Journal Name RSCPublishing ARTICLE This journal isIn the present work, an electrochemical sensor for nitrobenzene has been developed based on green synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) decorated reduced graphene oxide (RGO) modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The AgNPs were synthesized using Justicia glauca leaf extract as a reducing and stabilizing agent. RGO-AgNPs composite modified electrode was prepared by a simple electrochemical reduction of AgNPs dispersed GO solution. FESEM of RGO-AgNPs composite confirms that AgNPs are firmly attached on the RGO sheets and the average size of AgNPs is found to be 40 ± 5 nm. The modified electrode shows good efficiency with lower overpotential for electrocatalytic reduction of NB than that of other modified electrodes (AgNPs and RGO). The DPV response confirms that the reduction peak current of NB is linear over the concentrations from 0.5 to 900 µM. The sensitivity of the sensors is found to be 0.836 µAµM -1 cm -2 with the detection limit of 0.261 µM for NB.In addition, the RGO-AgNPs composite modified electrode shows good selectivity in the presence of potentially interfering similar compounds and good practicality in the waste water samples.

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Soybeans play a vital role in the world economy as an essential food commodity by fulfilling human dietary needs. Hence, the seeds are commonly transported and stored in bulk quantities in various parts of the world which ultimately results in infestation issues. Callosobruchus maculatus is one of the major storage pests that infest the soybean seeds and cause losses in both the quantity and quality of the seeds. Cold plasma (CP) is an emerging non-thermal disinfestation technique that can disinfest food grain. Hence, we have used low pressure (<2 mbar) CP at different voltages (1.0-2.0 kV) and exposure times (2-24 min) to disinfest the C. maculatus from soybeans. The maximum mortality of 100.00 ± 0.00%, 98.89 ± 1.92%, and 37.33 ± 8.08% was achieved in adult, pupae, and egg stage insects, respectively, after 24 min of prolonged CP exposure at 2.0 kV voltage. However, CP treatment (1.5 kV-18 min) induced only 11.11 ± 3.85% mortality in larval stage insects as they were well protected under soybean seed coat. During the experiment, we also identified the impact of insect sex and egg age on the CP treatment effectiveness. Further, we have also analyzed the egg-producing capacity of CP-treated adult insects before their death.Apart from disinfestation, the CP treatment also assisted the soymilk extraction and increased the extraction yield from 92.44 ± 1.02% (control) to 97.22 ± 0.19% after CP treatment (2.0 kV-12 min). Nevertheless, the FTIR and SDS PAGE results had not shown any changes in the quality of soymilk extracted after CP treatment. Practical applicationsSince the lab scale study was found to be effective against most of the C. maculatus life stages, it is possible to adapt the CP for large-scale disinfestation applications with essential modifications (i.e., pressure, conveyors) in the system's designs. Apart from that, CP also modifies the surface nature of the grains, hence the treatment also assists in increasing the extraction yield (milk, oil, and protein) and germination percentage of food grains.

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Rice (Oryza sativa), an undeniable staple food, consumed as whole grain or converted to flour and derivatives, encloses a range of products like breakfast cereals, baby foods, bakery goods, extruded snack foods, and noodles. It finds interesting application in the food industry owing to its bland flavor, gluten-free, hypo-allergenic, and as a thickener (Mariotti et al., 2018). The concern over rice-based products is hiking as it could be a better alternative to people enduring celiac disease. It is also nutritious, providing ample energy as it is rich in carbohydrates (80%-95%; Sun et al., 2017). Among the products available, rice flour gels are generally used for making porridge and spread. However, deeper knowledge on the quality attributes and viscoelastic properties gives rise to more products on cerealbased gels, which are an emerging area of interest, and more studies are being focused on its application in food.Gels are three-dimensional networks, made of synthetic polymers or biopolymeric substances. Their profound applications in food include structuring foods with required sensorial textures, fat replacers, preserving food structure, and improving shelf life (Cao & Mezzenga, 2020). Hydrogels are crosslinked network of hydrophilic polymers capable of absorbing a large amount of water and swell, thereby maintaining the three-dimensional network. They are chemically similar to gels but physically distinct (Shahbazizadeh

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Food processing is an emerging industrial sector that applies new technologies to process foods efficiently. During processing, food industries produce a substantial amount of by-products as waste. Disposal of these wastes remains a problem and causes environmental pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. However, novel food processing technology like pulsed electric field-assisted extraction (PEFAE) has the potential to utilise these wastes as a source of bioactive compounds and extract valuable compounds in a shorter period with minimal use of solvents and energy. This review covers the basics of pulsed electric field (PEF) and its effect on bioactive compound extraction yield and quality. Furthermore, the article compares the PEF treatment energy and extraction efficiency with other non-conventional extraction methods to better make the reader understand in terms of selecting the suitable processing method. However, the extraction yield and process efficiency depend highly on the processing parameters. Hence, the article also explains the various kinetic models involved in PEF-assisted food waste valorisation to control the process parameters during treatment.

This study was aimed to examine the assessment of temperature and concentration on tapioca hydrogel into xerogel formation during sessile drop drying. The processing conditions during gelatinization of tapioca flour had an impact on xerogel characteristics. Various concentrations (5, 7.5, and 10% [wt/vol]) of tapioca flour dispersion were heated at a temperature of 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95, and 100°C for developing tapioca xerogel. Pasting parameters and least gelation concentration were investigated to confirm tapioca flour concentration. Contact angle, swelling power, solubility, surface tension, and transmittance were found to test the impact of tapioca hydrogel temperature. Rise in density, swelling power, solubility is due to the good starch‐water binding. The reduction in light transmittance specifies birefringence and crystallinity loss because of disruption of granular structure. Increase in surface tension and contact angle indicates higher gelation of starch. It was concluded that 5% (wt/vol) tapioca flour dispersion gelatinized at 65°C exhibited improved integrity with no deformation and cracks in the xerogel structure. Practical Applications Flat packed ready‐to‐cook products with the addition of flavor/seasonings could be utilized as edible snack products like pasta, noodles, and chips. The designed tapioca xerogel can be impregnated with bioactive components in the development of functional foods and nutraceuticals. These two‐dimensional flour‐based xerogels have the capability of undergoing three‐dimensional customized shape change during frying/cooking. This emerging technique of food processing could sort out the increased usage of packaging materials, diminishes the transportation cost, and also enhances consumer acceptance.