Lactic Acid Production Using Sweet Potato Processing Waste

Organic waste generated from industrial sweet potato canning is estimated to be 30% of incoming raw material. This waste contains carbohydrates (sugars and starch) that could be used as substrates for the production of useful compounds via fermentation (e.g. lactic acid), resulting in the production of value-added products. The goal of this research project is to produce a substrate from the sweet potato processing waste material that supports the growth of lactic acid bacteria, which results in the production of lactic acid. The sweet potato waste product was characterized, and found to contain 16.5% solids. The solids components were 18.5% ash, 4.4% protein, and the rest assumed to be carbohydrates. The carbohydrate component was found to contain 20.5% sugars, mostly in the form of sucrose, 19% soluble starch, and the rest assumed to be fiber. Conditions for enzymatic starch hydrolysis were explored, and using 80U glucoamylase/100 gram waste material for a 24 hour treatment at 35°C and pH 4 yielded a greater than 95% conversion efficiency to glucose while minimizing total enzyme required. Screening of 3 lactic acid bacteria strains in a control medium (YM Broth) yielded highest lactic acid production by Lactobacillus rhamnosus. Different dilutions of the hydrolyzed sweet potato waste, with and without pH control, were used as a fermentation substrate for L. rhamnosus, and lactic acid production was highest in the undiluted hydrolyzed waste at pH set point 5.0, yielding 10g/L in 72 hours. Lactic acid production from sweet potato waste will provide a valuable product from a waste stream for local processing facilities

Improving cuff-less continuous blood pressure estimation with linear regression analysis

In this work, the authors investigate the cuff-less estimation of continuous BP through pulse transit time (PTT) and heart rate (HR) using regression techniques, which is intended as a first step towards continuous BP estimation with a low error, according to AAMI guidelines. Hypertension (the 'silent killer') is one of the main risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), which are the main cause of death worldwide. Its continuous monitoring can offer a valid tool for patient care, as blood pressure (BP) is a significant indicator of health and, using it together with other parameters, such as heart and breath rates, could strongly improve prevention of CVDs. The novelties introduced in this work are represented by the implementation of pre-processing and by the innovative method for features research and features processing to continuously monitor blood pressure in a non-invasive way. Currently, invasive methods are the only reliable methods for continuous monitoring, while non-invasive techniques measure the values every few minutes. The proposed approach can be considered the first step for the integration of these types of algorithms on wearable devices, in particular on those developed for the SINTEC project

Use of inter simple sequence repeats and protein markers in assessing genetic diversity and relationships among four rabbit genotypes

[EN] The importance of DNA and protein applications as powerful tools in breeding programmes is revealed. The inter simple sequence repeats (ISSR) technique was used to characterise and determine phylogenetic relationships among 4 genotypes of rabbit, namely Alexandria (Alex), V line (V), New Zealand White (NZW) and California (Cal). Six out of 7 ISSR primers exhibited sufficient variability and were used to characterise the genetic diversity and relationships among studied genotypes. A total of 141 DNA  ands were detected. DNA fragments were generated with 87 (61.7%) being polymorphic, indicating considerable genetic variation among the examined genotypes. While protein electrophoresis provides a precise method for assaying variation in serum proteins which play an important part in productive performance. The results demonstrated 2 specific protein markers in Alexandria rabbits; these specific protein markers may be responsible for the superiority of Alexandria line in weight. Phylogenetic analysis based on Nei and Li unbiased genetic distance illustrated that (Alex & V) and (Cal & V) were genetically closely related. Our results showed that ISSR and protein electrophoresis are useful methods to detect different genetic expressions and understand the variability in some productive traits in rabbits.El-Sabrout, K.; Aggag, S. (2015). Use of inter simple sequence repeats and protein markers in assessing genetic diversity and relationships among four rabbit genotypes. World Rabbit Science. 23(4):283-288. doi:10.4995/wrs.2015.3912.SWORD28328823

Changes in Serum Electrolytes, Urea, and Creatinine in Aloe Vera-treated Rats

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of Aloe vera extract (AvE) on serum electrolytes, urea, and creatinine as indices of renal function in Sprague-Dawley rats. Twelve male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing between 80 and 130 g were used. Rats were divided into two groups: The control and the test groups (n=6). The test group received 1 ml of AvE daily for 28 days. Both the groups fed on standard rat chow and water ad libitum. The results showed a decrease in serum levels of sodium, and potassium, but an increase in the serum levels of bicarbonate, urea, and creatinine in the test group. The changes seen were, however, statistically insignificant, except for the serum levels of sodium and creatinine (P<0.05). It is thus concluded that AvE impairs renal handling of electrolytes with consequent hyponatremia and hypercreatinemia. However, this might be of therapeutic value in conditions associated with hypernatremia

Enzymatic Determination of Diglyceride Using an Iridium Nano-Particle Based Single Use, Disposable Biosensor

A single use, disposable iridium-nano particle contained biosensor had been developed for the determination of diglyceride (DG). In this study hydrogen peroxide, formed through the enzymatic breakdown of DG via lipase, glycerol kinase and glycerol 3-phosphate oxidase, was electrochemically oxidized at an applied potential of +0.5 V versus the Ag/AgCl reference electrode. The oxidation current was then used to quantify the diglyceride concentration. Optimum enzyme concentrations and the surfactant loading used were established for successful sensor response. Good linear performance was observed over a DG concentration range of 0 to 25 μM in phosphate buffer and bovine serum media