Biofabricated nanomaterials in sustainable agriculture: insights, challenges and prospects.

One ever-evolving and ever-demanding critical human endeavour is the provision of food security for the growing world population. It could be done by adopting sustainable agriculture through horizontal (expanding the aerable land area) and vertical (intensifying agriculture through sound technological approaches) interventions. Customised formulated nanomaterials have numerous advantages. With their specialised physicochemical properties, some nanoparticulised materials improve plant's natural development and stress tolerance and some other are good nanocarriers. Nanocarriers in agriculture often coat chemicals to form composites having utilities with crop productivity enhancement abilities, environmental management (like ecotoxicity reduction ability), and biomedicines (like the ability of controlled and targeted release of useful nanoscale drugs). The Ag, Fe, Zn, TiO2, ZnO, SiO2 and MgO nanoparticles often employed in advanced agriculture are covered here. Some nanoparticles used for various extended purposes in modern farming practices, including disease diagnostics and seed treatment are covered too. Thus, nanotechnology has revolutionised agrotechnology, which holds promises to transform agricultural (eco)system as a whole to ensure food security in future. Considering the available literature, the article further probes the emergent regulatory issues governing the synthesis and use of nanomaterials in the agriculture sector. If applied responsibly, nanomaterials could help improve soil health. The article provides an overview of the used nanomaterials in distribution of biomolecules, to aid in devising a safer and eco-friendly sustainable agriculture strategy. Through this, agri-systems depending on advanced farming practices might function more effectively and enhance agri-productivity to meet the food demand of the rising world population.

High-dietary fibers cereal bars containing malt bagasse by-product from the brewing industry.

The aim of this study was to use the malt bagasse by-product for developing high-dietary fibers cereal bars. Three formulations were tested and contained 0% (control), 19% and 24% of malt bagasse. The bars with malt bagasse were rich in dietary fiber and protein, with 6.06 and 26.35 g/100 g, respectively for samples with 19% of bagasse, and 8.43 and 26.22 g/100 g, respectively, for bars with 24% of this by-product. The total phenol content (TPC) of the bars with 19 and 24% of bagasse, was 100.37 and 192.13 mg GAE/100 g of sample, and the EC50 was 21.58 and 14.78 mg/mL (DPPH assay), respectively. The incorporation of this by-product into the formulations enhanced their TPC and antioxidant capacity. These samples had a high sensory acceptance. The formulation with the lowest malt bagasse concentration showed high global acceptance (56%) and purchase intention. The sensory attributes that pleased the tasters the most, rated as "liked moderately," were the color and odor of both bars. Cereal bars showed an improved nutritional composition and antioxidant capacity after malt bagasse addition, and the formulation with 19% should be the best choice among the tested formulations, when considering the set of nutritional and sensory aspects. The malt bagasse was successfully valorized as an ingredient in a functional food, whilst contributing to the environment.

Mobile Robot + IoT: Project of Sustainable Technology for Sanitizing Broiler Poultry Litter.

The traditional aviary decontamination process involves farmers applying pesticides to the aviary's ground. These agricultural defenses are easily dispersed in the air, making the farmers susceptible to chronic diseases related to recurrent exposure. Industry 5.0 raises new pillars of research and innovation in transitioning to more sustainable, human-centric, and resilient companies. Based on these concepts, this paper presents a new aviary decontamination process that uses IoT and a robotic platform coupled with ozonizer (O3) and ultraviolet light (UVL). These clean technologies can successfully decontaminate poultry farms against pathogenic microorganisms, insects, and mites. Also, they can degrade toxic compounds used to control living organisms. This new decontamination process uses physicochemical information from the poultry litter through sensors installed in the environment, which allows accurate and safe disinfection. Different experimental tests were conducted to construct the system. First, tests related to measuring soil moisture, temperature, and pH were carried out, establishing the range of use and the confidence interval of the measurements. The robot's navigation uses a back-and-forth motion that parallels the aviary's longest side because it reduces the number of turns, reducing energy consumption. This task becomes more accessible because of the aviaries' standardized geometry. Furthermore, the prototype was tested in a real aviary to confirm the innovation, safety, and effectiveness of the proposal. Tests have shown that the UV + ozone combination is sufficient to disinfect this environment.

