Pyrethroid insecticides like deltamethrin pose significant risks to non-target organisms due to widespread use in agriculture and vector control. Researchers explore synthetic and plant-derived compounds to counteract pesticide toxicity. This study shows that seed extracts from Nigella sativa (NSSE) and Syzygium cumini (SCSE) possess strong antioxidant properties, effectively mitigating deltamethrin-induced oxidative damage. Deltamethrin generates reactive oxygen species (ROS), causing cytotoxicity, mitochondrial dysfunction, hepatic injury, and potential apoptosis. In vitro studies on HepG2 cells revealed that deltamethrin (10–50 µM) reduced viability (45–70%), increased ROS (2.5-fold), and impaired mitochondrial membrane potential. Pretreatment with NSSE or SCSE (50–200 µg/mL) restored viability (60–85% recovery), reduced ROS (50–70%), and maintained mitochondrial function. Key bioactives were thymoquinone (NSSE) and ellagic acid (SCSE). In vivo experiments in Swiss albino mice (n = 30; deltamethrin 18 mg/kg b.w., oral, 10 days) showed elevated serum ALT (3.2-fold), AST (2.8-fold), and ALP (2.5-fold), with depleted antioxidants (GSH: 55% reduction; SOD/CAT: 40–50% inhibition). Co-administration of NSSE or SCSE (200 mg/kg) reversed these changes (enzyme reductions: 55–70%; GSH recovery: 80–90%) and decreased lipid peroxidation (MDA: ~65%). Histopathological examination confirmed deltamethrin-induced necrosis, sinusoidal dilatation, and inflammation, largely ameliorated (80–95% recovery) by extracts; NSSE showed superior antifibrotic effects. The findings indicate that seed extracts from Nigella sativa and Syzygium cumini display strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and tissue-repairing properties that counteract liver damage caused by deltamethrin, both in laboratory settings and animal models. This evidence highlights their promise as naturally derived agents for protecting the liver.

Edible coatings are revolutionizing food preservation by offering a sustainable and effective solution to key industry challenges. Made from natural biopolymers such as proteins, polysaccharides, and lipids, these coatings form a thin, edible layer on food surfaces. This barrier reduces moisture loss, protects against oxidative damage, and limits microbial growth, thereby extending shelf life while preserving food quality. Enhanced with natural additives like essential oils and antioxidants, these coatings offer antimicrobial benefits and contribute to health. Applications span from fresh produce, where they control respiration and moisture, to meat, dairy, and bakery products, maintaining sensory and nutritional properties. Innovations in coating technologies—such as composite materials, nano-emulsions, and bio-nanocomposites—are improving their mechanical strength, barrier properties, and compatibility with other preservation methods like modified atmosphere packaging. Although challenges remain in cost, consumer acceptance, and regulation, edible coatings represent a significant stride towards sustainable food systems and reduced dependence on synthetic packaging.

Fermented millet beverages are gaining attention as a sustainable and nutritious alternative to traditional functional foods, combining the nutritional benefits of millets with the transformative effects of fermentation. This review explores the microbial dynamics, biochemical changes, and health benefits of these beverages. Fermentation boosts nutrient bioavailability, reduces anti-nutritional factors, and produces bioactive compounds like antioxidants and probiotics that support gut health, metabolism, and immunity. It also enhances the synthesis of vitamins, minerals, and peptides, offering potential benefits for managing chronic conditions. Key factors such as temperature, pH, oxygen levels, and substrate composition influence fermentation, with specific microorganisms enhancing both nutritional and sensory qualities. These beverages align with sustainability goals, as millets thrive in resource-limited environments, and their gluten-free nature caters to dietary needs, including those with celiac disease. The review highlights the cultural significance of millet beverages while advocating for their integration into modern health markets and commercial viability

