Biosurfactants produced by yeasts: fermentation, screening, recovery, purification, characterization, and applications

The demand for biosurfactants (BS) produced by yeast for use in industrial processes and products is increasing. Therefore, there has been an increase in the number of publications related to characterization of surfactant compounds produced by yeasts generally recognized as safe (GRAS), which has enabled their application in several industries, including the pharmaceutical and food industries. However, some of these studies use techniques that are not accurate or are no longer essential because of advancements in new technologies. Given the industrial importance of yeasts and their potential to produce BS, this study reviews the production of BS by this microorganism and the most recent industrial applications of BS. It also critically reviews a wide range of techniques used in screening of BS-producing strains, as well as those used in recovery, purification, and characterization of these surfactant compounds produced by yeasts. This review introduces diverse methodologies that are indispensable for the study of BS produced by yeast in an effort to advance BS design, synthesis, and application and introduces new perspectives in the research of these compounds to overcome the obstacles present in this field.This research was supported by Brazilian agencies Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico do Brasil (CNPq) [grant numbers 312336/2014-4, 423095/2016-1], Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG) [grant number CAG-APQ-03478-16], and Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) [PNPD20131289]

Evaluation of biotechnological processing through solid-state fermentation of oilseed cakes on extracts bioactive potential

Oilseed cakes (OC) are natural sources of lignocellulosic biomass, produced every year in large amounts. In addition to their main applications as animal feed, plant or soil fertilizer, and compost, they present enormous potential for being used in biotechnological processes for the obtainment and extraction of valuable bioactive compounds. This work evaluated the effect of solid-state fermentation on the bioactive properties of extracts obtained from the bioprocessing of OC and evaluated the effect of solvents on the recovery of compounds with higher bioactive potential. A general decrease of EC50 values was observed for fermented extracts obtained using a mixture of water/methanol (1:1) as extraction solvent. A decrease in the minimum inhibitory concentration was observed for fermented water extracts compared to non-fermented. Additionally, growth inhibition of Listeria monocytogenes was observed when using aqueous methanolic fermented extracts. These extracts also exhibited a higher percentage of growth reduction against phytopathogenic fungi, and some extracts exhibited increased protection against genotoxic agents such as camptothecin and bisphenol A. It was demonstrated that bioprocessing of OC through SSF is an effective approach to obtaining valuable compounds with bioactive properties for use in the food, pharmaceutical or cosmetic industries.Open access funding provided by FCT|FCCN (b-on). The authors thank the Portuguese Foundation for Sci ence and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UIDB/BIO/04469/2020 and UIDB/04033/2020 units. Daniel Sousa acknowledges the fnancial support pro vided by national funds through FCT(PD/BD/135328/2017), under the Doctoral Program “Agricultural Production Chains – from fork to farm” (PD/00122/2012) and from the European Social Funds and the Regional Operational Programme Norte 2020.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Probiotic and antifungal attributes of lactic acid bacteria isolates from naturally fermented Brazilian table olives

Research with fermented olives as a source of wild Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) strains with probiotic and biotechnological characteristics constitutes a promising field of work. The present study evaluated in vitro probiotic, antifungal, and antimycotoxigenic potential of LAB isolates from naturally fermented Brazilian table olives. Among fourteen LAB isolates, the Levilactobacillus brevis CCMA 1762, Lactiplantibacillus pentosus CCMA 1768, and Lacticaseibacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei CCMA 1770 showed potential probiotic and antifungal properties. The isolates showed resistance to pH 2.0 (survival ≥ 84.55), bile salts (survival ≥ 99.44), and gastrointestinal tract conditions (survival ≥ 57.84%); hydrophobic cell surface (≥27%); auto-aggregation (≥81.38%); coaggregation with Escherichia coli INCQS 00181 (≥33.97%) and Salmonella Enteritidis ATCC 564 (≥53.84%); adhesion to the epithelial cell line Caco-2 (≥5.04%); antimicrobial activity against the bacteria S. Enteritidis ATCC 564 (≥6 mm), Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 19117 (≥6 mm), Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 8702 (≥3 mm), and the fungi Penicillium nordicum MUM 08.16 (inhibition ≥ 64.8%). In addition, the strains showed the ability to adsorb the mycotoxins aflatoxin B1 (≥40%) and ochratoxin A (≥34%). These results indicate that LAB strains from naturally fermented Brazilian table olives are potentially probiotic and antifungal candidates that can be used for food biopreservation.This research was funded by the Brazilian agencies Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico do Brasil (CNPq) [423095/2016-1; 309561/2019-1], Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG) [CAG-APQ-03478-16], Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) [PNPD20131289], Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) [UIDB/04469/2020], LABBELS—Associate Laboratory in Biotechnology, Bioengineering and Microelectromechnaical Systems [LA/P/0029/2020]. Luís Abrunhosa acknowledges FCT for the assistant research contract CEECIND/00728/2017.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Anais do V Encontro Brasileiro de Educomunicação: Educação midiática e políticas públicas

