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Production of biofuels from renewable feedstocks has captured considerable scientific attention since they could be used to supply energy and alternative fuels. Bioethanol is one of the most interesting biofuels due to its positive impact on the environment. Currently, it is mostly produced from sugar- and starch-containing raw materials. However, various available types of lignocellulosic biomass such as agricultural and forestry residues, and herbaceous energy crops could serve as feedstocks for the production of bioethanol, energy, heat and value-added chemicals. Lignocellulose is a complex mixture of carbohydrates that needs an efficient pretreatment to make accessible pathways to enzymes for the production of fermentable sugars, which after hydrolysis are fermented into ethanol. Despite technical and economic difficulties, renewable lignocellulosic raw materials represent low-cost feedstocks that do not compete with the food and feed chain, thereby stimulating the sustainability. Different bioprocess operational modes were developed for bioethanol production from renewable raw materials. Furthermore, alternative bioethanol separation and purification processes have also been intensively developed. This paper deals with recent trends in the bioethanol production as a fuel from different renewable raw materials as well as with its separation and purification processes.

The advent of image-activated cell sorting and imaging-based cell picking has advanced our knowledge and exploitation of biological systems in the last decade. Unfortunately, they generally rely on fluorescent labeling for cellular phenotyping, an indirect measure of the molecular landscape in the cell, which has critical limitations. Here we demonstrate Raman image-activated cell sorting by directly probing chemically specific intracellular molecular vibrations via ultrafast multicolor stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy for cellular phenotyping. Specifically, the technology enables real-time SRS-image-based sorting of single live cells with a throughput of up to ~100 events per second without the need for fluorescent labeling. To show the broad utility of the technology, we show its applicability to diverse cell types and sizes. The technology is highly versatile and holds promise for numerous applications that are previously difficult or undesirable with fluorescence-based technologies. Most current cell sorting methods are based on fluorescence detection with no imaging capability. Here the authors generate and use Raman image-activated cell sorting with a throughput of around 100 events per second, providing molecular images with no need for labeling.

Phlorotannins are a type of natural active substance extracted from brown algae, which belong to a type of important plant polyphenol. Phloroglucinol is the basic unit in its structure. Phlorotannins have a wide range of biological activities, such as antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral, anti-tumor, anti-hypertensive, hypoglycemic, whitening, anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory, etc. Phlorotannins are mainly used in the fields of medicine, food and cosmetics. This paper reviews the research progress of extraction, separation technology and biological activity of phlorotannins, which will help the scientific community investigate the greater biological significance of phlorotannins.

The need for excellent, affordable, rapid, reusable and biocompatible protein purification techniques is justified based on the roles of proteins as key biomacromolecules. Magnetic nanomaterials nowadays have become the subject of discussion in proteomics, drug delivery, and gene sensing due to their various abilities including rapid separation, superparamagnetism, and biocompatibility. These nanomaterials also referred to as magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) serve as excellent options for traditional protein separation and analytical methods because they have a larger surface area per volume. From ionic metals to carbon-based materials, MNPs are easily functionalized by modifying their surface to precisely recognize and bind proteins. This review excavates state-of-the-art MNPs and their functionalizing agents, as efficient protein separation and purification techniques, including ionic metals, polymers, biomolecules, antibodies, and graphene. The MNPs could be reused and efficaciously manipulated with these nanomaterials leading to highly improved efficiency, adsorption, desorption, and purity rate. We also discuss the binding and selectivity parameters of the MNPs, as well as their future outlook. It is concluded that parameters like charge, size, core–shell, lipophilicity, lipophobicity, and surface energy of the MNPs are crucial when considering protein selectivity, chelation, separation, and purity. Graphical abstract

Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua, the dried rhizome of Polygonum multiflorum from the Liliaceae family, is a widely used medicinal herb with a long history of application. Its main active ingredients are polysaccharides, which have been demonstrated in contemporary studies to effectively delay the aging process. In the present study, homogeneous polysaccharide (PCP-1) was obtained after the purification and isolation of polysaccharides from Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua (PCP). The anti-aging activities of both were compared, and the possible mechanism of action for exerting anti-aging activity was explored using Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). Research has indicated that PCP and PCP-1 exhibit potent anti-oxidant and anti-aging properties. Of particular note is that PCP-1 acts better than PCP. The two were able to prolong the lifespan of nematodes, improve the stress resistance of nematodes, reduce the accumulation of lipofuscin in the intestine, decrease the content of ROS and MDA in the body, increase the activity of the antioxidant enzymes SOD and CAT, promote the nuclear translocation of DAF-16, down-regulate the mRNA levels of the age-1 and daf-2 genes of the IIS pathway in nematodes, and up-regulate the expression of the daf-16, skn-1, sod-3, and hsp-16.2 genes. Based on the aforementioned findings, it is possible that the mechanism by which PCP and PCP-1 exert anti-aging effects may be through negative regulation of the IIS pathway, activation of the transcription factor DAF-16/FOXO, and enhancement of oxidative defenses and stress resistance in nematodes. Overall, the present study illustrated the great potential of polysaccharides from Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua in anti-aging and antioxidant activities. Specifically, PCP-1 demonstrated superior characteristics, which provides a reference for the future development of Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua polysaccharides.

