Improving plant adaptation to soil antimony contamination: the synergistic contribution of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus and olive mill waste.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the alterations in biochemical and physiological responses of oat plants exposed to antimony (Sb) contamination in soil. Specifically, we evaluated the effectiveness of an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) and olive mill waste (OMW) in mitigating the effects of Sb contamination. The soil was treated with a commercial strain of AMF (Rhizophagus irregularis) and OMW (4% w/w) under two different levels of Sb (0 and 1500 mg kg-1 soil). RESULTS: The combined treatment (OMW + AMF) enhanced the photosynthetic rate (+ 40%) and chlorophyll a (+ 91%) and chlorophyll b (+ 50%) content under Sb condition, which in turn induced more biomass production (+ 67-78%) compared to the contaminated control plants. More photosynthesis in OMW + AMF-treated plants gives a route for phenylalanine amino acid synthesis (+ 69%), which is used as a precursor for the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, including flavonoids (+ 110%), polyphenols (+ 26%), and anthocyanins (+ 63%) compared to control plants. More activation of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (+ 38%) and chalcone synthase (+ 26%) enzymes in OMW + AMF-treated plants under Sb stress indicated the activation of phenylpropanoid pathways in antioxidant metabolites biosynthesis. There was also improved shifting of antioxidant enzyme activities in the ASC/GSH and catalytic pathways in plants in response to OMW + AMF and Sb contamination, remarkably reducing oxidative damage markers. CONCLUSIONS: While individual applications of OMW and AMF also demonstrated some degree of plant tolerance induction, the combined presence of AMF with OMW supplementation significantly enhanced plant biomass production and adaptability to oxidative stress induced by soil Sb contamination.

Production of a halotolerant endo-1,4-ß-glucanase by a newly isolated Bacillus velezensis H1 on olive mill wastes without pretreatment: purification and characterization of the enzyme.

Facing the critical issue of high production costs for cellulase, numerous studies have focused on improving the efficiency of cellulase production by potential cellulolytic microorganisms using agricultural wastes as substrates, extremophilic cellulases, in particular, are crucial in the biorefinery process because they can maintain activity under harsh environmental conditions. This study aims to investigate the ability of a potential carboxymethylcellulose-hydrolyzing bacterial strain H1, isolated from an Algerian saline soil and identified as Bacillus velezensis, to use untreated olive mill wastes as a substrate for the production of an endo-1,4-ß-glucanase. The enzyme was purified 44.9 fold using only two steps: ultrafiltration concentration and ion exchange chromatography, with final recovery of 80%. Its molecular mass was estimated to be 26 kDa by SDS-PAGE. Enzyme identification by LC-MS analysis showed 40% identity with an endo-1,3-1,4-ß-glucanase of GH-16 family. The highest enzymatic activity was significantly measured on barley ß-glucan (604.5 U/mL) followed by lichenan and carboxymethylcellulose as substrates, confirming that the studied enzyme is an endo-1,4-ß-glucanase. Optimal enzymatic activity was at pH 6.0-6.5 and at 60-65 °C. It was fairly thermotolerant, retaining 76.9% of the activity at 70 °C, and halotolerant, retaining 70% of its activity in the presence of 4 M NaCl. The enzyme had a Vmax of 625 U/min/mL and a high affinity with barley ß-glucan resulting a Km of 0.69 mg/mL. It also showed a significant ability to release cello-oligosaccharides. Based on such data, the H1 endo-1,4-ß-glucanase may have significant commercial values for industry, argo-waste treatment, and other biotechnological applications.

Nutritional value of commercial broiler feed supplemented with olive mill waste fermented with probiotic Rhizopus oryzae strains.

