Cellulase production under solid-state fermentation by Aspergillus sp. IN5: Parameter optimization and application.

Microbial cellulases are highly versatile catalysts with significant potential in various industries, including pulp and paper, textile manufacturing, laundry, biofuel production, food and animal feed, brewing, and agriculture. Cellulases have attracted considerable attention from the scientific community owing to their broad industrial applications and the complex nature of enzymatic systems. In the present study, a novel fungal isolate of Aspergillus sp. IN5 was used to produce cellulases. We optimized each parameter, including carbon source, incubation temperature, pH, and incubation time, for maximum cellulase production using isolate IN5 under solid-state fermentation conditions. The optimized parameters for cellulase production by isolate IN5 under solid-state fermentation were as follows: substrate, soybean residue; incubation temperature, 35 °C; pH, 7.0; and incubation duration, 5 days. These conditions resulted in the highest total cellulase activity (0.26 U/g substrate), and carboxymethyl cellulase and ß-glucosidase activities of 3.32 and 196.09 U/g substrate, respectively. The obtained fungal cellulase was used for the enzymatic hydrolysis of acid- or alkali-pretreated rice straw, which served as a model substrate. Notably, compared with acid pretreatment, the pretreatment of rice straw with diluted alkali led to higher yields of reducing sugars. Maximum reducing sugar yield (286.06 ± 2.77 mg/g substrate) was obtained after 24-h incubation of diluted alkali-pretreated rice straw mixed with an enzyme loading of 15 U/g substrate. The findings of this study provide an alternative strategy for utilizing agricultural waste and an approach to efficiently produce cellulase for the degradation of lignocellulosic materials, with promising benefits for sustainable waste management.

N-terminal truncation of PhaCBP-M-CPF4 and its effect on PHA production.

BACKGROUND: Among the polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate-co-(R)-3-hydroxyhexanoate] [P(3HB-co-3HHx)] is reported to closely resemble polypropylene and low-density polyethylene. Studies have shown that PHA synthase (PhaC) from mangrove soil (PhaCBP-M-CPF4) is an efficient PhaC for P(3HB-co-3HHx) production and N-termini of PhaCs influence its substrate specificity, dimerization, granule morphology, and molecular weights of PHA produced. This study aims to further improve PhaCBP-M-CPF4 through N-terminal truncation. RESULTS: The N-terminal truncated mutants of PhaCBP-M-CPF4 were constructed based on the information of the predicted secondary and tertiary structures using PSIPRED server and AlphaFold2 program, respectively. The N-terminal truncated PhaCBP-M-CPF4 mutants were evaluated in C. necator mutant PHB-4 based on the cell dry weight, PHA content, 3HHx molar composition, molecular weights, and granule morphology of the PHA granules. The results showed that most transformants harbouring the N-terminal truncated PhaCBP-M-CPF4 showed a reduction in PHA content and cell dry weight except for PhaCBP-M-CPF4 G8. PhaCBP-M-CPF4 G8 and A27 showed an improved weight-average molecular weight (Mw) of PHA produced due to lower expression of the truncated PhaCBP-M-CPF4. Transformants harbouring PhaCBP-M-CPF4 G8, A27, and T74 showed a reduction in the number of granules. PhaCBP-M-CPF4 G8 produced higher Mw PHA in mostly single larger PHA granules with comparable production as the full-length PhaCBP-M-CPF4. CONCLUSION: This research showed that N-terminal truncation had effects on PHA accumulation, substrate specificity, Mw, and granule morphology. This study also showed that N-terminal truncation of the amino acids that did not adopt any secondary structure can be an alternative to improve PhaCs for the production of PHA with higher Mw in mostly single larger granules.

Biological Conversion of Agricultural Wastes into Indole-3-acetic Acid by Streptomyces lavenduligriseus BS50-1 Using a Response Surface Methodology (RSM).

