Fruit Shell Research Articles

Variance investigation on the microstructural characteristics of vessels among three lignocellulosic biomasses

Especially, the processing and utilization of biomass-based material is closely related to the vessel, e.g. the flow of vapour and additive. It is conventional that vessels in most plants can influence on water and nutrients transport between adjacent cells, which could just infer to be important in the wood-based panel industries. In this work, a complete characterization of vessels and pits is presented for three conventional biomasses in wood-based panel: poplar (Populus deltoides) (P), moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) (B), and the fruit shell of oil camellia (Camellia Oleifera) (FS_OC). Every material is analyzed by combining several techniques including: light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and surveying calculations from resin casting. The results show that among the three biomass materials, B has a significantly larger vessel width (164.8 ± 6.0 μm for B, 2.2 ± 6.2 μm for P, 10.0 ± 0.8 μm for FS_OC) and smaller inclination angle of the perforation plates (6.8° for B, 44.7° for P), which is more conductive to improving moisture transfer between the vessels. The vessel length of P varies widely from 676.8 μm to 1025.2 μm, which is related to its seasonal growth. By resin casting analysis, more differences in the morphology and distribution of pits in the vessel walls were observed between the three species. Such as, For B, there are numerous pits between vessel cells, while very few to none between vessel and parenchyma cells or fiber. In addition to pits, B and FS_OC also have spiral thickening structures on their vessel walls. The pit membrane is an elliptical shape in P, while slit-like shape in FS_OC and a combination of both elliptical and slit-like shape in bamboo. The unique microstructural characteristics of vessels is related to the individual plant growth traits, which is the basis for biomass-based material processing and utilization.

Synthesis of low‐cost microporous activated carbon adsorbents for CO2 capture from Palmyra palm fruit shell waste biomass

AbstractUsing chemical activation techniques at dissimilar carbonization temperatures, activated carbon adsorbents were produced from Palmyra palm fruit biomass in this work. X‐ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, laser Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, CHNS‐elemental analysis, and N2 adsorption studies were among the characterization techniques used to assess the characteristics of the carbon adsorbents. The carbon adsorbents from Palmyra palm fruit were used to absorb CO2 in a temperature range of 25–70°C. The findings of the characterization showed that these carbons have a large surface area and microporosity. The temperature of carbonization and the activating agent had an impact on the surface characteristics. The samples with the highest adsorption capacity, 4.70 mmol/g at 25°C, were the activated carbons made by treating them with KOH and then carbonizing them at 750°C. The physicochemical properties of the adsorbents provided an explanation for their high adsorption capacity. The adsorbents showed simple desorption and maintained constant activity during ten cycles of recycling.

Genome-wide association study of pineapple breeding population

Pineapples (Ananas comosus (L.) Merr.) are one of the most important tropical fruits. Although pineapple breeding program has been conducted in Japan, sufficient genomic information has not been adopted for breeding. The objective of this study was to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) for pineapple breeding-related traits that can be applied to different populations. Here, we performed a genome-wide association study using seven breeding populations, including 703 individuals with genome-wide 9574 SNPs. Eleven QTLs were detected for nine traits (flesh color, flesh color values (a*, b*), bolting days, days from bolting to harvest, fruit shell color, soluble solid content, acidity, ascorbic acid content, and fruit cracking). Phenotypic value of each genotype in each population was confirmed for each QTL. Six QTLs (acidity QTL ACID-1, ascorbic acid QTL AsA-1 and AsA-2, flesh color QTL FCOL-1 and FCOLb-1, and fruit-cracking QTL CRACK-1) showed significant intergenotypic variance among all populations with genotype segregation. The obtained QTLs and their genotype information will contribute to the selection of cross-breeding parents and marker-assisted selection in pineapple breeding programs.

