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Butia capitata endocarp (BCE) is a biomass residue with the potential to produce a wide variety of bio-products. The processing of BCE in a sequential process of subcritical water hydrolysis (SWH) and hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) was investigated to obtain fermentable sugars, platform chemicals, bio-oil, and biochar. The SWH was evaluated at 230 and 260 °C and solvent: feed mass ratios (R) of 10 and 20 for the production of fermentable sugars and platform chemicals. The solid residue from SWH was sequentially submitted to the HTL at 330 and 360 °C for bio-oil and biochar production. The results were analyzed by comparing the sequential (SWH/HTL) and individual (HTL only) processes. The highest yields of fermentable sugars (5.26 g/ 100 g BCE) were obtained for SWH at 260 °C and R-20 with higher contents of xylose (2.64 g/100 g BCE) and cellobiose (1.75 g/100 g BCE). The highest yields of platform chemicals (2.44 g/100 g BCE) were obtained for SWH at 260 °C and R-10 with higher contents of acetic acid (1.78 g/100 g BCE) and furfural (0.54 g/100 g BCE). The highest yield of bio-oil (25.30 g/100 g BCE) occurred in HTL individual process at 360 °C and R-20. Sequential process SWH/HTL showed a decrease in bio-oil yield but maintained a similar biochar yield compared to HTL, in addition to the production of fermentable sugars and platform chemicals.

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The fungi-based technology provided encouraging scenarios in the transition from a conventionally based economic system to the potential security of sources closely associated with the agricultural sphere such as the agriculture. In recent years, the intensification of fungi-based processes has generated significant gains, additionally to the production of materials with significant benefits and strong environmental importance. Furthermore, the growing concern for human health, especially in the agriculture scenario, has fostered the investigation of organisms with high biological and beneficial potential for use in agricultural systems. Accordingly, this study offered a comprehensive review of the diversity of the soil fungal microbiome and its main applications in a biotechnological approach aimed at agriculture and food chain-related areas. Moreover, the spectrum of opportunities and the extensive optimization platform for obtaining fungi compounds and metabolites are discussed. Finally, future perspectives regarding the insurgency of innovations and challenges on the broad rise of visionary solutions applied to the biotechnology context are provided.

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There are many blackberry cultivars in Brazil; however, the characteristics and applications of the Cherokee cultivar have not yet been widely studied. For this reason, this research investigated the behaviour of maltodextrin (MD), gum Arabic (GA), and pectin (PEC), as carriers combined in different proportions (20% MD, 15% MD + 5% GA, 15% MD + 5% PEC), on encapsulation of Cherokee blackberry pulp extract obtained by freeze-drying. The results of moisture content (2.73-3.36%), water activity (aw) (0.11-0.15), solubility (52.40-54.11%), hygroscopicity (17.59-21.11%), colour (hue 0.24-0.32), retention of anthocyanins (51.55-60.53%), total phenolic compounds (39.72-70.73 mg GAE/100g), antioxidant activity at 25 mg/mL (77.89-80.02%), IC50 (12.26-14.53), simulated in vitro digestion and morphology were discussed. Concerning morphology, blackberry powders had irregular structures and amorphous structures. Comparatively, the best results were obtained for MD-GA. MD-GA presented the highest content of phenolic compounds (70.73 ± 1.84 mg GAE/100g) and antioxidant activity (80.02%), as well as the lowest IC50 value (12.26). In general, all powders showed an increase in phenolic compounds during in vitro digestion, because of the pH conditions and digestive enzymes present in the simulated digestive fluid. This result shows that the wall material provides protection, since the blackberry rich extract (RE) showed degradation of phenolic compounds in in vitro digestion. In this sense, freeze-drying is a suitable technique for the encapsulation of Cherokee blackberry pulp extract.

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The valorization of agro-industrial residues can be improved through their full use, making the production of second-generation ethanol viable. In this scenario, hydrolyzed soybean straw generated from a subcritical water process was applied to the basic fuchsin adsorption. At pH eight, a high adsorption capacity was obtained. The mass test results showed that basic fuchsin's removal and adsorption capacity could be maximized with an adsorbent dosage of 0.9 g L-1. The linear driving force model was suitable for predicting the kinetic profile, and the kinetic curves showed that equilibrium was reached with only 30 min of contact time. Besides, the Langmuir model was the best to predict the adsorption isotherms. The thermodynamic parameters revealed a spontaneous and endothermic process. At 328 K, there is maximum adsorption capacity (72.9 mg g-1). Therefore, it can be stated that this material could be competitive in terms of adsorption capacity coupled with the idea of full use of waste.

