Abstract: Camelina sativa, commonly known as Camelina, has emerged as a promising oilseed crop due to its remarkable adaptability to various environmental conditions and its rich nutritional profile. The high content of dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), particularly omega-3 fatty acids, including alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), tocopherols, and phytosterols, distinguishes this oilseed and sets it apart from many traditional vegetable oils. Its advantageous agronomic characteristics, such as strong drought resistance, early maturation, low input requirements, and the ability to be cultivated twice in a single season, position Camelina as a viable cash crop capable of meeting diverse market demands ranging from dietary supplements to cosmetics and high-quality animal feed. In Ethiopia, where the vegetable oil market faces significant challenges, approximately 95% of domestic consumption is met through imports, resulting in substantial foreign exchange expenditures. This reliance highlights the urgent need for local oil sources to enhance nutritional diversity and food security. Camelina’s adaptability to Ethiopia’s diverse agro-ecological zones offers a unique opportunity to cultivate this crop under various climatic conditions, thereby increasing local production and reducing dependency on imports. Despite the growing interest in Camelina’s commercialization, there remains a notable lack of awareness and research regarding its potential applications and benefits within the Ethiopian context. The successful integration of Camelina into Ethiopia’s agricultural framework could significantly alleviate the current oil shortage while contributing to sustainable agricultural practices and rural development. Future research should prioritize the development of high-yielding varieties suited to Ethiopia’s agro-ecologies and cost-effective, locally adapted post-harvest processing techniques to enhance value addition and market competitiveness. Increased investment in research and development, along with targeted policy support, will be essential to fully realizing the crop’s potential in enhancing the country’s oilseed production and ensuring a sustainable food supply.

This study developed co-rendered oils by extracting sesame seed oil (SSO) using lard as a green extraction solvent during the co-rendering of pork fat and ground sesame seeds at 170°C in an air fryer, with varying fat-to-seed ratios (80:20 to 40:60). Compared to lard, which is high in saturated fatty acids (SFA), and SSO, which is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), the co-rendered oils demonstrated significantly improved fatty acid composition. As the proportion of sesame seeds increased, the oils showed a marked reduction in atherogenic index (AI) and thrombogenic index (TI), decreasing from 0.51 to 0.29 and from 1.27 to 0.84, respectively. The lowest values were observed at the 40:60 fat to seed ratio, with AI at 0.29 and TI at 0.84. Additionally, bioactive compounds from sesame seeds enhanced the oils’ antioxidant activity, as indicated by increased DPPH values from 54.03 to 118.91 µg GEAC/100 g oil and ABTS values from 18.81 to 51.15 µg GEAC/100 g oil, in P80 and P40 samples, respectively. All co-rendered oils complied with Codex Alimentarius standards for acid value (AV), ranging from 0.99 to 2.02 mg KOH/g oil, and peroxide value (PV), ranging from 0.27 to 0.60 meqO₂/kg oil. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed positive correlations between sesame seed content and antioxidant activity, oxidative stability, and PUFA levels, while higher pork fat content was associated with increased SFA levels and oil yield. The findings suggest that co-rendering pork fat with sesame seeds produces oils with enhanced nutritional value, oxidative stability, and bioactive compounds content, offering a healthier alternative to conventionally rendered lard for food industry applications.

This study investigates the effect of flavor loading ratio (FL) on the retention and release properties of d-limonene encapsulated by spray drying using maltodextrin as a wall material. Three powders were prepared with different d-limonene loading ratios (50% (w/w), 40% (w/w) and 30% (w/w)). As the FL increased, d-limonene retention decreased, and the ratio of surface d-limonene increased. The release rate of d-limonene from the powders was found to increase with both higher storage temperature and FL. The release of d-limonene was analyzed separately for the surface oil, which evaporates immediately, and for the d-limonene encapsulated within the powder. The release rate constant and activation energy were determined by applying the Weibull model to the encapsulated d-limonene content. As the FL increased, the activation energy for d-limonene release from spray-dried powder also increased, suggesting that lower loading ratios provide more effective protection of flavor in the powders.

The precise understanding and control of the phase behavior of surfactant aqueous systems have enabled the development of diverse materials in the fields of foods, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. In this study, we investigated aqueous systems of the bio-based surfactants alkyl β-d-galactosides (CnGals, where n represents the chain length; n = 6, 8, 10, 11, and 12). First, we confirmed that CnGals aqueous systems formed micelle solutions upon heating and hydrogel upon cooling. In particular, decyl β-d-galactoside (C10Gal) exhibited a homogeneous fiber morphology at low concentrations (0.1 wt.%), whereas larger n values afforded an inhomogeneous solid matrix and smaller n values required higher concentrations or did not form a fiber structure. In addition, the C10Gal micelles solubilized curcuminoid dyes such as demethoxycurcumin and curcumin and allowed preparing luminescent fibers upon cooling the solution. The removal of water afforded the corresponding C10Gal–dye solid composite with a high luminescence quantum yield. Powder X-ray diffraction and differential thermal analysis suggested the formation of a stable adduct or cocrystal with a unique interaction between the curcuminoid dyes and C10Gal. Therefore, we successfully prepared an environmentally friendly, highly luminescent organic solid via micelle-to-fiber transition of an environmentally friendly surfactant induced by a mild temperature change.