Agricultural waste is an alternative source for plant growth regulator biosynthesis by microorganisms. Actinobacteria are important soil microbes that significantly impact the soil as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria and biofertilizers. This study focused on developing low-cost medium based on bagasse to improve indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) production by Streptomyces lavenduligriseus BS50-1 using a response surface methodology (RSM). Among 34 actinobacterial strains, S. lavenduligriseus BS50-1 produced the highest IAA level within the selected medium. An RSM based on a central composite design optimized the appropriate nutrients for IAA production. Thus, glucose hydrolysate and l-tryptophan at concentrations of 3.55 and 5.0 g/L, respectively, were the optimal factors that improved IAA production from 37.50 to 159.47 µg/mL within 168 h. This study reported a potential application of leftover bagasse as the raw material for cultivating actinobacteria, which efficiently produce IAA to promote plant growth.

Assessing Fermentation Broth Quality of Pineapple Vinegar Production with a Near-Infrared Fiber-Optic Probe Coupled with Stability Competitive Adaptive Reweighted Sampling.

In this study, the performance of a near-infrared (NIR) fiber-optic probe coupled with stability competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (SCARS) was investigated for the analysis of acetic acid, ethanol, total soluble solids, caffeic acid, gallic acid, and tannic acid in the broth of pineapple vinegar during fermentation. The NIR spectra of the broth samples in the region of 11,536-3956 cm-1 were collected during vinegar fermentation promoted by Acetobacter aceti. This continuous biological process led to changes in the concentrations of all analytes studied. SCARS provided optimized and stabilized NIR spectral variables for the construction of a partial least squares (PLS) model for each analyte using a small number of optimal variables (under 88 variables). The SCARS-PLS model outperformed the conventional PLS model, and achieved excellent accuracy in accordance with ISO 12099:2017 for the four prediction models of acetic acid, ethanol, caffeic acid, and gallic acid, with root-mean-square error of prediction values of 0.137%, 0.178%, 0.637 µg/mL and 0.640 µg/mL, respectively. In contrast, only an acetic acid content prediction model constructed via the conventional PLS method and using the whole spectral region (949 variables) could pass with acceptable accuracy. These results indicate that the NIR optical probe coupled with SCARS is an appropriate method for the continuous monitoring of multianalytes during vinegar fermentation, particularly acetic acid and ethanol contents, which are indicators of the finished fermentation of pineapple vinegar.

Statistical optimization of P(3HB-co-3HHx) copolymers production by Cupriavidus necator PHB-4/pBBR_CnPro-phaCRp and its properties characterization.

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) [P(3HB-co-3HHx)] is a bacterial copolymer in the polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) family, a next-generation bioplastic. Our research team recently engineered a newly P(3HB-co-3HHx)-producing bacterial strain, Cupriavidus necator PHB-4/pBBR_CnPro-phaCRp. This strain can produce P(3HB-co-2 mol% 3HHx) using crude palm kernel oil (CPKO) as a sole carbon substrate. However, the improvement of P(3HB-co-3HHx) copolymer production by this strain has not been studied so far. Thus, this study aims to enhance the production of P(3HB-co-3HHx) copolymers containing higher 3HHx monomer compositions using response surface methodology (RSM). Three significant factors for P(3HB-co-3HHx) copolymers production, i.e., CPKO concentration, sodium hexanoate concentration, and cultivation time, were studied in the flask scale. As a result, a maximum of 3.6 ± 0.4 g/L of P(3HB-co-3HHx) with 4 mol% 3HHx compositions was obtained using the RSM optimized condition. Likewise, the higher 3HHx monomer composition (5 mol%) was obtained when scaling up the fermentation in a 10L-stirrer bioreactor. Furthermore, the produced polymer's properties were similar to marketable P(3HB-co-3HHx), making this polymer suitable for a wide range of applications.

Synergistic Effects of Combined Concurrent Training and Eri-Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Supplementation on Bone Mineral Density, Muscle Strength, and Inflammation.

