Sustainable Production Research Articles

Improving smallholders' capacity building by creating an enabling environment for sustainable crop production

CONTEXTSustainably improving food production to meet the needs of a growing population necessitates a dual-pronged approach involving both top-down policy support from governments and grassroots support from social organizations. The combination of these two elements can yield comprehensive and systematic solutions for sustainable crop production, particularly in smallholder-dominated agriculture. However, integrating these approaches to empower smallholders with advanced agricultural technologies and enhance crop sustainability remains a subject that warrants further investigation. OBJECTIVESWe explored collaborative practices for the integration of resources using a dual-pronged approach to empower smallholders for sustainable crop production. METHODSThe DPSIR framework was applied to our case study. Using stratified and random sampling, 258 farmers were recruited from Quzhou, China. We divided the participants into three groups: six farmers who had worked with China-founded Science and Technology backyards (STBs) for 15 years as leading farmers (LF), 90 neighboring farmers (NF) who were closely related to LF, and 162 traditional farmers (TF) from three villages in Quzhou who were not related to STBs. An intervention experiment focusing on the LF and NF was conducted. Interviews were conducted with 258 farmers after harvesting wheat. In addition, we used statistical analyses to examine the differences in yield and economic and environmental benefits among the different groups. Multiple linear regression was used to determine how different factors affected wheat yield, net profit, and technology adoption. We used a mediation model to analyze the mechanisms by which enabling environmental creation affects sustainable production by empowering farmers. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONSCompared to TF, LF and NF increased social value by 31% and 25%, technology trust by 16% and 5%, and willingness to accept green production technologies and adoption behavior by 20% and 21%, respectively. In addition, LF and NF achieved wheat yield increases accompanied by net profit gains of 86% and 13%, respectively, and LF demonstrated 53% and 52% reductions in nitrogen surplus compared to TF and NF, respectively. The study found that the synergy of social organizations and government support promoted farmers' knowledge generation and sustainable agricultural production by increasing their social value and technology trust. SIGNIFICANCEThis study underscores the pivotal role of STBs in bridging these two approaches and facilitating an environment that empowers smallholders for sustainable crop production. This study provides initial insights into a multi-actor, co-participation-based approach to promoting farmers' capacity, which provides important information for future agricultural policy development and implementation.

Fertility and quality of arable soils in Poland: spatial–temporal analysis of long-term monitoring

Soil quality is a globally important issue from the point of view of food production, maintenance of appropriate environmental quality and ecological balance. Assessing its quality and fertility using indices is one of the methods that make it possible to formulate recommendations for good soil management. The aim of the study was, therefore, to determine the spatial and temporal distribution of soil properties in the context of soil quality assessment (SQI) and soil fertility assessment (SFI, SEF, NIV, and SSFI) using the example of a Central European country (Poland). The inverse distance-weighted spatial interpolation technique was used to estimate the spatial distribution of soil quality and fertility indicators. So far, no research has been carried out that would include a comprehensive analysis of soil fertility and quality indicators in such a large research area over many years. The results of 216 points of monitoring the chemistry of arable soils in Poland from the period 1995–2020 for 28 physicochemical soil parameters were considered. The analyses carried out showed significant variability in the properties of the described soils in Poland, as evidenced by the principal component analysis (PCA) and the coefficient of variation (exceptions: bulk density, pH). It was found that heavy metals (Zn, Cd, Cu) were responsible for the deterioration of soil properties. The results obtained for different indices were different (SFI – most soils with good fertility, SEF – high fertility, NIV – soils highly enriched with nutrients, SQI – average soil quality). It was found that the SSFI is the most appropriate indicator among the analyzed indicators for Polish conditions in relation to arable soils, as it is adapted and calibrated to the specifics of this area. The Spearman correlation matrix showed that the largest group of statistically highly significant parameter pairs belonged to heavy metals (Ni/Zn, Zn/Pb, Zn/Cu, Ni/Cu). In contrast, the strongest correlations were recorded for Ni (with effective cation exchange capacity (ECEC), Mn, Mgav, Zn, Cu). The assessment revealed limiting factors and temporal trends in the overall evaluation of the quality of the country’s agricultural soils, which are important from the point of view of both sustainable development and agricultural production.