AIMS: The changes in chemical composition and metabolizable energy (ME) of both olive mill waste (OMW) upon fermentation by three potential probiotic Rhizopus oryzae strains and commercial feed (CF) upon its supplementation by fermented olive mill waste (FOMW) were investigated. The objective was to test whether there will be an enhancement in the nutritional value of OMW after fermentation and/or commercial broiler feed upon supplementation by potentially probiotic filamentous fungi. METHODS AND RESULTS: A three Rhizopus oryzae strains (92/1, 236/2 and 284) isolated from agricultural soil that were proven to have good probiotic properties (non-toxic, antimicrobial activity, antioxidant capacity and gastrointestinal tolerance) were used to ferment OMW, then the chemical composition was analysed after 7 and 14 days of fermentation. The FOMW with the R. oryzae 284 strain, which gave the best results, was added to a commercial broiler feed at 20%, 30% and 40% supplementation ratios. Then proximal analyses were done to compare non-supplemented with supplemented CF. Chemical analyses included dry weight, crude protein, crude fats, crude fibres, crude ash, sugars and starch, and then ME was calculated from the given values. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to non-fermented OMW, the best results were obtained by the R. oryzae 284 strain allowing an increase in crude protein content by 23.4% after 7 days of fermentation, a decrease in crude fibre content by 9.8% after 14 days of fermentation and an increase in ME by 3.6% after 7 days of fermentation. Compared to non-supplemented CF, the ME changes of 20%, 30% and 40% supplementation increased by 8.38%, 2.83% and decreased by 4.27%, respectively. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: FOMW can be incorporated into broiler feed rations until 30% without causing any decrease in metabolizable energy. It can be a cheaper alternative with promising productivity and chicken health improvements.

Luminescent Carbon Dots from Wet Olive Pomace: Structural Insights, Photophysical Properties and Cytotoxicity.

Carbon nanomaterials endowed with significant luminescence have been synthesized for the first time from an abundant, highly localized waste, the wet pomace (WP), a semi-solid by-product of industrial olive oil production. Synthetic efforts were undertaken to outshine the photoluminescence (PL) of carbon nanoparticles through a systematic search of the best reaction conditions to convert the waste biomass, mainly consisting in holocellulose, lignin and proteins, into carbon dots (CDs) by hydrothermal carbonization processes. Blue-emitting CDs with high fluorescence quantum yields were obtained. Using a comprehensive set of spectroscopic tools (FTIR, Raman, XPS, and 1H/13C NMR) in combination with steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy, a rational depiction of WP-CDs structures and their PL properties was reached. WP-CDs show the up-conversion of PL capabilities and negligible cytotoxicity against two mammalian cell lines (L929 and HeLa). Both properties are excellent indicators for their prospective application in biological imaging, biosensing, and dynamic therapies driven by light.

Effect of two-phase olive pomace acidification on odor prevention and kernel oil acidity reduction as a function of storage duration.

The adoption of two-phase olive oil extraction processes has led to a significant increase in the amounts of two-phase olive pomace produced each year. This material is typically led to kernel oil extraction facilities that are forced to store the excessive amounts until treatment. During storage, malodorous compounds, like 4-ethylphenol, are formed that are then released to the atmosphere during drying, causing serious problems in a radius of several kilometers. At the same time, increased microbial activity in the stored pomace deteriorates kernel oil, diminishing its value. This deterioration is expressed as increased kernel oil acidity. In this work, the evolution of 4-ethylphenol concentration and kernel oil acidity as a function of storage duration and waste acidification were examined. The concentration of 4-ethylphenol in the unmodified two-phase olive pomace seems to be maximized after 23 d of storage, while kernel oil acidity reached a plateau of 10% after 70 d. Acidification at pH 2 prevented the production of 4-ethylphenol and kept kernel oil acidity at 5% for more than 100 d of storage. The results presented herein are a step towards understanding the processes taking place during two-phase olive pomace storage and exploring ways of minimizing their effects.

Free Amino Acids in Three Pleurotus Species Cultivated on Agricultural and Agro-Industrial By-Products.