Plastic cannot decompose entirely in natural ecosystems due to its persistent covalent bonds, hydrophobicity, and resistant functional groups. It disintegrates into micro or nano form due to certain physical, chemical, or biological factors. Plastic's micro and nano forms can readily enter the food chain, resulting in the bioaccumulation and biomagnification of harmful substances. In view of the facts concerning plastic degradation, this review article aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of microplastic degradation processes, degradation mechanism, uptake and translocation, and toxicity mechanism. A prominent search in Google Scholar used the keywords microplastics, degradation mechanisms, biotoxicity, and toxicity mechanism to strengthen and identify the concepts related to MPs and their effect on ecosystems. Plastics, with a lifespan of 100-1000 years, undergo degradation due to environmental weathering. Degradation processes include chemical, thermal, photochemical, and biological. Factors like composition, structure, and additives influence degradation. Advanced oxidation methods are popular for chemical degradation, showing UV radiation can degrade 7-22% of floating plastic. The eradication of microplastics from the ecosystem has become a significant challenge for protecting humans and other organisms. Future research should identify environmental parameters affecting plastic degradation, predict plastic fate, and develop technologies for pollution reduction, mainly focusing on microplastics and nanoplastics' formation and degradation.

The present study reports the synthesis of Mangifera indica leaf extract mediated copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) via a biological method. CuO NPs are characterized for crystal structure and crystallite-size determination, absorption peak, particle size and morphological analysis, elemental composition, and functional groups' identification using XRD, UV-visible spectroscopy, HRTEM, FESEM, EDX, and FTIR. CuO NPs show an absorption peak at a wavelength of 338 nm with a calculated band gap energy of 2.2 eV, using Tauc's plot. XRD pattern depicts monoclinic phase similar to 18 nm average crystallite-size NPs. FESEM and HRTEM micrographs confirm the needle shaped CuO NPs with a 5:40 nm aspect ratio. The EDX spectrum, depicting the Cu and O peaks, shows that the particles are free from any type of impurity. FTIR analysis elucidates the role of bioactive chemicals in the extract in the successful formation of CuO NPs. The photoluminescence study reveals the existence of violet, green, orange, yellow and red emission bands. Additionally, CuO NPs exhibit an electrical conductivity of 1.37 x 10(-7) Sm-1 and 5. 31 x 10(-7) Sm-1 at 100 degrees C and 200 degrees C. Thus, environmentally friendly, non-toxic, green-synthesized CuO NPs hold significant potential for applications in resistive sensors, solar cells, and optoelectronics devices.

The extensive use of antimicrobial growth promoters (AGPs) in livestock has raised global concerns due to increasing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among pathogenic microbes. This review examines probiotics as a sustainable alternative to AGPs, offering a safer approach for promoting animal growth and health. Probiotics enhance animal productivity and immunity by producing antimicrobial compounds and competing with pathogens for nutrients. In addition, probiotics strengthen the gut barrier and modulate the gut microbiome, facilitating beneficial bacterial growth while suppressing pathogenic species. Studies demonstrate the efficacy of probiotic strains of genera Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium in inhibiting pathogens such as Clostridium perfringens and Salmonella in livestock. This comprehensive evaluation highlights probiotics' potential to advance sustainable livestock practices, reduce reliance on antibiotics, and mitigate AMR risks, underscoring the need for further research and regulatory considerations for their use in animal husbandry.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1007/s12088-024-01306-6.].

In recent years, the antimicrobial resistance to various synthetic or chemically formed antimicrobial agents in medicines and food products has been observed. The high preference of consumers for purchasing food products free from chemical preservatives has led to more exploration into using antimicrobial agents from natural sources like plants, fungi, algae, and bacteria. The marine ecosystem comprises microorganisms, plants, vertebrates, and invertebrates that are rich sources of diverse antimicrobial products and can be a significant potential for developing novel type therapeutic agents, as the major portion of the sea has still not yet been examined for the evaluation of natural molecules for their antimicrobial activity. Such marine ecological niches promise a great source of antibacterial agents against many drugresistant strains of pathogenic microorganisms. Among the marine source, marine algae are a diverse group of organisms that includes brown, red, and green algae that have been targeted over the last few years for the secondary metabolites and a broad range of natural molecules for a broad spectrum of bioactivities beneficial to humans. Such bioactive compounds and secondary products possess a broad range of biological activities of antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties. The class of compounds derived from marine algae, such as polysaccharides, fatty acids, phenolic compounds, pigments, lectins, alkaloids, terpenoids, and halogenated compounds, would be a new emerging area for unconventional drugs. Such classes of compounds will share a potent ability to control new diseases or tackling against multi-resistant strains of pathogens.

