Probiotic production in commercial culture media is expensive, so, it is necessary to design culture media based on \"low-cost\" components like agro-industrial by-products. Therefore, this study aimed to design an agro-industrial by-product-based culture media using whey, sugarcane molasses, and palm kernel cake as components to produce Lactococcus lactis A12, Priestia megaterium M4, and Priestia sp. M10 isolated from Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) associated gut microbiota. Higher bacterial concentrations were achieved at high whey concentrations and low concentrations of sugarcane molasses and palm kernel cake (PKC) using agitation. The optimal conditions were whey, 3.84% w/v; sugarcane molasses, 7.39% w/v; PKC, 0.77% w/v; and agitation speed, 75 RPM. Bacterial growth under optimal conditions was compared to that in commercial Brain-Heart Infusion (BHI) broth. L. lactis A12 showed similar growth in the optimal media and BHI. The estimated cost of the culture media based on component prices was USD $ 3.01/L, which is 86.93% lower than BHI broth (USD $ 23.04/L). It was possible to design a \"low-cost agro-industrial by-product-based culture media to produce L. lactis A12 and the two Priestia species under monoculture conditions.

This study investigated the impact of residual anaerobic granular sludge (AnGS) from anaerobic digesters treating molasses wastewater on ammonium reduction in a downstream aerobic granular sludge (AGS) reactor. Two conditions were tested: raw (high AnGS concentration) and settled (low AnGS concentration) anaerobically digested molasses wastewaters were fed into the AGS reactor. With the introduction of raw wastewater, enhanced nitrite accumulation at 30 % and improved total inorganic nitrogen (TIN) removal at 11 % were observed compared to 1 % nitrite accumulation and 8 % TIN removal with the introduction of settled wastewater. However, AnGS adversely affected other aspects of reactor performance, increasing effluent solid content and decreasing soluble chemical oxygen demand removal efficiency from 20 % in the low AnGS condition to 11 % in the high AnGS condition. Despite the observed retention of AnGS in the reactor, no significant bioaugmentation effects on the microbial community of the AGS were observed. Aerobic granular sludge was consistently observed in both conditions. The study suggests that AnGS may act as a nucleus for granule formation, helping to maintain granule stability in a disturbed environment. This study offers a systematic understanding of the impact of AnGS on subsequent nitrogen removal process using AGS, aiding in the decision making in the treatment of high solid anaerobic digestate.

Astaxanthin is a red xanthophyll with high economic and industrial value in the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, cosmetic and food industries. In recent years, the biotechnological production of astaxanthin has attracted much attention as a sustainable alternative to the predominating petrochemical-dependent chemical synthesis. In this regard, Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous is regarded as a promising microorganism for industrial production of astaxanthin. Unfortunately, biotechnological production of the carotenoid is currently expensive. The present study investigated soy molasses (SM) and residual brewers\' yeast as cheap fermentation feedstocks for the cultivation of X. dendrorhous and astaxanthin production. Yeast extract was obtained from residual brewers\' yeast using various techniques and then combined with SM to formulate a two-component growth medium which was subsequently used to cultivate X. dendrorhous. Generally, the yeast extract produced from residual brewers\' yeast supported X. dendrorhous growth and astaxanthin production at levels comparable to those seen with commercial yeast extract. Overall, cultivating X. dendrorhous in an SM-based medium containing 5% SM and 0.2% yeast extract obtained from residual brewers\' yeast resulted in significantly higher (> 20% more) biomass accumulation compared to the control media (YPD). A similar slightly higher astaxanthin output (up to 14% more) was recorded in the SM-based medium compared to YPD. The formulated cultivation medium in this study provides an opportunity to reduce the production cost of astaxanthin from X. dendrorhous while simultaneously reducing the environmental impact related to the disposal of the industrial waste used as feedstock. KEY POINTS: • Cheap culture media were formulated from soy molasses and brewers\' spent yeast • The formulated medium resulted in at least 20% more biomass than the control • Up to 14% more astaxanthin was produced in molasses-based medium.

