ISSN 2285-1364, ISSN CD-ROM 2285-5521, ISSN ONLINE 2285-1372, ISSN-L 2285-1364
 

Published in Scientific Bulletin. Series F. Biotechnologies, Vol. XXVIII, Issue 1
Written by Elena MIHAI, Alexandra GASPAR-PINTILIESCU, Laura Mihaela STEFAN, Rodica TATIA, Viorica COROIU, Oana CRACIUNESCU

This study aimed to investigate new green methods based on combined ultrasound- and enzyme-assisted technologies to isolate bioactive peptides from Cladophora vagabunda green macroalga. Also, their antioxidant and antiproliferative activity was analysed in view of biomedical applications. Algal powder was sonicated in alkaline buffer, pH 8, at 37 °C, for 1 h. The extract was treated with proteinase K and alcalase, respectively, to obtain two protein hydrolysates. Each hydrolysate was fractionated by centrifugal ultrafiltration using filter membranes with molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) at 3 kDa, to separate small peptides. The fractions were analyzed for Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity (TEAC). The results showed higher capacity of hydrolysates obtained by alcalase treatment to scavenge free radicals. Additionally, the antiproliferative activity was evaluated in HT-29 tumor cells cultivated in the presence of peptides obtained by alcalase treatment and the results showed a decrease of cell viability below 70% after 48 h of cultivation. In conclusion, peptide fractions isolated by green techniques from C. vagabunda alga had significant biological activity and are recommended for further testing as therapeutic agents.

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Published in Scientific Bulletin. Series F. Biotechnologies, Vol. XXVIII, Issue 1
Written by Roxana Mădălina STOICA, Mișu MOSCOVICI, Cristina BÂZDOACĂ, Elena Simina LAKATOS, Lucian Ionel CIOCA

Biosurfactants are surface-active compounds synthesized by microorganisms as secondary metabolites with important applications in medicine, cosmetics, food, oil, agriculture, and the pharmaceutical industries. In the present study, the Pseudomonas fluorescens ICCF 392 strain was screened to determine its ability to produce extracellular biosurfactants. The strain was cultivated on M44 liquid medium (5% (v/v) glycerol as a carbon source) and also, on M44 modified medium (by replacing the glycerol as a carbon source with 5% (v/v) waste cooking oil). The supernatants obtained at the end of the bioprocesses were evaluated, to confirm the ability of the strain in biosurfactant production, using the drop collaps method, oil spreading technique, and emulsification activity determination (E24). The best results were obtained in the case of the M44 liquid medium. The partially purified bioactive compounds were analyzed by the TLC method, which indicated the nature of the biosurfactants produced as rhamnolipids. Therefore, our results showed that the Pseudomonas fluorescens ICCF 392 strain was efficient in biosurfactant production, using glycerol or waste cooking oil as carbon sources in the biosynthesis process.

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Published in Scientific Bulletin. Series F. Biotechnologies, Vol. XXVIII, Issue 1
Written by Georgiana-Gabriela IORDACHE, Narcisa-Elena BABEANU

A well-developed industrial sector based on biotechnology will significantly reduce dependence on chemical resources, contributing to climate change objectives and leading to a greener and more environmentally friendly growth. The key lies in developing new technologies for the sustainable transformation of renewable natural resources into bio-based products and biofuels. Bioeconomy involves the production of renewable biological resources and their conversion into food, feed, and bio-based products through innovative and efficient technologies provided by industrial biotechnology. This paper presents a general classification of biosurfactants used in industrial applications. The term "surfactant" is derived from "surface-active agent." Biosurfactants have become increasingly significant across various fields owing to their diverse properties, including enhanced biodegradability and reduced toxicity. They are categorized into high and low molecular weight molecules. Biosurfactants find applications in industries such as cosmetics, food processing, pharmaceuticals, and environmental bioremediation. While numerous surfactants are already in use in various industries, it's essential to develop indigenous technologies for the production of biosurfactants from local micro-organism. This would ensure their suitability for application in specific environments.

