Use Of Agricultural By-products Research Articles

Using Phragmites australis plants as activated carbon to remove Mn(II), and Cu(II) ions from different aqueous solutions

This study investigates the use of agricultural byproducts of plants (Phragmites australis) as low-cost adsorbents for the removal of Cu2+ and Mn2+ from their aqueous solutions through the production of (AC). The results showed that the adsorption equilibrium time for both ions was 30 minutes. The results obtained showed that pH=5, pH=6 for Cu2+ and Mn2+ respectively were optimum to adsorption for these ions. The study showed that the weight (0.5 g) of the adsorbent was ideal to achieve the best adsorption and the ability of the adsorbents to adsorb metal ions was as follows: Cu(II) > Mn(II).

Activated carbon from avocado seed as sorbent phase for microextraction technologies: activation, characterization, and analytical performance.

According to green analytical chemistry principles, the use of agricultural byproducts as sorbent phases is an interesting topic due to their lignocellulosic origin, as they are biodegradable and inexpensive. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study in which avocado seed and avocado seed activated carbon are proposed as sustainable sorbents for solid-phase microextraction technologies, which were used to assess the proof of concept. Rotating disk sorptive extraction (RDSE) was used as a model technology and ibuprofen (Ibu) and 1-hydroxy-ibuprofen (1-OH-Ibu) as representative analytes. It was found that activated carbon (AC) prepared at 600°C with an impregnation ratio (raw material/activating agent (ZnCl2), w/w) of 1:1.2 had better extraction efficiency than other ACs obtained at different temperatures, impregnation ratios, and activating agents (K2CO3). Characterization revealed several differences between natural avocado seed, biochar prepared at 600°C, and selected AC since the typical functional groups of the natural starting material begin to disappear with pyrolysis and increasing the surface area and pore volume, suggesting that the main interactions between analytes and the sorbent material are pore filling and π-π stacking. By using this AC as the sorbent phase, the optimal extraction conditions in RDSE were as follows: the use of 50mg of sorbent in the disk, 30mL of sample volume, pH 4, 90min of extraction time at a rotation velocity of the disk of 2000rpm, and methanol as the elution solvent. The extracts were analyzed via gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The method provided limits of detection of 0.23 and 0.07µg L-1 and recoveries of 81% and 91% for Ibu and 1-OH-Ibu, respectively. When comparing the extraction efficiency of the selected activated carbon with those provided by Oasis® HLB and C18 in RDSE, nonsignificant differences were observed, indicating that avocado seed activated carbon is a suitable alternative to these commercial materials.

Effect of Lupine Hull Ash on Geotechnical Behavior of Weak Expansive Subgrade Soils

Several road sections have failed due to volume changes of expansive soils during moisture variation. While there are various common stabilization techniques, the use of agricultural byproducts in stabilization works can minimize costs and environmental effects when compared to ordinary stabilization methods. This paper discusses an experimental approach used to study the influence of lupine hull ash on expansive soil as a subgrade material. The laboratory results show that the expansive soils belong to A‐7‐5 and CH classes according to AASHTO and USCS, respectively. The expansive soil was mixed with varying concentrations of lupine hull ash, namely, 3%, 6%, 9%, and 12%. The plasticity index and free swell index were reduced by 68.19% and 62.67%, respectively, when treated with a 12% lupine hull ash concentration. The compaction test revealed a decrement of MDD and increment in OMC values as the percentage of the stabilizer material increased. Additionally, the UCS and CBR values increased significantly as the concentration of the expansive soil increased. The mineralogical analysis showed that the untreated soil is composed of 46.2% silica, 28.7% montmorillonite, and 25.1% kaolinite minerals. The SEM and XRD analysis proved the microstructural and mineralogical changes when the expansive soil is mixed with the optimum lupine hull ash concentration. While the CBR value of natural soil is unsuitable for subgrade material, mixing it with a 9% concentration of lupine hull ash ensures that the expansive soil complies with the standard as subgrade material. The experimental findings of this study emphasize the suitability of lupine hull ash for treating expansive soil encountered in rural road construction works.

