Insect biorefinery: A circular economy concept for biowaste conversion to value-added products.

With rapid growing world population and increasing demand for natural resources, the production of sufficient food, feed for protein and fat sources and sustainable energy presents a food insecurity challenge globally. Insect biorefinery is a concept of using insect as a tool to convert biomass waste into energy and other beneficial products with concomitant remediation of the organic components. The exploitation of insects and its bioproducts have becoming more popular in recent years. This review article presents a summary of the current trend of insect-based industry and the potential organic wastes for insect bioconversion and biorefinery. Numerous biotechnological products obtained from insect biorefinery such as biofertilizer, animal feeds, edible foods, biopolymer, bioenzymes and biodiesel are discussed in the subsequent sections. Insect biorefinery serves as a promising sustainable approach for waste management while producing valuable bioproducts feasible to achieve circular bioeconomy.

Evaluation of Aqueous Biphasic Electrophoresis System Based on Halide-Free Ionic Liquids for Direct Recovery of Keratinase.

Aqueous biphasic electrophoresis system (ABES) incorporates electric fields into the biphasic system to separate the target biomolecules from crude feedstock. Ionic liquid (IL) is regarded as an excellent candidate as the phase-forming components for ABES because of the great electrical conductivity, which can promote the electromigration of biomolecules in ABES, and thereby enhances the separation efficiency of the target biomolecules from crude feedstock. The application of electric fields to the conventional biphasic system expedites the phase settling time of the biphasic system, which eases the subsequent scaling-up steps and reduces the overall processing time of the recovery process. Alkyl sulphate-based IL is a green and economical halide-free surfactant when compared to the other halide-containing IL. The feasibility of halide-free IL-based ABES to recover Kytococcus sedentarius TWHK01 keratinase was studied. Optimum partition coefficient (Ke = 7.53 ± 0.35) and yield (YT = 80.36% ± 0.71) were recorded with IL-ABES comprised of 15.0% (w/w) [EMIM][ESO4], 20.0% (w/w) sodium carbonate and 15% (w/w) crude feedstock. Selectivity (S) of 5.75 ± 0.27 was obtained with the IL-ABES operated at operation time of 5 min with 10 V voltage supplied. Halide-free IL is proven to be a potential phase-forming component of IL-ABES for large-scale recovery of keratinase.

Risk factors for low birth weight among rural and urban Malaysian women.

BACKGROUND: Low birth weight prevalence in Malaysia remains high. Socioeconomic background may lead to differences in physical activity and maternal nutritional status, which may play an important role in birth outcomes. METHODS: This prospective cross-sectional study aimed to identify rural-urban differences in risk factors for low birth weight among women in Malaysia. Pregnant women at ≥20 weeks of gestation in urban and rural Malaysia (n = 437) completed questionnaires on sociodemographic characteristics and physical activity. Weight and middle-upper arm circumference were measured. Infant birth outcomes were extracted from medical records. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of low birth weight infants was 6.38%. Rural women had more low birth weight infants than urban women (9.8% vs 2.0%, p = 0.03). Findings showed rural women were less sedentary (p = 0.003) and participated in more household/caregiving activities (p = 0.036), sports activities (p = 0.01) and less occupational activity (p < 0.001) than urban women. Logistic regression revealed that older age (OR = 1.395, 95% Cl = 1.053 to 1.846), low parity (OR = 0.256, 95% Cl = 0.088-0.747) and low middle-upper arm circumference (OR = 0.738, 95% Cl = 0.552 to 0.987) increased the risk of low birth weight infants in rural, but not in urban women. CONCLUSIONS: We observed differences in risk factors for low birth weight between urban and rural pregnant women. Age, malnutrition and low parity were risk factors for low birth weight among rural pregnant women. Our findings suggest that rural pregnant women with low nutritional status should be encouraged to monitor their middle-upper arm circumference consistently throughout pregnancy. Improving nutritional status in rural pregnant women may reduce the risk of low birth weight infants in this population.

