Considering that bio-based ingredients have attracted the attention of food industries and the great demand for emulsifiers, the present work studied the mucilage of
Pereskia aculeata
Miller (OPN) as ...an alternative emulsifier in meat product. Aqueous extraction by physical process was used to obtain mucilage from the leaves of the plant with high emulsifying activity. The OPN mucilage was characterized by its proximal composition, emulsifying potential and amino acid profile and was evaluated as an emulsifier and fat replacement in processed meat. Different formulations of
mortadella
-type meat product were developed and studied in terms of nutritional composition, color, texture profile, product-emulsion stability, firmness and sensory acceptance. OPN mucilage had a high emulsifying potential, is rich in minerals, and contains all the essential amino acids in its composition, which characterizes it as a nutritionally attractive food ingredient. The use of this mucilage allowed the replacement of chicken skin, which is an emulsifier traditionally used in
mortadella
-type meat product, contributing to the reduction of the overall fat content of the product. The selected formulation showed high sensory acceptance demonstrating the great potential for using OPN mucilage in meat products and as food ingredient.
Apple pomace was studied as a raw material for the production of xylitol and 2G ethanol, since this agroindustrial residue has a high concentration of carbohydrate macromolecules, but is still poorly ...studied for the production of fermentation bioproducts, such as polyols. The dry biomass was subjected to dilute-acid hydrolysis with H
2
SO
4
to obtain the hemicellulosic hydrolysate, which was concentrated, detoxified and fermented. The hydrolyzate after characterization was submitted to submerged fermentations, which were carried out in Erlenmeyer flasks using, separately, the yeasts
Candida guilliermondii
and
Kluyveromyces marxianus
. High cellulose (32.62%) and hemicellulose (23.60%) contents were found in this biomass, and the chemical hydrolysis yielded appreciable quantities of fermentable sugars, especially xylose. Both yeasts were able to metabolize xylose, but
Candida guilliermondii
produced only xylitol (9.35 g L
−1
in 96 h), while
K.
marxianus
produced ethanol as the main product (10.47 g L
−1
in 24 h) and xylitol as byproduct (9.10 g L
−1
xylitol in 96 h). Maximum activities of xylose reductase and xylitol dehydrogenase were verified after 24 h of fermentation with
C.
guilliermondii
(0.23 and 0.53 U/mg
prot
, respectively) and with
K.
marxianus
(0.08 e 0.08 U/mg
prot
, respectively). Apple pomace has shown potential as a raw material for the fermentation process, and the development of a biotechnological platform for the integrated use of both the hemicellulosic and cellulosic fraction could add value to this residue and the apple production chain.
D-Glucans have triggered increasing interest in commercial applications in the chemical and pharmaceutical sectors because of their technological properties and biological activities. The glucans are ...foremost among the polysaccharide groups produced by microorganisms with demonstrated activity in stimulating the immune system, and have potential in treating human disease conditions. Chemical alterations in the structure of D-glucans through derivatization (sulfonylation, carboxymethylation, phosphorylation, acetylation) contributes to their increased solubility that, in turn, can alter their biological activities such as antioxidation and anticoagulation. This review surveys and cites the latest advances on the biological and technological potential of D-glucans following chemical modifications through sulfonylation, carboxymethylation, phosphorylation or acetylation, and discusses the findings of their activities. Several studies suggest that chemically modified d-glucans have potentiated biological activity as anticoagulants, antitumors, antioxidants, and antivirals. This review shows that in-depth future studies on chemically modified glucans with amplified biological effects will be relevant in the biotechnological field because of their potential to prevent and treat numerous human disease conditions and their clinical complications.
The growing concern about the emergence of increasingly antibiotic-r4esistant bacteria imposes the need to search and develop drugs to combat these microorganisms. This, combined with the search for ...low-cost synthesis methods, was the motivation for the elaboration of this work. Abietic acid present in the resin of
was used to generate a sodium salt by salification. The synthesis route was low-cost, consisting of only two reaction steps at mild temperatures without toxic organic solvents, and eco-friendly and easy to conduct on an industrial scale. Sodium abietate (Na-C20H29O2) was characterized by mass spectrometry, infrared spectroscopy, elemental analysis, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive spectroscopy. To perform the antimicrobial tests, the determination of minimum inhibitory concentration and the disk diffusion assay was performed. The results obtained showed that the salt Na abietate performed an antimicrobial action against the bacterial strains
,
,
, and
Typhimurium and the yeast
. The disk diffusion test showed a high inhibition potential against
compared to the standard antimicrobial tetracycline, as an inhibition index of 1.17 was found. For the other bacterial strains, the inhibition values were above 40%. The MIC test showed promising results in the inhibition of
,
, and
, indicating bacteriostatic activity against the first microorganism and bactericidal and fungicidal activities against the others. Therefore, the results showed the action of Na abietate as a possible effective antimicrobial drug, highlighting its sustainability within a circular economy.