Previous studies have demonstrated the feasibility of employing by-products of the olive and wine sectors for the production of Pleurotus mushrooms with enhanced functionalities. In this work we investigated the influence of endogenous and exogenous factors on free amino acids (FAAs) profile of Pleurotus ostreatus, P. eryngii and P. nebrodensis mushrooms produced on wheat straw (WS), alone or mixed with grape marc (GM), and on by-products of the olive industry (OL). Overall, 22 FAAs were determined in substrates and mushrooms, including all the essential amino acids, the neurotransmitter γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and ornithine. On a dry weight (dw) basis, total FAAs ranged from 17.37 mg/g in P. nebrodensis to 130.12 mg/g in P. ostreatus samples, with alanine, leucine, glutamine, valine and serine predominating. Similar distribution patterns were followed by the monosodium glutamate (MSG)-like, sweet and bitter FAAs. Significant differences in FAAs level were observed among the species examined and among the cultivation substrates used. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) performed on the entire FAAs profile of six Pleurotus strains, clearly separated P. ostreatus from P. eryngii and P. nebrodensis, in accordance to their phylogenetic affinity. This is the first report of FAAs in P. nebrodensis.

Isolation and characterization of phenol degrading bacterium strain Bacillus thuringiensis J20 from olive waste in Palestine.

This study aimed at isolation of phenol degrading bacteria from olive mill wastes in Palestine. The efficiency of phenol removal and factors affecting phenol degradation were investigated. A bacterial strain (J20) was isolated from solid olive mill waste and identified as Bacillus thuringiensis based on standard morphological, biochemical characteristics and 16SrRNA sequence analysis. The strain was able to grow in a phenol concentration of 700 mg/L as the sole carbon and energy source. The culture conditions showed a significant impact on the ability of these cells to remove phenol. This strain exhibited optimum phenol degradation performance at pH 6.57 and 30 °C . Under the optimized conditions, this strain could degrade 88.6% of phenol (700 mg/L) within 96 h when the initial cell density was OD600 0.2. However, the degradation efficiency could be improved from about 88% to nearly 99% by increasing the cell density. Immobilization of J20 was carried out using 4% sodium alginate. Phenol degradation efficiency of the immobilized cells of J20 was higher than that of the free cells, 100% versus 88.6% of 700 mg/L of phenol in 120 h, indicating the improved tolerance of the immobilized cells toward phenol toxicity. The J20 was used in detoxifying crude OMWW, phenolic compounds levels were reduced by 61% compared to untreated OMWW after five days of treatment. Hence, B. thuringiensis-J20 can be effectively used for bioremediation of phenol-contaminated sites in Palestine. These findings may lead to new biotechnological applications for the degradation of phenol, related to olive oil production.

Soil contamination with olive mill wastes negatively affects microbial communities, invertebrates and plants.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the ecotoxicological effects of olive mill waste (OMW) on soil habitat function. To this end, soil samples from OMW evaporating ponds (S1-S5) located at Agareb (Sfax, Tunisia) and a reference soil (R) were collected. The effects of OMW on the springtails Folsomia candida (F.c.), the earthworm species Eisenia fetida (E.f.), Enchytraeus crypticus (E.c.) reproduction and on the soil living microbial communities were investigated. E.f. reproduction and tomato growth assays were performed in the reference soil amended with 0.43 to 7.60 % (wOMW/wref-soil) mass ratios of dried OMW. Changes in microbial function diversity were explored using sole-carbon-source utilization profiles (BiologEcoPlates®). E.f. absolutely avoided (100 %) the most polluted soil (S4) while the F.c. moderately avoided (37.5 ± 7.5 %) the same soil. E.c. reproduction in S4 was significantly lower than in S1, S2, S3 and S5, and was the highest in R soil. Estimated effect concentration EC50 for juveniles' production by E.f., and for tomato fresh weight and chlorophyll content were 0.138, 0.6 and 1.13 %, respectively. Community level physiological profiles (CLPPs) were remarkably different in R and S4 and a higher similarity was observed between soils S1, S2, S3 and S5. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that differences between soil microbial functional diversity were mainly due to high polyphenol concentrations, while the salinity negatively affected E.c. reproduction in OMW contaminated soils. These results clearly reflect the high toxicity of dried OMW when added to agricultural soils, causing severe threats to terrestrial ecosystem functions and services provided by invertebrates and microbial communities.

Effect of olive mill waste addition on the properties of porous fired clay bricks using Taguchi method.

