Enhanced hydrogen production by a mutant of Rhodobacter sphaeroides having an altered light-harvesting system

A stable mutant of the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides with an altered light-harvesting (LH) system (P3 mutant) was obtained by UV irradiation and characterized. The mutant exhibited a 2.7-fold decrease in the core antennal (LH1) content and 1.6-fold increase in peripheral antennal (LH2) content compared to the wild-type strain. The H2 evolution rates in the P3 mutant under 800- and 850-nm light, corresponding to the absorption maxima of LH2, were 1.5 times higher than in the wild-type strain. The wild-type absorption spectrum was restored in the P3 mutant when a 1.1-kb PCR-amplified fragment containing the puf promoter and pufQBA genes was ligated into a pRK-415 derivative and introduced into it. The transformant showed lower H2 production rates at 800 and 850 nm than the P3 strain carrying the control plasmid, indicating that the accelerated H2 production in the P3 mutant was a result of alterations in the LH system.     

In situ electrooxidation of photobiological hydrogen in a photobioelectrochemical fuel cell based on Rhodobacter sphaeroides

In this paper, we present a photobiological fuel cell that utilizes the metabolic activity of living cells of Rhodobacter sphaeroides for the generation of electricity based on the in situ oxidation of photobiological hydrogen. Organic acids and alcohols contained in synthetic media as well as in fermented media of Escherichia coli K 12 served as the proton donor source for the photobiological hydrogen production by R. sphaeroides. We demonstrate thatthe photobiological hydrogen is efficiently oxidized in the microbial medium at electrocatalytic electrodes coated with a platinum-poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (Pt-PEDOT) bilayer composite. The experimental results are discussed in terms of current and power output, substrate, and solar conversion efficiency.     

Selection of photosynthetic bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides 14F for polyhydroxyalkanoate production with two-stage aerobic dark cultivation

Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) production abilities in a two-stage aerobic dark culture of photosynthetic bacteria were investigated at relatively high temperatures (37-40 degrees C). A 14F strain, identified as Rhodobacter sphaeroides, showed the highest PHA production (3.5 g/l PHA with 60% PHA content). Its productivity was 2-3 times higher than those of other photosynthetic bacteria.     

Investigation of the diffusion of dyes in agar gels

An experimental set-up and a measurement technique were developed so that diffusion in model foods (gels of agar) could be visualised and quantified. The diffusion of aqueous solutions of varying concentrations of two dyes (rhodamine 6G and methylene blue) in gels of agar was followed in situ at three temperatures (30, 50, 70 °C) until equilibrium was reached. The nature of the diffusion process (in terms of the amount of dye diffused into the gel) was studied using image analysis techniques. The diffusion coefficient, D, was estimated using Fick’s second law of diffusion and found to be ∼10⁻¹⁰ m² s⁻¹. The effect of the size of the diffusing molecule, as well as that of the processing temperature on diffusion was investigated and found to be significant.     

Mutagenesis of Rhodobacter sphaeroides using atmospheric and room temperature plasma treatment for efficient production of coenzyme Q10

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Investigation on the rheological properties of agar gels and their role on aroma release in agar/limonene solid emulsions

A lipophilic aroma widely used in the food field, R-(+)-limonene, was entrapped in a solid emulsion in absence of emulsifiers using agar gel as encapsulating medium. The perception of the flavour release was evaluated by means of an electronic nose. The relation between structural organization of the agar gels and flavour release and perception was studied. Different viscoelastic properties of the continuous phase of the solid emulsion were achieved by varying the gelling polysaccharide concentration from 0.2% up to 1% (w/v) and the consequent aroma trapping effect was correlated with the perception of the flavour release from the solid emulsion during aging up to 15 days storage. Release phenomena were finally accelerated by increasing temperature of the gel from 30 to 77 °C. Structure assessment of the gelled phase take place within 24 h from the gel setting time and during this transient period most of the aroma release happens.     

阳离子季铵盐类复合共聚物助留剂在涂布白纸板生产中的应用

介绍了阳离子季铵盐类复合共聚物助留剂在涂布白纸板生产线的应用情况。结果表明,芯浆、底浆、衬浆流程在助留剂（使用浓度0．05％）流量分别为400L／h、100L／h、60L／h时,流浆箱上网浓度分别下降了15．85％、2．96％、12．47％,打浆度分别下降了10．42％、7．69％、3．57％,网部白水浓度分别下降了25．57％、28．47％、32．65％,而首程保留率（FPR）则分别提高了3．29％、10．45％和11．79％。纸张性能也有所提高,原纸和成纸的粗糙度分别降低了15．73％和11．11％,平滑度则分别提高了20％和15．09‰成纸挺度也提高了13．56％。     

Microcalorimetric study of the growth of bacterial colonies of Lactococcus lactis IL1403 in agar gels

