This study focused on optimizing endoglucanase production using a peculiar fungal co-culture comprising Rhizopus arrhizus and Aspergillus fumigatus, identified through morphological and 18S rDNA analyses. The co-culture achieved the highest enzyme production after 72 h of fermentation with alkaline-treated substrates. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) revealed substantial structural disruption in pretreated biomass, enhancing enzyme accessibility. Among the tested substrates, pea hulls proved to be the most effective for enzyme production. Optimization of physical and nutritional parameters was performed using Design of Experiments (DOE) approaches, specifically Plackett-Burman Design (PBD) for screening and Central Composite Design (CCD) for fine optimization. The maximum endoglucanase activity of 119.58 U/mL/min was obtained under the optimized conditions of 27.5 °C, pH 5.5, inoculum age 3.5 days, and supplementation with 1.5% fructose, 1.25% yeast extract, 1.25% sodium nitrate, and 1.25% Tween 80. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) confirmed the significance of these parameters and their interactions at a 95% confidence level, with a strong model fit (R2 = 0.9052). This study demonstrates the potential of waste pea hulls as a cost-effective substrate for enzyme production, supporting waste valorization and contributing to a circular bioeconomy through sustainable biomass utilization.

This study optimized a phytoremediation system using Sorghum bicolor × sudanense for strontium (Sr)-contaminated soil. We investigated three key factors: optimal harvest time, a microbial combination (MCH, consisting of Deinococcus radiodurans and Bacillus cereus at a 2:1 ratio), and nitrogen (N) fertilizer forms (ammonium sulfate, sodium nitrate, and urea). Plants were harvested at different days after sowing (40–180 days) to determine the optimal harvest period. Under 200 mg kg−1 Sr stress, harvesting at 135 days achieved the highest annual Sr accumulation (21.66 mg kg−1). MCH inoculation increased exchangeable Sr by 64.91

Soil contamination due to heavy metals, especially cadmium (Cd), poses a growing concern. This study seeks to develop an economical and non-polluting sustainable remediation program for Cd-contaminated soil to address this issue. This study pioneered the exploration of Cd accumulation patterns in three forage species: Lolium multiflorum Lamk (LMJS), Sorghum bicolor × sudanense (SSBJ), and Sorghum sudanense (Piper) Stapf (SUJS) to identify their optimal harvest periods in Cd-contaminated soils. Additionally, a consortium of beneficial microorganisms (combinations of C, F, and H; C: 10

Heavy metal and nuclide contamination pose increasing threats to the environment and public health. In this study, a comparative analysis was conducted on the bioremediation capabilities of the halophilic fungus Engyodontium album (E. album) and the non-halophilic fungus Trichoderma reesei (T. reesei) under cadmium (Cd) and strontium (Sr) stress. Biosorption tests, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transcriptomic analyses were performed to assess the fungi's physiological and molecular responses to 100 ppm of Cd and Sr. The results revealed that E. album exhibited superior biosorption capacity for both Cd and Sr, significantly outperforming T. reesei. Transcriptomic analysis identified the upregulation of metal-degrading enzymes and enhanced antioxidant defences in E. album, with increased activity in the MAPK signalling pathway. In contrast, T. reesei demonstrated lower tolerance and remediation efficiency, with significant gene expression changes under stress conditions, particularly in reactive oxygen species detoxification mechanisms. These findings suggest that extremophilic fungi like E. album hold significant promise for eco-friendly bioremediation applications due to their robust metabolic adaptations to heavy metal stress. This study is the first to compare extremophilic and non-extremophilic fungi in response to heavy metal contamination, providing valuable insights for future environmental remediation strategies.

