Biorefinery of discarded carrot juice to produce carotenoids and fermentation products

Producción CientíficaDiscarded carrots are a major food waste that is produced from cultivation to sale. This waste has high humidity, which generates not only economic but also environmental problems, requiring a specific biorefinery for its valorization. The pulp and the juice were separated and received a different treatment. The juice was subjected to a process of separation and purification using several diafiltration cycles (30 kDa) giving rise to a fraction rich in carotenoids (4996.4 μg/g) and a fraction rich in sugars (84.83 ± 3.26 g/L) and nutrients. The carotenoids have potential applications in the food and pharmaceutical industry; therefore, they were formulated through encapsulation with gum Arabic using spray drying and freeze drying. Encapsulation using spray drying was effective as it improved stability in water and reduced degradation by 51.9% compared to unencapsulated carotenoids. The sugar-rich fraction was valorized to obtain lactic acid and ethanol through three types of fermentation: with autochthonous microorganisms, with lactic acid bacteria, and with yeast, resulting in obtaining mostly lactic acid (17.64 ± 1.54 g/L) or ethanol (49.46 ± 0.28 g/L). The addition of 6% (w/v) of NaCl to the medium allowed the production of pure lactic acid with both autochthonous microorganisms and lactic bacteria. Sugar consumption was high (92.4–97.5%) except in cases with autochthonous microorganisms (23.3%) and lactic bacteria (43.8%) where a pH control seems to be necessary for total sugar consumption.Junta de Castilla y León - Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (project CLU-2019-04)Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades - Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (project PID2019-105975GB-I00)Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte (project FPU15/06366

Production of purified hemicellulose-pectin fractions of different molecular weight from discarded carrots by hydrothermal treatment followed by multistep ultrafiltration/diafiltration

Producción CientíficaHemicelluloses and pectins are good candidates as biopolymers for the formation of products such as packaging films. Purified freeze-dried fractions of hemicelluloses and pectins, of different molecular weights, were obtained by treating hydrothermal extracts (140, 160, and 180 °C) of discarded carrots with ultrafiltration membranes (30, 10, 5, and 1 kDa). After each ultrafiltration, several cycles of diafiltration with partial water reuse were applied, obtaining a better separation and purification. A cascade configuration (30-10-5-1 kDa) was used in the 140 and 160 °C extracts, and a mixed configuration (5-10-1 kDa) in the 180 °C extract. High molecular weight hemicelluloses increased in concentration by a factor of 5 in the cascade configuration and by a factor of 16.67 in the mixed configuration. A high removal of free sugars (98.9–99.5 wt%) and by-products (94.4–99.2 wt%) through 1 kDa permeate and diafiltration waters was obtained. The system allowed moving from feeds with molecular weight, polydispersity, and purity in the ranges 9.02–18.83 kDa, 16.2–31.6, and 30.12–33.51 wt% to fractions with values in the ranges 2.59–102.75 kDa, 1.2–4.0, and 73.1–100 wt%.Junta de Castilla y León - Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (project CLU-2019-04)Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades - Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (project PID2019-105975GB-I00)Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte (contract FPU15/06366

Clustering COVID-19 ARDS patients through the first days of ICU admission. An analysis of the CIBERESUCICOVID Cohort

Background Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) can be classified into sub-phenotypes according to different inflammatory/clinical status. Prognostic enrichment was achieved by grouping patients into hypoinflammatory or hyperinflammatory sub-phenotypes, even though the time of analysis may change the classification according to treatment response or disease evolution. We aimed to evaluate when patients can be clustered in more than 1 group, and how they may change the clustering of patients using data of baseline or day 3, and the prognosis of patients according to their evolution by changing or not the cluster.Methods Multicenter, observational prospective, and retrospective study of patients admitted due to ARDS related to COVID-19 infection in Spain. Patients were grouped according to a clustering mixed-type data algorithm (k-prototypes) using continuous and categorical readily available variables at baseline and day 3.Results Of 6205 patients, 3743 (60%) were included in the study. According to silhouette analysis, patients were grouped in two clusters. At baseline, 1402 (37%) patients were included in cluster 1 and 2341(63%) in cluster 2. On day 3, 1557(42%) patients were included in cluster 1 and 2086 (57%) in cluster 2. The patients included in cluster 2 were older and more frequently hypertensive and had a higher prevalence of shock, organ dysfunction, inflammatory biomarkers, and worst respiratory indexes at both time points. The 90-day mortality was higher in cluster 2 at both clustering processes (43.8% [n = 1025] versus 27.3% [n = 383] at baseline, and 49% [n = 1023] versus 20.6% [n = 321] on day 3). Four hundred and fifty-eight (33%) patients clustered in the first group were clustered in the second group on day 3. In contrast, 638 (27%) patients clustered in the second group were clustered in the first group on day 3.Conclusions During the first days, patients can be clustered into two groups and the process of clustering patients may change as they continue to evolve. This means that despite a vast majority of patients remaining in the same cluster, a minority reaching 33% of patients analyzed may be re-categorized into different clusters based on their progress. Such changes can significantly impact their prognosis