Assessment of extraction parameters on antioxidant capacity, polyphenol content, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), epicatechin gallate (ECG) and iriflophenone 3-C-ß-glucoside of agarwood (Aquilaria crassna) young leaves.

The effects of ethanol concentration (0%-100%, v/v), solid-to-solvent ratio (1:10-1:60, w/v) and extraction time (30-180 min) on the extraction of polyphenols from agarwood (Aquilaria crassna) were examined. Total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC) and total flavanol (TF) assays and HPLC-DAD were used for the determination and quantification of polyphenols, flavanol gallates (epigallocatechin gallate--EGCG and epicatechin gallate--ECG) and a benzophenone (iriflophenone 3-C-ß-glucoside) from the crude polyphenol extract (CPE) of A. crassna. 2,2'-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity was used to evaluate the antioxidant capacity of the CPE. Experimental results concluded that ethanol concentration and solid-to-solvent ratio had significant effects (p<0.05) on the yields of polyphenol and antioxidant capacity. Extraction time had an insignificant influence on the recovery of EGCG, ECG and iriflophenone 3-C-ß-glucoside, as well as radical scavenging capacity from the CPE. The extraction parameters that exhibited maximum yields were 40% (v/v) ethanol, 1:60 (w/v) for 30 min where the TPC, TFC, TF, DPPH, EGCG, ECG and iriflophenone 3-C-ß-glucoside levels achieved were 183.5 mg GAE/g DW, 249.0 mg QE/g DW, 4.9 mg CE/g DW, 93.7%, 29.1 mg EGCG/g DW, 44.3 mg ECG/g DW and 39.9 mg iriflophenone 3-C-ß-glucoside/g DW respectively. The IC50 of the CPE was 24.6 mg/L.

Activity-guided fractionation and evaluation of potent antioxidants from extract of angel wings mushroom, Pleurotus porrigens (higher Basidiomycetes).

Pleurotus porrigens is a well-known edible, wild mushroom enjoyed as a delicacy by aborigines in Sabah and as source of income for the aborigines who collect and sell them at tamu (local market). This study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant activity in vitro and identify potent antioxidative components of aqueous extracts of P. porrigens. The antioxidant activities were evaluated using DPPH radical scavenging ability, ABTS radical cation inhibition activity, ferric reducing/antioxidant power, and total phenolic content. Activity-guided purifications based on DPPH radical scavenging ability resulted in 5 subfractions (SF). The highest DPPH radical scavenging ability was found in SF-III and SF-IV, but all were lower than butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and α-tocopherol. Analysis with high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detectors found presence of ascorbic acid and (+)-catechin in SFs of P. porrigens, as well as some unidentified components that may have contributed to the radical scavenging ability. In conclusion, aqueous extract of P. porrigens possesses promising antioxidant activities, although they are lesser in their partially purified SFs. Nonetheless, P. porrigens could be promoted as an antioxidant-rich food as part of a normal diet that provides antioxidative benefit.

Optimization of extraction time and temperature on antioxidant activity of Schizophyllum commune aqueous extract using response surface methodology.

Central composite design of response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to optimize the extraction time (X 1 : 99.5-290.5 min) and temperature (X 2 : 30.1-54.9 °C) of Schizophyllum commune aqueous extract with high antioxidant activities and total phenolic content (TPC). Results indicated that the data were adequately fitted into four second-order polynomial models. The extraction time and temperature were found to have significant linear, quadratic and interaction effects on antioxidant activities and TPC. The optimal extraction time and temperature were: 290.5 min and 35.7 °C (DPPH(•) scavenging ability); 180.7 min and 41.7 °C (ABTS(•+) inhibition ability); 185.2 min and 42.4 °C (ferric reducing antioxidant power, FRAP); 290.5 min and 40.3 °C (TPC). These optimum conditions yielded 85.10%; 94.31%; 0.74 mM Fe(2+) equivalent/100 g; 635.76 mg gallic acid equivalent/100 g, respectively. The yields of antioxidant activities and TPC obtained experimentally were close to its predicted values. The establishment of such model provides a good experimental basis employing RSM for optimizing the extraction time and temperature on antioxidants from S. commune aqueous extract.

