In the present study, pomegranate peel extract was used as a reinforcing agent in developing chitosan-based edible film. Different concentrations (0.2 g/mL, 0.4 g/mL, 0.6 g/mL, 0.8 g/mL, and 1.0 g/mL) of pomegranate peel extract were incorporated in chitosan-based edible film. A neat chitosan film was used as a control. This work covers the effect of pomegranate peel extract on the physical, biological, mechanical, thermal, and barrier properties of enriched chitosan-based edible film. The results showed that the thickness (0.142–0.159 mm), tensile strength (32.45–35.23 MPa), moisture (11.23–15.28%), opacity (0.039–0.061%), water (1.32–1.60 g·mm/m²), gas barrier properties (93.81–103.45 meq/kg), phenolic content (5.75–32.41 mg/g), and antioxidant activity (23.13–76.54%) of the films increased with increasing volume fraction of pomegranate peel extract. A higher concentration of incorporated pomegranate peel extracts significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the thermal stability of the film, along with its transparency, solubility, swelling, and color. This work revealed that the incorporation of a higher portion of pomegranate peel extract in chitosan film holds significant (p < 0.05) potential for the increase in biological activities of such films in terms of antioxidant and antimicrobial behavior. The properties of pomegranate peel extract-enriched chitosan films could be an excellent cure for free radicals, whereas they could also inhibit the growth of the foodborne pathogens during the processing and preservation of the food. Further studies are needed for the application of pomegranate peel extract-enriched edible films on food products such as fruits and vegetables in order to extend their storage life and improve the quality and safety of preserved food products.

Waste or by-product use is in focus for reducing the environmental threat and acquiring wealth out of waste. The current study aim was to investigate the effects of ultrasound pretreatment on the extraction of bioactive compounds and composition of essential oils extracted from citrus waste. The response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize higher yield extraction parameters. Pretreatment of ultrasound-assisted extraction recovered 33% enhanced yield with reduced time and was economical as compared to conventional hydro-distilled process. The functional quality of essential oil was determined using FTIR and GC-MS. Antioxidants from citrus peel and pulp/pomace were extracted and analyzed by spectroscopic techniques. The quantification of bioactive compounds from citrus waste was performed using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Mass transfer rate of antioxidants from peel and pomace were 30% increased as a result of ultrasound-assisted treatment. The significantly (p ≤ 0.05) higher TPC (735.54 mg/100 g) and antioxidant activity (44.26%) was recorded in Citrus sinensis Pulp and peel respectively. The bioactive compounds such as hesperidin (31.52 mg/100 g) was significantly higher in (p ≤ 0.05) in Citrus sinensis pulnd extract. Vanillin was found 1.21 mg/100 g in peel extract of citrus fruit, moreover vanillin was not detected in pulp extract. Myrecitin was not detected in both the samples. The bioactive natural compounds extracted from citrus peel can be used in food and pharma sector as natural anti-oxidantcompounds.

Chitosan coating plus silicon dioxide nanoparticles and nisin were applied on fresh blueberry samples in order to find out safety packaging assay during the post-harvest process. Studies were performed in-vitro for fruit quality as physicochemical parameters and oxidation, while microbiological analyses as molds/yeast and mesophilics populations were examined in-vivo. The selected silicon dioxide nanoparticles 1% and nisin 1%, were added into a chitosan solution, which resulted in four groups of coated blueberries. After storage at ambient temperature, fruits were examined for two, four, six, and eight days. It was noticed that the hardness, chewiness, and cohesiveness of all blueberry samples were increased during the storage. Chitosan-nano-silicon dioxide (CHN-Nano) and (CHN-N-Nano) with the addition of nisin helped to control shrinking (38.52%) and decay rates (8.61%). Moreover, (CHN-N-Nano) reported the lowest L* values (10.54) for the color index, and inhibited the microbial populations (3.60 and 2.73 log CFU/g) for molds/yeast and mesophilics, respectively. (CHN-Nano) reported the lowest value for ph (2.61) and the highest for anthocyanin content (75.19 cyanidin-3-glucoside mg/100 g). The chitosan coating substantially maintained Vitamin C (7.34 mg/100 g) and polyphenoloxidase (PPO) (558.03 U min⁻¹·g⁻¹). The results suggest that nano-material with chitosan film coatings that contained nisin were effective for fresh blueberry preservation under ambient temperature.

