A comprehensive study of potential Arthrospira platensis cultivated in various manure‐based media for biodiesel feedstock

Arthrospira platensis has emerged as a promising biodiesel feedstock due to its rapid growth and substantial biomass. In efforts to reduce production costs, researchers have explored alternative media derived from livestock waste to modify conventional mediums for Arthrospira platensis cultivation. The experimental design of this research employed a Completely Randomized Design, with treatments comprising inorganic fertilizer (A), chicken manure (B), cow manure (C), and goat manure (D). The livestock manures were macerated for seven days before being utilized as A. platensis medium. The results revealed significant (p < 0.05) impacts of different media on peak growth values and biomass production, reaching 2.03 ± 0.06 g/L and 1.76 ± 0.05 g/ L, respectively for chicken manure. The highest peak lipid content was observed in A. platensis cultured in goat manure medium. This study recommends goat manure as the preferred medium for mass cultivation of A. platensis. Mass cultivation in goat manure medium yielded 1.53 kg of dried biomass, with a lipid content of 1.91% and a biodiesel yield of 1.65%. The predominant fatty acid in this biodiesel was heneicosane, constituting 26.4% of the total area

Genetic polymorphism and frequency study at 15 short tandem repeat loci in the North and East Indian populations for use in personal identification and applications in India

Allele frequency is a crucial factor in estimating the weight of evidence (WoE) for an individual’s involvement in a DNA sample. To determine the allele and genotype frequencies within the populations of the northern and eastern states of India, 15 short tandem repeats (STRs) were used, including Penta E, CSF1PO, D18S51, D7S820, D21S11, TH01, D3S1358, Vwa, FGA, TPOX, D8S1179, D16S539, D13S317, Penta D, and D5S818. The study involved 509 randomly selected individuals, analyzed using the PowerPlex 16 System Kit. Various statistical parameters of forensic significance were calculated using Forensic Statistic Analysis Toolbox (FORSTAT) software, including the typical paternity index (TPI), power of exclusion (PE), matching probability (MP), power of discrimination (PD), polymorphism information content (PIC), and observed (Hobs) and expected heterozygosities (Hexp). The analysis revealed a maximum allele frequency of 0.4282 at TPOX, with a minimum frequency of 0.0009 observed at different loci. FGA was found to be the most polymorphic loci among the 15 loci analyzed in the North and East Indian populations. Furthermore, no divergence from the Hardy‐Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) was observed. The results serve as a valuable source of information for establishing a DNA database for North and East Indian populations, providing essential information for population genetics studies and forensic casework in India

Effect of medium supplementations and extraction conditions on cellulase production through solid state fermentation of oil palm empty fruit bunches

In this study, cellulase enzyme was produced through solid state fermentation (SSF), employing oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFB) as the primary substrate. Two key aspects were explored to enhance crude enzyme yield, which are medium supplementation effects during SSF and cellulase recovery. During medium supplementation, glucose and/or Tween 80 were added alongside EFB substrate and other nutrients. Enzyme yield was determined using a filter paper assay and expressed as enzyme activity. The initial addition of glucose during fermentation led to increased crude enzyme activity, as measured by the filter paper assay. The peak crude enzyme activity was observed with the addition of 3 mg of glucose, with higher amounts showing no further increase in activity. Conversely, the addition of Tween 80 did not yield any significant increase in crude enzyme activity across all concentrations tested. The extraction conditions were varied to study cellulase recovery, specifically by adjusting the solid‐to‐solvent ratio and the number of extraction stages. Higher enzyme activity was achieved with lower solid‐to‐liquid ratios, as the increased solvent volume facilitated greater enzyme extraction. However, increasing the number of extraction steps did not significantly affect the resulting cellulase activity. Overall, this research underscores the need for further process optimization for cellulase production via SSF, utilizing the widely available EFB in Indonesia

Protective effects of Zingiber cassumunar Roxb. extract against UVB‐induced oxidative stress in Wistar albino rats (Rattus novergicus Berkenhout, 1769)

