[Oil degradation by basidiomycetes in soil and peat at low temperatures].

A total of 17 basidiomycete strains causing white rot and growing on oil-contaminated substrates have been screened. Three strains with high (Steccherinum murashkinskyi), average (Trametes maxima), and low (Pleurotus ostreatus) capacities for the colonization of oil-contaminated substrates have been selected. The potential for degrading crude oil hydrocarbons has been assessed with the use of fungi grown on nonsterile soil and peat at low temperatures. Candida sp. and Rhodococcus sp. commercial strains have been used as reference organisms with oil-degrading ability. All microorganisms introduced in oil-contaminated soil have proved to be ineffective, whereas the inoculation of peat with basidiomycetes and oil-degrading microorganisms accelerated the destruction of oil hydrocarbons. The greatest degradation potential of oil-aliphatic hydrocarbons has been found in S. murashlinskyi. T. maxima turned out to be the most successful in degrading aromatic hydrocarbons. It has been suggested that aboriginal microflora contributes importantly to the effectiveness of oil-destructing microorganisms. T. maxima and S. murashkinskyi strains are promising for further study as oil-oxidizing agents during bioremediation of oil-contaminated peat soil under conditions of low temperatures.

[Elimination of volatile compounds of leaf tobacco from air emissions using biofiltration].

The composition of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of various leaf tobacco brands and their blends has been studied. The differences in the content of nicotine, solanone, tetramethyl hexadecenol, megastigmatrienones, and other compounds, determining the specific tobacco smell, have been revealed. A microbial consortium, which is able to deodorize simulated tobacco emissions and decompose nicotine, has been formed by long-term adaptation to the VOCs of tobacco leaves in a laboratory reactor, functioning as a trickle-bed biofilter. Such a biofilter eliminates 90% of the basic toxic compound (nicotine) and odor-active compounds; the filtration efficiency does not change for tobacco brands with different VOC concentrations or in the presence of foreign substances. The main strains, isolated from the formed consortium and participating in the nicotine decomposition process, belong to the genera Pseudomonas, Bacillus, and Rhodococcus. An examination of the biofilter trickling fluid has shown full decomposition of nicotine and odor-active VOCs. The compounds, revealed in the trickling fluid, did not have any odor and were nontoxic. The obtained results make it possible to conduct scaling of the biofiltration process to eliminate odor from air emissions in the tobacco industry.

[Biosynthesis of poly-3-hydroxybutyrate-3-hydroxyvalerate copolymer by Azotobacter chroococcum strain 7B].

The ability of Azotobacter chroococcum strain 7B, producer of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), to synthesize its copolymer poly-3-hydroxybutyrate-3-hydroxyvalerate (PHB-HV) was studied. It was demonstrated, for the first time, that A. chroococcum strain 7B was able to synthesize PHB-HV with various molar rates of HV in the polymer chain when cultivated on medium with sucrose and carboxylic acids as precursors of HV elements in the PHB chain, namely, valeric (13.1-21.6 mol %), propanoic (3.1 mol %), and hexanoic (2.1 mol %) acids. Qualitative and functional differences between PHB and PHB-HV were demonstrated by example of the release kinetic of methyl red from films made of synthesized polymers. Maximal HV incorporation into the polymer chain (28.8 mol %) was recorded when the nutrient medium was supplemented with 0.1% peptone on the background of 20 mM valerate. These results suggest that that the studied strain can be regarded as a potential producer of not only PHB but also PHB-HV.

[The effect of ethylene biosynthesis regulators on metabolic processes in the banana fruits in various physiological states].

The effects of ethylene-evolving preparations-2-chloroethylphosphonic acid (2-CEPA), the new generation binary preparation ethacide, and the specific inhibitor of ethylene biosynthesis aminooxyacetic acid (AOA)--on the ethylene evolution by banana (Musa sp.) fruits at various ripening stages and the content of protein inhibitor of polygalacturonase (PIPG), associated with prevention of fruit tissue softening, were studied. It was demonstrated that the ripening stage was of significant importance for the results of treatment with the mentioned preparations. Their effects were most pronounced in the fruits of medium ripeness. 2-CEPA and ethacide increased the ethylene evolution in banana fruits on the average by 25-30%. AOA treatment decreased the ethylene evolution in these fruits by 30%. The PIPG content in fruit pulp was insignificant; 2-CEPA almost did not change its content in banana skin, while ethacide and AOA somewhat decreased it. Consequently, the regulators of ethylene biosynthesis have a potential for optimizing the state of banana fruits during storage and sale.

Effect of triterpene glycosides of marine invertebrates on permeability of biological and artificial membranes.

The influence of the triterpene glycosides holothurin and cucumariaside from Holothuria grissi and Cucumaria japonica, respectively, on the parameters of the active transport of calcium ions by vesicles of the sarcoplasmic reticulum and on the permeability of liposomes formed from the total fraction of egg phospholipids was investigated. It was found that at low concentrations these substances decrease the Ca-ATPase activity without noticeably increasing the permeability of the membranes, whereas at high concentrations they cause a sharp increase in the permeability of the membranes of Ca2+ ions.