Chimeric vip3Aa16TC Gene Encoding the Toxic Core of the Vegetative Insecticidal Protein Enhanced Bacillus thuringiensis Entomopathogenicity

Vip3 insecticidal protein is produced by Bacillus thuringiensis during the vegetative stage. Its proteolysis by the midgut juice of susceptible larvae formed four major products of approximately 66, 45, 33 and 22 kDa. In this study, we cloned the vip3Aa16TC DNA encoding the “Vip3Aa16 toxic core (TC)” of 33 kDa corresponding to the Vip3Aa16 region from amino acid 200 to 456. The vip3Aa16TC chimeric gene carried by the pHT-vip3Aa16TC plasmid was under the control of the sporulation dependent promoters (BtI-BtII) and the Shine Dalgarno sequence of cry1Ac gene as well as the cry1Ia gene terminator. Western-blot analysis of the culture supernatants of the recombinant B. thuringiensis strain detected Vip3Aa16TC after growing for 14 to 56 h proving that this protein can be produced without the Vip3 amino- and carboxy-terminal regions. Interestingly, the preservation of the Vip3Aa16TC toxicity against the polyphagous lepidopteran Spodoptera littoralis makes it a promising polypeptide for the pest biological control

Improvement of Omega-3-rich Microalgae Biomass Production to Support Qatar Food Security

Recently, algae have received considerable interest as one of the most promising feedstocks suitable for animal feed production due to their fast growth, less nutrients requirements and their ability to produce primary and secondary metabolites with high-added value. Different strategies were applied to improve both biomass and metabolites productivities aiming to produce high-quality biomass with low cost and high nutritional value. Tetraselmis subcoliformis QUCCCM50, a local marine green alga presenting fast growth, high metabolites content and easy to harvest, was selected as a candidate for feed production. Three different stress conditions were applied to enhance its potential to produce high-value products such as Nitrogen or Phosphorus depletion and high salinity of 100ppt. An assessment of the growth properties and biomass productivity was performed during the growth. After 15 days of cultivation using tubular photobioreactors, the biomass was subjected to metabolites characterization and Fatty Acids Methyl Ester profiling. Results showed that the three stress conditions present different impacts on biomass productivity and, lipid quantity and quality. Cultivation under 100 ppt led to the highest increase in lipid content. This culture condition led to 25% increase of the omega-3 fatty acids with the appearance of the docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and a remarkable increase of the alpha-linolenic acid, comparatively to the control. The enrichment of the Tetraselmis subcoliformis' biomass in terms of omega-3 fatty acids enhanced its nutritional value and make it very suitable for animal feed production. The optimized culture conditions obtained from the current study will be applied at large scale to enhance the quality of the biomass towards omega-3 enriched animal feed supplement production, hence support achieving food security in the State of Qatar

Evaluation of Roholtiella sp. Extract on Bell Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) Yield and Quality in a Hydroponic Greenhouse System

This study was carried out to investigate the impacts of cyanobacteria (Roholtiella sp.) high-value product extract (HVPE) and water resuspended biomass WRB treatments on bell pepper production using the hydroponic system under greenhouse conditions. Six cyanobacteria treatments (6 ml L−1, 4 ml L−1, and 2 ml L−1 – HVPE, 6 ml L−1, 4 ml L−1, and 2 ml L−1 – WRB, and TR0 as control) were evaluated using the foliar application method. The results showed that foliar application of HVPE with treatments of 2 ml L−1, 4 ml L−1, and 6 ml L−1 produced significantly higher values of physical growth parameters of bell pepper (BP) plants (shoot length, the number of leaves, plant leaf length, plant leaf width, and the diameter of the shoot), SPAD index, yield components (the fruit length, fruit width, the number of fruit per plant, and fresh weight per fruit), biochemical composition [ascorbic acid, phenolic acid, and total soluble solids (TSS)], and the total yield compared to the control group TR0. Also, significant higher values of growth parameters (shoot length, the number of leaves, plant leaf length, plant leaf width, the diameter of the shoot), SPAD index, yield components (the fruit length, fruit width, the number of fruits per plant, and fresh weight per fruit), biochemical composition [ascorbic acid, phenolic acid, and total soluble solids (TSS)], and the total yield were obtained with foliar spraying WRB at 2 ml L−1, 4 ml L−1, and 6 ml L−1 compared to the control group TR0. Consequently, the treated bell pepper with Roholtiella sp. HVPE and WRB were more efficient in enhancing production and chemical constituents compared with the control group.This study was funded by the Graduate Student Grant (QUST-1-CAS-2020-10) provided by Qatar University, the NPRP8 project, and Qatar University IDC funds of RB-H