Obesity has been associated with lower bone mineral density (BMD) and rapid muscle weakness. Regular exercise and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) consumption have been recognized as nonpharmaceutical approaches to increase BMD and ameliorate muscle weakness. This study aimed to determine the effects of concurrent training (CCT) and Eri-PUFA supplementation on BMD, muscular strength, and inflammation in obese adults. A total of 33 obese participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups (n=11 per group): (1) a placebo group; (2) an Eri-PUFA ingestion group (ERI); or (3) a CCT and Eri-PUFA ingestion group (CCT+ERI). The ERI and CCT+ERI groups received approximately 2.5 g of linolenic acid per day from Eri silkworm pupae. The exercise program included aerobic and resistance exercises performed under supervision three times per week for 8 weeks. Before and after the 8-week intervention, BMD, muscular strength, and inflammatory markers were measured. Only the CCT+ERI group showed a significant increase in lumbar spine BMD (5.1%, P<0.01) and upper-body muscle strength (16.9%, P<0.01) after the intervention, with differences between the groups. After the intervention, both the ERI and CCT+ERI groups showed a significant decrease in the monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (-25%, P<0.01 and -21.4%, P<0.05, respectively) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (-21.6%, P<0.05 and -19.4%, P<0.05, respectively). These findings demonstrate that combining CCT and Eri-PUFA supplementation increases BMD and upper-body muscular strength and decreases inflammation. Although Eri-PUFA consumption did not affect BMD or muscle strength directly, it may have an additive effect on BMD by reducing inflammation.

Optimization of Textile Waste Blends of Cotton and PET by Enzymatic Hydrolysis with Reusable Chemical Pretreatment.

Textile waste usually ends up in landfills and causes environmental pollution. In this study, pretreatment methods for textile recycling, including autoclaving, freezing alkali/urea soaking, and alkaline pretreatment, were applied to textile waste with various cotton/polyester blending ratios. The best condition for enzymatic hydrolysis was a 60/40 textile waste blend of cotton/polyethylene terephthalate (PET) with a reusable chemical pretreatment (15% NaOH) at 121 °C for 15 min. The hydrolysis of pretreated textile waste by cellulase was optimized using response surface methodology (RSM) based on central composite design (CCD). The optimized conditions were 30 FPU/g of enzyme loading and 7% of substrate loading, which resulted in a maximum observed value of hydrolysis yield at 89.7%, corresponding to the predicted value of 87.8% after 96 h of incubation. The findings of this study suggest an optimistic solution for textile waste recycling.

Biosynthesis of P(3HB-co-3HHx) Copolymers by a Newly Engineered Strain of Cupriavidus necator PHB-4/pBBR_CnPro-phaCRp for Skin Tissue Engineering Application.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are biodegradable polymers synthesized by certain bacteria and archaea with functions comparable to conventional plastics. Previously, our research group reported a newly PHA-producing bacterial strain, Rhodococcus pyridinivorans BSRT1-1, from the soil in Thailand. However, this strain's PHA synthase (phaCRp) gene has not yet been characterized. Thus, this study aims to synthesize PHA using a newly engineered bacterial strain, Cupriavidus necator PHB-4/pBBR_CnPro-phaCRp, which harbors the phaCRp from strain BSRT1-1, and characterize the properties of PHA for skin tissue engineering application. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study on the characterization of the PhaC from R. pyridinivorans species. The results demonstrated that the expression of the phaCRp in C. necator PHB-4 had developed in PHA production up to 3.1 ± 0.3 g/L when using 10 g/L of crude palm kernel oil (CPKO) as a sole carbon source. Interestingly, the engineered strain produced a 3-hydroxybutyrate (3HB) with 2 mol% of 3-hydroxyhexanoate (3HHx) monomer without adding precursor substrates. In addition, the 70 L stirrer bioreactor improved P(3HB-co-2 mol% 3HHx) yield 1.4-fold over the flask scale without altering monomer composition. Furthermore, the characterization of copolymer properties showed that this copolymer is promising for skin tissue engineering applications.

Mushroom ß-Glucan Recovered from Antler-Type Fruiting Body of Ganoderma lucidum by Enzymatic Process and Its Potential Biological Activities for Cosmeceutical Applications.