The Terra Preta Model soil for sustainable sedentary yam production in West Africa.

Current declines in yam yields amidst increasing cultivated areas, land scarcity, and population surges call for more sustainable sedentary yam production systems. This study explored the nature of Amazonian Dark Earths (ADEs) as a basis for the formation of a related soil type known as the Terra Preta Model (TPM) soil for future sedentary yam systems. It builds on the influence of human beings in soil management and the formation of Anthrosols. Previous studies on the ADEs and biochar were synthesized to establish the fundamental assumptions required to form the TPM soil. The practical approach to forming the TPM soils is based on the intentional, integrated and prolonged use of biochar, municipal solid wastes, agro-industry wastes and products of ecological sanitation. Tillage options such as mounding, ridging, trenching and sack farming could be used for yam production on the TPM soils. Unlike natural soils, the longevity of ADE fertility is subject to debate depending on crops grown and cropping cycles. Therefore, a crop rotation plan is recommended to maintain the fertility of the TPM soils. The TPM soils, if adopted, are considered worthwhile for the long-term benefit of biodiversity conservation, efficient waste management, enhanced ecosystem services provided by soils and extensive adoption of ecological sanitation.

Innovative processes in smart packaging. A systematic review.

Smart packaging provides one possible solution that could reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In comparison with traditional packaging, which aims to extend the product's useful life and to facilitate transport and marketing, smart packaging allows increased efficiency, for example by ensuring authenticity and traceability from the product's origin, preventing fraud and theft, and improving security. Consequently, it may help to reduce pollution, food losses, and waste associated with the food supply chain. However, some questions must be answered to fully understand the advantages and limitations of its use. What are the most suitable smart packaging technologies for use in agro-industrial subsectors such as meat, dairy, fruits, and vegetables, bakery, and pastry? What are the opportunities from a perspective of life extension, process optimization, traceability, product quality, and safety? What are the future challenges? An up-to-date, systematic review was conducted of literature relevant to the application of indicator technologies, sensors, and data carriers in smart packaging, to answer these questions. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

The technology life cycle of Persian lime. A patent based analysis.

The citrus agro-industry is one of the world's most important agricultural sectors. The Persian lime is one of six citrus fruit groups with economic significance. The technological lifecycle of Persian lime sector is assessed in this study using the growth S-curve approach. The objective is to depict the technology life cycle trajectory and current stage of the Persian lime citrus fruit, as well as each of its value chain phases, in order to facilitate better decision-making and technological strategies. The study uses technological patents collected from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) database from 1975 to 2009. The S-curve model of Persian lime and its value chain stages is generated using logistic mathematical regression. According to the findings of this study, Persian lime is in the maturity stage of the technology life cycle. As a result, the primary strategy could be cost reduction, process innovation, and price strategies to capitalize on market opportunities. When compared to other value chain phases, the transformation phase has the highest number of patents according to the value chain analysis and it is the unique value chain phase with statistical significance in the model. The transformation phase is also at the maturity stage of the technology life cycle. This creates opportunities in two ways: first, to adopt previously developed technologies in the transformation phase and improve process efficiency to reduce costs; and second, to reinforce innovative technological efforts in other phases of the Persian lime value chain, such as growth, harvest, or post-harvest.

Storage Stability and In Vitro Bioaccessibility of Microencapsulated Tomato (Solanum Lycopersicum L.) Pomace Extract.

Tomato pomace is rich in carotenoids (mainly lycopene), which are related to important bioactive properties. In general, carotenoids are known to react easily under environmental conditions, which may create a barrier in producing stable functional components for food. This work intended to evaluate the storage stability and in vitro release of lycopene from encapsulated tomato pomace extract, and its bioaccessibility when encapsulates were incorporated in yogurt. Microencapsulation assays were carried out with tomato pomace extract as the core material and arabic gum or inulin (10 and 20 wt%) as wall materials by spray drying (160 and 200 °C). The storage stability results indicate that lycopene degradation was highly influenced by the presence of oxygen and light, even when encapsulated. In vitro release studies revealed that 63% of encapsulated lycopene was released from the arabic gum particles in simulated gastric fluid, whereas for the inulin particles, the release was only around 13%. The feed composition with 20% inulin showed the best protective ability and the one that enabled releasing the bioactives preferentially in the intestine. The bioaccessibility of the microencapsulated lycopene added to yogurt increased during simulated gastrointestinal digestion as compared to the microencapsulated lycopene alone. We anticipate a high potential for the inulin microparticles containing lycopene to be used in functional food formulations.

