Fruits of Wild-Grown Shrubs for Health Nutrition.

Cultivated fruits and berries, such as raspberries, strawberries, black currants, cherries, blueberries, are generally recognized sources of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and other substances beneficial to human health and well-being. However, there are also wild berries and fruits that are of undoubted interest as food products having valuable medicinal properties due to the presence of phenolic compounds, antioxidants, and vitamins. These fruits have a great potential to be used in functional food making. The present review is dedicated to fruits of wild-grown shrubs Bird cherry (Prunus padus L.), Rowan berry (Sorbus aucuparia L.), Guelder rose (Viburnum opulus L.), Black elderberry (Sambucus nigra L.), and Barberry (Berberis vulgaris L.) The chemical compositions of these wild berries are described as well as their effects on the improvement of human health proved by clinical trials and epidemiological studies. The possibilities of using the fruits of wild-grown shrubs in the preparation of functional foods and examples of their implementation for the manufacturing of dairy, bakery and meat products are considered.

Biosynthesis of selenium nanoparticles by lactic acid bacteria and areas of their possible applications.

Lactic acid bacteria, being generally recognized as safe, are the preferred choice among other microbial producers of selenium nanoparticles. For successful production of SeNPs, it is necessary to take into account the physiological properties of the bacterium used as a biotransformer of inorganic forms of selenium in Se0. The antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of SeNPs allows to use them in the form of pure nanoparticles or biomass of lactic acid bacteria enriched with selenium in preparation of food, in agriculture, aquaculture, medicine, veterinary, and manufacturing of packing materials for food products. To attract attention to the promising new directions of lactic acid bacteria applications and to accelerate their implementation, the examples of the use of SeNPs synthesized by lactic acid bacteria in the mentioned above areas of human activity are described.

The role of microplastics biofilm in accumulation of trace metals in aquatic environments.

Microplastics are one of the major contaminants of aquatic nature where they can interact with organic and inorganic pollutants, including trace metals, and adsorb them. At the same time, after the microplastics have entered the aquatic environments, they are quickly covered with a biofilm - microorganisms which are able to produce extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) that can facilitate sorption of trace metals from surrounding water. The microbial community of biofilm contains bacteria which synthesizes EPS with antimicrobial activity making them more competitive than other microbial inhabitants. The trace metal trapping by bacterial EPS can inhibit the development of certain microorganisms, therefore, a single microparticle participates in complex interactions of the diverse elements surrounding it. The presented review aims to consider the variety of interactions associated with the adsorption of trace metal ions on the surface of microplastics covered with biofilm, the fate of such microplastics and the ever-increasing risk to the environment caused by the combination of these large-scale pollutants - microplastics and trace metals. Since aquatic pollution problems affect the entire planet, strict regulation of the production, use, and disposal of plastic materials is needed to mitigate the effects of this emerging pollutant and its complexes could have on the environment and human health.

Application of Lactic Acid Bacteria for Coating of Wheat Bread to Protect it from Microbial Spoilage.

Comparative study of four edible coatings of wheat bread containing lactic acid bacteria showed that coating with Streptococcus salivarius subsp. thermophilus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, Lactobacillus acidophilus, sodium alginate, whey and glycerol had the best protective properties against microbial spoilage. The viability of lactic acid bacteria was high in the coating containing alginate and whey: a loss in viability was in one - three orders of magnitude lower from initial concentration of 108-109 CFU/g coating after 120 h of storage. Wheat bread with edible coating did not differ by organoleptic assessment from control. The application of edible coating containing lactic acid bacteria to wheat bread diminished the number of mesophilic aerobic and facultative aerobic bacteria in the bread crust and protected it from contamination of mycelium fungi of genera Aspergillus and Penicillium that could preserve wheat bread from mold spoilage and increase shell life.

Ukrainian Dietary Bread with Selenium-Enriched Soya Malt.

The production of bread with addition of selenium-enriched soya malt was studied. Processing of this soya malt included soaking of the soya beans in the solution of hydroselenite with concentration 1.5 mg Se/L (20 µg of Se per 1 g of soya beans), then 4 days of beans germination at 20 °C, drying at 50 °C until moisture content 8%, separation from the sprouts and grinding. The soya malt was a powder containing 15-18 µg of Se in 1 g. The accumulated selenium was mainly in the protein fraction of soya malt. Addition of selenium-enriched soya malt to leaven intensified activity of yeasts and lactic acid bacteria. The quality of the wheat bread with selenium-enriched soya malt was better than that of the bread in control. The enriched bread had specific pleasant smell and soft texture. The daily intake of 277 g of bread with the selenium-enriched soya malt, which is added in quantity of 1.0-1.75% to mass of plain flour, ensures the consumption of 30-50% of selenium recommended daily allowance for 17 million population of the northern and northwestern Ukraine.

Environmental safety and biosafety in construction biotechnology.

