A novel black ginseng processing method for optimizing rare ginsenosides with bioactivity and sustainability

The increasing environmental and health challenges posed by fossil fuel dependency necessitate the exploration of renewable bioresources. Chlorella sorokiniana KNUA228, a microalga isolated from Ulleungdo, Republic of Korea, was investigated to evaluate its biotechnological potential. Molecular analyses confirmed its identity as C. sorokiniana, and cultivation under optimized conditions highlighted its robust growth and high biomass productivity. Biochemical profiling revealed a rich composition of proteins and the amino acid valine, emphasizing its potential as a nutritional and feed resource. Notably, the strain exhibited elevated lutein levels, suitable for applications in functional foods, nutraceuticals, and cosmetics. Proximate and ultimate analyses demonstrated high calorific value and volatile matter content, indicating its viability as a bioenergy feedstock. Its favorable fatty acid composition, rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, further underscores its utility in health‐promoting products. Collectively, C. sorokiniana KNUA228 offers versatile applications in bioenergy, food, and pharmaceutical industries, aligning with global efforts toward sustainable resource development.

Pineapple cultivation generates significant agro-industrial residues, such as peels, crowns, cores, and stubble, which are often discarded despite their potential as valuable raw materials. This review aims to provide a comprehensive assessment of the sustainable valorization of these residues through emerging bio-based technologies. The objective is to critically examine the scientific evidence on their transformation into high-value products in renewable energy, agriculture, bioplastics, and nutraceuticals. Methodologically, this review analyses peer-reviewed literature recently published, selected from academic databases, with emphasis on studies from tropical regions in Asia, Latina America, and Africa. Selection criteria included technological feasibility, environmental relevance, and consistency with circular bioeconomy principles. Results show that pineapple residues, rich in lignocellulosic fibers, sugars, and bioactive compounds, can be converted into bioethanol, biogas, hydrogen, bioplastics, natural dyes, and dietary supplements. In agriculture, biochar and organic fertilizers derived from compost enhance soil health, increase crop productivity, and reduce chemical inputs. Pineapple by-products are also valuable for producing biodegradable packaging, textiles, and natural dyes, offering sustainable alternatives to fossil-based materials. Bioactive compounds such as bromelain and antioxidants extracted from pineapple residues have applications in functional foods, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. Natural fibers from crowns and peels are utilized in bioplastics and composite materials, advancing circular economy principles and reducing environmental impacts. Despite their potential, challenges such as technology scalability and market integration remain. By transforming agricultural waste into high-value products, the pineapple industry can contribute to economic growth, environmental preservation, and the development of sustainable industries aligned with circular economy goals.

The berry pomace could be a potential source for food applications due to its high content of polyphenols, but also dietary fiber, PUFAs and pectin. This is the first study that aims to compare the total dietary fiber (TDF), protein, fat, mineral, pectin and fatty acid content of the following 16 different pomace samples of Sorbus aucuparia L. cultivars (cvs): ‘Likernaja’, ‘Burka’, ‘Alaja Krupnaja’, ‘Granatnaja’, ‘Rubinovaja’, ‘Bussinka’, ‘Vefed’, ‘Angri’, ‘Krasnaja’, ‘Solnechnaja’, ‘Sahharnaja’, ‘Oranzevaja’, ‘Kubovaja’, ‘Moravica’, ‘Rosina’ and ‘Rossica’, in order to find new natural materials for valorization. The contents of pectin and dietary fibers were analyzed using the respective Megazyme enzymatic kits. The TDF content was the highest in the pomace samples of hybrid cvs ‘Granatnaja’ (63.04% dry mass DM), ‘Burka’ (64.52% DM), ‘Rubinovaja’ (65.66% DM) and ‘Likernaja’ (67.17% DM). The pomace of hybrid cv ‘Rubinovaja’ was distinguished from other samples by its high protein content, cv ‘Alaja Krupnaja’ by its high pectin content and cv ‘Oranzevaja’ by its high fat content, which were 7.58% DM, 8.39% DM and 7.47% DM, respectively. The pomace of cv ‘Sahharnaja’ possessed the highest average macro-element content (1.56 g/kg DM). The average fatty acids profile was characterized by a high content of linoleic acid (51.94%), oleic acid (20.55%) and palmitic acid (12.96%). The lowest n6/n3 ratio was found in the hybrid cv ‘Alaja Krupnaja’ (6.70%). The data obtained demonstrate that the pomaces of certain cultivars of rowanberry contain significant amounts of valuable components, which can be used in functional food and cosmetic applications.

