Extremophiles as a Source of Biotechnological Products

Extremophile and extremozyme capabilities to uphold catalytic actions under extreme situations open up a varied array of biotechnological applications. Extremophiles are a rich supply of biocatalysts used for innumerable purposes. Bioactive molecules and enzymes isolated from organisms inhabiting risky environments being used in biological innovation pipelines and pharmaceutical have positive claims. The species biodiversity has favourable reservoir of the unexploited amalgams with biotechnological significance. Prospective solicitations of extremozymes, chiefly as catalysis of multistep progressions, quorum sensing, bioremediation, biofuel, biodiversity and prospecting, biomining, and genetic technology are explored. To boost the biotechnological uses of extremozymes, research and development efforts are needed to address hurdles such as extremophile culture, gene expression in host cells, and extremozyme bioprocessing. Extremophiles can be a resource for innovative biotechnological comprising industrial biotechnology, agriculture, medical, food, and environmental biotechnology.

Scientific Approaches to the Creation of Biocompatible Implant Materials

In modern medicine, biotechnological products and systems are used and widely studied, in which various elements and parts interact with biological fluids, soft and hard muscle tissues. This mainly concerns products used in cardiovascular surgery, orthopaedic surgery, dentistry and reconstructive surgery, as well as in ophthalmology. The article studies scientific approaches to the creation of biocompatible implant materials, considers their types, defines the basic requirements for biocompatible materials.

Cheese whey permeate valorization using sequential fermentations: case study performed in the Western Region of Paraná

Sooro Renner Nutrição S.A. company is found in the Western Region of Paraná/Brazil, which is highlighted nationally and in Latin America concerning the production of whey protein concentrate (WPC). During the production of WPC, performed in ultrafiltration membranes, the subproduct cheese whey permeate (CWP) is generated, which is rich in nutrients, such as lactose, minerals, and vitamins. This subproduct is reported as a potential culture medium to grow microorganisms. Thus, this research, performed in partnership with the Sooro company, aimed to develop biotechnological products employing sequential fermentations to fully use this subproduct bioconverting the ethanol obtained from CWP into vinegar employing the acetic bacterium Acetobacter aceti and different methods - Orleans, aerated, and stirred. The biotransformation into ethanol was performed by Kluyveromyces marxianus (alcoholic fermentation step) using a 2³ factorial experimental design to investigate the influence of lactose concentration, temperature, and pH. The maximum ethanol production was 47.18±0.05 g L-1, employing the conditions 88 g L-1 of lactose, 29 °C, and pH 4.5 in 45 h. Besides ethanol, probiotic cellular biomass, prebiotic galacto-oligosaccharides, and organic acids were also produced. In the oxidation stage, the Orleans method presented the best production: 42.30±0.08 g L-1 of acetic acid in 21 days. After this production, reductions of chemical oxygen demand and biochemical oxygen demand of the CWP were 60 and 65%, respectively. The results showed the great potential of CWP as a fermentation medium to obtain biotechnological products as a rentable and viable alternative to fully use CWP.

Recent Advances in the Control of Helminths of Domestic Animals by Helminthophagous Fungi

This review describes the advances acquired and proven in the use of helminthophagous fungi in the control of gastrointestinal helminth parasites in domestic animals. Old and well-known premises about parasitic epidemiology and the factors that can interfere with the best performance of biological control are mentioned. Some of the most promising fungi are Duddingtonia flagrans from the predatory fungi group and Pochonia chamydosporia and Mucor circinelloides from the ovicidal fungi group. These fungi produce resistance spores called chlamidospores. Bioverm® and BioWorma®, based on the fungus D. flagrans, are available as commercial. Biotechnological products such as nanoparticles and obtaining primary and secondary metabolites have already been obtained from these fungi. Because they have different mechanisms of action, ovicidal and predatory fungi, when used together, can present a complementary and synergistic action in the biological control of helminths. Therefore, future research in the search for new formulations, the association of fungi from different groups, extraction of new molecules, and nanoparticles of these fungi in the control of helminths in various domestic animals are desired.

Introducing Uncertainty Quantification to Techno-economic Models of Manufacturing Field-Grown Plant-Made Products

There is a growing demand for large market natural and biotechnological products, for example, consumer preferences drive plant-based meat alternatives, health risks of sugar overconsumption continue to motivate alternative sweeteners, and the COVID-19 pandemic has reinvigorated interest in countries developing in-house vaccine and medication production capabilities. The current paradigm of bioreactor-based biomanufacturing faces difficulties of scalability and a high entry barrier of capital intensity and workforce specialization. Field-grown plant-based manufacturing, as an inexpensive and readily scalable platform, is a promising strategy to meet this emerging demand. Despite some successes in field-grown bioproducts manufacturing by companies such as Ventria Biosciences, concerns of product variability have largely stymied growth in this area. Here we report on the development and use of techno-economic modeling coupled with Monte Carlo-based uncertainty quantification as an effective tool to quantify and mitigate the impact of crop variation on product quality and supply for field-grown plant-based manufacturing.