Vegetable Peels Research Articles

The Utilizing Fruit and Vegetable Peels as a Way to Maintain a Healthy Environment

Fruit and vegetable peels are a common type of organic waste generated in households. Due to their high water content, they decompose naturally. However, if left unattended, these peels undergo anaerobic bacterial decomposition, leading to unpleasant odors and detrimental environmental impacts. Fruit and vegetable peels have the potential to be transformed into valuable resources. One such method is by converting them into eco-enzyme. Eco-enzyme is a complex organic solution produced through the fermentation of fresh fruit and vegetable peels, brown sugar, and water. The resulting liquid is typically dark brown with a characteristically fresh, sour aroma. In RT 24, Simpang Rimbo, Jambi City, many housewives were unaware of the benefits of processing fruit and vegetable peels and lacked understanding of the distinction between organic and inorganic waste. This community service project aimed to reduce organic waste and its associated air pollution by promoting the production of eco-enzyme from fruit and vegetable peels. The project involved several stages: preparation, pretest, socialization, training, and posttest. The results indicated a high level of enthusiasm among participants and a significant improvement in their knowledge of organic waste management after the training

Green synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles from extracts of Daucus carota subsp. sativus whole vegetable, peel, pomace, and juice and their application as antibacterial agents and Fenton-like catalysts

Abstract The green synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe-NPs) with catalytic and antimicrobial activities from the extracts of different parts of Daucus carota subsp. sativus var. atrorubens Alef. was demonstrated in this study. The extracts of whole vegetable, peel, pomace, and juice acted as a reducing agent for the bio-reduction of Fe3+ into Fe-NPs. The synthesis of Fe-NPs was indicated by surface plasmon peaks within the range of 200–300 nm, as well as characteristic iron oxide bond formation in the region of 400–850 cm−1 using an ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer and FT-IR spectrophotometer, respectively. The green synthesised Fe-NPs from the whole vegetable and its byproduct extracts had uniform quasi-spherical structures, with average particle sizes of 87.13, 80.95, 103.14, and 86.26 nm from whole vegetable extract, peel extract, pomace extract, and juice, respectively. All synthesised particles exhibited excellent Fenton-like catalytic activities on the discoloration of methylene blue best fitting the pseudo-first order kinetic model for Fe-NPs from whole vegetable extract, pomace extract, and juice and the pseudo-second order kinetic model for Fe-NPs from peel extract. In addition to catalytic activity, Fe-NPs showed antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus subtilis. The antibacterial effects of Fe-NPs alone and their synergistic effects with antibiotics have been observed in both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.

Employing microalgae cultivation on fruits and vegetable peel waste to produce biofuel, lutein, and biochar concurrently with an "Agro to Agro" algae biorefinery approach.

The aim of the current investigation is to explore the novel application of pumpkin, papaya, and orange peels as growth substrates for microalgae cultivation, with the overarching goal of advancing a sustainable "Agro to Agro" biorefinery paradigm. The research evaluates the integration of waste management practices into microalgal production, optimizing growth parameters to maximize output. Optimal concentrations of 2.8mg L-1 for orange peels, 35.5mg L-1 for papaya peels, and 35.5mg L-1 for pumpkin peels were identified, alongside a light intensity of 163.7µmolm-2s-1 and a nitrogen concentration of 0.8g L-1. Under these conditions, Chlorella sorokiniana demonstrated peak biomass production of 3.16g L-1, lipid productivity of 1.55g L-1, and carotenoid productivity of 9.18mg L-1, additionally, yielding significant amounts of palmitic acid (47.9%) and lutein. The study further explored the conversion of residual microalgae into biochar, with optimal pyrolysis conducted at 350°C. The as-synthesized biochar was utilized effectively as a soil amendment for cultivating Vigna radiata. The present study underscores the viability of a closed-loop biorefinery approach, demonstrating the recycling of pumpkin, papaya, and orange peels as effective substrates for microalgae cultivation and subsequent biochar conversion for potential industrial applications. The promising results of the study advocate to the feasibility of this integrated model for sustainable future.