Determination of optimal extraction time and temperature by response surface methodology to obtain high-level antioxidant activity in culinary-medicinal oyster mushroom, Pleurotus ostreatus (Jacq.:Fr.) P. Kumm. (higher basidiomycetes).

A central composite design of response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to optimize the extraction time (X1: 266.4-393.6 min) and temperature (X2: 42.9-57.1°C) of Pleurotus ostreatus aqueous extract with high antioxidant activities, namely DPPH radical-scavenging activity, ABTS radical cation inhibition, and ferric reducing/antioxidant power, as well as total phenolic content (TPC). Results showed that the data were adequately fitted into four second-order polynomial models developed by RSM. The extraction time and temperature were found to have significant quadratic effects on antioxidant activities and TPC. The optimal extraction time and temperature were 282.3 min and 42.9°C (DPPH), 393.6 min and 42.9°C (ABTS), 340.4 min and 49.8°C (FRAP), and 347.6 min, 49.7°C (TPC), with corresponding yields of 53.32%, 73.20%, 37.14 mM Fe2+ equivalents/100 g, and 826.33 mg gallic acid equivalents/100 g, respectively. These experimental data were close to their predicted values. The establishment of such a model provides a good experimental basis for employing RSM to optimize the extraction time and temperature for high antioxidant activities from P. ostreatus.

Culinary Nutrition Education Improves Home Food Availability and Psychosocial Factors Related to Healthy Meal Preparation Among Children.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of a culinary nutrition education intervention on children's home food availability and psychosocial factors related to healthy meal preparation. DESIGN: Randomized-controlled trial. SETTING: Schools in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. PARTICIPANTS: Eighty-three school children aged 10-11 years and their parents. INTERVENTION: Twelve weeks of culinary nutrition education with 5 hands-on healthy meal preparation modules and a module with parents on home food availability (conducted every 2 weeks). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Psychosocial factors (knowledge, attitude, practice, and self-efficacy) related to healthy meal preparation and home food availability (fruits, vegetables, healthful foods, and less healthful foods) assessed via children and parents, respectively, using validated questionnaires at baseline, postintervention, and 3-month follow-up. ANALYSIS: Repeated measures ANOVA. RESULTS: Intervention group had a higher (P < 0.001) mean knowledge score (mean difference, 1.2), attitude (mean difference, 2.6), practice (mean difference, 4.4) and self-efficacy (mean difference, 3.9) of healthy meal preparation as compared with control group across 3-time points. Improvements were seen in the availability of fruits (mean difference, 3.0; P < 0.001), vegetables (mean difference, 2.4; P < 0.001), healthful foods (mean difference, 1.5; P < 0.001) and less healthful foods (mean difference, -0.9; P = 0.001), favoring the intervention group. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Culinary nutrition education had positive impact on children's psychosocial factors and home food availability, demonstrating the potential to improve children's nutrition.

Enhancement of protein production using synthetic brewery wastewater by Haematococcus pluvialis.

Microalgae is a sustainable protein source that has been widely applied in animal feeds, functional foods, pharmaceutical, and cosmeceutical industries. Waste products could be a potential cost-saving and nutrient-rich substrate in the cultivation of microalgae for protein production. This study aims to investigate the cultivation condition of Haematococcus pluvialis for protein synthesis using synthetic brewery wastewater (BW). H. pluvialis was cultivated in the Bold's Basal Medium (BBM) mixed with synthetic BW at different concentrations. Various cultivation conditions including brewer's spent grain hydrolysate (BSGH) concentrations, pH, and light sources were studied. The molecular weight, amino acids profile and antioxidant activity of synthesized protein were determined. Fed-batch cultivation using different percentages of fresh medium replacement for enhancing protein production was investigated. The 20% fed-batch cultivation reached 27 × 105 ± 0.42 cells/mL, and 4-fold of the protein content of 64.93 ± 5.30% of dry weight was recorded on day-13. Seven essential amino acids (lysine, threonine, histidine, phenylalanine, isoleucine, leucine, methionine) were produced in fed-batch cultivation. Red LED obtained the highest DPPH radical scavenging activity of 27.47 ± 0.98%. The findings suggested that BW is a promising substrate in the cultivation of H. pluvialis to commercially produce protein for numerous industrial applications.

