Monitoring and control of industrial downstream processing of sugar beet molasses.

In present work the determination of several amino acids during the industrial chromatographic desugarisation of molasses is presented. The use of innovative biosensor systems for highly specific detection of serine is described. Using two-dimensional fluorescence spectrometry, a non-invasive method for the determination of several product fractions could be established in an industrial chromatographic procedure.

[Streptococcal infection, acute kidney failure and interstitial nephritis]. / Infección estreptocóccica, insuficiencia renal aguda y nefritis intersticial.

The relationship between streptococcal infection and renal disease has been object of multiple studies. Streptococcal infection may induce acute glomerulonephritis or interstitial nephritis. We report a patient with a streptococcal infection who developed acute renal failure. The renal biopsy showed an acute interstitial nephritis, with an interstitium infiltrate with a significant number of eosinophils. We review the causes of acute renal failure associated with streptococcal infection, specially acute interstitial nephritis.

Infección estreptocóccica, insuficiencia renal aguda y nefritis intersticial. / [Streptococcal infection, acute kidney failure and interstitial nephritis]

The relationship between streptococcal infection and renal disease has been object of multiple studies. Streptococcal infection may induce acute glomerulonephritis or interstitial nephritis. We report a patient with a streptococcal infection who developed acute renal failure. The renal biopsy showed an acute interstitial nephritis, with an interstitium infiltrate with a significant number of eosinophils. We review the causes of acute renal failure associated with streptococcal infection, specially acute interstitial nephritis.

From sugar beet molasses to Lyphan. Integrated quality management from the raw material to the drug.

L-tryptophan is produced at the AMINO GmbH (Frellstedt, FRG) via biocatalytical condensation of the amino acid L-serine with indole. As a biocatalyst, tryptophan synthetase is used which is produced in high activities by a natural mutant Escherichia coli strain. The enzyme mechanism and specificity and the individual process-parameters for the biotransformation procedure are explained as well as the purification process of educts and products. This includes a detailed description of the quality control of educts, intermediates and final product. The active ingredient L-tryptophan is subsequently used by AMINO's subsidiary company esparma GmbH to produce and distribute the pharmaceutical Lyphan. The quality management system and the production procedure for Lyphan are described and discussed.

Flow injection analysis system for the supervision of industrial chromatographic downstream processing in biotechnology.

Sugar beet molasses is a natural resource for various products used in daily life, ranging from sucrose to amino acids for pharmaceutical industry. The separation of molasses into these high value components is performed on a large scale by ion exchange/exclusion chromatography. A biosensor system was set up for the "in time" analysis of serine and sucrose during molasses desugarisation. D-Serine was analysed with the multi-enzyme system D-serine dehydratase/lactic dehydrogenase and photometric detection of the NADH consumed. Sucrose was determined with invertase/mutarotase/glucose oxidase and the oxygen consumed was monitored amperometrically. An analysis could be performed within 2-5 min by directly injecting samples from the chromatographic process into the flow injection analysis system. The determination range for the sucrose analysis was 0-2.5 gl-1 and for the analysis of D-serine 0-0.5 gl-1. The standard deviation for the measurement of D-serine was 1.7%.

Net Blotch and Necrotic Warts Caused by Streptomyces scabies on Pods of Peanut (Arachis hypogaea).

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) grown in rotation with potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) in the Northern Cape Province and at one locality in the Free State Province, South Africa, have developed unusual pod symptoms since the 1994 to 1995 season. Symptoms ranged from a net blotch with scattered lesions to dark brown, necrotic, wartlike lesions on the cv. Sellie. Streptomyces scabies (2) was consistently isolated from both types of lesions. Pathogenicity was confirmed in greenhouse tests. Inoculum was prepared by growing colonies on yeast malt extract agar for 21 days. Ten milliliters of sterile, distilled water was poured over the colonies of two different isolates and lightly scraped with a sterile needle. Separate sets of sterile soil were amended with spore suspensions of different isolates at a rate of 10 ml/kg and thoroughly mixed. Seeds of cv. Sellie and minitubers of potato cv. BP1 were planted in infested soil in 3-kg plastic bags. Uninfested soil served as controls. Each set of pots for both peanut and potato had three replications. Pots were kept in a glasshouse at 27°C for 12 weeks. Plants were lifted, disease development recorded, and infected plant parts prepared for reisolation on antibiotic-amended water/ agar according to the protocols of Loria and Davis (3). Both lesion types recorded under field conditions developed on peanut pods in the glasshouse upon reinoculation. Incidence ranged between 2 and 3 pods out of 8 to 10 pods per plant while minitubers were nearly 100% infected. Streptomyces scabies was isolated from lesions on both peanut and potato. Net blotch caused by an unknown Streptomyces sp. is a significant problem on peanut pods in Israel (1). However, the species found in Israel was not identified and could be different from the one reported here, according to Y. Barash (Tel Aviv University, personal communication). This is a first report of S. scabies being pathogenic on peanut in South Africa. References: (1) Y. Barash et al. (In Hebrew.) Hassadeh 72:688, 1992. (2) D. H. Lambert and R. Loria. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 39:387, 1989. (3) R. Loria and J. R. Davis. Streptomyces scabies. Pages 114-119 in: Laboratory Guide for Identification of Plant Pathogenic Bacteria. 2nd ed. N. W. Schaad, ed. American Phytopathological Society, St. Paul. MN, 1988.