A data subset collected from different research papers is used to determine the optimum conditions for extracting protein from soybeans. Various algorithms are employed to model the purity of the protein isolate. Results demonstrated that the chosen model was well aligned with the extracted data, with a coefficient of determination (R2) of up to 0.83. The adequacy of the model was confirmed by the experiment held using a mild extraction technique and a full factorial design, with temperature (25 and 45 degrees C) and pH of extraction (8 and 10) as independent variables. While the conducted experiments confirmed that the temperature and pH of extraction did not affect the purity, they showed that the pH of extraction has a significant effect on the protein yield and solid yield. The maximum yield was obtained when temperature and pH were 45 degrees C and 10, respectively.

Coffee, a widely consumed beverage, offers health benefits alongside enjoyment. While coffee chemistry has been studied for years, the existence and formation of nanoparticles in coffee remain incompletely understood. This research explores how carbon nanodots (C-CNDs) form in coffee under various conditions of brewing, including (1) bean types, (2) grind sizes, (3) the coffee-to-water ratios, and (4) brewing time and temperatures. The results show that the C-CNDs formation increased with Arabica beans, coaster grinds, and a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio (g/g). Higher temperatures (over 90 oC) and longer brewing times also yielded more C-CNDs. Our findings revealed that the isolated C-CNDs have an average size of 3.2 +/- 0.9 nm and are characterized using fluorescence spectrophotometer, UV-Vis, and TEM techniques. We also examined fundamental coffee compositions like caffeine content, pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), and browning color, finding the correlation with C-CNDs. While C-CNDs show a strong negative correlation with caffeine content (-0.8), there is a weak negative correlation with pH (-0.33), TDS (-0.48), and browning color (-0.62). This establishes a new link between C-CNDs and caffeine content. These discoveries, backed by robust scientific methods, enhance our understanding of coffee's composition and have potential health implications.

The intensive applications of nanomaterials in the agroecosystem led to the creation of several environmental problems. More efforts are needed to discover new insights in the nanomaterial–microbe–plant nexus. This relationship has several dimensions, which may include the transport of nanomaterials to different plant organs, the nanotoxicity to soil microbes and plants, and different possible regulations. This review focuses on the challenges and prospects of the nanomaterial–microbe–plant nexus under agroecosystem conditions. The previous nano-forms were selected in this study because of the rare, published articles on such nanomaterials. Under the study’s nexus, more insights on the carbon nanodot–microbe–plant nexus were discussed along with the role of the new frontier in nano-tellurium–microbe nexus. Transport of nanomaterials to different plant organs under possible applications, and translocation of these nanoparticles besides their expected nanotoxicity to soil microbes will be also reported in the current study. Nanotoxicity to soil microbes and plants was investigated by taking account of morpho-physiological, molecular, and biochemical concerns. This study highlights the regulations of nanotoxicity with a focus on risk and challenges at the ecological level and their risks to human health, along with the scientific and organizational levels. This study opens many windows in such studies nexus which are needed in the near future.

The objective of this study was to investigate the different polysaccharides as carrier material for spray-drying synbiotics and to study the physicochemical characteristics of synbiotics at different storage conditions. The thermally acclimatized probiotic strains, Lactobacillus helveticus (H-45) and Lacticaseibacillus casei (N-45) with enhanced probiotic properties were spray-dried using these polysaccharides along with galactooligosaccharides (GOS) as prebiotic. The studied plant-based polysaccharides are maltodextrin (MDX), corn starch (CS), and gum acacia (GA). After spray-drying, the survivability of all synbiotic combinations was higher in the presence of corn starch as carrier material. The synbiotic combination N45+GOS+CS showed better survivability during spray-drying, under simulated intestinal (8.43±0.17 log CFU/g), acid (5.51±0.12 log CFU/g), and bile (7.31±0.04 log CFU/g) conditions. The spray-dried powders had good to moderate flow properties with moisture content and water activity (aw) at the optimal range for the survival of probiotics. Among the spray-dried powders, synbiotic-N45+GOS+CS showed improved storage survivability during shelf-life studies at three different temperatures (4°C, 30°C, and 37°C) for eight weeks. However, all spray-dried probiotic and synbiotic powders had higher viability when stored at 4°C. Hence, the study suggests that cornstarch as a polysaccharide in the synbiotics formulation (N45+GOS+CS) may have a potential application in functional foods.

