Search Results (170)

This study isolated and characterized Lactiplantibacillus plantarum WYP from naturally fermented pineapple peel residues. The strain exhibited a potent in vitro histamine degradation rate of 78.63% and demonstrated multiple probiotic properties, including acid and bile salt tolerance, simulated gastrointestinal fluid resistance, antimicrobial activity against foodborne pathogens, and in vitro cholesterol-lowering ability. Whole-genome sequencing revealed a 3.34 Mb circular genome encoding 3200 genes. Genomic analysis elucidated a multidimensional “Prevention–Promotion–Utilization” (PPU) strategy for histamine regulation: prevention via the absence of histidine decarboxylase (hdc) genes; promotion of degradation via multicopper oxidase (e.g., cueO) and amine oxidase systems; and utilization through downstream aldehyde metabolism and redox homeostasis genes. Safety assessments confirmed the strain’s non-hemolytic nature, absence of harmful metabolite production, and no detectable risk of acquired antibiotic resistance gene transfer. The integration of phenotypic and genomic evidence positions LPWYP as a promising probiotic candidate for mitigating biogenic amines in fermented foods. Full article

Lutein is a xanthophyll carotenoid widely recognized for its roles in eye health, antioxidant and neuroprotective effects, and the prevention of oxidative stress-related disorders. The growing demand for functional foods and nutraceuticals has heightened industry interest in sustainable lutein production. However, conventional sources such as green vegetables and marigold flowers face several limitations, including low bioavailability, seasonal variability, land-intensive cultivation, and sustainability concerns. Therefore, this review provides an updated, comprehensive, and integrated overview of sustainable lutein production, extraction technologies, and functional applications. This review discusses conventional dietary sources alongside emerging alternative platforms, including microalgae, agro-industrial byproducts, and bioengineered fermentation systems. Recent advances in green extraction technologies, particularly supercritical CO₂, ultrasound-assisted, and enzyme-assisted extraction, are also critically evaluated due to their potential to improve extraction efficiency while reducing environmental impact. In addition, the applications of lutein in functional foods, nutraceuticals, and pharmaceutical products are also highlighted. This review further examines key technical challenges, including low bioavailability, high production and downstream processing costs, compound instability, extraction inefficiencies, lack of standardization, and scalability limitations. Future progress will depend on integrating circular bioeconomy strategies, artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted process optimization, sustainable biorefinery concepts, and advanced stabilization technologies to support economically viable and environmentally sustainable lutein production systems. Full article

The transition to renewable carbon resources has positioned lignocellulosic biomass as a key feedstock for sustainable fuel and chemical production; however, its intrinsic recalcitrance limits efficient conversion. Dilute acid pretreatment functions as a homogeneous Brønsted acid catalytic system that selectively depolymerizes hemicellulose and disrupts lignin–carbohydrate complexes, while competing with consecutive sugar dehydration reactions, thereby enhancing downstream processing. This review presents a feedstock-specific analysis of acid catalyzed biomass deconstruction across agricultural residues, woody biomass, and energy crops, with xylose yield employed as a kinetically and mechanistically relevant descriptor of catalytic performance. By correlating proton activity, reaction severity, diffusion constraints, lignin chemistry, and mineral interference with observed conversion behavior, the work establishes a structure–reactivity–performance framework for biomass dependent hydrolysis. Particular attention is given to competing dehydration and condensation pathways that reduce pentose selectivity and generate fermentation inhibitors. The analysis identifies optimal severity windows for maximizing catalytic efficiency while suppressing degradation reactions and provides guidance for feedstock-tailored pretreatment and next-generation acid catalytic systems and reactor configurations in integrated biorefineries. Full article

