Manufacturing polymethyl methacrylate nanofibers as a support for enzyme immobilization

Nanofibers have a great potential for enzyme immobilization application due to their large surface area to volume ratio besides their porous structure. In this work, we produce polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) nanofibers via electrospinning method in dimethylformamide (DMF) as solvent. Thereafter, we employ a chemical method on final PMMA nanofiberous web to covalently immobilize acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzyme on membrane surface. Morphology and tensile properties of nanofibers are studied as first steps of characterization to make sure of obtaining a properly stable membrane for enzyme carrying application. Thereafter, the stability and activity of immobilized enzymes as two main characteristic parameters are tested and reported for different applications such as biosensor manufacturing.     

Evaluating the potential of wine-making residues and corn cobs as support materials for cell immobilization for ethanol production

Three wine-making residues (grape seeds, skins and stems), and corn cobs were evaluated as support material for immobilization of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the ethanol production by the immobilized cells was assessed. The main objective of this study was to find an abundant and low cost material suitable for the cells immobilization and able to be used in a next step of wine production by immobilized yeast cells. The four natural materials were used as support in two different forms: untreated, and treated by a sequence of acid and basic reactions. Untreated grape skin and corn cobs provided the highest cell immobilization results (25.1 and 22.2 mg cells/g support, respectively). The maximum ethanol production yield (about 0.50 g/g) was also obtained when the cells were immobilized in these untreated materials. It was also found that the support materials released nutrients to the medium, which favored the yeast development and the ethanol production. The use of immobilized cells systems under agitated conditions gave ethanol yields similar to those obtained by the static fermentations, but the immobilized cell concentration was significantly lower. In brief, static fermentation with cells immobilized on grape skins or corn cobs appear to be an interesting alternative for use on wine-making. The use of grape skins, particularly, which is a by-product of the wine elaboration, could be of larger interest to obtain an integrated wine production process with by-product reuse.     

Covalent immobilization of urease to modified ethyl cellulose

Graft polymerization technology is a good way to modify polymers. New functional groups are added to polymer structure using graft polymerization. Enzyme immobilization could be done from these added functional groups. Ethyl cellulose was selected as a support for enzyme immobilization and no many studies has been conducted about it. It is insoluble in water and suitable for reuse. In this study, methacrylic acid was graft polymerized to ethyl cellulose using benzophenone. In graft polymerization studies, optimum amounts of methacrylic acid and benzophenone were determined as 60 mmol and 0.6 g, respectively. Percentage of graft polymerization was maximum in toluene as solvent and optimum graft polymerization time was found as 3 hours. The graft polymerization percentage was 225.7 % at optimum conditions. This value was very good for UV-induced graft polymerization technique. FT-IR spectra of ethyl cellulose and methacrylic acid graft polymerized ethyl cellulose showed that graft polymerization was carried out successfully. -COOH groups were added to ethyl cellulose structure after graft polymerization. Then, urease was immobilized to methacrylic acid graft polymerized ethyl cellulose using 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimetylaminopropyl)-carbodiimide as the condensing agent which accelerates the reaction between -COOH from methacrylic acid graft polymerized ethyl cellulose and -NH2 from urease. Optimization studies were also performed for the immobilization of urease. Optimized values for urease immobilization; optimum amount of 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimetylaminopropyl)-carbodiimide was found as 5 mg, temperature was determined as 37 °C, 2 hours were selected as optimum time, pH and amount of urease were found to be pH 7 and 10 mg, respectively. Remained activity of immobilized urease was 1.74 % before optimization studies. After optimization of immobilization studies, this ratio has increased to 29.85 %. The immobilized urease activity was increased 17.2 times.     

Sericin-fixed filk fiber as an immobilization support of enzyme

In this study, we attempted to evaluate a novel use of sericin-fixed silk fiber (SFx) as an immobilization support of enzyme. Sericin was fixed on the silk fiber using glutaraldehyde as a fixation reagent. After 6 hours of fixation, the degree of fixation increases linearly with linear decrease of the amount of bound α-chymotrypsin (CT). This suggests that the increase of the degree of fixation is due to the further crosslinking of free aldehyde groups on the surface of sericin-fixed silk fiber (SFx). Even though perfect fixation was not achieved, sericin did not dissolve seriously and could be removed by further washing. The specific activity did not differ significantly after 6 hours of fixation. The activity of immobilized CT on SFx decreased to its half after 6 hours of incubation at 50°C. However, it retained 78% of initial activity even after 1 hour of treatment with 100% ethanol. As a result, the SFx could be used as an immobilization support of enzyme in non-aqueous media at ambient temperature.     

