Performance of a styrene-degrading biofilter inoculated with Pseudomonas sp. SR-5

Styrene removal was studied for 3 months in a laboratory-scale biofilter packed with a mixed packing material of peat and ceramic at a ratio of 1 to 1 on a dry-weight basis and inoculated with Pseudomonas sp. SR-5. More than 90% removal efficiency (RE) was attained at 1-140 g/m3/h styrene loads under nitrogen-source limitation. When RE decreased to 70% after 30 d with an increase in styrene load, readdition of SR-5 and washing of the filter packing material restored the RE to more than 90% by maintaining the population of SR-5 at 1-10% of the total cell number. The maximum elimination capacity (EC) by kinetic analysis was estimated to be 290 g/m3/h. High conversion of the removed styrene carbon to CO2, and significantly small production of cell mass from the removed carbon were confirmed.     

Two bacterial mixed culture systems suitable for degrading terephthalate in wastewater

Two different mixed cultures, which degrade terephthalate at 50 degrees C and pH 8, were isolated from a wastewater treatment plant. These were useful for the treatment of wastewater containing a high concentration of terephthalic acid (TPA). Each mixed culture included a TPA-degrading bacterium, strain K1 or Pseudomonas sp. C4S, and another bacterium unable to degrade TPA, the as-yet unclassified strain K3 or Bacillus sp. C4B. In axenic culture, K1 and C4S showed poor growth even in a medium supplemented with yeast extract and tryptone. On the other hand, when co-cultured with the co-isolate from the mixed culture which is unable to degrade TPA, the growth was enhanced. Moreover, several bacterial strains in our stock culture collection showed the ability to improve the growth of both TPA-degrading bacteria. A mixed culture of strains K1 and K3 exhibited rapid growth and TPA degradation in a chemically defined medium, suggesting that the mixed culture system would be applicable to the treatment of wastewater containing TPA.     

Removal of p-xylene with Pseudomonas sp. NBM21 in biofilter

As a p-xylene (p-Xyl)-degrading microorganism, Pseudomonas sp. NBM21 was isolated from an activated sludge of a wastewater treatment plant. NBM21 degraded p-Xyl, m-xylene, benzene and toluene, but not o-xylene, ethylbenzene (Eb) and styrene. NBM21 was inoculated to a biofilter with Biosol as a packing material and p-Xyl removal was operated for 105 d under sterile and nonsterile conditions. The maximum elimination capacities for p-Xyl at higher than 90% removal efficiency were 160 g/m3/h and 150 g/m3/h under nonsterile and sterile conditions, respectively. A high load of Eb adversely affected to the removal of xylene.     

Screening of novel cellulose-degrading bacterium and its application to denitrification of groundwater

To establish an environmentally friendly groundwater bioremediation process using a cellulose carrier combined with cellulose-utilizing, denitrifying microorganisms, a novel psychrophilic bacterium, designated CL-5, which can degrade a commercial-based cellulose carrier as the sole carbon source, was screened. Since the denitrification capability of CL-5 is low, complex microbial systems were constructed together with other denitrifying bacteria designated NR-1 and NR-2 that were also isolated from soil. The nitrate-reducing activities of mixed cultures were much higher than those of the pure cultures of CL-5, NR-1 and NR-2. The highest N(2)O and N(2) formation activities were observed in the mixed culture of CL-5+NR-2.     

Removal of a high load of ammonia gas by a marine bacterium, Vibrio alginolyticus

A newly isolated marine bacterium, Vibrio alginolyticus was used to remove a high load of ammonia gas. By a stepwise increase in ammonia supply over the concentration range of 120-2000 ppm (v/v), complete removal of ammonia was observed from the start of the experiment in a suspended culture of the bacterium in basal medium containing 3% NaCl. When cells were inoculated onto an inorganic packing material in a biofilter, and a high load of ammonia was introduced continuously under nonsterile conditions, the average percentage of gas removed exceeded 85% for a 61-d operation. The maximum removal capacity and the complete removal capacity were 22.8 g-N/kg-dry packing material/d and 18.6 g-N/kg-dry packing material/d, respectively, which were about four times larger than those obtained in nitrifying sludge inoculated onto the same packing material. During this operation, the nonsterile air supply had no adverse effect on the removability of ammonia by V. alginolyticus.     