Mathematical modeling of biohydrogen production via dark fermentation of fruit peel wastes by Clostridium butyricum NE95

BackgroundBiohydrogen production from agro-industrial wastes through dark fermentation offers several advantages including eco-friendliness, sustainability, and the simplicity of the process. This study aimed to produce biohydrogen from fruit and vegetable peel wastes (FVPWs) by anaerobic fermentative bacteria isolated from domestic wastewater. Kinetic analysis of the produced biohydrogen by five isolates on a glucose medium was analyzed using a modified Gompertz model (MGM). Besides, the feasibility of hydrogen production by Clostridium butyricum NE95 using FVPWs as substrates was investigated.ResultsThe bacterial isolate NE95 was selected as the highest biohydrogen producer with maximum biohydrogen production (Hmax) of 1617.67 ± 3.84 mL/L, Rmax (MGM) of 870.77 mL/L/h and lag phase (λ) of 28.37 h. NE95 was phenotypically and genetically identified as C. butyricum and its 16 S rRNA gene sequence was deposited in the GenBank under the accession number PP581833. The genetic screening of hydrogenase gene clusters indicated the presence of Fe-Fe hydrogenase gene in C. butyricum NE95. C. butyricum NE95 showed the ability to produce biohydrogen from different FVPWs, with watermelon and melon peels being the most promising feedstocks for fermentation. It was revealed that using a mixture (1:1, w/w) of watermelon and melon peels as a substrate for C. butyricum NE95 significantly increased biohydrogen yield with Hmax of 991.00 ± 10.54 mL/L, Rmax of 236.31 mL/L/h, λ of 33.92 h and a high accuracy of R2 (0.997).ConclusionsThe study highlights the effectiveness of C. butyricum NE95 on the valorization of FVPWs and generates a sustainable source of biohydrogen production.

The Effect of the Mixing Ratio of Sewage Sludge and Organic Fraction of Municipals Solid Waste on Biogas Production in Anaerobic Digestion Process

Anaerobic digestion was the best way to treat organic waste biologically. It uses microorganisms to biodegrade biosolids without oxygen, producing biogas and compost. The study involved conducting batch experiments to investigate biogas and fertilizer production. Three digestive systems (A, B, and C) with three different mixing ratios were operated simultaneously and had a retention time of thirty-five days. The organic fraction of municipal solid waste, sewage sludge, and bacteria were employed in the experiments. The Al-Rustamiyah wastewater treatment plant was the source of the sewage sludge. The organic municipal solid waste fraction was utilized as materials, including fruit peels, rotten fruits, vegetable peels, eggshells, rotten vegetables, and garden leaves. The bacterial strain used in this research was E. coli, isolated directly from the local sewage sample and selected as an eco-friendly bacteria after conducting many tests. The digester's initial temperature was 30 °C, and it reached a high of 42 °C on the 16th day. Three digesters had initial pH values (6.7, 6.3, 6) and final values (7.3, 7.1, 7). The results showed good anaerobic digestion performance. The digester (C) achieved the highest biogas production, with a maximum cumulative biogas production value of 0.0549 m3. It also demonstrated removal efficiencies of 78.30% for TS, 89.13% for VS, 86.36% for BOD5, and 80.5% for COD. Additionally, the moisture content was measured at 43.30%. The anaerobic digestion’s final product was used as a high-quality fertilizer.

Pelatihan Pembuatan Sabun Bar Natural Eco Enzyme sebagai Upaya Peningkatan Kesehatan Kulit dengan Bahan Alami

Eco enzyme is a fermentation liquid from organic waste, namely fruit or vegetable peels stamped with brown sugar or molasses and water. The ratio between brown sugar or molasses, organic matter (BO), and water is 1:3:10. There are many benefits of eco enzymes, from the results of research and testimonials of eco enzyme users in the field. The benefits of eco enzymes include soil fertilization, water purification, for disinfectants, hand soap, and detergents, to nourish hair, floor cleaners, healers for injuries, and so on. The implementation of this community service activity was carried out 2 times, namely: 1) Tuesday, July 19, 2022, with socialization material and the practice of making eco enzymes. 2) Thursday, November 10, 2022, with socialization material and practice of making Eco Enzyme Detergent. The results of the development of one of the benefits of eco enzymes are Eco Enzyme Detergents, which are followed up with research related to the quality test results of EE Detergent washing results, SEE Detergents, and Chemical Detergents. Development of community service activities related to eco enzymes to advanced eco enzyme products will continue to be developed and researched, to provide optimal benefits to the community.

