Tomato seeds represent a very large waste by‐product from the processing of tomatoes into products such as tomato juice, sauce and paste. One potential use for these seeds is as a source of vegetable oil. This research investigated the oil content of tomato seeds using several extraction techniques as well as an examination of the oil extracts to determine the composition of the minor constituents such as phytosterol and antioxidant composition. The oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) of the tomato seed oils were also measured and correlated with antioxidant contents. This research demonstrated that tomato seed oil yield was highest using hot ethanol and followed by hot hexane and finally SC‐CO₂. The SC‐CO₂ treatment, however, had the highest total phytosterol content as well as highest individual phytosterol content. Sitosterol, cycloartanol, and stigmasterol were the most abundant phytosterols present in the extracts. The highest concentrations of antioxidants were found in the hexane extract. The most abundant antioxidants found in the tomato seed oils were all‐trans‐lycopene, cis‐3‐lycopene and β‐carotene. ORAC was highest for the hexane extract. Oil yield was inversely proportional to both α‐tocopherol and γ‐tocopherol content and positively correlated with cis‐3‐lycopene content. ORAC values were positively correlated with only all‐trans‐lycopene and cis‐3‐lycopene demonstrating their role as antioxidants in the tomato seed oil.

Heartwood samples from Juniperus virginiana L. were extracted with liquid carbon dioxide, and the bioactivity of carbon dioxide-derived cedarwood oil

Naturally durable wood pre-dates preservative-treated wood and has been demonstrated to offer a suitable service life for certain applications where preservative-treated wood is not feasible. Heartwood extractives have been demonstrated to impart bio-deteriorative resistance to naturally durable wood species. These extractives are typically found in the heartwood of living trees and are produced either by the death of parenchyma cells or as the result of external stimuli. The mechanisms of natural durability are not well understood, as heartwood extractives can be extremely variable in their distribution, composition, and efficacy in both living and harvested trees. The underlying complexity of heartwood extractives has hindered their standardization in residential building codes for use as wood preservatives. The use of naturally durable lumber is not always feasible, as woods with exceptionally durable heartwood do not typically yield lumber with acceptable machining properties. A potential approach to overcome the inherent difficulty in establishing guidelines for the appropriate use of naturally durable wood is to focus solely on the extractives as a source of bioactive protectants based on the strategies used on living and dead wood to repel the agents of biodeterioration. This critical review summarizes the relevant literature on naturally durable woods, their extractives, and their potential use as bio-inspired wood protectants. An additional discussion will be aimed at underscoring the past difficulties in adopting this approach and how to overcome the future hurdles.

Mycotoxin sequestration materials are important tools to reduce mycotoxin illness and enable proper handling of mycotoxin-contaminated commodities. Three food-grade bentonite clays and four generally recognized as safe (GRAS) charcoal/biochar carbon materials that are marketed as feed additives and supplements were evaluated for their ability to sequester the mycotoxins aflatoxin B₁, ochratoxin A, and zearalenone. The surface area of the clays varied between 32.1 to 51.4 mg²/g, and the surface area of the carbon-based materials varied from 1.7 to 1735 mg²/g. In vitro, gastric fluid studies indicated that certain pine biochar and activated coconut charcoal could sequester high amounts (85+%) of the mycotoxins at 1 ppm levels or below. However, some biochar materials with lower surface area properties lacked binding capacity. The coconut shell charcoal and pine biochar utilize agricultural waste products in a manner that significantly reduces carbon emissions and provides valuable materials to minimize exposure to toxins found in food and feed.

Microbial oils are a sustainable biomass-derived substitute for liquid fuels and vegetable oils. Oilcane, an engineered sugarcane with superior feedstock characteristics for biodiesel production, is a promising candidate for bioconversion. This study describes the processing of oilcane stems into juice and hydrothermally pretreated lignocellulosic hydrolysate and their valorization to ethanol and microbial oil using Saccharomyces cerevisiae and engineered Rhodosporidium toruloides strains, respectively. A bioethanol titer of 106 g/L was obtained from S. cerevisiae grown on oilcane juice in a 3 L fermenter, and a lipid titer of 8.8 g/L was obtained from R. toruloides grown on oilcane hydrolysate in a 75 L fermenter. Oil was extracted from the R. toruloides cells using supercritical CO₂, and the observed fatty acid profile was consistent with previous studies on this strain. These results demonstrate the feasibility of pilot-scale lipid production from oilcane hydrolysate as part of an integrated bioconversion strategy.

Heartwood samples from three species of Juniperus (i.e., J. virginiana, J. occidentalis, and J. ashei) were extracted with hexane, ethanol, and methanol. The hexane and ethanol extracts were tested for antifungal activity against four species of wood-rot fungi (i.e, Gloeophyllum trabeum, Postia placenta, Trametes versicolor, and Irpex lacteus). Ashe juniper (AJ) gave the highest extract yields (6.60 to 11.27%), followed by Eastern red cedar (ERC) (4.78 to 9.56%), and then Western juniper (WJ) (4.26 to 7.32%). WJ contained the highest level of cedrol (over 60%), while AJ contained the highest level of thujopsene (over 30%). Methanol and ethanol gave the highest extract yields as well as slightly higher percentages of cedrol and widdrol. The juniper extracts were more effective against white-rot fungi than brown-rot fungi. The ethanol extracts had higher antifungal activity than the hexane extracts. The AJ extracts had the greatest bioactivity against the wood-rot fungi.