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In this study, three extraction methods of bioactive compounds from the brown algae Nizimuddinia zanardini were ranked using the fuzzy weighting system in two stages, ranking between different conditions and choosing the optimal conditions for each extraction method separately. The inputs included extraction yield (EY), antioxidant activity (DPPH), total flavonoid content (TFC), total phenolic content (TPC), total phlorotannin content (TPhC), time, temperature, power, and cost. The top ranks of the first phase output included: Maceration Extraction (ME) with a score of 52.67, Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction (UAE) with a score of 54.31, and Microwave-Assisted Extraction (MAE) with a score of 73.09. The results of the second stage indicated that the lowest and highest extraction yields were obtained using UAE and MAE, respectively. The TFC in the UAE was determined as 103.29 mg QE (Quercetin Equivalent)/g as the lowest value and, in the ME, 140.95 mg QE/g was the highest value. The highest and lowest TPC and TPhC were observed with MAE and UAE, respectively. DPPH decreased in UAE, MAE, and ME, respectively. According to the fuzzy weighted results and considering the purpose of extraction, MAE can be introduced as the optimal method for extracting bioactive compounds from N. zanardini. The findings on extraction methods underscore the potential to reduce costs and improve the yields of bioactive compounds, such as antioxidants and polyphenols, thereby enhancing the economic viability of functional foods and nutraceuticals.

The increasing integration of cyber-physical systems (CPS) in critical infrastructures has heightened the importance of ensuring their security against various cyber threats. Game theory has emerged as a powerful analytical tool to model and analyze the strategic interactions between attackers and defenders in CPS. This survey provides a comprehensive review of the state-of-the-art research on the application of game theory in the security of CPS, with a specific focus on attack models and security analysis. We employ machine learning algorithms to classify existing research papers based on the attack target and the types of attacks they address. Our classification reveals significant trends and gaps in the current literature, offering insights into the effectiveness of different game-theoretic approaches and the prevalence of various attack models. By synthesizing the findings from over 800 research papers, we highlight the strengths and limitations of existing methodologies and propose directions for future research. This survey aims to serve as a valuable resource for researchers and practitioners seeking to enhance the security of CPS through game-theoretic frameworks and machine learning techniques.

This review addresses the critical issue of a rapidly increasing worldwide waste stream and the need for sustainable management. The paper proposes an integrated transformation toward a next-generation methanization process, which leads not only to treating waste but also to converting it into higher value compounds and greener energy. Although the current and commonly used anaerobic digestion process is useful for biogas production, it presents limitations of resource exploitation and some negative environmental impacts. Focusing on the acidogenic stage in waste stream processing, the paper discusses the recent strategies to enhance the recovery of volatile fatty acids (VFAs). These acids serve as precursors for synthesizing a variety of biochemicals and biofuels, offering higher value products than solely energy recovery and soil fertilizers. Additionally, the importance of recycling the fermentation residues back into the biorefinery process is highlighted. This recycling not only generates additional VFAs but also contributes to generating clean energy, thereby enhancing the overall sustainability and efficiency of the waste management system. Moreover, the review discusses the necessity to integrate life cycle assessment (LCA) and techno-economic analysis (TEA) to evaluate the environmental impacts, sustainability, and processing costs of the proposed biorefinery.

2-phenylethanol (2-PE) is a valuable aromatic alcohol with diverse applications in cosmetics, food, beverages, and pharmaceutical industries. Currently, 2-PE is produced either through chemical synthesis or by extraction from plant materials. However, both conventional production methods have their own limitations. Therefore, there is a need for more eco-friendly and cost-effective approaches to produce natural 2-PE. Biotechnological routes, particularly microbial fermentations, hold promise for natural 2-PE production, especially when using low-cost substrates. In this study, 2-PE was produced by de novo synthesis via the shikimate pathway, using the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica in a medium composed of sugar beet molasses (SBM) and yeast extract (YE) as carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively. A genetically engineered strain was generated, in which the SUC2 gene was transformed, expressing the invertase enzyme, enabling Y. lipolytica to efficiently utilize SBM as a cost-effective substrate. A central composite design allowed for the optimization of the concentrations of the carbon and nitrogen sources, resulting in approximately 0.71 g(2-PE)/L(culture medium). The results obtained highlight the potential of utilizing SBM as a low-cost substrate for 2-PE production, advancing biotechnological approaches in fragrance synthesis.

