Quercetin: A bioactive compound imparting cardiovascular and neuroprotective benefits: Scope for exploring fresh produce, their wastes, and by-products

Quercetin, a bioactive secondary metabolite, holds incredible importance in terms of bioactivities, which has been proved by in vivo and in vitro studies. The treatment of cardiovascular and neurological diseases by quercetin has been extensively investigated over the past decade. Quercetin is present naturally in appreciable amounts in fresh produce (fruits and vegetables). However, today, corresponding to the growing population and global demand for fresh fruits and vegetables, a paradigm shift and focus is laid towards exploring industrial food wastes and/or byproducts as a new resource to obtain bioactive compounds such as quercetin. Based on the available research reports over the last decade, quercetin has been suggested as a reliable therapeutic candidate for either treating or alleviating health issues, mainly those of cardiovascular and neurological diseases. In the present review, we have summarized some of the critical findings and hypotheses of quercetin from the available databases foreseeing its future use as a potential therapeutic agent to treat cardiovascular and neurological diseases. It is anticipated that this review will be a potential reference material for future research activities to be undertaken on quercetin obtained from fresh produce as well as their respective processing wastes/byproducts that rely on the circular concept.This review articles theme is based on the ongoing VALORTECH project (ERA-Chair in Food (By-)Products Valorisation Technologies), which has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program under grant agreement No 810630

DEGRADATION, MECHANO-PHYSICAL, AND MORPHOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF EMPTY FRUIT BUNCH REINFORCED POLYESTER COMPOSITES

This research aims to study the effects of degradation on mechanical, physical, and morphological properties of empty fruit bunch (EFB) fiber- reinforced polyester composites. The unsaturated polyester resin has been used to produce thermoset polymer composites. The reinforcing effect in composites was evaluated at various fiber loadings, including an overall fiber content (by weight) of 20% and 40%. The mechanical (tensile, flexural, and impact) and physical (density, moisture content, and water absorption) properties were studied before and after the samples were buried in the soil for period of 12 months. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis was conducted to visualize the effect of the quality of adhesion between the fibers and matrix. The soil burial investigation results revealed that EFB fiber-polyester composites showed highest degradation percentage as compared to polyester resin and fiberglass

Recent Advancement in Physico-Mechanical and Thermal Studies of Bamboo and Its Fibers

Bamboo has its own role in the development of society. It is widely used as a support tools for sustainable farming and being exceptional resource for variety of income and employment-generating systems. This overlooked biomass provides food, raw material, shelter, medicine for large part of world’s population. Bamboo has given a great support to mankind by providing building materials that are extensively used for household products. It has found a good place for industrial applications due to advances in processing technology and increased market demand. Numerous fundamental studies were carried out to highlight their fundamental characteristics prior to industrial exploitation or high end bamboo-based biomaterials. The mechanical and physical properties of bamboo have noteworthy effects on their durability and strength. Thermogravimetry is one of the key sensitive technique that characterizes the mechanical responses of materials by monitoring property changes with respect to the temperature. Comprehensive review and study on thermal analysis are useful for quantitative determination of the degradation behaviour and the composition of the material. The magnitude and location of the derivative thermogravimetric curve also provides information of the interaction between the material components at various temperature scales. Therefore, these studies can be focused to evaluate the basic fundamental problems faced and thus, a well-designed research and development towards sustainability can be achieved

SPECTROSCOPIC, THERMAL, AND ANATOMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF CULTIVATED BAMBOO (GIGANTOCHLOA SPP.)

This paper presents spectroscopic, thermal, and morphological properties of two bamboo species viz. Gigantochloa brang and Gigantochloa wrayi. The nature of cell wall structure and distribution of vascular bundles in G. brang and G. wrayi were studied by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy techniques. Gigantochloa spp. at various positions and locations showed identical thermal stability and are stable up to 200 °C. The decomposition of cellulose and hemicelluloses component of the culm occurred between 220 °C and 390 °C, while the degradation of lignin takes place above 400 °C

Kaempferol and its derivatives: Biological activities and therapeutic potential

Kaempferol, a natural plant-origin flavonoid, exhibits therapeutic anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer, antidiabetic, and neuroprotective properties. Kaempferol acts within several distinct mechanisms like apoptotic induction in cancer cells, enzymatic inhibition, signalling pathway inhibition, and downregulation in cell viability during the G2/M phase of cell division. This review summarizes the therapeutic effects of kaempferol against several health ailments. The recent progress on kaempferol obtained from fruits and vegetables as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antidiabetic, and neuroprotective agent and its mechanisms of action are also discussed. In addition, kaempferol has been reported to be present in wastes and byproducts from post-fruit and vegetable processing. Thus, a paradigm shift towards valorizing fruits and vegetable industrial wastes/byproducts to obtain bioactive kaempferol can support the circular economy pillar for generating wealth from waste and for finding a sustainable alternative source

PRELIMINARY STUDY ON ENHANCED PROPERTIES AND BIOLOGICAL RESISTANCE OF CHEMICALLY MODIFIED ACACIA SPP.

