Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles (ZnONPs) are one of the most widely used metal oxide nanoparticles in biological applications because of their outstanding biocompatibility, affordability, and low toxicity. In biomedicine, ZnONPs have shown promise, particularly in the disciplines of anticancer and antibacterial fields. In comparison to other standard synthesis methods, the environmentally-friendly synthesis of metallic nanoparticles utilizing various plant extracts is a good option. The current research focuses on the synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) from R. sativus leaf extract under various physical conditions (Precipitation method). Analytical methods were used to confirm and characterize the produced ZnONPs. The spherical nature of the produced nanoparticles was established by SEM analysis. The generation of very pure ZnONPs was confirmed by EDS data. The crystalline nature of the produced nanoparticles, with a particle size of 66.47 nm, was confirmed by XRD. The XRD graphs’ presence of the (100), (002), and (101) planes strongly suggest the production of wurtzite ZnO. The visual and infrared area exhibits transmissions of 84 percent in the pH 10 nanoparticles. The band gap of the nanoparticles increases from 3.34 to 3.38 eV when the pH increases. These nanoparticles were effective against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The effect of several process parameters such as pH and temperature were investigated, and the best conditions were discovered to be pH 12 and 80 °C, respectively. The effect of ZnONPs was tested with human breast cancer cells (MCF-7), and they showed significant cytotoxic results. Collectively, our data suggest that ZnONPs of R. sativus leaf extract inhibit breast cancer cell lines. The ZnONPs are, therefore, a prospective source of chemopreventive drugs that merit additional exploration in order to uncover lead compounds with cancer chemotherapeutic potential.

Pectinolytic enzymes are related enzymes that hydrolyze pectic substances. Pectinolytic enzymes are of great interest in industrial applications for softening fruits, extracting and clarifying juices, extracting olive oil, retting textile fibers, preparing gel, and isolating protoplasts. The current work presents acidic extracellular pectinase production using low-cost agro-industrial waste with the indigenously isolated novel strain Aspergillus cervinus. Two fungal isolates, ARS2 and ARS8, with maximum pectinase activity, 41.88 ± 1.57 IU/mL and 39.27 ± 1.14 IU/mL, respectively, were screened out of 27 isolates from decayed fruit peels (orange, banana, and lemon) and soil containing decomposed vegetables. The isolate ARS2, identified as Aspergillus cervinus by molecular characterization, showed the highest pectinase activity of 43.05 ± 1.38IU/mL during screening and was further used for media component screening and optimization studies. To understand their effect on pectinase activity, one-factor-at-a-time (OFAT) studies were conducted on carbon sources, nitrogen sources, and mineral salts. The OFAT results showed the highest pectinase activity for orange peel (carbon source) at 44.51 ± 1.33 IU/mL, peptone (nitrogen source) at 45.05 ± 1.04 IU/mL, and NaH2PO4 (mineral salts) at 43.21 ± 1.12 IU/mL. The most significant media components screened by the Plackett–Burman (PB) design based on the p-value, Pareto chart, and main effect plot, were orange peel (p < 0.001), peptone (p < 0.001), NaH2PO4 (p < 0.001), and KH2PO4 (p < 0.001), which were further optimized using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) and Central Composite Design (CCD). The optimization results for the media components showed a maximum pectinase activity of 105.65 ± 0.31 IU/mL for 10.63 g orange peel, 3.96 g/L peptone, 2.07 g/L KH2PO4, and 2.10 g/L NaH2PO4. Thus, it was discovered that the indigenously isolated novel strain Aspergillus cervinus ARS2 was able to successfully produce a significant amount of pectinase using agro-industrial waste. Therefore, it can be considered for the large-scale optimized production of pectinase to meet industrial demands.

Nanobacterial cellulose (NBC) was produced and incorporated into biodegradable poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) in different weight ratios to obtain polymer nanocomposite membranes. The physicochemical properties of the membranes were studied using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, a universal testing machine (UTM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) techniques, and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). FTIR confirmed the consolidation of NBC into PVA by exhibiting significant changes in the peaks compared to NBC and PVA individually. The highest tensile strength of 53.33 MPa and 235.30% elongation at break of the membrane M-10 mass % NBC was obtained, illuminating that NBC provides stiffness and PVA imparts elasticity. WAXD revealed that the crystalline nature of the membrane increases up to 10 mass % and decreases beyond it. The effect of NBC on the poly(vinyl alcohol) membranes for food packaging was investigated systematically. Among all the membranes, M-10 mass % NBC was found to be the most suitable for packaging applications. Membranes had antimicrobial activity against food microbes and showed degradability behavior in the soil. The tests on membranes for packaging revealed that fruits were protected from spoilage caused by microorganisms. Hence, the prepared membranes could be used as an alternative to conventional plastics for packaging applications.

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Polyelectrolyte complex membranes (PECMs) were prepared by combining sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (NaCMC) and gelatin (Ge) with variations in the Ge content in the NaCMC matrix. Characterization methods, such as infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), contact angle analysis (CA), and universal testing machines (UTM) were used to investigate the physicochemical studies of the prepared membranes. The pervaporation characteristics of membranes with Ge content were investigated using an azeotropic mixture of water and bioethanol. The obtained data revealed that the membrane with 15 mass% of Ge (M-3) showed a maximum flux of 7.8403 × 10−2 kg/m2·h with separation selectivity of 2917 at 30 °C. In particular, the total and water flux of PECMs are shown as very close to each other indicating that the fabricated membranes could be employed to successfully break the azeotropic point of water–bioethanol mixtures. Using temperature-dependent permeation and diffusion data, the Arrhenius activation parameters were calculated, and the obtained values of water permeation (Epw) were considerably smaller than bioethanol permeation (EpE). Developed membranes showed the positive heat of sorption (ΔHs), suggesting that Henry’s sorption mode is predominant.