Low Concentrations Of Ethanol Research Articles

Influence of the polymerization method on the properties of fibrin matrices

Highlights. We have proposed and patented a method for obtaining fully autologous fibrin without the use of exogenous thrombin, which can be implemented within the framework of a personalized approach in tissue engineering. Such fibrin, in addition to lower risk of infection and inflammation, possesses greater strength and resistance to degradation, as well as better hemocompatibility compared to fibrin polymerized with exogenous thrombin, which is an undoubted advantage when used as a coating for small-diameter vascular grafts.Background. Autologous fibrin can be used as a coating to impart biomimetic properties to various polymers used in vascular tissue engineering. Traditionally, fibrinogen polymerization is performed with the addition of exogenous thrombin and calcium chloride. Our patented method of obtaining fibrin without the use of exogenous thrombin allows us to obtain a completely autologous material that does not have the risk of infection. The differences in methods polymerization can change the fibrin properties.Aim. To compare the most important properties of vascular tissue engineering of fibrin obtained by various methods: using endogenous thrombin and exogenous thrombin in vitro.Methods. The fibrinogen precipitate was obtained with ethanol precipitation method using low concentration of ethanol. The content of fibrinogen in the precipitate was normalized to a final concentration in fibrin of 30 mg/mL. Polymerization of fibrin polymerized with exogenous thrombin was performed by adding 50 U/ mL and 0.2% calcium chloride to the thrombin precipitate, fibrin polymerized by activation of endogenous thrombin only by adding 0.2% calcium chloride. The strength properties of the samples were tested on a Z tensile tester (Zwick/ Roell). The structure of fibrin was studied using scanning electron microscopy, a quantitative analysis of the size of pores and fibers, the density of branching points was carried out. The quantitative content of FXIII in plasma and the resulting precipitate was determined by ELISA. FXIII activity was studied by the formation of γ-γ crosslinks by SDS-PAGE, the resistance of samples to proteolytic and fibrinolytic degradation. The ability of fibrin polymerized by activation of endogenous thrombin and fibrin polymerized with exogenous thrombin to activate contact coagulation and platelet aggregation was evaluated.Results. Thinner fibers predominated in the structure of the fibrin polymerized by activation of endogenous thrombin samples, while the samples were distinguished by greater strength and stiffness. The described features may be associated with a more efficient activation of FXIII, which is confirmed by the formation of a larger number of γ-γ dimers in fibrin polymerized by activation of endogenous thrombin samples, as well as resistance to proteolytic degradation compared to fibrin polymerized with exogenous thrombin. Moreover, fibrin polymerized by activation of endogenous thrombin samples in vitro activated platelets less than fibrin polymerized with exogenous thrombin.Conclusion. The method for obtaining and polymerizing fibrin using endogenous thrombin makes it possible to obtain a completely autologous material that has better physical and mechanical properties, resistance to proteolytic degradation and lower thrombogenicity compared to traditional fibrin polymerization.

Ethanol Induces Blood-Brain Barrier Dysfunction in a Familial Alzheimer’s Human Stem Cell-Derived Model


 
 
 Background:
 Alcohol consumption has been directly linked to neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). Additionally, heavy consumption of alcohol has been shown to cause a faster cognitive decline in AD patients. A subset of studies demonstrated that alcohol can diminish BBB integrity and independently AD patients have suppressed barrier properties, but the direct effect of alcohol on barrier integrity in AD patients remains unclear. In this study, we utilize a human stem cell-derived AD BBB model with near in vivo properties to investigate the effects of alcohol on critical barrier properties.
 Methods:
 Brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs) were derived from healthy (IMR90) and AD (PSEN 1, PSEN 2, and APP) human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Healthy and AD cell lines were treated with physiologically relevant concentrations of alcohol (5, 25, and 50 mM). Following exposure, several critical barrier properties were monitored for up to 5 days post-exposure, including trans-endothelial electrical resistance (TEER), sodium fluorescein permeability, and tight junction localization.
 Results:
 Moderate to severe alcohol exposure (25mM and 50mM) decreased barrier integrity in both healthy and AD-derived BMECs, as observed by an increase in sodium fluorescein permeability and a reduction in TEER. Furthermore, alcohol increased the number of discontinuous tight junctions directly contributing to the diminished barrier integrity. Interestingly, our preliminary results demonstrate that AD-derived BMECs are more susceptible to ethanol- induced barrier injury at lower concentrations of ethanol (5mM) compared to healthy-derived BMECs.
 Conclusion and Potential Impact:
 Our results indicate that alcohol can diminish critical barrier properties in healthy-derived BMECs similarly to other non-human established BBB models. For the first time, we observed an increase sensitivity to alcohol-induced BBB dysfunction in a familial AD-derived BBB model. These data suggest that mild alcohol consumption could significantly alter the BBB and contribute to the development or exacerbation of AD-induced barrier dysfunction.
 