Influence of starter cultures on the antioxidant activity of kombucha beverage

This paper investigates the influence of starter cultures, obtained from kombucha isolates, on the antioxidant activity of kombucha beverages. Three starter cultures were used as follows: (1) mixed culture of acetic bacteria and Zygosaccharomyces sp. (SC1); (2) mixed culture of acetic bacteria and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (SC2); as well as (3) native local kombucha. The starter cultures were added to black and green tea sweetened with 7% of sucrose. Fermentation was carried out at 28 °C for 10 days. Antioxidant activity to hydroxyl and DPPH radicals was monitored. Kombucha beverage on black tea has shown the highest antioxidant activity to both types of radicals with starter SC1, while the green tea beverage has shown the highest activity with native kombucha. The main reason for the different antioxidant activities, beside tea composition, was ascribed to differing production of both vitamin C and total organic acids in the investigated systems.     

Biofiltration for mitigation of methane emission from animal husbandry

Removal of methane from exhaust air of animal houses and manure storage has a large potential for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from animal husbandry. The aim of this study was to design a biofilter for methane removal at a full-scale livestock production facility. Air from the headspace of a covered 6 m3 liquid manure storage (air flow: 0.75-8.5 m3 m(-3) h(-1); CH4: 500-5500 mg m(-3)) was treated in an experimental biofilter (160 L). The filterbed, a mixture of compost and perlite in a 40:60 (v/v) ratio, was inoculated with activated sludge that had shown a good methane oxidation rate as compared to pure cultures in preceding laboratory tests. Methane removal up to 85% could be achieved in the experimental biofilter. The methane removal (g m(-3) h(-1)) appeared to be proportional to the concentration (g m(-3)) with k = 2.5 h(-1). Relatively low methane concentrations and high air flows, as reported for the exhaust air of animal houses, would require very large biofilter sizes. Extrapolation of the results showed that treatment of air from a 1000 m3 liquid manure storage with a methane concentration of 22 g m(-3) would require a 20 m3 biofilter for a desired emission reduction of 50%. The costs for such a biofilter are USD 26 per t of CO2 equiv reduction.     

气相色谱-质谱法分析乳酸菌发酵苹果汁香气成分

以乳酸菌单一菌种和多菌组合分别发酵苹果汁,采用紫外-可见分光光度计测定发酵过程中苹果汁光密度(optical density,OD)的变化,采用顶空固相微萃取和气相色谱-质谱联用技术检测9组发酵苹果汁的香气成分,结合不同香气物质的阈值与香气值分析特征香气成分,并对各组苹果汁进行感官评价。结果表明:在发酵过程中苹果汁的OD值呈对数上升趋势。各组苹果汁中共鉴定出48种香气成分,主要包含醇类、酯类、醛类、酮类和酚类,其中酯类是各发酵组中种类最多且含量最大的香气类别,其次是醇类。9组苹果汁的主要香气成分和香气值较大并有突出贡献的特征香气成分均为丁酸乙酯、2-甲基丁酸乙酯、2-甲基丁基乙酸酯和乙酸己酯等。多菌发酵和单菌发酵苹果汁的香气成分含量及香气值差异显著(P0.05),说明多菌发酵中醇类、酯类和其他类香气物质的总含量明显高于单菌发酵,且赋予苹果汁更强烈的果香、青香和花香。多菌发酵组的总体感官评分高于单菌发酵组,当副干酪乳杆菌20241、动物双歧杆菌6165、嗜热链球菌6063、嗜酸乳杆菌6005活菌数比为1∶1∶1∶1时,感官评分最优。研究结果为今后乳酸菌在发酵果蔬汁方面的研究和应用提供理论依据。     

Dynamics of sustainable grazing fauna and effect on performance of gas biofilter

The inherent operational problems of biofilters such as a pressure drop increase and nutrient limitations were managed in a toluene-removing gas biofilter with a sustainable grazing fauna consisting of micrometazoa and ciliate protozoa. Dynamic populations of predatory nematodes (Caenorhabditis sp.), rotifers (Philodina sp.), tardigrades (Echiniscus sp.) and fly larvae represented the micrometazoa community in the filter bed. Colpoda inflata, Euplotes harpa and Acineria sp. constituted the grazing ciliate community. The spatiotemporal distribution and abundance of the grazing fauna depends on physicochemical conditions and interspecies interactions in the biofilter. Of the micro metazoa, Caenorhabditis and Philodina tolerated wide concentration ranges for toluene (0.75-2.63 g m(-3)) and CO(2) (0.92-6.08 g m(-3)) and maintained stable populations of 3.4-4.7 x 10(3) and 5.8-7.65 x 10(4) g medium(-1), respectively. The grazing fauna supported a stable toluene-degrading bacterial community composed of four Pseudomonas spp. Under a maximum toluene load of 120.72 g m(-3) h(-1), at steady-state conditions 80% toluene removal was achieved in the biofilter. Of the grazing organisms, owing to their reproductive cycle and feeding behaviour, fly larvae were not suited for application in the biofilter. Meanwhile, organisms such as nematodes, rotifers and ciliates capable of tolerating a wide pollutant concentration range and maintaining a sustainable population are ideal candidates for application in biofilter technology.     

