Publications by authors named "Busiswa Ndaba"
Article Synopsis
- Food security is increasingly threatened by rising global populations and climate change, leading to concerns over the harmful effects of conventional agrochemicals on soil, health, and the environment.
- Nanotechnology in agriculture offers a promising solution, utilizing nano-sized agrochemicals as nanofertilizers and nanopesticides to enhance crop productivity while using lower doses compared to traditional methods.
- However, the continuous use of nanoparticles could negatively impact beneficial microorganisms that support plant health, so more research is needed to understand their effects and promote sustainable agricultural practices.
Background: Marula (Sclerocarya birrea) is an indigenous African fruit-bearing tree with many commercial uses; however, de-kernelled seeds generated from marula fruit-processing are wasted. The phytochemical constituents of de-kernelled marula seeds have not been investigated previously and its extract/tea may potentially serve as a promising source of antioxidants and phytochemicals. This study aimed to investigate the effect of different extraction methods (maceration and decoction) on the recovery of phenolic compounds, sugars, organic acids, and antioxidants from de-kernelled marula seeds.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCorrigendum to "Development of a GIS-based knowledge hub for contaminants of emerging concern in South African water resources using open-source software: Lessons learnt" [Heliyon 9 (1) (January 2023) Article e13007].
Heliyon
March 2023
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- - With the increasing population and limited freshwater sources, protecting these sources has become critical in water resource management, relying heavily on factors like funding, threats, and public response.
- - Emerging contaminants in surface water pose new challenges, and while research is ongoing in South Africa, information about these contaminants is not well organized or easily accessible to stakeholders.
- - By leveraging fourth industrial revolution technology, researchers have created an online platform that organizes and visualizes water contamination data in real-time, improving collaboration and acting as an early warning system for environmental regulators.
Microbial lipids, also known as single-cell oils (SCOs), are highly attractive feedstocks for biodiesel production due to their fast production rates, minimal labor requirements, independence from seasonal and climatic changes, and ease of scale-up for industrial processing. Among the SCO producers, the less explored filamentous fungi (molds) exhibit desirable features such as a repertoire of hydrolyzing enzymes and a unique pellet morphology that facilitates downstream harvesting. Although several oleaginous filamentous fungi have been identified and explored for SCO production, high production costs and technical difficulties still make the process less attractive compared to conventional lipid sources for biodiesel production.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF