Biological activities observed in living systems occur as the output of which nanometer-, submicrometer-, and micrometer-sized structures and tissues non-linearly and dynamically behave through chemical reaction networks, including the generation of various molecules and their assembly and disassembly. To understand the essence of the dynamic behavior in living systems, simpler artificial objects that exhibit cell-like non-linear phenomena have been recently constructed. However, most objects exhibiting cell-like dynamics have been found through trial-and-error experiments, and there are no strategies for designing them as molecular systems. This review describes how cell-like dynamics of oil droplets in surfactant solution, such as self-propelled motion, chemotaxis, division, and deformation, are induced by combining molecular properties of system components toward self-propelled microrobots.

In this study, the effect of microwave drying on oil content, bioactive compounds, antioxidant activity, polyphenols and fatty acid profiles of fresh (control) and dried plum kernels was investigated. The oil quantities of plum seeds dried were found between 27.40% (control) and 42.42% (900 W). Total phenolic and flavonoid values of fresh (control) and dried-plum seeds were assessed to be between 9.77 (control) and 41.66 mgGAE/100 g (900 w) to 6.90 (control) and 23.67 mg/100 g (900 W), respectively. Total phenol and flavonoid quantities of the plum seeds dried at 900 W were slightly higher than those of the plum seeds dried at 720 W. L* (brightness) values of plum seeds changed between 55.97 and 59.62. Roasting in the microwave oven at 720 W was decreased the L* values of samples, while L* value of sample roasted at 900 W was closed to control. Gallic and 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid values of plum kernel samples were assigned to be between 1.19 (720 W) and 2.01 mg/100 g (900 W) to 0.22 (control) and 7.09 mg/100 g (900 W), respectively. Also, catechin and rutin quantities of plum seeds were established between 0.20 (control) and 7.55 mg/100 g (900 W) to 1.42 (control) and 3.59 mg/100 g (900 W), respectively. In general, the amount of phenolic compounds of plum seeds dried at every two watts showed an increase (except quercetin) compared to the control. Only the amount of quercetin decreased partially in the dried samples. While oleic acid quantities of raw (control) and dried plum kernel oils are reported between 68.28% (720 W) and 71.60% (900 W), linoleic acid amounts of plum kernel oils were found between 20.77% (900 W) and 23.49% (720 W). The quantities of saturated fatty acids in plum kernel oils were found to be quite low compared to the content of unsaturated fatty acids.

In this study, the total phenol, total flavonoid content, antioxidant capacity, phenolic component and fatty acid profiles of caper seed oils extracted by solvent extraction, sonication extraction and cold press methods were revealed. Total phenol amounts of caper seed oils extracted by cold press, sonication and solvent systems were recorded as 0.10, 0.11 and 0.16 mg GAE/100 g, respectively. There was no statistically significant differences between the total phenol values of caper seed oils provided by sonication and cold press systems (p > 0.05). While the flavonoid amount of the oil extracted from caper seeds by solvent extraction system is determined as 358.9 mg CE/100 g, the total flavonoid amounts of caper seed oils extracted by sonication and cold pressing methods were established as 194.6 and 83.9 mgCE/100 g, respectively. The highest antioxidant capacity was established in the oil provided by solvent extraction (1.456%), followed by ultrasonic extraction (1.453%) and cold press oil (1.448%) in decreasing order. The dominant phenolic components of caper seed oils were quercetin, kaempferol, gallic acid, resveratrol and catechin. The fatty acid detected at the highest value in caper oils extracted by different extraction systems was linoleic acid (61.16-62.74%), followed by oleic, palmitic and stearic acids in decreasing order. Other fatty acids were recorded at low levels. As a result, it can be said that the caper oil extracted by solvent extraction is richer in quercetin and linoleic acid.

