Unconventional alternatives such as aerobic and anaerobic effluent from starch industry contain essential nutrients for Btk active ingredient synthesis. Effluent from starch industry is rich in carbon and nitrogen and can replace expensive feedstock used during the fermentation process. The main objective of this study was to achieve a biopesticide formulation from starch industry wastewater (SIW) with high entomotoxicity (UI/ml) of larvae comparable to Foray 76B, which is a commercial biopesticide. Bacillus thuringiensis var kurstaki HD1 (Btk) strain was cultivated and sub-cultured to aerobic, anaerobic digested effluent and SIW. Pre-treatment was carried on these different substrates to enhance the residual carbon required for Btk growth and delta endotoxin synthesis. After 48 hours of fermentation, cells count and delta-endotoxin were determined. A biopesticide formulation containing fermented broth and adjuvants was fed to larvae to determine larvae mortality. Btk cell growth and sporulation profile in SIW media displayed a high total cell count and viable spores compared to btk growth in anaerobic or aerobic media after 48h fermentation. The maximum endotoxin concentration in the SIW medium was 435μg/mL, whereas, in anaerobic and aerobic effluent, the maximum concentrations were at 161 μg/mL and 136 μg/mL, respectively. When acidic treatment was performed at pH 2 for these substrates, entomotoxicity obtained from aerobic and anaerobic biopesticide formulations displayed significantly higher entomoxicity than the untreated ones. The entomotoxicity of SIW treated at pH 2 was equivalent to the standard Foray 76B which is 20,000 IU/μL. Anaerobic and aerobic effluent did not contain enough total organic carbon to augment Btk growth and entomotoxicity. Substrates pre-treated at pH 2 provided significant organic matter for Btk growth and resulted in larval mortality equivalent to the com ercial biopesticide Foray 76B.

In this study, crude, purified, and pure glycerol were used to cultivate Trichosporon oleaginosus for lipid production which was then used as feedstock of biodiesel production. The purified glycerol was obtained from crude glycerol by removing soap with addition of H3PO4 which converted soap to free fatty acids and then separated from the solution. The results showed that purified glycerol provided similar performance as pure glycerol in lipid accumulation; however, crude glycerol as carbon source had negatively impacted the lipid production of T. oleaginosus. Purified glycerol was later used to determine the optimal glycerol concentration for lipid production. The highest lipid yield 0.19g/g glycerol was obtained at 50g/L purified glycerol in which the biomass concentration and lipid content were 10.75g/L and 47% w/w, respectively. An energy gain of 4150.51MJ could be obtained with 1tonne of the crude glycerol employed for biodiesel production through the process proposed in this study. The biodiesel production cost estimated was 6.32US$/gal. Fatty acid profiles revealed that C16:0 and C18:1 were the major compounds of the biodiesel from the lipid produced by T. oleaginosus cultivated with crude and purified glycerol. The study found that purified glycerol was promising carbon source for biodiesel production.

The presence of pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) in water and wastewater has raised concerns because of potential environmental impacts and thus their removal is of high importance. The adsorption behavior of chlortetracycline (CTC) from aqueous solution on raw and activated pinewood biochar was studied at 298 K. The effect of initial pH of the solution was studied by performing the experiment at three different pHs (1, 5 and 9). At each pH, CTC showed varied electrostatic charge (+1, 0 and −1, respectively) which affected its adsorption. The results indicated that CTC followed Langmuir isotherm and the related parameters were calculated. Also, it was observed that the maximum adsorption occurred at pH1. The adsorption capacity of CTC for raw and activated biochar was at least 2.1 and 208.3mg/g adsorbent, respectively. The characteristics of biochars were studied using zeta potential analyzer, laser size analyzer and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that raw and activated biochars are promising candidates for removal of CTC from water due to the acidic character of pinewood that can result in better interaction with ionizable compounds at lower pHs.

Pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs), which find their way easily into the water sources, are emerging as a major concern for drinking water quality and aquatic species. Therefore, their removal from water sources is a priority from environmental point of view. During the past decade, different methods including membrane separation, adsorption systems and chemical transformation have been evaluated for removal of these compounds. This paper reviews different aspects of PhAC removal by using membrane separation processes, as they have been conventionally known to show high potential in the production of superior quality drinking and industrial water. In brief, osmosis membranes can efficiently remove almost all PhACs though its operational cost is relatively high and nanofiltration (NF) membranes are highly influenced by electrostatic and hydrophobic interaction. Moreover, the efficiency of membrane bioreactors (MBRs) is difficult to predict due to the complex interaction of compounds with microorganisms. To improve the performance and robustness of membrane technology, it is suggested to combine membranes with other systems, such as activated carbon and enzymatic degradation.