Case study of the relationship between fungi and bacteria associated with high-molecular-weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon degradation

Although bacteria play dominant roles in microbial bioremediation, few of them have been reported that were capable of utilizing high-molecular-weight (HMW) organic pollutants as their sole sources of carbon and energy. However, many soil fungi can metabolize those of pollutants, although they rarely complete mineralization. In this paper, we investigated the dynamic relationship between fungi and bacteria associated with degradation of HMW-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Artificial fungal-bacterial mixed cultures were constructed to simulate the environment of actual polluted sites. Four bacterial strains and seven fungal strains were isolated that related to the removal of phenanthrene, fluoranthene and pyrene in the soil. Furthermore, these strains were used to create mixed culture of bacteria (Bact-mix), mixed culture of fungi (Fung-mix), fungal-bacterial co-cultures (Fung-Bact), respectively. The maximal pyrene removal rate (67%, 28days) was observed in the Fung-Bact, compared with cultures of Fung-mix (39%) and Bact-mix (56%). The same tendency was also indicated in the degradation of phenanthrene and fluoranthene. In addition, a dynamic relationship during the degradation process between fungi and bacteria was monitored through using polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) method.     

利用柿子皮混菌发酵制备果醋及品质分析

以柿子加工副产物柿子皮为主要原料,采用氧化葡萄糖酸杆菌、植物乳杆菌、明串珠菌发酵酿造果醋。通过单一菌种、多菌组合的发酵实验,以发酵时间和产品质量为指标,确定混合菌种发酵的最佳组合。采用顶空固相微萃取结合气相色谱-质谱联用技术鉴定了最佳醋品的挥发性香气成分,采用反相高效液相色谱法测定了主要有机酸含量。结果表明：当V（氧化葡萄糖酸杆菌）∶V（植物乳杆菌）＝1∶1时,醋品品质最佳,发酵时间6 d,感官品评94.90 分,共鉴定出51 种挥发性香气成分,主要为醇类和酯类,有机酸中乳酸和乙酸为主要有机酸,柿香味和醋香浓郁、协调,口感佳,品质优。     

Biosorption of cadmium ions using a photosynthetic bacterium, Rhodobacter sphaeroides S and a marine photosynthetic bacterium, Rhodovulum sp. and their biosorption kinetics

We examined the biosorption characteristics of cadmium ions onto a photosynthetic bacterium, Rhodobacter sphaeroides S and a marine photosynthetic bacterium Rhodovulum sp. PS88 in a batch culture system. Both photosynthetic bacteria are capable of cadmium removal with 30 g/l sodium chloride and divalent cations (Mg2+ and Ca2+) in the culture medium. In particular, the strain PS88 shows a high removal ratio and high specific removal rate of cadmium ions from the culture medium under aerobic-dark (heterotrophic) and anaerobic-light (photoheterotrophic) conditions. The adsorption of cadmium onto strains PS88 and S is dependent on the cadmium concentration, and follows the Freundlich adsorption isotherm. In addition, biosorption isotherms for cadmium show that the strain PS88 exhibits higher values of the empirical constant for the cadmium adsorption capacity, Kr, than that of the strain S under both aerobic-dark (K(f)=17.44) and anaerobic-light (K(f)=1.270) conditions.     

固态发酵菜籽粕生产多肽及降解硫苷菌种的筛选

以两种细菌（Bacillus subtilis W1-3、Bacillus subtilis 10160）和三种真菌（毕赤酵母、酿酒酵母和黑曲霉）为出发菌种,菜籽粕为原料,硫代葡萄糖苷（硫苷）降解率和菜籽多肽得率为发酵菜籽粕品质的评价指标,进行单菌、混菌固态发酵实验。结果表明:最优的单菌发酵菌种为枯草芽孢杆菌W1-3;比较枯草芽孢杆菌W1-3的单菌及与其他菌种的双菌和三菌发酵方式,单菌发酵优于混菌发酵。由枯草芽孢杆菌W1-3发酵所得的菜籽粕,其中多肽、粗蛋白、氨基酸含量有益物质含量分别增加453.47%、10.39%、17.76%,硫苷和植酸两种抗营养物质含量分别降低62.14%和31.58%。      