Amaranthus crop for food security and sustainable food systems.

This review ascertains amaranth grains as a potent crop for food security and sustainable food systems by highlighting its agricultural advantages, health benefits and applications in the food, packaging, and brewing industry. The global population surge and rapidly transitioning climatic conditions necessitate the maximization of nutritional crop yield to mitigate malnutrition resulting from food and nutrition insecurity. The modern agricultural practices adopted to maximize the yield of the conventional staple crops are heavily contingent on the depleting natural resources and are contributing extensively to the contamination of these natural resources. Furthermore, these agricultural practices are also causing detrimental effects on the environment like rising emission of greenhouse gasses and increased water footprints. To address these challenges while ensuring sustainable nutrient-rich crop production, it is imperative to utilize underutilized crops like Amaranthus. Amaranth grains are gluten-free pseudo-cereals that are gaining much prominence owing to their abundance in vital nutrients and bio-active components, potential health benefits, resilience to adverse climatic and soil conditions, minimum agricultural input requirements, potential of generating income for small holder farmers as well as various applications across the sustainable value chain. However, due to the limited awareness of these potential benefits of the amaranth grains among the consumers, researchers, and policymakers, they have remained untapped. This review paper enunciates the nutritional composition and potential health benefits of the grains while briefly discussing their various applications in food and beverage industries and accentuating the need to explore further possibilities of valorizing amaranth grains to maximize their utilization along the value chain.

Sustainability assessment of denim fabric made of PET fiber and recycled fiber from postconsumer PET bottles using LCA and LCC approach with the EDAS method.

The textile industry is under pressure to adopt sustainable production methods because its contribution to global warming is expected to rise by 50% by 2030. One solution is to increase the use of recycled raw material. The use of recycled raw material must be considered holistically, including its environmental and economic impacts. This study examined eight scenarios for sustainable denim fabric made from recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fiber, conventional PET fiber, and cotton fiber. The evaluation based on the distance from average solution (EDAS) multicriteria decision-making method was used to rank scenarios according to their environmental and economic impacts, which are assessed using life cycle assessment and life cycle costing. Allocation, a crucial part of evaluating the environmental impact of recycled products, was done using cut-off and waste value. Life cycle assessments reveal that recycled PET fiber has lower freshwater ecotoxicity and fewer eutrophication and acidification impacts. Cotton outperformed PET fibers in human toxicity. Only the cut-off method reduces potential global warming with recycled PET. These findings indicated that recycled raw-material life cycle assessment requires allocation. Life cycle cost analysis revealed that conventional PET is less economically damaging than cotton and recycled PET. The scenarios were ranked by environmental and economic impacts using EDAS. This ranking demonstrated that sustainable denim fabric production must consider both economic and environmental impacts. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2024;00:1-19. © 2024 The Author(s). Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).

Regulation of morphology and charge transfer mechanism: Oxygen vacancy-rich Mn0.2Cd0.8S/CoMoO4 S-type heterojunction promoting photocatalytic hydrogen production through hydrothermal in-situ synthesis

The development of efficient photocatalysts is a very interesting topic for sustainable hydrogen production using solar energy. In this paper, Mn0.2Cd0.8S was loaded on CoMoO4 nanorods by in-situ solvothermal method. Through morphological control, two rod-shaped elemental materials were loaded in situ to construct a composite with a ball shaped bouquet structure. The Mn0.2Cd0.8S/CoMoO4 photocatalyst with enriched oxygen vacancies was synthesized by high-temperature annealing. It is worth noting that by constructing an heterojunction, the Mn0.2Cd0.8S/CoMoO4 photocatalyst exhibits high catalytic activity and stability. The optimal H2 production rate of Mn0.2Cd0.8S/CoMoO4 was 7.04mmol·g−1·h−1. Surprisingly, the hydrogen production rate of the composite was 35.88 times that of CoMoO4. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations showed that Mn0.2Cd0.8S/CoMoO4 has electron attraction ability and strong conductivity. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirmed the charge transfer path of the heterojunction between Mn0.2Cd0.8S and CoMoO4, which greatly promoted the spatial charge separation. This work provides a reference for combining heterojunction design with defect engineering to achieve efficient conversion of solar energy to chemical energy.

