The potential applications of plant extract and nanoparticles in antibacterial and antioxidant studies have garnered significant interest in recent times. Despite being utilized in Ethiopian traditional medicine, Verbascum sinaiticum (qetetina) constituents and its usage in nanoparticle synthesis remain relatively unexplored. This study explores the potential of the plant extract and its nanoparticles for antibacterial and antioxidant applications, with a focus on the leaf extracts and its silver nanoparticles. The leaf extract was analyzed using LC-MS and GC-MS and found to contain over 70 compounds, including glycosides, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and fatty acids. The synthesized nanoparticles had a maximum absorbance of 408 nm, with a size range of 2–40 nm and showed a spherical shape. Using the agar well diffusion method, the extract and nanoparticles were evaluated against Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 2592, Streptococcus agalactia ATCC12386) and Gram-negative bacteria (Acinetobacter baumannii ATCC19606, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC27853) bacterial strains. In terms of antibacterial effects, both the silver nanoparticles and leaf extract displayed a greater impact on gram-positive bacterial strains over gram-negative bacterial strains. Additionally, the tests for lowest inhibitory and bactericidal concentration indicated similar outcomes. Notably, the silver nanoparticles exhibited greater antibacterial activity compared to the leaf extract alone. The DPPH (2, 2-diphenylpicrylhydrazyl) assay was conducted to investigate antioxidant activity. The results showed that the plant extract had an IC₅₀ value of 143 μg/ml, while the synthesized nanoparticle had an IC₅₀ value of 216 μg/ml, indicating that the plant extract had greater antioxidant activity than the synthesized silver nanoparticles.

Consumption of nutritionally inadequate diets results in infant malnutrition. This study is aimed at formulating complementary foods from blend of orange-fleshed sweet potato, brown teff, and dark red kidney beans for infants aged 6–23 months. The Design-Expert 6.0.8 Software was used to formulate flour blends. Proximate, mineral, and antinutrient characterizations of flour blends were determined by using standard methods. The crude protein, crude fat, carbohydrate, and energy contents of raw flour blends were varied from 4.90–14.25%, 1.63–1.99%, 67.10–76.29%, and 339.07–343.63 Kcal/100 g, respectively. The crude protein, crude fat, carbohydrate, and energy contents of extruded blends were varied from 3.65–12.41%, 0.16–0.31%, 72.66–83.96%, and 343.07–356.74 Kcal/100 g, respectively. The crude protein, crude fat, carbohydrate, and energy contents of drum-dried blends were varied from 4.45–14.08%, 1.21–1.70%, 69.30–80.45%, and 347.20–356.57 Kcal/100 g, respectively. The products meet the recommended daily intake of protein (5.2–10.9 g), carbohydrate (≥65 g), energy (202–894 Kcal), and potassium (60–160 mg) for infants. However, the products are in short of meeting some of the recommendations given by international standards regarding daily intake of fats and minerals. Therefore, it requires some enhancement by including studied amount of butter and other micronutrient dense foodstuffs.

Copper-based electrodes can catalyze electroreduction of CO₂ to two-carbon products. However, obtaining a specific product with high efficiency depends on the oxidation state of Cu for the Cu-based materials. In this study, Cu-based electrodes were prepared on fluorinated tin oxide (FTO) using the one-step electrodeposition method. These electrodes were used as efficient electrocatalysts for CO₂ reduction to ethanol. The concentration ratio of Cu⁰ and Cu⁺ on the electrodes was precisely modulated by adding monoethanolamine (MEA). The results of spectroscopic characterization showed that the concentration ratio of localized Cu⁺ and Cu⁰ (Cu⁺/Cu⁰) on the Cu-based electrodes was controlled from 1.24/1 to 1.54/1 by regulating the amount of MEA. It was found that the electrode exhibited the best electrochemical efficiency and ethanol production in the CO₂ reduction reaction at the optimal concentration ratio Cu⁺/Cu⁰ of 1.42/1. The maximum faradaic efficiencies of ethanol and C₂ were 48% and 77%, respectively, at the potential of −0.6 V vs. a reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE). Furthermore, the optimal concentration ratio of Cu⁺/Cu⁰ achieved the balance between Cu⁺ and Cu⁰ with the most favorable free energy for the formation of *CO intermediate. The stable existence of the *CO intermediate significantly contributed to the formation of the C–C bond for ethanol production.

