Abstract The study compares the biological potential of six varieties of honey from different floral origins in Thailand, including longan ( Dimocarpus longan Lour.), premium longan (raw honey derived from Dimocarpus longan Lour.), Siam weed ( Chromolaena odorata ), lychee ( Litchi chinensis Sonn. ), coffee ( Coffea arabica L.), and Manuka ( Leptospermum scoparium ). Total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) were determined, followed by the evaluation of antioxidant activities using ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and ascorbic acid equivalent antioxidant capacity (AEAC) assays. Quantitative analysis of phenolic and flavonoid compounds was performed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), with compound identification based on retention times of authentic standards. Antimicrobial activity, expressed as minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and basic physicochemical properties were also evaluated. Multivariate analyses, including principal component analysis (PCA) and Pearson correlation were applied to link the biochemical composition of honeys with biological activities. Manuka and premium longan honeys exhibited the highest phenolic and flavonoid levels and strong antioxidant capacities. Major compounds, including gallic acid, caffeic acid, quercetin, and catechin, showed significant correlations with TPC, TFC, and both antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. PCA grouped Manuka and premium longan honeys in a high-bioactivity cluster, closely associated with antioxidant variables and low MIC values, particularly against Staphylococcus aureus (7.5% w/v). Lychee honey showed high flavonoid content but limited antimicrobial activity, while coffee and conventional longan honeys displayed moderate activities. In contrast, Siam weed honey exhibited the lowest bioactive levels, consistent with its weak antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Multivariate analyses confirmed that phenolics and flavonoids are the main drivers of honey bioactivities. These findings highlight Thai premium longan honey as a promising bioresource for functional food and cosmeceutical development, supporting its potential to enhance local economic value.

Shiitake [Lentinula edodes (Berk)] is one of the most widely cultivated edible mushrooms worldwide, valued for its distinct flavour, nutritional richness, and therapeutic potential. Despite its long-standing culinary and medicinal use, existing literature addresses its various attributes in isolation, focusing either on cultivation methods, nutraceutical properties, or post-harvest processing. This comprehensive review aims to provide a detailed overview of shiitake mushroom biology, combining recent cultivation techniques, substrate-based nutritional modulation, bioactive compound profiling, and sustainable applications of spent shiitake substrate (SSS). Beginning with details on traditional and modern cultivation approaches, including log-based and sawdust-based synthetic methods, the review highlights how substrate type influences yield and nutrient content. The review further compiles major bioactive compounds and their preclinical evidence suggests roles in immunity, anticancer potential, metabolic health, and vitamin D supplementation. Importantly, this work highlights the emerging role of SSS in circular bioeconomy models, including its use in agriculture, bioremediation, and energy recovery. This review addresses a significant gap in existing literature by connecting traditional knowledge with contemporary research, emphasizing shiitake as both a gourmet and medicinal fungus. Additionally, it highlights shiitake as a sustainable biotechnological resource with applications in food, health, and environmental sectors.

The current study is designed to evaluate the effectiveness of advanced thermal, including microwave (MW) and ohmic heating (OH), and non-thermal, ultrasonication (US) and hydrostatic high pressure (HHP) processing techniques on the preservation and shelf-life extension of sugarcane juice (SCJ). HHP immediately increased viscosity from 4.14 ± 0.02 to 5.04 ± 0.05 mPa.s, suggesting microstructural stabilization. Heat-sensitive ascorbic acid was best protected by non-thermal methods: HHP and US showed no significant losses versus fresh SCJ, whereas OH and MW reduced vitamin C by approximately 7.3% and 18.3%, respectively. However, ohmic heat treatment resulted in a substantial decline in residual enzymatic activity among all treatments, with polyphenol oxidase (PPO) at 0.77 ± 0.03 U/mL and peroxidase (POD) at 1.35 ± 0.03 U/mL, respectively. Analysis of various phenolics like caffeic, gallic acid, vanillic acid, benzoic acid, and others using HPLC revealed that HHP was the most effective technique in retaining phenolics as compared to others. Non-thermal techniques were found to be more efficient in preserving color, rheological properties, and phenolic contents in SCJ than the advanced thermal treatment. Conclusively, the results depicted that HHP is an effective method for preserving the nutritional and functional qualities of SCJ, while OH is superior to MW treatment among thermal tools. Future research should focus on enhancing HHP parameters, combining non-thermal techniques, and evaluating technological and economic feasibility for industrial adoptions.

Fish processing waste represents a significant, underutilized biomass resource, with global annual production typically estimated at 50–130 million tonnes. Current disposal methods, such as landfilling and ocean dumping, contribute to eutrophication, nutrient enrichment, and climate change. Additionally, food system assessments indicate that waste accounts for approximately 8% of greenhouse gas emissions. This review consolidates existing evidence on the zero-waste valorisation of fish byproducts within circular bioeconomy frameworks, analysing technological feasibility, environmental performance, and regulatory constraints. The analysis investigates significant side streams, including scales, skin, bones, viscera, heads, oils, swim bladders, crustacean exoskeletons, fins, and livers, focusing on compositional variability and its implications for process design. The evaluation of key extraction and conversion routes includes enzymatic hydrolysis, ultrasound-assisted processing, microwave-assisted processing, supercritical fluid extraction, and pulsed electric field treatment, with an emphasis on recovery yield, functional quality, and energy intensity. Integrated biorefinery configurations achieve over 70% resource recovery and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50–75% compared to disposal. However, outcomes depend on feedstock logistics, stabilization, and the integration of unit operations. Persistent barriers encompass sanitary compliance, cross-batch standardization, contaminant surveillance and removal, and substantial capital requirements, which disproportionately hinder operators in small-scale and developing countries. Research priorities encompass techno-economic assessment, life-cycle impact quantification, regulatory harmonization, and quality specifications, as well as policy implements that mitigate investment risks and expedite deployment.

