Investigation of oil palm empty fruit bunches in biosoda pulping by tropical white-rot fungi, Ganoderma australe (Fr.) Pat.

Ganoderma australe, a white-rot fungus, is well-known as a decomposer of logs and stumps in the Malaysian forest. We investigated G. australe (KUM60848) strain for production of ligninolytic enzymes i.e. lignin peroxidase (LiP) and laccase, and hydrolytic enzymes, i.e. cellulase and xylanase, using oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFB) in solid-substrate fermentation (SSF). EFB was shown to support good mycelial growth for G. australe during 28 days of solid-substrate fermentation. All tested enzyme activities demonstrated highest activities of LiP (0.18±0.02 U/ml), laccase (1.92±0.03 U/ml), cellulase (0.72±0.11 U/ml) and xylanase (0.42±0.01 U/ml) throughout the 28 days of incubation. Compared to an untreated control, the pretreated EFB yield increased to a maximum of 18% during biopulping. Fourteen days of SSF had the highest degree of material dissolved, as shown by pulp yields and the optimum values (29.8 Nm/g tensile index and 2.73 Kpa m2/g burst index) acceptable to obtain paper sheets

Nutritive potential and utilization of super worm (Zophobas morio) meal in the diet of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) juvenile

Super worm meal (SWM) was evaluated to investigate the effect of partial or total replacement of fish meal (FM) in diets for tilapia juvenile, Oreochromis niloticus. Triplicate groups of fish with average initial body weight (5.57 ± 0.15 g) were fed each with 5 isonitrogeneous (32% crude protein) diets formulated to include 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100% (diets 1 – 5, respectively) of FM substituted with SWM. After eight weeks of feeding trials, fish fed with diet 2 and 3 revealed the highest values for live weight gain, specific growth rates, better feed conversion ratio as well as protein efficiency ratio compared to the others. Survival range was 100% in all the treatments. However, fish fed to diet 5 exhibited lower growth than those fed others diets. There were no significant differences (P > 0.05) in the moisture, protein, lipid and ash content in the whole body composition. These results clearly indicate that up to 25% of FM protein in fish diet can be replaced by SWM without any adverse effect on feed utilization and body composition. A decrease in weight gain and other growth associated parameters was observed with higher replacement.Key words: Feed utilization, growth performance, insect based diet, Oreochromis niloticus, super worm meal, Zophobas morio

A simple and low-cost technique of DNA extraction from edible mushrooms examined by molecular phylogenetics

The first and most important step of molecular techniques is to isolate the high quality and standard quantity of DNA. The DNA extracted using the recommended method could successfully amplify the regions of interest and demonstrated reliable results can be applied in other molecular assays. Moreover, the designed primers of ITS1-UM2 and ITS4-UM2 were perfectly matched with the species of Basidiomycetes, can be used in phylogenetic studies of other mushrooms. We here evaluated the quality and quantity of DNA using a spectrophotometer, showed reliable OD260/280, and concentration. The protocol is efficient, rapid, low-cost, and simple, needs low amount of sample, and requires minimum facilities. The standard yield in addition to the high quality of DNA will enable mycologists to establish molecular techniques easier. In the current study, the constructed phylogenetic tree based on the obtained sequences of Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) I and II regions distinctly classified the examined material

Antimicrobial activities of split gill mushroom Schizophyllum commune Fr

Abstract Schizophyllum commune or commonly known as split gill mushroom is a widely distributed wooddecaying basidiomycete that has been reported for its health promoting and medical benefits. Hence, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of S. commune extracts using well diffusion method. The microorganisms tested were common pathogenic bacteria

Solid-state fermentation of oil palm frond petiole for lignin peroxidase and xylanase-rich cocktail production

In current practice, oil palm frond leaflets and stems are re-used for soil nutrient recycling, while the petioles are typically burned. Frond petioles have high commercialization value, attributed to high lignocellulose fiber content and abundant of juice containing free reducing sugars. Pressed petiole fiber is the subject of interest in this study for the production of lignocellulolytic enzyme. The initial characterization showed the combination of 0.125 mm frond particle size and 60% moisture content provided a surface area of 42.3 m2/g, porosity of 12.8%, and density of 1.2 g/cm3, which facilitated fungal solid-state fermentation. Among the several species of Aspergillus and Trichoderma tested, Aspergillus awamori MMS4 yielded the highest xylanase (109 IU/g) and cellulase (12 IU/g), while Trichoderma virens UKM1 yielded the highest lignin peroxidase (222 IU/g). Crude enzyme cocktail also contained various sugar residues, mainly glucose and xylose (0.1–0.4 g/L), from the hydrolysis of cellulose and hemicellulose. FT-IR analysis of the fermented petioles observed reduction in cellulose crystallinity (I900/1098), cellulose–lignin (I900/1511), and lignin–hemicellulose (I1511/1738) linkages. The study demonstrated successful bioconversion of chemically untreated frond petioles into lignin peroxidase and xylanase-rich enzyme cocktail under SSF condition

Pre-treatment of Malaysian agricultural wastes toward biofuel production

Various renewable energy technologies are under considerable interest due to the projected depletion of our primary sources of energy and global warming associated with their utilizations. One of the alternatives under focus is renewable fuels produced from agricultural wastes. Malaysia, being one of the largest producers of palm oil, generates abundant agricultural wastes such as fibers, shells, fronds, and trunks with the potential to be converted to biofuels. However, prior to conversion of these materials to useful products, pre-treatment of biomass is essential as it influences the energy utilization in the conversion process and feedstock quality. This chapter focuses on pre-treatment technology of palm-based agriculture waste prior to conversion to solid, liquid, and gas fuel. Pre-treatment methods can be classified into physical, thermal, biological, and chemicals or any combination of these methods. Selecting the most suitable pre-treatment method could be very challenging due to complexities of biomass properties. Physical treatment involves grinding and sieving of biomass into various particle sizes whereas thermal treatment consists of pyrolysis and torrefaction processes. Additionally biological and chemical treatment using enzymes and chemicals to derive lignin from biomass are also discussed