The expression of p16 is a good surrogate of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in HPV-associated cancers. The significance of p16 expression, HPV genotype and genera in the outcome of patients ...with HPV-associated cervical cancer (CC) is unclear. Our aim is to ascertain the prognostic significance of these factors. Data from 348 patients (median age: 47.5 years old) with CC, diagnosed in two referral centers, were retrospectively collected. Advanced disease (FIGO2018 IB2-IV) was present in 68% of patients. A single HPV genotype was identified in 82.8% of patients. The most common HPVs were HPV16 (69%) and HPV18 (14%). HPV genera reflected this distribution. HPV16 tumors presented at an earlier stage. P16 was negative in 18 cases (5.2%), 83.3% of which were squamous cell carcinomas. These cases occurred in older patients who tended to have advanced disease. In the univariate analysis, HPV16 (HR: 0.58;
= 0.0198), α-9 genera (HR: 0.37;
= 0.0106) and p16 overexpression (HR: 0.54;
= 0.032) were associated with better survival. HPV16 (HR: 0.63;
= 0.0174) and α-9 genera (HR: 0.57;
= 0.0286) were associated with less relapse. In the multivariate analysis, only the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage retained an independent prognostic value. HPV16, α-9 genera and p16 overexpression were associated with better survival, although not as independent prognostic factors. Patients with p16-negative HPV-associated CC were older, presented with advanced disease and had worse prognosis.
β-Glucans are biomacromolecules well known, among other biological activities, for their immunomodulatory potential. Similarly, extracts of
also possess biological properties and are used in folk ...medicine for the treatment of inflammation, ulcers, and hepatic diseases. Microparticles containing (1→6)-β-d-glucan (lasiodiplodan) and
extract were produced and characterized. A 2
factorial design was employed to define the conditions of production of microparticles by atomization. Lasiodiplodan associated with maltodextrin and gum arabic was studied as a matrix material. Microparticles of 0.4 μm mean size and high phenolics content (3157.9 μg GAE/g) were obtained under the optimized conditions. The microparticle size ranged from 0.23 to 1.21 µm, and the mathematical model that best represented the release kinetics of the extract was the Korsmeyer-Peppas model. Diffusional exponent (n) values of 0.64 at pH 7.7 and 1.15 at pH 2.61 were found, indicating particles with a non-Fickian or anomalous transport system, and Super Case II transport, respectively. Thermal analysis indicated that the microparticles demonstrated high thermal stability. The X-ray diffraction analyses revealed an amorphous structure, and HPLC-DAD analysis showed microparticles rich in phenolic compounds: caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid, and catechin. The microparticles obtained comprise a new biomaterial with biological potential for applications in different fields.
The ascomycete
Neodeightonia phoenicum
CMIB-151 was isolated from bracts of a palm tree (
Syagrus romanzoffiana
) in Brazil, and identified by molecular techniques. This is the first report of the ...isolation of this fungus in South America, and for the first time this fungus has been described as producing an exopolysaccharide (EPS). Different carbon (glucose, fructose, sucrose, maltose, lactose, starch) and nitrogen (yeast extract, peptone, urea, ammonium sulfate) sources were evaluated for the production of EPS. Sucrose and peptone resulted in high production and yield of EPS. High production of EPS occurred at pH 6.0 and 8.0, and acidic conditions (initial pH 5.0) promoted higher mycelial growth. The EPS produced showed a high degree of purity, emulsifying activity and a high water- and oil-holding capacity; important technological properties for industrial applications. FT-IR and
13
C-NMR (CP/MAS) analyzes showed typical spectra of carbohydrates containing six-carbon sugar in its structure, and the presence of β-glycosidic configuration with 3-
O
-substitution. The isolated EPS exhibited remarkable thermal stability.
