Optimization of cultural conditions for submerged state fermentation of di-gested biogas slurry for production of lignocellulolytic enzymes using Phanaerochaete chrysosporium MTCC 787

Growing environmental concerns and increasing demands from end-use sectors have increased the glob-al market for microbial products. Optimizations of production parameters hold great importance for the industry. The present study was aimed at optimization of submerged state fermentation conditions for production of lignocelluloly-tic enzymes from digested biogas slurry by Phanaerochaete chrysosporium MTCC 787. Enzyme activities for differ-ent enzymes i.e. endoglucanase, exoglucanase, ?-glucosidase; xylanase and mannanase; laccase, lignin peroxidase and manganese peroxidise, using P. chrysosporium MTCC 787 were maximum at 50% concentration of digested slur-ry and showed maximum value of xylanase i.e. 187.41U/ml. Effect of temperature (25°C, 30°C and 35°C) on lignocellu-losic bioconversion showed that at 30°C, maximum value of manganese peroxidise (167.5 U/ml) was obtained. High-est enzyme activites were obtained at selected inoculum size i.e. 10?spores/ml, e.g. 85.29 U/ml xylanase was ob-tained. Incubation period of 8 days and pH of 7.0 came out to be best conditions for P. chrysosporium MTCC787 to produce maximum enzyme activity e.g. xylanase 95.47U/ml at pH 7.0 and xylanase 144.96U/ml at 8 day incu-bation.This work presents a novel concept in optimization of fermentation process to produce lignocellulolytic en-zymes as this work is focussed on utilization of digested biogas slurry as a substrate for enzyme production and enhancement of the production with microbial source, which is environment friendly

Effect of Anaerobically Digested Slurry of Cow Dung and Kitchen Waste on the Seed Quality in Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.)

The present study was carried out to see the effect of anaerobically digested slurry of cow dung and kitchen waste on the seed quality parameters in Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.). The seeds were treated with both cow dung slurry and kitchen waste slurry (100% and diluted to 50% with H2O) and kept for different time durations (6 hours and 18 hours). The seed germination was increased when the kitchen waste slurry was diluted to 50% and kept for 6 hours during daytime. Cow dung slurry when used as such (100%) for 6 hrs increased the percent seed germination and seedling length significantly thus increasing the seed vigour I and II

Comparative evaluation of different pretreatment methods on biogas production from paddy straw

The present investigations observed the effect of chemical, enzymatic, biological and micro-wave pretreatment on paddy straw for enhancement of biogas production. Chopped and soaked paddy straw was subjected to chemicals Na2CO3 (1%) and NaOH (2%) concentrations, microwave irradiation (720 watt, 30 min), fungal (spawn impregnated, 7 days) and crude silicase (24 hrs) pretreatment. The proximate and chemical analysis showed 16.0% and 12.1% reduction in lignin and silica content in the case of Na2CO3 pretreated paddy straw whereas 23.0% and 46.8% reduction was observed in enzymatic pretreatment with 43.7% and 31.1% enhancement in biogas production respectively. This clearly indi-cates that Pleurotus ostreatus MTCC 142 is silicolytic as well as ligninolytic in nature. Enzymatic pre-treatment was also compared with, microwave (30 min) and fungal pretreatment which showed 31.2% and 32.8% reduction in silica content enhancing biogas production by 19.7% and 42.6% respectively. NaOH pretreatment showed a maximum increase in biogas production i.e. 49.7% as compared to 1% pretreated sample which showed 28.5% enhancement. The results indicated that the NaOH pretreatment was one of the potential methods to increase biogas production of paddy straw

Optimization of biogas production from water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes)

The present investigation reports the optimization of process parameters for biogas production from water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes). The different parameters like particle size, inoculum concentration, incubation temperature, metal ions and pH were optimized for biogas production. Maximum biogas was observed with water hyacinth of 1cm size, 40 % inoculum concentration. The temperature of 45°C along with neutral pH i.e. 7 was found to be most suitable for biogas production in the presence of manganese chloride (0.2 mM). Under optimized conditions, 44.9 l biogas/kg water hyacinth, 360.09 l/kg total solids and 397.95 l biogas/kg volatile solids were produced in a period of 40 days. The water hyacinth has proven to be a good source of biogas production and thus can be utilized as a potential feedstock for the biogas production

Assessment of Adherence with Lifestyle Modification and Drug Regimen: To Develop a Mobile App