In the last decade, researchers paid great attention to the concept of “Green Chemistry”, which aims at development of efficient methods for the synthesis of nanoparticles (NPs) in terms of the least possible impact on human life and environment. Generally, several reagents including precursors, reducing agents, stabilizing agents and solvents are used for the production of NPs and in some cases, energy is needed to reach the optimum temperature for reduction. Therefore, to develop a green approach, researchers had the opportunity to investigate eco-friendly reagents and new energy transfer techniques. In order to substitute the harmful reagents with green ones, researchers worked on different types of saccharides, polyols, carboxylic acids, polyoxometalates and extracts of various plants that can play the role of reducers, stabilizers or solvents. Also, there are some reports on using ultraviolet (UV), gamma and microwave irradiation that are capable of reducing and provide uniform heating. According to the literature, it is possible to use green reagents and novel energy transfer techniques for production of NPs. However, these new synthesis routes should be optimized in terms of performance, cost, product quality (shape and size distribution) and scale-up capability. This paper presents a review on most of the employed green reagents and new energy transfer techniques for the production of metallic NPs.

Ligninolytic enzyme production and polyphenolic compound extraction by liquid-state culture of Phanerochaete chrysosporium ATCC 24275 was investigated by employing apple pomace sludge and synthetic medium. Different physico-chemical and biological parameters namely viscosity, zeta potential and particle size, viability and enzyme production were investigated. The ligninolytic enzyme production was higher in apple pomace sludge (45 U/I of laccase, 220 U/I of MnP and 6.5 U/I of LiP) than in synthetic medium (17 U/I of laccase, 37 U/I of MnP and 6 UP). These maximal activities were found during the stationary and decline phase. It was also found that enzyme production was strongly correlated with P. chrysoporium viability in both synthetic medium and apple pomace sludge. Moreover, physico-chemical parameters, such as particle size, zeta potential and viscosity were strongly correlated to the viability of P. chrysosporium and to the ligninolytic enzyme production. An increase in polyphenol content extracted by acetone (383-720 mg GAE/I) was observed during fermentation of apple pomace and it was found that the polyphenol content extracted by ethanol increased similar to 1.5 fold until 67 h of fermentation and later it decreased. It was found that antioxidant activity increased to 35% and eventually decreased based on the change in the polyphenol content. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The thermal stability, physico-chemical properties and effect on juice clarification of hydrogel formulations of ligninolytic enzymes from Phanerochaete chrysosporium were evaluated. The results showed that enzyme entrapment increase significantly (P<0.05) the thermal stability of enzymes at 4 and 75°C. At 75°C, maximum activity decreased to non detectable values of 7.9% for free laccase, manganese peroxidase (MnP), lignin peroxidase (LiP), respectively; to 94%, 97%, 93% for laccase, MnP and LiP entrapped into Polyacrylamide/pectin, 94%, 98%, 88% for laccase, MnP and LiP encapsulated respectively into polyacrylamide/ gelatine and to 87%, 91%, 87% for laccase, MnP and LiP entrapped, respectively into polyacrylamide/carboxymethylcellulose (CMC). When particle size and viscosity of the formulation increased, enzyme stability increased. The polyphenolic reduction and clarity amelioration in mixed juice of berry and pomegranate was more significant (p>0.05) using encapsulated enzymes treatment than free enzymes. This suggested that enzymatic treatment was efficient for the juice clarification.

An investigation was carried out to understand the changes and mobilization of polyphenolics and the improvement in their antioxidant properties in apple pomace by solid-state fermentation using Generally Recognized as Safe grade fungus, Phanerochaete chrysosporium, by different fermentation techniques, such as flask, tray, and fermentor. β-glucosidase, ligninolytic enzymes activity, and polyphenolic-linked antioxidant activity of apple pomace during solid-state fermentation was studied. During the course of solid-state fermentation, there was an increase in the extractable polyphenolic content (15.53 to 29.28 mg of gallic acid equivalents per gram of dry weight (DW)) on the 7th day followed by a decline in the polyphenol content. Antioxidant activity was measured by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical inhibition system, and the increase in activity (∼35%) was directly proportional to polyphenolic content over the course of solid-state fermentation. After an initial lag phase with little activity, the β-glucosidase activity increased by 6-, 7-, and 6-fold in flask (18.12 U/g DW samples), fermentor (44.52 U/g of DW sample), and tray fermentation (46.66 U/g DW sample) methods, respectively. Both polyphenolics and antioxidant capacity correlated with the increase in the β-glucosidase activity and showed that the enzyme played an important role in the release of polyphenolic aglycones from apple pomace and therefore increased the antioxidant capacity. In addition, ligninolytic enzymes showed a direct correlation with the mobilization and polymerization of polyphenolic content during the solid-state fermentation.