The relationship between agriculture and food is very close. It is impossible to produce adequate crops for global food security without proper farm management. Farming practices represent direct and indirect controlling factors in terms of global food security. Farming management practices influence agro-food production from seed germination through to the post-harvest treatments. Nano-farming utilizes nanotechnologies for agricultural food production. This review covers four key components of nano-farming: nano-mushroom production, protein-based nanoparticles, nano-nutrients, and nanofibers. This provides a comprehensive overview of the potential applications of nanotechnology in agriculture. The role of these components will be discussed in relation to the challenges faced and solutions required to achieve sustainable agricultural production. Edible mushrooms are important to food security because they are a nutritious food source and can produce nanoparticles that can be used in the production of other food sources. Protein-based nanoparticles have considerable potential in the delivery of bioactives as carriers and other applications. Nano-nutrients (mainly nano-selenium, nano-tellurium and carbon nanodots) have crucial impacts on the nutrient status of plant-based foods. Carbon nanodots and other carbon-based nanomaterials have the potential to influence agricultural crops positively. There are promising applications of nanofibers in food packaging, safety and processing. However, further research is needed to understand the impacts and potential risks of nanomaterials in the food production system.

Baked pretzels are a popular choice for a quick snack, easily identifiable by their classic twisted shape, glossy exterior, and small salt crystals sprinkled on top, making them a standout snack. However, it is not commonly known that compounds with fluorescent properties can be formed during their production. Carbon nanodots (CNDs) with an average size of 3.5 nm were isolated and identified in bakery products. This study delved into the formation of CNDs in pretzel production using a fractional factorial experimental design. The research revealed that the baking temperature had the most significant impact on the concentration of CNDs, followed by the concentration of NaOH in the immersion solution, and then the baking time. This study highlights the unique role of the NaOH immersion step, which is not typically present in bread-making processes, in facilitating the formation of CNDs. This discovery highlights the strong correlation between the formation of CNDs and the heat treatment process. Monitoring and controlling these factors is crucial for regulating the concentration of CNDs in pretzel production and understanding nanoparticle formation in processed foods for food safety.

Carbon nanodots (CNDs) are a class of nanoparticles with unique optical properties with broad applications in various fields. However, synthesizing CNDs with high fluorescence intensity and small size using a green solvent and low temperature remains challenging. In this study, we investigated the use of the Maillard reaction for synthesizing CNDs and optimized the reaction conditions at 120 degrees C for 12 h to achieve CNDs with desirable properties. The results showed that glycine was the most effective amino acid for CNDs formation when combined with sucrose. A molar ratio of 1 : 1 for glycine : sucrose resulted in the highest fluorescence intensity. The fluorescence intensity increased remarkably with 40% ethanol as the extraction solvent. However, a high ethanol concentration (above 60%) had an inverse relationship with CNDs' fluorescence intensity, indicating that a high concentration of ethanol solution prevented the Schiff base formation. The purified CNDs (M-CNDs) were characterized using fluorescence spectrophotometry, UV-Vis spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and TEM techniques. These findings provide a purification process of sustainable CNDs using the Maillard reaction and green solvents with optimized conditions and low temperatures. Developed method to optimize green CNDs synthesis & measure concentration in baked goods. Extracted CNDs characterized using TEM, Raman, UV-Vis & fluorescence.

