Production and Evaluation of the Nutritional and Functional Qualities of “Adakwa” Enriched with Waste Biomass of Traditional Brewer’s Spent Grain as a Functional Staple Food

Brewers’ spent grains constitute a nutrient-rich valuable and highly under-utilized by-product of the beer industry produced in large amounts all through the year. This bio-resource is a very good candidate for valorization, due to environmental and economic concerns, using biotechnological processing, particularly for food enrichment. This study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of fortification of Adakwa with traditional brewers’ spent grains (TBSG) on its physicochemical and nutritional properties as well as its acceptability using an experimental design. Four (4) samples of Adakwa were produced with TBSG incorporated rates of 0% (control sample), 10%, 20%, and 30% and evaluated. Using an experimental design, the effect of process parameters, including the TBSG incorporation rate, cooking time, and cooking temperatures on the physicochemical and nutritional properties of the Adakwa were evaluated while the 9-point hedonic scale was used to evaluate the sensory properties and its overall acceptability: carbohydrate, protein, crude fibre, cellulose, polyphenol, antioxidant activity (FRAP and DPPH). The water absorption activity values were 81.2 ± 0.04, 4.55 ± 0.05, 9.73 ± 0.23, 3.31 ± 0.05, 6.73 ± 0.23, 1.60 ± 0.09, 28.85 ± 0.8 and 117 ± 3.54 respectively for 0% TBSG (control);86.8 ± 0.01, 1.81± 0.20, 16.22 ± 0.16, 5.54 ± 0.69, 6.01 ± 0.16, 6.59 ± 0.03, 25.89 ± 0.94 and 475.0 ± 21.21 respectively for 30% TBSG. The sample with a high nutrient content was further produced using a central composite design and the factors studied were temperature and time, with responses, crude fiber, and FRAP content. The optimum production condition was: % TBSG: 47.06%;temperature: 123.17℃;Time: 30.34 mins. The sample with 47% TBSG had the best overall acceptability after sensory evaluation with sensory scores of: 5.45 ± 0.76, 7.9 ± 0.79, 8.0 ± 1.0, 7.10 ± 0.16, 8.5 ± 1.6, 7.6 ± 0.98 for color, taste, aroma, mouthfeel, texture and overall acceptability respectively. Thus TBSG can be used to improve the physicochemical and nutritional properties of adakwa.

Petrographic and Geochemical Characterization of Mayedo and Kinzoki Ranges (Sumbi Bauxite Region, Kongo Central/DR Congo)

The bauxitic region of Sumbi and its surroundings in Central Kongo (DR Congo) is located in an area corresponding to “bands” of basic rocks made up of microdolerites, basalts and andesites. The problem of this study is linked to the similarity of the phenomena that generated the depositional process of these ferruginous and aluminous formations. The aim of this article is to carry out a chemical and petrographic study of samples of bauxitic materials from the Mayedo and Kinzoki regions, with a view to their possible recovery. To this end, the chemical and petrographic analysis of the weathering formations outcropping in the study area was carried out using X-ray fluorescence and thin section methods. The latter revealed that two lithologies were detected in the healthy rocks: basalts with a mineralogical assemblage of plagioclase crystals, pyroxene microcrystals and oxide opaques;and dolerites represented by plagioclase crystals, pyroxenes and a few quartz crystals. X-ray fluorescence revealed high levels of Al2O3 (32.69%) in the Mayedo zone (MHb1). This visibly gibbsite-rich level corresponds to the zone of friable, homogeneous bauxite with a massive, blood-red texture, with an estimated gibbsite percentage of 55.50. The percentage of Fe2O3 is high in these zones at 42.77%, hence the dark red colour, reflecting a strong zone of ferruginasation. This horizon contains a high concentration of hematite and goethite minerals. Highly variable SiO2 contents ranging from 13.48% to 40.82%. These variations are essentially due to the dissolution of silica by leaching and resilification.

The Performance of Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFLs), Hermetia illucens L. (Diptera: Stratiomyidae), as a Function of the Substrate Used: A Review

Organic wastes are one of the greatest challenges that cities face worldwide. In numerous underdeveloped nations, like Cameroon, waste is often disposed of through landfills, composting, or open-air combustion. Unfortunately, the concept of waste sorting and organic waste processing is new to many individuals. This has led to an increase in the amount of organic waste and the costs connected with its management. Consequently, the majority of developing nations have sought out waste management solutions that are more cost-effective. Therefore, it has been determined that the bioconversion of organic wastes by black soldier fly larvae (BSFLs) (Hermetia illucens) into multifunctional prepupae is a viable alternative. Appreciation is given to the employment of the organic waste management approach in developing nations since it is not only environmentally friendly and economically viable, but also provides a means for waste valorisation through the production of diverse resources and potential economic benefits. Studies have proved the usefulness of the insect in controlling organic wastes, but countries such as Cameroon are still unfamiliar with the nuances of this method. Consequently, this timely review examined the performance of the BSFL, specifically in organic waste treatment, as well as the best practices for multiplying them to determine its viability for use in a waste treatment plant, the production of high-quality larvae as a source of protein for livestock, and the production of diesel fuel.