Growth of Lactococcus lactis IL1403 in solid agar gels and liquid cultures at different glucose concentrations of 2, 10 and 20 g/L and different inoculation rates from 10⁰ to 10⁶ cfu/mL with the 10-fold increment was studied using thermal activity monitor TAM III. In parallel to calorimetric measurements the changes of glucose and lactic acid concentrations and pH of culture media were measured in order to obtain additional information for the interpretation of calorimetric power-time curves. Maximal specific growth rates of heat evolution proportional to growth rates of biomass μ_max (W/h), heat produced during different growth stages Q_TOT (J/mL), Q_ExP (J/mL) and duration of lag-phases λ (h) were obtained by processing calorimetric curves. The sizes of colonies were measured also at the end of growth using microscope. The data obtained together with calculated heat yield coefficient Y_Q (J/cfu) allowed to analyze and describe quantitatively the growth of individual colonies and develop a model of multistage growth of a typical colony of L. lactis in 1% agar gel. Microcalorimetry used in combination with other relevant methods is a very powerful and precise tool in studying solid-state fermentations.     

Efficient production of fungal spores by the combination of reduction of nitrogen source content and embedding of hydrophobic polymer in an agar plate

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K+,NH+4/ /Cl-,SO2-4-H2O 35℃相平衡的研究与应用

文章对35℃条件下K+,NH+4/ /Cl-,SO2-4-H2O 四元体系的相平衡进行了测定,绘制了该体系的等温相图.结果表明该体系是一个有固溶体存在的交互体系;并通过对相图的一些分析,可为工业化生产提供理论依据.     

Characteristics of enzymatically-deesterified pectin gels produced in the presence of monovalent ionic salts

Pectin methylesterases (PMEs) from Valencia orange (p-PME) and Aspergillus aculeatus (f-PME) were used to produce pectin gels in the presence of 0.2 M monovalent ionic salts. At pH 5.0, pectin gels were induced following enzymatic deesterification of high methoxy pectin, with greater deesterification observed using p-PME compared to f-PME. Under these conditions, the deesterification limit of f-PME ended up with a pectin of DE 30.5–31.9 which did not gel at the PME reaction completion, while p-PME reduced the pectin's DE to 16.0–17.2, resulting in gel formation. The pectin gel induced by KCl was significantly stronger than the NaCl-induced gel, but LiCl did not induce pectin gelation. The gel strength was influenced by both DE and species of monovalent cation. The KCl-induced gels released less water than NaCl-induced gels. A synergistic effect on gel strength was observed from the pectin treated with a combination of (p + f)-PMEs, producing even more stable gels. These results indicated that the pectin gelation of our system would be enhanced both by using larger monovalent cation and by lowering the DE value, which would presumably be attributed to the different action patterns recognized for p- and f-PMEs. This pectin gelation system could provide a useful alternative to acid-sugar or calcium cross-linked gels in food and other industrial applications.     

The gelatinization and retrogradation of cornstarch gels in the presence of citric acid

The effects of citric acid on the gelatinization and retrogradation for 20 wt% cornstarch gels were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements, uniaxial compression tests and dynamic viscoelastic measurements. The pH value of cornstarch dispersion was adjusted to between 5.0 and 3.0 by adding citric acid. The pH of gels without citric acid (control) was 6.3. The cornstarch gels with pH value adjusted to 3.0 were brittle, while the values of Young’s modulus and dynamic viscoelasticity were higher than those of other samples. It is thought that hydrolysis of amylose and amylopectin chains by adding citric acid occurred and the length of elastically active chains decreased, also leading to the formation of new networks. It was found that when cornstarch gels with added citric acid were stored, they became brittle, but became hard to deform against small deformation. However, when cornstarch gels with or without citric acid were stored for longer time at 5 °C, the retrogradation ratio estimated by thermal analysis was not affected by the presence of citric acid.     

Retention of ethyl butyrate by gellan gels in the presence of potassium ions

The air/biopolymer partition coefficient (K) and percentage of retention (R%) of ethyl butyrate (400 ppm) added to gellan gels were determined, using static headspace gas chromatography. Potassium chloride (40–120 mM) was used to induce gellan gelation. When 5 g of sample were left to equilibrate at 37 °C for 2 and 24 h, the coefficient values initially decreased with salt concentration to a certain value after which they raised again. The lower coefficient values, for the 24 h period, were observed at higher salt concentration than for the 2 h. Moreover, for both time periods, the lower coefficient values were found for the gellan gels with the greater strength and rigidity and were accompanied by positive percentages of retention. When 15 g of sample were used, after equilibration at 37 °C for 24 h, no significant changes in aroma release were observed. Moreover, negative percentages of retention values were calculated for all salt concentrations.     

