Fruits and vegetables are the highly used food products amongst the horticultural crops. These items are consumed uncooked, nominally cooked or fully cooked, according to their nature and cooking process. With the change in diet habits and rising population, the production, as well as the processing of horticultural crops, has exponentially improved to meet its increasing demand. A large amount of peel waste is generated from fruit and vegetable-based industries and household kitchen and has led to a big nutritional and economic loss and environmental problems. Processing of fruits and vegetables alone generates a significant waste, which amounts to 25–30% of the total product. Most common wastes include pomace, peels, rind and seeds, which are highly rich in valuable bioactive compounds such as carotenoids, enzymes, polyphenols, oils, vitamins and many other compounds. These bioactive compounds show their application in various industries such as food to develop edible films, food industries for probiotics and other industries for valuable products. The utilization of these low-cost waste horticultural wastes for producing the value-added product is a novel step in its sustainable utilization. The present review intends to summarize the different types of waste originating from fruits as well as vegetables peels and highlight their potential in developing edible films, probiotics, nanoparticles, carbon dots, microbial media, biochar and biosorbents.

The changing climatic conditions have led to the concurrent emergence of virulent microbial pathogens that attack crop plants and exhibit yield and quality deterring impacts on the affected crop. To counteract, the widespread infections of fungal pathogens and post-harvest diseases it is highly warranted to develop sustainable techniques and tools bypassing traditional agriculture practices. Nanotechnology offers a solution to the problems in disease management in a simple lucid way. These technologies are revolutionizing the scientific/industrial sectors. Likewise, in agriculture, the nano-based tools are of great promise particularly for the development of potent formulations ensuring proper delivery of agrochemicals, nutrients, pesticides/insecticides, and even growth regulators for enhanced use efficiency. The development of novel nanocomposites for improved management of fungal diseases can mitigate the emergence of resilient and persistent fungal pathogens and the loss of crop produce due to diseases they cause. Therefore, in this review, we collectively manifest the role of nanocomposites for the management of fungal diseases.

Fresh fruit and vegetables are highly utilized commodities by health-conscious consumers and represent a prominent segment in the functional and nutritional food sector. However, food processing is causing significant loss of nutritional components, and the generation of waste is creating serious economic and environmental problems. Fruit and vegetables encompass husk, peels, pods, pomace, seeds, and stems, which are usually discarded, despite being known to contain potentially beneficial compounds, such as carotenoids, dietary fibers, enzymes, and polyphenols. The emerging interest in the food industry in the nutritional and biofunctional constituents of polyphenols has prompted the utilization of fruit and vegetable waste for developing enriched and functional foods, with applications in the pharmaceutical industry. Moreover, the utilization of waste for developing diverse and crucial bioactive commodities is a fundamental step in sustainable development. Furthermore, it provides evidence regarding the applicability of fruit and vegetable waste in different food formulations especially bakery, jam, and meat based products.

Conifers have long been recognized for their therapeutic potential in different disorders. Alkaloids, terpenes and polyphenols are the most abundant naturally occurring phytochemicals in these plants. Here, we provide an overview of the phytochemistry and related commercial products obtained from conifers. The pharmacological actions of different phytochemicals present in conifers against bacterial and fungal infections, cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases are also reviewed. Data obtained from experimental and clinical studies performed to date clearly underline that such compounds exert promising antioxidant effects, being able to inhibit cell damage, cancer growth, inflammation and the onset of neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, an attempt has been made with the intent to highlight the importance of conifer-derived extracts for pharmacological purposes, with the support of relevant in vitro and in vivo experimental data. In short, this review comprehends the information published to date related to conifers’ phytochemicals and illustrates their potential role as drugs.

Research and innovation in nanoparticles (NPs) synthesis derived from biomaterials have gained much attention due to their unique characteristics, such as low-cost, easy synthesis methods, high water solubility, and eco-friendly nature. NPs derived from macrofungi, including various mushroom species, such as Agaricus bisporus, Pleurotus spp., Lentinus spp., and Ganoderma spp. are well known to possess high nutritional, immune-modulatory, antimicrobial (antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral), antioxidant, and anticancerous properties. Fungi have intracellular metal uptake ability and maximum wall binding capacity; because of which, they have high metal tolerance and bioaccumulation ability. Primarily, two methods have been comprehended in the literature to synthesize metal NPs from macrofungi, i.e., the intracellular method, which refers to NP synthesis inside fungal cells by transportation of ions in the presence of enzymes; and the extracellular method, which refers to the treatment of fungal biomolecules aqueous filtrate with a metal precursor. Pleurotus derived metal NPs are known to inhibit the growth of numerous foodborne pathogenic bacteria and fungi. To the best of our knowledge, there is no such review article reported in the literature describing the synthesis and complete application and mechanism of NPs derived from macrofungi. Herein, we intend to summarize the progressive research on macrofungi derived NPs regarding their synthesis as well as applications in the area of antimicrobial (antibacterial & antifungal), anticancer, antioxidant, catalytic and food preservation. Additionally, the challenges associated with NPs synthesis will also be discussed.

The use of metallic nanoparticles in engineering and biomedicine disciplines has gained considerable attention. Scientists are exploring new synthesis protocols of these substances considering their small size and lucrative antimicrobial potential. Among the most economical techniques of synthesis of metallic nanoparticles via chemical routes, which includes the use of chemicals as metal reducing agents, is considered to generate nanoparticles possessing toxicity and biological risk. This limitation of chemically synthesized nanoparticles has engendered the exploration for the ecofriendly synthesis process. Biological or green synthesis approaches have emerged as an effective solution to address the limitations of conventionally synthesized nanoparticles. Nanoparticles synthesized via biological entities obtained from plant extracts exhibit superior effect in comparison to chemical methods. Recently, conifer extracts have been found to be effective in synthesizing metallic nanoparticles through a highly regulated process. The current review highlights the importance of conifers and its extracts in synthesis of metallic nanoparticles. It also discusses the different applications of the conifer extract mediated metallic nanoparticles.