Lemon basil seed-derived peptide: Hydrolysis, purification, and its role as a pancreatic lipase inhibitor that reduces adipogenesis by downregulating SREBP-1c and PPAR-γ in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.

The purpose of this study is to assess the bioactive peptides derived from the defatted lemon basil seeds hydrolysate (DLSH) for their ability to inhibit pancreatic lipase, decrease intracellular lipid accumulation, and reduce adipogenesis. Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to optimize trypsin hydrolysis conditions for maximizing lipase inhibitory activity (LI). A hydrolysis time of 387.06 min, a temperature of 49.03°C, and an enzyme concentration of 1.61% w/v, resulted in the highest LI with an IC50 of 368.07 µg/mL. The ultrafiltration of the protein hydrolysate revealed that the fraction below 0.65kDa exhibited the greatest LI potential. Further purification via RP-HPLC identified the Gly-Arg-Ser-Pro-Asp-Thr-His-Ser-Gly (GRSPDTHSG) peptide in the HPLC fraction F1 using mass spectrometry. The peptide was synthesized and demonstrated LI with an IC50 of 0.255 mM through a non-competitive mechanism, with a constant (Ki) of 0.61 mM. Docking studies revealed its binding site with the pancreatic lipase-colipase complex. Additionally, GRSPDTHSG inhibited lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 cells in a dose-dependent manner without cytotoxic effects. Western blot analysis indicated downregulation of PPAR-γ and SREBP-1c levels under GRSPDTHSG treatment, while an increase in AMPK-α phosphorylation was observed, suggesting a role in regulating cellular lipid metabolism. Overall, GRSPDTHSG demonstrates potential in attenuating lipid absorption and adipogenesis, suggesting a prospective application in functional foods and nutraceuticals.

Optimization of Coffee Oil Extraction from Defective Beans Using a Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Technique: Its Effect on Volatile Aroma Components.

Defective green coffee beans are typically discarded due to their negative impacts on coffee qualities compared to normal beans. However, there are some types of defective beans that can cause volatile aroma compounds after roasting similar to those produced by normal beans. This study aimed to optimize conditions for coffee oil extraction by supercritical carbon dioxide using the response surface methodology (RSM). Furthermore, the investigation assessed the aroma-active compounds and sensory quality in extracted coffee oil. Thus, operational temperatures (33.2-66.8 °C), pressure (10-30 MPa) and ethanol (g) to roasted coffee (g) ratio (0.25:1-1.5:1) were optimized for coffee oil extraction. As a result, different oil yields with different key volatile aroma compounds concentrations were obtained and it was found that the optimum conditions for extraction were a temperature of 50 °C, pressure of 30 MPa, and ethanol (g) to roasted coffee (g) ratio of 1:1 to obtain 6.50% (w/w) coffee oil yield. Key volatile aroma compounds, including furfuryl alcohol, 5-methyl furfural, 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, 4-vinylguaiacol, furfuryl acetate, 3-ethyl-2,5-dimethylpyrazine, thiazole, 1-furfurylpyrrole, pyridine, 2,3-butanediol, and 3-methyl-1,2-cyclopentanedione which contributed to the most preferable burnt, sweet, bready, chocolate-like, and roasted flavors, were quantified. Overall, the results suggested that coffee oil extracted from defective beans could be potentially used as a flavoring agent.

Aqueous Extracts of Lemon Basil Straw as Chemical Stimulator for Gray Oyster Mushroom Cultivation.

To reduce the burning of lemon basil straw (LBS)-the byproduct of basil seed production-we propose utilizing LBS as a replacement substrate for mushroom cultivation. LBS can stimulate both mycelial growth and percentage biological efficiency; however, the rigidity of this material limits particle size reduction. In this work, aqueous extractions were facilely performed without using either hazardous chemicals or complex procedures to valorize LBS as a stimulator for gray oyster mushroom cultivation. An aqueous extraction at solid-to-liquid of 50 g/L was employed. The macerated-LBS and decocted-LBS extracts were tested for mycelial growth in potato dextrose agar and sorghum grains. Following this, both aqueous extracts were applied as a wetting agent in cylindrical baglog cultivation to estimate mycelial growth, biological efficiency, and productivity. It was found that LBS extracts insignificantly enhanced the mycelia growth rate on all media, while the diluted LBS (1:1 v/v) extracts improved 1.5-fold of percentage biological efficiency. Gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer results indicated 9-octadecaenamide is a major component in LBS aqueous extract. Results demonstrated that the LBS extract is a good stimulator for the production of Pleurotus mushroom.

Integrated process for the production of fermentable sugar and methane from rubber wood.

Pretreatment is required for the enhancement of the bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomass. This study aimed to develop an integrated process producing efficient biochemical conversion of rubber wood waste (RW) into co-biofuels, fermentable sugar and methane. The glucan conversion was enhanced to 93.8% with temperature (210 °C) and delignification by organosolv pretreatment (OS). Thereafter, anaerobic digestion of the residue left after enzymatic hydrolysis was conducted which further improved the methane yield (205.5 LCH4/kg VS) by 33% over hydrothermal pretreatment (154.3 LCH4/kg VS). Delignification during OS plays a key role in improving the degradability of RW resulting in efficient energy recovery (11.23 MJ/kg pretreated RW) which was clearly higher than an integrated process based on hydrothermal (HT) or HT plus process water. Scaled up to a biorefinery, the integrated process based on OS would economically produce fermentable sugar while other value-added chemicals might be produced from the process water.

Biofuel production from crude palm oil with supercritical alcohols: comparative LCA studies.

A recent life cycle assessment (LCA) reported that biodiesel production in supercritical alcohols (SCA) produces a higher environmental load than the homogeneous catalytic process because an enormous amount of energy is required to recover excess alcohol. However, the excess alcohol could be dramatically reduced by increasing the operating temperature to 400°C; although the product would have to be considered as an alternative biofuel instead of biodiesel. A comparative LCA of the biodiesel production in two SCA at 300°C (C-SCA) and novel biofuel production in the same two SCA at 400°C (N-SCA) is presented. It was clear that the N-SCA process produces a dramatically reduced environmental load over that of the C-SCA process due to a lower amount of excess alcohol being used. The N-SCA process could be improved in terms of its environmental impact by changing from fossil fuel to biomass-based fuels for the steam generation.

Biofuel production from palm oil with supercritical alcohols: effects of the alcohol to oil molar ratios on the biofuel chemical composition and properties.

Biofuel production from palm oil with supercritical methanol (SCM) and supercritical ethanol (SCE) at 400 °C and 15 MPa were evaluated. At the optimal alcohol to oil molar ratios of 12:1 and 18:1 for the SCM and SCE processes, respectively, the biofuel samples were synthesized in a 1.2-L reactor and the resulting biofuel was analyzed for the key properties including those for the diesel and biodiesel standard specifications. Biofuel samples derived from both the SCM and SCE processes could be used as an alternative fuel after slight improvement in their acid value and free glycerol content. The remarkable advantages of this novel process were: the additional fuel yield of approximately of 5% and 10% for SCM and SCE, respectively; the lower energy consumption for alcohol preheating, pumping and recovering than the biodiesel production with supercritical alcohols that use a high alcohol to oil molar ratio of 42:1.