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Agriculture provides basic livelihood for a large section of world's population. It is the oldest economic activity in India, with two third of Indian population involved in crop production. India is second largest producer of rice and biggest exporter globally, with rice which is most common staple crop consumed in country. However, there are several challenges for paddy production including small production yield, soil quality, seed quality, huge volume of water needed and biotic stress. Of these, biotic stress drastically affects yield and susceptibility to other diseases in paddy production. It is caused by pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, nematodes, all of which severely affect growth and productivity of paddy crop. To mitigate these challenges, infected crops are identified, detected, classified, categorized, and prevented according to their respective suffering disease by using conventional methods which are not effective and efficient for growth of paddy crop. Thus, use of artificial intelligence (AI) and a smart agriculture-based Internet of Things (IoT) platform could be effective for detecting the biotic stresses in very less time or online mode. For this, deep learning, and convolutional neural networks (CNN) multi-structured layer approach were used for diagnosing disease in rice plants. Different models and classifiers of CNN were used for detecting disease by processing high-spectral images and using logistic and mathematical formulation methods for classification of biotic paddy crop stresses. Continuous monitoring of stages of infection in paddy crop can be achieved using real-time data. Thus, use of AI has made diagnosing paddy crop diseases much easier and more efficient.

Brazil is the third largest beer producer in the world and has several brewing industries. These industries cover a range of production processes due to their wide variety of beverages, which leads to the generation of effluents with different physicochemical characteristics. Furthermore, these residues are usually disposed of without any treatment despite having enormous potential for biogas and bioenergy production. Biorefinery is a relevant alternative to the transition from a linear economy to a Circular Economy (CE). The Biorefinery exploits all available resources in the production of goods and contributes to sustainable development in the face of industrial production. In this context, as an alternative solution, anaerobic digestion (AD) has been commonly used as it uses different biomass sources to satisfy current energy demands. AD can be implemented to treat brewing effluent, promote its energy recovery, reduce environmental pollution, and produce environmentally friendly biological products: biogas and biofertilizer. Thus, this review explored the potential of AD for brewery waste management in association with the bio-based CE. Overall, the current manuscript emphasized the potential of brewery waste for biogas generation and energy production, discussing its adoption and challenges.

Biology retracts the article “Advantage of Species Diversification to Facilitate Sustainable Development of Aquaculture Sector” cited above [...]

This study explored the potential of abundantly available sodium lignosulfonate (LS) as a reducer and fabricating agent in preparing silver nanoparticles (LS–Ag NPs). The operational conditions were optimized to make the synthesis process simpler, rapid, and eco-friendly. The prepared LS–Ag NPs were analyzed via UV–Vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Results demonstrated that LS–Ag NPs were of crystalline structure, capped with LS constituents, and spherical in shape with a size of approximately 20 nm. Under optimized conditions, LS–Ag NPs exhibited significant photocatalytic activity in Reactive Yellow 4G degradation. The effects of photocatalyst (LS–Ag NPs) dosage, dye concentration, and its reusability for dye degradation were studied to make the process practically applicable in textile wastewater treatment. Additionally, the synthesized LS–Ag NPs displayed significant free radical scavenging against 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) with an IC50 value of (50.2 ± 0.70 µg/mL) and also exhibited antidiabetic activity in terms of inhibition in the activity of carbohydrate-degrading marker enzyme α-glucosidase with an IC50 value of (58.1 ± 0.65 µg/mL). LS–Ag NPs showed substantial antibacterial potential against pathogenic strains, namely E. coli and S. aureus. In conclusion, LS–Ag NPs can be a reliable and eco-friendly material for their possible application in the treatment of dye-containing wastewater and have a great perspective in the biomedical and pharmaceutical sectors.