Nano immobilization of enzyme to improvement of biofuel cell electrode's function

This study centers on development of the enzyme presentation as a cathode catalyst. Laccase enzyme is immobilized at nano meter scale in quaternary ammonium bromide salt treated Nafion polymers and assorted with high surface area carbon powders that are then deposited onto a solid support to create the cathode electrode. Optimization of the synthesis circumstances resulted in notably enhanced performance toward oxygen reduction reaction.     

Physico-chemical behaviour of the fish lipid from Lepidocephalus guntea (Hamilton) and variation of lipid profile with size

The fish lipid was extracted from the body muscle (edible portion) of fresh Lepidocephalus guntea (Ham.) fish and the lipid content of the fish in size-1 (below 8.5 cm), size-2 (8.5-9.5 cm) and size-3 (above 9.5 cm) were found to be 2.515, 3.013 and 3.455%, respectively. The specific gravity and refractive index of the lipid were found to be 0.93 at 30 degrees C and 1.467 at 31.5 degrees C, respectively. The saponification value, saponification equivalent, iodine value, peroxide value and acetyl value of the lipid were found to be 220.325, 254.624, 96.05, 1.993 and 11.32, respectively. The acid value, percentage of free fatty acid as oleic and unsaponifiable matter present in the lipid were found to be 2.005, 1.008 and 0.593, respectively. The fatty acid composition of the lipid was determined qualitatively and quantitatively by TLC and GLC. The analysis revealed that the fatty acid composition of the lipid lies between C14 to C20. The fish lipid of Lepidocephalus guntea (Ham.) was found to contain (average value) myristic acid (3.17%), palmitoleic acid (7.45%), palmitic acid (29.16%), linolenic acid (7.13%), linoleic acid (5.57%), oleic acid (22.93%), stearic acid (17.42%), arachidonic acid (7.17%) and arachidic acid in trace amount.     

Application of electrospun silk fibroin nanofibers as an immobilization support of enzyme

Silk fibroin (SF) nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning and their application as an enzyme immobilization support was attempted. By varying the concentration of SF dope solution the diameter of SF nanofiber was controlled. The SF nanofiber web had high capacity of enzyme loading, which reached to 5.6 wt%. The activity of immobilizedα-chymotrypsin (CT) on SF nanofiber was 8 times higher than that on silk fiber and it increased as the fiber diameter decreased. Sample SF8 (ca. 205 nm fiber diameter) has excellent stability at 25°C by retaining more than 90 % of initial activity after 24 hours, while sample SF11 (ca. 320 nm fiber diameter) shows higher stability in ethanol, retaining more than 45% of initial activity. The formation of multipoint attachment between enzyme and support might increase the stability of enzyme. From these results, it is expected that the electrospun SF nanofibers can be used as an excellent support for enzyme immobilization.     

The effect of cooking methods on the lipid composition of potatoes

The effect of boiling and baking in either a convential or microwave oven on the lipid content of potatoes was investigated. The crude lipid content of potatoes was lowered significantly by all methods of cooking. The loss was highest in potatoes cooked in a microwave oven, least in boiled tubers, and intermediate in tubers baked in a conventional oven. Similar trends were observed for both cortex and pith tissues. Generally, the phospholipid content followed the same trend as the crude lipid, the exception being the cortex tissue of tubers baked in the conventional oven, in which the greatest loss of phospholipid occurred. Cooking did not significantly alter the fatty acid composition of tubers. A possible relationship between the degree of cell rupturing, known to be influenced by different mechanisms of heat transfer, and the amounts of tuber lipid associated with different cooking methods was discussed.     

Effect of kneading and baking on the degradation of the lipid fraction of biscuits

An experimental investigation was carried out with the aim of evaluating the effect of kneading and baking on the degradation of the lipid fraction of biscuits. For this purpose, the raw materials, the dough, and the end-products sampled during processing at a biscuit-making industrial plant were analysed. The results showed that the kneading stage caused a significant decrease in content of polyunsaturated fatty acids and a concomitant significant increase of triacylglycerol oligopolymers and oxidised triacylglycerols that are indexes of oxidative degradation. The subsequent baking step caused the degradation of part of the oxidised compounds to volatile substances, as confirmed by the determination of the p-anisidine value. On the whole, the biscuit-making process, although determining a significant increase of triacylglycerol oligopolymers, has only a small impact on the oxidation level of raw materials.     

