Apple juice is one of the most consumed fruit juices in the world. Raw apple juice is viscous, turbid, and brown in color and contains several spoilage microorganisms. These are the reasons behind the application of several steps of clarification and stabilization prior to juice commercialization. Thermal pasteurization remains the most used process for apple juice microbial stabilization, but it damages its organoleptic and nutritional characteristics. Juice settling used for clarification does not allow the achievement of the desired level of clarification. Therefore, this article provides a comprehensive and bibliometric review of all the alternative treatments for thermal pasteurization in order to reduce microorganisms and patulin levels such as pulsed electric fields, microwave processing, high hydrostatic pressure, ultrasonication, etc., and their effect on apple juice characteristics as well as the techniques used for apple juice clarification.

The residual antibiotics in livestock excreta (LE) have been regarded as a potential threat to the ecosystem and human society. Some photoautotrophic microalgae, however, were found to metabolize them during active biomass photosynthesis. This study investigates how the strength of the antibiotics impacts the overall biodiesel yield and composition of the harvested microalgal biomass grown from LE. The microalgal growth results demonstrate that increasing the concentration of residual antibiotics suppresses the microalgal growth rate from 0.87 d−1 to 0.34 d−1. This 61% lower biomass production rate supports the proposition that the kinetic impact of antibiotics may slow lipid synthesis. Moreover, the analytical results of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) demonstrate that amoxicillin substantially reduces the C16:0 content by over 96%. This study evidences that the functional group similarity of amoxicillin may competitively inhibit the esterification reaction by consuming methanol. This... [more]

Glioblastoma is one of the most aggressive and lethal brain tumors. Due to the failure of conventional chemotherapies and targeted drugs pursuit of natural, less toxic agents is on the rise as well as their utilization in glioblastoma treatment. Consequently, this study explores the antiproliferative potential of selected berry juices (wild blackberry (Rubus discolor), dwarf elderberry (Sambucus ebulus), and raspberry (Rubus idaeus)) on glioblastoma cells (U87-MG and GBM43) in comparison to temozolomide. The juices were assessed for total phenolic content, proanthocyanins, polyphenol profiles, and antioxidant activity. Wild blackberry and dwarf elderberry juices exhibited higher total polyphenols, proanthocyanins, and monomeric anthocyanins compared to raspberry juice. HPLC analysis revealed distinctive anthocyanins, flavonoids, and phenolic acids in each juice. With the DPPH assay, the highest antioxidant potential had wild blackberry juice, while with other assays dwarf elderberry ju... [more]

Enzymatic additives, particularly alkaline proteases, play a crucial role in enhancing detergent effectiveness against protein-based stains. Despite advancements in enzyme stabilization techniques, there is a need for innovative strategies to further improve protease stability in laundry detergents. However, research exploring the utilization of substrate imprinting technology to achieve this objective remains limited. Therefore, this study aims to enhance the stability of alkaline proteases in laundry detergents by employing casein as an imprinting substrate and utilizing transglutaminase-mediated (TGase) crosslinking to modify proteases 102 and 306. The optimal temperature, pH, and thermal stability of the modified alkaline proteases 102 and 306 showed no significant changes. However, these two modified alkaline proteases exhibited varying degrees of improvement in stability among the 14 detergent additives tested. Under 40 °C incubation for 24 h, the relative enzyme activity of modi... [more]

Driven by growing concerns about food supply and the environment, research on alternative protein sources has become increasingly important. In this context, de-oiled seed cakes, particularly soybean cakes, have emerged as a promising option. However, the conventional methods, such as organic solvent extraction, from which these cakes are obtained present several limitations. This study aims to evaluate the efficiency of supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) as an alternative method for de-oiling soybean seeds and obtaining related protein isolates. By using SFE for de-oiling, it was possible to achieve 19% more protein isolates from soybean cakes than the conventional de-oiling method using hexane. Moreover, protein isolates from the SFE de-oiled cake reported significantly improved (p < 0.05) emulsifying abilities and water absorption capacity. Gel electrophoresis and differential scanning calorimetry indicated the presence of a higher concentration of proteins in their native stat... [more]