Enhancing hydrogen production from anaerobic digestion of pretreated fruit and vegetable peels using Clostridium butyricum NE133

This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of hydrogen production (HP) by Clostridium butyricum NE133 from different fruit and vegetable peels (FVPs) as substrates. In addition, the kinetic parameters of hydrogen production and optimization of the anaerobic dark fermentation conditions were analyzed. Clostridium butyricum NE133 was isolated from domestic wastewater and selected as the front runner hydrogen-producer from glucose with maximum hydrogen production (Hmax) of 1778.00 ± 15.03 mL/L, maximum production rate (Rmax) of 961.95 mL/L/h and lag phase (λ) of 28.12 h. NE133 was genetically identified (accession number PP581793) and shown to harbor the Fe-Fe hydrogenase gene. This isolate showed a high potential to produce hydrogen from anaerobic fermentation of watermelon peels with Hmax of 1062.67 ± 11.92 mL/L, Rmax of 268.01 mL/L/h and λ of 33.92 h. The watermelon peels were subjected to different pretreatment methods to enhance the dark fermentation by C. butyricum NE133. It was revealed that the combined physicochemical treatment (0.05 M H₂SO₄/121 °C) significantly increased hydrogen yield, with 2300.33 ± 0.88 mL/L, Rmax of 1065.56 mL/L/h and λ of 22.39 h with a high accuracy of R2 (0.9999). The study emphasizes the effectiveness of using C. butyricum NE133 for sustainable biohydrogen production. The findings also indicate the feasibility of converting agricultural waste into valuable energy sources, contributing to waste management and renewable energy solutions.

Enhancing Jatropha oil biodiesel by using Citrus Limetta peels as a biocatalyst: A sustainable way to reduce emissions and enhance the efficiency of CI engine

Biodiesel has become one of the promising alternative fuel resources for petro-diesel. Biodiesel is obtained by mixing oil and alcohol through transesterification reaction. A catalyst (base or acid) is typically added to accelerate the transesterification reaction and yield the maximum biodiesel production. The use of the traditional catalyst has problems like catalyst separation, soap formation, high reaction time, more energy consumption and environmental pollution. Literature shows that the addition of a catalyst from organic sources can overcome these problems. Biocatalysts were produced from different bio-waste like animal bones, plant leaves, fruit and vegetable peels, but there is no work found on the effects of Citrus Limetta peel waste for the biodiesel production. In this work, the feasibility of using Citrus Limetta peel ashes as an eco-friendly biocatalyst was investigated for the biodiesel production from Jatropha oil. The biocatalyst was obtained from Citrus Limetta peel waste after drying, pulverizing and calcination. XRD, SEM and EDX were used for the characterization of the biocatalyst. The biodiesel was tested for conformance with Euro standards. Then, three biodiesel blends (JT90, JT80 and JT70 with 10, 20 and 30 % biodiesel) were tested for determining the engine performance and emission characteristics in a Kirloskar 4-stroke CI diesel engine. SEM and EDX indicated a substantial concentration of potassium (26.8 %) and calcium (71.59 %) in the biocatalyst. The maximum biodiesel yield was achieved with 2 wt% biocatalyst, 15:1 Jatropha-to-methanol molar ratio, 60 °C reaction temperature and 1 h reaction time. Engine performance study showed that the JT80 blend demonstrated a BTE improvement of 1.2 % with a significant BSFC reduction of 11 % when subjected to full load conditions, surpassing that of pure diesel. Emissions study revealed that the JT80 blend demonstrated a substantial decrease in emissions compared to pure diesel. Specifically, there was a noteworthy 10.3 % reduction of carbon monoxide (CO), 14 % of carbon dioxide (CO2), 11 % of unburnt hydrocarbon (HC) and 3 % of nitrogen oxides (NOX), but with an increase of 2 % in smoke emissions.

