Critical Reviews in Biotechnology最新文献

A large amount of fruit and vegetable waste is generated after harvest, during processing from the food industry and along the supply chain due to fresh produce quality deterioration. Fruit and vegetable waste may impact various sectors, such as the environment, economy, and society. In the last two decades, several studies have tried to mitigate the impact of fruit and vegetable waste by developing and optimizing extraction methods, targeting specific compounds without considering the value and further utilization of the remaining wet residue. Recently, biorefinery systems have been explored and developed for the holistic valorization of fruit and vegetable waste. The current research aims to summarize recent studies examining the valorization of different fruit and vegetable by-products using a holistic biorefinery approach. The various steps in a biorefinery process are presented and discussed. Biorefinery systems should be chosen and developed considering the presence or absence of fat-soluble compounds (i.e., oils) in fruit and vegetable waste. In the current study, different biorefinery systems are proposed based on fruit and vegetable waste composition. In conclusion, the phytochemicals and products produced during the biorefinery process can benefit various industries, such as: the food, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, transportation, chemical, heating, agricultural, and horticultural industries. Future multidisciplinary studies are encouraged to investigate the techno-economic and environmental impacts of the biorefinery processes.

The increasing knowledge of the makeup and role of organ microbiomes has created new possibilities for understanding and managing human illnesses. The models used for animal studies conducted in laboratory settings and live animals may not always offer the necessary insights. One in vitro cell culture system known as organ-on-a-chip technology has garnered interest as a way to collect data that accurately reflects human responses. Organ-on-a-chip (OoC) technology, while accurately simulating the function of tissues and organs, has largely covered the differences between animal and human systems. Microbiome-on-a-chip (MoC) offers benefits over other in vitro procedures, permitting dimensional observation of ecological dynamics, microbial growth, and host-associated interactions while regulating and assessing relevant environmental parameters such as pH and O₂ in real-time. The fabricated MoC platforms can be designed to test microbiome-enabled therapies, to study culture and pharmacology, antibiotic resistance, and to model multi-organ interactions mediated by the microbiome. In the current overview, we provide a translational perspective and discuss different organs, such as: oral, skin, gut and vaginal microbiota on a chip and recently developed MoC-based devices. The commonly used MoC fabrication methods, such as microfluidics and 3D printing, have been explored, and the potential applications of MoC in microbiome engineering have been suggested.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading global cause of death and strains healthcare systems significantly. Early diagnosis is crucial and can be achieved through cardiac biomarker assessment, which enables timely treatment and reduces mortality rates. Traditional diagnostic methods require large hospital equipment for electrocardiography and laboratory analysis, leading to lengthy procedures. To address this, there is increasing interest in advanced biosensing technologies for rapid CVD marker screening. Advances in nanotechnology and bioelectronics have led to new biosensor platforms that offer rapid detection, accurate quantification, and continuous monitoring. This comprehensive review focuses on blood-based RNA cardiac biomarkers, which are widely used in clinical settings, and examines the development of electrochemical nanobiosensors for detecting RNA biomarkers. It provides a thorough evaluation of the benefits and drawbacks of these biosensing devices and offers insights into future research directions for electrochemical nanobiosensors in CVD, particularly those based on RNA markers.

Cadmium (Cd²⁺) pollution possesses severe risks to human health and the ecosystem due to its high toxicity, persistence, and bioaccumulation potential. Conventional remediation methods, such as chemical precipitation, membrane filtration and ion exchange, are often costly, inefficient and unsustainable. In contrast, microalgae-based bioremediation has emerged as a promising approach due to its ability of biosorption, bioaccumulation and biotransformation. Microalgae possess unique metabolic and structural attributes, including: abundant extracellular metal binding sites, polymeric substances, intracellular chelators and the ability of Cd-nanoparticles (CdSeNPs, CdSNPs) formation enabling efficient Cd²⁺ sequestration and detoxification. Despite these advantages, large-scale application remains limited due to gaps in understanding of key regulatory mechanisms. This review highlights the detailed mechanism of the microalgae-based Cd²⁺ remediation process, identifies critical factors influencing remediation efficiency and potential microalgae strain's efficiency in Cd²⁺ removal. Furthermore, the utilization of genetic engineering for enhancing remediation efficiency by targeting key metal transporters, chelators, and stress-response pathways and potential candidate gene are also highlighted. These biotechnological advances and the understanding of the microalgae mediated remediation process presents a promise for a large scale efficient, sustainable Cd²⁺ bioremediation approach.

Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) are an ecologically and physiologically diverse group that synthesizes intracellular nanoparticles, known as magnetosomes (biomagnetic minerals), enabling them to navigate along geomagnetic field lines through microbial magnetoreception. This review provides a comprehensive overview of MTB research from 1979 to 2024, encompassing (i) the cultivation approach, (ii) diverse ecosystems, such as: volcanic lakes, coral reefs, paleosols, acidic peatland, and deep-sea hydrothermal fields, and (iii) ecological and evolutionary studies. To date only two phyla, Pseudomonadota (specifically Alphaproteobacteria, Desulfobacterota, and Gammaproteobacteria) and Nitrospirota have been reported for magnetosomes based biomineralization. Recent advancements in methodologies, including: cultivation-independent approach to survey Magnetosome Gene Cluster (MGCs), 16S rRNA gene characterization, and Cultivation dependent approach for successful isolation of an axenic culture/s of novel MTB strains from diverse ecosystems. The review also highlights the significance of MTB-derived Magnetofossils from paleoenvironmental sediments and emphasizes the importance of Cultivation-independent approach using group-specific primers and alphaproteobacterial sets of primers for direct detection of MTB from the environmental samples. Furthermore, the expanding application of magnetosomes in biotechnology, such as: magnetic hyperthermia for cancer treatment, targeted drug delivery, MTB-based microrobots for isolation of pathogens, and environmental remediation (e.g., pollutant and heavy metal removal from waste water), are discussed.

