Impact of Iron Mining Activity on the Endophytic Fungal Community of Aspilia grazielae.

Aspilia grazielae (J. U. Santos) is an endemic plant species in Morro do Urucum in the Pantanal wetland (Brazil). A. grazielae is used for the restoration of areas impacted by iron mining activities. This study evaluates the diversity (composition, value and abundance) of endophytic fungal communities, considering parts of the plant and soil condition. The leaves and roots of A. grazielae were collected from native vegetation areas (NVA) and recovery areas (RCA) in Morro do Urucum. Illumina sequencing technology was used to investigate variation in endophytic fungal biodiversity. The operational taxonomic units detected in NVA ranged from 183 to 263 (leaf) and 115 to 285 (root), while RCA samples ranged from 200 to 282 (leaf) and 156 to 348 (root). Ascomycota phylum was the most common species among all plant samples. The most significant classes identified were Lecanoromycetes and Dothideomycetes that differed significantly (p ≤ 0.05) according to their plant hosts and soil stress. The relative abundance of Pestalotiopsis (Sordariomycetes class) and Stereocaulon (Lecanoromycetes class) genera was influenced by the iron mining activities according to the leaf samples analysed. However, the abundance and wealth of endophytic fungal communities in A. grazielae from RCA were evidence that could explain their high resilience to environmental disturbances and the source-sink dynamics of fungal propagules.

N-acetylation of toxic aromatic amines by fungi: Strain screening, cytotoxicity and genotoxicity evaluation, and application in bioremediation of 3,4-dichloroaniline.

Aromatic amines (AA) are one of the most commonly used classes of compounds in industry and the most common pollutants found in both soil and water. 3,4-Dichloaniline (3,4-DCA) is a persistent residue of the phenylurea herbicide in the environment. In this study, we used a colorimetric method as a new approach to screen 12 filamentous fungal strains of the genera Aspergillus, Chaetomium, Cladosporium, and Mucor to assess their capacity to perform AA N-acetylation since it is considered a potential tool in environmental bioremediation. Subsequently, the selected strains were biotransformed with different AA substrates to evaluate the product yield. The strains Aspergillus niveus 43, Aspergillus terreus 31, and Cladosporium cladosporioides showed higher efficiencies in the biotransformation of 3,4-DCA at 500 µM into its N-acetylated product. These fungal strains also showed great potential to reduce the phytotoxicity of 3,4-DCA in experiments using Lactuca sativa seeds. Furthermore, N-acetylation was shown to be effective in reducing the cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of 3,4-DCA and other AA in the immortalized human keratinocyte (HaCaT) cell line. The isolated products after biotransformation showed that fungi of the genera Aspergillus and Cladosporium appeared to have N-acetylation as the first and main AA detoxification mechanism. Finally, A. terreus 31 showed the highest 3,4-DCA bioremediation potential, and future research can be carried out on the application of this strain to form microbial consortia with great potential for the elimination of toxic AA from the environment.

Elaboração de massa fresca de macarrão enriquecida com pescado defumado / Production of fresh paste pasta enriched with smoked fish

O objetivo deste trabalho foi de produzir massa fresca de macarrão com a incorporação de peixe defumado e avaliar as características microbiológicas, físico-químicas e sensoriais. O peixe utilizado para este experimento foi o pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus), cultivados em tanques rede no Reservatório da Itaipu Binacional no Município de Santa Helena - PR. Foram realizadas análises quanto aos teores de lipídios, umidade, proteínas, minerais totais, carboidratos e valor calórico, além da qualidade microbiológica do produto in natura e da massa de macarrão. A massa de macarrão foi submetida também à análise sensorial com avaliação dos atributos de aparência, cor, odor, sabor e textura. A massa de macarrão apresentou valores de 15,21% de proteínas; as análises físico-químicas indicaram alto teor protéico. Quanto à análise microbiológica do produto, os resultados obtidos apresentaram-se em conformidade com os valores exigidos pela legislação e, portanto, adequado para o consumo humano. A avaliação sensorial da massa de macarrão indicou alta aceitabilidade com 97% de aprovação. O acréscimo de carne de pescado na formulação da massa de macarrão apresentou vantagens qualitativas e quantitativas com relação à sua composição química, além de alta aceitabilidade do produto desenvolvido, o que mostra a viabilidade de sua produção.

The purpose of this study is to prepare fresh paste pasta with the addition of smoked fish, and to assess the microbiological and physical-chemical characteristics, and the sensory aspects. Pacu fish (Piaractusmesopotamicus) bred in captivity in the Binational Itaipu Reservoir located in the City of St. Helena – PR was analyzed on the contents of lipids, protein, total minerals, carbohydrates, moisture and caloric value. TheMicrobiological quality of the fresh product and the prepared pasta was assessed. The sensory aspects of thepasta were used to evaluate the appearance, color, odor, taste and texture characteristics. The pasta paste had 15.21% protein. The physical-chemical analysis on pasta showed high protein contents; and the microbiological results complied with the values established by the legislation in effect, being suitable for human consumption. The acceptability of sensory features on the prepared pasta had 97% of approval. The addition of fish meat in the pasta paste formulation furnished qualitative and quantitative advantages regarding the chemical composition besides the high acceptance, indicating the feasibility of its production.