The significance of biowaste drying analysis as a key pre-treatment for transforming it into a sustainable biomass feedstock.

The objective of this study is to investigate the drying kinetics of fruit and vegetable peel biowaste using a sustainable technique as a key-pretreatment for its conversion into useful feedstock. Biowaste represents a missed potential source of bioenergy and bioproducts, but moisture removal is required, and conventional drying methods are expensive since they require great quantity of energy supplied, almost always, by a non-renewable energy. In this study six batches with the same quantity of biowaste, and heterogeneous physical composition were dried under open-sun conditions. We evaluated the influence of the interaction between drying area and the initial moisture content on drying rate. Eight semi-theoretical models were fitted using Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm to predict drying rate, and their accuracy was assessed through goodness-of-fit tests. Maximum moisture content to preserve biomass (10%) was reached on 5th day and the equilibrium on 16th day of drying. According to goodness-of-fit test (R 2=0.999, χ 2=4.666×10-5, RMSE = 0.00683) the best model to predict drying rate was Two-term model. The mathematical model obtained from Fick's second law is reliable to predict drying kinetics, R2 (0.9648±0.0106); despite the variation between drying area and initial moisture content. Kruskal-Wallis test showed that drying rates between batches are not significantly different (p=0.639; 0.05); nor effective diffusion coefficient (D eff =4.97×10-11±0.3491×10-11), (p=0.723; 0.05). The study of drying kinetics is crucial for selecting the optimal biowaste treatment based on its generation context. This could enable its use as feedstock for bioproduct or bioenergy production, thereby reducing waste accumulation in landfills and environmental impact.

Can children and artificial intelligence be sources of ideas for school meal preparations based on whole food utilization?

Involving children in creation of school meals is important to engage them on healthy and sustainable eating habits, and the whole food utilization is a way to avoid food waste and increase the consumption of nutrients. Also, artificial intelligence (AI) has shown to be an interesting source of new ideas but has not been used for designing children’s meals. The aims of the work were to evaluate the potential of school meals either co-designed by children or generated with AI, and to explore parents’ perception towards the utilization of whole food in their children’s meal. Children, with the potential support of their parents, proposed recipes with whole fruit/vegetable utilization, and a selection among the suggestions was conducted by nutritionists and the school cooks. The selected meal was compared to a similar recipe from ChatGPT generated from a simple prompt with regard to their acceptance and emotions evoked. The two dishes were variations of carrot pie recipes including vegetable peel and were both prepared by experienced school cooks. A third recipe proposed by the school’s cooks was used as comparison. Parents’ perceptions towards whole food utilization to their children were elicited by sentence completion methodology. Results showed that children liked both their and the cooks’ recipes but rejected ChatGPT’s recipe. Both cooks’ and children’s carrot pies evoked positive emoji pairs, meanwhile ChatGPT’s carrot pie was associated to emojis of negative connotation. Texture and unfamiliar taste were cited to justify the rejection. For parents, the utilization of whole fruits/vegetable in children’s meals is perceived as a good and nutritious idea, but safety concerns were revealed. This work demonstrates co-design with school children and whole food utilization as actionable strategies towards reducing waste of nutritious resources. Moreover, the study reports an unsuccessful exploratory usage of ChatGPT through a task-focused prompt. This may suggest the importance of specifying the context of the task when prompting an AI, to compensate for contextual information that is implicitly available to humans. Concerns about safety aspects should be addressed to ensure parents’ support for whole vegetable utilization in school meals.