Comparison of Fruit Quality Characteristics of Çakıldak, Palaz and Tombul Hazelnut (Corylus colurna L.) Varieties Grown at Different Altitudes of Ordu Province

The hazelnut, which is known to be among the homelands of Anatolia, has been grown in our country for centuries. Hazelnut cultivation in Turkey dates back to ancient times. In the province of Ordu, the hazelnut varieties Çakıldak, Palaz and Tombul are mainly cultivated but other varieties are also grown. This study was carried out between 2022-2023 to determine the effects of altitude and location difference on the fruit characteristics of hazelnut varieties Çakıldak, Palaz and Tombul grown in Fatsa (300 m), İkizce (590 m) and Kumru (400 m) districts of Ordu province. In the study, the lowest average values for nut and kernel fruit weight, nut and shell thickness and kernel size were obtained from trees at 400 m altitude, while the highest values were obtained from trees at 590 m altitude. According to the results, the altitude had a different effect on the weight of the nuts and kernels depending on the variety. While the weight of nuts and kernels increased with increasing altitude in Çakıldak and Palaz varieties, these values decreased in Tombul variety. As a result some fruit quality characteristics of hazelnut varieties grown at different altitudes in Ordu province were found to be different.

Facile synthesis and characterization of magnetic iron oxide (Fe3O4)-loaded cationic amino-modified passion fruit shell nanocomposite and their application in removal of anionic Alizarin Red S dye from aqueous medium

A newly synthesized magnetic nanocomposite, iron oxide-loaded cationic amino-modified passion fruit shell (Fe3O4@CMPFS), was utilized as a sorbent to eliminate anionic Alizarin Red S (ARS) dye from the wastewater. The Fe3O4@CMPFS was characterized to confirm the properties by physicochemical methods such as VSM, XRD, pHPZC, BET, FTIR, and FE-SEM with EDX. Batch tests were conducted to study the adsorption process, focusing on factors like the solution pH (from 2.0 to 11), amount of Fe3O4@CMPFS (from 10 to 80 mg/30 mL), contact duration (from 0 to 240 min), agitation speed (from 0 to 400 rpm) and temperature (from 298 to 328 K). The optimal conditions for attaining a 92.3 % removal efficiency were found to be a pH of 2.0, 60 mg of Fe3O4@CMPFS, a contact time of 60 min, agitation at 250 rpm, and a temperature of 298 K. The Fe3O4@CMPFS was determined to have a pHPZC value of approximately 6.2. The kinetic data indicated that the adsorption of ARS onto Fe3O4@CMPFS followed the pseudo-second-order model (high R2 = 0.9919; low SSE = 1.5) and was governed by film and intraparticle diffusion mechanisms. Furthermore, the isotherm data fit well with the Langmuir model (high R2 = 0.9983; low χ2 = 12.69), suggesting monolayer adsorption behaviour. The maximal sorption uptake of ARS on the Fe3O4@CMPFS was determined to be 233.4 ± 3.174 mg/g at 298 K through the Langmuir model. The estimated ΔH° (18.3 kJ/mol) and ΔS° (82 J/mol K) indicate the endothermic and enhanced randomness at the adsorbent/solute interface. The negative ΔG° values (−6.2298 to −8.7283 kJ/mol at 298–328 K) confirm spontaneous sorption dominated by physisorption. The Fe3O4@CMPFS composite had good recyclability and was easy to separate from water, which maintained excellent adsorption performance after eight regeneration cycles. The superb adsorption efficiency and recycling performance of Fe3O4@CMPFS provide a prospect way to remove ARS dye from industrial effluents.

Waste to Wealth Catalyzed Synthesis of 3-methyl-4-(hetero)arylmethyleneisoxazole- 5(4H)-ones and pBR 322 DNA Cleavage Studies

Herein, we demonstrated the synthesis of pharmacologically significant 3-methyl-4-(hetero)arylmethylene isoxazole-5(4H)-one by employing the water extract of lemon fruit shell ash (WELFSA) and glycerol as a solvent medium. The present method explored WELFSA as an eco-friendly catalyst to obtain 3-methyl-4-(hetero)aryl methyleneisoxazole-5(4H)-one derivative by the reaction of substituted aryl/heterocyclic aldehyde, hydroxylamine hydrochloride and ethyl acetoacetate at 60 ◦C on oil bath stirring condition. The completion of the reaction was monitored by thin-layer chromatography, and then the reaction mixture was quenched with ice-cold water, the separated solid was filtered, recrystallized in ethanol, and confirmed by various spectroscopic techniques. Some of the selected derivatives are subjected to DNA cleavage studies against pBR322, and showed comparable activities.