In the growing polymer industry, the interest of researchers is captivated by bioplastics production with biodegradable and biocompatible properties. This study examines the polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) production performance of individual Lysinibacillus sp. RGS and Ralstonia eutropha ATCC 17699 and their co-culture by utilizing sugarcane bagasse (SCB) hydrolysates. Initially, acidic (H2SO4) and acidified sodium chlorite pretreatment was employed for the hydrolysis of SCB. The effects of chemical pretreatment on the SCB biomass assembly and its chemical constituents were studied by employing numerous analytical methods. Acidic pretreatment under optimal conditions showed effective delignification (60%) of the SCB biomass, leading to a maximum hydrolysis yield of 74.9 ± 1.65% and a saccharification yield of 569.0 ± 5.65 mg/g of SCB after enzymatic hydrolysis. The resulting SCB enzymatic hydrolysates were harnessed for PHA synthesis using individual microbial culture and their defined co-culture. Co-culture strategy was found to be effective in sugar assimilation, bacterial growth, and PHA production kinetic parameters relative to the individual strains. Furthermore, the effects of increasing acid pretreated SCB hydrolysates (20, 30, and 40 g/L) on cell density and PHA synthesis were studied. The effects of different cost-effective nutrient supplements and volatile fatty acids (VFAs) with acid pretreated SCB hydrolysates on cell growth and PHA production were studied. By employing optimal conditions and supplementation of corn steep liquor (CSL) and spent coffee waste extracted oil (SCGO), the co-culture produced maximum cell growth (DCW: 11.68 and 11.0 g/L), PHA accumulation (76% and 76%), and PHA titer (8.87 and 8.36 g/L), respectively. The findings collectively suggest that the development of a microbial co-culture strategy is a promising route for the efficient production of high-value bioplastics using different agricultural waste biomass.

The world has faced the challenges of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) for the last two years, first diagnosed at the end of 2019 in Wuhan and widely distributed worldwide. As a result, the WHO has proclaimed the illness brought on by this virus to be a global pandemic. To combat COVID-19, researcher communities continuously develop and implement rapid diagnoses, safe and effective vaccinations and other alternative therapeutic procedures. However, synthetic drug-related side effects and high costs have piqued scientists’ interest in natural product-based therapies and medicines. In this regard, antiviral substances derived from natural resources and some medicines have seen a boom in popularity. For instance, algae are a rich source of compounds such as lectins and sulfated polysaccharides, which have potent antiviral and immunity-boosting properties. Moreover, Algae-derived compounds or metabolites can be used as antibodies and vaccine raw materials against COVID-19. Furthermore, some algal species can boost immunity, reduce viral activity in humans and be recommended for usage as a COVID-19 preventative measure. However, this field of study is still in its early stages of development. Therefore, this review addresses critical characteristics of algal metabolites, their antioxidant potential and therapeutic potential in COVID-19.

Intensified agrochemical-based monoculture systems worldwide are under adoption to meet the challenge of human population growth and the ever-growing global demand for food. However, this path has been opposed and criticized because it involves overexploitation of land, monoculture of few species, excessive input of agrochemicals, and adverse impacts on human health and the environment. The wide diversity among polyculture systems practiced across the globe has created confusion over the priority of a single strategy towards sustainable aquaculture development and safer products. Herein, we highlight the significance of polyculture and integrated aquaculture practices in conveying the successful transition of the aquaculture industry towards sustainable development. So far, the established thought is that the precise selection of aquatic species and a focus on compatible and complementary species combinations are supposed to facilitate rapid progress in food production with more profitability and sustainability. Therefore, the advantages of species diversification are discussed from an ecological perspective to enforce aquaculture expansion. This account asserts that a diverse range of aquaculture practices can promote synergies among farmed species, enhance system resilience, enable conservation, decrease ecological footprints, and provide social benefits such as diversified income and local food security.

