Agricultural By-products Research Articles

The Study of Increasing Shelf-Life of Meat by Using Nanocellulose-Chitosan Composite Film Obtained from Agricultural By-Products

Background: This research was conducted to design a bionanocomposite film for meat packaging with regard to environmental aspects. Methods: Cellulose nanoparticles (CNPs) were used as nano-reinforcing factors were generated using non-edible agricultural by-products. The bionanocomposite film which was recently developed contains CNPs and chitosan (CS); then, the nanocomposites were explored via SEM, FTIR, agar disc diffusion tests and X-ray crystallography (XRD). Finally, the film was used to pack meat pieces. Results: Investigation of the morphological and physical reports of the solid films indicated that the CNPs are well scattered in bionanocomposite film. The addition of CNPs within a CS improved Young’s modulus by about 12135% and the tensile strength by 583%. In addition, XRD photographs indicated that CNP peak appeared after being added to CS context. Antimicrobial activity demonstrated that nanocomposites exerted restrictive effect on Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. Using CS-nanocellulose composite as a packing film on meat surface leads to decreasing bacteria growth compared to nylon packing materials at 4˚C after 8 days of storage. Conclusion: Findings indicated that the recently designed CNP-CS films are a better replacement for common food packaging substances.

Chestnut Episperm as a Promising Natural Source of Phenolics from Agri-Food Processing by-Products: Optimisation of a Sustainable Extraction Protocol by Ultrasounds

Chestnut processing has increasingly grown in recent years. All the processes involved in the chestnut supply chain are characterized by the production of high levels of by-products that cause several environmental and disposal issues. The Castanea spp. fruit production is related to a high number of chestnut episperm. This underutilized agricultural by-product may be evaluated as a good resource for the extraction of health-promoting natural molecules, such as phenolics. This preliminary study aimed to develop and optimize, using a multivariate statistical approach, a sustainable protocol for the ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) of the main phenolics from chestnut episperm (cv Marsol, C. sativa × C. crenata). A design of experiment (DoE) approach was employed. This approach focused on the two quantitative UAE process factors: the extraction time (X1), within a timeframe ranging from 10 to 30 min, and the sample-to-solvent (w/v) ratio (X2), ranging from 1/30 to 1/10. These variables were investigated to determine their impact on phenol extraction yield. Exploratory analysis, in particular principal component analysis (PCA) and multiple linear regression (MLR), were carried out on the studied responses. The phenolic characterization of ten different extracts was also performed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), both to define the levels of specific phenolics selected for their health-promoting properties and to evaluate some important features, such as the total antioxidant capacity. The values of total polyphenolic content (TPC) obtained in the different experiments ranged between 97 (extract 4) and 142 (extract 6) mg GAE/g of dried weight (DW). Moreover, results from the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) test confirmed the high TPC values, highlighting that all the ultrasound extracts contained excellent levels of molecules with good antioxidant properties. In particular, extracts 2 and 3 showed the highest AOC values (about 490–505 mmol Fe2+/Kg of dried weight). The proposed optimized protocol allowed for obtaining formulations characterized by high levels of tannins, phenolic acids, and catechins. Indeed, episperm extracts contained high levels of chlorogenic acid (15–25 mg/100 g DW), ferulic acid (80–120 mg/100 g DW), castalagin (20–80 mg/100 g DW), and vescalagin (40–75 mg/100 g). Finally, in this research study, the potential of chestnut episperm as a source of polyphenolic molecules to be extracted by green technologies and used in several food and/or pharmaceutical applications was evaluated to valorize a sustainable reuse strategy of agri-food processing by-products, also reducing the environmental impact of this waste derived from chestnut processing.

Detection and quantification of free amino compounds in selected agricultural by-products with derivatization followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis

Recuperating bioactive compounds and nutrients from agricultural by-products for livestock feed is a potential solution for their reuse. Three of the agricultural by-products whose potential needs to be further explored are hempseed (Cannabis sativa L.) hull and sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) pomace and leaves. Free amino compounds content has not yet been explored for these samples and they were compared to oat (Avena sativa) bran and apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) pomace, since they have already been employed as livestock feed. For the analysis of amino compounds, the samples were derivatized with diethyl ethoxymethylenemalonate (DEEMM) followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis, in an approach called derivatization-targeted analysis. Overall, 46 free amino compounds were quantified, and a correlation matrix revealed that amino compounds’ profile of sea buckthorn leaves resembles that of oat bran, indicating that it is the most suitable agricultural by-product to be employed as feed supplement.

