Morus alba L. (M. alba) is a highly adaptable plant that is extensively incorporated in many traditional and Ayurveda medications. Various parts of the plant, such as leaves, fruits, and seeds, possess nutritional and medicinal value. M. alba has abundant phytochemicals, including phenolic acids, flavonoids, flavonols, anthocyanins, macronutrients, vitamins, minerals, and volatile aromatic compounds, indicating its excellent pharmacological abilities. M. alba also contains high nutraceutical values for protein, carbohydrates, fiber, organic acids, vitamins, and minerals, as well as a low lipid value. However, despite its excellent biological properties and nutritional value, M. alba has not been fully considered as a potential functional food ingredient. Therefore, this review reports on the nutrients and bioactive compounds available in M. alba leaves, fruit, and seeds; its nutraceutical properties, functional properties as an ingredient in foodstuffs, and a microencapsulation technique to enhance polyphenol stability. Finally, as scaling up to a bigger production plant is needed to accommodate industrial demand, the study and limitation on an M. alba upscaling process is reviewed.

Growing demands for green and sustainable processing that eliminates the utilization of toxic chemicals and increases efficiency has encouraged the application of novel extraction technologies for the food industry. This review discusses the principles and potential application of several green technology for gelatin extraction. Several novel technologies and their processing efficiency are discussed in this review. Furthermore, factors that affect the quality of the gelatin produced from different sources are also highlighted. The potential application of ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), subcritical water extraction, high-pressure processing, and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) to improve gelatin extraction are addressed. These technologies have the potential to become an efficient extraction method compared to the conventional extraction technologies. Several combinations of green and conventional technologies have been reported to yield promising results. These combinations, especially using conventional pre-treatment and green technologies for extraction, have been found to be more effective in producing gelatin. Since gelatin could be produced from various sources, it exhibits different characteristics; thus, different approaches and extraction method should be identified for specific types of gelatin. Although these technologies have limitations, such as overhydration and sophisticated systems explicitly designed for large-scale production, they are nonetheless more efficient in the long run to safeguard the environment as they reduce solvent usage and carbon footprint along the way.

Cultivation location, maturity levels, and extraction solvents could affect the bioactive compounds and biological activities of mulberry (Morus alba Linnaeus). The lack of study on Malaysia-grown mulberry causes its underutilization. This study investigated the bioactive compound content and the antioxidant activity of Sabah-grown mulberry at two different maturity stages (fruits: red mature and black fully ripe; leaves: young and mature) extracted using 70% (v/v) methanol, 60% (v/v) ethanol, and 65% (v/v) acetone. Analyses showed that mulberry fruits demonstrated maturity-dependent increment (except UHPLC-DAD quantification), while the leaves revealed maturity-dependent reduction. Principal component analysis (PCA) displayed 65% (v/v) acetone black fully ripe fruits as the best phenolics and antioxidant sources. However, the 60% (v/v) ethanol black fully ripe fruits contained 20.08–68.43% higher total anthocyanins. Meanwhile, the 65% (v/v) acetone and 70% (v/v) methanol red mature fruits were higher in chlorogenic acid (27.53–47.12%) and rutin (31.42–35.92%) than other fruit extracts, respectively. For leaves, 65% (v/v) acetone young leaves were the best phenolics and antioxidant sources. However, the 60% (v/v) ethanol young leaves possessed greater chlorogenic acid (19.56–74.11%) than other leaf extracts. Overall, Malaysia-grown mulberry is rich in phenolics and antioxidants, suggesting its potential application in food and pharmaceutical products.

This study investigates the effect of salt reduction through the inclusion of seaweed (Kappaphycus alvarezii) on the physicochemical and sensory qualities of chicken patties. A control sample (1.5% salt and without seaweed) and four chicken patty formulations were used with two levels of salt (1% and 1.5%) and two levels of seaweed (2% and 4%). Adding seaweed improves water holding capacity and minimized cooking loss in reduced-salt patties. In addition, adding seaweed decreases the shrinkage of the diameter and thickness of chicken patties (p > 0.05). However, adding seaweed made the patties darker, as shown by lower L* values (p > 0.05). Additionally, the incorporation of seaweed significantly increased (p < 0.05) the hardness, chewiness, cohesiveness, and elasticity of patties. Reduced-salt chicken patties with the addition of 2–4% of seaweed showed lower extracted water than 1.5% salt chicken patties with seaweed (p < 0.05), indicating a higher water holding capacity. The sensory evaluation showed that the chicken patty with 1.5% salt and 4% seaweed had the highest overall acceptability. However, the overall acceptability of the chicken patties with 1% salt and 4% seaweed was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than the control. In conclusion, the addition of Kappaphycus alvarezii to reduced salt patties improved textural properties with acceptable taste profiles.

Gluten-free grains have been intensively studied as alternatives to wheat flour. Bario rice, an indigenous crop from Sarawak, Malaysia, is noted for its excellent aroma and taste. This research examined the nutritional and physicochemical properties of Bario rice flour variations. Four Bario varieties—Bario Adan Halus (white), Bario Tuan (brown), Bario Celum (black), and Bario Merah Sederhana (red)—were analysed against the reference sample. The results revealed Bario samples containing moisture contents from 8.35% to 8.69%, ash contents from 0.27% to 1.25%, crude protein contents from 6.89% to 9.43%, crude fat contents from 0.16% to 2.45%, crude fibre contents from 0.21% to 0.87%, and carbohydrate contents from 79.17% to 82.13%. All Bario rice flour contains high amylose contents (26.67% to 36.52%), which positively impact loaf volume. The water absorption capacity (1.20 g/g to 1.26 g/g) of all samples shows no significant difference (p > 0.05). The swelling capacity was significantly (p < 0.05) high in non-pigmented rice flour. In contrast, pigmented Bario rice flour presented a greater water solubility index than non-pigmented Bario rice flour. The Bario rice flour gelatinisation onset (71.43 °C to 76.49 °C) and peak (77.03 °C to 79.56 °C) temperature were lower than those of the control sample. Higher gelatinisation enthalpy was presented by Bario rice flour (1.23 J/g to 2.59 J/g) than by the control (0.79 J/g). Retrogradation onset (42.65 °C to 50.79 °C), peak (53.64 °C to 56.15 °C) temperatures, and enthalpy (0.19 J/g to 0.87 J/g) were greater in Bario rice flour compared with those in the control. The research suggests that Bario rice flour has potential for use in gluten-free bread mainly due to the relevant carbohydrates, crude proteins, amylose, and swelling capacity.