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Background and objective Cabbage head is one of the main essential vegetables grown worldwide and contains high antioxidants compounds that fight the inflammation of many diseases. In this study, antioxidant activities and several characteristics of four different cabbage heads (Red, Savoy, Green and Napa) have been investigated. Materials and methods Characteristics included: Head dimensions, sphericity, aspect ratio, mass, moisture content, project and surface areas. The (static and dynamic) frictions were detected on different surfaces. Results Napa cultivar had the highest TEAC assay (5.69 μmol TE g-1 fw). Green head had the highest DPPH assay (91.22 μmol TE g-1 fw), while the red head had the highest FRAP assay (79.77 μmol TE g-1 fw). The highest moisture content was in the Napa heads (94.91%). Savoy heads recorded the highest width, thickness, aspect ratio, mass and sphericity. The highest static and dynamic frictions were found on galvanic iron (0.29-0.51) and stainless steel (0.36-0.66), respectively. Conclusion The measured data will be used in the cabbage horticultural processing for quality improvement and diet planers due to the high antioxidant activities.

White button mushroom or (Agaricus bisporus) is known as a healthy foodstuff with several nutrients, polyphenols, proteins, and dietary fibers. Mushrooms have a short shelf-life, approximately three to four days at commercial storage and about eight days under chilling conditions. In the current study, titanium dioxide nanoparticles and chitosan films were used as novel active coating materials with the addition of thymol and tween (T and T) as food preservatives to prolong mushroom shelf life up to 12 days. Chitosan, Chitosan-Nano, and Chitosan-Nano/TT were used as coating materials, while water was used as control. Chitosan-Nano/TT film reported the lowest peroxidase activity (0.005 U kg−1 FW) and the highest superoxide dismutase activity (4.033 U kg−1 FW), while catalase activity in Chitosan-Nano film was (0.45 U kg−1 FW). Chitosan-Nano film enhanced the reactive oxygen species production levels, DPPH radicals (74.70%), and malondialdehyde content (1.68 µmol kg−1FW). Chitosan-Nano/TT film preserved the respiration rates (O2 consumption −0.026 mmol s−1kg−1, CO2 production −0.004 mg CO2 kg−1s−1) and increased the phenolic contents (0.38 g kg−1). The results suggested that nano-coating films can increase the oxidation processes which enhanced the quality of the mushrooms.

Agaricus bisporus is an edible fungus with a limited shelf life due to high moisture loss, browning, respiration, self-dissolve, lack of physical protection, rotting, and microbial attack. Mushrooms have been coated with nisin, nano-silica, and chitosan films in order to extend the shelf life, preserve quality and oxidation activities. The results showed that treating the mushrooms with chitosan and nano-silica (CH-AN-SILICA) increased superoxide dismutase activity (SOD—6.53 U kg−1), total phenolic content (TPC—0.39 g kg−1), and malondialdehyde content (MDA—1.63 µmol kg−1). CH-AN-SILICA treatment exhibited the highest scavenging against 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radicals. While, CH-AN-SILICA with the addition of nisin as an antimicrobial agent preserved almost the reactive oxygen species such as hydroxyl radicals (OH—0.33 µmol g−1), superoxide anion (O2•−—0.271 mmol s−1 kg−1), and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2—21.54 µmol g−1). Besides, both CH-AN-SILICA and CH-AN-SILICA/N enhanced the catalase (CAT) activity and reduced the respiration rate. The results indicated that the combination of nisin, nano-silica, and chitosan coating films was effective in providing a longer storage life with acceptable quality in mushrooms.