甘肃藏区牦牛酸乳中优良乳酸菌及其组合发酵性能研究

通过对甘肃藏区牦牛酸乳中5株性状优良乳酸菌间进行组合发酵筛选,得出最佳发酵组合,并进一步对其发酵性能进行研究,结果表明:嗜热链球菌Q4和德氏乳杆菌保加利亚亚种G4为最佳组合,且其发酵性能优于单菌,即在冷藏期间,组合菌株Q4-G4所发酵的酸奶的抗后酸化能力增强,活菌数（大于109 CFU/m L）、黏度（7.4⁸.61 Pa·s）均大于单菌株且变化幅度小,产香能力增强、风味更佳,胞外多糖含量（129.28 mg/m L）显著高于单菌株Q4、G4（p<0.05）;与商业发酵剂YO-MIX300的发酵性能无显著性差异（p>0.05）。组合菌株Q4-G4可以作为混合发酵剂投入到酸奶的工业化生产中。      

Improvement in ammonium removal efficiency in wastewater treatment by mixed culture of Alcaligenes faecalis no. 4 and L1

To improve ammonium removal efficiency in wastewater treatment, a mixed culture of Alcaligenes faecalis no. 4 and its mutant L1, both of which have heterotrophic nitrification and aerobic denitrification abilities, was performed. In a batch culture, no. 4 has a higher denitrification ability than L1, but its ammonium removal rate was lower. In a mixed continuous culture in the ammonium loading range of 750 to 3500 mg-N/l/d, the average ammonium removal rate and the average denitrification ratio were 61 mg-N/l/h and 31%, respectively. In the mixed culture, the ammonium removal rate was twofold higher than that in a single culture of no. 4, the rate was similar to that in a single culture of L1, and the denitrification ratio was very high compared with that in the single culture of L1.     

Effect of milk base and starter culture on acidification,texture, and probiotic cell counts in fermented milk processing

In the present work, the compared effect of milk base and starter culture on acidification, texture, growth, and stability of probiotic bacteria in fermented milk processing, was studied. Two strains of probiotic bacteria were used, Lactobacillus acidophilus LA5 and L. rhamnosus LR35, with two starter cultures. One starter culture consisted only of Streptococcus thermophilus ST7 (single starter culture); the other was a yogurt mixed culture with S. thermophilus ST7 and L. bulgaricus LB12 (mixed starter culture). For the milk base preparation, four commercial dairy ingredients were tested (two milk protein concentrates and two casein hydrolysates). The resulting fermented milks were compared to those obtained with control milk (without enrichment) and milk added with skim milk powder. The performance of the two probiotic strains were opposite. L. acidophilus LA5 grew well on milk but showed a poor stability during storage. L. rhamnosus LR35 grew weakly on milk but was remarkably stable during storage. With the strains tested in this study, the use of the single starter culture and the addition of casein hydrolysate gave the best probiotic cell counts. The fermentation time was of about 11 h, and the probiotic level after five weeks of storage was greater than 106 cfu/ml for L. acidophilus LA5 and 10(7) cfu/ml for L. rhamnosus LR35. However, an optimization of the level of casein hydrolysate added to milk base has to be done, in order to improve texture and flavor when using this dairy ingredient.     

