Ensuring food security in developing countries is highly challenging due to low productivity of the agriculture sector, degradation of natural resources, high post farming losses, less or no value addition, and high population growth. Researchers are striving to adopt newer technologies to enhance supply to narrow the food demand gap. Nanotechnology is one of the promising technologies that could improve agricultural productivity via nano fertilizers, use of efficient herbicides and pesticides, soil feature regulation, wastewater management, and pathogen detection. It is equally beneficial for industrial food processing with enhanced food production with excellent market value, elevated nutritional and sensing property, improved safety, and better antimicrobial protection. Nanotechnology can also reduce post-farming losses by increasing the shelf life with the aid of nanoparticles. However, further investigation is required to solve the safety and health risks associated with the technology.

This article addresses the bioactive components in coffee aroma, their metabolism, and the mechanism of action in lowering the risk of various potential health problems. The main bioactive components involved in the perceived aroma of coffee and its related health benefits are caffeine, chlorogenic acid (CGA), trigonelline, diterpenes, and melanoids. These compounds are involved in various physiological activities. Caffeine has been shown to have anticancer properties, as well as the ability to prevent the onset and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma and to be anti‐inflammatory. CGA exhibits antioxidant action and is implicated in gut health, neurodegenerative disease protection, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease prevention. Furthermore, together with diterpenes, CGA has been linked to anticancer activity. Trigonelline, on the other side, has been found to lower oxidative stress by increasing antioxidant enzyme activity and scavenging reactive oxygen species. It also prevents the formation of kidney stones. Diterpenes and melanoids possess anti‐inflammatory and antioxidant properties, respectively. Consuming three to four cups of filtered coffee per day, depending on an individual's physiological condition and health status, has been linked to a lower risk of several degenerative diseases. Despite their health benefits, excessive coffee intake above the recommended daily dosage, calcium and vitamin D deficiency, and unfiltered coffee consumption all increase the risk of potential health concerns. In conclusion, moderate coffee consumption lowers the risk of different noncommunicable diseases.

Oats (Avena sativa L.) are a popular functional cereal grain due to their numerous health benefits. This review article summarized the information on the chemical composition and phytonutrients of oats grown in different countries. It also reviewed recently developed fermented oat products to highlight their potential for human health. Oats have an interesting nutritional profile that includes high-quality protein, unsaturated fats, soluble fiber, polyphenolic compounds, and micronutrients. Oat grain has a unique protein composition, with globulins serving as the primary storage protein, in contrast to other cereals, where prolamins are the main storage proteins. Oats have the highest fat content of any cereal, with low saturated fatty acids and high essential unsaturated fatty acid content, which can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Oats are a good source of soluble dietary fiber, particularly β-glucan, which has outstanding functional properties and is extremely important in human nutrition. β-Glucan has been shown to lower blood cholesterol and glucose absorption in the intestine, thereby preventing diseases such as cardiovascular injury, dyslipidemia, hypertension, inflammatory state, and type 2 diabetes. Oats also contain high concentration of antioxidant compounds. Avenanthramides, which are unique to oats, are powerful antioxidants with high antioxidative activity in humans. Recognizing the nutritional benefits of oats, oat-based fermented food products are gaining popularity as functional foods with high probiotic potential.

Coffee waste disposal from wet processing units is increasing with an increase in coffee consumption throughout the world. This not only has a limitation in terms of environmental pollution, but also high waste volume is an opportunity to extract essential bioactive compounds and antioxidants for food and pharmaceutical industries. The aim of this paper was to investigate the effects of extraction solvents and coffee cherry pulps of different varieties in terms of their yield potential for total polyphenols and antioxidant capacity. Results show that coffee cherry pulps from different varieties extracted by different solvents showed significant effects. Among the studied varieties, coffee cherry pulp from Ababuna variety was found to be superior in total polyphenols (1809.9 mgGAE/gm) content and antioxidant capacity (70 % inhibition). This value was followed by pulp from the Dessu variety. But the pulp from variety 741, extracted using aqueous ethanol solvent, showed inferior results for both total polyphenol content and antioxidant capacity. Among the solvents studied in this work, aqueous methanol responded better for pulps of all varieties except Dessu which responded better for aqueous acetone solvent. Red coffee cherry pulp discarded as a waste from wet coffee-processing plants can be used as a raw material to extract important value-added products like polyphenols and other antioxidants. These compounds can be used as biological additives in food and pharmaceutical industries to fight chronic diseases and aging. Furthermore, the study shows the possibility of extracting value-added bioactive compounds from biological wastes.

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) fruits due to their high moisture content are spoiled and deteriorate in short period of time. Once fruits are harvested, respiration and transpiration are the two major physiological processes that significantly affect storage life and quality of the fruits. However, effects of these processes can be minimized through optimizing harvesting stage of fruits and applying physical barriers for oxygen diffusion and moisture migration. The aim of this work was to investigate the combined effect of stage of harvesting of fruits and application of edible coating materials on storage life and quality of tomato fruits. Treatment combinations were the three harvesting stages of the fruits (mature green, turning and light red stages) and two coating materials (pectin and chitosan with control). Treatments were laid out in a completely randomized design with three replications. Sample fruits were evaluated periodically for different parameters. The study showed that, coating of tomato fruits delayed the ripening process with better fruits quality than uncoated ones. Combined treatment combinations resulted in a significant delay in the change of weight loss, disease incidence, disease severity and ripening index as compared to control fruits. Moreover, in terms chemical parameters, coated fruits revealed higher amount of ascorbic acid, lycopene and phenolic contents. Fruits coated with either chitosan or pectin at turning stage of maturity showed relatively better results for most of the quality parameters. Maximum shelf life was observed for fruits harvested at turning stage coated by pectin (17 days) and chitosan (16 days) films than control (10 days) at the same stage of maturity. Therefore, storage life of the fruits with better quality can be extended by combining optimum stage of harvesting with use of edible coating materials. Key words: Tomato, harvesting stage, edible coating, pectin, chitosan, storage life.

Oat (Avena sativa) is an underutilized cereal grain in Ethiopia from the Poaceae grass family. This study aimed to investigate the proximate, mineral, and anti-nutrient composition of three landrace varieties commonly used in certain districts of the country and compare them with two improved varieties of oats in Ethiopia. The proximate and mineral composition was determined using the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) standard methods. Phytate and tannin contents were determined using the spectroscopic method, and oxalate was analyzed using HPLC. The bioavailability of minerals was also estimated. Results showed significant (p < 0.05) differences in proximate, mineral, and anti-nutrient compositions among studied varieties. The moisture, crude protein, crude fat, crude fiber, ash, and total carbohydrate contents were in the range between 8.5-9.8, 11.9–15.8, 6.7–10.3, 2.1–3.5, 1.2–1.3, and 72.6–74.3 g/100 g DM, respectively. Iron, copper, zinc, magnesium, calcium, and potassium contents were 2.5–3.0, 0.2–0.4, 1.6–2.0, 62.4–89.1, 44.0–102.7, and 241.7–258.3 mg/100 g DM, respectively. The oxalate, tannin, and phytate contents ranged from 28.2-71.4, 38.8–51.5, and 269.6–293.0 mg/100 g DM, respectively. Except for a few varieties of oats, the molar ratios were below the critical values. Results showed that both the landraces and improved varieties studied are an excellent source of valuable nutrients. Thus, the production and utilization of this crop in a few geographical locations and communities should be further encouraged in the rest areas of the country to benefit from this underutilized but nutritious crop.