Low temperature microwave-assisted vs conventional pyrolysis of various biomass feedstocks

A comparison between conventional pyrolysis and a novel developed low-temperature microwave-assisted pyrolysis methodology has been performed for the valorisation of a range of biomass feedstocks including waste residues. Microwave pyrolysis was found to efficiently deliver comparable evolution of bio-gases in the system as compared with conventional pyrolysis at significantly reduced temperatures （120-180 ℃vs 250-400 ℃）. The gas obtained from microwave-assisted pyrolysis was found to contain CO2, CH4 and CO as major components as well

How does a data strategy enable customer value?The case of FinTechs and traditional banks under the open finance framework

The coupling of data and digital innovation opens the way for new business in the financial services sector,where customers are placed at the centre of decisions and data can help to develop customer knowledge.To carry out our research,we adopted a multi-case study approach to explore how a data strategy is developed in the retail banking industry,together with its relationship with customer value,paying particular attention to the heterogeneity between traditional banks and financial technology companies(FinTechs).Two main points emerged from the study.Firstly,there are three possible approaches to Open Finance,which are mainly defined by their different corporate cultures,organisational configurations,technological architecture and data value.Secondly,it is not enough to be a FinTech to be best placed to exploit the market,as some traditional banks share the FinTechs’approach to Open Finance.Designing new tailored products,customising their prices and offering them over the right channels through targeted communication are all data-driven initiatives that stem from cross-or up-selling potential,core to the retail banking industry for turning a customer into a cash flow,thus enabling value to be created for customers.Our findings additionally revealed that there is a form of external information asymmetry between the customer and the bank,and that there is also an internal asymmetry between bank departments,as their visibility on information about the same customer may differ.

Characterization of Extracts from the Bark of the Gabon Hazel Tree (Coula edulis baill) for Antioxidant,Antifungal and Anti-termite Products

Chemical composition of the bark extracts of Coula edulis was investigated to find potential antioxidant,anti-termite and antifungal compounds which can find useful applications in the fields of food,nutraceuticals,cosmetics or agrochemical.Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of several groups of active molecules such as alkaloids,polyphenols,flavonoids,saponins and sterols and/or terpenes in the different extracts.Total phenols,condensed tannins and flavonoids contents corroborated phytochemical screening.Gas chromatographymass spectrometry(GC-MS)analysis revealed compounds in dichloromethane extract different from those obtained with all the other solvents.Hexadecanoic and trans-9-octadecenoic acids,as well as stigmasterol andβ-sitosterol have been identified as the major compounds in the dichloromethane extract.Extracts obtained with acetone and toluene/ethanol mixture(2/1,v/v)indicated the presence of few amounts of fatty acids and sugars,catechin in small amount and huge amounts of phenolic acids like gallic and ellagic acids.The radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyle(DPPH)and the cationic radical 2,2’-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)(ABTS+)were used for evaluation of antioxidant properties of the different extracts.The dichloromethane extracts had a very low antioxidant activity,while acetone and toluene/ethanol extracts presented EC50 values similar to those of catechin and BHT used as reference antioxidant compounds.Effect of the different extracts of the bark of C.edulis on fungal growth inhibition indicated better inhibition of the mycelium growth of brown rot fungi compared to white rot fungi.Low anti-termite activities were recorded with the aqueous extracts,while stronger activities were recorded with dichloromethane,acetone and toluene/ethanol extracts.

Recycling of Glass Fibers from Fiberglass Polyester Waste Composite for the Manufacture of Glass-Ceramic Materials

This work presents the feasibility of reusing a glass fiber resulting from the thermolysis and gasification of waste composites to obtain glass-ceramic tiles. Polyester fiberglass (PFG) waste was treated at 550℃ for 3 h in a 9.6 dm3 thermolytic reactor. This process yielded an oil (≈24 wt%), a gas (≈8 wt%) and a solid residue (≈68 wt%). After the polymer has been removed, the solid residue is heated in air to oxidize residual char and remove surface contamination. The cleaning fibers were converted into glass-ceramic tile. A mixture consisting of 95 wt% of this solid residue and 5% Na2O was melted at 1450℃ to obtain a glass frit. Powder glass samples (<63 μm) was then sintered and crystallized at 1013℃, leading to the formation of wollastonite-plagioclase glass-ceramic materials for architectural applications. Thermal stability and crystallization mechanism have been studied by Differential Thermal Analysis. Mineralogy analyses of the glass-ceramic materials were carried out using X-ray Diffraction.

