Unraveling the role of intra-cellular metabolites in the lactic acid production by novel Bacillus amyloliquefaciens using sugarcane molasses as a substratum.

Lactic acid is a versatile, multi-functional organic monomer in various industries, creating worldwide demand. High titer lactic acid production was achieved by novel Bacillus amyloliquefaciens J2V2AA through sugarcane molasses fermentation up to 178 mg mL-1. A metabolomics approach such as combined GC-MS and LC-MS was applied to elucidate the involvement of key metabolites in lactic acid production. The results revealed the participation of 58 known intra-cellular metabolites at various pathways in lactic acid production. Twenty-eight highly up-regulated and down-regulated metabolites were analyzed, and a schematic diagram of a possible lactic acid production pathway was proposed. The produced lactic acid was analyzed through FTIR, UV-Spectrum, and HPLC analysis.

Evaluation of heavy metals in ground and surface water in Ranipet, India utilizing HPI model.

Ranipet is an industrial hub located 120 km away from Chennai houses around 250 tanneries beside other industries. Tanneries and Tamil Nadu Chromate and Chemicals Limited (TCCL) generated and dumped tons of chromium waste on land and water bodies which is the major threat to the people living in the area for several years. In this study, heavy metal pollution in Ranipet industrial zone was estimated using the Heavy Metal Pollution Index (HPI) model along with spatial distribution maps. The level of Cd, Cu, Cr, Pb, Ni and Zn in ground and surface water was measured using standard methods, and the results were utilized to make the HPI model. It was observed that the metal level was in the order of Zn > Pb > Ni > Cu > Cr > Cd and Cr > Pb > Zn > Cd > Cu > Ni in ground and surface water respectively. All the ground water samples exhibited high HPI of (> 38). Except one sample with low HPI (˂ 19), and three surface water samples held in midrange (19-38), the other surface water samples displayed high HPI of (> 38). The average HPI of ground and surface water is 500.42 and 523.78. The HPI and spatial distribution of heavy metals revealed that the Cr contamination in Ranipet industrial estate is originated from the premises of TCCL.

Optimization of sodium alginate-galactoxyloglucan blended hydrogel beads through ionotropic gelation method.

Hydrogels are 3D crosslinking networks of hydrophilic biopolymers which can able to absorb and retain large amount of water. In this present study, the Sodium alginate (SA)- Galactoxyloglucan (GXG) blended hydrogel beads were prepared and optimized through two level optimization steps. Alginate and xyloglucan are the cell wall polysaccharides biopolymers obtained from the plant sources, Sargassum sp. and Tamarindus indica L. respectively. The extracted biopolymers were confirmed and characterized by UV-Spectroscopy, FT-IR, NMR and TGA analysis. Based on the hydrophilicity, non-toxicity and biocompatibility, SA-GXG hydrogel were prepared and optimized through two-level optimization steps. The optimized hydrogel bead formulation was characterized through FT-IR, TGA and SEM analysis. From the obtained result, it is found that the polymeric formulation GXG (2 % w/v)-SA (1.5 % w/v), cross-linker (CaCl2) concentration at 0.1 M and the cross-linking time at 15 Min showed significant swelling index. The optimized hydrogel beads are porous and show good swelling capacity and thermal stability. The optimized protocol of hydrogel beads may be useful in designing hydrogel beads for specific applications in agricultural, Biomedical and remediation sectors.

Screening of indigenous oxalate degrading lactic acid bacteria from human faeces and South Indian fermented foods: assessment of probiotic potential.

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have the potential to degrade intestinal oxalate and this is increasingly being studied as a promising probiotic solution to manage kidney stone disease. In this study, oxalate degrading LAB were isolated from human faeces and south Indian fermented foods, subsequently assessed for potential probiotic property in vitro and in vivo. Based on preliminary characteristics, 251 out of 673 bacterial isolates were identified as LAB. A total of 17 strains were found to degrade oxalate significantly between 40.38% and 62.90% and were subjected to acid and bile tolerance test. Among them, nine strains exhibited considerable tolerance up to pH 3.0 and at 0.3% bile. These were identified as Lactobacillus fermentum and Lactobacillus salivarius using 16S rDNA sequencing. Three strains, Lactobacillus fermentum TY5, Lactobacillus fermentum AB1, and Lactobacillus salivarius AB11, exhibited good adhesion to HT-29 cells and strong antimicrobial activity. They also conferred resistance to kanamycin, rifampicin, and ampicillin, but were sensitive to chloramphenicol and erythromycin. The faecal recovery rate of these strains was observed as 15.16% (TY5), 6.71% (AB1), and 9.3% (AB11) which indicates the colonization ability. In conclusion, three efficient oxalate degrading LAB were identified and their safety assessments suggest that they may serve as good probiotic candidates for preventing hyperoxaluria.