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This study aimed to evaluate the effect of extrusion and of open-pan cooking on whole germinated and non-germinated grains of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L. R. Br.), on its chemical-nutritional composition and in vitro iron bioavailability. The experimental design consisted of three flours: non-germination open-pan cooked millet flour (NGOPCMF), germination open-pan cooked millet flour (GOPCMF), and extrusion cooked millet flour (ECMF). The ECMF increased the carbohydrates, iron, manganese, diosmin, and cyanidin and decreased the total dietary fiber, resistant starch, lipids, and total vitamin E, in relation to NGOPCMF. The GOPCMF increased the lysine and vitamin C and decreased the phytate, lipids, total phenolic, total vitamin E, and riboflavin concentration, in relation to NGOPCMF. Furthermore, germinated cooked millet flour and extruded millet flour improved iron availability in vitro compared to non-germinated cooked millet flour. GOPCMF and ECMF generally preserved the chemical-nutritional composition of pearl millet and improved in vitro iron bioavailability; therefore, they are nutritionally equivalent and can be used to develop pearl millet-based products., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors affirm that they have no known conflicting financial interests or personal relationships that may have influenced the research presented in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The design of new hydrophobic solvents is essential for replacing the toxic hexane for extracting nonpolar compounds such as fatty acids. On the other hand, the full use of plant matrices seeking to obtain new food and pharmaceutical products from their coproducts has also been the focus of sustainable processes. This study proposed new solvents for replacing hexane to extract fatty acids and hydrophobic bioactive compounds from coproducts obtained from almond- and peanut-based milk processing. The COSMO-RS method was used to select terpene-based mixtures to substitute hexane. Experimentally, four liquid solvents were formed from 1:2 tetradecanol/1,8-cineole (TE/EU), 1:2 camphor/1,8-cineole (CA/EU), 1:1 oleic acid/1,8-cineole (OL/EU), and 1:1 menthol/1,8-cineole (ME/EU). DSC analyses indicated the reduction of the CA/EU, OL/EU, and ME/EU melting points concerning their components. However, the melting point values predicted by the COSMO for obtaining eutectic mixtures differed. CA/EU was the only mixture with a melting point lower than the COSMO-RS-predicted one. In contrast, the FTIR spectra did not provide a clear visualization of the hydrogen bond formation between camphor and 1,8-cineole. This could be due to the formation of weak hydrogen bonds, a phenomenon observed in other studies. Nevertheless, these solvents have the advantage of low viscosity, a promising feature that likely facilitated mass transfer in the extraction of hydrophobic compounds from almond and peanut coproducts. ME/EU provided the same global extraction yield as hexane and higher phytosterol extraction from almond coproducts. On the other hand, CA/EU provided the same global yield and squalene content as hexane from peanut coproducts. The extracts can be directly used in food and pharmaceutical applications since the solvents are usually part of the formulations. However, DSC and TGA-DTA analyses indicated possible ways to separate the solvents., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

