Fruits are a source of vitamins. Mango is one of the abundantly nutritional fruits. Vitamin B9, or folic acid, is one of the important vital amines due to its role in preventing neural deficiency. Several beneficial micro-organisms are used for the synthesis of folic acid. In this study, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Streptococcus thermophilus, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae were used. Saccharomyces cerevisiae synthesized folic acid as compared to other organisms. There were five different concentrations of mango pulp that were analyzed for folic acid synthesis (5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 30%). The initial concentration of pulp was 133.37 mg kg−1, but after fermentation with four micro-organisms it got reduced. As compared to the other three organisms, Saccharomyces cerevisiae synthesizes 17.15 mg kg−1, 30.14 mg kg−1, 28.62 mg kg−1, 21.70 mg kg−1, and 21.78 mg kg−1, respectively, at different pulp concentrations of 5%, 10%, 15, 20%, and 30%. Vitamin C increased to 320 mg as compared to the control, and there was no significant difference between the four micro-organisms. Antioxidants also showed positive results at different concentrations of pulp. There was an increase in titratable acidity and a decrease in pH recorded for the 24 h fermentation period. In this variety, the color of mango pulp slightly changes to yellow shades due to the breakdown of pigments, so this effects the *b value in between the pulp concentrations. Data supports the enrichment of folic acid, which will further support the utilization of beneficial micro-organisms in food beverages.
Himalayan ‘Ecotone’ temperate conifer forest is the cradle of life for human survival and wildlife existence. Human intervention and climate change are rapidly degrading and declining this transitional zone. This study aimed to quantify the floristic structure, important value index (IVI), topographic and edaphic variables between 2019 and 2020 utilizing circular quadrant method (10m × 10m). The upper-storey layer consisted of 17 tree species from 12 families and 9 orders. Middle-storey shrubs comprise 23 species representing 14 families and 12 orders. A total of 43 species of herbs, grasses, and ferns were identified from the ground-storey layer, representing 25 families and 21 orders. Upper-storey vegetation structure was dominated by Pinus roxburghii (22.45%), while middle-storey vegetation structure was dominated by Dodonaea viscosa (7.69%). However, the ground layer vegetation was diverse in species composition and distribution. By using Ward’s agglomerative clustering technique, the floral vegetation structure was divided into three floral communities. Ailanthus altissima, Pinus wallichiana, and P. roxburghii had the highest IVI values in Piro–Aial (Group 2), Piwa–Quin (Group 3) and Aial–Qugal (Group 2). The IVI values for Aesculus indica, Celtis australis, and Quercus incana in Aial-Qugal (Group 2) were not determined. Nevertheless, eleven of these species had 0 IVI values in Piro–Aial (Group 2) and Piwa–Quin (Group 3). Based on the CCA ordination biplot, significant differences were observed in floral characteristics and distribution depending on temperature, rainfall, soil pH, altitude, and topographic features. Based on Ward’s agglomerative clustering, it was found that Himalayan ‘Ecotone’ temperate conifer forests exhibit a rich and diverse floristic structure.
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