Addition Of Ammonium Chloride Research Articles

Influence of Nitrogen Content in Food Waste on Biogas Production

AbstractHigh carbon content and high‐level biodegradability are major constraints of the anaerobic digestion of food waste. In the present study, anaerobic digestion of model food waste was carried out in a fed batch digester. Nitrogen content in model food waste was adjusted by the addition of ammonium chloride at the desired C/N ratio. Biogas production at ammonium chloride percentages of 0, 0.8, 1.5, 2.14, and 3.2 % (weight basis) were carried out under mesophilic conditions in a pilot plant scale floating drum digester. At an ammonium chloride percentage of 1.5 % that balances C/N ratio 25, highest biogas production of 0.42 m3 kg−1 of VS was attained while biogas production from food waste without ammonium chloride of 0.06 m3 kg−1 of VS was obtained. The highest methane yield of 0.323 m3 kg−1 of VS was found at ammonium chloride of 1.5 % while methane yield of 0.042 m3 kg−1 of VS was achieved from food waste without ammonium chloride. The highest percent increase CH4 yield of 669 % was obtained at an ammonium chloride percentage of 1.5 %. Biogas productivity obtained at ammonium chloride percentage of 1.5 % was 0.6 L L−1 d−1. Hence, the optimum ammonium chloride percentage obtained was 1.5 % which balances the C/N ratio at 25.

Physical and Chemical Characterization of Commercial Kappa-Carrageenan with Ammonium Chloride as Electrolyte in Organic Battery Application

In this research, we attempt to investigate the difference in physical and chemical characteristics of commercial kappa-carrageenan and purified kappa-carrageenan as electrolytes in organic battery applications. Kappa-carrageenan was used as a host polymer to prepare biopolymer electrolyte films and ammonium chloride was used to enhance the charge transport process in the electrolyte layer of the organic battery. We characterized the physical and chemical properties of commercial kappa-carrageenan and purified kappa-carrageenan by use of UV-Vis spectroscopy, tensile-test measurement, Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy in the form of solution and thin film samples. The results show that commercial kappa-carrageenan shows the absorbance area in Ultraviolet range with a maximum peak at 286 nm, while the maximum absorbance peak of purified kappa-carrageenan is slightly shifted at 288 nm. The chemical characterization of both kappa-carrageenan based on FTIR and Raman spectra show no significant structural change between kappa-carrageenan with or without the addition of ammonium chloride. XRD diffraction confirms that commercial kappa-carrageenan is amorphous and kappa-carrageenan with ammonium chloride has high intensity with sharp peaks around 2θ = 32º. The morphology of the thin film of purified kappa-carrageenan seem has a rougher surface in comparison to the commercial kappa-carrageenan. We found commercial kappa-carrageenan with ammonium chloride has high conducting about 1.55 x 10-5 Scm-1. Tensile test measurements indicate that commercial kappa-carrageenan is more flexible for use as an organic battery than the purified kappa-carrageenan.

191 Recovery of Growth and Body Composition in 10-kg Pigs after a 6-Week Growth Attenuation by Ammonium Chloride Additions to Feed