Oxidative stability of sunflower oil supplemented with medicinal split gill mushroom, Schizophyllum commune Fr.:Fr. extract during accelerated storage.

The oxidative stability of sunflower oil supplemented with medicinal split gill mushroom, Schizophyllum commune's crude extract (CE), the formic acid (FA) fraction and semipurified subfractions (SF) II and IV were tested, compared to BHA and alpha-tocopherol, by measuring their peroxide value, iodine value, p-anisidine value, thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances, and free fatty acid content. Their total phenolic content (TPC), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, and ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) were also evaluated. FA and CE exhibited highest DPPH* scavenging, while FA and SFIV showed the highest FRAP; TPC was found to be highest in CE, FA, and SFIV. BHA and alpha-tocopherol are more protective in stabilizing the sunflower oil; SFII and SFIV had short-term protective effect in secondary oxidation for 1 year, while CE and FA retarded secondary oxidation and extended the shelf life 1 1/2 years and 2 years, respectively. HPLC-DAD analysis found (+)-catechin in Sch. commune's extracts. Sch. commune's extracts did not show similar retardation of lipid oxidation in sunflower oil as compared to alpha-tocopherol and BHA at the 200 ppm level. However, the higher concentration of Sch. commune's extract that provided the protective effect in stabilizing sunflower oil can be further studied.

Comparative study of antioxidant activities and total phenolic content of selected edible wild mushrooms.

The present study aims to assess the antioxidant activities (AOA) and total phenolic content (TPC) of water extracts of selected edible wild mushrooms: Pleurotus porrigens, Schizophyllum commune, Hygrocybe conica, and Lentinus ciliatus. The AOA were evaluated against DPPH radical and ABTS radical cation scavenging ability, ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and beta-carotene-linoleate bleaching (beta-CB) assays, and the Folin-Ciocalteu method for TPC. BHA was used as reference. P. porrigens showed significantly higher (p < 0.05) DPPH* scavenging ability (90.78 +/- 0.30%) and FRAP (6.37 +/- 0.22 mM FE/100g), while Sch. commune showed significantly higher (p < 0.05) ABTS*+ inhibition activity (94.96 +/- 0.70%) and beta-CB inhibition activity (94.18 +/- 0.17%), respectively. TPC was found in a descending order of P. poriggens > L. ciliatus = Pleurotus ostreatus (cultivated) > H. conica = Sch. commune. Positive correlation was observed between the AOA and TPC. When compared to BHA (2 mM), P. porrigens showed significantly higher (p < 0.05) DPPH* scavenging ability and reducing power, while Sch. commune showed comparable DPPH* scavenging ability and ABTS*+ inhibition activity. All the mushrooms have better ABTS*+ inhibition activity than BHA (1 mM). The beta-CB inhibition activity of BHA was significantly higher than those of edible wild mushrooms. The water extracts of edible wild mushrooms showed potent antioxidant activities compared to BHA to a certain extent.