Serious environmental concerns regarding the use of fossil-based fuels have raised awareness regarding the necessity of alternative clean fuels and energy carriers. Biodiesel is considered a clean, biodegradable, and non-toxic diesel substitute produced via the transesterification of triglycerides with an alcohol in the presence of a proper catalyst. After initial separation of the by-product (glycerol), the crude biodiesel needs to be purified to meet the standard specifications prior to marketing. The presence of impurities in the biodiesel not only significantly affects its engine performance but also complicates its handling and storage. Therefore, biodiesel purification is an essential step prior to marketing. Biodiesel purification methods can be classified based on the nature of the process into equilibrium-based, affinity-based, membrane-based, reaction-based, and solid-liquid separation processes. The main adverse properties of biodiesel – namely moisture absorption, corrosiveness, and high viscosity – primarily arise from the presence of oxygen. To address these issues, several upgrading techniques have been proposed, among which catalytic (hydro)deoxygenation using conventional hydrotreating catalysts, supported metallic materials, and most recently transition metals in various forms appear promising. Nevertheless, catalyst deactivation (via coking) and/or inadequacy of product yields necessitate further research. This paper provides a comprehensive overview on the techniques and methods used for biodiesel purification and upgrading.

With the advancement in membrane technology, membrane separation technology has been found increasingly widespread applications in the pharmaceutical industry. It is utilized in drug separation and purification, wastewater treatment, and the recycling of wastewater resources. This study summarizes the application history of membrane technology in the pharmaceutical industry, presents practical engineering examples of its applications, analyzes the various types of membrane technologies employed in the pharmaceutical sector, and finally, highlights the application cases of renowned international and Chinese membrane technology companies in the pharmaceutical field.

To produce antioxidant substances from agricultural waste Camellia spp. fruit shells before their further utilization, gallic acid from five kinds of Camellia spp. fruit shells was separated on specific recognition by deep eutectic solvent molecularly imprinted polymers (DES@MIPs), which were prepared by bulk polymerization using gallic acid as the template and deep eutectic solvents (α-methylacrylic acid and choline chloride) as functional monomers. The optimized DES@MIPs were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, particle size analysis, nitrogen sorption porosimetry, elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and thermal gravimetric analysis. The adsorptive behavior of gallic acid on DES@MIPs was also investigated. The results indicated that DES@MIPs were successfully prepared as mesoporous materials with average pore diameter of 9.65 nm and total pore volume of 0.315 cm3 g−1, and the adsorption behavior was multilayer adsorption and pseudo-second-order kinetics with the saturation adsorptive capacity of gallic acid reaching 0.7110 mmol g−1. Although the content of gallic acid in five fruit shells was quite different, the purification recovery of gallic acid was high, ranging from 87.85–96.75% with a purity over 80%. Thus, the purification of gallic acid from Camellia spp. fruit shells could be realized feasibly using DES@MIPs with favorable economic and environmental benefits.

Fucoidan has many biological functions, including anti-tumor activity. Additionally, it has been suggested that low-molecular-weight fucoidans have greater bioactivities. This study aimed to examine the degradation, purification, physicochemical characterization and in vitro antitumor activity of fucoidan from Sargassum hemiphyllum (Turner) C. Agardh. Fucoidan was isolated using DEAE-cellulose-52 (F1, F2), Vc-H2O2 degration, and Sepharose CL-6B gel (DF1, DF2) from crude Sargassum fucoidans. Physicochemical characteristics of four isolated fucoidans were examined using chemical and monosaccharide composition, average molecular weight (Mw), and FTIR. Furthermore, the anti-proliferative effects of purified fucoidans on human hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HepG2), human Burkitt Lymphoma cells (MCF-7), human uterine carcinoma cells (Hela) and human lung cancer cells (A549) were analyzed by MTT method. The apoptosis of HepG2 cells was detected by flow cytometry. Our data suggest that the contents of polysaccharide, L-fucose and sulfate of DF2 were the highest, which were 73.93%, 23.02% and 29.88%, respectively. DF1 has the smallest molecular weight (14,893 Da) followed by DF2 (21,292 Da). The four fractions are mainly composed of fucose, mannose and rhamnose, and the infrared spectra are similar, all of which contain polysaccharide and sulfate characteristic absorption peaks. The results of MTT assay showed that the four fractions had inhibitory effects on HepG2 and A549 in the range of 0.5–8 mg/mL, and the four fractions had strong cytotoxic effects on HepG2 cells. DF2 had the best inhibitory effect on HepG2 (IC50 = 2.2 mg/mL). In general, the antitumor activity of Sargassum fucoidans is related to the content of L-fucose, sulfate and molecular weight, and Sargassum fucoidan has the best inhibitory effect on HepG2 hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Furthermore, when compared to MCF-7, Hela, and A549 cells, Sargassum fucoidans had the best capacity to reduce the viability of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HepG2) and to induce cell apoptosis, proving itself to have a good potential in anti-liver cancer therapy.

(1) Background: Aqueous two-phase systems (ATPSs) have been widely used in the separation and purification of bioactive substances in recent years. (2) Methods: In this study, deep eutectic solvents (DESs)-based ATPSs were employed for the extraction and separation of Astragalus membranaceus polysaccharides (AMP). The optimal DES (choline chloride:urea = 1:1) was first screened to extract AMP, and the effect of DES concentration, solid–liquid ratio, pH, extraction temperature, and extraction time on the extraction yield of AMP were investigated. (3) Results: The maximum extraction yield was 141.11 mg/g under the optimum conditions. AMP was then preliminarily purified by ATPS, to further realize the recycling and reuse of DES. The effect of type of salts, salt concentration, and extraction temperature on extraction efficiency was investigated. The extraction efficiency was 97.85% for AMP under the optimum ATPS conditions. Finally, the obtained AMP was studied by molecular weight determination, infrared spectroscopy analysis, and monosaccharide composition analysis. (4) Conclusions: This ATPS extraction based on DESs is simple, environmentally friendly, low-cost, and has high extraction efficiency, which provides new ideas for the extraction of plant polysaccharides and other bioactive compounds.