AI can empower agriculture for global food security: challenges and prospects in developing nations.

Food and nutrition are a steadfast essential to all living organisms. With specific reference to humans, the sufficient and efficient supply of food is a challenge as the world population continues to grow. Artificial Intelligence (AI) could be identified as a plausible technology in this 5th industrial revolution in bringing us closer to achieving zero hunger by 2030-Goal 2 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG). This goal cannot be achieved unless the digital divide among developed and underdeveloped countries is addressed. Nevertheless, developing and underdeveloped regions fall behind in economic resources; however, they harbor untapped potential to effectively address the impending demands posed by the soaring world population. Therefore, this study explores the in-depth potential of AI in the agriculture sector for developing and under-developed countries. Similarly, it aims to emphasize the proven efficiency and spin-off applications of AI in the advancement of agriculture. Currently, AI is being utilized in various spheres of agriculture, including but not limited to crop surveillance, irrigation management, disease identification, fertilization practices, task automation, image manipulation, data processing, yield forecasting, supply chain optimization, implementation of decision support system (DSS), weed control, and the enhancement of resource utilization. Whereas AI supports food safety and security by ensuring higher crop yields that are acquired by harnessing the potential of multi-temporal remote sensing (RS) techniques to accurately discern diverse crop phenotypes, monitor land cover dynamics, assess variations in soil organic matter, predict soil moisture levels, conduct plant biomass modeling, and enable comprehensive crop monitoring. The present study identifies various challenges, including financial, infrastructure, experts, data availability, customization, regulatory framework, cultural norms and attitudes, access to market, and interdisciplinary collaboration, in the adoption of AI for developing nations with their subsequent remedies. The identification of challenges and opportunities in the implementation of AI could ignite further research and actions in these regions; thereby supporting sustainable development.

Chitosan for improved encapsulation of thyme aqueous extract in alginate-based microparticles.

Ionotropic gelation is a low-cost, easy and green microencapsulation technique. However, the encapsulation of highly soluble compounds is challenging because of the wide loss of material into the external water phase by passive diffusion and the consequent low encapsulation efficiency. In this work an important increase of encapsulation efficiency for Thymus vulgaris L. aqueous extract in alginate-based microparticles has been obtained. A formulation with the proper thyme extract/alginate ratio (30:70) was used as reference and then optimized by adding different co-carrier excipients. Microparticles obtained by dropping a solution containing thyme extract and alginate into a chitosan/calcium-chloride/acid acetic solution lead to a high encapsulation efficiency (70.43 ± 5.28 %). After drying, microparticles had a particle size of 1096 ± 72 µm, 20.087 ± 1.487 % of extract content, 6.2 % of residual water, and showed a complete release of thyme extract within one hour. Combining alginate and chitosan as polymeric co-carrier was a valuable option for efficiently encapsulating an aqueous extract by ionotropic gelation.

Microencapsulation of a Pickering Oil/Water Emulsion Loaded with Vitamin D3.

The ionotropic gelation technique was chosen to produce vitamin D3-loaded microparticles starting from oil-in-water (O/W) Pickering emulsion stabilized by flaxseed flour: the hydrophobic phase was a solution of vitamin D3 in a blend of vegetable oils (ω6:ω3, 4:1) composed of extra virgin olive oil (90%) and hemp oil (10%); the hydrophilic phase was a sodium alginate aqueous solution. The most adequate emulsion was selected carrying out a preliminary study on five placebo formulations which differed in the qualitative and quantitative polymeric composition (concentration and type of alginate selected). Vitamin D3-loaded microparticles in the dried state had a particle size of about 1 mm, 6% of residual water content and excellent flowability thanks to their rounded shape and smooth surface. The polymeric structure of microparticles demonstrated to preserve the vegetable oil blend from oxidation and the integrity of vitamin D3, confirming this product as an innovative ingredient for pharmaceutical and food/nutraceutical purposes.

Solid Lipid Microparticles by Spray Congealing of Water/Oil Emulsion: An Effective/Versatile Loading Strategy for a Highly Soluble Drug.

Spray congealing technique was exploited to produce solid lipid microparticles (SLMp) loaded with a highly water-soluble drug (metoclopramide hydrochloride) dissolved in the aqueous phase of a water in oil (W/O) emulsion. The use of an emulsion as starting material for a spray congealing treatment is not so frequent. Moreover, for this application, a W/O emulsion with a drug dissolved in water is a totally novel path. A ternary diagram was built to optimize the emulsion composition, a factorial design was used to identify the factors affecting the properties of the microparticles and a Design of Experiment strategy was applied to define the impact of process conditions and formulation variables on the SLMp properties. SLMp were characterized by particle size distribution, morphology, residual moisture, drug content, release behavior, FT-IR analysis and XRPD. The obtained microparticles presented a spherical shape, particle size distribution between 54-98 µm depending on atomizing pressure used during the production step and 2-5% residual moisture 4 days after the preparation. XRPD analysis revealed that lipid polymorphic transition alfa-beta occurs depending on the presence of water. In vitro drug release tests highlighted that all the formulations had a reduced release rate compared to the drug alone. These results suggest that spray congealing of a W/O emulsion could be proposed as a good strategy to obtain SLMp with a high loading of a hydrophilic drug and able to control its release rate.

Shellac Gum/Carrageenan Alginate-Based Core-Shell Systems Containing Peppermint Essential Oil Formulated by Mixture Design Approach.

