Direct utilization of human liquid wastes by plants in a closed ecosystem.

Model experiments in phytotrons have shown that urea is able to cover 70% of the demand in nitrogen of the conveyer cultivated wheat. At the same time wheat plants can directly utilize human liquid wastes. In this article by human liquid wastes the authors mean human urine only. In a long-term experiment on "man-higher plants" system with two crewmen, plants covered 63 m2, with wheat planted to--39.6 m2. For 103 days, complete human urine (total amount--210.7 l) was supplied into the nutrient solution for wheat. In a month and a half NaCl supply into the nutrient solution stabilized at 0.9-1.65 g/l. This salination had no marked effect on wheat production. The experiment revealed the realistic feasibility to directly involve liquid wastes into the biological turnover of the life support system. The closure of the system, in terms of water, increased by 15.7% and the supply of nutrients for wheat plants into the system was decreased.

Long-term experiments on man's stay in biological life-support system.

We describe the experimental system having maximal possible closure of material recycling in an ecosystem, including people and plants, which was carried out in a hermetically sealed experimental complex "BIOS-3", 315 m2 in volume. The system included 2 experimentators and 3 phytotrons with plants (total sowing area of 63 m2). Plants were grown with round-the-clock lamp irradiation with 130 Wm-2 PAR intensity. The plants production was food for people. Water exchange of ecosystem, as wall as gas exchange, was fully closed excluding liquids and gas samples taken for chemical analysis outside the system. The total closure of material turnover constituted 91%. Health state of the crew was estimated before, during and after the experiment. A 5-months period did not affect their health. The experiments carried out prove that the closed ecosystem of "man-plants" is a prototype of a life-support system for long-term space expeditions.

[Comparative evaluation of the vitamin composition of unicellular algae and higher plants grown under artificial conditions]. / Sravintel'naia otsenka vitaminnogo sostava nekotorykn odnokletochnykh vodoroslei i vysshikh rastenii, vyrashchennykh v iskusstevennykh usloviiakh.

The vitamin composition of representatives of green (Chlorella vulgaris, Platimonas viridis), blue-green (Synechococcus elongatus, Coccopedia, Spirulina platensis, Cyanidium caldarium), red (Porphyridium cruentum) unicellular algae and higher plants (wheat, chufa, beet, carrot, turnip, radish, cucumber, dill, Welsh onion, potato) grown under artificial conditions was examined. The content of B complex vitamins (thiamine, riboflavine, nicotinic and folic acids), ascorbic acid and carotene was measured. Among the algae studied Chlorella vulgaris and Spirulina platensis showed the highest vitamin activity. The red alga Porphyridium cruentum contained the lowest quantity of thiamine, riboflavine and carotene and larger amounts of nicotinic acid. Comparison of the content of vitamins C, B1, B2, PP, folic acid and carotene in unicellular algae and higher plants, that are natural and traditional sources of the vitamins, demonstrated that the above green and blue-green algae contain greater than higher plants amounts of thiamine, riboflavine, folic acid and carotene, when calculated per g dry matter. All algae, except for Platimonas viridis and Cyanidium caldarium, are superior to beet and carrot in their content of ascorbic acid and inferior to green vegetables (radish, cabbage, dill and Welsh onion) in that parameter.

[A comparative study of the biological value of proteins in products of hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria biomass processing]. / Sravnitel'noe issledovanie biologicheslpi tsennosti belka v produktakh pererabotki biomassy vodorodokisliaiushchikh bakterii.

Chemical and biological methods have shown solubility decrease of protein biomass of hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria in water and neutral salt solutions, in the process of its autoclave drying and sterilizing. The potential and real biological values of the protein of the sterilized biomass are highly different. Denucleation of biomass decreases the real biological value leading its difference to the null.

[Comparative characteristics of the amino acid composition of the protein fractions of the hydrogen bacteria Hydrogenomonas eutropha in meat and wheat]. / Sravnitel'naia kharakteristika aminokislotnogo sostava belkovykh fraktsii vodorodnykh bakterii Hydrogenomonas eutropa, miasi i pshenitsy

An attempt was made to compare the biological value of the biological mass of the hydrogen bacteria Tydrogenomas eutropha, of meat and wheat on the ground of the fractional and amino acids composition of their proteins. Substantial differences in the distribution of proteins and amino acids in all of the three objects examined were revealed. It is shown that more than one half of the entire protein contained in the biological mass of the hydrogen bacteria is made up of poorly soluble structural proteins difficultly amenable to the action of digestive enzymes. It is this fraction where the bulk of essential amino acids is concentrated. The data obtained imply that the biological value of the biological mass of hydrogen bacteria is higher than in wheat, but lower than in meat.