 

Exploiting Non-Conventional Yeasts for Low-Alcohol Beer Production

Non-Saccharomyces yeasts represent a very appealing alternative to producing beers with zero or low ethanol content. The current study explores the potential of seven non-Saccharomyces yeasts to produce low-alcohol or non-alcoholic beer, in addition to engineered/selected Saccharomyces yeasts for low-alcohol production. The yeasts were first screened for their sugar consumption and ethanol production profiles, leading to the selection of strains with absent or inefficient maltose consumption and consequently with low-to-null ethanol production. The selected yeasts were then used in larger-scale fermentations for volatile and sensory evaluation. Overall, the yeasts produced beers with ethanol concentrations below 1.2% in which fusel alcohols and esters were also detected, making them eligible to produce low-alcohol beers. Among the lager beers produced in this study, beers produced using Saccharomyces yeast demonstrated a higher acceptance by taster panelists. This study demonstrates the suitability of non-conventional yeasts for producing low-alcohol or non-alcoholic beers and opens perspectives for the development of non-conventional beers.

Optimization of accelerated solvent extraction of bioactive compounds from Eucalyptus intertexta using response surface methodology and evaluation of its phenolic composition and biological activities

Polyphenols-rich extracts were obtained by accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) from E. intertexta leaves and analyzed by HPLC for the first time. Response surface methodology (RSM) based on central composite experimental design (CCD) was used to investigate the effect of three independent variables (temperature, extraction time, and ethanol concentration) on extraction yield, phenolic content, antioxidant, and anti-xanthine oxidase activities. The statistical analysis indicated that experimental data were well fitted to a quadratic polynomial model with regression coefficient values of more than 0.96 for all studied responses. Optimized extraction conditions, obtained by the maximization of a global desirability function, were 26.6% ethanol concentration, dynamic time of 36 min and a temperature of 179 °C. Under these optimal conditions the experimental values of the studied responses were 52.3 g extract/100 g DW extraction yield, 180.7 mg GAE/g extract total phenolic content, 17.2% antioxidant activity, and 55.3% anti-xanthine oxidase capacity. The HPLC analysis of all CCD extracts allowed to quantify twenty-two phenolic compounds in which eight molecules have not been reported previously in the genus of Eucalyptus. 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic, methyl ester, gallic acids, myricitrin, catechin, epicatechin, and polydatin were the most abundant phenolic compounds. The percentages of these compounds in extracts depend on the operating conditions. The best recovery of flavonoids (583 mg/g) was obtained at 100 °C, 10 min, and 44% ethanol, whereas phenolic acids (357 mg/g) were favored at a lower ethanol concentration of 11% and higher temperature and exposure time (180 °C, 36 min). The extraction of stilbenes (148 mg/g) was at its maximum at 140 °C, 1 min, and 27.5%.

Reduction of pyocyanin synthesis and antibiotic resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa by low concentration ethanol.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common bacteria that may cause a wide range of severe illnesses in humans. One of the non-antibiotic therapies, anti-virulence factor therapy, has attracted ongoing interest. Screening for and investigating bacterial virulence factor inhibitors is critical for the development of anti-virulence factor treatments. Pyocyanin is P. aeruginosa's distinctive pigment, and it plays a key role in infection. The impact of low concentration ethanol on pyocyanin production was investigated in this research. Pyocyanin production was found both subjectively and quantitatively. The effects of ethanol on the expression of pyocyanin production genes were studied using qRT-PCR and Western blotting. The findings demonstrated that low concentrations of ethanol (as little as 0.1%) greatly suppressed pyocyanin production without affecting P. aeruginosa growth. The degree of inhibition increased as the ethanol contentration rose. Ethanol inhibits the expression of genes involved in pyocyanin production. This inhibitory impact was mostly seen at the protein level. Further research revealed that ethanol increased the expression of the posttranscriptional regulator RsmA, which inhibits pyocyanin production. Given the favorable relationship between pyocyanin production and antibiotic resistance, the impact of low concentration ethanol on various antibiotics was investigated. Ethanol lowered antibiotic resistance in P. aeruginosa, presumably by inhibiting pyocyanin.

