Aflatoxins (AFs) represent one of the main mycotoxins produced by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus, with the most prevalent and lethal subtypes being AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, and AFG2. AFs are responsible for causing significant public health issues and economic concerns that affect consumers and farmers globally. Chronic exposure to AFs has been linked to liver cancer, oxidative stress, and fetal growth abnormalities among other health-related risks. Although there are various technologies, such as physical, chemical, and biological controls that have been employed to alleviate the toxic effects of AF, there is still no clearly elucidated universal method available to reduce AF levels in food and feed; the only mitigation is early detection of the toxin in the management of AF contamination. Numerous detection methods, including cultures, molecular techniques, immunochemical, electrochemical immunosensor, chromatographic, and spectroscopic means, are used to determine AF contamination in agricultural products. Recent research has shown that incorporating crops with higher resistance, such as sorghum, into animal feed can reduce the risk of AF contamination in milk and cheese. This review provides a current overview of the health-related risks of chronic dietary AF exposure, recent detection techniques, and management strategies to guide future researchers in developing better detection and management strategies for this toxin.

Essential oils (EOs) are intricate combinations of evaporative compounds produced by aromatic plants and extracted by distillation or expression. EOs are natural secondary metabolites derived from plants and have been found to be useful in food and nutraceutical manufacturing, perfumery and cosmetics; they have also been found to alleviate the phenomenon of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in addition to functioning as antibacterial and antifungal agents, balancing menstrual cycles and being efficacious as an immune system booster. Several main aldehyde constituents can be found in different types of EOs, and thus, aldehydes and their derivatives will be the main focus of this study with regard to their antimicrobial, antioxidative, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects. This brief study also explores the activity of aldehydes and their derivatives against pathogenic bacteria for future use in the clinical setting.

Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is an essential agricultural crop in most Middle Eastern countries, and its fruit, known as dates, is consumed by millions of people. Date seeds, a by-product of the date fruit processing industry, are a waste product used as food for domestic farm animals. Date seeds contain abundant sources of carbohydrates, oil, dietary fiber, and protein; they also contain bioactive phenolic compounds that may possess potential biological properties. In addition, its rich chemical composition makes date seeds suitable for use in food product formulation, cosmetics, and medicinal supplements. This review aims to provide a discourse on the nutritional value of date seeds. The latest data on the cytotoxicity of date seed compounds against cancer cell lines, its ability to combat diabetes, antioxidant potential, antimicrobial effect, and anti-inflammatory activity will be provided, considering its potential to be a nutritional therapeutic agent for chronic diseases. Application of date seeds in the form of powder and oil will also be discussed.

The rapid evolution of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has remained a major public health issue, reducing the efficacy of antibiotics and increasing the difficulty of treating infections. The discovery of novel antimicrobial agents is urgently needed to overcome the challenges created by AMR. Natural products such as plant extracts and essential oils (EOs) have been viewed as potential candidates to combat AMR due to their complex chemistry that carries inherent pro-oxidant and antioxidant properties. EOs and their constituents that hold pro-oxidant properties can induce oxidative stress by producing reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to biological damage in target cells. In contrast, the antioxidant properties scavenge free radicals through offsetting ROS. Both pro-oxidant and antioxidant activities in EOs represent a promising strategy to tackle AMR. Thus, this review aimed to discuss how pro-oxidants and antioxidants in EOs may contribute to the mitigation of AMR and provided a detailed description of the challenges and limitations of utilizing them as a means to combat AMR.

Electric vehicles (EVs) must be used as the primary mode of transportation as part of the gradual transition to more environmentally friendly clean energy technology and cleaner power sources. Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology has the potential to improve electricity demand, control load variability, and improve the sustainability of smart grids. The operation and principles of V2G and its varieties, the present classifications and types of EVs sold on the market, applicable policies for V2G and business strategy, implementation challenges, and current problem-solving techniques have not been thoroughly examined. This paper exposes the research gap in the V2G area and more accurately portrays the present difficulties and future potential in V2G deployment globally. The investigation starts by discussing the advantages of the V2G system and the necessary regulations and commercial representations implemented in the last decade, followed by a description of the V2G technology, charging communication standards, issues related to V2G and EV batteries, and potential solutions. A few major issues were brought to light by this investigation, including the lack of a transparent business model for V2G, the absence of stakeholder involvement and government subsidies, the excessive strain that V2G places on EV batteries, the lack of adequate bidirectional charging and standards, the introduction of harmonic voltage and current into the grid, and the potential for unethical and unscheduled V2G practices. The results of recent studies and publications from international organizations were altered to offer potential answers to these research constraints and, in some cases, to highlight the need for further investigation. V2G holds enormous potential, but the plan first needs a lot of financing, teamwork, and technological development.