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The hemicellulosic fraction recovery is of interest for integrated processes in biorefineries, considering the possibility of high economic value products produced from their structural compounds of this polysaccharide. However, to perform an efficient recovery, it is necessary to use biomass fractionation techniques, and hydrothermal pretreatment is highlighted as a valuable technique in the hemicellulose recovery by applying high temperatures and pressure, causing dissolution of the structure. Considering the possibility of this pretreatment technique for current approaches to hemicellulose recovery, this article aimed to explore the relevance of hydrothermal pretreatment techniques (sub and supercritical water) as a strategy for recovering the hemicellulosic fraction from lignocellulosic biomass. Discussions about potential products to be generated, current market profile, and perspectives and challenges of applying the technique are also addressed.

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Several plant species synthesize biologically active secondary metabolites. Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are a large group of biotoxins produced by thousands of plant species to protect against the attack of insects and herbivores, but they are highly toxic for humans and animals. In this study, extracts from the aerial part of Senecio brasiliensis were obtained using different technologies: ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), pressurized liquid extraction (PLE), and microwave hydrodiffusion and gravity (MHG). The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of these technologies for the extraction of chemical compounds found in this plant, focusing on two pyrrolizidine alkaloids: integerrimine and senecionine. Influential parameters on yield and chemical composition were also evaluated: for UAE and MHG, temperature and pressure; for PLE, temperature, and percentage of ethanol. All the extraction techniques were efficient for the extraction of integerrimine and senecionine. The UAE and PLE stood out for the higher yields and number of compounds. The PLE presented a maximum yield of 18.63% for the matrix leaf and the UAE a maximum yield of 11.82% for the same matrix. These two techniques also stood out in terms of the number of compounds, once 36 different compounds were found via PLE and 17 via UAE. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13205-021-02845-1.

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The objective of this study was to evaluate the ethanol production by Wickerhamomyces sp. using soybean straw and hull hydrolysates obtained by subcritical water hydrolysis and, afterward, the biogas production using the fermented hydrolysates. Ethanol was produced using the straw and hull hydrolysates diluted and supplement with glucose, reaching 5.57 ± 0.01 g/L and 6.11 ± 0.11 g/L, respectively. The fermentation in a bioreactor with changing the pH to 7.0 allowed achieving maximum ethanol production of 4.03 and 3.60 g/L for straw and hull hydrolysates at 24 h, respectively. The biogas productions obtained for the fermented hydrolysates of straw with and without changing the pH were 739 ± 37 and 652 ± 34 NmL/gVSad, respectively. The fermented hydrolysate of hull without changing the pH presented 620 ± 26 NmL/gVSad. The soybean residues produced biofuels, indicating these residues show potential as raw material for renewable energy production.

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Ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and pressurized hot water extraction (PHWE) were tested as advanced clean methods to obtain polysaccharides from Phoma dimorpha mycelial biomass. These methods were compared to conventional extraction (hot water extraction, HWE) in terms of polysaccharides-enriched fractions (PEF) yield. A central composite rotational design was performed for each extraction method to investigate the influence of independent variables on the yield and to help the selection of the condition with the highest yield using water as an extraction solvent. The best extraction condition of PEF yielded 12.02 wt% and was achieved when using UAE with direct sonication for 30 min under the intensity of 75.11 W/cm2 and pulse factor of 0.57. In the kinetic profiles, the highest yield (15.28 wt%) was obtained at 50 °C under an ultrasound intensity of 75.11 W/cm2 and a pulse factor of 0.93. Structural analysis of extracted polysaccharide was performed using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and thermal property. The water solubility index, water holding capacity, and emulsification index of PEF were 31.3 ± 1.5%, 138.1 ± 3.2%, and 62.9 ± 2.3%, respectively. The submerged fermentation demonstrates the huge potential of Phoma dimorpha to produce polysaccharides with bioemulsifying properties as a biotechnologically cleaner alternative if compared to commercial petroleum-derived compounds. Furthermore, UAE and PHWE are green technologies, which can be operated at an industrial scale for PEF extraction.