The rapid accumulation of plastic and biomass waste has emerged as a major environmental and resource management challenge, driven by increasing global consumption, low recycling efficiency, and the long-term persistence of waste in natural ecosystems. Conventional valorization routes such as pyrolysis, gasification, reforming, and fermentation provide promising pathways for converting waste into fuels and chemicals, yet their industrial deployment remains constrained by thermodynamic limitations, tar formation, catalyst deactivation, high energy demand, and complex downstream separation requirements. Despite increasing research activity, a comprehensive review that systematically addresses membrane reactor (MR) mechanisms, configurations, and their specific applications in the valorization of both plastic and biomass waste remains lacking in the current literature. In recent years, MR technology has attracted increasing attention as a platform for process intensification, integrating reaction and selective separation within a single unit. By enabling in situ product removal, MRs shift reaction equilibria toward higher conversion, selectivity improvement, and a reduction in separation severity and overall energy consumption. This critical review provides a unified and systematic assessment of MR technologies for the valorization of plastic and biomass waste. Reactor configurations, membrane materials, transport mechanisms, and catalytic systems are comprehensively examined, with particular emphasis on hydrogen-selective, oxygen-permeable, and water-selective membranes and their roles in reforming, tar mitigation, and syngas upgrading. The techno-economic and environmental implications of MR integration are critically discussed, together with current technology readiness levels (TRLs) and scale-up challenges. Overall, this review highlights MRs as a versatile and enabling platform for next-generation waste-to-value technologies and outlines their potential role in supporting the transition toward circular, low-carbon fuel and chemical production. Full article

Sucrose non-fermenting 1-related kinase (SNRK) is an understudied serine/threonine kinase of the CAMKL family, known for its role in metabolic regulation and cell signaling. Despite its emerging relevance in various biological processes and diseases, the phosphoregulatory landscape of human SNRK (valid substrates or role of its phosphosites) remains unexplored and demands robust, large-scale, data-oriented approaches to predict the potential substrates. A comprehensive analysis of global human phosphoproteomics datasets was performed to systematically identify class I phosphosites on SNRK, along with their predicted upstream kinases, potential downstream substrates, and coregulated phosphoproteins. Our analysis resulted in the identification of 33 dark SNRK phosphosites, of which 19 were differentially regulated across an array of experimental conditions. Among them, S518 and S569, outside their kinase domain, were the most frequently regulated and co-occurred phosphosites under diverse conditions. Notably, S569 is predicted as a candidate autophosphorylation site of SNRK. In these contexts, coregulation analysis of proteins and their phosphorylation sites suggested associations of phospho-SNRK in cell cycle progression, chromatin organization, and DNA replication. Uncovering candidate upstream kinases and potential substrates for prioritized validation, this study provides the first comprehensive phosphoproteomic map of SNRK, serving as a foundation for future investigations into its signaling network associations and therapeutic approaches. Full article

Objective: In this study, the heat shock transcription factor (HSF) gene family in Ganoderma lucidum was systematically characterized. Using genomic and transcriptomic data, we identified HSF family members and investigated their expression patterns under temperature stress and their potential regulatory roles in triterpenoid biosynthesis. Methods: A genome-wide identification of HSF genes in G. lucidum was performed using bioinformatic approaches. A phylogenetic tree was constructed, and conserved motifs, gene structures, and protein tertiary structures were predicted. The relative expression levels of HSF genes and key mevalonate (MVA) pathway enzyme genes were examined by a quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) in mycelia subjected to temperature stress. Total triterpenoid content in fermented mycelia under temperature stress was determined using the vanillin–glacial acetic acid method. Results: Eight HSF family members (GlHSF1–GlHSF8) were identified in G. lucidum. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that GlHSF proteins were closely related to PoHSF from Pleurotus ostreatus. Transcriptomic analysis showed that HSF genes exhibited relatively high expression levels during the mature stage while being barely expressed during the mycelial stage. Under heat stress (42 °C), most GlHSF genes peaked at 18 h, with GlHSF2 showing the most pronounced response (approximately 13-fold upregulation). Downstream MVA pathway genes, including IDI, PMK, and MVD, were significantly upregulated at 24 h, whereas the upstream rate-limiting enzyme gene HMGR was continuously suppressed. Despite HMGR suppression, total triterpenoid content did not decrease significantly, likely due to the activation of downstream genes. Under cold stress (14 °C), the expression of most GlHSF and MVA pathway genes decreased, accompanied by a significant reduction in total triterpenoid content. Conclusions: The HSF gene family was identified in the G. lucidum genome. Based on expression analysis, GlHSF2 showed the strongest response under heat stress, and its expression peak was correlated with the sequential activation of downstream genes in the MVA pathway. This suggests that GlHSF2 acts as a potential key regulatory node, differentially regulating upstream and downstream MVA pathway genes to influence triterpenoid biosynthesis under heat stress. These findings provide a theoretical basis for future research on the biological functions of GlHSF homeostasis. Full article