Biochar Applied in Places Where Its Feedstock Was Produced Mitigated More CO2 Emissions from Acidic Red Soils

Agricultural soil is the main source of greenhouse gas emissions, among which carbon dioxide (CO2) is an important greenhouse gas, impacting the global climate. In China, as a large rice-producing country, carbon sequestration and CO2 mitigation in paddy soil are crucial for the mitigation of global climate change. While biochar has been widely used in the mitigation of soil greenhouse gas emissions, the application site of biochar, i.e., whether or not it is the same as its feedstocks, may generate different effects on soil CO2 emissions due to the differences in the element and nutrient concentrations in its feedstocks, especially when applied in fertilized soil. In order to explore the effects of biochar application with different feedstocks on the mitigation of CO2 emissions from paddy soil, this experiment took paddy soil in a red soil area as the research object, using rice straw and Camellia oleifera fruit shell as raw materials to produce biochar (adding an amount of 40 g kg−1 soil) and urea as an external nitrogen source (adding an amount of 200 mg kg−1 soil). The effects of two different types of biochar derived from feedstocks with different producing origins on the CO2 emissions from paddy soil were studied via laboratory control incubation studies. The results showed that (1) the effects of rice straw biochar addition on the soil pH, NO3−-N and total available nitrogen (AN) content were significantly higher than those of Camellia oleifera fruit shell biochar (the scale of the increase was higher by 6.40%, 579.7% and 180.1%, respectively). (2) The CO2 emission rate and cumulative emissions of soil supplemented with rice straw biochar were significantly lower than in that supplemented with Camellia oleifera fruit shell biochar (decreases of 28.0% and 27.5%, respectively). Our findings suggest that the efficiency of emission mitigation of rice straw biochar is better than that of Camellia oleifera fruit shell applied to paddy soil. While future studies considering more types of greenhouse gases will be necessary to expand these findings, this study indicates that biochar prepared from in situ feedstock can be used to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in rice fields, so as to ensure sustainable development and achieve energy conservation and emission reduction goals. This study will benefit future agricultural practices when choosing biochar as a greenhouse gas mitigation strategy in the context of global warming, as well as other global changes following global warming, caused by elevated atmospheric greenhouse gases.

Agricultural waste-based biochars for sustainable removal of heavy metals from stabilized landfill leachate.

In this work, biochars were used as adsorbents to remove Cu, Cd, and Zn ions in a real stabilized leachate from a controlled landfill. Oak fruit shells biochar (OFSBC) and date palm fibers biochar (DPFBC) were obtained by pyrolysis of oak fruit shells and date palm fibers at 700°C and 400°C, respectively. OFSBC and DPFBC showed well-developed structures and high specific surface areas (520.16 m2/g and 470.46 m2/g, respectively). Equilibrium adsorption of heavy metal ions on DPFBC and OFSBC occurred after 4h and 2h of stirring. The removal efficiencies of Cu, Cd, and Zn ions were 97.01%, 94.40%, and 80.59% with DPFBC and 90.10%, 88.33%, and 76.16% using OFSBC, respectively. The Avrami fractional order model was appropriate for describing kinetic adsorption. Increasing the dose of adsorbent improves heavy metal ion retention. Thermodynamic tests have proven the spontaneous and endothermic adsorption of these heavy metals. The electrostatic attraction, ion exchange, complexation, metal-π bending, and surface precipitation and pore filling were regarded as the most predominant heavy metal retention mechanisms from the landfill leachate onto the biochar surface. Separately, the DPFBC showed the best performance than OFSBC regarding the improvement of leachate quality. Chemical oxygen demand (COD), biological oxygen demand (BOD5), ammoniacal nitrogen (NH3-N), and phosphorus (P) were respectively removed at an efficiency of 53.57%, 29.17%, 36.07%, and 37.5%, respectively. Thus, the results allow highlighting that the adsorption on DPFBC and OFSBC can be an effective alternative in the practice of landfill leachate treatment.

