Evaluation of Nutrient Digestion of Tamarind Seeds Spontaneous Bioconversion in Local Timor Pigs

Tamarind seeds are one of the waste crops that were usually given to pigs and the use of spontaneous bioconversion can increase digestibility. The research objective was to evaluate nutrient digestibility spontaneous bioconversion of tamarind seeds at Timor Local Pig. The study was conducted from May to July 2017 in the Laboratory of Animal Production and Reproduction of Kupang State Agricultural Polytechnic. The study used local male pigs grower phase of 3-4 months old aged and used a randomized block design with four treatments and five replications, namely R0 = ration without bioconversion spontaneous tamarind seeds, R1 = rations containing 10% bioconversion spontaneous tamarind seeds, R2 = ration containing 20% bioconversion spontaneous tamarind seeds, R3 = ration containing 30% bioconversion spontaneous tamarind seeds. The variables measured were dry matter digestibility, crude protein, crude fiber, and tannins. The results showed that spontaneous bioconversion of tamarind seeds affected significantly （p 〈 0.01） on dry matter digestibility, crude protein, ether extract, ash, and tannin digestibility but no effect （p 〉 0.05） on crude fiber digestibility. It was concluded that the use of tamarind seeds spontaneous bioconversion in livestock rations of local pigs Timor should be as much as 20%.

Artificial bioconversion of carbon dioxide

CO2 is not only the most important greenhouse gas but also an important resource of elemental carbon and oxygen.From the perspective of resource and energy strategy,the conversion of CO2 to chemicals driven by renewable energy is of significance,since it can not only reduce carbon emission by the utilization of CO2 as feedstock but also store low-grade renewable energy as high energy density chemical energy.Although studies on photoelectrocatalytic reduction of CO2 using renewable energy are increasing,artificial bioconversion of CO2 as an important novel pathway to synthesize chemicals has attracted more and more attention.By simulating the natural photosynthesis process of plants and microorganisms,the artificial bioconversion of CO2 can efficiently synthesize chemicals via a designed and constructed artificial photosynthesis system.This review focuses on the recent advancements in artificial bioreduction of CO2,including the key techniques,and artificial biosynthesis of compounds with different carbon numbers.On the basis of the aforementioned discussions,we present the prospects for further development of artificial bioconversion of CO2 to chemicals.

Evaluation of fungal potentiality for bioconversion of domestic wastewater sludge

This study was undertaken to screen the filamentous fungi isolated from its relevant habitats(wastewater, sewage sludge and sludge cake) for the bioconversion of domestic wastewater sludge. A total of 35 fungal strains were tested against wastewater sludge (total suspended solids, TSS 1%—5% w/w) to evaluate its potentiality for enhancing the biodegradability and dewaterability using liquid state bioconversion(LSB) process. The strains were divided into five groups i.e. Penicillium, Aspergillus, Trichoderma, Basidiomycete and Miscellaneous, respectively. The strains WWZP1003, SCahmA103, SCahmT105 and PC-9 among their respective groups of Penicillium, Aspergillus, Trichoderma and Basidiomycete played potential roles in terms of separation(formation of pellets/flocs/filaments), biodegradation(removal of COD) and filtration(filterability) of treated domestic wastewater sludge. The Miscellaneous group was not considered due to its unsatisfactory results as compared to the other groups. The pH value was also influenced by the microbial treatment during fermentation process. The filterability of treated sludge was improved by fungal treatment, and lowest filtration time was recorded for the strain WWZP1003 and SCahmA103 of Penicillium and Aspergillus groups respectively compared with other strains.

Preparation of 6-APA by Enzymatic Bioconversion in an Emulsion Liquid Membrane Reactor

Production of 6-aminopenicillanic acid (6-APA) by hydrolysis using penicillin acylase (PA) was studied as a model of an enzymatic emulsion liquid membrane (ELM) process. The loss of PA activity was examined for various membrane compositions (organic solvent, surfactant, carrier). The effects of some experimental variables on the stability of emulsion were investigated. It was found that the choice of organic solvent greatly affected the stability of the emulsion. Increasing the concentration of the carrier in the membrane phase increases the transfer rate of substrate and products but also has a destabilizing effect on the emulsion. The recovery of 6-APA obtained by a di-carrier system (N263-N1923) was much higher than those when either of the di-carriers was used separately. The whole process was controlled both by the enzymatic reaction rate and by the transfer rate of the substrate and the products, however, the ratio of them could be changed by varying the composition of the system. For an optimum condition, it was obtained that the recovery ratio of 6-APA was over 80% and the conversion of benzyl penicillin (PG) was up to 90% in the external phase after 30 minutes. Meanwhile, the breakage percentage of the emulsion was less than 2%.

