905 results match your criteria: "CEB - Centre of Biological Engineering[Affiliation]"

Impact of Circular Brewer's Spent Grain Flour after In Vitro Gastrointestinal Digestion on Human Gut Microbiota.

Foods

July 2022

CBQF-Centro de Biotecnologia e Química Fina-Laboratório Associado, Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Rua Diogo Botelho 1327, 4169-005 Porto, Portugal.

Brewer's spent grain (BSG) solid residues are constituted by dietary fibre, protein, sugars, and polyphenols, which can have potential effects on human health. In this study, for the first time, the flours obtained from solid residues of solid-liquid extraction (SLE) and ohmic heating extraction (OHE) were applied throughout the gastrointestinal digestion simulation (GID), in order to evaluate their prebiotic potential and in vitro human gut microbiota fermentation. The results showed that the digestion of BSG flours obtained by the different methods lead to an increase throughout the GID of total phenolic compounds (SLE: from 2.

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Kluyveromyces marxianus as a microbial cell factory for lignocellulosic biomass valorisation.

Biotechnol Adv

November 2022

CEB-Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal; LABBELS -Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal. Electronic address:

The non-conventional yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus is widely used for several biotechnological applications, mainly due to its thermotolerance, high growth rate, and ability to metabolise a wide range of sugars. These cell traits are strategic for lignocellulosic biomass valorisation and strain diversity prompts the development of robust chassis, either with improved tolerance to lignocellulosic inhibitors or ethanol. This review summarises bioethanol and value-added chemicals production by K.

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Despite recent preclinical progress with oncolytic bacteria in cancer therapy, dose-limiting toxicity has been a long-standing challenge for clinical application. Genetic and chemical modifications for enhancing the bacterial tumor-targeting ability have been unable to establish a balance between increasing its specificity and effectiveness while decreasing side effects. Herein, we report a simple, highly efficient method for rapidly self-assembling a clinically used lipid on bacterium and for reducing its minimum effective dose and toxicity to normal organs.

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Biofilm formation on endotracheal tubes (ETT) is an important factor in the development of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). This work aimed to investigate the effectiveness of colistin (COL) against the early stages of biofilm formation by . Two strategies were used: pre-conditioning the adhesion surfaces with COL before biofilm formation and growing biofilms in its presence.

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The nutraceutical properties of L. are not restricted to the edible portion of the fruit but also to the peels and seeds, flowers, leaves, and tree bark. The recovery and valorization of the peel and seeds (ca.

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, a significant human gastric pathogen, has been demonstrating increased antibiotic resistance, causing difficulties in infection treatment. It is therefore important to develop alternatives or complementary approaches to antibiotics to tackle infections, and (bacterio)phages have proven to be effective antibacterial agents. In this work, prophage isolation was attempted using strains and UV radiation.

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A Versatile Nanocarrier-Cubosomes, Characterization, and Applications.

Nanomaterials (Basel)

June 2022

CEB-Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal.

The impact of nanotechnology on the exponential growth of several research areas, particularly nanomedicine, is undeniable. The ability to deliver active molecules to the desired site could significantly improve the efficiency of medical treatments. One of the nanocarriers developed which has drawn researchers' attention are cubosomes, which are nanosized dispersions of lipid bicontinuous cubic phases in water, consisting of a lipidic interior and aqueous domains folded in a cubic lattice.

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Does water addition during the industrial milling phase affect the chemical-sensory quality of olive oils? The case of cv. Arbequina oils.

Food Chem

November 2022

Centro de Investigação de Montanha (CIMO), ESA, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus Santa Apolónia, 5300-253 Bragança, Portugal. Electronic address:

At olive oil industrial extraction, water addition is a practice overcoming the formation of thick pastes. The effect of water addition (0 to 6.2%, kg/kg), during the industrial milling of cv.

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The current consumers' demand for high quality food products together with the growing awareness regarding the link between health and nutrition has led to the development of novel food products with added functionality. Such functionality can be modulated by adding bio-based nanosystems that can improve the bioaccessibility of bioactive compounds and facilitate nutrient absorption. However, these functional properties can be significantly affected by the adverse conditions (e.