Brewer’s spent grain (BSG) is an abundant lignocellulosic by-product whose valorization can support circular bioeconomy strategies. This study evaluated BSG bioconversion by Aspergillus oryzae ATCC 10124 under solid-state fermentation (SSF) to produce lignocellulolytic enzymes and release second-generation (2G) sugars relevant to biorefinery applications. SSF was monitored over 0–10 days, and FPase, endo-cellulase, β-glucosidase, xylanase, mannanase, amylase, and ligninolytic enzyme activities were quantified. Enzymatic crude extracts were further assessed in SDS-PAGE analysis. Glucose, cellobiose, xylose and arabinose release and consumption were tracked throughout fermentation, and substrate transformation was supported by FTIR. The secretome exhibited a predominantly hydrolytic profile, with maximal hemicellulolytic and cellulolytic activity around days 2–4, as well as sustained amylase activity. Ligninolytic activity was not detected. Sugar profiles indicated rapid early hydrolysis of glucose, followed by progressive pentose release. The stabilization and decline were consistent with fungal uptake. Changes in the carbohydrate fingerprint and SDS–PAGE banding supported structural polysaccharide remodeling and hydrolytic protein secretion. Thus, this SSF platform confirmed certain potential for low-cost cellulolytic and hemicellulolytic enzyme generation. However, because sugar accumulation was temporary and followed by consumption, this system is best interpreted as a biological pretreatment and enzyme-generation step that supports subsequent downstream valorization. Full article

This study presents a novel, integrated membrane–resin hybrid platform for the high-efficiency purification of N-acetylneuraminic acid (sialic acid, NANA) from complex microbial fermentation broths. By synergistically combining four sequential stages—ceramic microfiltration (50 nm), ultrafiltration (3 kDa), nanofiltration (150 Da), and dual-resin purification (macroporous adsorption + cation-exchange)—the process achieves stepwise removal of cells, proteins, pigments, monovalent salts, and divalent metal ions without using organic solvents or high-salt buffers. Critically, each stage demonstrates high target recovery: 76.2% (CM), 67.3% (UF), and 77.5% (NF), with near-quantitative retention (>95%) during resin treatment due to NANA’s low hydrophobicity and electrostatic repulsion at pH 6.8. Following optimised acidification crystallisation (acetic acid dosage = 3 × concentrate volume; sialic acid concentrate concentration = 333.49 g/L), the final product reaches 97.9% purity with a crystalline yield of 78.6%. This scalable, green purification strategy eliminates major bottlenecks in downstream processing and enables industrial-scale production of pharmaceutical-grade sialic acid, with broad applicability to other high-value acidic biomolecules. Full article

Sustainable xanthan gum (XG) production is increasingly prioritized as global demand rises, and conventional processes face economic and environmental constraints. Traditional manufacturing depends heavily on refined sugars, intensive fermentation control, and solvent-based purification, which elevate production costs and ecological impact. This review highlights recent advancements designed to improve sustainability across the XG value chain, focusing on alternative substrates, optimized fermentation, and greener extraction methods. Agricultural residues, food-processing waste, lignocellulosic biomass, and industrial effluents have emerged as promising low-cost substrates that reduce reliance on refined sugar sources while supporting waste valorization. Pretreatment strategies, such as acid hydrolysis, enzymatic processing, and integrated biological–chemical methods, significantly enhance the accessibility of complex biomass for microbial fermentation. Concurrently, improvements in strain selection, metabolic engineering, and process control have increased XG yield, molecular weight, and rheological performance. Environmentally friendly extraction technologies, including ultrasound-assisted extraction, pulsed electric fields, membrane filtration, and electro-dewatering, further reduce solvent consumption and energy demand in downstream processing. However, challenges persist, including substrate variability, formation of inhibitory compounds, strain instability, and regulatory considerations for waste-derived substrates or genetically modified strains. Future progress will rely on integrating bioprocess intensification, genetic engineering, and techno-economic assessment to build scalable, low-impact, and circular XG production systems. Full article

