Fungi infections cause approximately 60–70% yield loss through diseases such as rice blast, powdery mildew, Fusarium rot, downy mildew, etc. Plants naturally respond to these infections by eliciting an array of protective metabolites to confer physical or chemical protection. Among plant metabolites, lignin, a phenolic compound, thickens the middle lamella and the secondary cell walls of plants to curtail fungi infection. The biosynthesis of monolignols (lignin monomers) is regulated by genes whose transcript abundance significantly improves plant defense against fungi. The catalytic activities of lignin biosynthetic enzymes also contribute to the accumulation of other defense compounds. Recent advances focus on modifying the lignin pathway to enhance plant growth and defense against pathogens. This review presents an overview of monolignol regulatory genes and their contributions to fungi immunity, as reported over the last five years. This review expands the frontiers in lignin pathway engineering to enhance plant defense.

The Food and Agricultural Organization estimates a 17% loss in the food production chain, making it imperative to adopt scientific and technological approaches to address this issue for sustainability. Industrial food production waste and its value-added applications, particularly in relation to a wide variety of pathogenic microorganisms and the health-related effects have not been thoroughly investigated. This study explores the potential of food production waste extracts—lemon peel (LP), hot trub (HT), and coffee silverskin (CSS) as sources of bioactive compounds. Extraction was conducted using hydro-methanolic extraction with yields in LP (482 mg/1 g) > HT (332 mg/1 g) > CSS (20 mg/1 g). The agar diffusion assay revealed the substantial antibacterial activity of all three extracts against Erwinia Amylovora, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, and Bacillus aquimaris. All extracts demonstrated activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, displaying minimum inhibitory concentrations effective against pathogenic bacteria like Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, and Salmonella enterica. Total phenolic content (TPC in mg GAE/1g) was 100, 20, and 100 for CSS, HT, and LP, respectively. Antioxidant activity by ABTS indicated IC₅₀ of 3.09, 13.09, and 2.61 for LP, HT, and CSS, respectively. Also, the antioxidant activity of the extracts was further confirmed by DPPH assay with the best activity in CSS (9.84 GAEg⁻¹) and LP (9.77 mg of GAEg⁻¹) rather than in HT (1.45 GAEg⁻¹). No adverse cytotoxic effects on HaCaT cells were observed. Pancreatic amylase inhibition demonstrated antidiabetic potential, with LP showing the highest levels (92%). LC-MS characterization identified polyphenols as the main compounds in CSS, prenylated compounds in HT, and flavanols in LP. The findings imply the potential sustainable use of food production waste in industry.

Cassava (Manihot esculenta) is a vital tropical staple crop with expanding relevance beyond food security, particularly in developing functional beverages and nutraceutical products. This review discusses the implications of selected chemicals in cassava roots for beverage production, notably cyanogenic glycosides and phenolic compounds. We further highlight the role of cassava as a substrate for beverage production, the nutritional significance of cassava-based beverages, and the health benefits and functional potential of cassava as a key ingredient in beverage production. We also discuss the probiotic and prebiotic properties and the antioxidant activity of chemicals in cassava-based beverages for health benefits. Additionally, we review the challenges, opportunities, and innovations regarding commercialization.

We report on the synthesis, functionalization, and structural characterization of 11 novel dimethylarsinate-functionalized arsenomolybdates(V), [RAsMo^V₆O₁₅(OH)₃{AsO₂(CH₃)₂}₃]^2- (R = HO, CH₃, C₂H₅, C₆H₅, 3,5-(HOOC)₂C₆H₃, 4-FC₆H₄, 4-F₃CC₆H₄, 4-F₃COC₆H₄, 4-BrC₆H₄, and 4-N₃C₆H₄) and [As^IIIMo^V₆O₁₅(OH)₃{AsO₂(CH₃)₂}₃]^3-, featuring a reduced hexanuclear {Mo^V₆O₂₄} core, peripherally coordinated by three dimethylarsinate ligands and centrally functionalized with diverse organoarsonate, arsenate, or arsenite groups, including carboxylated, fluorinated, brominated, and azido derivatives. Synthesized via a simple one-pot aqueous method, the compounds were thoroughly characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, and elemental analysis in the solid state. Solution-phase stability was assessed by multinuclear (¹H, ¹³C, and ¹⁹F) nuclear magnetic resonance, while gas-phase behavior and fragmentation pathways were probed through electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, and tandem mass spectrometry (collision-induced dissociation). Antibacterial screening against Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, and three pathogenic bacterial strains Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella enterica, and Vibrio parahaemolyticus revealed that three of the 11 polyanions exhibit moderate antibacterial activity. Additionally, the synthesis of 3,5-bis(carboxy)phenylarsonic acid, 3,5-(HOOC)₂C₆H₃AsO₃H₂, is reported here for the first time.