In this issue

Abstract

Engineering in Life SciencesVolume 11, Issue 5 p. 455-455 In this issueFree Access In this issue First published: 14 October 2011 https://doi.org/10.1002/elsc.201190033AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Abstract Dairy manure mixing for biogas production Rico et al., Eng. Life Sci. 2011, 11, 476–481. Dairy manure can either be disposed or turned into valuable products by anaerobic digestion: (i) biogas, which can be used as a source for green electricity, heat or fuel; (ii) digested substrate, also called digestate, a fertilizer in agriculture. While many studies have investigated mixing strategies in anaerobic digesters, there is only limited information for mixing in anaerobic digestion of manure. In this issue, researchers from the University of Cantabria, Santander, Spain, evaluate the influence of reactor content recirculation rate on biogas production during mesophilic anaerobic digestion of airy manure in a 1.5 m3 pilot digester. The key determinants of biogas production are the hydraulic retention time (HRT) of the substrate and the degree of contact between the incoming substrate and the viable bacterial population. The authors conclude that for long HRTs the degree of mixing has only a minimal effect on biogas production……………476. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/elsc.201100010 Honey mushroom culture: Aeration rate and antioxidant property Lung and Hsieh, Eng. Life Sci. 2011, 11, 482–490. Armillaria mellea, also called honey mushroom, is an edible mushroom used in traditional Asian medicine. Bioreactive compounds derived from mushrooms, including polysaccharides, display a variety of immunomodulating, antitumor and antioxidant activity. Submerged cultures are efficiently used for polysaccharide production from these mushrooms. Although several studies have focused on optimization of submerged culture conditions, the effects of the aeration rate have not been studied in detail. In this issue, optimized production of biomass and exopolysaccharide (EPS) is studied by authors from Taiwan. They evaluate changes of the aeration rate of an A. mellea culture performed in a 5L-stirred-tank bioreactor. EPS produced in the proposed optimal two-stage aeration rate culture is not only produced at a high yield, but also displays a high molecular weight with effective antioxidant properties.……………482 http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/elsc.2011000003 Plant cell culture system for gymnemic acid production Nagella et al., Eng. Life Sci. 2011, 11, 537–540. Traditional medicine uses plant extracts or infusions from wild or cultivated plants. For efficient use as pharmaceuticals large-scale septic and controllable production processes are needed. Gymnema sylvestre, an important medicinal plant, contains the bioactive gymnemic acids, which have anti-diabetic properties and may also be used to treat obesity. Preliminary reports have already described callus and cell suspension cultures of G. sylvestre. In this issue, authors from Seoul, South Korea, and Dharwad, India, present the first systematic approach to establish a suspension culture system for the production of gymnemic acid. Inoculum density, medium components, the carbon source, as well as the concentration of sucrose in the medium were optimized for efficient productivity of gymnemic acid. The results of the current study are the first step for large-scale production of gymnemic acid in cell culture.……………537 http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/elsc.2010000167 Volume11, Issue5October 2011Pages 455-455 RelatedInformation