Abstract This project aimed to develop nutritional strategies to reduce pig growth > 50% for 2 to 6 weeks during crisis management. Previously growth was attenuated by 2.0% NH4Cl additions to hold growth (HG) diets. Compensatory growth was evident after withdrawal of NH4Cl. However, tissue composition was not quantified. The HG diets were formulated to reduce lysine, P, and K and increase Cl. Assumptions were that excess Cl interacts with limited K to create an “apparent” K deficiency, which limits protein accretion. The current experiment assessed body composition responses during recovery from HG diets with 2.0% NH4Cl (HGCL) by feeding control (Ctl) diets or Ctl diets fortified with 150% of lysine, P, and K requirements (+Lys+P+K). At 10 kg, 34 barrows were individually housed and randomly assigned to 1 of 4 dietary treatments with free access to assigned diets and water throughout the trial. During the HG phase pigs were fed either Ctl or HGCL diets until 25 kg; 6 weeks for pigs fed HGCl diets. An additional diet was included to validate K and Cl interactions (0.29:1 K:Cl ratio) in growth attenuation. Potassium bicarbonate was added to the HGCl diet (HGCl+K) to restore a 1.26:1 K:Cl ratio. At 25 kg BW, pigs were fed either Ctl or +Lys+P+K diets until 45 kg body weight (BW). Pig, feed weights, and body composition derived from whole-body DXA scans during the hold (HG, 10 to 25 kg) and recovery (Rec, 25 to 45 kg) phases allowed calculations of BW gain, nutrient intake, and measurements of whole-body bone mineral, fat, and lean gain. Growth of pigs fed HGCl diets was reduced (P < 0.01) by approximately 50% compared with Ctl pigs during the HG phase (Table 1). Pigs fed HGCl diets required 23 more days to grow from 10 to 25 kg. Similar reductions (P < 0.01) in bone mineral and lean gain, but not fat gain, were detected in pigs fed HGCl diets during the HG phase. Addition of K to the HGCl diet partially restored gain, bone, and lean gain (P < 0.01). Compensatory responses in weight, bone, fat, and lean gain were evident in HG pigs fed Ctl diets during Rec. Pigs previously fed HGCl diets compensated and only required 14 extra days to reach 45 kg compared with Ctl. Additions of lysine, P, and K allowed greater (P < 0.01) compensation in BW, bone, and lean, but not fat gain over a 20 kg recovery phase. These results confirm a successful strategy to hold pigs during crisis management with potential benefits of compensatory growth and improved body composition during recovery. Whether the improved lean gain was attributed to the additional lysine, P, or K was not determined in this experiment.

Boosting the Photoreactivity of g-C3N4 towards CO2 Reduction by Polymerization of Dicyandiamide in Ammonium Chloride

As a typical organic semiconductor photocatalyst, graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) suffers from low photocatalytic activity. In this paper, g-C3N4 was prepared by polymerization of dicyandiamide (C2H4N4) in the presence of ammonium chloride (NH4Cl). It was found that the addition of ammonium chloride can greatly improve the photocatalytic activity of g-C3N4 towards CO2 reduction. The optimal photocatalyst (CN-Cl 20) exhibited a CO2-to-CO conversion activity of 50.6 μmolg−1h−1, which is 3.1 times that of pristine bulk g-C3N4 (BCN) that was prepared in the absence of any ammonium chloride. The enhanced photoactivity of g-C3N4 was attributed to the combined effects of chloride modification and an enlarged specific surface area. Chloride modification of g-C3N4 can not only reduce the bandgap, but also causes a negatively shifted conduction band (CB) potential level, while ammonia (NH3) gas from the decomposition of NH4Cl can act as a gas template to exfoliate layered structure g-C3N4, improving the specific surface from 6.8 to 21.3 m2g−1. This study provides new ideas for the synthesis of highly efficient g-C3N4-based photocatalytic materials for CO2 conversion and utilization.

Eco-friendly composite nanofibrous membranes loaded with chitosan microcapsules for enhanced antibacterial and deodorant application

Traditional textiles are conductive to breed germs that might cause infection or unpleasant odor, especially in public hygiene products. Moreover, biosafety, environmental protection and cost are crucial considerations for antimicrobial materials. Herein, we developed a biocompatible microcapsules/nanofibrous membrane using eco-friendly and facile strategy. The microcapsules loaded with the Epigallocatechin and gallate (EGCG) were synthesized through an ion-crosslinking reaction between chitosan (CS) and sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP). Additionally, the addition of octadecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (STAC) could further enhance the antibacterial activity. Following that, the microcapsules were combined with the polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofibers. The resultant composite nanofibrous membrane exhibits a slow release effect, an enjoyable deodorant activity, and strengthened antibacterial activity through contact-killing and biocide-releasing. Besides, the membrane behaved a low degradation rate, without compromising its mechanical and hydrophilic properties after a 20-day degradation. These findings provided a biocompatible and practical approach for antimicrobial and odor-proof material for hygienic and sanitary products.

