Asian Journal of Biology

Cyanobacteria for Sustainable Food Production: A Critical Review of Nutritional Value, Process Integration, Safety and Scale-Up

Deepu Vijayan — 2026-08-13

Cyanobacteria are increasingly presented as resource-efficient sources of protein, pigments and functional ingredients and as biological inputs that may improve crop production. This critical narrative review evaluates how far those claims are supported for sustainable food production, with emphasis on cultivated edible cyanobacteria, especially commercial Spirulina produced from Limnospira (Arthrospira) platensis, and on selected Nostoc foods. Peer-reviewed literature published from 1 January 2000 to 30 May 2026 was located through PubMed/MEDLINE, the Directory of Open Access Journals, ScienceOpen, FAO AGRIS and OpenAIRE Explore, supplemented by citation searching and verification of article and DOI records. Evidence was appraised for taxonomic precision, compositional representativeness, experimental scale, analytical validity, external validity and the transparency of life-cycle and techno-economic assumptions. Cyanobacterial biomass can supply concentrated protein, minerals, fatty acids and bioactive compounds, while phycocyanin has a distinctive role as a natural blue colourant. However, composition and digestibility vary by strain, cultivation conditions and processing, and many nutritional and food-function claims remain based on in vitro assays or laboratory prototypes. Low inclusion levels can improve the nutritional or technological properties of pasta, bakery and other foods, but colour, odour and flavour often limit acceptance at higher doses. Sustainability is not intrinsic to cyanobacterial production: mixing, temperature control, harvesting and drying can dominate energy demand and cost, and favourable outcomes depend on climate, scale, product form, co-product recovery and credible use of safe circular inputs. Market surveillance also demonstrates the need for source authentication and batch testing for cyanotoxins, metals, microorganisms, composition and allergens. Agricultural biostimulant and biofertiliser pathways are promising but still require stronger field-scale and economic validation. The review concludes that cyanobacteria can contribute to sustainable food systems when strain selection, food-grade process control, low-energy downstream operations, fit-for-purpose product design and transparent environmental accounting are integrated rather than treated as separate optimisation problems.

Heavy Metal Toxicity in Medicinal Solanaceae: A Critical Comparative Appraisal of Accumulation, Tolerance and Consequences for Herbal Quality

Sweta Vashistha — 2026-08-20

The Solanaceae supply several of the most heavily traded medicinal plants, among them Withania somnifera, Solanum nigrum, Datura stramonium, Hyoscyamus niger and Capsicum annuum, yet the same family contains taxa that accumulate cadmium and other potentially toxic elements to concentrations deliberately exploited in soil remediation. That dual identity generates a problem which has attracted surprisingly little integrated attention: the physiological traits making a species attractive for phytoextraction are largely the traits that compromise the safety of material harvested for medicinal use. This review critically appraises evidence on metal uptake, partitioning, tolerance and phytochemical consequences across medicinal Solanaceae, and evaluates how far current findings support inferences about the safety and consistency of herbal products. Literature was identified through structured searching of openly accessible scholarly indexes and metadata registries, supplemented by backward and forward citation tracking and by institutional sources, with a final search date of 10 June 2026. The retrieved evidence is dominated by short-term cadmium experiments on S. nigrum and Nicotiana tabacum conducted in hydroponic or pot systems, while the taxa most heavily traded as herbal raw material remain comparatively neglected. Mechanistic work converges on a limited set of processes, including non-selective root transport, xylem loading, cell-wall binding, vacuolar sequestration, glandular trichome secretion and thiol-dependent detoxification, but the quantitative contribution of each process is poorly resolved and has rarely been compared across species under common conditions. A recurring and under-acknowledged observation is that sub-lethal metal exposure alters concentrations of pharmacologically active constituents, including tropane alkaloids, in directions that are not reliably predictable from dose alone. Contamination surveys of finished products confirm exposure, yet most report total element concentrations without speciation, extraction behaviour or bioaccessibility, leaving the step from plant burden to human dose weakly supported. Research priorities include multi-species field comparisons under shared protocols, routine reporting of metal transfer into the extract phase, and explicit separation of accumulator germplasm from medicinal germplasm.

Nutritional, Physical, and Chemical Properties of the Fat from Black Tamarind (Dialium guineense) Harvested in Toumodi (Côte d’Ivoire)

Gninfanni Silvère Ouattara — 2026-08-13

Background: Black tamarind (Dialium guineense) seeds are an underutilised plant resource that may provide a source of vegetable fat for food and non-food applications. This study evaluated the physical, chemical, and nutritional properties of fat extracted from D. guineense seeds harvested in Toumodi, Côte d’Ivoire.

