To investigate the antioxidant and cytotoxic activity of the flower of Acanthus ilicifolius (A. ilicifolius). Antioxidant activity was determined as antiradical efficiency with diphenyl picrylhydrazil (DPPH) method and cytotoxic assay was undertaken using brine shrimp lethal toxicity test. A. ilicifolius flower contained terpenoid, phenolic compounds, and alkaloid. The methanol extract of A. ilicifolius flower showed the highest antiradical efficiency (AE=1.41×10(-3)) against DPPH radicals and the highest cytotoxicity (LC50=22 µg/mL) against brine shrimp nauplii. It is suggested that active compounds of A. ilicifolius flower solved in methanol play a role to inhibit free radical activity and kill Artemia salina nauplii. The substances can be considered as potential antioxidant and cytotoxic agents as well as imminent candidate for cancer therapy.

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) play a crucial role in probiotics, functional foods, and sustainable biotechnologies due to their ability to produce bioactive metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids, bacteriocins, vitamins, and exopolysaccharides. These metabolites aid in gut health, pathogen inhibition, and enhanced productivity in the food, pharmaceutical, and aquaculture industries. However, the high production cost remains a major challenge, necessitating cost-effective media formulations and bioprocess optimization. This review explores strategies for maximizing LAB yields and functionality through the precision control of key cultivation parameters, including temperature, pH, and agitation speed, ensuring probiotic viability in compliance with regulatory standards (≥10⁶ CFU/g or mL). Furthermore, advances in metabolic engineering, synthetic biology, and the utilization of agro-industrial by-products are driving cost-efficient and eco-friendly LAB production. By integrating scalable fermentation technologies with sustainable resource management, LAB have the potential to bridge the gap between food security, environmental sustainability, and biotechnological innovation. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent advances in LAB cultivation and bioprocess optimization, ensuring high-quality probiotic production for diverse industrial applications.

It has been reported that acrylamide, a potential carcinogen, is formed from the reaction of L-asparagine (L-Asn) and reducing sugars contained in foods during heating processes and free asparagine is a limiting factor for acrylamide formation. It has been reported that potato products such as potato chips, which are made through heating processes, contain high levels of acrylamide. To decrease the amount of L-Asn in potatoes using L-asparaginase, effective treatment conditions of sliced potatoes with the enzyme have been investigated. By treating sliced potatoes with Bacillus subtilis L-asparaginase II (BAsnase; 4 U/g potato), appriximately 40 % of L-Asn in the sliced potatoes was converted into L-aspartic acid (L-Asp). To make this enzyme more effective, prior to enzymatic treatment, sliced potatoes were freeze-thawed, dried at 90 °C for 20 min, and vacuum treated for 10 min under decompressed condition, resulting in the hydrolysis of approximately 90 % of L-Asn to L-Asp. The acrylamide content of BAsnase-treated fried potato chips decreased to below 20 % of that of BAsnase-untreated fried potato chips. Treatment conditions examined in this study were found to be effective to suppress the formation of acrylamide in fried potato chips.

Background: Fish byproducts are commonly recognized as low-value resources. In order to increase the value, fish byproducts need to be converted into new products with high functionality such as fish protein hydrolysate (FPH). In this study, FPH manufactured from parrotfish (Chlorurus sordidus) heads using different pH, time and sample ratio was investigated. Methods: Hydrolysis reactions were conducted under different pHs (5, 7, and 9) and over different durations (12 and 24 h). Control treatment (without pH adjustment (pH 6.4)) and 0 h hydrolsisis duration were applied. Hydrolysates were characterized with respect to proximate composition, amino acid profile, and molecular weight distribution. The antioxidant activity of the hydrolysate was also observed. Results: The pH and duration of hydrolysis significantly affected (p < 0.05) the characteristics of FPH. The highest yield of hydrolysate (49.04 ± 0.90%), with a degree of hydrolysis of 30.65 ± 1.82%, was obtained at pH 9 after 24 h incubation. In addition, the FPH had high antioxidant activity (58.20 ± 0.55%), with a high level of essential amino acids. Results suggested that FPH produced using endogenous enzymes represents a promising additive for food and industrial applications.