An Analysis of Sociocultural Barriers on Social Empowerment of Women in Sahiwal Division

The paper sets out to discuss impact of socio-cultural barriers on social empowerment of rural women in term of decision making related to their personal as well as social life in Sahiwal division. Pakistan is a patriarchal society characterized by patri-local residence and exclusion of women from the right of inheritance and succession, which pave ways for male-headed society. In addition, socio-cultural factors strongly favour male-dominance and an inferior status of females in all walks of life. A quantitative approach was adopted for carrying out current study. A survey instrument was designed and employed for data collection from 384 respondents from rural areas of Sahiwal division. The findings of the study revealed that less than one third (31.25%) of the respondents were consulted in decision-making about domestic matters. Likewise, more than half (51.8%) of the respondents were not independent in moving out of home for meeting any social need. Similarly, more than one third (41.4%) of the respondents were not free to visit their friends in the neighborhood. The study concludes that women in the rural areas are less empowered and still suffering socially, economically and psychologically in their day to day life. The study provides an insight for professional social workers, policy makers and stakeholders in public and private sectors for influencing policy-making and planning for revisiting and redesigning existing policies and plans intended for empowerment of rural women in Pakistan

Biochemical, Functional and End-Use Perspectives of Modified Cereal Brans

Bran, an integral component of wholegrain has got importance for its multifarious functionalities in food. Bran is detached from cereals during roller-milling operations and considered as a byproduct of milling. This milling byproduct is mainly utilized for animal feed purposes but also gaining popularity for human foods. The major technical problems associated with use of bran in food applications is lack in malleability and pliability of the finished product. Modification is therefore offered as a corrective route to overcome these problems. The technical snags and quality related issues of the processed products have been abated to an extent by the use of modified brans in food processing. In the current ambiance of consumer awareness and health consciousness, the bran holds significant importance for food applications. In the present project, four cereals were under study i.e. wheat, barley, millet and sorghum. Bran was separated from cereal grains and was subjected to size reduction and enzymatic modification. By size reduction two sizes fine (1mm) and coarse (2mm) were produced. Enzymatic modification involved xylanases (E1) and cellulase (E2) @ 1U/ml in 10% bran suspension. The native and modified cereal brans were evaluated for the chemical and mineral profiles. BBN demonstrated highest ash (6.88%), E2BB highest fiber (9.87%) and CWB highest protein (20.50%). The minerals assessed in different cereal brans included Mg, Cu, Zn, Co, Mn and K. The highest values in mg/100g for minerals in different brans were observed as: Mg (239.25 in E1SB), Cu (1.41 in MBN), Zn (2.41 in FSB), Co (1.30 in FMB), Mn (2.90 in MBN) and K (1184.67 in E1WB). CMB demonstrated highest total dietary fiber (52.36%) and insoluble dietary fiber (46.75%), whereas E1BB showed highest soluble dietary fiber (13.83%). Total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoids content (TFC) and total anthocyanins content (TAC) were determined spectrophotometrically and phenolic acids through HPLC. Total phenolic content was recorded highest in E1MB (0.304 mg GAE/g), TFC in CMB (210.86 μg/g). Total anthocyanins content was highest in E1SB (133.11 mg/Kg). Antioxidant activity was assessed by DPPH and FRAP assays. Antioxidant activities specified by DPPH and FRAP assay were found to be highest in CMB (89.51 % inhibition) and SBN (722.52 μMFeSO4/g) respectively. Anti-nutritional factors like condensed tannins and phytic acid were evaluated spectrophotometrically. Condensed tannins and phytic acid were observed in highest quantities in CSB (179.77 mg/100g) and E1BB (5.80 g/100g) respectively. The effect of modified bran incorporation in breads and cookies was evaluated through assessment of sensorial and textural attributes. E2WB, E1BB, E2MB and E2SB had good scores for overall acceptability of breads. Bread with FMB had good fiber and ash content and E1MB bread showed higher protein contents out of all types of breads. In the case of cookies, E1SB had highest overall acceptability. The monosaccharide composition of cereal brans, breads and cookies was assessed through UHPLC-QqQ-MS in DMRM mode. Total 14 monosaccharides were assessed in different bran samples. The monosaccharides principally detected in brans, breads and cookies included glucose, xylose and arabinose. Galactose and fructose were detected in minute quantities in some of the samples. Data from analyses were taken in triplicates and reported as means ± standard errors. Level of significance was assessed using Analysis of variance (ANOVA) under completely randomized design (CRD) using two factor factorial.