Banana (Musaceae) is one of the world's most important fruit crops that is widely cultivated in tropical countries for its valuable applications in food industry. Its enormous by-products are an excellent source of highly valuable raw materials for other industries by recycling agricultural waste. This prevents an ultimate loss of huge amount of untapped biomass and environmental issues. This review discusses extensively the breakthrough in the utilization of banana by-products such as peels, leaves, pseudostem, stalk and inflorescence in various food and non-food applications serving as thickening agent, coloring and flavor, alternative source for macro and micronutrients, nutraceuticals, livestock feed, natural fibers, and sources of natural bioactive compounds and bio-fertilizers. Future prospects and challenges are the important key factors discussed in association to the sustainability and feasibility of utilizing these by-products. It is important that all available by-products be turned into highly commercial outputs in order to sustain this renewable resource and provide additional income to small scale farming industries without compromising its quality and safety in competing with other commercial products.

Evaluation of probiotic potential of lactic acid bacteria isolated from traditional Malaysian fermented Bambangan (Mangifera pajang)Evaluación del potencial probiótico de bacterias acido-lácticas aisladas del tradicional Bambangan malasio fermentado (Mangifera pajang) This study aims to evaluate the probiotic and technological properties of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from an indigenous fermentation of Bambangan (Mangifera pajang). The LAB were evaluated for their tolerance to low pH, bile salt, antimicrobial potential, auto-aggregation ability, microbial adhesion to solvents, tolerance to high temperature and osmotic pressure. Approximately 36% of the isolated LAB strains displayed excellent survival at pH 3.0 with at least 4 log CFU/ml after 24 hours at 2.0% bile salt. A high aggregation activity (>20%) was found in most of the LAB strains. Five Lactobacillus plantarum strains showed at least 70% viability at 60°C for 10 minutes while one L. brevis and three L. plantarum strains were tolerant to 6% sodium chloride. Furthermore, the maximum β-galactosidase activity was found in four L. plantarum strains. In conclusion, these LAB strains could serve as promising probiotic candidates for the preparation of functional food products.Keywords: auto-aggregation; acid tolerance; Mangifera pajang; probiotic potential El objetivo de este estudio es evaluar las propiedades probióticas y tecnológicas de las bacterias ácido-lácticas (BAL) aisladas de una fermentación indígena de Bambangan (Mangifera pajang). Las BAL fueron evaluadas por su bajo nivel de pH, sales biliares, potencial antimicrobiano, habilidad de auto-agregación, adhesión microbiana a los solventes, tolerancia a las altas temperaturas y presión osmótica. Un valor aproximado de 36% de las cepas de BAL aisladas mostraron una excelente supervivencia a pH 3,0 con al menos 4 log CFU/ml después de 24 horas a 2,0% de sales biliares. Se encontró un alto nivel de actividad de agregación (>20%) en la mayoría de las cepas de BAL. Cinco cepas de Lactobacillus plantarum mostraron al menos un 70% de viabilidad a 60°C durante 10 minutos mientras que una cepa de L. brevis y tres de L. plantarum resultaron tolerantes en un 6% al cloruro de sodio. Además, la máxima actividad de β-galactosidasa se encontró en cuatro cepas de L. plantarum. En conclusión, estas cepas de BAL podrían servir como prometedoras candidatas probióticas para la preparación de productos alimentarios funcionales.

Commercial seaweed cultivation has undergone drastic changes to keep up with the increasing demand in terms of the quantity and quality of the algal biomass needed to meet the requirements of constant innovation in industrial applications. Diseases caused by both biotic and abiotic factors have been identified as contributing to the economic loss of precious biomass. Biosecurity risk will eventually affect seaweed production as a whole and could cripple the seaweed industry. The current review sheds light on the biosecurity measures that address issues in the seaweed industry pushing towards increasing the quantity and quality of algal biomass, research on algal diseases, and tackling existing challenges as well as discussions on future directions of seaweed research. The review is presented to provide a clear understanding of the latest biosecurity developments from several segments in the seaweed research, especially from upstream cultivation encompassing the farming stages from seeding, harvesting, drying, and packing, which may lead to better management of this precious natural resource, conserving ecological balance while thriving on the economic momentum that seaweed can potentially provide in the future. Recommended breeding strategies and seedling stock selection are discussed that aim to address the importance of sustainable seaweed farming and facilitate informed decision-making. Sustainable seaweed cultivation also holds the key to reducing our carbon footprint, thereby fighting the existential crisis of climate change plaguing our generation.

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