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Bacillus licheniformis: The unexplored alternative for the anaerobic production of lipopeptide biosurfactants?

Biotechnol Adv

November 2022

CEB - Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal; LABBELS - Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal.

Microbial biosurfactants have attracted the attention of researchers and companies for the last decades, as they are considered promising candidates to replace chemical surfactants in numerous applications. Although in the last years, considerable advances were performed regarding strain engineering and the use of low-cost substrates in order to reduce their production costs, one of the main bottlenecks is their production at industrial scale. Conventional aerobic biosurfactant production processes result in excessive foaming, due to the use of high agitation and aeration rates necessary to increase dissolved oxygen concentration to allow microbial growth and biosurfactant production.

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Metallic and bimetallic nanostructures have shown interesting chromatic and antibacterial properties, and they can be used in various applications. In this work, zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) nanostructures were produced with different morphologies: (i) pure Zn; (ii) Zn-Fe nanoalloys; (iii) Zn-Fe nanolayers (Zn-Fe NLs); and (iv) Zn nanolayers combined with Fe nanoparticles (Zn NLs + Fe NPs). The aim was to produce components for food packaging materials with active and intelligent properties, including oxygen absorption capacity, chromatic properties, and antibacterial properties.

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Resveratrol production for the valorisation of lactose-rich wastes by engineered industrial Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Bioresour Technol

September 2022

CEB - Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal; LABBELS - Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal. Electronic address:

Resveratrol is an antioxidant with applications in the food and cosmetic industries. Its biosynthesis can side the hindrances of its extraction from plants. The dairy industry generates tonnes of lactose-rich wastes, which can be a carbon source.

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Antimicrobial resistance has become one of the major global public health issues of the twenty-first century. One of the main factors in the limited action of antimicrobials is related to the ability of microorganisms, particularly bacteria, to form biofilms. These complex and well-organized communities allow the colonizing cells to acquire survival advantages over the same cells in suspension, including antibiotic resistance.

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Exploiting phage-derived carbohydrate depolymerases for combating infectious diseases.

Trends Microbiol

August 2022

CEB - Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; LABBELS - Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal; ESCMID Study Group for Non-traditional Antibacterial Therapy (ESGNTA); ESCMID Study Group for Biofilms (ESGB). Electronic address:

Bacteria are protected against the immune system of their human hosts, as well as against predators such as phages, by expressing diverse surface carbohydrates. Some phages produce specialized depolymerases which can degrade those carbohydrates. Here, we discuss the biological role of depolymerases and how they can be exploited to develop new therapeutic strategies against pathogens.

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Perspective on the biotechnological production of bacterial siderophores and their use.

Appl Microbiol Biotechnol

June 2022

Bioengineering Laboratory, ISEP-School of Engineering, Polytechnic Institute of Porto, rua Dr António Bernardino de Almeida, 431, 4249-015, Porto, Portugal.

Iron (Fe) is an essential element in several fundamental cellular processes. Although present in high amounts in the Earth's crust, Fe can be a scarce element due to its low bioavailability. To mitigate Fe limitation, microorganism (bacteria and fungi) and grass plant biosynthesis and secret secondary metabolites, called siderophores, with capacity to chelate Fe(III) with high affinity and selectivity.

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The bioavailability of natural compounds should be assessed through different perspectives. Studying the behaviour of the extracts after digestion is often overlooked but is crucial for success in the development of active food ingredients. Thus, the bioaccessibility of (flower and berry) extracts after gastrointestinal digestion and their effect on toxicity and bioactive potential were studied.

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Impact of fresh olive leaves addition during the extraction of Arbequina virgin olive oils on the phenolic and volatile profiles.

Food Chem

November 2022

Centro de Investigação de Montanha (CIMO), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus Santa Apolónia, 5300-253 Bragança, Portugal. Electronic address:

Leaves incorporation during the extraction of olive oils can enhance their chemical-sensory quality. Thus, leaves from cvs. Arbequina or Santulhana were added (1%, w/w) during the extraction of Arbequina oils using an Abencor system, being discussed the impacts on the phenolics and volatiles formation enzymatic pathways.