Chromatography modeling for simulation is a tool that can help to predict the separation of molecules inside the column. Knowledge of sorption isotherms in chromatography modeling is a crucial step and methods such as frontal analysis or batch are used to obtain sorption isotherm parameters, but they require a significant quantity of samples. This study aims to predict Langmuir isotherm parameters from Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) affinity data (requiring less quantity of sample) to simulate metal chelating peptides (MCPs) separation in Immobilized Metal ion Affinity Chromatography (IMAC), thanks to the analogy between both techniques. The validity of simulation was evaluated by comparing the peptide’s simulated retention time with its experimental retention time obtained by IMAC. Results showed that the peptide affinity constant (KA) can be conserved between SPR and IMAC. However, the maximal capacity (qmax) must be adjusted by a correction factor to overcome the geometry differenc... [more]

This study aimed to investigate the antioxidant activity and antibacterial effect of total flavonoids from Persicaria hydropiper (L.) Spach (TFs-Ph) and to provide a theoretical basis for the development of drugs for the treatment of pathogenic Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. of broiler origin. Firstly, the response surface optimization heating reflux method was used to extract TFs-Ph, and the effects of ethanol concentration, solid−liquid ratio, heating reflux time, heating reflux temperature, and number of extraction times on the extraction yield of TFs-Ph were analyzed to determine the optimal extraction conditions. The antioxidant activity of TFs-Ph was determined by measuring the scavenging ability against hydroxyl radicals (•OH), 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), superoxide anion (•O2−), and 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS). The antibacterial effect of TFs-Ph was determined by the disk diffusion method. The results showed that the optimal ex... [more]

Onion (Allium cepa L.) juice is an important product used in gastronomy and food formulations. The first objective of this study was to optimize the content of bioactive compounds in purple onion juice (POJ) after the thermosonication process using response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural network (ANN) application models. Second, the anticancer, antibacterial, antihypertensive, and antidiabetic effects of POJ obtained after thermal pasteurization (P-POJ) or thermosonication (TS-POJ) were investigated after obtaining the ANN and RSM analysis reports. The optimization process for TS-POJ was carried out at 44 °C, for 13 min, with a 68% amplitude. The findings demonstrated that the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition level was greater in TS-POJ samples than in the untreated control (C-POJ) sample (p > 0.05). C-POJ, TS-POJ, and P-POJ exhibited the inhibition of cell proliferation in vitro in a dose-dependent manner in lung (A549), cervical (HeLa), and colon cancer... [more]

In the original publication [...]

Chitin and its derivative, chitosan, have diverse applications in fields such as agriculture, medicine, and biosensors, amongst others. Extraction is primarily conducted from marine sources, such as crustaceans, which have been the focus of process optimization studies. However, there are other sources that are more readily available, such as insects, where insufficient research has been conducted. The house cricket (Acheta domesticus) is a promising source for chitin extraction because of its high chitin content, availability, and short lifespan. Modern chemical chitin extraction methods have not been standardized due to the use of different reagents, molar concentrations, temperatures, and reaction times across publications. Therefore, in this study, the composition of Acheta domesticus cricket flour was determined: 2.62% humidity, 4.3% ash content, 56.29% protein, 13.35% fat, 23.44% carbohydrates, and 15.71% crude fiber content. After a drying, defatting, demineralization, deprotein... [more]

is always salt-processed before being prescribed for treating osteoarthritis. Yet the salt-processing parameters have not been optimized, and the specific bioactive constituents responsible for the osteoarthritis effect of salt-processed A. bidentata have not been fully elucidated. In this study, a Box−Behnken experimental design was chosen for the optimization of the salt-processing parameters of A. bidentata, including stir-frying time, concentration of brine, and soak time. Meanwhile, HPLC−Q-TOF-MS was utilized to analyze the chemical profiles of various batches of raw and salt-processed A. bidentata. The anti-inflammatory potential of nine batches of both raw and salt-processed A. bidentata was assessed via a cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitory assay. A gray correlation analysis was conducted to correlate the peak areas of the compounds in raw and salt-processed A. bidentata with their COX-2 inhibitory effects. Finally, the optimal salt-processing conditions are as follows: soak ti... [more]

