MINERAL-SALT PRESERVATION OF LICHENS

1. Conidia of Neurospora crassa were either subjected to osmotic shock or treated with the detergent triton X-100. A decrease in the amount of 14C-sorbose taken up, as measured by means of the millipore filter technique, served as criterium for the efficiency of both procedures. Treated cells were either a) pregerminated with fructose, b) ungerminated but preincubated with sorbose or c) ungerminated and not preincubated, to check for a possible loss of fructose-inducible, sorbose-inducible or constitutive transport components respectively. 2. In contrast to reports for bacteria, osmotic shock by transferring conidia from 30 - 60% sucrose solutions to 5·10-4м MgCl2-solution after 5 minutes did not decrease transport activity. Rather there was an increase in the amount of sorbose taken up after such treatment (Table 1). However, if sucrose was replaced by concentrated minearl salts solution (Vogels minimal 4.75 м stock solution) a drastic decrease of sorbose uptake was observed in conidia pregerminated with fructose (Fig. 1). Ungerminated conidia preincubated with sorbose did not respond to a shock with mineral salts solution; they did however respond, if 2% triton was added to the salts solution (Table 2). Triton alone was uneffective under comparable conditions (Table 2), but it became effective if the triton concentration was increased and the duration of treatment was extended to 30 minutes (Fig. 2). Ungerminated, not preincubated conidia showed the same reduction of sorbose uptake if treated with triton in this way (Fig. 2). 3. Whenever a decrease of sorbose uptake was observed, it was correlated with a decrease in cell survival. However, the amount of killing does not suffice to explain in full the decrease in sorbose uptake per sample. Thus even surviving cells demonstrate a decrease of sorbose uptake, the reasons for which are considered as follows: a) Cells preloaded with 14C-sorbose show the same rate of sorbose efflux, whether shocked with mineral salts solution or not (Fig. 3). The shock therefore does not cause an unspecific leakiness of the cell wall or membrane. b) Oxygen consumption in cell suspensions, as measured by an oxygen macro electrode, is strongly retarded for fructose pregerminated cells which have been shocked with mineral salts solution (Fig. 4). This retardation together with killing is fully sufficient to explain the decrease in sorbose uptake observed. Ungerminated cells preincubated with sorbose do not show this effect, not even after prolonged treatment with triton, when their ability to take up sorbose is reduced. Hence, in such material a loss of specific transport components is indicated.

The possibility of using flour from soybean and chickpea grains, which are germinated in solutions of mineral salts, has been considered. The feasibility of its use in the production of cooked-smoked sausages by reducing meat raw materials has been investigated. The obtained patterns will be used in the development of the technology of cooked-smoked sausage enriched with iodine and selenium, the deficit of which is observed in 17 % of the world's population.\n\nThe reported study has established that all experimental samples demonstrated an improvement in the structural and rheological characteristics compared with the control. It has been found that the use of legume flour, germinated in solutions of mineral salts, affects a change in the pH of minced meat. The samples containing them have a less pH, by 0.2; 0.4; 0.7 °T. The samples change color from dark red (control) to yellow-pink and yellow-gray. The content of the mass fraction of iodine and selenium in the samples containing the flour of legumes sprouted in the solutions of mineral salts of 5, 10, 15 %, was 13; 26; 39 μg by iodine, and 12.5; 25; 37.5 μg by selenium content. The content of essential amino acids increases by 1.609; 2.756; 4.012 mg/100 g compared with the samples where legume flour was used, sprouted in water; by 2.134; 5.594; 8.468 mg/100 g compared with the control sample. The total content of essential amino acids increases by 3.128; 6.254; 9.380 mg/100 g compared with the control sample, and by 1.054; 2.100; 3.150 mg/100 g in comparison with samples in which the legume flour sprouted in water was used.\n\nThe established patterns are the scientific basis for the development of the production technology of cooked smoked sausages enriched with iodine, selenium, and amino acids. The developed product could adjust the structure of people's nutrition, thereby eliminating significant deviations in the consumption of microelements.

