Biodegradability Study of the Biosurfactant Contained in a Crude Extract from Corn Steep Water

Over the last few years, the global biosurfactant market has raised due to the increasing awareness among consumers, for the use of biological or bio-based products. Because of their composition, it can be speculated that these are more biocompatible and more biodegradable than their chemical homologous. However, at the moment, no studies exist in the literature about the biodegradability of biosurfactants. In this work, a biosurfactant contained in a crude extract, obtained from a corn wet-milling industry stream that ferments spontaneously in the presence of lactic acid bacteria, was subjected to a biodegradation study, without addition of external microbial biomass, under different conditions of temperature (5–45 °C), biodegradation time (15–55 days), and pH (5–7). For that, a Box–Behnken factorial design was applied, which allowed to predict the percentage of biodegradation for the biosurfactant contained in the crude extract, between the range of the independent variables selected in the study, obtaining biodegradation values between 3 and 80%. The percentage of biodegradation for the biosurfactant was calculated based on the increase in the surface tension of samples of the crude extract. Furthermore, it was also possible to predict the variation in t_1/2 for the biosurfactant (time to achieve the 50% of biodegradation) under different conditions.     

A Fluorometric Enzymatic Assay for Quantification of Steryl Glucosides in Biodiesel

Steryl glucosides (SG) are common contaminants in biodiesel that form precipitates, which form and cause problems due to fouling during transport and storage. Therefore, their quantification is necessary to assess the quality of this fuel. The methods currently available for SG analysis require expensive instrumentation, need a previous concentration step by solid‐phase extraction (SPE) or are of limited use for the quantitative assessment. We developed an enzymatic method for SG quantification in biodiesel samples based on the hydrolysis of the glucoside catalyzed by a broadly specific beta glucosidase and the subsequent determination of the glucose released by the reaction. The method is non‐expensive, sensitive and was adapted to 96‐well format fluorescence plate reader, making it useful for the parallel assay of multiple samples. The enzymatic assay presented here represent a valuable tool for both quality control and the development of improved biodiesel production and purification procedures.     

Ga-doped IZO films obtained by magnetron sputtering as transparent conductors for visible and solar applications

C-axis textured thin films of gallium-doped indium zinc oxide (GIZO) with a 2% ratio of Ga/Zn, were obtained via RF-magnetron sputtering with high transparency and electrical conductivity. A Box-Behnken response surface design was used to evaluate the effects of the deposition parameters (In₂O₃ target power, deposition time, and substrate temperature) on the chemical composition, optical, electrical, and structural properties of the GIZO films. The optical constants and the electrical properties were obtained using optical models. The GIZO stoichiometry, and therefore the In/Zn atomic ratio, affected the crystallinity, crystalline parameters, band gap, and charge carrier mobility of the GIZO films. The charge carrier density was related to the change in the crystalline parameters of the hexagonal structure and the In/Zn atomic ratio. The best electrical conductivity values (1.75?×?10³ Ω^?1 cm^?1) were obtained for GIZO films with In/Zn ratio ≥?1. Several figures of merit (FOM) defined for the visible and solar regions were comparatively used to select the optimal In/Zn atomic ratio that provided the best balance between the conductivity and the transparency. The optimal In/Zn ratio was in a range of 0.85–0.90 for the GIZO films.     

Identification of Host Cellular Protein Substrates of SARS-COV-2 Main Protease

The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) being associated with severe pneumonia. Like with other viruses, the interaction of SARS-CoV-2 with host cell proteins is necessary for successful replication, and cleavage of cellular targets by the viral protease also may contribute to the pathogenesis, but knowledge about the human proteins that are processed by the main protease (3CLpro) of SARS-CoV-2 is still limited. We tested the prediction potentials of two different in silico methods for the identification of SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro cleavage sites in human proteins. Short stretches of homologous host-pathogen protein sequences (SSHHPS) that are present in SARS-CoV-2 polyprotein and human proteins were identified using BLAST analysis, and the NetCorona 1.0 webserver was used to successfully predict cleavage sites, although this method was primarily developed for SARS-CoV. Human C-terminal-binding protein 1 (CTBP1) was found to be cleaved in vitro by SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro, the existence of the cleavage site was proved experimentally by using a His₆-MBP-mEYFP recombinant substrate containing the predicted target sequence. Our results highlight both potentials and limitations of the tested algorithms. The identification of candidate host substrates of 3CLpro may help better develop an understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind the replication and pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2.     

Synergistic antimicrobial effect of lactocin AL705 and nisin combined with organic acid salts against Listeria innocua 7 in broth and a hard cheese

The effectiveness of antimicrobial mixtures against Listeria innocua 7, used as a L. monocytogenes surrogate, was investigated in broth and a food system. Synergistic effects were found for nisin (Nis), potassium sorbate (PS), calcium propionate (CP) and sodium lactate (SL), Nis + PS being the most effective binary mixture that exhibited listericidal activity in broth. To assess the effect of adding lactocin AL705 (AL705) to Nis + organic acid salt combinations, tridimensional isobolograms were generated. Sub-MIC combinations of the antimicrobials exerted bactericidal activity against L. innocua 7 after AL705 addition to the binary mixtures. However, when applied on Sardo cheese contaminated with L. innocua 7 (initial inoculum 4.45 ± 0.06 CFU g⁻¹), only Nis + PS + AL705 produced count reductions respect to the control, reaching 3.04 ± 0.35 CFU g⁻¹ counts after 15 days at 15 °C. Ternary combinations containing AL705 showed potential to reduce antimicrobial usages for L. innocua 7 inhibition.