The evolution of the ventilatory ratio is a prognostic factor in mechanically ventilated COVID-19 ARDS patients

Background: Mortality due to COVID-19 is high, especially in patients requiring mechanical ventilation. The purpose of the study is to investigate associations between mortality and variables measured during the first three days of mechanical ventilation in patients with COVID-19 intubated at ICU admission. Methods: Multicenter, observational, cohort study includes consecutive patients with COVID-19 admitted to 44 Spanish ICUs between February 25 and July 31, 2020, who required intubation at ICU admission and mechanical ventilation for more than three days. We collected demographic and clinical data prior to admission; information about clinical evolution at days 1 and 3 of mechanical ventilation; and outcomes. Results: Of the 2,095 patients with COVID-19 admitted to the ICU, 1,118 (53.3%) were intubated at day 1 and remained under mechanical ventilation at day three. From days 1 to 3, PaO2/FiO2 increased from 115.6 [80.0-171.2] to 180.0 [135.4-227.9] mmHg and the ventilatory ratio from 1.73 [1.33-2.25] to 1.96 [1.61-2.40]. In-hospital mortality was 38.7%. A higher increase between ICU admission and day 3 in the ventilatory ratio (OR 1.04 [CI 1.01-1.07], p = 0.030) and creatinine levels (OR 1.05 [CI 1.01-1.09], p = 0.005) and a lower increase in platelet counts (OR 0.96 [CI 0.93-1.00], p = 0.037) were independently associated with a higher risk of death. No association between mortality and the PaO2/FiO2 variation was observed (OR 0.99 [CI 0.95 to 1.02], p = 0.47). Conclusions: Higher ventilatory ratio and its increase at day 3 is associated with mortality in patients with COVID-19 receiving mechanical ventilation at ICU admission. No association was found in the PaO2/FiO2 variation

Spatiotemporal Characteristics of the Largest HIV-1 CRF02_AG Outbreak in Spain: Evidence for Onward Transmissions

Background and Aim: The circulating recombinant form 02_AG (CRF02_AG) is the predominant clade among the human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) non-Bs with a prevalence of 5.97% (95% Confidence Interval-CI: 5.41–6.57%) across Spain. Our aim was to estimate the levels of regional clustering for CRF02_AG and the spatiotemporal characteristics of the largest CRF02_AG subepidemic in Spain.Methods: We studied 396 CRF02_AG sequences obtained from HIV-1 diagnosed patients during 2000–2014 from 10 autonomous communities of Spain. Phylogenetic analysis was performed on the 391 CRF02_AG sequences along with all globally sampled CRF02_AG sequences (N = 3,302) as references. Phylodynamic and phylogeographic analysis was performed to the largest CRF02_AG monophyletic cluster by a Bayesian method in BEAST v1.8.0 and by reconstructing ancestral states using the criterion of parsimony in Mesquite v3.4, respectively.Results: The HIV-1 CRF02_AG prevalence differed across Spanish autonomous communities we sampled from (p < 0.001). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that 52.7% of the CRF02_AG sequences formed 56 monophyletic clusters, with a range of 2–79 sequences. The CRF02_AG regional dispersal differed across Spain (p = 0.003), as suggested by monophyletic clustering. For the largest monophyletic cluster (subepidemic) (N = 79), 49.4% of the clustered sequences originated from Madrid, while most sequences (51.9%) had been obtained from men having sex with men (MSM). Molecular clock analysis suggested that the origin (tMRCA) of the CRF02_AG subepidemic was in 2002 (median estimate; 95% Highest Posterior Density-HPD interval: 1999–2004). Additionally, we found significant clustering within the CRF02_AG subepidemic according to the ethnic origin.Conclusion: CRF02_AG has been introduced as a result of multiple introductions in Spain, following regional dispersal in several cases. We showed that CRF02_AG transmissions were mostly due to regional dispersal in Spain. The hot-spot for the largest CRF02_AG regional subepidemic in Spain was in Madrid associated with MSM transmission risk group. The existence of subepidemics suggest that several spillovers occurred from Madrid to other areas. CRF02_AG sequences from Hispanics were clustered in a separate subclade suggesting no linkage between the local and Hispanic subepidemics

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Fraccionamiento hidrotermal de zanahoria en planta piloto y separación por membranas de ultrafiltración

