Herein, CuO-NPs were fabricated by harnessing metabolites of Aspergillus niger strain (G3-1) and characterized using UV–vis spectroscopy, XRD, TEM, SEM-EDX, FT-IR, and XPS. Spherical, crystallographic CuO-NPs were synthesized in sizes ranging from 14.0 to 47.4 nm, as indicated by TEM and XRD. EDX and XPS confirmed the presence of Cu and O with weight percentages of 62.96% and 22.93%, respectively, at varied bending energies. FT-IR spectra identified functional groups of metabolites that could act as reducing, capping, and stabilizing agents to the CuO-NPs. The insecticidal activity of CuO-NPs against wheat grain insects Sitophilus granarius and Rhyzopertha dominica was dose- and time-dependent. The mortality percentages due to NP treatment were 55–94.4% (S. granarius) and 70–90% (R. dominica). A botanical experiment was done in a randomized block design. Low CuO-NP concentration (50 ppm) caused significant increases in growth characteristics (shoot and root length, fresh and dry weight of shoot and root, and leaves number), photosynthetic pigments (total chlorophylls and carotenoids), and antioxidant enzymes of wheat plants. There was no significant change in carbohydrate or protein content. The use of CuO-NPs is a promising tool to control grain insects and enhance wheat growth performance.

The metabolites of the fungal strain Rhizopus oryaze were used as a biocatalyst for the green-synthesis of magnesium oxide nanoparticles (MgO-NPs). The production methodology was optimized to attain the maximum productivity as follows: 4 mM of precursor, at pH 8, incubation temperature of 35 °C, and reaction time of 36 h between metabolites and precursor. The as-formed MgO-NPs were characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy, TEM, SEM-EDX, XRD, DLS, FT-IR, and XPS analyses. These analytical techniques proved to gain crystalline, homogenous, and well-dispersed spherical MgO-NPs with an average size of 20.38 ± 9.9 nm. The potentiality of MgO-NPs was dose- and time-dependent. The biogenic MgO-NPs was found to be a promising antimicrobial agent against the pathogens including Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans with inhibition zones of 10.6 ± 0.4, 11.5 ± 0.5, 13.7 ± 0.5, 14.3 ± 0.7, and 14.7 ± 0.6 mm, respectively, at 200 μg mL^–1. Moreover, MgO-NPs manifested larvicidal and adult repellence activity against Culex pipiens at very low concentrations. The highest decolorization percentages of tanning effluents were 95.6 ± 1.6% at 100 µg/ 100 mL after 180 min. At this condition, the physicochemical parameters of tannery effluents, including TSS, TDS, BOD, COD, and conductivity were reduced with percentages of 97.9%, 98.2%, 87.8%, 95.9%, and 97.3%, respectively. Moreover, the chromium ion was adsorbed with percentages of 98.2% at optimum experimental conditions.

Twenty-one fungal strains were isolated from dye-contaminated soil; out of them, two fungal strains A2 and G2-1 showed the highest decolorization capacity for real textile effluent and were, hence, identified as Aspergillus flavus and Fusarium oxysporium based on morphological and molecular methods. The highest decolorization percentage of 78.12 ± 2.1% was attained in the biotreatment with fungal consortium followed by A. flavus and F. oxysporium separately with removal percentages of 54.68 ± 1.2% and 52.41 ± 1.0%, respectively. Additionally, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy of the treated effluent showed that a maximum peak (λ_max) of 415 nm was reduced as compared with the control. The indicators of wastewater treatment efficacy, namely total dissolved solids, total suspended solids, conductivity, biological oxygen demand, and chemical oxygen demand with removal percentages of 78.2, 78.4, 58.2, 78.1, and 77.6%, respectively, demonstrated a considerable decrease in values due to fungal consortium treatment. The reduction in peak and mass area along with the appearance of new peaks in GC-MS confirms a successful biodegradation process. The toxicity of treated textile effluents on the seed germination of Vicia faba was decreased as compared with the control. The shoot length after irrigation with effluents treated by the fungal consortium was 15.12 ± 1.01 cm as compared with that treated by tap-water, which was 17.8 ± 0.7 cm. Finally, we recommended the decrease of excessive uses of synthetic dyes and utilized biological approaches for the treatment of real textile effluents to reuse in irrigation of uneaten plants especially with water scarcity worldwide.

