AMMONIUM LACTATE FROM DEPROTEINIZED ALFALFA JUICE BY STREPTOCOCCUS-FAECIUM

Deproteinized alfalfa juice is a by-product of the mechanical fractionation of alfalfa to obtain protein. In this work the juice was used as the substrate for the production of ammonium lactate (l-lactic acid) by a strain of Streptococcus faecium. Batch fermentation with a constant pH of 5.8 gave 27.2 g/l of lactic acid (90% conversion and 1.1 g/l/h productivity) and 6 71012 cells/l after 24 h. Semicontinuous fermentation allowed the conversion of 3-times the volume of deproteinized juice after 44 h, finally giving 29.7 g/l of ammonium lactate (99% conversion and 2.5 g/l/h productivity) and 4-6 71012 cells/l

D,L-CARNITINE RESOLUTION BY FUSARIUM-OXYSPORUM

L-Carnitine was obtained in 40% yield from D,L-octanoyl carnitine by enantioselective hydrolysis with a strain of Fusarium oxysporum

Bacillus thermoruber sp. nov., nom. rev., a red-pigmented thermophilic bacterium

The morphological, cultural, and physiological properties of a new species of Bacillus are reviewed. This microorganism, for which we propose the name Bacillus thermoruber, is motile, produces terminal or subterminal oval endospores in swollen sporangia, and shows optimal growth at 45 to 48\ub0C. It is characterized by a high deoxyribonucleic acid guanine-plus-cytosine content (57 \ub1 0.8 mol%) and a red, endocellular, nondiffusible pigment. The type strain is strain BT2, which has been deposited in the collection of the Cattedra di Microbiologia Industriale, Universit\ue0 degli Studi di Milano (Italy) as strain MIM 30.8.38

Anthropometric or ultrasonic measurements in assessment of visceral fat. A comparative study

The main aim of the study (study 1) was to compare the accuracy of anthropometric and ultrasonic measurements in assessing the amount of visceral adipose tissue. An additional aim (study 2) was to verify ultrasound technique precision. Study 1: using computed tomography (CT) L4-L5 adipose tissue area as a gold standard we compared the accuracy of waist/hip circumference ratio, sagittal diameter and ultrasonic measurements of intra-abdominal depth in assessing the amount of visceral adipose tissue. Study 2: ultrasonic measurements of the intra-abdominal muscle-vertebra distance were made in triplicate by three different operators. In study 1, 24 volunteers were used; body mass index (BMI): 19-43. In study 2, 22 volunteers were used; BMI 20-42. In study 1, ultrasonic measurements of the abdominal depth correlated best with CT visceral adipose tissue area (r = 0.89-0.91). In study 2, inter-operator and intra-operator mean variation coefficients were about 7% and 5% respectively. We concluded that using a well standardized technique and properly trained operators, ultrasonic measurement of intra-abdominal depth is a valid method in assessing the amount of visceral adipose tissue