Recent Advances in Food Nutrition & Agriculture - Volume 17, Issue 1, 2026

Pasta is consumed worldwide and can be an excellent food matrix for supplementation. Grapefruit (Citrus paradisi) flavedo byproduct is reported to contain considerable amounts of bioactive compounds, which represent a valuable and sustainable source of phenolics. So far, there is limited information available about the utilization of grapefruit flavedo byproducts for supplementation of pasta.

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of freeze-dried grapefruit flavedo powder (GFP) incorporation at various concentrations (3, 6, 9, and 12%) on the phytochemical, functional, textural, microstructural, and sensory quality of the developed pasta.

Fortification with GFP significantly (P<0.05) enhanced antioxidant activities relative to DPPH and FRAP and increased the total phenolic and flavonoid content from 132.41–211.63 mg GAE/100 g and 73.20–96.83 mg QE/100 g, respectively. Supplementation with GFP significantly (P<0.05) reduced the optimum cooking time of pasta, while cooking loss increased up to 6.32% with 12% GFP incorporation, which was still under the acceptable limits (<8%). The addition of GFP decreased the L* value, while the a* and b* values increased for the pasta. SEM analysis presented that GFP incorporation in pasta affected the structural integrity attributable to the enhanced fiber levels, inducing a weaker matrix, as ascertained by textural profile analysis (TPA) with a decline in hardness attribute with increasing GFP concentration. Sensory analysis divulged overall acceptability scores of 8.4 for the pasta with 6% GFP, while further increments in GFP levels led to decreased sensory scores.

Grapefruit peels are typically discarded as waste, the outer layer of which, i.e., flavedo, could be used to enrich pasta. The present research divulged that pasta supplementation with freeze-dried flavedo powder could provide total phenolic content, flavonoid content, and antioxidant potential without compromising on the technological and sensory quality of pasta. Utilization of this citrus waste as a bioactive food ingredient with promising effects represents a valuable byproduct valorization strategy.

Pomelo albedo peel byproducts are composed of many health-beneficial phytochemicals during processing. This study aimed to maximize the potential of incorporating pomelo albedo powder as a bioactive ingredient in pasta.

In the present study, pomelo albedo was fortified with pasta at five different concentrations (0, 3, 6, 9, and 12%), and its effects on the antioxidant, functional, textural, and sensorial attributes of pasta were investigated.

The results showed that the incorporation of albedo powder remarkably elevated the antioxidant properties and significantly increased the WAC (121.23 to 188.97%) and OAC (110.15 to 136.55%). An increase in pomelo albedo is associated with a decrease in cooking time from 10.24 to 8.28 min with cooking loss that is within an acceptable range. The pomelo albedo formulation improved the color and sensorial attributes. A higher albedo concentration significantly reduced the breaking stress, fracturability, firmness, and hardness but increased the adhesiveness and cohesiveness of pasta. FTIR spectra revealed the presence of characteristic peaks, and SEM reflects pomelo albedo's impact on the structural integrity of the pasta.

On the basis of physicochemical, cooking, and sensory data, pasta with a 6% pomelo albedo formulation was found to be the most acceptable, with an overall acceptability of 8.51. Thus, pomelo albedo can be incorporated into the industry for the preparation of pasta with enhanced nutritional characteristics.

Saltwater intrusion poses a serious risk to global food security. As a soil amendment, biochar mitigates the negative effects of saltwater intrusion in rice, yet the beneficial effects on agricultural productivity with different exposure times and salt concentrations have not been fully examined.

A pot experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of 30% (w/w) rice husk biochar on the growth, ion accumulation, and yield of the Phitsanulok 2 rice cultivar under salt stress due to saltwater intrusion. Rice plants were grown in saline soil amended with biochar and were salinized with 6, 8, and 10 dS/m saltwater for 1, 2, and 3 months. A treatment without biochar was taken as the control.

The results showed that biochar amendment significantly increased the survival, shoot height, and tiller numbers of rice treated with the 6-10 dS/m saltwater for 1 and 2 months, as well as the treatment with 6 dS/m salt water for 3 months, in comparison with the control. The grain yield was about 40 g/pot for rice with biochar treated for 1 month with 6-10 dS/m saltwater and for the rice treated for 2 months with 6 dS/m. The results indicated that biochar application could alleviate the intrusion of high-salinity water for 1 month of salt exposure, and it could alleviate the intrusion of medium-salinity water for 2 months.

Therefore, a 30% (w/w) rice husk biochar amendment is a reliable strategy for mitigating the risks of saltwater intrusion for the growth and productivity of rice.

Research on non-hormonal alternatives to traditional methods of male contraception has been prompted by the growing world population as well as the need for effective and reversible treatments. This study aimed to examine the possible antifertility potential of two medicinal herbs, i.e., Urtica dioica and Zanthoxylum armatum, that have been utilized for centuries in different cultures.

A thorough pharmacognostical analysis was carried out to identify the ingredients of these plants. The phytoconstituents from Urtica dioica aqueous 96% methanolic leaf extract and Zanthoxylum armatum fruit essential oil were subjected to in silico molecular docking screening. The phytoconstituents were profiled using GC-MS analysis. To investigate how these phytoconstituents interact with important proteins involved in male fertility and identify potential candidates for the development of a plant-based oral contraceptive for men, further in silico molecular docking (receptor protein ID of 7FIH (3.20 Å), 7BPR (1.95 Å), and 2Q7J (1.90 Å) experiments were carried out.

The GC-MS analysis revealed a wide variety of bioactive chemicals. Promising interactions between the discovered phytoconstituents and specific protein targets were found by the in silico molecular docking investigation, indicating the possibility of antifertility effects.

The results of this study demonstrate the medicinal use of these plants and provide the basis for the development of novel male contraceptive medicines and their further experimental validation.