Rice (Oryza sativa) is a vital food crop and staple diet for most of the world’s population. Poor dietary choices have had a significant role in the development of type-2 diabetes in the population that relies on rice and rice-starch-based foods. Hence, our study investigated the in vitro digestion and glycemic indices of certain indigenous rice cultivars and the factors influencing these indices. Cooking properties of rice cultivars were estimated. Further, biochemical investgations such as amylose content, resistant starch content were estimated using iodine-blue complex method and megazyme kit respectively. The in vitro glycemic index was estimated using GOPOD method. The rice cultivars considered in our study were classified into low-, intermediate-, and high-amylose rice varieties. The rice cultivars were subjected to physicochemical characterization by using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) techniques. FTIR spectral analysis revealed prominent bands at 3550-3200, 2927-2935, 1628-1650, 1420-1330, and 1300-1000 cm⁻¹, which correspond to –OH groups, C=O, C=C, and C–OH stretches, and H–O–H and –CH bending vibrations, confirming the presence of starch, proteins, and lipids. Additionally, the FTIR ratio R(1047/1022) confirmed the ordered structure of the amylopectin. DSC analysis revealed variations in the gelatinization parameters, which signifies variations in the fine amylopectin structures and the degree of branching inside the starch granules. The percentage of resistant starch (RS) ranged from 0.50–2.6%. The swelling power (SP) of the rice flour ranged between 4.1 and 24.85 g/g. Furthermore, most of the rice cultivars are classified as having a high glycemic index (GI) based on the estimated in vitro GI (eGI), which varies from 73.74–90.88. The cooking properties of these materials were also investigated. Because the amylose content is one of the key factors for determining the cooking, eating, and digestibility properties of rice, we investigated the relationships between the amylose content and other biochemical characteristics of rice cultivars. The SP and GI were negatively correlated with the amylose content, whereas the RS had a positive relationship. The findings of our study can be beneficial in illustrating the nutritional profile and factors affecting the digestibility of traditional rice cultivars which will promote their consumption, cultivation, and contributes to future food security.

A multi-omics-based approach targeting the plant-based natural products from Thumbai (Leucas aspera), an important yet untapped potential source of many therapeutic agents for myriads of immunological conditions and genetic disorders, was conceptualized to reconnoiter its potential biomedical application. A library of 79 compounds from this plant was created, out of which 9 compounds qualified the pharmacokinetics parameters. Reverse pharmacophore technique for target fishing of the screened compounds was executed through which renin receptor (ATP6AP2) and thymidylate kinase (DTYMK) were identified as potential targets. Network biology approaches were used to comprehend and validate the functional, biochemical and clinical relevance of the targets. The target–ligand interaction and subsequent stability parameters at molecular scale were investigated using multiple strategies including molecular modeling, pharmacophore approaches and molecular dynamics simulation. Herein, isololiolide and 4-hydroxy-2-methoxycinnamaldehyde were substantiated as the lead molecules exhibiting comparatively the best binding affinity against the two putative protein targets. These natural lead products from L. aspera and the combinatorial effects may have plausible medical applications in a wide variety of neurodegenerative, genetic and developmental disorders. The lead molecules also exhibit promising alternative in diagnostics and therapeutics through immuno-modulation targeting natural killer T-cell function in transplantation-related pathogenesis, autoimmune and other immunological disorders. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma