Mercury tolerance of Penicillium sp isolated from kefir grains

Inorganic contaminant contamination poses the greatest threat to the environment and human health. It has been recently reported that probiotics protect the body from inorganic contaminant damage by the bioabsorption capacity of its components. Kefir is a beverage obtained through the fermentation metabolized by Lactobacillus and yeasts that aggregate forming the grains of kefir. In order to isolate inorganic contaminant resistant microorganism, the kefir grains were crushed and the supernatant obtained was inoculated in malt-gar medium (2%) and cultured for 120 hours. Occurred formation of halos of growth which were measured every 24 hours. The isolated microorganism was also cultured in liquid medium for five days. The taxonomic analysis revealed to be fungus of the genus Penicillium. The results showed the capacity of mercury bioabsorption by Penicillium sp isolated from kefir. At pH 4.0 this activity did not suffer strong inhibition. Contrary to what was expected there was an increase in biomass when grown in liquid medium which suggests the formation of storage structures of the inorganic contaminant around the cell membrane. These results confirm that kefir contains in its composition microorganisms capable of protecting people who consume it from harmful damages caused by inorganic contaminants.

Understanding the microbiological, organic and inorganic contaminant removal capacity of ceramic water filters doped with different silver nanoparticles

Pathogen removal efficacy of ceramic water filters (CWF) impregnated with silver nanoparticles (nAg) has been well studied, however scarce information is available about the impact of nAg surface functionalization and removal of inorganic and organic pollutants.

Biochemical and Metabolic Changes in Arsenic ContaminatedBoehmeria niveaL.

Arsenic (As) is identified by the EPA as the third highest toxic inorganic contaminant. Almost every 9th or 10th human in more than 70 countries including mainland China is affected by As. Arsenic along with other toxins not only affects human life but also creates alarming situations such as the deterioration of farm lands and desertion of industrial/mining lands. Researchers and administrators have agreed to opt for phytoremediation of As over costly cleanups.Boehmeria niveaL. can soak up various heavy metals, such as Sb, Cd, Pb, and Zn. But the effect of As pollution on the biology and metabolism ofB. niveahas been somewhat overlooked. This study attempts to evaluate the extent of As resistance, chlorophyll content, and metabolic changes in As-polluted (5, 10, 15, and 20 mg L−1As)B. niveain hydroponics. Toxic effects of As in the form of inhibited growth were apparent at the highest level of added As. The significant changes in the chlorophyll, electrolyte leakage, and H2O2, significant increases in As in plant parts, catalase (CAT), and malondialdehyde (MDA), with applied As revealed the potential ofB. niveafor As decontamination. By employing the metabolic machinery ofB. nivea, As was sustainably removed from the contaminated areas.