The urgency for reducing the dependence on fossil-based materials is increasing the interest in the utilization of renewable feedstocks. Lignocellulosic residual biomass can be used as feedstock to produce chemicals and energy without generating food security problems. Wheat straw (WS) has a clear potential for developing sustainable processes in a circular bioeconomy context. However, the development of processes requires a strategy for utilizing the hemicellulosic, cellulosic, and lignin fractions. This work covers the utilization of the hemicellulosic fraction as the first stage of a wheat straw biorefinery. The aim was to evaluate the hydrolysis of WS by using liquid hot water (LHW) treatment, the detoxification of the produced wheat straw hydrolysate (WSH), and the cultivation of Trichoderma reesei using it as the only carbon source as proof of detoxification. LHW treatment was performed at 160 °C and 90 min and yielded a WSH rich in monomeric and oligomeric saccharides (~ 14 g/L) and containing degradation products in low concentration (furfural, HMF, and acetic acid). As part of the development of the extraction and detoxification strategy, we determined the specific inhibition thresholds for T. reesei for the mentioned degradation products. Detoxification was carried out by evaporation by modifying the % of volume evaporated and the pH of the solution. Approximately 55.9% of acetic acid and 100% of furfural were removed from the WSH. The fungal biomass obtained in the medium containing WSH was equivalent to 98% of the biomass obtained in the control medium.

Background Even if the loss of production capacity of a microorganism is said to be a serious problem in various biotechnology industries, reports in literature are rather rare. Strains of the genera Trichoderma reesei are used for large-scale production of cellulases, which are needed in food and feed, textile, paper industries and biofuel production. Results Here, we describe the phenomenon of spontaneous degeneration of T. reesei strains during large-scale cultivation. The phenotype of the degenerated population is characterized most importantly by a loss of any cellulase formation. Interestingly, promoter regions of relevant genes had a more compact chromatin in the (cel −) strains compared to productive strains. For a systematic investigation of the phenomenon a protocol for artificially induced and lab-scaled strain degeneration was developed. This workflow allows to determine the degeneration rate and thus, to compare the occurrence of a degenerated population in differently productive strains on the one hand, and to monitor the success of any strategies to prevent or decrease the degeneration on the other hand. While highly productive strains have higher degeneration rates compared to moderate producers, the degeneration can hardly be triggered in moderate producers. The observed (cel −) phenotype is not caused by a mutation in the gene encoding the essential transactivator Xyr1. The development of a non-producing population is also not triggered by any compounds released by either producing or non-producing cells. Conclusions The extent of the occurrence of a degenerated strain population relates to the production capacity of the strain and goes along with chromatin condensation in relevant promoter regions.

Using genetic microbial source tracking (MST) markers to identify fecal pollution sources in spring water of a large alpine karst catchment 3

The present article systematizes the variety of possible and currently commercially available alternatives to the classic sweetener sucrose. Selected members of different groups are specifically evaluated for their sweetness, energy content and glycemic index. Additional health and environmental aspects are highlighted. Thus, the biotransformation, the environmental persistence, energy balance or the nutritional-physiological effects and/or tolerability of selected substances are discussed and explained, based on the current scientific literature. In principle, this contribution is based on a classification into 3 substance groups: sugar in a broader sense, sweeteners and sugar substitutes. Finally, a possible new production process for the sugar substitute erythritol from biogenic residues is addressed.

ZusammenfassungIm vorliegenden Artikel wird die Vielfalt an möglichen und derzeit im Handel angebotenen Alternativen zum klassischen Süßungsmittel Saccharose systematisiert. Ausgewählte Vertreter unterschiedlicher Gruppen werden im Speziellen hinsichtlich deren Süßkraft, Energiegehalt und glykämischem Index bewertet. Zusätzliche gesundheits- und umweltrelevante Aspekte werden beleuchtet. So werden die Biotransformation, die Persistenz in der Umwelt, die Energiebilanz, oder die ernährungsphysiologischen Auswirkungen und/oder Verträglichkeiten ausgewählter Substanzen anhand der aktuellen Wissenschaftsliteratur diskutiert und erläutert. Grundsätzlich orientiert sich der Beitrag dazu an einer Einteilung in 3 Stoffgruppen: Zucker im weiteren Sinne, Süßstoffe und Zuckeraustauschstoffe. Zuletzt wird ein mögliches neues Produktionsverfahren zur Herstellung des Zuckeraustauschstoffs Erythrit aus biogenen Reststoffen angesprochen.