Screening of Fresh water and Sea water Microalgae strains from Qatar for feed supplement production

The worldwide continuous increasing of population provokes an increasing awareness about the food security. Qatar is one of the first countries establishing a Food Security Strategy Program to satisfy the demand of food and feed. Microalgae is considered as one of the most promising solution based on its ability to produce the essential elements needed for food and feed such as lipids, carbohydrates, proteins... In Qatar University, a diverse collection of Microalgae and Cyanobacteria strains isolated from different environments was established (QUCCCM). Microalgae, These photosynthetic microorganisms are capable of converting solar energy into useful compounds. Microalgae accumulate several kinds of metabolites such as proteins (6-52%), lipids (7-23%), carbohydrates (5-23%). In addition, microalgae produce have the ability to produce high-value metabolites. The aim of our work was to screen the QUCCCM and identify potential strains with high nutritional value for use as feed for poultry and livestock. In this study, Microalgal isolates belonging to 12 different species were investigated for their eligibility to be used as a feed. All strains were cultivated over a period of 10 to15 days depending on species. Optical Density and Dry weights were recorded every three days to follow the algal Growth. The results showed the presence of three categories of isolates (fast, medium and slow growing). Among them, the species Chlamydomonas sp. presented the highest growth rate (?) with 0.89day ? 1 � 0.27 and a doubling time of 1.28/ day. Based on this result, the fast-growing strains were subjected to metabolite investigations in terms of lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, amino acids and Fatty acids to select the ideal strain(s) presenting high growth rate along with metabolites valuable for algae-based feed supplement. The highest protein and Lipid content was observed in the case of a freshwater strain belonging to the Mychonastes sp.with ? 50% w/w and 40.7% � 0.015 respectively. Carbohydrates were seen highest in Chlorococcum sp.with a value of 30% � 0.009%. Considering the marine strains, the isolates had a similar range of protein, Lipids and Carbohydrates content of (22%-34%), (32%-39%) and (8%-20%) respectively. Based on this study, one marine strain (Pichochloris sp.) having 33% � 0.021 content of protein and 32.7% � 0.036 as lipid, and one freshwater (Mychonastes sp.) holding the highest amount of metabolites were selected for deeply investigations in terms of FAME and Amino acid profiling which are crucial parameters that determine the feed quality. The results showed the presence of different essential Amino acids in the total protein fraction. Fatty acid profiling comprised saturated and unsaturated fats for all strains; most of them being rich with C18:0; C16:0 and C16:3. For the selected strains, the metabolite content during the growth period was followed by sampling every 3 days in order to identify the stage having high productivity and rich metabolite content. The analysis of the isolates showed an increase in the production of each metabolite during the growth, wherein lipids and protein amounts are relatively high while carbohydrates were comparatively low. These two selected strains will be improved in terms of lipid and protein production using media and salinity stress in order to enhance the production of essential nutrients such as omegas, amino acids and used for animal bioassay. In Conclusion, this study showed the existence of a diverse and rich collection of valuable strains with important metabolites that can support the country's food security program, by providing microalgae to supplement animal feed. Additionally, the potential candidates can be used for commercial applications.qscienc

Mychonastes homosphaera (Chlorophyceae): A promising feedstock for high quality feed production in the arid environment