Biopolymer Kappa Carrageenan with Ammonium Chloride as Electrolyte for Potential Application in Organic Battery

Carrageenan is a generic name for a family of natural, water-soluble, sulphated galactans isolated from red seaweeds and exploited commercially. The biopolymer of kappa carrageenan has been known to be used as electrolyte in electrochemical device since it shows good ionic conductivity characteristic. In this study, we attempt to study the chemical, morphology, and electric properties of biopolymer kappa carrageenan. We developed a free-standing film of kappa carrageenan with addition of ammonium chloride as an electrolyte for an organic battery prototype. We prepared the solution by mixing kappa carrageenan, ammonium chloride and water to form a gel with a particular concentration. Then, the gel was coated on the substrate and cured at 50°C for 4 hours. The final free-standing film product reveals a thickness about 100-200 mm as captured by SEM image in cross-section view. The morphology of kappa carrageenan with or without ammonium chloride clearly shows a non-homogeneous surface that attributed to the nature characteristics of kappa carrageenan immiscible. The addition of ammonium chloride into kappa carrageenan forms a smoother surface that show good mixture of kappa carrageenan. FTIR spectra of the samples show the interaction of ammonium chloride to the host polymer of kappa carrageenan as indicated by the shifted of the O-H peak from 3448 to 3446 cm-1 and from 3288 to 3207 cm-1 while the peak of 2924 cm-1 is disappeared after addition of the ammonium chloride. The implementation of this film in an organic C_Zn battery prototype shows that battery’s voltage reached 2.1 Volt by charging. Then, the battery can be used to emit an LED with 20 µA electrical current for about 1 hour in discharging process.

Effects of nitrogen addition on greenhouse gas fluxes during continuous freeze-thaw cycles in a cold temperate forest.

Both nitrogen (N) deposition and soil freeze-thaw cycles (FTCs) induce pulses of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in cold temperate zones due to changes in soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) turnover. However, the combined effects of N addition and FTCs on GHG fluxes have received little research attention, particularly in boreal forests. We conducted a laboratory incubation experiment using intact soil cores from Rhododendron dauricum-Larix dahurica plots to investigate the GHG flux response to these combined effects. We separated the soil samples into seven groups (no, low, medium, and high sodium nitrate addition and low, medium, and high ammonium chloride addition) and exposed each group to continuous FTC conditions. The N2O and CO2 emissions were eventually stimulated by the FTCs, while CH4 uptake was inhibited by FTCs but responded differently under different N addition treatments. All the treatments had substantially increased N2O emissions compared to the control. However, the soil respiration rate significantly increased only with medium sodium nitrate addition, and high levels of N addition (regardless of form) inhibited CH4 uptake. These findings demonstrate that FTCs and N addition (in various forms and levels) have considerable effects on GHG emissions in temperate forest ecosystems. Moreover, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN), and inorganic nitrogen in soil are potential factors that drive GHG emissions and are necessary considerations in predicting future feedback effects of GHG emissions on climate change.

