Abstract

Horticulture and aquaculture along the Mekong River between Nong Khai Province, Thailand, and Vientiane, Laos PDR, focus on cultivating tomatoes, pineapples, and garlic, alongside producing catfish and Nile tilapia. These activities generate substantial waste including pomace and fish bones, which our research valorizes into higher-value products through circular economy approaches.

Fish bones from catfish heads and tilapia frames serve as natural calcium sources. We developed microwave-assisted citric acid extraction to create hydrogels and edible beads through direct or reverse formation methods. This innovative approach has secured multiple patents from Thailand’s Department of Intellectual Property.

Direct bone powder application in sausage production enhances technological and nutritional qualities across fish, pork, and chicken models. Natural colorants extracted from tomato processing waste and indigenous gac fruit improve sausage color while reducing nitrite requirements and associated carcinogen risks. Garlic leaf powder enables natural curing in fermented sausages, further reducing health risks.

Fat reduction in sausages was achieved using hydrogels formed from low-methoxyl pectin extracted from tomato pomace. When combined with fish bone powder, these hydrogels effectively replace fat in meat products, particularly pork patties, while providing natural calcium enhancement and antioxidative properties. Similarly, pectin from pineapple waste functions as a fat replacer with antimicrobial activity, extending beef patty shelf life.

Our research demonstrates that agricultural waste valorization offers viable pathways for developing innovative, healthier food products while promoting sustainability through circular economy principles, transforming regional waste streams into valuable resources.

Abstract

A variety of environmental issues are threatening crops all across the world, but high temperatures are posing the most significant threat. As a master growth regulator, polyamines help plants grow and develop optimally and are more resilient to stress. The current study aims to clarify how putrescine and cadaverine contribute to Brassica juncea’s ability to withstand heat stress. Brassica juncea L.cv. RH 1566, RH 1999-42, RH 1708 & RH 1707 seedlings were grown under controlled conditions (Irradiance 75 W m2, RH 60–70%, and temperature 25°C) and field conditions. Ten days old seedlings exposed to heat shock treatment at 42–45°C for 2–3 hours. Before exposing the seedlings to heat shock (42–45°C for 2-3 h), putrescine and cadaverine (1 mM) were given as a pre-treatment at the usual temperature of 25–2°C for 2-3 h. The results revealed that polyamines treatment significantly attenuates heat-induced damage by promoting root length, shoot length, and fresh weight.  At field level, 1 mM polyamines foliar spray effectively mitigates the harmful effects of heat stress in Brassica juncea L. The most significant effect was observed in RH-1707 and RH-1708, which were higher sensitive to cellular damage under heat stress. Anatomical examinations revealed enlarged xylem vessels in RH-1707 and RH-1708 under early sowing, while late-sown plants showed less developed vessels. Polyamine application partially reduced vessel size under early heat stress, though its effects were minimal during late heat stress. Further this study demonstrated that heat stress markedly decreased the chlorophyll content in the brassica leaves. However, polyamines-treated brassica plants alleviated heat stress by reducing lipid peroxidation, hydrogen peroxide, electrolyte leakage, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, and stomatal density, while boosting antioxidant enzyme activities, chlorophyll content, relative water content, proline content and overall yield. The MDA content in heat-stressed seedlings was higher and was significantly reduced in polyamines-treated seedlings under heat-stress conditions. This study suggested that polyamines significantly reduced oxidative stress biomarkers, membrane damage and transpiration water loss.

Abstract

Plants are capable of responding to various environmental stresses by initiating the expression of genes that encode proteins involved in plant growth, fruit ripening, maintaining protein homeostasis, and combating heat stress (HS) by activating heat tolerance systems. The mechanism of resisting against HS is very intricate, and the molecular basis and involvement of the related gene network in Capsicum annuum L. are not fully understood. There are five different heat shock proteins (HSPs) reported in the literature, namely, small HSPs (sHSPs), CaHSP60s, CaHSP70s, CaHSP90s, and CaHSP100s, which play a pivotal role in heat stress response (HSR) in C. annuum. Heat shock factors (HSFs) and heat stress elements (HSEs) govern the transcriptional modifications and control the relative expression of heat shock proteins (HSPs). The heat stress response is the reprogramming of the molecular cascades involving the cell stress responses against the HSR, which is characterized by the increased production of molecular chaperones, which help the plants to counter the negative physiological impacts on proteins, induced by heat and other abiotic stresses. Therefore, understanding the detailed molecular mechanisms of C. annuum in response to extreme temperatures is critical for exploring how they will be affected by climate change and how they behave to cope with these varied climate extremes. This study is focused on providing a complete understanding of the molecular cascades in C. annuum L.’s response to HS, which starts with the sensation of HS signals and activation of the relative molecular cascades that are responsible for the activation of HSFs and initiate their primary targets, e.g., HSPs. Overall, this review provides deep insights into all the cellular responses during HS with a special focus on categorization and physiological aspects of HSPs and HSFs.

Abstract

The embryo rescue technique plays an essential part in developing new varieties of seedless grapes. To enhance the efficiency of seedless grape embryo rescue breeding, this study evaluated 22 hybrid combinations, it systematically probed into the impacts of diverse parental genotypes and plant hormones on both embryo development and germination. In addition, an in-depth exploration was carried out regarding the transformation of abnormal plantlets. Results indicate that ‘Ruby Seedless’, Delight’, ‘Huozhouheiyu’, ‘Zitian Seedless’, and ‘Zhengyan Seedless’ are suitable as maternal parents, while ‘Zitian Seedless’, ‘Shennongxiangfeng’, ‘Hongqitezao’, and ‘Guibao’ are optimal as paternal parents. Among these combinations, ‘Ruby Seedless × Shennongxiangfeng’ and ‘Ruby Seedless × Zitian Seedless’ demonstrated the highest embryo rescue efficiency. Their embryo development rates were 55.05% and 59.76%, yielding 1,348 and 2,235 viable plantlets, respectively. When 1.0 mg L^-1 ZT(Zeatin) was added to the MM3 + 0.2 mg L^-1 IAA (Indole – 3 – Acetic Acid) embryo development medium, the development rate of the ‘Ruby Seedless × Zitian Seedless’ embryos went up by a huge 64.73%. In the germination medium WPM, the supplementation of 0.2 mg L^-1 ZT + 0.2 mg L^-1 IAA resulted in the highest germination rate of 85.71% for the hybrid combination ‘Huozhouheiyu × Shine Muscat’. Furthermore, we successfully recovered a total of 3,365 abnormal plantlets and regenerated 1,234 normal plantlets through direct transformation and cotyledon induction. After hybridization, we successfully transplanted 4,287 plants. This study offers theoretical insights that can enhance the efficiency of embryo rescue breeding for seedless grapes, offering valuable resources for future breeding programs.