Therapeutic Targets for Phenolic Compounds from Agro-industrial By-products against Obesity.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is considered a global epidemic. This disorder is associated with several health effects, such as metabolic disturbances that need both prevention and treatment actions. In this sense, bioactive secondary metabolites can be obtained from cheap sources such as agro-industrial waste, providing a sustainable alternative against obesity. Among these secondary metabolites, phenolic compounds present a common chemical structure core with different substitutions that provide them with biological properties such as antioxidant, inflammatory, and anti-aging capacities. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this review is to compile anti-obesity therapeutic targets for phenolic compounds from agro-industrial by-products. METHOD: Scientific information has been obtained from different databases, such as Scopus, PubMed and Google Scholar, in order to select the available full-text studies conducted in the last few years. RESULTS: This review shows that peel, seed, pomace and other by-products from agro-industry have different effects inhibiting enzymes related to lipid or glucose metabolism and modulating biomarkers, genes and gut microbiota in animal models. CONCLUSION: Revalorizing actions of agro-industrial byproducts in the prevention or treatment of obesity or associated disorders can be considered to develop new high value products that act on lipid, glucose and energy metabolisms, oxidative stress, inflammation, adipose tissue or gut microbiota. However, further human studies are needed in order to establish the optimal administration parameters.

Ozone assisted autohydrolysis of wheat bran enhances xylooligosaccharide production with low generation of inhibitor compounds: A comparative study.

In the present study, ozone assisted autohydrolysis (OAAH) was evaluated for enhanced generation of xylooligosaccharide (XOS) from wheat bran. The total XOS yield with optimum ozone dose of 3% (OAAH-3) was found to be 8.9% (w/w biomass) at 110 °C in comparison to 7.96% at 170 °C by autohydrolysis (AH) alone. Although, there was no significant difference in oligomeric composition (DP 2-6), significant decrease in degradation products namely furfural (2.78-fold), HMF (3.15-fold), acrylamide (nil) and acetic acid (1.06-fold), was observed with OAAH-3 as a pretreatment option. There was 1-fold higher xylan to XOS conversion and OAAH-hydrolysate had higher DPPH radical scavenging activity than AH. PCA plots indicated clear enhancement in XOS production and lower generation of inhibitors with decrease in treatment temperature. Results of the study therefore suggest OAAH can be an effective pretreatment option that can further be integrated with downstream processing for concentration and purification of XOS.

Utilization of agro-industrial by-products in Monascus fermentation: a review.

The Monascus fermentation industry has gained global attention. Its key products, i.e., pigments, functional food ingredients, food supplements, and medicinal use, are growing in the world's market. Efforts to find the cost-effective substrate for Monascus fermentation have remained the target. This paper aimed to appraise the utilization of agro-industrial by-products (cereal, starchy tuber and root, legume, fruit, and coffee processing) as a cost-effective substrate for Monascus fermentation. The specific objective was to review the by-products pre-treatment, the fermentation process, product yield, and the bioactivity of the fermented products. Among all the by-products that could be used as the fermentation substrate, cereal brans do not need pre-treatment, but others need a suitable pre-treatment step, e.g., cassava peel, okara, and jackfruit seed to list a few, that need to be powdered beforehand. Other substrates, such as corn cob and durian seed, need soaking and size reduction through the pre-treatment step. During fermentation, Monascus produce many pigments, monacolin K, associated with rise in phenolic and flavonoid contents. These products possess antioxidant, antihypercholesterol, antidiabetes, and antiatherosclerosis activities which underpin their health significance. In conclusion, we report in this review the agro-industrial by-products which have potential prospects for pigments, functional food ingredients, food supplements, and therapeutic usages produced from Monascus fermentation.

Improvement of Andean Blueberries Postharvest Preservation Using Carvacrol/Alginate-Edible Coatings.