(1) Background: Cumin seeds, extracted from the plant Cuminum cyminum, are abundant in phenolic compounds and have been extensively researched for their chemical makeup and biological effects. The objective of this research is to enhance the water extraction of polyphenols through the water bath (WB) technique and to evaluate the antiradical, antibacterial, and anticancer effects of the extract. (2) Methods: Response Surface Methodology was used to find the best parameters to extract polyphenols. Three experimental parameters, time, temperature, and solid-liquid ratio, were tested. The disc diffusion method has been used to determine the antimicrobial activities against Salmonella Typhimurium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans. The antiradical activity was performed using the DPPH method, while total phenolic content was performed using Folin–Ciocalteu. High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) was conducted to analyze the phytochemical profile of WB extracts. The anticancer activity of the lyophilized extract was assessed against three cancer cell lines (colon (HT29), lung (A549), and breast (MCF7) cancer cell lines).; (3) Results: The optimal conditions for water extraction were 130 min at 72 °C. The total phenolic compounds yield (14.7 mg GAE/g DM) and antioxidant activity (0.52 mg trolox eq./mL) were obtained using a 1:40 solid–liquid ratio. The primary polyphenols identified were the flavonoids rutin (0.1 ppm) and ellagic acid (3.78 ppm). The extract had no antibacterial or antifungal activities against the microorganisms tested. The extract showed anticancer activity of about 98% against MCF7 (breast cancer cell line), about 81% against HT29 (colon cancer cell line), and 85% against A549 (lung cancer cell line) at high doses. (4) Conclusions: Extraction time and a high solid–liquid ratio had a positive impact on polyphenol recovery and in maintaining their quantity and quality. Furthermore, the optimal aqueous extract exhibited strong antiradical activity reflected by the inhibition of free radicals in addition to a significant specificity against the tested cancer cell lines.

The energy transition is an urgent and challenging subject in research and for society. For this, transitioning to renewable energies is one key element of the energy transition, but renewable energies have drawbacks with regard to their reliability of power supply. The weather as well as day and night periods induce a very high volatility, that requires multiscale coordination of power supply and demand. Therefore, the power grid will undergo a drastic change from a puely demand-driven towards a supply and demand-driven network. The operation of these highly coordinated future smart grids will create huge data volume which needs to be managed appropriately. In the scientific domain as well as in operations FAIR Digital Objects (FDOs) are envisaged to be a key technology for this task. FDOs provide access to metadata allowing applications to automatically retrieve the referenced data, interpret it semantically and support energy researchers and operational staff to handle it in a more sustainable way.In Schweikert et al. (2022) a concept is proposed which allows to describe different aspects of an object. Arbitrary schemas and ontologies can be utilized and a coherent object graph is provided by using FDOs. As an conceptual example the authors employed a photovoltaic system (PV system). The data of this system is divided into two kinds: static data and dynamic data. Static data is further divided into structural composition metadata, which describes the entities of the PV system and their relations to each other, and master data which are used to describe the properties of the different entities (comparable to a technical information data sheet). Dynamic data is the measurement data which is acquired at several locations within the PV system. The structural composition metadata is described by using an in-house developed ontology called PV Ontology based on the Web Ontology Language*1. The master data is described using the standards IEC 61850*2, GeoJSON*3 and SensorML*4 (for the master data of the sensors). The dynamic data - the structure of the measurement data and its geo-position - is also described with SensorML.By describing every entity in the PV system using the mentioned schemas, a lot of description objects (instances of the schemas) are created. For instance, a PV module is comprised of three description objects, one written in IEC 61850 (technical data sheet), another in GeoJSON (geo-position and dimensions), and the third is the ontology instance where the PV module is represented as a node in the ontology instance graph. How can these three objects be linked with each other to make clear that the containing information is about this PV module? Schweikert et al. (2022) uses FDOs to create these associations. The profile used in the FDOs is the Helmholtz Kernel Information Profile (KIP) (Pfeil et al. 2022) which is an extension of the Research Data Alliance (RDA)*5 KIP (Weigel et al. 2018). It introduces several new properties, inter alia, the property hasMetadata. This property allows to reference further FDOs providing metadata to the current one. Using the Helmholtz KIP Schweikert et al. (2022) constructs the description of the PV system as follows: An FDO is created for the ontology instance (hereinafter referred to as ONT-FDO). For every entity of the system with description objects an FDO (Bridge-FDO) is created. The digitalObjectLocation of these FDOs is referencing the ONT-FDO plus adding the ID of the corresponding entity in the ontology instance as fragment identifier. This bridges the border between the ontology and the FDOs and allows unambiguous referencing of ontology graph nodes. An application using the PV ontology and a given Bridge-FDO can infer the position of the entity in the PV system. For every description object an FDO is created and linked to its entity by using the hasMetadata property on the Bridge-FDO. Alternatively, if one wants to reduce the number of FDOs, a collection (e.g, using RDA's Collection Recommendations (Weigel et al. 2017)) containing all description objects can be created and referenced through the Bridge-FDO by creating an FDO for the collection. Lastly, a final Bridge-FDO can be created pointing with its digitalObjectLoaction to the PV system root node and referencing all other Bridge-FDOs with its hasMetadata property.Schweikert et al. (2022) did not implement the discussed concept. In the present work we introduce for the first time an implementation of the concept, in which we develop an application that allows users to browse and visualize all the data (structural design, technical information of the components and measurement data) of a PV system. A user provides a persistent identifier (PID) to the application and the application starts to resolve all the data associated with the PID. Three possible cases of a given PID can occur: First, the PID of the entire PV system is entered, the application retrieves the data for all components of the system and presents them to the user. Second, the PID of one component is entered, the application retrieves all the data of this component and presents them to the user, and an option to browse the complete system is offered. In these two cases it is assumed that the entered PID belongs to a Bridge-FDO. In the last case a PID of a description object is entered, then the application behaves as in the second case. The implementation verifies the concept in which any information about the PV system can be obtained by any starting node in the object graph spanned by the FDOs. It also provides insight into the applicability in a real-world use case uncovering possible problems and pitfalls. It also gives energy researchers and operational staff a useful tool to browse and visualize information about a PV system.This work is an essential contribution to use FDOs for accessing, visualizing and studying similarly modeled systems.