We investigated the role of biochar and chitosan in mitigating salt stress in jute (Corchorus olitorius L. cv. O-9897) by exposing twenty-day-old seedlings to three doses of salt (50, 100, and 150 mM NaCl). Biochar was pre-mixed with the soil at 2.0 g kg⁻¹ soil, and chitosan-100 was applied through irrigation at 100 mg L⁻¹. Exposure to salt stress notably increased lipid peroxidation, hydrogen peroxide content, superoxide radical levels, electrolyte leakage, lipoxygenase activity, and methylglyoxal content, indicating oxidative damage in the jute plants. Consequently, the salt-stressed plants showed reduced growth, biomass accumulation, and disrupted water balance. A profound increase in proline content was observed in response to salt stress. Biochar and chitosan supplementation significantly mitigated the deleterious effects of salt stress in jute by stimulating both non-enzymatic (e.g., ascorbate and glutathione) and enzymatic (e.g., ascorbate peroxidase, dehydroascorbate reductase, monodehydroascorbate reductase, glutathione reductase superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase, glutathione S-transferase, glutathione peroxidase) antioxidant systems and enhancing glyoxalase enzyme activities (glyoxalase I and glyoxalase II) to ameliorate reactive oxygen species damage and methylglyoxal toxicity, respectively. Biochar and chitosan supplementation increased oxidative stress tolerance and improved the growth and physiology of salt-affected jute plants, while also significantly reducing Na⁺ accumulation and ionic toxicity and decreasing the Na⁺/K⁺ ratio. These findings support a protective role of biochar and chitosan against salt-induced damage in jute plants.

Iron (Fe) is required for most metabolic processes, including DNA synthesis, respiration, photosynthesis, and chlorophyll biosynthesis; however, Fe deficiency is common in arid regions, necessitating additional research to determine the most efficient form of absorbance. Nano-fertilizers have characteristics that are not found in their traditional equivalents. This research was implemented on Washington navel orange trees (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck) to investigate the effect of three iron forms—nano (Fe-NPs), sulfate (FeSO₄), and chelated (Fe-chelated)—as a foliar spray on the growth, fruiting aspects, and nutritional status of these trees compared to control. The highest values of the tested parameters were reported when the highest Fe-NPs level and the highest Fe-chelated (EDTA) rate were used. Results obtained here showed that the spraying of the Washington navel orange trees grown under similar environmental conditions and horticulture practices adopted in the current experiment with Fe-NPs (nanoform) and/or Fe-chelated (EDTA) at 0.1% is a beneficial application for enhancing vegetative growth, flower set, tree nutritional status, and fruit production and quality. Application of Fe-NPs and Fe-chelated (EDTA, 0.1%) increased yield by 32.0% and 25% and total soluble solids (TSS) by 18.5% and 17.0%, respectively, compared with control. Spraying Washington navel orange trees with nano and chelated iron could be considered a significant way to improve vegetative growth, fruit production, quality, and nutritional status while also being environmentally preferred in the arid regions.

Air-frying is an innovative technique for food frying that uses hot air circulation to prepare healthy products. The objectives of this study were to establish simplified models to reflect the efficacy of the air frying process at varying temperatures and times on the quality attributes of falafel, and to optimize the frying conditions for producing air-fried falafel. Moisture content, color, fat content, hardness, and sensory evaluation of the fried falafel were analyzed under varied temperatures (140 °C, 170 °C, and 200 °C) and time periods (5 min, 10 min, and 15 min). Statistical analysis was then applied to obtain the best fit model that can describe the properties of fried falafel. Results indicated that moisture content, fat content, and L*-value of air-fried falafel were adversely related to the frying temperature and time, but the hardness and ΔE of fried falafel were increased as the frying temperature and time increased. Moreover, an increase followed by a decrease was shown for the appearance, aroma, crispness, taste, and overall preference scores with the increase in frying temperature and time. The regression analysis showed that the proposed models could be properly used for predicting the properties of the fried falafel. In addition, the overlaid plots resulted in the optimum frying temperature of 178.8 °C and time of 11.1 min. Interestingly, the fat content of the air-fried falafel reduced by 45% at optimal frying conditions compared with that for the deep-fat fried one at 180 °C for 7 min (control). In comparison, the air-fried falafel was lower in fat content, higher in hardness with more acceptable appearance and crispness scores than deep-fat fried falafel. Such information could be beneficial to the manufacturers of the falafel to produce an optimal and healthy product.