Nanomaterials in the food industry are used as food additives, and the main function of these food additives is to improve food qualities including texture, flavor, color, consistency, preservation, and nutrient bioavailability. This review aims to provide an overview of the distribution, fate, and environmental and health impacts of food additive nanomaterials in soil and aquatic ecosystems. Some of the major nanomaterials in food additives include titanium dioxide, silver, gold, silicon dioxide, iron oxide, and zinc oxide. Ingestion of food products containing food additive nanomaterials via dietary intake is considered to be one of the major pathways of human exposure to nanomaterials. Food additive nanomaterials reach the terrestrial and aquatic environments directly through the disposal of food wastes in landfills and the application of food waste-derived soil amendments. A significant amount of ingested food additive nanomaterials (> 90 %) is excreted, and these nanomaterials are not efficiently removed in the wastewater system, thereby reaching the environment indirectly through the disposal of recycled water and sewage sludge in agricultural land. Food additive nanomaterials also reach the environments directly through the disposal of food wastes in landfills and the application of food waste-derived soil amendments. Food additive nanomaterials undergo various transformation and reaction processes, such as adsorption, aggregation-sedimentation, desorption, degradation, dissolution, and bio-mediated reactions in the environment. These processes significantly impact the transport and bioavailability of nanomaterials as well as their behaviour and fate in the environment. These nanomaterials are toxic to soil and aquatic organisms, and reach the food chain through plant uptake and animal transfer. The environmental and health risks of food additive nanomaterials can be overcome by eliminating their emission through recycled water and sewage sludge.

The field of bio-nanotechnology has seen significant advancements in recent years, particularly in the synthesis and application of bio-nanoparticles (BNPs). This review focuses on the green synthesis of BNPs using biological entities such as plants, bacteria, fungi, and algae. The utilization of these organisms for nanoparticle synthesis offers an eco-friendly and sustainable alternative to conventional chemical and physical methods, which often involve toxic reagents and high energy consumption. Phytochemicals present in plant extracts, unique metabolic pathways, and biomolecules in bacteria and fungi, and the rich biochemical composition of algae facilitate the production of nanoparticles with diverse shapes and sizes. This review further explores the wide-ranging applications of BNPs in various fields like therapeutics, fuel cells, energy generation, and wastewater treatment. In therapeutics, BNPs have shown efficacy in antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer activities. In the energy sector, BNPs are being integrated into fuel cells and other energy generation systems like bio-diesel to improve efficiency and sustainability. Their catalytic properties and large surface area enhance the performance of these devices. Wastewater treatment is another critical area where BNPs are employed for the removal of heavy metals, organic pollutants, and microbial contaminants, offering a cost-effective and environmentally friendly solution to water purification. This comprehensive review highlights the potential of bio-nanoparticles synthesized through green methods. It highlights the need for further research to optimize synthesis processes, understand mechanisms of action, and expand the scope of their applications. BNPs can be utilized to address advantages and some of the pressing challenges in medicine, energy, and environmental sustainability, paving the way for innovative and sustainable technological advancements in future prospects.

Purpose: Scientists have identified a plenty of bacterial strains having ability to degrade pesticide residues accumulated in the environment. Due to wide variation of chemical properties of pesticides, a single strain may not be versatile. Hence, identification of bioremediation ability of various bacteria is important. This review focused on understanding and explaining the role of soil bacteria having pesticide detoxification ability. Research Method: Previous research articles, book chapters and literature on bioremediation ability of different soil bacteria were reviewed and various strains of soil bacteria having bioremediation ability, mechanisms behind microbial bioremediation, factors affecting bioremediation and limitations and recent advancements of bioremediation were identified. Based on identified research gaps, further perspectives were introduced. Findings: The results revealed that plenty of soil bacteria having a bioremediation potential have been identified worldwide. As the major mechanism of bioremediation, the microorganisms consume pesticide-contaminated in the soil as their energy or nutrient sources. Various factors such as Bioavailability, Substrate and Environmental factors effect on bioremediation potential. Biostimulation, Bioaugmentation, Biopiling, Composting, Bioreactors and Land farming are identified as popular bioremediation methods suitable for the bioremediation of pesticide contaminants. However, this technique still remains partially developed due to the lack of versatile microorganisms for detoxifying variety of different pesticides. Originality/Value: As this is still a developing area, conducting further researches is timely important. Hence, reviewing literature and identifying already covered areas are important in mitigating the research gap. Therefore, focusing further research goals for the researchers is greatly helpful.

The growing demand for efficient sustainable biocatalysts for industrial applications has driven the exploration of extremozymes from extremophiles, particularly those thriving in geothermal environments. This study aimed to isolate and characterize extracellular amylase-producing thermophilic bacteria from the Nelumwewa geothermal spring in Sri Lanka, an underexplored ecosystem. Among the isolated thermophilic bacterial strains, NW2 isolates exhibited a prominent extracellular amylase activity. Molecular characterization by 16S rRNA gene sequencing confirmed the close phylogenetic relationship between NW2 and Thermaerobacillus caldiproteolyticus, which is well-known for thermostable proteases. Biochemical assays revealed optimal amylase activity of NW2 isolate at 60 °C and pH 8.0, with a crude enzyme activity of 0.85 U/mL. The enzyme demonstrated efficient hydrolysis of raw cassava starch, highlighting its potential for industrial applications in food, biofuel, and detergent industries. This study reports the first T. caldiproteolyticus-like strain from Sri Lanka with significant extracellular amylase activity, emphasizing the biotechnological potential of geothermal springs as sources of novel extremozymes. These findings contribute to the growing repository of thermostable enzymes, highlighting the need for further exploration of Sri Lanka’s geothermal microbial diversity for industrial biocatalysts.

Purpose: Foxtail millet is an ancient cereal crop and a model species used for studying C4 photosynthesis and stress resilience. The composition of its seed starch is primarily determined by the waxy gene, which encodes granule-bound starch synthase1 (GBSS1). Polymorphisms in the first intron of GBSS1 are known to influence allelic diversification in cereals; However, Sri Lankan foxtail millet germplasm has not yet been characterized at the molecular level. This study aimed to evaluate endosperm type and apparent amylose content (AAC) of Sri Lankan accessions, analyze the first intron polymorphism of the GBSS1 gene, and assess their phylogenetic relationships with reported haplotypes.Research Method: Six accessions collected from diverse agro-ecological regions were evaluated using I2–KI staining, AAC and sequencing the first intron of GBSS1 gene.Findings and Values: All accessions displayed a dark blue color in I2–KI staining and 17.7–31.5%, AAC values conformed non-waxy phenotypes. Sequence comparison with the reference non-waxy genotype (AB089142.1) revealed 152 polymorphic sites (SNPs and indels). Moreover, a novel 4bp deletion was identified across all local accessions, representing the first report of this mutation in foxtail millet. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed that all accessions belong to the Type 1-1 non-waxy haplotype but exhibit considerable intra-type diversity. These findings provide new insights into the regional diversification of GBSS1 alleles in Sri Lankan foxtail millet and highlight the potential of this germplasm as a resource for molecular marker development and breeding programs aiming at improving grain quality.