Computer Vision and IoT based Automated Hydroponic Farms in Urban Areas- A Soilless Cultivation

As the populace increments and characteristic assets decline, the capacity to serve humankind with an adequate measure of nourishment turns out to be progressively troublesome. The measure of rural land diminishes relatively to the expanding populace, along these lines the measure of nourishment delivered will diminish fundamentally, and will be lacking to serve the developing populace. The universal strategies for cultivating won't do the trick sooner. Thus, using modern technology and resources, a method of efficient farming must be introduced and employed in the agricultural field. This report introduces a method of efficient farming using hydroponics. The system is automated and uses sensor data to make decisions to benefit the crops being grown. The system runs on Raspberry PI and Arduino, and utilizes OpenCV. With our system we hope to solve the potential food crisis and give everyone access to fresh produce all year round.

Nanoemulsion Based on Mushroom Bioactive Compounds and Its Application in Food Preservation

Mushrooms belonging to basiodmycetes with their high nutritional value and biologically active compounds of medicinal importance can be developed into potential food products. They have been used as a traditional food, and their medicinal property is also appreciable all over the world. Naturally occurring active compounds such as polysaccharides, proteins, lipids, and glucans, etc. are obtained from various sources including plants, animals, bacteria, algae, and fungi. The efficiency of naturally derived compounds in food industry, as well as factors influencing its effectiveness, has been reported by researchers. Mushrooms produce a diversity of biologically active compounds such as proteoglucans, polysaccharides, phenolic compounds, lectins, steroids β-glucan, chitosan, and terpenoids, etc. The bioactive compounds and their concentration differ from species to species. Thus, these bioactives can be effectively used in the fabrication of fungal (mushroom)-derived nanoemulsions applicable for the food industry.

Low Molecular Weight, 4-O-Sulfation, and Sulfation at Meta-Fucose Positively Promote the Activities of Sea Cucumber Fucoidans on Improving Insulin Resistance in HFD-Fed Mice

Fucoidans from sea cucumber (SC-FUC) have been proven to alleviate insulin resistance in several species. However, there are few studies that clarify the relationship between their structure and bioactivity. The present study evaluated the influence of molecular weight (Mw), sulfation concentrations (Cs), and sulfation position on improving insulin resistance using SC-FUC. Results showed that fucoidans with lower Mw exerted stronger effects. Having a similar Mw, Acaudina molpadioides fucoidans (Am-FUC) with lower Cs and Holothuria tubulosa fucoidans with higher Cs showed similar activities. However, Isostichopus badionotus fucoidans (higher Cs) activity was superior to that of low-Mw Thelenota ananas fucoidans (Ta-LFUC, lower Cs). Eliminating the effects of Mw and Cs, the bioactivity of Am-FUC with sulfation at meta-fucose exceeded that of Ta-FUC with sulfation at ortho-position. Moreover, the effects of Pearsonothuria graeffei fucoidans with 4-O-sulfation were superior to those of Am-LFUC with 2-O-sulfation. These data indicate that low Mw, 4-O-sulfation, and sulfation at meta-fucose contributed considerably to insulin resistance alleviation by SC-FUC, which could accelerate the development of SC-FUC as a potential food supplement to alleviate insulin resistance.

Education about The Utilization of Cassava Starch (Tapioca) for Health and Making Snack

Cassava (Manihot utilissima (Pohl.)) is one of the most widely distributed plants in Indonesia, easy to cultivate, obtain and relatively cheap price. Cassava starch is a type of material that is multifunctional as an excipient in the pharmaceutical field, has many benefits for health and is a potential food source for the community. Tapioca starch or cassava starch can be used as filler, binder and disintegrant in tablet and capsule formulations. Colomadu people in general know cassava only as a source of snacks, but do not know the benefits of cassava in the fields of pharmacy, health and nutritional value. The purpose of the service activity is to provide understanding and understanding for the community, especially Kleben, Gedongan, Colomadu Karanganyar on the use of cassava in the pharmaceutical, health and food fields. This dedication method is by way of presentations through power points, discussions and questions and answers. This service involves local community leaders to coordinate and invite the community as objects of service activities and the general public, both teenagers, adults and parents. The results of this service were felt to be very useful for the local community, which was shown by the enthusiasm of the people who came, asked and wanted a follow-up activity in the form of the practice of making various menu recipes that have been explained. This service activity is expected to increase public knowledge about the optimal use of cassava starch in the pharmaceutical, health and food fields. This activity is also expected to be able to open horizons and as a motivation for the community to open up business opportunities for making food from cassava starch (tapioca).

Flavonoids: A Group of Potential Food Additives with Beneficial Health Effects

Recently, there has been an increasing interest in health-promoting products which are also natural and safe for consumption because the consumer market has been searching for a healthy lifestyle. This global market trend has driven the food industry to invest in developing innovative products containing bioactive components. Flavonoids are a group of phenolic compounds of low molecular weight, consisting of 15 carbon atoms. Their alterations in the heterocyclic ring’s substitution pattern generate six subclasses: flavonols, flavanols, flavones, flavanones, isoflavones and anthocyanins. Also, different studies have reported that diets rich in flavonoids provide numerous benefits associated with health-promoting effects by reducing the risk of development of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes type II and some types of cancers. These effects have been related to their biological properties which also include other activities such as colorant effects (e.g., anthocyanins), transforming them into potential food additives with desirable capacities. Therefore, this review aims to revise the classes of flavonoids and their main biological properties as well as the most used extraction techniques applied for obtaining these compounds, their bioavailability and the application to formulate new natural food additives.