Spatially engineered local electric field for enhanced water electrolysis

Alkaline water electrolysis (AWE) stands as a well-established and promising route for sustainable hydrogen production. However, traditional AWE cells suffer from low performance and bulky size. Here, we introduce the integrated design, a streamlined architecture that maximizes space utilization and enhances inter-component contact. This geometric innovation requires only minor modifications in the manufacturing process to effectively double the gas production capacity without increasing the volume of the device across a wide voltage range. Utilizing Ni foam electrodes, the device achieves a 205 mA cm−3 output at 2.0 V. Through visual inspections and simulations, we compared the new and traditional designs, attributing performance improvements to optimized local electric fields. These findings not only demonstrate the feasibility of spatial engineering, but also illuminate a promising path to advance alkaline water electrolyzer technology.

The use of cheese whey powder in the cultivation of protein-rich filamentous fungal biomass for sustainable food production

The use of cheese whey powder in the cultivation of protein-rich filamentous fungal biomass for sustainable food production

Organic substitution regime with optimized irrigation improves potato water and nitrogen use efficiency by regulating soil chemical properties rather than microflora structure

Context or problemImproving water and fertilizer use efficiency is an inevitable choice for sustainable potato production in North China. However, the regulation mechanism of potato water and nitrogen use efficiency under water-nitrogen coupling (W-N) regime is still unknown. Objective or research questionThe objectives from a 3-year field experiment were (1) to assess the impact of W-N regimes on potato yield and water and nitrogen use efficiency, (2) to elucidate the soil microflora structure under W-N regimes, and (3) to determine the relationship between soil chemical properties, microflora structure, and potato water and nitrogen use efficiency. MethodsA three-year two-factor split-zone potato field experiment was conducted in arid and semi-arid regions of the Inner Mongolian Plateau, with irrigation [(rainfed (W0), optimized (soil-based) irrigation (W1), conventional irrigation (W2)] as the primary treatment and N fertilizer [no N (N0), chemical N (N1), 25 % manure substitution (N2)] as the secondary treatment. ResultsPotato yield and water productivity followed N2 > N1 > N0, and partial nitrogen productivity and nitrogen agronomic efficiency followed N2 > N1 at the same irrigation level. Potato yield, nitrogen internal efficiency, partial nitrogen productivity and nitrogen agronomic efficiency first increased and then decreased, whereas water productivity gradually decreased with increasing irrigation levels under the same fertilization regime. Moreover, potato yield, soil total nitrogen, organic carbon, and microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen content peaked with the W1N2 regime. W-N regimes significantly influenced soil microbial community structure. Soil microbial α-diversity was less variable under W1 and N2 conditions. Soil bacterial network complexity and robustness were higher in W1 and W2 than in W0 regimes, whereas the opposite was true for fungi. The complexity and robustness of the soil bacterial and fungal network demonstrated for three fertilization regimes were higher in N1 and N2 than in N0 regimes. Neutral community model showed that soil microflora in W-N regime was mainly influenced by stochastic processes. PLSPM showed that organic substitution regime with optimized irrigation improves potato water and nitrogen use efficiency by regulating soil chemical properties rather than microflora structure. ConclusionsW1N2 regime synergizes well to improve potato water and N use efficiency and soil microflora stability, and organic substitution regime with optimized irrigation improves potato water and nitrogen use efficiency by regulating soil chemical properties. Implications or significanceOur findings initially clarified the regulatory mechanisms of potato water and nitrogen use efficiency in North China, offering theoretical guidance for further optimizing irrigation and fertilization management.

Jackfruit waste for the production of sustainable biorefinery products: a step towards bio-economic advancement

Jackfruit waste for the production of sustainable biorefinery products: a step towards bio-economic advancement

Wastewater as a nutrient source for hydroponic production of lettuce: Summer and winter growth