Colorimetric whole-cell biosensors are natural or genetically engineered microorganisms utilized to detect target molecules and ions as indicators of pollutants and biological activity in the environment. Upon detection, within specific concentration ranges which vary depending on the microorganism and its genetic circuitry among other factors, these sensors produce pigments which can be detected with the human eye past certain thresholds and quantified using simple analytical techniques, namely spectrophotometry. These sensors, which can be rendered portable through lyophilization and other methods, provide valuable and reliable substitutes of more demanding analytical ex situ techniques. The insights gained from this review can highlight technological progress in the field and contribute to the identification of potential opportunities afforded by these advancements.

Olive leaves are naturally generated as a by-product during olive harvesting and olive oil production. Usually discarded with no specific use, they are a valuable source of bioactive compounds that should not be overlooked. Their valorization must therefore be achieved through the recovery of their polyphenols using an ecological strategy. Conventional extraction is commonly known as an energy- and solvent-consuming process, whereas emerging and innovative extraction technologies, such as ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), pulsed-electric-field-assisted extraction (PEF), high-voltage-electric-discharge-assisted extraction (HVED), supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), infrared-assisted extraction (IAE), and “Intensification of Vaporization by Decompression to the Vacuum” (IVDV), are considered more sustainable and environmentally friendly. The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive and updated overview of the valorization of olive leaves through both pretreatment and extraction techniques via an analysis of the recovered polyphenols and their potential applications.

The pulsed electric field (PEF) technology is a non-thermal processing technique usually used for microbial inactivation in food industries. The application of this technology at sub-lethal levels prior to or during the fermentation processes enhances the mass transfer and cell permeability. It could also cause changes in the genetic, metabolic, and physiological responses of microbial strains leading to an improvement in the fermentation process. Several studies reported the benefits of PEF on microorganisms including growth stimulation, an increase in the fermentation rates and product yields, and improvement in the metabolite extraction. All of these modifications could improve the organoleptic and nutritional properties of fermented food products. The purpose of this review is to summarise and discuss the main findings reported in the literature to date about the effect of PEFs applied at sub-lethal levels on microorganisms in the context of food processing.