Production of porous clay bricks lightened by adding olive mill waste as a pore making additive was investigated. Factors influencing the brick manufacturing process were analyzed by an experimental design, Taguchi method, to find out the most favorable conditions for the production of bricks. The optimum process conditions for brick preparation were investigated by studying the effects of mixture ratios (0, 5 and 10 wt%) and firing temperatures (850, 950 and 1050 °C) on the physical, thermal and mechanical properties of the bricks. Apparent density, bulk density, apparent porosity, water absorption, compressive strength, thermal conductivity, microstructure and crystalline phase formations of the fired brick samples were measured. It was found that the use of 10% waste addition reduced the bulk density of the samples up to 1.45 g/cm(3). As the porosities increased from 30.8 to 47.0%, the compressive strengths decreased from 36.9 to 10.26 MPa at firing temperature of 950 °C. The thermal conductivities of samples fired at the same temperature showed a decrease of 31% from 0.638 to 0.436 W/mK, which is hopeful for heat insulation in the buildings. Increasing of the firing temperature also affected their mechanical and physical properties. This study showed that the olive mill waste could be used as a pore maker in brick production.

Nutritional upgrade of olive mill stone waste, walnut shell and their mixtures by applying solid state fermentation initiated by Pleurotus ostreatus.

Present study concerns the transformation of the agro-industrial by-products olive mill stone waste (OMSW) and walnut shell (WS) to a protein-enriched animal feedstuff utilizing the solid state fermentation (SSF) technique. For this purpose, various mixtures of these by-products were exploited as substrates of the SSF process which was initiated by the P. ostreatus fungus. The respective results indicated that the substrate consisted of 80% WS and 20% OMSW afforded the product with the highest increase in protein content, which accounted the 7.57% of its mass (69.35% increase). In addition, a 26.13% reduction of lignin content was observed, while the most profound effect was observed for their 1,3-1,6 ß-glucans profile, which was increased by 3-folds reaching the 6.94% of substrate's mass. These results are indicative of the OMSW and WS mixtures potential to act as efficient substrate for the development of novel proteinaceous animal feed supplements using the SSF procedure. Study herein contributes to the reintegration of the agro-industrial by-products aiming to confront the problem of proteinaceous animal feed scarcity and reduce in parallel the environmental footprint of the agro-industrial processes within the context of circular economy.

From antiquity to contemporary times: how olive oil by-products and waste water can contribute to health.

Since antiquity, numerous advantages of olive oil and its by-products have been recognized in various domains, including cooking, skincare, and healthcare. Extra virgin olive oil is a crucial component of the Mediterranean diet; several of its compounds exert antioxidant, anti-proliferative, anti-angiogenic and pro-apoptotic effects against a variety of cancers, and also affect cellular metabolism, targeting cancer cells through their metabolic derangements. Numerous olive tree parts, including leaves, can contribute metabolites useful to human health. Olive mill waste water (OMWW), a dark and pungent liquid residue produced in vast amounts during olive oil extraction, contains high organic matter concentrations that may seriously contaminate the soil and surrounding waters if not managed properly. However, OMWW is a rich source of phytochemicals with various health benefits. In ancient Rome, the farmers would employ what was known as amurca, a mulch-like by-product of olive oil production, for many purposes and applications. Several studies have investigated anti-angiogenic and chemopreventive activities of OMWW extracts. The most prevalent polyphenol in OMWW extracts is hydroxytyrosol (HT). Verbascoside and oleuperin are also abundant. We assessed the impact of one such extract, A009, on endothelial cells (HUVEC) and cancer cells. A009 was anti-angiogenic in several in vitro assays (growth, migration, adhesion) and inhibited angiogenesis in vivo, outperforming HT alone. A009 inhibited cells from several tumors in vitro and in vivo and showed potential cardioprotective effects mitigating cardiotoxicity induced by chemotherapy drugs, commonly used in cancer treatment, and reducing up-regulation of pro-inflammatory markers in cardiomyocytes. Extracts from OMWW and other olive by-products have been evaluated for biological activities by various international research teams. The results obtained make them promising candidates for further development as nutraceutical and cosmeceutical agents or dietary supplement, especially in cancer prevention or even in co-treatments with anti-cancer drugs. Furthermore, their potential to offer cardioprotective benefits opens up avenues for application in the field of cardio-oncology.