Transformation of carcinogenic hexavalent chromium and nitrophenol isomers in aqueous media using leftover vegetable peels

Transformation of carcinogenic hexavalent chromium and nitrophenol isomers in aqueous media using leftover vegetable peels

Fruit and vegetable peel characteristics and their conversion to biosorbents using hydrothermal carbonization and pyrolysis: A review

Peels make up a considerable proportion of solid waste generated from fruit and vegetable production and processing. If not properly managed, they could contribute to environmental degradation through the dispersion of nutrient-rich leachate and the release of various greenhouse gases. Alternatively, these peels could be transformed to biosorbents, which could assist in the removal of pollutants of environmental and human health concerns from wastewaters. Using peels as raw material for biosorbent production is an environmentally friendly and cost-effective option for waste disposal. Peels also contain bio-activators, which can be used to activate the biosorbent produced, minimizing the use of synthetic chemicals for biosorbent activation. This review considers the different physicochemical characteristics of vegetable and fruit peels that make them suitable raw materials for biosorbent production. Additionally, their transformation to biosorbents using hydrothermal carbonization and pyrolysis is discussed. The review concludes with a discussion on the efficiency of peel-based biosorbents in the removal of diverse types of pollutants from wastewater.

Eco-friendly microwave-assisted extraction of fruit and vegetable peels demonstrates great biofunctional properties.

This study aimed to determine the biofunctional properties, such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, and antidiabetic activities, of peel extracts obtained through microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) of red beet, dragon fruit, and prickly pear peels using water as a green solvent. Results indicated that the peel extracts exhibited high total phenolic content (TPC), ranging from 345.93 to 1651.17 mg GAE/L. The DPPH scavenging capacity of the extracts ranged between 7.16 and 34.65 mg/mL, while the ABTS scavenging capacity ranged between 0.93 and 15.27 mg/mL. Dragon fruit peel extract (DFE) and prickly pear peel extract (PPE) showed significant α-glucosidase inhibition effects, with 67.79% and 37.50% inhibitions, respectively. Moreover, significant antibacterial activities were observed against five pathogenic bacterial strains (B. cereus, E. coli, S. aureus, L. monocytogenes, and S. enterica) at various concentrations of extracts. The cytotoxic effect of the extracts on HT-29 and HeLa cancer cells was also observed. The most abundant phenolic compound in DFE was rutin (0.558 mg/g); in PPE, hesperidin was the most abundant (0.596 mg/g); and in red beet peel extract (RBE), hesperidin (0.426 mg/g) was the predominant compound.

Self‐Powered Supercapacitor with Bifunctional Separator in Suppressing Self‐Discharge

AbstractIntegrating energy harvesters with energy storage devices helps enhance energy utilization efficiency. The requirement for external power sources in energy storage devices can also be addressed by the development of an all‐in‐one single system. Vegetable peels can be used as piezoelectric energy harvesters due to the generation of electric dipole within cellulose. The self‐discharge processes cause open circuit potential decay, resulting in a loss of energy stored within the cell. The self‐discharge rate can be controlled by using a piezoelectric separator. This work used garlic skins as a piezoelectric separator, which helped delay the self‐discharge rate. The supercapacitor using Ni−Mn oxide as positive and Fe−Ni sulfide/RGO as negative electrode materials was fabricated with garlic skin as a separator. The device was charged from an initial OCP of ~0.15–~0.37 V in ~ 4 sec by finger tapping. The OCP decay rate was reduced by~88 % compared to that of using the Whatmann separator. The fabricated Ni−Mn oxide RGO/garlic skin/FeS2 RGO exhibited ~72.2 W h kg−1 energy density at a power density of ~2 kW kg−1 in an operated potential window of ~2 V. This research provides a cost‐effective method for developing piezoelectric supercapacitor with low self‐discharge rate.

Making A Multi Purpose Liquid (Eco-Enzyme) as An Alternative for Prosesing Household Organic Waste and Reviewing Its Benefits

<p><em>This activity was conducted to increase public awareness and knowledge in managing household organic waste into eco-enzymes. Eco-enzyme is a natural liquid from the fermentation process of organic kitchen waste such as fruit and vegetable peels, granulated sugar (white sugar, brown sugar, or cane sugar), and water. The training activity was held at the home of the head of Gentan Hamlet, Doplang Village, Bawen Subdistrict, Semarang Regency on Wednesday, October 25, 2023, with the training participants being women members of Dasawisma (Dawis). The activity was carried out using socialization and demonstration methods to facilitate participants' understanding of the material and the process of making eco-enzymes. Based on the evaluation results, the participants were very enthusiastic about learning new knowledge they did not know before. Participants learned about the technology of making eco-enzymes from household waste. In addition to creating a clean environment, the resulting eco-enzyme also provides various benefits for life.</em></p>