Methods: Fruits were collected from three villages, pooled, shelled, soaked to remove the pulp, dried at 50°C for 24 hours, ground, and stored before analysis. Fat was extracted from the seed flour by Soxhlet extraction using hexane. The extracted fat was assessed for extraction yield, density, pH, moisture content, refractive index, deterioration of bleachability index, acid value, saponification value, iodine value, peroxide value, carotenoid content, and fatty acid profile.

Results: The extraction yield was 10.98 ± 0.12%. The fat had a low moisture content, an acid value of 1.03 ± 0.10 mg KOH/g, a peroxide value of 9.62 ± 0.02 mEq O₂/kg, a saponification value of 172.88 ± 0.27 mg KOH/g, and an iodine value of 86.32 ± 0.05 g I₂/100 g. The carotenoid content was 108.65 ± 0.68 mg/100 g. Oleic acid was the predominant fatty acid, followed by palmitic, stearic, and linoleic acids. The reported unsaturated fatty acid content was 64.50%.

Conclusion: The findings indicate that D. guineense seed fat has physicochemical characteristics that may support further evaluation for food and cosmetic applications.

Effect of Plant Growth Regulators on the Growth and Biochemical Profile of Chaetoceros calcitrans

A. S. Viji Rose — 2026-08-14

The present study evaluated the effects of auxins (indole-3-acetic acid [IAA] and indole-3-butyric acid [IBA]) and cytokinins (kinetin and 6-benzylaminopurine [BAP]) on the growth, photosynthetic pigment synthesis, and biochemical composition of the marine microalga Chaetoceros calcitrans. A laboratory experiment using a completely randomised design was conducted to evaluate the effects of four plant growth regulators at different concentrations (0.1, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 mg/L), with untreated cultures serving as controls. The study was conducted at the Department of Botany, Maharaja's College, Ernakulam, Kerala, India, over a period of six months. Batch cultures of C. calcitrans were supplemented with individual concentrations of IAA, IBA, kinetin, and BAP under controlled temperature and illumination. Growth dynamics were monitored using cell-density counts. Photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a and carotenoids) were quantified spectrophotometrically. Total carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids were extracted and estimated using standard colorimetric and gravimetric assays. Lower auxin concentrations (0.1 mg/L IAA and 0.1 mg/L IBA) produced the maximum cell density and significantly enhanced chlorophyll a and carotenoid accumulation. Responses to cytokinins varied: BAP maximised cell yield at 0.5 mg/L, whereas kinetin stimulated growth at both 0.1 and 1.5 mg/L. Biochemical accumulation depended strongly on hormone type and dose. Auxin treatments favoured higher accumulation at moderate-to-high concentrations, with 1.0–1.5 mg/L IAA and IBA significantly promoting protein, carbohydrate, and lipid yields. Among the cytokinins, BAP at 0.5 mg/L acted as a broad-spectrum enhancer, inducing peak accumulation of proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids simultaneously, whereas kinetin exhibited dose-dependent target specificity (0.5 mg/L for protein, 1.0 mg/L for carbohydrate, and 1.5 mg/L for lipid). Exogenous plant growth regulators effectively modulated biomass yield, pigment profile, and macromolecular accumulation in C. calcitrans. Low auxin doses (0.1 mg/L) were optimal for biomass and pigment production, whereas 0.5 mg/L BAP served as the most effective single-treatment strategy for boosting overall biochemical productivity for industrial or aquaculture applications.

Comparative Efficacy of Two Local Plant-Based Preparations Apichi and Kogle-zanga for Pest Management and Yield of Chilli Pepper under Agroecological Conditions in Burkina Faso

Drabo Fogné Samuel — 2026-08-17

Aims: This study evaluated the efficacy of two locally prepared plant-based products, Apichi and Kogle-zanga, for reducing pest damage and supporting chilli pepper performance under agroecological conditions in Burkina Faso.

Place and Duration of Study: The trial was conducted from June to October 2025 during the rainy season at the Yelemani Association’s experimental site in Loumbila, in the Sudano-Sahelian zone.