Peppermint essential oil is encapsulated by inverse ionotropic gelation in core-shell systems, composed of alginate (ALG) alone or alginate with shellac gum (SHL) and/or carrageenan (CRG). A mixture design approach is used to evaluate the correlation between the formulation composition and some properties of the final products. Immediately after the preparation, capsules appear rounded with a smooth and homogeneous surface, having a similar particle size ranging from 3.8 mm to 4.5 mm. The drying process, carried out at 40 °C in an oven for 3 h, reduces capsules' diameters by at least 50% and has a negative impact on the shape of the systems because they lose their regular shape and their external membrane partially collapses. The peppermint essential oil content of dried capsules is between 14.84% and 33.75%. The swelling behaviour of the systems is affected by the composition of their outer shell. When the external membrane is composed of alginate and shellac gum, the capsule ability to swell is lower than that of the systems containing alginate alone. The swelling ratio reaches 31% for alginate capsules but does not exceed 21% if shellac is present. Differently, when the second polymer of the shell is carrageenan, the swelling ability increases as a function of polymer concentration and the swelling ratio reaches 360%. In the case of systems whose outer membrane is a polymeric ternary mixture, the swelling capacity increases or decreases according to the concentrations of the individual polymers. The obtained results suggest that carrageenan could be a useful excipient to increase the swelling behaviour of the systems, while shellac gum makes the system shell more hydrophobic. The use of a mixture design (i.e., the use of ternary diagrams and related calculations), in which each single component is chosen to provide specific properties to the final mixture, could be the right approach to develop improved formulations with a tailored essential oil release profile.

Sensing Optimum in the Raw: Leveraging the Raw-Data Imaging Capabilities of Raspberry Pi for Diagnostics Applications.

Single-board computers (SBCs) and microcontroller boards (MCBs) are extensively used nowadays as prototyping platforms to accomplish innovative tasks. Very recently, implementations of these devices for diagnostics applications are rapidly gaining ground for research and educational purposes. Among the available solutions, Raspberry Pi represents one of the most used SBCs. In the present work, two setups based on Raspberry Pi and its CMOS-based camera (a 3D-printed device and an adaptation of a commercial product named We-Lab) were investigated as diagnostic instruments. Different camera elaboration processes were investigated, showing how direct access to the 10-bit raw data acquired from the sensor before downstream imaging processes could be beneficial for photometric applications. The developed solution was successfully applied to the evaluation of the oxidative stress using two commercial kits (d-ROM Fast; PAT). We suggest the analysis of raw data applied to SBC and MCB platforms in order to improve results.

Detection of unamplified genomic DNA by a PNA-based microstructured optical fiber (MOF) Bragg-grating optofluidic system.

Microstructured optical fibers containing microchannels and Bragg grating inscribed were internally functionalized with a peptide nucleic acid (PNA) probe specific for a gene tract of the genetically modified Roundup Ready soy. These fibers were used as an optofluidic device for the detection of DNA by measuring the shift in the wavelength of the reflected IR light. Enhancement of optical read-out was obtained using streptavidin coated gold-nanoparticles interacting with the genomic DNA captured in the fiber channels (0%, 0.1%, 1% and 10% RR-Soy), enabling to achieve statistically significant, label-free, and amplification-free detection of target DNA in low concentrations, low percentages, and very low sample volumes. Computer simulations of the fiber optics based on the finite element method (FEM) were consistent with the formation of a layer of organic material with an average thickness of 39 nm for the highest percentage (10% RR soy) analysed.

Label-free DNA biosensor based on a peptide nucleic acid-functionalized microstructured optical fiber-Bragg grating.

We describe a novel sensing approach based on a functionalized microstructured optical fiber-Bragg grating for specific DNA target sequences detection. The inner surface of a microstructured fiber, where a Bragg grating was previously inscribed, has been functionalized by covalent linking of a peptide nucleic acid probe targeting a DNA sequence bearing a single point mutation implicated in cystic fibrosis (CF) disease. A solution of an oligonucleotide (ON) corresponding to a tract of the CF gene containing the mutated DNA has been infiltrated inside the fiber capillaries and allowed to hybridize to the fiber surface according to the Watson-Crick pairing. In order to achieve signal amplification, ON-functionalized gold nanoparticles were then infiltrated and used in a sandwich-like assay. Experimental measurements show a clear shift of the reflected high order mode of a Bragg grating for a 100 nM DNA solution, and fluorescence measurements have confirmed the successful hybridization. Several experiments have been carried out on the same fiber using the identical concentration, showing the same modulation trend, suggesting the possibility of the reuse of the sensor. Measurements have also been made using a 100 nM mismatched DNA solution, containing a single nucleotide mutation and corresponding to the wild-type gene, and the results demonstrate the high selectivity of the sensor.

Phase-shifted Bragg microstructured optical fiber gratings utilizing infiltrated ferrofluids.

Results are presented on the efficient spectral manipulation of uniform and chirped Bragg reflectors inscribed in microstructured optical fibers utilizing short lengths of ferrofluids infiltrated in their capillaries. The infiltrated ferrofluidic defects can generate either parasitic reflection notch features in uniform Bragg reflectors of up to 80% visibility and ~0.1 nm spectral shift or tunability of the bandwidth and strength reflection up to 100% when introduced into chirped gratings. Spectra are presented for different spatial positions and optical characteristics of the ferrofluidic section.