Medicinal plants are the product of natural drug discoveries and have gained traction due to their pharmacological activities. Pathogens are everywhere, and they thrive in ideal conditions depending on the nutrients, moisture, temperature, and pH that increase the growth of harmful pathogens on surfaces and textiles. Thus, antimicrobial agents and finishes may be the solution to the destruction of pathogens. This review article presents an analysis of various aspects of producing antimicrobial finishings, the microorganisms, their mechanism of attachment to natural and synthetic fibre, the effect of microbial growth, and the principle and mechanism of the microbial activity of the medicinal plants. Furthermore, the extraction methods, qualitative and quantitative phytochemical evaluations of antimicrobial efficacy, and developments of antimicrobial treated textiles using various agents are covered in this review.

In this study, edible insect flours from Gonimbrasia belina (Mashonzha), Hermetia illucens (black soldier fly larvae) and Macrotermes subhylanus (Madzhulu) were prepared and assessed in terms of proximal, physicochemical, techno-functional and antioxidant properties. The crude protein of the edible insect flours varied between 34.90–52.74%. The crude fat of the insect flours differed significantly (p < 0.05), with H. illucens (27.93%) having the highest crude fat. G. belina was lighter (L*) and yellower (+b*) compared to H. illucens and M. subhylanus, and there was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in the redness (+a*) of the edible insect flours. There were no significant differences (p > 0.05) in foam capacity and foam stability of all three edible insect flours. Moreover, the antioxidant activity against the DPPH radical was low for H. illucens (3.63%), with M. subhylanus (55.37%) exhibiting the highest DPPH radical. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to the techno-functional properties and antioxidant indices of the edible insect flours. PC1 accounted for 51.39% of the total variability, while component 2 accounted for 24.71%. In terms of PC1, the FS, OBC and FC were responsible for the major differences in the edible insect flours. The findings revealed that edible insect flours are a good source of antioxidants and can be used as an alternative protein source and a potential novel food additive due to their techno-functional qualities.

The South African poultry industry has grown exponentially in recent years due to an increased demand for their products. As a result, poultry plants consume large volumes of high quality water to ensure that hygienically safe poultry products are produced. Furthermore, poultry industries generate high strength wastewater, which can be treated successfully at low cost using anaerobic digesters. In this study, the performance of a bench-scale mesophilic static granular bed reactor (SGBR) containing fully anaerobic granules coupled with an ultrafiltration (UF) membrane system, as a post-treatment system, was investigated. The poultry slaughterhouse wastewater was characterized by a chemical oxygen demand (COD) range between 1,223 and 9,695mg/L, average biological oxygen demand of 2,375mg/L and average fats, oil and grease (FOG) of 554mg/L. The SGBR anaerobic reactor was operated for 9 weeks at different hydraulic retention times (HRTs), i.e. 55 and 40 h, with an average organic loading rate (OLR) of 1.01 and 3.14g COD/L.day. The SGBR results showed an average COD, total suspended solids (TSS) and FOG removal of 93%, 95% and 90% respectively, for both OLR. The UF post-treatment results showed an average of COD, TSS and FOG removal of 64%, 88% and 48%, respectively. The overall COD, TSS and FOG removal of the system (SGBR and UF membrane) was 98%, 99.8%, and 92.4%, respectively. The results of the combined SGBR reactor coupled with the UF membrane showed a potential to ensure environmentally friendly treatment of poultry slaughterhouse wastewater.

Poultry slaughterhouses are generally large consumers of fresh water, which is exhausted as wastewater characterized by a high concentration of biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand COD, and fats, oil, and grease (FOG). Cost-effective methods are required for the treatment of poultry slaughterhouse wastewater, with the aim of attaining a high quality effluent that can be reused in industrial processes to promote sustainability. As compared to conventional treatment methods, electrocoagulation is an efficient and low-cost system. Electrocoagulation is environmentally friendly, treating wastewater without the need of chemicals, thus limiting secondary pollution. The metal anodes initiate electrochemical reactions for coagulation and flocculation. Its distinct advantages include compact installation and simple operation. This paper offers a comprehensive review of recent literature that has been dedicated to utilizing electrocoagulation for poultry slaughterhouse wastewater treatment. This paper also examines aspects such as theory, potential applications, current applications, as well as economical assessment of the technique.

Ultrasound technology is one of the leading, most promising green techniques in various applications within the food industry. The integration of this technology in the food processing industry has witnessed substantial advancements, transforming various processes to enhance quality, efficiency, and sustainability. The aim of this systematic review was to critically examine the advancements in ultrasound technology, focusing on optimization studies related to extraction and food preservation. The objective was to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of scaling up this technique for industrial implementation, ensuring its viability in large-scale food processing applications. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) method was adopted in this study, utilizing two databases: Web of Science (WOS) and Scopus. A distinct correlation in the unit operation parameters was found between the application of the technique for extraction and its application for pasteurization. The extraction process was found to have favored a medium ultrasonic power (300–500 W) with no requirement for heat, while the pasteurization process favored higher ultrasonic power (600–750 W) with mild temperatures (60 °C) to preserve essential bioactive compounds. Ultrasound technology is significantly transforming food processing methods, contributing to the development of a circular economy and leading to substantial improvements in processing efficiency, product quality, and sustainability. Additionally, it has proven its potential as a green technology to completely replace conventional techniques and its significant role in advancing the circular economy by harnessing the advantages of process efficiency and high-quality products from fruit material.

The global dairy sector produces upwards of 900 million tonnes of milk each year, resulting in 2.25 billion tonnes of wastewater being generated. This is significant in the South African context as a large percentage of the population lives without reliable access to clean, reliable water. The treatment of dairy wastewater (DWW) in this context would help alleviate the unavailability for many people in this country. DWW has a high fat content along with a high chemical oxygen demand (COD), which makes it problematic to dispose of. Biological treatment processes have shown great success in the remediation of this water. However, these are not without their shortfalls. A variety of biological processes have been listed here as well as suggestions to improve their effectiveness. To improve the treatment efficiency, there are two main lines of thinking: First, to optimise the process through the manipulation of the physical parameters of the systems (e.g., temperature, pH, hydraulic retention time (HRT), agitation, etc.). Second, to add either pre-treatment or post-treatment processes to the main process to increase the effectiveness of the entire process overall. These different options have been discussed, with suggestions being made on the way forward.