Mushrooms are macroscopic fruit bodies of fungi; one of the most diverse groups of living organisms distributed all over the world. In recent past, they have gained significant scientific attention for their profound nutraceutical potentiality. The objective of the present study was to explore the diversity and ecological distribution of mushrooms in different forest areas of Bankura district. The study area includes intermittent dense forest and flood plains from middle-east to eastern part of Bankura district. However, this area received very little attention from a conservation perspective, and there is no such documentation on mushrooms of this area. The survey was conducted from August 2019 to October 2020 including vivid field surveys in the forest depots. The study has revealed a total of 53 identified mushroom species belonging to 40 genera and 30 families. The study has also identified 25 edible, 18 inedible and 15 medicinally potential mushrooms. The genus Russula and the family Russulaceae dominates the myco-population. The finding shows that this region is rich in macrofungal diversity complicatedly linked to the functioning of the local ecosystem. The present study opens new possibilities regarding the exploration and utilization of wild mushrooms in India.

Over-exploitation and energy security concerns of the diminishing fossil fuels is a challenge to the present global economy. Further, the negative impact of greenhouse gases released using conventional fuels has led to the need for searching for alternative biofuel sources with biomass in the form of lignocellulose coming up as among the potent candidates. The entrapped carbon source of the lignocellulose has multiple applications other than biofuel generation under the biorefinery approach. However, the major bottleneck in using lignocellulose for biofuel production is its recalcitrant nature. Carbohydrate Active Enzymes (CAZymes) are enzymes that are employed for the disintegration and consumption of lignocellulose biomass as the carbon source for the production of biofuels and bio-derivatives. However, the cost of enzyme production and their stability and catalytic efficiency under stressed conditions is a concern that hinders large-scale biofuel production and utilization. Search for novel CAZymes with superior activity and stability under industrial condition has become a major research focus in this area considering the fact that the most conventional CAZymes has low commercial viability. The gut of plant-eating herbivores and other organisms is a potential source of CAZyme with high efficiency. The review explores the potential of the gut microbiome of various organisms in the production of an efficient CAZyme system and the challenges in using the biofuels produced through this approach as an alternative to conventional biofuels.

The novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is posing a serious threat to the mankind with its massive infection rate and potentially fatality. A total of 212 countries have been infected within the 112 days of first report causing 2 314 621 confirmed cases and 157 847 deaths worldwide. India, the country which is already battling with poverty, malnutrition and high population density is also at the second stage of coronavirus transmission. The situation is worsening and the attention has focused on the prevalence and preventive measures to be taken to protect 1.35 billion people of the largest democratic country of the world. In this review, a study has been designed to evaluate the prevalence, transmission, clinical symptoms, and preventive measures to control the community transmission of this fatal disease. The initial impact of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak on Indian economy has also been dealt with. This study reviews and summarizes the main points of the epidemic in India until the end of April 2020.

Carotenoids are pigments that are lipophilic in nature. Lycopene is an important dietary carotenoid that has been seen to be effective in managing and treating various medical conditions. It has aliphatic properties. It can be isolated from watermelons, tomatoes, and papayas. All the studies were examined separately according to need, like, dose determination, comparison with other similar products, their concentration in body fluid and also their effectiveness at different sites and types of comorbidities. It can prevent inflammatory and oxidative properties. Lycopene has pharmacological effects in diseases related to the central nervous system like Epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease along with this it also exhibits Cardioprotective and anti-microbial properties. It is also noteworthy to mention that antioxidants help in protecting and preventing the condition of atherosclerosis.