Production of bio-energy from low-value biomass by bioconversion

Since 1993, China has become a net importer of energy from a net exporter. The total energy con- sumption has been greater than the total supply, and the external dependence of the energy demand increases rapidly. China＇ s crude oil import volume and imports amount reached 253.78 million tons and 196.664 billion US dollars in 2011, with a growth rate of 6 % and 45.3 %, respectively, year-on-year. The significant increase in demand for oil and the caused structural contradictions are increasingly becoming the greatest challenge for China＇ s energy security. The energy crisis has not only touched everyone＇ s nerves, but also sparked a strong desire to find alternative energy.

Phenolic Acids from <i>Parthenium hysterophorus</i>: Evaluation of Bioconversion Potential as Free Radical Scavengers and Anticancer Agents

Parthenium hysterophorus is a globally recognized invasive alien weed that prominently colonizes grazing areas and cultivated lands causing adverse effect on crop production. Major allelochemicals released from parthenium include sesqueterpene lactones and phenolic acids. Among these the presence of caffeic, vanillic and ferulic acids is of industrial significance as they possess potent free radical scavenging and anticancer activities. This study reports for the first time, high total phenolic acid content (20.82 ± 0.82 mg GAE/g dry sample) in parthenium. The GC-MS analysis indicated the presence of ferulic, p-coumaric, vanillic and gallic acid as major phenolic components. Free radical scavenging activity of the phenolic acids extract gave an EC50 value 130.4 μg/ml when measured using DPPH assay. Anticancer activity of parthenium phenolic extract against A-498 (IC50 0.5237 μg/ml) and MDA-MB231 (IC50 and 0.2685 μg/ml) cancerous cell lines indicated its potential to be used as anticancer agent.

Effects of Different Genotypes of Switchgrass as a Bioenergy Crop on Yield Components and Bioconversion Potential

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is a native warm-season grass and it is one of potential bioenergy crops. The objectives of this study were to: 1) assess the best performing switchgrass genotype suitable for Kansas soil and climatic condition in the USA, 2) determine the correlation between plant height or tiller numbers per plant and dry biomass of various switchgrass genotypes, and 3) assess a bioconversion efficiency of certain varieties of switchgrass. Twenty-two different genotypes of seedlings were allowed to grow in cones for 30 days under controlled environments. The genotype Cave-in-Rock was the shortest among the genotypes. Significant difference in number of tillers per plant was observed among the genotypes. The genotypes Alamo recorded the highest numbers of tiller plant-1 and the genotype Cave-in-Rock had the lowest numbers of tiller plant-1 compared with other genotypes. The genotypes Alamo, NL 94 C2-2, NL 94 C2-3, NSL 2009-1 and NSL 2009-2 had increased above ground biomass compared with other genotypes. The correlation study indicates that there was a significant positive correlation between number of tillers per plant and per plant dry weight (R2 = 0.93), number of tillers per plant and plant height (R2 = 0.94), and plant height and per plant dry weight (R2 = 0.82). Based on the biomass composition, the SWG 2007-2 genotype was the promising switchgrass line for the bioconversion through the sugar platform route due to high carbohydrate and low lignin content. On the other hand, the high biomass yield per unit area of field in NL 94 C2-1 led this genotype with the highest total carbohydrate yield per unit area of field despite the lowest total carbohydrate content in the genotype. These results are pertinent for crop breeders to develop the most promising switchgrass line with high biomass yield and high bioconversion efficiency to produce biofuel through the sugar platform route.

The Bioconversion of Municipal Solid Waste in the Biodrying Reactor

The bioconversion process of municipal solid waste was assessed on the basis of the results obtained from the biodrying reactor working at a full industrial scale.The bio-reactor is a part of mechanical-biological installation following mechanical stage.The bio-reactor was equipped with measuring devices allowing the analysis of the parameters like:temperature both inside the waste and also air above the waste and also the humidity of waste during the 14 days of the biodrying process.The kinetics of bioconversion was assessed basing on measured the loss of ignition(LOI)parameter detected during the biodrying process.The LOI value of the samples varied from 17.03%Am.to 30.34%d.m.depending on the location inside the reactor.The estimated kinetic rate constant kT of the bioconversion of biomass in the industrial reactor was kT=0.3141.In analyzed case study the calorific value of product leaving the full-scale bio-reactor is too low to use this product as an alternative fuel.As w'as stated the reason of this is too low a share of the carbon-rich fraction in the feedstock.