Erythritol is a naturally abundant sweetener gaining more and more importance especially within the food industry. It is widely used as sweetener in calorie-reduced food, candies, or bakery products. In research focusing on sugar alternatives, erythritol is a key issue due to its, compared to other polyols, challenging production. It cannot be chemically synthesized in a commercially worthwhile way resulting in a switch to biotechnological production. In this area, research efforts have been made to improve concentration, productivity, and yield. This mini review will give an overview on the attempts to improve erythritol production as well as their development over time.

The microbial faecal pollution of rivers has wide-ranging impacts on a variety of human activities that rely on appropriate river water quality. Thus, detailed knowledge of the extent and origin of microbial faecal pollution is crucial for watershed management activities to maintain safe water use. In this study, the microbial faecal pollution levels were monitored by standard faecal indicator bacteria (SFIB) along a 2580 km stretch of the Danube, the world's most international river, as well as the Danube's most important tributaries. To track the origin of faecal pollution, host-associated Bacteroidetes genetic faecal marker qPCR assays for different host groups were applied in concert with SFIB. The spatial resolution analysis was followed by a time resolution analysis of faecal pollution patterns over 1 year at three selected sites. In this way, a comprehensive faecal pollution map of the total length of the Danube was created, combining substantiated information on both the extent and origin of microbial faecal pollution. Within the environmental data matrix for the river, microbial faecal pollution constituted an independent component and did not cluster with any other measured environmental parameters. Generally, midstream samples representatively depicted the microbial pollution levels at the respective river sites. However, at a few, somewhat unexpected sites, high pollution levels occurred in the lateral zones of the river while the midstream zone had good water quality. Human faecal pollution was demonstrated as the primary pollution source along the whole river, while animal faecal pollution was of minor importance. This study demonstrates that the application of host-associated genetic microbial source tracking markers in concert with the traditional concept of microbial faecal pollution monitoring based on SFIB significantly enhances the knowledge of the extent and origin of microbial faecal pollution patterns in large rivers. It constitutes a powerful tool to guide target-oriented water quality management in large river basins.

The ascomycete Trichoderma reesei produces industrially applied plant cell wall-degrading enzymes.The two major xylanases XYNI (encoded by xyn1) and XYNII (encoded by xyn2) are amongst those enzymes.The transactivator Xyr1, the repressor Cre1, and gene-specific transcription factors regulate the expression of both xylanases.The inducing compounds D-xylose and sophorose trigger the expression of the xylanases, however, to different extents.D-glucose causes carbon catabolite repression (CCR) mediated by Cre1, which leads to a down-regulation of expression of both.Apart from transcription factors, DNA packaging adds an important layer to the regulation of the production of xylanolytic enzymes.In this study the chromatin status in two upstream regulatory regions (URRs) of the xyn1 and xyn2 genes and the transcript levels were investigated in the wild-type strain QM6a and the hypercellulolytic mutant Rut-C30.This analysis demonstrated more open chromatin and higher transcript levels in both strains and genes under at least one of the two inducing conditions.Additionally, a generally more open chromatin could be observed in Rut-C30 independent of the carbon source that was accompanied by elevated transcript levels.In vivo footprinting analyses demonstrated that protein-DNA interactions differ between Dxylose compared to D-glucose in both strains.In addition, different DNA occupancies were observed in the URR of xyn2 in dependency of the applied inducer.Obviously, the usage of a certain inducer influences the final promoter architecture.

