Heat stress (HS) is one of the major abiotic stresses affecting the production and quality of wheat. Rising temperatures are particularly threatening to wheat production. A detailed overview of morpho-physio-biochemical responses of wheat to HS is critical to identify various tolerance mechanisms and their use in identifying strategies to safeguard wheat production under changing climates. The development of thermotolerant wheat cultivars using conventional or molecular breeding and transgenic approaches is promising. Over the last decade, different omics approaches have revolutionized the way plant breeders and biotechnologists investigate underlying stress tolerance mechanisms and cellular homeostasis. Therefore, developing genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics data sets and a deeper understanding of HS tolerance mechanisms of different wheat cultivars are needed. The most reliable method to improve plant resilience to HS must include agronomic management strategies, such as the adoption of climate-smart cultivation practices and use of osmoprotectants and cultured soil microbes. However, looking at the complex nature of HS, the adoption of a holistic approach integrating outcomes of breeding, physiological, agronomical, and biotechnological options is required. Our review aims to provide insights concerning morpho-physiological and molecular impacts, tolerance mechanisms, and adaptation strategies of HS in wheat. This review will help scientific communities in the identification, development, and promotion of thermotolerant wheat cultivars and management strategies to minimize negative impacts of HS.

Soybean has the potential to be termed the “crop of the future” due to its significant capacity to address protein-energy malnutrition and hidden hunger, particularly in developing countries where diets are predominantly based on wheat and rice. Despite its substantial nutritional value, numerous health benefits, and its versatility in various food and industrial applications, soybean’s full potential remains underutilized due to inherent off-flavors and the presence of antinutritional factors (ANFs). Gamma irradiation is known to have a positive impact by inducing structural and chemical changes in biomolecules like carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and other phytochemicals. This process leads to improved functionality and market demand by reducing ANFs and the off-flavor in soybeans. Scientifically, it has been demonstrated that low to moderate doses of gamma radiation, up to 10 kGy, can positively influence the antioxidant capacity of soybeans. This, in turn, helps control lipid and protein oxidation, reducing the generation of off-flavors and enhancing the quality and nutraceutical potential of soybeans.

