Arabica coffee, one of the most valuable crop commodities, harbors diverse microbial communities with unique genetic and functional traits that influence bean safety and final coffee quality. In Ecuador, coffee production faces challenges due to the spread of pathogenic organisms across cultivars, leading to reduced yields and compromised quality. This study employed a shotgun metagenomic approach to characterize the indigenous microbial diversity present in the cell biomass of fermented coffee cherries from three Coffea arabica varieties: Typica (Group A), Yellow Caturra (Group B), and Red Caturra (Group C), originating from the Intag Valley in northern Ecuador, at two ripe stages: green (immature fruits) and ripe (red/yellow mature fruits). Gene prediction and functional annotation were performed using multiple databases, including EggNOG, COG, KEGG, CAZy, CARD, and BacMet, to explore the potential impact of microbial communities on bean quality and safety. Metagenomic sequencing generated over 416 million high-quality reads, averaging 66 million clean reads per sample and yielding a total of 47 Gbps of data. Analysis revealed distinct differences in species abundance based on the coffee variety and ripening stage. A total of 799,658 protein-coding sequences (CDSs) were predicted, of which 205,937 genes were annotated with EggNOG, 181,723 with COG, 155,220 with KEGG, and 10,473 with CAZy. Additionally, 432 antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) were identified using CARD, and 8974 biocide and metal resistance genes (BMRGs) were annotated with BacMet. Immature cherries exhibited enriched pathways associated with resistance to antibiotics such as fluoroquinolones, penams, rifamycin, macrolides, carbapenems, and cephalosporins. The abundance of these pathways varied with the ripening stage and variety. Furthermore, green cherries showed a significant increase in BMRGs associated with resistance to substances including hydrochloric acid, copper, nickel, hydrogen peroxide, arsenic, and zinc. Among mature cherries, Typica and Red Caturra shared similar profiles, while Yellow Caturra displayed a divergent microbial and functional profile. These study findings emphasize the interplay between microbial diversity, ripening stages, and coffee varieties, providing a foundation for innovative approaches to enhance coffee quality through microbiome management.

The global citrus-processing industry generates 15–32 million tonnes of waste annually. Lemon-processing residues—peels, seeds, and pomace—constitute 45–55% of fruit mass and harbour high-value bioactive compounds amenable to cascade valorisation. This review (Part I of a two-part series) examines green extraction technologies for recovering bioactive compounds from lemon waste streams. Following bibliometric analysis of 847 publications (2003–2025), this work delineates the compositional heterogeneity of lemon fractions and establishes a hierarchical framework for value-added products encompassing essential oils, pectin, polyphenols, seed oils, citric acid, industrial enzymes, α-cellulose, and nanocrystalline cellulose. Four sustainable extraction methodologies are systematically evaluated: ultrasound-assisted extraction, microwave-assisted extraction, supercritical CO₂ extraction, and enzyme-assisted extraction. Comparative assessment demonstrates yield improvements of 16–112% over conventional approaches, processing-time reductions of 89–98%, and energy savings up to 95%. Critical research gaps include fragmented single-product valorisation, insufficient techno-economic assessment, and limited industrial-scale validation. Integrated cascade biorefineries employing sequential green extraction protocols offer economically viable pathways for transforming lemon waste into diversified revenue streams. Industrial implementation, circular-economy integration, and techno-economic feasibility are addressed in Part II.

La desigualdad regional en el acceso, el egreso, la equidad y la calidad es una de las características históricas de la educación superior en América Latina asociada al carácter inicial de elite del servicio universitario y las formas que asume la desigualdad estructural de la región. Sin embargo, tal realidad está cambiando por medio de una masificación que reduce las desigualdades regionales universitarias con diversidad de modalidades. El presente artículo es una reflexión derivada de una investigación comparativa regional más amplia sobre los cambios en los procesos de regionalización, y que muestra la mayor propensión hacia formas de descentralización (nuevas instituciones y diversidad de mecanismos) frente a las formas tradicionales de desconcentración (sedes, subsedes o filiales) que caracterizaron la regionalización de la educación superior en el continente. Ella devela una diversidad de mecanismos de oferta regional de servicios de educación superior, fundamentalmente públicos pero también privados, que son al tiempo los que han sostenido en los últimos años la expansión de la matrícula y el aumento de la cobertura.

