Gingerols and shogaols: A multi-faceted review of their extraction, formulation, and analysis in drugs and biofluids to maximize their nutraceutical and pharmaceutical applications.

Gingerols represent the main bioactive compounds in ginger drugs mostly Zinigiber officinale (F. Zingebraceae) and account for the biological activities and the strong/pungent flavor in ginger. Ginger (Z. officinale) rhizome is one of the most valued herbal drugs for ailments' treatment in many ayurvedic medicine asides from its culinary applications as a spice. Gingerols and their dehydrated products shogaols are phenolic phytochemicals found in members of the Zingiberaceae family and account for most of their effects including anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities. This review entails most of the novel trends related to the extraction, optimization, and formulations of gingerols and shogaols to insure best recoveries and efficacies from their natural resources. Further, it presents a comprehensive overview of the different analytical approaches for the determination of gingerols/shogaols' levels in nutraceuticals to ensure highest quality and for their detection in body fluids for proof of efficacy.

Enzyme Immobilization Technologies and Industrial Applications.

Enzymes play vital roles in diverse industrial sectors and are essential components of many industrial products. Immobilized enzymes possess higher resistance to environmental changes and can be recovered/recycled easily when compared to the free forms. The primary benefit of immobilization is protecting the enzymes from the harsh environmental conditions (e.g., elevated temperatures, extreme pH values, etc.). The immobilized enzymes can be utilized in various large-scale industries, e.g., medical, food, detergent, textile, and pharmaceutical industries, besides being used in water treatment plants. According to the required application, a suitable enzyme immobilization technique and suitable carrier materials are chosen. Enzyme immobilization techniques involve covalent binding, encapsulation, entrapment, adsorption, etc. This review mainly covers enzyme immobilization by various techniques and their usage in different industrial applications starting from 1992 until 2022. It also focuses on the multiscale operation of immobilized enzymes to maximize yields of certain products. Lastly, the severe consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic on global enzyme production is briefly discussed.

Nanoencapsulated Extract of a Red Seaweed (Rhodophyta) Species as a Promising Source of Natural Antioxidants.

Marine seaweed species represent an important source of bioactive compounds possessing antioxidant activity. This study aimed at evaluating the antioxidant capacity of the Jania rubens algal extract by means of two antioxidant assays, i.e., 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and ferric-reducing antioxidant power. The seaweeds' total phenolic and flavonoid contents were also assayed as markers of antioxidant activity. To identify active agents responsible for the antioxidant activity, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry were used for comprehensive metabolites characterization. To enhance the Jania rubens efficacy, the extract was nanoencapsulated using an ionic gelation method by means of high-pressure homogenization. The optimum nanoformulation had a particle size of 161 nm, a ζ potential of 31.2 mV, a polydispersity index of 0.211, and entrapment efficiency of 99.7%. The in vitro phytochemicals' release profiles of Jania rubens chitosan nanoparticles in comparison to the concentration of the raw algal extract were studied by the dialysis bag diffusion method revealing that the extract was released in a controlled pattern. The results indicated the potential advantages of the encapsulated Jania rubens extract, with its potent antioxidant activity, for use in different applications where sustained release is useful.

Protective Action of Jania rubens Nanoencapsulated Algal Extract in Controlling Vegetable Oils' Rancidity.

The development of natural antioxidants that can mitigate oil oxidation is on the rise. Several antioxidants have been developed from natural terrestrial plants, with less emphasis on marine algae. Rancidity is a major degradative reaction limiting the shelf-life and deteriorating the quality of vegetable oils. The goal of this study was to evaluate the ability of the Jania rubens' (J. rubens) seaweed extract encapsulated by chitosan/tripolyphosphate in retarding lipids' oxidation in vegetable oils. To improve the J. rubens efficacy, the extract was nanoencapsulated using the ionic gelation method. A Box-Behnken design was applied for the optimization of the formulation variables (chitosan/tripolyphosphate amounts, homogenization time, and homogenization speed). The optimum nanoformulation was characterized by transmission electron microscopy. It had a particle size of 161 nm, zeta potential of 31.2 mV, polydispersity index of 0.211, and entrapment efficiency of 99.7%. The ability of the optimum formula to extend the shelf-life of vegetable oils was based on peroxide value and thiobarbituric acid assays. In addition, headspace solid-phase microextraction was applied to detect the oils' volatiles as secondary markers of rancidity. The results revealed that the nanoencapsulated algal extract considerably reduced the rate of oils' oxidation and that its activity was comparable to that of a widely used synthetic antioxidant.