As greenhouse gas emissions are continuously increasing, research is now privileging greener and more sustainable human activities. An attractive strategy in the pursuit of sustainability is the valorization of lignocellulosic biomasses for the production of bioethanol. This approach relies on the bioconversion of wood and agricultural waste, which are abundant globally. They represent considerable sources of fermentable sugars that can be recovered through enzymatic hydrolysis. However, the presence of lignin in wood waste makes it more recalcitrant to enzymatic hydrolysis, and reduces the efficiency of the bioconversion process. Therefore, a pretreatment preceding hydrolysis is highly necessary in order to disrupt the resistant structure of woody biomass. The type and severity of the pretreatment affect the outcomes of the hydrolysis and fermentation steps, just as they strongly influence the overall process costs. Given this context, bioenergy production from this biomass is a promising alternative method of sustainably responding to energy demands while reducing the amounts of waste left in nature. The aim of this review is to thoroughly compare the recent bioconversion processes performed on woody substrates over the past five years, with a focus on thermomechanical pretreatments. Moreover, this review will discuss the outcomes of their separate steps, their impact on the overall process, and their energetic aspects.

Violacein and deoxyviolacein are bis-indole pigments synthesized by a number of microorganisms. The present study describes the biosynthesis of a mixture of violacein and deoxyviolacein using a genetically modified Y. lipolytica strain as a production chassis, the subsequent extraction of the intracellular pigments, and ultimately their purification using column chromatography. The results show that the optimal separation between the pigments occurs using an ethyl acetate/cyclohexane mixture with different ratios, first 65:35 until both pigments were clearly visible and distinguishable, then 40:60 to create a noticeable separation between them and recover the deoxyviolacein, and finally 80:20, which allows the recovery of the violacein. The purified pigments were then analyzed by thin-layer chromatography and nuclear magnetic resonance.

Peanuts are the seeds of a legume crop grown for nuts and oil production. Peanut allergy has gained significant attention as a public health issue due to its increasing prevalence, high rate of sensitization, severity of the corresponding allergic symptoms, cross-reactivity with other food allergens, and lifelong persistence. Given the importance of peanuts in several sectors, and taking into consideration the criticality of their high allergic potential, strategies aiming at mitigating their allergenicity are urgently needed. In this regard, most of the processing methods used to treat peanuts are categorized as either thermal or thermomechanical techniques. The purpose of this review is to provide the reader with an updated outlook of the peanut’s allergens, their mechanisms of action, the processing methods as applied to whole peanuts, as well as a critical insight on their impact on the allergenicity. The methods discussed include boiling, roasting/baking, microwaving, ultrasonication, frying, and high-pressure steaming/autoclaving. Their effectiveness in alleviating the allergenicity, and their capacity in preserving the structural integrity of the treated peanuts, were thoroughly explored. Research data on this matter may open further perspectives for future relevant investigation ultimately aiming at producing hypoallergenic peanuts.

The intensification of total phenolic compound (TPC) extraction from blood orange peels was optimized using a novel green infrared-assisted extraction technique (IRAE, Ired-Irrad®) and compared to the conventional extraction using a water bath (WB). Response surface methodology (RSM) allowed for the optimization of ethanol concentration (E), time (t), and temperature (T) in terms of extracted TPC and their antiradical activity, for both WB extraction and IRAE. Using WB extraction, the multiple response optimums as obtained after 4 h at 73 °C and using 79% ethanol/water were 1.67 g GAE/100 g for TPC and 59% as DPPH inhibition percentage. IRAE increased the extraction of TPC by 18% using 52% ethanol/water after less than 1 h at 79 °C. This novel technology has the advantage of being easily scalable for industrial usage. HPLC analysis showed that IRAE enhanced the recovery of gallic acid, resveratrol, quercetin, caffeic acid, and hesperidin. IR extracts exhibited high bioactivity by inhibiting the production of Aflatoxin B1 by 98.9%.

Mycotoxins in solid foods and feeds jeopardize the public health of humans and animals and cause food security issues. The inefficacy of most preventive measures to control the production of fungi in foods and feeds during the pre-harvest and post-harvest stages incited interest in the mitigation of these mycotoxins that can be conducted by the application of various chemical, physical, and/or biological treatments. These treatments are implemented separately or through a combination of two or more treatments simultaneously or subsequently. The reduction rates of the methods differ greatly, as do their effect on the organoleptic attributes, nutritional quality, and the environment. This critical review aims at summarizing the latest studies related to the mitigation of mycotoxins in solid foods and feeds. It discusses and evaluates the single and combined mycotoxin reduction treatments, compares their efficiency, elaborates on their advantages and disadvantages, and sheds light on the treated foods or feeds, as well as on their environmental impact.