Sterols and triterpene alcohols exist in free and esterified forms in edible oils. To date, only few studies have determined the content of free or esterified sterols and triterpene alcohols using gas chromatography–flame ionization detection (GC–FID). In this study, analytical conditions were optimized using free and esterified sterol standards. To analyze total sterol and triterpene alcohol (Method A), edible oil sample was saponified in the presence of an internal standard (IS, 5α-cholestan- 3β-ol). However, to analyze free sterol and triterpene alcohol (Method B), the sample was dissolved in hexane/ethyl acetate (90:10, v/v) in the presence of the IS, and the free sterol and triterpene alcohol fractions were isolated via silica gel chromatography. The fractions obtained from Methods A and B were derivatized separately as trimethylsilyl (TMS) ether and analyzed using GC–FID. The esterified sterol and triterpene alcohol contents of edible oil were calculated by subtracting the free sterol content (Method B) from the total content (Method A). The major sterols and triterpene alcohols in canola, soybean, rice bran oil, and lard were separated using a column coated with 5% diphenyl/95% dimethylpolysiloxane. The recovery rates of free sterols spiked into canola oil were 86–106% and 87–109%, while those of esterified sterols (sitosteryl palmitate) spiked into canola oil were 94–105% and －4–2% based on Methods A and B, respectively. The sterol and triterpene alcohol compositions of lard, canola, soybean, and rice bran oils were also determined using Methods A and B, and the results aligned well with those reported in the literature. Altogether, our methods can be successfully used to quantify the levels of sterols and triterpene alcohols in edible oils.

Based on the observation that urea, water, and ethyl esters (EE) can form gypsum-like mixtures, this study explored the feasibility of employing water as a solvent for urea in the urea complexation method to enrich n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-containing ethyl esters (DHA- EE) from Crypthecodinium cohnii as the material. Under the conditions of a urea/DHA-EE ratio of 3, a water/DHA-EE ratio of 0.75, a mixing temperature of 65℃, and a cooling temperature of 20℃, a concentrate containing over 90% DHA was achieved. This demonstrated that using water as a solvent for urea, instead of polar organic solvents, is feasible and efficient for enriching DHA in urea complexation process.

Near-infrared wavelength-selective soft actuators have attracted much attention for applications in microsystems in bioliving. It is desirable for the photothermal conversion materials in the actuators to be downsized to the molecular scale. However, in conventional actuator materials using copolymer gels composed of thermosensitive and photothermal conversion molecule-coordinated monomers, the strong cross-linking of molecules in the networks impairs the actuator deformation. In this study, we fabricated soft actuators consisting of interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) gels to suppress the cross-linking of the thermosensitive networks. Nd³⁺ and Yb³⁺ were used as wavelength-selective photothermal conversion molecules at 808 and 980 nm. Hydrophobic acrylamide derivatives and sodium acrylate were used as the thermosensitive and lanthanoid-ion-coordinated polymers, respectively. The lanthanoid ion concentrations in the IPN gels were about 0.2 M, which is 6 times larger than those of previous gels. The temperature response of swelling degrees (wt%) of the lanthanoid-ion-coordinated IPN gels were three times larger than that of the previous gels. Sandwich structure actuators consisting of Nd³⁺ and Yb ³⁺ IPN gels bent selectively toward the Nd ³⁺ gel side under 808 nm irradiation and toward the Yb³⁺ gel side under 980 nm irradiation.

Cleaning and sterilization are critical Prerequisite Programs in sanitation management based on HACCP. Most food factories clean and sanitize equipment daily after production using detergents containing benzalkonium chloride (BAC). However, in factories that produce oil and fat-rich foods, it has been discovered that microbes can persist on production equipment. Insufficient cleaning protocols may result in secondary contamination of the final products. Unfortunately, there are limited cleaning agents available that are effective in sterilizing microbes in the presence of oil. Moreover, there is a lack of research on the bactericidal mechanisms and bacterial dynamics in oily environments.
In this study, we aimed to reduce bacterial contamination on equipment in such factories by hypothesizing that oil diminishes BAC’s bactericidal activity. We conducted lab-scale experiments simulating actual factory conditions to examine the effects of oil on BAC’s efficacy. Additionally, we investigated the effect of nonionic surfactants, which are known to enhance BAC’s bactericidal activity in oil-free conditions, in the presence of oil. The results showed that BAC’s bactericidal activity was significantly reduced in the presence of oil. However, the activity was restored by adding an appropriate amount of secondary alcohol ethoxylate (sec-AE). Microscopic observations revealed that bacteria tended to accumulate at the water/oil interface, suggesting that the oil interface might inhibit BAC from effectively attacking the bacteria. The addition of sec-AE appeared to disperse the bacteria into the water layer, thus restoring BAC’s bactericidal activity in the presence of oil. These findings are crucial for improving daily cleaning and sterilization processes in food factories operating in high-oil environments to prevent secondary contamination and enhance food safety.