Effect of Length of Storage and Chemical Additives on the Nutritive Value and Starch Degradability of Reconstituted Corn Grain Silage

The aim of this study was to evaluate the feed quality of reconstituted corn grain silage (RCGS), treated with chemical additives and stored for 15, 30, or 60 d in 5-L plastic buckets. Dry ground corn was rehydrated to 350 g·kg−1 and treated with either polysorbate 80 (2 L·t−1) (POL), propionic acid 28% (2 L·t−1) (PRO), Mycoflake™ (2 L·t−1-blend polysorbate 80 and propionic acid) (MYC) or nothing (CON). The effect of the length of storage was combined in a factorial arrangement with the additives. Ammonia-N increased from d-15 of storage. A treatment × storage length interaction was observed for ethanol content at d-60 of storage, and all treatments had lower ethanol concentration than CON. There was an interaction for butyric acid content at d-30 and d-60 of storage; CON showed higher butyric acid concentration than treated silages. Aerobic stability increased from d-15 to d-30. At d-15 of storage, the PRO and MYC treatments decreased the DM losses. The length of storage increased the ruminal in situ degradability of starch, and DM and MYC increased the DM degradability in 3.6 percentage units at 12 h of incubation, compared with POL. In conclusion, increasing the length of storage of the RCGS from d-15 to d-60 improved the starch and DM degradability. Mycoflake increased the availability of nutrients, and the length of storage enhanced the aggregation of particles; further, polysorbate 80 (Tween 80) might be further studied as a potential antimicrobial agent in silages.

Enhanced gas-sensing to low-concentration ethanol gas from 3-dimensional (3D) urchin-like ZnO micro/nanospheres

Highly sensitive and long-term stable ethanol gas sensors based on 3D urchin-like ZnO micro/ nanospheres are synthesized. The formation mechanism of the 3D urchin-like ZnO structure is analyzed. The 3D urchin-like ZnO micro/nanospheres sensor displayed a high sensitivity of 15.0, a fast response time of 14 sec, and a recovery time of 7 sec when detecting 200 ppm ethanol gas at the optimal operating temperature of 280 °C. Moreover, the sensor is in the low concentration of ethanol gas for 450 days, in this case, the sensitivity of the sensor is 5.9, when detecting 200 ppm ethanol gas at an operating temperature 280 °C. The prepared 3D urchin-like ZnO micro/nanospheres have higher response strength to low-concentration ethanol gas and still have good stability after long-term storage

Review of outcomes of using lower ethanol concentration (83%) in percutaneous ultrasound-guided renal cyst sclerotherapy in dogs.

Percutaneous renal cyst sclerotherapy (PRCS) as a treatment for renal cysts is usually performed with a high concentration of ethanol (≥ 90%). This study reviewed cases in which a lower concentration of ethanol (83%) was used for the procedure in dogs. Records of cases of renal cysts treated by sclerotherapy using 83% ethanol in dogs were reviewed. Outcomes of the treatment were evaluated by comparing volumes of renal cysts before the procedure and the volumes after treatment, using ultrasound images with the volume reduction rates classified as follows: < 50% of initial volume (failed); ≥ 50% but < 80% of initial volume (partial success); ≥ 80% but < 95% of initial volume (great success); ≥ 95% of initial volume (complete success). Out of nine dog kidneys, renal cysts sclerotherapy with 83% ethanol achieved partial success in one kidney, great success in four, and complete success in the other four. No side effect was observed. The mean of the volume-reduction rates was 90.00 ± 11.00 while the minimum and maximum reduction rates were 65% and 100%, respectively. The lower ethanol concentration (83%) is good for disinfecting kidneys in PRCS.