Pretreatment of Camellia oleifera shell by ethanolamine-based solvents for selective delignification and enhanced enzymatic saccharification

Fruit shell biomass is an agricultural waste that could be valorised into various value-added chemicals. However, the intertwined structure between lignin and holocellulose limits free sugar generation for further fermentation, requiring efficient pretreatment for selective delignification. We pretreated Camellia oleifera shell by ethanolamine-based solvents (binary deep eutectic solvents and single ethanolamine or its derivatives), and compared pretreatment effectiveness of these solvents. Single ethanolamine was the best among ethanolamine-based solvents, indicating the unnecessity of deep eutectic solvent synthesis. Furthermore, structural characterization confirms that ethanolamine could effectively deconstruct Camellia oleifera shell with the highest delignification (76.46%) and sugar yields (83.73% for glucose and 66.87% for xylose) at 130 °C for 3 h. Additionally, correlation analysis suggests that alkalinity and proton dissociation capacity together determined the delignification capacity of ethanolamine. Our findings serve a potential solution to valorise the waste fruit shell lignocellulose resources.

Optimization of ultrasound-assisted enzymatic extraction, chemical constituents, biological activities, and stability of Camellia oleifera fruit shell brown pigments

The need for the use of natural pigments in food manufacturing rises steadily. However, the application of natural pigments is limited by costly production and poor stability. Hence, the brown pigments from Camellia oleifera shells (disposal from tea oil production) were focused on in this study. The enzymatic extraction of Camellia oleifera fruit shell brown pigment (BP-CS) with ultrasound assistance was optimized by Box-Behnken design to cut extraction expenses. The yield of BP-CS was 38.56% under the optimized extraction parameters as extraction time of 77 min, extraction temperature of 64 °C, cellulose concentration of 10 mg/mL and liquid-solid ratio of 20mL/g. Subsequently, for promising no harmful ingredients in BP-CS, all 36 compounds were identified, and the primary constituents were flavonoids (quercitrin, quercetin) and organic acids (D-malic acid, citric acid). Via stability analysis, the brown pigment was pretty stable under heating, pH, and sunlight changes while was impacted by metal ions and redox agent conditions. Additionally, BP-CS was able to scavenge free radicals (DPPH, ABTS, ·OH) and prevent the growth of microorganisms. Moreover, BP-CS could reduce α-amylase and tyrosinase activity, and both quenching mechanisms were static quenching. Overall, this work reveals that BP-CS is a valuable natural pigment, and is anticipated to be employed as a premium-quality pigment additive in the food industry.

Evaluation of mechanical, thermal, and flammability properties in biochar-infused polymer composites from bael fruit and cashew shells: a comparative study

Evaluation of mechanical, thermal, and flammability properties in biochar-infused polymer composites from bael fruit and cashew shells: a comparative study

ABA and MeJA Induced Catechin and Epicatechin Biosynthesis and Accumulation in Camellia oleifera Fruit Shells.

Camellia oleifera Abel, one of the most valuable woody oil plants, has been widely cultivated for extracting edible oil. The shell of C. oleifera is a by-product generated in the processing of edible oil extraction. However, there is still limited research on the maturity and high-value resource utilization of shell by-products. We found that the C. oleifera 'Huashuo' (HS) fruit shells contained a high content of catechins. Abscisic acid (ABA) and methyl jasmonate (MeJA) enhanced the accumulation of catechins in C. oleifera fruit shells, providing a basis for production and application of the catechins in fruit shells of C. oleifera. We further found that 500 μM ABA and 900 μM MeJA significantly promoted the accumulation of catechin (C) and epicatechin (EC) in fruit shells. Following treatment with 900 μM MeJA, the expressions of CoPAL1, CoC4H1, CoC4H2, CoC4H3, Co4CL1, Co4CL2, CoF3'H1, CoLAR1, CoLAR2, CoLAR3, CoANR2, and CoANRL2 were significantly upregulated, while after 500 μM ABA treatment the expressions of CoPAL3, CoCHS1, CoCHS4, CoF3'H1, CoDFR, CoLAR1, CoLAR2, CoLAR3, CoANS1, CoANR1, and CoANR2 increased dramatically. These results indicate that appropriate concentrations of ABA and MeJA activate C and EC biosynthesis and promote their accumulation in fruit shells. Our results provide new ideas and guidance for promoting the resource utilization of C. oleifera fruit shells.