The present study aimed to explore the potential of macroalgal hydrolysate to serve as an economical substrate for the growth of the oleaginous microbes Aspergillus sp. SY-70, Rhizopus arrhizus SY-71 and Aurantiochytrium sp. YB-05 for lipid and DHA production under laboratory conditions. The macroalgal hydrolysate was used at three concentrations 20, 40 and 80 g/L as a sole carbon source or in combination with 10 g/L of either acetic acid, glycerol, glucose, or sugarcane molasses. Glucose was used as a positive control at four different concentrations: 10, 20, 40, and 80 g/L. Out of the 19 carbon sources tested for the three microbes, 80 g/L macroalgae + 10 g/L molasses was the best source for Aspergillus sp. SY-70 (27.4 g/L DW and 9.73 g/L lipid) and R. arrhizus SY-71 (49.76 g/L DW and 16.88 g/L lipid), whereas 20 g/L macroalgae + 10 g/L glucose afforded the best source for Aurantiochytrium sp. YB-05 (27.93 g/L DW and 11.07 g/L lipid). Among the 19 carbon sources used for the growth of Aurantiochytrium sp. YB-05, we determined the fatty acid profile of the best four carbon sources that gave the highest biomass and lipid percentage. Among the four sources, 20 g/L macroalgal hydrolysate + glucose gave the highest DHA percentage (2.31 g/L), followed by 80 g/L pure glucose (1.68), 80 g/L macroalgal hydrolysate + glycerol (1.64), and 40 g/L macroalgal hydrolysate + molasses (1.52). The three carbon sources can replace pure glucose for the lipid, DPA, and DHA production using Aurantiochytrium sp. YB-05. The results of the current study suggest that we could use macroalgal hydrolysate in combination with molasses or glucose for the production of single-cell oil.

Coelomic fluid of earthworms is a valuable source of novel bioactive compounds with therapeutic applications. To gain insight into the bioactive compounds in the coelomic fluid, this study used Perionyx excavatus, a tropical earthworm distinguished for its remarkable ability for regeneration. This study aimed to identify fluorescent bioactive compounds in the coelomic fluid of P. excavatus and to investigate these compounds structural and functional characteristics for potential use in biomedical applications. Fluorescent bioactive compounds present in the coelomic fluid are identified using Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC), UV-visible spectrophotometry, and Spectrofluorometry techniques. Two unknown groups of fluorophore, named CFA and CFB, were analyzed by studying their emission spectra. In addition, GC-MS and LC-MS analyses provides detailed list of bioactive compound present in the coelomic fluid, in which indole and arachidonic acid shown maximum excitation and thus chosen for further studies. Their functional characterization reveals antibacterial activity, cytotoxicity and in-vitro wound healing assays, respectively. Notably, both of them exhibit significant efficacy against Aeromonas hydrophila, Salmonella typhi and Staphylococcus aureus. However, indole shows poor activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, whereas arachidonic acid demonstrates effective activity. These findings imply that these bioactive fluorescent compounds may have significant therapeutic applications.

The current study was designed to evaluate the antibacterial, antibiofilm, and biofilm inhibitory potential of six medicinal plants, including Trachyspermum ammi, Trigonella foenum-graecum, Nigella sativa, Thymus vulgaris, Terminalia arjuna, and Ipomoea carneaid against catheter-associated bacteria (CAB). Eighteen CAB were identified up to species level using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, viz., Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. T. ammi essential oil and T. foenum-graecum methanolic extract combination exhibited the highest antibacterial activity (ZOI; 32.0) against S. aureus. N. sativa essential oil (EO) showed highest ZOI (31.0; p ≤ 0.05) against Proteus mirabilis at 100 µgmL ^–1 . Among 18 CAB isolated, 13 showed mature biofilm formation on 5 ^th day. All plant extracts demonstrated more than 80% antibiofilm and biofilm inhibition activity. A concentrationdependent increase was observed with plant extracts against CAB during antibacterial, antibiofilm, and biofilm inhibition activities. The study suggests that EO and methanolic extract (ME) of tested plants possess promising antibiofilm and biofilm inhibitory potential against CABs. To our knowledge, this is the first study to report antibacterial, antibiofilm, and biofilm inhibitory potential of T. ammi and N. sativa seed EO, as well as T. foenum-graecum, N. sativa, T. vulgaris, T. arjuna, and I. carnea ME against CAB from medical setting.