The Processes Editorial Office retracts the article titled “RETRACTED: In-Situ Yeast Fermentation Medium in Fortifying Protein and Lipid Accumulations in the Harvested Larval Biomass of Black Soldier Fly” [...]

Incorporating anthocyanins, valuable natural pigments, into a powder can improve their stability, but exposure to high temperatures during processing can cause them to degrade. The purpose of this study was to investigate how the inlet air temperature during spray drying affects the physical and chemical characteristics as well as the flowability of a grape pomace anthocyanin powder obtained through ultrasound-assisted extraction using acidified water as the solvent. An anthocyanin solution containing 13% (w/v) maltodextrin was subjected to spray drying at temperatures ranging from 120 to 170 °C. Tukey’s test was applied to compare the means of the samples. The samples dried at temperatures between 130 and 170 °C were adequate, with a moisture content < 5% and a water activity < 0.3, indicating that the powder was stable. The highest anthocyanin retention (91.94 ± 1.59%) and process yield (50.00 ± 3.06%) were achieved at 140 °C, while higher temperatures resulted in anthocyanin degr... [more]

This study compared the behavior of the biomass in two fixed-film anaerobic reactors operated under equivalent organic loading rates but at different temperatures, i.e., 30 °C (RMM) and 55 °C (RMT). The reactors were fed with sugarcane vinasse and molasses (both fermented) in a simulation of sequential periods of season and off-season. The dynamics of biomass growth and retention, as well as the microbial composition, were assessed throughout 171 days of continuous operation, coupled with an additional 10-day test assessing the microbial activity in the bed region. Despite the different inoculum sources used (mesophilic granular vs. thermophilic flocculent sludge types), the biomass growth yield was identical (0.036−0.038 g VSS g−1COD) in both systems. The retention rates (higher in RMT) were regulated according to the initial amount of biomass provided in the inoculation, resulting in similar amounts of total retained biomass (46.8 vs. 43.3 g VSS in RMT and RMM) and biomass distributi... [more]

The growing demand in industrial and biotechnological settings for more efficient enzymes with enhanced biochemical features, particularly thermostability and thermotolerance, necessitates a timely response. Renowned for their versatility, thermostable enzymes offer significant promise across a range of applications, including agricultural, medicinal, and biotechnological domains. This comprehensive review summarizes the structural attributes, catalytic mechanisms, and connection between structural configuration and functional activity of two major classes of thermostable enzymes: α-amylases and laccases. These enzymes serve as valuable models for understanding the structural foundation behind the thermostability of proteins. By highlighting the commercial importance of thermostable enzymes and the interest these generate among researchers in further optimization and innovation, this article can greatly contribute to ongoing research on thermostable enzymes and aiding industries in opt... [more]

The global increase in antibiotics consumption has caused hazardous concentrations of these antimicrobials to be present in soils, mainly due to the spreading of sewage sludge (or manure or slurry) and wastewater, and they could enter the food chain, posing serious risks to the environment and human health. One of these substances of concern is cefuroxime (CFX). To face antibiotics-related environmental pollution, adsorption is one of the most widely used techniques, with cost-effective and environmentally friendly byproducts being of clear interest to retain pollutants and increase the adsorption capacity of soils. In light of this, in this work, three low-cost bioadsorbents (pine bark, oak ash, and mussel shell) were added to different soil samples (at doses of 12 and 48 t/ha) to study their effects on the adsorption of CFX. Specifically, batch experiments were carried out for mixtures of soils and bioadsorbents, adding a range of different antibiotic concentrations at a fixed ionic... [more]

Microwave applications, such as microwave ovens and mobile phones, are ubiquitous and indispensable in modern society. As the utilization of microwave technology is becoming more widespread, the effects of microwaves on living organisms and physiological processes have received increased attention. This study aimed to investigate the effects of microwaves on calcium carbonate biomineralization as a model biochemical process. A magnetron oscillator was used to generate 2450 MHz microwaves because magnetrons are relatively inexpensive and widespread. We conducted transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), TEM-electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) measurements to analyze the calcium carbonate precipitates. Our findings showed the formation of string-like precipitates of calcium carbonate upon microwave irradiation from one direction, similar to those obtained using a semicondu... [more]