Mangosteen xanthone γ-mangostin exerts lowering blood glucose effect with potentiating insulin sensitivity through the mediation of AMPK/PPARγ.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is concomitant with significant morbidity and mortality and its prevalence is accumulative in worldwide. The conventional antidiabetic agents are known to mitigate the symptoms of diabetes; however, they may also cause side and adverse effects. There is an imperative necessity to conduct preclinical and clinical trials for the discovery of alternative therapeutic agents that can overcome the drawbacks of current synthetic antidiabetic drugs. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of lowering blood glucose and underlined mechanism of γ-mangostin, mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana) xanthones. The results showed γ-Mangostin had a antihyperglycemic ability in short (2 h)- and long-term (28 days) administrations to diet-induced diabetic mice. The long-term administration of γ-mangostin attenuated fasting blood glucose of diabetic mice and exhibited no hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity. Moreover, AMPK, PPARγ, α-amylase, and α-glucosidase were found to be the potential targets for simulating binds with γ-mangostin after molecular docking. To validate the docking results, the inhibitory potency of γ-mangostin againstα-amylase/α-glucosidase was higher than Acarbose via enzymatic assay. Interestingly, an allosteric relationship between γ-mangostin and insulin was also found in the glucose uptake of VSMC, FL83B, C2C12, and 3T3-L1 cells. Taken together, the results showed that γ-mangostin exerts anti-hyperglycemic activity through promoting glucose uptake and reducing saccharide digestion by inhibition of α-amylase/α-glucosidase with insulin sensitization, suggesting that γ-mangostin could be a new clue for drug discovery and development to treat diabetes.

Characterization of alcohol/salt aqueous two-phase system for optimal separation of gallic acids.

Gallic acid (GA) is a hydrophilic polyphenol which is noteworthy for strong antioxidant capacity. The drawbacks of conventional extraction approaches such as time-consuming and high processing cost are often viewed as a hurdle to extract GA from plant sources in industrial scale. Aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) is a separation approach which can be employed as an alternative to the conventional approaches. The partition behaviour of GA in an alcohol/salt ATPS was investigated in this study to aid the development of industrial scale ATPS to extract GA from natural sources. The separation of GA was characterized by determining the types of alcohol and salt, phase composition, sample load, pH of the system and addition of adjuvants applied in the alcohol/salt ATPS construction. The hydrophilic GA was targeted to the salt-rich phase of the alcohol/salt ATPS with a partition coefficient (KGA) of 25.00 ± 0.00. The optimum condition of ATPS for the maximum partition of GA was achieved in ATPS comprised of 24% (w/w) 1-propanol and 22% (w/w) phosphate salt at pH 8 with 5% (w/w) of 1 mg/mL sample loading and 2% (w/w) NaCl addition. The findings suggest that ATPS can be applied for separation of GA from various natural sources.

Surfactant as an Additive for the Recovery of Potent Antioxidants from Garcinia mangostana Pericarps Using a Polymer/Salt Aqueous Biphasic System.

Garcinia mangostana pericarp is a good source of natural antioxidants with numerous functional properties. The conventional approaches for the recovery of antioxidants from Garcinia mangostana pericarp require long processing time and high temperature, which may cause degradation or loss of bioactivity of antioxidants, and often result in low recovery efficiency. In this study, the extraction of antioxidants from Garcinia mangostana pericarp was investigated using a polyethylene glycol (PEG)/citrate aqueous biphasic system (ABS) with the addition of surfactants. The optimum condition for the recovery of antioxidants was achieved in PEG 1000/citrate ABS of pH 8 with tie-line length (TLL) of 48.3% (w/w), volume ratio (VR) of 1.6, 0.2% (w/w) sample loading and addition of 1.0% (w/w) Tween 85. The antioxidants were recovered in the PEG-rich top phase with a high K value of 18.23 ± 0.33 and a recovery yield of 92.01% ± 0.09. The findings suggested that the addition of surfactants to polymer/salt ABS can enhance the recovery of antioxidants from Garcinia mangostana pericarps by conserving the antioxidative properties.

Recent advances on the sustainable approaches for conversion and reutilization of food wastes to valuable bioproducts.

