Characteristics of scalded dough fermented by co-cultures of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Y10, Wickerhamomyces anomalus Y13 and Torulaspora delbrueckii Y22

Scalding process could change properties of dough. Co-culture of yeasts could improve the quality of product. In this study, characteristics of scalded dough with co-cultures of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Y10, Wickerhamomyces anomalus Y13 and Torulaspora delbrueckii Y22 were investigated. Most starch granules lost shape and crystal pattern after scalding, meanwhile, gluten network had become weak, suggesting the gelatinisation of starch and damage of gluten protein. After fermentation, Y13 and Y22 cell populations increased rapidly. However, the cell number of Y10 decreased from 6.91 Lg CFU per gram dough to 5.42 Lg CFU per gram dough. Gluten protein aggregated into chunks after 8 h of fermentation, meanwhile, the water molecules in dough were bound more tightly. These results indicated that scalded dough provide a unique environment for the growth of yeasts, and further affect the characteristics of dough during fermentation.     

Effects of different drying methods on the physicochemical property and edible quality of fermented Pyracantha fortuneana fruit powder

In this study, hot air drying (HAD), hot air-/microwave-assisted vacuum drying (HAMAVD) and hot air-assisted microwave drying (HAAMD) were applied to lactic acid-fermented Pyracantha fortuneana fruit (PFF). Influences of different drying methods on fluidity and dispersion, microstructure, hygroscopicity, rehydration, colour change, sourness and energy consumption were investigated. Results showed that HAAMD had the best overall performance on the quality of the PFF powder. HAAMD PFF powder had higher expansion force (1.65 mL g⁻¹) and water-holding capacity (2.68 g g⁻¹), lower degree of compression (9.09%) and energy consumption, smaller colour change and better taste. Organic acids (mainly malic acids) of all drying powders decreased, but HAAMD and HAMAVD could better improve the acidity characteristics of PFF powders, which may be related to the drying time and the temperature change processes. Consequently, this study can provide references for the utilisation of fresh PFF, the design and commercialisation of PFF-related products.     

Feasibility of Ni/Ti and Ni/GF cathodes in microbial electrolysis cells for hydrogen production from fermentation effluent: A step toward real application

The low cost, low over-potential loss, good catalytic properties for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), high corrosion stability, commercially available, and could be applied in pH-neutral solution and ambient temperature are important properties for the cathode materials when it is applied in microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) technology. This study has two-pronged objectives: the first is to investigate the feasibility of titanium (Ti) and graphite felt (GF) coated with nickel (Ni), and the second is to generate hydrogen from the fermentation effluent (FE). The electrodeposition (ED) method was used to deposit Ni catalyst onto Ti (Ni/Ti) and GF (Ni/GF) surfaces. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy were used to characterize the cathode morphology and element composition. The catalytic properties of Ni/Ti and Ni/GF could be evaluated using the linear sweep voltammetry tests. The maximum volumetric H₂ production rates of MEC using Ni/Ti and Ni/GF cathodes were obtained at 0.39 ± 0.01 and 0.33 ± 0.03 m³ H₂ m⁻³ d⁻¹ respectively. The Ni/Ti and Ni/GF cathodes could be used as alternative cathodes while producing hydrogen from FE.     

Hydrogen-rich syngas fermentation for bioethanol production using Sacharomyces cerevisiea

Bioethanol is an eco-friendly biofuel due to its merit that makes it a top-tier fuel. The present study emphasized on bioethanol production from hydrogen-rich syngas through fermentation using Sacharomyces cerevisiea. Syngas fermentation was performed in a tar free fermenter using a syngas mixture of 13.05% H₂, 22.92% CO, 7.9% CO₂, and 1.13% CH₄, by volume. In the fermentation process, effects of various parameters including syngas impurity, temperature, pH, colony forming unit, total organic carbon and syngas composition were investigated. The yield of bioethanol was identified by Gas chromatography-Mass spectrometry analysis and further, it was confirmed by Nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H) analysis. From GC-MS results, it is revealed that the concentration of bioethanol using Saccharomyces cerevisiae was 30.56 mmol from 1 L of syngas. Thus, hydrogen-rich syngas is suited for bioethanol production through syngas fermentation using Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This research may contribute to affordable and environment-friendly bioethanol-based energy to decrease the dependency on fossil fuels.     