Minimizing the total petroleum hydrocarbon contaminants in biochar derived from agricultural byproducts

The use of agricultural byproducts as feedstocks for the synthesis of biochar might result in the release of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) because of the presence of various plastic residues, such as plastic film mulch, gloves, and poles. TPH has been considered a critical health concern for humans worldwide. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of different pyrolysis temperatures and durations on reducing the TPH concentration while synthesizing biochar using agricultural byproducts as feedstock materials. Agricultural byproducts, comprising sawdust and plastic films, were pyrolyzed as feedstocks at temperatures of 400, 500, 600, and 700 °C for durations of 0.5, 1, 2 and 3 h, respectively. Pyrolyzing the feedstock at 500 °C for 1 h and at 600 °C for 0.5 h significantly reduced the TPH concentration in the biochar by 98 and 91 %, respectively, compared to that at 400 °C for 0.5 h. The highest biochar yield was obtained at the lowest pyrolysis temperature (400 °C) and the shortest pyrolysis duration (0.5 h), with a subsequent steady decrease as the temperature and duration increased. These findings underscore the importance of understanding pyrolysis conditions for producing low-cost but high-quality biochar with reduced TPH contaminants and increased biochar yield. This research offers valuable insights for developing sustainable strategies for minimizing the health risks of TPH and utilizing biochar for environmental benefits.

Broccoli Leaves (Brassica oleracea var. Italica) as a Source of Bioactive Compounds and Chemical Building Blocks: Optimal Extraction Using Dynamic Maceration and Life Cycle Assessment

Bioactive compounds (BACs) and chemical building blocks (CBBs) play a pivotal role in driving economic growth. These compounds, known for their diverse applications in pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and manufacturing, have become integral to meeting the increasing demand for sustainable and innovative products. In this research, we used and characterized dynamic maceration to extract BACs and CBBs from broccoli leaves (BLs). A central composite design (CCD) was selected to evaluate the effect of temperature (from 4 °C to 70 °C), ethanol concentration (from 30% to 70% (v/v)), and exposition time (15 to 60 min) on total phenolic content (TPC) (mg of gallic acid equivalents (GAEs) per 100 g of dry biomass (db)). A confirmation experiment (CE) was performed to reproduce the optimal conditions (50 °C, 36.92 min, and 30% (v/v)) for BAC extraction. Results indicated a GAE concentration of 112.95 ± 0.92 mg/100 g db, while the statistical model predicted a value of 111.87 mg of GAEs/100 g db (error of 0.95%) with a rate constant (k) value of 0.0154 mg/g·min (R2 of 0.9894). BACs and CBBs were identified with gas chromatography–electron impact mass spectrometry detecting l-isoleucine, l-leucine, malonic acid, and succinic acid, among others. Finally, a life cycle inventory (LCI) was developed to determine global warming (GW) and water consumption (WC), among others, for 10 g of BL extract. Findings reported herein prove the sustainability of eco-friendly extraction of BACs and CBBs for the effective use of agricultural by-products.

Profitability of Broiler Production on Diets Containing Ground Peanut (Arachis hypogaea) Shell as a Potential Alternative Feed Ingredient

The study investigated the effects of incorporating ground peanut shells into broiler diets on growth performance, feed conversion efficiency, and production cost. The results showed that broilers fed diets with ground peanut shells had improved growth performance and body weight compared to those without. Moreover, the inclusion of ground peanut shells in broiler diets improved feed conversion efficiency, indicating a reduction in the amount of feed required for broiler growth. The findings suggest that ground peanut shells can be used as a safe and effective feed ingredient for broilers without compromising their health and survival. The utilization of agricultural by-products such as peanut shells in the poultry industry can have significant benefits. Incorporating ground peanut shells into broiler diets can reduce production expenses while providing essential nutrients for human consumption. This can result in an increase in income for households involved in poultry raising. Furthermore, the use of agricultural by-products can contribute to reducing environmental waste, leading to a more sustainable and environmentally friendly poultry industry. The study highlights the potential of utilizing agricultural by-products such as peanut shells in the poultry industry. Incorporating ground peanut shells into broiler diets can reduce production costs, increase income for households involved in poultry raising, and provide essential nutrients for human consumption.