Often thought of as a mesic paradise, forest ecosystems are a mosaic of microhabitats with temporal oscillations that cause significant environmental stresses, providing habitats for extremophilic and extremotolerant fungi. Adapted to survive and thrive under conditions lethal to most mesophiles (e.g., extreme temperatures, pH, water potential, radiation, salinity, nutrient scarcity, and pollutants), these species are increasingly recognized as vital yet underappreciated elements of forest biodiversity and function. This review examines the current understanding of the roles of extremophilic fungi in forests, scrutinizing their presence in these ecosystems with a critical eye. Particularly under severe environmental conditions, extremophilic fungi play a crucial role in forest ecosystems, as they significantly enhance decomposition and nutrient cycling, and foster mutualistic interactions with plants that increase stress resilience. This helps to maintain ecosystem stability. We examine the definition of “extreme” within forest settings, survey the known diversity and distribution of these fungi across various forest stress niches (cold climates, fire-affected areas, acidic soils, canopy surfaces, polluted sites), and delve into their possible ecological functions, including decomposition of recalcitrant matter, nutrient cycling under stress, interactions with plants (pathogenesis, endophytism, perhaps mycorrhizae), bioremediation, and contributions to soil formation. However, the review stresses significant methodological difficulties, information gaps, and field-based natural biases. We recommend overcoming cultural constraints, enhancing the functional annotation of “omics” data, and planning investigations that clarify the specific activities and interactions of these cryptic creatures within the forest matrix to further advance the field. Here, we demonstrate that moving beyond simple identification to a deeper understanding of function will enable us to more fully appreciate the value of extremophilic fungi in forest ecosystems, particularly in relation to environmental disturbances and climate change.

In this study, the plants Eucalyptus globulus (E. globulus), Jasminum officinale (J. officinale), and Solanum nigrum (S. nigrum) are investigated for their antibacterial, antioxidant, and therapeutic properties. The extraction solvents (aqueous, methanol, ethanol, and butanol) were used for phytochemical screening, antibacterial activity while aqueous extracts were specifically used for antioxidant analysis. The quantitative determination showed that the highest phenolic and tannin content was found in J. officinale, while highest flavonoid and alkaloids levels were found in E. globulus among the tested species. The disc diffusion method was followed for assessing the antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). All extracts of E. globulus leaves showed antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus. The aqueous extracts on FTIR showed quercetin, benzoic, salicylic, gallic, ferulic, and ascorbic acid. Furthermore, in silico analysis to assess the interaction of selected bioactive compounds, quercetin and benzoic acid, found in E. globulus, were docked with haemagglutinin and neuraminidase, as these influenza virus surface proteins play an important role in the virus's ability to infect host cells. Salicylic, gallic, ferulic, and ascorbic acid from J. officinale and S. nigrum, were docked with GABA receptor-associated proteins, which are important in synaptic transmission and plasticity.

In this study, thermophilic pectinase-producing strains were isolated. Among all the isolates, strain No. 4 was identified as Aspergillus fumigatus BT-4 based on its morphology and 18 S rDNA analysis. This strain was employed to screen various fermentation media to enhance pectinase production. Pectinases are crucial enzymes with significant industrial applications, particularly in the food and textile industries. Identifying efficient pectinase producers and optimizing their production processes are essential for improving industrial applications. Maximum pectinase production was observed using 1

Table salt, or sodium chloride, is extensively utilized in the culinary business as a flavoring agent, texture garnishing [...]

The study aimed to use date seeds as an alternative source for producing health-friendly caffeine-free coffee and to evaluate its phytochemical, physicochemical, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties. The sensory attributes of all coffee samples were evaluated using a 9-point hedonic scale. Results indicated that coffee made from date seeds was found to be more acceptable to consumers. Mazafati date seed coffee showed more antibacterial potential than the other samples. The results revealed the date seed coffee possessed higher antioxidant activity (94.8 % in date seed coffee and 78.09 % in commercial coffee) than commercial coffee. Phytochemical analysis revealed that saponins, phenolic compounds, and glycosides were present in all coffee samples, while coumarins, and terpenoids were found only in commercial coffee. HPLC analysis revealed that date seed coffee samples were caffeine-free, while commercial coffee contained caffeine. In silico analysis showed ellagic acid in date seed coffee show good binding affinity with alpha-amylase which could be beneficial for diabetic, patients. In addition, this study revealed the potential of date seed coffee as an eco-friendly, caffeine-free substitute for regular coffee.

