Nisin controlled homologous Over-expression of an exopolysaccharide biosynthetic glycosyltransferase gene for enhanced EPS production in Lactobacillus plantarum BR2.

Glycosyltransferases synthesize a variety of exopolysaccharides (EPS) with different properties by altering the type of glycosidic linkage, degree of branching, length, mass, and conformation of the polymers. The genome analysis of an EPS-producing, Lactobacillus plantarum BR2 (Accession No: MN176402) showed twelve glycosyltransferase genes, and the gene BR2gtf (1116 bp), annotated as an EPS biosynthetic glycosyltransferase was cloned into the pNZ8148 vector. The recombinant pNZ8148 vector along with pNZ9530, a regulatory plasmid, were electroporated to L. plantarum BR2 for the over-expression of gtf gene under a nisin-controlled expression system and the glycosyltransferase activity of the recombinant and the wild-type strains were analysed. The recombinant strain showed 54.4% increase in EPS production with the maximum EPS production of 23.2 ± 0.5 g/L in a 5 L bioreactor study after 72 h of fermentation. This study shows an effective molecular strategy possibly to be adopted in lactic acid bacteria to enhance exopolysaccharide production.

Integrated bioprocess for structured lipids, emulsifiers and biodiesel production using crude acidic olive pomace oils.

Olive pomace oil (OPO), a by-product of olive oil industry, is directly consumed after refining. The novelty of this study consists of the direct use of crude high acidic OPO (3.4-20% acidity) to produce added-value compounds, using sn-1,3-regioselective lipases: (i) low-calorie dietetic structured lipids (SL) containing caprylic (C8:0) or capric (C10:0) acids by acidolysis or interesterification with their ethyl esters, (ii) fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) for biodiesel, and (iii) sn-2 monoacylglycerols (emulsifiers), as by-product of FAME production by methanolysis. Immobilized Rhizomucor miehei lipase showed similar activity in acidolysis and interesterification for SL production (yields: 47.8-53.4%, 7 h, 50℃) and was not affected by OPO acidity. Batch operational stability decreased with OPO acidity, but it was at least three-fold in interesterification that in acidolysis. Complete conversion of OPO into FAME and sn-2 monoacylglycerols was observed after 3 h-transesterification (glycerol stepwise addition) and lipase deactivation was negligeable after 11 cycles.

An overview of the metabolically engineered strains and innovative processes used for the value addition of biomass derived xylose to xylitol and xylonic acid.

Xylose, the most abundant pentose sugar of the hemicellulosic fraction of lignocellulosic biomass, has to be utilized rationally for the commercial viability of biorefineries. An effective pre-treatment strategy for the release of xylose from the biomass and an appropriate microbe of the status of an Industrial strain for the utilization of this pentose sugar are key challenges which need special attention for the economic success of the biomass value addition to chemicals. Xylitol and xylonic acid, the alcohol and acid derivatives of xylose are highly demanded commodity chemicals globally with plenty of applications in the food and pharma industries. This review emphasis on the natural and metabolically engineered strains utilizing xylose and the progressive and innovative fermentation strategies for the production and subsequent recovery of the above said chemicals from pre-treated biomass medium.

Production of leucine amino peptidase in lab scale bioreactors using Streptomyces gedanensis.

Studies were conducted on the production of leucine amino peptidase (LAP) by Streptomyces gedanensis to ascertain the performance of the process in shake flask, parallel fermenter and 5-L fermenter utilizing soy bean meal as the carbon source. Experiments were conducted to analyze the effects of aeration and agitation rate on cell growth and LAP production. The results unveiled that an agitation rate of 300 rpm, 50% dissolved oxygen (DO) upholding and 0.15 vvm strategies were the optimal for the enzyme production, yielding 22.72 ± 0.11 IU/mL LAP in parallel fermenter which was comparable to flask level (24.65 ± 0.12 IU/mL LAP) fermentation. Further scale-up, in 5-L fermenter showed 50% DO and 1 vvm aeration rate was the best, producing optimum and the production was 20.09 ± 0.06 IU/mL LAP. The information obtained could be useful to design a strategy to improve a large-scale bioreactor cultivation of cells and production of LAP.

An overview of the recent developments in polylactide (PLA) research.

The concept of biodegradable plastics is of considerable interest with respect to solid waste accumulation. Greater efforts have been made in developing degradable biological materials without any environmental pollution to replace oil-based traditional plastics. Among numerous kinds of degradable polymers, polylactic acid sometimes called polylactide, an aliphatic polyester and biocompatible thermoplastic, is currently a most promising and popular material with the brightest development prospect and was considered as the 'green' eco friendly material. Biodegradable plastics like polyglycolic acid, polylactic acid, polycaprolactone, polyhydroxybutyrate, etc. are commercially available for controlled drug releases, implantable composites, bone fixation parts, packaging and paper coatings, sustained release systems for pesticides and fertilizers and compost bags etc. This review will provide information on current PLA market, brief account on recent developments in the synthesis of lactic acid (monomer of PLA) through biological route, PLA synthesis, unique material properties of PLA and modification of those by making copolymers and composites, PLA degradation and its wide spectrum applications.

Genome shuffling of Lactobacillus delbrueckii mutant and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens through protoplasmic fusion for L-lactic acid production from starchy wastes.

Current study was focused on the development of a non-fastidious lactic acid producing strain having better growth rate, low pH tolerance and good productivity by genome shuffling of a mutant strain of Lactobacillus delbrueckii NCIM 2025 and an amylase producing non-fastidious Bacillus amyloliquefaciens ATCC 23842. After the third cycle of the protoplast fusion, lactic acid production by few fusants was monitored and the best fusant was selected for further studies. Optimization of the important process parameters for lactic acid production was conducted using Plackett-Burman design and response surface methodology. Selected fusant could utilize the liquefied cassava bagasse starch directly with minimum nutrient supplementation for lactic acid production. During validation, 40g/L of lactic acid was obtained ( approximately 96% conversion of starch to lactic acid) by using fusant inoculum (3%, v/v) from 83g/L cassava bagasse (starch content 50% w/w) supplemented with yeast extract and peptone (0.2% each, w/v) and the buffering agent (2% CaCO3, w/v).

Comparative study of amidase production by free and immobilized Escherichia coli cells.

Escherichia coli NCIM 2569 was evaluated for its potential for amidase production under submerged fermentation. Among the various amide compounds screened, maximum substrate specificity and enzyme yield (8.1 U/mL) were obtained by using 1% acetamide. Fermentation was carried out at 30 degrees C in shake-flask culture under optimized process conditions. A maximum of 0.52 U/mL of intracellular amidase activity was also obtained from cells incubated for 24 h. Studies were also performed to elucidate the optimal conditions (gel concentration, initial biomass, curing period of beads, and calcium ion concentration in the production medium) for immobilization of whole cells. By using E. coli cells entrapped in alginate, a maximum of 6.2 U/mL of enzyme activity was obtained after 12 h of incubation under optimized conditions. Using the immobilized cells, three repeated batches were carried out successfully, and 85% of the initial enzyme activity was retained in the second and third batches. The study indicated that the immobilized E. coli cells offered certain advantages such as less time for maximum enzyme production, more stability in the enzyme production rate, and repeated use of the biocatalyst.