Bioremediation and biovalorisation of olive-mill wastes

Olive-mill wastes are produced by the industry of olive oil production, which is a very important economic activity, particularly for Spain, Italy and Greece, leading to a large environmental problem of current concern in the Mediterranean basin. There is as yet no accepted treatment method for all the wastes generated during olive oil production, mainly due to technical and economical limitations but also the scattered nature of olive mills across the Mediterranean basin. The production of virgin olive oil is expanding worldwide, which will lead to even larger amounts of olive-mill waste, unless new treatment and valorisation technologies are devised. These are encouraged by the trend of current environmental policies, which favour protocols that include valorisation of the waste. This makes biological treatments of particular interest. Thus, research into different biodegradation options for olive-mill wastes and the development of new bioremediation technologies and/or strategies, as well as the valorisation of microbial biotechnology, are all currently needed. This review, whilst presenting a general overview, focus critically on the most significant recent advances in the various types of biological treatments, the bioremediation technology most commonly applied and the valorisation options, which together will form the pillar for future developments within this fiel

Halomonas indalinina sp.nov., a moderately halophilic bacterium isolated from a solar saltern in Cabo de Gata, Al,eria, southern Spain

moderately halophilic bacterium, strain CG2.1T, isolated from a solar saltern at Cabo de Gata, a wildlife reserve located in the province of Almería, southern Spain, was subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic study. This organism was an aerobic, motile, Gram-negative rod that produced orange-pigmented colonies. Strain CG2.1T was able to grow at salinities of 3¿25 % (w/v) and at temperatures of 15¿40 °C. The pH range for growth was 5¿9. Strain CG2.1T was a heterotroph capable of utilizing various carbohydrates as carbon sources. The organism reduced nitrate and showed phenylalanine deaminase activity. The major fatty acids were C18 : 17c, C16 : 0 and C19 : 0 cyclo 8c. The DNA G+C content was 60.9 mol%. On the basis of the phenotypic and phylogenetic data, strain CG2.1T appeared to be a member of the genus Halomonas and clustered closely with Halomonas marisflavi (97.1 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity). However, the level of DNA¿DNA relatedness between the novel isolate and the most closely related Halomonas species was low. On the basis of these data, strain CG2.1T represents a novel member of the genus Halomonas, for which the name Halomonas indalinina is proposed. The type strain is CG2.1T (=CECT 5902T=LMG 23625T)

Biology of moderately halophilic aerobic bacteria

The moderately halophilic heterotrophic aerobic bacteria form a diverse group of microorganisms. The property of halophilism is widespread within the bacterial domain. Bacterial halophiles are abundant in environments such as salt lakes, saline soils, and salted food products. Most species keep their intracellular ionic concentrations at low levels while synthesizing or accumulating organic solutes to provide osmotic equilibrium of the cytoplasm with the surrounding medium. Complex mechanisms of adjustment of the intracellular environments and the properties of the cytoplasmic membrane enable rapid adaptation to changes in the salt concentration of the environment. Approaches to the study of genetic processes have recently been developed for several moderate halophiles, opening the way toward an understanding of haloadaptation at the molecular level. The new information obtained is also expected to contribute to the development of novel biotechnological uses for these organisms

Izolacja i oczyszczanie dehydrogenazy jabłczanowej robaków pasożytniczych

Z homogenatów Ascaris suum, Fasciola hepatica i Moniezia expansa izolowano i oczyszczano dehydrogenazę jabłczanową (E.C.1.1.1.37) zarówno rozpuszczalną, jak i mitochondrialną, stosując wielokrotne, frakcjonowane wirowanie, a następnie chromatografię kolumnową na celulozie - DE-22 DEAE. W homogenatach wszystkich trzech pasożytów stwierdzono wysoką aktywność obu postaci MDH. Maksimum aktywności w przypadku A. suum i F. hepatica wyrażało się dwoma wierzchołkami, a w przypadku M. expansa jednym dla aktywności m-MDH i dwoma wierzchołkami dla s-MDH (ryc.). Stopień czystości obydwu postaci MDH okazał się różny, zależnie od gatunku pasożyta. Autorzy, na podstawie uzyskanych wyników, rozważają szlaki przemian energetycznych w organizmach badanych gatunków pasożytów

Izolacja i oczyszczanie dehydrogenazy jabłczanowej robaków pasożytniczych

Z homogenatów Ascaris suum, Fasciola hepatica i Moniezia expansa izolowano i oczyszczano dehydrogenazę jabłczanową (E.C.1.1.1.37) zarówno rozpuszczalną, jak i mitochondrialną, stosując wielokrotne, frakcjonowane wirowanie, a następnie chromatografię kolumnową na celulozie - DE-22 DEAE. W homogenatach wszystkich trzech pasożytów stwierdzono wysoką aktywność obu postaci MDH. Maksimum aktywności w przypadku A. suum i F. hepatica wyrażało się dwoma wierzchołkami, a w przypadku M. expansa jednym dla aktywności m-MDH i dwoma wierzchołkami dla s-MDH (ryc.). Stopień czystości obydwu postaci MDH okazał się różny, zależnie od gatunku pasożyta. Autorzy, na podstawie uzyskanych wyników, rozważają szlaki przemian energetycznych w organizmach badanych gatunków pasożytów

Glucogeno sintasa en helmintos parasitos: inhibicion por benzimidazoles

Se ha determinado el effecto inhibidor sobre la actividad Glucogeno sintetasa (E.C.2.41.11) por parte de cuatro antihelminticos: Albendazol, Mebendazol, Parbendazol y Tiabendazol. Observandose que en todos los casos, es el Parbendazol quien ha demostrado un mayor poder inhibidor sobre la glucógeno sintetasa de Ascaris suum, Fasciola hepatica y Moniezia expansa. El Tiabendazol es el anti-helmintico que menor efecto inhibidor ha presentado sobre la enzima en los tres parasitos objeto de nuestro estudio. Con el presente trabajo y otros previstos en la misma linea, se pretende aportar nuevos datos acerca del aun desconocido locus de acción de estos antihelminticos

Superoxide dismutase from Trichuris ovis, inhibiton by benzimidazoles and pyrimidine derivatives

Three superoxide dismutase isoenzymes of different cellular location were detected in an homogenate of Thrichuris ovis. Each of these molecular forms was purified by differential centrifugation and precipitation with ammonium sulphate, followed by chromatography on DEAE-cellulose and Sephadex G-75 columns. The activity levels of the two molecular forms detected in the mitochondrial (one cyanide sensitive Cu-Zn-SOD and the other cyanide intensitive Mn-Sod were higher than that of the superoxide dismutase detected in the cytoplasmic fraction (cyanid sensitive Cu-Zn-SOD). All the mollecular forms present evident differences to the SODs contained in the host liver. Molecular mass and some of the physical and chemical aproperties of the enzyme was determined for all three molecular forms. An inhibitory effect on the SOD of the parasite an the host was detected with a series of compounds, some of wich markedly inhibited parasite ensyme but not host enzyme