Fungi are an understudied, biotechnologically valuable group of organisms. Due to 
the immense range of habitats that fungi inhabit, and the consequent need to compete against a diverse array of other fungi, bacteria, and animals, fungi have developed numerous survival mechanisms. The unique attributes of fungi thus herald great promise for their application in biotechnology and industry. Moreover, fungi can be grown with relative ease, making production at scale viable. The search for fungal biodiversity, and the construction of a living fungi collection, both have incredible economic potential in locating organisms with novel industrial uses that will lead to novel products. This manuscript reviews fifty ways in which fungi can potentially be utilized as biotechnology. We provide notes and examples for each potential exploitation and give examples from our own work and the work of other notable researchers. We also provide a flow chart that can be used to convince funding bodies of the importance of fungi for biotechnological research and as potential products. Fungi have provided the world with penicillin, lovastatin, and other globally significant medicines, and they remain an untapped resource with enormous industrial potential.

The amazing potential of fungi: 50 ways we can exploit fungi industrially

Phenolic composition, antioxidant potential and health benefits of citrus peel.

Fruits and vegetables are essential for human nutrition, delivering a substantial proportion of vitamins, minerals, and fibers in our daily diet. Unfortunately, half the fruits and vegetables produced worldwide end up as wastes, generating environmental issues caused mainly by microbial degradation. Most wastes are generated by industrial processing, the so-called by-products. These by-products still contain many bioactive compounds post-processing, such as macronutrients (proteins and carbohydrates) and phytochemicals (polyphenols and carotenoids). Recently, the recovery of these bioactive compounds from industry by-products has received significant attention, mainly due to their possible health benefits for humans. This chapter focuses on the bioactive potential of fruit and vegetable by-products with possible applications in the food industry (functional foods) and in the health sector (nutraceuticals).

Bioactive potential of fruit and vegetable wastes.

Citrus grandis Osbeck, commonly known as "pomelo" or "shaddock," is the largest citrus fruit, the peel of which is a well-known agricultural residual waste. Pomelo peel offers a wide range of components such as essential oils, polysaccharides, and phytochemicals with potential food applications. Utilization of pomelo peel to recover these components is an important step toward agricultural sustainability. This review covers pomelo peel utilization opportunities beyond conventional composting and animal feed production, and critically examines value-added uses via the recovery of potentially bioactive components. The peel of pomelo accounts for approximately 30% of the total fruit weight and contains phytochemicals, including aroma-active volatiles, pectin, flavonoids, phenolic acids, carotenoids, coumarins, and polysaccharides. Recovery of these phytochemicals offers an opportunity for value-added utilization such as the development of enriched or functional foods and nutraceuticals. The health-promoting and therapeutic potential of pomelo peel extracts and isolated pure compounds have been evaluated through numerous in vitro and in vivo studies that revealed a wide range of bioactivities, including hypolipidemic, hypoglycemic, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer effects. Preclinical evidence highlights multifaceted molecular and signaling events that possibly underlie the said bioactive potential. Overall, the pomelo processing industry offers a great opportunity to recover or produce valuable products from the large amounts of residual wastes it generates. It is envisaged that a thorough understanding of the bioactive components of pomelo peel, their functional and nutraceutical applications, and mode of actions will benefit the food industry.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1541-4337.12561

Valorization of pomelo (Citrus grandis Osbeck) peel: A review of current utilization, phytochemistry, bioactivities, and mechanisms of action.

Green synthesis approaches are gaining significance as promising routes for the sustainable preparation of nanoparticles, offering reduced toxicity towards living organisms and the environment. Nanomaterials produced by green synthesis approaches can offer additional benefits, including reduced energy inputs and lower production costs than traditional synthesis, which bodes well for commercial-scale production. The biomolecules and phytochemicals extracted from microbes and plants, respectively, are active compounds that function as reducing and stabilizing agents for the green synthesis of nanoparticles. Microorganisms, such as bacteria, yeasts, fungi, and algae, have been used in nanomaterials' biological synthesis for some time. Furthermore, the use of plants or plant extracts for metal and metal-based hybrid nanoparticle synthesis represents a novel green synthesis approach that has attracted significant research interest. This review discusses various biosynthesis approaches via microbes and plants for the green preparation of metal and metal oxide nanoparticles and provides insights into the molecular aspects of the synthesis mechanisms and biomedical applications. The use of agriculture waste as a potential bioresource for nanoparticle synthesis and biomedical applications of biosynthesized nanoparticles is also discussed.

Green approaches for the synthesis of metal and metal oxide nanoparticles using microbial and plant extracts.

Recent progress in the utilization of industrial waste and by‐products of citrus fruits: A review

Monodisperse silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized from cell free extracts of edible fungus Pleurotus florida by different electro-magnetic radiations, microwave, visible light and ...

Size controlled, time-efficient biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles from Pleurotus florida using ultra-violet, visible range, and microwave radiations

Selenium biofortification of Pleurotus species and its effect on yield, phytochemical profiles, and protein chemistry of fruiting bodies

An ultrasound-assisted procedure was applied to the extraction of oil from apricot kernels. The best possible combination of extraction parameters was obtained with the response surface methodology at a three-variable, three level experiments Box-Behnken design. The optimum extraction parameters were as follows: extraction time: 43.95 min; extraction temperature: 51.72 °C; and solvent/sample ratio: 19.8:01 at a fixed ultrasonic frequency of 40 kHz. Close agreement between experimental and predicted values were found. The viscosity values decreased with increase in the shear rate. Viscosities of samples treated with ultrasound for longer time were relatively higher due to dissolution of heavy suspended components. The results suggest that ultrasonic-assisted extraction could be a good option for the extraction of oil from apricot kernels.



Practical Applications

Ultrasound treatment is a nonthermal and novel processing technology for extraction of biologically active food components. UAE in this study had a pronounced effect on the overall qualities of the extracted oil while maintaining the quality. Rheological properties of UAE extracted any edible oil is reported first time. This study can be beneficial for industries and researchers for enhancing the yield and maintaining the quality of the oils.

Ultrasound‐Assisted Extraction of Apricot Kernel Oil: Effects on Functional and Rheological Properties

This study was aimed to optimize the organogenesis in rough lemon ( Citrus jambhiri Lush), an important citrus rootstock of India. Organogenesis was induced in epicotyl segments of rough lemon seedlings. Three important factors influencing organogenesis in vitro viz. hormone combination, cut modes and photoperiod were evaluated. Etiolation of seedlings had a positive effect on bud formation and higher number of buds per explant was obtained from etiolated seedlings. Among the cut modes, transverse cut performed better for its effect on the number of regenerated buds and shoots per explant. The best response regarding the number of adventitious buds formed per explant was observed with BAP at the concentration of 2.0 mg/l along with malt extract (500 ppm) and additional dose of 25 g/l sucrose.

/pdf/in-vitro-plant-regeneration-in-rough-lemon-citrus-jambhiri-2h0hwnjvzp.pdf

Gagandeep Kaur

Papers

Recent progress in the utilization of industrial waste and by‐products of citrus fruits: A review

Size controlled, time-efficient biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles from Pleurotus florida using ultra-violet, visible range, and microwave radiations

Selenium biofortification of Pleurotus species and its effect on yield, phytochemical profiles, and protein chemistry of fruiting bodies

Ultrasound‐Assisted Extraction of Apricot Kernel Oil: Effects on Functional and Rheological Properties

In vitro plant regeneration in rough lemon (Citrus jambhiri Lush) by direct organogenesis