An acid phosphatase gene from Streptomyces mirabilis NBRC13450 was cloned and expressed in a recombinant strain of Streptomyces lividans TK24. The recombinant enzyme, named SmACP, was secreted into the culture medium, and subsequently purified to homogeneity. The purified SmACP exhibited an optimal pH range of 5.5–6.5 for hydrolyzing p-nitrophenyl phosphate. Its activity remained unaffected by Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Zn²⁺, and EDTA. Notably, SmACP was capable of hydrolyzing a variety of phosphomonoesters, including long-chain phosphatidic acid (PA) and lyso-PA, in addition to other water-soluble monoesters. However, it showed no activity toward phosphodiester-type phospholipids, such as phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylserine. This substrate specificity highlights SmACP’s potential for selectively removing PA from phospholipid mixtures, which could be valuable in industrial phospholipid production. This is the first report on the identification of a secreted PA-degrading phosphatase, including its DNA and amino acid sequences.

This study investigated the application of ultrasound-assisted enzymatic extraction (UAEE) to obtain bioactive compounds from C. orchioides. The major natural compounds, including phenolics, alkaloids, saponins, flavonoids, and terpenoids, were identified in the extracts. Cellulase concentration, temperature, and material/solvent ratio were determined to be the main factors affecting the extraction efficiency. Using Response surface methodology (RSM), the optimal conditions were established to maximize the bioactive compounds. The major natural compounds, including phenolics, alkaloids, saponins, flavonoids, and terpenoids, were identified in the extracts. The optimal parameters included a cellulase concentration of 2.63%, an extraction time of 10 minutes, a solvent ratio of 75.36, and a temperature of 38.86°C. The total polyphenol content was 48.571 mg GAE/g DW (R²=0.9903) and the total flavonoid content was 16.664 mg QE/g DW (R²=0.9842). The antioxidant activity assessed by DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, and RP assays showed lower values than the positive controls ascorbic acid and trolox. These findings indicate that although the antioxidant potential of C. orchioides extracts is modest, they are still promising as a source of natural bioactive compounds for potential applications in functional foods and pharmaceuticals.

In this study, the phenolic compound profile, antioxidant capacity, and inhibition potential on enzymes associated with diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and diabetes of Plantago lanceolata L. (PL) extract were investigated in detail. Quantitative analysis of phenolic compounds was performed by advanced liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), and the highest concentration of the phenolic was observed in fumaric acid (4486.80 µg/L). Vanillic acid, kaempferol, resveratrol and caffeic acid were also detected in significant amounts. The antioxidant activities of PL ethanol extract were determined by DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, and CUPRAC methods and revealed moderate radical scavenging and metal-reducing capacities. The PL extract exhibited notable free radical scavenging activity, with inhibition rates of 37.86 ± 2.42% in the DPPH assay and 34.72 ± 2.86% in the ABTS assay. These results revealed that the extract showed an activity close to standard antioxidants such as α-tocopherol. The extract exhibited inhibitory activity against acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), and α-glucosidase enzymes, with IC₅₀ values of 8.77 ± 0.52, 7.37 ± 0.53, and 3.63 ± 0.27 µg mL–1, respectively. These findings may indicate that PL extract may have therapeutic potential for disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes.

The oxidative stability of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) generally decreases with increasing unsaturation, however, the opposite results have been reported for aqueous emulsions prepared from PUFA. One study showed that among PUFA (fish oil) emulsions with varying μm-sized particles, the smaller emulsions had better oxidation stability. Thus, particle size may be involved in the mechanism behind the improved oxidative stability of PUFA by emulsification, and PUFA emulsions with even smaller particle sizes (i.e., nm-sized) may exhibit higher stability. To evaluate these hypotheses, once optimizing conditions under which emulsions with different sizes (100-250 nm) can be prepared using docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-rich algal oil (DAO), these emulsions were subjected to thermal oxidation (40°C, 5 days under light shielding). Based on peroxide value (POV) data, it is apparent that even DHA, which is particularly prone to oxidation, becomes less susceptible to thermal oxidation when emulsified, and that smaller emulsions lead to greater oxidative stability. The high oxidation stability in the smallest emulsion remained high after removal of the antioxidants (tocopherols) from this emulsion. Considering these results together with preliminary data on triacylglycerol (TG) mono-hydroperoxides measured by high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), the physical properties of the emulsion might account for the greater oxidative stability in smaller emulsions, probably due to the rapid termination of the oxidation reaction within the smaller particle in a more substrate-dense environment, rather than to the action of antioxidant tocopherols. Further research will hopefully lead to a solution to the longstanding problem of oxidation of PUFA such as DHA, which has a variety of benefits.