Towards a circular economy in virgin olive oil production: Valorization of the olive mill waste (OMW) "alpeorujo" through polyphenol recovery with natural deep eutectic solvents (NADESs) and vermicomposting.

Virgin olive oil (VOO) production generates large amounts of a harmful by-product, olive mill waste (OMW) or alpeorujo, which has a strong environmental impact and that must be recycled to adapt VOO production to a circular economy model. Here, the valorization of OMW was studied by considering three consecutive stages: Stage 1 involves the generation of OMW; Stage 2 the recovery of bioactive phenolic compounds from the fresh OMW using natural deep eutectic solvents (NADESs), generating a valuable phenolic extract and a new by-product, a dephenolized OMW named "alpeoNADES"; and Stage 3 involves vermicomposting alpeoNADES with Eisenia fetida earthworms. Six NADES were formulated and tested, selecting a NADES composed of citric acid and fructose (CF) derived from food grade and biodegradable substances. CF was the most effective solvent to obtain phenolic extracts for nutraceutical and agronomical purposes, extracting 3988.74 mg/kg of polyphenols from fresh OMW. This alpeoNADES is a non-palatable substrate for E. fetida earthworms, as the residual CF gives it an acidic pH (pH 2). Its palatability was improved by mixing it with horse manure and straw for vermicomposting, in a 1:1 and 3:1 dry weight ratio. When these substrates were precomposted for 3 weeks they reached pH 5.5-6 and they could then be vermicomposted for 23 weeks (using OMW as a control). The best substrate for vermicomposting was determined by the worm biomass, growth rate, carbon to nitrogen (C:N) ratio, and N and P content. AlpeoNADES and manure 3:1 produced the highest quality vermicompost in the shortest time, generating a product that complied with European standards for organic fertilizers. Hence, alpeoNADES was recycled to a low-cost, organic balanced fertilizer in Stage 3, enabling the olive oil industry to transition to sustainable production through this integrated circular economy design.

Assessment of adverse effects of olive mill waste water and olive mill waste contaminated soil on springtail Folsomia candida.

In recent years significant attention has been given to the problem of olive mill waste towards the environment. Still, there is a considerable gap in the knowledge of the impact of the olive mill wastewater (OMWW) and the olive mill waste contaminated soil (OMW CS) on non-target soil organisms. Springtails, as an important group of non-target soil organisms, are frequently used in ecotoxicological research. However, information on olive mill waste impact on the model species Folsomia candida is scarce. Therefore, in this study, we determined the effects of OMWW and OMW CS on survival, reproduction, neurotoxicity, oxidative stress, and available energy in springtail F. candida. The exposure to different ratios of OMWW and OMW CS showed higher toxicity of OMW CS in terms of survival (LC50 = 32.34% of OMWW; LC50 = 45.36% of OMW CS) and reproduction (EC50 = 10.10% of OMWW; EC50 = 19.44% of OMW CS). Furthermore, neurotoxicity (AChE induction), oxidative stress (SOD, GST, and MDA induction), and changes in available energy (decrease in lipid and carbohydrate content) have been observed. Those negative effects are likely consequences of the high phenol content specific to OMWW and OMW CS. Obtained results indicate that for the ecotoxicological assessment of various wastes it is essential to consider different tier level biomarkers to have a clear insight into the mechanism of action.

Effects of olive mill waste (OMW) contaminated soil on biochemical biomarkers and reproduction of Dendrobaena veneta.