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In Vitro CRISPR/Cas9 Transfection and Gene-Editing Mediated by Multivalent Cationic Liposome-DNA Complexes.

Pharmaceutics

May 2022

INL-International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory, Av. Mestre José Veiga, 4715-330 Braga, Portugal.

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and CRISPR-associated nuclease 9 (Cas9) gene-editing offers exciting new therapeutic possibilities for disease treatment with a genetic etiology such as cancer, cardiovascular, neuronal, and immune disorders. However, its clinical translation is being hampered by the lack of safe, versatile, and effective nonviral delivery systems. Herein we report on the preparation and application of two cationic liposome−DNA systems (i.

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Unveiling the Antioxidant Therapeutic Functionality of Sustainable Olive Pomace Active Ingredients.

Antioxidants (Basel)

April 2022

Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Forensic and Legal Medicine Veterinary Faculty, University of Zaragoza, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain.

Article Synopsis
  • Olive pomace (OP), a byproduct of olive oil production, is rich in bioactive compounds like polyphenols, which may help treat diseases such as cancer.
  • The study focused on evaluating the biological properties of OP extracts using two different heating methods, finding that the Ohmic-hydroethanolic (OH-EtOH) extract showed the strongest antiproliferative effects against colorectal cancer cells.
  • The OH-EtOH extract caused changes in cell metabolism that led to programmed cell death while also offering protection against oxidative stress, highlighting the potential use of OP in food and medicinal applications.
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This study explores the structural characterization, antioxidant and prebiotic activities of hydrolysates containing xylooligosaccharides (XOS) produced by different strategies: direct fermentation of beechwood xylan (FermBX) and enzymatic treatment of beechwood (EnzBX) and rice husk (EnzRH) xylans. EnzBX and EnzRH showed XOS with a backbone of (1 → 4)-linked-xylopyranosyl residues and branches of arabinose, galactose, and uronic acids. FermBX presented the highest content of total phenolic compounds (14 mg GAE/g) and flavonoids (0.

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Genome-wide effect of non-optimal temperatures under anaerobic conditions on gene expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Genomics

July 2022

Department of Food Biotechnology, Instituto de Agroquímica y Tecnología de los Alimentos (CSIC), Avda. Agustín Escardino, 7, E-46980 Paterna, Valencia, Spain. Electronic address:

Understanding of thermal adaptation mechanisms in yeast is crucial to develop better-adapted strains to industrial processes, providing more economical and sustainable products. We have analyzed the transcriptomic responses of three Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains, a commercial wine strain, ADY5, a laboratory strain, CEN.PK113-7D and a commercial bioethanol strain, Ethanol Red, grown at non-optimal temperatures under anaerobic chemostat conditions.

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Europe is considered the largest producer of wine worldwide, showing a high market potential. Several wastes are generated at the different stages of the wine production process, namely, vine pruning, stalks, and grape marc. Typically, these residues are not used and are commonly discarded.

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Green extraction techniques (GreETs) emerged in the last decade as greener and sustainable alternatives to classical sample preparation procedures aiming to improve the selectivity and sensitivity of analytical methods, simultaneously reducing the deleterious side effects of classical extraction techniques (CETs) for both the operator and the environment. The implementation of improved processes that overcome the main constraints of classical methods in terms of efficiency and ability to minimize or eliminate the use and generation of harmful substances will promote more efficient use of energy and resources in close association with the principles supporting the concept of green chemistry. The current review aims to update the state of the art of some cutting-edge GreETs developed and implemented in recent years focusing on the improvement of the main analytical features, practical aspects, and relevant applications in the biological, food, and environmental fields.

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Article Synopsis
  • Demand for eco-friendly production methods has increased, with enzymes like lipases showing significant promise in various applications, including flavors and biodiesel.
  • Lipases are versatile catalysts known for their substrate specificity and selectivity, making them valuable for diverse industrial uses.
  • Recent strategies focus on chemically modifying lipases and immobilizing them to boost their activity and stability, with this review summarizing new insights into these enhancements and their implications for biotechnology.
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