Improvement of Dry‐Fractionation Ethanol Fermentation by Partial Germ Supplementation

Ethanol fermentation of dry‐fractionated grits (corn endosperm pieces) containing different levels of germ was studied with the dry‐grind process. Partial removal of the germ fraction allows for marketing the germ fraction and potentially more efficient fermentation. Grits obtained from a dry‐milling plant were mixed with different amounts of germ (2, 5, 7, and 10% germ of the total sample) and compared with control grits (0% germ). Fermentation rates of germ‐supplemented grits (2, 5, 7, and 10% germ) were faster than control grits (0% germ). Addition of 2% germ was sufficient to achieve a high ethanol concentration (19.06% v/v) compared with control grits (18.18% v/v). Fermentation of dry‐fractionated grits (92, 95, and 97% grits) obtained from a commercial facility was also compared with ground whole corn (control). Fermentation rates were slower and final ethanol concentrations were lower for commercial grits than the control sample. However, in a final experiment, commercial grits were subjected to raw starch hydrolyzing (RSH) enzyme, resulting in higher ethanol concentrations (20.22, 19.90, and 19.49% v/v for 92, 95, and 97% grits, respectively) compared with the whole corn control (18.64% v/v). Therefore, high ethanol concentrations can be achieved with dry‐fractionated grits provided the inclusion of a certain amount of germ and the use of RSH enzyme for controlled starch hydrolysis.     

Phytotherapy and combined nanoformulations as a promising disease management in aquaculture: a review

Aquaculture International - Aquaculture-based foods have enriched nutritional and medicinal value to meet the needs of the global population. Recently, improper maintenance of aquatic organisms in...     

Environmentally benign scouring of wool fibers using mesophile acidic lipase

Surfaces of raw wool fibers possess high amounts of greasy substances that need to be removed prior to further processing. Acidic lipases using Bacillus licheniformis (MTCC 2618) were produced with the optimum activity levels closer to the room temperature. Scouring of wool fibers using mesophile acidic lipase has been attempted, in the present work, as an alternative to the existing alkaline treatment and the samples were assessed in terms of weight loss, moisture regain, tenacity, elongation, surface appearance, and friction of the fibers. The lipase scoured wool fibers showed moisture regain and weight loss values comparable to that of alkaline treatment, with lower static and dynamic frictional coefficients. Higher tenacity and elongation values were observed in the lipase scoured fibers compared to the alkaline scoured samples and clear appearance of the surface, compared to the raw wool fibers, was also observed in the lipase scoured samples.     

Guar genes to genome and meta-analysis of SSR markers in sequencing studies

Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution - Guar (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba (L.) Taub.), or cluster bean, traditionally grown for vegetable and fodder, has gained commercial importance across the globe...