Search Results (3,151)

Coffee cherry pulp (CCP), a coffee by-product rich in pectin and phenolic compounds, serves as a valuable substrate for microbial enzyme production, improving the nutritional and antioxidant properties of poultry feed. This study evaluated the potential of Kluyveromyces marxianus ST5 to produce pectin-degrading enzymes using CCP. Under unoptimized conditions, the pectin lyase (PL) and polygalacturonase (PG) activities were 3.29 ± 0.22 and 6.32 ± 0.13 U/mL, respectively. Optimization using a central composite design (CCD) identified optimal conditions at 16.81% (w/v) CCP, 5.87% (v/v) inoculum size, pH 5.24, and 30 °C for 48 h, resulting in PL and PG activities of 9.17 ± 0.20 and 15.78 ± 0.14 U/mL, representing increases of 178.7% and 149.7% over unoptimized conditions. Fermented CCP was further evaluated using an in vitro chicken gastrointestinal digestion model. Peptide release increased by 66.2% compared with unfermented CCP. Antioxidant capacity also improved, with significant increases observed in DPPH (32.4%), ABTS (45.0%), and FRAP (42.3%) assays, along with an 11.1% increase in total phenolic content. These results demonstrate that CCP bioconversion by K. marxianus ST5 enhances digestibility and antioxidant properties, supporting its potential as a sustainable poultry feed additive and contributing to the valorization of agro-industrial waste. Full article

Friction stir lap welding has been utilized across research and industry for over a decade. However, difficulties in welding in the lap configuration without an interface-related defect have prevented the process from moving beyond low feed rates (generally less than 1.5 m per minute). As a means of making a huge leap in welding productivity, this study will evaluate friction stir welds made at 10 m per minute (mpm), detailing the changes to tool geometries and weld parameters that result in fully consolidated welds. Characterization of the subsequent material properties, namely through optical microscopy, CT scanning, microhardness testing, tensile and fatigue testing, hermetic seal pressure tests, and electron backscattered diffraction, is presented as a means of demonstrating the quality and repeatability of friction stir lap welds made at 10 mpm. Fully consolidated welds were produced at spindle speeds 5.5% faster and 2.9% slower than nominal values and weld depths ranging from 1% shallower to 8.2% deeper than nominal values. Additionally, the loading direction of the weld had a significant impact on tensile properties, with the advancing side of the weld measured to be 16% stronger in lap-shear tensile and 289% fatigue life improvement under all loading conditions measured when compared to the retreating side. Full article

The modern livestock industry incorporates widely used antibiotic growth promoters into animal feed at sub-therapeutic levels to enhance growth performance and feed efficiency. However, this practice contributes to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens in livestock, which may be transmitted to humans through the food chain, thereby diminishing the efficacy of antibiotics in treating bacterial infections. Current research explores the potential of essential oils from derived medicinal plants as alternative phytobiotics. This review examines modern encapsulation strategies that incorporate essential oils into natural-origin matrices to improve their stability and control their release both in vitro and in vivo. We discuss a range of encapsulation approaches utilizing polysaccharides, gums, proteins, and lipid-based carriers. This review highlights the increasing demand for antibiotic alternatives in animal nutrition driven by regulatory restrictions, and the potential benefits of essential oils in enhancing feed palatability and stabilizing the intestinal microbiome in monogastric animals and ruminants. Additionally, we address the economic viability and encapsulation efficiency of different matrix formulations. Full article

This study presents a comprehensive design, optimization, and intensification approach for enhancing the energy efficiency of electric grade isopropyl alcohol (IPA) production, a typical energy-intensive chemical process. The process entails preconcentration and dehydration steps, with the intensity of separation formulated from a multicomponent feed that consists of IPA and water, along with other impurities. Modeling and energy optimization were performed for a conventional distillation train as a base case by using the rigorous process simulator Aspen Plus V12.1. To improve energy efficiency, various options for intensifying distillation were examined. The side-stream preconcentration column was subsequently replaced by a dividing wall column (DWC) with two side streams, i.e., a Kaibel column, reducing the total energy consumption of corresponding distillation columns by 9.1% compared to the base case. Further strengthening was achieved by combining two columns in the preconcentration process into a single Kaibel column, resulting in a 22.8% reduction in reboiler duty compared to the base case. Optimization using the response surface methodology identified key operating parameters, such as side-draw positions and stage design, which significantly influence both energy efficiency and separation quality. The intensified Kaibel setup offers significant energy efficiencies and simplified column design, suggesting enormous potential for process intensification in energy-intensive distillation processes at the industrial level, including the IPA purification process. Full article