Radionuclides are essential for chemical and biological innovations, but their presence as toxic pollutant particles poses a significant threat to human health. To state this issue, bioremediation methodologies utilizing microorganisms have been implemented cost-effectively for removing elevated levels of heavy metals and radionuclides from the environment. The study's goal was to look into how bacteria (Bacillus cereus and Escherichia coli) and halophilic fungi (Aspergillus penicillioides, Engyodontium album, Penicillium imranianum, and Sterigmatomyces halophilus) tolerate radionuclides (Cesium, Strontium, and Uranium). The radionuclides inhibited bacteria and suppressed fungal growth. Interestingly, combinations of radionuclides with fungi were found to be more lethal against bacteria. Fungi demonstrated varying tolerance to radionuclides and exhibited efficient biosorption of radionuclides. Among the halophilic fungi, P. imranianum has shown the best performance in terms of tolerance against both bacteria and radionuclides. At the same time, S. halophilus exhibited the least ability to handle the stress conditions imposed by radionuclides. This study highlights the considerable potential for biosorption by halophilic fungi under extreme stress conditions, delivering a rate effective ecological solution for the elimination of toxic radionuclides.

With the extensive development of nuclear energy, soil uranium contamination has become an increasingly prominent problem. The development of evaluation systems for various uranium contamination levels and soil microhabitats is critical. In this study, the effects of uranium contamination on the carbon source metabolic capacity and microbial community structure of soil microbial communities were investigated using Biolog microplate technology and high-throughput sequencing, and the responses of soil biochemical properties to uranium were also analyzed. Then, ten key biological indicators as reliable input variables, including arylsulfatase, biomass nitrogen, metabolic entropy, microbial entropy, Simpson, Shannon, McIntosh, Nocardioides, Lysobacter, and Mycoleptodisus, were screened by random forest (RF), Boruta, and grey relational analysis (GRA). The optimal uranium-contaminated soil microbiological evaluation model was obtained by comparing the performance of three evaluation methods: partial least squares regression (PLS), support vector regression (SVR), and improved particle algorithm (IPSO-SVR). Consequently, partial least squares regression (PLS) has a higher R2 (0.932) and a lower RMSE value (0.214) compared to the other. This research provides a new evaluation method to describe the relationship between soil ecological effects and biological indicators under nuclear contamination.

Climate change and the resultant environmental deterioration signify one of the most challenging problems facing humankind in the 21st century. The origins of climate change are multifaceted and rooted in anthropogenic activities, resulting in increasing greenhouse gases in the environment and leading to global warming and weather drifts. Extremophilic fungi, characterized by their exceptional properties to survive extreme habitats, harbor great potential in mitigating climate change effects. This review provides insight into the potential applications of extremophilic fungi in climate change mitigation strategies. They are able to metabolize organic biomass and degrade carbon compounds, thereby safely sequestering carbon and extenuating its release into the environment as noxious greenhouse gases. Furthermore, they possess extremozymes, which break down recalcitrant organic species, including lignocellulosic biomass and hydrocarbons. Enzymatic machinery equips these extremophilic fungi to perform the bioremediation of polluted environments. Extremophilic fungi can also be exploited for various biological interventions, such as biofuels, bioplastics, and other bioprocessing applications. However, these fungi characterize a valued but underexplored resource in the arsenal of climate change mitigation strategies.