Antibody therapies are important in treating life-threatening ailments such as cancer and autoimmune diseases. Purity of the antibody is essential for successful applications and Protein A selective resin extraction is the standard step for antibody recovery. Unfortunately, such resins can cost up to 30% of the total cost of antibody production. Hence, the optimal design of this purification step becomes a critical factor in downstream processing to minimize the size of the column needed. An accurate predictive model, as a digital twin representing the purification process, is necessary where changes in the flow rates and the inlet concentrations are modeled via the Method of Moments. The system uncertainties are captured by including the stochastic Ito process model of Brownian motion with drift. Pontryagin’s Maximum Principle under uncertainty is then applied to predict the flowrate control strategy for optimized resin use, column design, and efficient capturing of the antibodies. In... [more]

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron variant (B.1.1.529) underwent a substantial number of alterations, and the accompanying structural mutations in the spike protein prompted questions about the virus’s propensity to evade the antibody neutralization produced by prior infection or vaccination. New mutations in SARS-CoV-2 have raised serious concerns regarding the effectiveness of drugs and vaccines against the virus; thus, identifying and developing potent antiviral medications is crucial to combat viral infections. In the present study, we conducted a detailed in silico investigation that involves molecular docking, density functional (DFT) analysis, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and pharmacological analysis followed by an in vitro study with the spike protein. Among fifty terpenes screened, cryptotanshinone and saikosaponin B2 were found to be potent S1-RBD spike protein inhibitors, displaying considerable hydrogen bond interactions with ke... [more]

The present review is devoted to the application of transition metal complexes with such ligands as amino acids, peptides and carbohydrates in catalysis. The literature published over the past 20 years is surveyed. Among the distinctive features of these ligands are their versatility, optical activity, stability and availability. Furthermore, depending on the specific synthetic task to be solved, these ligands open up almost infinite opportunity for modification. Largely thanks to their multifaceted reactivity, transition metal complexes with amino acids, peptides and carbohydrates can catalyze most of the known chemical reactions affording optically pure compounds. In this review, the emphasis is placed upon C(sp3)−H activation, cross-coupling and hydrogenation (including traditional hydrogenation in the presence of hydrogen gas and hydrogenation with hydrogen transfer) reactions. The choice is not accidental, since these reactions on the one hand display the catalytic versatility of... [more]

Lubrication is one of the key factors to improve metal-forming quality. In the process of deep drawing, seizing tumors easily occur on the contact surfaces between the tantalum metal and the mold, which greatly affects the forming quality of the deep-drawn parts. Quality-forming quality problems that occur during the deep drawing of tantalum metal are studied from the perspective of lubrication in this paper. Three lubrication media, caster oil, PE (polyethylene) film, and DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) film, were adopted in the deep drawing of tantalum cylindrical cups. A universal testing machine and microscope were used to investigate the effect of lubrication media on the limit-drawing ratio, maximum forming force, and surface topography quality during the deep drawing process of the tantalum sheet. The results reveal that the lubrication of the PE film and DLC film can greatly improve the forming quality of the tantalum metal sheet, in which the DLC film has higher wear resistance and... [more]

During growth, plants produce bioactive compounds—secondary metabolites. Their concentration can be stimulated by the presence of a stressful factor—an elicitor. Since chlorine dioxide is commonly used in water plants to disinfect drinking water, its application as a plant elicitor seems to be very attractive. The aim of this work was to investigate the influence of a new elicitor, ClO2, on the quality of seeds and bioactive compounds of sprouts. Elicitation of radish and broccoli seeds using ClO2 solutions did not significantly reduce their germination percentage (GP remained over 90%). Radish sprouts sprouted from seeds elicited in chlorine dioxide solutions with concentrations up to 800 ppm did not differ statistically significantly in terms of polyphenol content. Sprouts which were grown in the presence of ClO2 contained significantly fewer polyphenolic compounds. Elicitation of broccoli seeds in 800−1000 ppm ClO2 solutions causes an increase in total phenolic content and concentra... [more]

