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In this study, xanthan production by local wild-type Xanthomonas euvesicatoria PL4 strain in a 3 L stirred tank bioreactor from a medium containing crude glycerol generated in biodiesel industry was examined, and properties of separated biopolymer were determined. Xanthan was biosynthesized by submerged batch cultivation of producing microorganism in a medium with glycerol content of 20 g/L. The bioprocess was monitored by analysis of cultivation medium at predetermined time intervals, and its success was estimated based on the xanthan concentration in the medium, degree of initial glycerol conversion into xanthan, degree of metabolized glycerol conversion into xanthan, degree of glycerol conversion, degree of total nitrogen conversion, and degree of total phosphorus conversion. Xanthan in concentration of 13.31 g/L was biosynthesized under the applied experimental conditions, and total glycerol, nitrogen, and phosphorous conversions of 76.23%, 64.70%, and 40.63% were achieved, respectively. The results obtained in this study suggest that the applied strain has the ability to produce xanthan with excellent properties on a crude glycerol-based medium. The findings of this study can contribute to future investigations which will aim to improve the production of xanthan on crude glycerol-based medium and find new possibilities for its application.

Wastewaters, as the major waste stream of the wine industry, are usually disposed in crude form due to the lack of sustainable treatments, which poses rising environmental threat. Considering biodegradability, nutrients content and other specific characteristics, winery wastewaters are suitable for utilization in xanthan production. In this study, the screening of local wild-type Xanthomonas euvesicatoria strains, isolated from pepper leaves, for xanthan production on medium containing wastewaters from rose wine industry, with initial sugar content of 25 g/L, was performed. Bioprocess success was estimated based on the quantity and quality of separated biopolymer. Additionally, composition of collected wastewaters was determined, and the obtained data indicate the importance of their proper management. The results of screening experiments suggest that applied X. euvesicatoria isolates have a statistically significant effect on xanthan concentration in cultivation medium, its molecular weight, as well as on apparent viscosity of xanthan aqueous solution. According to the obtained results, xanthan concentration varied from 4.0 g/L to 10.0 g/L, while the values of average molecular weight of xanthan and apparent viscosity of its solution ranged from 2.5 ∙ 105 g/mol to 8.5 ∙ 105 g/mol and from 40 mPa ∙ s to 60 mPa ∙ s, respectively. The results from this study suggest that X. euvesicatoria PL2 isolate showed the greatest potential for xanthan production on medium containing wastewaters from rose wine industry because of determined quantity of good-quality biopolymer. Further research is necessary in order to improve proposed bioprocess as sustainable biotechnological solution for winery wastewaters utilization.

Introduction: Chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) exhibits antioxidant, antibacterial, antidiabetic, and anti-inflammatory properties, owing to its bioactive components, with flavonoids and phenolic acids being the most significant. Natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) are increasingly used as an alternative to conventional solvents in the extraction of active compounds, thanks to their non-toxicity.Goal: To investigate the efficiency of flavonoid and phenolic acid ultrasound extraction from chicory herb and root using NADES and to compare the results with extracts obtained using conventional solvents–70% ethanol, methanol, and water.Material and methods: A total of sixteen samples were examined, eight samples of chicory herb and eight samples of chicory root. Extraction was performed using five different NADES, 70% ethanol, methanol, and water. NADES were prepared by mixing and heating. The content of phenolic acids and flavonoids was determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).Results: Ten bioactive compounds were identified and quantified in the analyzed extracts: phenolic acids gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, para-hydroxybenzoic acid, caffeic acid, coumaric acid, ferulic acid, rosmarinic acid and epicatechin quercetin, and naringenin from flavonoids. In eight out of ten extracts obtained using NADES, the content of bioactive compounds was significantly higher compared to extracts obtained using conventional solvents–70% ethanol, methanol, and water.Conclusion: In this study, the efficiency of extracting phenolic acids and flavonoids from the root and herb of chicory using NADES was analysed and confirmed. The use of novel green solvents resulted in significantly higher yields of phenolic compounds compared to conventional solvents.

We described the in vitro antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of ethanol, acetone, and water extracts of beet root pomace. Total contents of phenolics (316.30-564.50 mg GAE/g of dry extract), flavonoids (316.30-564.50 mg RE/g of dry extract), betacyanins (18.78-24.18 mg/g of dry extract), and betaxanthins (11.19-22.90 mg/g of dry extract) after solid-phase extraction were determined spectrophotometrically. The antioxidant activity was determined by measuring the reducing power and DPPH scavenging activity by spectrometric method, and hydroxyl and superoxide anion radical scavenging activity by ESR spectroscopy. In general, the reducing power of all the beet root pomace extracts increased with increasing concentrations. The DPPH-free radical scavenging activity of the extracts, expressed as EC50, ranged from 0.133 mg/mL to 0.275 mg/mL. Significant correlation was observed between all phytochemical components and scavenging activity. Ethanol extract (0.5 mg/mL) completely eliminated hydroxyl radical which had been generated in Fenton system, while the same concentration of this extract scavenged 75% of superoxide anion radicals. In antibacterial tests, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus showed higher susceptibility than Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Sheeppox (SPP), goatpox (GTP), and lumpy skin disease (LSD) are economically significant pox diseases of ruminants, caused by sheeppox virus (SPPV), goatpox virus (GTPV), and lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV), respectively. SPPV and GTPV can infect both sheep and goats, while LSDV mainly affects cattle. The recent emergence of LSD in Asia and Europe and the repeated incursions of SPP in Greece, Bulgaria, and Russia highlight how these diseases can spread outside their endemic regions, stressing the urgent need to develop high-throughput serological surveillance tools. We expressed and tested two recombinant truncated proteins, the capripoxvirus homologs of the vaccinia virus C-type lectin-like protein A34 and the EEV glycoprotein A36, as antigens for an indirect ELISA (iELISA) to detect anti-capripoxvirus antibodies. Since A34 outperformed A36 by showing no cross-reactivity to anti-parapoxvirus antibodies, we optimized an A34 iELISA using two different working conditions, one for LSD in cattle and one for SPP/GTP in sheep and goats. Both displayed sound sensitivities and specificities: 98.81% and 98.72%, respectively, for the LSD iELISA, and 97.68% and 95.35%, respectively, for the SPP/GTP iELISA, and did not cross-react with anti-parapoxvirus antibodies of cattle, sheep, and goats. These assays could facilitate the implementation of capripox control programs through serosurveillance and the screening of animals for trade.

