High‐intensity low‐calorie sweeteners saccharin, acesulfame‐K, sucralose and aspartame were used as a replacement for sucrose in the manufacture of burfi. Burfi sweetened with low‐calorie sweeteners ranked lower (P < 0.05) but was still acceptable in various textural attributes at all periods of storage in comparison to the control with sucrose. The low hardness, adhesiveness, springiness and accordingly, gumminess and chewiness in burfi samples sweetened with low‐calorie sweeteners were because of the lack of compactness. It was evident from the scanning electron microscopy that the compactness of the network in burfi decreased with the use of low‐calorie sweeteners. The results of the sensory evaluation have shown the successful use of low‐calorie sweeteners in the preparation of burfi with a slight difference in its overall acceptability, thus providing an alternate variety to the health‐conscious consumers. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS The consumption of sweets is an integral part of the Indian dietary system. An estimated 54% of India's milk production is converted into products, both traditional and western, with 50% share of traditional products. But in recent years, the manufacturers are diversifying the production to include the specialty items that cater to specific targeted populations. Diabetic‐friendly traditional sweet is a new category for such products, the production of which is being contemplated by many enterprising manufacturers. The results have shown the possibility of using low‐calorie sweeteners in the preparation of indigenous dairy products, i.e., burfi. The manufacture of indigenous dairy products with low‐calorie sweeteners will provide a successful outlet for traditional milk products, and this will provide an alternate variety to the health‐conscious consumers.

Marine fungi are the potential and promising sources for biologically active secondary metabolite productions. Secondary metabolites are the chemical compounds that are produced during the stationary phase of the organism. Many years of study revealed that fungi are excellent sources for novel bioactive secondary metabolites. In the present study fungi were isolated from marine water samples and serial dilution method was performed to isolate single colonies. Later microscopic and macroscopic observations were done to identify the organism. Organisms are inoculated into medium for production of secondary metabolites. One week later ethyl acetate is added to the broth in 1:1 ratio and kept for incubation in shaker. Solvent is separated by separating funnel and solvent is extracted by rotavapour to collect the crude extract. Crude extract is dissolved in DMSO and further tested for biological activities. The Fungi was identified as Fusarium species and its secondary metabolites showed potential antimicrobial activity. The present work was attempted to isolate organisms which are capable of producing efficient antibacterial and antifungal compounds. Further we identified the organism as Fusarium sp. The future scope of this work is to isolate these biologically active compounds to use in pharmaceutical applications.

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This paper mainly deals with the integrated approach of remote sensing and Geographical Information System (GIS) to delineate groundwater prospective zones in Narava basin, Visakhapatnam region. The various thematic maps generated for delineating groundwater potential zones are geomorphology, geology, lineament density, drainage density, slope and land use/land cover (LULC). Weighted index overlay (WIO) technique is used to investigate a number of choice possibilities and evaluate suitability according to the associated weight of each unit. The integrated map of the area shows different zones of groundwater prospects, viz. very good (18.9% of the area), good (26.4% of the area), moderate (17.1% of the area) and poor (37.6% of the area). The categorization of groundwater potential was in good agreement with the available water column in the basin area.

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