Mushrooms are incredibly valuable macro fungi that are an important and integral part of the ecosystem. In addition to being used as cuisine, mushrooms have been used for medicinal purposes for many centuries. This research applied a process for recovering ß-glucan (BG) from the antler-type fruiting body of Ganoderma lucidum as well as tested the biological activities related to cosmeceutical applications. The characterization of complex structure was performed by fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (MNR) spectroscopies. The obtained extract contained 40.57% BG and 7.47% protein, with the detectable bioactivities of anti-tyrosinase and antioxidation. Consequently, it showed the activity that can be used to whiten the skin by reducing or inhibiting the process of skin pigmentation. The BG also showed moderate activities of anti-collagenase, anti-elastase, and anti-hyaluronidase. The test by the HET-CAM confirmed no skin irritation of the complex extract. Based on human peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) test, the BG had no significant inhibiting effect on cell viability. In addition, the obtained BG had functional properties higher than commercially available BG, especially oil-binding capacity. These findings provided new insights into the potential application of G. lucidum BG as a polymeric material in the cosmeceutical industries.

Functionality of Yeast ß-Glucan Recovered from Kluyveromyces marxianus by Alkaline and Enzymatic Processes.

ß-Glucan (BG), one of the most abundant polysaccharides containing glucose monomers linked by ß-glycosidic linkages, is prevalent in yeast biomass that needs to be recovered to obtain this valuable polymer. This study aimed to apply alkaline and enzymatic processes for the recovery of BG from the yeast strain Kluyveromyces marxianus TISTR 5925. For this purpose, the yeast was cultivated to produce the maximum yield of raw material (yeast cells). The effective recovery of BG was then established using either an alkaline or an enzymatic process. BG recovery of 35.45% was obtained by using 1 M NaOH at 90 °C for 1 h, and of 81.15% from 1% (w/v) hydrolytic protease enzyme at 55 °C for 5 h. However, BG recovered by the alkaline process was purer than that obtained by the enzymatic process. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy confirmed the purity, the functional groups, and the linkages of BG obtained from different recovery systems and different raw materials. The results of this study suggest that an alkaline process could be an effective approach for the solubilization and recovery of considerable purity of BG from the yeast cells. In addition, the obtained BG had comparable functional properties with commercially available BG. This study reveals the effectiveness of both chemical and biological recovery of BG obtained from yeast as a potential polymeric material.

Simultaneous Monitoring of the Evolution of Chemical Parameters in the Fermentation Process of Pineapple Fruit Wine Using the Liquid Probe for Near-Infrared Coupled with Chemometrics.

This study used Fourier transform-near-infrared (FT-NIR) spectroscopy equipped with the liquid probe in combination with an efficient wavelength selection method named searching combination moving window partial least squares (SCMWPLS) for the determination of ethanol, total soluble solids, total acidity, and total volatile acid contents in pineapple fruit wine fermentation using Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. burgundy. Two fermentation batches were produced, and the NIR spectral data of the calibration samples in the wavenumber range of 11,536-3952 cm-1 were obtained over ten days of the fermentation period. SCMWPLS coupled with second derivatives searched and optimized spectral intervals containing useful information for building calibration models of four parameters. All models were validated by test samples obtained from an independent fermentation batch. The SCMWPLS models showed better predictions (the lowest value of prediction error and the highest value of residual predictive deviation) with acceptable statistical results (under confidence limits) among the results achieved by using the whole region. The results of this study demonstrated that FT-NIR spectroscopy using a liquid probe coupled with SCMWPLS could select the optimized wavelength regions while reducing spectral points and increasing accuracy for simultaneously monitoring the evolution of four chemical parameters in pineapple fruit wine fermentation.

Monitoring estrogen and androgen residues from livestock farms in Phayao Lake, Thailand.