Ammonium and potassium thiosulfate are used commercially or experimentally as flower thinners because they are considered user, environment and consumer safe. The thinning trials were conducted in 2009 and 2010, on three- and four-year-old Braeburn Mariri Red trees. The chemicals were applied at 1%, 2% and 3% rates of ammonium and 0.5%, 1% and 1.5% of potassium thiosulfate. Both thinning agents reduced fruit set, but were more efficient in 2009, when applied at 20% full bloom, than in 2010, when they were applied at 80% full bloom. Flower thinning with ammonium and potassium thiosulfate increased the average fruit weight, but the highest chemical rates retarded fruit growth. Ammonium and potassium thiosulfate did not affect fruit shape and firmness, but they increased starch degradation, total soluble solids content and titratable acidity. The treatments increased the percentage of flower buds, except at the highest chemical rates, where leaf damage reduced flower bud formation. Ammonium or potassium thiosulfate application may be recommended as the first step in a chemical thinning programme.

The effects of different contents of impurities and seed hulls in the raw material on the sensory characteristics, chemical quality, and oxidative stability of sunflower oil prepared by the procedure of cold pressing on a screw press were investigated. It was found that the presence of impurities (up to 10%) and hulls (up to 32%) had an adverse effect on the sensory and chemical characteristics of the oil. The adverse influence on the oils colour was also evidenced from the results of measuring their transparency, which ranged from 14.75% to 43.60%. The presence of impurities and seed hulls caused also a decrease in the oxidative stability of oils, as the values of the induction period ranged from 3.63 h to 4.63 h, while the Totox values were in the range from 2.25 to 5.87.

The aim of this work was to evaluate effects of falling film plate evaporators on the energy consumption of evaporation plant, as well as to validate performance of this type of evaporators. It was found that this type of evaporator decreased energy requirements and in the same time evaporation process was more effective due to high values of heat transfer coefficients.

Cyanobacteria are photoautotrophic organisms which occur in aquatic and terrestrial environments. They have the potential to produce toxins which pose a threat to human and animal health. This review covers the global distribution of the common cyanotoxins and related poisoning cases. A total of 468 selected articles on toxic cyanobacteria, dating from the earliest records until 2018, were reviewed. Most of the articles were published after 2000 (72%; 337 out of 468), which is consistent with the recent growth in interest in the analysis, toxinology and ecotoxicology of cyanotoxins. Animal and/or human poisoning cases were described in more than a third of the overall publications (38%; 177 out of 468). The reviewed publications showed that there were 1118 recorded identifications of major cyanotoxins in 869 freshwater ecosystems from 66 countries throughout the world. Microcystins were the most often recorded cyanotoxins worldwide (63%; 699 out of 1118), followed by cylindrospermopsin (10%; 107 out of 1118), anatoxins (9%; 100 out of 1118), and saxitoxins (8%; 93 out of 1118). Nodularins were the most rarely recorded cyanotoxins (2%; 19 out of 1118); however, there were also reports where cyanotoxins were not analysed or specified (9%; 100 out of 1118). The most commonly found toxic cyanobacterial genera were Microcystis spp. (669 reports), Anabaena spp. (397 reports), Aphanizomenon spp. (100 reports), Planktothrix spp. (98 reports), and Oscillatoria spp. (75 reports). Furthermore, there were 183 recorded cyanotoxin poisonings of humans and/or animals. Out of all toxic cyanobacterial blooms reviewed in this paper, the highest percentage of associated poisonings was found in North and Central America (39%; 69 cases out of 179), then Europe (20%; 35 out of 179), Australia including New Zealand (15%; 27 out of 179), and Africa (11%; 20 out of 179), while the lowest percentage was related to Asia (8%; 14 cases out of 179) and South America (8%; 14 cases out of 179). Events where only animals were known to have been affected were 63% (114 out of 182), whereas 32% (58 out of 182) of the investigated events involved only humans. A historical overview of human and animal poisoning episodes associated with cyanobacterial blooms is presented. Further, geographical data on the occurrence of cyanotoxins and related poisonings based on the available literature are shown. Some countries (mainly European) have done very intensive research on the occurrence of toxic cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins, and reported related ecotoxicological observations, while in some countries the lack of data is apparent. The true global extent of cyanotoxins and associated poisonings is likely to be greater than found in the available literature, and it can be assumed that ecotoxicological and hygienic problems caused by toxic cyanobacteria may occur in more environments.

Aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG), an inhibitor of ethylene synthesis was applied at a concentration of 125 g/L of active ingredient on Royal Gala apple trees 4 weeks before the anticipated harvest in two consecutive years. Immediately after harvest fruits were stored at 1 deg C and 90% of relative humidity for up to 90 days. Quality assessments of total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA) and firmness were done on 30-days intervals after harvest. Treating Royal Gala apples with AVG significantly slowed down starch degradation in fruits but in the same time increased fruit weight and negatively affected colour development. A positive influence on fruits' firmness was also evident, while there was no influence of AVG on TSS and TA.