Edible coatings are attractive strategies for blueberries postharvest preservation. In this work, carvacrol/alginate coatings were developed for application on Andean blueberries. Coating formulations were prepared based on blends of sodium alginate (2% w/v), carvacrol (0%, 0.03%, 0.06% or 0.09%), glycerol, and water and applied to the fruits by dip-coating. Then, the fruits were immersed in a calcium batch to induce a crosslink reaction. Changes in the physicochemical and microbiological characteristics of the blueberries were monitored during 21 days of storage at 4 °C. Coated blueberries were better preserved throughout the 21 days of storage because of their lower respiration rate and water loss, in comparison with the uncoated ones. Besides, the coatings enhanced the appearance and the gloss of the fruits. Control fruits showed a significant decrease in the firmness, while, in the coated fruits, this critical postharvest quality was preserved during the entire storage. Coating formulations with 0.09% of carvacrol was the most effective in preventing mesophilic aerobic bacteria and molds/yeasts growth on the fruits during the storage. Edible carvacrol/alginate coatings can be considered as a useful alternative to complement the benefits of refrigerated storage by delaying post-harvest spoilage of Andean blueberries.

Biorefinery of Biomass of Agro-Industrial Banana Waste to Obtain High-Value Biopolymers.

On a worldwide scale, food demand is increasing as a consequence of global population growth. This makes companies push their food supply chains' limits with a consequent increase in generation of large amounts of untreated waste that are considered of no value to them. Biorefinery technologies offer a suitable alternative for obtaining high-value products by using unconventional raw materials, such as agro-industrial waste. Currently, most biorefineries aim to take advantage of specific residues (by either chemical, biotechnological, or physical treatments) provided by agro-industry in order to develop high-value products for either in-house use or for sale purposes. This article reviews the currently explored possibilities to apply biorefinery-known processes to banana agro-industrial waste in order to generate high-value products out of this residual biomass source. Firstly, the Central and Latin American context regarding biomass and banana residues is presented, followed by advantages of using banana residues as raw materials for the production of distinct biofuels, nanocellulose fibers, different bioplastics, and other high-value products Lastly, additional uses of banana biomass residues are presented, including energy generation and water treatment.

No land for food: prevalence of food insecurity in ethnic communities enclosed by sugarcane monocrop in Colombia.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate how the food systems in areas close to sugarcane monocrops influence the prevalence of food insecurity (FI) among three ethnic communities in the upper Cauca River basin of Colombia. METHODS: We developed a mixed methodology study at three rural zones located in the departments of Cauca and Valle del Cauca, Colombia, using a household survey to establish the level of FI, and semi-structured interviews with key community actors. RESULTS: These three ethnic communities have a high prevalence of FI (> 70%) that was found to be associated with economic income, social security, gender, the presence of minors in the home, refrigerator in operation and ownership of the land. Loss of food sovereignty was associated with the sale and rental of land. CONCLUSIONS: The sugarcane monocrop has contributed to environmental crises, spatial confinement and sociocultural disruption in ethnic territories; by renting, selling or leasing their land to the industrial production of sugarcane, traditional practices of food production and self-consumption have been profoundly transformed. Ethnic cultures are endangered, while food security and sovereignty of indigenous and black communities have been negatively affected.

Valorization of agro-industry residues in the building and environmental sector: A review.

Environmental pollution has become a relevant issue as the population rises and resources decrease. Reuse and recycling still have the greatest potential as they turn the waste into a new resource, representing the 'closed-loop' step of a circular economy (CE). Looking for new applications for agro-industry waste represents both an environmental issue, as its incorrect disposal is a cause of pollution, and a chance to exploit zero-cost natural wastes. The present review, with around 200 articles examined, focuses on possible reuses of these residues in (a) building construction, as additives to produce thermal and acoustic insulation panels, and (b) in water treatments, exploited for removal of pollutants. The selected materials (coconut, coffee, corn, cotton and rice) have industry production wastes with suitable applications in both sectors and huge worldwide availability; their reuse may thus represent a new resource, with an impact based on the production rate and the possible replacement of current inorganic materials. Along with possible implementation of the selected materials in the building industry and environmental engineering, a brief description of the production and supply chain are provided.

Current practices and challenges in using microalgae for treatment of nutrient rich wastewater from agro-based industries.

