Cellulase production from disposed COVID-19 personal protective equipment (PPE) using cyclic fed-batch strategies

Wild fungal strain-employing, cellulase production bio-processes require 17-fold higher quantities of lignocelluloses than biofuel production. Globally-available, conventional lignocelluloses are 3 × 103-fold lesser than their requirement for bio-alcohol-fossil fuel blending purposes. In an attempt to explore biomass alternatives, demonstrate their potential in cellulase production, and to simultaneously-address process-deterring conditions of solid-state and submerged fermentations, cellulose-rich, COVID-19 personal protective equipment-based substrates were used in time-extended, empirical data-driven, optimal condition-maintaining cyclic fed-batch strategies. While 37% and 43% increases of cumulative cellulase yields were recorded for solid and submerged cyclic operations, respectively, they were 21% and 28% more economical than multiple, individual batches. Furthermore, the operations improved kinetics of fungal growth, oxygen transfer, nutrient utilization, and maintained optimal parameter balance between variables, thereby improving consistency in cellulase titers. Apart from being sustainable, the demonstration suggests a recycle route for managing such health hazard-posing wastes, in turn alleviating environmental pollution and earning carbon credits.

Underutilized Fruit Crops of Indian Arid and Semi-Arid Regions: Importance, Conservation and Utilization Strategies

Nowadays, there is a large demand for nutrient-dense fruits to promote nutritional and metabolic human health. The production of commercial fruit crops is becoming progressively input-dependent to cope with the losses caused by biotic and abiotic stresses. A wide variety of underutilized crops, which are neither commercially cultivated nor traded on a large scale, are mainly grown, commercialized and consumed locally. These underutilized fruits have many advantages in terms of ease to grow, hardiness and resilience to climate changes compared to the major commercially grown crops. In addition, they are exceptionally rich in important phytochemicals and have medicinal value. Hence, their consumption may help to meet the nutritional needs of rural populations, such as those living in fragile arid and semi-arid regions around the world. In addition, local people are well aware of the nutritional and medicinal properties of these crops. Therefore, emphasis must be given to the rigorous study of the conservation and the nutritional characterization of these crops so that the future food basket may be widened for enhancing its functional and nutritional values. In this review, we described the ethnobotany, medicinal and nutritional values, biodiversity conservation and utilization strategies of 19 climate-resilient important, underutilized fruit crops of arid and semi-arid regions (Indian jujube, Indian gooseberry, lasora, bael, kair, karonda, tamarind, wood apple, custard apple, jamun, jharber, mahua, pilu, khejri, mulberry, chironji, manila tamarind, timroo, khirni).