The important role of EPS in mediated biosynthesis of CdS QDs: Comparative study of EPS-intact and EPS-free.

In this study, we investigated the adsorption of Cd(II) and the biosynthesis of CdS quantum dots (QDs) mediated by cells of sulfate-reducing bacteria before and after the removal of EPS to determine whether EPS or the cell wall plays a major role. Potentiometric titration revealed that the concentration of proton-active binding sites on cells with EPS (EPS-intact) was notably higher than that on cells without EPS (EPS-free) and that the sites were predominantly carboxyl, phosphoryl, hydroxyl, and amine groups. The protein content in EPS-intact cells was higher, and thus the Cd(II) adsorption capacity was stronger. The CdS QDs biosynthesized using EPS-intact possessed better properties, including uniform size distribution, good crystallinity, small particle size, high fluorescence, and strong antimicrobial activity, and the yields were significantly higher than those of EPS-free by a factor of about 1.5-3.7. Further studies revealed that alkaline amino acids in EPS play a major role and serve as templates in the biosynthesis of QDs, whereas they were rarely detected in the cell wall. This study emphasizes the important role of EPS in the bacterial binding of metals and efficient recycling of hazardous waste in water.

Organic Foods Purchase Behavior among Generation Y of Bangladesh: The Moderation Effect of Trust and Price Consciousness.

This study aims to identify the factors influencing the purchase behavior of organic foods among young generation customers in Bangladesh. The study adopted the theory of planned behavior as a base and developed 11 hypotheses based on the extant empirical literature. Adopting the purposive sampling method, the primary data were obtained from a cross-sectional sample of 464 young Bangladeshi consumers using a survey method. In order to identify the key relationship among the study variables, the structural equation modeling (SEM) approach was employed using AMOS software, version 25. The study employed a purposive sampling method to pick young respondents through online media. The study revealed that health consciousness, environmental consciousness, food safety consciousness, price consciousness, novelty consciousness, and trust are factors that significantly affect purchase intention and subsequently, the actual purchase of organic foods. The novelty consciousness factor got the highest predicting power, followed by food safety concerns among Generation Y. The research also found that trust and price consciousness exhibit positive and negative moderating effects, respectively, on the relationship between purchase intention and actual purchase. However, the study did not find any moderating role of price consciousness on the association between environmental consciousness and purchase intention. As policy recommendations, informing and educating young consumers about organic products, their novelty, and other benefits of consuming is critical for fostering their purchase.