Genetic diversity and population structure of Pisum sativum accessions for marker-trait association of lipid content

Field pea(Pisum sativum L.) is an important protein-rich pulse crop produced globally. Increasing the lipid content of Pisum seeds through conventional and contemporary molecular breeding tools may bring added value to the crop. However, knowledge about genetic diversity and lipid content in field pea is limited. An understanding of genetic diversity and population structure in diverse germplasm is important and a prerequisite for genetic dissection of complex characteristics and marker-trait associations. Fifty polymorphic microsatellite markers detecting a total of 207 alleles were used to obtain information on genetic diversity, population structure and marker-trait associations. Cluster analysis was performed using UPGMA to construct a dendrogram from a pairwise similarity matrix. Pea genotypes were divided into five major clusters. A model-based population structure analysis divided the pea accessions into four groups. Percentage lipid content in 35 diverse pea accessions was used to find potential associations with the SSR markers. Markers AD73, D21, and AA5 were significantly associated with lipid content using a mixed linear model(MLM) taking population structure(Q) and relative kinship(K) into account. The results of this preliminary study suggested that the population could be used for marker-trait association mapping studies.     

油料作物油脂合成调控研究进展

植物油脂不仅是人类可食用油的主要来源,也是人类生产生活中重要的可再生原料.本文概述了植物油脂的生物合成途径,从母体效应、QTL、GWAS等多个方面总结了油料作物油脂合成的遗传学研究进展,同时探讨了已知的油脂合成调控相关基因的功能.本文综述了该领域的研究现状,为深入了解油料作物油脂合成调控网络提供了参考,也为油料作物的分...     

淀粉 脂类复合物对蓝色小麦淀粉流变性的影响

为了解淀粉脂类复合物对南阳彩色小麦淀粉糊流变特性的影响,利用黏度分析仪测定了月桂酸、豆蔻酸、棕榈酸和硬脂酸与小麦淀粉结合形成复合物后淀粉糊的流变特性。结果表明,分别将1.0%、2.0%和3.0%的脂肪酸添加到蓝色小麦淀粉中,在95℃下分别蒸煮5、10和15 min,复合指数随蒸煮时间的延长和脂肪酸用量的增加而提高,随脂肪酸碳链的增加而降低;黏度系数随复合物的增加而增加,而流变指数则随复合物的增加而降低;在四种脂肪酸中,月桂酸与淀粉形成复合物的能力最强,对小麦淀粉的流变特性影响最大;添加月桂酸2%、蒸煮10 min形成的复合物最好。     

The effects of electromagnetic field on the microstructure of seminal vesicles in rat: a light and transmission electron microscope study

In the industrial world, almost everyone is unavoidably exposed to ambient electromagnetic field (EMF) generated from various technical and household appliances. Controversy exists about the effects of EMF on various tissues of the living bodies. Seminal vesicles as one of these accessory glands play an important role in natural seminal fluid formation and the effects of EMF on its tissue is worthy of investigation. In order to examine this 30 rat were selected and kept for one weeks in quarantine and 15 (experimental group) were exposed to 50 Hz (non-ionizing radiation) during postnatal life for 2 months. The materials were processed and observed under a light and transmission electron microscope. In the experimental rats epithelial and basal cells showed significant destructions presented by heterochromatin and dense nuclei. Cell debris and abnormal areas was recognizable in the stromal connective tissue. Obvious vacuolization was present within the epithelial cell cytoplasm and also between the cellular organelles. The nuclei of the endothelial cells of the blood vessels were more rigid and endothelial cell cytoplasm contained a lot of vacuoles and pinoctotic vesicles. The results suggested that EMF exposure may cause profound changes in the vesicle seminal tissues. Therefore exposure to EMF may result in pathological changes that lead to sub fertility and infertility.     

Variation of wheat grain lipid fraction and its antioxidative status under the impact of delayed sowing

This study determined the profile of hydrophobic phytochemicals (steroid-like components and lipophilic phenolics) and antioxidant potential (DPPH and Rancimat tests) of wheat grain in relation to sowing date (standard vs. delayed) using six cultivars of Triticum aestivum wheat grown in Poland. The study found that “sowing time” generally had a low impact on sterols, carotenoids, squalene and total lipophilic phenolics in wheat grain. The highest impact of “sowing time” was noted for α-tocopherol, C19:0 alkylresorcinol and campesterol. Delayed sowing reduced their content by up to 9%. The antioxidant potential of grain extracts obtained by the use of water-saturated butanol (WSB) was mostly cultivar-dependent (depending on assay: DPPH 56.3% and Rancimat 75.1% of explained variation, respectively). Wheat grain WSB extracts increased rapeseed oil induction time by up to 21% and their antioxidant capacity was up to 1.24 μM TEg⁻¹.