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Published in Scientific Bulletin. Series F. Biotechnologies, Vol. XXVIII, Issue 1
Written by Georgiana CERCHEZAN, Florentina ISRAEL-ROMING

Wine quality is afforded by chemical properties but also tightly connected to perception of appearance, olfactory and taste properties. In order to assess the most important chemical parameters of wine that are priority for wine consumers, 21 wine samples were studied. This means 3 varieties of bottled wines from 2018 harvest, vinified in dry, medium dry, medium sweet and sweet, from 4 different wine regions and 6 different vineyards from Romania. For assessing the chemical parameters, 9 laboratory analyses were performed (sulphites, total acidity, volatile acidity, pH, alcohol content, anthocyanins, residual sugar, total polyphenols, tannins). Organoleptic analyses were performed according to BLIC test by 26 tasters panel. Using specific attributes, they evaluated the visual aspect, the olfactory properties and the taste and finally a quality overall mark was delivered. The statistical analyses of the correlation between chemical parameters and sensorial characteristics showed the importance of some laboratory determinations on the perception of wine quality by a common consumer. But the results revealed that very good values of the chemical parameters are not a guarantee of high acceptability of the consumers.

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Published in Scientific Bulletin. Series F. Biotechnologies, Vol. XXVIII, Issue 1
Written by Laura FEODOROV, Mihai NITA-LAZAR, Calina Petruța CORNEA

Anthropic pressure on the environment threaten its biodiversity and subsequently, its sustainability. Nowadays, the research focusses on the development of a new efficient screenings regarding contaminants toxic impact on aquatic and terrestrial environments based on specific biological models, as bioindicators. Cellular and molecular biomarkers are considered to appear very fast under a pollution or climate change stress, before any significant changes at the organism level, and to be specific and sensitive indicators of environmental quality and adaptation mechanisms. Changes at the molecular level could provide rapid information and prediction patterns regarding the occurrence of lethal, sub-lethal, or adaptive effects on biotopes under the influence of anthropogenic stressors. The combined use of bioindicators and biomarkers could provide a comprehensive picture of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems health status and they could facilitate to identify the environmental issues. In this review, we aimed to establish a relationship between pollution and specific adaptation mechanism responses at the molecular level such as biomarkers. Moreover, we analyzed how biomarkers respond to exposure to different toxic substances and exposure levels, determining dose-response relationships, and biomarker response time.

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Published in Scientific Bulletin. Series F. Biotechnologies, Vol. XXVIII, Issue 1
Written by Magdalena ROSU, Despina-Maria BORDEAN, Adina BERBECEA, Isidora RADULOV, Ionela HOTEA, Gabriela PREDA, Monica DRAGOMIRESCU

Horseradish (Armoracia rusticana) is a plant of the Brassicaceae family, known for its strongly aromatic and spicy root. Horseradish, like many other root vegetables, is rich in biologically active compounds with antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anticarcinogenic properties. The composition of the biologically active compounds of horseradish varies depending on the species of horseradish and the environmental conditions in which it is grown. The aim of this work was to determine the composition of some bioactive compounds from horseradish roots and leaves from the Romania and central part of Serbia. The elemental composition was determined by the XRF method, it being known that many mineral elements and trace elements are essential for the normal functioning of human bodies, reducing the risk of chronic diseases. The compounds with antioxidant activity from plant matrices are known as protectors of cells against oxidative stress, with a role in supporting the immune system. Consequently, the total content of polyphenols and antioxidant activity were determined from horseradish extracts by spectrophotometric methods. The results obtained recommend the tested horseradish as a beneficial food for health.

