Stochastic modeling and meta-heuristic multivariate optimization of bioprocess conditions for co-valorization of feather and waste frying oil toward prodigiosin production.

Serratia marcescens strain UCCM 00009 produced a mixture of gelatinase and keratinase to facilitate feather degradation but concomitant production of prodigiosin could make waste feather valorization biotechnologically more attractive. This article describes prodigiosin fermentation through co-valorization of waste feather and waste frying peanut oil by S. marcescens UCCM 00009 for anticancer, antioxidant, and esthetic applications. The stochastic conditions for waste feather degradation (WFD), modeled by multi-objective particle swarm-embedded-neural network optimization (ANN-PSO), revealed a gelatinase/keratinase ratio of 1.71 for optimal prodigiosin production and WFD. Luedeking-Piret kinetics revealed a non-exclusive, non-growth-associated prodigiosin yield of 9.66 g/L from the degradation of 88.55% waste feather within 96 h. The polyethylene glycol (PEG) 6000/Na+ citrate aqueous two-phase system-purified serratiopeptidase demonstrated gelatinolytic and keratinolytic activities that were stable for 240 h at 55 °C and pH 9.0. In vitro evaluations revealed that the prodigiosin inhibited methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus at IC50 of 4.95 µg/mL, the plant-pathogen, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, at IC50 of 2.58 µg/mL, breast carcinoma at IC50 of 0.60 µg/mL and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl hydrate (DPPH) free-radical at IC50 of 96.63 µg/mL). The pigment also demonstrated commendable textile dyeing potential of fiber and cotton fabrics. The technology promises cost-effective prodigiosin development through sustainable waste feather-waste frying oil co-management.

Assessment of radiation hazard indices due to natural radioactivity in soil samples from Orlu, Imo State, Nigeria.

The use of a Radiation Alert Inspector device and a gamma-spectrometry system fitted with a Sodium Iodide (NaI) detector was used to determine the radioactivity concentration level of natural radionuclides 238U, 232Th, and 40K in soil in several locations in Orlu, Imo State, Nigeria. 19 soil samples were collected for analysis from several locations of factories, agricultural farming-lands, gullies and water eroded areas, and soil deposits very close to flowing waters from rocks, due to environmental concerns arising from human activities in this region. The activity concentration values for 238U, 232Th, and 40K were found to range from 0.14 to 9.34 Bq.kg-1, 0.03-3.75 Bq.kg-1, and 16.83-783.06 Bq.kg-1, respectively, with average mean values of 4.15, 1.64, and 134.13 Bq.kg-1. Radium equivalent activity, absorbed dose rate, and gamma index mean values for the samples were 16.822 Bq.kg-1, 8.528 nGyh-1, and 0.133 mSv respectively, the obtained values were below the safe limit values set by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation of 370.0 Bq.kg-1, 59.0nGyh-1, and 1.0 mSv. According to the findings, the regions under study are reasonably safe for human outdoor activities such as agriculture, construction, and factory operations.