Production of dicarboxylic acid platform chemicals using yeasts: focus on succinic acid

The biotechnological production of biobased dicarboxylic acids has recently become a hot topic in industrial biotechnology, with many investments involved in the development, piloting, and validation at demonstration scale of diverse processes using renewable raw materials. This chapter will review the main markets and applications of commercially relevant dicarboxylic acids and will briefly present their current chemical and biotechnological production processes. The chapter will mainly focus on the particular case of succinic acid. The microbial platforms that have been proposed will be reviewed with emphasis on yeast strains. The basic requirements for setting up and scaling the bioprocess and the required purification strategy to obtain an economically feasible process yielding a product meeting the required specifications will be presented. Throughout the chapter, the specific challenges of using very low-cost raw materials such as agro-industrial residues will be highlighted.(undefined)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Whey protein layer applied on biodegradable packaging film to improve barrier properties while maintaining biodegradability

The aim of the present study was to verify that a whey protein-based layer can improve oxygen barrier properties of commercial compostable plastic film, while not hindering the biodegradability of the compostable film as well as not affecting the quality of the compost. The whey protein-based coating was applied on a biodegradable commercial film certified to meet the requirements of EN13432. Oxygen barrier properties were significantly improved by the presence of the whey protein layer. This result is particularly important since biodegradable packaging generally lack in maintaining barrier properties and the use of not degradable materials to improve barrier to gas and water vapour compromises the composting of the final packaging. In addition to that, it was important to assess the biodegradability of the whey protein layer itself since natural polymers may became not degradable if cross-linked or blended with not degradable additives. The material based on denatured whey protein and plasticizer presented fast biodegradability even after application on the commercial film. These positive results have potential to be used in new cost effective and ecological food packaging designs

Probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum 299v Does Not Counteract Unfavorable Phytohemagglutinin-Induced Changes in the Rat Intestinal Microbiota ▿

Application of phytohemagglutinin (PHA) in weaning feed has been suggested to stimulate intestinal epithelium maturation. In this study, PHA strongly affected the fecal bacterial population structure of rats. Escherichia coli overgrowth was not prevented by probiotic mannose-adhering Lactobacillus plantarum 299v. Therefore, use of PHA in weaning feed deserves careful evaluation

Evaluation of screening tests in Bavarian healthcare facilities during the second wave of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

Due to the lack of data on asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2-positive persons in healthcare institutions, they represent an inestimable risk. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to evaluate the first 1,000,000 reported screening tests of asymptomatic staff, patients, residents, and visitors in hospitals and long-term care (LTC) facilities in the State of Bavaria over a period of seven months. Data were used from the online database BayCoRei (Bavarian Corona Screening Tests), established in July 2020. Descriptive analyses were performed, describing the temporal pattern of persons that tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) or antigen tests, stratified by facility. Until 15 March 2021, this database had collected 1,038,146 test results of asymptomatic subjects in healthcare facilities (382,240 by RT-PCR, and 655,906 by antigen tests). Of the RT-PCR tests, 2.2% (n = 8380) were positive: 3.0% in LTC facilities, 2.2% in hospitals, and 1.2% in rehabilitation institutions. Of the antigen tests, 0.4% (n = 2327) were positive: 0.5% in LTC facilities, and 0.3% in both hospitals and rehabilitation institutions, respectively. In LTC facilities and hospitals, infection surveillance using RT-PCR tests, or the less expensive but less sensitive, faster antigen tests, could facilitate the long-term management of the healthcare workforce, patients, and residents