Laccase is an effective biocatalyst for the degradation of persistent phenolic pollutants. However, its high cost and instability under harsh operational conditions hinder its applications. Hence a peptide/nucleotide-matrix-free laccase mimetic nanozyme would be attractive. Herein, MoS₂/Cu is synthesized as a laccase mimic for catalytic oxidation of phenolic pollutants. Characterization of the nanozyme by SEM-EDX, XRD, and XPS confirmed the presence of multi-oxidation state copper on MoS₂ which is consistent with the composition of natural laccase. The laccase mimetic activity of MoS₂/Cu was examined by using 2,4-dichloro phenol as a substrate which oxidized to form a colored product with 4-aminoantipyrine (λ_max = 510 nm). Surprisingly, MoS₂/Cu showed 55.6% higher activity than pristine Cu NPs at pH 7, indicating the role of MoS₂ as an effective scaffold. The catalytic reaction exhibited a lower K_m (0.11 mM) than that reported for natural laccase. MoS₂/Cu showed improved stability retaining 84.63% of its activity at 90 °C and lost only 10.93% of its activity after one month. Furthermore, it exhibited remarkable activity in the presence of different salts and alcohol stress. Notably, the nanozyme converted over 92% of phenolic substrates in 9 h. The results imply a robust performance for the remediation of phenolic compounds.

Physalis peruviana Linnaeus, also called Cape gooseberry, has been used extensively as a medicinal herb since ancient times. The current study is the very first investigation into the nutrient characteristics of Physalis peruviana L. fruits found in Ethiopia. Its main objective is to investigate the nutritional, antinutritional, and antioxidant capacity of the edible fruit of Physalis peruviana L. Three different drying conditions (shade, sun, and oven drying) were investigated to observe their effects on the chemical composition of the fruit. The antioxidant activities were quantified using DPPH (2,2-diphenylpicrylhydrazyl) and FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power) assays. Total flavonoid and total phenol contents were also determined for all dried samples. The shade-dried sample exhibited a better composition with regard to most of the characterized constituents than the other dried samples. From all of the results obtained, the shade-dried sample showed higher antioxidant activity, and, among the investigated minerals, its K content was found to be the highest (313.66 ± 0.05 g/100 g). However, the Fe content (in the oven-dried sample) was found to be the lowest (0.06 ± 0.10 g/100 g) of the investigated minerals. Through fermentation using Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the alcoholic content of the fruit was 9.11%, 9.90%, and 12.34% after 24, 48, and 72 h of fermentation time, respectively. It was also observed that the high temperature used in the drying process led to content loss in the fruit samples. This was evident in the oven-dried samples. It is expected that the analysis of the effects of drying on fruit composition can contribute to a better understanding of fruit storage/preparation and provide useful information on fruit product formulations.

Slaughterhouse waste is a major source of environmental pollution. However, its rich organic content holds considerable potential for enhancing soil fertility. Herein, slaughterhouses meat waste was used to produce organic fertilizer (OF), and its effect on sugarcane growth, productivity and soil fertility were evaluated. The decomposition of the collected meat waste was carried out in a controlled fermentation pit. Initially, the sample was treated by sulfuric acid (H ₂ SO ₄ ), followed by the addition of potassium hydroxide (KOH) and dipotassium phosphate (K ₂ HPO ₄ ). The pH of the medium was then adjusted to neutral conditions, after that a bacterial inoculum was introduced to facilitate further biodegradation of the solid waste. The prepared organic fertilizer was characterized for its chemical compositions, physicochemical properties and microbial diversity. The chemical compositions analyses revealed that potentially toxic elements such as mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As) were detected at concentration of <0.002 mg/kg, 0.411 mg/kg, 0.004 mg/kg and 0.095 mg/kg, respectively, indicating their levels in the fertilizer were very low. The total organic carbon content was determined to be 13.90% that is significantly higher than that of most soil, where organic carbon levels typically fall below 2%. MALDI-TOF (Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight) mass spectrometry was used to identify culturable bacterial isolates obtained from the fermented organic fertilizer prior to soil application. A total of 20 morphological distinct isolates were analyzed, of which Lysinibacillus sphaericus was the most frequently detected species, followed by Bacillus simplex, Bacillus cereus, Kocuria varians, and Microascus sp. Identification was accepted based on MALDI-TOF score thresholds (≥2.0 species-level and 1.7–1.99 for genus level identification). Lysinibacillus sphaericus aids nitrogen-fixation, plant growth, and decomposing organic matter, all of which enhance soil fertility and plant health. Additionally, other species such as Bacillus simplex, Bacillus cereus, Kocuria varians , and Microascuswere contribute to phosphate solubilization and pathogen suppression. The organic ferilizer was tested alone and in combination with the conventional chemical fertilizer in a pot experiment for sugarcane. The results showed that applying 5 tonnes ha ^-1 of organic fertilizer together with 50% of the recommended chemical fertilizer performed comparable to that of 100% recommended chemical fertilizer alone. In addition, combined organic fertilizer and recommended chemical fertilizer resulted in a significantly higher juice phosphate content compared to the sole application of 100% recommended chemical fertilizer, likely due to the contribution of the organic fertilizer. This finding suggests that halving chemical fertilizer use by supplementing with organic alternatives could offer environmental benefits while maintaining productivity.