Liposomes are lipid-bilayer vesicles that spontaneously self-assemble from fatty acids (or other amphiphiles) in water by encapsulating surrounding aqueous media. After British scientist Alec Bangham described this phenomenon in the early 1960s, they became a prominent participant in the hypotheses on life origin, particularly in the Lipid World model. A novel scenario of self-sustained Darwinian liposome evolution is based on ever-present natural phenomena of cyclic day/night solar UV radiation and gravitational submersion of liposomes in the Archean aqueous media. One of the assumptions of the hypothesis is the UV-shielding ability of the Archean waters that could protect the submerged liposomes from the damaging solar UV radiation. To corroborate the idea, we measured UV absorption in aquatic solutions of several ferrous mineral salts assumed to be present in Archean pools. Single-agent solutions of simple salts such as FeCl2—iron dichloride, FeCl3—iron trichoride, Fe(NO3)3—ferric nitride, NH4Fe(SO4)2—ferric ammonium sulfate, and (NH4)5[Fe(C6H4O7)2]—ferric ammonium citrate were tested. These direct measurements of UV light absorption supplement and reinforce the proposed hypothesis.

The object of the research is the Krasnokutsky 195 chickpea variety, the Almaz soybean variety, and the 2018 harvest from the Agrotek collection nursery (Kyiv, Ukraine). One of the most problematic places is the ambiguous attitude of many scientists regarding the qualitative and quantitative content of phytoestrogens in leguminous grains. During the study, the method of differential spectrophotometry is used. It is established that native soymean and chickpea grains are carriers of 36.8 and 22.3 % phytoestrogens. During germination, drying and grinding of legumes, the content of phytoestrogens decreases to 15.6 % in soybean flour and to 13.3 % in chickpea flour. The use of KI as a medium for germinating soybean grains, and NaHSeO3 as a medium for germinating chickpea grains, reduces the content of phytoestrogens by 2.7 and 1.6 %, respectively. It is determined that all experimental samples have an absorption peak at λ=400 nm, which corresponds to the content of isoflavonoids daidzein in them. Samples of flour from germinated soybean and chickpea grains in solutions of mineral salts have an absorption peak at λ=225 nm, which corresponds to the content of isoflavonoids in daidzin. It is established that the germination of legumes in solutions of mineral salts does not affect the content of biohanin and formononetin. In samples with chickpea flour sprouted in a NaHSeO3 solution, an increase in genistein content by 60 % relative to the control is observed. The carried out complex of studies allows to state that there is a need to study the effect of soybean and chickpea flour germinated in KI and NaHSeO3 solutions, respectively, on biological objects.The results obtained in the study are the scientific basis for the correction of the diets of people with endocrine disorders and require special dietary nutrition.

Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate different solid substrates and moistening agents for the production of an extracellular 1, 4-α-D-glucan glucohydrolase from a newly isolated Aspergillus oryzae IIB-6 by solid state fermentation and optimization of culture conditions for the maximal production of enzyme. Study Design: Six different agro-industrial waste residues (rice straw, rice bran, corn flakes, wheat bran, wheat flakes, and grinded wheat kernel) were procured from the local market. These substrates (10 g) were moistened (1:1) with different moistening agents (distilled water, tap water, mineral salts solution (FeSO4.7H2O 0.02, MgSO4.7H2O 1.0, (NH4)2SO4 4.0, KH2PO4 0.6, K2HPO4 1.4 mg/gds at pH 5), 0.1 N HCl, sodium acetate buffer (pH 5.5), sodium phosphate buffer pH 7.5) and screened for the production of 1,4-αD-glucan glucohydrolase for 96 hours in static cultures. The substrate and moistening agent that gave maximum enzyme production were selected and their fermentation conditions were further optimized. Place and Duration of Study: Institute of Industrial Biotechnology (IIB), GC University Lahore, Kachery Road Lahore, Pakistan, between February 2011 and March 2012. Methodology: The levels of selected solid substrate, moistening agent and fermentation conditions such as pH, temperature, time of incubation, inoculum size etc. were optimized Original Research Article British Biotechnology Journal, 4(4): 350-365, 2014 351 by one variable at a time method. Results: Wheat bran at the level of 5 g and mineral salts solution containing FeSO4.7H2O 0.016, MgSO4.7H2O 0.8, (NH4)2SO4 3.5, KH2PO4 0.48, K2HPO4 1.12 mg/gds gave relatively best enzyme production. The maximum enzyme activity 7800 U/gds (407 Umg protein) were achieved when wheat bran with 80% moisture content was incubated at 30°C, pH 5, after inoculating with 10% spore suspension (1.2×10 CFU/gds) for 72 h. Conclusion: Aspergillus oryzae IIB-6 was a good producer of 1,4-α-D-glucan glucohydrolase in wheat bran medium containing mineral salts as an additional trace elements so that it can be used for biotechnological purposes.