Natural resources including water, energy, and food have an increase in demand due to the global population increases. The sustainable management of these resources is an urgent global issue. These resources combined in a very vital nexus are called the water–energy–food (WEF) nexus. The field of nanotechnology offers promising solutions to overcome several problems in the WEF nexus. This review is the first report that focuses on the suggested applications of nanofibers in the WEF sectors. An economic value of nanofibers in WEF sectors was confirmed, which was mainly successfully applied for producing clean water, sustainable energy, and safe food. Biotechnological solutions of nanofibers include various activities in water, energy, and food industries. These activities may include the production of fresh water and wastewater treatment, producing, converting, and storing energy, and different activities in the food sector. Furthermore, microbial applications of nanofibers in the biomedicine sector, and the most important biotechnological approaches, mainly plant tissue culture, are the specific focus of the current study. Applying nanofibers in the field of plant tissue culture is a promising approach because these nanofibers can prevent any microbial contamination under in vitro conditions, but the loss of media by evaporation is the main challenge in this application. The main challenges of nanofiber production and application depend on the type of nanofibers and their application. Different sectors are related to almost all activities in our life; however, enormous open questions still need to be answered, especially the green approach that can be used to solve the accumulative problems in those sectors. The need for research on integrated systems is also urgent in the nexus of WEF under the umbrella of environmental sustainability, global climate change, and the concept of one’s health.

Crop production needs saving many growing factors, which start from the germination of seeds, preparing the soil for cultivation, growing and development of crops till harvesting and even postharvest as well. The essential factors for crop growing may include all farming practices, applying biostimulants besides the environmental factors. Among biostimulants, nano-enabled agro-materials (e.g., nanofertilizers and nanopesticides), which can improve the efficiency of agrochemical delivery to cultivated crop plants. Several nanoparticles/nanomaterials have proved their potential for promoting the crop production under normal and stressful conditions such as nano-selenium (nano-Se). In this study, nano-selenium was elected as an example for nano-farming. The distinguished potential roles of nano-Se in certain agro-practices including the germination, growing under stressful conditions, and postharvest and quality of harvested crops. The suggested mechanism of nano-Se under previous agro-practices may back to its potential as antistressor in promoting the cultivated plants and improving plant resistance to adverse stresses, its role in controlling several plant enzymatic antioxidants (mainly catalase, superoxide dismutase, and peroxidase), and reducing the generation of reactive oxygen species and H2O2. This study highlights the possible role of nano-Se for nano-agriculture especially under climate changes and different global crises.

In this study, the effect of prebiotics such as fructooligosaccharides (FOS), galactooligosaccharides (GOS), isomaltooligosaccharides (IMO), and inulin on the probiotic biomass and its probiotic properties were studied for thermally acclimatized Lactobacillus helveticus (H-45) and Lacticaseibacillus casei N (N-45) strains at 45 ℃ using adaptive laboratory evolution method. Among the prebiotics studied, GOS was found to be more suitable for synbiotic preparation. The tolerance of lactobacilli cultures H-45 and N-45 in the presence of acid and bile were 4.79 and 8.60

The agricultural sector is a vital source of human well-being that provides the necessities of daily life. A variety of farming systems are utilized in agriculture, such as a wide range of tillage options, no-till, agroforestry, precision farming, organic farming, cover cropping, crop rotations, etc. Each of these farming systems has unique challenges, and nanotechnology has successfully improved on many of them. Agricultural applications of nanotechnology include nanofertilizers, nanopesticides, nanosensors, nanobiotechnology, and nanoremediation. This study focuses on the application of nano-farming technologies to different farming systems. Suggested practices include nano improvement of soil quality, crop nano-protection under biotic stress, nanoremediation of polluted soil and water environments, nanomanagement of agro-wastes, nano-agrochemicals, nano-precision farming, and nanobiotechnology for modern farming. This review also addresses expected problems that may occur due to over application of nanomaterials to farming systems, such as nanopollution and nanotoxicity of agroecosystem compartments. Several dimensions are emphasized in this study, such as green energy, sustainable development, the circular bioeconomy, land biodegradation, pollution, and the one health approach, as essential for the global goals of sustainable development. Nanofarming presents both benefits and obstacles to human life. The exact balance between these benefits and challenges needs more study.