Agricultural Bioinputs Obtained by Solid-State Fermentation: From Production in Biorefineries to Sustainable Agriculture

Agriculture plays a major role on society, especially in developing countries which rely on commodity exportation markets. To maintain high crop productivity, the use of agrochemicals was once employed as the main strategy, which in turn affected soil, water, and human health. In order to aid this issue, identifying some alternatives, such as the implementation of biofertilizers and inoculants as bioinputs in modern agriculture, are imperative to improve ecosystem quality. Among these bioinputs, a few bioproducts have shown good performances, such as phytohormones (e.g., auxins and giberellins), biosurfactants, and other enzymes; thus, it is extremely important to assure the quality and feasibility of their production in biorefinery scenarios. These bioproducts can be synthesized through fermentation processes through utilizing plant biomasses and agricultural byproducts as carbon sources. In this sense, to increase the tecno-economical availability of these processes, the implementation of solid-state fermentation (SSF) has shown great potential due to its ease of operation and cost-attractiveness. Therefore, this study aims to describe the main substrates used in SSF systems for the production of potential bioinputs; their associated operation hurdles, parameters, and conditions selection; the most suitable microorganisms; and the underlying mechanisms of these molecules in soil dynamics. Within this context, this study is expected to contribute to the development of new processes in modern biorefineries and to the mitigation of environmental impacts.

Advancements in textile dye removal: a critical review of layered double hydroxides and clay minerals as efficient adsorbents.

The textile industry is responsible for producing large volumes of wastewater that contain a wide variety of dye compounds. This poses a significant environmental hazard and risks harming both ecosystems and living organisms. This review study explores the advancements in adsorption research for dye removal, with a particular emphasis on the development of various adsorbents. The article provides detailed insights into the toxicity and classification of dyes, different treatment techniques, and the characteristics of numerous adsorbents, with special attention to layered double hydroxides (LDH) and clay minerals. A comprehensive list of adsorbents, encompassing natural materials, agricultural by-products, industrial waste, and activated carbon, is discussed for effective removal of different dyes. Furthermore, the review extensively examines the influence of various adsorption variables, such as pH, initial dye concentration, adsorbent dosage, temperature, contact time, ionic strength, and pore volume of the adsorbent. Additionally, the application of response surface methodology for optimizing adsorption variables is elucidated. Commonly, electrostatic attraction, π-π interactions, n-π interactions, van der Waals forces, H-bonding, and pore diffusion play a major role in adsorption mechanism. The review also found that LDH can eliminate a wide range of dyes from wastewater, achieving excellent uptake capacities often exceeding 500 mg/g, with a removal efficiency of 99%. The Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic equations gave the best fit to most of the adsorption data. Overall, this review serves as a valuable resource for researchers and practitioners seeking sustainable solutions to address the environmental challenges posed by textile dye contamination.

Production and characterization of an organic solvent activated protease from haloalkaliphilic bacterium Halobiforma sp. strain BNMIITR

An unusual haloalkaliphilic bacterium known as Halobiforma sp. strain BNMIITR, which was noticed to produce an extracellular alkaline protease, was found in a soil sample from Northern India's Sambhar Lake. On the generation of protease, the effects of dietary elements including nitrogen and carbon sources, amino acids, and growth conditions like temperature and pH were investigated. When low-cost agricultural by-products were employed as nitrogen sources, the manufacturing of enzymes was significantly boosted. In the present study, protease production was enhanced by 2.94 fold and 2.17 fold. By solvent precipitation and Hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) on Phenyl Sepharose 6 Fast Flow matrix, the enzyme was purified 31.67 fold. It was determined that the apparent molecular mass was 21 kDa. The pH range where the enzyme was most stable was 6.0–12.0, with a temperature of 50 °C as optimum. When there was alkaline earth metals and heavy metals, protease was discovered to be active. It was evident that the enzyme was a serine type of protease because it was active in the presence of a variety of surfactants, oxidizing and reducing chemicals, and phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF) completely inhibited activity. Enzyme exhibited a wide range of substrate specificity. Amazingly, enzyme remained stable both in polar and nonpolar solvents. The most interesting aspect of this enzyme is enhanced activity in polar solvents like dimethylformamide (DMF) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). It was discovered that the protease was stable and compatible with a number of widely available detergents.