Biogas production from canteen waste

Abstract Day by day as the population increases, food waste keeps on growing. This waste needs to be managed in order to reduce the number of landfills and to use food waste efficiently. Among the various processes available, Anaerobic Digestion (AD) of food waste is one of the alternatives for processing food waste. The two biggest obstacles to anaerobic digestion of food waste are high biodegradability and high C/N ratio. The C/N ratio determines the ratio between substrate and nutrients; the latter is essential for microbial synthesis and for providing alkalinity through ammonia metabolism. Biogas, a product of the anaerobic digestion process, is a clean and renewable form of energy that can replace conventional energy sources that cause ecological-environmental problems and at the same time are depleted more quickly. The aim of this work was to increase the nitrogen content to enhance the production of biogas from canteen waste. During the process, two digesters of the same capacity were operated. Anaerobic digestion of canteen waste along with addition of ammonium chloride was carried out in Digester 1 while AD of only canteen waste was carried out in Digester 2. The amount of biogas produced in Digester 1 was in the range of 0.04 m3/kg–0.075 m3/kg, while in Digester 2 the volume range was 0.02 m3/kg–0.04 m3/kg. The average biogas produced in digester 1 consisting of canteen waste and nitrogen source was 0.053 m3/kg while biogas production in digester 2 with only canteen waste was 0.030 m3/kg. So, biogas produced by addition of nitrogen source was 77 % higher than that of only canteen waste. From this study we obtained a higher amount of biogas by addition of ammonium chloride as an external nitrogen source. Nitrogen demand of methanogens was fulfilled by additional supply of nitrogen resulting in increased quantity of biogas. Therefore, in anaerobic digestion addition of ammonium chloride was beneficial for food waste digestion. Hence, nitrogen content in canteen waste turned out to be the main parameter affecting anaerobic digestion of canteen waste which is justified in this research.

Multifarious feed additives on lamb performance on Kuwait farms

A change in the livestock feeding strategy is of utmost importance for the stability of animal health and sustainable livestock productivity to overcome the problem of subsiding the environmental effects of sheep production. Supplementing dietary feed with safe and efficient additives provides optimal animal performance and maximizes productivity. This study aimed to assess the effects of adding various feed additives to lamb rations for optimizing feed efficiency in weaned lambs for meat production in Kuwait. The feed additives, namely, ammonium chloride, urea, algae, fishmeal, and humic acid, were investigated on the physical performance of lambs for their effect on body weight, length, height, and waist length. The total feed consumption rate and feed efficiency were also measured. Each treatment comprising five healthy lambs was randomly allocated into six treatments comprising 30 lambs. The six treatments were the basal ration supplemented with ammonium chloride (50-100 g/day/head), urea (30 g/day/head), fishmeal (35 g/day/head), algae (Spirulina platensis) powder (50 g/day/head), humic acid (2.5 g/day/head), control group with only basal ration. The study was conducted for around 27 months and the data were recorded once in 2 weeks. The results indicated a positive elevation in the physique of lambs with all tested additives, showing an affirmative insignia for lamb fattening. The growth parameters in terms of augmented length, height, and waist length of lambs' bodies amplified significantly with ammonium chloride and fishmeal supplement, while the other additives reported a non-significant increment. The feed consumption was significantly elevated for ammonium chloride, algae, and fishmeal supplementation, while humic acid was recorded the least. Concerning feed efficiency of young lambs, fish meal and ammonium chloride were reported best, followed by urea. In contrast, algae and humic acid exhibited a non-significant effect on feed efficiency. This study exposed noteworthy influence on a lamb body's performance with the addition of fish meal and ammonium chloride in lamb rations, trailed by urea and algae.

INORGANIC NITROGEN STIMULATES METHANE OXIDATION IN COASTAL LAGOON SEDIMENTS

Methane (CH4) oxidation is a critical process to reduce CH4 emissions from aquatic environments to the atmosphere. Considering the continuous increase in nitrogen in rivers, lakes, and lagoons from human sources, we re-evaluated the still controversial potential effect of inorganic nitrogen on CH4 oxidation. Here, we approached three shallow coastal lagoons that represent great environmental heterogeneity and used slurry sediments as a model system. The addition of ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) and potassium nitrate (KNO3) significantly stimulated CH4 oxidation in the sediments of all studied lagoons, indicating the potential limitation of nitrogen for the growth of CH4 oxidizing bacteria. Our findings contrast to some previous reports, where ammonium and nitrate inhibited CH4 oxidation in sediments. Indeed, our experiment was performed in a more realistic range in relation to natural concentrations of inorganic nitrogen in aquatic systems (0.5 to 1 mM) and was opposed to extreme concentrations previously used (2 to 50 mM). Our results point to the need to further assess the connection between nitrogen inputs and CH4 budgets in aquatic sediments, considering the potential fuel for CH4 oxidation that may affect the global greenhouse gas balance