Soybean molasses (SBMO) is a byproduct derived from the production of soy protein concentrate, obtained through solubilization in water and alcohol. The utilization of SBMO as an animal feed ingredient shows promising potential, primarily due to its low cost and as a potential energy concentrate. This study aimed to assess the intake, digestibility, ruminal parameters (pH and ruminal ammonia - NH3), nitrogen retention (NR) and microbial protein synthesis in grazing beef cattle supplemented with SBMO as a substitute for corn during the rainy season. Five Nellore (10-month-old) bulls with an average initial weight of 246 ± 11.2 kg were utilized in a 5 × 5 Latin square design. The animals were housed in five paddocks, each consisting of 0.34 ha of Marandu grass (Urochloa brizantha). Five isonitrogenous protein-energy supplements (300 g crude protein [CP]/kg supplement) were formulated, with SBMO replacing corn at varying levels (0, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, or 1.00 g-1 g). The supplements were provided daily at a quantity of 2.0 kg-1 animal. The inclusion of SBMO at any level of corn substitution did not significantly affect the intake of pasture dry matter or total dry matter (P > 0.10). Likewise, the intake of CP and, consequently, the ruminal concentration of NH3 did not differ among the SBMO levels. Increasing the inclusion of SBMO did not have a significant impact on NR (P > 0.10), indicating that animals receiving supplements containing 100% SBMO as a substitute for corn may perform similarly to animals receiving supplements with 100% corn (0% SBMO). Soybean molasses represents a viable alternative energy source for grazing beef cattle during the rainy season and can entirely replace corn without adversely affecting animal nutritional performance.

The demand for new products derived from agro-industrial residues has increased recently. Furthermore, vinasse, a wastewater from ethanol production, needs treatment to be reused in the sugarcane industry, reducing industrial water consumption. This study performed vinasse filtration with charcoal from industrial sugarcane residues and used filtered molasses dilution in ethanolic fermentation. There were five treatments in randomized blocks with three repetitions. The treatments included deionized water and natural vinasse as positive and negative controls, respectively, and filtered vinasse from charcoal made from bamboo, sugarcane bagasse, and straw. Hence, fermentation for ethanol production was performed. Compared with natural vinasse, filtered vinasse with all types of charcoal showed lower soluble solids, total residual reducing sugars, higher ethanol concentrations, and greater fermentative efficiency. Filtered vinasse from bagasse and straw charcoals had efficiencies of 81.14% and 77.98%, respectively, in terms of ethanol production, which are close to those of deionized water (81.49%). In a hypothetical industry, vinasse charcoal filtration and charcoal regeneration should prevent 84.12% of water consumption from environmental resources. This process is feasible because it uses a product of sugarcane residue to treat wastewater and reduce industrial water consumption and vinasse disposal.

BACKGROUND: An important step in replacing petrochemical products with sustainable, cost-effective alternatives is the use of feedstocks other than, e.g., pure glucose in the fermentative production of platform chemicals. Ustilaginaceae offer the advantages of a wide substrate spectrum and naturally produce a versatile range of value-added compounds under nitrogen limitation. A promising candidate is the dicarboxylic acid malic acid, which may be applied as an acidulant in the food industry, a chelating agent in pharmaceuticals, or in biobased polymer production. However, fermentable residue streams from the food and agricultural industry with high nitrogen content, e.g., sugar beet molasses, are unsuited for processes with Ustilaginaceae, as they result in low product yields due to high biomass and low product formation.
RESULTS: This study uncovers challenges in evaluating complex feedstock applicability for microbial production processes, highlighting the role of secondary substrate limitations, internal storage molecules, and incomplete assimilation of these substrates. A microliter-scale screening method with online monitoring of microbial respiration was developed using malic acid production with Ustilago trichophora on molasses as an application example. Investigation into nitrogen, phosphate, sulphate, and magnesium limitations on a defined minimal medium demonstrated successful malic acid production under nitrogen and phosphate limitation. Furthermore, a reduction of nitrogen and phosphate in the elemental composition of U. trichophora was revealed under the respective secondary substrate limitation. These adaptive changes in combination with the intricate metabolic response hinder mathematical prediction of product formation and make the presented screening methodology for complex feedstocks imperative. In the next step, the screening was transferred to a molasses-based complex medium. It was determined that the organism assimilated only 25% and 50% of the elemental nitrogen and phosphorus present in molasses, respectively. Due to the overall low content of bioavailable phosphorus in molasses, the replacement of the state-of-the-art nitrogen limitation was shown to increase malic acid production by 65%.
CONCLUSIONS: The identification of phosphate as a superior secondary substrate limitation for enhanced malic acid production opens up new opportunities for the effective utilization of molasses as a more sustainable and cost-effective substrate than, e.g., pure glucose for biobased platform chemical production.