Various chemical compounds emerged including kraft lignin (KL) during the processes of papermaking. These chemical compounds in effluent of the paper industry have hazardous environmental impacts. KL is liable for causing pollution of aquatic and water bodies; hence, it must be minimized in order to maintain a healthy and sustainable environment. In the present study, KL degradation was performed with ligninolytic bacterium Serratia liquefaciens and we confirmed biotransformation of KL to various less polluted or harmless compounds. KL being degraded as 1000 mg/L–1 concentration with incubating 30°C for 72, 168, and 240 h, shaking at 120 rpm under laboratory conditions. We found 65% maximum degradation of KL and 62% decolorization by the treatment with S. liquefaciens for 240 h (10 days). After being the treatment of KL, clear changes were observed in its morphology (using scanning electron microscopy and stereo microscopy), hydrodynamic size (using dynamic light scattering), and the functional groups [using Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR–FTIR)]. Biotransformation of KL monitored by Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (GC–MS) revealed formation of various metabolites. In addition to degradation of KL, detoxification (involving biotransformation into various metabolites) was assessed using cytotoxicity assays 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide [MTT and calcein-acetoxymethyl (AM) assays] using a human kidney cell line (NRK-52E), which indicated improved cell survival rates (74% for the bacteria-treated KL solution treated for 240 h) compared to the control (27%). Thus, the present study suggests that bacteria S. liquefaciens might be useful in reducing the pollution of KL by transforming it into various metabolites along with cytotoxicity reduction for environmental protection.

We developed a colorimetric method for the rapid detection of copper ions (Cu2+) in aqueous solution. The detection of Cu2+ is based on coordination reactions of Cu2+ with casein peptide-functionalized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), leading to a distinct color change of the solution from yellow to red. The developed method has a good detection limit of about 0.16 µM Cu2+ using 0.05 mL of AgNPs stock solution and a linearity in the range of 0.08–1.44 µM Cu2+ with a correlation coefficient of R2 = 0.973. The developed method is a useful tool for the detection of Cu2+ ions. Furthermore, it can be used for monitoring Cu2+ in water at concentrations below the safe limit for drinking water set by the World Health Organization.

Aminoglycoside (AMG) antibiotics are being applied to treat infections caused by Gram-negative bacteria, mainly in livestock, and are prescribed only in severe cases because of their adverse impacts on human health and the environment. Monitoring antibiotic residues in dairy products relies on the accessibility of portable and efficient analytical techniques. Presently, high-throughput screening techniques have been proposed to detect several antimicrobial drugs having identical structural and functional features. The L-histidine functionalized gold nanoparticles (His@AuNPs) do not form a complex with other tested antibiotic classes but show high selectivity for AMG antibiotics. We used ligand-induced aggregation of His@AuNPs as a rapid and sensitive localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) assay for AMG antibiotics, producing longitudinal extinction shifts at 660 nm. Herein, we explore the practical application of His@AuNPs to detect streptomycin spiked in water, milk, and whey fraction of milk with nanomolar level sensitivity. The ability of the analytical method to recognize target analytes sensitively and rapidly is of great significance to perform monitoring, thus would certainly reassure widespread use of AMG antibiotics. The biosynthesis of hybrid organic–inorganic metal nanoparticles like His@AuNPs with desired size distribution, stability, and specific host–guest recognition proficiency, would further facilitate applications in various other fields.

Global energy consumption has been increasing in tandem with economic growth motivating researchers to focus on renewable energy sources. Dark fermentative hydrogen synthesis utilizing various biomass resources is a promising, less costly, and less energy-intensive bioprocess relative to other biohydrogen production routes. The generated acidogenic dark fermentative effluent [e.g., volatile fatty acids (VFAs)] has potential as a reliable and sustainable carbon substrate for polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) synthesis. PHA, an important alternative to petrochemical based polymers has attracted interest recently, owing to its biodegradability and biocompatibility. This review illustrates methods for the conversion of acidogenic effluents (VFAs), such as acetate, butyrate, propionate, lactate, valerate, and mixtures of VFAs, into the value-added compound PHA. In addition, the review provides a comprehensive update on research progress of VFAs to PHA conversion and related enhancement techniques including optimization of operational parameters, fermentation strategies, and genetic engineering approaches. Finally, potential bottlenecks and future directions for the conversion of VFAs to PHA are outlined. This review offers insights to researchers on an integrated biorefinery route for sustainable and cost-effective bioplastics production.