About 80% of terrestrial plants formed mycorrhizal association with AMF. Mycorrhizal association stimulates the physiological and molecular reactions even at subcellular stage leading to modification of the structure of plant community which results in the enhancement of plant resistance against all types of biotic and abiotic stresses. Molecular methodologies have been used to identify the AMF at ecosystem level but for specific plant species only. In a sustainable agricultural system farmers used natural procedures to attain improved food quality and productivity without using fertilizers, decrease input costs, and prevent environmental pollution and its side effects. The importance of using AMF inoculation in the sustainable agriculture system depends on the role of AMF for improving plant growth by increasing nutrients and water uptake and also increasing stability of soil aggregates and enhanced soil fertility. AMF interacts with soil-borne pathogen and reduces their effect on plant by antagonism, mycoparasitism, and antibiosis. Further studies are required for better understanding about ecological importance of AMF at community and ecosystem levels. 221numbers of AMF and land plants dated back 460 million years (Redecker, 2002). The most important function of this association is the uptake of phosphorous by roots of higher plants and increased uptake of water by hyphae of fungi. Mycorrhizal association also stimulates the physiological and molecular reactions even at subcellular stage leading to modification of the structure of plant community which results in the enhancement of plant resistance against all types of biotic and abiotic stresses. Plants of the same or different species connected with the help of the hyphal network of mycorrhizal association and that is how the transfer of nutrients, releasing signal molecules related to defense proteins like lipochitooligosaccharides and strigolectones. To understand the physiological and taxonomy of fungi recent studies have been carried out (Saito, 2000; Kohout et al., 2014). These are the members of phylum Glomeromycota and obligate in nature (Redecker et al., 2000). Their role for agriculture ecosystems documented very well and can be utilized for the restoration of the forest ecosystem (Solaiman and Abbott, 2003, 2008; Brundrett and Nanjappa, 2013). ECM fungi also distributed extensively, but they only associated with 3% land plants (Smith and Read, 2008) and are members of the phylum Ascomycota and Basidiomycota (Hibbett et al., 2000). AMF rather than ectomycorrhizal fungi depend on plants for Carbon sources, but when they are symbiotically associated, both required 20–40% of C from the plant that is photosynthetically fixed (McNear, 2013).

Abiotic stresses have a detrimental effect on plant growth and productivity. The effects of abiotic stresses on crop productivity and on ecosystem deterioration have been exacerbated by climate change and agricultural malpractices such as the excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides. Salinity is one of the most severe environmental stresses because it reduces crop yield on more than 20% of irrigated land throughout the world, making it one of the most severe environmental stresses. To combat this, salt-tolerant 160crops must be developed. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the mechanisms that allow plants to grow in salty environments. Salinization of plants involves activating molecular networks involved in stress sensing, signaling, and the production of stress-related genes and metabolites. On the other hand, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are frequently referred to as bio-fertilizers. Additionally, it is widely believed that inoculating host plants with AMF confers tolerance on them against a variety of stressful conditions such as heat, salinity, drought, metals, and extreme temperatures. This chapter provides a comprehensive up-to-date knowledge on the role of AMF in salinity tolerance and growth response in plants under salt stress conditions.

Plant root and fungus combined, results in a single structure through which exchange of nutrients takes place. There are many other mycorrhizal species found in the rhizosphere of citrus plants, but the major AMF found is Glomus species. The mycorrhizal association is also helpful in maintaining yield of the citrus plant. The soil of citrus orchards has many communities of AMF instead of a single species. So, the root of the citrus plant may be colonized by more than one AMF at the same point, which indicates that the soil of citrus orchard is rich in diversity of AMF, and this will improve the nutrient's uptake and growth of a citrus plant. Citrus plants inoculated with mycorrhiza have more resistance against soil-borne pathogens and diseases than nonmycorrhizal plants. The mycorrhizal association releases the antibiotics in the soil which can control soil microorganisms such as nematodes and pathogenic fungi so the chances of infection reduced.