Sweeteners occupy a pivotal role in the global transition toward sustainable, health-aligned, and resource-efficient food systems. Conventional sucrose production carries significant environmental burdens, while escalating metabolic health concerns intensify demand for viable alternatives. This paper reframes sweeteners not as commodity ingredients, but as digitally engineered, biologically manufactured, and circularity-optimized materials within the emerging bioeconomy. Advances in artificial intelligence (AI), metabolic engineering, precision fermentation, and lignocellulosic valorization are fundamentally reshaping sweetener innovation. We introduce the Sweetener Innovation 4.0 framework, in which AI functions as the integrative engine linking molecular design, bioprocess optimization, and system-level sustainability. Across diverse sweetener classes, including steviol glycosides, mogrosides, rare sugars, sweet proteins, and forestry-derived polyols, AI accelerates discovery, improves metabolic flux control, optimizes downstream processing and enables more adaptive manufacturing systems. This digital–biological convergence is progressively decoupling sweetness production from land-intensive agriculture, reducing dependence on geographically constrained crops, and enabling resilient, low-carbon manufacturing pathways. Comparative life-cycle assessments highlight substantial sustainability gains, but also reveal persistent methodological gaps, particularly in accounting for downstream-processing energy and digital infrastructure emissions. Socioeconomic analysis further underscores the importance of equitable transitions, transparent labeling, and effective consumer communication as fermentation-derived sweeteners enter global markets. Looking forward, we identify key frontiers for Sweetener Innovation 4.0, including de novo AI-designed sweeteners, autonomous fermentation systems, carbon-negative feedstocks, personalized sweetness modulation, and integrated circular biorefineries. Together, these developments position sweeteners as a top domain for demonstrating how AI, biotechnology, and sustainability principles can jointly reshape ingredient development and industrial systems within the 21st-century circular-economy. Full article

The conversion of lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) into biofuels is hindered by its inherent resistance and the drawbacks of conventional pretreatment, which include high cost, intensive energy use, and inhibitor formation. Here, we present a novel, one-pot bioconversion process that bypasses pretreatment by integrating cerium-doped iron oxide nanoparticles (CeFeO₄NPs) with a specialized enzyme system. The system utilizes enzyme supernatant from Penicillium janthinellum mutant EU-30, a strain developed via chemical–physical mutagenesis, which exhibits stable hemicellulase activity and a 25–30% increase in cellulase activity. The integrated approach effectively saccharified raw sugarcane bagasse (SB) within 24 h, generating the highest yields of 12.8 ± 0.5 g/L glucose and 11.54 ± 0.5 g/L xylose compared to other substrates tested. Subsequent fermentation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae yielded 13.47 g/L ethanol (1.21 g/L/h productivity) and demonstrated concurrent consumption of both hexose and pentose sugars. We propose that residual CeFe₃O₄NPs in the hydrolysate mitigate carbon catabolite inhibition, thereby increasing xylose utilization. This was attributed to the residual CeFe₃O₄NPs in the hydrolysate, which are thought to upregulate xylose-metabolism-related genes in S. cerevisiae, thereby alleviating carbon catabolite inhibition. This method offers a streamlined, economical, and sustainable platform for producing carbon-neutral bioethanol from agricultural waste, eliminating costly pretreatment and simplifying downstream processing. Full article

The physiological efficacy of plant-based matrices is often limited because bioactive compounds are sequestered within complex lignocellulosic architectures, restricting their release and downstream activity. Fermentation-driven enzymatic biotransformation can overcome these structural barriers; however, the mechanisms by which fermentation-derived, non-viable functional ingredients (postbiotics) confer benefits remain incompletely defined. Here, we examined whether a postbiotic-rich, co-fermented plant matrix enhances host resilience under metabolic stress and whether such effects are accompanied by a remodeling of gut microbial functional capacity. A functional plant matrix was produced by solid-state co-fermentation using two Lactobacillus plantarum strains selected for complementary lignocellulolytic profiles. Untargeted metabolomics and deep shotgun metagenomic sequencing were integrated with a hydrocortisone-induced murine metabolic stress model to quantify substrate remodeling, host neuroendocrine/behavioral outcomes, and microbiome functional reprogramming. Co-fermentation markedly remodeled the phytochemical landscape, increasing extractable flavonoids and generating distinct metabolite clusters. In vivo, administration of the postbiotic-rich matrix partially normalized stress-responsive neuroendocrine markers (ACTH, TRH, and testosterone) and improved behavioral outcomes in open-field and forced swim assays. These systemic changes were paralleled by a coordinated shift in microbial functional potential, including the enrichment of carbohydrate-active enzyme (CAZyme) families involved in complex polysaccharide utilization (e.g., AA9, GH129, CE14) and attenuation of phosphotransferase system modules and cytochrome P450-related functions. Enzymatic synergy-driven biotransformation yields a postbiotic-rich functional matrix that is associated with a selective remodeling of gut microbiome metabolic potential under stress and concomitant improvement in host physiological resilience. This study underscores microbial functional remodeling as a critical mechanistic interface linking fermentation-modified substrates to host physiological recovery, providing a molecular framework for the development of targeted postbiotic interventions. Full article