Las zanahorias descartadas son un residuo de gran potencial, porque solo se recuperan un 30% para la alimentación animal de alrededor de 120 kt/a que se desechan en España. Es buen candidato para la valorización en una biorrefinería orientada a productos de alto valor añadido. La zanahoria se licuó para separar el zumo de la pulpa. El zumo se sometió a diafiltración para la obtención de una fracción rica en azúcares y otra en carotenoides. Los carotenoides fueron encapsulados mediante dos técnicas, secado por atomización y liofilización. La fracción rica en azúcar se fermentó con microorganismos autóctonos, con bacterias de ácido láctico y con levaduras, obteniéndose ácido láctico y etanol. La pulpa se introdujo en una planta de extracción hidrotermal a 140ºC, 160ºC y 180ºC durante 80 minutos. El líquido obtenido paso por ultrafiltración y diafiltración con membranas. Donde se obtuvieron hemicelulosa y pectinas de alta calidad y diferentes pesos moleculares controladosDiscarded carrots are a residue with great potential, since only 30% of it is recovered for its use as animal food from the 120 kt/a that are thrown away in Spain. Thus, it is a good candidate for valorization in a biorefinery orientated to produce high added value products. The carrot was liquidised to separate juice from pulp. The juice was diafiltrated to enrich in two fractions of sugars and carotenoids. The carotenoid fraction was encapsulated using two different techniques, lyophilization and spray drying. The fraction rich in sugars went through fermentation with autochthonous microorganisms, with lactic acid bacteria and with yeast, obtaining lactic acid and ethanol. The pulp was placed in a plant of hydrothermal extraction at 140°C, 160°C and 180°C for 80 minutes. The hydrolysate obtained was ultrafiltrated and diafiltrated using membranes, obtaining fractions rich in hemicellulose and pectins with controlled molecular weightsDepartamento de Ingeniería Química y Tecnología del Medio AmbienteGrado en Ingeniería Químic

Production of purified hemicellulose-pectin fractions of different molecular weight from discarded carrots by hydrothermal treatment followed by multistep ultrafiltration/diafiltration [Datasets]

Las hemicelulosas y las pectinas son buenas candidatas como biopolímeros para la formación de productos como las películas de embalaje. Se obtuvieron fracciones purificadas y liofilizadas de hemicelulosas y pectinas, de diferentes pesos moleculares, tratando extractos hidrotermales (140, 160 y 180 °C) de zanahorias desechadas con membranas de ultrafiltración (30, 10, 5 y 1 kDa). Después de cada ultrafiltración, se aplicaron varios ciclos de diafiltración con reutilización parcial del agua, obteniendo una mejor separación y purificación al eliminar los compuestos de menos de 1 kDa. Se utilizó una configuración en cascada (30-10-5-1 kDa) en los extractos de 140 y 160 °C, y una configuración mixta (5-10-1 kDa) en el extracto de 180 °C. La concentración de hemicelulosas de alto peso molecular aumentó en un factor de 5 en la configuración en cascada y en un factor de 16,67 en la configuración mixta. Los azúcares libres y los subproductos se eliminaron a través de las aguas de diafiltración y del permeado de 1 kDa con porcentajes de 98,9-99,5 % en peso y 93,9-99,2 % en peso, respectivamente. El sistema permitía pasar de alimentaciones con peso molecular, polidispersidad y pureza en los rangos 9,02-18,83 kDa, 16,2-31,6 y 30,12-33,51 wt% a fracciones con valores en los rangos 2,59-102,75 kDa, 1,2-4,0 y 73,1-100,0 wt%.Departamento de Ingeniería Química y Tecnología del Medio AmbienteCTQ2016-79777-R (MINECO/FEDER, EU)PID2019-105975GB-I00 (MICINN/FEDER, EU)Spanish Ministry of Education Culture and Sports FPU15/0636

Hydrothermal production of high-molecular weight hemicellulose-pectin, free sugars and residual cellulose pulp from discarded carrots [Datasets]

Las zanahorias desechadas representan el 30% de la producción total que termina en los vertederos, la tierra o una pequeña parte como alimento para el ganado. La valorización de la pulpa de zanahoria desechada se estudió mediante tratamiento hidrotérmico, fraccionando los azúcares libres, la hemicelulosa y la pectina en la fase líquida y la pulpa residual en la fase sólida. La extracción se realizó en modo de flujo a 140, 160 y 180 ºC, logrando recuperaciones de hasta 211,0 g/kg de pulpa seca de azúcares libres, 29,13 g/kg de pulpa seca de pectina de homogalacturona y 70,45 g/kg de pulpa seca de hemicelulosa de arabinogalactán. La pulpa residual alcanzó un contenido de celulosa de 57,5 % en peso, mientras que antes del tratamiento era de 10,7 % en peso. La mayoría de los azúcares libres se extraían en la etapa de precalentamiento por lotes, de modo que podían obtenerse por separado de los biopolímeros. La extracción por flujo permitió obtener hemicelulosa y pectina de pesos moleculares > 30 kDa. Se estudió detalladamente la evolución de los diferentes rangos de peso molecular para comprender mejor el fenómeno de la autohidrólisis y el vínculo entre la hemicelulosa y la pectina. La amplia distribución de pesos moleculares en el hidrolizado permite un posterior fraccionamiento a través de membranas de ultrafiltración, para obtener una fracción de alto peso molecular para aplicaciones como la formación de películas (en combinación con la pulpa residual).Departamento de Ingeniería Química y Tecnología del Medio AmbienteCTQ2016-79777-R (MINECO/FEDER, EU)PID2019-105975GB-I00 (MICINN/FEDER, EU)Spanish Ministry of Education Culture and Sports FPU15/0636