnutrition. Last year. more than 700 children died due to starvation in Thar ( Sindh ). Starvation is a principle reason for malnutrition in children of the affected regions. World food and agriculture organization have issued alarming starvation statics of some African countries although total world food production is enough to support global food requirements. Starvation or malnutrition is specifically related to deficient food intake which ultimately results in metabolic diseases linked with micronutrient deficiency. Starvation can be lethal as it may cause permanent organ loss due to severe deficiency of water and essential nutrients. Severe malnutrition can result in the death of the affected individual. The initiative of Food Fortifi...

                                   Bioactive peptides are fragments of precursor inactive proteins that show specific biological activities and stimulates body functions when specific proteolytic enzymes cleave and modify them into biologically active peptides.  bioactive peptides may have some hormone- or drug-like singling properties due to which they act as regulatory products of inactive parent proteins and may influence the physiological activities of the body and may trigger some specific physiological responses. Sources of Biologically active peptides Bioactive peptides are immensely found in food derived from various sources. Some common sources of biologically active bio peptides are listed below. 1-       Fungi Some endophytic fungi are found producing valuable bioactive compounds. These compounds have some nutraceutical, therapeutic and ...

Endorphins are endogenous hormones which are commonly known as happy chemicals as they produce a state of pleasure. Endorphins have opioid-like characteristic and it resembles morphine. Endorphins as a neuropeptide are released from body endogenously to combat stress. It is commonly known as natural painkiller produced by the body itself to relieve pain and stress. Endorphin was first discovered in the 1970s. Endorphins have their own specific binding or receptor sites that are known as µ-receptors and naloxone is used as a common clinical antagonist to study the effects of endorphins. Types of Endorphins: Endorphins are generally classified into four types on the basis of type and number of amino acids present in the polypeptide chain of endorphins. 1-       Alpha- endorphin 2-       Beta-endorphin 3-       Gamma- endorphin 4-       Sigma endorphin β-endorphins are ...