Protecting the skin from the effects of UVB radiation using natural products is crucial in the cosmeceutical industry. This study aims to investigate the protective effects of Bangle (Zingiber cassumunar Roxb.) against UVB‐induced skin damage in Wistar albino rats. The rhizomes were macerated using 70% ethanol v/v, followed by n‐hexane to obtain n‐hexane soluble and n‐hexane insoluble fraction. The antioxidant properties of the ethanol extracts and n‐hexane soluble fraction were evaluated using a 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. The study also examined the antiphotoaging properties through reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging assay, matrix metalloproteinase‐1 (MMP‐1) expression, and tyrosinase expression against UVB radiation in Wistar albino rats. The results demonstrated that the Z. cassumunar extract and fraction effectively converted DPPH radicals into a more stable compound. Analysis revealed the presence of Benzene, 4‐(1Z)‐1,3‐butadien‐1‐yl‐1,2‐dimethoxy‐ and (E)‐4‐(3,4‐Dimethoxyphenyl) but‐3‐en‐1‐ol as the primary compounds in both the extract and fraction, suggesting their contribution to the observed activity. Furthermore, Z. cassumunar compounds could reduce UVB‐induced ROS production and may protect against skin photoaging by changing the expression of MMP‐1 and tyrosinase levels in Wistar albino rats. These findings suggest that Z. cassumunar holds promise for preventing skin aging

Detection and quantification of splicing variants of Hd3a gene in oil palm

Alternative splicing is a complex process that contributes to the generation of diverse mRNA and protein isoforms, including in oil palm (Elaeis guineensis). Despite their importance, many functions of alternative splicing genes remain poorly characterized. This study aims to investigate splicing variants of gene encoding Heading date 3a in E. guineensis (EgHd3a) using the GenBank database and ClustalW algorithm. To ensure the data accuracy and reliability of design isoform‐ specific primers, special emphasis is given to primer design techniques and validation using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and quantitative real‐time (qRT)‐PCR analysis. The designed primers demonstrated high specificity and discrimination between mRNA specimens. Nucleotide variations at the 3’‐end influenced the specificity of primers with the addition of GC composition. Furthermore, qRT‐PCR analysis revealed a strong correlation between Ct values and gene concentration for the isoforms which indicates a reliable amplification of EgHd3a. Although two isoforms, Hd3a‐X2 and Hd3a‐X3, showed slightly higher than acceptable PCR efficiency values, caution is advised to prevent non‐specific amplification. Despite the challenge posed by the limitation of primer positioning due to alternative splicing, the chosen primer proved optimal for analysis. This study highlights the importance of considering alternative splicing in gene quantification experiments and provides insights into the critical steps, methods, and quality control measures necessary for accurately detecting alternative splicing events, contributing to understanding this complex biological process

Easy extraction of Ganoderma boninense liquid sample using portable on‐chip device

Detecting Ganoderma boninense in Indonesia is crucial for effectively controlling and mitigating the spread of basal stem disease in oil palm fields. While there is ongoing development of tolerant plants, no such plant has been successfully created yet. Consequently, researchers are actively studying detection methods for Ganoderma boninense. One established and highly accurate approach is the use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques for molecular detection. However, this method requires time‐consuming sample preparation, which can pose challenges in plantation settings. To address this problem, a portable lab‐on‐chip device has been introduced. This technology enables easy and automatic DNA retrieval from liquid samples by absorbing lysed DNA using magnetic beads. An efficient mechanism for manipulating the magnetic bead within the semiconductor has been successfully implemented. The extraction process typically takes around 15 minutes using a modified methodology on the chip device approach. The chip facilitates the retrieval of two samples with a capacity of 120 µL for each sample. The PCR method was utilized to validate the equivalence of the lab‐on‐chip device extraction to the standard extraction method. This represents a promising alternative for expedited and simplified detection of Ganoderma boninense in field conditions

Genetic evaluation of F2 and F3 interspecific hybrids of mung bean (Vigna radiata L. Wilczek) using retrotransposon‐based insertion polymorphism and sequence‐related amplified polymorphism markers

Mung bean (Vigna radiata L. Wilczek) is a self‐pollinating and indispensable pulse crop in Indonesia. While low yield productivity is a major concern, genetic improvement is possible through interspecific hybridization. However, interspecific hybridization is relatively infrequent and produces low recombination exchanges, significantly limiting crop breeding efficiency. Thus, a comprehensive study is needed of the selection and genetic diversity evaluation of progenies in advanced generations derived from interspecific hybridization using a specific molecular marker. This study aims to confirm the heterozygosity in the F2 population and assess the genetic diversity in F3 mung bean populations resulting from interspecific hybridization between the mung bean and common bean. We designed the retrotransposon‐based insertion polymorphism (RBIP) marker by identifying the syntenic regions in the flanking sequences of retrotransposon insertion in common bean and mung bean. The RBIP marker can be applied to distinguish the heterozygote progenies from the homozygote progenies. Six combinations of sequence‐related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) primers were used in the genotyping of F3 mung bean progenies. The SRAP marker showed a high degree of polymorphism of up to 100%, while high genetic variation was observed within the population (71%) of mung bean progenies. The F3.4 population had the greatest number of genotypes and displayed the highest number of effective alleles, private alleles, and percentage of polymorphic loci, suggesting the existence of high genetic diversity within this population. These genetic diversity data are exceptionally critical for future genetic research since it has potentially high yield production. The genomic and marker‐assisted selection studies will support the major goals of the mung bean breeding program