Solid State Bioconversion for Producing Common Bean(Phaseolus vulgaris L.)Functional Flour with High Antioxidant Activity and Antihypertensive Potential

The main objective of this investigation was to study the time effect during solid state bioconversion (SSB) on total phenolics content (TPC) and antioxidant activity (AoxA) of common beans to improve antihypertensive functionality. Cooked cotyledons of dehulled common beans were inoculated with a suspension of R. oligosporus NRRL 2710 (1 × 106 spores/mL), and incubated at 35℃ for times of 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 84, 96 and 108 h (after 108 h the cotyledons showed off odor). Flours from bioprocessed dehulled common bean from each incubation time were blended with their corresponding milled seed coats. The best time for producing bioprocessed common bean (added with seed coats) functional flour with the highest AoxA (ORAC value = 17,468 μmol Trolox equivalents (TE)/100 gsample, dw;ABTS value = 13,505 μmol TE/100 gsample, dw) was 108 h. The SSB process substantially increased TPC and total hydrophilic AoxA and antihypertensive potential of common beans in 2.24, 2.45 - 2.73 and 6769 times, respectively. Proteins hydrolyzates from unprocessed whole and bioprocessed (108 h) common beans had IC50 [concentration needed to inhibit 50% the activity of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE)] of 79.2 and 0.0117 μg/mL, respectively. The SSB is an efective strategy to improve the TPC of common beans for enhanced functionality with improved antioxidant activity and antihypertensive potential.

Bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomass into bacterial nanocellulose:challenges and perspectives

Nanocellulose has various outstanding properties and great potential for replacing petrochemical products.The utilization of lignocellulose to produce nanocellulose is of great significance to the sustainable development of the economy and society.However,the direct extraction of nanocellulose from lignocellulose by chemical method is challenged by toxic chemicals utilization,energy and time consumption,and waste water generation.Therefore,this paper addressed the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into bacterial nanocellulose(BNC)by the biological method.Moreover,this article highlights the recent advances in potentials and challenges of lignocellulosic biomass for BNC production through the bioconversion process,including biomass pretreatment,enzymatic hydrolysis,glucose and xylose fermentation,GA accumulation,and inhibitor tolerant.The development in metabolic and evolutionary engineering to enhance the production capacity of BNC-producing strain is also discussed.It is expected to provide guidance on the effective bioproduction of nanocellulose from lignocellulosic biomass.

Enhancement of fruit byproducts through bioconversion by Hermetia llucens(Diptera:Stratiomyidae)

Bioconversion is a biological process by which organic materials are converted into products with higher biological and commercial value.During its larval stage the black soldier fly Hermetia illucens is extremely voracious and can feed on a wide vari-ety of organic materials.To study the impact of different fruit byproducts on the insect's growth,final larval biomass,substrate reduction,bioconversion parameters,and larval nu-tritional composition,10000 black soldier fly larvae(BSFL)were reared on 7.0 kg of one of three substrates(strawberry,tangerine,or orange)or on a standard diet as a control.The results highlight that BSFL can successfully feed and grow on each of these diets,though their development time,growth rate,and final biomass were differently impacted by the substrates,with strawberry being the most suitable.The lipid and protein contents of BSFL were similar among larvae fed on different substrates;however,major differences were detected in ash,micronutrient,fiber,fatty acid,and amino acid contents.Overall,the results indicate that fruit waste management through the BSFL bioconversion process rep-resents a commercially promising resource for regional and national agrifood companies.Our study offers new perspectives for sustainable and environmentally friendly industrial development by which fruit byproducts or waste might be disposed of or unconventionally enhanced to create secondary products of high biological and economic value,including BSFL biomass as animal feed or,in perspective,as alternative protein source for human nutrition.

Understanding poromechanical response of a biogenic coalbed methane reservoir

Biogenic coalbed methane(BCBM)reservoirs aim to produce methane from in situ coal deposits following microbial conversion of coal.Success of BCBM reservoirs requires economic methane production within an acceptable timeframe.The work reported here quantifies the findings of previously published qualitative work,where it was found that bioconversion induces strains in the pore,matrix and bulk scales.Using imaging and dynamic strain monitoring techniques,the bioconversion induced strain is quantified here.To understand the effect of these strains from a reservoir geomechanics perspective,a corresponding poromechanical model is developed.Furthermore,findings of imaging experiments are validated using core-flooding flow experiments.Finally,expected field-scale behavior of the permeability response of a BCBM operation is modeled and analyzed.The results of the study indicated that,for Illinois coals,bioconversion induced strains result in a decrease in fracture porosity,resulting in a detrimental permeability drop in excess of 60%during bioconversion,which festers itself exponentially throughout its producing life.Results indicate that reservoirs with high initial permeability that will support higher Darcian flowrates,would be better suited for coal bioconversion,thereby providing a site-selection criteria for BCBM operations.