The synthesis of “green ammonia” from “green hydrogen” represents a critical pathway for renewable energy integration and industrial decarbonization. This study investigates the green ammonia synthesis process using an axial–radial fixed-bed reactor equipped with three catalyst layers. A simplified two-dimensional physical model was developed, and a multiscale simulation approach combining computational fluid dynamics (CFD) with physics-informed neural networks (PINNs) employed. The simulation results demonstrate that the majority of fluid flows axially through the catalyst beds, leading to significantly higher temperatures in the upper bed regions. The reactor exhibits excellent heat exchange performance, ensuring effective preheating of the feed gas. High-pressure zones are concentrated near the top and bottom gas outlets, while the ammonia mole fraction approaches 100% near the bottom outlet, confirming superior conversion efficiency. By integrating PINNs, the prediction accuracy was substantially improved, with flow field errors in the catalyst beds below 4.5% and ammonia concentration prediction accuracy above 97.2%. Key reaction kinetic parameters (pre-exponential factor k₀ and activation energy Ea) were successfully inverted with errors within 7%, while computational efficiency increased by 200 times compared to traditional CFD. The proposed CFD–PINN integrated framework provides a high-fidelity and computationally efficient simulation tool for green ammonia reactor design, particularly suitable for scenarios with fluctuating hydrogen supply. The reactor design reduces energy per unit ammonia and improves conversion efficiency. Its radial flow configuration enhances operational stability by damping feed fluctuations, thereby accelerating green hydrogen adoption. By reducing fossil fuel dependence, it promotes industrial decarbonization. Full article

This study presents a compact and high-efficiency microstrip antenna integrated with a square electromagnetic band-gap (EBG) structure for radio frequency energy harvesting to power battery-less Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and medical devices in the 5.8 GHz Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) band. The proposed antenna features a compact design with reduced physical dimensions of 36 × 40 mm² (0.69λ_o × 0.76λ_o) while providing high-performance parameters such as a reflection coefficient of −27.9 dB, a voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) of 1.08, a gain of 7.91 dBi, directivity of 8.1 dBi, a bandwidth of 188 MHz, and radiation efficiency of 95.5%. Incorporating EBG cells suppresses surface waves, enhances gain, and optimizes impedance matching through 50 Ω inset feeding. The simulated and measured results of the designed antenna show a high correlation. This study demonstrates a robust and promising solution for high-performance wireless systems requiring a compact size and energy-efficient operation. Full article

Fungal lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) have revolutionized the field of biomass degradation by introducing an oxidative mechanism that complements traditional hydrolytic enzymes. These copper-dependent enzymes catalyze the cleavage of glycosidic bonds in recalcitrant polysaccharides such as cellulose, hemicellulose, and chitin, through the activation of molecular oxygen (O₂) or hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). Their catalytic versatility is intricately modulated by structural features, including the histidine brace active site, surface-binding loops, and, in some cases, appended carbohydrate-binding modules (CBMs). The oxidation pattern, whether at the C1, C4, or both positions, is dictated by subtle variations in loop architecture, amino acid microenvironments, and substrate interactions. LPMOs are embedded in a highly synergistic fungal enzymatic system, working alongside cellulases, hemicellulases, lignin-modifying enzymes, and oxidoreductases to enable efficient lignocellulose decomposition. Industrial applications of fungal LPMOs are rapidly expanding, with key roles in second-generation biofuels, biorefineries, textile processing, food and feed industries, and the development of sustainable biomaterials. Recent advances in genome mining, protein engineering, and heterologous expression are accelerating the discovery of novel LPMOs with improved functionalities. Understanding the balance between O₂- and H₂O₂-driven mechanisms remains critical for optimizing their catalytic efficiency while mitigating oxidative inactivation. As the demand for sustainable biotechnological solutions grows, this narrative review highlights how fungal LPMOs function as indispensable biocatalysts for the future of the Circular Bioeconomy and green industrial processes. Full article

