Reinwardtia indica, belongs to family Linaceae known as yellow flax or pyoli commonly found in the Himalaya. The plant has varied ethno medicinal importance such as aerial parts are used to prevent bleeding of cuts and as mouthwash; leaves are used in the treatment of paralysis and as natural antibiotic. Qualitative phytochemical screening of chloroform, acetone, ethanol, methanol and aqueous extracts was performed to explore scientific basis of ethno medicinal potential. It confirmed the presence of many phytochemicals like alkaloids, flavanoids, phenols, tannins, saponins, terpenoids, phlobatanins etc. in various extracts. Most of the phytochemicals were found in methanol and ethanol extracts. Thin Layer chromatography (TLC) of the acetone, methanol, chloroform and aqueous extract was performed for four important phytochemicals alkaloids, flavanoids, tannins and phenol. Flavanoids showed their presence in all extracts with one spot in each (Rf 0.8 for acetone, 0.918 for methanol, 0.816 for chloroform and 0.737 for aqueous extract). Alkaloids and tannins were found in acetone and methanol extract while phenol was present only in methanol extract (Rf 0.8). These findings provided the evidence that Reinwardtia indica is a potent source for some medicinally important phytochemicals and it justifies its use as a medicinal plant. This can be further investigated for the isolation and identification of active biochemical compound of medicinal utilities

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Foods that are extensively handled during preparation and stored without refrigeration are often associated with staphylococcal food poisoning. This problem is more confounding when contaminating strains belong to the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) group. In this study, we investigated the survivability of MRSA in two seafood matrices under different storage conditions. MRSA was inoculated at 6 and 3 log CFU/g into all sample groups of peeled shrimp (Parapeneopsis stylifera) stored at −20°C, Bombay duck fish (Harpadon nehereus) stored in ice, and dried Bombay duck fish stored at 30 ± 2°C. The populations of MRSA in frozen peeled shrimp inoculated with MRSA at 6 log CFU/g were reduced by 1.52 log CFU/g, whereas in samples inoculated with 3 log CFU/g levels remained stable after 60 days of storage. In fresh Bombay duck fish inoculated with 6 log CFU/g and stored in ice for 18 days, MRSA levels decreased by 2.75 log CFU/g. In contrast, in fresh fish inoculated with 3 log CFU/g the total viable count increased by 3.02 log CFU/g over 16 days of ice storage. In dried fish stored at 30 ± 2°C, MRSA levels declined by 3.27 log CFU/g in samples inoculated with 6 log CFU/g and by 0.91 log CFU/g in samples inoculated with 3 log CFU/g. These results suggest that the survival of MRSA depends on the temperature of storage and the inoculum level. In our study, MRSA survival was higher when inoculated at 3 log CFU/g regardless of the seafood matrix and storage temperature. HIGHLIGHTS