Wheat germ oil (WGO), derived from the nutrient-dense germ of wheat kernels, is a functional bioactive product, known for its rich composition of essential fatty acids, sterols, tocopherols, and polyphenols. This study aimed to comprehensively profile the molecular and therapeutic properties of WGO, focusing on its antioxidant, cytotoxic, and anti-inflammatory activity. Using advanced analytical techniques such as gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and fluorescence analysis, WGO was shown to contain high levels of linoleic acid (45.3%), squalene (2.52 g/100 g), and polyphenols. WGO displayed selective cytotoxicity, inhibiting cancer cells’ viability in melanoma, prostate, and colorectal cancer cell lines, but not normal cells, highlighting its chemoprevention potential. Furthermore, WGO significantly reduced LPS-induced nitric oxide and IL-6 production in macrophages, with effects plateauing at higher doses. The 3D fluorescence spectra showed a significant decrease in fluorescence intensity when human serum albumin interacted with the WGO polyphenol fraction, indicating a strong binding affinity and stable complex formation. These findings emphasize the nutritional and therapeutic potential of WGO as a natural bioactive agent, warranting further mechanistic investigation and broader applications in health and disease management.

The aim of this study was to obtain and characterise the long-chain alcohols present in policosanol derived from waste from the production of carminic acid, a natural colouring agent widely used in the food industry. The effectiveness of different methods designed for extraction of policosanol from waxy waste was investigated and its content and composition was determined. Triacontanol was the main component in policosanol produced by chemical processes, and it yields up to 13% by alkaline hydrolysis in water and chloroform extraction. Regarding enzymatic transesterification, policosanol was obtained using lipase Candida antarctica recombinant in Aspergillus niger (CAL-Bn) in a reaction medium with toluene. To improve the reaction, different acyl receptors, propanol, butanol, and isopropanol, were tested and molecular sieves were employed to maintain an anhydrous reaction medium. In this case, the policosanol was made up of other long-chain alcohols, but triacontanol was obtained in yields of up to 19% using isopropanol as an acyl receptor. Triacontanol has a great commercial value due to its effect as a promoter of plant growth, and these results contribute to the use and application of this agroindustrial waste in obtaining value-added products.

When applied under abiotic stress conditions, triacontanol (TRIA) is effective in regulating the physicochemical processes in plants through mechanisms of defence such as abscisic acid (ABA) signalling. However, TRIA’s role in relation to ABA and stomatal opening is unclear. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of TRIA and ABA and their combinations on different variables related to stomatal regulation in Solanum lycopersicum, which is subjected to drought stress, and on the leaf epidermis. The negative effects of stress and responses triggered by ABA were reversed in plants treated with TRIA. TRIA increased stomatal conductance and photosynthetic activity in the early hours, and it was determined that TRIA produced larger stomata than did the other treatments. Moreover, the chloroplasts of plants treated with TRIA were significantly smaller and more numerous than those of the control, which could improve CO₂ diffusion efficiency and may be related to the regulation of stomatal opening and photosynthesis. Finally, the abaxial epidermis tests reaffirmed the inhibitory effects of TRIA on ABA on stomatal opening. These results confirm the important role of TRIA in regulating various processes in plants and processes triggered by ABA, such as those related to stomatal regulation.