Oyster Crassostrea gigas, a good model for correlating viral and chemical contamination in the marine environment.

To establish a relationship between viruses and chemicals, they were analysed in oyster Crassostrea gigas from an Italian experimental station. The chemicals concentrations were: Σ6 NDL-PCBs 0.82-7.12 ng g-1; BaP LOQ (<0.2 µg kg-1) to 1.2 µg kg-1; PAH4 LOQ (<0.2 µg kg-1) to 9.8 µg kg-1; Cd 0.073-0.365 mg kg-1; Pb 0.010-0.487 mg kg-1; and Hg < LOQ (0.089 mg kg-1). The viruses identified included: noroviruses (NoVGI/GII), astrovirus (AsV), rotavirus (RV), adenovirus (AdV), and sapovirus (SaV), while hepatitis A, hepatitis E, and Aichi viruses were not detected. Significant correlations were observed for NDL-PCBs with NoVGI, NoVGII, and AdV; BaP and PAH4 with NoVGI and AsV; Cd with RV; Pb with NoVGI and AsV; PAHs with Pb; AsV with NoVGI; and AdV with NoVGII. The study indicated as C. gigas is a model for correlating pollutants and foodborne viruses, whose co-presence may represent an additional food safety risk.

Sustainable production of food grade omega-3 oil using aquatic protists: Reliability and future horizons.

Biotechnological production of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) has become a commercial alternative to fish oil in the past twenty years. Compared to PUFA production by fatty fishes, that from microorganisms has increased due to its promising sustainability and high product safety and to increasing awareness in the expanding vegan market. Although autotrophic production by microalgae seems to be more sustainable in the long term, to date most of the microbial production of omega-3 is carried out under heterotrophic conditions using conventional fermentation technologies. The present review critically analyzes the main reasons for this discrepancy and reports on the recent advances and the most promising approaches for its future development in the context of sustainability and circular economy.

Formulation of New Media from Dairy and Brewery Wastes for a Sustainable Production of DHA-Rich Oil by Aurantiochytrium mangrovei.

Mozzarella stretching water (MSW) is a dairy effluent generated from mozzarella cheese production that does not have a real use and is destined to disposal, causing environmental problems and representing a high disposal cost for dairy producers. Spent brewery yeast (SBY) is another promising food waste produced after brewery manufacturing that could be recycled in new biotechnological processes. Aurantiochytrium mangrovei is an aquatic protist known as producer of bioactive lipids such as omega 3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω3 LC-PUFA), in particular docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). In this work MSW and SBY have been used to formulate new sustainable growth media for A. mangrovei cultivation and production of DHA in an attempt to valorize these effluents. MSW required an enzymatic hydrolysis to enhance the biomass production. The new media obtained from hydrolysed MSW was also optimized using response surface methodologies, obtaining 10.14 g L-1 of biomass in optimized medium, with a DHA content of 1.21 g L-1.

Biochemical composition and in vitro digestibility of Galdieria sulphuraria grown on spent cherry-brine liquid.

The aim of this work was to valorise an industrial food by-product and to produce a microalgal biomass rich in phytochemicals at high added value for food and nutraceutical applications. The biochemical composition, in vitro digestibility and antioxidant activity of Galdieria sulphuraria biomass grown heterotrophically on standard medium (SM) and on spent Cherry-Brine Liquid (sCBL) were assessed and compared. The biomass produced in sCBL was characterized by a lower content of proteins and lipids, while showing an increase in carbohydrates and polyphenols (5.3 vs 1.6 mg g-1). The sCBL biomass lipid moiety had a lower palmitic and linoleic acid content and a higher oleic acid concentration than SM. The total protein digestibility of Galdieria grown in SM and sCBL was 79% and 63% respectively. The antioxidant activity (AA) of G. sulphuraria biomass grown in sCBL was significantly higher than that grown in SM. Studying the AA release for sCBL biomass during the digestion, the highest value was found in the intestinal phase. In conclusion, G. sulphuraria has a valuable nutritional profile and could become a valuable source of phytochemicals, depending on the cultivation media. Cultivation on sCBL would allow an environmentally and economically sustainable process, valorising the food by-product and producing a microalgal biomass rich in cherry anthocyanins with high AA released at the intestinal level.