Background/Objectives: In many parts of the world, pharmacists hold the primary responsibility for providing safe and effective pharmacotherapy. A key aspect is the availability of appropriate medicines for each individual patient. When industrially manufactured medicines are unsuitable or unavailable, pharmacists can prepare tailor-made medicines. While this principle applies globally, practices vary between countries. In the Netherlands, the preparation of medicines in pharmacies is well-established and integrated into routine healthcare. This narrative review explores the role and significance of extemporaneous compounding, pharmacy preparations and related product care in the Netherlands. Methods: Pharmacists involved in pharmacy preparations across various professional sectors, including community and hospital pharmacies, central compounding facilities, academia, and the professional pharmacists’ organisation, provided detailed and expert insights based on the literature and policy documents while also sharing their critical perspectives. Results: We present arguments supporting the need for pharmacy preparations and examine their position and role in community and hospital pharmacies in the Netherlands. Additional topics are discussed, including the regulatory and legal framework, outsourcing, quality assurance, standardisation, education, and international context. Specific pharmacy preparation topics, often with a research component and a strong focus on product care, are highlighted, including paediatric dosage forms, swallowing difficulties and feeding tubes, hospital-at-home care, reconstitution of oncolytic drugs and biologicals, total parenteral nutrition (TPN), advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs), radiopharmaceuticals and optical tracers, clinical trial medication, robotisation in reconstitution, and patient-centric solid oral dosage forms. Conclusions: The widespread acceptance of pharmacy preparations in the Netherlands is the result of a unique combination of strict adherence to tailored regulations that ensure quality and safety, and patient-oriented flexibility in design, formulation, and production. This approach is further reinforced by the standardisation of a broad range of formulations and procedures across primary, secondary and tertiary care, as well as by continuous research-driven innovation to develop new medicines, formulations, and production methods. Full article

In recent decades, the rapid expansion of the food processing industry has led to significant losses and waste, with the fruit and vegetable sector among the most affected. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), losses in this category can reach up to 60%. Vegetable waste includes edible parts discarded during processing, packaging, distribution, and consumption, often comprising by-products rich in bioactive compounds such as polyphenols, carotenoids, dietary fibers, vitamins, and enzymes. The underutilization of these resources constitutes both an economic drawback and an environmental and ethical concern. Current recovery practices, including their use in animal feed or bioenergy production, contribute to a circular economy but are often limited by high operational costs. In this context, fermentation has emerged as a promising, sustainable approach for converting vegetable by-products into value-added food ingredients. This process improves digestibility, reduces undesirable compounds, and introduces probiotics beneficial to human health. The present review examines how fermentation can improve the nutritional, sensory, and functional properties of plant-based foods. By presenting several case studies, it illustrates how fermentation can effectively valorize vegetable processing by-products, supporting the development of novel, health-promoting food products with improved technological qualities. Full article

Weaning stress damages the intestines and disrupts the intestinal barrier in piglets, which significantly impacts the pig farming industry’s economy. We aimed to examine the effects of ShenQiGan extract (CAG) on intestinal barrier function and explore the underlying molecular mechanisms in stress-challenged weaned piglets. The experimental design involved 80 weaned piglets aged 28 days (with an average body weight of 7.78 ± 0.074 kg) that were randomly allocated into four groups: Control, LCAG (0.1% CAG), MCAG (0.5% CAG), and HCAG (1.0% CAG). After a 28-day trial period, the growth performance and incidence of diarrhea in piglets were evaluated. CAG increased the average daily gain of weaned piglets, reduced the feed-to-gain ratio, and decreased the incidence of diarrhea. It significantly lowered serum inflammatory cytokine levels while elevating immunoglobulin levels. The supplement notably enhanced concentrations of acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, and isobutyric acid. Furthermore, CAG demonstrated intestinal morphology restoration and upregulation of tight junction proteins and MUC2 protein expression in jejunum. At the mRNA level, it significantly upregulated the expression of Occludin, Claudin1, and MUC2 genes. CAG improves growth performance and mitigates diarrhea in weaned piglets by enhancing intestinal barrier integrity, modulating systemic inflammatory responses, elevating immunoglobulin levels, and promoting short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) production in the cecum. Full article