This was a detailed investigation of the seasonal occurrence, dynamics, removal and resistance of human-associated genetic Bacteroidetes faecal markers (GeBaM) compared with ISO-based standard faecal indicator bacteria (SFIB), human-specific viral faecal markers and one human-associated Bacteroidetes phage in raw and treated wastewater of municipal and domestic origin. Characteristics of the selected activated sludge wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) from Austria and Germany were studied in detail (WWTPs, n = 13, connected populations from 3 to 49000 individuals), supported by volume-proportional automated 24-h sampling and chemical water quality analysis. GeBaM were consistently detected in high concentrations in raw (median log(10) 8.6 marker equivalents (ME) 100 ml(-1)) and biologically treated wastewater samples (median log(10) 6.2-6.5 ME 100 ml(-1)), irrespective of plant size, type and time of the season (n = 53-65). GeBaM, Escherichia coli, and enterococci concentrations revealed the same range of statistical variability for raw (multiplicative standard deviations s* = 2.3-3.0) and treated wastewater (s* = 3.7-4.5), with increased variability after treatment. Clostridium perfringens spores revealed the lowest variability for raw wastewater (s* = 1.5). In raw wastewater correlations among microbiological parameters were only detectable between GeBaM, C perfringens and JC polyomaviruses. Statistical associations amongst microbial parameters increased during wastewater treatment. Two plants with advanced treatment were also investigated, revealing a minimum log(10) 5.0 (10th percentile) reduction of GeBaM in the activated sludge membrane bioreactor, but no reduction of the genetic markers during UV irradiation (254 nm). This study highlights the potential of human-associated GeBaM to complement wastewater impact monitoring based on the determination of SFIB. In addition, human-specific JC polyomaviruses and adenoviruses seem to be a valuable support if highly specific markers are needed. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

ABSTRACT Because of high diurnal water quality fluctuations in raw municipal wastewater, the use of proportional autosampling over a period of 24 h at municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to evaluate carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus removal has become a standard in many countries. Microbial removal or load estimation at municipal WWTPs, however, is still based on manually recovered grab samples. The goal of this study was to establish basic knowledge regarding the persistence of standard bacterial fecal indicators and Bacteroidetes genetic microbial source tracking markers in municipal wastewater in order to evaluate their suitability for automated sampling, as the potential lack of persistence is the main argument against such procedures. Raw and secondary treated wastewater of municipal origin from representative and well-characterized biological WWTPs without disinfection (organic carbon and nutrient removal) was investigated in microcosm experiments at 5 and 21°C with a total storage time of 32 h (including a 24-h autosampling component and an 8-h postsampling phase). Vegetative Escherichia coli and enterococci, as well as Clostridium perfringens spores, were selected as indicators for cultivation-based standard enumeration. Molecular analysis focused on total (AllBac) and human-associated genetic Bacteroidetes (BacHum-UCD, HF183 TaqMan) markers by using quantitative PCR, as well as 16S rRNA gene-based next-generation sequencing. The microbial parameters showed high persistence in both raw and treated wastewater at 5°C under the storage conditions used. Surprisingly, and in contrast to results obtained with treated wastewater, persistence of the microbial markers in raw wastewater was also high at 21°C. On the basis of our results, 24-h autosampling procedures with 5°C storage conditions can be recommended for the investigation of fecal indicators or Bacteroidetes genetic markers at municipal WWTPs. Such autosampling procedures will contribute to better understanding and monitoring of municipal WWTPs as sources of fecal pollution in water resources.

The applicability of next generation DNA sequencing (NGS) methods for water quality assessment has so far not been broadly investigated. This study set out to evaluate the potential of an NGS-based approach in a complex catchment with importance for drinking water abstraction. In this multi-compartment investigation, total bacterial communities in water, faeces, soil, and sediment samples were investigated by 454 pyrosequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA gene amplicons to assess the capabilities of this NGS method for (i) the development and evaluation of environmental molecular diagnostics, (ii) direct screening of the bulk bacterial communities, and (iii) the detection of faecal pollution in water. Results indicate that NGS methods can highlight potential target populations for diagnostics and will prove useful for the evaluation of existing and the development of novel DNA-based detection methods in the field of water microbiology. The used approach allowed unveiling of dominant bacterial populations but failed to detect populations with low abundances such as faecal indicators in surface waters. In combination with metadata, NGS data will also allow the identification of drivers of bacterial community composition during water treatment and distribution, highlighting the power of this approach for monitoring of bacterial regrowth and contamination in technical systems.