Introduction: WHO (2003) estimates that only about 50% of patients with chronic diseases follow treatment recommendations. Non-adherence to lifestyle modification and medication regimen among Coronary Heart disease CHD patients post Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) is a major area of concern. It is essential for post CABG patients to adhere with the prescribed regimen to prevent complications and to save their life. Smart phone applications have the potential to address the complexity of non-adherence behaviour regarding both medical treatments and lifestyle modification.Objectives: The objectives of the study were to assess the level of adherence with lifestyle modifications and drug regimen, to identify factors contributing to adherence with lifestyle modifications and drug regimen among post CABG patients to establish association between adherence with lifestyle modification and drug regimen and selected socio-demographic variables i.e. age, sex, education, income and marital status and to develop and disseminate mobile application for modifying lifestyle and improving adherence to drug regimen.Methodology: A descriptive research design included 50 post CABG patients who were attending cardiac surgery OPD during data collection period and were selected by purposive sampling technique. Data was gathered through interview schedule and was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics using software SPSS 10.Results: It showed that more than half of the subjects (52%) were non-adherent to lifestyle modification and only (48%) were adherent to lifestyle modification. Study also revealed that majority of subjects (80%) were adherent to drug regimen and only (20%) were non-adherent to drug regimen. Among factors contributing to adherence, knowledge about importance of adherence to diet and exercise were having most significance. Busy schedule found to be an important factor affecting adherence to exercise regimen. Motivational factors like support from family member or partner in following diet exercise and drug regimen were found very significant. There were no significant association found between selected variables i.e. age, sex, education, income, marital status of subjects and their level of adherence.Conclusion: The study concluded that the majority of the subjects were non-adherent to lifestyle modification but majority of them are adherent to drug regimen. Among factors contributing to adherence, knowledge, time, motivation, beliefs and forgetfulness were significant. There were no significant association found between level of adherence and selected socio-demographic variables

Analysis of the growth profile, biochemical composition and nutrient removal efficacy of Spirulina sp. NCIM 5143

In the present manuscript, the growth profile of the microalgae Spirulina sp. NCIM 5143 was studied. Screening was performed on four commercial media, i.e., blue‒green-11 (BG-11), Bold’s basal medium (BBM), algal culture medium (ACM), Zarrouk’s medium (ZM), and different concentrations (20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100%) of unsterilized dairy effluent (UDE). Characterization of biomass was performed to assess its biochemical composition through various assays. Elemental composition and bioactive compound analysis were accomplished by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP‒AES) and gas chromatography‒mass spectrometry (GC‒MS), respectively. The results revealed that maximum values of most of the parameters, i.e., optical density (0.21), chlorophyll (2.00 mg/l), proteins (119.17 mg/l), and wet (4.06 g/l) and dry biomass weight (0.28 g/l), were found on ZM. For UDE, maximum growth parameters and the highest nutrient removal efficiency were obtained at 100% concentration. Biochemical analysis revealed that total Kjeldahl nitrogen (7.14±0.49%), crude protein (48.23± 3.34%), total antioxidant activity (3.07±0.03 mg AAE/g), and total phenols (8.88±1.93 mg GAE/g) were present in the biomass. Elemental and GC‒MS analysis detected essential micronutrients and many bioactive compounds, respectively. Hence, this study proved that Spirulina sp. NCIM 5143 has the potential for the management of waste dairy effluent. This study also showed its cost-effectiveness, as the dairy effluent analyzed is used without any kind of sterilization. In addition, its biomass is rich in several essential elements, antioxidants, and bioactive compounds of therapeutic and nutraceutical importance

Effect of Fusarium sp. On Paddy Straw Digestibility and Biogas Production

Chopped and moist paddy straw was pretreated with Fusarium sp. to enhance its digestibility and biogas production. The potential of microbial pretreatment of paddy straw was investigated at regular interval of 5, 10, 15 and 20 days by determining the change in Chemical composition of paddy straw like cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin and silica contents. The pretreated straw was used for biogas production in 2l capacity biogas digesters. Results indicate that the cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin and silica contents decreased by 17.2%, 3.4%, 27.1% & 16.5% respectively. Biogas production also increased by 53.8% in 10 days pretreated samples. The significantly higher reduction of silica along with lignin content in the pretreated straw indicates that removal of silica by Fusarium sp. might be more responsible for increasing paddy straw digestibility and biogas production