Galactomannans (GMs) are polysaccharides with diverse industrial applications due to their functional properties, such as their use in thickeners, stabilizers, and gelling agents. Their use originated in the food industry and has rapidly expanded to other industries due to their biocompatibility, biodegradability, non-toxicity, and low cost. Galactomannans can be extracted from different plant species, resulting in gums with diverse physicochemical properties. Furthermore, there are different methods for their extraction and purification, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. The structure of galactomannans determines their application in industry, so their characterization is also important. This article presents a comprehensive review of galactomannan sources, as well as their extraction, purification, and characterization methods. It also includes the main applications of these polysaccharides in various sectors.

In the present study, a novel laccase from ascomycete Gliomastix murorum was produced in agro-industrial wastes and entrapped in galactomannan beads for Reactive Blue 2 (Rb-2) decolorization. The maximum laccase production in agave bagasse-based medium occurred at 72 h (1798.6 UL⁻¹). Entrapped laccase decolorized ˃80% of 0.5 mM Rb-2 in 2 h without the addition of redox mediator. K_m for Rb-2 substrate was 1.42 mM, with a V_max of 1.19 µmol min⁻¹ for entrapped laccase. Galactomannan matrices produce stability to acid pH (2–5) and temperatures from 20–70 °C. Reusability assays showed that entrapped laccase could retain efficient Rb-2 decolorization of ˃80% six times. In general, galactomannan used for entrapment of laccase provides economic advantages in large-scale wastewater treatment due to its natural origin and efficient results.

Food waste contributes to hunger, poverty, and environmental pollution. Unfortunately, seafood, which provides high nutrient content, is significantly underutilized, with only 30% of high-value seafood consumed. This study addresses the urgent need to reuse these wastes, converting them into biofertilizers through solar drying. A solar drying plant was designed and built to produce fish powder as the base of fertilizer, achieving an equilibrium humidity of 400 kg in 11 h after sterilization by pre-cooking. The resulting biofertilizer was rigorously tested for its macronutrient composition, germination rate, presence of coliforms, and phytotoxicity. The findings indicate that fish waste can effectively replace synthetic fertilizers, fostering a circular economy and promoting sustainable agriculture. This research highlights the potential of using marine debris to produce biofertilizers, contributing to global sustainability efforts by harnessing marine debris and solar energy to offer an environmentally friendly alternative to chemical fertilizers.

The UV-visible and IR properties of the Cu$_{38}$ nanocluster depend to a great extent on the temperature. Density functional theory and nanothermodynamics can be combined to compute the geometrical optimization of isomers and their spectroscopic properties in an approximate manner. In this article, we investigate entropy-driven isomer distributions of Cu$_{38}$ clusters and the effect of temperature on their UV-visible and IR spectra. An extensive, systematic global search is performed on the potential and free energy surfaces of Cu38 using a two-stage strategy to identify the lowest-energy structure and its low-energy neighbors. The effects of temperature on the UV and IR spectra are considered via Boltzmann probability. The computed UV-visible and IR spectrum of each isomer is multiplied by its corresponding Boltzmann weight at finite temperature. Then, they are summed together to produce a final temperature-dependent, Boltzmann-weighted UV-visible and IR spectrum. Additionally, Molecular Dynamics simulation of the Cu$_{38}$ nanocluster was performed to gain insight into the system dynamics and make a three-dimensional movie of the system with atomistic resolution. Our results show the thermal populations at the absolute temperature of Cu38 cluster, and the disordered structure that dominates at high temperatures.