Suitability of Blends from Virgin and Reprocessed Polylactide: Performance and Energy Valorization Kinet

A blending strategy of virgin and reprocessed polylactide may be postulated as an alternative to reduce the material cost at industrial level,and as a valorization route to plastic waste management of production scraps.The performance of blends prepared from virgin polylactide and polylactide mechanically reprocessed up to two cycles(PLA-V/R)was assessed in terms of thermo-oxidative stability,morphology,viscoelasticity and thermal kinetics for energetic valorization.PLA-V/R blends showed appropriate thermo-oxidative stability.The amorphous nature of polylactide was preserved after blending.The viscoelastic properties showed an increment of the mechanical blend effectiveness,which suggested the feasibility of using PLA-V/R blends under similar mechanical conditions to those of virgin PLA goods.Finally,it was shown that the energetic valorization of PLA-V/R blends would result in a more feasible process,due to the lower required activation energy,thus highlighting the advantages of the energetic demand for the process.In conclusion,PLA-V/R blends showed similar processability,service performance and valorization routes as virgin PLA and therefore could be relevant in the sustainable circular industry of bioplastics.

Biorefinery of Rice Husk to Obtain Functionalized Bioactive Compounds

The biomass industrialization valorisation of grains and cereals is considered an opportunity for the countries where agro-industrial activity is one of its main economic activities,rendering new higher-value products with a concomitant solution to waste accumulation issues.To that end,in this work we describe and characterise bioactive compounds generation from rice husk by semisolid fermentation,obtained from 500 g of the material at room temperature and 60%humidity with mixed cultures of Phanerochaete chrysosporium and Gloeophyllum trabeum.The extract was evaluated in different situations:murine mammary tumour cells(4T1),normal cells(NIH 3T3)and in Lactobacillus acidophilus,and Trichoderma harzianum.The results exhibited that the extract inhibited 4T1 cells at concentrations higher than 20μg/mL,but did not inhibit normal cells,and displayed germicide activity after 3 days incubations.We propose that these functionalized compounds have a potential application in industry/agriculture/medicine obtained from rice husk waste.

GIS Analyses and Maps Creation of a Naturalistic Area: The Carengione Oasis

This paper describes the experience carried out with the aim to provide a technical and geo-referenced contribution to a project, submitted to the Common of Peschiera Borromeo in the Province of Milan in Lombardy. The promoter is a group of local associations;the aim is the valorisation and fruition of a green area, named Carengione Oasis. At first a GIS pre-analysis of the area has been performed to achieve a thorough knowledge of the area object of study. Then, a handheld GSP navigator has been employed to collect the data to be processed in a GIS software. This device choice has pros (a fast and very easy survey has been carried out) and cons (the acquired data have a precision of 3 to 5 meters). These data have been processed with the aid of the GIS software ArcMap release 10.4.1 by Esri. Also some free aerial images have been employed to edit features inaccessible on site. The achieved results are some thematic, metric and georeferenced maps and also a 3D virtual tour for a realistic visit of this area. They fulfil the project requirements. Anyway, due to their low precision, they have not been uploaded to enrich the official Lombardy cartography (DBTR);for this reason, part of them has been donated to the free data interchange OpenStreetMap. This work could be considered as a first step for future more precise surveys which would allow adding the acquired results to the DBTR;it has also been planned to create a story map describing the experience illustrated in this paper.

Improving the Stability of the Inflatable Soil of Diamniadio by Using Typha Australis in Order to Value It in Partitioning Wall

The construction industry in Senegal is experiencing an upsurge in the development of residential housing units and administrative buildings within the new Diamniadio municipality, an area located just about 35 km from the capital city of Dakar. Laboratory oedometer or expansive-index tests, however, show poor density and compromised shear strength in the soil samples within the area -posing serious construction problems due to significant volume changes (swellings) that occur when subjected to moisture, thus, bringing into question the structural performance integrity of the soil, and the financial implications of substitute soil types used to compensate for its poor tensile strength. By way, the companies collect the soil of this location (Diamniadio) and throw it to make pile or micro-pile (pious) for their structures. This article demonstrates how we can value the soil of Diamniadio and the Typha Australis in residential building with a reasonable cost. Typha Australis is a plant generally luxuriant within the northern and central belts of Senegal but also known for its negative ecological impacts on the agricultural production of rice. The valorisation of the soil of Diamniadio will pass by the ability to increase its stability or to decrease its shrinkage/swelling rate. When we achieve it, the soil associate with Typha Australis will be used for small bricks which can be useful for partition wall and so the soil will not be ever thrown as a non-useful material. Tests results of soil specimens extracted from the site show a shrinkage rate of 29.19% with estimated cracking depths of 3.5 cm. But by adding gradually Typha Australis, the shrinkage rate will pass from 29.19% to 5.13% with the material treats with 10% by mass of Typha Australis. Moreover, the crackings in the cylindrical specimen disappear. That shows the increase of the stability;thus the composition will be used for building bricks. However, the densities will also be affected by the presence of Typha Australis. The density is decreased from 2032.28 Kg/m3 for the soil without Typha Australis to 937 Kg/m3 for the one with 10% of Typha Australis.