Methodology: A completely randomised block design included T0 (control), T1 (Apichi), and T2 (Kogle-zanga), with four replicates. Foliar applications began 10 days after transplanting and were repeated every 3 days until 69 DAT, giving 20 applications. Apichi was applied at 50 mL/15 L during the preventive phase and 80 mL/15 L during the curative phase, whereas Kogle-zanga was applied at 0.25 L/15 L and 0.50 L/15 L, respectively. Leaf, flower, and fruit damage and yield were assessed.

Results: Significant treatment effects were observed for late-cycle leaf damage, flower damage, and yield, whereas fruit damage did not differ significantly among treatments. Apichi showed the strongest reduction in late-cycle leaf damage. Kogle-zanga produced the highest mean yield (1.255 ± 0.18 kg m⁻²), compared with 0.958 ± 0.13 kg m⁻² for the control and 0.801 ± 0.09 kg m⁻² for Apichi.

Conclusion: The two preparations reduced pest damage on chilli pepper, while their effects differed across damage and yield variables. Their use may support plant-based pest-management options under the agroecological conditions tested.

Isolation and Molecular Identification of Culturable Rhizosphere Bacteria Associated with Azadirachta indica (Neem)

Mehul P. Dave — 2026-08-19

The rhizosphere of medicinal plants represents a unique ecological niche that harbours diverse microbial communities with important ecological and biotechnological significance. Among medicinal plants, Azadirachta indica (Neem) is widely recognised for its antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and therapeutic properties; however, comparatively little information is available regarding its culturable rhizosphere bacterial diversity. The present study aimed to isolate and molecularly identify culturable bacteria associated with the rhizosphere of healthy A. indica plants using a combination of conventional microbiological and molecular techniques. Rhizosphere soil samples were collected aseptically and processed by serial dilution followed by spread-plating on nutrient agar. Twelve morphologically distinct bacterial colonies were isolated, purified, and subjected to preliminary identification using Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). High-confidence identification was obtained for two isolates, while three isolates produced low-confidence identification scores, indicating the limited representation of environmental bacteria in commercial spectral databases. Three representative isolates were subsequently selected for confirmatory identification through 16S rRNA gene sequencing and BLAST analysis against the NCBI database. Molecular analysis identified the isolates as Kocuria flava, Kocuria salina, and Staphylococcus capitis. The comparison between MALDI-TOF MS and 16S rRNA sequencing demonstrated that molecular techniques provide reliable species-level confirmation for environmental bacterial isolates, particularly when proteomic databases are incomplete. The study establishes a taxonomically verified collection of culturable rhizosphere bacteria associated with A. indica, providing a valuable microbial resource for future investigations involving plant–microbe interactions and microbial biotechnology.

Parasitism and Damage Caused by Loranthaceae to Subsistence Fruit Trees Growing Alongside Cocoa Trees in Bonoua, South-East, Côte d’Ivoire

Amon Anoh Denis-Esdras — 2026-08-20

In Côte d’Ivoire, parasitism caused by the Loranthaceae family poses a serious problem for cocoa plantations. These hemiparasitic plants colonise various trees, whether wild or cultivated, with impacts that vary from case to case. This study aimed to identify the species responsible and assess the degree of infestation of subsistence fruit trees associated with cocoa trees in Ono and Wehou in the Bonoua area. The study was conducted from March to August 2025. Surveys were conducted in 50 m x 50 m plots, where the circumference, height and parasite load of each individual were recorded. Four species of Loranthaceae were identified: Phragmanthera capitata, Tapinanthus bangwensis, T. buntingii and T. sessilifolius. The collection of T. buntingii represents the first record for the flora of south-eastern Côte d’Ivoire. These parasites affect 41 fruit species (32 genera, 16 families), mainly within the Anacardiaceae, Annonaceae, Fabaceae, Malvaceae and Rutaceae. T. bangwensis predominates (24 400 clumps, representing 52.58 % of the total infestation) and exerts pressure on 33 host species (80.49 %), followed by P. capitata (13 804 clumps distributed across 21 hosts). The mean incidence (33.30 ± 10.45 %) and severity index (27.55 ± 11.66 %) differed significantly between the two sites. In Persea americana, Spondias mombin and Cola nitida, severity was high, with respective percentages of 58.96 %, 52.19 % and 50.08 %. A close correlation was observed between infestation parameters and the morphometric development of the hosts. To ensure the sustainability of cocoa agroforestry, selective pruning of large-trunked and tall trees, which are the main sources of infestation, is essential.