Coffee Silverskin Cellulose-Based Composite Film with Natural Pigments for Food Packaging: Physicochemical and Sensory Abilities.

To promote a circular economy, the use of agricultural by-products as food packaging material has steadily increased. However, designing food packaging films that meet consumers' preferences and requirements is still a challenge. In this work, cellulose extracted from coffee silverskin (a by-product of coffee roasting) and chitosan were combined with different natural pigments (curcumin, phycocyanin, and lycopene) to generate a variety of composite films with different colors for food packaging. The physicochemical and sensory properties of the films were evaluated. The cellulose/chitosan film showed favorable mechanical properties and water sensitivity. Addition of natural pigments resulted in different film colors, and significantly affected the optical properties and improved the UV-barrier, swelling degree, and water vapor permeability (WVP), but there were also slight decreases in the mechanical properties. The various colored films can influence the perceived features and evoke different emotions from consumers, resulting in films receiving different attraction and liking scores. This work provides a comprehensive evaluation strategy for coffee silverskin cellulose-based composite films with incorporated pigments, and a new perspective on the consideration of the hedonic ratings of consumers regarding bio-based films when designing food packaging.

Probiotic Research on Agricultural Products with Organic Ingredients in Yen Son District-Tuyen Quang Province

A serious contributor to the increasing pollution issue in rural areas today is the careless use of agricultural by-products. This issue is exacerbated by the widespread use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Most of the leftovers after the harvest season—straw, roots, tree trunks, etc.—are dried by people before being burned or dumped on the ground or along the banks of ponds, rivers, and streams, contaminating the ecosystem and stopping the flow. A resource in terms of the environment is agricultural byproducts.The best option available today is to compost agricultural waste because it decreases waste while also using it to create organic fertilizer. Experiments on the incubation of agricultural additives with particular biological products, Anvi-Tricho, as well as with other mixtures, like yeast, ash, and water as a control sample, have been undertaken in this area.In particular, after 28 days, when the samples incubated with Anvi-Tricho were porous, black-gray in color, and ready for planting, the experimental results demonstrate that the nutritional components such as N, P, and K in samples employing Anvi-Tricho are higher than those in the control samples. In order to improve the quality of future organic fertilizer, the topic also suggests that manure can be added to the compost.

CEVİZ KABUĞUNUN DOĞAL BİYOSORBENT OLARAK ÇİNKO GİDERİMİNDE KULLANILMASININ ARAŞTIRILMASI

Heavy metal contamination is a primary concern worldwide and it is discharged from the industrial wastewater to a large amount of heavy metal receiving environments. In recent years, the effective use of agricultural by-products is definitely a major challenge in waste management. The fact that agricultural residues are more easily obtained and cheaper than commercial adsorbents makes it attractive. In this study, removal of zinc from industrial wastewater using natural and thermally modified (biochar) walnut shells as biosorbent was investigated. It was tried to remove zinc in aqueous solutions with different concentrations by using walnut shells at different rates. The effects of initial concentration, contact time, adsorbent dosage. In addition, adsorption isotherms and kinetics were also studied. With the modified form of the walnut shell, up to 98% zinc removal efficiency was obtained. Also, adsorption was observed to be consistent with pseudo-second kinetics and Freundlich isotherm. The results showed that the modified walnut shell in zinc removal was a potential adsorbent. The adsorption of zinc, onto walnut shells was found to fit Freundlich isotherm. The results obtained in the tests with wastewater showed the potential use of walnut shells for the removal of zinc.

Effects of Date Seed Flour on Broiler Chickens Growth Performance, Apparent Digestibility of Protein, and Apparent Metabolizable Energy

The use of agricultural by-products as alternative feed ingredients is recommended to reduce production costs and maximize income. This study aimed to determine the effects of added date seed flour on broiler chickens’ growth performance, protein digestibility, and metabolic energy. A total of 200 Lohmann MB-202 day-old chicks were randomly allocated to 5 treatments and 4 replication with 10 broiler chickens per cage. The treatments used in the current research included control without the addition of date seed flour (T0), basal feed + 2.5% date seed flour (T1), basal feed + 5.0% date seed flour (T2), basal feed + 7.5% date seed flour (T3), basal feed + 10% date seed flour (T4). The investigated parameters were growth performance, apparent digestibility of protein, and apparent metabolizable energy-nitrogen (AMEn). The result showed that adding date seed flour significantly affected final body weight, apparent digestibility of protein, and AMEn. In contrast, the date seed flour was no significant effect on the feed intake feed conversion ratio and income over feed cost. In conclusion, the addition of 10% date seed flour successfully increases final body weight, apparent digestibility of protein, and AMEn without any adverse effect on the broiler chickens.