Onions belong to the Allium genus that has been frequently used for human diet and the traditional medication due to the bioactive compounds. The main nutritional values, vitamins, and amino acid compositions of onion bulbs (Yellow, Red, Green, Leek, and Baby onions) with some essential structural parameters for the packaging process were investigated. Physical and structural parameters with frictions were applied for the packaging process. The results reported that moisture content was the main component of onion bulbs (88.65%). Besides, they were rich in proteins (9.22–13.21 g/100 g infresh weight) (FW). Results reported that Red and Yellow varieties established the largest vitamin C and carotenoids contents (45.07 mg/100 g−1 FW) and (1.44 µg/mL FW), respectively. The major amino acid was arginine which was highly found in Green variety (17.02 mg/g FW) and a relatively high amount of glutamic and aspartic acids as (9.88–14.89 mg/g FW) and (4.93–10.55 mg/g FW), respectively. Yellow variety established the largest width, thickness, surface area, aspect ratio, and sphericity. The highest static and kinetic frictions were established on steel (0.14–0.52) and (0.75–0.96), respectively. This study presents the nutritional evidence of onion varieties for the human diet besides the horticultural processing for packaging quality improvement.

Salinity stress riskiness adversely affects the population by causing food and environmental issues. Moreover, the destructive impacts of salinization differ among various plant cultivars. In the present study, we evaluate the salt stress tolerance among three wheat cultivars based on growth criteria, leaf relative water content (LRWC), and abscisic acid (ABA) level by treating the plants with 0, 40, 80, or 160 mM NaCl. The results revealed that an increase in NaCl concentration caused a massive reduction in growth (shoot and root growth criteria and flag leaf area), photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, carotenoids, and total pigments), and LRWC value, but a significant increase in the ABA content in flag leaf in all wheat cultivars. The wheat cultivars were otherwise exposed to anatomical characteristics and photosynthetic gas exchange investigations. NaCl toxicity induced a noticeable reduction in stomatal aperture area (SAA), stomatal conductance (Gs), transpiration rate (Tr), and leaf net photosynthetic rate (Pn). These impacts were remarkable with the 160 mM NaCl treatments for all evaluated parameters. Moreover, Sakha 69 revealed salinity tolerance greater than Giza168, and Sakha8 was the most salt-sensitive cultivar. Consequently, we recognized Sakha 69 as a salt-tolerant cultivar that may be used as parents in breeding programs for new cultivars with enhanced salt tolerance and for further genetic investigations to reveal the genetic strategies controlling the response of salinity stress in the wheat plant.

Chitosan coating plus silicon dioxide nanoparticles and nisin were applied on fresh blueberry samples in order to find out safety packaging assay during the post-harvest process. Studies were performed in-vitro for fruit quality as physicochemical parameters and oxidation, while microbiological analyses as molds/yeast and mesophilics populations were examined in-vivo. The selected silicon dioxide nanoparticles 1% and nisin 1%, were added into a chitosan solution, which resulted in four groups of coated blueberries. After storage at ambient temperature, fruits were examined for two, four, six, and eight days. It was noticed that the hardness, chewiness, and cohesiveness of all blueberry samples were increased during the storage. Chitosan-nano-silicon dioxide (CHN-Nano) and (CHN-N-Nano) with the addition of nisin helped to control shrinking (38.52%) and decay rates (8.61%). Moreover, (CHN-N-Nano) reported the lowest L* values (10.54) for the color index, and inhibited the microbial populations (3.60 and 2.73 log CFU/g) for molds/yeast and mesophilics, respectively. (CHN-Nano) reported the lowest value for ph (2.61) and the highest for anthocyanin content (75.19 cyanidin-3-glucoside mg/100 g). The chitosan coating substantially maintained Vitamin C (7.34 mg/100 g) and polyphenoloxidase (PPO) (558.03 U min&minus, 1&middot, g&minus, 1). The results suggest that nano-material with chitosan film coatings that contained nisin were effective for fresh blueberry preservation under ambient temperature.

This study was conducted in Jazan region of south-western Saudi Arabia. Vegetation cover, frequency, abundance and soil characteristics were analysed at three locations with different quantitative and descriptive vegetation characteristics. Plant species were classified into three primary communities dominated by Salvadora persic, Acacia tortilis and Ziziphus spini-Christi. The results indicated that the distribution of plant species is controlled by soil characteristics. Very limited water resources are also limiting factor in vegetation growth. Among the three studied sites, desert and coastal environments are affected by desertification. Rehabilitation of the degraded lands requires collaborative efforts and support from the different related governmental sectors. Ecological conservation and sustainable development must be adopted as tools of rehabilitation.