Phytochemical studies have shown extracts obtained from the aerial parts of Baccharis trimera (Less.) DC has antioxidant and antimicrobial activities and the potential to treat some diseases. This ...study investigated the phenolic compounds, antioxidant and antimicrobial activity, and phytochemical potential of B. trimera leaf extract obtained by decoction on ATCC standard bacterial strains and 23 swine clinical isolates. Water was used as an extraction solvent based on the principles of green chemistry and at a low cost. The decoction process resulted in an extract rich in phenolic compounds and a high capacity for scavenging DPPH and ABTS radicals. Phytochemical analysis of aqueous extracts was performed using HPLC-DAD, and high concentrations of chlorogenic, ferulic, caffeic, and cinnamic phenolic acids were found. Antimicrobial activity was observed against gram-negative bacteria. B. trimera aqueous extract may be a promising low-cost agent for prophylactic treatment against swine enteropathogens and contribute to reducing production costs.
Recent studies have shown that persistent SARS-CoV-2 infections in immunocompromised patients can trigger the accumulation of an unusual high number of mutations with potential relevance at both ...biological and epidemiological levels. Here, we report a case of an immunocompromised patient (non-Hodgkin lymphoma patient under immunosuppressive therapy) with a persistent SARS-CoV-2 infection (marked by intermittent positivity) over at least 6 months. Viral genome sequencing was performed at days 1, 164, and 171 to evaluate SARS-CoV-2 evolution. Among the 15 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (11 leading to amino acid alterations) and 3 deletions accumulated during this long-term infection, four amino acid changes (V3G, S50L, N87S, and A222V) and two deletions (18-30del and 141-144del) occurred in the virus Spike protein. Although no convalescent plasma therapy was administered, some of the detected mutations have been independently reported in other chronically infected individuals, which supports a scenario of convergent adaptive evolution. This study shows that it is of the utmost relevance to monitor the SARS-CoV-2 evolution in immunocompromised individuals, not only to identify novel potentially adaptive mutations, but also to mitigate the risk of introducing “hyper-evolved” variants in the community. IMPORTANCE Tracking the within-patient evolution of SARS-CoV-2 is key to understanding how this pandemic virus shapes its genome toward immune evasion and survival. In the present study, by monitoring a long-term COVID-19 immunocompromised patient, we observed the concurrent emergence of mutations potentially associated with immune evasion and/or enhanced transmission, mostly targeting the SARS-CoV-2 key host-interacting protein and antigen. These findings show that the frequent oscillation in the immune status in immunocompromised individuals can trigger an accelerated virus evolution, thus consolidating this study model as an accelerated pathway to better understand SARS-CoV-2 adaptive traits and anticipate the emergence of variants of concern.
The
Kluyveromyces marxianus
yeast has been arousing great interest as a biocatalyst for biorefineries due to its ability to assimilate different sugars, in addition to its rapid growth, ...thermotolerance, and GRAS status. In this research, different sources of nutrients, such as rice bran and extracts of malt, yeast, and peptone, were evaluated for the cultivation of
K.
marxianus
ATCC 36,907 aiming at ethanol production in submerged fermentations conducted in a batch system. Mineral supplementation of the medium was also evaluated. The best results of process performance for production, yield, and productivity in ethanol were obtained in the medium supplemented with rice bran extract, calcium chloride, and ammonium sulfate (25.50 g/L; Y
(P/S)
0.49 g/g; Q
P
2.13 g/Lh), and the medium supplemented only with yeast-malt extract peptone (YMP) (24.88 g/L; Y
(P/S)
0.50 g/g; Q
P
2.06 g/Lh), after 12 h of cultivation. Supplementation of the medium with malt extract without adding mineral salts also contributed to similar values of production and yield in ethanol after 24 h of cultivation (25.59 g/L; Y
(P/S)
0.50 g/g; Q
P
1.16 g/Lh
−1
). The results revealed no need for mineral supplementation of the media added with YMP or malt extract for ethanol production by the yeast. On the other hand, rice bran extract, mainly associated with calcium chloride and ammonium sulfate, represents an excellent and inexpensive source of nutrients for this yeast and has the potential to replace traditional commercial supplements.
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