The effect and enhancement mechanism of hydrophobic interaction and electrostatic interaction on zwitterionic wormlike micelles

The effects of hydrophobic interaction and electrostatic interaction on the structure of zwitterionic wormlike micelles (WLMs) were studied. The change of the hydrocarbon chain length and addition of cetyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (CTAC) were employed to explore the effect of hydrophobic interaction and electrostatic interaction on the wormlike micelles constructed by zwitterionic viscoelastic surfactants and sodium p-toluene sulfonate (NaPts). The experimental results show that increasing hydrocarbon chain length of zwitterionic surfactant and the addition of CTAC can increase the viscoelasticity and zero-shear viscosity of the system. The calculated length of wormlike micelles also increases. This shows that the enhancement of hydrophobic interaction and electrostatic interaction can promote the growth and entanglement of wormlike micelles. In addition, scanning electron microscope (SEM) images confirmed that CTAC makes the connection between the zwitterionic micellar layer closer. This is undoubtedly beneficial to the growth of micellar structure. Finally, this work explores the enhancement mechanism of the hydrophobic interaction and electrostatic interaction on the micelle structure.

Effect of ammonium chloride addition on crystal growth, structural, optical and biological applications of L-glutamic acid crystals

Effect of ammonium chloride addition on crystal growth, structural, optical and biological applications of L-glutamic acid crystals

PSV-1 Addition of Ammonium Chloride to Feed is an Effective Strategy to Attenuate Growth in 25-Kg Pigs

Abstract In response to production challenges, after slaughter plant closures in 2020, growing pigs were fed standard diets plus 2% ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) to attenuate growth and reduce housing issues. Initially, no growth suppression was observed; however after diet modifications to reduce nutrient concentrations (HG diets), growth of 65 kg pigs was suppressed 90% over the first week. Pigs became refractory after the first week and averaged 50% growth reduction over 3 weeks. The current experiment objective was to evaluate use of NH4Cl as a nutritional strategy to maintain pigs (3 to 6 weeks) at essentially no growth during crisis management. Nine F2 barrows (24.2 kg), were fed standard diets for a 9-d pre-trial phase to establish baseline traits. Afterwards, HG diets with 1.25, 2.00, or 2.75% NH4Cl were fed for a 21-d treatment phase then fed control diets for an 11-d recovery phase. Pig weights and feed consumption were measured at various intervals. Additionally, whole-body bone mineral content (BMC), bone mineral density (BMD), and urine cation-anion profiles were determined to assess bone mineralization and physiological adaptation to NH4Cl. Compared with gain during the pre-trial phase, gain was reduced by 0, 39, and 98% for pigs fed 1.25, 2.0 and 2.75% NH4Cl. During an 11-d recovery, pigs gained 73.4, 118.5 and 154.1% more than baseline responses. Feed intake reflected similar responses as gain. Likewise, urine concentrations of Cl, NH4, K, and H responded to dietary treatments, however recovery to baseline values were not complete until day 3 of recovery. Based on limited observations for DXA scans, BMC appeared to be reduced by dietary treatment, but differences were not evident in BMD, likely a reflection of reduced growth. These results are consistent with the effectiveness of NH4Cl as a strategy to attenuate pig growth during a crisis, “stop-shipment” event.

Quantitative Quadrupolar NMR (qQNMR) via nitrogen-14 for the accurate control of L-carnitine in food supplements

A qQNMR methodology using nitrogen-14 as the quadrupolar nucleus of choice has been introduced for the first time as a robust and validated method to determine and quantify L-carnitine in food supplements. The quantification has been carried out by the alternative use of a calibration curve or by addition of ammonium chloride as internal standard. The method was validated at seven concentration levels in the range of 5.58–99.26 mM, affording intra- and inter day accuracies lower than 6.84% (expressed in CV), robustness towards temperature and recycle delay, limit of detection (LOD) of 2.48 mM, limit of quantification (LOQ) of 5.58 mM and remarkably with absence of matrix effect.