The application of green nanotechnology in agriculture has been receiving substantial attention, especially in the development of new nano-fertilizers and nano-insecticides. Herein, the metabolites secreted by the fungal strain Penicillium chrysogenum are used as a reducing agent for selenium ions to form selenium nanoparticles (Se-NPs). The synthesized Se-NPs were characterized using color change, UV-Vis spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The biomass filtrate of the fungal strain changed from colorless to a ruby red color after mixing with sodium selenite with a maximum surface plasmon resonance at 262 nm. Data exhibits the successful formation of spherical, amorphous Se-NPs with sizes ranging between 3–15 nm and a weight percentage of 38.52%. The efficacy of Se-NPs on the growth performance of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) and inhibition of cutworm Agrotis ipsilon was investigated. The field experiment revealed the potentiality of Se-NPs to enhance the growth parameters and carotenoid content in sunflower, especially at 20 ppm. The chlorophylls, carbohydrates, proteins, phenolic compounds, and free proline contents were markedly promoted in response to Se-NPs concentrations. The antioxidant enzymes (peroxidase, catalase, superoxide dismutase, and polyphenol oxidase) were significantly decreased compared with the control. Data analysis showed that the highest mortality for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th instar larvae of Agrotis ipsilon was achieved at 25 ppm with percentages of 89.7 ± 0.3, 78.3 ± 0.3, 72.3 ± 0.6, 63.7 ± 0.3, and 68.7 ± 0.3 respectively after 72 h.

The unique properties and advantages of edible films over conventional food packaging have led the way to their extensive exploration in recent years. Moreover, the incorporation of bioactive components during their production has further enhanced the intrinsic features of packaging materials. This study was aimed to develop edible and bioactive food packaging films comprising yeast incorporated into bacterial cellulose (BC) in conjunction with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and glycerol (Gly) to extend the shelf life of packaged food materials. First, yeast biomass and BC hydrogels were produced by Meyerozyma guilliermondii (MT502203.1) and Gluconacetobacter xylinus (ATCC53582), respectively, and then the films were developed ex situ by mixing 30 wt.% CMC, 30 wt.% Gly, 2 wt.% yeast dry biomass, and 2 wt.% BC slurry. FE-SEM observation showed the successful incorporation of Gly and yeast into the fibrous cellulose matrix. FTIR spectroscopy confirmed the development of composite films through chemical interaction between BC, CMC, Gly, and yeast. The developed BC/CMC/Gly/yeast composite films showed high water solubility (42.86%). The yeast-incorporated films showed antimicrobial activities against three microbial strains, including Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Saccharomyces aureus, by producing clear inhibition zones of 16 mm, 10 mm, and 15 mm, respectively, after 24 h. Moreover, the films were non-toxic against NIH-3T3 fibroblast cells. Finally, the coating of oranges and tomatoes with BC/CMC/Gly/yeast composites enhanced the shelf life at different storage temperatures. The BC/CMC/Gly/yeast composite film-coated oranges and tomatoes demonstrated acceptable sensory features such as odor and color, not only at 6 °C but also at room temperature and further elevated temperatures at 30 °C and 40 °C for up to two weeks. The findings of this study indicate that the developed BC/CMC/Gly/yeast composite films could be used as edible packaging material with high nutritional value and distinctive properties related to the film component, which would provide protection to foods and extend their shelf life, and thus could find applications in the food industry.

In this study, we examined aqueous extracts of the edible mushrooms Pleurotus ostreatus (oyster mushroom) and Lentinula edodes (shiitake mushroom). Proteome analysis was conducted using LC-Triple TOF-MS and showed the expression of 753 proteins by Pleurotus ostreatus, and 432 proteins by Lentinula edodes. Bioactive peptides: Rab GDP dissociation inhibitor, superoxide dismutase, thioredoxin reductase, serine proteinase and lectin, were identified in both mushrooms. The extracts also included promising bioactive compounds including phenolics, flavonoids, vitamins and amino acids. The extracts showed promising antiviral activities, with a selectivity index (SI) of 4.5 for Pleurotus ostreatus against adenovirus (Ad7), and a slight activity for Lentinula edodes against herpes simplex-II (HSV-2). The extracts were not cytotoxic to normal human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). On the contrary, they showed moderate cytotoxicity against various cancer cell lines. Additionally, antioxidant activity was assessed using DPPH radical scavenging, ABTS radical cation scavenging and ORAC assays. The two extracts showed potential antioxidant activities, with the maximum activity seen for Pleurotus ostreatus (IC50 µg/mL) = 39.46 ± 1.27 for DPPH; 11.22 ± 1.81 for ABTS; and 21.40 ± 2.20 for ORAC assays. This study encourages the use of these mushrooms in medicine in the light of their low cytotoxicity on normal PBMCs vis à vis their antiviral, antitumor and antioxidant capabilities.