A New Rapid and Quantitative Assay to Determine the Phytase Activity of Feed.

The fortification of animal feed with enzymes in order to optimize feed utilization has become a standard for the meat production industry. A method for measuring levels of active enzymes that can be carried out quickly would ensure that feed has been supplemented with the appropriate amount of enzyme. Phytase is the most widely used feed enzyme and is routinely quantified with an activity assay in a limited number of specialized laboratories.

An integrated approach for efficient biomethane production from solid bio-wastes in a compact system.

Background: Solid bio-wastes (or organic residues) are worldwide produced in high amount and increasingly considered bioenergy containers rather than waste products. A complete bioprocess from recalcitrant solid wastes to methane (SW2M) via anaerobic digestion (AD) is believed to be a sustainable way to utilize solid bio-wastes. However, the complex and recalcitrance of these organic solids make the hydrolysis process inefficient and thus a rate-limiting step to many AD technologies.

Human hemoglobin-derived peptides exhibit antimicrobial activity: a class of host defense peptides.

Hemoglobin is a known source of biologically active peptides with various functions. In the present study, we report for the first time the existence of natural processed hemoglobin fragments exhibiting antimicrobial activity in humans. Two antimicrobial hemoglobin-derived peptides were purified from a human placental peptide library by consecutive chromatographic steps tracking the maximum growth inhibitory activity against Escherichia coli BL21.