Chemical Characterization of Enteromorpha prolifera Extract Obtained by Enzyme-Assisted Extraction and Its Influence on the Metabolic Activity of Caco-2.

The green seaweed Enteromorpha prolifera was used as a feedstock for the production of enzymatic hydrolysate using cellulase. The selection of the conditions for enzymatic hydrolysis of the biomass was carried out for different enzyme doses and incubation periods. The obtained extract was examined in terms of its multielemental composition, content of polyphenols and antibacterial properties (tested against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus). Additionally, its influence on the metabolic activity of human colon epithelial cells (Caco-2) was analyzed. The tested concentrations of extract using an in vitro model were 62.5, 125, 250, 500, 1000 and 2000 µg/mL. The hydrolysis yield in the most suitable experimental conditions (8-h process and 50 and 100 µL of cellulase) was 36%. Micro- and macroelements were poorly extracted from the algal biomass. Total phenolic content was 55 mg of gallic acid equivalent per 100 g of dry mass of extract. The cytotoxic effect of extracts, related to the inhibition of the metabolic activity of Caco-2, was noted only after 24 h. In turn, cultures of Caco-2 propagated with extracts for 72 h were characterized by significantly elevated metabolism (the concentration of extracts ranged from 62.5 to 1000 µg/mL, p < 0.05). Obtained results indicated the high biological activity of the prepared extracts; however, the observed effects did not occur in a dose-dependent manner.

Evaluation of Supercritical Extracts of Algae as Biostimulants of Plant Growth in Field Trials.

The aim of the field trials was to determine the influence of supercritical algal extracts on the growth and development of winter wheat (variety Akteur). As a raw material for the supercritical fluid extraction, the biomass of microalga Spirulina plantensis, brown seaweed - Ascophyllum nodosum and Baltic green macroalgae was used. Forthial and Asahi SL constituted the reference products. It was found that the tested biostimulants did not influence statistically significantly the plant height, length of ear, and shank length. The ear number per m2 was the highest in the group where the Baltic macroalgae extract was applied in the dose 1.0 L/ha (statistically significant differences). Number of grains in ear (statistically significant differences) and shank length was the highest in the group treated with Spirulina at the dose 1.5 L/ha. In the group with Ascophyllum at the dose 1.0 L/ha, the highest length of ear was observed. The yield was comparable in all the experimental groups (lack of statistically significant differences). Among the tested supercritical extracts, the best results were obtained for Spirulina (1.5 L/ha). The mass of 1000 grains was the highest for extract from Baltic macroalgae and was 3.5% higher than for Asahi, 4.0% higher than for Forthial and 18.5% higher than for the control group (statistically significant differences). Future work is needed to fully characterize the chemical composition of the applied algal extracts. A special attention should be paid to the extracts obtained from Baltic algae because they are inexpensive source of naturally occurring bioactive compounds, which can be used in sustainable agriculture and horticulture.

Biosorption of microelements by Spirulina: towards technology of mineral feed supplements.

Surface characterization and metal ion adsorption properties of Spirulina sp. and Spirulina maxima were verified by various instrumental techniques. FTIR spectroscopy and potentiometric titration were used for qualitative and quantitative determination of metal ion-binding groups. Comparative FTIR spectra of natural and Cu(II)-treated biomass proved involvement of both phosphoryl and sulfone groups in metal ions sorption. The potentiometric titration data analysis provided the best fit with the model assuming the presence of three types of surface functional groups and the carboxyl group as the major binding site. The mechanism of metal ions biosorption was investigated by comparing the results from multielemental analyses by ICP-OES and SEM-EDX. Biosorption of Cu(II), Mn(II), Zn(II), and Co(II) ions by lyophilized Spirulina sp. was performed to determine the metal affinity relationships for single- and multicomponent systems. Obtained results showed the replacement of naturally bound ions: Na(I), K(I), or Ca(II) with sorbed metal ions in a descending order of Mn(II) > Cu(II) > Zn(II) > Co(II) for single- and Cu(II) > Mn(II) > Co(II) > Zn(II) for multicomponent systems, respectively. Surface elemental composition of natural and metal-loaded material was determined both by ICP-OES and SEM-EDX analysis, showing relatively high value of correlation coefficient between the concentration of Na(I) ions in algal biomass.

Screening of lipase carriers for reactions in water, biphasic and pure organic solvent systems.

In bioprocesses lipases are typically used in immobilized form, irrespective of type of reaction systems, to ensure an even distribution of catalysts in water restricted media and/or to facilitate separation and reuse. In these studies we report on the selection of appropriate enzyme-carrier preparation for hydrolysis reaction in aqueous and biphasic systems and transesterification in organic solvent. For this Candida rugosa lipase was bound by adsorption or covalent attachment onto various carriers to give 24 preparations. Selection of proper preparation was based on reactivity, thermal stability (4 h at 60°C), possibility of drying and operational stability in 17-23 successive batch processes of 4-nitrophenyl palmitate hydrolysis in water. Activity of preparations varied from 20 to 5100 U∙mL(-1) but the most stable preparations were those of moderate activity: bound by adsorption or covalent attachment to NH2-Kieselgel or acrylic carrier (retained activity over 90%). Selected preparations were used for hydrolysis of ethyl (1-butyryloxyethyl)-phenylphosphinate in biphasic system, and, after drying, in ethyl (1-hydroxyethyl)-phenyl-phosphinate transesterification. In this study operational stability was the principal criterion of selection. In water system, lipase covalently bound to NH2-Kieselgel was the best - preserved 50% of initial activity in consecutive batch processes. In biphasic system and lipase covalently bound to acrylic and NH2-Kieselgel the values were 90 or 77%, respectively, whereas in organic solvent, when lipase was immobilized on NH2-Kieselgel by adsorption, it was 50%. Thus, NH2-Kieselgel appears to be an universal matrix for investigated lipase immobilization and can be used in all reaction systems.