A presente coletânea, que chega ao público através de um suporte digital, tem como objetivo disponibilizar os papers, bem como os relatos de experiências educomunicativas apresentados durante o V ENCONTRO BRASILEIRO DE EDUCOMUNICAÇÃO, que teve como tema central: “Educação Midiática e Políticas Públicas”. O evento foi realizado em São Paulo, entre 19 e 21 de setembro de 2013, a partir de uma parceria entre o NCE/USP - Núcleo de Comunicação e Educação da USP, a Licenciatura em Educomunicação da ECA/USP, a ABPEducom – Associação Brasileira de Pesquisadores e Profissionais da Educomunicação e a FAPCOM – Faculdade Paulus de Tecnologia e Comunicação, que ofereceu seu campus, na Vila Mariana, para os atos do evento. Os presentes anais disponibilizam o texto de abertura, de autoria do coordenador geral do evento, denominado “Educação midiática e políticas públicas: vertentes históricas da emergência da Educomunicação na América Latina”. Na sequência, apresentam 61 papers sobre aspectos específicos da temática geral, resultantes de pesquisas na área, seguidos de 27 relatos de práticas educomunicativas, em nível nacional

Brazilian Table Olives: A Source of Lactic Acid Bacteria with Antimycotoxigenic and Antifungal Activity

Food and feed contamination by fungi, especially by toxigenic ones, is a global concern because it can pose serious health problems when the production of mycotoxins is involved. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB), well-known for fermenting foods, have been gaining attention for their antifungal and anti-mycotoxin properties. This work tested 14 LAB strains isolated from naturally fermented Brazilian table olives for growth inhibition of Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus carbonarius, Penicillium nordicum, and Penicillium expansum. The strains Lacticaseibacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei CCMA 1764, Levilactobacillus brevis CCMA 1762, and Lactiplantibacillus pentosus CCMA 1768 showed the strongest antifungal activity, being more active against P. expansum. Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), ochratoxin A (OTA), and patulin (PAT) production was reduced essentially by mycelia growth inhibition. The main organic acids detected in the cell free supernatant (CFS) were lactic and acetic acids. Tested LAB exhibited adsorption capacity against AFB1 (48–51%), OTA (28–33%), and PAT (23–24%). AFB1 was converted into aflatoxin B2a (AFB2a) by lactic and acetic acids produced by the strain CCMA 1764. A similar conversion was observed in solutions of these organic acids (0.1 M). These findings demonstrate the potential of isolated LAB strains as natural agents to control toxigenic fungi and their mycotoxins in fermented products, such as table olives

Current status and topical issues on the use of eDNA-based targeted detection of rare animal species

Animal detection through DNA present in environmental samples (eDNA) is a valuable tool for detecting rare species, that are difficult to observe and monitor. eDNA-based tools are underpinned by molecular evolutionary principles, key to devising tools to efficiently single out a targeted species from an environmental sample. Here, we present a comprehensive review of the use of eDNA-based methods for the detection of targeted animal species, such as rare, endangered, or invasive species, through the analysis of 549 publications (2008–2022). Aquatic ecosystems have been the most surveyed, in particular, freshwaters (74 %), and to a less extent marine (14 %) and terrestrial systems (10 %). Vertebrates, in particular, fish (38 %), and endangered species, have been the focus of most of these studies, and Cytb and COI are the most employed markers. Among invertebrates, assays have been mainly designed for Mollusca and Crustacea species (21 %), in particular, to target invasive species, and COI the most employed marker. Targeted molecular approaches, in particular qPCR, have been the most adopted (75 %), while eDNA metabarcoding has been rarely used to target single or few species (approx. 6 %). However, less attention has been given in these studies to the effects of environmental factors on the amount of shed DNA, the differential amount of shed DNA among species, or the sensitivity of the markers developed, which may impact the design of the assays, particularly to warrant the required detection level and avoid false negatives and positives. The accuracy of the assays will also depend on the availability of genetic data and vouchered tissue or DNA samples from closely related species to assess both marker and primers' specificity. In addition, eDNA-based assays developed for a particular species may have to be refined for use in a new geographic area taking into account site-specific populations, as well as any intraspecific variation.This work was funded by the project “River2Ocean – Socio-ecological and biotechnological solutions for the conservation and valorization of aquatic biodiversity in the Minho Region” (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000068), co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), through Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (NORTE 2020) and by the “Contrato-Programa” UIDB/04050/2020, funded by national funds through the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT I.P). Financial support granted by the FCT to SD (CEECIND/00667/2017) and by the project ATLANTIDA (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000040), funded by Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (NORTE2020) to LS, is also acknowledged. We are also grateful to two reviewers for comments and suggestions that greatly improved the manuscript

Current status and topical issues on the use of eDNA-based targeted detection of rare animal species