The topics of Construction Biotechnology are the development of construction biomaterials and construction biotechnologies for soil biocementation, biogrouting, biodesaturation, bioaggregation and biocoating. There are known different biochemical types of these biotechnologies. The most popular construction biotechnology is based on precipitation of calcium carbonate initiated by enzymatic hydrolysis of urea which follows with release of ammonia and ammonium to environment. This review focuses on the hazards and remedies for construction biotechnologies and on the novel environmentally friendly biotechnologies based on precipitation of hydroxyapatite, decay of calcium bicarbonate, and aerobic oxidation of calcium salts of organic acids. The use of enzymes or not living bacteria are the best options to ensure biosafety of construction biotechnologies. Only environmentally safe construction biotechnologies should be used for such environmental and geotechnical engineering works as control of the seepage in dams, channels, landfills or tunnels, sealing of the channels and the ponds, prevention of soil erosion and soil dust emission, mitigation of soil liquefaction, and immobilization of soil pollutants.

Simultaneous removal of organic contaminants and heavy metals from kaolin using an upward electrokinetic soil remediation process.

Kaolins contaminated with heavy metals, Cu and Pb, and organic compounds, p-xylene and phenanthrene, were treated with an upward electrokinetic soil remediation (UESR) process. The effects of current density, cathode chamber flushing fluid, treatment duration, reactor size, and the type of contaminants under the vertical non-uniform electric field of UESR on the simultaneous removal of the heavy metals and organic contaminants were studied. The removal efficiencies of p-xylene and phenanthrene were higher in the experiments with cells of smaller diameter or larger height, and with distilled water flow in the cathode chamber. The removal efficiency of Cu and Pb were higher in the experiments with smaller diameter or shorter height cells and 0.01M HNO(3) solution as cathode chamber flow. In spite of different conditions for removal of heavy metals and organics, it is possible to use the upward electrokinetic soil remediation process for their simultaneous removal. Thus, in the experiments with duration of 6 days removal efficiencies of phenanthrene, p-xylene, Cu and Pb were 67%, 93%, 62% and 35%, respectively. The experiment demonstrated the feasibility of simultaneous removal of organic contaminants and heavy metals from kaolin using the upward electrokinetic soil remediation process.

Removal of heavy metals from kaolin using an upward electrokinetic soil remedial (UESR) technology.

An upward electrokinetic soil remedial (UESR) technology was proposed to remove heavy metals from contaminated kaolin. Unlike conventional electrokinetic treatment that uses boreholes or trenches for horizontal migration of heavy metals, the UESR technology, applying vertical non-uniform electric fields, caused upward transportation of heavy metals to the top surface of the treated soil. The effects of current density, treatment duration, cell diameter, and different cathode chamber influent (distilled water or 0.01 M nitric acid) were studied. The removal efficiencies of heavy metals positively correlated to current density and treatment duration. Higher heavy metals removal efficiency was observed for the reactor cell with smaller diameter. A substantial amount of heavy metals was accumulated in the nearest to cathode 2 cm layer of kaolin when distilled water was continuously supplied to the cathode chamber. Heavy metals accumulated in this layer of kaolin can be easily excavated and disposed off. The main part of the removed heavy metals was dissolved in cathode chamber influent and moved away with cathode chamber effluent when 0.01 M nitric acid was used, instead of distilled water. Energy saving treatment by UESR technology with highest metal removal efficiencies was provided by two regimes: (1) by application of 0.01 M nitric acid as cathode chamber influent, cell diameter of 100 mm, duration of 18 days, and constant voltage of 3.5 V (19.7 k Wh/m(3) of kaolin) and (2) by application of 0.01 M nitric acid as cathode chamber influent, cell diameter of 100 cm, duration of 6 days, and constant current density of 0.191 mA/cm(2) (19.1 k Wh/m(3) of kaolin).

Evaluation of electrokinetic removal of heavy metals from sewage sludge.

The presence of heavy metals is one of the main obstacles for agricultural use of million tonnes of dewatered sewage sludge produced in wastewater treatment plants. Electrokinetic (EK) treatment can be applied to remove heavy metals from sludge. The aim of this study was to increase the efficiency of electrokinetic removal of heavy metals from dewatered sewage sludge. EK experiments were carried out with and without pH adjustment in cathode chamber of acidified sewage sludge. The selective sequential extraction (SSE) was used to determine the fractionation of heavy metals in sewage sludge. The mobility of heavy metals in sludge significantly increased after its acidification at pH 2.7 and followed the order: Ni, Zn, Cu, As, Cr, Pb. Removal efficiencies of heavy metals in the experiment with acidified sewage sludge and pH adjustment at cathode chamber at 2.0 were: 95% for Zn, 96% for Cu, 90% for Ni, 68% for Cr, 31% for As and 19% for Pb. The concentrations of Zn, Cu, Ni, Cr and Pb after EK treatment were below the United States Environmental Protection Agency limits for biosolids applied to agricultural land, forest, public contact sites or reclamation sites.

Biotechnology for aerobic conversion of food waste into organic fertilizer.