Selective adsorption processes for fructooligosaccharides separation by activated carbon and zeolites through machine learning

Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) separation and purification are crucial for industrial applications where adsorption methods are widely used. However, some specific process characteristics can affect the selectivity of the adsorption. In this work, differences between the variables affecting the FOS separation by fixed-bed column with activated carbon and zeolite as adsorbents were identified and analyzed. Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) and Shapley Additive explanation (SHAP) methodology were used to determine the best process conditions for each adsorbent considering the most relevant variables such as temperature, time and ethanol concentration. XGBoost showed high predictive power for both adsorbents, reaching R of 0.84–0.91 for activated carbon and 0.87–0.98 for zeolite. According to SHAP, the order of importance of the variables for FOS separation for the two adsorbents was time, ethanol concentration, and temperature. Activated carbon shows selectivity for FOS at low ethanol concentrations (7.95% v/v). Zeolite required ethanol concentrations about 8 times higher than activated carbon. From SHAP it can be concluded that activated carbon is impressively efficient in improving FOS selectivity. Results showed that machine learning is a valuable tool to better understand the optimal conditions for FOS separation, allowing for higher recovery rates, efficiencies at lower ethanol concentrations, and consequently lower costs.

Chemosensory representation of first-time oral exposure to ethanol in the orbitofrontal cortex of mice.

Intermittent ethanol consumption changes the neuronal activity of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) in rodents, which has been attributed to important participation in the development of addiction, particularly alcoholism. The OFC participates in gustatory sensory integration. However, it is unknown whether this region can encode chemosensory elements of oral ethanol administration independently of the consumption movement (orofacial motor response) when administered for the first time (naïve mice). To answer this question, we used a sedated mouse model and a temporary analysis protocol to register extracellular neuronal responses during the oral administration of ethanol. Our results show an increase in neuronal frequency (in the first 500ms) when low (0.6, 1, and 2.1M) and high (3.2, 4.3, and 8.6M) concentrations of ethanol are orally administered. The modulatory effect of ethanol was observed from low and high concentrations and differed from the tastants. There was consistent neuronal activity independent of the concentration of ethanol. Our results demonstrate a sensory representation of oral ethanol stimulation in the OFC neurons of naïve mice under sedation.

MoO3/Ti3C2Tx MXene nanocomposites with rapid response for enhanced ethanol-sensing at a low temperature

Ethanol, as one of the most widely used volatile organic compounds (VOCs), can cause serious harm to the human respiratory system when exposed to low concentrations of ethanol gas for a long time. Here, we successfully prepared MoO3/Ti3C2Tx MXene nanocomposites by a simple hydrothermal synthesis method, realizing the effective monitoring of low-concentration ethanol gas (1.61@1 ppm). The specific surface area of MoO3/Ti3C2Tx MXene nanocomposites (61.044 m2/g) is doubled compared with Ti3C2Tx MXene (33.385 m2/g), which provides more reaction centers and active sites for ethanol molecules. Meanwhile, the gas-sensing results revealed that MoO3/Ti3C2Tx MXene nanocomposites show outstanding selectivity and reproducibility, as well as fast response-recovery (10/49 s). Subsequently, the possible sensing mechanism of the composite was further discussed in detail in combination with density functional theory (DFT). This work provides a new sensing design strategy for detecting VOCs at low-temperature.

A Simple Method for Production of Nutraceutical Wine from Flowers of Madhuca longifolia (mahua)

In the world alcoholic beverages, such as whiskey, rum, beer etc were taken daily by about 2 billion people (WHO report). About 12% people consumed wine in their party, occasion, festival but the more alcohol containing wine are harmful for human. Some of local and cheap alcoholic beverage contain high amount of ethanol or contaminated by methanol, arsenic and other microorganism that are harmful for human being. In this present work, the nutraceutical wine was prepared using Madhuca longifolia (mahua) flower. The results of this investigation shown that the nutraceutical wine produced from mahua flower was highly nutritious containing 41% polyphenol, 28% ascorbic acid and a high content of protein and low concentration of ethanol and carbohydrate, which signifies the potential benefit of the wine.