Batch experiments were conducted to test orange waste (OW), an agricultural solid waste byproduct from the orange juice manufacturing industry, as adsorbent for binary solutions of Cd2+-Cr3+ and Zn2+-Cr3+. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and the point of zero charge (pHpzc) were used to identify the functional groups on the OW surface involved in biosorption. The biosorption equilibrium data for both binary-metal solutions were obtained and fitted to various isotherm models. The extended Sips and the non-modified Redlich-Peterson isotherm models gave the best fit for the experimental data. According to the extended Sips model, the maximum biosorption capacity of OW was 0.573 mmol·g−1 for Cd2+, 0.453 mmol·g−1 for Zn2+, and 1.96 mmol·g−1 for Cr3+. The sorption capacity dropped to 0.061 mmol·g−1 for Cd2+ and to 0.101 mmol·g1 for Zn2+ in their binary systems with Cr3+ for the higher initial metal concentrations in the solution. However, the maximum sorption capacity of chrom... [more]

Medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) are potential sources of natural polyphenols. Solid residues (SRs) from the essential oil (EO) industry are produced in significant volumes and may be used as natural sources of bioactive compounds. Therefore, this work was designed to examine the antioxidant and antibacterial characteristics of phenolic extracts obtained from SRs that have remained after EO distillation. SR extracts of Greek oregano, rosemary, spearmint, lemon balm, and Greek sage were assessed for their total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant activity, and antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, Salmonella Typhimurium, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus licheniformis, and Bacillus cereus in the concentration range of 500-3000 mg/L. The rosemary and Greek sage extracts exhibited the strongest antibacterial activities against all the Gram-positive species, while the spearmint and oregano extracts were less effective and only had an... [more]

At the level of skin wounds, an electrical potential difference develops between the edges of the wound and the center of the wound, which favors the migration of cells in the process of their healing. Cells migrate in an electric field because they have a certain electrical membrane potential. This potential is due to differences in the transmembrane electrochemical gradient. The transmembrane electrochemical gradient is due to the migration of sodium, potassium, and calcium ions into the corresponding ion channels. If this is the case, the modification of the functionality of these ion channels should influence the membrane potential and, as a consequence, the wound healing process. In this experiment, we set out to investigate whether the chemical manipulation of ion channels by amiodarone influences the wound healing process. Amiodarone blocks several types of ion channels, but at different concentrations: at low concentrations, it blocks only potassium channels; at medium concentr... [more]

Alpha particle-emitting radiopharmaceuticals are in high demand for use in targeted alpha therapy. Ac-225 is currently produced using Th-229, but its annual production remains low, approximately 63 GBq. Previously, we produced a large amount of Ac-225 via the (n,2n) reaction in fast reactors; however, it required repetitive irradiation. In this work, we investigated a method to produce Th-229 via the (3n,x) reaction through long-term irradiation using neutrons from Pressurized Water Reactors. As target nuclides, Ra-226, which is commonly used for Ac-225 production, and Th-230, which is not widely used but is abundant, were selected. The evaluation was conducted under mixed conditions of Th-230 and Th-232. Ra-226 and Th-230 produce Th-229 (T1/2 = 7920 years) after long-term neutron irradiation. Th-229, which has a long half-life, the α-decays to produce Ra-225, and the β-decays of Ra-225 to produce Ac-225. These processes are semi-permanent owing to the long half-life of Th-229. Further... [more]

