A massive amount of fruit peels generated from fruit processing industries and household kitchens has resulted in nutritional loss and environmental problems. Pectin is a polysaccharide that is isolated from fruit peels and has been attributed to various applications. By proper waste management practices and the use of efficient methods for retrieval of pectin from fruit, peels would benefit from resource management. This study has aimed at the extraction of pectin from locally available fruit peels. Pectin extraction from banana–papaya peel was done by microwave‐assisted extraction. The influence of temperature, time, and pH on extraction yield and anhydrouronic acid content was analyzed using software Design Expert 11. The optimum operating conditions such as temperature, time, and pH to achieve maximum yield (23.74%) and anhydrouronic acid (69.97%) were determined as 73°C, pH 2, and 35 min, respectively. Physicochemical assets of the extracted pectin, such as moisture, ash, protein, methoxyl content, degree of esterification, equivalent weight, and acetyl value, were determined as 7.2 ± 0.27%, 6.20 ± 1.26%, 3.92 ± 0.05% 8.37 ± 0.42%, 67.91 ± 0.33%, 783.69 ± 0.46 g/mol, and 0.48 ± 0.11%, respectively, and some functional properties like water absorption capacity, oil absorption capacity, swelling capacity, and emulsifying activity and emulsion stability are found as 8.23%, 18.44%, 22.73%, 45.16%, and 29.33%, respectively.

Mycotoxins are harmful substances produced by fungi, with aflatoxins - primarily produced by Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus – posing the greatest threat to food safety. First identified in 1960, aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), aflatoxin B2 (AFB2), aflatoxin G1 (AFG1), and aflatoxin G2 (AFG2) are of particular concern, with AFB1 recognized as the most potent hepatotoxin. These crystalline compounds fluoresce under ultraviolet light and are moderately soluble in organic solvents. Aflatoxins contaminate an estimated 25% of global crops, with contamination levels in several regions frequently exceeding international safety standards. Studies from Africa report widespread contamination in staple crops such as maize, groundnut, and sorghum, with both raw and processed products affected. In some cases, aflatoxin levels have reached as high as 2410 ppb – well above the EU’s maximum tolerable limit of 4 ppb. Recent findings in Ethiopia also show several groundnut varieties exceeding regulatory limits for AFB1. Climate change is expected to further aggravate contamination risks, particularly in Europe, where safe maize-growing regions are predicted to shift northward by 2050. Aflatoxins are associated with acute and chronic toxicity in humans and animals, leading to distinct and varied effects, including aflatoxicosis, hepato-carcinogenicity, retarded growth, suppressed immune system, and damage to the liver and kidneys. Aflatoxin production is influenced by both biotic (e.g., microbial interactions, host plant type) and abiotic (e.g., temperature, humidity, pH, water activity) factors. Given the severity of this issue, this review provides a comprehensive overview of aflatoxin occurrence, toxicological impacts, current mitigation strategies, and future approaches to strengthen prevention and control efforts globally.

Biodiesel is one of the promising biofuels to replace fossil fuels as a primary energy source for machineries and vehicles. It can be produced from various edible and non-edible plants seed oil. Dovyalis caffra is one of the indigenous fruits which contains high amount of non-edible oil (43.05%) in its seed parts. However, there is limited research on Dovyalis caffra non-edible seed oil for production of biodiesel. This research is aimed to produce biodiesel from Dovyalis caffra seed oil. The production process was done by transesterification of oil with methanol using base (NaOH) catalyst and the biodiesel percentage yield result became 96 ± 2.00. Physicochemical characterization (moisture, viscosity, acid value, saponification value, peroxide and free fatty acid) of Dovyalis caffra seed oil was conducted and their values became 0.046 ± 0.99, 42.90 ± 0.19, 0.57 ± 0.51, 193 ± 0.21, 2.7 ± 0.73 and 2.25 ± 1.02, respectively. Also, the physicochemical characterization (acid value, saponification value, iodine value, kinematic viscosity, flash point, pour point, ash content and cross caloric value) of produced biodiesel was conducted and the results indicted with values of 0.42 ± 0.01, 226 ± 0.57, 15.64 ± 2.13, 3.2 ± 0.02, 145, 2, 0.32 ± 0.82 and 10,748.0653, respectively. The results from the experiment shows that Dovyalis caffra seeds have more oil content with good oil quality for biodiesel production, which is a critical issue in the production process of qualified biodiesel.

Gelatin is one of the most widely used food ingredients, with wide applications in the food industry as stabilizing, gelling, and foaming agents. Fish skin is the basic source of gelatin, which contains a high amount of protein. The results show that the proximate compositions (protein, fat, ash, moisture, fiber, carbohydrate, and total energy) of the optimized ice cream product with ingredient compositions of (30% milk, 40% avocado pulp, 10% sugar, 15% gelatin, and 5% cream) show values of 3.26 ± 0.35, 9.32 ± 0.22, 2.79 ± 0.02, 57.83 ± 0.14, 3.46 ± 0.24, 23.26 ± 0.71, and 190.54 ± 0.02, respectively. Also, the microbe load in the optimized ice cream product was not detected up to 1 week, while total plate count and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria were starting to grow up after a week, and the results of panelists from sensory values indicate high acceptability of products with the aim of assessing the influence of fish skin gelatin on the nutritional values of avocado‐based low‐fat ice cream. Considering the results, gelatin has a significant effect on the nutritional and rheological properties of ice cream, specifically striking visibility on protein composition.

The complementary food value has increased over the last decades and is expected to continue rising. The study focused on developing and evaluating a nutritious composite complementary Infant food alternative with lower antinutrients than the commercial one. The current study was undertaken by formulating (using Minitab software, v.19.1, USA) germinated Oats and Teff supplemented with Carrot powder and Jaggery. The proximate composition of formulated complementary Infant food was analyzed, and the reported values ranged from 7.13 ± 0.03 to 13.31 ± 0.01 g (moisture), 2.76 ± 0.03 to 3.35 ± 0.02 g (ash), 7.83 ± 0.02 to 15.97 ± 0.03 g (protein), 2.68 ± 0.02 to 4.27 ± 0.02 g (fat), 2.67 ± 0.02 to 12.11 ± 0.02 g (fiber), 54.87 ± 0.02 to 69.34 ± 0.03 g (carbohydrates), and energy: 301.62 ± 0.02 to 360.47 ± 0.03 kcal/100 g. The studied results reported a better food composition: 59.5 g of Oat‐Teff (1:1 mixture), 30.5 g of Carrot powder, and 10 g of Jaggery supported with a maximum desirability of 0.9736. The sensory attributes (using a seven‐point hedonic scale) of formulated best‐optimized complementary food compositions were 6.24 ± 0.49 (taste), 6.39 ± 0.13 (flavor), 6.51 ± 0.04 (color), 5.84 ± 0.14 (texture), 6.47 ± 1.24 (appearance), 5.87 ± 0.73 (mouthfeel), and 6.55 ± 0.58 (overall acceptability). Thus, the studied results conclude that the formulated optimized composite food is promising, unique, and value‐added to the coarse cereals (Oat and Teff), Carrot, and Jaggery under the complementary composite food category of Infant food.