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The dehydration process modifies the physical and chemical characteristics of certain crops, thereby increasing their shelf life and consequently reducing the organic waste generated. This process is contingent upon maintaining optimal temperature and humidity levels to prevent deterioration of the product. As indirect dehydrators have a high energy demand, new designs are required that facilitate the uniform distribution of air with a high-volume capacity of 100 kg per day. In the present study, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques were employed to assess the drying performance of two dehydrator models. The simulations were executed in Solidworks 2020 and Flow Simulation, and they examined temperature distribution and velocity within the interior of the dehydrators. In Model 1, an inlet volume flow of 0.08 m3 s−1 and a heat source of 3.5 kW are considered, within a volume of 2.11 m3. In Model 2, an inlet volume flow of 0.03 m3 s−1 and two heat source of 2.5 kW are considered, within a volume of 2.02 m3. Model 1 was unable to achieve uniform air distribution within the drying chamber. In contrast, Model 2 demonstrated uniform velocity and temperature across the majority of the drying chamber, making it a superior option.

The present study describes the harnessing of revalued cow milk (denoted as waste milk) for fabricating casein fibers (CAS) with enhanced mechanical performance and antibacterial properties by the electrospinning method. For this purpose, polyethylene oxide (PEO) was employed (10 and 20 wt%) as a binder for the appropriate electrospun CAS fibers. Different amount of tannic acid (TA) was incorporated into casein/polyethylene oxide fibers (CAS/PEO) as a crosslinker agent, bringing filaments with a diameter of ca. 2 µm. The incorporation of 4 wt% of TA promotes the fibers' reticulation, forming a stable three-dimensional network. Also, the mechanical performance of CAS/PEO fibers was improved, where the tensile strength was increased from 0.91 MPa to 1.88 MPa with 4 % of TA, while the breaking elongation was increased from 93.74 % to 274.56 %. This behavior benefits the processing of fibers by electrospinning. Furthermore, the TA addition during the electrospun of CAS/PEO fibers enhances fibers' wettability properties and thermal stability induced by the crosslinker agent. Additionally, the antibacterial activity (AA) test demonstrates that CAS fibers can inhibit the growth of Gram-positive S. aureus and Gram-negative E. coli after 0.5 h, 1.5 h, 3 h, and 24 h of contact, which is generated by the TA addition. Our results suggest that the electrospun fabrication of CAS/PEO fibers with TA as a crosslinker agent represents an innovative harnessing of waste milk to produce functional textiles with potential biological application.

Aquaculture waters can be associated with the modification of the phytochemical profile in plants when they are used for irrigation; thus, Integrated Agri-Aquaculture Systems such as aquaponics represent a strategy to improve the bioactive content of medicinal plants. This study aimed to analyze the effect caused by cultivation using aquaponics on the modification of the content of bioactive compounds such as phenols, flavonoids, and apigenin in Cuphea hyssopifolia and Cuphea cyanea irrigated with Cyprinus carpio waters. The results of each culture method showed unique differences (p ≤ 0.05) in the concentrations of bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity in Cuphea spp. For C. hyssopifolia in aquaponics, 76% (61.08 ± 7.2 mg g−1 GAEq) of phenols and 50% (5.62 ± 0.5 mg g−1 CAEq) of flavonoids were maintained compared to 20% (16.99 ± 0.4 mg g−1 GAEq) of phenols and 76.5% (8.19 ± 1.6 mg g−1 CAEq) of flavonoids in conventional culture. For C. cyanea in aquaponics, 91% (15.36 ± 0.8 mg g−1 GAEq) of phenols and 47% (3.52 ± 0.6 mg g−1 CAEq) of flavonoids were maintained compared to 24% (14.11 ± 1.3 mg g−1 GAEq) of phenols and 82% (1.79 ± 0.1 mg g−1 CAEq) of flavonoids in conventional culture. An increase of more than 60% in the apigenin content of C. hyssopifolia in aquaponics confirms a eustress effect related to the use of organically enriched waters. The results indicate that aquaponics can promote the biostimulation/elicitation of medicinal plants and increase their bioactive compounds, but this effect does not occur in the same way between species.

The calculation of weight and mass in aquaculture systems is of great importance, since with this task, it is decided when to harvest; generally, the above is manipulating the body manually, which causes stress in the fish body. Said stress can be maintained in the fish body for several hours. To solve this problem an improved method was implemented using artificial intelligence, near-infrared spectroscopy camera, Haar classifiers, and a mathematical model. Hardware and software were designed to get a photograph of the fish in its environment in real conditions. This work aimed to obtain fish weight and fish length in real conditions to avoid the manipulation of fish with hands for the process mentioned, avoiding fish stress, and reducing the time for these tasks. With the implemented hardware and software adding an infrared light and pass band filter for the camera successfully, the fish was detected automatically, and the fish weight and length were calculated moreover the future weight was estimated.

Alginate is a polysaccharide with the property of forming hydrogels, which is economic production, zero toxicity, and biocompatibility. In the agro-industry, alginate is used as a super absorbent polymer, coating seeds, fruits, and vegetables and as a carrier of bacteria and fungi as plant-growth promoters and biocontrol. The latter has a high impact on agriculture since the implementation of microorganisms in a polymer matrix improves soil quality; plant nutrition, and is functional as a preventive measure for the appearance of phytopathogenic. Additionally, it minimizes losses of foods due to wrong post-harvest handling. In this review, we provide an overview of physicochemical properties of alginate, some methods for preparation and modification of capsules and coatings, to finally describe its application in agro-industry as a matrix of plant-growth-promoting microorganisms, its effectiveness in cultivation and post-harvest, and its effect on the environment, as well as the prospects for future agro-industrial applications.