Background: Spinal muscular atrophy type 1 (SMA1) is a severe neuromuscular disorder characterized by progressive muscle weakness and atrophy, including the muscles of the oral cavity and esophagus. Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), a chronic, allergic disease, presents with eosinophilic infiltration of the esophagus, leading to esophageal dysmotility. Feeding difficulties may occur in both conditions. So far, the coexistence of EoE and SMA1 has not been described; we present the first such case. Case presentation: The patient was a girl with SMA1 diagnosed shortly after birth, treated with nusinersen and onasemnogene abeparvovec, and fed a standard industrial diet through a gastrostomy. In her second year of life, she developed increasing symptoms: distress during feeding, regurgitation, vomiting, and weight loss. She was treated with proton pump inhibitors without clinical improvement. Gastroscopy was performed, revealing superficial epithelial damage with bleeding in the proximal esophagus. Histopathology showed chronic inflammation with up to 150 eosinophils per high-power field, microabscesses, spongiosis, and basal layer hypertrophy. The girl was diagnosed with EoE. Her diet was switched from a standard industrial formula to an amino acid-based formula, which led to marked clinical improvement, the resolution of symptoms, and appropriate weight gain. Conclusions: This case report highlights the challenges of diagnosing EoE in SMA1 patients and emphasizes the need for multidisciplinary approaches and further investigation of allergic manifestations in SMA1 patients. Full article

Human-Robot Collaboration (HRC) is pivotal for flexible, worker-centric manufacturing in Industry 5.0, yet dynamic task allocation remains difficult because operator states—fatigue and skill—fluctuate abruptly. I address this gap with a hybrid framework that couples real-time perception and double-estimating reinforcement learning. A Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) classifies nine fatigue–skill combinations from synthetic physiological cues (heart-rate, blink rate, posture, wrist acceleration); its outputs feed a Double Deep Q-Network (DDQN) whose state vector also includes task-queue and robot-status features. The DDQN optimises a multi-objective reward balancing throughput, workload and safety and executes at 10 Hz within a closed-loop pipeline implemented in MATLAB R2025a and RoboDK v5.9. Benchmarking on a 1000-episode HRC dataset (2500 allocations·episode⁻¹) shows the hybrid CNN+DDQN controller raises throughput to 60.48 ± 0.08 tasks·min⁻¹ (+21% vs. rule-based, +12% vs. SARSA, +8% vs. Dueling DQN, +5% vs. PPO), trims operator fatigue by 7% and sustains 99.9% collision-free operation (one-way ANOVA, p < 0.05; post-hoc power 1 − β = 0.87). Visual analyses confirm responsive task reallocation as fatigue rises or skill varies. The approach outperforms strong baselines (PPO, A3C, Dueling DQN) by mitigating Q-value over-estimation through double learning, providing robust policies under stochastic human states and offering a reproducible blueprint for multi-robot, Industry 5.0 factories. Future work will validate the controller on a physical Doosan H2017 cell and incorporate fairness constraints to avoid workload bias across multiple operators. Full article

The aquaculture industry has experienced considerable growth in recent decades, stimulating research into sustainable and functional feed formulations, mainly related to using high-quality, safe, and environmentally friendly feed ingredients. The employment of immunomodulatory additives is a promising strategy to enhance fish health and performance. In this study, the effects of the ghrelin analog GHRP-6 peptide included in the diet (500 µg/kg of feed) on the endocrine and immune responses of Sparus aurata following Incomplete Freund’s adjuvant (IFA) treatment were assessed. After 97 days, fish were intraperitoneally injected with 100 µL of saline solution or IFA/100 g fish and sampled 72 h post-injection. Our results indicated that fish fed GHRP-6 maintained stable plasma levels of lactate, triglycerides, and cortisol after IFA treatment, in contrast to control-fed fish, which showed significant metabolic stress. Circulating immunoglobulin levels enhanced significantly in the GHRP-6/IFA group, suggesting a stimulated humoral immune response. Transcriptomics analysis revealed that the anterior intestine was the most responsive tissue, with upregulation of il10, il15, il34, and mx1, indicating mucosal immune activation. In the spleen, GHRP-6-fed fish increased il8, il10, and ighm expression, highlighting a balanced pro- and anti-inflammatory response and support for adaptive immunity. Multivariate analysis confirmed that dietary GHRP-6 modulates immune gene expression in a tissue- and stimulus-specific manner, without inducing histological alterations in the intestine or spleen. Taken together, these preliminary results indicate that this peptide is a viable and safe dietary supplement to improve immune resilience and increase the production efficiency of S. aurata and suggest a protective effect on the fish’s immune system in this species. Full article