The realisation of a novel concept for automated on-line monitoring of enzymatic activities in water was successfully demonstrated by long-term field testing at two remote Austrian ground water resources. The β-d-glucuronidase (GLUC) activity was selected as a representative enzymatic model parameter for the on-line determination. But the device can be adapted for any enzymatic reaction with diagnostic relevance for microbial water quality monitoring, as demonstrated for the β-d-galactosidase activity. Automated filtration of volumes up to 5 litres supports sensitive quantification of enzymatic activities. Internet-based data transfer, using internal control parameters for verification and a dynamic determination of the limit of quantification, enabled robust enzymatic on-line monitoring during a 2-year period. A proportion of 5,313 out of 5,506 GLUC activity measurements (96.5%) could be positively verified. Hydrological (discharge, gauge, turbidity, temperature, pH, electric conductivity, spectral absorbance coefficient at 254 nm) as well as microbiological parameters (Escherichia coli, coliforms) were concurrently determined to characterise the investigated ground water resources. The enzymatic on-line measurements closely reflected the different hydrological conditions and contamination patterns of the test sites. Contrary to expectations, GLUC did not qualify as a proxy-parameter for the occurrence of cultivation-based E. coli contamination and warrants further detailed investigations on its indication capacity as a rapid means for microbial faecal pollution detection in such aquatic habitats. Microbial on-line monitoring is likely to become more important in the future, complementing existing surveillance strategies for water safety management. Further perspectives on the application of such analytical on-line technologies, such as their connection with event-triggered sampling and standardised diagnostics, are discussed.

During a 3-year study, Clostridium perfringens was investigated in defined fecal sources from a temperate alluvial backwater area of a large river system. The results reveal that using C. perfringens as a conservative water quality indicator for total fecal pollution monitoring is no longer justified but suggest that it can be used as a tracer for excreta from nonherbivorous wildlife and human sewage.

Fungi of the genus Fusarium are worldwide occurring plant pathogens which cause severe damages to numerous cultivable plants (Weiland et al., 2000; Mirete et al., 2004; Youssef et al., 2007; Li et al., 2008) with the highest economical losses upon infection of maize, wheat and barley (Windels et al., 2000; Nganje et al., 2004). Fusarium caused diseases can destroy crops within several weeks and the infection leads to quality losses in two different aspects: besides the reduced yield due to reduced kernel size, the fungus produces various toxic metabolites while colonizing the plant. These mycotoxins heavily impair the quality of the harvest (McMullen et al., 1997). The acute or chronic toxicity of Fusarium released compounds led to the introduction of national or international limits to regulate mycotoxin levels in food and feed (e.g. limits of the European Community since 2006).

Water resource management must strive to link catchment information with water quality monitoring. The present study attempted this for the field of microbial fecal source tracking (MST). A fecal pollution source profile based on catchment data (e.g., prevalence of fecal sources) was used to formulate a hypothesis about the dominant sources of pollution in an Austrian mountainous karst spring catchment. This allowed a statistical definition of methodical requirements necessary for an informed choice of MST methods. The hypothesis was tested in a 17-month investigation of spring water quality. The study followed a nested sampling design in order to cover the hydrological and pollution dynamics of the spring and to assess effects such as differential persistence between parameters. Genetic markers for the potential fecal sources as well as microbiological, hydrological, and chemo-physical parameters were measured. The hypothesis that ruminant animals were the dominant sources of fecal pollution in the catchment was clearly confirmed. It was also shown that the concentration of ruminant markers in feces was equally distributed in different ruminant source groups. The developed approach provides a tool for careful decision-making in MST study design and might be applied on various types of catchments and pollution situations.