Recent Advances in Food Nutrition & Agriculture - Volume 16, Issue 1, 2025

Aegle marmelos, an Indian plant, has been extensively utilized by the people of the Indian subcontinent over about 5000 years. The leaves, bark, roots, and fruits, including seeds, are widely used to cure a variety of diseases in the Indian traditional system of medicine, Ayurveda, along with numerous folk medicines. By revealing the existence of significant bioactive chemicals, modern research has effectively substantiated the therapeutic effects of bael.

The objective of this study was to review the literature regarding A. marmelos geographical distribution, morphology, therapeutic benefits, and phytochemicals found in the bael leaves, fruits, and other parts of the plant that offer a wide range of pharmacological applications in neurological disorders.

A thorough literature search was conducted using five computerized databases, such as PubMed, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, Elsevier, and Wiley Online Library (WOL), by using standard keywords “A. marmelos,” “Geographical distribution,” “Morphological description,” “Ethnobotanical Uses,” “Phytoconstituents” and “Neuroprotective activities” for review papers published between 1975 and 2023. A small number of earlier review articles focused on phyto-pharmacological potential of Aegle marmelos (L.) for neurological disorders.

According to some research, Aegle marmelos extracts potentially have neuroprotective benefits. This is due to its capacity to alter cellular mechanisms that cause neuronal damage.

Neurodegenerative illnesses usually induce permanent neuronal network loss overall the brain along with the spinal cord (CNS), resulting in chronic functional impairments. The review summarizes the multiple aspects and processes of A. marmelos extract and its components in several models of neurodegenerative diseases such as anxiety, epilepsy, depression, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and others. MDA, nitrite, TNF-, and IL-6 levels were dramatically elevated, whereas glutathione levels were significantly lowered in the hippocampus of STZ-treated rats. Furthermore, STZ-treated rats showed a substantial drop in catalase activity and an increase in AChE activity, indicating cholinergic hypofunction and neuronal injury. The neuroprotective ability of A. marmelos against STZ-induced oxidative stress and cognitive loss in rats suggests that it has therapeutic relevance in Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Taraxacum officinale, commonly referred to as dandelion, is a self-growing plant/ weed in various parts of India and the rest of the world (particularly the northern hemisphere). The plant’s chemical composition, including sesquiterpene lactones, saponins, flavonoids, phenols, and many other compounds, contributes positively to the human body, promoting overall health.

This review aims to shed light on the therapeutic potential of dandelion by summarizing its nutritional benefits, phytochemical constituents, and effectiveness in addressing health conditions like diabetes, inflammation, and cancer. It also provides insights into the applications of this plant beyond the food industry to gain researchers' attention to unravel the unexplored aspects of this therapeutic plant. It will further help in laying specific considerations, which are required to be taken into account before the development of functional foods incorporated with dandelion.

Being rich in essential vitamins, minerals, and other phytoconstituents, dandelion is a natural remedy for various ailments. Whether consumed raw or cooked, the plant’s inclusion in the diet poses potential therapeutic effects on conditions such as diabetes, inflammation, liver disease, and tumors. It also aids in immune system modulation and fights infections by targeting microbes at their root. Researchers have developed various value-added food products by incorporating different parts of dandelion.

This review highlights the therapeutic potential of dandelion, emphasizing its effectiveness against various health conditions. Insights into dosage, toxicity, and diverse applications further underscore its role as a versatile and promising natural remedy.

Most of the existing studies focus on genetic methods or Machine learning models, in this, we implemented a hybrid combination of genetic methods and machine learning models that accurately predicted phenotypic trait yield, height and subpopulation.

Our proposed methodology for genomic prediction of yield in Oryza sativa (rice) involves a two-level classification approach. First, we classify biological sequences and cluster them using the UPGMA algorithm on a phylogenetic tree. Then, we use advanced machine learning techniques like Random Forest, and K-Nearest Neighbours to predict GEBVs with 85-95% accuracy on rice subpopulations.

We achieved an accuracy of 93% when compared with other stated literature in this paper.

This approach overcomes limitations and effectively enhances crop breeding by capturing the genotype-phenotype relationship.

Pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus) is a Brazilian fish species of high commercial value and has emerged as one of the main species with potential for intensive farming. This study aimed to investigate the impact of choline supplementation on productive performance, visceral fat, hepatosomatic indices, proximate composition, serum biochemical profile, and liver coloration in juvenile pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus).

The 60-day experiment was conducted in the experimental hatchery of the Study Group of Aquaculture Management - GEMAq of the State University of West Paraná, Brazil. The completely randomized design consisted of five treatments with four replicates each. A total of 200 fish, with an average initial weight and length of 4.25 g and 5.97 cm, were distributed among 20 experimental hapas, resulting in a stocking density of 10 fish per experimental unit. Fish fed a choline-deficient diet exhibited the lowest values for final weight, weight gain, visceral fat, and hepatosomatic index. Conversely, in terms of proximate composition, fish fed choline-deficient diets had the highest moisture content and the lowest crude fat content. Triglyceride levels in juvenile pacu were significantly higher in groups fed diets containing choline (400 to 1200 mg kg⁻¹). We also observed significant differences in the cyan color of the liver (P < 0.05). Other parameters did not exhibit significant changes in response to varying choline levels in the diets.

Our study demonstrated that choline supplementation in P. mesopotamicus juveniles at an optimal concentration of 400 mg kg⁻¹ significantly impacted growth, metabolism, productive performance, proximate composition, biochemical parameters, and liver color.