Rapid development and drastic population increase in Qatar have led to increasing awareness about food security. Microalgae are considered one of the most promising feedstocks owing to their ability to produce nutrients, including lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins, in addition to antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. In this study, 30 isolates of local freshwater microalgae were screened first based on their growth rate to select the most suitable strains for feed production. Based on the normality test, 15 fast-growing microalgae isolates were selected and subjected to further investigation of their metabolites content. The hierarchical Cluster Analysis conducted on lipids, proteins and carbohydrates contents subdivided these strains selected into 4 clusters, among them, the cluster one was grouping three Chlorella and two Mychonastes isolates with high nutritional values due to their high amounts of lipid and protein. The survey of metabolite production was performed every three days during growth in a volume of 3 L. We observed that the maximum amount of proteins and lipids was produced at day 6 and 14, respectively. The assessment of the Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity of the top 5 strains proved that Mychonastes homosphaera isolate QUCCCM70 showed the highest antioxidant capacity. Moreover, results revealed the presence of essential amino acids and omega3 fatty acids. The screening evidenced a Mychonastes homosphaera strain QUCCCM70 with high nutritional value that can be considered as a promising alternative to produce a well-balanced animal feed supplement for a high quality of poultry and livestock products.This publication was made possible by the NPRP grant # [NPRP8-1087-1-207] from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation). The findings herein reflect the work, and are solely the responsability of the authors. Special thanks go to Anna Aguilar and Pedram Shahbazi and Maaroof Eroth for the technical support

Isolation, cultivation, and characterization of novel local marine micro-algae for aquaculture feed supplement production

Aquaculture is considered as a promising alternative to support the food demands of the ever-increasing population. Currently, this sector faces several challenges such as using fishmeal, which is unsustainable and expensive. Therefore, it is necessary to identify an alternative feed component that is sustainable, cost-effective and can provide the essential nutrients required by the fish. In this context, microalgae are considered as a viable source of proteins, lipids, polysaccharides and high-value products (HVPs) such as essential fatty acids, amino acids and vitamins. They play a vital role in the marine food chain and hence can be easily assimilated by the fish. The current research targeted the isolation, identification and characterization of novel marine microalgae from Qatar coastline to produce aquaculture feed supplement. As the climate poses a number of stress factors, such as high light intensities, temperatures and varying salinities, it is expected that novel microalgae with interesting metabolite profiles can be isolated from the environment for developing aquaculture sector in Qatar. Standard plating methods were used to isolate halophilic strains from field waters. PCR-sequencing was used to identify the novel microalgae, cyanobacteria and Diatom isolates. Then a comparative analysis of the growth performance and metabolite content was performed to characterize these strains. Results evidenced that the cyanobacteria strain exhibited the highest biomass productivity of 51.4 mg L-1day-1 whereas the highest lipid content was observed in the novel diatom isolate ranging up to 28.62% and the highest amount of carotenoids was detected in the case of the microalgae. As in conclusion, a rich feed supplement blending the three isolates can be considered as an alternative to fishmeal. As a continuation of this research, the potential strains will be cultivated under various stress to increase their nutritional value

Traduction argumentée de 3 chapitres de l'ouvrage "Destruction Massive, Géopolitique de la Faim" de Jean Ziegler

Le présent travail consiste en une traduction de quelques chapitres de l'ouvrage de Jean Ziegler "Destruction Massive, Géopolitique de la Faim". Il comprend deux parties : une partie pratique qui est la traduction de trois chapitres de l'ouvrage. La partie théorique présente une description des styles utilisés par l'auteur tels que le style de rédaction des rapports, le style narratif et le style journalistique. Elle présente également l'argumentaire des choix de traduction sur la base des deux types de difficultés rencontrées : des difficultés lexicales et des difficultés stylistiques en fonction du récit utilisé par l'auteur

Evidence of the drying technique’s impact on the biomass quality of Tetraselmis subcordiformis (Chlorophyceae)

