Production of a potential liquid plant bio-stimulant by immobilized Piriformospora indica in repeated-batch fermentation process

Piriformospora indica, a mycorrhizal-like fungus able to establish associations with roots of a wide range of plants, supporting plant nutrition and increasing plant resistance and tolerance to stress, was shown to solubilise phosphate applied in the form of animal bone char (HABO) in fermentation systems. The process of P solubilisation was caused most likely by proton extrusion and medium pH lowering. The fungal mycelium was successfully immobilized/retained in a polyurethane foam carrier. Further employment of the immobilized mycelium in repeated-batch fermentation process resulted in at least 5 cycles of P solubilization. The concentration of soluble P increased during the experiment with 1.0 and 3.0 g HABO l−1 and at the end of the 5th batch cycle reached 40.8 and 120 mg l−1, respectively. The resulting final liquid product, without or with solubilized phosphate, was found to significantly increase plant growth and P plant uptake. It can be used as a biostimulant containing microbial plant growth-promoting substances and soluble P derived from renewable sources (HABO) thus supporting the development of sustainable agro-ecosystems.This work was supported by Project CTM2014-53186-R, Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad-ES/EC FEDER Fund and the sabbatical Grant PRX16/00277 to NV

Fumaric acid production by fermentation

The potential of fumaric acid as a raw material in the polymer industry and the increment of cost of petroleum-based fumaric acid raises interest in fermentation processes for production of this compound from renewable resources. Although the chemical process yields 112% w/w fumaric acid from maleic anhydride and the fermentation process yields only 85% w/w from glucose, the latter raw material is three times cheaper. Besides, the fermentation fixes CO2. Production of fumaric acid by Rhizopus species and the involved metabolic pathways are reviewed. Submerged fermentation systems coupled with product recovery techniques seem to have achieved economically attractive yields and productivities. Future prospects for improvement of fumaric acid production include metabolic engineering approaches to achieve low pH fermentations

Effect of medium composition on itaconic acid production from glycerol by Aspergillus terreus

Badano wpływ wybranych składników podłoża na produkcję kwasu itakonowego przez szczep Aspergillus terreus FIN z glicerolu w hodowlach wstrząsanych i w bioreaktorze. Najwyższe stężenie kwasu itakonowego (19,8 g dm3) z wydajnością 20%, uzyskano w hodowli wgłębnej w bioreaktorze w podłożu o składzie (g dm3): NH4NO3-4, KH2PO4 -0,09, MgSO47H2O-1,5; CuSO4 - 5H2O-0,020.Effect of principal nutrients of production medium on itaconic acid production from glycerol by Aspergillus terreus FIN was investigated. The highest concentration of itaconic acid (19.8 g dm-3), with yield of 20% was achieved in submerged culture in production medium containing: (g dm3): NH4NO3-4, KH2PO4 -0,09, MgSO47H2O-1,5; CuSO4 - 5H2O-0,020

Perception of Difficulties Encountered in Eating Process from European Elderlies' Perspective

To maintain wellbeing, independence and nourishment of elderly population, one promising strategy is to provide home care by delivering food using “meals on wheels” (MoW) system. Even when the food is home-delivered, the difficulties encountered by elderlies during the overall eating process can be a limiting factor. Hence, the objective of this self-reported study was to explore the difficulty perception in the entire eating process from opening up the package, reheating, hand manipulation and oral processing of the food to bolus swallowing in 405 elderly consumers from five European countries (Finland, France, Poland, Spain and United Kingdom) with three different levels of dependency (category 1: participants living at home with help needed for food purchasing; category 2: participants living at home who need help for meal preparation or meal delivery; category 3: participants living in nursing homes/sheltered accommodation). Frequencies of responses and cross tabulation test were calculated for the difficulties perceived. Results show that the most difficult package to open was the cap irrespective of country or dependency levels (at P < 0.05). Although, glass was the most preferred packaging material, category (P = 0.034) and country (P = 0.001) had significant influence. Self-feeding dependency was correlated with the eating difficulties perceived, category 1 participants did not perceive difficulties in the meal preparation and reported minimal difficulties in the hand manipulation and oral processing (<30%), whilst the difficulties perceived by categories 2 and 3 were significantly higher (∼60% of participants). The insights generated might be helpful for designing efficient MoW systems with appropriate user-friendly features

Fruit and vegetables liking among European elderly according to food preferences, attitudes towards food and dependency

As the population ages and dependency for food-related activities increases, it becomes crucial to better understand food expectations of elderly consumers. Fruit and vegetables (F&V) are generally appreciated by elderly people. However, few studies have investigated elderly peoples’ F&V liking, taking into account their dependency and countries’ specificities. The present study aims to identify the liking of F&V, eating styles and food selectivity depending on the country of residence and levels of dependency. A European survey was conducted with 420 elderly people delegating meal-related activities, living at home or in nursing homes. Based on general food preferences, three eating styles were identified. Results showed that F&V liking is a segmenting variable. Elderly people from the style 1 (n = 145) do not really appreciate fruits nor desserts. On the contrary, elderly people from style 2 (n = 121) are really fruit lovers. Finally, elderly people from style 3 (n = 126) liked desserts, fruits, and even more vegetables. Results showed that elderly people were nor selective towards F&V, even if there were some exceptions as exotic fruits (disliked by 19%) and fennel (disliked by 33%). Fruit and vegetables selectivity was significantly different between countries (p 0.05 in both cases). Selectivity for F&V was very variable and could reach 32 vegetables among 42 and 28 fruits among 34. The most selective participants were from Finland and the least ones, from the UK. These results can be used to design and/or adapt F&V-based products according to elderly consumers’ liking, taking into account their country of origin and their dependency