Aerosol disinfection of bacterial spores by peracetic acid on antibacterial surfaces and other technical materials.

Background: The effectiveness of aerosol disinfection processes based on peracetic acid (PAA) might differ depending on the surface targeted. Especially antibacterial, oligodynamic materials have to be regarded as they could cause elevated decomposition of PAA.

Aim: This study aimed on the determination of differences in disinfection effectiveness using PAA caused by the treated material.

Functional characteristics, nutritional value and industrial applications of Madhuca longifolia seeds: an overview.

New sustainable edible oil sources are desired to achieve supply chain flexibility and cost saving opportunities. Non-traditional fruit seeds are being considered because their constituents have unique chemical properties and may augment the supply of nutritional and functional products. Madhuca longifolia Syn.

Enzyme catalysis in organic solvents: influence of water content, solvent composition and temperature on Candida rugosa lipase catalyzed transesterification.

In the present study the influence of water content, solvent composition and reaction temperature on the transesterification of 1-phenylpropan-2-ol catalyzed by Candida rugosa lipase was examined. Reactions were carried out in different mixtures of hexane and tetrahydrofurane. The studies showed that an increasing water content of the organic solvent results in an increasing enzyme activity and a decreasing enantiomeric excess.

Preparation and characterization of PEGyated Concanavalin A for affinity chromatography with improved stability.

In order to improve its stability, immobilized Concanavalin A (Con A) on Toyopearl adsorbents was conjugated with monomethoxy poly(ethylene glycol) succinimidyl propionate (mPEG-SPA) with different molecular weight. A colorimetric method using ninhydrin is proposed to determine the degree of PEGylation; this method has proved to be easy applicable and reproducible. The PEGylation reaction was studied in detail to elucidate how parameters such as molar ratio of mPEG-SPA to Con A and molecular weight of mPEG-SPA affect the degree of PEGylation.

Influence of reaction conditions on the enantioselectivity of biocatalyzed C-C bond formations under high pressure conditions.

Benzoylformate decarboxylase (BFD, EC 4.1.1.

Immobilization and characterization of benzoylformate decarboxylase from Pseudomonas putida on spherical silica carrier.

If an adequate biocatalyst is identified for a specific reaction, immobilization is one possibility to further improve its properties. The immobilization allows easy recycling, improves the enzyme performance, and it often enhances the stability of the enzyme. In this work, the immobilization of the benzoylformate decarboxylase (BFD) variant, BFD A460I-F464I, from Pseudomonas putida was accomplished on spherical silica.

Interaction of cellulose-based cationic polyelectrolytes with mucin.

Mucoadhesivity of water-soluble polymers is an important factor, when testing their suitability for controlled drug delivery systems. For this purpose, the interaction of new cationic cellulose polyelectrolytes with lyophilized mucin was investigated by means of turbidimetric titration, microscopy and measurement of zeta potential and particle size changes in the system. Results show that the cellulose derivatives interact with mucin.

Influence of the hydrostatic pressure and pH on the asymmetric 2-hydroxyketone formation catalyzed by Pseudomonas putida benzoylformate decarboxylase and variants thereof.

Benzoylformate decarboxylase (BFD) from Pseudomonas putida is a thiamine diphosphate-dependent (ThDP) enzyme that catalyzes the asymmetric C--C bond formation to (S)-2-hydroxypropiophenone [(S)-HPP] starting from benzaldehyde and acetaldehyde. The enantioselectivity of BFD was shown to be a function of temperature and substrate concentration. It can additionally be changed by site-directed mutagenesis on hot spot positions in the active site.

Small angle neutron scattering as sensitive tool to detect ligand-dependent shape changes in a plant lectin with beta-trefoil folding and their dependence on the nature of the solvent.

The galactoside-specific Viscum album L. agglutinin (VAA) is a potent biohazard akin to ricin and a mitogen for immune and tumor cells. These activities depend on cell surface binding to glycans.

Evaluation of two different Concanavalin A affinity adsorbents for the adsorption of glucose oxidase.

Concanavalin A (Con A) was selected as ligand and thus immobilized onto two different supports, namely the polymeric Toyopearl and the inorganic silica, with the protection of its binding sites provided during the coupling procedure. The prepared Con A affinity adsorbents were then employed to evaluate their adsorption behaviour for the enzyme glucose oxidase (GOD). The immobilization kinetics showed that the immobilization of Con A on silica supports was much faster than that on Toyopearl supports, which could highly reduce the possibility of the denaturation of Con A.

Molecular dynamics simulations of pea (Pisum sativum) lectin structure with octyl glucoside detergents: the ligand interactions and dynamics.

The mitogenic pea (Pisum sativum) lectin is a legume protein of non-immunoglobulin nature capable of specific recognition of glucose derivatives without altering its structure. Molecular dynamics simulations were performed in a realistic environment to investigate the structure and interaction properties of pea lectin with various concentrations of n-octyl-beta-d-glucopyranoside (OG) detergent monomers distributed inside explicit solvent cell. In addition, the diffusion coefficients of the ligands (OG, Ca2+, Mn2+, and Cl-) and the water molecules were also reported.

Chemical indices and methods of multivariate statistics as a tool for odor classification.