Hydrogen and methane production through two stage anaerobic digestion of straw residues

Anaerobic digestion of agricultural waste can contribute to the European renewable energy needs. The 71% of the 20,000 anaerobic digestion plants in operation already uses these agro-waste as feedstock; part of these plants can be converted into two stage processes to produce hydrogen and methane in the same plant. Biomethane enriched in hydrogen can replace natural gas in grids while contributing to the sector decarbonisation. Straw is the most abundant agricultural residue (156 Mt/y) and its conventional final fate is uncontrolled soil disposal, landfilling, incineration or, in the best cases, composting. The present research work focuses on the fermentation of spent mushroom bed, an agricultural lignocellulosic byproduct, composed mainly from wheat straw. The substrate has been characterized and semi-continuous tests were performed evaluating the effect of the hydraulic retention time on hydrogen and volatile fatty acids production. It was found that all the tests confirmed the feasibility of the process even on this lignocellulosic substrate, and also, it was identified HRT 4.0 d as the best option to optimize the productivity of volatile fatty acids (17.09 gCODVFAs/(KgVS*d)), and HRT 6.0 d for hydrogen (7.98 LH2/(KgVS*d)). The fermentation effluent was used in biomethanation potential tests to evaluate how this process affects a subsequent digestion phase, reporting an increase in the energetical feedstock exploitation up to 30%.

Utilization of Agricultural By-Products as a Partial Replacement of Cement in Construction: A Review

Food and Shelter are the two main requirements for surviving in this cosmos. More than 50% of the geographical area of the country is under cultivation. After harvesting the rice crop there is a common practice to set fields on fire. This stubble burning creates havoc causing a large number of health hazards and also affects the soil properties. This method of decomposition of agricultural residue including rice straw and rice husk if replaced with some standard combustion conditions, temperature, and rapid cooling of ash produced, will prove beneficial to the construction industry. This review paper explores the possibility of utilizing these agricultural waste products i.e. Rice Straw Ash (RSA) and Rice Husk Ash (RHA) as a partial replacement of cement in concrete and analyzing the fresh and hardened properties of concrete. Research gaps and future scope of this study are also highlighted in this review paper. It has been observed that the physical, chemical, and strength properties of concrete are mostly affected by the pozzolan city of the ashes and compressive strength and tensile strength of concrete increases with increase in replacement level of cement with the agricultural ash up-to certain optimal levels. Various other factors that contribute to the enrichment of the existing properties of the resulting concrete include grinding, fineness and porosity of ashes.

Effect of bioaugmented Linz-Donawitz slag and biochar on physiological and yield attributes of wheat (Triticum aestivum)

Industrial wastes and agricultural by-products are increasingly used in crop production as supplements along with fertilizers. An experiment was conducted during the winter (rabi) seasons of 2021 and 2022 at the research farm of the ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi to determine the individual and combined effects of bioaugmented Linz-Donawitz (LD) slag and biochar on physiological and yield attributes of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) variety HD 2967. Bioaugmented products with cow-dung, LD slag and biochar in different combinations were prepared in laboratory scale and applied in crates. All the treatments were applied with 100%RDF except control. Growth parameters such as total leaf area, chlorophyll content, NDVI; and leaf photosynthetic attributes such as net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance and transpiration rate were affected by bio-augmentation. Our study reported an increase in total leaf area (18.2–21.3%), chlorophyll content (26.5–31.0%), net photosynthetic rate (93.2%), stomatal conductance (61.3%), transpiration rate (24.7%) in bioaugmented treatments with LD slag and biochar over 100%RDF. A yield increase of 25.6 and 27.1% was found in bioaugmented treatments with a combination of LD slag (2 t/ha) and biochar (1 t/ha) over 100%RDF during 2021 and 2022, respectively. No. of spikes, grains per spike and dry biomass weight were positively influenced by bioaugmentation. The bioaugmented treatments with a combination of LD slag and biochar gave significantly higher grain yield, followed by bioaugmented LD slag compared to bioaugmented biochar alone in the respective application rate of treatments.