Fetal bovine serum (FBS) is the primary supplement in cell culture practice, although its use raises both ethical and biomedical issues. Obtaining FBS is disrespectful of animal welfare; moreover, its production is affected by unpredictable supply, leading to cost fluctuations. Bovine milk consists primarily of water, fats, proteins, and carbohydrates, also containing various bioactive molecules, partially overlapping with FBS ones. Unsold or expired milk maintains its nutritional properties; thus, we addressed our efforts to its employment to produce a sustainable supplement for cell cultures, thereby reducing FBS usage. Different milk-derived fractions were obtained starting from high-quality fresh pasteurized milk through a multi-step separation process. First evaluations on the HeLa cells showed that various fractions were able to sustain either complete or partial cell development, while others did not allow survival. The presence of α-lactalbumin and β-lactoglobulin was strongly required to promote cell viability. Also, the presence of certain growth factors, including IGF-I, IGF-II, TGFβ1, and TGFβ2, influenced cell growth. Pretreated Fraction 2 (PF2), which resulted in the best-performing fraction, was further tested on additional in vitro models: C2C12 cells, involved in cultured meat research, and Vero cells, a well-known platform for vaccine production. PF2 sustained C2C12 cell development, although the growth kinetics was slower compared to FBS. Instead, in Vero cells, PF2 contributed to a reduction in FBS usage. Thus, the employment of milk-derived fractions as cell culture supplements represents a new opportunity for an ethical transition of cell culture-based studies and, beyond its cost-effectiveness, perfectly fits with sustainable and bioeconomy requirements.

To improve the drying characteristics and standardize the process parameters for drying orange slices, osmotic dehydration was applied using a convective dryer. Osmotic dehydration was performed using 70 °brix sugar solution at 70 °C for 60 min, and agitated at 80 rpm. Convective drying was performed at 50, 60, and 70 °C using a cabinet dryer. The drying behavior, physicochemical characteristics (color, total sugar, carotenoid, and ascorbic acid), and sensory properties of the osmo-convective dried slices were evaluated. Fick’s second law of diffusion was applied to drying data to analyze mass transfer phenomena and drying kinetics. The activation energy and moisture diffusivity were calculated based on drying data. Among the tested conditions, samples dried at 60 °C exhibited superior color retention and sensory properties. The estimated effective moisture diffusivity is between 6.104 × 10⁻¹⁰ to 9.046 × 10⁻¹⁰ m²/s, accompanied by an activation energy of 21.45 kJ/mol. The experimental data were best fitted to the Page model, which demonstrated high accuracy in modeling the drying kinetics and enabled reliable estimation of mass transfer parameters. The findings suggest that osmo-convective drying at 60 °C is effective in preserving the quality of orange slices with peel relative to non-osmotic orange slices, extending shelf life, and making it a viable post-harvest processing technique.

In the Shari-Goyain River, every year, hilly flash flood carries wastewater emitted from coal mining activities that result in water pollution and massive killing of fish, causing human health hazards from consumption. Therefore, this study assessed seasonal accumulation of eight heavy metals (HMs), namely Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se and Zn in tissues (gill, gonad, kidney, liver, and muscle) of Wallago attu from the exposed site of this river versus a control site (the Piyain River) by using atomic absorption spectrophotometry, and evaluated the potential health risks for consumers. Metal accumulation levels in different tissues varied significantly among diverse tissues (p < 0.05) of liver > gonad > kidney > gill > muscle in the exposed site, and kidney > gill > liver > gonad > muscle in the control site. The highest concentrations of HMs (p < 0.05) in all tissues were detected in pre-monsoon, followed by winter, post-monsoon, and monsoon. Among the metals, Fe (up to 421.7 mg/kg in kidney) and Zn (up to 148.8 mg/kg in gills) exhibited the highest accumulation, whereas Cd showed the lowest levels (as low as 0.14 mg/kg in muscle). Principal component analysis linked HM pollution primarily to coal mine drainage, with Ni, Fe, Se, Pb, Cd, and Cu as dominant contributors. The presence of strong coefficients and vector arrows indicating pairwise collinearities among certain HMs (Cd-Cu, Pb-Se, and Fe-Ni) further indicated that these metals have similar sources and behaviors within the river. For all seasons and sampling sites, the total hazard quotient indicated a low likelihood of non-carcinogenic health risks. However, the consumption of fish from the Shari-Goyain River poses elevated risk in the pre-monsoon and winter compared to the other seasons. To protect the health and safety of local consumers and to support sustainable aquatic ecosystems, future research should prioritize long-term monitoring of HMs in this aquatic system and the development of mitigation solutions for coal mining pollution.

The review is a systematic study of the biotechnology application in the food oil industry, which has two key aspects namely food production and food processing. Biotechnological inventions like bio-agricultural enhancement, genetic engineering and metabolic engineering have in the production field tremendously increased the yield and quality of the oilseeds. The methods assist in reducing the infestation of cereal cropland, enhancing the ratio of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, and enhancing the production of crops with high content of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. These developments will help in sustainable farming and provide quality supply of oils in plant products. Biotechnology is also more efficient in extraction processes through cleaner methods than chemical methods that are used in the traditional method of extraction. Enzyme-based extraction, fermentation by microorganisms and bio-enhanced recovery of oil enhances yield of oil, conserves bioactive properties and minimizes harm to the environment. The use of enzyme processes especially lipases, cellulases and pectinases have been vital in the refining and modification of the oils so as to make it stable and functional. Biotechnology combines the idea of sustainable farming with modern bio-processing approaches, which allows producing the high-quality edible oils and functional lipid products in an eco-friendly and efficient manner.