Feasibility study of denitrification catalyst prepared from badam shell biochar

Badam shells are a common type of fruit shell waste, yet there is scarce research on using them to produce biochar and applying it in the field of denitrification. This study aimed to utilize badam shells as raw material to produce biochar and evaluate the feasibility of badam shell biochar (BC) as a carrier for denitrification catalysts. Badam shells were carbonized under a N2 atmosphere at 600 °C for 120 min to prepare badam shell biochar. After treating BC with acid (H3PO4 or HNO3), Mn or Fe is loaded to obtain denitrification catalysts (BC-HN-Mn, BC-HN-Fe, BC-HP-Mn, and BC-HP-Fe). These catalysts exhibit high denitrification activity within the temperature range of 100–300 °C (>80 %, and exceeding 90 % at 250–300 °C). Moreover, they are characterized by a large number of acidic sites and adsorbed oxygen species distributed on their surface, demonstrating excellent resistance to sulfur dioxide poisoning and maintaining high denitrification activity under low oxygen conditions. This study provides a reference for the application of badam shell in Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology.

Kinetic Studies and Adsorption of Fluoride from Drinking Water using Tamarind Shell as Adsorbent

The excessive intake of fluoride in drinking water is a serious health concern in most of the states in India and in the world. The regular consumption of drinking water containing fluoride leads to a disease called as fluorosis. The Present work of this paper explores the removal of fluoride from synthesized aqueous solution of fluoride using Tamarind fruit shell powder. The Adsorption of fluoride by Tamarind fruit shell is cost effective method and gives high efficiency than other adsorbents. In the present study, The pretreatment for moisture removal from the tamarind shell powder given also we have shown the Kinetics and comparative study to find highest fluoride removal efficiency. In the Kinetic study, the the controlling parameters for adsorption like pH, Adsorbent concentration, Contact time relation on the removal efficiency is studied. The data obtained is fitted in the Langmuir and Freundlich Adsorption Isotherms. The work shows the selective adsorbing property of tamarind shell powder for fluoride removal. The comparison of removal efficiency of fluoride by using tamarind shell powder with wheat straw is done

Sequential extraction as a pioneering method to separate resin from bacuri fruit shell

Sequential extraction (SE) using supercritical CO2 plus ethanol was applied to separate resin from bacuri fruit shell, where process parameters such as particle size, pressure and cosolvent use were studied. The extracts obtained were also analyzed for phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity. The extraction results showed that SE was able to separate the resin, which is the first report described in the literature, resulting in a patent. Furthermore, the smaller particle size (0.25 mm) showed the higher extraction rates, providing good yields of lipid extracts (up to 10.09 wt%) and ethanolic extracts (up to 13.78 wt%). The extracts presented good levels of phenolic compounds, which was associated with its high antioxidant capacity. Thus, the application of SE added value to bacuri fruit shell, enabling new strands for potential applications in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries, placing this by-product in the Amazon bioeconomy scenario.

Synthesis and Characterization of Activated Carbon from Giant Sour Tamarind Fruit Shell by KOH Activation

Synthesis and Characterization of Activated Carbon from Giant Sour Tamarind Fruit Shell by KOH Activation

Exploratory studies of tea seed & tea fruit shell (Camellia sinensis (L) O. Kuntze for their value addition

The current study planned to explore the opportunity associated with the tea seeds and tea fruit shell in terms of their utilization as seeds are of no economic importance in tea plantations. As per the reports, tea growers shifted towards vegetative reproduction, and since then there has been a generation of tea seeds and commercial tea plants grown in tea plantations for the leaves, which is unable to find any appropriate use. Tea seeds have previous reports of their oil analysis but there is no report on tea fruit shell utilization. The current studies indicated that fruit shells are more useful than tea seeds considering their bioactives and associated medicinal potential. The current study confirmed that tea fruit shell is highly rich in polyphenolic content and its antioxidant activity is similar to the standards like gallic acid and trolox used in the DPPH and ABTS assays. In addition, fruit shells also showed the presence of an exemplary quantity of catechins which is absent in the tea seeds. Fatty acid profiling of tea seed and its shell also have remarkable differences in the fat constituents as the fruit shell showed the presence of an adequate quantity of Myristic and lauric acid. Hence, the present study confirmed that despite being waste generated from tea plantations, tea fruit shell has vast opportunities to work on accessing their medicinal potential in the future.