High temperature viscoelastic behaviour of sugarcane bagasse char and coal blends: Role of oxygen and porosity of char on fluidity reduction

This paper focuses on the introduction of sugarcane bagasse, an agricultural byproduct, as a renewable carbon-based additive to metallurgical coal to produce biocoke for the steel industry. Through subjecting pelletized sugarcane bagasse samples to various pyrolysis conditions, chars with varying properties were generated. With increasing final pyrolysis temperature (200, 400, 600, and 800 °C), a rise in carbon content and decline in oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen levels in the chars were observed. The presence of an inert purge gas during pyrolysis prompted abundant micropore formation between 400 and 600 °C, yielding high specific surface area (SSA > 300 m2/g) chars at 600 °C and 800 °C. Conversely, chars produced in a fixed (unpurged) nitrogen environment exhibited minimal porosity and consequently low SSAs (<5m2/g). These various chars were then blended (at 10 % addition) with a medium-volatile bituminous coal to evaluate their impact on the viscoelastic properties of the coal. Chars pyrolyzed to lower final temperatures had the greatest detrimental effect on blend fluidity due to (1) their continued devolatilization which introduced void spaces in the blend creating pathways for the exhaust of coal volatiles, and (2) their elevated oxygen content, which scavenged essential mobile hydrogen needed to facilitate viscoelastic behaviour. Furthermore, chars with similar oxygen content but substantially different (by over two orders of magnitude) SSAs generated comparable coal-char blend viscosity profiles, indicating that the presence or absence of micropores in an additive does not significantly influence the viscoelastic behaviour of the coal. The reduction in blend fluidity for the addition of chars pyrolyzed to 800 °C was comparable to the modelled addition of inertinite macerals, implying that these high-temperature chars predominantly serve as inert solid additives. Comparison to a blend with 10 % mesoporous activated charcoal as the additive confirmed that it is mesopores that destroy fluidity, while micropores do not play a significant role. Mesopores were identified to adsorb/trap the relatively large tar-like compounds that are responsible for coal plasticity. Collectively, this research identifies three key factors contributing to fluidity reduction in coal-additive blends: void creation, oxygen content, and mesoporosity. These findings offer insights into optimizing biocoke production processes.

Variation in substrate nutritional composition and its effects on the growth, development, and nutrient composition of Rhynchophorus phoenicis Fabricius (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Abstract Consumption of African Palm Weevil larvae is a potential solution to the escalating need for protein in Ghana. Currently, insect farmers rely heavily on agricultural by-products, for their production. However, the changes in nutritional content of these substrates over the duration of the larval stage is not well understood as its decline could have a negative effect on the larval development. The palm weevil larvae were reared on eleven (11) substrates and the changes in the nutrient content of the substrates over time during the larval rearing duration, and their effect on larval survival, larval duration and larval weight were assessed. The substrates tested included cocoyam cake, spoilt onion, banana corm, spoilt garden eggs, coconut coir, cocoa pod, raphia palm, elephant ear corm, sliced false yam, sugarcane and palm yolk. The substrate samples were collected weekly from the first to the fourth week and analysed for crude fat, crude protein, ash and carbohydrate contents. The nutritional content of all the substrates did not differ in the first week. However, crude protein, crude fat and carbohydrate significantly differed in the second, third, and fourth weeks. Larval survival, larval duration and weight of larvae were significantly affected by the changes in the nutrient content of the substrates in the second, third and fourth weeks. The results showed that elephant ear corm, sliced false yam and palm yolk have necessary nutritional requirements to sustain the larvae during development.