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Poultry processing plants generate large amounts of wastewater in the many steps necessary to provide high quality and safe products. Carcass chilling is one of these steps, where the temperature of the carcass is reduced from 40°C to 4°C, for reducing the growth rate of microorganisms and affecting flavour, texture and appearance. In this operation, carcasses are continually displaced through a series of two tanks (called pre-chiller and chiller) filled with cold water, thus being responsible for a considerable amount of wastewater generation. This work aimed to regenerate the wastewater of the pre-chiller tank employing microfiltration (pore size 0.10 and 0.20 µm) and ultrafiltration (UF; MWCO 10 and 50 kDa) polymeric membranes in bench and pilot scales, with the final purpose of reuse. Membrane performance was evaluated in terms of the capacity of removing the contaminants and producing sufficient permeate flux in different working pressures. Bench-scale UF membrane presented the highest initial permeate flux of 112.1 L/m2h at 200 kPa. The four membranes tested presented good retention of microorganisms, with apparent rejection of up to 100%. Pilot-scale membranes presented better apparent rejection, with retentions above 99% for turbidity, apparent colour and fat content. Moreover, organic matter retention was also very high, up to 94% for chemical oxygen demand and 92% for total organic carbon. The use of membranes seems to be a promising approach for recycling and reuse of poultry pre-chiller wastewater.

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Pecan cultivation has increased in recent years. Consequently, the amount of lignocellulosic residuals from its production has expanded. Thus, there is a necessity to explore and add value to their coproducts. The objective of this work was to obtain reducing sugars from pecan biomasses by the optimization of the subcritical water hydrolysis technology in a semi-continuous mode and the physicochemical and morphological characterization of these materials, such as SEM, TGA and FT-IR analysis. Temperatures of 180, 220 and 260 °C, water/solids mass ratio of 15 and 30 g water/g biomass and total reaction time of 15 min were used. The highest reducing sugar yield was 27.1 g/100 g of biomass, obtained at 220 °C and R-15 for pecan shells. TGA, SEM and FT-IR analysis indicated the modifications of structures and compositions of biomasses in fresh and hydrolyzed samples.

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Exopolysaccharides are secondary metabolites produced by microorganisms and are a subject of research in many fields of science and industry due to some of their confirmed properties, especially in the pharmaceutical and agrochemical areas. In this context, the objectives of this work were to evaluate the potential of Fusarium fujikuroi for producing exopolysaccharides and to concentrate such compounds in order to increase the herbicidal activity. Exopolysaccharides were produced by submerged fermentation and different concentration methods (membranes, lyophilization, and evaporation) were evaluated. The phytotoxic effects were assessed through absorption assays in detached leaves of Cucumis sativus and evaluated on the seventh day after application. The surface tension was evaluated for each concentration method. The production of exopolysaccharides in the crude broth without concentration was 5.94 g/L. When using the lyophilization method, a maximum yield of exopolysaccharides of 10.64 g/L was obtained. The membranes also presented satisfactory results of exopolysaccharides: 9.60 g/L. The increase of bioherbicidal activity and the lower surface tension are proportionally related to the increase of the concentration of exopolysaccharides.

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Enzymatic synthesis of biodiesel showed advantageous characteristics in relation to other technologies once it works under bland conditions, no generation of wastewater, no occurrence of saponifications reactions and production of a biodiesel with high quality. Although many researches still apply immobilized lipases, the high costs associated with this biocatalyst hamper the economic viability of the process. Lipases in free/soluble/liquid formulation employed to biodiesel production via hydroesterification reaction have attracted interest from researchers because they are more cost effective than the immobilized form, making the enzymatic route more competitive. In addition, soluble lipases present higher reaction rates, reducing the time required to obtain a satisfactory biodiesel yield. Despite the fact that already exist industrial plants producing biodiesel with the assistance of lipases in liquid formulation, results of researches show that the process still needs to overcome some drawbacks. This paper is a comprehensive and critical discussion on the publications where soluble lipases were applied on biodiesel synthesis, as well as the challenges that the technology faces and its current status in pilot and industrial applications.