[Inclusion of chufa in the human diet as a source of polyunsaturated fatty acids]. / Vkliuchenie v ratsion cheloveka chufy kak istochnika polinenasyshchennykh zhirnykh kislot.

In 2 experiments lasting 30 days each with participation of 6 volunteers the possibility of daily consumption in the diet of chufa in an amount allowing for minimal requirement of the organism in polyunsaturated fatty acids was studied. The experimental food ration accorded with individual requirements in its basic components. None of the participating volunteers demonstrated any untoward deviations of objective and subjective nature in their health status. For a month chufa was introduced daily at the rate of 1.7 g per kg of body weight.

[Biochemical quality assessment of broiler production using a hydrogen bacteria biomass in the diet]. / Biokhimicheskaia otsenka kachestva produktsii broilerov pri ispol'zovanii v ratsione biomassy vodorodnykh bakterii.

The authors studied the biochemical composition of the meat of broilers, eggs, liver and muscles of laying hens of 3 generations on a 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100% (broilers), 10 and 20% (laying hens) replacement of the animal protein quota in the diet by protein obtained from the hydrogen bacteria Alcaligenes eutrophus L-1. No deterioration of the quality of the produce was found from the standpoint of the main biochemical parameters.

[Continuous cultivation of hydrogen bacteria with multiple use of the medium]. / Nepreryvnoe kul'tivirovanie vodorodnykh bakterii s mnogokratnym ispol'zovaniem sredy

The possibility of continuous cultivation of hydrogen bacteria was studied in the conditions of recirculation of the medium. The hydrogen bacteria accumulated proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, organic and amino acids in the medium during its multiple reutilization, which however had no effect on the specific growth rate and the ability of the bactetia to oxidize molecular hydrogen.

[Metabolism of organic nitrogen compounds by carboxydobacteria]. / Metabolizm organicheskikh azotnykh soedinenii u karboksidobakterii.

The capability to hydrolyze and assimilate creatinine, uric and hippuric acids as sources of nitrogen, carbon and energy was studied in Comamonas compransoris Z-1155, Seliberia carboxydohydrogena Z-1062 and Pseudomonas gazotropha Z-1156. The organisms effectively hydrolyzed these compounds and assimilated their nitrogen under the conditions of autotrophic growth. The carboxydobacteria were also capable of growing in media containing creatinine, uric and hippuric acids and assimilated these compounds as carbon sources. In the absence of extraneous energy sources, none of the organisms grew in media with organic nitrogen compounds though the latter were hydrolyzed.

[Lipid composition of carboxydobacteria]. / Issledovanie sostava lipidov karboksidobakterii.

The composition of lipids was studied in three strains of carboxydobacteria, viz. Seliberia carboxydohydrogena Z-1062, Pseudomonas gazotropha Z-1156 and Comamonas compransoris Z-1155. The content of lipids extracted with an alcohol--chloroform mixture varied in these strains from 9 to 13.2%. The main classes were phospholipids (from 62.6 to 77.2% of the overall lipid content). The major phospholipids were phosphatidyl ethanolamine and phosphatidyl choline. Moreover, the strains Z-1062 and Z-1156 contained three unidentified phospholipids which constituted 40 and 20% of the total content respectively. The neutral lipids of the carboxydobacteria comprised diglycerides, triglycerides, free fatty acids, methyl esters of fatty acids and a number of compounds which were not identified. The fatty acids of the strains were represented by saturated, monoene and cyclopropanoic acids. The main acids were palmitic, palmitolenic, C17-cyclopropanoic, stearic and octadecenic acids. Polar lipids differed from neutral lipids in their fatty acid composition. The fatty acid composition of firmly bound lipids was characterized by a high degree of saturation, the absence of cyclopropanoic acids and the presence of two unidentified acids that were not found in free lipids; apparently, they belonged to hydroxy acids.

Growth and luminescence of luminous bacteria promoted by agents of microbial origin.

The examination of four species of luminous bacteria Photobacterium leiognathi, Photobacterium phosphoreum, Vibrio fischeri and Vibrio harveyi has enabled us to reveal some nutrient medium components effecting growth, luminescence intensity and luciferase synthesis. These agents are nucleic components (nucleotides, nucleotides and amine bases), amino acids and vitamins, which are part of hydrolysates from the biomass of various lithotrophic microorganisms, hydrogen-oxidizing, iron-oxidizing and carboxydobacteria. The effect of promoting agents essentially alters the physiological state and ultrastructure of the cells of luminous bacteria and increases luciferase biosynthesis two- to three-fold compared to a control.