ISOLATION OF DIHYDROQUERCETIN AND ARABINOGALACTAN FROM LARCH WOOD WITH WATER-ETHANOL SOLUTIONS

Siberian larch wood (Larix sibirica Lebed.) contains such valuable biologically active substances as dihydroquercetin (DHQ) and arabinogalactan (AG), promising for the use in the pharmaceutical and food industries. An urgent task is to improve the methods of extraction isolation of these compounds from wood. In this work, we studied the possibility of simultaneous isolation of dihydroquercetin and arabinogalactan by extraction of larch wood with 5–25% aqueous ethanol solutions. It has been shown that by extracting wood with aqueous solutions with a low concentration of ethanol, it is possible to exclude the stage of separation of resinous substances from the target products of DHQ and AG. By experimentally optimizing of water-ethanol extraction process, it was shown that the highest yields of DHQ (1.8% mas.) and AG (18.0% mas.) were achieved by extraction of larch wood, crushed to particles of 1–3 mm in size, with a 15% ethanol solution for 2 hours. That the preliminarily mechanical treatment of larch wood allows to reduce the time of water-alcohol extraction to 30 minutes and to obtain DHQ and AG with high yields. The structure of DHQ and AG was confirmed by FTIR and NMR spectroscopy. Identification and purity of DHQ isolated from larch wood were confirmed by a photometric method using the reaction of cyanidin chloride formation when DHQ in heated in ethanol in the presence of hydrochloric acid.

Encapsulation of monoglycerides in V-type granular starch prepared under different ethanol concentrations

V-type granular starch (VGS) obtained by aqueous-ethanol heat treatment at 50%, 60%, and 70% ethanol concentrations (E50VGS, E60VGS, and E70VGS) were used to encapsulate monoglycerides. The results showed VGS could encapsulate monoglycerides through granular surface adsorption and V-type complex formation. At higher-ethanol concentrations, monoglycerides tended to dissolve in ethanol rather than be encapsulated in VGS. At lower-ethanol concentrations, the encapsulation capacity of VGS decreased due to destruction of its granular and crystalline structure. For the encapsulation mode of granular surface adsorption, 70% ethanol was the optimal encapsulation ethanol concentration for all VGS. For V-type complex formation, each VGS had different optimal conditions, i.e., 0.5 g monoglycerides in 50% ethanol for E50VGS, 0.33 g monoglycerides in 50% ethanol for E60VGS, and 0.25 g monoglycerides in 30% ethanol for E70VGS. All VGS could rapidly encapsulate monoglycerides at room temperature. • Amylose in V-type granular starch (VGS) did not leach out in 30% ethanol and above. • VGS could encapsulate monoglycerides (MG) by granular surface adsorption and V-type complex formation. • At higher ethanol concentrations, MG tended to dissolve in ethanol rather than be encapsulated in VGS. • The ΔH of V-type complex rapidly reached a plateau when increasing amounts of MG. • VGS could rapidly encapsulate MG at room temperature.

Research on the secondary structure and hydration water around human serum albumin induced by ethanol with infrared and near-infrared spectroscopy

Given the role of ethanol played in the precipitation of various proteins, it is of great significance for the refined purification of proteins to understand the mechanism of protein secondary structure and hydration effect under the ethanol perturbation. Infrared (IR) spectroscopy and near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy combined with chemometrics and aquaphotomics were utilized to get a generalized picture of the second structure of human serum albumin (HSA) and the surrounding hydrogen bond network of water after perturbation with different concentrations of ethanol ranging from 0% to 45% (v/v). The two-dimensional correlation (2DCOS) and moving window two-dimensional correlation analysis (MW-2DCOS) of IR spectroscopy provide evidence that the native structure of HSA was stabilized by the formation of α-helical structure at a low concentration of ethanol. However, the formation of intermolecular β-sheet structure by increasing ethanol is an important reason for the aggregation and precipitation of HSA. The analysis of NIR spectroscopy with the McCabe-Fisher method and aquaphotomics showed that free hydrogen bonded water was dynamic and fluctuating, 0%-20% ethanol could enhance the hydrogen bonded water cluster while the increasement of ethanol from 20% to 45% would lead to the formation of weak hydrogen bonded water cluster. These measurements provide a novel perspective on the relationship between ethanol and HSA, which is useful for maintaining activity and improving purity during the purification of proteins or other biological macromolecules.

Validation of a New Salt-Assisted HS-GC-FID Method for the Determination of Ethanol in the Vitreous Humor.