A biotechnology for aerobic conversion of food waste into organic fertilizer under controlled aeration, stirring, pH and temperature at 55-65 degrees C, is proposed. To maintain neutral pH at the beginning of the bioconversion 5% CaCO3 was added to the total solids of the food waste. The addition of 20% horticultural waste compost as a bulking agent to the food wastes (w.w./w.w.), improved the bioconversion and increased the stability of the final product. No starter culture was needed for aerobic bioconversion of food waste into organic fertilizer for 10 days. The low contents of heavy metals in the raw materials used in the bioconversions ensured the safety of fertilizer from food waste for application in agriculture. The addition of 4% organic fertilizer to the subsoil increased the yield and growth of Ipomoea aquatica (Kang Kong) by 1.5 to 2 times. The addition of phosphorus is required to enhance the positive effect of organic fertilizer on plant growth.

Biotransformation of vegetable and fruit processing wastes into yeast biomass enriched with selenium.

Water extracts of cabbage, watermelon, a mixture of residual biomass of green salads and tropical fruits were used for yeast cultivation. These extracts contained from 1420 to 8900 mg/l of dissolved organic matter, and from 600 to 1800 mg/l of nitrogen. pH of the extracts was in the range from 4.1 to 6.4. Biomass concentration of yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae CEE 12 grown at 30 degrees C for 96 h in the sterilized extracts without any nutrient supplements was from 6.4 to 8.2 g/l; content of protein was from 40% to 45% of dry biomass. The yield was comparable with the yield of yeast biomass grown in potato dextrose broth. The biomass can be considered as the protein source. Its feed value was enhanced by incorporation of selenium in biomass to the level of 150 microg/g of dry biomass. Therefore, it was recommended to transform the extracts from vegetable and fruit processing wastes into the yeast biomass enriched with selenium.

Thermoactive extracellular proteases of Geobacillus caldoproteolyticus, sp. nov., from sewage sludge.

A proteolytic thermophilic bacterial strain, designated as strain SF03, was isolated from sewage sludge in Singapore. Strain SF03 is a strictly aerobic, Gram stain-positive, catalase-positive, oxidase-positive, and endospore-forming rod. It grows at temperatures ranging from 35 to 65 degrees C, pH ranging from 6.0 to 9.0, and salinities ranging from 0 to 2.5%. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that strain SF03 was most similar to Saccharococcus thermophilus, Geobacillus caldoxylosilyticus, and G. thermoglucosidasius, with 16S rRNA gene sequence identities of 97.6, 97.5 and 97.2%, respectively. Based on taxonomic and 16S rRNA analyses, strain SF03 was named G. caldoproteolyticus sp. nov. Production of extracellular protease from strain SF03 was observed on a basal peptone medium supplemented with different carbon and nitrogen sources. Protease production was repressed by glucose, lactose, and casamino acids but was enhanced by sucrose and NH4Cl. The cell growth and protease production were significantly improved when strain SF03 was cultivated on a 10% skim-milk culture medium, suggesting that the presence of protein induced the synthesis of protease. The protease produced by strain SF03 remained active over a pH range of 6.0-11.0 and a temperature range of 40-90 degrees C, with an optimal pH of 8.0-9.0 and an optimal temperature of 70-80 degrees C, respectively. The protease was stable over the temperature range of 40-70 degrees C and retained 57 and 38% of its activity at 80 and 90 degrees C, respectively, after 1 h.

Intensive aerobic bioconversion of sewage sludge and food waste into fertiliser.

The aim of this research was to verify the possibility of recovering the nutrients present in sewage sludge and vegetable food waste as fertiliser after aerobic thermophilic intensive bioconversion. The process was performed in a closed reactor under controlled conditions of aeration, stirring and pH, at a temperature of 60 degrees C, after addition of a starter bacterial culture of Bacillus thermoamylovorans SW25. End product with the best fertilising properties was obtained when sewage sludge, mixed with food waste, CaCO3 and an artificial bulking agent was thermally pretreated. The content of volatile solids and organic carbon decreased from 82.8% to 62.3% and from 37.7% to 32.5% of total solids (TS) respectively, during 12 days of bioconversion. The stable organic fertiliser produced was a powder with moisture content of 5%. Furthermore, 3.4% of nitrogen, 0.4% of phosphorus and 2.9% of potassium were also present. Addition of 10-15g of this fertiliser to 1 kg of poor fertility soil increased the growth of different plants by 113-164%.

Removal of ammonia in a modified two-phase food waste anaerobic digestion system coupled with an aerated submerged biofilter.

Anaerobic digestion of food waste can reduce its volume, generate fuel biogas containing methane, and produce solid organic residue that can be used as a soil conditioner or fertiliser. Anaerobic digestion is more promising food waste disposal method than incineration and landfilling. The hybrid anaerobic solid-liquid (HASL) system, enhanced with a submerged biofilter for ammonia removal, was proposed for food waste digestion. Application of the submerged biofilter in the HASL system operated in batch mode increased concentrations of dissolved COD and volatile fatty acids in an acidogenic reactor, and total COD removal and methane production in a methanogenic reactor. The gas production in the enhanced HASL system was 86 l while in the conventional HASL system it was 54 l after 14 days of batch process. Methane production in the enhanced HASL system was increased by 26% in comparison with the conventional HASL system.