[Dynamics of the amino acid composition of the medium during cultivation of isolated liver and kidney by the controlled perfusion method]. / Dinamika aminokislotnogo sostava sredy pri kul'tivirovanii izolirovannykh pecheni i pochki metodom upravliaemoi perfuzii

The dynamics of the medium amino acid composition was studied during a 6-hour perfusion of dog kidney and liver by a mixture of autogenic plasma and medium 199 (a ratio of 2 : 3). In comparison to the initial level the amount of histidine during 6-hour cultivation of the kidney was found to increase 2.2 times, that of glutamic acid--1.7 times, and of alanine and lysine--1.6 times. At the same time the amount of arginine, serine and asparagic acid became 3.3 times and of glutamine and threonine--2.5 times lower. With the liver perfusion the level of glutaminic acid became 2.9 times, of alanine--2.3 times, of cystine--2 times and of glycine--1.5 times higher. With the liver perfusion the level of arginine decreased so rapidly that none was found in the medium after a 2-hour perfusion. The described method of amino acid analysis during the cultivation of the organs could serve as means for elaborating and correcting the culture media.

[Dynamics of the amino acid composition of the medium during cultivation of isolated organs by the directed perfusion method]. / Dinamika aminokislotnogo sostava sredy pri kul'tivirovanii izolirovannykh organov metodom upravliaemoi perfuzii

The dynamics of the amino acid composition of the medium under conditions of adequate perfusion of the isolated organs of a dog (sternum, kidney and liver) was studied. It was found that after a 6-hour perfusion of the complex of organs the amount in the perfusion medium of such amino acids as histidine, lysine, alanine, considerably increased, whereas the amount of arginine, serine, aspartic acid, threonine with glutamine, isoleucine, proline, leucine and valine decreased as compared with their initial concentration. The dynamics of the amino acid medium composition during a 4-hour perfusion was studied in experiments with the isolated sternum. The concentration of alanine, lysine and histidine increased in the medium. At the same time there was seen a decrease in the concentration of serine, aspartic acid, isoleucine, tyrosine and phenyl-alanine.

[Effects of the nitrogen nutrition conditions on the growth and protein synthesis of carboxydobacteria]. / Vliianie uslovii azotnogo pitaniia na rost i sintez belkov u karboksidobakterii.

The rate of growth of bacterial strains oxidizing carbon monoxide (Pseudomonas gazotropha Z-1156, Comamonas compransoris Z-1155, and Seliberia carboxydohydrogena Z--1062) was studied as a function of the concentration of NH4Cl in the medium. The bacteria could grow on media containing various nitrogen sources (NH4Cl, KNO3, CO(NH2)2). Changes in the amino acid content and biochemical composition of the biomass were studied during growth of the bacteria on these media. The biological value of proteins of the bacteria was estimated.

[Characteristics of the proteins of unicellular organisms as potential components of ecological life-support systems]. / Kharakteristika belkov nekotorykh odnokletochnykh organizmov kak potentsial'nykh komponentov ékologicheskikh sistem zhizneobespecheniia.

A comparative characterization of the biological value of proteins from green and blue-green algae, bacteria, and microbial coenosis of straw mineralizing active sludge is given with respect to the fractional composition of total protein, its amino acid composition, and affinity for proteolytic enzymes in vitro. The above microorganisms have an adequate amino acid composition, a high content of essential amino acids, and differ in their content of readily soluble proteins. The presence of protein complexes with other cellular components, for instance lipids and carbohydrates, seems to be responsible for a poor digestibility of these proteins.

[Chufa (Cyperus esculentus) as a source of vegetable fats in a sealed life-support system]. / Chufa (Cyperus esculentus) kak istochnik rastitel'nykh zhirov v zamknutoi sisteme zhizneobespecheniia.

The cultivation schemes, productivity, total biochemical, lipid in particular, composition of nodules of chufa (Cyperus esculentus) were studied, using a phytotron. Upon continuous illumination chufa yielded a high total productivity and a satisfactory coefficient of economic effectiveness (not less than 50%). Chufa nodules have an optimal ratio of proteins, carbohydrates and fats containing essential fatty acids. To meet man's requirements for vegetable oils and essential fatty acids, it is necessary to produce daily 150--200 g dry chufa nodules which are quite acceptable as a dietary ingredient.