Bioactive Compounds from Organic Waste.

The reuse and reincorporation of waste are the principles of circular economies. Compost, biofuels, animal feed, dyes, and bioactive compounds can be obtained from the revaluation of organic waste. Research on this subject is scarce and limited to specific sectors, such as agriculture and agroindustry, leaving aside others that generate large quantities of organic waste, such as floriculture. The remains of these sectors have a low decomposition rate compared to other organic wastes. They are a source of bioactive compounds (e.g., essential oils, pigments, phenols) that can be reincorporated into the production chain of various industries. This review describes the composition of waste from agroindustry, agriculture, and floriculture, analyzing their potential revalorization as a source of bioactive compounds and an alternative supply source.

Intercropping Systems to Modify Bioactive Compounds and Nutrient Profiles in Plants: Do We Have Enough Information to Take This as a Strategy to Improve Food Quality? A Review.

Various environmental, food security and population health problems have been correlated with the use of intensive agriculture production systems around the world. This type of system leads to the loss of biodiversity and natural habitats, high usage rates of agrochemicals and natural resources, and affects soil composition, human health, and nutritional plant quality in rural areas. Agroecological intercropping systems that respect agrobiodiversity, on the other hand, can significantly benefit ecosystems, human health, and food security by modifying the nutritional profile and content of some health-promoting bioactive compounds in the species cultivated in this system. However, research on intercropping strategies focuses more on the benefits they can offer to ecosystems, and less on plant nutrient composition, and the existing information is scattered. The topic merits further study, given the critical impact that it could have on human nutrition. The aim of this review is therefore to collect viable details on the status of research into the profile of nutrients and bioactive compounds in intercropping systems in different regions of the world with unique mixed crops using plant species, along with the criteria for combining them, as well as the nutrients and bioactive compounds analyzed, to exemplify the possible contributions of intercropping systems to food availability and quality.

Identification of Secondary Metabolites of Interest in Pleurotus djamor Using Agave tequilana Bagasse.

Agro-industrial residues represent more than 60% of organic wastes worldwide, which could be used to generate other by-products or to be incorporated into other production chains. For example, bagasse is a waste from the tequila industry in Mexico that could be implemented for mushroom cultivation. Additionally, the substrate influences the growth, development, and production of secondary metabolites of fungi. This work presents a comparative experiment that studies the metabolite production in Pleurotus djamor mushrooms on agave bagasse and barley straw (traditional substrate). The biological efficiency (BE), yield, phenolics and flavonoids, antioxidant capacity, tannins, and the identification of low molecular weight metabolites were evaluated. Five treatments were proposed according to the following mixtures of agave bagasse: barley straw: T1 (1:0), T2 (3:1), T3 (1:1), T4 (1:3), and T5 (0:1). T2 had the highest yield (13.39 ± 3.23%), BE (56.7 ± 13.71%), and flavonoids (44.25 mg rutin equivalent (RE)/g); T3 obtained the highest phenol content (230.27 mg GAE/g); and T1 the highest tannins content (0.23 mg (+) catechin equivalent (CE)/g). Finally, T1 and T5 are the ones that present the greatest number of primary metabolites, including hydroxycitric acid, 2-deoxy-D-galactose, D-mannose, paromomycin, palmitic acid, pyrrole, mannitol, and DL arabinose, while in T2, T3, and T4 only two chemical compounds were found present (palmitic acid and pyrrole in T2, silicic acid and pyrrole in T3 and 2-deoxy-D-galactose and quinoline in T4). The cultivation substrate influences the concentration of bioactive molecules in the fruiting bodies of P. djamor. Additionally, P. djamor's degradation of agave bagasse residue generates a potential application for agro-industrial residue management at a low cost.

Review and Perspectives of the Use of Alginate as a Polymer Matrix for Microorganisms Applied in Agro-Industry.