The potential of ecoenzymes on vegetative and generative growth in curly chili plants (Capsicum annuum)

Background: Red hot chili (Capsicum annum) is one of the important commodities for the community. The use of inorganic fertilizers in chili cultivation in the long run can disturb the soil balance. Therefore, it is necessary to make efforts to maintain and improve soil aggregation, so that soil particles more easily bind organic matter. One important effort is to apply organic fertilizer to the soil. One alternative liquid organic fertilizer that can be used is Ecoenzyme (EE). EE is the result of fermentation of organic kitchen waste such as leftover fruit and vegetable peels, molasses and water. This study was conducted to obtain the optimal concentration of EE on the growth and chlorophyll levels in Capsicum annum plants. Methods: There were 6 treatments in this study, namely E0 (no treatment as negative control), E1 (goat manure with soil: husk: fertilizer ratio of 1:2:1 as positive control), and different concentrations of EE, namely, E2 (EE 1ml/1 liter of water), E3 (EE 5ml/1 liter of water), E4 (EE 10ml/1 liter of water) and E5 (EE 15ml/1 liter of water). Findings: The results of significance data analysis with Duncan at the 5% level showed that treatment E1 was significantly different from the other treatments and treatment E4 showed different results but not significant with other EE treatments based on vegetative and generative growth parameters. Conclusion: The conclusion of this study is that the optimal concentration of EE to increase growth and chlorophyll levels in curly chili plants at a dose of EE 10ml/1 liter of water. Novelty/Originality of this Study: The novelty of this investigation lies in its examination of the effects of ecoenzyme, an organic liquid fertilizer derived from fermented kitchen waste, on the growth and chlorophyll content of curly chili (Capsicum annuum) plants. This research is unique as it applies ecoenzyme to a horticultural crop that has not been extensively studied in this context, offering insights into sustainable agriculture practices and nutrient recycling.

Performance of Hermetia illucens reared on pure, mixed, and sequentially mixed organic wastes regionally available in central Argentina

Abstract Black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens L.) are proficient decomposers of organic matter. We compared experiments with local substrates containing: domestic residues (DR), and brewery wastes (BW) in pure form, or mixed with in two different proportions (BW70 or BW30), and two sequential diets in which larvae were fed first DR and then BW (DR/BW) or vice versa (BW/DR). The effects of the diets on life cycle parameters for mass production of H. illucens larvae were evaluated using general linear mixed models, ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis. The pure DR diet significantly prolonged the developmental period (47.8 days), although the pupal stage was shorter in larvae fed on this diet (13.8 days). Larval survival was similar between treatments (over 85%), but pupal survival tended to be higher in the mixed diets (over 96%). Larval weights differed significantly between treatments, with mixed diets promoting greater weight gains than pure and sequential diets. Larvae fed a DR/BW diet gained more weight than those fed a BW/DR diet. The highest mean larval weights (0.23 g) were observed in the mixed diet BW70, followed by the sequential diet DR/BW (0.22 g). Mixed diet BW70 also resulted in larger wings and bodies in both sexes. Sequential diet BW/DR and pure diet DR resulted in the smallest adult sizes. Sex ratios varied, favouring male emergence (1.8 M:0.2 F) in pure diet DR and in both sequential mixed diets (1.7 M:0.3 F and 1.3 M:0.7 F, respectively). This study highlights the importance of higher total protein plus carbohydrate concentrations in diets for optimal larval rearing, favouring mixed diets BW70. Carbohydrate-rich substrates should be provided earlier in the cycle to benefit larval and adult performance. Locally available waste vegetable or fruit peels, brewery waste, and spent yerba mate proved to be viable substrates for larval rearing, providing economic and environmental benefits for H. illucens rearing.