This review examines the implementation dimensions of integrated lemon biorefinery systems, including cascade valorisation design, circular-economy integration, life-cycle assessment, techno-economic feasibility, and regulatory frameworks. Bibliometric analysis of Web of Science data (2015–2025) reveals exponential growth in citrus-biorefinery research, with lemon representing a burgeoning subset. Techno-economic assessments indicate that cascade biorefineries recovering essential oils, pectin, polyphenols, nanocellulose, and bioenergy can achieve cumulative revenues of USD 400–650 per tonne of dry peel. Whilst small-scale units (<500 tonnes per year) struggle to achieve viability, industrial simulations demonstrate Internal Rates of Return exceeding 18% at processing scales above 100,000 tonnes annually (2025 basis). Life-cycle assessments confirm environmental benefits, with greenhouse gas reductions of 60–85% relative to conventional disposal. Critical success factors include adopting green extraction technologies to preserve bioactive integrity and mitigating D-limonene inhibition in downstream anaerobic digestion. These findings establish essential oil extraction and pectin recovery as commercially mature technologies, whilst integrated multi-product lemon biorefineries remain economically promising based on techno-economic modelling and pilot-scale demonstrations, provided regulatory hurdles are effectively navigated.

This review examines implementation dimensions of integrated lemon biorefinery systems, including cascade valorisation design, circular-economy integration, life-cycle assessment, techno-economic feasibility, and regulatory frameworks. Bibliometric analysis of Web of Science data (2015–2025) reveals exponential growth in citrus-biorefinery research, with lemon representing a burgeoning subset. Techno-economic assessments indicate that cascade biorefineries recovering essential oils, pectin, polyphenols, nanocellulose, and bioenergy can achieve cumulative revenues of USD 400–650 per tonne of dry peel. Whilst small-scale units (<500 tonnes/year) struggle to achieve viability, industrial simulations demonstrate Internal Rates of Return exceeding 18% at processing scales above 100,000 tonnes annually (2025 basis). Life-cycle assessments confirm environmental benefits, with greenhouse gas reductions of 60–85% relative to conventional disposal. Critical success factors include adopting green extraction technologies to preserve bioactive integrity and mitigating D-limonene inhibition in downstream anaerobic digestion. These findings establish lemon biorefineries as technically mature, economically viable pathways for circular bioeconomy transitions, provided regulatory hurdles—Novel Foods authorisation (EU) and GRAS determination (US)—are effectively navigated.

The global citrus processing industry generates 15–32 million tonnes of waste annual-ly, representing substantial environmental and economic burdens. However, lemon processing residues—peels, seeds, and pomace—constitute complex matrices rich in high-value compounds, amenable to cascade valorisation within circular biorefinery frameworks. This comprehensive review examines current trends in green extraction technologies for recovering bioactive compounds and functional materials from lemon waste streams. Following systematic bibliometric analysis of 847 publications span-ning 2003–2025, this work delineates the compositional heterogeneity of lemon frac-tions, quantifies typical industrial residue yields, and establishes a hierarchical framework for value-added products encompassing essential oils, pectin, polyphenols, seed oils, citric acid, industrial enzymes, α-cellulose, and nanocrystalline cellulose. Particular emphasis is placed on emerging sustainable extraction methodolo-gies—including ultrasound-assisted extraction, microwave-assisted extraction, super-critical fluid extraction, and enzyme-assisted extraction—which demonstrate yield improvements of 16–112% compared to conventional approaches whilst reducing en-ergy consumption by up to 95%. Critical research gaps are identified, including frag-mented valorisation approaches, insufficient techno-economic assessment, and limited industrial implementation at commercial scales. This review establishes that integrat-ed cascade biorefineries employing sequential green extraction protocols offer eco-nomically viable pathways for transforming lemon processing waste into diversified revenue streams, thereby advancing circular economy principles within the citrus in-dustry.