Headspace gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector (HS-GC-FID) is a well-established approach for determining blood alcohol concentration, including in cadaveric specimens. Although the integrity of blood specimens can be adequately guaranteed after the sampling, the quantification of ethanol in cadaveric blood can be affected by postmortem fermentative phenomena occurring between the time since death and the sampling of biofluids. The vitreous humor is less affected by putrefactive phenomena allowing compound determination and its use as an alternative biological matrix. The present work aimed to develop and validate a method using the salting-out effect and based on HS-GC-FID for the determination of ethanol in the vitreous humor. The reported analytical method is based on a simple vitreous humor pre-treatment consisting of a dilution (1:9) with a solution of 2.5 mol/L K2CO3 and 0.0012 mol/L tert-butanol (internal standard). After 1 min of incubation, part of the specimen evaporated in the headspace (2,000 µL) is injected into the chromatographic system and analyzed in isothermal mode (40°C), with a chromatographic time of 1.6 min. The method was validated in terms of selectivity, the lowest limit of detection, intraday and total imprecision, and trueness (bias). The determination of ethanol in the vitreous humor and blood was carried out in 75 cases. The correlation between the two matrices was confirmed in 61 cases. However, 14 vitreous humor specimens showed lower ethanol concentrations, and in the related blood specimens, it was possible to identify the signal of n-propanol, a typical product of postmortem microbial fermentation, that justifies the excess of ethanol in the blood specimens.

Ethanol in Aqueous Solution Studied by Microjet Photoelectron Spectroscopy and Theory.

By combining results and analysis from cylindrical microjet photoelectron spectroscopy (cMJ-PES) and theoretical simulations, we unravel the microscopic properties of ethanol-water solutions with respect to structure and intermolecular bonding patterns following the full concentration scale from 0 to 100% ethanol content. In particular, we highlight the salient differences between bulk and surface. Like for the pure water and alcohol constituents, alcohol-water mixtures have attracted much interest in applications of X-ray spectroscopies owing to their potential of combining electronic and geometric structure probing. The water mixtures of the two simplest alcohols, methanol and ethanol, have generated particular attention due to their delicate hydrogen bonding networks that underlie their structural and thermodynamic properties. Macroscopically ethanol-water seems to mix very well, however microscopically this is not true. The aberrant thermodynamics of water-alcohol mixtures have been suggested to be caused by energy differences of hydrogen bonding between water-water, alcohol-alcohol and alcohol-water molecules. These networks may perturb the local character of the interaction between X-rays and matter, calling for analysis that go beyond the normally applied local selection and building block rules and that can combine the effects of light-matter, intra- and intermolecular interactions. However, despite decades of ongoing research there are still controversies of the precise nature of hydrogen bonding networks that underlie the mixing of these simple molecules. Our combined analysis indicates that at low concentration ethanol molecules form a film at the surface since ethanol at the surface can expose its hydrophobic part to the vacuum retaining its two (or three) possible hydrogen bonds, while water at the surface cannot retain all its four possible hydrogen bonds. Thus, ethanol at the surface becomes energetically favorable. Ethanol molecules show a tilting angle variation of the C-C axis with respect to the surface normal as large as 60° at very low concentration. In bulk, around ca. ten %, the ethanol oxygen atoms tend to make a third acceptor hydrogen bond to water molecules. At ca. 20 %, there is a U-shaped change in the CH3 to CH2OH binding energy (BE) shift indicating the presence of ring-like agglomerates called clathrate structures. At the surface, between 5 and 25%, ethanol forms a closely packed layer with the smallest C-C tilting angle variation down to ∼20°. Above 25% and below the azeotrope at the surface, ethanol shows an increase in the tilting angle variation, while at very high ethanol concentrations water tends to move to the surface so giving a microscopic explanation of the azeotrope effect. This migration is connected to the presence of longer (shorter) ethanol chains in the bulk (surface). A brief comparison with discussions and predictions from other spectroscopic techniques is also given. We emphasize the execution of an integrated approach that combines molecular structural dynamics with quantum predictions of the core electronic chemical shift, so establishing a protocol with considerable interpretative as well as predictive power for cMJ-PES measurements. We believe that this protocol can valorize cMJ-PES for studies of properties of other alcohol mixtures as well as of binary solutions in general.