Solutions combining soilless cropping systems with wastewater reuse can offer benefits in the agriculture sector, reducing pressure on water resources, promoting sustainable production, and reclaiming wastewater. However, assessing the sanitary risks associated with wastewater reuse is of utmost importance. This study aimed to investigate the hydroponic growth of lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. crispa L.) in wastewater from an urban treatment plant with different levels of treatment and evaluate potential sanitary risks. Crop growth took place in a greenhouse, during summer and winter periods, using wastewater after primary (PTW) or secondary (STW) treatment, and a nutrient solution (NS), as control. Physical and chemical water quality parameters, morphological crop growth parameters, and environmental conditions inside the greenhouse were monitored. Toxicity analyses were carried out through cell viability assays with the Caco-2 cell line and total coliforms and Escherichia coli (E. coli) were determined. Wastewater-grown plants achieved acceptable growth, even though presenting lower fresh weight than NS-plants. STW-plants’ growth was limited essentially by nutrient deficiency, and PTW-plants were affected by nutrient deficiency, pH values, solid load, and N-NO2 concentration. Higher temperatures in summer led to faster crop growth, and lower temperatures in winter allowed better nutrient uptake by the crop. Wastewater-grown plants did not evidence toxicity in leaf extracts up to 1% w/v. Coliform enumeration data indicated an accumulation in plant roots, with high removal from the wastewater. E. coli was not detected on plants’ leaves and total coliforms were within acceptable limits. Furthermore, the results point to an improvement in the wastewater quality, with minimum removal values of 75.2% BOD5, 83.1% COD, 43.4% P, 44.9% N, and 90.4% K.The results demonstrated the viability of wastewater reuse for hydroponic production allowing a better understanding of its processes and contributing to mitigating water scarcity for food production, and the impacts of treated wastewater discharge in freshwater courses, particularly those associated with nutrient delivery to aquatic systems.

Formate‐Mediated Electroenzymatic Synthesis via Biological Cofactor NADH

Synthetic biohybrid systems by coupling artificial system with nature’s machinery may offer a disruptive solution to address the global energy crisis. We developed a versatile electroenzymatic pathway for the continuous synthesis of valuable chemicals, facilitated by formate‐driven NADH regeneration. Utilising a bismuth electrocatalyst, we achieved stable CO2 reduction to formate with approximately 90% Faraday efficiency at a current density of 150 mA cm−2. The generated formate acts as a mediator to regenerate NADH, which is then coupled with immobilised redox enzymes—alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), L‐lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and L‐glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH)—to produce targeted chemicals at significant rates and exceptionally high turnover numbers (1.8×106 to 3.1×106). These achievements not only underscore the efficiency of the system but also its practical applicability in industrial settings. By leveraging in situ generated formate, this innovative approach demonstrates the potential of integrating electrocatalysis with enzymatic reactions for sustainable and efficient chemical production on a practical scale.

Selecting Resilient Strategies for Cost Optimization in Prefabricated Building Supply Chains Based on the Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm-Ⅱ: Facing Diverse Disruption Scenarios

As a new sustainable building production mode, prefabricated building supply chains can realize energy saving, environmental protection and full cycle value maximization of building products. Prefabricated building supply chains often experience disruptions due to supply instability, transportation delay and force majeure, resulting in project delays and cost escalations and posing challenges to the sustainable development objectives of enterprises. Therefore, it is important and essential to study the strategy of enhancing the resiliency of prefabricated building supply chains, which has not been comprehensively explored in previous papers. This paper constructs decision-making models for supply chain cost resilience strategies under varying scenarios of supply disruptions, incorporating both redundant inventory and back-up supplier strategy. It considers the total cost and resilience of the supply chain as dual objective functions. Parameter-tuned non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-П (NSGA-П) algorithms were used innovatively to solve the project case, and the impacts of the redundant inventory coefficient and back-up supplier supply price coefficient on the model result were analyzed. The results indicate that the supply chain with resilience construction has a superior capability to cope with disruption. The results show that when there is a mild supply disruption, the general contractor uses the capacity within the supply chain and chooses a redundant inventory strategy to restore resilience. In the event of moderate disruption, both the easy inventory strategy and back-up supplier strategy are selected to maintain supply chain stability. In the event of a severe disruption, only the back-up supplier strategy is selected to cover the losses and maintain the project schedule. In addition, the choice of resilience strategy is impacted by the inventory levels and component prices of back-up suppliers. It further verifies the effectiveness of the model and the impacts of uncertain parameters in the model on the results. This study contributes to enhancing the resilience management of the prefabricated building supply chain by the general contractor, thereby elevating the overall efficiency and competitiveness of the supply chain and furthering the sustainable development of prefabricated buildings.