We propose an innovative approach to address the pressing need for efficient and transparent evaluation techniques to assess extraction processes' sustainability. In response to society's growing demand for natural products and the consequent surge in biomass exploration, a critical imperative arises to ensure that these processes are genuinely environmentally friendly. Extracting natural compounds has traditionally been regarded as a benign activity rooted in ancient practices. However, contemporary extraction methods can also significantly harm the environment if not carefully managed. Recognizing this, we developed a novel metric, Path2Green , tailored specifically and rooted in 12 new principles of a green extraction process. Path2Green seeks to provide a comprehensive framework beyond conventional metrics, offering a nuanced understanding of the environmental impact of extraction activities from biomass collection/production until the end of the process. By integrating factors such as resource depletion, energy consumption, waste generation, and biodiversity preservation, Path2Green aims to offer a holistic assessment of sustainability of an extraction approach. The significance of Path2Green lies in its ability to distill complex environmental data into a simple, accessible metric. This facilitates informed decision-making for stakeholders across industries, enabling them to prioritize greener extraction practices. Moreover, by setting clear benchmarks and standards, Path2Green incentivizes innovation and drives continuous improvement in sustainability efforts, being a new user-friendly methodology., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and furfural (Fur) are promising biobased platform chemicals, derived from the dehydration of carbohydrate feedstocks, normally conducted in an aqueous phase. Plagued by side-reactions in such phase, such as the rehydration to levulinic acid (LA) and formic acid (FA) or self-condensation to humins, HMF and Fur necessitates diversification from monophasic aqueous reaction systems toward biphasic systems to mitigate undesired side-reactions. Here, a methodology based on the COnductor-like Screening MOdel for Real Solvents (COSMO-RS) method was used to screen solvent candidates based on the predicted partition coefficients ( K i ). Hansen solubility parameters in conjunction with excess thermodynamic quantities determined by COSMO-RS were employed to assess solvent compatibility. Experimental validation of the COSMO-RS values highlighted only minor deviations from the predictions with root-mean-square-error (RMSE) values of HMF and Fur at 0.76 and 5.32, respectively, at 298 K. The combined effort suggested cyclohexanone, isophorone, and methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) as the best candidates. Finally, extraction solvent reuse demonstrated cyclohexanone suitability for HMF extraction with K HMF of 3.66 and MIBK for Fur with K Fur 7.80 with consistent partitioning across four total runs. Both solvents are classified as recommended by the CHEM21 solvent selection guide, hence adding to the sustainability of the process., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Soybeans are mainly used for food and biodiesel production. It is estimated that soy crops worldwide will leave about 651 million metric tons of branches, leaves, pods, and roots on the ground post-harvesting in 2022/23. These by-products might serve as largely available and cheap source of high added-value metabolites, such as flavonoids, isoflavonoids, and other phenolic compounds. This work aimed to explore green approaches based on the use of pressurized and gas expanded-liquid extraction combined with natural deep eutectic solvents (NADESs) to achieve phenolic-rich extracts from soy by-products. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents of the generated extracts were quantified and compared with conventional solvents and techniques. Pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) with choline chloride/citric acid/water (1:1:11 - molar ratio) at 120 ° C, 100 bar, and 20 min, resulted in an optimized condition to generate phenolic and flavonoid-rich fractions of soy by-products. The individual parts of soy were extracted under these conditions, with their metabolic profile obtained by UHPLC-ESI-QToF-MS/MS and potential antioxidant properties by ROS scavenging capacity. Extracts of soy roots presented the highest antioxidant capacity (207.48 ± 40.23 mg AA/g), three times higher than soybean extracts (68.96 ± 12.30). Furthermore, Hansen solubility parameters (HSPs) were applied to select natural hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents (NaHDES) as substituents for n -heptane to defat soybeans. Extractions applying NaHDES candidates achieved a similar yield and chromatography profile (GC-QToF-MS) to n -heptane extracts., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Bragagnolo, Socas-Rodríguez, Mendiola, Cifuentes, Funari and Ibáñez.)

Soy is the major oilseed crop as soybeans are widely used to produce biofuel, food, and feed. Other parts of the plant are left on the ground after harvest. The accumulation of such by-products on the soil can cause environmental problems. This work presents for the first time a comprehensive metabolite profiling of soy by-products collected directly from the ground just after mechanical harvesting. A two-liquid-phase extraction using n -heptane and EtOH-H 2 O 7:3 (v/v) provided extracts with complete characterization by gas chromatography and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography both coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry. A total of 146 metabolites, including flavones, flavonols, isoflavonoids, fatty acids, steroids, mono-, sesqui-, di-, and triterpenoids, were tentatively identified in soy by-products and soybeans. These proved to be sources of a wide range of bioactive metabolites, thus suggesting that they could be valorized while reducing potential environmental damage in line with a circular economy model.

The valorization of agri-food by-products is essential from both economic and sustainability perspectives. The large quantity of such materials causes problems for the environment; however, they can also generate new valuable ingredients and products which promote beneficial effects on human health. It is estimated that soybean production, the major oilseed crop worldwide, will leave about 597 million metric tons of branches, leaves, pods, and roots on the ground post-harvesting in 2020/21. An alternative for the use of soy-related by-products arises from the several bioactive compounds found in this plant. Metabolomics studies have already identified isoflavonoids, saponins, and organic and fatty acids, among other metabolites, in all soy organs. The present review aims to show the application of metabolomics for identifying high-added-value compounds in underused parts of the soy plant, listing the main bioactive metabolites identified up to now, as well as the factors affecting their production.

Soybeans are among the world's major crops responsible for food and biodiesel production, as well as a major source of isoflavones - a class of high value-added bioactive compounds. As estimated 460 million tonnes of soya residues (branches, leaves, roots, and pods) will be produced in the 2018/2019 harvest, and 20-40% of this waste must be removed from the field to ensure soil quality and minimize environmental impacts. This work investigated the potential occurrence and content of isoflavones in soya agricultural waste collected directly from the ground after mechanically harvesting. We also assessed the extraction performances of ethanol and acetone for these materials as an alternative to acetonitrile, a problematic solvent from an environmental point of view. Considerable amounts of isoflavones were found in soya agricultural waste collected directly from the ground when compared to soybeans (2.71 ± 0.27, 0.57 ± 0.1, 0.30 ± 0.05 and 2.09 ± 0.24 kg of isoflavones/tonne of leaves, branches, pods, and soybeans, respectively). The greener ethanol and acetone performed well for a broad range of compounds. This is an example in which appreciable amounts of high value-added compounds are wasted. Since isoflavones are considered phytoestrogens, their recovery from part of this waste might avoid potential contamination of soil and groundwater., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)