Alginate is a polysaccharide with the property of forming hydrogels, which is economic production, zero toxicity, and biocompatibility. In the agro-industry, alginate is used as a super absorbent polymer, coating seeds, fruits, and vegetables and as a carrier of bacteria and fungi as plant-growth promoters and biocontrol. The latter has a high impact on agriculture since the implementation of microorganisms in a polymer matrix improves soil quality; plant nutrition, and is functional as a preventive measure for the appearance of phytopathogenic. Additionally, it minimizes losses of foods due to wrong post-harvest handling. In this review, we provide an overview of physicochemical properties of alginate, some methods for preparation and modification of capsules and coatings, to finally describe its application in agro-industry as a matrix of plant-growth-promoting microorganisms, its effectiveness in cultivation and post-harvest, and its effect on the environment, as well as the prospects for future agro-industrial applications.

Effect of Salicylic Acid in the Yield of Ricinine in Ricinus communis under Greenhouse Condition.

Castor bean (Ricinus communis) seeds contain ricinine, an alkaloid with insecticidal and insectistatic activities. Elicitation with salicylic acid (SA) has proven to stress R. communis and might modify the ricinine concentration. The aim of this study was to evaluate the concentration of ricinine in the bagasse of seeds from R. communis elicited with exogenous SA under greenhouse conditions. Plants were grown and divided into five groups, which were sprayed with SA and drench with 50 mL 60 days after sowing with concentrations of SA (0, 100, 300, 600 and 900 µM). Clusters were mixed and separated according to the treatment, and dried. The seeds were ground, the oil was extracted by Soxhlet with hexane, and then the bagasse was extracted with methanol. Ricinine was determined by HPLC. Elicitation did not change the plant height or diameter; the control group had 9.17 µg mL-1 of ricinine; and the concentrations followed a hormesis curve with the peak at 300 µM of SA that had a ricinine concentration of 18.25 µg mL-1. Elicitation with SA might be a cost-effective technique to increase ricinine from R. communis bagasse.

Jacaranda flower (Jacaranda mimosifolia) as an alternative for antioxidant and antimicrobial use.

Antimicrobial resistance to antibiotics is a serious health problem worldwide, for this reason, the search for natural agents with antimicrobial power against pathogenic microorganisms is of current importance. The objective of this work was to evaluate the antioxidant capacity (ABTS+ and DPPH), antimicrobial activity, and polyphenol compounds of methanolic and aqueous extracts of Jacaranda mimosifolia flowers. The antimicrobial activity against Bacillus cereus ATCC 10876, Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633, Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 51299, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 19115, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, Salmonella typhimurium ATCC 14028, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, and Streptococcus mutans ATCC 25175, was determined using the Kirby Bauer technique. The results of polyphenolic compounds showed a high amount of total flavonoids in the methanolic and aqueous extracts (503.3 ± 86.5 and 245. 7 ± 27.8 mg Rutin Equivalents/g DW, respectively). Quercetin, gallic acid, caffeic acid, and rutin were identified by the HPLC-DAD technique, while in the GC-MS analysis, esters, fatty acids, organic compounds, as well as monosaccharides were identified. Higher antioxidant capacity was detected by the ABTS technique (94.9% and 62.6%) compared to DPPH values (52.5% and 52.7 %) for methanolic and aqueous extracts, respectively. The methanolic extract showed a greater inhibitory effect on gram-positive bacteria, with a predominant higher inhibition percentage on Listeria monocytogenes and Streptococcus mutans (86% for both). In conclusion, Jacaranda flower extracts could be a natural antimicrobial and antioxidant alternative due to the considerable amount of polyphenolic compounds, and serve as a sustainable alternative for the isolation of active ingredients that could help in agriculture, aquaculture, livestock, pharmaceutics, and other industrial sectors, to remediate problems such as oxidative stress and antimicrobial abuse.