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Published in Scientific Bulletin. Series F. Biotechnologies, Vol. XXVIII, Issue 1
Written by Silvia FEDORKOVÁ, Janette MUSILOVÁ, Monika ŇORBOVÁ, Alena VOLLMANNOVÁ, Natália ČERYOVÁ, Judita LIDIKOVÁ

Sweet chestnuts are highly regarded and widely consumed throughout Europe because of their nutritional composition and health benefits, which have become important in the human diet, for example, in gluten-free diets. This study aims to assess the impact of heat treatment using the UV-VIS spectrophotometry methods. TPC values (mg GAE/g DW - dried weight) ranged from 1.935 to 6.165 (raw flesh), 1.676 to 4.342 (boiled samples), 1.580 to 3.091 (roasted samples), 1.193 to 8.272 (microwaved samples), and 2.556 to 5.655 (steamed samples). The DPPH values (μmol TE/g DW) for raw flesh ranged from 4.232 to 5.094, for boiled samples from 3.396 to 5.147, for roasted samples from 3.185 to 4.726, for microwaved samples from 2.798 to 5.816, and for steamed samples from 4.441 to 5.171. The FRAP antioxidant activity (μmol TE/g DW) values ranged from 10.971 to 207.11 (raw flesh), 4.058 to 134.651 (boiled samples), 11.954 to 132.476 (roasted samples), 7.795 to 179.129 (microwaved samples), and 17.468 to 367.957 (steamed samples). Among the methods used, steaming and microwaving had the greatest impact on total polyphenol content and antioxidant activity (DPPH, FRAP).

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Published in Scientific Bulletin. Series F. Biotechnologies, Vol. XXVIII, Issue 1
Written by Mirela-Nicoleta DINCĂ, Mariana FERDEȘ, Gigel PARASCHIV, Bianca-Ștefania ZĂBAVĂ, Georgiana MOICEANU

Agro-industrial waste is an abundant and renewable resource being an alternative for fossil fuels by production of biogas. This substrate has a high content of organic polymers and other high-mass substances, such as: starch, lignocellulose, proteins, lipids, and other compounds. For the degradation of these compounds, several microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) were isolated from the soil and characterized in terms of enzyme production: amylases, cellulases, laccases, proteases, and lipases. The microorganisms that had the highest enzyme indices were multiplied by cultivation in liquid media in order to highlight the degree of decomposition of the organic matter in the substrate. The aim of the article is to obtain at least 5 microbial strains with high degradative potential that can increase the degree of the substrate degradation through specific hydrolysis reactions of organic compounds.

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Published in Scientific Bulletin. Series F. Biotechnologies, Vol. XXVIII, Issue 1
Written by Yajie Zhang, Dongdong Cao, Jia Yao, Meng Li, Mengli Wang, Junyi Li, Jiancan Feng, Jidong Li

Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba), the deciduous tree species belonging to the Rhamnus family, Ziziphus genus, is priced for its sweet and nutritious fruit. Jujube is an important fruit tree in China and the largest dried fruit tree species. Origin from China, the jujube has a cultivation and utilization history of more than 7000 years. Despite act as a common fruit on Chinese diet, jujube also play very important role as herb in Chinese traditional medicine. Furthermore, jujube also act as a culture symbol in traditional Chinese culture with rich meanings. This paper gives a brief review on Chinese jujube cultivation and utilization, and give prospect of the jujube industry.

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Published in Scientific Bulletin. Series F. Biotechnologies, Vol. XXVIII, Issue 1
Written by Dănuț-Mihai PETRE, Monica ENACHE

The Zingiberaceae, the ginger family, is a family of monocotyledonous herbaceous plants with creeping horizontal or tuberous rhizomes. The plants are aromatic, characterized by the presence of volatile oils and oleoresins. The Zingiberaceae are especially abundant in Southeast Asia and they have been widely used as spices, ornamental, or medicinal plants. The most important commercial spices in the family are ginger (Zingiber officinale), turmeric (Curcuma longa), green cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) and black cardamom (Amomum subulatum), that also have a great number of health properties. Due to their use in the food and pharmaceutical industries, the microscopic analysis and other parameters of the whole rhizomes/powder of turmeric and ginger provide valuable information in the identification of the plant material, followed by biochemical analysis. In the current study, a microscopic analysis of ginger and turmeric rhizome was carried out to record some of the parameters of taxonomic relevance using a simple method.

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