Biocatalysis and agricultural biotechnology最新文献

A 7-month glasshouse study was conducted to assess the growth responses, nutrient status, and non-enzymatic antioxidant properties of E. guineensis seedlings grown on infertile Ultisol which were subjected to different combinations of chemical fertilizers (CF) and commercial biofertilizer (IBG) as follows: [T1] 100% CF [T2] 70% CF + 30% IBG biofertilizer [T3] 50% CF + 50% IBG biofertilizer [T4] 70% CF only and [T5] Absolute Control. A combination of CF70 and IBG30 led to 15.8% increase in the growth of seedlings as compared to CF100, presenting significantly higher fresh shoot and root weights as well as an ideal root-to-shoot ratio. Absolute control seedlings on the other hand, showed less desirable phenotypical traits across all the observed parameters. Significantly higher levels of relative chlorophyll were recorded for the seedlings treated with CF70 + IBG30, which positively correlated with the chlorophyll a/b ratio. Moreover, the biofertilizer and chemical fertilization allowed increased uptake of nutrients where higher uptake of B and P was positively correlated (p < 0.05) with enhanced frond production, while larger roots mass was associated with primary growth traits. The positive impacts of the combined IBG biofertilizer and chemical fertilizer application were likely attributed to enhanced accumulation of non-enzymatic antioxidants to counteract the effects of soil infertility, with seedlings in CF70 + IBG30 mostly recorded the highest phenolic, anthocyanin, flavonoid, photosynthetic pigments, DPPH radical activity and proline levels.

This review addresses the critical issue of illegal discharge of partially or untreated wastewater effluents, resulting in the accumulation of various inorganic and organic contaminants in the environment. Numerous industries release these toxins into the atmosphere, posing significant threats to wildlife and human health. Consequently, there is an increasing need to mitigate these harmful pollutants through innovative research initiatives. Traditional physicochemical methods for pollutant management are often energy-intensive and can lead to secondary pollution. In contrast, microalgae bioremediation has emerged as an effective and environmentally friendly method for reducing the impact of both organic and inorganic pollutants. Microalgae can decompose complex organic compounds into simpler, less harmful substances without producing additional secondary pollutants. Moreover, certain organic pollutants can serve as carbon sources for the growth of mixotrophic microalgae. The bioremediation potential of microalgae can be further enhanced through advanced modification techniques. This review employs descriptive analysis to explore the application of bioremediation technologies for the removal of organic and inorganic contaminants, assessing their viability and applicability for emerging organic pollutants. It underscores the potential of microalgae to provide cost-effective and ecological solutions for the remediation of various contaminants and outlines successful bioremediation methods. This review effectively elucidates the nature of harmful contaminants, current challenges in industrial-scale water purification, and potential future solutions.

Food contamination has recently emerged as a major global challenge. Due to the potential side effects of synthetic preservatives, natural-based alternatives with antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties have been developed to prevent food spoilage. This approach involves utilizing biomolecules like proteins, which can undergo self-assembly to form stable nanostructures with enhanced functionalities. Here, we prepared self-assembled nanostructured lysozyme (SaLyz) using two different crosslinkers: Sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) and Glutaraldehyde (GTD). SaLyz₁, prepared with a single crosslinker (STPP), had a size of 80 nm, while SaLyz₂, prepared with a double crosslinker (GTD + STPP), had a size of 60 nm. SaLyz₂, with a zeta potential of −29 mV, showed greater stability at high pH and temperature. To enhance the antibacterial and antibiofilm activity of SaLyz, the natural polyphenol curcumin was loaded onto SaLyz₁ and SaLyz₂. SaLyz₂-Cur exhibited the highest antibacterial efficacy, with growth inhibition rates of 91% against E. coli and 93.7% against B. subtilis. Additionally, this formulation demonstrated excellent antibiofilm activity, inhibiting over 86% and 88% of E. coli and B. subtilis biofilm formation, respectively. Furthermore, the particles eradicated preformed mature biofilms of E. coli and B. subtilis at rates of 74% and 80%, respectively. The developed SaLyz possessed significant antioxidant properties, which were further enhanced after curcumin loading. In vitro hemocompatibility and cytocompatibility studies showed that SaLyz and SaLyz-Cur were highly biocompatible, indicating their safety for consumption. Hence, the prepared formulations, with their strong antibacterial, antibiofilm, and antioxidant activities, can be utilized as natural food preservatives to prevent food spoilage.