Mathematic relationships between spore concentrations, delta-endotoxin concentrations and entomotoxicity (Tx) of Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki HD-1 (Btk HD-1) preparations produced in six different media were analysed. The relationship between delta-endotoxin and spore concentration and SpTx-spore (specific Tx per 1000 spore) and spore concentration produced in the different media (starch industry wastewater (SIW) with total solids (TS) concentration of 15g/L, SIW with TS of 30g/L, SIW supplemented with 0.2% (w/v) colloidal chitin, SIW supplemented with 1.25% (w/v) cornstarch and 0.2% (v/v) Tween 80, secondary sludge, and semi-synthetic medium) strictly followed the Power law. Tx and delta endotoxin concentration followed the exponential relation whereas a definite relation between Tx and spore concentration could not be established. Spore and delta-endotoxin produced at the early time (12h) during fermentation might be more toxic than those produced during latter period of fermentation irrespective of media used. Tx and delta-endotoxin concentration exhibited a semi-log linear relationship. Based on these findings, delta-endotoxin concentration can be determined rapidly to monitor the progress of the biopesticide production process.

Agricultural and food-industry residues constitute a major proportion (almost 30%) of worldwide agricultural production. These wastes mainly comprise lignocellulosic materials, fruit and vegetable wastes, sugar-industry wastes as well as animal and fisheries refuse and byproducts. Agro-residues are rich in many bioactive and nutraceutical compounds, such as polyphenolics, carotenoids and dietary fiber among others. Agro residues are a major valuable biomass and present potential solutions to problems of animal nutrition and the worldwide supply of protein and calories, if appropriate technologies can be used for their valorization by nutrient enrichment. Technologies available for protein enrichment of these wastes include solid substrate fermentation, ensiling, and high solid or slurry processes. Technologies to be developed for the reprocessing of these wastes need to take account of the peculiarities of individual wastes and the environment in which they are generated, reprocessed, and used. In particular, such technologies need to deliver products that are safe, not just for animal feed use, but also from the perspective of human feeding. This review focuses on the major current applications of solid-state fermentation in relation to the feed sector.

Lignin quantification in apple pomace residues was carried out using a microwave oven to replace traditional refluxing during the mild acidolysis step to augment the selectivity of this step towards cleavage of lignin–carbohydrate bonds and to reduce the time needed to quantify lignin. The pressure, temperature and time were optimized by response surface methodology and the results were compared to the Klason lignin methodology. Temperature and pressure had a significant positive effect (p < 0.05) on the determination of lignin. However, the time was also significant (p < 0.05) on lignin quantification. The optimal conditions of digestion were: 30 bar, 170 °C for 15 min. The digestion using microwave (lignin content = 33 % w/w) was more accurate (p < 0.05) than the the traditional refluxing (lignin content = 27 % w/w).

The presence of toxic substances in water leads to varied adverse impacts on living organisms through direct or indirect exposure. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a toxic chemical that has been periodically discharged into wastewater treatment plants. BPA is an industrial precursor used for the manufacture of polycarbonates and epoxy resins. This compound has been discharged in the environment (water, soil, and air) by various means during the manufacturing processes (in particular during heating, handling, and transport of products). Several treatment methods, such as physical, chemical, and biological processes have been traditionally used to ensure higher removal of BPA from wastewater, albeit with lower removal rates or with resulting secondary pollution. In this context, this minireview is an attempt to explore different aspects of research in the field of biological removal of BPA from wastewater. The biological treatment is generally more effective than the physico-chemical treatment, as the former causes lower amounts of secondary pollution. Of the various biological modes of treatment, enzymatic degradation is the most effective, as it does not require the addition of nutrients for the microbial growth. Thus, it prevents the accumulation of biomass in water. Moreover, this technique is effective even while using small quantities of enzymes and it does not require a process control of the treatment conditions. Although the utility of the enzymatic treatment is approved more and more, the process remains highly expensive because of the higher cost of the raw material and the lower stability of enzymes. In this context, there is a need to find a solution for the economical production of enzymes to ensure the complete removal of BPA from wastewater in an eco-friendly manner.

