Saccharification of banana agro-waste by cellulolytic enzymes

Banana is major cash crop of this region generating vast agricultural waste after harvest. The agro-waste including dried leaves and psuedostem after harvest was used as substrate for the release of sugars. Saccharification of banana agro waste by cellulases of Trichoderma lignorum was investigated. The steam treated agro-waste yielded 1.34 mg/ml of reducing sugars after 24 hr. The size of substrate affected saccharification where the smaller size

Importance of quinoa and amaranth in food security

As a result of increasing population in the India and world, food security has become increasingly dependent on only a few crops with high demanding plant species. The quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) and amaranth ( Amaranthus spp. ) are peculiar composition with high nutritional value and rich source of macronutrients and energy. These are called pseudocereals and provide good quality of protein, dietary fiber and lipids rich in unsaturated fatty acids. Amaranth and quinoa are gluten-free grains, having adequate levels of minerals, vitamins, and other bioactive components. Quinoa and amaranth is suitable for diverse consumers groups such as the elderly, children, high-performance athletes, diabetics, celiacs, and gluten or lactose intolerant people. Due to their composition and nutritional facts described for prospective for functional properties such as food supplements or common cereal replacers for human health. A review of the main aspects of amaranth and quinoa as alternative source of nutrient rich gluten free grains which have potential to alleviate hunger and provide food security to the Indian  population. It is to be emphasized on the application of the amaranth and quinoa in the value added food for various segments of population; it will also create awareness to the farmers to grow these grains for better earning and livelihood

Purification and characterization of β-mannanase from Aspergillus terreus and its applicability in depolymerization of mannans and saccharification of lignocellulosic biomass

publisher versionAspergillus terreus FBCC 1369 was grown in solid-state culture under statistically optimized conditions. β-Mannanase was purified to apparent homogeneity by ultrafiltration, anion exchange and gel filtration chromatography. A purification factor of 10.3-fold was achieved, with the purified enzyme exhibiting specific activity of 53 U/mg protein. The purified β-mannanase was optimally active at pH 7.0 and 70 °C and displayed stability over a broad pH range of 4.0–8.0 and a 30 min half-life at 80 °C. The molecular weight of β-mannanase was calculated as ~49 kDa by SDS-PAGE. The enzyme exhibited K m and V maxvalues of 5.9 mg/ml and 39.42 µmol/ml/min, respectively. β-Mannanase activity was stimulated by β-mercaptoethanol and strongly inhibited by Hg2+. The β-Mannanase did not hydrolyze mannobiose and mannotriose, but only mannotetraose liberating mannose and mannotriose. This indicated that at least four mannose residues were required for catalytic activity. Oligosaccharide with a degree of polymerization (DP) three was the predominant product in the case of locust bean gum (16.5 %) and guar gum (15.8 %) hydrolysis. However, the enzyme liberated DP4 oligosaccharide (24 %) exclusively from konjac gum. This property can be exploited in oligosaccharides production with DP 3–4. β-Mannanase hydrolyzed pretreated lignocelluloses and liberated reducing sugars (% theoretical yield) from copra meal (30 %). This property is an important factor for the bioconversion of the biomass