The aim of the present study was to investigate steroid hormone residues from livestock farms and assess their risks to the surface water of Phayao Lake. These steroid hormones are endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs), which can be found in natural and synthetic forms. This research focused on examining the residues of seven steroid hormones (five estrogens and two androgens-estrone (E1), 17α-estradiol (αE2), 17ß-estradiol (ßE2), estriol (E3), 17α-ethinyl estradiol (EE2), testosterone (T), and 17α-methyltestosterone (MT)) from four types of livestock farms around Phayao Lake, Thailand. The samples collected from the livestock farms included feces, soil, and wastewater and were extracted by the solid phase extraction (SPE) technique and analyzed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The risks from the residual steroid hormones were also characterized by estradiol equivalents (EEQs), testosterone equivalents (TEQs), and risk quotients (RQs). The results indicated that most hormone contamination from the farms' livestock was due to the estrogen hormones E1 (1.38-97.10 ng/g), ßE2 (10.08-1366 ng/g), and EE2 (1.50-99.92 ng/g), which originate from the natural excretion and admixture of steroids in feedstock or medicines. Steroid hormones were not detected in the wastewater from cleaning processes on farms with wastewater treatment plants, whereas farms without wastewater treatment plants showed high values of estrogen hormone contamination, with EEQs of 128.8-472.9 ng/L and RQs of 208.3-294.3. However, the analysis of steroid hormone residues in Phayao Lake demonstrated that the residues did not severely affect aquatic organisms (with RQs of 0.002-144.5), and no estrogen or androgen residues were observed in the water treatment plant or tap water.

Bromelain Extract Exerts Antiarthritic Effects via Chondroprotection and the Suppression of TNF-α-Induced NF-κB and MAPK Signaling.

Bromelain, a mixture of proteases in pineapple rhizome, has beneficial biological properties. Following absorption, the compound remains biologically active in mammalian blood and tissues. Bromelain has multiple clinical and therapeutic applications because of its anti-arthritic activities. Anti-inflammation is one of the putative therapeutic effects of bromelain on osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but the molecular mechanisms in cartilage and synovial fibroblast has not been reported. Thus, in this study, interleukin (IL)-1ß/oncostatin M-induced porcine cartilage and TNF-α-induced synovial fibroblast were used as the inflamed OA and RA models, respectively. The results demonstrated the chondroprotective effects of bromelain on cartilage degradation and the downregulation of inflammatory cytokine (tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-8) expression in TNF-α-induced synovial fibroblasts by suppressing NF-κB and MAPK signaling. The evidence from this study supported and explained the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of bromelain on arthritis in animal models and clinical studies.

Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Pineapple Rhizome Bromelain through Downregulation of the NF-κB- and MAPKs-Signaling Pathways in Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-Stimulated RAW264.7 Cells.

Bromelain is a mixture of proteolytic enzymes derived from pineapple (Ananas comosus) fruit and stem possessing several beneficial properties, particularly anti-inflammatory activity. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the anti-inflammatory effects of bromelain are unclear. This study investigated the anti-inflammatory effects and inhibitory molecular mechanisms of crude and purified rhizome bromelains on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation in RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. RAW264.7 cells were pre-treated with various concentrations of crude bromelain (CB) or purified bromelain (PB), and then treated with LPS. The production levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and mediators, including nitric oxide (NO), interleukin (IL)-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α were determined by Griess and ELISA assays. The expressions of inducible nitric oxide synthetase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs)-signaling pathway-related proteins were examined by western blot analysis. The pre-treatment of bromelain dose-dependently reduced LPS-induced pro-inflammatory cytokines and mediators, which correlated with downregulation of iNOS and COX-2 expressions. The inhibitory potency of PB was stronger than that of CB. PB also suppressed phosphorylated NF-κB (p65), nuclear factor of kappa light polypeptide gene enhancer in B-cells inhibitor alpha, extracellular signal-regulated kinases, c-Jun amino-terminal kinases, and p38 proteins in LPS-treated cells. PB then exhibited potent anti-inflammatory effects on LPS-induced inflammatory responses in RAW264.7 cells by inhibiting the NF-κB and MAPKs-signaling pathways.

Biosynthesized Poly(3-Hydroxybutyrate) on Coated Pineapple Leaf Fiber Papers for Biodegradable Packaging Application.

