Fungal proteins are highlighted for their nutritional value and bioactive properties, making them a significant alternative to traditional protein sources. This review evaluates various green extraction technologies, including enzymatic-, ultrasound-, higher-pressure homogenization-, microwave-assisted, pulsed electric fields-, and supercritical fluid-assisted extraction, focusing on their effectiveness in disrupting fungal cell walls and preserving protein integrity. The findings indicate that these technologies could have the potential to improve protein yield and quality, addressing the challenges posed by fungal cell walls’ complex and resilient structure. The review also underscores the bioactivities of fungal proteins, including antifungal, antibacterial, antioxidant, and anticancer properties. The conclusion emphasises the need for further optimisation and scaling of these technologies, as well as exploring a wider range of fungal species to fully understand their potential as sustainable protein sources. Future research directions include refining extraction methods, integrating multiple approaches, and utilising novel green solvents to maximise efficiency and yield.

Cellulase is an important enzyme in present-day of industrial biotechnology. The current study is concerned with the production and partial characterization of cellulase enzyme from Bacillus sp. The effect of various fermentation conditions for cellulase production through shake-flask culture was investigated. Maximum enzyme production was obtained after 24 hours of incubation in fermentation medium with pH 3.5 at 35°C under having agitation at 150 rpm while inoculums volume 1% was applied. Enzyme production was 1.91 times higher after optimizing the production condition as compared to the basal media. Cellulase characterization revealed that optimum activity was at pH 5.5 and 50°C for 50 minutes. About 68% of the activity retained after heating the crude enzyme solution at 50°C for 30 minutes. This nature makes cellulase a suitable candidate for current mainstream biomass conversions for sustainable agriculture and industrial processes.

This review examines existing studies on wheat bran extracts (WBEs) to provide an overview of their functional properties, including antioxidant and enzyme-inhibitory activities, highlighting their potential as natural alternatives for applications in both the food and cosmetic industries. Despite variations in extraction techniques, WBEs consistently demonstrated a significant presence of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity. In the food industry, WBEs are valued for their nutritional richness, including dietary fiber, proteins, and bioactive compounds such as arabinoxylans. These compounds improve food texture, stability, and baking properties. Additionally, WBEs have demonstrated antimicrobial potential, enhanced product quality, and serve as natural preservatives. Furthermore, WBEs exhibit significant inhibitory effects against collagenase and elastase, suggesting promising anti-aging potential. In the cosmetics sector, WBEs have gained attention due to their emulsion stability, skin-whitening properties, antimicrobial effects, and antioxidant capacities. They have the potential to enhance the stability of cosmetic emulsions, improve skin hydration, and inhibit enzymes linked to skin aging, positioning WBEs as potentially natural alternatives to synthetic ingredients in skincare and anti-aging products. Our recent pilot study also supports that WBEs enhance antioxidant defenses against oxidative stress in rats, highlighting their potential role in anti-aging interventions. To further elucidate the efficacy and bioavailability of the beneficial bioactive compounds in WBEs for both food and cosmetic applications, more comprehensive in vivo studies are required in the future.

Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a recognized food-borne pathogen causing severe food poisoning at low doses. Bacteriophages (phages) are FDA-approved for use in food and are suggested as natural preservatives against specific pathogens. A novel phage must be identified and studied to develop a new natural preservative or antimicrobial agent against E. coli O157:H7. The phage SPEC13 displayed broad host range and was classified within the Ackermannviridae family based on its observed characteristics by a TEM and genome analysis. In 10 min, this phage achieves a remarkable 93% adsorption rate with the host. Its latency period then lasts about 20 min, after which it bursts, releasing an average of 139 ± 3 PFU/cell. It exhibited robustness within a pH range of 4 to 12, indicating resilience under diverse environmental circumstances. Furthermore, SPEC13 demonstrated stability at an ambient temperature up to 60 °C. A whole genome and phylogenetics analysis revealed that SPEC13 is a novel identified phage, lacking a lysogenic life cycle, antibiotic resistance genes, or genes associated with virulence, thereby presenting a promising biological agent for therapeutic application. Animal studies showed that SPEC13 effectively controlled the growth of harmful bacteria, resulting in a significant improvement in colon health, marked by reduced swelling (edema) and tissue damage (mucosal injury). The introduction of SPEC13 resulted in a substantial decrease in quantities of E. coli O157:H7, reducing the bacterial load to approximately 5 log CFU/g of feces. In conclusion, SPEC13 emerges as a promising inclusion in the array of phage therapy, offering a targeted and efficient approach for addressing bacterial infections.

Noodles are popular food and fortified noodles with vital nutrients may build a healthy food habit among people. Oat is a cereal with high nutritional value. Therefore, the current research was undertaken to increase the nutrient content of noodles using oat flour and to evaluate the effects of oat flour on the physicochemical properties and sensory attributes of the noodles. The noodles were prepared following five different formulations (oats: wheat flour in the ratio of 0:100, 20:80, 25:75, 30:70 and 35:65). Other ingredients like table salt, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), corn starch, and water were equal in each formulation. To evaluate the best formulation, proximate analysis, functional characteristics and sensory assay were conducted on samples. The formulation having 70% of wheat flour and 30% of oat flour showed the best performance in proximate analysis and sensory evaluation. This formulation of noodles has 13.03% of protein, 1.51% of fat, 1.46% of total ash, 0.76% of fibre, 73.87% of carbohydrate, 361.19 kcal of energy and also a good amount of important minerals. The formulation regarding wheat flour 70% and oat flour 30% may be suggested to the large population who are habituated to consume noodles regularly as the main diet.