Production, purification and characterization of chitinase from Micromonospora sp. AR17

N‐acetylglucosamine (NAG) is the monomer product of chitin, which has been widely used as a bioactive com‐ pound in applications such as anti‐tumor, anti‐microbial, and antioxidant activities. In production, biological processes using enzymes are preferable to chemicals due to environmental issues. This study aims to determine the activity, purity level, and molecular weight of purified chitinase from Micromonospora sp. AR17 determines the concentration of NAG produced by purified chitinase that has been characterized. Chitinase was produced by fermentation in colloidal chitin broth at 40 °C, pH 7, for 7 days, while chitinase activity was checked every 24 h. The optimal fermentation time was used to produce chitinase for a further purification step. Enzyme purification was carried out by ultrafiltration, ammonium sulfate precipitation, ion exchange chromatography (Q Sepharose Fast Flow), and gel filtration (Sephacryl S‐300). The purified enzyme was then char‐ acterized for optimum time, pH, and temperature to produce NAG. The results suggested that the fourth day was the optimal time for chitinase production, with chitinase activity of 0.0040 U/mL and a NAG concentration of 7.62 µg/mL. The purifica‐ tion step successfully increased the purity by 6.82 times with chitinase‐specific activity at 1.4648 U/mg. Production of NAG with purified chitinase produced a NAG concentration of 32.472 µg/mL with an incubation time of 30 min at 40 °C and pH 7

Cloning and characterization of bgl6111 gene encoding β‐glucosidase from bagasse metagenome

β‐Glucosidase (BGL) is an essential enzyme for the hydrolysis of cellulose in industrial processes, but natural BGL enzymes are poorly understood. Metagenomics is a robust tool for bioprospecting in the search for novel enzymes from the entire community’s genomic DNA present in nature. The metagenomics approach simplifies the process of searching for new BGL enzymes by extracting DNA and retrieving its gene information through a series of bioinformatic analyses. In this study, we report the gene cloning, heterologous expression of the bgl6111 gene (accession number MW221260) in Pichia pastoris KM71, and the biochemical characterization of the recombinant enzyme. We successfully identified the bgl6111 sequence of 2,520 bp and 839 amino acids with a molecular size of 89.4 kDa. The amino acid sequence of the bgl6111 gene showed 67.61% similarity to BGL from an uncultured bacterium (ABB51613.1). The BGL product has the highest activity on the third day at 1.210 U/mL, categorized as low production. The enzymatic activity could enhance up to 539.8% of 7.742 U/mL by using the ultrafiltration method. Our findings provide insightful information that bgl6111 obtained from bagasse metagenome could be an alternative candidate for industrial applications in the future

Evaluation of the patchouli essential oil (Pogostemon cablin Benth.) aromatic characteristic by near‐infrared spectroscopy

This study aimed to evaluate the aromatic characteristic of patchouli essential oil (Pogostemon cablin Benth.) by near‐infrared spectroscopy combined with chemometric treatments. The study used 84 oil samples collected from around Indonesia, namely in Konawe, Kolaka, Bogor, Garut, Aceh, Jambi, and Masamba. Several pretreatments were used to process the spectral data, together with the application of partial least squares. The spectrum wavelength applied was between 1000 and 2500 nm. The spectra data were separated to develop two models based on their physical and chemical properties (Bogor, Garut, Konawe, and Kolaka in the first model; Aceh, Jambi, and Masamba in the second one). Liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry (LC‐MS) was used as a reference method. Patchouli alcohol was established as the main chemical compound of this aromatic oil. The best calibration for the first model was that with mean center normalization as a data pretreatment, while for the second model, it was the one using the second derivative. Both models had a correlation coefficient higher than 0.90 and a coefficient of variation lower than 2.98%. In conclusion, near‐infrared spectroscopy can be employed as an accurate tool to determine the characteristic of patchouli oil