Olive oil industry is economically important in Mediterranean countries. Disposal of olive mill waste (OMW) presents an environmental concern in those countries due to its high salinity and its high level of polyphenols. In order to reuse OMW, those properties have to change either through the filtration process and addition of adsorbents or by composting. One of the most important organisms in composting of organic wastes is earthworms. However, data on the effects of OMW on earthworms are scarce. The main aim of our study was to investigate whether OMW contaminated soil (OMW CS) causes adverse effects on molecular and organism level in epigeic earthworm Dendrobaena veneta and on microbiological activity. Changes of measured biochemical biomarkers (AChE, CAT, GST, lipids, MDA) varied depending on the quantity of added OMW CS and the exposure duration. Oxidative stress occurred after 7 days of exposure, while in most cases enzyme activity recovered after 28 days. At the highest ratio of contaminated soil (50%), reproduction was completely inhibited. The second aim was to investigate the impact of earthworms on phenol degradation and microbial activity, indicating an important role in the bioremediation of contaminated soils. Our results show that above a certain quantity an OMW CS has an adverse effect on earthworms, while the impact of earthworms on soil microbial activity was positive but transient. Yet, as the results also imply that earthworms have an impact on phenol degradation, they can be used to help remediation of OMW CS and its subsequent usage in agriculture. However, the quantity of OMW CS that can be safely added should be determined first.

The Use of Modified Fe3O4 Particles to Recover Polyphenolic Compounds for the Valorisation of Olive Mill Wastewater from Slovenian Istria.

Olive mill waste water (OMWW), a by-product created during the processing of olive oil, contains high amounts of polyphenolic compounds. If put to further use, these polyphenolic compounds could be a valuable resource for the speciality chemical industry. In order to achieve this, isolation of the polyphenolic compounds from OMWW is needed. Several techniques for this process already exist, the most widely used of which is adsorption beds. This research describes new ways of collecting polyphenolic compounds by using unmodified iron oxide (Fe3O4) particles and Fe3O4 modified with silica gel (Fe3O4@C18), citric acid (Fe3O4@CA), and sodium dodecyl sulphate (Fe3O4@SDS). This approach is superior to adsorption beds since it can be used in a continuous system without clogging, while the nano-sized shapes create a high surface area for adsorption. The results of this study show that, if used in a loop system of several adsorption and desorption cycles, (un)modified Fe3O4 has the potential to collect high concentrations of polyphenolic compounds. A combination of different modifications of the Fe3O4 particles is also beneficial, as these combinations can be tailored to allow for the removal of specific polyphenolic compounds.

Dynamics of bacterial communities and substrate conversion during olive-mill waste dark fermentation: Prediction of the metabolic routes for hydrogen production.

The aim of this work was to study the biological catalysts and possible substrate conversion routes in mesophilic dark fermentation reactors aimed at producing H2 from olive mill wastewater. Bacillus and Clostridium were the most abundant phylotypes during the rapid stage of H2 production. Chemical analyses combined with predictive functional profiling of the bacterial communities indicated that the lactate fermentation was the main H2-producing route. In fact, during the fermentation process, lactate and acetate were consumed, while H2 and butyrate were being produced. The fermentation process was rich in genes that encode enzymes for lactate generation from pyruvate. Lactate conversion to butyrate through the generation of pyruvate produced H2 through the recycling of electron carriers via the pyruvate ferredoxin oxydoreductase pathway. Overall, these findings showed the synergy among lactate-, acetate- and H2-producing bacteria, which complex interactions determine the H2 production routes in the bioreactors.

Potential of Olive Oil Mill Wastewater as a Source of Polyphenols for the Treatment of Skin Disorders: A Review.

Current trends toward naturally occurring compounds of therapeutic interest have contributed to an increasing number of studies on olive oil phenolics in the treatment of diseases with oxidative and inflammatory origins. Recent focus has been on olive oil wastewater, which is richer in phenolic compounds than olive oil itself. In this review, we present findings demonstrating the potential use of olive mill wastewater in dermatology. Particular attention is given to compounds with proven benefits in topical pharmacology: caffeic and ferulic acids, tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol, verbascoside, and oleuropein. The review is divided into different sections: inflammatory skin diseases, microbial effects, wound healing in addition to the antimelanoma properties of olive mill waste phenolics, and their potential in sun protection agents. There is strong evidence to support further studies into the valorization of this abundant and sustainable source of phenolic compounds for use in dermatology and dermo-cosmetic preparations.