Mixed Solid-State Fermentation of Okara and Copra Meal by Probiotics with Non-Starch Polysaccharide Enzymes and Its Effects on the Growth Performance and Ileal Microbiota in Broilers

With the global shortage of feed ingredients, the use of agricultural by-products has become an alternative to animal feed. Okara, a by-product of soymilk and tofu processing, is high in nutrients but contains non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) and has a high-water content, which are disadvantages in animal feed. Herein, we mixed okara and copra meal (CM) with probiotics (Lactobacillus species and Clostridium butyricum) and NSP enzymes (NSPases) for solid-state fermentation (SSF) to enhance okara feed value; the optimal parameters of fermented okara and CM (FOCM) and their effects on broiler growth performance and ileal microbiota were investigated. The result showed that FOCM in combination with NSPases and probiotics at 55% of the initial moisture content and 60 h fermentation time at 37 °C were able to degrade NSP and reduce sugar content. After fermentation, the total viable counts, lactic acid, and butyric acid contents in the FOCM were 8.6 log CFU/g, 3.7%, and 17.15%, respectively. During the fifth week of the feeding period and over the whole feeding period, broilers fed with 1.25% and 2.5% FOCM had a better feed conversion ratio (p < 0.05); both groups increased the duodenal villus length (p < 0.05). Further microbiome analysis suggested that FOCM significantly increased the abundance of the phylum Firmicutes and reduced the abundance of Escherichia-Shigella in the ileal content (p < 0.05). Collectively, supplementation of probiotics and enzymes during SSF was found to be effective in enhancing the nutritional value of FOCM. Moreover, dietary supplementation of FOCM improved the broiler feed conversion ratio, gut morphology, and ileal microbiota.

Improvement of Interfacial Adhesion and Thermomechanical Properties of PLA Based Composites with Wheat/Rice Bran

The present work aims to enhance the use of agricultural byproducts for the production of bio-composites by melt extrusion. It is well known that in the production of such bio-composites, the weak point is the filler-matrix interface, for this reason the adhesion between a polylactic acid (PLA)/poly(butylene succinate)(PBSA) blend and rice and wheat bran platelets was enhanced by a treatment method applied on the fillers using a suitable beeswax. Moreover, the coupling action of beeswax and inorganic fillers (such as talc and calcium carbonate) were investigated to improve the thermo-mechanical properties of the final composites. Through rheological (MFI), morphological (SEM), thermal (TGA, DSC), mechanical (Tensile, Impact), thermomechanical (HDT) characterizations and the application of analytical models, the optimum among the tested formulations was then selected.

Influence of Palm Kernel Shell Powder on the Mechanical Properties of Inoculated Gray Cast Iron

The use of agricultural by-products and waste materials as fillers and additives to produce different mix designs with enhanced properties is one of the ways researchers are shifting focus to seek and develop materials that rely on renewable resources. The present research investigates the influence of Palm Kernel Shell Powder (PKSP) on the mechanical properties of inoculated Gray Cast Iron (GCI). Five specimens consisting of sample C0 (0.3%FeSi, 0%PKSP), Sample C3 (0.3%FeSi, 0.3%PKSP), sample C6 (0.3%FeSi, 0.6%PKSP), sample C9 (0.3%FeSi, 0.9%PKSP), and sample C12 (0.3%FeSi, 1.2%PKSP) were developed using sand mold casting method, the chemical analysis, and their mechanical properties (tensile, hardness, and microstructures) were evaluated. The chemical composition shows that the produced gray cast iron solidified within the hypereutectic cast iron range (Carbon Equivalent, CE > 4.5), while the microstructure reveals through the graphite flakes distribution that the produced gray cast iron consists of type A graphite. The highest tensile strength and hardness values were observed in sample C3 with tensile strength and hardness values of 155.97MPa and 156.74 BHN respectively. From the result obtained, an increase in both tensile and hardness values was observed up to 0.3% PKSP addition, beyond this amount, shows a decrease in both tensile strength and hardness values for the developed gray cast iron samples.