Abstract Rapid drying, cost-effective and safe, will increase the viability of using microalgae for several bio-industrial applications. In this study, five different drying techniques of microalgal biomass were investigated. These include freeze drying, oven drying, air drying, sun drying, and microwave drying. Morphology, metabolite content, FAME profiling, chlorophyll content, total organic carbon, and total nitrogen were analyzed. Results showed that the freeze-drying technique preserves the highest amounts of chlorophyll, proteins, and lipids. Oven drying underperformed as it retained the lowest amount of chlorophyll, protein, and lipid content. More importantly, FAME profiling results showed that air drying was the best technique in maintaining the highest amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids and more specifically docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Furthermore, this process requires the least capital and energy needs. The findings from this study confirmed that the drying technique affects the microalga biomass quality. Graphical Abstrac

Algal-algal bioflocculation enhances the recovery efficiency of Picochlorum sp. QUCCCM130 with low auto-settling capacity

Large-scale production of microalgal biomass is still considered non-viable due to the high cost and energy required for harvesting. A fast, cost-effective, and successful harvesting technique has become widely sought after in microalgal biotechnology applications. Algal-algal bioflocculation was adopted for the current study, pH and the ratio between species were selected as two parameters to be optimised. Picochlorum sp. QUCCCM130, Nannochloris sp. QUCCCM31 and Tetraselmis sp. QUCCCM50 presenting a cell size of ?2 ?m, ?5 ?m, and ?15 ?m, respectively, were selected to be subjected to the harvesting optimisation experiments. Results showed that self-settlement capacity increased with cell size and can be indirectly related to a decreased zeta potential of larger cells which enhances the Van der Waals attractive forces. Furthermore, it was noted that pH enhanced the self-settlement capacity of small-sized cells as well that are unable to self-settle. Algal-algal bioflocculation efficiency is dependent on the ratio between species with different sizes, increasing with a higher proportion of larger size microalgal cells. Mixing three microalgae together at pH 10 led to the appearance of large flocs in which the larger cells surrounded the smaller cells. Microscopic observation confirmed that Tetraselmis sp. held the small cells inside the flocs using their flagella. Thus, we can conclude that mixing microalgal cells in a specific ratio and at a specific pH increases the recovery efficiency of small-sized microalgae that can be difficult to harvest, such as Picochlorum sp. QUCCCM130. 2023 The AuthorsThis publication was made possible by the NPRP grant # [ NPRP8-1087-1-207 ] from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation). Open Access funding provided by the Qatar National Library.Scopu

Sustainable food production and nutraceutical applications from qatar desert chlorella sp. (chlorophyceae)

Microalgae isolated from the Qatari desert was identified as thermotolerant, with a rich metabolite profile that is appropriate for use as food and health supplements. In this research, a species of Chlorella, QUCCCM3, from the Qatar University Culture Collection of Cyanobacteria and Microalgae, was investigated for its growth characteristics and metabolite compositions for use as potential feedstock for food production. The strain was cultivated at 30, 35, and 40◦C, covering the annual average low and high temperatures in Qatar. The highest growth rates were recorded for cultures at 30◦C with 0.64 ± 0.04 day−1, followed by a growth rate of 0.54 ± 0.06 day−1 at 40◦C, indicating its thermotolerance ability. The biomass exhibited a high protein content (43 ± 2.3%), with existence of lysine (4.13%) as an essential amino acid, and docosahexaenoic acid, linoleic acid, and alpha-linolenic acid as important omega fatty acids present. On the other hand, Chlorella sp. QUCCCM3 also exhibited a high capacity for scavenging free radicals with an antiproliferative effect against chronic myeloid leukemia K562 cancer cells. The results indicate that Chlorella sp. QUCCCM3 is a promising candidate that can be produced year-round, in the Qatar environment, for commercial applications such as feed and nutraceutical supplements.This report was made possible by the NPRP award (NPRP8-1087-1-207) from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of The Qatar Foundation)