Banana is the most cultivated fruit plant in the world. It is produced in Latin America, Asia and Africa. India and China are the world’s largest banana producers, with almost 41% of the world’s production. This fruit reaches a total world production of 158.3 million tons per year. However, during their production cycle, the banana agroindustry produces large volumes of solid waste derived from overripe fruit. It contributes between 8–20 percent of the waste (around 100 kg of banana waste for every ton of banana produced). Therefore, the use of overripe banana waste represents a huge opportunity for bioenergy production. This work demonstrates that banana waste can be further used for power generation using a microbial fuel cell (MFC) coupled with anaerobic digestion (AD). First, the maximum methane production (MMP), methane production rate (MPR) and biochemical methane potential (BMP) were measured using an anaerobic batch bioreactor for 64 days of monitoring. Finally, the digestate generated from AD was used in the MFC to determine the polarization curve, maximum voltage, maximum power density (MPD), resistance and current. As a result, the AD generated an MMP of 320.3 mL, BMP of 373.3 mLCH₄/gVS and MPR of 18.6 mLCH₄/Lb⋅day. The MFC generated 286 mV (maximum voltage), 41.3 mW/m² (MPD), 580.99 Ω (resistance) and 0.0002867 A (current). Both processes together produced a total bioenergy of 13.38 kJ/gVS. This coupled system showed a suitable and promising use of banana waste for ecofriendly bioenergy generation. Therefore, this feedstock could be taken advantage of for generating sustainable processes and developing a circular economy in the banana agroindustry.

Cheese whey wastewater (CWW) is the major by-product of the dairy industry. CWW is produced in large quantities, has varied characteristics and is usually disposed of. The disposal of CWW causes a negative impact on the environment of different agroindustrial areas due to the physic-chemical composition that significantly increases its high organic load and nutrients. For this reason, the aim of this work was to carry out an evaluation of the anaerobic treatability of an Expanded Granular Sludge Bed (EGSB) bioreactor as a new sustainable alternative for treatment of these effluents with bioenergy production. In this study, the bioreactor was operated under stable conditions (i.e., buffer index of 0.23 ± 0.1, pH 7.22 ± 0.4 and temperature 26.6 ± 1.4 °C) for 201 days. During evaluation the hydraulic retention time (HRT) was 6 and 8 days, and it was buffered with NaHCO₃. At these conditions, the COD removal rate and biochemical methane potential (BMP) were 90, 92%; and 334, 328 mLCH₄/gCOD, respectively. The evidence found in this study highlighted that the CWW is a viable substrate to be treated in the EGSB bioreactor as long as it keeps buffered. Furthermore, the process to treat the CWW in an EGSB bioreactor can be a sustainable alternative to simultaneously solve the environmental pollution that this agro-industry confronts and produce renewable and environmentally-friendly bioenergy.

The agro-food industry plays a crucial role in enhancing living standards; however, inadequate losses and waste management persists as significant challenges within its processes. Particularly, mango and cheese processing generate substantial waste, leading to ecological disruptions, economic losses, and concerns related to food security and public health. To address these issues, this study was aimed at utilizing this waste to produce a high-quality ice cream base, thereby valorizing the discarded materials. This approach not only adds nutritional value but also contributes to food security and sovereignty. The raw materials (cheese whey, oil, and starch) were subjected to physicochemical characterization, leading to the development of three different ice cream base formulations. Subsequently, the ice cream bases were evaluated for their physicochemical, functional, and sensory properties. The findings of this study revealed that mango seed kernel and cheese whey waste contain valuable components that enable the creation of an ice cream base with excellent physicochemical, functional, and sensory properties. Moreover, this research showcases a promising solution for effectively valorizing food waste and generating value-added products such as ice cream, thus promoting sustainability and resource optimization within the agro-food industry.

β-dystroglycan (β-DG) assembles with lamins A/C and B1 and emerin at the nuclear envelope (NE) to maintain proper nuclear architecture and function. To provide insight into the nuclear function of β-DG, we characterized the interaction between β-DG and emerin at the molecular level. Emerin is a major NE protein that regulates multiple nuclear processes and whose deficiency results in Emery–Dreifuss muscular dystrophy (EDMD). Using truncated variants of β-DG and emerin, via a series of in vitro and in vivo binding experiments and a tailored computational analysis, we determined that the β-DG–emerin interaction is mediated at least in part by their respective transmembrane domains (TM). Using surface plasmon resonance assays we showed that emerin binds to β-DG with high affinity (KD in the nanomolar range). Remarkably, the analysis of cells in which DG was knocked out demonstrated that loss of β-DG resulted in a decreased emerin stability and impairment of emerin-mediated processes. β-DG and emerin are reciprocally required for their optimal targeting within the NE, as shown by immunofluorescence, western blotting and immunoprecipitation assays using emerin variants with mutations in the TM domain and B-lymphocytes of a patient with EDMD. In summary, we demonstrated that β-DG plays a role as an emerin interacting partner modulating its stability and function.

The Enterobacteriaceae family poses health risks due to its role in gastrointestinal diseases like acute diarrhea. With rising antibiotic resistance, plants offer promising antibacterial compounds with low toxicity. This study evaluated the antibacterial activity, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and toxicity of ethanolic (EE) and aqueous (AE) extracts from five Mexican medicinal plants traditionally used in Chiapas for treating acute diarrheal diseases (ADD). Antibacterial activity was assessed using disk diffusion assays and MIC determined by macrodilution. Toxicity tests were performed using Artemia salina. As a result, EE extracts exhibited higher antibacterial activity than AE extracts. Byrsonima crassifolia effectively inhibited Salmonella enteritidis (78.26%, MIC 50 mg/mL) and Shigella dysenteriae (76.19%, MIC 25 mg/mL). Solanum torvum showed efficacy against Escherichia coli (55.55%, MIC 12.5 mg/mL) and Salmonella enteritidis (73.91%, MIC 25 mg/mL). Euphorbia maculata inhibited Shigella dysenteriae (104.76%, MIC 25 mg/mL), while Guazuma ulmifolia and Bursera simaruba exhibited no antibacterial effects. All extracts were non-toxic (LD₅₀ > 1000 μg/mL), indicating potential as natural alternatives for ADD treatment.