The increasing amounts of food wastage and accumulation generated per annum due to the growing human population worldwide often associated with environmental pollution issues and scarcity of natural resources. In view of this, science community has worked towards in finding sustainable approaches to replace the common practices for food waste management. The agricultural and food processing wastes rich in nutrients are often the attractive substrates for the bioconversion for valuable bioproducts such as industrial enzymes, biofuel and bioactive compounds. The sustainable approaches on the re-utilization of food wastes as the industrial substrates for production of valuable bioproducts has meet the goals of circular bioeconomy, results in the diversify applications and increasing market demands for the bioproducts. This review discusses the current practice and recent advances on reutilization of food waste for bioconversion of valuable bioproducts from agricultural and food processing wastes.

Efficiency of Ionic Liquids-Based Aqueous Two-phase Electrophoresis for Partition of Cytochrome c.

Cytochrome c is a small water-soluble protein that is abundantly found in the mitochondrial intermembrane space of microorganism, plants and mammalians. Ionic liquids (ILs)-based aqueous two-phase electrophoresis system (ATPES) was introduced in this study to investigate the partition efficiency of cytochrome c to facilitate subsequent development of two-phase electrophoresis for the separation of cytochrome c from microbial fermentation. The 1-Hexyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide, (C6mim)Br and potassium citrate salt were selected as the phase-forming components. Effects of phase composition; position of electrodes; pH and addition of neutral salt on the partition efficiency of cytochrome c in the ATPES were evaluated. Highest partition coefficient (K = 179.12 ± 0.82) and yield of cytochrome c in top phase (YT = 99.63% ± 0.00) were recorded with IL/salt ATPES composed of 30% (w/w) (C6mim)Br and 20% (w/w) potassium citrate salt of pH 7 and 3.0% (w/w) NaCl addition with anode at the bottom phase and cathode at the top phase. The SDS-PAGE profile revealed that cytochrome c with a molecular weight of 12 kDa was preferably partitioned to the IL-rich top phase. Present findings suggested that the single-step ATPES is a potential separation approach for the recovery of cytochrome c from microbial fermentation. Graphical Abstract.

Partition efficiency of cytochrome c with alcohol/salt aqueous biphasic flotation system.

Aqueous biphasic flotation (ABF) integrates aqueous biphasic system (ABS) and solvent sublation for recovery of target biomolecules. The feasibility of the alcohol/salt ABF for exclusive partition of cytochrome c to one specific phase of the system was investigated. Aliphatic alcohols of different carbon chain length (ethanol, 1-propanol and 2-propanol) and salts (sulfate, phosphate and citrate) were used for the phase formation. The effects of phase composition, concentration of sample loading, pH, flotation time and flow rate of the system on the partition efficiency of cytochrome c were determined. Cytochrome c was exclusively partitioned to the alcohol-rich top phase of the ABF of 18% (w/w) ethanol and 26% (w/w) ammonium sulfate with pH 6 and 20% (w/w) of sample loading. Highest partition coefficient (K) of 6.85 ± 0.21 and yield (YT) of 99.40% ± 0.02 were obtained with optimum flotation rate of 10 mL/min and flow rate of 10 min.

Psychological Factors and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors as Mediators of the Relationship between Overweight/Obesity and Cognitive Function among School Children in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

BACKGROUND: Recent research suggests that a negative relationship exists between adiposity and cognitive function in children. However, limited information is known on how they are related. This study aimed to examine the mediators of the relationship between overweight/obesity and cognitive function among school children in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional comparison study whereby 225 overweight/obese children matched for age, sex, and ethnicity with 225 normal weight children participated in this study. Body image dissatisfaction, disordered eating, and depressive symptoms were assessed through a self-administered questionnaire. Blood pressure was measured, whereas blood was drawn to determine insulin, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), glucose, and lipid profiles. Homeostasis model assessment-estimated insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was calculated using glucose and insulin levels. Wechsler's Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) was used to assess cognitive function in children. Ordinary least square regression analysis was conducted to determine the direct and indirect relationships between weight status and cognitive function. RESULTS: A negative relationship was found between overweight/obesity with cognitive function. Overweight/obese children were on average 4.075 units lower in cognitive function scores compared to normal weight children. Such difference was found through mediators, such as body image dissatisfaction, disordered eating, depression, systolic blood pressure, triglycerides, HOMA-IR, and hs-CRP, contributing 22.2% of the variances in cognitive function in children. CONCLUSION: Results highlight the important mediators of the relationship between overweight/obesity and cognitive function. Consequently, future interventions should target to improve psychological well-being and reduce cardiovascular disease risk for the prevention of poorer cognitive performance in overweight/obese children.