In nanoscience, the “green” synthesis approach has received great interest as an eco-friendly and sustainable method for the fabrication of a wide array of nanoparticles. The present study accounts for an expeditious technique for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) utilizing fruit waste grape pomace extracted tannin. Grape pomace tannin (Ta) involved in the reduction and capping of AgNPs and leads to the formation of stable Ta-AgNPs. Various conditions were attempted to optimize the particle size and morphology of Ta-AgNPs which was further analyzed using various analytical tools for different characteristic motives. UV-visible spectroscopy showed a characteristic peak at 420 nm, indicating successful synthesis of AgNPs. Energy disperses spectroscopy (EDS) analysis proved the purity of the produced Ta-AgNPs and manifested a strong signal at −2.98 keV, while Fourier-transform infrared spectrophotometer (FTIR) spectra of the Ta-AgNPs displayed the existence of functional groups of tannin. Zeta potential measurements (−28.48 mV) showed that the Ta-AgNPs have reasonably good stability. High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) analysis confirmed the average dimension of the synthesized NPs was estimated about 15–20 nm. Ta-AgNPs potentials were confirmed by in vitro antidiabetic activity to constrain carbohydrate digesting enzymes, mainly α-amylase and α-glucosidase, with a definite concentration of sample displaying 50% inhibition (IC50), which is about 43.94 and 48.5 μg/mL, respectively. Synthesized Ta-AgNPs exhibited significant antioxidant potential with respect to its 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothi-azoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) (IC50 of 40.98 µg/mL) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) (IC50 of 53.98 µg/mL) free radical scavenging activities. Ta-AgNPs exhibited extraordinary antibacterial activity against selected pathogenic strains and showed comparable antimicrobial index against ampicillin as a positive control.

In the current scenario of changing climatic conditions and the rising global population, there is an urgent need to explore novel, efficient, and economical natural products for the benefit of humankind. Biosurfactants are one of the latest explored microbial synthesized biomolecules that have been used in numerous fields, including agriculture, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food processing, and environment-cleaning industries, as a source of raw materials, for the lubrication, wetting, foaming, emulsions formulations, and as stabilizing dispersions. The amphiphilic nature of biosurfactants have shown to be a great advantage, distributing themselves into two immiscible surfaces by reducing the interfacial surface tension and increasing the solubility of hydrophobic compounds. Furthermore, their eco-friendly nature, low or even no toxic nature, durability at higher temperatures, and ability to withstand a wide range of pH fluctuations make microbial surfactants preferable compared to their chemical counterparts. Additionally, biosurfactants can obviate the oxidation flow by eliciting antioxidant properties, antimicrobial and anticancer activities, and drug delivery systems, further broadening their applicability in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Nowadays, biosurfactants have been broadly utilized to improve the soil quality by improving the concentration of trace elements and have either been mixed with pesticides or applied singly on the plant surfaces for plant disease management. In the present review, we summarize the latest research on microbial synthesized biosurfactant compounds, the limiting factors of biosurfactant production, their application in improving soil quality and plant disease management, and their use as antioxidant or antimicrobial compounds in the pharmaceutical industries.

Metallic nanostructures (MNs) and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) play a pivotal role by articulating their significance in high-performance supercapacitors along with conducting polymers (CPs). The interaction and synergistic pseudocapacitive effect of MNs with CPs have contributed to enhance the specific capacitance and cyclic stability. Among various conjugated heterocyclic CPs, polypyrrole (PPy) (prevalently knows as “synthetic metal”) is exclusively studied because of its excellent physicochemical properties, ease of preparation, flexibility in surface modifications, and unique molecular structure–property relationships. Numerous researchers attempted to improve the low electronic conductivity of MNs and MOFs, by incorporating conducting PPy and/or used decoration strategy. This was succeeded by fine-tuning this objective, which managed to get outstanding supercapacitive performances. This brief technical note epitomizes various PPy-based metallic hybrid materials with different nano-architectures, emphasizing its technical implications in fabricating high-performance electrode material for supercapacitor applications.