Studies were carried out for β-glucosidase production using apple pomace (AP) in solid-state fermentation using 2(4) factorial design and response surface methodology. The influence of four independent variables including initial moisture level and inducers [veratryl alcohol (VA), lactose (LAC) and copper sulfate (CS)] was studied. The experimental design showed that initial moisture level had significant negative effect on the response. Higher β-glucosidase activity of 64.18 IU/gram fermented substrate (gfs) was achieved in solid-state tray fermentation with optimum conditions having initial moisture level 55% (v/w), pH 4.5, 2 mM/kg VA, 2% (w/w) LAC and 1.5 mM/kg CS concentration, respectively,. The non-specific chitinase 70.28 ± 6.34 IU/gfs and chitosanase activities 60.18 ± 6.82 to 64.20 ± 7.12 IU/gfs were observed. The study demonstrated that AP can be potentially used for the β-glucosidase production by Aspergillus niger. Moreover, β-glucosidase can be used for the hydrolysis of chitin/chitosan to depolymerized products and in the formulation of biocontrol agents for enhanced entomotoxicity levels.

La présence des substances toxiques dans l'eau peut avoir des effets néfastes sur les organismes vivants à la suite d'une exposition directe ou indirecte des organismes à ces substances. Le bisphénol A (BPA) est un parmi les produits chimiques qui sont périodiquement déchargés dans les eaux usées. Ce produit est un précurseur industriel primaire dans la fabrication de polycarbonates et de résines époxy. Ce composé est déchargé dans l'environnement (eau, sol et air) par différentes voies lors des processus de fabrication (en particulier pendant le chauffage, la manipulation et le transport des produits). Plusieurs types de traitement (physique, chimique et biologique) sont employés afin de dégrader le BPA présent dans les eaux usées. Cette revue met l'accent particulièrement sur sa dégradation par des procédés biologiques. Ces méthodes sont plus efficaces que les procédés physicochimiques. En effet, le traitement biologique offre une solution efficace et fiable pour l'élimination du BPA présent dans les eaux usées sans pollution secondaire. La dégradation enzymatique est le procédé le plus efficace et le plus utilisé et il ne demande pas l'ajout de nutriments pour la croissance microbienne. De plus, il permet d'éviter une accumulation de biomasse. En outre, cette technique est efficace même en utilisant de faibles quantités d'enzymes et ne nécessite pas un processus de contrôle des conditions de traitement. Bien que l'utilité du traitement enzymatique soit de plus en plus approuvée, le procédé reste très coûteux compte tenu du prix élevé de la matière première et de la faible stabilité des enzymes. Dans ce contexte, la recherche d'une solution permettant la production des enzymes à un coût économique s'avère indispensable afin d'assurer l'élimination complète du BPA des eaux usées.

This paper reports on a clinical trial evaluating outcomes of a frequency-lowering technique for adolescents and young adults with severe to profound hearing impairment. Outcomes were defined by changes in aided thresholds, speech perception, and acceptance. The participants comprised seven young people aged between 13 and 25 years. They were divided into two groups based on their audiometric configuration. The first group consisted of four young people with pure tone thresholds of <= 100 dB at 1 kHz. The second group had more profound hearing loss, with pure tone thresholds of > 100 dB at 1 kHz. All participants attended the Fundacio Widex Audiologia in Barcelona, a charitable foundation offering intervention and habilitation programmes for hearing-impaired children of all ages. The participants were oral communicators integrated into mainstream high schools and universities. All were experienced hearing aid users with excellent spoken language and no other disability. The hearing aids were fitted using standardized procedures and were worn with the frequency transposition algorithm in the first programme for consistent everyday use. Phoneme and word recognition were assessed after 4, 8, and 12 weeks of use and compared with results for their own superpower hearing aids. Subjective comments from both the participants and their parents were recorded throughout the study. Notable improvements were observed in both sound-field-aided thresholds and speech perception after 12 weeks of use, suggesting that frequency lowering can be efficacious in improving speech perception in severely to profoundly hearing-impaired individuals who are past the critical age for language acquisition.

