Ammar AL-Farga

Prof. Dr. Ammar AL-Farga

orcid

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

12Years (2015-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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8 February 2023 in Molecules
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
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ZMZahra Maqbool
Zahra Maqbool
WKWaseem Khalid
Waseem Khalid
HAHafiz Taimoor Atiq
Hafiz Taimoor Atiq
HKHyrije Vesel Koraqi
Hyrije Vesel Koraqi
ZJZaryab Javaid
Zaryab Javaid
Ammar AL-FargaAmmar AL-Farga
Ammar AL-Farga
The current research was conducted to extract the bioactive compounds from citrus waste and assess their role in the development of functional foods to treat different disorders. The scientific name of citrus is Citrus L. and it belongs to the Rutaceae family. It is one of the most important fruit crops that is grown throughout the world. During processing, a large amount of waste is produced from citrus fruits in the form of peel, seeds, and pomace. Every year, the citrus processing industry creates a large amount of waste. The citrus waste is composed of highly bioactive substances and phytochemicals, including essential oils (EOs), ascorbic acid, sugars, carotenoids, flavonoids, dietary fiber, polyphenols, and a range of trace elements. These valuable compounds are used to develop functional foods, including baked products, beverages, meat products, and dairy products. Moreover, these functional foods play an important role in treating various disorders, including anti-aging, anti-mutagenic, antidiabetic, anti-carcinogenic, anti-allergenic, anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and cardiovascular-protective activity. EOs are complex and contain several naturally occurring bioactive compounds that are frequently used as the best substitutes in the food industry. Citrus essential oils have many uses in the packaging and food safety industries. They can also be used as an alternative preservative to extend the shelf lives of different food products.

18 January 2023 in Molecules
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
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IRIzza Faiz Ul Faiz Ul Rasool
Izza Faiz Ul Faiz Ul Rasool
AAAfifa Aziz
Afifa Aziz
WKWaseem Khalid
Waseem Khalid
HKHyrije Vesel Koraqi
Hyrije Vesel Koraqi
SSShahida Anusha Siddiqui
Shahida Anusha Siddiqui
Anwar AliAnwar Ali
Anwar Ali
The current review was carried out on the industrial application of fig by-products and their role against chronic disorders. Fig is basically belonging to fruit and is botanically called Ficus carica. There are different parts of fig, including the leaves, fruits, seeds and latex. The fig parts are a rich source of bioactive compounds and phytochemicals including antioxidants, phenolic compounds, polyunsaturated fatty acids, phytosterols and vitamins. These different parts of fig are used in different food industries such as the bakery, dairy and beverage industries. Fig by-products are used in extract or powder form to value the addition of different food products for the purpose of improving the nutritional value and enhancing the stability. Fig by-products are additive-based products which contain high phytochemicals fatty acids, polyphenols and antioxidants. Due to the high bioactive compounds, these products performed a vital role against various diseases including cancer, diabetes, constipation, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). Concussively, fig-based food products may be important for human beings and produce healthy food.

10 November 2022 in International Journal of Food Properties
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
SKSumaya Kainat
Sumaya Kainat
MAMuhamad Sajid Arshad
Muhamad Sajid Arshad
WKWaseem Khalid
Waseem Khalid
MKMuhammad Zubair Khalid
Muhammad Zubair Khalid
HKHyrije Koraqi
Hyrije Koraqi
Ammar AL-FargaAmmar AL-Farga
Ammar AL-Farga
The current review has been considered to extract the bioactive compounds from different fruits and vegetable waste using novel extraction techniques. Among all horticultural crops, fruits and vegetables are the most consumed. Due to a rising population and changing dietary patterns, the production and processing of horticultural commodities, particularly fruits and vegetables, has expanded dramatically in order to meet rising demand. Food waste is the by-product of numerous industrial, agricultural, domestic, and food operations sector that is steadily increasing as these activities rise. Seeds, skin, rind, and pomace make up the majority of the waste, which is rich in bioactive substances such as carotenoids, polyphenols, dietary fibers, vitamins, enzymes, and oils. Waste can be used to make a variety of vital bioactive components, which is an important step toward long-term development. For the extraction of bioactive compounds, various extraction technologies are being used, including supercritical fluid extraction, subcritical water extraction, enzyme assisted extraction, ultrasound and microwave assisted extraction. The sustainable extracts attained using different technologies are valuable in the formation of functional food. Conclusively, new technologies manage waste in a meaningful way that is collected from fruits and vegetables. However, these bioactive compounds that are attained from wastes are valuable in the formation of food products.