Many pathogenic viral pandemics have caused threats to global health; the COVID-19 pandemic is the latest. Its transmission is growing exponentially all around the globe, putting constraints on the health system worldwide. A novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), causes this pandemic. Many candidate vaccines are available at this time for COVID-19, and there is a massive international race underway to procure as many vaccines as possible for each country. However, due to heavy global demand, there are strains in global vaccine production. The use of a plant biotechnology-based expression system for vaccine production also represents one part of this international effort, which is to develop plant-based heterologous expression systems, virus-like particles (VLPs)-vaccines, antiviral drugs, and a rapid supply of antigen-antibodies for detecting kits and plant origin bioactive compounds that boost the immunity and provide tolerance to fight against the virus infection. This review will look at the plant biotechnology platform that can provide the best fight against this global pandemic.

Green synthesis of nanoparticles using seaweeds are fascinating high research attention nowadays and also gaining center of attention in biomedical applications. In this work, we have synthesized biocompatible and functionalized silver nanoparticles using an aqueous extract of seaweed Enteromorpha compressa as a reducing as well as stabilizing agent and their efficient antimicrobial and anticancer activity are reported here. The UV–vis spectra of AgNPs showed the characteristics SPR absorption band at 421 nm. The chemical interaction and crystalline nature of the AgNPs were evaluated by FT-IR and XRD studies. The XRD result of AgNPs shows typical Ag reflection peaks at 38.1°, 44.2°, 64.4° and 77.1° corresponding to (111), (200), (220) and (311) Bragg’s planes. The surface morphology and composition of the samples were observed by HRTEM, EDS and SAED pattern analyses. Spherical shaped Ag nano structures were observed in the size ranges between 4 and 24 nm with clear lattice fringes in the HRTEM image. This report reveals that seaweed mediated synthesis of AgNPs and sustained delivery of Ag ions to the bacterial and fungal surface have been reducing their growth rate which was evaluated by well diffusion assay. The synthesized AgNPs showed favorable cytotoxicity against Ehlrich Ascites Carcinoma (EAC) cells with IC50 value was recorded at 95.35 μg mL−1. This study showed cost effective silver nanoparticles synthesis with excellent biocompatibility and thus could potentially be utilized in biomedical and pharmaceutical applications.

This study aims to utilize a noxious weed water hyacinth biomass (WH) for polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) production. Alkaline and peracetic acid pretreatment was employed for the hydrolysis of WH and consequently enzymatic saccharification to produce fermentable sugars for PHB production. The pretreatment competence was determined using various operational parameters. By applying ambient conditions, alkaline pretreatment gave higher lignin removal of 65.0%, with 80.8% hydrolysis yield, and on enzyme hydrolysis (40 FPU/g of dry WH), produced total reducing sugar of about 523 mg/g of WH. The resulted WH enzymatic hydolysates were evaluated for the production of PHB by Ralstonia eutropha (ATCC 17699). The WH hydrolysates cultivation was compared to synthetic hydrolysates that contain a similar carbon composition in terms of bacterial growth and PHB synthesis. The effects of various supplements to enhance PHB production were estimated. Supplementation of corn steep liquor (CSL) as a cheap nitrogen source with WH hydrolysates favored a higher amount of PHB synthesis (73%), PHB titer of 7.30 g/L and PHB yield of 0.429 g/g of reducing sugar. Finally, using standard analytical tools, the physical and thermal characteristics of the extracted PHB were evaluated. The findings revealed WH was a promising and technically feasible option for transforming biomass into sustainable biopolymer conversion on a large scale.