Competitive Effect of Zinc and Cadmium on the Biosorption of Chromium by Orange Waste

Batch experiments were conducted to test orange waste (OW), an agricultural solid waste byproduct from the orange juice manufacturing industry, as adsorbent for binary solutions of Cd2+-Cr3+ and Zn2+-Cr3+. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and the point of zero charge (pHpzc) were used to identify the functional groups on the OW surface involved in biosorption. The biosorption equilibrium data for both binary-metal solutions were obtained and fitted to various isotherm models. The extended Sips and the non-modified Redlich-Peterson isotherm models gave the best fit for the experimental data. According to the extended Sips model, the maximum biosorption capacity of OW was 0.573 mmol·g−1 for Cd2+, 0.453 mmol·g−1 for Zn2+, and 1.96 mmol·g−1 for Cr3+. The sorption capacity dropped to 0.061 mmol·g−1 for Cd2+ and to 0.101 mmol·g1 for Zn2+ in their binary systems with Cr3+ for the higher initial metal concentrations in the solution. However, the maximum sorption capacity of chromium was only slightly affected by the presence of Cd2+ or Zn2+. For both binary systems, the presence of a second metal ion in the solution always conduces to a reduction in the sorption of the other metal in the solution. The presence of Cr3+ decreased the sorption of Cd2+ and Zn2+ more than vice versa. Conclusively, effective removal of Cr3+ ions from an aqueous solution can still be achieved in the presence of Cd2+ or Zn2+.

Structural, physicochemical and functional properties of dietary fibers from tea residue modified by steam explosion

Effects of steam explosion (SE) treatment (0.3–1.0 MPa, 30–90s) on the physicochemical and functional properties of dietary fiber (DF) extracted from tea residue were investigated. Results showed that SE led to the formation of porous and less compact microstructures of tea residues. Compared with the control sample (12.41 g/100 g), the content of soluble dietary fiber (SDF) was markedly increased by SE, reaching the maximum of 23.03 g/100 g when steam explored at 0.5 MPa for 90 s, due to the degradation of insoluble dietary fiber (IDF). The physicochemical and functional properties were significantly influenced by SE treatments. IDF exhibited decreased water holding capacity (WHC), swelling capacity (SC), oil holding capacity (OHC) after SE, whereas the physicochemical properties of SDF from SE-treated tea residues (0.3 MPa, 90s) were greatly improved. The glucose absorption capacity (GAC), cholesterol adsorption capacity (CAC), and nitrite ion adsorption capacity (NIAC) of both IDF and SDF showed trends of first increasing and then decreasing, indicating that excessive SE treatment resulted in poor properties of DF. These findings are of great value for the high-value utilization of agricultural by-product and development of functional foods.

Temporal and spatial mapping of theoretical biomass potential across the European Union

Abstract. With the increasing challenge to shift our economic system from carbon to renewable energy carriers, the demand for biogenic resources is growing. Biogenic municipal waste, agricultural by-products and industrial residues are under-utilised but are increasingly gaining in value. To date, there is no continuous database for these resources in the EU-27 countries. Existing datasets that estimate resource potentials for a single point in time often lack validation. A reliable and continuous database is thus needed to support the growing bioeconomy. Spatial and temporal high-resolution data of biogenic residues serve as an invaluable resource for identifying areas with significant theoretical biomass potential and allows an in-depth understanding of dynamic patterns over time. This study elucidates the theoretical biomass potentials of 13 distinct biomasses from municipal waste, agricultural by-products and industrial residues quantified annually from 2010–2020. The spatial scope of the research covers the EU-27 Member States incorporating all entities represented at various levels within the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS) as delineated by Eurostat, where possible. The regionalised data are subsequently validated against regional statistics from different countries. The findings demonstrate the feasibility of creating a time series of theoretical biomass potentials for the 13 selected waste types, by-products, and residues, and underscore the critical role of data validation when regionalising national or sub-national data to smaller NUTS entities. It could be shown that the values of small regions (NUTS 3) correlated well on average. When looking at individual regions in detail, regional characteristics such as the location of cultivation, waste management or reporting methods could lead to over- or underestimates of up to 100 %. Therefore, data at the regional level provide only limited reliability. In the case of industrial residues, regionalisation gave good results localising preference regions of high theoretical biomass potential, but more data on industrial production are needed to also estimate residual quantities at sub-national and local levels. The biomass potentials modelled in this study have been published in an open-access database, which is designed as an extensible tool, enabling the understanding of national and regional trends of theoretical biomass potentials in the European Union and of the reliability of the regionalised data. The estimated theoretical potential dataset can be downloaded free of charge from: https://doi.org/10.48480/g53t-ks72 (Günther et al., 2023).

