Zeaxanthin Production by an Antarctic sp.: Effect of Dissolved Oxygen Concentration and Modeling Kinetics in Batch and Fed-Batch Fermentation.

Zeaxanthin is a high-value carotenoid, found naturally in fruits and vegetables, flowers, and microorganisms. genus is widely known for the production of zeaxanthin in its free form. Nowadays, the production of zeaxanthin from bacteria is still noncompetitive with traditional methods.

Advances in process design, techno-economic assessment and environmental aspects for hydrothermal pretreatment in the fractionation of biomass under biorefinery concept.

The development and sustainability of second-generation biorefineries are essential for the production of high added value compounds and biofuels and their application at the industrial level. Pretreatment is one of the most critical stages in biomass processing. In this specific case, hydrothermal pretreatments (liquid hot water [LHW] and steam explosion [SE]) are considered the most promising process for the fractionation, hydrolysis and structural modifications of biomass.

Lactic acid production by sp. isolated from a maritime Antarctic lake using eucalyptus enzymatic hydrolysate.

sp., a lactic acid bacterium isolated from a maritime Antarctic lake, was evaluated for lactic acid production from a lignocellulosic hydrolysate. Eucalyptus sawdust, a residue from pulp and paper industries, was subjected to alkaline pretreatment to enhance its enzymatic hydrolysis.

Biotechnological production of zeaxanthin by an Antarctic Flavobacterium: Evaluation of culture conditions.

Statistical experimental designs were used to formulate a culture medium for zeaxanthin production by an Antarctic Flavobacterium sp. P8 strain. Eleven nutritional factors were assayed in shaken flasks.

Carotenoids from heterotrophic bacteria isolated from Fildes Peninsula, King George Island, Antarctica.

Carotenoids are isoprenoid pigments used by pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food and feed industry as antioxidants and colorants. Although traditional sources of carotenoids are fruits, vegetables and chemical synthesis, prospecting for alternative sinks of common and/or unusual carotenoids is important for the development of natural carotenoid industry. In this work, 30 pigmented bacterial strains from Fildes Peninsula in King George Island, Antarctica, were isolated and identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and classified in three phyla, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes and Actinobacteria.

Evaluation of sweet potato for fuel bioethanol production: hydrolysis and fermentation.

The enzymatic starch hydrolysis and bioethanol production from a variety of sweet potato developed for bioenergy purposes (K 9807.1) on the basis of its high starch yields, was studied. Drying at 55°C and 95°C of sweet potato neither affected the sugar content nor the starch enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency.

Energy consumption evaluation of fuel bioethanol production from sweet potato.

The energy consumption for different operative conditions and configurations of the bioethanol production industrial process from an experimental variety of sweet potato (Ipomea batatas) K 9807.1 was evaluated. A process simulation model was developed using SuperPro Designer® software.

Isolation and selection of native microorganisms for the aerobic treatment of simulated dairy wastewaters.

Milk fat/protein degrading microorganisms were isolated from different locations of a dairy wastewater treatment system with the goal of developing an inoculum for bioaugmentation strategies. Eight isolates, identified by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis as belonging to the genera Bacillus, Pseudomonas, and Acinetobacter, were tested for their ability to remove COD and protein from a milk-based medium (3000 mg/L COD) and compared to a commercial bioaugmentation inoculum. The Acinetobacter isolate exhibited a pellet-type growth in liquid culture, a property that could potentially aid in the separation of microbes and liquid phase following treatment.

Performance of a commercial inoculum for the aerobic biodegradation of a high fat content dairy wastewater.

The effectiveness of a commercial inoculum for degrading a dairy wastewater with high fat content was evaluated, and compared with an activated sludge inoculum from a dairy wastewater treatment pond. Both inocula reached similar chemical oxygen demand removal in batch experiments. The population dynamics was also studied by determining heterotrophic counts.

Kinetic properties of a commercial and a native inoculum for aerobic milk fat degradation.

The aerobic fat biodegradation potential and growth characteristics of a commercial and a native inoculum (activated sludge from a dairy wastewater treatment pond), were evaluated. Batch tests were conducted with a medium based on butter oil, as the sole source of carbon, and mineral salts. Residual fat, biomass and CO(2) production were measured.