This paper is aimed at investigating the usage of biosynthesized poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (P(3-HB)) for a coating on pineapple leaf fiber paper (PLFP). For this purpose, (P(3-HB)) was produced by Rhodococcus pyridinivorans BSRT1-1, a highly potential P(3-HB) producing bacterium, with a weight-average molecular weight (Mw) of 6.07 × 10 -5 g/mol. This biosynthesized P(3-HB) at 7.5% (w/v) was then coated on PLFP through the dip-coating technique with chloroform used as a solvent. The respective coated PLFP showed that P(3-HB) could be well coated all over on the PLFP surface as confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The brightness and mechanical properties of PLFP could be improved by coating with biosynthesized P(3-HB) in comparison to commercially available P(3-HB) and non-coated PLFP. Furthermore, coating of P(3-HB) significantly increased the water drop penetration time on the surface of PLFP and was similar to that of the commercial P(3-HB) with the same content. The results showed that all the coated PLPF samples can be degraded under the soil burial test conditions. We have demonstrated that the P(3-HB) coated PLFP paper has the ability to prevent water drop penetration and could undergo biodegradation. Taken together, the P(3-HB) coated PLFP can be applied as a promising biodegradable paper packaging.

Enhanced polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) production by newly isolated rare actinomycetes Rhodococcus sp. strain BSRT1-1 using response surface methodology.

Poly-ß-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) is a biodegradable polymer, synthesized as carbon and energy reserve by bacteria and archaea. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on PHB production by a rare actinomycete species, Rhodococcus pyridinivorans BSRT1-1. Response surface methodology (RSM) employing central composite design, was applied to enhance PHB production in a flask scale. A maximum yield of 3.6 ± 0.5 g/L in biomass and 43.1 ± 0.5 wt% of dry cell weight (DCW) of PHB were obtained when using RSM optimized medium, which was improved the production of biomass and PHB content by 2.5 and 2.3-fold, respectively. The optimized medium was applied to upscale PHB production in a 10 L stirred-tank bioreactor, maximum biomass of 5.2 ± 0.5 g/L, and PHB content of 46.8 ± 2 wt% DCW were achieved. Furthermore, the FTIR and 1H NMR results confirmed the polymer as PHB. DSC and TGA analysis results revealed the melting, glass transition, and thermal decomposition temperature of 171.8, 4.03, and 288 °C, respectively. In conclusion, RSM can be a promising technique to improve PHB production by a newly isolated strain of R. pyridinivorans BSRT1-1 and the properties of produced PHB possessed similar properties compared to commercial PHB.

Bio-synthesis of itaconic acid as an anti-crease finish for cellulosic fiber fabric.

Itaconic acid is an organic acid with a wide range of applications in the fields of polymer chemistry, pharmacy, agriculture, textile industry, etc. A bio-synthetic process of itaconic acid production in this study was carried out with Aspergillus terreus K17 having empty palm oil fruit bunches as a feedstock. Bio-synthesis of itaconic acid was compared with commercial maleic acid, itaconic acid and 1, 2, 3, 4-butanetetracarboxylic acid (BTCA) as anti-crease agents with sodium hypophosphate (SHP) as an esterification catalyst for cotton fabric finishing. The results showed that mechanical properties of cotton fabrics treated with bio-synthesized itaconic acid were better than those treated with the commercial ones whereas their whiteness index was lower. The best conditions for crease recovery were obtained from 8% w/v itaconic acid with 8% w/v SHP applied on cotton fabrics with a technique of 2-dip-2-nip, dried at 85 °C for 3 min and cured at 180 °C for 2 min. Even though the anti-crease properties of cotton fabrics treated with bio-synthesized itaconic acid were still lower than those treated with commercial maleic acid and BTCA, the finished cotton fibers retain the mechanical properties of cotton fabric. This study would be beneficial in producing itaconic acid as an eco-friendly anti-crease agent for cotton fabrics from waste empty palm oil fruit bunches by a bio-synthesis process.

Concurrent training and Eri silkworm pupae ingestion improve resting and exercise fat oxidation and energy expenditure in obese adults.