Production of Bioactive Compounds from Vegetable Waste using Microbial Consortia

Utilizing vegetable waste to produce bioactive compounds through microbial consortia represents a holistic solution to waste management challenges. Efficient waste collection systems in major cities ensure proper segregation of vegetable waste and lay the groundwork for resource utilization. Segregating waste at its source enhances waste stream quality and facilitates downstream processing. Research and development efforts investigating tailored microbial consortia seek to optimize waste degradation and bioactive compound yields, thereby unlocking the potential of waste. This approach significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions by diverting vegetable waste from landfills, thereby mitigating climate change effects and improving air quality. Moreover, it conserves natural resources by reducing the need for virgin materials and promoting biodiversity, conservation, and sustainable resource management. Here, the enzymatic activities and phenolic concentrations derived from the biodegradation of vegetable waste were analyzed over 14 days. Protease activity that plays a vital role in breaking down proteins reached a notable level of 300 µg/ml after 14-day incubation. Lipase activity which is essential for lipid breakdown was observed at a concentration of 6.3 µg/ml. Furthermore, phenolic concentration analysis revealed a significant range, with values ranging from 225 µg/ml to 240 µg/ml after 14 days of incubation. Phenolics are phytochemicals possessing antioxidant properties and potential health benefits. These findings provide valuable insight into the efficacy of utilizing vegetable waste as a substrate for enzymatic and phytochemical production. The observed enzymatic activities and phenolic concentrations highlight the potential of vegetable waste as a valuable resource for the sustainable production of industrially relevant compounds.

Sustainable syngas production: Economic and circular economy benefits of PET waste gasification

This paper promotes awareness of the circular economy as a superior waste disposal system alternative. The novelty of this study is to model cleaner energy generation from the gasification of polyethene terephthalate (PET) waste accompanied by a detailed analysis on the economic feasibility. In the approximate analysis of PET, the percentage values for Ash and hydrogen were low (0 and 4.21, respectively). This parameter significantly impacted the Ash and hydrogen contents of the output gas, as it directly influenced the PET feedstock to a more excellent heating value (23.34 MJ/kg) and lower heating value (10.63 MJ/kg). Temperature and pressure are treated as free variables throughout each block during the gasification procedures. A sensitivity study revealed that the PET moisture content has no significant effect on the product composition. The economic analysis indicated that the gasification process could be economically viable. The economic analysis of the process considered the comprehensive evaluation of the plant’s financial aspects. The economic evaluation indicated that the facility would reach the break-even point by the end of its third year of operation, demonstrating its economic viability, with an NPV of £77,574,506.37 and an ROI of 40.1% for the suggested 25-year operational period of the facility.

Assessing the Impact of Sustainable Pasture Systems on Lamb Meat Quality

The global demand for sustainable lamb production is increasing due to the need for high-quality meat with minimal environmental impact, making the choice of feeding systems crucial. This study investigates the effects of supplemented pasture feeding during the last 60 days of rearing on the meat fatty acid profile, pH value, colour characteristics, and mineral composition of lambs, highlighting the benefits of such feeding systems. Ninety lambs (MIS sheep breed) were divided into three distinct feeding regimes: Group I (alfalfa and concentrate feeding), Group II (white clover [Trifolium repens] pasture with concentrate supplementation), and Group III (birds’ foot trefoil [Lotus corniculatus] pasture with concentrate supplementation). The results have shown that supplemented pasture feeding improves the fatty acid profile by increasing n-3 content and desirable fatty acids, while reducing the n-6/n-3 ratio and atherogenic index (p < 0.05), particularly in lambs finished on an L. corniculatus diet. However, forage-supplemented feeding also reduces meat colour lightness and redness (p < 0.05). On the other hand, it enhances the meat’s mineral profile, with higher calcium, selenium, and iron levels, especially in lambs fed L. corniculatus. These findings underscore the benefits of moderate grazing with supplemental concentrates in optimising lamb meat quality. Importantly, they also highlight the potential of forage legumes like T. repens and L. corniculatus to significantly enhance the nutritional profile of lamb meat, offering a promising outlook for the future of sustainable lamb production. Additionally, this research provides valuable insights that could guide the development of future agricultural practices, dietary guidelines, and environmental policies to advance sustainable and nutritious food systems.