13 September 2022 in Foods
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
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MRMuhammad Abdul Rahim
Muhammad Abdul Rahim
ASAurbab Shoukat
Aurbab Shoukat
WKWaseem Khalid
Waseem Khalid
AEAfaf Ejaz
Afaf Ejaz
Nizwa ItratNizwa Itrat
Nizwa Itrat
Ammar AL-FargaAmmar AL-Farga
Ammar AL-Farga
The current review investigates the effects of black seed (Nigella sativa) on human health, which is also used to encapsulate and oxidative stable in different food products. In recent decades, many extraction methods, such as cold pressing, supercritical fluid extraction, Soxhlet extraction, hydro distillation (HD) method, microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), ultrasound-assisted extraction, steam distillation, and accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) have been used to extract the oils from black seeds under optimal conditions. Black seed oil contains essential fatty acids, in which the major fatty acids are linoleic, oleic, and palmitic acids. The oxidative stability of black seed oil is very low, due to various environmental conditions or factors (temperature and light) affecting the stability. The oxidative stability of black seed oil has been increased by using encapsulation methods, including nanoprecipitation, ultra-sonication, spray-drying, nanoprecipitation, electrohydrodynamic, atomization, freeze-drying, a electrospray technique, and coaxial electrospraying. Black seed, oil, microcapsules, and their components have been used in various food processing, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and cosmetics industries as functional ingredients for multiple purposes. Black seed and oil contain thymoquinone as a major component, which has anti-oxidant, -diabetic, -inflammatory, -cancer, -viral, and -microbial properties, due to its phenolic compounds. Many clinical and experimental studies have indicated that the black seed and their by-products can be used to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, chronic cancer, diabetes, oxidative stress, polycystic ovary syndrome, metabolic disorders, hypertension, asthma, and skin disorders. In this review, we are focusing on black seed oil composition and increasing the stability using different encapsulation methods. It is used in various food products to increase the human nutrition and health properties.

20 February 2023 in Plants
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Journal Article
Open access
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NBNabih A. Baeshen
Nabih A. Baeshen
Yaaser Q AlmulaikyYaaser Q Almulaiky
Yaaser Q Almulaiky
MAMohamed Afifi
Mohamed Afifi
Ammar AL-FargaAmmar AL-Farga
Ammar AL-Farga
HAHaytham A. Ali
Haytham A. Ali
Mohammed Nabih BaeshenMohammed Nabih Baeshen
Mohammed Nabih Baeshen
Worldwide, human beings have traditionally employed many folkloric herbal resources as complementary and alternative remedies, and these remedies have played a pivotal role in modern medicines for many decades, as scientists have used them to develop drugs. We studied the effects of employing solvents with varying polarity on the yields of phytochemical components extracted from the plant Rhazya stricta. We used chloroform–methanol (1:1), methanol, ethanol, diethyl ether, and ethyl acetate as extraction solvents. The results showed that the efficiencies of the solvents at extracting phytochemical compounds were in this order: chloroform–methanol < ethanol < methanol < diethyl ether < ethyl acetate extract. The chloroform–methanol extract produced the highest concentration of phenolic and flavonoid contents among the five solvents tested (13.3 mg GAE/g DM and 5.43 CE/g DM). The yields of the extracted phytochemical compounds ranged from 47.55 to 6.05%. The results revealed that the properties of the extraction solvents considerably impacted the extraction yield and the phytochemical components of the R. stricta extract. Furthermore, compared with the other solvents, the chloroform–methanol extraction led to the highest yield (47.55%) and to more phytochemical substances being extracted. The aim of this study is to investigate the phytochemical compounds extracted from R. stricta with different solvents that have different polarities.

11 March 2023 in Molecules
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
KFKhushar Fatima
Khushar Fatima
MIMuhammad Imran
Muhammad Imran
MAMuhammad Haseeb Ahmad
Muhammad Haseeb Ahmad
MKMuhammad Kamran Khan
Muhammad Kamran Khan
WKWaseem Khalid
Waseem Khalid
AEAreej Eskandrani
Areej Eskandrani
Plant proteins can be an important alternative to animal proteins subject to minor modification to address sustainability issues. The impact of ultrasound application on the yield, techno-functional properties, and molecular characteristics of protein extracted from Moringa oleifera seeds was studied. For this purpose, a central composite design (CCD) was applied to optimize ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) parameters such as amplitude (25–75%), solute-to-solvent ratio (1:10–1:30), and pH (9–13) for obtaining the maximum protein yield. At the optimized conditions of 75% amplitude, 1:20 solute-to-solvent ratio, and 11 pH, a protein yield of 39.12% was obtained in the UAE process. Moreover, the best sonication time at optimized conditions was 20 min, which resulted in about 150% more extraction yield in comparison to conventional extraction (CE). The techno-functional properties, for instance, solubility, water (WHC)- and oil-holding capacity (OHC), and emulsifying and foaming properties of the protein obtained from UAE and CE were also compared. The functional properties revealed high solubility, good WHC and OHC, and improved emulsifying properties for protein obtained from UAE. Although protein from UAE provided higher foam formation, foaming stability was significantly lower.