These findings offer crucial guidance for aquaculture professionals, enabling them to enhance growth and health in P. mesopotamicus farming. Further research on choline’s influence on lipid metabolism holds potential for more precise dietary recommendations, ultimately improving the efficiency and sustainability of aquaculture practices for this species.

Rapid industrialization has polluted waterways, threatened aquatic ecosystems and endangered human health. To solve this problem, sustainable industrial practices and innovative water treatment technology must be implemented to ensure clean and safe water for future generations.

This study aimed to investigate the adsorbent capacity of Cocos nucifera husk for ineffective removal of methylene blue (MB), a cationic dye abundantly found in industrial effluent. Adsorption capacity is measured using parameters such as dye elimination percentage and polymer dosage. The Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms, adsorption kinetics (pseudo-first, pseudo-second, and second order), and intraparticle diffusion were determined to better understand the adsorption process.

The increased dosage of cellulose fiber results in the availability of a greater number of adsorption sites and an increased surface area. However, the dye removal efficacy decreased after reaching a specific dosage of 0.6 g/L. A concentration of 0.05 g/L was most effective in eliminating Methylene blue (MB). The value of the separation factor (0.99) suggested a favorable adsorption isotherm. The reciprocal of the heterogeneity factor (-1.469) demonstrated the concentration-independent adsorption behavior of Fiber. Freundlich and Langmuir's isotherm model showed that the pseudo-second-order kinetic model demonstrated the highest level of correlation with the experimental data about the mechanism of adsorption. The Methylene blue (MB) adsorption is not limited by the intraparticle diffusion and adsorption is influenced by surface area and concentration variation of fiber as well as solvent concentration, as evidenced by low R² value and the fact that the intraparticle diffusion plot does not intersect with the origin.

The study concludes that Cocos nucifera husk can be effectively used for the treatment of wastewater.

Amla (Emblica officinalis) is one of the most prominent fruits in terms of nutritional and medicinal properties and is utilized for the preparation of many traditional processed foods and in Ayurvedic formulations.

This study aims to investigate the enzyme activity and physical and chemical quality parameters during the growth and development stages of amla fruit for the determination of proper harvesting time to get optimum nutrient contents of fruit.

The amla fruits of the chakaiya variety were harvested at 135 to 270 days after fruit set (DAFS) in 2021 and 2022 to study the various physical, chemical and enzymatic changes during growth and maturation.

The geometrical and gravimetric attributes of the fruit, viz. diameter, height, weight, volume, surface area, sphericity, aspect ratio, and radius of curvature increased. However, density decreased with the growth and maturation of the fruit. Furthermore, the rolling resistance, yellowness index and firmness of the fruit increased during the entire harvesting period of 135 to 270 DAFS. Total soluble solids and titratable acidity of the fruits increased only up to 195 DAFS and after that, continuously decreased. In contrast, ascorbic acid concentration grew in the entire growth and development period. Tannin, phenolic compounds and naringin content of the fruit steadily dropped until the final stage of harvest. Pectin Methyl Esterase (PME) activity was detected very low, 0.009 unit/ml at 135 DAFS, but as the fruit grew and matured, activity increased to 0.307 unit/ml at 270 DAFS. Polygalactouronase (PG) activity was not detected until 210 DAFS and, therefore significantly increased with maturity.

Considering the optimal value of all studied physical, chemical and enzymatic attributes of the fruit during the entire harvesting period of 135 to 270 DAFS, the optimal harvesting time of the fruit was 210 DAFS.

Green Coffee Bean (GCB) is covered with silver skin that is shed as a by-product of the roasting process. For the first time, a comparative study was conducted to differentiate the compositional analysis of green coffee beans with silver skin and without silver skin.

The study aims comparatively assessing nutritional, anti-nutritional and fatty acids composition of green coffee beans with silver skin and without silver skin. The present study is also intended to find out various organic compounds of green coffee beans.

The proximate analysis was used to study nutritional composition. Mineral analysis was assessed by atomic absorption spectroscopy. The antinutrients like phytic acid and tannin were assessed by UV-visible spectroscopy whereas volumetric and gravimetric analysis was used to determine oxalates and alkaloids. Gas chromatography and Fourier Transform Infra-Red spectroscopy were used for studying fatty acids and organic compounds, respectively.

Protein content was significantly (p<0.05) high in green coffee beans with silver skin, indicating 15% higher protein. Macro mineral content was also found significantly (p<0.05 and p<0.01) high in green coffee beans with silver skin, whereby 5.11% higher Phosphorus and 24.12% higher Calcium content was observed. However, iron content was 68.10% lower in green coffee beans with silver skin which might be due to its higher tannin content. Trace minerals zinc and copper were also found to contain 57.18% to 18.11% higher concentrations respectively in silver skin. Anti-nutritional analysis revealed the content of phytic acid and tannin as 161 and 77.29 mg/100g, respectively in green coffee beans with silver skin. The percentages of oxalates and alkaloids were found to be 0.64 and 14.30. These anti-nutritional compounds were significantly (p<0.05 and p<0.01) higher from green coffee beans without silver skin. Green coffee beans have been found with an utmost number of saturated fatty acids having palmitic acid as the most abundant. The unsaturated part is mainly composed of linoleic and oleic acid. Chlorogenic acid isomers and caffeine were the organic compounds detected through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.

These findings reveal the presence of both nutritional and anti-nutritional components in Coffee silver skin, with significantly higher levels of anti-nutritional factors in green coffee with silver skin, emphasizing the need for caution in the consumption of green coffee and utilization of coffee silver skin as a valuable bioresource.