Energy and Protein Requirements of Growing Lambs in Colombian Highlands

Determining the nutritional requirements of lambs is necessary to formulate balanced rations and contribute to sustainable sheep production systems. However, limited information is available regarding the nutritional requirements of growing lambs in the Colombian highlands. Twenty-two Romney Marsh males were used. Initially, four lambs were slaughtered at 20 kg body weight (BW). The remaining 18 lambs were distributed into two groups, according to BW (light: 20 BW and heavy: 30 kg BW). Lambs were randomly allocated into one of three different nutritional schemes, according to voluntary intake (no restriction, and 25 and 50% restriction). All the animals received a totally mixed ration. When a voluntary-fed lamb gained 10 kg BW, the two other lambs restricted to 25 and 50% were slaughtered and dissected into components to determine protein and gross energy concentration. Energy and protein accumulation were analyzed through regression analysis. The net energy for maintenance was 82.3 kcal/kg BW0.75, while the energy efficiencies for maintenance and gain were 0.72 and 0.29, respectively. Crude protein for maintenance was 1.78 g/kg BW0.75, and the nitrogen efficiencies for maintenance and gain were 0.41 and 0.27, respectively. The maintenance requirement of energy was greater, while protein was similarly related to values reported in the literature; however, the efficiency of energy and protein use was lower in growing lambs. These results suggested that estimating energy and nitrogen requirements for growing lambs must be adjusted in Colombian highland conditions.

The impact of mechanical vibration at cathode on hydrogen yields in water electrolysis

This study investigates the utilization of mechanical vibration to enhance the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in electrolysis processes. By varying the force magnitude and frequency of mechanical vibration, significant improvements in HER efficiency were observed. Specifically, the mechanical vibration-assisted electrolysis with a hitting frequency of 3 hits per second and 157.2698 Kg. m−2 hitting force improved the HER current density by 128 % compared to untreated water electrolysis. Linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) data for the graphite electrode revealed a distinct reduction peak at 1 V, indicating a favorable electrochemical reduction reaction influenced by mechanical vibration. The frequency of mechanical vibration significantly impacted the LSV response, with variations in current values across different conditions. Mechanistically, mechanical vibration disrupted intermolecular forces, facilitating better electrode-bubble interactions and accelerating reaction kinetics. Additionally, changes in pH levels induced by mechanical vibration further enhanced HER efficiency. These results suggest that integrating mechanical vibration into electrolysis systems significantly improves HER performance, contributing to the advancement of more efficient and sustainable hydrogen production technologies, which are crucial for achieving net-zero emission targets.

Studying microbial triglyceride production from corn stover saccharides unveils insights into the galactose metabolism of Ustilago maydis

The global demand for plant oil has reached unprecedented levels and is relevant in all industrial sectors. Driven by the growing awareness for environmental issues of traditional plant oils and the need for eco-friendly alternatives, microbial oil emerges as a promising product with significant potential. Harnessing the capabilities of oleaginous microorganisms is an innovative approach for achieving sustainable oil production. To increase economic feasibility, it is crucial to explore feedstocks such as agricultural waste streams as renewable resource for microbial bioprocesses. The fungal model Ustilago maydis is one promising organism in the field of microbial triglyceride production. It has the ability to metabolize a wide variety of carbon sources for cell growth and accumulates high amounts of triglycerides intracellularly. In this study we asked whether this large variety of usable carbon sources can also be utilized for triglyceride production, using corn stover saccharides as a showcase.Our experiments revealed metabolization of the major saccharide building blocks present in corn stover, demonstrating the remarkable potential of U. maydis. The microorganism exhibited the capacity to synthesize triglycerides using the saccharides glucose, fructose, sucrose, xylose, arabinose, and galactose as carbon source. Notably, while galactose has been formerly considered as toxic to U. maydis, we found that the fungus can metabolize this saccharide, albeit with an extended lag phase of around 100 hours. We identified two distinct methods to significantly reduce or even prevent this lag phase, challenging previous assumptions and expanding the understanding of U. maydis metabolism.Our findings suggest that the two tested methods can prevent long lag phases on feedstocks with high galactose content and that U. maydis can produce microbial triglycerides very efficiently on many different carbon sources. Looking forward, exploring the metabolic capabilities of U. maydis on additional polymeric components of corn stover and beyond holds promise for innovative applications, marking a significant step toward environmentally sustainable bioprocessing technologies.