The global lactone market, although it has expanded over the years, has still been little explored. The objective of this review was to provide a percentage quantification of γ-lactone production from papers published in Web of Science™ (WoS). To this end, a systematic search was carried out to identify the main raw materials and microorganisms for biotransformation of hydrophobic material and the main γ-lactones produced in the process along with the main gaps exists. The results obtained in this review suggest that on an average the number of publications is around three papers per year, relatively low compared to those in other areas. Castor oil and its derivatives represent 80% of the raw materials used for biotransformation into γ-lactones, due to the high concentration of ricinoleic acid. Yarrowia lipolytica represents around 55.26% of the total application in the papers evaluated. The γ-decalactone, with nuances of peach aroma, is the γ-lactone most reported in this review, representing around 84.21% of the total papers published in WoS. Liquid-liquid extraction has been a favorite of researchers, and diethyl ether is the organic solvent most used in the recovery of lactones, representing 44.73% of the papers evaluated. This review demonstrates the need to explore new oilseed sources such as fruit seed oil considered as waste, but also the need to produce other lactones such as γ-dodecalactone due to the biotransformation of oleic acid, fatty acid present in most vegetable oils, and its production process under optimized conditions.

Vermicompost (VC) products have grown in popularity in plant nutrition and are widely used to improve plant growth and suppress plant diseases. In addition, the choice of chemical-free food and increased public concern for human health and the environment due to the impacts of hazardous inorganic fertilizers have motivated farmers to seek safer and more eco-friendly alternatives. The present study aimed to evaluate the plant-growth-promoting and biocontrol potential of macrophyte biomass-based VC products in tomato plants. The results indicated that tomato plants treated with VC + vermicompost tea (VCT) resulted in 30.74% higher plant height, 20.70% more leaves, 29.05% more fruits, and 61.26% higher total yield than the control plants. In addition, VC products significantly reduced disease incidence by 35–60%, whereas the untreated control had the highest wilt incidence (75%). The study concludes that VC products produced from free-floating aquatic weed biomass (Azolla, Lemna, and Salvinia) could be used as a potential alternative to inorganic fungicides to manage Fusarium wilt disease and as bioinoculants to improve the growth and yield of tomato plants for sustainable crop production.

A significant cause of food and crop contamination is fungi producing mycotoxins, posing a notable danger to global food security and safety. Plant extracts, essential oils, and phytochemicals have emerged as natural green preservatives to extend food's lifespan due to their exceptional antimicrobial properties. Potential antifungal plants: Cinnamomum verum (Cinnamon), Myristica fragrans (Nutmeg), Origanum majorana (Marjoram), Peganum harmala (Harmal or Syrian rue), Carum copticum (Ajwain), Thymus species (Thyme), Chrysanthemum species, Ocimum sanctum (Holy Basil or Tulsi), and Origanum species (Oregano) have been identified for control of aflatoxins producing fungi. Unlike conventional artificial preservatives, they offer a safe and reliable approach to conserving food with minimal environmental impact. Nanoformulations of plant essential oils present an advanced technique for managing mycotoxin-producing fungi compared to using essential oils alone. These nanoformulations lock in the active compounds, preventing leakage, and ensure safe delivery to the target site, thereby enhancing efficacy. There is potential for reducing mycotoxin contamination in crops and food through the use of these nanoformulations. By limiting environmental impacts and providing targeted delivery and better release, they enable quick and effective mitigation. This review provides an overview of the many phytochemicals and essential oils used in nanoformulations to prevent harmful fungi. To ensure food sustainability, it addresses safety issues and investigates their mechanisms of action against mycotoxins.