Synthesis and Coordination Properties of a Water-Soluble Material by Cross-Linking Low Molecular Weight Polyethyleneimine with Armed Cyclotriveratrilene.

In this study, a full organic and water-soluble material was synthesized by coupling low molecular weight polyethylenimine (PEI-800) with cyclotriveratrilene (CTV). The water-soluble cross-linked polymer contains hydrophobic holes with a high coordination capability towards different organic drug molecules. The coordinating capability towards hydrophilic drugs (doxorubicin, gatifloxacin and sinomenine) and hydrophobic drugs (camptothecin and celastrol) was analyzed in an aqueous medium by using NMR, UV-Vis and emission spectroscopies. The coordination of drug molecules with the armed CTV unit through hydrophobic interactions was observed. In particular, celastrol exhibited more ionic interactions with the PEI moiety of the hosting system. In the case of doxorubicin, the host–guest detachment was induced by the addition of ammonium chloride, suggesting that the intracellular environment can facilitate the release of the drug molecules.

Modulation of high mannose levels in N-linked glycosylation through cell culture process conditions to increase antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity activity for an antibody biosimilar.

The regulatory approval of a biosimilar product is contingent on the favorable comparability of its safety and efficacy to that of the innovator product. As such, it is important to match the critical quality attributes of the biosimilar product to that of the innovator product. The N-glycosylation profile of a monoclonal antibody (mAb) can influence effector function activities such as antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) and complement-dependent cytotoxicity. In this study, we describe efforts to modulate the high-mannose (HM) levels of a biosimilar mAb produced in a Chinese hamster ovary cell fed-batch process. Because the HM level of the mAb was observed to impact ADCC activity, it was desirable to match it to the innovator mAb's levels. Several cell culture process related factors known to modulate the HM content of N-glycosylation were investigated, including osmolality, ammonium chloride (NH4 Cl) addition, glutamine concentration, monensin addition, and the addition of alternate sugars and amino sugars to the feed medium. The process conditions evaluated varied in impact on HM levels, process performance and product quality. One condition, the addition of alternate sugars and amino sugars to feed medium, was identified as the preferred method for increasing HM levels with minimal disruptions to process performance or other product quality attributes. Interestingly, a secondary interaction between sugar and amino sugar supplemented feeds and osmolality was observed during process scale-up. These studies demonstrate sugar and amino sugar concentrations and osmolality are critical variables to evaluate to match HM content in biosimilar and their innovator mAbs.

SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC METHOD FOR DETERMINING GLYCOGEN CONCENTRATION IN HELMINTHS: INFLUENCE OF AMMONIUM CHLORIDE IN DIFFERENT TEMPERATURE RANGE

Spectrophotometric methods for determining glycogen content are used in studies to quantify the effect of anthelmintics on carbohydrate and energy metabolism of helminths. The most specific of them include the method proposed by Krisman C.R., which was later adapted by Danchenko E.O. and Chirkin A.A. to apply in forensic medicine, and Andreyanov O.N. et al. in helminthology. Saturated solutions of calcium chloride and ammonium chloride are used in the procedure. It is known that the solubility of salts depends on temperature. Krisman C.R. studied the effect of calcium chloride on the optical density of the analyzed solutions depending on temperatures, but no detailed studies were made on the role of ammonium chloride. The present paper presents data on the effect of ammonium chloride on the optical density of the analyzed samples under the influence of temperatures in the range of 10–30 oC. This salt introduced to neutralize alkali increases the optical density of the solutions. It is found that ammonium chloride not only neutralizes the decrease in optical density, but also causes its increase as temperatures increase. In salt-free samples, the deviation from the specified glycogen content (0.1 mg) in the range of 10 oC was 12.1%, and with the addition of ammonium chloride, it decreased and varied within 4–8.5%. To improve the accuracy of the analysis, it is recommended to avoid studies in large temperature ranges.