Using seleno-compounds and telluric compounds is a practical approach for developing solutions against drug-resistant bacterial infections and malignancies. It will accelerate the search for novel treatments or adjuvants for existing therapies. Selenium and tellurium nanospheres can be produced by lactic acid bacteria. The bacteria can differentiate the selenium and tellurium when the medium contains both selenite and tellurite. Therefore, our question in this study was the following: are they making alloys from the selenium and tellurium and what will be the composition, color, and shape of the nanoparticles? We used a simple microbial synthesis to produce nanoselenium, nanotellurium, and their alloys from sodium selenite and sodium tellurite using Lactobacillus casei. This bacterium produced red spherical amorphous elemental selenium nanospheres with a diameter of 206 ± 33 nm from selenite and amorphous black nanorods with a length of 176 ± 32 nm and a cross-section of 62 ± 13 nm from tellurite. If the initial medium contains a mixture of selenite and tellurite, the resulting nanoparticles will contain selenium and tellurium in the same ratios in the alloy as in the medium. This proves that Lactobacillus casei cannot distinguish between selenite and tellurite. The shape of the nanoparticles varies from spherical to rod-shaped, depending on the ratio of selenium and tellurium. The color of nanomaterials ranges from red to black, depending on the percentage of selenium and tellurium. These nanomaterials could be good candidates in the pharmaceutical industry due to their antipathogenic and anticarcinogenic properties.

The potential of thermal adaptation enabling a probiotic Lacticaseibacillus casei N (N) to withstand heat stress and spray drying was investigated. Among the encapsulating agents used (maltodextrin, corn starch (CS), and acacia gum) for lactobacillus, CS had shown the highest survivability of 95.6% after spray drying. Further, the slurry prepared using L. casei (N), and CS as carrier material was subjected to sub-lethal heat stress at 45 and 50 degrees C for 60 min before spray drying. After spray drying, survivability was increased by 0.26 and 0.19 log in N + CS 45 and N + CS 50, respectively, compared to a control that was not treated to sub-lethal stress (N + CS). During storage studies for 90 days, the sub-lethal heat-stressed probiotic powders had shown better survivability at 4 degrees C. The survivability of L. casei (N) in spray-dried powders in simulated gastric fluid revealed that N + CS 45 had 3.06 log cycles higher survivability than N + CS. The SDS PAGE and FTIR analysis of intracellular proteins of heat-stressed L. casei (N) cells revealed overexpression of heat shock proteins indicating a change in protein structure. The study suggests that the sub-lethal heat stress before spray drying increases the viability of probiotic cultures, which have potential food applications.

Human resource managers are well positioned to play an instrumental role in helping their organization achieve its goals of becoming a socially and environmentally responsible firm – one which reduces it’s negative and enhances its positive impacts on society and the environment. As human resources influence many of the key systems and business processes underpinning effective delivery, it is well positioned to foster a CSR ethic and achieve a high performance CSR culture. The involvement of employee is a critical success factor for CSR performance. Human resource managers have the tools and the opportunity to leverage employee commitment to, and engagement in, the firm’s CSR strategy. High performing CSR organizations foster a culture of CSR and fully integrate CSR throughout their operations, rewarding and incentivizing CSR decisions and initiatives. Employees prefer to work for organizations aligned with their values; thus, incorporating CSR into the employee brand can enhance recruitment and retention, particularly in tight labour markets. CSR can be applied to the HR toolkit, resulting in a roadmap or pathway for human resource practitioners to follow the ethical code in the achievement of their organization’s sustainability and business aspirations, thereby improving social and environmental conditions locally and globally. Hence, this paper makes a conceptual analysis of the role played by organizations in aligning their sustainability principles in to their core business functions with the help of a strong band of human resources.