It is necessary to develop and deploy novel protein production to allow the establishment of a sustainable supply for both humans and animals, given the ongoing expansion of protein demand to meet the future needs of the increased world population and high living standards. In addition to plant seeds, green biomass from dedicated crops or green agricultural waste is also available as an alternative source to fulfill the protein and nutrient needs of humans and animals. The development of extraction and precipitation methods (such as microwave coagulation) for chloroplast and cytoplasmic proteins, which constitute the bulk of leaf protein, will allow the production of leaf protein concentrates (LPC) and protein isolates (LPI). Obtained LPC serves as a sustainable alternative source of animal-based protein besides being an important source of many vital phytochemicals, including vitamins and substances with nutritional and pharmacological effects. Along with it, the production of LPC, directly or indirectly, supports sustainability and circular economy concepts. However, the quantity and quality of LPC largely depend on several factors, including plant species, extraction and precipitation techniques, harvest time, and growing season. This paper provides an overview of the history of green biomass-derived protein from the early green fodder mill concept by Károly Ereky to the state-of-art of green-based protein utilization. It highlights potential approaches for enhancing LPC production, including dedicated plant species, associated extraction methods, selection of optimal technologies, and best combination approaches for improving leaf protein isolation.

No presente estudo, objetivou-se avaliar a divergência genética de indivíduos de quatro populações de fáfia [Pfaffia glomerata (Spreng.) Pedersen] coletadas na região do rio Paraná por meio de estudos de caracteres morfológicos associados à produção de β-ecdisona. A divergência foi avaliada entre 64 indivíduos utilizando 14 caracteres morfológicos quantitativos, incluindo o teor de β-ecdisona. Os dados foram interpretados pelas médias dos caracteres, índice de dissimilaridade de Mahalanobis, agrupamento pelo método UPGMA e correlação simples de Pearson. Os resultados demonstraram maiores valores de divergência entre indivíduos pertencentes a diferentes populações e menores, entre indivíduos da mesma população. Os indivíduos pertencentes à população 1, coletados à margem do rio Ivaí, destacaram-se pelos altos valores de β-ecdisona, predominando o seguinte perfil: matéria seca da raiz abaixo da média geral (135,1 g planta-1); antese precoce em relação a média geral (135,8 dias); dias para ocorrer a senescência de 90% das folhas abaixo da média geral (201,4 dias); e intervalo entre antese e senescência acima da média (65,6 dias). Os caracteres avaliados demonstraram significativa variação entre os indivíduos, no entanto, não foi possível observar dados que evidenciam a correlação entre a produção de β-ecdisona e caracteres morfológicos avaliados no presente estudo.

The morphoanatomical characteristics of leaves were associated with altitude, hillside, and the cup quality of coffee produced in the Matas de Minas region. Although the small magnitude, there are correlations between cup quality with altitude and morpho-anatomical traits. Despite facing the differences of management inherent to 363 sampling sites, Northwestern hillside had significant lower cup quality, whereas only stomata density (SD) and thickness of the leaf epidermis in the adaxial face (AdET) showed significant differences between hillsides. Altitude, leaf mass per area (LMA) and SD, and to a lesser extent the thickness of the leaf epidermis in the abaxial face (AbET), were correlated (Spearman's correlation) with cup quality. Interestingly, AbET correlations were negative. Mantel's test significant correlations were found between coffee cup quality vs. altitude, LMA and petiole phloem area (PPhA). The spatial autocorrelation was significant only with LMA. Also, SD, to a lesser extent, was associated with cup quality. Despite the complexity of the association among the environment, plant growth and development, this is the first report to associate morpho-anatomical features of the leaf with the coffee cup traits. Even with the expectation of genotype/species vs environment interactions, and the influence of other parameters associated with post-harvest, roasting and brewing, the evaluation of LMA, SD, AdET, AbET and the thickness of the palisade parenchyma (PPT) allow a novel approach to access coffee cup quality.