Single cell protein and oil production from solid cocoa fatty acid distillates co-fed ethanol.

The use of solid lipid sidestreams have been overlooked as a feedstock for the production of microbial biomass for food and feed applications and little to no recent work has examined the utilization of solid fatty acid distillates (FADs), which are a significant residue from vegetable oil processing. Yarrowia lipolytica and Rhodosporidium toruloides cultivated on cocoa fatty acid distillates (CFAD) generated final cell dry weight values > 40 g/L, with strong productivity (3.3 g/L·h) and rich protein (>45%) and lipid content (>25%). Interestingly, microbial oils were > 65% unsaturated fatty acids, compared < 20% unsaturated content in FAD. Importantly, to overcome mass-transfer limitations associated with bioconversion of solid lipid residues, ethanol was applied as a co-substrate to solubilize FAD residues. Here, FAD residues from cocoa deodorization have been demonstrated to be high energy feedstocks that represent an attractive substrate for the production of both single cell protein and oil (SCPO).

A newly characterized exopolysaccharide from Sanghuangporus sanghuang.

Sanghuangporus sanghuang is a well-known pharmacodynamic and economically important edible fungus associated with mulberry (Morus spp.). A distinctly new exopolysaccharide (EPS), designated SHP-2 was obtained from S. sanghuang P0988 broth, and its structure and anti-aging prosperity were characterized. SHP-2 was found to be composed of a back-bone of →4)-ß-Manp-(1→4)-α-Araf-(1→3,4)-α-Glcp(1→3,4)-α-Glcp-(1→3,4)-α-Glcp-(1→3,4)-α-Glcp-(1→3,4)-α-Glcp-(1→6)-α-Galp-(1→4)-ß-Manp-(1→ and five branches, including four α-D-Glcp-(1→ and one α-D-Manp-(1→SHP-2 was shown to increase antioxidant enzyme activities including catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities, as well as trolox equivalent antioxidant (TEAC) capacity in serum of mice pre-treated with D-Gal, while reducing lipofuscin levels. SHP-2 exerted a favorable influence on immune organ coefficients and ameliorated the histopathological hepatic lesions and apoptosis in hepatocytes of D-galactose-aged mice almost in a dose-dependent manner. Using the same analytical methods, on comparison with previously studied EPS compounds (i.e. SHP-1), SHP-2 was found to have more complex structure, larger molecule weight, and different anti-aging properties. The results presented here suggest that not only does EPS bioactivity vary with respect to molecular structures and molecule weight, but that multiple structures with different activity can be expressed by a single fungal strain. These results may help understanding the anti-aging prosperity of these polysaccharides for use in health foods or dietary supplements.

Structural characterization of two endopolysaccharides from Phellinus sp. and their immunologic effects by intragastric administration in a healthy mammalian model.

Two purified endopolysaccharides derived from cultured Phellinus sp., individually named SHIP-1 and 2, were structurally characterized, along with an evaluation of their in vivo influential immunomodulatory activity in a healthy mammalian model. The structure of SHIP-1 was mainly composed of →4)-α-d-Fucp-(1→, →3,6)-α-d-Araf-(1→ and →2,4)-ß-d-Galp-(→, with four residuals of α-d-Manp-(1→ and one α-d-Glcp-(1→ as sidegroups, while the planar structure and the heteronuclear multiple-bond correlation of SHIP-2 were not able to be analyzed. Biochemical analysis in the healthy mice model demonstrated that SHIP-1 increased the concentrations of the detected cytokines in a dosage-dependent manner but not in a time-dependent way. SHIP-2 exerted a positive effect in a dose-dependent manner over time for interferon gamma (IFN-γ) and interleukin (IL)-2 cytokine production at elevated dosages of 200, or 350 mg kg-1 d-1, while IFN-alpha(α) and IL-4 production was observed only in a dosage-dependent manner even at high dosages. Thus, SHIP-1 and 2 significantly improved the immune response through the intragastric administration of the tested high dosages by increasing the production of cytokines in the healthy mice, and these polysaccharides could possibly be used as an immunopotentiator in health foods or dietary supplements.

Structural characterization and anti-aging activity of a novel extracellular polysaccharide from fungus Phellinus sp. in a mammalian system.

Little is known about the chemical structure of purified extracellular polysaccharides from Phellinus sp., a fungal species with known medicinal properties. A combination of IR spectroscopy, methylation analysis and NMR were performed for the structural analysis of a purified extracellular polysaccharide derived from Phellinus sp. culture, denoted as SHP-1, along with an evaluation of the anti-aging effect in vivo of the polysaccharide supplementation. The structure of SHP-1 was established, with a backbone composed of →2,4)-α-d-glucopyranose-(1→ and →2)-ß-d-mannopyranose-(1→ and two terminal glucopyranose branches. Biochemical analysis from mammalian animal experiments demonstrated that SHP-1 possesses the ability to enhance antioxidant enzyme activities, such as catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities, Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) in serum of d-galactose-aged mice, while reducing lipofuscin levels, another indicator of cell aging, indicating a potential association with anti-aging activities in a dose dependent manner. This compound had a favourable influence on immune organ indices, and a marked amelioration ability of histopathological hepatic lesions such as necrosis, karyolysis and reduced inflammation and apoptosis in mouse hepatocytes. These results suggest that SHP-1 has strong antioxidant activities and a significant protective effect against oxidative stress or hepatotoxicity induced by d-galactose in mice and it could be developed as a food ingredient or a pharmaceutical to prevent many age-associated diseases such as major depressive disorder and hepatotoxicity. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the antioxidant effects of a novel purified exopolysaccharide derived from Phellinus sp.

Bioaugmentation of soil contaminated with high-level crude oil through inoculation with mixed cultures including Acremonium sp.

Heavy contamination of soil with crude oil has caused significant negative environmental impacts and presents substantial hazards to human health. To explore a highly efficient bioaugmentation strategy for these contaminations, experiments were conducted over 180 days in soil heavily contaminated with crude oil (50,000 mg kg(-1)), with four treatments comprised of Bacillus subtilis inoculation with no further inoculation (I), or reinoculation after 100 days with either B. subtilis (II), Acremonium sp.(III), or a mixture of both organisms (IV). The removal values of total petroleum hydrocarbons were 60.1 ± 2.0, 60.05 ± 3.0, 71.3 ± 5.2 and 74.2 ± 2.7 % for treatment (I-IV), respectively. Treatments (III-IV) significantly enhanced the soil bioremediation compared with treatments (I-II) (p < 0.05). Furthermore, significantly (p < 0.05) greater rates of degradation for petroleum hydrocarbon fractions were observed in treatments (III-IV) compared to treatments (I-II), and this was especially the case with the degradative rates for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and crude oil heavy fractions. Dehydrogenase activity in treatment (III-IV) containing Acremonium sp. showed a constant increase until the end of experiments. Therefore reinoculation with pure fungus or fungal-bacterial consortium should be considered as an effective strategy in bioaugmentation for soil heavily contaminated with crude oil.