Ensiling pretreatment fortified with laccase and microbial inoculants enhances biomass preservation and bioethanol production of alfalfa stems

This study investigated the potential of ensiling pretreatment fortified with laccase and a lactic acid bacteria (LAB) inoculant on improving the utilization of alfalfa stems for bioethanol production. The alfalfa stems were ensiled with no additives (Con), 0.04 % laccase (LA), a LAB inoculant containing Pediococcus pentosaceus at 1 × 106 fresh weight (FW) and Pediococcus acidilactici at 3 × 105 cfu/g FW (PP), and a combination of LA and PP (LAP) for 120 days. By reshaping the bacterial community structure of alfalfa stem silages toward a higher abundance of Lactobacillus, the addition of laccase and LAB inoculant either alone or in combination facilitated lactic acid fermentation to reduce fermentation losses, as evidenced by low concentrations of ammonia nitrogen (53.7 to 68.9 g/kg total nitrogen) and ethanol (2.63 to 3.55 g/kg dry matter). All additive treatments increased lignocellulose degradation and soluble sugars concentrations of alfalfa stem silages. Due to delignification and polyphenol removal, glucan and xylan conversion (70.3 % vs. 35.7 % and 51.6 % vs. 27.9 %, respectively) and ethanol conversion efficiency (53.9 % vs. 26.4 %) of alfalfa stems were greatly increased by ensiling fortified with LA versus Con, and these variables (79.8 % for glucan, 58.7 % for xylan, and 60.1 % for ethanol conversion efficiency) were further enhanced with a synergistic effect of LA and PP fortification. The spearman correlation analysis revealed that bioethanol fermentation of silage biomass was closely related to ensiling parameters and total phenols. In conclusion, ensiling pretreatment with LA and PP combination offered a feasible way to efficient utilization of alfalfa stems for bioethanol production.

The characterisation of Wickerhamomyces anomalus M15, a highly tolerant yeast for bioethanol production using seaweed derived medium.

Advanced generation biofuels have potential for replacing fossil fuels as society moves forward into a net-zero carbon future. Marine biomass is a promising source of fermentable sugars for fermentative bioethanol production; however the medium derived from seaweed hydrolysis contains various inhibitors, such as salts that affected ethanol fermentation efficiency. In this study the stress tolerance of a marine yeast, Wickerhamomyces anomalus M15 was characterised. Specific growth rate analysis results showed that Wickerhamomyces anomalus M15 could tolerate up to 600 g/L glucose, 150 g/L xylose and 250 g/L ethanol, respectively. Using simulated concentrated seaweed hydrolysates, W. anomalus M15’s bioethanol production potential using macroalgae derived feedstocks was assessed, in which 5.8, 45.0, and 19.9 g/L ethanol was produced from brown (Laminaria digitata), green (Ulva linza) and red seaweed (Porphyra umbilicalis) based media. The fermentation of actual Ulva spp. hydrolysate harvested from United Kingdom shores resulted in a relatively low ethanol concentration (15.5 g/L) due to challenges that arose from concentrating the seaweed hydrolysate. However, fed-batch fermentation using simulated concentrated green seaweed hydrolysate achieved a concentration of 73 g/L ethanol in fermentations using both seawater and reverse osmosis water. Further fermentations conducted with an adaptive strain W. anomalus M15-500A showed improved bioethanol production of 92.7 g/L ethanol from 200 g/L glucose and reduced lag time from 93 h to 24 h in fermentation with an initial glucose concentration of 500 g/L. The results indicated that strains W. anomalus M15 and W. anomalus M15-500A have great potential for industrial bioethanol production using marine biomass derived feedstocks. It also suggested that if a concentrated high sugar content seaweed hydrolysate could be obtained, the bioethanol concentration could achieve 90 g/L or above, exceeding the minimum industrial production threshold.

Room temperature operated composite SnS–ZnS heterojunction based sensor for sub-ppm ethanol detection

The present work demonstrates the potential of metal sulphide SnS–ZnS composite towards detection of low concentration (sub ppm) ethanol at room temperature (27 °C). The fabricated sensor has shown excellent performance in terms of % response of 56.58% at 100 ppb owing to the low crystallite size observed from the x-ray diffraction (XRD) characterization. The sensor has been exposed to ethanol under relative humidity (RH) range of 40% RH to 80% RH. The sensor has shown fast response and appreciable selectivity towards ethanol. The elemental composition and valence states of the composite formed are shown using energy dispersive x-ray analysis and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The excellent sensing behavior is also supposed to be contributed due to SnS–ZnS p-n heterojunction formation. XRD of the prepared sample has been done to find the crystal structure and crystallite size. Further, field emission scanning electron microscopy results have confirmed the low particle size of the sample which complements the high sensitivity of the sensor.