High yield simultaneous hydrogen and ethanol production under extreme-thermophilic (70°C) mixed culture environment

Washed mycelia of Fusarium oxysporum f. raphani seeded in mineral salt solution produced chlamydospores within 24 to 48 hours and the number increased gradually. Initial chlamydospore formation delayed slightly in the mineral salt solution supplemented with 0.1% glucose, but the number increased rapidly thereafter. In 144 hours, production of chlamydospores reached stationary phase and the number formed in water remained about 60% as many as that in the mineral salt solution. Mycelial growth was always observed prior to chlamydospore formation in these media. Glucose was shown to promote mycelial growth and repress chlamydospore formation. Nevertheless, at the stationary phase the number of chlamydospores was increased proportionally to the amount of glucose added into the medium and of the mycelia seeded. Production of chlamydospores in the medium was repressed in the pH below 4 or above 8, and also repressed in CO2 and in N2 atmosphere. Chlamydospore formation was best at 28°C as well as mycelial growth, but in higher temperatures it was more sensitive than mycelial growth. The mineral salt solution lacking one of the elements repressed the production of chlamydospores moderately or completely as a result of repression of the mycelial growth.From these results, it is suggested that the fungus does mycelial growth as much as possible, utilizing the carbon source in the medium and in the mycelium itself, followed by chlamydospore formation from the mycelium at the definite rate.

Microsclerotial germination of Verticillium dahliae as affected by rape rhizosphere

Effects of xylose on xylanase production by a thermophilic Bacillus sp showed diverse patterns on corn cob (CC) and wheat bran (WB) as sole carbon sources in solid- state fermentation (SSF) and submerged fermentation (SmF). Supplementation of these media with either mineral salt solution (MSS) or yeast extract peptone (YEP) also exerted variable effects. While under SSF, xylose stimulated xylanase synthesis by 44.01%, on wheat bran supplemented with MSS, it decreased the enzyme activity by 12.89% with YEP supplementation. In SmF, however the enzyme synthesis was stimulated by xylose on supplementation with both MSS and YEP by 41.38% and 27.47%, respectively. On corn cob under SSF, xylose repression was significant both with MSS (26.92%) and YEP (23.90%) supplementation. Repression by xylose also took place on corn cob and YEP (19.69%) under SmF, while significant stimulation (28.55%) was observed by MSS supplementation. The possible role of media composition and fermentation conditions in the regulation of xylanase synthesis by xylose is discussed.

In order to satisfy the requirements of heat dissipation and fire safety in electric and electronic industries, polyamide 6 composites with high thermal conductivity, and excellent flame retardant property were manufactured by twin-screw extruder. Brominated polystyrene/antimonous trioxide and red phosphorus masterbatch/magnesium hydroxide synergistic flame retardants were used as flame retardant additives respectively, alumina and flaky graphite were used as thermally conductive fillers in the polyamide 6 composites. Effects of flame retardants and thermally conductive fillers on thermal conductivity, mechanical properties, and flammability of the polyamide 6 composites were investigated. The results showed that thermal conductivity of the polyamide 6 composites was mainly influenced by thermally conductive fillers and it was influenced slightly by flame retardants. Thermally conductive fillers had obvious effects on flame retardant efficiency of brominated polystyrene/antimonous trioxide flame retardant, while they had little impacts on flame retardant efficiency of red phosphorus masterbatch/magnesium hydroxide flame retardant. The tensile strength and flexural strength increased when alumina was filled into the polyamide 6 composites with either brominated polystyrene/antimonous trioxide or red phosphorus masterbatch/magnesium hydroxide flame retardants. The polyamide 6 composite with red phosphorus masterbatch/magnesium hydroxide and flaky graphite passed UL94-1.6 mm V-0 grade and its thermal conductivity could achieve 2.50 W/(m·K) in this study.

