Ensuring high-quality agricultural products has become important in agriculture since society’s standard of living has risen. Meanwhile, Moringa oleifera L. leaf extract (MLE) has been used as a plant biostimulant to improve product quality. The effectiveness of MLE is associated with its beneficial components, consisting of nutrients, phytohormones, secondary metabolites, amino acids, and bioactive compounds. Previous studies have been carried out to find the effects of MLE application on the quality of different crops, including basil, kale, spinach, maize, radish, brinjal, pepper, tomato, grape, strawberry, and more. The results are generally positive concerning physical, nutritional, and chemical qualities. This review comprises recent findings regarding MLE application as a plant biostimulant to increase quality attributes, with its underlying mechanism.

With the rapid growth in global population and standards of living, improving food production and quality are the greatest challenges in agriculture. The application of biostimulant derived from moringa leaf extract (MLE) has attracted a great deal of interest to support these efforts in a sustainable approach. A field study was conducted using a randomized complete block design with four replications. The effect of individual and combined application of MLE through seed priming (seed soaking) and foliar spray at different rates (1:30, 1:20, and 1:10, v/v) on growth, physiological, yield, and quality traits of green chili pepper were investigated, which was the aim of this study. In general, the responses generated by the combined MLE methods were more pronounced compared to their single applications. Among all treatments, MLE priming plus foliar spray at 1:30 was effective in improving most traits observed, including chlorophyll fluorescence (6.49%), stomatal conductance (57.19%), plant height (30.57%), leaf number (88.89%), leaf area index (116.67%), fruit weight per plant (46.27%), average fruit weight (39.62%), length (9.89%), diameter (29.65%), firmness (27.77%), and vitamin C content (29.07%) of fruit. Therefore, it is regarded as an appropriate treatment to maximize the potential use of MLE in green chili.

Clitoria ternatea has well-known potential roles for medicinal purposes because it is a source of antioxidants. Drying is important for obtaining C. ternatea extract by removing the moisture from the fresh materials. However, it might also influence bioactive compounds and alterations of sensory, nutritional, and physical qualities. This study aimed to determine the best combination of drying method and C. ternatea accession for yield and quality of extract without damaging its bioactive compounds and antioxidant activities. A completely randomized block design with nine combination treatments was used in this study. Each treatment was replicated three times. Drying methods consisted of shade drying, sun drying, and oven drying, while C. ternatea accessions were white single petal, blue single petal, and blue double petal. The LCMS analysis of single blue petal of C. ternatea in methanol extract showed that the dominant metabolites found were flavonoid groups; quercetin, kaempferol, and luteolin. Total phenolic content was recorded higher in blue double petal accession of C. ternatea combined with the sun drying method. Moreover, shade drying combined with white single petal of C. ternatea achieved the best total extraction yield, flavonoid, antioxidant activity (IC50), kaempferol, and quercetin yields. Due to its affordability, shade drying is a potential best option for drying C. ternatea, particularly for white single petal accession.

Indonesia has a high level of food waste, with up to 30% of the country’s total fruit production contributing to it. Smart packaging, such as that with anthocyanin based freshness indicator labels and Soy Protein Isolate (SPI), can help reduce waste by providing visual information about the product’s condition within the packaging. This research aims to determine the effect of SPI concentrations on the characteristics of anthocyanin-based smart packaging indicator labels extracted from purple sweet potato waste (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam). The indicator label was made using cornstarch (2.5%) as the matrix, glycerol as the plasticizer, and SPI as the crosslinking agent. The researchers employed a simple Completely Randomized Design with SPI concentration variations of 0%, 1%, 2%, 3%, and 4%. The researchers tested several parameters on the indicator labels, including pH sensitivity, color stability against storage temperature (4°C and 25°C), water absorption capacity, color reversibility, and biodegradability. The results indicate that adding SPI affects label characteristics, with 1% SPI concentration yielding the best performance. The 1% SPI concentration obtained the lowest color stability value at cold temperatures (∆E*ab = 5.15), the highest biodegradation rate (97.33% on day 4), the most varied color response to pH, and good physical durability of the label. Therefore, a 1% SPI concentration is recommended as the most effective formulation for an anthocyanin-based freshness indicator label.