Considerable research activities are underway involving microalgae species in order to treat industrial wastewater to address the waste-to-bioenergy economy. Several studies of wastewater treatment using microalgae have been primarily focused on removal of key nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. Although the use of wastewater would provide nutrients and water for microalgae growth, the whole process is even more complex than the conventional microalgae cultivation on freshwater media. The former one adds several gridlocks to the system. These gridlocks are surplus organic and inorganic nutrients concentration, pH of wastewater, wastewater color, total dissolved solids (TDS), microbial contaminants, the scale of photobioreactor, batch versus continuous system, harvesting of microalgae biomass etc. The present review discusses, analyses, and summarizes key aspects involved in the treatment of wastewaters from distillery, food/snacks product processing, and dairy processing industry using microalgae along with sustainable production of its biomass. This review further evaluates the bottlenecks for individual steps involved in the process such as pretreatment of wastewater for contaminants removal, concentration tolerance/dilutions, harvesting of microalgae biomass, and outdoor scale-up. The review also describes various strategies to optimize algal biomass and lipid productivities for various wastewater and photobioreactor type. Moreover, the review emphasizes the potential of co-cultivation of microorganism such as yeast and bacteria along with microalgae in the treatment of industrial wastewater.

Purification and characterization of a biosurfactant produced by Bacillus subtilis in cashew apple juice and its application in the remediation of oil-contaminated soil.

The ability of some microorganisms to use clarified cashew apple juice as carbon and energy source for biosurfactant production was assessed under strict controlled conditions. Twelve strains of Bacillus were isolated and evaluated regarding their biosurfactant production capabilities. The biosurfactant obtained with these selected strains showed the capacity of decreasing the surface tension of water from 72.0 to 31.8 mN.m-1 and the interfacial tension of n-hexadecane to 27.2 mN.m-1, with a critical micelle concentration of 12.5 mg.L-1. Not only did the biosurfactant present excellent stability to pH, temperature and salinity, it also showed emulsifying properties in different hydrocarbons. The behavior of the phase diagrams showed the potential of the produced biosurfactant to obtain relatively-stable emulsions for up to 96 h, which allows for its application in several areas. The semi-purified biosurfactant did not show toxicity against Lactuca sativa (lettuce) or Artemia salina (microcrustacean), presenting an LC50 of 612.27 µ mL-1. The surfactant was characterized as being a cyclic lipopeptide with molecular structure similar to that of surfactin. Furthermore, through the employment of the surfactant produced, the remediation effect in oil-contaminated soil could be significantly improved.

Quality of life and healthy aspects in agribusiness workers / Qualidade de vida e aspectos saudáveis em trabalhadores da agroindústria

to evaluate quality of life and its relationship to lifestyle along with the personal and work characteristics of agro-industry workers from Goias, Brazil. A cross-sectional, descriptive and quantitative study, using the WHOQOL-BREF instrument as well as personal and work data, the data collection occurred in 2014. A bivariate analysis was used to check for associations between the predictor variables and the analyzed outcomes. Variables with p < 0.20 and potential confounding variables: gender, age, income and marital status were included in multiple linear regression models. The perception of the quality of life of workers showed better scores for the social domain and worse for environment, obtaining significance for the factors associated with quality of life: physical activity, education, skin color, work related accidents, income and body mass index. In order to perform the multifactorial analyses, the associated independent factors were confirmed in the regression analysis, with the inclusion of the variables gender, marital status and alcohol consumption. The workers have lifestyles that interfere with the perception of their quality of life. All of the domains evaluated in this study were shown to possess this interference, with prevalence toward a lack of physical activity and the occurrence of work related accidents.

Avaliar qualidade de vida e a relação com o estilo de vida e características pessoais e laborais de trabalhadores da agroindústria de Goiás, Brasil. Estudo transversal, descritivo e quantitativo; utilizou o instrumento WHOQOL-BREF e dados pessoais e laborais; a coleta de dados ocorreu em 2014. Realizou-se análise bivariada para verificar associações entre as variáveis preditoras e os desfechos analisados. Variáveis com p < 0,20 e potenciais variáveis de confusão: sexo, idade, renda e estado civil foram incluídas em modelos de regressão linear múltipla. A percepção da qualidade de vida dos trabalhadores mostrou melhores escores para o domínio social e piores para o ambiental, obtendo significância para os fatores associados à qualidade de vida: atividade física, escolaridade, cor da pele, acidente de trabalho, renda e índice de massa corporal. Para as análises multifatoriais os fatores independentes associados foram confirmados na análise de regressão, com a inclusão das variáveis sexo, estado conjugal e uso de bebida alcoólica. Os trabalhadores possuem estilos de vida que interferem na percepção da qualidade de suas vidas, observadas em todos os domínios avaliados, com prevalência de não realização de atividade física e ocorrência de acidentes de trabalho.

