A new preservation approach is presented in this article to prolong the lifetime of raw chicken meat and enhance its quality at 4 °C via coating with highly soluble kidney bean protein hydrolysate. The hydrolysates of the black, red, and white kidney protein (BKH, RKH, and WKH) were obtained after 30 min enzymatic hydrolysis with Alcalase (E/S ratio of 1:100, hydrolysis degree 25–29%). The different phaseolin subunits (8S) appeared in SDS-PAGE in 35–45 kD molecular weight range while vicilin appeared in the molecular weight range of 55–75 kD. The kidney bean protein hydrolysates have considerable antioxidant activity as evidenced by the DPPH-scavenging activity and β-carotine-linolenic assay, as well as antimicrobial activity evaluated by disc diffusion assay. BKH followed by RKH (800 µg/mL) significantly (p ≤ 0.05) scavenged 95, 91% of DPPH and inhibited 82–88% of linoleic oxidation. The three studied hydrolysates significantly inhibited the growth of bacteria, yeast, and fungi, where BKH was the most performing. Kidney bean protein hydrolysates could shield the chicken meat because of their amphoteric nature and many functional properties (water and oil-absorbing capacity and foaming stability). The quality of chicken meat was assessed by tracing the fluctuations in the chemical parameters (pH, met-myoglobin, lipid oxidation, and TVBN), bacterial load (total bacterial count, and psychrophilic count), color parameters and sensorial traits during cold preservation (4 °C). The hydrolysates (800 µg/g) significantly p ≤ 0.05 reduced the increment in meat pH and TVBN values, inhibited 59–70% of lipid oxidation as compared to control during 30 days of cold storage via eliminating 50% of bacterial load and maintained secured storage for 30 days. RKH and WKH significantly (p ≤ 0.05) enhanced L*, a* values, thus augmented the meat whiteness and redness, while, BKH increased b* values, declining all color parameters during meat storage. RKH and WKH (800 µg/g) (p ≤ 0.05) maintained 50–71% and 69–75% of meat color and odor, respectively, increased the meat juiciness after 30 days of cold storage. BKH, RKH and WKH can be safely incorporated into novel foods.

Plant diseases and pests are risk factors that threaten global food security. Excessive chemical pesticide applications are commonly used to reduce the effects of plant diseases caused by bacterial and fungal pathogens. A major concern, as we strive toward more sustainable agriculture, is to increase crop yields for the increasing population. Microbial biological control agents (MBCAs) have proved their efficacy to be a green strategy to manage plant diseases, stimulate plant growth and performance, and increase yield. Besides their role in growth enhancement, plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria/fungi (PGPR/PGPF) could suppress plant diseases by producing inhibitory chemicals and inducing immune responses in plants against phytopathogens. As biofertilizers and biopesticides, PGPR and PGPF are considered as feasible, attractive economic approach for sustainable agriculture; thus, resulting in a “win-win” situation. Several PGPR and PGPF strains have been identified as effective BCAs under environmentally controlled conditions. In general, any MBCA must overcome certain challenges before it can be registered or widely utilized to control diseases/pests. Successful MBCAs offer a practical solution to improve greenhouse crop performance with reduced fertilizer inputs and chemical pesticide applications. This current review aims to fill the gap in the current knowledge of plant growth-promoting microorganisms (PGPM), provide attention about the scientific basis for policy development, and recommend further research related to the applications of PGPM used for commercial purposes.

The aim of the work was to study the effect of adding cucumber pomace powder (CP) to soft wheat flour used in noodle manufacture. CP is a rich source of minerals and fibres, having high contents of polyphenols and flavonoids were 1.6 mg g −1 GAE and 0.65 mg g −1 QE, respectively, besides its capability to inhibit bacterial and fungal growth and to scavenge DPPH˙(74.44%). The dough rheological properties showed increased extensibility and water absorption but decreased elasticity with adding CP. CP addition significantly increased the mineral and polyphenols content in noodles, but decreased protein and carbohydrates. Noodles enriched with CP 6% have the best organoleptic properties and overall acceptability and were associated with high levels of essential minerals, reduced cooking time by 44% over the control and better nutritional value. No deteriorative changes in dried noodles occurred during 12 months. Cooked noodles enriched with CP 6% significantly reduced the microbial load.

Water deficit and soil infertility negatively influence the growth, nutrient uptake, and productivity of wheat. Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and salicylic acid (SA) were evaluated as possible solutions to mitigate the impacts of water deficit on growth, physiology, productivity, and nutrient uptake of wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Sakha 95). Over two growing seasons (2016/2017 and 2017/2018) field experiments were conducted to examine eight combinations of two water treatments (water deficit and well-watered) with four soil and foliar treatments (control, PGPR, SA, and combination of PGPR + SA). The application of PGPR increased soil microbial activity resulting in increased field capacity and available soil water. Likewise, the application of the combined treatment of PGPR and SA significantly increased chlorophyll content, relative water content, stomatal conductance, soil microbial population, and showed inhibitory impacts on proline content, thus improving yield-related traits, productivity, and nutrient uptake (N, P, K) under water deficit compared to the control treatment. The results show that the integrative use of PGPR in association with SA may achieve an efficacious strategy to attenuate the harmful effects of water deficit as well as the amelioration of productivity and nutrient uptake of wheat under water-deficient conditions.

This work aims to enhance the flavor of functional cucumber juice using herbal extracts of peppermint, basil, lavender, and lemongrass ethanolic extracts and extend its lifetime by controlling the chemical and microbial fluctuations. Cucumber juices were processed as; non-supplemented (J-Con), J-PME, J-BE, J-LE, and J-LEE supplemented with peppermint, basil, lavender, and lemongrass ethanolic extracts, respectively. Peppermint extract was significantly scavenged 88% of DPPH radicals and inhibited the growth of tested gram-positive, gram-negative bacteria and fungi followed by the lemongrass extract. The antioxidant activity of cucumber juices increased due to polyphenols and aroma compounds in the added extracts. However, the antioxidant content was decreased after two months of storage at 4 °C, due to the decrease in polyphenols. The flavor compounds were determined using GC mass, wherein hydrocarbons, acids, alcohols, and carbonyl compounds were the main aroma contents in cucumber juices, and their contents decreased with storage time. Peppermint and lemongrass extracts were significantly ( p ≤ 0.05) increased the whiteness of J-PME, and J-LEE, respectively. The highest score of flavor and taste was observed in J-PME that scored 8.3 based on panelists' reports followed by J-LEE. The PME was significantly maintained 91% of the odor and color of J-PME as compared to other juices.