Short-term tuning of microalgal composition by exposition to different irradiance and small doses of sulfide.

Suitability of microalgae valorization mainly depends on its biochemical composition. Overall, among all microalgal derivatives, pigments currently stand out as the major added-value component. While it is well recognized that microalgal growth conditions strongly affect biomass composition, final tuning of already grown microalgae has been scarcely studied. Herein, pigment crude extract and debris biomass composition of an already grown microalgal consortium was evaluated after a short-term exposure (90 min) to different levels of irradiance (15, 50, 120 µmol m-2 s-1) and sulfide concentrations (0, 3.2, 16 mg L-1). Although lipid, protein, and carbohydrate contents of debris biomass were not decisively modified by the short-term exposures, pigments content of the crude extracts were strongly modified after 90-min exposure at given sulfide and irradiance conditions. Particularly, a higher content of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and total carotenoids was estimated at an optimal sulfide concentration of 5 mg L-1, and the higher irradiance of 120 µmol m-2 s-1. Contrarily, the average irradiation level of 50 µmol m-2 s-1 and the absence of sulfide stimulated the production of phycoerythrin and phycocyanin which could be increased by 65 and 50%, respectively. Thus, a final qualitative and quantitative tuning of pigment content is plainly achievable on grown microalgal biomass, in a reduced exposure time, at given irradiance or sulfide conditions.

Preparation of the sodium salt of high acyl gellan and characterization of its structure, thermal and rheological behaviors.

This work presents a method to obtain the sodium salt of high acyl gellan (NaHAG) from a commercial preparation, LT-100, by ionic exchange and freeze drying without involving alcohol precipitation to recover the modified macromolecule. NaHAG was characterized by atomic absorption spectrophotometry, attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and proton nuclear magnetic resonance. In addition, gel viscoelasticity, sol-gel transition temperatures from rheological temperature sweeps and differential scanning calorimetry, of both preparations was examined. Up to 87% of the initial weight of LT-100 was recovered as NaHAG. The sodium ion content in NaHAG was 3.2 times greater than in LT-100 and more than 90% of potassium, calcium and magnesium ions present in the original sample were removed. Transition temperatures of LT-100 were significantly higher than those of NaHAG. However, LT-100 gels were slightly stronger and elastic than NaHAG gels. Characterization data from different analyses suggest that the treatment method makes possible to obtain NaHAG with only slight structure modification with respect to LT-100, and could be advantageously utilized to obtain other monovalent and divalent salt forms of high acyl gellan for use in fundamental studies on its properties in aqueous environment.

Antimicrobial activity and hydrophobicity of edible whey protein isolate films formulated with nisin and/or glucose oxidase.

The use of edible antimicrobial films has been reported as a means to improve food shelf life through gradual releasing of antimicrobial compounds on the food surface. This work reports the study on the incorporation of 2 antimicrobial agents, nisin (N), and/or glucose oxidase (GO), into the matrix of Whey protein isolate (WPI) films at pH 5.5 and 8.5. The antimicrobial activity of the edible films was evaluated against Listeria innocua (ATCC 33090), Brochothrix thermosphacta (NCIB10018), Escherichia coli (JMP101), and Enterococcus faecalis (MXVK22). In addition, the antimicrobial activity was related to the hydrophobicity and water solubility of the WPI films. The greatest antibacterial activity was observed in WPI films containing only GO. The combined addition of N and GO resulted in films with lower antimicrobial activity than films with N or GO alone. In most cases, a pH effect was observed as greater antimicrobial response at pH 5.5 as well as higher film matrix hydrophobicity. WPI films supplemented with GO can be used in coating systems suitable for food preservation.