The use of lactam-containing complex salts (LCS) with the functions of dispersants, apparatuses and crosslinking agents made it possible to obtain elastomers with a high (at least 300 wt.% per 100 wt.h. of rubber), containing modified carboxymethyl cellulose for the cuff of a packer device capable of performing the necessary shut-off functions in contact with highly concentrated, at least 25% aqueous solutions of mineral salts - NaCl and CaCl2. The achieved effect is expressed in the ability of LCS to disperse water-swelling polymers (GNP), to have an appreting effect on GNP particles, thereby preventing their agglomeration, as well as to create additional chemisorption bonds in the rubber matrix. As a result, a developed network of interface boundaries is obtained, which contributes to the rapid penetration of aqueous solutions of mineral salts into the array of elastomeric composition.

The distribution of model oxygen-containing organic nonelectrolytes in n-hexane-aqueous solutions of mineral salts (KF, (NH4)2SO4, K2CO3, K3PO4) and lower alcohol-saturated aqueous solutions of salt (KF, K2CO3, K3PO4) systems are studied at a temperature of 20 ± 1°C. Increments of the methylene and functional groups of organic nonelectrolyte of partition constants logarithm are calculated. It is shown that the nature of the salting-out effect primarily involves strengthening of the salt solution’s structure and growth of the methylene group increment. A comparative characteristic of various salts according to the degree of their structuring effect and the effectiveness of the salting-out of organic nonelectrolytes from aqueous solutions is given.

In this study, we report on the development of a novel bacterial consortium, consisting of Variovorax paradoxus and Pseudomonas veronii isolates, applicable in the biodegradation of all six BTEX compounds (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, o-, m- and p-xylene) and the bioremediation of contaminated sites. The co-cultivability of the selected bacterial isolates was determined in nutrient-rich medium, as well as in BTEX amended mineral salts solution using Terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (T-RFLP) and CFU determinations. BTEX biodegradation capacity of the two-strain consortium was assessed in mineral salts solution, where a series of BTEX depletions and supplementations occurred, as well as in a real, BTEX polluted environmental sample (contaminated groundwater) in the presence of the autochthonous bacterial community. The obtained results indicated that the developed bacterial consortium is very efficient in BTEX biodegradation. Under laboratory conditions, the acclimatized bacterial consortium completely degraded the BTEX mixture with a concentration as high as 20 mg l−1 in a mineral salt medium within a short span of 6 h. Close to in situ groundwater conditions (incubated at 15 °C under static conditions in the absence of light), groundwater microcosms containing the autochthonous bacterial community inoculated with the developed bacterial consortium showed more efficient toluene, o-, m-and p-xylene biodegradation capacity than microcosms containing solely the native microbial population originally found in the groundwater. In the inoculated microcosms, after 115 h of incubation the concentration (~ 1.7 mg l−1 each) of o-, m- and p-xylene decreased to zero, whereas in the non-inoculated microcosms the concentration of xylene isomers was still 0.2, 0.3 and 0.3 mg l−1, respectively. The allochthonous bioaugmentation of the contaminated groundwater with the obtained inoculant was successful and manifested in a better BTEX degradation rate. Our results suggest that the obtained bacterial consortium can be a new, stable and efficient bioremediation agent applicable in the synergistic elimination of BTEX compounds from contaminated sites.

Copper contained in a solid industrial waste produced in a silicone manufacturing process was leached with spent iron medium from aThiobacillus ferrooxidans culture. Most effective leaching was observed in a continuously fed, dual reactor system. Spent iron medium was generated by growingT. ferrooxidans in 0.9 K iron medium at pH 1.5 in the first reactor, and was transferred to a second reactor in which it leached the copper from the waste. Leaching was effective at a pulp density of the waste material as high as 20%. In experiments run at a pulp density of 2.5%, the spent iron medium was most efficient in leaching copper when it was first diluted 100-fold with a mineral salts solution at pH 1.5. Removal of the copper from the waste appeared to involve its displacement by acid, dissolved mineral salts, and ferric iron. Potentials for practical application of this process are discussed.

Identification and quantification of the sea spray effect on isotopic systems in α-cellulose (δ13C, δ18O), total sulfur (δ34S), and 87Sr/86Sr of European beach grass (Ammophila arenaria, L.) in a greenhouse experiment