Animal detection through DNA present in environmental samples (eDNA) is a valuable tool for detecting rare species, that are difficult to observe and monitor. eDNA-based tools are underpinned by molecular evolutionary principles, key to devising tools to efficiently single out a targeted species from an environmental sample. Here, we present a comprehensive review of the use of eDNA-based methods for the detection of targeted animal species, such as rare, endangered, or invasive species, through the analysis of 549 publications (2008–2022). Aquatic ecosystems have been the most surveyed, in particular, freshwaters (74 %), and to a less extent marine (14 %) and terrestrial systems (10 %). Vertebrates, in particular, fish (38 %), and endangered species, have been the focus of most of these studies, and Cytb and COI are the most employed markers. Among invertebrates, assays have been mainly designed for Mollusca and Crustacea species (21 %), in particular, to target invasive species, and COI the most employed marker. Targeted molecular approaches, in particular qPCR, have been the most adopted (75 %), while eDNA metabarcoding has been rarely used to target single or few species (approx. 6 %). However, less attention has been given in these studies to the effects of environmental factors on the amount of shed DNA, the differential amount of shed DNA among species, or the sensitivity of the markers developed, which may impact the design of the assays, particularly to warrant the required detection level and avoid false negatives and positives. The accuracy of the assays will also depend on the availability of genetic data and vouchered tissue or DNA samples from closely related species to assess both marker and primers' specificity. In addition, eDNA-based assays developed for a particular species may have to be refined for use in a new geographic area taking into account site-specific populations, as well as any intraspecific variation.FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia(CEECIND/00667/2017

Brazilian Table Olives: A Source of Lactic Acid Bacteria with Antimycotoxigenic and Antifungal Activity

Food and feed contamination by fungi, especially by toxigenic ones, is a global concern because it can pose serious health problems when the production of mycotoxins is involved. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB), well-known for fermenting foods, have been gaining attention for their antifungal and anti-mycotoxin properties. This work tested 14 LAB strains isolated from naturally fermented Brazilian table olives for growth inhibition of Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus carbonarius, Penicillium nordicum, and Penicillium expansum. The strains Lacticaseibacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei CCMA 1764, Levilactobacillus brevis CCMA 1762, and Lactiplantibacillus pentosus CCMA 1768 showed the strongest antifungal activity, being more active against P. expansum. Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), ochratoxin A (OTA), and patulin (PAT) production was reduced essentially by mycelia growth inhibition. The main organic acids detected in the cell free supernatant (CFS) were lactic and acetic acids. Tested LAB exhibited adsorption capacity against AFB1 (48–51%), OTA (28–33%), and PAT (23–24%). AFB1 was converted into aflatoxin B2a (AFB2a) by lactic and acetic acids produced by the strain CCMA 1764. A similar conversion was observed in solutions of these organic acids (0.1 M). These findings demonstrate the potential of isolated LAB strains as natural agents to control toxigenic fungi and their mycotoxins in fermented products, such as table olives

Avaliação de composteiras para reciclagem de resíduos orgânicos em pequena escala

It is estimated that around half of the solid wastes generated in Brazil is composed of organic wastes (PNSB, 2008). Since these wastes have the characteristic of biodegradability, the use of composting processes for its treatment becomes very attractive. This study examined the applicability of three types of composting bins and a compost pile for recycling organic solid wastes on a small scale so that to provide a useful alternative to tackle the problem of organic solid wastes and return to the environment a final product in the form of organic fertilizer. The methodology consisted of assessing and monitoring the composting processes for the different types of composters. The monitoring of the mixture of organic wastes was based on the correction of C/N ratio, moisture and oxygenation, and observation of the parameters: temperature, volatile solids, pH, dry matter reduction and electrical conductivity. Comparing the performance of the composting process developed in the pile with those conducted in composting bins, it was observed that the pile proved to be more efficient in most of the monitored parameters. The results also suggest that among the three types of composting bins evaluated, the ones constructed with water bottles stood out, especially for achieving the largest reductions in the parameters volatile solids and dry matter.Estima-se que cerca da metade dos resíduos sólidos gerados no Brasil é composto por resíduos orgânicos (PNSB, 2008). Uma vez que estes resíduos possuem a característica de biodegradabilidade, o uso de processos de compostagem para o seu tratamento torna-se bastante atrativo. Este estudo verificou a aplicabilidade de três tipos de composteiras e de uma pilha de compostagem para reciclagem de resíduos sólidos orgânicos em pequena escala, dando uma alternativa útil para a problemática dos resíduos sólidos orgânicos e devolvendo ao meio ambiente um produto final na forma de fertilizante orgânico. A metodologia consistiu em avaliar e monitorar os processos de compostagem para os diferentes tipos de composteiras. O monitoramento fundamentou-se na correção da relação C/N, umidade e oxigenação, e na observação dos parâmetros: temperatura, sólidos voláteis, pH, redução de massa seca e condutividade elétrica. Comparando-se o desempenho do processo de compostagem desenvolvido na pilha com aqueles conduzidos nas minicomposteiras, observou-se que a pilha mostrou-se mais eficiente na maior parte dos parâmetros monitorados. Os resultados também sugerem que, dentre os três tipos de composteiras avaliadas, as construídas com garrafões de água foram as que mais se destacaram, principalmente por atingir as maiores reduções nos parâmetros sólidos voláteis e massa seca