While world energy demand has certainly decreased with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the need has been significantly on the rise since 2021, all as the world’s fossil fuel resources are depleting; it is widely accepted that these resources emit greenhouse gases (GHG), which are the leading cause for the climate crisis. The main contributors to global warming are manufacturing, energy, and agriculture. The agricultural sector is composed of diversified and potential mobilizable sources of waste which can become an attractive alternative to fossil fuels for energy production, and thus sequester and use carbon. Therefore, a paradigm shift towards more sustainable energy alternatives, efficient waste management, and new technologies is necessary. One good solution is the energetic valorization of lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) which can also originate from agricultural wastes. The biomass consists of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, which are sources of fermentable sugars that can be used for bioethanol production. However, the recovery of sugars requires the pretreatment of LCB before enzymatic hydrolysis, due to its inaccessible molecular structure. Different pretreatment technologies, including acid and alkaline pretreatments for selected biomasses (such as hemp, rice straw, corn straw, sugarcane bagasse, and wheat straw) are discussed and compared. Therefore, this review highlights the potential of agricultural waste as a renewable resource for energy production.

Odd-chain fatty acids (OCFAs) have recently gained interest as target compounds in microbial production due to their diverse applications in the medical, pharmaceutical and chemical industries for the production of biofuels. Yarrowia lipolytica is a promising oleaginous yeast that has the ability to accumulate high quantities of fatty acids. However, the use of Y. lipolytica oils is still under research, in order to decrease the production costs related to the fermentation process and improve economic feasibility. In this work, sugar beet molasses (10–50 g/L) and crude glycerol (30 g/L) were used as the main carbon sources to reduce the processing costs of oil production from a genetically engineered Y. lipolytica strain. The effects of medium composition were studied on biomass production, lipid content, and OCFAs profile. Lipid production by yeast growing on molasses (20 g/L sucrose) and crude glycerol reached 4.63 ± 0.95 g/L of culture medium. OCFAs content represented 58% of the total fatty acids in lipids, which corresponds to ≈2.69 ± 0.03 g/L of culture medium. The fermentation was upscaled to 5 L bioreactors and fed-batch co-feeding increased OCFA accumulation in Y. lipolytica by 56% compared to batch cultures.

Wheat, alfalfa, and radish sprouts are well-renowned for their high nutritional content. However, their optimal imbibition and germination durations are rarely considered in the literature. In this study, reduced imbibition times of 3 h, 10 h, and 4 h were demonstrated for the wheat, alfalfa, and radish seeds, respectively. The evolution of their crude fat, proteins, polyphenols, antioxidant activity, and vitamins were investigated over 7 days of germination. The crude fat and protein loads of these sprouts slightly varied during germination, whereas the phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity maxed out at day 7, 5, and 6 for the wheat, alfalfa, and radish sprouts, respectively, with significant levels of catechin. The vitamins highly increased, showing noteworthy yet different peaks of growth depending on the seed and the vitamin analyzed. Interestingly, alfalfa and radish sprouts, taken at their optimal germination day, would decidedly contribute to meet our Recommended Daily Allowances (RDAs) of vitamins E, A, and B6. Overall, for a greater nutritional content and a potential use of these sprouts as nutraceutical ingredients, our results suggested to leave the wheat, alfalfa, and radish seeds to germinate only over 7, 4, and 6 days, respectively, after which their nutritional quality tended to decrease.

Odd-chain fatty acids (OCFA) have been studied for their therapeutic and nutritional properties, as well as for their potential use in the chemical industry for the production of biofuel. Genetic modification strategies have demonstrated an improved production of OCFA by oleaginous microorganisms. In this study, the production of OCFA-enriched lipids by fermentation using a genetically engineered Yarrowia lipolytica strain was investigated. The major fatty acid produced by this strain was the cis-9-heptadecenoic acid (C17:1). Its biosynthesis was optimized using a design of experiment strategy involving a central composite design. The optimal responses maximizing the cell density (optical density at 600 nm) and the C17:1 content (%) in lipids were found using 52.4 g/L sucrose, 26.9 g/L glycerol, 10.4 g/L sodium acetate, 5 g/L sodium propionate, and 4 g/L yeast extract. Under these conditions, in a 5 L scale bioreactor, the respective contents of lipids and C17:1 in culture medium were 2.52 ± 0.05 and 0.82 ± 0.01 g/L after 96 h fermentation. The results obtained in this work pave the way toward the process upscale of C17:1 and encourage its industrial production.