A Review on Bioconversion of Agro-Industrial Wastes to Industrially Important Enzymes.

Agro-industrial waste is highly nutritious in nature and facilitates microbial growth. Most agricultural wastes are lignocellulosic in nature; a large fraction of it is composed of carbohydrates. Agricultural residues can thus be used for the production of various value-added products, such as industrially important enzymes. Agro-industrial wastes, such as sugar cane bagasse, corn cob and rice bran, have been widely investigated via different fermentation strategies for the production of enzymes. Solid-state fermentation holds much potential compared with submerged fermentation methods for the utilization of agro-based wastes for enzyme production. This is because the physical⁻chemical nature of many lignocellulosic substrates naturally lends itself to solid phase culture, and thereby represents a means to reap the acknowledged potential of this fermentation method. Recent studies have shown that pretreatment technologies can greatly enhance enzyme yields by several fold. This article gives an overview of how agricultural waste can be productively harnessed as a raw material for fermentation. Furthermore, a detailed analysis of studies conducted in the production of different commercially important enzymes using lignocellulosic food waste has been provided.

Influence of agricultural activities, forest fires and agro-industries on air quality in Thailand.

Annual and monthly-based emission inventories in northern, central and north-eastern provinces in Thailand, where agriculture and related agro-industries are very intensive, were estimated to evaluate the contribution of agricultural activity, including crop residue burning, forest fires and related agro-industries on air quality monitored in corresponding provinces. The monthly-based emission inventories of air pollutants, or, particulate matter (PM), NOx and SO2, for various agricultural crops were estimated based on information on the level of production of typical crops: rice, corn, sugarcane, cassava, soybeans and potatoes using emission factors and other parameters related to country-specific values taking into account crop type and the local residue burning period. The estimated monthly emission inventory was compared with air monitoring data obtained at monitoring stations operated by the Pollution Control Department, Thailand (PCD) for validating the estimated emission inventory. The agro-industry that has the greatest impact on the regions being evaluated, is the sugar processing industry, which uses sugarcane as a raw material and its residue as fuel for the boiler. The backward trajectory analysis of the air mass arriving at the PCD station was calculated to confirm this influence. For the provinces being evaluated which are located in the upper northern, lower northern and northeast in Thailand, agricultural activities and forest fires were shown to be closely correlated to the ambient PM concentration while their contribution to the production of gaseous pollutants is much less.

Work related injury among Saudi Star Agro Industry workers in Gambella region, Ethiopia; a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Work injury is an important cause of morbidity and mortality, much of these work injuries burden can be found in industry required heavy manual work such as, agriculture and fishers. Hence; agriculture is consistently cited as one of the most hazardous industry in the world. The objective of this study isto assess the magnitude and associated factors of work related injury among Saudi Star Agro Industry workers in Gambella region, South West Ethiopia. METHODS: An institutional based cross-sectional study design was conducted on Saudi Star Agro Industry located in Gambella region, from February - June 2014 on 449 randomly selected workers who arestratifiedby working department. Anobservation checklist, factory clinical records and a structured interview questioner were used as a data collection tools. RESULT: The prevalence of work related injury was 36.7%. Marital status [AOR;1.69, 95%; CI;(1.1-2.7)], service year [AOR;1.9,95%; CI;(1.17-3.1)], working more than 48 h per week [AOR;9.87, 95%; CI;(5.95-16.28)],safety training [AOR;3.38, 95%;CI;1.14-9.98)], regular health checkup [AOR; 12.29, 95%; CI (9-51.35)] and usage of personal protective equipment [AOR; 2.36, 95%; CI; (1.06-5.25)] were significant factors for the occurrence of work related injury. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of work related injury was high. Working hours, safety training and regular health checkup increases the risk of work related injury.