Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery

The ever-rising global demand for energy and the issue of large volumes of unrecovered oil after primary and secondary oil production operations are driving the development and/or advancement of enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques. Conventional EOR processes include thermal, immiscible and miscible gas injection, chemical, and microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR), among others. This chapter provides an overview of MEOR including its history, strata microflora, mechanisms of MEOR for oil recovery, and a brief recount of field MEOR applications

Traditional dairy fermented products in Central Asia

International audienceHuman populations from Central Asia have a cultural background mainly evolved from nomadic systems based on breeding different animal species (cattle, horse, sheep, goat, camel, yak, reindeer) explaining the domination of animal proteins (meat, milk) in their diet. In their living conditions, the most popular way to preserve a highly perishable product such as milk was fermentation. The combination of both the variety of animal species and the process of changing from one ethnic group to another, led to a remarkable diversity of fermented products, such as ayran, qurt, irimshik, souzma, ryazhznka, pros-tokvasha, tan, kefir, qymyz, shubat, chal or khoormog. Physicochemical properties (when it was possible) and the natural lactic acid bacteria microbiota and yeasts responsible for spontaneous fermentation have been widely researched emphasising the high microbial biodiversity. In the future, better knowledge of this biodiversity could contribute to sustain consumption of traditional fermented dairy products

Evaluation of environmental contamination by toxic trace elements in Kazakhstan based on reviews of available scientific data

International audienceThe environmental situation concerning pollution by (eco)toxic and persistent trace elements in Kazakhstan has been investigated by analytical reviews of scientific studies published over the past 20 years reporting concentrations of 10 toxic trace elements (TTE) observed in soil, sediments or surface water. A database of 62 articles published in Kazakh, Russian or English covered the majority of the territory of the country for soil and water samples but to a lesser extent for sediments. Reported concentrations were summarized using statistical parameters, then spatialized and finally classified in contamination classes according to local legislation. This analysis revealed some hotspots of TTE in surface waters (Cd and Pb), soil (As) and sediments (Cd and As). Hotspots of less toxic Cu, Zn and Mn were also detected. Spatialization of results allowed localization of these hotspots close to industrial sites, such as smelters or mining and metallurgic combines. Others have been shown to be close to disused mining sites or landfills with municipal waste. Methodological improvements for further studies have been suggested, such as to integrate more West Kazakhstan or remote areas in sampling campaigns, but also to describe more exhaustively the used analytical methods and to be more attentive to the speciation of the analyzed form of the element. Finally, a management strategy to strengthen a sustainable food policy has been proposed: to reduce emissions by modernization of industrial facilities and better waste management, to organize land use depending on the contamination levels and to reduce the bioavailability of the toxic elements

Concentrations in D- and L-lactate in raw cow and camel milk

The present study gives some preliminary result regarding the content of the D- and L-lactate in cow and camel milk. Twenty dromedary camel milk samples and 3 cow milk samples from Kazakhstan were analysed to determine the lactate forms in order to compare these two types of milk collected in similar conditions. The content of total lactate in camel milk was comparable to cow milk (1.82 – 2.49 g/l), but the quantity of L-Lactate was 100 times more in camel milk compared to cow milk - 2.21% of the total lactate vs 0.02% in camel and cow milk, respectively. Further analyses are necessary to understand the role of the microflora present in each specific milk

The Main Features and Microbiota Diversity of Fermented Camel Milk

International audienceFermented camel milk, named shubat in Central Asia, is historically and culturally important because it is mainly consumed by Kazakh people who live not only in Kazakhstan but also in close neighboring countries. However, despite its cultural and dietetic significance for this local population, research on its composition and processing technology and the richness of its microflora is relatively scarce. The present review of this product, which is an important beverage in the Kazakh culture, provides up-to-date information regarding its main components and their variability according to different factors, surveys recent changes in the processing technologies for making it using modern techniques, and explores the biodiversity of its microflora. It was reported that the protein, vitamin C, and calcium contents in shubat vary between 1.19 and 5.63%, 28 and 417 mg L−1, and 1.03 and 1.88 g L−1. The lactose content totally disappears. Shubat contains a complex microbial consortium that contributes to its strong reputation for health benefits, but a scientific demonstration of these claims has only been partially achieved