Evaluation of crude oil biodegradation using mixed fungal cultures.

The use of potent fungal mixed cultures is a promising technique for the biodegradation of crude oil. Four isolates of fungi, namely, Alternaria alternata (AA-1), Aspergillus flavus (AF-3), Aspergillus terreus (AT-7), and Trichoderma harzianum (TH-5), were isolated from date palm soil in Saudi Arabia. The mixed fungal of the four isolates have a powerful tool for biodegradation up to 73.6% of crude oil (1%, w/v) in 14 days. The fungal consortium no. 15 containing the four isolates (1:1:1:1) performed significantly better as a biodegradation agent than other consortium in a variety of environmental factors containing crude oil concentration, incubation temperature, initial pH, biodegradation time and the salinity of the medium. The fungal consortium showed better performance in the biodegradation of normal alkanes (n-alkanes) than that of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs); the biodegradation efficiency of normal alkanes of the fungal consortium (67.1%) was clearly high than that of the PAHs (56.8%).

Molecular profile of aflatoxigenic and non-aflatoxigenic isolates of Aspergillus flavus isolated from stored maize.

Maize is a significant staple crop and utilized in Saudi Arabia as food and feed, but maize is often infected with Aspergillus flavus in tropical and subtropical climates, especially during storage. This study intended at a polyphasic approach, consisting of microscopic morphological, biochemical, and molecular characterizations that were applied to 29 of A. flavus isolates of stored maize, with the goal of characterization and identification of aflatoxigenic and non-aflatoxigenic A. flavus isolates. The technique of real-time PCR (RTi-PCR) was used to detection of A. flavus in stored maize samples, the findings have been very accurate. Centered on macroscopic morphological (primarily colony color and morphology of conidia) and microscopic (morphology of conidia and size) characteristics. Results have shown 23 A. flavus isolates (80%) were categorized as the dark green of colonies also all isolates were rough conidia. The isolates have been two different groups, 16 isolates (62%) had sclerotium-forming and the remaining 13 isolates (38%) had no sclerotium-forming isolates. To the identification of aflatoxigenic isolates of A. flavus in stored maize, we utilized the qualitative methods (easy and inexpensive) like UV test, yellow pigmentation, and ammonia vapor and quantitative method as HPLC (accurate and expensive). the accuracy methods to the identification aflatoxigenicity isolates, vary, and classified in the following descending order: HPLC (100%) > UV method (81%) > yellow pigmentation (YP) and ammonia vapor (AV) (63%). The profile of Aflatoxigenicity of A. flavus isolates by HPLC has been involved in two types first of 11 isolates (38%) have been aflatoxigenic isolates while 18 isolates (62%) were non-aflatoxigenic isolates. The expression of six aflatoxins (AFs) genes (aflD, aflM, aflO, aflP, aflR, and aflQ) was estimated using PCR and RT-PCR. PCR of all genes did not correspond to the aflatoxigenic isolates. The transcriptional analysis of aflO and aflQ was a beneficial marker for discriminating aflatoxigenic from non-aflatoxigenic A. flavus isolates. Also, qRT-PCR indicated that non-aflatoxigenic isolates had a high incidence of defect or downregulation in late AF-genes contrast with early AF-genes. therefore, these non-aflatoxigenic isolates could be critical factors for an efficient and competent strategy for the control of aflatoxin contamination pre-harvest can be considered.

Silver nanoparticles biosynthesis using Saussurea costus root aqueous extract and catalytic degradation efficacy of safranin dye.

Nanobiotechnology is a fast growing field in which instruments are created by nano size particles of approximately 1 to 100 nm (1 to 100 nm) of the scale of nanometers. Nanoparticles today have potential implications for life sciences and human health applications. In this research, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were successfully synthesized using Saussurea costus root aqueous extract and AgNPs have been characterized by the use of UV-Vis, Scanning Electron Microscopes (SEM), and Electromicroscopy of transmission (TEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDXs). The highest number of particles are in the 5 to 15 nm range. AgNPs have been added in saffron dye solution for degradation dye biosynthesizing, and product analysis using UV/vision spectrophotometer, FTIR and HPLC has been performed. Green-summed AgNPs effectively degraded the color, with UV/VIS spectrophotometers, around 84.6 percent at 72 h of exposure time. The decrease in tested dye and presence of multiple new highs in the samples treated with different retention times (Rt) 2.30, 6.10 and 12.24 min, is positive for the biodegradation compared to the untreated dye with single high at 10.31 min, respectively. This green chemistry is very advantageous for AgNPs biosynthesis, for example, cost-effectiveness and usability for medicinal, pharmaceutical and extensive industrial applications. Furthermore, the bio-recovery unit for plant extracts provides a greater ease of handling, compared to micro-organisms.