Due to its pleasant rosy scent, the aromatic alcohol 2-phenylethanol (2-PE) has a huge market demand. Since this valuable compound is used in food, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, consumers and safety regulations tend to prefer natural methods for its production rather than the synthetic ones. Natural 2-PE can be either produced through the extraction of essential oils from various flowers, including roses, hyacinths and jasmine, or through biotechnological routes. In fact, the rarity of natural 2-PE in flowers has led to the inability to satisfy the large market demand and to a high selling price. Hence, there is a need to develop a more efficient, economic, and environmentally friendly biotechnological approach as an alternative to the conventional industrial one. The most promising method is through microbial fermentation, particularly using yeasts. Numerous yeasts have the ability to produce 2-PE using l-Phe as precursor. Some agro-industrial waste and by-products have the particularity of a high nutritional value, making them suitable media for microbial growth, including the production of 2-PE through yeast fermentation. This review summarizes the biotechnological production of 2-PE through the fermentation of different yeasts on synthetic media and on various agro-industrial waste and by-products.

Brewers’ spent grains constitute a valuable byproduct of the beer industry. They are characterized by a rich nutritional composition consisting of around 70% lignocellulosic fibrous material, 20% proteins, 10% lipids, in addition to vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and phenolic compounds. These spent grains are produced in large amounts all through the year, are cheap, and lack economically feasible applications. Nowadays, 70% of these spent grains are used as animal feed, 10% are used for biogas production, and the remaining 20% are disposed in landfills. Due to the aforementioned facts, alternative uses of the brewers’ spent grains are highly sought-after. In fact, this nutrient-rich industrial by-product makes it a very good candidate for valorization through biotechnological processing, particularly microbial fermentation. After applying the needed pretreatments, using brewers’ spent grains as a substrate in submerged and solid-state fermentation of different microorganisms leads to the production of various value-added compounds such as organic acids, amino acids, volatile fatty acids, enzymes, vitamins, second-generation biofuels and other products.

The production of pigments using single cell microorganisms is gaining traction as a sustainable alternative to conventional syntheses, which rely, in no negligible proportions, on petrochemicals. In addition to depending on petroleum, these syntheses involved the use of toxic organic solvents, which may be inadequately disposed of across a range of industries, thus compounding the deleterious effects of fossil fuel exploitation. Literature suggests that notable research efforts in the area of sustainable pigment production using single cell microorganisms are focused on the production of pigments coveted for their interesting qualities, which transcend their mere capacity to dye various fabrics both natural and synthetic. As interest in sustainable pigment biosynthesis grows, the need to devise effective and efficient cell disruption processes becomes more pressing given that the viability of pigment biosynthesis is not only dependent on microorganisms’ yield in terms of production, but also on researchers’ ability to recover them. This review chiefly reports findings as to mechanical cell disruption methods, used individually or in various combinations, and their aptitude to recover biosynthetic pigments.

Context: Nitraria retusa (Forssk.) Asch. (Nitrariaceae) is a medicinal plant which produces edible fruits whose antioxidant activity has been demonstrated. Objective: The current study elucidates the potential protective effect of N. retusa fruit aqueous extract against nephrotoxicity induced by penconazole, a triazole fungicide, in the kidney of adult rats. Materials and methods: Adult Wistar rats were exposed either to penconazole (67 mg/kg body weight), or to N. retusa extract (300 mg/kg body weight) or to their combination. Penconazole was administered by intra-peritoneal injection every 2 days from day 7 until day 15, the sacrifice day, while N. retusa extract was administered daily by gavage during 15 days. Oxidative stress parameters, kidney biomarkers and histopathological examination were determined. Results: Nitraria retusa extract administration to penconazole treated rats decreased kidney levels of malondialdehyde (−10%), hydrogen peroxide (−12%), protein carbonyls (PCOs, −11%) and advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP, −16%); antioxidant enzyme activities: catalase (−13%), superoxide dismutase (−8%) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx, −14%), and the levels of non-enzymatic antioxidants: non-protein thiols (−9%), glutathione (−7%) and metallothionein (−12%). Furthermore, this plant extract prevented kidney biomarker changes by reducing plasma levels of creatinine, urea, uric acid and LDH and increasing those of ALP and GGT. Histopathological alterations induced by penconazole (glomeruli fragmentation, Bowman’s space enlargement, tubular epithelial cells necrosis and infiltration of inflammatory leucocytes) were attenuated following N. retusa administration. Discussion and conclusion: Our results indicated that N. retusa fruit extract had protective effects against penconazole-induced kidney injury, which could be attributed to its phenolic compounds.