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The application of lipases in liquid formulation instead of immobilized forms in the enzymatic biodiesel synthesis can make the process cost-efficient, more competitive, and sustainable. However, despite the benefits, the long reaction times required to achieve satisfactory yields is still a drawback of this biotechnological process. In this sense, employing the novel low-cost soluble NS40116 lipase, this paper proposes an innovative two-step hydroesterification reaction (TSHR) system as a technique of improving the reaction rate of an enzymatic biodiesel production. With the employment of two central composite statistical design to optimize the parameters of each of the reactions involved, the influence of the parameters "water concentration added to the reaction," "methanol-to-oil molar ratio," and "lipase load" on the process yield, besides the acid value of the samples, was investigated. After only 8 h of reaction, the highest fatty acid methyl ester yield reached was 97.1% with an acid value of 4.62 mg KOH g-1 utilizing a total of 8 wt% water, methanol-to-oil molar ratio of 6.3:1, and 0.70 wt% of lipase. Furthermore, the statistical models for both reactions indicated to be significant with 95% of reliability. Considering that the papers published using soluble lipases in a one-step batch process normally reach similar yields to those obtained in this research after 16 h to 24 h of reaction, the proposed system demonstrated to be a promising option of process configuration for the enzymatic production of biodiesel.

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The performance of lipase NS 40116, a novel and promising soluble enzyme obtained from modified Thermomyces lanuginosus microorganism, was investigated in the production of biodiesel (fatty acid methyl esters-FAME) by hydroesterification. In order to investigate the potential of the biocatalyst in its soluble form, this work reports the effect of water content and enzyme load, as well as the recovery and reuse of the biocatalyst. A FAME yield of 94.30% after 12 h was achieved at 35 °C by combining 0.50 wt% of lipase, 15 wt% of water, and a methanol:oil molar ratio of 4.5:1. The analysis of the time course reaction suggests that the triacylglycerides (TAGs) are hydrolyzed by the enzyme in a first step, generating free fatty acids (FFAs), followed by the esterification of these FFAs into FAME. In relation to the reusability assays, the lipase kept approximately 90% of its catalytic activity after five cycles of reuse. In this context, the findings of this study demonstrate that lipase NS 40116 can efficiently catalyze hydroesterification reactions under mild conditions, arising as a competitive alternative for biodiesel synthesis.

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This study is focused on the concentration of fermented broth from Phoma sp. to increase its herbicidal activity. For this purpose, biomolecules produced by submerged fermentation using Phoma sp. were concentrated by hollow fiber microfiltration membranes. The membrane feed was separated into two streams (retentate and permeate) and the crude broth was concentrated to 10, 30, 50, 70 and 90% (relative to the initial volume). The retentate samples were submitted to bioassays (triplicate) for evaluating their phytotoxic effects on five young leaves of species of Cucumis sativus and also on pre-emergence of weeds as Bidens pilosa and Amaranthus retroflexus. The highest herbicidal activity was 80.7% obtained for a concentration of 30% in the retentate fraction. At this condition, the bioherbicide presented severe damage symptoms on the detached leaves of Cucumis sativus if compared to the crude fermented broth. In the pre-emergence of B. pilosa and A. retroflexus, 100% control was obtained for assays performed in a germination chamber. For greenhouse assays using the substrate, the control rate of A. retroflexus was dependent of concentration of bioherbicide. The promising results achieved in the research with membrane separation process allow us to propose and develop further studies for evaluating this technology in the concentration of other metabolites produced by fermentation which also have bioherbicidal activity.

