Fumaric acid production by Rhizopus species from acid hydrolysate of oil palm empty fruit bunches.

The hemicellulosic fraction of lignocellulosic biomass is a very important material, due to the significant concentration of pentoses present in its composition and that can be used sustainably in biotechnological processes such as the production of fumaric acid. Research efforts are currently being promoted for the proper disposal and valorization of empty fruit bunches (EFB) from oil palm. In this work, seventeen Rhizopus species were evaluated in a fermentation medium with EFB hydrolyzate, without detoxification, as a carbon source for fumaric acid production.

In vitro cytotoxic effect of a chitin-like polysaccharide produced by Mortierella alpina on adrenocortical carcinoma cells H295R, and its use as mitotane adjuvant.

This study presents an in vitro evaluation of the antitumor potential of a chitin-like exopolysaccharide (EPS, produced by Mortierella alpina) on Adrenocortical carcinoma cells (ACC) compared to mitotane, a commercial drug commonly used in ACC treatment, and known for its side effects. Techniques of cellular viability determination such as MTT and fluorescence were used to measure the cytotoxic effects of the EPS and mitotane in tumoral cells (H295R) and non-tumoral cells (VERO), observing high cytotoxicity of mitotane and a 10% superior pro-apoptotic effect of the EPS compared to mitotane (p < 0.05).

A non-waste strategy for enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose recovered from domestic wastewater.

Cellulose is a potential resource to be recovered from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). Enzyme formulations can be employed to hydrolyze cellulose into fermentable sugars, to be further used as biochemical building blocks or reducing its recalcitrance to further treatment processes. This study proposed the production, recovery and formulation of cellulase using domestic wastewater as culture medium and its application for the hydrolysis of cellulosic residues recovered from WWTPs.

Phytochemical analysis and biological activities of in vitro cultured Nidularium procerum, a bromeliad vulnerable to extinction.

This study reports the first phytochemical and biological characterization in treatment of adrenocortical carcinoma cells (H295R) of extracts from Nidularium procerum, an endemic bromeliad of Atlantic Forest vulnerable to extinction. Extracts of dry leaves obtained from in vitro-grown plants were recovered by different extraction methods, viz., hexanoic, ethanolic, and hot and cold aqueous.

Alternative methods for gibberellic acid production, recovery and formulation: A case study for product cost reduction.

The aim of this work was to develop a new production, recovery and formulation process of gibberellic acid (GA). Low-cost byproducts - citrus pulp (CP) and soybean hulls (SH) - were employed as substrate for GA production by Gibberella fujikuroi in semisolid fermentation. A CP/SH mixture (70%/30%) promoted high productivities both in bubble column reactor (1.

Feasibility of ramie fibers as raw material for the isolation of nanofibrillated cellulose.

In this study, a strategy was adopted to enhance the use of ramie fibers as raw material for isolation of cellulose nanofibers (CNFs). Ramie pulp was produced by alkaline organosolv followed by bleaching. CNFs were produced by mechanical defibrillation, and films were fabricated via casting.

Definition of Liquid and Powder Cellulase Formulations Using Domestic Wastewater in Bubble Column Reactor.

Raw domestic wastewater was used as a culture medium for cellulase production in a bubble column reactor (6.2 U/mL, 64.6 U/L h) using the strain Trichoderma harzianum TRIC03-LPBII.