Pelatihan Pemanfaatan Limbah Organik dari Buah-buahan dan Sayuran Sebagai Bahan Baku Pembuatan Eco Enzyme

People have a significant need to consume fruits in daily life. Overall, the pulp of the fruit is the only part that is utilized; thus far, fruit rind is rarely utilized and is merely wasted. Similarly, whenever it relates to vegetables, only the desirable sections are picked; the tougher sections, such as the stems, are usually eliminated. Potential raw materials for the production of eco enzyme (which can be used as liquid organic fertilizer) abounds in the profusion of fruit and vegetable waste. Typically, organic waste is neglected, resulting in an offensive odor that affects the environment's cleanliness and may pose health risks. In an attempt to mitigate the adverse effects caused by organic waste, alternative raw materials for the production of liquid organic fertilizer and eco-enzymes may be derived from fruit and vegetable peel waste. The production process of eco enzyme commences with the segregation of organic waste, which will serve as its main material. Subsequently, blend the components in the suggested proportions (1 part sugar/molasses to 3 parts organic matter to 10 parts water). Three months after the mixture is complete, eco-enzymes may be harvested. The collaborators of this community service endeavor consist of housewives, beverage vendors, and organic waste-focused community organizations. Encouraging economic and social autonomy in the community is the objective of this Community Service Program activity, to educate and raise awareness among the general public regarding the proper disposal of organic garbage in order to create a more sanitary and habitable environment and a greener planet, enhance both soft and physical skills while fostering greater social harmony and comfort.

Label-free detection of thiram in trace quantity in fruits and vegetables using chemically made SERS-active substrate

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) provides a sensitive, rapid, and accurate mechanism to detect and classify the analytes in trace concentrations. Numerically optimized design and its accurate fabrication plays an important role in realization of a SERS-active substrates, used to enhance the Raman signals. Thiram (tetramethyl-thiuram disulfide) is a fungicide that is used to protect the crops from fungal infections. However, excessive use of thiram can cause several health-related complications and must be avoided. In this study, we have laid out a simple but fast and sensitive SERS technique and demonstrated its application for the detection of thiram residues in vegetable and fruit peels. This study employs silver nanoparticles decorated with reduced graphene as SERS-active substrate to detect R6G and thiram in trace amount in tomato and apple peels. The proposed substrate yielded an enhancement factor of about 1016 for the most prominent Raman mode. We were able to achieve the detection limit of 1000 pM and 100 pM concentrations of thiram in tomato and apple peels respectively, using the proposed SERS-active substrate. It was also able to detect PNBA, an explosive analyte, up to nanomolar concentration, demonstrating the versatility of the proposed substrate. The proposed scheme has a great potential for detection of adulterants in fruits and vegetables and can also be implemented for trace detection in various other fields such as narco-analysis, defence and medicine etc.

Potensi Pemanfaatan Enzim Biokatalitik dari Kulit Buah dan Sayur untuk Pengolahan Limbah Cair Rumah Sakit

Health services in hospitals produce hazardous and infectious waste that comes from sharing sources of activity. The research carried out experimentally in laboratory aims to determine the effect of biocatalytic enzyme treatment from fruit and vegetable peel (concentration variations of 5%, 10%, 15%) on pH, chemical oxygen demand (COD) levels, total suspended solids (TSS), and total coliforms of hospital liquid waste. From the research results, it was found that the addition of biocatalytic enzymes was very effective in reducing the total coliform concentration. The highest reduction in coliforms occurred with the addition of 15% enzyme, where there was a decrease from 1600 MPN/100 mL to 500 MPN/100 mL at a digestion time of less than 24 hours. After a digestion time of 2 days, no coliforms were found in the wastewater samples. However, there was a decrease in pH and an increase in TSS and COD concentrations which did not meet quality standards after being treated with enzymes at all concentration variations. The profile of changes in TSS and COD concentrations shows a decreasing trend with an increase in digestion time of 1 to 3 days, the values ​​obtained will still exceed the TSS and COD quality standards (30 mg/L and 100 mg/L). Meanwhile, the waste pH gradually increased with increasing digestion time up to 3 days at enzyme concentrations of 5% and 10%, namely 3.5 and 4.8. However, this value is still outside the permitted quality standard interval, namely 6-9.