Panorama general y programas de protección de seguridad alimentaria en México / Overview and Protection Programs of Food Security in Mexico

Proporcionar seguridad alimentaria a la población representa un desafío global, especialmente para los países en vías de desarrollo debido a su insostenible crecimiento poblacional, bajo nivel de ingresos y tasa acelerada de urbanización. En México, un alto porcentaje de la población no tiene acceso a una canasta básica y por ende posee algún grado de inseguridad nutricional. Existen programas gubernamentales que han procurado mitigar este problema al proveer una cantidad suficiente de alimentos, sobretodo en poblaciones vulnerables como comunidades indígenas, rurales, niños y mujeres. Por otra parte, los alarmantes índices de obesidad y sobrepeso que han elevado la morbilidad de enfermedades crónicas como hipertensión y diabetes en la población, reflejan un problema relacionado con el hambre oculta, aquella donde hay una deficiencia de micronutrientes al enfocarse en una dieta alta en contenido energético, evidenciando la falta de calidad nutritiva en los alimentos y desinformación en la población mexicana. El presente artículo muestra la situación de seguridad alimentaria en México y algunos programas gubernamentales que procuran mitigar este problema, de los cuales solo algunos prestan poca atención a los aspectos nutricionales, restringiendo el derecho a una alimentación de calidad (AU).

Providing food security to the population represents a global challenge, especially for developing countries due to the unsustainable population growth, low incomes and accelerated urbanization rate. In México, a high percentage of the population does not have access to a basic basket and therefore has some degree of food insecurity. Government programs have tried to mitigate this problem by providing sufficient food, especially in vulnerable populations such as indigenous communities, rural communities, children and women. On the other hand, the alarming rates of obesity and overweight that have raised the morbidity of chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes in the population, reflect a problem related to hidden hunger, the one where there is a deficiency of micronutrients, focusing on a diet high in energy content, evidencing the lack of nutritional quality in foods and disinformation among Mexican population. This article shows the situation of food security in Mexico and some government programs intending to mitigate this problem, but only a few of them pay little attention to nutritional aspects, restricting the right to a qualitative nutrition (AU).

Panorama general y programas de protección de seguridad alimentaria en México / Overview and Protection Programs of Food Security in Mexico

Proporcionar seguridad alimentaria a la población representa un desafío global, especialmente para los países en vías de desarrollo debido a su insostenible crecimiento poblacional, bajo nivel de ingresos y tasa acelerada de urbanización. En México, un alto porcentaje de la población no tiene acceso a una canasta básica y por ende posee algún grado de inseguridad nutricional. Existen programas gubernamentales que han procurado mitigar este problema al proveer una cantidad suficiente de alimentos, sobretodo en poblaciones vulnerables como comunidades indígenas, rurales, niños y mujeres. Por otra parte, los alarmantes índices de obesidad y sobrepeso que han elevado la morbilidad de enfermedades crónicas como hipertensión y diabetes en la población, reflejan un problema relacionado con el hambre oculta, aquella donde hay una deficiencia de micronutrientes al enfocarse en una dieta alta en contenido energético, evidenciando la falta de calidad nutritiva en los alimentos y desinformación en la población mexicana. El presente artículo muestra la situación de seguridad alimentaria en México y algunos programas gubernamentales que procuran mitigar este problema, de los cuales solo algunos prestan poca atención a los aspectos nutricionales, restringiendo el derecho a una alimentación de calidad (AU).

Providing food security to the population represents a global challenge, especially for developing countries due to the unsustainable population growth, low incomes and accelerated urbanization rate. In México, a high percentage of the population does not have access to a basic basket and therefore has some degree of food insecurity. Government programs have tried to mitigate this problem by providing sufficient food, especially in vulnerable populations such as indigenous communities, rural communities, children and women. On the other hand, the alarming rates of obesity and overweight that have raised the morbidity of chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes in the population, reflect a problem related to hidden hunger, the one where there is a deficiency of micronutrients, focusing on a diet high in energy content, evidencing the lack of nutritional quality in foods and disinformation among Mexican population. This article shows the situation of food security in Mexico and some government programs intending to mitigate this problem, but only a few of them pay little attention to nutritional aspects, restricting the right to a qualitative nutrition (AU).