Ultrasound-assisted dilute acid hydrolysis for production of essential oils, pectin and bacterial cellulose via a citrus processing waste biorefinery.

An orange peel waste biorefinery was developed employing a design of experiments approach to optimize the ultrasound-assisted dilute acid hydrolysis process applied for production of useful commodities. Central composite design-based response surface methodology was used to approximate the combined effects of process parameters in simultaneous production of essential oils, pectin and a sugar-rich hydrolyzate. Application of a desirability function determined the optimal conditions required for maximal production efficiency of essential oils, pectin and sugars as 5.

Correction to: Molecular, biochemical and kinetic analysis of a novel, thermostable lipase (LipSm) from Psi‑1, the first member of a new bacterial lipase family (XIX).

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s40709-018-0074-6.].

Molecular, biochemical and kinetic analysis of a novel, thermostable lipase (LipSm) from Psi-1, the first member of a new bacterial lipase family (XVIII).

Background: Microbial lipases catalyze a broad spectrum of reactions and are enzymes of considerable biotechnological interest. The focus of this study was the isolation of new lipase genes, intending to discover novel lipases whose products bear interesting biochemical and structural features and may have a potential to act as valuable biocatalysts in industrial applications.

Results: A novel lipase gene (), from a new environmental strain, Psi-1, originating from a sludge sample from Psittaleia (Greece), was cloned and sequenced.

Novel FRET-substrates of Rhizomucor pusillus rennin: Activity and mechanistic studies.

The development of sensitive, easy and reliable methods for the determination of Rhizomucor pusillus rennin (MPR) activity, in free and in immobilized form, along with the elucidation of the mechanism of action, represent challenges for the widespread use of the enzyme in industrial cheese production. These could be accomplished by using highly specific and sensitive substrates, as well as direct assay methods. We designed and synthesized novel substrates based on Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) for the MPR by employing computational simulation techniques and peptide synthesis in liquid phase.

Sustainable production of a new generation biofuel by lipase-catalyzed esterification of fatty acids from liquid industrial waste biomass.

In this work we suggest a methodology comprising the design and use of cost-effective, sustainable, and environmentally friendly process for biofuel production compatible with the market demands. A new generation biofuel is produced using fatty acids, which were generated from acidogenesis of industrial wastes of bioethanol distilleries, and esterified with selected alcohols by immobilized Candida antarctica Lipase-B. Suitable reactors with significant parameters and conditions were studied through experimental design, and novel esterification processes were suggested; among others, the continuous removal of the produced water was provided.

Scale-up for esters production from straw whiskers for biofuel applications.

Delignified wheat straw was fermented by a mixed bacterial anaerobic culture obtained from a UASB reactor to produce organic acids (OAs). Kissiris was used as immobilization carrier in a 2-compartment 82L bioreactor filled with 17L of fermentation broth for the first 7 fermentation batches and up to 40L for the subsequent batches. The amount of straw used was 30g/L and the temperature was set at 37°C for all experiments.

Kinetic and computational analysis of the reversible inhibition of porcine pancreatic elastase: a structural and mechanistic approach.

Structural and mechanistic insights were revealed for the reversible inhibition of Porcine Pancreatic Elastase (PPE); the kinetics of uninhibited and inhibited hydrolysis of substrate Suc-AAA-pNA was analyzed thoroughly. Additionally, the interactions between PPE and its inhibitor were studied by computational techniques. The uninhibited hydrolysis of Suc-AAA-pNA by PPE proceeds through a virtual transition state, involving an inferior physical and another dominating chemical step, where two stabilized reactant states precede the predominant acyl-enzyme.

Economic evaluation of technology for a new generation biofuel production using wastes.

An economic evaluation of an integrated technology for industrial scale new generation biofuel production using whey, vinasse, and lignocellulosic biomass as raw materials is reported. Anaerobic packed-bed bioreactors were used for organic acids production using initially synthetic media and then wastes. Butyric, lactic and acetic acid were predominately produced from vinasse, whey, and cellulose, respectively.

Advances in lipase-catalyzed esterification reactions.

Lipase-catalyzed esterification reactions are among the most significant chemical and biochemical processes of industrial relevance. Lipases catalyze hydrolysis as well as esterification reactions. Enzyme-catalyzed esterification has acquired increasing attention in many applications, due to the significance of the derived products.

Purification, kinetic characterization and properties of a novel thermo-tolerant extracellular protease from Kluyveromyces marxianus IFO 0288 with potential biotechnological interest.

A novel extracellular hydrolase of ∼45kDa molecular mass was purified from Kluyveromyces marxianus IFO 0288 cultures and characterized as serine protease. The K(m)-value of protease (designated protease-KM-IFO-0288-A), which was found active in media containing elevated [NaCl] but lacking EDTAK(2), decreased with increasing [Ca(2+)]. The protease maintained considerable activity at the range of 10-60°C and pH 6.

Experimental investigation and optimization of process variables affecting the production of extracellular lipase by Kluyveromyces marxianus IFO 0288.

In this study, the production and optimization of extracellular lipase from Kluyveromyces marxianus IFO 0288 was investigated by using optimized nutritional and cultural conditions in a yeast medium containing glucose as the carbon source in fully aerobic batch fermentation (150 rpm). The influence of four fermentation parameters (type of lipidic source, initial culture pH, temperature, and length of fermentation) on growth and lipase production was investigated and evaluated using the conventional "one variable at a time" approach and response surface methodology. An 18-fold increase in lipase production during 65 h of fermentation was obtained with optimized nutritional (0.