Enhanced biohydrogen production by an ammonium-tolerant Rhodobacter capsulatus from sugarcane bagasse

Lignocellulosic biomass is an abundant and renewable resource from plants, and has great potential as an alternative to fossil resources to produce second-generation biofuels. Biohydrogen production from lignocellulosic biomass is an attractive approach to generate clean energy. Here a new ammonium-tolerant mutant named Rhodobacter capsulatus WH02 was isolated by transposon mutagenesis. Batch experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of key parameters such as inoculum concentration (5%–60%, v/v), glucose concentration (10–50 mmol/L), and ammonium concentration (2–8 mmol/L) on photo-fermentation of WH02. The results showed that the hydrogen yield of WH02 was about 3.74 folds of the wild type strain at 8 mmol/L ammonium chloride addition, suggesting the mutant strain WH02 exhibited improved biohydrogen production performance under ammonium suppression conditions compared with the wild type strain. Sugarcane bagasse (SCB) hydrolysate with high ammonium concentration (87.94 ± 2.22 mmol/L) was used as substrate to evaluate the ammonium-tolerant performance of WH02. The maximum hydrogen production was up to 153.96 ± 1.98 mL-H2/g-SCB by WH02 from SCB hydrolysate with the energy conversion efficiency of hydrogen of 10.95%, demonstrating the feasibility of producing biohydrogen from lignocellulosic wastes containing high ammonium by the ammonium-tolerant strain WH02.

Effect of Ammonium Chloride in addition to standard of care in outpatients and hospitalized COVID-19 patients: A randomized clinical trial

ObjectiveThe COVID-19 pandemic has called an urgent need for drug repurposing to improve the outcome of the disease. Quaternary ammonium compounds have been demonstrated to have antiviral effects and may be of use against SARS-CoV-2 infections. DesignIn this double-blind, single-center study, we enrolled patients with positive PCR test and/or CT findings for COVID-19. The participants of each group were randomly assigned to Diphenhydramine Compound (Diphenhydramine + Ammonium Chloride) plus standard of care or to Diphenhydramine alone and standard of care groups. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality within 30 days of randomization. Secondary outcomes include viral burden, clinical status, assessed by a 5-point ordinal scale, and length of stay in hospitalized patients. ResultsA total of 120 patients were included in the trial, 60 of which were assigned to the Ammonium Chloride group. The primary endpoint was not statistically different between the two groups (HR: 3.02 (95% CI, 0.57–16.06; p = 0.195)). Recovery time and viral burden were significantly lower in the Ammonium Chloride group, corresponding to an odds ratios of 1.8 (95% CI, 1.15–2.83; p = 0.01) and 7.90 (95% CI, 1.62–14.17; p = 0.014), respectively. ConclusionThe findings of this study advocate the careful addition of Ammonium Chloride to standard of care for COVID-19 patients.

Effect of ammonium chloride and disodium hydrogen phosphate with molasses as a substrate for Saccharomyces cerevisiae in the production of β-glucan

Glucans are a type of polysaccharide found in the cell walls of plants, bacteria and yeasts. β-glucans have various biological activities as antitumour, antioxidant, anticholesterol, antiageing and immune system booster known as an immunomodulator. One of the yeasts that can produce β-glucans is Saccharomyces cerevisiae because most of the cell wall structures contain mannoproteins, β-1,3-glucan, and β-1,6-glucan, which function to strengthen cell structure and as a portion reserve food. This study aims to see the effect of adding ammonium chloride and disodium chloride with molasses as a natural substrate for the growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in the production of β-glucose. The research stages began with making a growth curve, fermentation process, separation of β-glucan, and qualitative and quantitative analysis. Qualitative analysis showed positive results for β-glucan. In quantitative analysis, the highest amount of cell biomass obtained in Formula 4 = (04395 ± 0,1318) mg containing 4% molasses, 2% peptone, 0,2% Ammonium chloride and 0.02% Na2HPO4 and distilled water up to 150 mL with a fermentation time of 72 hours. The addition of ammonium chloride and disodium hydrogen phosphate affected beta-glucan levels after 72 hours of fermentation in Formula 4 = (0,0840 ± 0,0467) %.