Quercetin 3-O-glucuronide (miquelianin), a common dietary flavonoid, has drawn considerable research attention owing to its diverse biological activities. This review summarizes current knowledge on the extraction, biosynthesis, pharmacokinetics, and health benefits of miquelianin and discusses its potential applications in the food industry. The compound's biosynthesis involves a complex enzymatic and genetically regulated pathway that can be modulated by external factors. Pharmacokinetic analyses indicate that miquelianin is rapidly absorbed and widely distributed yet exhibits limited bioavailability. Its health benefits are substantiated by numerous studies, demonstrating efficacy in mitigating oxidative stress, reducing inflammation, preventing cancer, and providing neuroprotection. Within the food sector, miquelianin may hold potential applications in dairy products, functional beverages, and food preservation systems, though issues related to stability and sensory attributes remain to be resolved. In conclusion, advancing miquelianin's biosynthesis, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy is crucial for its successful application in functional foods and public health.

Deciphering the gastrointestinal fate of four heat-treated legume proteins: Focus on digestive characteristics and peptide profiles.

Regulating the composition of anthocyanins and phenolic acids in a sweetpotato cell culture towards production of polyphenolic complex with enhanced physiological activity

The aim of this review is to synthesize current knowledge on the sources, molecular characteristics, biological activities, and biotechnological applications of bromelain from pineapple and pineapple waste. Relevant peer-reviewed studies were systematically examined to provide an integrated perspective that links bromelain’s biological properties with its technological potential. Bromelain, a complex of cysteine proteases derived from Ananas comosus, has gained increasing scientific and industrial attention due to its diverse biological activities and broad biotechnological applications. Despite decades of research, its molecular characteristics, functional properties, and industrial potential remain only partially standardized and widely debated. This review systematically synthesized publications between 2012 and 2025, focusing on the molecular and biochemical properties of stem and fruit bromelain, comparative analyzing enzymatic kinetics, and the potential of bromelain from pineapple and pineapple waste in industries. Literature was identified from peer-reviewed journals and evaluated for experimental rigor, relevance, and industrial applicability. The finding is that bromelain exhibits anti-inflammatory, anticoagulant, antimicrobial, anticancer, immunomodulatory, and digestive activities, which underpin its wide applications in pharmaceuticals, functional foods, cosmetics, agriculture, and environmental management. Moreover, pineapple waste materials were identified as viable alternative sources of bromelain, supporting circular economy approaches. However, enzyme instability, variability in activity, and the absence of standardized extraction and purification protocols remain key barriers to large-scale applications.

Preparation and characterization of carboxymethylated Aureobasidium pullulans β-(1 → 3, 1 → 6)-glucan and its in vitro antioxidant activity

Aegle marmelos (Bael) is a versatile tree species with a rich history in traditional medicine and cultural practices. It's adaptable to diverse environments and offers nutritional, livelihood, and health security benefits. Bael has medicinal properties, nutritional value, and industrial applications in pharmaceuticals, food, cosmetics and functional foods. Toxicity studies show it's relatively safe for consumption and use in traditional medicine. The future scope of Bael is promising with opportunities for improvement through advanced technologies, horticultural interventions and export market focus. Potential areas for development include COVID-19 treatment, natural remedies, and traditional medicine. With further research and development Bael can improve farmers livelihoods and contribute to community well-being, particularly in arid regions

Beta-glucans (β-glucans) are polysaccharides with significant biological activity, widely recognized for their immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, and metabolic health benefits. Among various sources, yeast-derived β-(1 → 3), (1 → 6)-glucans have gained particular attention due to their potent bioactivity and diverse applications in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and functional foods. This review comprehensively examines yeast β-glucans, covering their biosynthesis, extraction, and purification from industrially relevant yeast strains, particularly Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The impact of fermentation parameters on β-glucan yield and structural properties is analyzed, highlighting advancements in optimizing microbial production. Furthermore, we discuss methods for characterizing yeast β-glucans, including analytical and bioassay techniques, and compare their physicochemical properties with those of β-glucans from other sources. Finally, this review explores the therapeutic potential of yeast-derived β-glucans, focusing on their role in immunomodulation and metabolic regulation and their emerging applications in biomedicine, functional foods, and industrial formulations. By synthesizing recent advancements, this work provides insights into the expanding utilization of yeast β-glucans and their potential for future biotechnological developments.