“Aging” is a practice that allows alcoholic beverages to mature and gives them particular flavors and colors. In this context, oak or durmast wooden barrels are used in this process, thus providing different types of aging. This conventional process produces a slow enrichment of organic compounds in the spirit inside the barrels. Organic substances present in the internal part of the barrels slowly undergo the phenomenon of extraction by the liquid phase (solid−liquid extraction). In this work, a new procedure based on rapid solid−liquid dynamic extraction (RSLDE) was used to evaluate the potential of obtaining the effects of aging in spirits in shorter times than conventional methods. For this purpose, a comparison between two solid−liquid extraction techniques, RSLDE and conventional maceration, was made. Four water/ethanol 60:40 (v/v) model solutions were prepared and put in contact with medium-toasted chips using the two extraction procedures (conventional and non-conventional) and... [more]

Modern production processes for biopharmaceuticals often work with very high cell densities. Moreover, there is a trend towards moving from fed-batch to continuous perfusion processes; a development that is influencing the requirements for bioreactor design and process control. In this study, the transfer of fed-batch and perfusion experiments between different cylindrical stirred lab-scale bioreactors and Thermo Scientific’sTM (Waltham, MA, USA) cubical HyPerformaTM DynaDriveTM Single-Use Bioreactor was investigated. Different scaling parameters were used, which were selected based on the requirements of the respective processes. Peak cell densities of up to 49 × 106 cells mL−1 and antibody titers of up to 5.2 g L−1 were achieved in 15- to 16-day fed-batch experiments. In 50-day perfusion cultivations, a viable cell volume of >100 mm3 mL−1 was maintained and more than 1 g L−1 d−1 of antibodies were harvested. The perfusion processes were automated with both cell bleed control and gluc... [more]

The use of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) for the biocontrol of fungi that cause fruit and vegetable deterioration is a highly promising strategy. However, one of the main challenges lies in maintaining both viability and antifungal activity even in conditions that are unfavorable for LAB. The microencapsulation of LAB can minimize the impact of environmental conditions, helping to maintain viability, but there is still little information on what occurs with respect to antifungal activity. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of microencapsulation with several polymer blends on the viability and antifungal activity of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum TEP15 and L. pentosus TEJ4. Sodium alginate (2%), sodium alginate−gum arabic (2%:1%), sodium alginate−k-carrageenan (2%:0.05%), and sodium alginate−whey protein (0.75%:1.5%) were used as encapsulating polymers. After processing (day 0), as well as after 14 and 28 days of storage, the encapsulation efficiency, moisture... [more]

The detection of metal ions is an option for maintaining water quality and diagnosing metal ion-related diseases. In this study, we successfully detected metal ions using fluorescent peptides in water. First, we prepared seven linear (L1−L7) and seven cyclic (C1−C7) peptides containing two pyrenyl (Pyr) units and assessed the response to various metal ions by fluorescence. The results indicated that C1, which contains a hexameric cyclic peptide moiety consisting of Pyr and Gly units, did not show a fluorescent response to metal ions, while the linear L1 corresponding to C1 showed a response to Cu2+, but its selectivity was found to be poor through a competition assay for each metal ion. We then assessed C2−C7 and L2−L7, in which Gly was replaced by His units at various positions in the same manner. The results showed that C2−C7 responded to Cu2+ in a manner dependent on the His position. Additionally, superior selectivity was observed in C7 through a competition assay. These results de... [more]

Itaconic acid is a high-value organic acid that serves as a platform molecule in different industries. This research focuses on the separation of itaconic acid using reactive extraction as a sustainable and efficient method for acid recovery from fermentation broth. Itaconic acid was produced through fungal fermentation processes involving Aspergillus terreus ATCC® 32588™, obtaining a concentration of 47 g/L in the final broths. For the reactive extraction system, the organic phase included tri-n-octylamine as an extractant dissolved in dichloromethane or n-heptane and 1-octanol as a phase modifier. The effect of the main influencing factors (pH of the aqueous phase, extractant concentrations in the organic phase, and the addition of 1-octanol) on extraction efficiency was investigated. The highest extraction degree (97%) was achieved using an organic phase with tri-n-octylamine dissolved in dichloromethane and with 20% 1-octanol. Conversely, in the reactive extraction system with tri-... [more]