Grape pomace, a most abundant and renewable wine industry waste product was utilized as a suitable reducing, capping, and stabilizing biomolecules for green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The physicochemical properties of biosynthesized grape pomace extract (GPE)-AgNPs were duly appraised via UV–Visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometer (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and transmission electron microscopy. The analytical studies revealed that the GPE-AgNPs were well formed and stable in nature. The functional groups of organic molecules of GPE are present on the surface of AgNPs with average NPs diameter in the range of 20–35 nm. GPE-AgNPs exhibited significant free radical scavenging activity mainly DPPH radical (IC50, 50.0 ± 2.25 μg/mL) and ABTS radical (IC50, 38.46 ± 1.14 μg/mL). Additionally, the synthesized AgNPs showed noticeable inhibition of carbohydrate hydrolyzing enzymes mainly, α-amylase (IC50, 60.2 ± 2.15 μg/mL) and α-glucosidase (IC50, 62.5 ± 2.75 μg/mL). The GPE fabricated AgNPs showed noteworthy antibacterial potential against infectious bacteria viz., Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The reaction mechanism of antibacterial activity was studied by measuring the bacterial cell membrane breakage and cytoplasmic contents, mainly, nucleic acid, proteins, and reducing sugar. Therefore, this research attempt illustrated the potential of GPE as a novel source intended for the biosynthesis of AgNPs that may open up new horizons in the field of nanomedicine.

Aminoglycosides (AMGs) have been extensively used to treat infectious diseases caused by Gram-negative bacteria in livestock and humans. A selective and sensitive colorimetric probe for the determination of streptomycin and kanamycin was proposed based on chlortetracycline-coated silver nanoparticles (AgNPs–CTC) as the sensing element. Almost all of the tested aminoglycoside antibiotics can rapidly induce the aggregation of AgNPs, along with a color change from yellow to orange/red. The selective detection of aminoglycoside antibiotics, including tobramycin, streptomycin, amikacin, gentamicin, neomycin, and kanamycin, with other types of antibiotics, can be achieved by ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopy. This developed colorimetric assay has ability to detect various AMGs using in-depth surface plasmon resonance (SPR) studies. With this determination of streptomycin and kanamycin was achieved at the picomolar level (pM) by using a UV–visible spectrophotometer. Under aqueous conditions, the linear range of the colorimetric sensor for streptomycin and kanamycin was 1000–1,1000 and 120–480 pM, respectively. The corresponding limit of detection was 2000 pM and 120 pM, respectively. Thus, the validated dual colorimetric and ratiometric method can find various analytical applications for the ultrasensitive and rapid detection of AMG antibiotics in water samples.

This study demonstrates a green-route-based synthesis of high-concentration suspensions of anisotropic silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) by peptone (Pep), a soluble protein hydrolysate and an abundantly used nutrient source in microbial-media. The transformation of Ag ions from solution into a high-concentration suspension of anisotropic Pep-AgNPs, at an extremely low concentration of peptone (0.02%), indicates that the present green-route synthesis method follows “low volume high concentration nano-synthesis„, and, hence, enhances the economic significance of the process. Process optimization with different concentrations of AgNPs (1⁻5 mM), NaOH solution (5⁻40 mM), and peptone (0.004%⁻0.12%) gave the optimized Pep-AgNPs synthesis at 3 mM of AgNO3, 20 mM of NaOH, and 0.02% of the peptone concentrations. The green-route synthesized Pep-AgNPs were structurally characterized by the TEM, XPS, FT-IR, and XRD analyses. The Pep-AgNPs against the clinically relevant bacteria Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus gave significant anti-bacterial properties, with a MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) of 100 ppm. The colony counting and morphological observation of the bacterial cell under SEM corroborated an anti-bacterial potential of the Pep-AgNPs. Therefore, Pep-AgNPs are green-route synthesized, anisotropic, and have a significant anti-bacterial potential that can be used in many relevant applications.