Tailoring the properties of double-crosslinked emulsion gels using structural design principles: Physical characteristics, stability, and delivery of lycopene

In recent years, functional foods and bioactive components in foods have drawn a lot of attention as well as interest of food scientists, nutritionists, health professionals, and consumers. The advent of this new food category has been facilitated by increasing scientific knowledge about the metabolic and genomic effects of diet and specific dietary components on human health. The relationship between health and diet is well known and it is a main key for prevention of variety of diseases. Milk is considered as a very good source of bioactive components and it has been known to contain macro- as well as micronutrients of high nutritional and therapeutic value. Also, bioactive components have been exploited from milk and dairy products for application in functional foods and for potential pharmaceutical use. Biologically active compounds guard neonates and adults against pathogens and illnesses. Some major bioactive components of milk are derived from caseins, whey proteins, lipids, lactoferrine, vitamins, immunoglobulins and growth factors. The aim of this paper was to provide an overview and explain the health effects of already known and recently detected bioactive components derived from bovine milk on humans.

Functional food, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical applications of natural products have gained growing attention as there is increasingly awareness of the association between bioactive compounds and improved health. Recently, food and biomedical scientists have focused more on marine resources to isolate bioactives since the marine ecosystem comprises unexploited resources with a wide range of organisms. Marine species produce a wide range of natural products, such as polysaccharides, peptides, polyunsaturated lipids, phenolic compounds, and pigments, with unique structures and diverse biological activities due to their extreme living environments. These active molecules reduce the risk of chronic disease and improve health by exhibiting antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, anti-obesity, antihypertensive, cardioprotective, and neuroprotective activities. This review summarizes the recent discoveries of bioactive compounds from marine invertebrates (sponges, cnidarians, echinoderms, molluscs, ascidians, and crustaceans), fishes, seaweeds, and marine microorganisms and their potential for functional foods, nutraceuticals, and pharmaceuticals applications.

Phenolic compounds from longan (Dimocarpus longan Lour.) extract possess strong antioxidant properties but are highly unstable during processing and storage, limiting their application in functional foods. This study aimed to develop an alginate–gum Arabic encapsulation system to enhance the efficiency, stability, and microbial safety of longan phenolic compounds. Beads were produced using an extrusion technique with 1.5% (w/v) sodium alginate and 4% (w/v) calcium chloride as the optimal gelling condition, and gum Arabic was incorporated as a co-polymer to improve bead performance. The formulation containing gum Arabic exhibited the highest encapsulation efficiency (74.9%), and stability evaluations revealed superior retention of phenolic compounds under acidic conditions (pH 2), with a more controlled release profile compared to neutral and alkaline environments. To address microbial safety, gamma irradiation at 5 and 7.5 kGy was applied; a dose of 5 kGy increased bead firmness, whereas 7.5 kGy achieved complete sterilization without compromising structural integrity or functional properties. These findings indicate that the integration of alginate with gum Arabic significantly enhances both encapsulation performance and bioactive stability, while gamma irradiation serves as an effective non-thermal sterilization method. The developed system demonstrates strong potential for application as a delivery platform in functional food and nutraceutical formulations requiring stability and safety assurance.

Aquaculture represents a booming sector to augment human food and nutritional security. The changing face of the climate over the years has given a lesson for improvising the system and the nutritional aspects of the candidate fish species. Given this scenario, nutritional biotechnology approaches through the application of functional foods in aquafeed have a lot to do with the futuristic mitigation of climate-induced vulnerability and challenges. The physiological dysfunction, as seen through deficiency diseases/syndromes in fishes when stocked in the highly intensive system, is of grave concern to the farming community. Therefore, a precise understanding of the nutritional need of the species apart from the role of several functional foods in aquaculture is essential. Several functional foods in the forms of probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, vitamins, nutri-enzymes, etc. are available through a series of research on fish models. A prudent approach for its field-level application can guide us to tackle the climate-induced scenario for sustaining the growing aquaculture industry. In this context, the chapter provides a narrative account of the critical nutrient deficiency diseases and the functional role of dietary nutrients to tackle the scenario.KeywordsClimate changeFunctional foodNutritional deficiencyProbioticPrebioticSynbiotic