Nutrients for Prevention of Macular Degeneration and Eye-Related Diseases.

The risk of macular degeneration can be reduced through the consumption of antioxidant-rich foods, supplements, and nutraceutical formulas. This review focuses on the antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that have been reported for reducing the risk of macular degeneration and other eye-related diseases. Antioxidants including anthocyanins, carotenoids, flavonoids, and vitamins have been shown to reduce the risk of eye-related diseases. Anthocyanins extracted from berries are powerful antioxidants. Cyanidin, delphinidin, malvidin, pelargonidin, peonidin, and petunidin are anthocyanin aglycones detected in berries, currants, and other colored fruits and vegetables. ß-Carotene, as well as xanthophyll lutein and zeaxanthin, have been reported to reduce the risk of macular degeneration. Flavonoids from plants help in the prevention of eye-related diseases through anti-inflammatory mechanisms. A combination of these antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals possess a synergistic effect on the prevention or risk reduction of macular degeneration. Formulas have been developed as dietary supplements to cater to the high demand from consumers and patients with eye problems. Many of the formulated dietary supplements that are sold in the market have been clinically proven for their efficacy to treat eye diseases. Although the bioactivities in the supplement capsules or tablets have been scientifically established for reducing risks of several diseases, which include macular degeneration and other eye-related diseases, knowledge on the right dosage, efficacy, and bioavailability of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals is important for consumers. The information may help them make the best decision in choosing the right dietary supplements and nutraceuticals following the evidence-based recommended dosages and reference intakes for improving general health and preventing eye-related diseases. This review covers the potential causal factors involved in eye diseases, clinically proven treatments, and controversial findings on the antioxidants in the prevention of macular degeneration. Future studies should consider multiethnic and multicenter trials for eliminating potential bias in research.

Direct recovery of mangostins from Garcinia mangostana pericarps using cellulase-assisted aqueous micellar biphasic system with recyclable surfactant.

The α- and γ-mangostins from Garcinia mangostana pericarps (GMP) exhibit antioxidant, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor properties. The extraction yields α- and γ-mangostins are often limited by the presence of the GMP cell walls. Therefore, the extraction and recovery of mangostins from GMP with an Aspergillus niger cellulase-assisted aqueous micellar biphasic system (CA-AMBS) was developed for enhanced yield of mangostins. Effects of the concentration of cellulase, the incubation time and the temperature of the system on the recovery of mangostins were investigated. The optimum condition for the recovery of α- and γ-mangostins was obtained with the addition of 0.5% (w/w) cellulase incubated at 40°C for 2 h. High log partition coefficients of α-mangostins (log Kα 4.79 ± 0.02) and γ-mangostins (log Kγ 4.02 ± 0.02) were achieved. High yields of α-mangostins (73.4%) and γ-mangostins (14.0%) were obtained from the micelle-rich bottom phase with final concentrations of 3.67 mg/mL and 0.70 mg/mL, respectively. The back-extraction of mangostins was performed with the addition of 30% (w/w) of isopropanol and 0.05 M of KCl at pH 9 to the bottom phase of the CA-AMBS. The yields of the α- and γ-mangostins from GMP were considerably enhanced with the CA-AMBS and the direct recovery of mangostins was demonstrated without additional downstream processing steps.