Industrial and agricultural off-gas streams are comprised of numerous volatile compounds, many of which have substantially different odorous properties. State-of-the-art waste-gas treatment includes the characterization of these molecules and is directed at, if possible, either the avoidance of such odorants during processing or the use of existing standardized air purification techniques like bioscrubbing or afterburning, which however, often show low efficiency under ecological and economical regards. Selective odor separation from the off-gas streams could ease many of these disadvantages but is not yet widely applicable.

Detection, isolation and partial characterization of an immunostimulating glycoprotein from Rhodococcus fascians.

In a search for novel immunostimulating substances we detected that culture supernatants of the gram-positive phytopathogenic bacterium, Rhodococcus fascians, were able to induce cytokine release (TNF(alpha)) from mouse peritoneal macrophages. Monoclonal antibodies were generated against the active principle, and were employed for its isolation and partial characterization as a high molecular (MW>100 kDa) glycoprotein. In addition, methods practicable for its biotechnological preparation and several ELISA variants for its determination were developed.

Molecular dynamics characterization of n-octyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside micelle structure in aqueous solution.

n-Octyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside (OG) is a non-ionic glycolipid, which is used widely in biotechnical and biochemical applications. All-atom molecular dynamics simulations from two different initial coordinates and velocities in explicit solvent have been performed to characterize the structural behaviour of an OG aggregate at equilibrium conditions. Geometric packing properties determined from the simulations and small angle neutron scattering experiment state that OG micelles are more likely to exist in a non-spherical shape, even at the concentration range near to the critical micelle concentration (0.

Evaluation of cellulose-based biospecific adsorbents as a stationary phase for lectin affinity chromatography.

Macroporous cellulose Granocel was evaluated as a matrix for the immobilization of two lectins Concanavalin A (ConA) (108 kDa) and Wheat Germ Agglutinin (WGA) (36 kDa). Two different methods were employed for the immobilization of the lectins via their protein moieties by a Schiff's bases reaction. One of them results in covalent coupling of the lectin directly to the support and the other gives the attachment through a long spacer arm which benefits the immobilization of voluminous ConA molecules.

Enhancement of enzymatic digestion of Antarctic krill and successive extraction of selenium organic compounds by ultrasound treatment.

In a previous work we described the isolation of selenium organic species from Antarctic krill after enzymatic hydrolysis. In this paper we present the results of the influence of ultrasonication on the enzymatic treatment and the successive isolation of selenomethionine. We showed that ultrasound-assisted enzymatic digestion leads to quantitative release of selenium in the soluble fraction and recovery of selenomethionine from the krill protein within a time 2 orders of magnitude shorter.

Comparison of modified supports on the base of glycoprotein interaction studies and of adsorption investigations.

The features of matrices, suitable for affinity chromatography, have been extensively investigated and got subject for several reviews. But these investigations show, that there is still a lack in adsorbent characterization and a demand of comparative investigations of adsorbents, based on different materials with a range of different surface functionalities. In this work the performance of self-prepared silica and cellulose-based adsorbents were compared with commercially available polymeric supports.

Isolation of selenium organic species from antarctic krill after enzymatic hydrolysis.

Total selenium content and its distribution in the soluble and insoluble protein-bound fractions obtained after aqueous extraction of antarctic krill samples were determined. About 26% of the total selenium (2.4 microg g-1 dry weight) was found in the supernatant; the rest was in the pellet.

Decontamination of polyaromatic hydrocarbons from soil by steam stripping: mathematical modeling of the mass transfer and energy requirement.

For cleaning of contaminated soil from polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), a thermal separation process is applied. The process uses superheated steam that is supplied through a nozzle together with a suspension (approximately 40% soil content) of the contaminated soil into a tube reactor. In the reactor, the soil suspension is vaporized, and the PAH are stripped from the soil at temperatures of 140-300 degrees C.

Process development in affinity separation of glycoconjugates with lectins as ligands.

Process development for affinity separation is a crucial prerequisite for a successful biospecific isolation of biological active substances like glycoconjugates or enzymes. The functionalization of polymer and silica based adsorbents and their influence on the adsorption behaviour of the modified adsorbents are presented. Improvement of the immobilization conditions for different lectins lead to a stable binding of more than 90% within 4 h of ligands applied to the immobilization solution.

Detection of ligand- and solvent-induced shape alterations of cell-growth-regulatory human lectin galectin-1 in solution by small angle neutron and x-ray scattering.

The bioactivity of galectin-1 in cell growth regulation and adhesion prompted us to answer the questions whether ligand presence and a shift to an aprotic solvent typical for bioaffinity chromatography might alter the shape of the homodimeric human lectin in solution. We used small angle neutron and synchrotron x-ray scattering studies for this purpose. Upon ligand accommodation, the radius of gyration of human galectin-1 decreased from 19.

A novel correlation for protein diffusion coefficients based on molecular weight and radius of gyration.

A new correlation is proposed for the prediction of protein diffusion coefficients in free solution. Molecular weight and radius of gyration of proteins are employed as correlation parameters in this method. Both parameters can be easily found in the literature.

One-step affinity purification of fetuin from fetal bovine serum.

Fetuin is a plasma glycoprotein widely distributed in mammals. It has been used as a model protein for structural analyses and investigations into the biological properties of glycoproteins. A convenient one-step procedure for biospecific isolation of fetuin from fetal bovine serum was developed on the basis of wheatgerm agglutinin (WGA) affinity separation.