Modulating the production of xylanase by Bacillus pumilus BS131 through optimization using waste fiber sludge

In recent days, cheapest alternative carbon source for fermentation purpose is desirable to minimize production cost. Xylanases have become attractive enzymes as their potential in bio-bleaching of pulp and paper industry. The objective of the present study was to identify the potential ability on the xylanase production by locally isolated Bacillus pumilus BS131 by using waste fiber sludge and wheat bran media under submerged fermentation. Culture growth conditions were optimized to obtain significant amount of xylanase. Maximum xylanase production was recorded after 72 hours of incubation at 30 °C and 7 pH with 4.0% substrate concentration. In the nutshell, the production of xylanase using inexpensive waste fiber sludge and wheat-bran as an alternative in place of expensive xylan substrate was more cost effective and environment friendly.

Chestnut peels and wheat bran at different water level influence the physical properties of pan bread

In breadmaking, dietary fibres are used to improve the nutritional quality of the final products; on the other hand, they may affect the physical and sensory properties. This work aimed to the evaluate, on pan breads, the effect of substituting 3 g of wheat flour with an equivalent amount of fibre rich ingredients: chestnut peels (CP) or wheat bran (WB), in comparison to a traditional wheat bread formulation (C). The effect of four levels of added water (54, 60, 66, 71 g/100 of flour) was also tested. The fibre content of CP (33%) and WB (42%) affected their water binding capacity and, consequently, the quality of the final loaves, according to the different water addition levels. In bread crumb, water content and water activity increased proportionally to the water addition levels, being instead in the crust also affected by the presence of fibres: lower water retention capacity was observed for CP, in comparison to WB and C. The loaf volume resulted higher for C in comparison to WB and CP, in relation to the larger dimensions of the crumb pores, probably due to the interfering effect of fibres during the development of the gluten network. Crumb hardness resulted higher for C at low water addition levels, being instead higher for CP at high water addition levels. CP showed a darker and redder colour, than both WB and C bread, for the presence of the brown pigments carried by chestnut peels. PCA analysis confirmed that more water is required for both the fibre-enriched breads to show characteristics similar to the control loaves.

Adsorptive Removal of Copper from Waste Water Using Biomass & Biochar Based Materials

Heavy metal contamination has been one of the primary environmental concerns for many years in most developing countries. As the industries continue to search for low-cost and efficient adsorbents to treat their effluents contaminated with these toxic metal ions, biomass-based adsorbents have gained much attention. This work exploits such ten different biomass-based adsorbents (namely, Karanja de-oiled cake, Neem de-oiled cake, Neem leaves, Moringa Leaves, Bagasse, Mango Kernel, Wheat Bran, Eucalyptus, Fly ash, and Corn cob) for adsorption of copper ions in particular. Further, selected adsorbents (namely Karanja de-oiled cake, Neem de-oiled cake, Bagasse, Wheat Bran and Mango Kernel) were taken to the next stage and modified to biochar and tested again for copper removal. Among the biomass-based adsorbents, the highest adsorption capacity was observed for Neem de-oiled cake (equal to 9.6 mg/g). While for biochar-based adsorbents, Bagasse showed the highest adsorption capacity for copper (equivalent to 13.0 mg/g).

A Cleaner Process for Short-Term Preservation of Hides using Wheat Bran

Salting is the most common method to preserve hides and skins. However, this preservation system requires the generation of large amounts of contaminated salt, approximately three million tons per year. In recent years several researchers have suggested different methods for the short-term preservation of hides using plant-based formulations, which either minimize or even completely eliminate the use of salt in the process. In this work, the possibility of using wheat bran for this purpose was studied. Two methods of application (dry and aqueous solution) have been developed. They enable the preservation of hides for one month, reducing by half the salt used in the preservation stage without undermining the quality of the final leather. These two methods contribute to the improvement of the overall sustainability of the tanning process. With dry application, the use of salt is avoided and preservation occurs because the hide is dried. The application in aqueous solution (10% wheat bran) requires its previous hydrolysis and a minimum amount of salt (10ºBé). The preservation occurs because the acidity of the hide is increased.

Behavior of laying chicks fed diets containing sources and levels of dietary fiber in the starter phase

ABSTRACT: This study evaluated the behavior and welfare conditions of laying chicks in the starter phase, fed with diets formulated with increasing levels of crude fiber (CF) and two feedstuffs with different fiber compositions. The experiment was developed at the Federal University of Goiás, in Goiânia - GO, Brazil. Three hundred Bovans White chicks were evaluated in a completely randomized design with a 2×2+1 factorial arrangement corresponding to two levels of CF in the diet (3.0 and 3.5%) and two fiber sources (wheat bran and sugarcane bagasse), plus a control treatment (maize- and soybean meal-based), totaling five treatments with six replicates of 10 birds each. Maintenance behavioral patterns and welfare were assessed at 21 and 42 days of age. There was no difference in behavior and classification by order of importance of the activities performed by the fiber-fed birds observed at 21 and 42 days, according to the Kruskal Wallis test (P>0.05). Medium and good welfare conditions were obtained with wheat bran at 3.5 and 3.0% CF, respectively, at 21 days of age. At 42 days, the use of sugarcane bagasse at the CF level of 3.5% and wheat bran at the level of 3.0%provided good behavior conditions. The use of crude fiber in the feeding of hens did not change their behavior.