Functionalization of rice husk-derived mesoporous silica nanoparticles for targeted and imaging in cancer drug delivery.

Rice, a pivotal global food staple, annually accumulates vast amounts of rice husks, resulting in substantial environmental impact. Exploiting the high silica content in rice husk, our research aimed to recycle this agricultural byproduct to synthesize mesoporous silica nanoparticles (rMSNs). These nanoparticles were further modified to evaluate their potential as effective carriers for cancer drug delivery. rMSNs showed high biocompatibility, large surface area and porous structure as MSNs, making them excellent drug carriers. Further modifications were applied to rMSNs, such as the incorporation of the lanthanides europium and gadolinium into rMSNs, making them fluorescent and magnetic for detection and tracking using confocal fluorescence microscopy and magnetic resonance imaging. Additionally, folic acid and aptamer AS1411 were conjugated with rMSNs to enhance the targeting of cancer cells. HeLa cells exhibited higher uptake of camptothecin (CPT)-loaded rMSNs compared to normal fibroblast cells (L929). The linkage of disulfide bonds to rMSNs also allowed CPT to be carried by rMSNs and released intracellularly in the presence of the abundant reducing agent glutathione. The validation of rMSNs in vitro and in vivo proved their practical feasibility. Our findings indicate that low-cost rMSNs, derived from recycled agricultural waste, can replace highly valuable MSNs. Functionalized rMSNs exhibit promising capabilities in transporting clinical drugs to specific aberrant tissues and offering dual-targeting and dual-imaging functionalities for enhanced cancer therapy. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Evaluation of selected agricultural by-products as potential feeds for rearing edible grasshopper, Ruspolia differens (Serville) (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae)

BackgroundCrop residues and agro-industrial by-products constitute an enormous pool of unused and often neglected resources that could be productively utilized for rearing edible insects to meet the global demand for animal-based protein. Utilizing such products as feedstocks can lower the cost of edible insect production and reduce associated environmental pollution.MethodsWe evaluated the biology (survival, developmental duration, and adult fresh weight) of Ruspolia differens reared on eleven locally available agricultural by-products in Uganda, namely; dry maize cob, waste from a locally brewed finger millet drink, cotton seed cake, soybean hull meal, sunflower cake, pumpkin pulp, peelings of unripe banana, cassava, sweet potato, pineapple and pumpkin. Germinated finger millet was used as a control. Newly hatched (1 day old) nymphs were reared individually on each diet until 14 days post adult emergence. The nutritional profiles of the by-products were also determined. General linear models were fitted to analyse whether R. differens performance differed between sexes and among diets. The relationship between R. differens performance and the nutritional profiles of the diets were tested by Pearson correlation coefficient.ResultsOnly three test diets (soybean hull meal, dry maize cob, and the local brew waste) supported survival till the adult stage. Nymphal survival negatively correlated with diets’ crude fibre content (r = − 0.96, p = 0.042). Nymphal development duration significantly differed among the diets, with the shortest duration under soybean hull meal (approx. 138 days) and the longest under the local brew waste (205 days). Nymphal development duration positively correlated with diets’ crude fibre content (r = 0.95, p = 0.022). Adult fresh weight at emergence and 14 days post emergence did not differ across the test diets. Female individuals were ~ 1.3 times heavier than males 14 days post emergence, although both sexes had similar weights at adult emergence. The levels of secondary metabolites in the diets were not associated with any growth performance parameters of R. differens.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that R. differens can thrive and develop on some agricultural by-products. The results could guide the design of R. differens mass-rearing programs using locally available agricultural by-products.

Analysis of Rumen Degradation Characteristics, Attached Microbial Community, and Cellulase Activity Changes of Garlic Skin and Artemisia argyi Stalk.