Comparative study several feed formulation based on agro-industrial by-product on production performance and in vivo digestibility of beef cattle

The aims of this study was to determine the effect of agro-industrial by-products on the production performance and digestibility of nutrient of beef cattle with four feed formulations. The treatments such as F1, F2, F3 and F4. The material used was 28 cows with an initial weight in the range of 380.11 ± 13.69 kg with Simental and Limousine crossbreeds; beef cattle faeces samples were 112 samples from 4 feed treatments and 7 replications. The variables observed were production performance of beef cattle and digistibility of nutrient. The results of the study shows that the use of agricultural by-products has a significant effect on dry matter intake (P <0.05). (10.20 ± 0.43 kg/head/day), dry matter digestibility (75.48 ± 1.46%) and no significantly effect (P>0.05) on organic matter intake, crude protein intake, crude fibre intake, increasing of daily body weight, feed conversion ratio, feed efficiency, feed cost per gain, income over feed cost, digestibility of organic matter, digestibility of crude protein, and digestibility of crude fibre. The conclusion of this study was F3 had the best treatment to increase feed intake, digestibility of dry, digestibility of organic matter, digestibility of crude protein, crude fibre digestibility of beef cattle.

Banana peels as a bioactive ingredient and its potential application in the food industry

• Banana peel is the source of bioactive compounds. • The mechanism of the chemical components of banana peel in combating various diseases or infections rationale further investigation. • Modification of processing conditions minimizes the antinutrient compound in the banana peel. • Banana peels show vast potential as a source of functional ingredients and packaging materials in food products. The use of agricultural by-products as a source of functional ingredients, particularly those from crop plants, has received great interest. Banana (Musa spp.) is a common food crop worldwide, but its peel, similar to other agricultural by-products, is often discarded. Banana peel has the potential to be transformed into functional foods because it is historically consumed as food and medicine in some regions of the world. Scope and approach : Current analysis recaps the nutritional characteristics, bioactive elements and potential health-promoting properties of banana peel and its utilisation in the food industry. Key Findings and Conclusion : The discoveries, particularly on the broad array of bioactive chemical constituents in peel and their related biological activities, seem to rationalise the proposed use of banana peel in several food industries. Banana peel is appreciated for its bioactive components, particularly the phenolic compounds. The major phenolic compounds found in the banana peel are grouped as flavonols, hydroxycinnamic acids, flavan-3-ols, and catecholamines. The incorporation of banana peel into food products enhanced the nutritional content, particularly the dietary fibre and phenolic content. It has been demonstrated that banana peel reduces lipid oxidation, particularly in meat-based products. Despite the nutrients offered by banana peels, this paper discusses the potential anti-nutrient content that must be addressed. From this review, banana peel shows great potential to be developed into beneficial functional foods and nutraceuticals. However, proper regulation and legalisation of bioactive enrichment of food products from the banana peel are required to ensure its safety for human consumption.

Microwave vacuum drying of pomegranate peel: Evaluation of specific energy consumption and quality attributes by response surface methodology and artificial neural network

