Cellulosic ethanol is the key technology to alleviate the pressure of energy supply and climate change. However, the ethanol production process, which is close to industrial production and has a high saccharification rate and ethanol yield, still needs to be developed. This study demonstrates the effective conversion of poplar wood waste into fuel-grade ethanol. By employing a two-step pretreatment using sodium chlorite (SC)-dilute sulfuric acid (DSA), the raw material achieved a sugar conversion rate exceeding 85% of the theoretical value. Under optimized conditions, brewing yeast co-utilizing C6/C5 enabled a yield of 35 g/L ethanol from 10% solid loading delignified poplar hydrolysate. We increased the solid loading to enhance the final ethanol concentration and optimized both the hydrolysis and fermentation stages. With 20% solid loading delignified poplar hydrolysate, the final ethanol concentration reached 60 g/L, a 71.4% increase from the 10% solid loading. Our work incorporates the pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis, and fermentation stages to establish a simple, crude poplar waste fuel ethanol process, expanding the range of feedstocks for second-generation fuel ethanol production.

BACKGROUND: The application of egg white powder (EWP) was subject to its off-flavor. In the present study, flavourzyme and lactic acid bacteria were used to treat egg white powder (EWP) and the mechanism effects of enzymolysis-fermentation were explored.
RESULTS: Compared with the control group, enzymolysis combined with fermentation treatment group (EW-EF) reduced the four-representative off-flavor compounds (geranyl acetone, 1-octen-3-ol, octanal and nonanal) by more than 62.66%. Fermentation produced esters with good flavor, and enzymolysis produced fresh amino acids. Characterization of protein structure indicated that fermentation decreased both fluorescence intensity and surface negative charges, accelerating the aggregation of proteins; enzymolysis promoted aggregation and degradation, improving the stability of the egg white proteins. Meanwhile, enzymolysis broke down the hydrophobic cavities bound to off-flavor compounds, releasing protein-bound off-flavor compounds and removing them through fermentation.
CONCLUSIONS: EW-EF had the best effect of off-flavor removal on EWP. The results of the present study could provide a green and effective method for improving the flavor of EWP. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

The dual-frequency ultrasound-assisted enzymatic digestion (DUED) technique was developed for synchronous green extraction of five heavy metal ions in root vegetables. The combination of α-amylase, cellulase, and papain showed significant advantageous in extracting heavy metal ions. Under optimized dual-frequency ultrasonic conditions, the extraction rates of Cr, As, Cd, Pb, and Hg in carrots reached 99.04%, 105.88%, 104.65%, 104.10%, and 103.13% respectively. And the extraction process is highly efficient, completing in just 15 min. Compared to conventional microwave-assisted acid hydrolysis method, this technique eliminates the need for high-temperature concentrated acid, enhancing its environmental sustainability while maintaining mild reaction conditions, making it ideal for biosensors application. Additionally, simultaneous extraction and detection of four heavy metals in lotus roots were successfully achieved by using DUED and a fluorescent paper-based microfluidic chip. The obtained results are consistent with those obtained using conventional methods.

To enhance the colorimetric performance of anthocyanin (Ant), a konjac glucomannan (KGM)-based multifunctional pH-responsive indicator film was fabricated by introducing enzymatically prepared bacterial nanocellulose (EBNC) stabilized camellia oil/camellia essential oil Pickering emulsion (BCCE). Specifically, optimized enzymatic hydrolysis time (36 h) was determined based on the particle size and microstructure. Then BCCE (containing 0.4% EBNC) was incorporated into Ant-containing KGM, and the novel active indicator film (KGM-Ant-BCCE) was constructed. Films with varying BCCE concentrations (3%-11%) exhibited enhanced UV shielding, thermal stability, mechanical strength, water vapor and oxygen permeability, hydrophobicity, and antioxidant performance. The pronounced color change of KGM-Ant-BCCE indicated its potential for visually detecting shrimp freshness. Moreover, the biodegradability (25 days) confirmed the environmentally benign property of the film. In summary, incorporating green-produced EBNC nanoparticle-stabilized BCCE offers an innovative pathway to improve the color indication capability of polysaccharide-based smart packaging.