Self-assembly of metal-cholesterol oxidase hybrid nanostructures and application in bioconversion of steroids derivatives

A cholesterol oxidase(COD)was hybridized with Ca^(2+),Zn^(2+),Al^(3+),Fe^(2+) and Mn^(2+).After precipitation with PO_(4)^(3-) at 4℃ for 72 h,the resulting pellets were freeze-dried.In scanning electron microscopy assays,the metal-COD complexes revealed flower-like or granular structures after hybridization.Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy assay revealed the characteristic peaks of both the enzyme and metal materials.X-ray diffraction analysis indicated that COD was encapsulated in CaHPO_(4)·2H_(2)O-,Zn_(3)(PO_(4))_(2)·4H_(2)O-,AlPO_(4-),FeP_(4-) and Mn_(3)(PO_(4))_(2)·3H_(2)O-based nanostructures,respectively.Differential scanning calorimetry assay indicated significant increases in thermo-denaturation temperatures from 60.5℃ to 167.02℃,167.02℃,137.70℃,172.85℃ and 160.99℃,respectively.Using steroid derivatives as substrates,this enzyme could convert cholesterol,pregnenolone,dehydroepiandrosterone,ergosterol,b-sitosterol and stigmasterol to related single products.Hybridization in metal-based nanostructures could significantly enhance the initial conversion ratio and reaction stability of the enzyme.In addition,substrate selectivity could be affected by various metal materials.Briefly,using Ca^(2+),Zn^(2+),Al^(3+),Fe^(2+) and Mn^(2+) as hybrid raw materials could help to encapsulate COD in related metal-enzyme nanostructures,and could help to promote the stability and tolerant properties of the enzyme,while also enhancing its catalytic characteristics.

Microfluidic reactor with immobilized enzyme-from construction to applications:A review

Microfluidic,as the systems for using microchannel(micron-or sub-micron scale)to process or manipulate microflow,is being widely applied in enzyme biotechnology and biocatalysis.Microfluidic immobilized enzyme reactor(MIER)is a tool with great value for the study of catalytic property and optimal reaction parameter in a flourishing and highly producing manner.In view of its advantages in efficiency,economy,and addressable recognition especially,MIER occupies an important position in the investigation of life science,including molecular biology,bioanalysis and biosensing,biocatalysis etc.Immobilization of enzymes can generally improve their stability,and upon most occasions,the immobilized enzyme is endowed with recyclability.In this review,the enzyme immobilization techniques applied in MIER will be discussed,followed by summarizing the novel developments in the field of MIER for biocatalysis,bioconversion and bioanalysis.The preponderances and deficiencies of the current state-of-the-art preparation ways of MIER are peculiarly discussed.In addition,the prospects of its future study are outlined.

Characterization of an extreme alkaline-stable keratinase from the draft genome of feather-degrading Bacillus sp.JM7 from deep-sea

Bacillus sp. JM7, a strain isolated from the deep-sea of the South China Sea, was found to efficiently degrade 79.4% native chicken feather within 30 h. Scanning electron microscopy analysis showed that JM7 strain could gradually degrade feather by modifying the microstructure of feather keratin. A total of 25 protease genes were predicted from the draft genome of JM7 strain, among which a predicted subtilisin-like serine protease(designated as Ker02562) was further characterized for its keratinolytic activity. The recombinant Ker02562 functioned at a wide range of temperatures from 30℃ to 60℃, with an optimum at 40–50℃. Ker02562 was highly active at various pHs ranging from 5.0 to 13.0, with a maximum activity observed at pH 7.0–9.0. Remarkably, recombinant Ker02562 was stable in extreme alkaline environments(pH 10–13), which was much better than most other reported keratinases. Collectively, these favorable properties could make Bacillus sp. JM7 and Ker02562 attractive to be applied in the detergent formulation and feather bioconversion.

Efficient production of cyclic adenosine monophosphate from adenosine triphosphate by the N-terminal half of adenylate cyclase from Escherichia coli

In this study,we aimed at developing an efficient biocatalytic process for bio-production of cyclic adenosine monophosphate(c AMP)from adenosine triphosphate(ATP).First,adenylate cyclase from Escherichia coli MG1655(EAC)and Bordetella Pertussis(BAC)were expressed in E.coli BL21(DE3)and comparatively analyzed for their activities.As a result,EAC from E.coli MG1655 exhibited a higher activity.However,amount of EAC were obtained in an insoluble form.Therefore,we expressed the first 446 amino acids of EAC(EAC446)to avoid the inclusion body.The effects of induction temperature,incubation time,and incubation p H were further evaluated to improve the expression of EAC446.Subsequently,the reaction process for the production of c AMP with ATP as a starting material was investigated.As none of c AMP was detected in the whole-cell based biocatalytic process,the reaction catalyzed by the crude enzyme was determined for c AMP production.What's more,the reaction temperature,reaction p H,metal ion additives and substrate concentration was optimized,and the maximum c AMP production of 18.45 g·L^-1was achieved with a yield of 95.4%after bioconversion of 6 h.

