Solid state fermentation of banana wastes

Summary Using a strain ofAspergillus niger, the protein content of banana wastes was raised from 6 to 18 % by solid state fermentation. A meal of green bananas was obtained by solar drying, and fermentation was conducted in a 15 kg (dry weight) capacity stirred reactor. As the substrate consumption was 24 % of initial weight after 43 h. of fermentation, protein production was calculated to be 150 % of the initial content. According to its composition (50 % total sugars, 13 % reducing sugars, 18 % proteins) the fermented banana waste could be used as cattle feed.     

Solid state photochemistry of 1,4-dihydropyridines

Photochemical behavior of some 1,4-dihydropyridines has been investigated in the solid state. Whereas upon irradiation of 1,4-dihydropyridines in solution phase, their photo-oxidation and formation of pyridine derivatives have been observed, irradiation of these compounds in the solid state decreases their light sensitivity. In many cases photo-oxidation has been observed only in very low yields.     

Solid state fluorescence of lyophilized proteins

Fluorescence spectroscopy has been used to measure changes in the tertiary structure of proteins in the solution state. The sensitivity of fluorescence to the protein tryptophan environment has made it a useful tool for studying protein conformation and stability. Using fluorescence spectroscopy to probe structural alterations in lyophilized proteins has been limited due to technical challenges and overwhelming background light scattering. We have investigated the possibility of analyzing lyophilized proteins using the Cary-Eclipse spectrofluorometer by monitoring the fluorescence of the protein therapeutic after subjecting the lyophilized cake to heat-induced accelerated degradation. We have been able to obtain reproducible fluorescence spectra, detecting possible structural changes under these conditions. Fluorescence and circular dichroism spectroscopic analyses of the reconstituted proteins indicated that changes in fluorescence intensities observed in the solid state could be correlated to that in solution and to possible tertiary structural changes. Size exclusion chromatography analysis of protein Y subject to accelerated degradation showed a correlation between decreasing fluorescence intensity and increasing protein Y tetramer in solution, consistent with long-term stability. This suggests that solid state, intrinsic protein fluorescence measurements using the Cary-Eclipse holder may be feasible for long-term stability studies and formulation development.     

Biotechnology report. Solid state fermentations

A unique method is described by which large yields of secondary metabolites arc produced on solid substrates. The process involves the use of moist substrates which are continuously agitated in appropriate fermentation equipment. The amount of agitation, aeration, and moisture can be varied. Extremely high yields of secondary metabolites such as ochratoxin and aflatoxin were obtained using Aspergillus and Penicillium species. The process prevents sporulation of the fungus and because of the nature of the solid substrate makes recovery of the product easier than in conventional liquid media. The substrates include rice, corn, wheat, and other cereals.     

Left-right asymmetry of biophoton emission from hemiparesis patients

Left-right biophoton asymmetry from the palm and the dorsum of hands from 7 Korean hemiparesis patients were studied. There is a strong tendency that the left-hemiparesis patients emit more biophotons from the right than the left hands, while the right-hemiparesis patient emits more from the left hand. Acupuncture treatment reduces dramatically the left-right asymmetry of biophoton emission rates. However there is no systematic difference for the patients in the emission rates from the palm and the dorsum of hands.     

Solid state biosurfactant production in a fixed-bed column bioreactor

Biosurfactants are surface active substances which reduce interfacial tension and are produced or excreted at the microbial cell surface. We evaluated the biosurfactant production by Aspergillus fumigatus and Phialemonium sp. in solid state processes using fixed-bed column reactors. We evaluated two media, rice husks alone (simple support) and rice husks plus defatted rice bran (complex support), both enriched with either soy oil or diesel oil. The highest water-in-oil emulsifying activity (EAw/o) obtained was 7.36 EU g(-1) produced by A. fumigatus growing on complex support enriched with soy oil and supplied with air at a rate of 60 mL g(-1) h(-1), while Phialemonium sp. had a maximum production of 6.11 EU g(-1) using the simple support with diesel oil and an aeration rate of 120 mL g(-1) h(-1). The highest oil-in-water emulsifying activity (EAo/w) was 12.21 EU g(-1) produced by Phialemonium sp. on the complex support enriched with diesel oil and at an aeration rate of 60 mL g(-1) h(-1), while A. fumigatus produced a maximum EAo/w of 10.98 EU g(-1) when growing on the complex support with no additional carbon source and an aeration rate of 60 mL g(-1) 1 h(-1).     