Can kelp farming provide a low-impact food source within Arctic marine food systems? This study presents the first life cycle assessment of kelp production in Greenland, assessing environmental impacts from offshore cultivation and on-site freezing through export to Denmark for downstream processing into ready-to-eat fermented kelp-based food products, using empirically grounded operational data. Particular attention is given to discrepancies between expected and realised biomass yields. Results show that life cycle impacts per kilogram of wet harvested kelp are highly sensitive to realised yields, with climate change impacts increasing from 1.00 to 3.83 kg CO₂-eq kg⁻¹ under observed yield conditions. Offshore cultivation infrastructure and interregional transport dominate environmental burdens, while downstream processing contributes less. At the food-product level, four fermented kelp-based products are evaluated and compared with cabbage-based analogues. Kelp-based products exhibit lower land-use impacts but higher climate change and freshwater eutrophication impacts across multiple functional units. Additionally, kelp harvesting results in quantified removal of nitrogen and phosphorus from the marine environment. Overall, the findings indicate that kelp farming can represent an environmentally viable component of Arctic food systems, with yield stability and logistics identified as key determinants of sustainability. Full article

Biopolymers from renewable sources are increasingly explored to reduce the carbon footprint of materials and mitigate plastic pollution. This review synthesizes the last five years of progress across the biopolymer value chain, comparing plant, microbial/fermentation, fungal, and marine/algal resources and critically assessing greener extraction and fractionation routes (ultrasound and microwave intensification, subcritical water, supercritical CO₂ with co-solvents, ionic liquids, deep eutectic solvents including natural deep eutectic solvents, and enzymatic or bio-mediated processes). We emphasize yield-selectivity trade-offs, scalability, energy demand, and solvent recovery. Downstream, we summarize purification and performance tuning via crosslinking, derivatization, blending/plasticization, and nanocomposites, and we map advanced characterization to targeted functional properties to bridge processing choices with end-use performance. Applications are organized across food and agriculture, biomedical and pharmaceutical technologies, packaging, and cosmetics, with cross-cutting attention to safety and regulatory compliance, quality-by-design, techno-economics, and life-cycle assessment. Key bottlenecks are feedstock variability, viscosity and recyclability limitations of designer solvents, and persistent gaps in barrier and thermal properties versus petrochemical benchmarks, compounded by uneven composting and recycling infrastructure. Promising directions include low-viscosity or switchable solvents, data- and artificial intelligence (AI)-guided process optimization, engineered biopolymers, and circular end-of-life strategies that align material design with realistic recovery routes. Full article

The N88S mutation in human seipin causes a dominant motor neuron disease marked by ER stress and inclusion body formation, lipid imbalance, and oxidative damage. However, the metabolic mechanisms connecting these defects remain poorly understood. Previous proteomic profiling in our yeast model of N88S human seipinopathy revealed decreased protein levels of enzymes involved in the tricarboxylic acid cycle, fatty acid and carboxylic acid metabolism, and the glyoxylate cycle, suggesting impaired downstream utilization of peroxisome-derived acetyl-CoA. Guided by these findings, we investigated how peroxisomal function contributes to cellular dyshomeostasis. N88S seipin-expressing cells exhibited increased peroxisome abundance but defective routing of acetyl-CoA into mitochondrial and glyoxylate pathways, resulting in elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS), impaired glyoxylate cycle activation, and reduced metabolic adaptability to non-fermentable carbon sources. Loss of peroxisomes or forced cytosolic redirection of acetyl-CoA further exacerbated ER stress, ROS accumulation, lipid peroxidation, and the growth defect on N88S seipin-expressing cells, whereas inhibition of fatty acid synthesis mitigated oxidative damage. These findings demonstrate that N88S seipin triggers a futile cycle in which misrouted cytosolic acetyl-CoA drives lipogenesis, amplifying oxidative damage and ER stress. We conclude that defective peroxisome–mitochondria metabolic coupling and acetyl-CoA misrouting may represent central pathogenic mechanisms driving cellular dysfunction in N88S-linked seipinopathy. Full article