Microwave vacuum drying of pomegranate peel was studied through this work and the drying process was modeled with the aid of response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural network (ANN) method. The drying experimental runs were performed on varied ranges of microwave power (175, 330, and 485 W) and vacuum pressure (10, 15, and 20 kPa) using a face-centered composite design. The influence of process parameters on five target responses, namely: total hydrolysable tannin (THT), color change (ΔE), maximum temperature evolved (Tmax), effective moisture diffusivity (Deff), and specific energy consumption (SEC) were analyzed. For microwave power and vacuum, the optimal conditions attained with aid of RSM and ANN were 260 W, 15.59 kPa, and 287 W, 19 kPa, respectively. The THT retention, ΔE, Tmax, Deff, SEC determined with RSM and ANN optimized values were 78.51 mg TAE/g of DW, 13.48, 67.02°C, 3.38 × 10−6 m2/s, 20.02 kWh/kg and 90.32 ± 0.35 mg TAE/g of DW, 12.488, 64.83°C, 5.64 × 10−6 m2/s, 20.01 ± 0.33 kWh/kg, respectively. The influence analysis explained that pomegranate peel dried at optimized ANN conditions of microwave power 287 W and vacuum 19 kPa possessed improved physicochemical properties and was efficient in terms of energy consumption compared to peel dried using RSM suggested conditions. Furthermore, the major criterion for evaluation between RSM and ANN tools in this study was the goodness of fit. The value for R2 produced via RSM varied between 0.8354 and 0.9870, whereas subsequent R2 in the case of ANN was considerably greater, varying between 0.9213 and 0.9956. The mean square error value displayed the minimum value in the case of ANN compared to the RSM model. These signified rather greater exactness and predictive capability of the ANN tool. Fourier transform infrared analysis established the existence of peaks between 3,308.92 and 908.89 cm−1 and high-performance liquid chromatography showed that pomegranate peel produced using microwave vacuum drying contains a good amount of gallic acid and tannic acid derivative compounds. Scanning electron microscopy elucidated that the combined microwave vacuum effect resulted in the formation of bigger pores on the peel surface ensuing in elevated extraction of THT at reduced energy consumption. Practical applications Shifting into a bio-economy is unrealistic with no proficient use of agricultural by-products and food waste. Microwave vacuum drying is a novel technique that would be applied to preserve the product bioactive components while drying. This study has established that drying of waste pomegranate peel using microwave vacuum dryer aided in excellent recovery rate of bioactive compounds particularly hydrolysable tannin (strong antioxidant and antimicrobial agent). This promises pomegranate peel powder obtained using microwave vacuum drying to be utilized in functional and nutraceutical food processing industries as a prospective resource of antimicrobial and antioxidant compounds. The findings also identified that the ANN-GA (artificial neural network–genetic algorithm) model would be effective for modeling the microwave vacuum drying method of pomegranate peel with preservation of peel quality. The optimal process values attained using coupled ANN-GA tool could be applied with respect to microwave vacuum-based industrial dryers to achieve the objective of drying at a considerably quicker rate.

Effect of utilization of rice husk ash on hardened properties of recycled concrete aggregate

The manufacturing of Portland cement accounts for more than 5 percent of worldwide carbon dioxide emissions. The rising expense of conventional building materials, as well as the need to ensure long-term growth in the construction industry, have encouraged designers and developers to investigate alternate materials for use in civil engineering constructions. An excellent way to accomplish this is to make use of agricultural byproducts. They can be employed as cementing materials because of their pozzolanic tendency, which would otherwise necessitate the usage of enormous areas of land for the dumping of these agricultural byproducts. As a result of the existence of these components within concrete not only helps to minimize carbon dioxide emissions, but it also contributes to the major enhancement in the workability, and durability of the concrete. Goal of this research is to discover whether or not it is feasible to use rice husk ash as a concrete addition., as well as efforts were undertaken to determine the parameter affecting concrete's strength (Compressive strength). The IS technique of mix design was used to control concrete, and a mix design for replacement approach was created using this as a foundation. In terms of replacement approach, five distinct replacement levels of rice husk ash (RHA) have been selected for the study: 5%, 7.5%, 10%, 12.5%, and 15%. A 25% of recycled coarse aggregate (RCA) has been selected as a partial replacement of virgin coarse aggregate in the mix. The present study takes into account a wide duration of time needed for cure ranging from 7 days to 14 days to 28 days. According to the findings, the compressive strength gradually improves from 7 days to 14 days after the experiment, and additionally, there is a considerable improvement in strength (compressive) from 7 days to 28 days.