This study addressed the treatment of high ammonia, low biodegradable chemical oxygen demand (bCOD) anaerobically digested molasses wastewater, utilizing an aerobic granular sludge (AGS) reactor. The AGS achieved 99 % ammonia removal regardless of the bCOD supplementation. By adding low ammonia (<60 mg/L), high bCOD raw molasses wastewater (before anaerobic digestion) as a carbon source, enhanced nitrogen removal, increasing from 10 % to 97 %, and improved sludge settleability via bio-induced calcite precipitation were observed. Functional genes prediction suggested two potential denitrification pathways, including heterotrophic denitrification by Paracoccus and Thauera, and autotrophic denitrification, specifically sulfide-oxidizing autotrophic denitrification by Thiobacillus. An increase in the relative abundance of microorganisms involved in heterotrophic denitrification was observed with the addition of high bCOD raw molasses wastewater. Consequently, incorporating raw molasses wastewater into the AGS presents a sustainable approach to achieve mixotrophic denitrification, maintain stable granular sludge and ensure stable treatment performance when treating anaerobically digested molasses wastewater.

In the present study, the nutritional and sensory properties of spelt cookies without wild garlic, cookies with fresh wild garlic, cookies with osmodehydrated wild garlic in sugar beet molasses, and cookies with osmodehydrated wild garlic in an aqueous solution of sucrose and salt were evaluated and compared. The tested cookie samples were characterized in terms of total antioxidative activity, the total content of phenols, flavonoids, and thiosulfates, the presence of dominant phenols, the content of betaine and dietary fiber, antioxidant activity after in vitro digestion, and sensory attributes for appearance, taste, smell, and texture. The results proved that the addition of wild garlic leaves osmodehydrated in molasses provided the cookies with the best nutritional and bioactive properties: 1.75 times higher total phenols content, 2.4 times higher total flavonoids content, 1.52 times higher total thiosulfates content, and 1.56 times higher betaine content, and a total quality increase of 54% compared to the control cookies. The cookies enriched with osmodehydrated wild garlic in molasses were rated as pleasant and acceptable, but also more complex compared to other cookies. The production of this nutritionally and sensory-improved cookie would contribute to expanding the assortment of flour confectionery products, especially for consumers who care about health and nutrition.

The widespread adoption of Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) encounters challenges due to its higher production costs compared to conventional plastics. To overcome this obstacle, this study investigates the use of low-cost raw materials and optimized production methods. Specifically, food processing byproducts such as corn germ and corn bran were utilized as solid substrates through solid-state fermentation, enriched with molasses and cheese whey. Employing the One Factor at a Time technique, we examined the effects of substrate composition, temperature, initial substrate moisture, molasses, and cheese whey on PHB production at the flask scale. Subsequently, experiments were conducted at the bioreactor scale to evaluate the influence of aeration. In flask-scale experiments, the highest PHB yield, reaching 4.1 (g/kg Initial Dry Weight Substrate) (IDWS) after 72 hours, was achieved using a substrate comprising a 1:1 mass ratio of corn germ to corn bran supplemented with 20 % (v/w) cheese whey. Furthermore, PHB production in a 0.5-L packed-bed bioreactor yielded a maximum of 8.4 (g/kg IDWS), indicating a more than 100 % increase in yield after 72 hours, with optimal results achieved at an aeration rate of 0.5 l/(kg IDWS. h).

Pomegranate molasses is made from concentrated pomegranate juice with nothing added. Due to its nutritional value, limitation in production, and high production cost, this product may be adulterated by date syrup. This study was done to differentiate various types of pomegranate molasses and investigate the possibility of nonauthenticity detection in pomegranate molasses samples using the hyperspectral imaging (HSI) technique compared with physicochemical measurement analysis. The physicochemical properties (brix index, sucrose, acidity, ash content, pH, and formalin index) of 24 samples were measured as the reference analysis method, and it was found that the formalin index was a good factor for pomegranate molasses authenticity evaluation. Additionally, an HSI system (400-1000 nm) was used as a nondestructive and rapid screening method to capture spectral data of the samples. The evolutionary wavelength selection algorithm was applied to select effective wavelengths in sample clustering based on the obtained Davies-Bouldin index. Next, principal component analysis was used to visually interpret the spectral data of the sample when using the selected wavelengths and the whole spectra of the samples. Finally, an automatic clustering algorithm by the artificial bee colony as an unsupervised method was developed for the clustering of the authentic and nonauthentic samples. The method did not need descriptively labeled samples and obtained agreed satisfactorily with the degree of nonauthenticity in the samples. This study showed that the developed HSI technique coupled with an automatic clustering algorithm could detect date syrup nonauthenticity in pomegranate samples from the level of 5% adulteration.