The world is looking forward to partially switching for a more sustainable option reducing the dependence on fossil fuel, thus complementing with a more environment-friendly option. Biomass as energy resource is a very prominent candidate for the same. Several researches are working on the commercialization of biomass-energy but many issues arise in the process. Some of the major challenges in the commercialization of biofuel as identified in this analysis are important to work upon. To mention a few, cutting down the cost of feedstock, placing the refineries more centrally to cut down the logistic expenses, to work on enzymatic hydrolyzation to make the process faster, making large volume products or high value goods as the secondary by-products. This article identifies these challenges, analyzed the root cause alongside suggesting some solutions like, preferring second generation biorefineries than first generation to avoid the controversy with the food security issue, introduction of newest technologies like circular bio-base production to reduce its adverse environmental impact and many more. This analysis can cater the requirement of a cross-section of researchers working on biofuel.

The severe disease Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) causes in rice plants is known as rice bacterial blight.As a result of the risks associated with the indiscriminate use of chemical pesticides, bio elicitors derived from plant sources may be sought after as superior and safer substitutes. Thus, the objective of the current study was to assess the potential of terpenes from Dysoxylum malabaricum (D. Meliaceae) leaf to promote plant defence and provide protection from Xoo. It was observed that D. malabaricum leaves contained eight major terpene compounds (DMT). The application of DMT induced defence enzyme synthesis (peroxidase, PO - polyphenol oxidase, PPO) and accumulation till 120 h post treatment and their levels increased further post infection of Xoo. Direct suppression of Xoo growth in-vitro evidently decreased disease incidence and severity offering effective disease control, consequently enhancing plant growth parameters and biomass. Overall, our study suggests that D. malabaricum terpenes have a significant role in preventing the growth of Xoo in rice plants, providing long-term plant protection.

Modulating bacterial exopolysaccharides (EPS) with nanoparticles is an emerging application of nanotechnology due to the enhancement of soil fertility, encouragement of nutrient uptake, and plant growth in agriculture. This study highlights the seamless integration of nanotechnology with EPS, the fungus, Serendipita indica strain is used here to reduce selenium ions and forms selenium nanoparticles (Se NPs). Se NPs has been characterized by visual observation, UV–vis spectroscopy, FTIR, TEM, SEM-EDX, XRD, DLS and Zeta potential. Production of EPS was monitored in the presence of Se NPs. Extracted EPS was characterized by FTIR, SEM-EDX, HPLC, and NMR. Results exhibit the successful formation of spherical, crystalline Se NPs with size ranging between 20-80 nm with 92.24% selenium. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to identify and optimise the production of exopolysaccharides (EPS) from Bacillus subtilis that was isolated from arid zone agricultural soil. The central composite rotatable design (CCRD) exhibited the highest yield of EPS 11.332 g/l. EPS was then characterized by FTIR, HPLC, NMR, and SEM which revealed the presence of carboxyl and hydroxyl groups and flakes-like structure of EPS. Hence, the present work will pave the way for the application of nanotechnology for increasing EPS production and will also offer new dimensions for further research.

The world's fossil fuel resources are rapidly depleting as the global population grows and energy demands rise. Current fossil fuel supplies are insufficient to meet rising demand and are nearing depletion. Careless exploitation of fossil fuels increases greenhouse gas emissions, environmental pollution, and global warming, resulting in ecological imbalances and health risks. Consequently, contamination, rising temperatures, and high oil costs have fueled the search for renewable and alternative energy sources. This study seeks to explore renewable energy alternatives that are critical to meeting future global energy demands. Marine algae such as red algae, green algae, and brown algae are gaining popularity as economically viable and environmentally friendly sources of renewable biofuel. Several studies are currently underway to assess the ability of marine algae to produce a variety of bioproducts, including biofuels. Macroalgae, in particular, emerges as an ideal resource for biofuel production due to their lipid and carbohydrate content, coupled with low or absent lignin content. The article investigates the potential of marine algal species to promote biofuel production and discusses novel methods for improving biofuel yields. It also emphasizes the economic factors and challenges associated with sustainable biofuel production.