Biochemical, Anti-Microbial and Organoleptic Studies of Cucumber (Cucumis Sativus)

The cucumber (Cucumis sativus) is a widely cultivated plant in the gourd family Cucurbitaceae. It is a creeping vine which bears cylindrical edible fruit when ripe. Cucumbers actually come in a wide variety of colors, sizes, shapes and textures. There are white, yellow, and even orange-colored cucumbers, and they may be short, slightly oval, or even round in shape. Their skins can be smooth and thin, or thick and rough. Cucumber plants naturally thrive in both temperate and tropical environments, and generally require temperatures between 60-90°F/15-33°C. For this reason, they are native to many regions of the world. To substantiate this, an analysis of the proximate principles of the samples was carried out using bench science experiments. The proximate profiles of Carbohydrates, Minerals, proteins and Crude fibers were analysed. The study showed highest percentage of moisture content and considerable amounts of Proteins, Carbohydrates, Calcium, Iron, Phosphorous, Vitamin C and crude fibres. Result was obtained to conclude that Cucumber is high in all nutritional content. The aqueous extracts of cucumber with peel and without peel was prepared using chilled distilled water were investigated for its effect on the Salmonella Typhi. The MIC (minimal inhibitory concentration) results obtained exhibited the antimicrobial activity of the aqueous extracts of cucumber with peel and without peel. The MIC of the aqueous extract for cucumber with peel and without peel was found to be 100% respectively. The bactericidal property observed was confirmed using Real time PCR. Therefore it was found that a bacteriostatic effect can be expected but needs further evaluation, in the case of cucumber without peel extract. Whereas cucumber with peel extract has a bactericidal antimicrobial property. Further in order to project the organoleptic appeal of cucumber under study, invasive and non-invasive sensory evaluation was carried out by a semi-trained panel. This was executed with a recipe of cucumber salad with tomato salad and cucumber soup with bottle-gourd soup. The data was subjected to biostatistical analysis which proved that the cucumber recipes were accepted. The commercial appeal of cucumber was also speculated using value for money (VFM) studies. Nutritive ingredients were used in the recipes. Cucumber thus is better nutritional, sensory as well as in commercial aspects.