Benefits of Soleris® over the Conventional Method for Enumeration of Microbial Load in Salacia Herbal Extract

Stems and roots of Salacia genus plants have been used as a specific remedy for early-stage diabetes, and one of the four sulphonium sulphates, salacinol is the compound responsible for the anti-diabetic activity. Salacia is prone to microbial contamination and insect infestation; hence, methods to estimate the microbial load in such plants will enhance its nutritional value. This paper highlights the novel use of Soleris^® to quantify microbes of all types, namely bacteria, yeasts, molds, and coliforms in herbal extracts. The microbial analysis results obtained with Soleris^® test vial have been compared with the conventional method, and the results indicate that Soleris^® is equally efficient as the conventional method and in fact displays several advantages over the traditional method. The Soleris^® method is a real time monitoring system that is highly sensitive, user-friendly, and environmentally friendly since it generates very little biomedical waste and saves a large amount of time. The data presented here demonstrate that for highly contaminated samples, results are available within 24 h. For yeasts and molds, the Soleris^® method produces results in 48 h, thus offering considerable time savings compared to other commonly used methods.Key words: Salacia, salacinol, microbial load, bacteria, yeasts, herbals     

A new species of Viscum (Viscaceae) from Bandipur,Karnataka State, India

Viscum bandipurense M.C.Thriveni,G.R.Shivamurthy,K.N.Amruthesh,C.R.Vijay & K.B.Sadanand,sp.nov. (S2-2.Fig.1,S2-3.Fig.2) Type:India.Karnataka:Chamarajanagar District,BandipurNational Park,75 ° 12′ 17″ E to 76°51′32″ E and 11 °35′34″ N to 11 °57′02″ N,2010-09-10,M.C.Thriveni 181 (holotype,CAL;isotype,MUH).