Palladium and carbon synergistically catalyzed room-temperature hydrodeoxygenation(HDO) of vanillyl alcohol–A typical lignin model molecule

Vanillyl alcohol, which is made up of an aromatic ring, an alcoholic hydroxyl group, a phenolic hydroxyl group and a methoxy group, was selected as the model molecule of lignin. Various carbon materials supported Pd catalysts were chosen to catalyze the HDO of vanillyl alcohol. The catalysts were characterized via TEM, TPD, XRD, XPS and CO-chemisorption. It was found that different carbon materials could obviously influence the particle sizes, dispersion and distribution of Pd or PdO particles. Palladium and carbon can synergistically catalyze the room-temperature HDO of vanillyl alcohol even at room temperature, and the carboxyl group was found to be the effective active acid site during the reaction. Possible reaction mechanism was also proposed. The existence of the effective active acid sites on the carbon supports could obviously lower the reaction temperature without decreasing the selectivity, as a result, making the production of renewable fuels by HDO much more economically feasible, which is of much importance. © 2016 Science Press

Optimum Condition Selection of Xylitol Candida tropicalis Conversion Production

[Objective] The aim was to select the optimum conditions of xylitol Candida tropicalis conversion production. [Method] The effect of cell culture time,conversion time,conversion pH value,conversion initial sugar concentration,speed and inoculation rate were determined respectively.[Result] Optimum fermentation conditions were obtained as follows:cell culture 16 h,conversion time 10 h,conversion pH value 5.5,conversion initial sugar concentration 20 g/L,conversion shaking speed 150 r/min,inoculation rate 10% (volume ratio). The yield of xylitol has increased to 90%. [Conclusion] This study had provided basis for the further study on xylitol.

Optimization of Biogas Production from Organic Municipal Waste: Development of Activated Sludge as Digesters Inoculum

This study is a contribution to the optimization of organic fraction of municipal waste bioconversion into biomethane, by activated sludge production as inoculum for digesters. The wastewater (WW) and cow dung (CD) samples were taken from the slaughterhouse of Ouagadougou town, Burkina Faso. Different mixtures were made, enriched with mineral solution and cellulose at 5% (w/v) as: 10% CD + 90% WW (C7), 30% CD + 70% WW (C6), 50% CD + 50% WW (C5), 70% CD + 30% WW (C4), 90% CD + 10% WW (C3), 100% CD (C2) and 100% WW (C1). The pH evolution and biogas (CH4 and CO2) production were followed for 25 days. Cultures tend to acidify with increase in cow dung proportion. Biogas production was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in C5 (880.0 mL), C6 (862.0 10 mL) and C7 (772.0 mL). Mixture C5 had a highest level of CO2 production (40%). Also C7 and C6 retained in the experiment contained respectively organic matter, volatile fatty acids (VFA) and total alkalinity (TAC) as 41.06%, 47.02%, 1320 mg acetic acid/L, 3036 mg Acetic acid/L and 520 mg CaCO3/L, 1310 mg CaCO3/L. Mixture C6 was the best medium for microorganism proliferation stability with 3.5 × 105 UFC/ml of methanogens bacteria. It also possessed buffering capacity, which prevents acidification of medium during VFAs production.

Enzymatic Characterisation of Lignin Peroxidase from Luffa aegyptiaca Fruit Juice

Luffa aegyptiaca fruit has been assayed for the presence of lignin peroxidase activity using veratryl alcohol as the substrate. The fruit juice contained activity of 3.14 U/ml which was much higher than 0.075 U/ml reported in the culture filtrate of Phanarochaete chrysosporium ATCC-24725. The Km value of the lignin peroxidase using veratryl alcohol as the variable substrate in 50mM phosphate buffer pH 2.5 at 25°C was found to be 50 μM respectively. The pH and temperature optima of the lignin peroxidase were 2.4 and 22°C, respectively. The present article reports viable method to explore rich sources of lignin peroxidase from plants which can be used as a mediator in oxidative organic transformations within green chemistry domain ensuring ecofriendly synthesis of bioorganic molecules of pharmaceutical value.