This study investigates the feasibility of producing ethanol from date palm seeds. The chemical compositions of three varieties of date seeds were first studied, showing mainly the presence of cellulose and hemicellulose. Ethanol was produced after a pre-treatment of date seeds using acid hydrolysis to extract the cellulosic fraction and to remove the lignin. Producing ethanol by fermentation was performed using the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae for 24 h, during which ethanol yield, biomass concentration, and total reducing sugars were recorded. The results obtained showed that the sugar content decreased over time, while ethanol production increased. Indeed, date seeds gave the highest ethanol concentration of 21.57 g/L after 6 h of alcoholic fermentation. These findings proved the feasibility of producing ethanol from date seeds.

Fermented apple beverages are produced all over the world with diverse characteristics associated with each country. Despite the diversifications, cider producers are confronted with similar issues and risks. The nature of the raw material, also known as the fermentation medium, plays a key role in fermentation. A well-defined composition of apples is, therefore, required to produce cider with good quality. In addition, ferment and its metabolism are important factors in the fermentation process. The producers of cider and other alcoholic beverages are looking in general for novel yeast strains or for the use of native strains to produce “authentic” and diversified beverages that are distinct from each other, and that attract more and more consumers. Research articles on cider production are infrequent compared to wine production, especially on the impact of the chemical composition and microbial diversity of apples on fermentation. Even though the processing of fermented beverages is close in terms of microbial interactions and production, the study of the specific properties of apples and the production challenges of cider production is advantageous and meaningful for cider producers. This review summarizes the current knowledge on apple composition and the impact of the must composition on fermentation and yeast growth. In addition, the microbial diversity of cider, activities, and its influence on fermentation are reviewed.

The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of pulsed electric fields (PEF) on the growth and acidification kinetics of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus CFL1 during fermentation. The PEF treatments were applied during the fermentation process using a recirculation pump and a PEF treatment chamber coupled with a PEF generator. The medium flow rate through the chamber was first optimized to obtain the same growth and acidification kinetics than the control fermentation without medium recirculation. Different PEF intensities (60–428 V cm−1) were then applied to the culture medium to study the impact of PEF on the cells’ behavior. The growth and acidification kinetics were recorded during the fermentation and the specific growth rates µ, pH, and acidification rate (dpH/dt) were assessed. The results obtained showed a biphasic growth by applying high PEF intensities (beyond 285 V cm−1) with the presence of two maximal specific growth rates and a decrease in the acidification activities. It was demonstrated that the cells were stressed during the PEF treatment, but presented an accelerated growth after stopping it, leading thereby to similar absorbance and pH at the end of the fermentation. These results show the great potential of PEF technology to be applied to generate low acidified products by performing PEF-assisted fermentations.

The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of date seed water-soluble polysaccharides (DSP) and hemicellulose (DSH) as dietary fiber sources in enhancing the wheat bread’s quality. DSP and DSH were extracted from the three date seed varieties Deglet Nour, Ghars Souf, and Allig. The extraction yields ranged from 3.8% to 6.14% and from 13.29% to 18.8%, for DSP and DSH, respectively. DSP and DSH showed interesting functional properties and were incorporated at 0.5% and 0.75% (w/w) in wheat flour with low bread-making quality (FLBM). The results showed that the addition of 0.75% DSH significantly improved the alveograph profile of the dough, and in a more efficient way than that of DSP. Furthermore, bread evaluation revealed that the addition of DSH considerably improved the volume (by 24.22%) and the texture profile of bread (decrease of the hardness and chewiness by 41.54% and 33.81%, respectively), compared to control bread (prepared with FLBM). A sensory analysis showed that the better overall acceptability was found for bread supplemented with DSH. Results in this work demonstrate that hemicellulose fraction extracted from date seeds (DSH) and added with a level of 0.75% to FLBM represents the component that improved bread quality the best.

