To address the detrimental effects of non-biodegradable wastes on the environment and the health of living organisms, there is a growing interest in valorising renewable resources. Lignocellulosic biomass is an abundant and renewable resource from plants. It is non-toxic, biodegradable and has adjustable mechanical characteristics, making it promising for use in the manufacture of hydrogels. Hydrogels are insoluble water absorbents with a three-dimensional network structure that can hold a considerable amount of water. The production of hydrogels from lignocellulosic biomass is a step toward sustainability. The goal of this study is to highlight current methodologies for the synthesis of hydrogels from various lignocellulosic biomass polymers (cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin) in their different forms. A variety of techniques have been developed to synthesise various types of hydrogels with specified qualities, such as compressive strength, solvent resistance, water holding capacity, tensile strength, and re-swelling ratios, among others, based on application requirements. The study reports on current methods for the synthesis of lignocellulosic biomass-based hydrogels in order to determine the optimum strategy depending on demand.

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Maize (Zea mays L.) is the queen of cereals and is the third largest produced and consumed grain in the world, after rice and wheat. Scientific studies have concentrated on pigmented maize in recent decades, and breeding procedures have been identified to raise the anthocyanin content in unpigmented types using alternative strategies. Pigmented (pink, red, purple, blue, and black) maize has attracted much attention for its health-beneficial properties, mainly due to bioactive compounds such as anthocyanins, and its carotenoid composition, which are also responsible for its pigmentation. The pigmentation of maize is also attributed to the prevalence of many secondary metabolites such as polyphenolics, carotenoids, and flavonoids. Maize cells have a wide variety of pigments, ranging from yellow-orange to dark purple-blue, as well as white and creamy pigments, caused by the different expressions of these pigments. Pigments are located in the dense pericarp or aleurone regions of the kernels. Processing of pigmented maize such as nixtamalization, cooking, baking, germination, extrusion, etc. to prepare various foods significantly modulated its bioactive compounds, anthocyanin content, and antioxidant activities. The utilization of pigmented maize in different products not only enhances their nutritional and bioactive potential, but also helps to regulate starch digestibility by increasing the contents of slowly digestible starch and resistant starch, thus lowering the glycemic index of the products.

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