Effect of bacterial interactions on the spoilage of cold-smoked salmon

Cold-smoked salmon is a lightly preserved fish product in which a mixed microbial flora develops during storage and where the interactive behaviour of micro-organisms may contribute to their growth and spoilage activity. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of the bacterial interactions between the main species contaminating the cold-smoked salmon on bacterial growth, chemical and sensory changes, and spoilage. First, Carnobacterium piscicola, Photobacterium phosphoreum, Lactobacillus sakei, Vibrio sp., Brochothrix thermosphacta and Serratia liquefaciens-like were inoculated as pure cultures on sterile cold-smoked salmon. All bacterial species grew well; Vibrio sp. was the fastest and L. sakei strains developed very rapidly as well with a high maximum cell density on cold-smoked salmon blocks (up to 10(9) cfu g(-1) after 10 days at 8 degrees C). Based on sensory analysis, Vibrio sp. was identified as non-spoilage bacteria, C. piscicola as very lightly and B. thermosphacta as lightly spoiling. L. sakei and S. liquefaciens-like were found to be the most spoiling bacteria. Secondly, C. piscicola and L. sakei, two species frequently occurring in the lactic flora of the product, were inoculated together and each of them in mixed cultures with respectively P. phosphoreum, Vibrio sp., B. thermosphacta, and S. liquefaciens-like. The growth of L. sakei was shown to strongly inhibit most of the co-inoculated strains i.e. P. phosphoreum, B. thermosphacta, S. liquefaciens-like and, to a lesser extent, Vibrio sp. The growth of C. piscicola seemed to be enhanced with B. thermosphacta and to develop earlier with P. phosphoreum and Vibrio sp. Conversely, S. liquefaciens-like and P. phosphoreum were weakly inhibited by C. piscicola. The main observation resulting from the sensory evaluation was the delay in the appearance of the spoilage characteristics in the mixed cultures with L. sakei, in particular L. sakei/ S. liquefaciens-like. On the other hand, the spoilage activity of the non-spoiler strains Vibrio sp. or the moderate spoilage strains B. thermosphacta and C. piscicola was increased when they were associated together. It is concluded that the spoilage behaviour of micro-organisms in mixed culture is significantly different from pure culture and explain the difficulty to find robust quality indices for this product.     

山西老陈醋样品的污染微生物分析

为了解某批老陈醋产气变质的原因,采用橙血清和乳酸菌培养基分离和计数污染菌,显微形态观察结合16S rRNA序列分析鉴定其主要污染菌为葡萄球菌属（Staphylococcus sp.）,再采用葡萄球菌属特异性dnaJ引物进行扩增,测序和序列分析将污染菌鉴定到头状葡萄球菌头状亚种（Staphylococcus capitis subsp. capitis）;当使用醋酸菌培养基对老陈醋中沉淀进行分离时又发现少量芽孢杆菌,经芽孢杆菌属特异性rpoB引物鉴定为解淀粉芽孢杆菌（Bacillus amyloliquefaciens）。因此,导致该批次老陈醋产气变质的细菌主要是头状葡萄球菌头状亚种,少量解淀粉芽孢杆菌也存活于老陈醋中,但基本处于休眠态。电子舌检测显示：它们的存在和繁殖不仅导致产气,而且使醋的各种滋味变得平淡。     

Effect of milk supplementation and culture composition on acidification, textural properties and microbiological stability of fermented milks containing probiotic bacteria

In the present work, the combined effect of milk supplementation and culture composition on acidification, textural properties, and microbiological stability of fermented milks containing probiotic bacteria, was studied. Three powders (whey, casein hydrolysate, and milk proteins) were tested as supplementation. Two strains of probiotic bacteria, Lactobacillus acidophilus (LA5) and Lactobacillus rhamnosus (LC35), were used in pure culture, and in mixed culture with Streptococcus thermophilus (ST7). Acidifying activity was enhanced with mixed cultures, compared to pure cultures resulting in a shorter time to reach pH 4.5. Acidifying activity was greatly improved with casein hydrolysate, with a reduction of the fermentation time by about 55% by comparison with the other supplementations. The stability of probiotic bacteria was weakly affected by milk supplementation and culture composition. However, pure cultures were more stable than mixed cultures. The texture of the fermented products was not dependent on culture composition, but strongly dependent on milk supplementation. Sweet whey supplementation gave products with lower firmness and viscoelasticity than products supplemented with casein hydrolysate or milk proteins (decrease by 70%). It was observed that all products containing probiotic counts over 2.2×10⁷ CFU mL⁻¹ are suitable for the development of a lactic beverage containing probiotics.     

小球藻Chlorella sp.的小分子有机酸/醇培养研究

该研究选择一株对水解酸化液耐受性强、高产油脂的优良藻株Chlorella sp.作为出发藻株,向BG11培养基中分别添加不同质量浓度小分子有机酸/醇（乙酸、丙酸、丁酸、异丁酸、戊酸、异戊酸和乙醇）进行小球藻纯培养试验。在单因素试验的基础上,混合乙酸、丙酸、丁酸和乙醇4种小分子有机物质进行响应面的试验,考察混合小分子有机酸对小球藻Chlorella sp.生长影响,研究表明,当乙酸、丙酸、丁酸和乙醇的质量浓度分别为1.02 g/L、0.42 g/L、0.40 g/L和0.18 g/L时,小球藻的单位体积细胞数含量最高,生长状态最好,能获得较高的生物量（1.18×108 CFU/mL）。