A shellfish processing plant generates only 30-40% of edible meat, while 70-60% of portions are considered inedible or by-products. This large amount of byproduct or shellfish processing waste contains 20-40% chitin, that can be extracted using chemical or greener alternative extraction technologies. Chitin and its derivative (chitosan) are natural polysaccharides with nontoxicity, biocompatible, and biodegradable properties. Due to their versatile physicochemical, mechanical, and various bioactivities, these compounds find applications in various industries, including: biomedical, dental, cosmetics, food, textiles, agriculture, and biotechnology. In the agricultural sector, these compounds have been reported to promote: plant growth, plant defense system, slow release of nutrients in fertilizer, plant nutrition, and remediate soil conditions, etc. Whereas, biotechnology applications indicated: enhanced enzyme stability and efficacy, water purification and remediation, application in fuel cells and supercapacitors for energy conversion, acting as a catalyst in chemical synthesis, etc. This review provides a comprehensive discussion on the utilization of these biopolymers in agriculture (fertilizer, seed coating, soil treatment, and bioremediation) and biotechnology (enzyme immobilization, energy conversion, wastewater treatment, and chemical synthesis). Additionally, various extraction techniques including conventional and non-thermal techniques have been reported. Lastly, concluding remarks and future direction have been provided.

Milk and milk products are very susceptible to spoilage and therefore, suitable innovative packaging strategies are indispensable to enhance shelf life along with maintaining quality and safety. Transformation in the utilization of packaging materials and technologies in the dairy sector is trending to match and meet the changing demands of consumers aware of this. Smart, intelligent, and active packagings are a few innovative packaging strategies that aim at protracting the shelf stability of milk and milk products while enhancing safety and sensory qualities. Other packaging innovations also include the use of different packaging systems which are not only safe, compatible with food, and stable over a wide range of storage conditions but are more eco-friendly and thus posing the least possible burden on the environment. In this review, the authors attempt to compile innovative green packaging technologies for different dairy products. The properties and applications of biomaterials used for smart, active, and intelligent packaging of milk and milk products, such as: pasteurized milk, evaporated milk, sweetened milk, condensed milk, milk powder, along with: ice cream, butter, coagulated dairy products, and heat-desiccated milk products are briefly discussed. Environmental impact, safety regulations as well as challenges in the implementation of different innovative packaging technologies in the dairy sector are also covered. The use of eco-friendly packaging innovative approaches in terms of improved biodegradability and lesser environmental hazards aims to achieve environmental sustainability goals for a clean and green future.

Succinate, a crucial bio-based chemical building block, has already found extensive applications in fields such as food additives, pharmaceutical intermediates, and the chemical materials industry. To efficiently and economically synthesize succinate, substantial endeavors have been executed to optimize fermentation processes and downstream operations. Nonetheless, there is still a need to enhance cost-effectiveness and competitiveness while considering environmental concerns, particularly in light of the escalating demands and challenges posed by global warming. This article primarily focuses on the application of metabolic engineering strategies to strengthen succinate biosynthesis. These strategies encompass fermentation regulation, metabolic regulation, cellular regulation, and model guidance. By leveraging advanced synthetic biology techniques, this review highlights the potential for developing robust microbial cell factories and shaping the future directions for the integration of microbes in industrial applications.

Climate change induces various environmental stressors that restrict plant processes, thereby limiting overall crop productivity. Plant secondary metabolites (SMs) enable plants to quickly detect a broad array of environmental stressors and respond in accordance to rapidly changing environmental scenarios. Notably, SMs regulate defense signaling cascades and provide defensive functions to safeguard plants against various biotic and abiotic stressors. In this review, we provide an overview of insights into recent advances in types and biosynthetic pathways of SMs. We emphasize the mechanisms of different biotic and abiotic elicitors-induced SMs synthesis and accumulation to regulate defense responses. In addition, SMs-mediated regulation of plant processes act through phytohormones signaling cascades is discussed. Finally, we show that transcriptional factors regulating SMs biosynthesis and associated regulatory networks could be used for creating resilient plants. Overall, this comprehensive review gives insight into recent advances regarding crucial roles of SMs in enhanced resistance and provides new ideas for the development of stress-resistant varieties under current climate change scenarios.

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is a globally consumed staple food crop grown in temperate regions. The underground storage organs (tubers) are a rich source of carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, and minerals, contributing to food and nutritional security. Tuberization, the process by which underground stems (stolons) develop into tubers, is intricately regulated by genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors. Studying the developmental transition from stolon to tuber in soil-based systems is challenging due to the limited visibility of below-ground stages. Microtuberization is the formation of small tubers under controlled, soil-less, and in vitro conditions, offering an effective alternative for precise monitoring of tuber development stages. Microtubers are valuable as disease-free seed propagules and essential for germplasm conservation, supporting the preservation and propagation of genetic resources. Microtuberization is influenced by both internal factors, viz., genotype and explant, and external factors, viz., photoperiod, temperature, light, plant growth regulators, sucrose, and synthetic molecules. These factors collectively regulate the transition from stolon to tuber. Microtubers exhibit strong similarities to field-grown tubers, making them a reliable model to study the environmental and molecular mechanisms of tuberization. This review examines the key factors driving microtuberization and explores potential molecular regulators involved in stolon-to-tuber transition. Furthermore, the applications of microtuberization are highlighted, including disease-free seed production, mass multiplication, germplasm evaluation and conservation, molecular farming, genetic engineering, and stress adaptation research. Additionally, microtubers serve as an experimental tool for unraveling the molecular intricacies of tuberization, paving the way for advancements in potato research and global food security strategies.