Agroindustry waste has exponentially increased in recent years, generating economic losses and environmental problems. In addition, new ways to generate sustainable alternative electrical energy are currently being sought to satisfy energy demand. This investigation proposes using avocado waste as fuel for electricity generation in single-chamber MFCs. The avocado waste initially operated with an ambient temperature (22.4 ± 0.01 °C), DO of 2.54 ± 0.01 mg/L, TDS of 1358 ± 1 mg/L and COD of 1487.25 ± 0.01 mg/L. This research managed to generate its maximum voltage (0.861 ± 0.241 V) and current (3.781 ± 0.667 mA) on the fourteenth day, operating at an optimal pH of 7.386 ± 0.147, all with 126.032 ± 8.888 mS/cm of electrical conductivity in the substrate. An internal resistance of 67.683 ± 2.456 Ω was found on day 14 with a PD of 365.16 ± 9.88 mW/cm2 for a CD of 5.744 A/cm2. Micrographs show the formation of porous biofilms on both the anodic and cathodic electrodes. This study gives preli... [more]

We constructed a sodium alginate/soy protein isolate/chitosan gel system and incorporated silver nanoparticles reduced by capsaicin into the system, forming a sodium alginate−soy protein isolate−chitosan−capsaicin−silver nanoparticle composite gel (SA/SPI/CTS/CAP/Ag). In tests, the SA/SPI/CTS/CAP/Ag gel exhibited excellent antimicrobial properties. Using the agar diffusion method, the inhibition zone diameter for Staphylococcus aureus was determined to be 29.5 mm. Soy protein isolate (SPI), containing a large number of hydrophobic amino acid residues, effectively enhanced the moisture retention capability of the gel and improved its stability to a certain extent at an appropriate addition concentration. In a milk preservation experiment, the SA/SPI/CTS/CAP/Ag gel significantly extended the shelf-life of the milk. In dye adsorption experiments, the adsorption curve of the SA/SPI/CTS/CAP/Ag gel well fitted a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. It showed a degree of adsorption capacity for... [more]

Utilizing a deep eutectic solvent-like mixture such as choline chloride and lactic acid in a 1:2 molar ratio, clove buds underwent extraction. Furthermore, the determination of the primary components in the clove extracts, namely eugenol, eugenol acetate, and β-caryophyllene, was conducted using the HPLC-DAD method. The total phenolic content (TPC) was also established. Extraction conditions using choline chloride and lactic acid encompassed variables such as extraction temperature (within the range of 40 to 80 °C), water addition (ranging from 5.6 to 40%), and extraction time (ranging from 30 to 90 min). Optimal operational conditions for TPC were pinpointed at 77 °C, 30 min, and a water addition of 40%. The findings showed that clove extracts obtained at 60 °C, 22.8%, and 30 min had the highest amount of eugenol (307.26 ± 8.44 mg/g dry raw material).

The use of edible oils and fats in dairy products is becoming increasingly important in the food industry because of their complementary functional properties. Most of these products are produced using food-grade enzymes as processing aids because processes involving enzymes are considered mild and environmentally friendly for regulatory purposes. The poor stability and recovery of enzymes in their native state limit their performance, and to enhance their activity, stability, and reusability, enzymes are often immobilised—a process that involves attaching them to a solid support. Additionally, immobilisation enables enzymes to selectively target specific substrates or products, making them highly efficient. These features have led to the increased use of immobilised enzymes in dairy and lipid processing and enzymes have been used to produce a broad range of products such as whey protein concentrates and isolates, peptide−lipid conjugates, lipid concentrates, structured lipids, and hum... [more]

