Value Added Products Generation from Sugarcane Bagasse and Its Impact on Economizing Biorefinery and Sustainability of Sugarcane Industry

Augmenting value-added products generation with the biorefinery process of sugar cane by utilizing the by-products helps to achieve a more sustainable model of the sugarcane industry and in turn, contributes to the circular economy. Among the value-added products produced from sugarcane waste, functional foods offer additional health benefits besides their nutritional and calorific value. In recent years non-digestible sugars gained interest as potential prebiotic functional foods which benefit the host without increasing calorific value. These sugars are produced by the breakdown of carbohydrate polymers like cellulose and xylan, by thermochemical treatment or by enzymatic hydrolysis, or a combination of both. Sugar cane bagasse (SB) is an economical source of xylan which can serve as the substrate for xylooligosaccharides (XOS), xylobiose, xylitol, and ethanol. Cellulases, xylanases, and ligninases have wide applications in food processing, agro-fiber, pharmaceutical, and the paper and pulp industries including nutraceuticals production, where these enzymes provide eco-friendly alternatives to some chemical processes and help to reduce environmental impact. Conventional thermochemical methods for nutraceuticals production require chemicals that result in the release of toxic byproducts thus requiring additional steps for refining. In this context, the sustainable and eco-friendly processes for the production of nutraceuticals require employing biocatalysts like microbial enzymes or microbes as a whole, where in addition to averting the toxic byproducts the refining process requires lesser steps. The present chapter discusses the current research and challenges in the production of value-added products from sugarcane byproducts and their contribution to the sustainability of the sugarcane industry

Philopatry and dispersal patterns in tiger (Panthera tigris).

Tiger populations are dwindling rapidly making it increasingly difficult to study their dispersal and mating behaviour in the wild, more so tiger being a secretive and solitary carnivore.We used non-invasively obtained genetic data to establish the presence of 28 tigers, 22 females and 6 males, within the core area of Pench tiger reserve, Madhya Pradesh. This data was evaluated along with spatial autocorrelation and relatedness analyses to understand patterns of dispersal and philopatry in tigers within this well-managed and healthy tiger habitat in India.We established male-biased dispersal and female philopatry in tigers and reiterated this finding with multiple analyses. Females show positive correlation up to 7 kms (which corresponds to an area of approximately 160 km(2)) however this correlation is significantly positive only upto 4 kms, or 50 km(2) (r  = 0.129, p<0.0125). Males do not exhibit any significant correlation in any of the distance classes within the forest (upto 300 km(2)). We also show evidence of female dispersal upto 26 kms in this landscape.Animal movements are important for fitness, reproductive success, genetic diversity and gene exchange among populations. In light of the current endangered status of tigers in the world, this study will help us understand tiger behavior and movement. Our findings also have important implications for better management of habitats and interconnecting corridors to save this charismatic species

Matrix of maximum likelihood relatedness (lower triangle) and relatedness Queller and Goodnight estimator [44] (upper triangle) between PTR tigers.

<p>R value for unrelated dyads lies between −1 and 0.125, for 2^nd degree relatives between 0.125 and 0.375, and for 1^st degree relatives between 0.375 and 0.625.</p><p>F– female, M – male tiger.</p

Measures of genetic variation at studied microsatellite loci: PTR tiger population.

*<p>Effective number of alleles <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0066956#pone.0066956-Kimura1" target="_blank">[40]</a>.</p>!<p>Shannon's Information index <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0066956#pone.0066956-Lewontin1" target="_blank">[73]</a>.</p>#<p>PIC (Polymorphic Information Content).</p>a<p>Expected heterozygosities were computed using Levene <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0066956#pone.0066956-Levene1" target="_blank">[74]</a> and Nei’s <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0066956#pone.0066956-Nei1" target="_blank">[48]</a> expected heterozygosity.</p>b<p>Heterozygote deficiencies were expressed as D =  (Ho –He)/He.</p>c<p>Inbreeding coefficient (Wright's) was calculated as F = 1−Ho/He.</p

Map showing the location of Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR), Madhya Pradesh, India.

<p>Map showing the location of Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR), Madhya Pradesh, India.</p

Correlogram plot of genetic correlation coefficient (<i>r</i>) as a function of distance for (A) female tigers (n = 22) and (B) male tigers (n = 6).

<p>The permuted 999% confidence intervals (broken lines) and bootstrapped 999% confidence error bars are also shown.</p