Structural, phylogenetic and expression analysis of genes producing lignin degrading enzymes in the basidiomycete Cyathus bulleri and their effect on the release of reducing sugars from agro-residues

One of the major impediments in the use of agricultural by-products, including rice husk and wheat straw, as a raw material for biofuel production is the availability of a suitable biological method for delignification. The current physical, chemical and physico-chemical methods are harsh, expensive and are accompanied by the release of toxic end-products such as furan derivatives, weak carboxylic acids and phenolic compounds. The aim of this study was to explore the lignin degrading enzymes of Cyathus bulleri, an avid lignin degrader, for their use in delignification of agricultural by-products. A total of 13 laccase (Lcc) encoding and 6 manganese peroxidase or MnP (MnP) encoding genes were identified in the draft genome of C. bulleri. The Lcc genes could be sub-divided in to 3 classes based on their structural organization whereas no common structures were identified in the MnPs. Similarity at the genomic level for all laccases (except Lcc12) indicated their evolution as a result of gene duplication and these appeared to be very closely related based on the phylogenetic relationship. All the copper binding domains and the heme signature sequences were conserved in the laccases and the MnPs respectively. A transmembrane helix was predicted at the C-terminus of Lcc12 suggesting its localization on the mycelial surface. A temporal analysis of the transcription of Lcc and MnP genes was carried out on wheat bran (WB) and the data indicated Lcc1 to be transcribed the most on Day 4 while Lcc12 was transcribed during later stages of growth. The crude culture filtrate obtained from WB-grown fungus released reducing sugars from rice husk (∼18.5 mg/g of rice husk) and wheat straw (∼9.5 mg/g of WS) indicating effective delignification as well as saccharification of these materials.

Trial of partial substitution of maize (Zea mays) by Parkia biglobosa pulp in the diet of japanese quail (Coturnix japonica)

Poultry farming has always been a means of combating malnutrition. In recent years, quails farming has offered us new choices of taste, with meat production to meet the increased demand in animal proteins. However, the big problem in the poultry sector remains the cost of food. To overcome this problem, the use of agricultural by-products in animal feeding remains capital. These by-products are readily available and rich in nutrients, as it is the case with Adansonia digitata and Parkia biglobosa pulp. This is the context in which this study is taking place, which is a contribution to the valorization of P. biglobosa pulp as a partial replacement for corn in quail nutrition as a source of energy and nutrients. A total of 540 curds was selected with an average body weight of 7.00 ± 0.02 g and one day of age. Four batches of treatments were constituted, namely, batch control, batch 5%, batch 10% and batch 15% according to the rates of substitution of corn by P. biglobosa pulp in their feed. The weekly weighings of the birds made it possible to follow their weight growth and the average weekly gain of the birds. The consumption index was thus determined on the basis of food consumption. The results showed that the substitution of maize by P. biglobosa pulp improved the weight and the average daily gain of the birds in the growth phase. Feed consumption and feed conversion ratio were low for the control batch compared to the treated batches during both rearing phases. Food consumption and the consumption index were more in favor of the control especially in the start-up phase compared to the treated batches. The pulp of P. biglobosa, by virtue of its nutritional quality, can therefore be used in quail feed at corn substitution rates of 5 to 15% without adversely affecting its zootechnical performance.

Cell Wall Composition of Hemp Shiv Determined by Physical and Chemical Approaches.

The use of agricultural by-products in the building engineering realm has led to an increase in insulation characteristics of biobased materials and a decrease in environmental impact. The understanding of cell wall structure is possible by the study of interactions of chemical compounds, themselves determined by common techniques like Van Soest (VS). In this study, a global method is investigated to characterise the cell wall of hemp shiv. The cell wall molecules were, at first, isolated by fractionation of biomass and then analysed by physical and chemical analysis (Thermal Gravimetric Analysis, Elementary Analysis, Dynamic Sorption Vapor and Infra-Red). This global method is an experimental way to characterise plant cell wall molecules of fractions by Thermal Gravimetric Analysis following by a mathematical method to have a detailed estimation of the cell wall composition and the interactions between plant macromolecules. The analyzed hemp shiv presents proportions of 2.5 ± 0.6% of water, 4.4 ± 0.2% of pectins, 42.6 ± 1.0% (Hemicellulose–Cellulose), 18.4 ± 1.6% (Cellulose–Hemicellulose), 29.0 ± 0.8% (Lignin–Cellulose) and 2.0 ± 0.4% of linked lignin.