A rheological study of diets using the agro-industrial wastes (brewery wastewater and pomace waste) was carried out in order to obtain a diet most adapted to supply nutrients for growth of codling moth (CM) larvae. Nutritive capacity (g/L) of brewery wastewater (BWW) (25.5 ± 5.5 carbohydrates; 16.9 ± 2.1 proteins; 6 ± 1.6 lipids) and pomace waste (POM) (22.0 ± 0.03 carbohydrates; 11.3 ± 1.3 proteins; 2 ± 0.2 lipids) were essential and important as replacement or in association with other ingredients [soya flour (SF), wheat germ (WG), yeast extract (YE)] of the standard diet for the breeding of codling moth larvae. These diet additives also contributed to the preservation of texture and nutritive content of larvae diet. The eggs and CM larvae were grown on alternate diets under industrial conditions (16:8 h photoperiod; 25 ± 1 °C and 50 ± 0.5 % of humidity). The higher assimilation of nutrients of the diets in BWW and control diet was observed by calculating the rate of hatching of eggs (0.48 to 0.71); larvae growth (0.23 to 0.4) and fertility (1.33 to 3 for control diet). The excellent growth and fertility rates of codling moth larvae were attributed to variations in viscosity (varying from 50 to 266 mPa.s⁻¹), particle size (varying 24.3 μm in 88.05 μm with regard to 110 μm the control diet) and total solids (145.88 g/L POM + YE; 162.08 g/L BWW + YE; 162.2 g/L POM + WG; 173 g/L control; 174.3 g/L BWW + WG) diets. Lower viscosity favored improved diet due to ease of assimilation of nutrients. Thus, rheology is an important parameter during preparation of diets for growth of codling moth larvae as it will dictate the nutrient assimilation which is an important parameter of larvae growth.

Lignin and manganese peroxidase (LiP, MnP) and laccase production by Phanerocheate chrysosporium was optimized by response surface methodology for brewery waste and apple pomace. The effect of moisture, copper sulphate, and veratryl alcohol (VA) concentrations on enzyme production was studied. Moisture and VA had significant positive effect on MnP and LiP production and the viability of P. chrysosporium ( p < 0.05) and copper sulphate produced a negative effect. However, moisture and copper sulphate had a significant positive ( p < 0.05) effect on laccase production, but VA had an insignificant positive effect ( p < 0.05). Higher values of MnP, LiP and viability of P. chrysosporium on apple pomace (1287.5 U MnP/gds (units/gram dry substrate), 305 U LiP/gds, and 10.38 Log 10 viability) and brewery waste (792 U MnP/gds and 9.83 Log 10 viability) were obtained with 80% moisture, 3 mmol/kg VA, and 0.5 mmol/kg copper. LiP production in brewery waste (7.87 U/gds) was maximal at 70% moisture, 2 mmol/kg VA, and 1 mmol/kg copper. Higher production of laccase in apple pomace (789 U/gds) and brewery waste (841 U/gds) were obtained with 80% moisture, 3 mmol/kg VA, and 1.5 mmol/kg copper. Thus, moisture along with VA and copper sulphate was pertinent for the production of ligninolytic enzymes and increased cell viability.

Apple pomace is a by-product from the apple processing industry and can be used for the production of value-added phenolic compounds. A study was carried out to understand the changes and liberation of phenolic compounds and improvement in antioxidant activity during solid-state fermentation of apple pomace using Phanerocheate chrysosporium. The solid-state fermentation of apple pomace using P. chrysosporium mobilised the polyphenolic compounds and improved the nutraceutical properties. The polyphenol content in acetone extract increased and the results were statistically significant (P < 0.05) from 4.6 to 16.12 mg GAE/g dry weight during solid-state fermentation. The effect of various solvents, temperature, time and detergents were also investigated for the extraction of polyphenolics by ultrasonication and microwave-assisted extraction methods. The polyphenol content of the extracts was found to be in the range of 5.78–16.12 mg GAE/g DW of samples, depending on the solvent, extraction time and temperature. Antioxidant activities of polyphenol extracts were tested using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryhydrazyl (DPPH) radical methods, where the IC50 ranged from 12.24 to 23.42 μg DW sample, depending on the extraction conditions and the antioxidant activities correlated well with the polyphenol concentrations.

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in diets rich in fruits and vegetables and this is mostly due to their presumed role in the prevention of various degenerative diseases, such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases. This is mainly due to the presence of bioactive compounds, such as polyphenols, carotenoids, among others. Polyphenols are one of the main classes of secondary metabolites derived from plants offering several health benefits resulting in their use as functional foods. Prior to the use of these polyphenols in specific applications, such as food, pharmaceutical, and the cosmetic industries, they need to be extracted from the natural matrices, then analyzed and characterized. The development of an efficient procedure for the extraction, proper analysis, and characterization of phenolic compounds from different sources is a challenging task due to the structural diversity of phenolic compounds, a complex matrix, and their interaction with other cellular components. In this light, this review discusses different methods of extraction, analysis, and the structural characterization of polyphenolic compounds.