Effective reduction of the allergenicity of instant soy milk powder (ISMP) is practically valuable for expanding its applications. This study optimized the enzymolysis technology of ISMP using single-factor experiments and response surface methodology, combined serological analysis, cellular immunological models, bioinformatics tools, and multiple spectroscopy techniques to investigate the effects of alcalase hydrolysis on allergenicity, spatial conformation, and linear epitopes of ISMP. Under the optimal process, special IgE and IgG1 binding abilities and allergenic activity to induce cell degranulation of alcalase-hydrolyzed ISMP were reduced by (64.72 ± 1.76)%, (56.79 ± 3.72)%, and (73.3 ± 1.19)%, respectively (P < 0.05). Moreover, the spatial conformation of instant soy milk powder hydrolysates (ISMPH) changed, including decreased surface hydrophobicity, a weaker peak of amide II band, lower contents of α-helix and β-sheet, and an enhanced content of random coil. Furthermore, the linear epitopes of major soy allergens, 9 from glycinin and 13 from β-conglycinin, could be directionally disrupted by alcalase hydrolysis. Overall, the structure-activity mechanism of alcalase hydrolysis to reduce ISMP allergenicity in vitro was preliminarily clarified. It provided a new research direction for the breakthrough in the desensitization of ISMP and a theoretical basis for revealing the potential mechanism of alcalase enzymolysis to reduce the allergenicity of ISMP.

Garlic oil has a wide range of biological activities, and its broad-spectrum activity against phytopathogenic fungi still has the potential to be explored. In this study, enzymatic treatment of garlic resulted in an increase of approximately 50 % in the yield of essential oil, a feasible GC-MS analytical program for garlic oil was provided. Vacuum fractionation of the volatile oil and determination of its inhibitory activity against 10 fungi demonstrated that garlic oil has good antifungal activity. The antifungal activity levels were ranked as diallyl trisulfide (S-3)>diallyl disulfide (S-2)>diallyl monosulfide (S-1), with an EC50 value of S-3 against Botrytis cinerea reached 8.16 mg/L. Following the structural modification of compound S-3, a series of derivatives, including compounds S-4~7, were synthesized and screened for their antifungal activity. The findings unequivocally demonstrated that the compound dimethyl trisulfide (S-4) exhibited exceptional antifungal activity. The EC50 of S-4 against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum reached 6.83 mg/L. SEM, In vivo experiments, and changes in mycelial nucleic acids, soluble proteins and soluble sugar leakage further confirmed its antifungal activity. The study indicated that the trisulfide bond structure was the key to good antifungal activity, which can be developed into a new type of green plant-derived fungicide for plant protection.

OBJECTIVE: The present study evaluated the effect of flaxseed meal degraded by a protease, Lactobacillus plantarum, or both on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and health status of broilers.
METHODS: There were four diets containing flaxseed meals in its non-degraded form (control, CON), degraded with 3,000 U/kg of protease (enzymatic, ELM), 1.0×109 CFU/kg of Lactobacillus plantarum (fermented, FLM), or both (dual-degraded, DLM). Each form of flaxseed meals was added at 15% of diet. A total of 480 yellow-feathered broilers at 22 d of age were distributed into 4 groups with 6 replicates of 20 chickens each. The feeding trial lasted for 42 d. Growth performance, apparent fecal digestibility (dry matter, energy, crude protein, and ash), and serum immunoglobins and antioxidases were determined at 42 and 63 d of age.
RESULTS: Results showed that ELM, FLM, and DLM increased (p<0.001) the contents of peptides and decreased (p<0.001) cyanogenic glycosides, compared to CON. The diets with degraded flaxseed meals increased (p<0.05) feed intake and body weight gain throughout the feeding trial, and the digestibility of energy, crude protein, and ash at the end of feeding trial. Furthermore, all degraded groups enhanced (p<0.05) broiler health status by increasing serum immunoglobulins A and G. Additinally, DLM showed more pronounced effects (p<0.05) on these parameters than ELM or FLM.
CONCLUSIONS: Flaxseed meals degraded by enzymolysis, fermentation, or both had improved nutrition and application in broilers.