Dietary Supplementation of Olive Mill Waste Water Polyphenols in Rabbits: Evaluation of the Potential Effects on Hepatic Apoptosis, Inflammation and Metabolism through RT-qPCR Approach.

Agro-industrial processing for the production of food or non-food products generates a wide range of by-products and residues rich in bioactive compounds including polyphenols. The concentration of these by-products is sometimes higher than in the original raw material as in the case of olive mill waste water (OMWW), one of the main by-products of olive oil extraction. Polyphenols are secondary plant metabolites that regulate the expression of specific inflammatory genes, transcriptional factors and pro/anti-apoptotic molecules, thus modulating the signaling pathways essential for cell health and homeostasis. The liver plays a key role in regulating homeostasis by responding to dietary changes in order to maintain nutritional and physiological states. In this study a nutrigenomic approach was adopted, which focuses on the effects of diet-health-gene interactions and the modulation of cellular processes, in order to evaluate the expression of the genes (AGER, BAX, COX2, IL1B, PPARA, PPARG, SIRT1, TNFA) involved in these interactions in the livers of rabbits fed with a diet supplemented with OMWW (POL) or without supplements (control, CTR). The RT-qPCR analysis showed the down-regulation of SIRT1, TNFA, AGER, BAX and PPARA transcripts in the POL group compared to the CTR group. These results show that OMWW dietary supplementation prevents cell death and tissue deterioration in rabbits.

Identifying the maturity of co-compost of olive mill waste and natural mineral materials: Modelling via ANN and multi-objective optimization.

In this study, olive mill waste (OMW) and natural mineral amendments were co-composted to evaluate the compost maturity efficiency. The results were modelled by Feed-Forward Neural Networks (FF-NN) and Elman-Recurrent Neural Networks (ER-NN) and compared Response Surface Methodology (RSM). According to RSM produced a prediction error of more than 10% while Neural Networks (NNs) models were <2%. From, multi-objective optimization, the most suitable materials were expanded vermiculite and pumice with overall desirabilities of 0.60 and 0.56, respectively. The optimum amendment ratios were achieved with 14.3% of expanded vermiculite and 16.0% of pumice for OMW composting. Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) results indicated that the materials had a strong effect on composting in parallel with the optimization results. NNs were predictors with superior properties to model the composting processes, can be used as modeling tools in many areas that are difficult and costly to perform new experiments.

How the environmental fate of clomazone in rice fields is influenced by amendment with olive-mill waste under different regimes of irrigation and tillage.

BACKGROUND: Irrigation and tillage systems alone or in combination with organic amendments can strongly influence soil properties, which in turn may also modify the environmental fate of any pesticides applied. This study was aimed at determining how amendment with composted olive-mill waste (W) influenced leaching, sorption, and persistence of the herbicide clomazone in rice field soils under different tillage and irrigation management practices. The field trial conducted covered 3 years in succession, with six treatments: irrigation by sprinkler and conventional tillage without (ST) or with W application (80 Mg ha-1 ) (STW), irrigation by sprinkler but no tillage (SNT), irrigation by sprinkler but no tillage with W application (SNTW), and continuous flooding irrigation and tillage without (FT) and with W application (FTW). RESULTS: Application of W significantly increased the adsorption of clomazone to soil in the first and third years. In the first year, the persistence of clomazone under aerobic (t1/2  = 33.1-36.3 days) and anaerobic incubation conditions (t1/2  = 3.43-10.8 days) decreased after W application to t1/2 values in the ranges 18.1-29.7 and 3.06-5.44 days, respectively. However, in the third year, although clomazone persistence increased significantly in SNT and ST when W was applied under both incubation conditions, it decreased significantly in FT management under anaerobic incubation conditions. The addition of W led to less leaching of clomazone, particularly for the FT case where the herbicide leaching losses were 2.8 and 2.6 times lower in the first and third years after W addition, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Using W as an organic amendment could be regarded as an invaluable strategy to reduce water contamination by clomazone in rice production, especially under traditional tillage and flooding management. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.