The purpose of this study was to study the chemical composition, rumen degradation characteristics, surface attached microbial community and cellulase activity of garlic skin (GS) and Artemisia argyi stalk (AS), in order to explain their feeding value. Four 14-month-old healthy Min Dong male goats with permanent rumen fistula were selected as experimental animals. The rumen degradation characteristics of GS and AS were determined by using the nylon bag method, and the bacterial composition, cellulase activity and their relationship on the surface of the two groups were analyzed with high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene. The results showed that in GS and AS, the effective degradation rate (ED) values of dry matter (DM) were 42.53% and 37.12%, the ED values of crude protein (CP) were 37.19% and 43.38%, the ED values of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) were 36.83% and 36.23%, and the ED values of acid detergent fiber (ADF) were 33.81% and 34.77%. During rumen degradation, the richness and evenness of bacteria attached to the AS surface were higher. At the phylum level, Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes were always the main rumen bacteria in the two groups. At the genus level, fiber-degrading bacteria such as Prevotella, Treponema, and Ruminococcus showed higher levels in GS (p < 0.05). Compared with GS, the activity of β-glucosidase (BG enzyme), endo-β-1,4-glucanase (C1 enzyme), exo-β-1,4-glucanase (Cx enzyme) and neutral xylanase (NEX enzyme) attached to AS surface showed a higher trend. Correlation analysis showed that the relative abundance of Succinivibrio and Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group was positively correlated with the rumen degradability of nutrients in GS, and the relative abundance of Christensenellaceae R-7_group, Succinivibrio and Ruminococcus was positively correlated with the rumen degradability of nutrients in AS. The conclusion of this study shows that AS has more potential to become ruminant roughage than GS. In addition, this study also revealed the relationship between cellulase activity and bacteria, which provided new information for us to better analyze the effects of GS and AS on the rumen of ruminants and provided an important theoretical basis for the development and utilization of agricultural by-products.

Effect of acidity/alkalinity of deep eutectic solvents on the extraction profiles of phenolics and biomolecules in defatted rice bran extract

This study investigated the influence of deep eutectic solvent (DES) acidity/alkalinity on the extraction profiles of phenolics and other biomolecules (phytic acid, reducing sugar, and protein) in defatted rice bran (DFRB). The DES with varying pH levels were prepared using different hydrogen bond acceptors (choline chloride (ChCl) and potassium carbonate (K2CO3)) and hydrogen bond donors (lactic acid, urea, and glycerol). The results reveal that the acidic DES (ChCl-lactic acid; pH 0.42) demonstrated superior extraction efficiency for total phenolic acids (4.33 mg/g), phytic acid (50.30 mg/g), and reducing sugar (57.05 mg/g) while having the lowest protein content (5.96 mg/g). The alkaline DES (K2CO3-glycerol; pH 11.21) showed the highest levels of total phenolic acid (5.49 mg/g) and protein content (12.81 mg/g), with lower quantities of phytic acid (1.04 mg/g) and reducing sugar (2.28 mg/g). The weakly acidic DES (ChCl-glycerol; pH 4.72) exhibited predominantly total phenolics (3.46 mg/g) with lower content of protein (6.22 mg/g), reducing sugar (1.68 mg/g) and phytic acid (0.20 mg/g). The weakly alkaline DES (ChCl-urea; pH 8.41) resulted in lower extraction yields for total phenolics (2.81 mg/g), protein (7.45 mg/g), phytic acid (0.10 mg/g), and reducing sugar (7.36 mg/g). The study also explored the distribution of phenolics among various DESs, with the alkaline DES (K2CO3-glycerol) containing the highest concentration of free phenolics. Notably, ChCl-based DESs predominantly contained soluble esterified bound phenolics and soluble glycosylated bound phenolics. Furthermore, a significant correlation between antioxidant activities and phenolic contents was observed. In conclusion, this study has revealed that the acidity and alkalinity of a DES significantly impact the extraction of phenolics and other value-added biomolecules in DFRB. These findings highlight the potential for manipulating the properties of DESs through pH variation, making them versatile solvents for extracting and isolating valuable compounds from agricultural by-products like DFRB and offering opportunities for sustainable utilization and value addition in various industries.