A randomized control trial was conducted to investigate the effects of combined concurrent training and Eri silkworm pupae ingestion on resting and exercise fat oxidation (FAO), as well as energy expenditure, and cardiometabolic risk markers in obese adults. Thirty-six sedentary, obese participants were divided into three groups: (1) placebo control group (CON, n=12), (2) Eri silkworm pupae ingestion group (ERI, n=12), and (3) combined concurrent training and Eri silkworm pupae ingestion group (CBT-ERI, n=12). Participants in the ERI and the CBT-ERI con-sumed 5-g Eri silkworm pupae/day (approximately 2.5-g linolenic acid). The concurrent training program comprised of supervised aerobic and resistance training: three 1-hr sessions/wk for 8 weeks. Body composi-tion, energy expenditure, and FAO at rest and during exercise, heart rate variability, and blood chemistry were measured before and after the 8-week interventions. Following the interventions, resting FAO, the natural logarithm of very low-frequency power (lnVLF), and high-sensi-tive C-reactive protein concentration significantly improved in both the ERI and the CBT-ERI. Only the CBT-ERI improved resting energy expen-diture, FAO during exercise, trunk and gynoid fat mass, total cholesterol concentration, the standard deviation of normal R-R intervals (SDNN), and the percentage difference between adjacent normal R-R intervals >50 ms. Furthermore, there were significant correlations between rest-ing energy expenditure and FAO, lnVLF and SDNN in the CBT-ERI. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that concurrent training together with dietary Eri silkworm pupae leads to increased energy expenditure through a significant increase in FAO at rest and during exercise, as well as reduced fat mass.

Xylan supplement improves 1,3-propanediol fermentation by Clostridium butyricum.

Lignocellulosic biomass as co-substrate enhances the 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PD) production of anaerobic fermenters by increasing their conversion yield from glycerol. To improve 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PD) production by this efficient approach, Clostridium butyricum I5-42 was supplemented with lignocellulosic biomasses (starch free fiber (CPF) from cassava pulp and xylan) as co-substrates. The 1,3-PD production and growth of C. butyricum were considerably higher in glycerol plus CPF and xylan than in glycerol alone, whereas another major polysaccharide (cellulose co-substrate) failed to improve the 1,3-PD production. C. butyricum I5-42 showed no degradation ability on cellulose powder, and only weak activity and slight growth on xylan. However CPF supplemented with xylan strongly enhanced the transcription levels of the major enzymes of 1,3-PD production (glycerol dehydratase, 1,3-propanediol dehydrogenase, and glycerol dehydrogenase). The intracellular redox reactions maintained equal balance in the supplemented media, suggesting that CPF plus xylan promotes 1,3-PD production in the reductive pathway. This promotion is probably mediated by NADH, which is effectively regenerated by small amounts of released oligosaccharides and subsequent activation of the glycerol oxidative pathway. Both supplements also improved the 1,3-PD production at high glycerol concentration. Therefore, supplementation with lignocellulolytic polysaccharides such as xylan can improve the production and productivity of 1,3-PD from glycerol in C. butyricum. Direct supplementation of CPF with xylan in 1,3-PD production has not been previously reported.

Konjac glucomannan hydrolysate: A potential natural coating material for bioactive compounds in spray drying encapsulation.

This research aimed to develop a suitable coating material for encapsulating a plant bioactive compound via spray drying. A suitable process for modifying the rheological property of konjac glucomannan (KGM) solution by enzymatic treatment was developed. A plant bioactive compound, andrographolide, was selected to use as core material. Mannanase (1500 units of enzyme) was used in the treatment of KGM solution. The concentration of KGM solution was varied from 9 to 18% (w/w). It was found that 12% (w/w) was the optimum KGM concentration that could be hydrolyzed to a viscosity of <100 mPa·s. HPLC analysis of hydrolyzed solution found a fair amount of DP4-DP7 oligosaccharides (where DP is degree of polymerization) were obtained. The solution was then used as coating material in spray drying with inlet air temperature of 170°C and outlet air temperature of 85°C. It was found that 12% (w/w) konjac glucomannan hydrolysate (KGMH) was suitable for coating 2% (w/w) andrographolide. Its efficiency of encapsulation was also higher than that of KGMH combined with gamma-cyclodextrin or beta-cyclodextrin. This study revealed a great potential of using KGMH solution for pharmaceutical and food industries in the spray drying encapsulation process.