Effects of Marine Residue-Derived Fertilizers on Strawberry Growth, Nutrient Content, Fruit Yield and Quality

An outdoor experiment was performed for six months to evaluate the effects of organic fertilizers obtained from marine residual materials on strawberry plants. Three types of organic fertilizers were used, i.e., cod (Gadus morhua) bone powder, common ling (Molva molva) bone powder, and pellets obtained by mixing small cod bone powder and rockweed (Ascophyllum nodosum) residues. A tabletop system for strawberry cultivation was designed, in which two bare-root strawberry plants of cultivar ‘Albion’ were planted in a peat substrate in each pot. Five treatments were applied, i.e., cod bone powder (F1), common ling bone powder (F2), small cod bone powder and rockweed residue pellets (FA), chemical fertilizer (E), and a control (C). The number of leaves and their nutrient content, fruit yield and quality characteristics of the strawberries grown using the organic fertilizers were similar or better than those corresponding to treatments E and C. Organic fertilizers derived from the residues of fish and macroalgae could be a promising alternative to chemical fertilizers in strawberry production

Enhancing the Extraction Process Efficiency of Thyme Essential Oil by Combined Ultrasound and Microwave Techniques

In this paper, the essential oil (EO) extraction from thyme by the consecutive use of ultrasound and microwave treatments is presented. The aim of this study was to apply an ultrasound pre-treatment of thyme leaves to enhance the thymol content and the extraction yield of the EO obtained by microwave-assisted hydro-distillation (MWHD). Compared with conventional hydro-distillation (CHD), the consecutive use of ultrasound pre-treatment and microwave extraction resulted in a 72% lower extraction time. When the ultrasound pre-treatment (using the ultrasonic processor with an amplitude of 70%) was applied, the EO content was 23% higher compared to the extraction without pre-treatment (2.67 ± 0.06 g EO/100 g DM for the MWHD with ultrasound pre-treatment compared with 2.18 ± 0.07 g EO/100 g DM for the MWHD without pre-treatment). The EO samples were analyzed by GC/MS. The results showed that the major component, thymol, varied from 43.54% (by CHD) to 65.94% (by the consecutive use of ultrasound and microwave treatments)

Integrated nanozyme electrochemical sensor for the detection of tannic acid: An advanced approach to rapid and efficient environmental monitoring

This study presents a novel methodology for the rapid on-site detection of tannic acid (TA), a prevalent organic contaminant in various natural environments, notably in plant-derived sources. The proposed approach involves the development of a compact integrated electrochemical sensor incorporating a nanozyme system. Specifically, this system comprises Fe2O3 nanoparticles (NPs) embedded within a chitosan (CS) matrix, immobilized onto a sulfur-doped graphene (S-Gr) substrate deposited on a gold electrode (AuE). The Fe2O3NPs exhibit peroxidase-like artificial enzyme activity, contributing to exceptional stability and catalytic efficiency in TA oxidation processes. Additionally, the CS matrix acts as a stabilizing agent, enhancing the performance and recyclability of the nanozyme. Furthermore, the S-Gr nanomaterial facilitates rapid electron transfer, leading to heightened sensitivity and prompt response times. The integration of these advanced nanomaterials with a microfabricated electrode presents an economically feasible, reliable, and effective solution for TA detection, with promising prospects for large-scale deployment and environmental monitoring. The Fe2O3CS-S-Gr/AuE sensing system demonstrates a calculated limit of detection (LOD) of 3.6 × 10−3 µM and an increased sensitivity of 0.2 µA×µM−1, with a wide linear concentration range spanning from 0.01 to 1000 µM for TA detection. Notably, the recovery values obtained for surface water samples fall within the range of 97.7 % to 99.5 %, indicating strong agreement with results derived from the standard method, UHPLC-MS/MS