While Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the benchmark for industrial fuel ethanol, non- Saccharomyces yeasts offer unique stress tolerance traits whose potential in first-generation (1G) bioethanol remains poorly explored. This study evaluated the stress resilience and growth/fermentative performances of Wickerhamomyces anomalus , Meyerozyma guilliermondii , and Scheffersomyces stipitis in sugarcane musts relative to industrial S. cerevisiae strains (PE-2 and CAT-1). Microplate screening across multiple stress conditions (pH, temperature, glucose, and ethanol) revealed that W. anomalus and M. guilliermondii possessed stress tolerance profiles comparable with industrial S. cerevisiae , with M. guilliermondii displaying the highest substrate affinity for glucose. Across all strains, molasses supported significantly greater biomass accumulation (2 log cycles) than sugarcane juice. In simulated industrial fed-batch fermentations with acid treatment and cell recycling across six cycles with M. guilliermondii , washing with water only resulted in the lowest conversion efficiency (0.04 g/g), whereas acid treatment significantly enhanced yield to 0.34 g/g. Conversely, S. cerevisiae CAT-1 maintained superior performance in Cycle 6 under both water (0.49 g/g) and acid (0.46 g/g) washing treatments, exhibiting no significant difference between washing treatments and demonstrating overall higher resilience and fermentative yield than M. guilliermondii following continuous biomass reuse. Although less competitive in ethanol yield under standard 1G conditions, M. guilliermondii exhibits remarkable physiological robustness, highlighting its potential for 1G ethanol if process parameters (e.g., micro-aeration or preadaptation) are optimized. The results of this work contribute to enhancing bioprocess efficiency in bioethanol production, promoting diversification and driving the transition from petroleum-based fuels to more sustainable alternatives.
The pervasive infiltration of microplastics (MPs; <5 mm) and nanoplastics (NPs; <1 µm) into freshwater ecosystems has emerged as a critical environmental concern in India. Major river systems such as the Ganga, Yamuna, and Hindon are experiencing alarming levels of plastic contamination due to rapid urbanization, industrial discharge, agricultural runoff, and ineffective waste management practices. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the forms, sources, and pathways of micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) in Indian rivers and evaluates their ecological impacts on aquatic organisms, including ingestion, bioaccumulation, and trophic transfer. Emphasis is placed on the toxicological risks posed by MPs and NPs as carriers of heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants, and pathogenic microorganisms. The article critically examines existing analytical techniques—such as Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy paired with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and pyrolysis–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry—for the detection and quantification of MNPs, highlighting their limitations in low-resource settings. Additionally, the review explores India’s regulatory frameworks, such as the Plastic Waste Management Rules and the Namami Gange Mission, and assesses the gaps in enforcement and technological readiness. Future directions are discussed, including the development of standardized detection protocols, biodegradable alternatives, and cross-sectoral policies integrating environmental monitoring, waste valorization, and public engagement. A multidisciplinary approach is essential to mitigate the ecological and human health implications of plastic pollution in India’s riverine ecosystems.
Arabitol and xylitol are pentitol isomers with applications as low-calorie sweeteners and platform chemicals. This study evaluated the fermentative behavior of Candida tropicalis , isolated from a sugarcane-processing facility and identified by sequencing the 5.8S–ITS1–ITS2 rRNA region. A 12-run Plackett–Burman design with three center-point replicates was used to screen the main effects of glucose, xylose, arabinose, glycerol, lactose, furfural, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, and acetic acid on polyol production. The maximum arabitol and xylitol concentrations were 6.03 and 12.12 g L −1 , respectively; these values were obtained in different experimental runs and corresponded to yields of 0.46 g arabitol g −1 arabinose and 0.47 g xylitol g −1 xylose. Xylose and acetic acid significantly affected xylitol production, whereas arabinose was the primary factor affecting arabitol formation. A subsequent proof-of-concept fermentation was conducted with sugarcane bagasse hemicellulosic hydrolysate containing 30 g L −1 xylose and 5.81 g L −1 arabinose. In the unsupplemented hydrolysate, xylitol and arabitol reached 13.5 and 1.77 g L −1 , respectively, with a xylitol productivity of 0.11 g L −1 h −1 . Lactose and glycerol supplementation increased arabinose consumption but reduced overall polyol production. These results demonstrate the ability of C. tropicalis to convert the principal pentoses in sugarcane bagasse hemicellulosic hydrolysate into value-added polyols.
Marine fishery and aquaculture processing generate substantial volumes of biological byproducts—fish skin, bone, scales, and viscera—that remain underutilized as feedstocks for higher-value bio-based materials. The gap between feedstock availability and quality-controlled manufacturing capacity in many coastal economies is not solely scientific; the scientific characterization of marine-derived biomaterials is comparatively more developed than the governance literature addressing their distributed manufacture. It is a governance gap: The absence of a framework capable of transmitting sufficient process knowledge to geographically distributed manufacturing entities while retaining intellectual property integrity, capturing local adaptation learning, and maintaining quality coherence across nodes and biological input sources. Existing organizational models—centralized production and conventional technology licensing—each address part of this challenge but leave important governance problems unresolved. This review examines the governance and technology transfer literature bearing on distributed biomanufacturing, identifies the specific design gap those literatures leave open, and proposes a platform governance model in which intellectual property, research and development authority, feedstock qualification, and quality standards are maintained centrally while geographically defined industrial nodes conduct local sourcing, manufacturing, and regulatory engagement. The central argument is that, for biologically variable feedstocks, governance architecture may function as a technical control mechanism—not merely a commercial arrangement—for reproducibility, quality assurance, and responsible technology transfer. The model is presented as a conceptual framework requiring proof-of-concept validation, regulatory classification, quality system development, and partner governance design before any operational, regulatory, or commercial claims can be made. Governance risks, implementation considerations, and a staged pathway to node deployment are discussed.