Knowledge of the chemical changes caused during plasma treatment is essential to enhance food quality. In this work, the influence of two cold plasma technologies, dielectric barrier discharge plasma and glow discharge plasma, on the phenolic profile of araça-boi (Eugenia stipitata) juice was investigated and assessed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. Eight phenolic compounds were identified in araça-boi, with cinnamic acid being the major phenolic compound of the fruit juice, followed by protocatechuic acid. The effects of excitation frequency and plasma flow rate were evaluated because these are the main operating conditions that can be set for plasma treatments. The phenolic profile slightly changed due to the reaction of the phenolics with the reactive plasma species produced during the treatment, with the highest increase in phenolic content observed in the dielectric barrier discharge plasma operating at 1000 Hz. Both plasma systems increased the bioavailability... [more]

Rare-earth elements (REEs) are crucial metals with limited global availability due to their indispensable role in various high-tech industries. As the demand for rare-earth elements continues to rise, there is a pressing need to develop sustainable methods for their recovery from secondary sources. Focusing on Exiguobacterium sp. SH31, this research investigates the impact of La, Eu, Gd, and Sm on its physiological performance and biosorption capacity. Tolerance was assessed at pHpzc from 7 to 8 with up to 1 mM rare-earth element concentrations. This study visualized the production of extracellular polymeric substances using Congo red assays and quantified them with ultraviolet−visible spectroscopy. Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy characterized the functional groups involved in metal interactions. The SH31 strain displayed significant rare-earth element tolerance, confirmed extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) production under all conditions, and... [more]

This study investigated the chemical compositions and inhibitory activities of essential oils (EOs) of Salix babylonica from Vietnam. The gas chromatography−mass spectrometry (GC/MS) system was used to analyze the chemical compositions of Salix babylonica essential oils. A total of twenty-eight and thirty-one compounds were identified in essential oils of the leaves and bark, among which many chemical compositions were identified for the first time in this plant. Salix babylonica essential oils demonstrated antibacterial activities against Gram-negative strains such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) and Escherichia coli and Gram-positive strains such as Staphylococcus aureus (SA), and demonstrated anti-cancer activities against three cancer cell lines (HepG2, MCF-7 cell, and A549). The evaluation of the ability to inhibit three strains of microorganisms and inhibit the growth of three cancer cell lines was first conducted using essential oils extracted from the plant species S. babylonica... [more]

Betulin is a birch bark-derived lupane-type pentacyclic triterpene with a wide spectrum of biological activities. Given their enhanced antiproliferative potential and enhanced pharmacological profile, betulin derivatives are continuously investigated in scientific studies. The objective of the current study was to in vitro assess the antiproliferative properties of novel synthesized 1,2,4-triazole derivatives of diacetyl betulin. The compounds were investigated using three cancer cell lines: A375 (melanoma), MCF-7 (breast cancer), HT-29 (colorectal cancer), and HaCaT (human keratinocytes). Bet-TZ1 had the lowest recorded IC50 values (ranging from 22.41 to 46.92 μM after 48 h of exposure) than its precursor and other tested compounds in every scenario, with the highest cytotoxicity against the A375 cell line. Bet-TZ3 demonstrated comparable cytotoxicity to the previously mentioned compound, with an IC50 of 34.34 μM against A375. Both compounds caused apoptosis in tested cells, by induci... [more]

This study establishes an enzymatic membrane-coupled production process for antioxidant peptides from Carya cathayensis cake by comparing the effects of not feeding, water feeding, substrate feeding, and gradient dilution feeding supplementary material modes, to assess their impact on production efficiency. The optimal operational conditions were determined as follows: pH 10.5, temperature 50 °C, and enzyme-to-substrate ratio of 10% (w/w). The continuous production using the gradient dilution supplementary material mode resulted in Chinese pecan antioxidant peptides with 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging rate of 0.044 mg/mL, 2, 2-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS) radical scavenging rate of 0.518 mg/mL, and ferrous ion chelating ability (IC50) of 0.252 mg/mL. Compared with traditional enzymatic hydrolysis processes, the gradient dilution supplementary material enzymatic membrane-coupled production process increased peptide yield, peptide productio... [more]