In this study, the physicochemical characterization, functional properties, and antioxidant activity of polysaccharides extracted from Ephedra alata (EAP) were investigated. EAP were extracted in water during 3 h with a liquid/solid ratio of 5 in a water bath at 90 °C. The structure of the extracted EAP was examined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The functional properties and biochemical activities of EAP were determined. The chemical analysis revealed that the contents of carbohydrates, uronic acid, and proteins were 73.24% ± 1.24%, 6.82% ± 0.57%, and 6.56% ± 0.36%, respectively. The results showed that the extracted EAP essentially contain three functional groups: C=O, C-H, and O-H. SEM images showed that EAP present numerous high porosity particles. The monosaccharide composition revealed a polymer composed of glucose (43.1%), galactose (36.4%), mannose (14.9%), arabinose (3.7%), and gluconic acid (1.7%). EAP showed interesting functional properties (solubility, oil holding capacity, foaming and emulsion properties). Finally, the results revealed that EAP displayed excellent antihypertensive and antioxidant activities. Overall, EAP present a promising natural source of food additives, antioxidants, and antihypertensive agents.

In the present research work, the physicochemical and fermentative properties of the “Ace spur” apple variety, obtained from a Lebanese farm, and the “Kermerrien” variety, obtained from a French cider industry, were investigated. The pomological properties were first determined for both varieties showing significant differences in the shapes and sizes. Sugar content, titratable acidity, soluble solids, and pH values were then determined. The potential of the “Ace spur” apple juice was then evaluated using the yeast strain Hanseniaspora sp., a major yeast found during the spontaneous fermentation of apples. “Ace spur” apples contained more sugars while the “Kermerrien” cultivar had a highest malic acid and polyphenol concentrations. After 100 h of fermentation, the ethanol percentage (v/v) was around 4% in both ciders. Results obtained in this work revealed the chemical potential of the Lebanese apple juice to produce cider.

Glucosinolates are a large group of plant secondary metabolites with nutritional effects, and are mainly found in cruciferous plants. After ingestion, glucosinolates could be partially absorbed in their intact form through the gastrointestinal mucosa. However, the largest fraction is metabolized in the gut lumen. When cruciferous are consumed without processing, myrosinase enzyme present in these plants, hydrolyzes the glucosinolates in the proximal part of the gastrointestinal tract to various metabolites such as isothiocyanates, nitriles, oxazolidine-2-thiones and indole-3-carbinols. When cruciferous are cooked before consumption, myrosinase is inactivated and glucosinolates transit to the colon where they are hydrolyzed by the intestinal microbiota. Numerous factors such as storage time, temperature, and atmosphere packaging, along with inactivation processes of myrosinase are influencing the bioavailability of glucosinolates and their breakdown products. This review paper summarizes the assimilation, absorption, and elimination of these molecules, as well as the impact of processing on their bioavailability.

This work provides an evaluation of an ultrasound-assisted, combined extraction, centrifugation and ultrafiltration process for the optimal recovery of polyphenols. A purple sweet potato (PSP) extract has been obtained using ultrasonic circulating extraction equipment at a power of 840 W, a frequency of 59 kHz and using water as solvent. Extract ultrafiltration, using polyethersulfone (PES), was carried out for the recovery of polyphenol, protein and anthocyanin. Pre-treatment, via the centrifugation of purple sweet potato extract at 2500 rpm over 6 min, led to better polyphenol recovery, with satisfactory protein removal (reused for future purposes), than PSP extract filtration without centrifugation. Results showed that anthocyanin was efficiently recovered (99%) from permeate. The exponential model fit well with the experimental ultrafiltration data and led to the calculation of the membrane’s fouling coefficient. The optimization of centrifugation conditions showed that, at a centrifugation speed of 4000 rpm (1195× g) and duration of 7.74 min, the optimized polyphenol recovery and fouling coefficient were 34.5% and 29.5 m−1, respectively. The removal of proteins in the centrifugation process means that most of the anthocyanin content (90%) remained after filtration. No significant differences in the intensities of the HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS2 peaks were found in the samples taken before and after centrifugation for the main anthocyanins; peonidin-3-feruloylsophoroside-5-glucoside, peonidin-3-caffeoyl-p-hydroxybenzoylsophoroside-5-glucoside, and peonidin-3-caffeoyl-feruloyl sophoroside-5-glucoside. This proves that centrifugation is an efficient method for protein removal without anthocyanin loss. This study considers this process an ultrasound-assisted extraction-centrifugation-ultrafiltration for purple sweet potato valorization in “green” technology.