Development of a molecular method for the rapid discrimination of red seaweeds used for agar production

In Tunisia, agar is produced from the species Gracilaria verrucosa. Other species, such as Gracilariopsis sp. which have a very similar morphology to Gracilaria, can be harvested in a mixture with Gracilaria with the result that the quantity and quality of agar extracted is different than initially expected. In this study, we tested the use of ITS sequences from 5.8s rDNA for species discrimination between G. verrucosa and Gracilariopsis harvested from two production sites (Bizerte and Tunis Lagoons). The amplification of genomic ITS sequences and sequencing shows that the samples collected from Tunis can be identified by PCR fragment of 1124 bp whereas the samples from Bizerte are characterized by the presence of two fragments of 1124 and 983 bp, respectively. A BLAST investigation in Genbank shows that the sequence similarities between the fragment of 1124 pb and G. verrucosa was 85% and between the fragment of 983 pb and Gracilariopsis sp. Plymoutn was 94%. Gracilariopsis sp. possesses a PCR fragment with a length of 983 bp, which discriminates it from G. verrucosa when these two species are collected in a mixture as in the lagoon of Bizerte. The RFLP method after EcoRI application provides a characteristic pattern for G. verrucosa, which is composed of two main fragments with respective sizes of 823 and 301 bp whereas amplified DNA of Gracilariopsis was uncut under these conditions.     

NaCl存在下结冷胶以及结冷胶/明胶共混凝胶质构和熔点的研究

研究了不同浓度NaCl(1％～3％,w/v)、结冷胶(0.1 5％～0.35％,w/v)和明胶(1％～3％,w/v)对结冷胶和结冷胶明胶共混凝胶质构特性和熔点的影响.目的是得出结冷胶明胶复配胶凝胶特性,为复配胶在成味食品中的应用提供参考结果表明,共混凝胶硬度和熔点随NaCl浓度增加而增大,当NaCl浓度高于1.5％时,硬度和熔点均下降;结冷胶和明胶浓度对共混凝胶硬度影响较大;结冷胶形成的凝胶弹性差,与明胶复配使用,弹性显著提高,并且共混凝胶弹性随结冷胶浓度增大而降低,随明胶浓度增大而增大;结冷胶浓度决定了共混凝胶的熔点结冷胶和明胶复配可以弥补各自单独使用的不足,且复配胶兼具高熔点和入口即化的特性.     

海水提钾HCO3-、NH4+的联合测定

建立了HCO_3~-和NH_4~ 同时测定的方法,该方法简便、快速,准确度较高,适合于生产中控分析。     

NH+4离子对重组毕赤酵母产华根霉脂肪酶发酵过程的影响

利用重组毕赤酵母在7 L的发酵罐中进行分批补料高密度发酵,考察不同NH4+质量浓度对毕赤酵母基因工程菌表达华根霉脂肪酶的影响。结果表明,补加(NH4)2SO4溶液维持NH4+质量浓度在7 g/L时华根霉脂肪酶酶活最高,分别是不补加(NH4)2SO4溶液、补加并维持NH4+质量浓度在5 g/L、10 g/L条件下的1.41、1.11、1.08倍,而且在该氮源质量浓度条件下,胞外总蛋白质质量浓度最高,达到5.61 g/L。通过分析不同氮源条件下发酵参数比生长速率、产物比形成速率和底物比消耗速率的差异,发现发酵维持NH4+质量浓度在7 g/L时,产物比形成速率和底物比消耗速率均较高,这与该条件下产酶水平最高相一致。研究结果表明,对毕赤酵母基因工程菌发酵过程中的氮源进行优化,能够明显促进外源蛋白质的表达。     

Use of the selective agar medium CREAD for monitoring the level of airborne spoilage moulds in cheese production

It was investigated if a selective medium for common cheese spoiling moulds (CREAD) could give more relevant information than a general mould medium in hygienic air-sampling in cheese factories. A total of 126 air-samples were taken in six Nordic cheese factories using the general mould medium DG18 and CREAD. The level and genera of air-borne mould was determined. Identification to species-level was performed for a selection of samples. In five cheese factories the mycobiota was dominated by Penicillium spp. and in one cheese factory by Cladosporium spp. The concentration of air-borne moulds varied between the cheese factories ranging from 1 to 270 cfu/m3 on DG18 with a median value of 17. The number of mould colonies was in general lower at CREAD. Identification indicated that CREAD supported growth of common spoilage moulds for cheese, such as Penicillium palitans and P. commune. The mycobiota on DG18 also consisted of moulds not commonly associated with spoilage of cheese, such as Cladosporium spp., P. brevicompactum and P. chrysogenum. Contamination of cheese with mould is periodically a problem in production of semi-hard cheese and the level of air-borne mould is therefore routinely monitored in cheese factories. A clear correlation between the total number of moulds in air and mould growth on products is not always found. The conclusion from the investigation is that it is recommended to use a selective medium for cheese spoilage moulds, such as CREAD in hygienic monitoring.