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Fungi are considered the most damaging microorganisms in agriculture. The indiscriminate use of chemical treatments in agricultural products causes the development of pest resistance and affects human health. An alternative to synthetic fungicides is the use of natural products such as plant extracts for the management of fungal diseases in plants. Extracts from different parts of Lupinus albescens (roots, stalks, leaves, and flowers) were obtained by extraction using supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) or compressed liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Thereafter, the antioxidant activity of each extract was measured, and the antifungal activity in vitro of extracts was evaluated against Fusarium oxysporum and Fusarium verticillioides. For a concentration of 5000 mg/L, the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) ranged from 29.25 µg/mL to 192.96 µg/mL. Antifungal tests showed that all matrices presented inhibitory effect against both fungi tested. The extracts obtained from roots by CO2 and LPG presented 70.1% and 65.1% inhibition against F. oxysporum, and 67.8% and 61.2% inhibition against F. verticillioides, respectively. These results suggest that the extracts obtained from L. albescens by extractions using supercritical CO2 and compressed LPG might be a potential source of antioxidants and natural fungicides.

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This work investigates the use of blends of edible and nonedible raw materials as an alternative feedstock to fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) production through enzymatic catalysis. As biocatalyst, liquid lipase from Thermomyces lanuginosus (Callera™ Trans L), was used. Under reaction conditions of 35 °C, methanol to feedstock molar ratio of 4.5:1 and 1.45% of catalyst load, the best process performance was reached using 9% of water concentration in the medium-yield of 79.9% after 480 min of reaction. In terms of use of tallow mixed with soybean oil, the best yield was obtained when 100% of tallow was used in the process-84.6% after 480 min of reaction-behavior that was associated with the degree of unsaturation of the feedstock, something by that time, not addressed in papers of the area. The results show that tallow can be used as an alternative to FAME production, catalyzed by soluble lipase.

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The separation of Jatropha curcas oil from azeotropes of ethyl alcohol-n-hexane and isopropyl alcohol-n-hexane using ceramic membranes with different cutoffs (5, 10 and 20 kDa) is presented. The mass ratios of oil:azeotropes (O:S) studied were 1:3 for feeding pressures of 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 MPa, and 1:1 for the feeding pressure of 0.1 MPa. Isopropyl alcohol was the best solvent for the membranes conditioning to permeate n-hexane (240 kg/m2 h). In the separation of J. curcas oil and azeotropes of solvents, both membranes showed oil retention and total flux decreases with time. Overall, the lowest decrease in the retentions was reached in the 5 kDa membrane, while the lowest decrease in the total flux was reached in the 20 kDa. In the separation of oil and ethyl alcohol-n-hexane azeotrope, the best retention at 60 min of the process was equal to 17.3 wt% in the 20 kDa membrane at 0.3 MPa and O:S ratio equalled to 1:3. In this condition, the total permeate flux was 17.5 kg/m2 h. Different retentions and permeabilities are provided when changing the O:S ratio, the feeding pressure and the molecular weight cutoff of membranes.

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This work investigates the use of ceramic membranes with different molecular weight cut-offs (MWCOs: 5, 10 and 20 kDa) to desolventize azeotropic solvent mixtures (ethanol/n-hexane and isopropyl alcohol/n-hexane) from soybean oil/azeotrope micelles. Results show that a decrease in the MWCO of a membrane and an increase in the solvent mass ratio in the mixture resulted in a significant reduction in the permeate flux. The 20 kDa membrane presented the highest permeate flux, 80 and 60 kg/m2h for the soybean oil/n-hexane/isopropyl alcohol and soybean oil/n-hexane/ethanol azeotropes, respectively, for an oil to solvent ratio of 1:3 (w/w). The highest oil retention was found using the n-hexane/isopropyl alcohol azeotrope, around 25% in the membrane with the lowest MWCO, that is, 5 kDa. It is shown that the azeotropic mixtures provided intermediate characteristics compared to the original pure solvent behavior.

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This work evaluates the effects of a static magnetic field on the permeation of bovine serum albumin (BSA) in a tangential ultrafiltration membrane module. Experimental tests were carried out at different pHs using a poly(sulfone) membrane with molecular weight cut off of 60 kDa under the influence of a 0.4 T neodymium-iron-boron magnetic field. Results showed an increase in the permeate flux of water after the cleaning procedures of the new and reused membranes in the presence of the magnetic field. The elusive mechanism of magnetic memory is also shown to take place for the water fluxes fully recovered after the cleaning procedures when the magnetic field was applied to the system before the permeation. When the magnetic field was applied during permeation, the water fluxes presented lower percent of recuperation after the cleaning procedures, thus suggesting that the BSA solution may have somewhat been influenced by magnetic memory.

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