A preliminary experimental study was carried out to examine the ability of a chemically modified Acacia spp. to resist biodegradation. The modifications of Acacia mangium and Acacia hybrid were carried out by propionic anhydride and succinic anhydride in the presence of sodium formate as a catalyst. The treated samples were found resistant to microbial attack, while the untreated ones were damaged on 12 months exposure to a soil burial. The appearance grading, mass loss, mechanical properties, and scanning electron microscopy results revealed that chemical modification enhances the resistance of Acacia mangium and Acacia hybrid wood species to biodegradation

EVALUATION OF ANTITERMITIC ACTIVITY OF DIFFERENT EXTRACTS OBTAINED FROM INDONESIAN TEAKWOOD (Tectona grandis L.f)

The antitermitic activity of different extracts obtained from Tectona grandis L.f was investigated against Coptotermes curvignathus (Holmgren). The main objective of this work was to determine the mortality rate of termites by the teak wood extracts. Different extracts exhibited different degree of antitermitic activity. A teak wood with age of 39-59 years and 59-79 years were selected from Purwakata and Cepu regions of Indonesia, respectively. As per earlier reports, quinones are considered as toxic to termites, and these quinones are found in abundance in teak wood. Among the extracts of petroleum ether, acetone/water (9:1), and ethanol/water (8:2), the acetone/water (9:1) extracts exhibited strong activity. The surface morphology of extracted wood samples was observed by scanning electron microscopy in order to reveal evidence of change

Determination of polyphenolic content, HPLC analyses and DNA cleavage activity of Malaysian Averrhoa carambola L. fruit extracts

In developing countries, the increasing gap between population growth and food supply has created renewed interest in finding reliable and cheap natural resources of nutraceutical value and health promoting properties. Therefore, the present study deals with the phytochemical analyses and DNA cleavage activity of Averrhoa carambola L. fruit (starfruit) extracts. The phytochemical studies involve colour tests and quantification of phenolics and flavonoids of the prepared ethanolic and aqueous extracts. Identification of phenolic acids and flavonoids present in the extracts were conducted by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) equipped with diode array detector (DAD). DNA cleavage activity of the extracts was evaluated through gel electrophoresis against plasmid Escherichia coli DNA at different concentrations (0.125–0.60 μg/μl). The results of the study exhibited that the starfruit is a rich source of polyphenols and all the extracts exhibited a dose dependent DNA cleavage activity, whereas ethanolic extract induced more cleavage as compared to the aqueous extract. In conclusion, the present study provides preliminary evidence with regard to nutraceutical value of the fruit. So, further extensive study is a prerequisite to exploit DNA cleaving properties of the fruit extracts for therapeutic application

Bamboo fibre reinforced biocomposites: a review

The reduction in harmful destruction of ecosystem and to produce low cost polymeric reinforced composites, the researchers are emerging with policies of manufacturing the composites using natural fibres which are entirely biodegradable. These policies had generated safe strategies to protect our environment. The utilization of bamboo fibres as reinforcement in composite materials has increased tremendously and has undergone high-tech revolution in recent years as a response to the increasing demand for developing biodegradable, sustainable, and recyclable materials. The amalgamation of matrix and natural fibres yield composite possessing best properties of each component. Various matrices used currently are soft and flexible in comparison to natural fibres their combination leads to composite formation with high strength-to-weight ratios. The rapid advancement of the technology for making industry products contributes consumer the ease of making a suitable choice and own desirable tastes. Researchers have expanded their expertise in the product design by applying the usage of raw materials like bamboo fibre which is stronger as well as can be utilized in generating high end quality sustainable industrial products. Thereby, this article gives critical review of the most recent developments of bamboo fibre based reinforced composites and the summary of main results presented in literature, focusing on the processing methodology and ultimate properties of bamboo fibres with polymeric matrices and applications in well designed economical products

Brown algae-based preparation, characterization and application of Pd nanocatalyst for enhanced reductive azo dye degradation

This study describes a simple green one-pot synthesis of the Palladium Nanocatalyst (PdNC) using the crude extract of a seaweed Saragassum cervicorne (S. cervicorne). The formation of PdNC was monitored by Ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy. The characteristic functional groups of phytochemicals in extract and capped PdNC surfaces were identified by FTIR analysis. The Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis of the extract revealed the smooth surface area while that of the catalyst was found to be rough and irregular whereas Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) confirms the existence of Pd in the catalyst. The powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed the crystalline nature of PdNC with a cubic face-centred structure. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to record the images of PdNC with a particle size of 3.131 to 16.45 nm. TGA reports reveal the degradation of the PdNC occurred at 197.8 °C. The catalytic activity PdNC was tested against the reduction of hazardous azo-dyes such as Congo red (CR), Methyl orange (MO) and Methyl red (MR) with NaBH4 as electron donor. The PdNC catalysed azo-dyes in presence of aqueous NaBH4 and was examined by UV–visible spectroscopy where PdNC mediated the electron transfer from NaBH4 to azo-dyes as a carrier. The maximum degradation was observed for Methyl Orange (0.08 mM) of about 99.66% with 60 μg/μL PdNC. Congo red (0.1 mM) showed the highest degradation of 99.25% with a catalyst loading of 40 μg/μl while that of Methyl red (0.1 mM) with 80 μg/ μL catalyst was 95.45%. The preparation of catalyst using water and exploiting water-soluble components of S. cervicorne as reducing agents makes this one-pot preparation of catalyst a novel approach for the preparation of Pd nanocatalyst. The replacement of non-toxic solvents, as well as the use of unexplored brown seaweed, is of primary importance from an economic as well as environmental perspective. Therefore, the newly prepared PdNC is a promising catalytic material obtained by the green facile synthetic method and exhibit enhanced catalytic activity in stimulation on the reduction of harmful azo dyes