Polysaccharides have been widely used in the development of natural drugs and health food. However, polysaccharide characterization lags due to inherently complicated features and the limitations of existing detection approaches. We aimed to provide new insight into the fine structure and conformational visualization of polysaccharides from Gastrodia elata Blume, a medicinal and edible plant. A water-soluble polysaccharide (GEP2-6) with the high molecular weight of 2.7 × 106 Da was first obtained, and its purity reached 99.2 %. Chemical and spectroscopic analyses jointly revealed that GEP2-6 was a glucan linked by α-(1 → 4) and α-(1 → 6) glycosidic bonds. After enzymolysis, the local structure of GEP2-6 included α-1,4-Glcp, α-1,6-Glcp, α-1,4,6-Glcp, and α-1-Glcp at a molar ratio of 31.27∶1.32∶1.08∶0.93. The glycosidic linkage pattern of repeating units was further simulated by a glycan database and spatial examination software. The good dissolution performance was interpreted by dynamics simulation and practical molecular characteristics. Spherical flexible chains and the porous stable conformation were corroborated using atomic force microscopy. In addition, GEP2-6 could effectively scavenge DPPH and hydroxyl radicals as a promising natural antioxidant. These efforts will contribute to the expansion of clinical applications of this G. elata polysaccharide and the structural elucidation for macromolecular polysaccharides combined with traditional and modern analysis techniques.

In this study, enzymatic hydrolysis was used to fabricate wheat gliadin hydrolysates (WGHs) for the encapsulation and protection of naringin. The exposure of hydrophilic amino acids decreased the critical micelle concentration (from 0.53 ± 0.02 mg/mL to 0.35 ± 0.03 mg/mL) and improved solubility, which provided amphiphilic conditions for the delivery of naringin. The hydrolysates with a degree of hydrolysis (DH) of 9 % had the strongest binding affinity with naringin, and exhibited the smallest particle size (113.7 ± 1.1 nm) and the highest encapsulation rate (83.2 ± 1.3 %). The storage, heat and photochemical stability of naringin were improved via the encapsulation of micelles. Furthermore, the micelles made up of hydrolysates with a DH of 12 % significantly enhanced the bioavailability of naringin (from 19.4 ± 4.3 % to 46.8 ± 1.4 %). Our experiment provides theoretical support for the utilization of delivery systems based on water-insoluble proteins.

Contamination of heavy metals has always been a pressing concern. The dry-wet alternately treated carboxymethylcellulose bentonite (DW-CB) was successfully prepared by intercalating bentonite (BT) with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) obtained by solvent processes using enzymatically digested wastepaper as cellulosic raw material, and the adsorption capacity of Cu2+ on DW-CB in aqueous solution was investigated. A 98.18 ± 2.31 % removal efficiency was achieved by 4 g/L of DW-CB after 8 h in a solution containing 100 mg/L of Cu2+, which were 4.1 times and 1.5 times of that of BT and adsorbent prepared without alternating dry-wet process, respectively. The introduction of -COOH groups during the preparation of DW-CB enhanced the electrostatic interaction between DW-CB and Cu2+, which was the main driving force for Cu2+ removal. The pseudo-first-order kinetic model and Langmuir model better described the adsorption process and adsorption capacity of Cu2+ on DW-CB. DW-CB still showed high removal of Cu2+ (19.61 ± 0.99 mg/g) in the presence of multiple metal ions, while exhibiting the potential for removal of Zn2+, Mg2+ and K+, especially Mg2+ (22.69 ± 1.48 mg/g). However, the interactions of organics with Cu2+ severely affected the removal of Cu2+ by DW-CB (removal efficiency: 17.90 ± 4.17 % - 95.33 ± 0.27 %). In this study, an adsorbent with high targeted adsorption of Cu2+ was prepared by utilizing wastepaper and BT, which broadened the way of wastepaper resource utilization and had good economic and social benefits.