Stochastic approach in biochemical research

The logic foundations of the probabilistic style for thinking and its methodological significance in the modern science are given. Complex, joint, ambiguous systems are the object of biochemical investigations at all organization levels and therefore biochemists often cannot obtain unambiguous results. It is shown that such systems are subjects to the study with the use of propositions of the probability theory which considers "random" events as a result of many-channel determination and is aimed to transform knowledge of these events into events predicted with certain probability. This provides a more profound analysis of a sum of facts and specificity of their theoretical interpretation. It is proved expedient to apply the probabilistic approach to study intramolecular and intermolecular interaction of elements, to characterize enzymes and membranes, to investigate objects comparatively and chemotaxanomically. It is stated that comprehension of "random" as a manifestation of a part of a sum of the possible or one of its variants stimulates the theoretical generalization of facts, elucidation of regularities of functioning, adaptation, development and diversity of every living thing.     

Solid state fermentation of dried citrus peel byAspergillus niger

Summary Solid state fermentation of dried citrus peel was studied in a packed bed reactor withAspergillus niger QH-2. When no nitrogen source was added the growth was limited. When urea and/or ammonium sulphate were added in the proportion of 0.63 g N/100 g solid dry substrate a diauxie was observed and the final content of crude protein was higher than 10%. The results of a factorial design show that ammonium sulphate has a significant effect on the specific growth rate.     

Coincidence of biophoton emission by wheat seedlings during simultaneous, transcontinental germination tests

Measurements of spontaneous ultra-weak light (biophoton) emission from native Brazilian and German wheat seedlings in three simultaneous series of germination tests are presented, two run in Germany and one in Brazil. Seedlings in both countries presented semi-circadian rhythms of emission that were in accordance with the local lunisolar gravimetric tidal acceleration, as did seeds which had been transported from Brazil to Germany. The simultaneity of the photon emission patterns in all tests argues for the lunisolar tide and its rhythmic variations as regulators of the natural rhythm of photon emission. However, seedlings from seed samples transported from Brazil to Germany showed, in addition, a temporary disturbance within the emission periodicity which may indicate a possible short-term acclimatization to the new location.     

Tailoring broadband inversion pulses for MAS Solid state NMR

A simple approach is demonstrated for designing optimised broadband inversion pulses for MAS solid state NMR studies of biological systems. The method involves a two step numerical optimisation procedure and takes into account experimental requirements such as the pulse length, resonance offset range and extent of H₁ inhomogeneity compensation needed. A simulated annealing protocol is used initially to find appropriate values for the parameters that define the well known tanh/tan adiabatic pulse such that a satisfactory spin inversion is achieved with minimum RF field strength. This information is then used in the subsequent stage of refinement where the RF pulse characteristics are further tailored via a local optimisation procedure without imposing any restrictions on the amplitude and frequency modulation profiles. We demonstrate that this approach constitutes a generally applicable tool for obtaining pulses with good inversion characteristics. At moderate MAS frequencies the efficacy of the method is experimentally demonstrated for generating double-quantum NMR spectra via the zero-quantum dipolar recoupling scheme RFDR.     

Effect of exogenous hydrogen peroxide on biophoton emission from radish root cells

Biophotons spontaneously emitted from radish root cells were detected using highly sensitive photomultiplier tube. Freshly isolated radish root cells exhibited spontaneous photon emission of about 4 counts s^?1. Addition of hydrogen peroxide to the cells caused significant enhancement in biophoton emission to about 500 counts s^?1. Removal of molecular oxygen using glucose/glucose oxidase system and scavengering of reactive oxygen species by reducing agents such are sodium ascorbate and cysteine completely diminished biophoton emission. Spectral analysis of the hydrogen peroxide-induced biophoton emission indicates that biophotons are emitted mainly in green–red region of the spectra. The data provided by electron paramagnetic resonance spin-trapping technique showed that formation of singlet oxygen observed after addition of H₂O₂ correlates with enhancement in biophoton emission. These observations provide direct evidence that singlet oxygen is involved in biophoton emission from radish root cells.     

Proteins involved in biophoton emission and flooding-stress responses in soybean under light and dark conditions

To know the molecular systems basically flooding conditions in soybean, biophoton emission measurements and proteomic analyses were carried out for flooding-stressed roots under light and dark conditions. Photon emission was analyzed using a photon counter. Gel-free quantitative proteomics were performed to identify significant changes proteins using the nano LC–MS along with SIEVE software. Biophoton emissions were significantly increased in both light and dark conditions after flooding stress, but gradually decreased with continued flooding exposure compared to the control plants. Among the 120 significantly identified proteins in the roots of soybean plants, 73 and 19 proteins were decreased and increased in the light condition, respectively, and 4 and 24 proteins were increased and decreased, respectively, in the dark condition. The proteins were mainly functionally grouped into cell organization, protein degradation/synthesis, and glycolysis. The highly abundant lactate/malate dehydrogenase proteins were decreased in flooding-stressed roots exposed to light, whereas the lysine ketoglutarate reductase/saccharopine dehydrogenase bifunctional enzyme was increased in both light and dark conditions. Notably, however, specific enzyme assays revealed that the activities of these enzymes and biophoton emission were sharply increased after 3 days of flooding stress. This finding suggests that the source of biophoton emission in roots might involve the chemical excitation of electron or proton through enzymatic or non-enzymatic oxidation and reduction reactions. Moreover, the lysine ketoglutarate reductase/saccharopine dehydrogenase bifunctional enzyme may play important roles in responses in flooding stress of soybean under the light condition and as a contributing factor to biophoton emission.     