Betulinic acid is a naturally occurring pentacyclic triterpene belonging to the lupane-group that exhibits a wide range of pharmacological activities. BA derivatives are continuously being researched due to their improved anticancer efficacy and bioavailability. The current research was conducted in order to determine the antiproliferative potential of three synthesized BA fatty esters using palmitic, stearic and butyric acids and their liposomal nanoformulations. The cytotoxic potential of BA fatty esters (Pal-BA, St-BA, But-BA) and their respective liposomal formulations (Pal-BA-Lip, St-BA-Lip, But-BA-Lip) has been assessed on HaCaT immortalized human keratinocytes and A375 human melanoma cells. Both the esters and their liposomes acted as cytotoxic agents against melanoma cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. The butyryl ester But-BA outperformed BA in terms of cytotoxicity (IC50 60.77 μM) while the nanoformulations St-BA-Lip, But-BA-Lip and BA-Lip also displayed IC50 values (... [more]

Biomimetic ligands are synthetic compounds that mimic the structure and binding properties of natural biological ligands. The first uses of textile dyes as pseudo-affinity ligands paved the way for the rational design and de novo synthesis of low-cost, non-toxic and highly stable triazine-scaffolded affinity ligands. A novel method to assess and enhance protein stability, employing triazine-based biomimetic ligands and using cutinase from Fusarium solani pisi as a protein model, has been previously reported. This innovative approach combined the concepts of molecular modeling and solid-phase combinatorial chemistry to design, synthesize and screen biomimetic compounds able to bind cutinase through complementary affinity-like interactions while maintaining its biological functionality. The screening of a 36-member biased combinatorial library enabled the identification of promising lead ligands. The immobilization/adsorption of cutinase onto a particular lead (ligand 3′/11) led to a not... [more]

Municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are exposed to high concentrations of micropollutants that can impact conventional activated sludge treatment. The consequences of this include failure to meet discharge standards and the disintegration of flocs, leading to poor sludge settleability. This lab-scale study focuses on the influence of doxycycline, an antibiotic widely used against human and animal diseases, on protozoa, metazoa, and bacterial communities under sludge growing conditions. Doxycycline was added to the mixed liquor of a communal WWTP up to 0, 100, 200, and 400 mg of doxycycline L−1 and incubated in batch conditions for 23 days. The regular addition of nutrient and carbon sources was preformed every 2 days to prevent sludge starvation. Sludge growth, conductivity, and settleability were measured and compared to sludge microbial community structure, determined by microscopic observations and high-throughput 16S rDNA sequencing. The high doxycycline concentration neg... [more]

Proteins are complex molecules, which play a vital role in our body’s function, the building of tissues, and the regulation of metabolic activity. They are crucial to children’s growth and serve as a key component in the body’s process of distributing oxygen. Proteins fuel the body by supplying the required nutrition and energy. Currently, there is an increasing demand for proteins on large scales with no detrimental effects. The adverse health effects of animal proteins have resulted in a growing preference for plant-based proteins, which offer a healthier daily dosage. Valuable proteins can be extracted from various parts of the plant, including stems, leaves, seeds, fruits, vegetables, and roots. Notably, protein extraction from waste plant and mushroom parts minimizes the product wastage and improves the overall production to support economic sustainability. There are several protein extraction techniques available, where the replacement of non-thermal methods with thermal ones is... [more]

Bioplastics are an alternative to reduce the environmental damage caused by petroleum-based plastics. However, the effect of primary recycling (reprocessing) of bioplastics from biomass resources has not yet been well studied. If successful, this would boost the landing of recyclable and biodegradable bio-based materials to the market. In order to meet the challenge of recycling bioplastics, it is necessary to study the reprocessing of bio-based materials that potentially behave as thermoplastics. This study investigated the primary recyclability of Zein- and soy protein isolate (SPI)-based bioplastics by reprocessing. Protein powders were initially mixed with glycerol (Gly), which acts as a plasticizer, and the blends were subjected to injection moulding. Initial specimens were reprocessed by injection moulding up to five times. The effect of reprocessing was evaluated by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), tensile test, and water uptake capacity (WUC). Finally, the property−structure... [more]