This study aimed to assess the sorption capacity of a natural sorbent, specifically birch bark (BB), and its modification using chemical reagents, including nitric and hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxide, and chloride. The objective of the chemical modification was to enhance the sorption capacity of the heavy metals cadmium(II), chromium(VI), and manganese(II). The most effective modification for adsorbing cadmium and manganese from aqueous solutions was achieved by treating the sorbent with a 0.1 M sodium hydroxide solution (BBNa). Conversely, in the case of chromium, each modification adversely affected its adsorption by the sorbent. Concentrations of the solutions were analyzed using atomic absorption spectrometry at appropriate time intervals. The adsorption process was described using Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin isotherms. The Freundlich isotherm provided the best fit for cadmium and chromium (R2 = 0.988 and 0.986, respectively), while the Langmuir isotherm was most suitable... [more]

A comparative metabolomic study of three varieties of alfalfa (Medicago varia Mart.) was performed via extraction with supercritical carbon dioxide modified with ethanol (EtOH) and the detection of bioactive compounds via tandem mass spectrometry. Several experimental conditions were investigated in the pressure range of 50−250 bar, with ethanol used as a co-solvent in an amount of 1% of the total volume in the liquid phase at a temperature in the range of 31−70 °C. The most effective extraction conditions were as follows: a pressure of 250 Bar and a temperature of 60 °C for M. varia. M. varia contains various phenolic compounds and sulfated polyphenols with valuable biological activity. Tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI−ion trap) was applied to detect the target analytes. A total of 103 bioactive compounds (59 polyphenols and 44 compounds belonging to other chemical groups) were tentatively identified in extracts from aerial parts of alfalfa. For the first time, twenty-one chemical c... [more]

From grape cultivation to ripening and harvest timing to processing, each step of the winemaking process can be a critical point when it comes to wine quality and phenolic composition. In this study, the influence of winemaking technology on resveratrol and quercetin content, as well as other polyphenolic compounds, was investigated. Resveratrol is a non-flavonoid polyphenolic stilbene synthesized by grape skin when damaged by infectious diseases or ionizing radiation. Quercetin is a phenol found in grape skins and stems and is produced to protect grapes from UV light damage. Trans-resveratrol and quercetin are known to act as antioxidants, reduce the risk of atherosclerosis and type 2 diabetes, inhibit the growth of cancer cells, and prevent the release of allergic and inflammatory molecules. However, the question was whether red wine could be enriched with these phenols using a co-inoculation winemaking technology. The main new idea was to completely replace the cold maceration proce... [more]

This study examines the prevalence of aflatoxin contamination in 160 nut samples, both shelled and unshelled (including pistachios, peanuts, and walnuts), from the Lebanese market, focusing on their fungal contamination and specific toxigenic strains. Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), known for its potent carcinogenic and immunosuppressive properties, was detected in various samples. Moisture content analysis showed that unshelled nuts often exceeded maximum moisture limits more frequently than shelled nuts, with levels ranging from 1.9 to 9.5%. The predominant fungal genus identified through cultivation on potato dextrose agar (PDA) plates was Aspergillus. In total, 55% of samples were contaminated with A. flavus and 45% with A. niger. All toxigenic strains isolated were identified as Aspergillus flavus. The aflatoxins, particularly AFB1, were quantified using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), revealing contamination in... [more]

The interactions of metal ions with fulvic acids were investigated from the point of view of the thermodynamic aspects of complexation as well as the size and charge of the formed complexes. Thermodynamic aspects were studied by means of isothermal titration calorimetry. Particle size distribution was determined by the method of dynamic light scattering and charge by the measurement of zeta potential. Complexation resulted in changes in particle size and charge. The particle size distribution was trimodal for fulvic acids and bimodal for fulvic complexes with calcium and magnesium, while copper−fulvic complexes had only one size fraction. The compensation of the negative charge of carboxylic and phenolic functional groups by positively charged metal ions resulted in an increase in zeta potential which became closer to zero in the case of copper−fulvic complexes. However, all metal−humic complexes behaved as colloidally unstable, which resulted in visually observable sedimentation. Calo... [more]