Engineered food supplement excipients from bitter cassava for minimisation of cassava processing waste in environment

Cyanide contamination assessment via target survey and physicochemical and bacteriological characterization: a case study of Akrofrom-Techiman cassava processing area in Ghana

Improper discharge of cassava mill effluent (CME) has attracted much attention in major cassava-producing areas due to cyanide contamination. This study conducted a target survey on inhabitants and processors of the Akrofrom-Techiman cassava processing area in Ghana that aimed to assess their knowledge and perception of cyanide contamination from the CME discharge. The study further examined the effect of CME on the soil and groundwater at the processing area using physicochemical and bacteriological characterizations. Results revealed that inhabitants and processors exhibited high illiteracy on the impact of CME on cyanide contamination in the processing area. The study also indicated a wide characteristics of the soil at the processing site: pH (4.89-8.77), electrical conductivity (EC) (1063.00-1939.00 μS/cm), total dissolved solids (TDS) (523.90-963.50 mg/L), soil moisture (11.90-31.70%), free cyanide (0.02-0.33 mg/kg), and total cyanide (0.40-2.70 mg/kg). Results also showed that the physicochemical values of the CME were all above the Ghana Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) permissible limits and were unsafe for discharging into the environment. The range of physicochemical and bacteriological parameters of the two boreholes revealed the following: pH (7.85-8.74), TDS (165.77-192.37 mg/L), EC (320.87-396.20 μS/cm), free cyanide (0.13-0.16 mg/L), total cyanide (1.29-2.15 mg/L), and bacteriological parameter (220-622 cfu/mL). The two hand-dug wells also recorded pH (8.54-9.56), TDS (140.77-156.10 mg/L), EC (288.53-340.67), biological oxygen demand (BOD) (21.51-1.61 mg/L), chemical oxygen demand (COD) (13.5-16.5 mg/L), free cyanide (0.10-0.11 mg/L), bacteriological parameter (241-302 cfu/mL), and total cyanide (0.79-0.86 mg/L). The study concluded that the discharge of CME at the processing site contributes significantly to cyanide contamination of the soil and groundwater at the processing area.

Phytochemicals of Avocado Residues as Potential Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors, Antioxidants, and Neuroprotective Agents

Avocado (Persea americana) is a widely consumed fruit and a rich source of nutrients and phytochemicals. Its industrial processing generates peels and seeds which represent 30% of the fruit. Environmental issues related to these wastes are rapidly increasing and likely to double, according to expected avocado production. Therefore, this work aimed to evaluate the potential of hexane and ethanolic peel (PEL-H, PEL-ET) and seed (SED-H, SED-ET) extracts from avocado as sources of neuroprotective compounds. Minerals, total phenol (TPC), total flavonoid (TF), and lipid contents were determined by absorption spectroscopy and gas chromatography. In addition, phytochemicals were putatively identified by paper spray mass spectrometry (PSMS). The extracts were good sources of Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, ω-6 linoleic acid, and flavonoids. Moreover, fifty-five metabolites were detected in the extracts, consisting mainly of phenolic acids, flavonoids, and alkaloids. The in vitro antioxidant capacity (FRAP and DPPH), acetylcholinesterase inhibition, and in vivo neuroprotective capacity were evaluated. PEL-ET was the best acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, with no significant difference (p > 0.05) compared to the control eserine, and it showed neither preventive nor regenerative effect in the neuroprotection assay. SED-ET demonstrated a significant protective effect compared to the control, suggesting neuroprotection against rotenone-induced neurological damage.