Fabrication of fluorescence probe based on molecularly imprinted polymers on red emissive biomass-derived carbon dots coupled with smartphone readout for tyramine determination in fermented meat products.

A fluorescence probe based on molecularly imprinted polymers on red emissive biomass-derived carbon dots (r-BCDs@MIPs) was developed to detect tyramine in fermented meat products. The red emissive biomass-derived carbon dots (r-BCDs) were synthesized by the one-step solvothermal method using discarded passion fruit shells as raw materials. The fluorescence emission peak of r-BCDs was at 670nm, and the relative quantum yield (QY) was about 2.44%. Molecularly imprinted sensing materials were prepared with r-BCDs as fluorescent centers for the detection of trace tyramine, which showed a good linear response in the concentration range of tyramine from 1 to 40µg L-1. The linear correlation coefficient was 0.9837, and the limit of detection was 0.77µg L-1. The method was successfully applied to the determination of tyramine in fermented meat products, and the recovery was 87.17-106.02%. The reliability of the results was verified through high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Furthermore, we combined the r-BCDs@MIPs with smartphone-assisted signal readout to achieve real-time detection of tyramine in real samples. Considering its simplicity and convenience, the method could be used as a rapid and low-cost promising platform with broad application prospects for on-site detection of trace tyramine with smartphone-assisted signal readout.

Synthesis and Analysis of Activated Carbon Structure from Ketaping Fruit Shell Biomass Through X-Ray Diffraction Characterization

Synthesis of activated carbon from ketaping fruit shell biomass aims to produce high-quality active carbon to be applied in various fields. Activated carbon from ketaping fruit shells is synthesized by thermal treatment. It is synthesized through two stages, namely carbonation and activation. The carbonation stage is carried out at 400oC under O2 gas flow. This aims to break down lignol cellulose into carbon with low-quality pores through incomplete combustion. The activation stage is carried out by mixing activated carbon and KOH in varying ratios of 1:1, 1:3 and 1:5 wt. It is carried out by multilevel thermal treatment at 700oC for 3.5 hours to form activated carbon with high pore quality. The activated carbon produced is then subjected to EDS characterization to see the active carbon content and XRD to see the structure of the active carbon with the characteristics of distance between layers, layer height, layer width, and number of layers. The results of EDX analysis show that the active carbon from the shell of the ketaping fruit contains 97.52% carbon and 2.48% oxygen. The results of XRD analysis show that the activated carbon surface area optimum at a molar ratio of 1:3 wt is 1,708.62 mg-1. The distance of the resulting activated carbon layer is 0.3566nm at the 002 peak and 0.2102nm at the 100 peak. The layer height and width of the active carbon layer produced at a 1:3 wt ratio were 0.5489nm and 0.3002nm. Meanwhile, the number of layers of active carbon produced is 3 layers.

Characteristics of lignin isolated from an agricultural by-product: Camellia oleifera shell

Camellia oleifera fruit shell (COFS) and Camellia oleifera seed shell (COSS) are agricultural residues in the tea-oil processing, and rich in lignin. Analyzing the characteristics of the milling wood lignin from COFS (COFS-MWL) and COSS (COSS-MWL) was a fundamental step in achieving efficient application of the shells. The analysis showed that COFS-MWL was a kind of G/S type lignin, while COSS-MWL contained catechyl lignin (C-lignin) coexisting with G/S type lignin. This means that COSS was expected to become an important source of C- lignin. In addition, activation energies of COFS-MWL and COSS-MWL pyrolysis reaction were calculated based on Flynn-Wall-Ozawa and Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose model. The mean values obtained from two methods were similar about 174 kJ/mol and 268 kJ/mol, respectively. The main thermal degradation products of COSS-MWL were catechols at the pyrolytic temperature of 700 °C. The result confirmed again that COSS-MWL had rich unique C-lignin structure. In general, this study will be of great significance for the production of catechol compounds from biomass and the high value-added development of agricultural residues.