Anti-inflammatory potential of aconitine produced by endophytic fungus Acremonium alternatum.

Argemone mexicana belonging to family Papaveraceae is a traditional medicinal plant widely utilized by tribal people in India for treating various ailments like skin infections, wounds and inflammation. This plant is very rich in alkaloidal content, which has a great potential in the treatment of anti-inflammatory disorders. Therapeutically promising bioactive molecules are often produced by endophytic fungi associated with medicinal plants. In this investigation, endophytic fungi were isolated from various parts of A. mexicana and screened for alkaloidal content. Among these, one of the fungal isolate, Acremonium alternatum AMEF-5 producing maximum alkaloids showed significant anti-inflammatory activity. Fractionation of this crude fungal extract through column chromatography yielded eight fractions, which were further screened for anti-inflammatory activities. Fraction 3 exhibited significant anti-inflammatory activity by the inhibition of lipoxygenase enzyme (IC50 15.2 ± 0.09µg/ml), scavenging of the nitric oxide radicals (IC50 11.38 ± 0.35µg/ml), protein denaturation (IC50 14.93 ± 0.4µg/ml), trypsin inhibition (IC50 12.06 ± 0.64µg/ml) and HRBC stabilization (IC50 11.9 ± 0.22µg/ml). The bioactive alkaloid in fraction 3 was identified as aconitine which was confirmed by UV, FTIR, HPLC, HRMS, 1H NMR, and 13C NMR analysis. This study demonstrates that endophytic fungi serve a potential source for sustainable production of therapeutically important alkaloids.

MMP-3 mediates copper oxide nanoparticle-induced pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis

BackgroundThe increasing production and usage of copper oxide nanoparticles (Nano-CuO) raise human health concerns. Previous studies have demonstrated that exposure to Nano-CuO could induce lung inflammation, injury, and fibrosis. However, the potential underlying mechanisms are still unclear. Here, we proposed that matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) might play an important role in Nano-CuO-induced lung inflammation, injury, and fibrosis.ResultsExposure of mice to Nano-CuO caused acute lung inflammation and injury in a dose-dependent manner, which was reflected by increased total cell number, neutrophil count, macrophage count, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity, and CXCL1/KC level in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) obtained on day 3 post-exposure. The time-response study showed that Nano-CuO-induced acute lung inflammation and injury appeared as early as day 1 after exposure, peaked on day 3, and ameliorated over time. However, even on day 42 post-exposure, the LDH activity and macrophage count were still higher than those in the control group, suggesting that Nano-CuO caused chronic lung inflammation. The Nano-CuO-induced pulmonary inflammation was further confirmed by H&E staining of lung sections. Trichrome staining showed that Nano-CuO exposure caused pulmonary fibrosis from day 14 to day 42 post-exposure with an increasing tendency over time. Increased hydroxyproline content and expression levels of fibrosis-associated proteins in mouse lungs were also observed. In addition, Nano-CuO exposure induced MMP-3 overexpression and increased MMP-3 secretion in mouse lungs. Knocking down MMP-3 in mouse lungs significantly attenuated Nano-CuO-induced acute and chronic lung inflammation and fibrosis. Moreover, Nano-CuO exposure caused sustained production of cleaved osteopontin (OPN) in mouse lungs, which was also significantly decreased by knocking down MMP-3.ConclusionsOur results demonstrated that short-term Nano-CuO exposure caused acute lung inflammation and injury, while long-term exposure induced chronic pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis. Knocking down MMP-3 significantly ameliorated Nano-CuO-induced pulmonary inflammation, injury, and fibrosis, and also attenuated Nano-CuO-induced cleaved OPN level. Our study suggests that MMP-3 may play important roles in Nano-CuO-induced pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis via cleavage of OPN and may provide a further understanding of the mechanisms underlying Nano-CuO-induced pulmonary toxicity.Graphical