The state of European research in tropical biology

Research institutions from the Global North have made significant contributions to the knowledge of tropical ecosystems, but contributions have varied greatly between countries. We show that European nations that share a language, cultural affinity, and/or retain social and political ties with tropical countries (e.g., those with an overseas history) make larger contributions to tropical biological research than countries without these ties. However, exceptions to this pattern demonstrate how science policy agendas can skew the capacity of countries to conduct biological research in the tropics. We conclude that some countries could make a far more important contribution to tropical biological knowledge, but for this to materialize, greater commitment by a country's scientific community is needed, along with better financial and intellectual support from its public administrations.     

Solid state fermentation and fractionation of oat straw by Basidiomycetes

Summary Seventee white-rot and brown-rot fungi were screened for their ability to fractionate the lignocellulose structure of oat straw through the preferential attack of lignin or cellulose. Fermentations were carried out under solid-state conditions with 25 g quantities of straw. The fermented straw was analyzed for weight loss, Klason lignin loss and cellulase digestion. All the fungi attacked both lignin and carbohydrate fractions causing 3–28% weight losses and 26–34 g/100 g enzymatic digestibility. Polyporus tulipiferae, Phanerochaete chrysosporium and Polyporus sp. were tested for the effects of various nitrogen, phosphate and carbon levels, incubation temperatures and incubation time. The three fungi had different responses to these factors.     

Solid state fermentation of aquatic macrophytes for crude protein extraction

Aquatic macrophytes such as Elodea nuttalli, Vallisneria natans, Alterranthera philoxerides that are widely distributed in water environments of Lake Taihu basin were used as substrate of solid state fermentation to produce crude protein extraction. The effects of single-strain fermentation and mixed strains fermentation of aquatic macrophytes on the production of crude protein extraction and cellulase activity are analyzed, respectively. The experimental results showed that the crude protein content of products with mixed strains fermentation is higher than that with single-strain fermentation. The crude protein content of V. natans fermented by Aspergillus niger and Candida utilis is the highest among the aquatic macrophytes examined in this study. V. natans is used as the substrate to be fermented by C. utilis and A. niger; their ratio is 1:1 at 28 ± 1 °C for 72 h. The crude protein of fermented V. natans is as high as 49.54%, with 128.82% of its increase rate. The cellulose activity reaches a maximum of 4.21 μ/ml at 84 h of fementation of V. natans. Thus, the solid state fermentation of aquatic macrophytes to produce crude protein extraction is promising, which make aquatic macrophytes a potential resource and thus is beneficial to the long-term ecological restoration of eutrophic lakes.     

Solid state self-assembly mechanism of RADA16-I designer peptide

We report that synthetic RADA16-I peptide transforms to β-strand secondary structure and develops intermolecular organization into β-sheets when stored in the solid state at room temperature. Secondary structural changes were probed using solid state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (ssNMR) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Intermolecular organization was analyzed via wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD). Observed changes in molecular structure and organization occurred on the time scale of weeks during sample storage at room temperature. We observed structural changes on faster time scales by heating samples above room temperature or by addition of water. Analysis of hydration effects indicates that water can enhance the ability of the peptide to convert to β-strand secondary structure and assemble into β-sheets. However, temperature dependent FTIR and time dependent WAXD data indicate that bound water may hinder the assembly of β-strands into β-sheets. We suggest that secondary structural transformation and intermolecular organization together produce a water-insoluble state. These results reveal insights into the role of water in self-assembly of polypeptides with hydrophilic side chains, and have implications on future optimization of RADA16-I nanofiber production.     

Solid state fermentation for the production of lipolytic fungal enzymes

The production of lypolitic moulds in solid state fermentation was studied.Aspergillus oryzae andRhizopus oryzae were grown on rice hulls using different media. Tween 80 and olive oil were employed as main carbon sources; the whole solid cultures were lyophilised and employed in heptane for catalysing the formation of various geranyl esters with molar conversions ranging from 40 to 95%, under optimised conditions, starting from 50 mM geraniol and equimolar amount of the acid.