Biobased economy en de farmaceutische industrie

De farmaceutische industrie is één van de potentiële doelsectoren van de biobased economy zoals beschreven in de overheidsvisie op de biobased economy. In dit rapport zal als eerste de structuur van de farmaceutische industrie worden weergegeven. Ten tweede wordt ingegaan op de rol die biobased economy op dit moment en mogelijk in de toekomst kan spelen binnen de farmaceutische wereld

Synthesis of heparosan oligosaccharides by Pasteurella multocida PmHS2 single-action transferases

Pasteurella multocida heparosan synthase PmHS2 is a dual action glycosyltransferase that catalyzes the polymerization of heparosan polymers in a non-processive manner. The two PmHS2 single-action transferases, obtained previously by site-directed mutagenesis, have been immobilized on Ni(II)-nitrilotriacetic acid agarose during the purification step. A detailed study of the polymerization process in the presence of non-equal amounts of PmHS2 single-action transferases revealed that the glucuronyl transferase (PmHS2-GlcUA+) is the limiting catalyst in the polymerization process. Using experimental design, it was determined that the N-acetylglucosaminyl transferase (PmHS2-GlcNAc+) plays an important role in the control of heparosan chain elongation depending on the number of heparosan chains and the UDP-sugar concentrations present in the reaction mixture. Furthermore, for the first time, the synthesis of heparosan oligosaccharides alternately using PmHS2-GlcUA+ and PmHS2-GlcNAc+ is reported. It was shown that the synthesis of heparosan oligosaccharides by PmHS2 single-action transferases do not require the presence of template molecules in the reaction mixture

BOGO van groene grondstoffen naar biobased materialen. Van zetmeel naar plastic.

Practicumhandleiding voor hbo. Met behulp van commercieel zetmeel is het mogelijk om gelen te maken. Door het toevoegen van glycerol tijdens het proces kan men de gel flexibeler maken

Mestinnovatie "Bioraffinage van veevoergrondstoffen; een verkenning van opties om de verteerbaarheid van veevoergrondstoffen te vergroten en fosfaat te verwijderen"

Door het fractioneren van mengvoedercomponenten kan fosfor uit het veevoer verwijderd worden voordat het de koe of het varken ingaat. Hierdoor zal de mest minder fosfaat bevatten en dus gemakkelijker afzet kunnen vinden op het land van de omliggende boeren. De gewonnen fosfaat kan gebruikt worden als kunstmestvervanger. Dezelfde voorbehandeling kan ook leiden tot een betere verteerbaarheid van het voer. Omdat niet alle eiwitten in het voer door de dieren opgenomen kunnen worden, eten de dieren op dit moment meer eiwit dan strikt noodzakelijk. In deze studie is aangetoond dat de bovengenoemde strategie een bijdrage kan leveren aan de oplossing van de mestproblematiek. Verschillende lignocellulosehoudende mengvoeder grondstoffen zijn beter beschikbaar gemaakt m.b.v. organische zuren bij hoge temperatuur. Het voordeel van deze methode is dat de suikers uit de lignocellulosefractie bij gaan dragen aan de energiewaarde van het voer

Histological examination of horse chestnut infection by Pseudomonas syringae pv aesculi and non-destructive heat treatment to stop disease progression

Since its emergence in Northwest Europe as a pathogen that infects trunks and branches of Aesculus spp. (the horse chestnuts) approximately one decade ago, Pseudomonas syringae pv. aesculi has rapidly established itself as major threat to these trees. Infected trees exhibit extensive necrosis of phloem and cambium, which can ultimately lead to dieback. The events after host entry leading to extensive necrosis are not well documented. In this work, the histopathology of this interaction is investigated and heat-treatment is explored as method to eradicate bacteria associated with established infections. The early wound-repair responses of A. hippocastanum, both in absence and presence of P. s. pv. aesculi, included cell wall lignification by a distinct layer of phloem and cortex parenchyma cells. The same cells also deposited suberin lamellae later on, suggesting this layer functions in compartmentalizing healthy from disrupted tissues. However, monitoring bacterial ingress, its construction appeared inadequate to constrain pathogen spread. Microscopic evaluation of bacterial dispersal in situ using immunolabelling and GFP-tagging of P. s. pv. aesculi, revealed two discriminative types of bacterial colonization. The forefront of lesions was found to contain densely packed bacteria, while necrotic areas housed bacterial aggregates with scattered individuals embedded in an extracellular matrix of bacterial origin containing alginate. The endophytic localization and ability of P. s. pv aesculi to create a protective matrix render it poorly accessible for control agents. To circumvent this, a method based on selective bacterial lethality at 39 °C was conceived and successfully tested on A. hippocastanum saplings, providing proof of concept for controlling this disease by heat-treatment. This may be applicable for curing other tree cankers, caused by related phytopathogen

Biobased economy: de potentie van eiwitten voor technische toepassingen

Eiwitten zijn, behalve essentiële bouwstoffen voor mens en dier, tevens bruikbaar voor toepassingen in bijvoorbeeld shampoos, bioplastics, coatings of lijmen. In deze studie is een inventarisatie gemaakt van zowel de huidige beschikbare eiwitbronnen als de bronnen waar in de toekomst veel van verwacht wordt. Mits er voldoende efficiënt met grondstoffen wordt omgesprongen, kunnen voor zowel food als non-food toepassingen wereldwijd voldoende eiwitten worden geproduceerd. Het is wel belangrijk dat de eiwitten die door bioraffinage uit grondstoffen worden gehaald, hun unieke eigenschappen behouden

Cloning and characterization of arabinoxylan arabinofuranofydrolases-D3 (AXHd3) from Bifidobacterium adolescentis DSM20083

Arabinoxylan arabinofuranohydrolase-D3 (AXHd3) from Bifidobacterium adolescentis releases only C3-linked arabinose residues from double-substituted xylose residues. A genomic library of B. adolescentis DSM20083 was screened for the presence of the axhD3 gene. Two plasmids were identified containing part of the axhD3 gene. The nucleotide sequences were combined and three open reading frames (ORFs) were found. The first ORF showed high homology with xylanases belonging to family 8 of the glycoside hydrolases and this gene was designated xylA. The second ORF was the axhD3 gene belonging to glycoside hydrolase family 43. The third (partial) ORF coded for a putative carboxylesterase. The axhD3 gene was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. Several substrates were employed in the biochemical characterization of recombinant AXHd3. The enzyme showed the highest activity toward wheat arabinoxylan oligosaccharides. In addition, -xylanase from Trichoderma sp. was able to degrade soluble wheat arabinoxylan polymer to a higher extent, after pretreatment with recombinant AXHd3. Arabinoxylan oligosaccharides incubated with a combination of recombinant AXHd3 and an -l-arabinofuranosidase from Aspergillus niger did not result in a higher maximal release of arabinose than incubation with these enzymes separately

Computer-Aided Solvent Screening for Biocatalysis

A computer-aidedsolventscreening methodology is described and tested for biocatalytic systems composed of enzyme, essential water and substrates/products dissolved in a solvent medium, without cells. The methodology is computationally simple, using group contribution methods for calculating constrained properties related to chemical reaction equilibrium, substrate and product solubility, water solubility, boiling points, toxicity and others. Two examples are provided, covering the screening of solvents for lipase-catalyzed transesterification of octanol and inulin with vinyl laurate. Esterification of acrylic acid with octanol is also addressed. Solvents are screened and candidates identified, confirming existing experimental results. Although the examples involve lipases, the method is quite general, so there seems to be no preclusion against application to other biocatalyst