BackgroundThe potential of phytoremediation using garlic monoculture (MC) and intercropping (IC) system with perennial ryegrass to enhance the uptake of cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), and lead (Pb) were investigated.ResultsPositive correlations were found between MC and IC systems, with varying biomass. Production of perennial ryegrass was affected differently depending on the type of toxic metal present in the soil. Root growth inhibition was more affected than shoot growth inhibition. The total biomass of shoot and root in IC was higher than MC, increasing approximately 3.7 and 2.9 fold compared to MC, attributed to advantages in root IC crop systems. Photosystem II efficiency showed less sensitivity to metal toxicity compared to the control, with a decrease between 10.07-12.03%. Among gas exchange parameters, only Cr significantly affected physiological responses by reducing transpiration by 69.24%, likely due to leaf chlorosis and necrosis.ConclusionThis study exhibited the potential of garlic MC and IC with perennial ryegrass in phytoremediation. Although the different metals affect plant growth differently, IC showed advantages over MC in term biomass production.

The current study aimed to produce an amyloglucosidase enzyme from the fungal consortium. The best amylolytic fungal consortia were identified as Alternaria alternata and Aspergillus niger through the 18S rDNA technique. Fermentation kinetics and various nutritional and cultural parameters were analyzed. Maximum production was obtained in M4 media, pH 5.5, 30 °C, and 4 mL inoculum at 150 rpm after 72 h of incubation. Along with that, sodium nitrate at 2.5

Enrichment plants were screened from six forage grasses in this study to establish a complete combined forage grass-microbial remediation system of strontium-contaminated soil, and microbial groups were added to the screened dominant forage grasses. The occurrence states of strontium in forage grasses were explored by the BCR sequential extraction method. The results showed that the annual removal rate of Sudan grass (Sorghum sudanense (Piper) Stapf.) reached 23.05% in soil with a strontium concentration of 500 mg·kg-1. Three dominant microbial groups: E, G and H, have shown good facilitation effects in co-remediation with Sudan grass and Gaodan grass (Sorghum bicolor × sudanense), respectively. When compared to the control, the strontium accumulation of forage grasses in kg of soil with microbial groups was increased by 0.5-4 fold. The optimal forage grass-microbial combination can theoretically repair contaminated soil in three years. The microbial group E was found to promote the transfer of the exchangeable state and the reducible state of strontium to the overground part of the forage grass. Metagenomic sequencing results showed that the addition of microbial groups increased Bacillus spp. in rhizosphere soil, enhanced the disease resistance and tolerance of forage grasses, and improved the remediation ability of forage grass-microbial combinations.

The aim of present study was to investigate the potential of indigenous plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) for enhancing the nutrient availability and plant growth. Field experiment was conducted and total three sampling sites [Bhimber (BH), Samahni (SA) and Barnala (BA)] were selected. Samples were collected from fallow fields under long term (about 70 years) cultivation of wheat (Triticum aestivum) and maize (Zea mays). Soil nutrients and physicochemical properties were determined and climatic data was obtained from the nearest metrological station. Total 26 different isolates were obtained from the soils, out of which 10 were from SA while 8 each from BH and BA soils. The highest amount of IAA (44.8 mu g/mL), siderophore production (12.83 mu g/mL), N-fixation (128.6 mu g/mL) and P-sol (40.01 mu g/mL) was recorded in SA as compared to BH and BA soils while Ksol (13.61 mu g/mL) and Znsol (28.2 mu g/mL) was highest in BA. Bacillus spp. showed maximum IAA production (52.01 mu g/mL), Ksol (19.1 mu g/mL) and ZnSol (34.64 mu g/mL). The maximum GA (1371 mu g/mL), siderophore production (17.22 mu g/mL) and Psol (62.64 mu g/mL) was observed by Pseudomonas spp. The production and solubilization of some important plant growth hormones and nutrients were highest in SA by Bacillus, Rhizobium, Pseudomonas, BH by Pseudomonas and BA by Bacillus. It was concluded that PGPB have potential to promote growth of plants and nutrient regulation.