The global agri-food system generates substantial volumes of waste annually, 150 billion metric tons an amount projected to grow by 7.5 % each year, including crop residues, food processing by-products, and consumer discards. These wastes, if unmanaged, contribute to environmental harm and loss of valuable nutrients. The Research Topic "Agri-Food Waste Utilization for a Sustainable Future: Challenges and Opportunities" compiles interdisciplinary research aimed at transforming agri-waste/by-products, into valuable resources through valorization, lifecycle assessments, economic analyses, and policy frameworks-paving the way for circular and sustainable food systems.Several studies under this theme highlight innovative uses of agricultural wastes in diverse sectors. Jalal Uddin et al. 1 report the successful use of polyphenol oxidase (PPO) enzymes from fruit and vegetable peels in biodegrading and decolorizing industrial azo dyes. PPO extracted from Solanum tuberosum achieved an 83.29% decolorization efficiency against Reactive Black-5, revealing the potential of agro-waste-derived enzymes in eco-friendly wastewater management. Arable crops processing generates lots of waste streams like stale bread, other wastes from bread industry, legumes like soybean processing into tofu, protein isolates generates most notably soybean dregs (okara) and soybean whey which have huge potential for upscaling. In this track, Hafyan et al. 2 review the potential of bread waste (BW) as a feedstock for producing valuable biochemicals. Unlike lignocellulosic biomass, demanding harsh pretreatment and cumbersome decomposition reactions, BW characterized by its starchy composition and cost-effectiveness is readily accessible and has immense potential as sustainable feedstock for bioenergy and high-value biochemicals. Despite its promise in a circular bioeconomy, challenges remain, including low technological readiness, cost-effectiveness, and public acceptance. The review stresses the need for integrated sustainability assessments to scale BW-based biorefineries, provides sustainability assessment, through life cycle anslysis, technoeconomic feasibility, social lifecycle and draws out current challenges and concludes with chalking a future strategic approach for BW utilization. Similarly, Shen et al. 3 explore the use of screw extrusion as a scalable method for treating underutilized soybean by-products. Considering the consequences of residual metal ions, excessive protein residues and microbial contamination in soybean whey, they propose extraction of isoflavones from soy whey. They advocate the use of extrusion technology to leverage thermal and mechanical means to convert nutrient-rich residues into value-added products, addressing contamination concerns and reducing environmental impacts. They conclude with enlisting the advantages, limitations, and further scope of extrusion technology for soybean by-product processing.Besides food and agricultural waste, increased urbanization and industrialization globally has resulted into a sudden increase in wastewater production. Ghanbari et al. 4 emphasize the reuse of wastewater and biosolids in agriculture to reap social and economic benefits and promote the sustainability of agriculture and the environment. They employed MAXQDA to organize and code the collected data from scientific articles and expert interviews, conduct systematic analysis of the components affecting sustainable management of wastewater use in agriculture. A comprehensive framework for the sustainable management of wastewater in agriculture has been provided with IQCA method wherein they have identified six key components-economic, environmental, contextual, individual, management and planning, and education and extension-that are critical for successful reuse of purified waste water. Emphasizing education and stakeholder engagement, the study provides a practical guide for developing inclusive, sustainable water strategies.Apart from agriculture, waste from households also account for considerable environmental load. In Japan alone, 2.44 million tons (almost half of the total food waste) came from households (Morais and Ishida 5 ). Theory of Consumption Values (TCV) was applied to understand household composting behavior among Japanese households 5 . Use of categorical PLS-SEM approach identified key motivators like social approval, knowledge, convenience, and interest in gardening. Functional value, such as ease of use, played a central role, while emotional factors and demographics had minimal impact. Morais and Ikshida 5 highlight the importance of community initiatives and educational outreach in mainstreaming household composting.India produces ~27 million MT onions, contributing widely to global consumption. Onions processing into various value-added products like dehydrated onion, onion paste, pre-cut onions generates large amounts of waste, in the form of outer skins, peels, and trimmings. Disposal of this waste is challenging for industries owing to strong characteristic odour of sulphur containing compounds. Gorrepati et al. 6 assessed the nutraceutical potential of onion peels, from eight dark red varieties as a potential source of high-value secondary metabolites. These peels showed high total phenolic and anthocyanin contents, along with strong antioxidant activity. They reported that red coloured variety BSR had 49 identified phenolic compounds, including nine flavanol, four flavones, and thirty anthocyanin glycosides. In contrast, white onion varieties had five flavanol and eleven anthocyanins. With anthocyanin content as high as 28 mg/100g in some varieties, these can be well exploited for use in functional food and dietary supplement development. Similarly in Taiwan, Grouper aquaculture represents a significant sector for processed seafood. It also generates substantial by-products, posing challenges for waste management and environmental sustainability. Grouper bone...

Background: Due to their high protein content, soybeans are the most popular crop in Asia and are widely consumed. Global consumption of soy-based foods includes tofu and soymilk, among others. Soymilk is known among consumers who have lactose intolerance issues and is categorized as a plant-based beverage. There have been numerous initiatives worldwide to improve the consumer-friendliness of soymilk and tofu. The number of research papers on soymilk and tofu has expanded significantly since the late 1990s, notably in developed nations. Methods: For this study, we compiled and examined published studies on tofu and soymilk. On VOS Viewer, the acquired data were examined for the annual publishing trend, contributing authors and the correlation between these factors. Result: Japan was found to be the most producing country, followed by the US and China, with a total of 1895 and 3635 papers relating to soymilk and tofu, respectively, which exhibited a growing tendency over time. Both the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry and Food Chemistry are short-listed as the best journal for publishing the data related to soymilk and tofu.

We generated antisense constructs targeting two of the five Rubisco small subunit genes ( OsRBCS2 and 4 ) which account for between 30-40% of the RBCS transcript abundance in leaf blades. The constructs were driven by a maize phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) promoter known to have enriched expression in mesophyll cells (MCs). In the resulting lines leaf Rubisco protein content was reduced by between 30-50% and CO ₂ assimilation rate was limited under photorespiratory and non-photorespiratory conditions. A relationship between Rubisco protein content and CO ₂ assimilation rate was found. This was associated with a significant reduction in dry biomass accumulation and grain yield of between 37 to 70%. In addition to serving as a resource for reducing Rubisco accumulation in a cell-preferential manner, these lines allow us to characterize gene function and isoform specific suppression on photosynthesis and growth. Our results suggest that the knockdown of multiple genes is required to completely reduce Rubisco accumulation in MCs.