Ensiled diet improved the growth performance of Tibetan sheep by regulating the rumen microbial community and rumen epithelial morphology.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of ensiled agricultural byproducts from Qinghai-Tibet plateau on growth performance, rumen microbiota, ruminal epithelium morphology, and nutrient transport-related gene expression in Tibetan sheep. Fourteen male Tibetan sheep were randomly assigned to one of two diets: an untreated diet (without silage inoculum, CON, n = 7) or an ensiled diet (with silage inoculum, ESD, n = 7). The total experimental period lasted for 84 d, including early 14 d as adaption period and remaining 70 d for data collection. The ESD increased average daily gain (P = 0.046), dry matter intake (P < 0.001), ammonia nitrogen (P = 0.045), microbial crude protein (P = 0.034), and total volatile fatty acids concentration (P < 0.001), and decreased ruminal pH value (P = 0.014). The proportion of propionate (P = 0.006) and the copy numbers of bacteria (P = 0.01) and protozoa (P = 0.002) were higher, while the proportion of acetate (P = 0.028) was lower in the sheep fed ESD compared to CON. Pyrosequencing of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene revealed that ESD increased the relative abundance of Firmicutes, Ruminococcus, Lachnospiraceae_AC2044_group, Lachnospiraceae_XPB1014_group, and Christensenellaceae_R-7_group in the rumen (P < 0.05), while decreased the relative abundance of Bacteroidota, Prevotellaceae_UCG-003, and Veillonellaceae_UCG-001 (P < 0.05). Analyses with PICRUSt2 and STAMP indicated that the propionate metabolism pathway was enriched in the sheep fed ESD (P = 0.026). The ESD increased the rumen papillae height (P = 0.012), density (P = 0.036), and surface area (P = 0.001), and improved the thickness of the total epithelia (P = 0.018), stratum corneum (P = 0.040), stratum granulosum (P = 0.042), and stratum spinosum and basale (P = 0.004). The relative mRNA expression of cyclin-dependent Kinase 2, CyclinA2, CyclinD2, zonula occludens-1, Occludin, monocarboxylate transporter isoform 1 (MCT1), MCT4, sodium/potassium pump, and sodium/hydrogen antiporter 3 were higher in the rumen epithelial of sheep fed ESD than CON (P < 0.05). Conversely, the relative mRNA expressions of Caspase 3 and B-cell lymphoma-2 were lower in the sheep fed ESD than CON (P < 0.05). In conclusion, compared with an untreated diet, feeding an ensiled diet altered the rumen microbial community, enhanced nutrient transport through rumen epithelium, and improved the growth performance of Tibetan sheep.

Comparative Feasibility and Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Cotton Stalks Gasification and Pyrolysis

In a circular economy, significant emphasis is given to the energetic valorization of agricultural byproducts. Cotton stalks are suitable as a feedstock for the production of bioenergy due to their high energy content. This study’s main focal areas are the economic viability and environmental implications of a system that can gasify or pyrolyze 25,500 tons of cotton stalk annually. To learn more about how gasification and pyrolysis affect the environment, a life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted. This analysis evaluates the whole value chain and covers all stages of the cotton supply chain from cradle to gate, including production, harvest, transportation, and utilization. According to the findings, both systems exhibit economic viability, generating sizable profits and having quick payback times. However, despite its larger initial expenditure of EUR 2.74 million, the pyrolysis unit ends up being the better option because it has a payback period of 1.58 years, a return on investment (ROI) of 58% and a net present value (NPV) of EUR 21.5 million. Gasification is still an economically attractive alternative with a lower initial investment (EUR 1.81 million), despite having a lower ROI (36%) and NPV (EUR 10.52 million), as well as a longer payback period (2.41 years). However, the environmental implications of the gasification option are generally higher than those of pyrolysis. The impacts of gasification on fossil depletion (FDP) were estimated to be 5.7 million kg oil eq., compared to 5.3 million kg oil eq. for pyrolysis. Similarly, gasification resulted in 41.55 million kg U235 eq. and pyrolysis in 41.5 million kg U235 eq. related to impacts on ionizing radiation (IRP_HE). Other impact categories that emerge as the most important are freshwater eutrophication (FEP) and marine eutrophication (MEP).