Lactic fermentation of cooked navy beans by Lactobacillus paracasei CBA L74 aimed at a potential production of functional legume-based foods

In recent years, scientific interest in the development of non-dairy-based functional foods is increasing progressively and the fermentation of cereals, legumes, fruits and vegetable-based foods is becoming an important scientific research topic for the production of new probiotic products. In particular, legumes represent a possible alternative to protein foods from animal origins and an adequate fermentation substrate as they contain high amount of nutrients, such as proteins, carbohydrates, fibres, vitamins, and minerals, which are all useful to the growth and metabolic activity of certain microorganisms. This work focuses on the feasibility of developing a dry legume-based functional product using a fermentation process carried out on a 10% w/v navy bean suspension, in a lab-scale stirred batch reactor. After soaking and cooking dried navy beans, the fermentation tests performed on the resulting medium using Lactobacillus paracasei CBA L74 showed a maximum bacterial count of 10⁹ CFU/mL after 20 hours and a maximum lactic acid concentration of 1.9 g/L after 16 hours of process time. A freeze-drying process was performed on the fermented bean suspension, showing a 2-log microbial reduction and a bacterial viability in the resulting probiotic powder of 3.7 × 10⁸ CFU/g.     

好氧发酵过程微界面传质耦合模拟分析

微生物好氧发酵过程是一个多相生化反应体系，空气中的氧在气液两相间的传质速率对生化发酵过程有重要影响。而气泡中氧的传递特性是气泡的形态、运动及体系温度、压力和物性综合影响的结果。通过建立两组分空气气泡上升及其氧传质耦合模型，进而采用数值模拟描述好氧发酵体系中微界面体系的强化效果。利用能量耗散理论评价制造微气泡体系的能耗，以获得高性价比的气泡形态和较高的氧利用率。计算结果表明，在预设的工况下，液面高度一定的反应器内，初始半径大于500 μm的气泡会在短时间内逸出体系，造成物料浪费；而气泡初始半径小于100 μm时，其停留时间、传质效率和氧利用率会显著提升。小气泡的生成需要较大的能耗，需要综合生产成本考虑。在不考虑其他因素影响的情况下，体系中的DO值如果维持在20%~30%，可以获得最大的氧气传质速率。     

Biohydrogen production by immobilized Enterobacter aerogenes on functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotube

Hydrogen production by immobilized Enterobacter aerogenes on functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT-COOH) in repeated batch mode was studied. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) were employed to confirm immobilization of E. aerogenes successfully. The effect of MWCNT-COOH concentrations (0.2, 0.6, and 1.2 mg/mL) on hydrogen production was investigated. The present study showed that immobilized E. aerogenes on 1.2 mg/mL MWCNT-COOH resulted in higher hydrogen yield (2.2 moL/mol glucose), hydrogen production rate (2.72 L/L.h), and glucose degradation efficiency (96.20%) and shorter the lag phase (1 h) compared to the free E. aerogenes. Modified Gompertz and Logistic models were employed to predict the cumulative hydrogen production successfully.     

Dark fermentative hydrogen production from food waste: Effect of biomass ash supplementation

This work aimed to investigate the effects of supplementing two distinct types of ash, namely fly ash (FA) and bottom ash (BA) on the dark fermentation (DF) process of food waste (FW) for H₂ production. Both types of biomass combustion ash (BCA) were collected in an industrial bubbling fluidized bed combustor, using residual forest biomass as fuel. Results indicated that adding BCA at different doses of 1, 2 and 4 g/L could effectively enhance H₂ generation when compared to the control test without BCA addition. This stimulatory effect was attributed to the crucial role of metal elements released from BCA such as sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and iron in the provision of buffering capacity and inorganic nutrients for the functioning of hydrogen-forming bacteria. The highest H₂ yield of 169 mL per g of volatile solids (VS) were obtained by adding only a small amount of BA (1 g/L) to the reactive system, representing a significant increment of 1070% compared to the control reactor. Furthermore, a significant decrease in the bacterial lag phase time from 26 h to 2.7 h, as well as about a 12-fold increase in the energy recovery as H₂ gas was observed at BA dosage of 1 g/L in comparison with the control reactor. Overall, this study suggested that a proper addition of BCA could promote the DF process of FW and enhance biohydrogen production.