Knowledge and Traditional Uses of Some Aromatic and Cosmetic Plants Species in the Western Highlands of Cameroon

The valorisation of plant genetic resources following the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) process of the Nagoya Protocol requires the mastery of traditional knowledge associated with their uses by local populations. The objectives of this study were to survey the aromatic or cosmetics plants species used by the populations and to collect information on the knowledge associated with their uses in the Western highlands of Cameroon. Ethnobotanical surveys were carried out in 12 localities, where 251 individuals, including 206 men and 45 women, whose ages ranged from 25 to 81 years were interviewed. Information on each of the plant species mentioned and their different uses were recorded. A total of 103 species in 81 genera and 46 families were cited for aromatic or cosmetic uses, of which the most represented were the Lamiaceae (18 species), Asteraceae, and Zingiberaceae (7 species each). The identified plants were grouped into four categories of use: medicinal (56.31%), cosmetic (10.68%), food (6.80%), and cultural (1.94%). Most of the species surveyed were herbaceous (66%) with leaves being the most used part. The diversity index values of the respondents showed 10 species that were very well known and used by the populations: Eryngium foetidum, Chenopodium ambrosioides, Ocimum gratissimum, Piper umbellatum, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, Aframomum melegueta, Citrus limon, Costus afer, Cyperus rotundus, and Mondia whitei. These species were mainly used for: cough, spiritual protection, sexual weakness, cysts, diabetes, prostate, rheumatism, filaria, insomnia, female sterility, jaundice, scabies, haemorrhoids, high blood pressure and asthma. The results obtained constitute a valuable source of information that can contribute to the establishment of value chains allowing the effective valorisation of species following the ABS process.

Processes for the valorization of food and agricultural wastes to value‑added products:recent practices and perspectives

Biorefneries contribute to a circular bioeconomy using renewable feedstock to produce commodity and specialty chemicals as an alternative to petroleum chemicals.Using waste streams such as food waste and agricultural waste as a feedstock for biorefneries is a promising approach for obtaining value-added products in an economically feasible and sustainable way.The conversion of biomass to chemicals ofers diverse opportunities but poses new technological challenges.This paper aims to review the current state of food and agricultural waste valorisation by giving a brief technical overview,summarizing the current state of the bio-based market,and identifying the current barriers to scaling-up biorefneries.Utilizing lignocellulosic biomass in biorefneries calls for pre-treatment due to its complex structure,in which biomass is broken into monosaccharides,building blocks of value-added products.Diferent state of the art technologies for lignocellulose pre-treatment is introduced in the review followed by a brief explanation of the role of the hydrolysis and fermentation.The economic aspect of chemical production from biomass waste at an industrial scale is also introduced by giving an overview of some recent techno-economic studies.

Identification of novel bioactive proanthocyanidins with potent antioxidant and anti-proliferative activities from kiwifruit leaves

Agro-wastes contribute major social,economic,and environmental challenges for food production and circular economy systems.The current increasing demand for clean label food production and use of natural bioactive compounds could turn these challenges into opportunities providing avenues for proper utilization of agro-wastes to produce valuable products.This study aimed to investigate the potential use of kiwifruit(Actinidia chinensis)leaves as a source of proanthocyanidins(PAs)bioactive phenolic phytochemicals.Kiwifruit leaves PAs were extracted,purified,identified,and evaluated for their antioxidant and anti-proliferative activities.The structural composition of the purified PAs was characterized using HPLC-QTOF-MS/MS and MALDI-TOF-MS.The results showed that purified kiwifruit leaves PAs(PKLPs)comprised mainly procyanidins,propelargonidins,and prodelphindins ranging from dimers to hexamers with(epi)catechin as terminal units and(epi)afzelechin or(epi)gallocatechin as dominant extension units.This study reports the structure of novel PKLPs monomer fractions was unique compared to the PAs that extracted from the other plant sources.The PKLPs exhibited higher phenolic content than the skin and flesh of several kiwifruit cultivars.Moreover,the PKLPs exhibited higher in vitro antioxidant activity in chemical-based(DPPH,ABTS,and FRAP)assays and H2O2-induced injury cell model than ascorbic,Trolox,and catechin(p<0.01).A remarkable dose-dependent anti-proliferation activity(IC_(50)=186.04±2.61μg/mL)against HepG2 cells was observed.In conclusion,this study demonstrated that kiwifruit leaves waste could serve as a sustainable and low-cost source of PAs,a group of multi-functional bioactive compounds that plays a key role in the food and pharmaceutical industries.