Streptomyces species have been exploited widely as microbial cell factories, especially for antibiotic production. However, their potential for alpha-amylase production has not been extensively studied. This study reports the isolation, molecular identification, and optimization of the physiological conditions for alpha-amylase production from Streptomyces sp., isolated from soil in Kotli Azad Kashmir. The maximum growth of Streptomyces MI-1 was observed at a neutral pH and a temperature of 35 °C. An amylase activity of 1.15 IU/mL was observed when 4% starch was added to the nutrient medium. During the submerged state fermentation, the maximum amylase activity of 2.136 IU/mL/min was observed after 144 h of incubation. The characterization of bacterial amylase revealed an optimum temperature of 40 °C, and its optimum pH was 7.0. Furthermore, during the study, examining the effect of different metal ions found that Mg2+ and Ca2+ ions had a positive effect, while Cu2+ and Fe2+ ions had an inhibitory effect compared to the control. This preliminary study provides basal line information for the discovery of novel microbes from the unexplored natural resources for amylase production, which will be used for many purposes.

The identity and interrelationship of Morus species were confirmed and authenticated in the current research effort using DNA barcode analysis as a molecular technique. Chloroplast DNA of Specimens were evaluated through PCR, Sequence homology and Neighbor -Joining (NJ) clustering. Sequence recoveries of the rbcL and matK were 91.66 & 88.88% respectively. All the samples with matK depict BLAST similarity more than 96% with sequence cover higher than 75%, whereas in case of rbcL BLAST similarity was greater than 97% along with more than 74% sequence coverage. The matK phylogenetic tree diagram; revealed five main divergent groupings and a few subgroups. The first three groups comprised M. alba varieties. Group four consists of one M. alba and two M. macroura variants. M. alba V1 is present on a separate node. Varieties of M. macroura resemble one another more than sibling taxa. Group five is the largest group comprising four subgroups and five varieties of two species. Variants of M. nigra belong to various subgroups and are spread across various intra-species evolutionary nodes. Variants of M. serrata are connected. The hierarchical clustering of rbcL observed to consist of five main groups and several smaller ones. M. macroura and M. serrata varieties are included in group one. M. serrata species were closely resembling, whereas M. macroura species were located on distinct nodes, indicating small differences. 2nd and 3rd groups represent variants of M. alba. The fourth and 5th group includes M. nigra varieties, with V1 and V2 showed close relationship. The barcoding method divided our subject strains into different groups, which strengthened the identification process. rbcL genes had a maximum rate of conservation than matK. According to the rbcL alignment all 12 sequences had at least 91.6% identity at the 91.4% of sequence coverage. The results of matK were somewhat diverged sharing a minimum of 69.3% identity and 67% sequence coverage. The findings show that rbcL and matK markers can efficiently distinguish between species. Additionally, our research could be useful for identifying other species of Morus and contribute to the taxonomy of the genus.

Microbial remediation of heavy metals in soil has been widely studied. However, bioremediation efficiency is limited in practical applications because of nutritional deficiency, low efficiency, and competition with indigenous microorganisms. Herein, we prepared a biochar-based microbial agent (BMA) by immobilizing the microbial agent (MA, containing Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus, and Citrobacter sp.) on biochar for the remediation of U and Cd in soil. The results showed that BMA increased soil organic matter, cation exchange capacity, and fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis activity and dehydrogenase activity by 58.7%, 38.2%, 42.9%, and 51.1%. The availability of U and Cd were significantly decreased by 67.4% and 54.2% in BMA amended soil, thereby reducing their accumulation in vegetables. BMA greatly promoted vegetable growth. Additionally, BMA significantly altered the structure and function of rhizosphere soil microbial communities. Coincidently, more abundant ecologically beneficial bacteria like Nitrospira, Nitrosomonas, Lysobacter, and Bacillus were observed, whereas plant pathogenic fungi like Fusarium and Alternaria reduced in BMA amended soil. The network analysis revealed that BMA amendment increased the tightness and complexity of microbial communities. Importantly, the compatibility of niches and microbial species within co-occurrence network was enhanced after BMA addition. These findings provide a promising strategy for suppressing heavy metal accumulation in vegetables and promoting their growth.