In today’s industrial applications, cutting fluids have attained prime importance due to their all-round features, including increase of tool life by lubrication of the tool at the tool–workpiece interface. This study compares the effects of mango seed oil and pongamia oil on cutting force and surface morphology during the turning of AISI 304 steel. The design of experiments was applied using Taguchi’s method with an L9 array of experiments. During the experiment, it was discovered that mango seed and pongamia-based cutting fluid exhibited the lowest contact angles of 22.1° and 24.4°, respectively, at a 97:3 volumetric concentration of deionized water and eco-friendly oil. The use of mango seed oil as a cutting fluid with MQL (Minimum Quantity Lubrication) resulted in the lowest surface roughness of 0.809 µm, compared to 0.921 µm with pongamia-based cutting fluid. The cutting force was reduced by a maximum of 28.68% using mango seed-based cutting fluid, compared to pongamia-based cutting fluid. ANOVA analysis revealed that feed rate had the maximum influence on the optimization of output parameters for mango seed cutting fluid. For pongamia-based cutting fluid, feed rate had the maximum influence on cutting force, while the depth of cut had the strongest influence on surface roughness. Full article

Xylanase is an essential industrial enzyme for degrading plant biomass, pulp and paper, textiles, bio-scouring, food, animal feed, biorefinery, chemicals, and pharmaceutical industries. Despite its significant industrial importance, the extensive application of xylanase is hampered by high production costs and concerns regarding the safety of xylanase-producing microorganisms. The utilisation of renewable polymers for enzyme production is becoming a cost-effective alternative. Among the prospective candidates, non-pathogenic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are promising for safe and eco-friendly applications. Our investigation revealed that Pediococcus pentosaceus G4, isolated from plant sources, is a notable producer of extracellular xylanase. Improving the production of extracellular xylanase is crucial for viable industrial applications. Therefore, the current study investigated the impact of various medium components and optimised the selected medium composition for extracellular xylanase production of P. pentosaceus G4 using Plackett–Burman Design (PBD) and Central Composite Design (CCD) statistical approaches. According to BPD analysis, 8 out of the 19 investigated factors (glucose, almond shell, peanut shell, walnut shell, malt extract, xylan, urea, and magnesium sulphate) demonstrated significant positive effects on extracellular xylanase production of P. pentosaceus G4. Among them, glucose, almond shells, peanut shells, urea, and magnesium sulphate were identified as the main medium components that significantly (p < 0.05) influenced the production of extracellular xylanase of P. pentosaceus G4. The optimal concentrations of glucose, almond shells, peanut shells, urea, and magnesium sulphate, as determined via CCD, were 26.87 g/L, 16 g/L, 30 g/L, 2.85 g/L, and 0.10 g/L, respectively. The optimised concentrations resulted in extracellular xylanase activity of 2.765 U/mg, which was similar to the predicted extracellular xylanase activity of 2.737 U/mg. The CCD-optimised medium yielded a 3.13-fold enhancement in specific extracellular xylanase activity and a 7.99-fold decrease in production costs compared to the commercial de Man, Rogosa and Sharpe medium, implying that the CCD-optimised medium is a cost-effective medium for extracellular xylanase production of P. pentosaceus G4. Moreover, this study demonstrated a positive correlation between extracellular xylanase production, growth, lactic acid production and the amount of sugar utilised, implying the multifaceted interactions of the physiological variables affecting extracellular xylanase production in P. pentosaceus G4. In conclusion, statistical methods are effective in rapidly assessing and optimising the medium composition to enhance extracellular xylanase production of P. pentosaceus G4. Furthermore, the findings of this study highlighted the potential of using LAB as a cost-effective producer of extracellular xylanase enzymes using optimised renewable polymers, offering insights into the future use of LAB in producing hemicellulolytic enzymes. Full article