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A special issue of Processes (ISSN 2227-9717). This special issue belongs to the section "Biological Processes and Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2025) | Viewed by 21120

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Dr. Alexandra Cristina Blaga

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Organic, Biochemical and Food Department, Gheorghe Asachi Technical University of Iasi, 700050 Iasi, Romania
Interests: microbiotechnology; separations; biosorption; microencapsulation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Microorganisms are the most important group of organisms on our planet, conquering almost every conceivable space on Earth. Microbiological processes play significant roles in the current and future food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical global industries. This Special Issue focuses on research studies devoted to the discovery, study, mechanistic understanding and exploitation of microorganisms in food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical domains.

The most important contribution of microbiology to the pharmaceutical industry is the development of antibiotics and vaccines, drugs and bio products (through microorganism genetic manipulations), but it is also important in quality control in pharmaceutical laboratories.

Of particular biotechnological interest are secondary metabolites that can function as ion-scavenging or quorum-sensing metabolites or act as antimicrobials, with applications in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. The most innovative developments and advancements in the biotechnological production of antibiotics, drugs and vitamins with emphasis on the technical aspects of biotechnological processes are of increasing interest in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

The microbial contamination of food and cosmetic products is a matter of great importance to the industry, and it can become a major cause of both product and economic losses. The design of preservative systems that provide good protection to cosmetic and food products against microbial contamination is extremely important, as contamination can result in the conversion of these goods into products that are hazardous to consumers. Research into new molecules with biocide action but also good compatibility (from a toxicological point of view), the synergism and antagonism analysis of preservative blends and the search for fast, reliable methods to detect microbial contamination is of great interest in the cosmetic industry.

This Special Issue welcomes fundamental research and applied investigations in all of these areas of focus.

Dr. Alexandra Cristina Blaga
Guest Editor

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Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Processes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

metabolic engineering
novel biochemical pathways
microbial interactions
secondary metabolite
antibiotics
antimicrobials
probiotics
microbial contamination

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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15 pages, 1881 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Kombucha Fermentation in Coffee: Application of Constant Air Flow Reactor

by Błażej Błaszak, Piotr Dorawa, Paweł Sudoł, Karolina Fabiszak, Martyna Świadek, Klaudia Witucka, Julia Zimnicka, Mateusz Brudnicki, Bartosz Maciejewski, Daniil Bovkun, Marek Cierach, Grażyna Gozdecka and Joanna Szulc

Processes 2024, 12(10), 2159; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr12102159 - 3 Oct 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1592

Abstract

SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeasts) is an artificially created mixed culture containing selected strains of acetic acid and lactic acid bacteria and yeast which are present in the cellulose membrane. The growing popularity of kombucha consumption and high popularity of coffee creates the possibility of developing coffee-based kombucha production on an industrial scale, which currently does not differ in method from production on a laboratory scale and at home. Therefore, the aim of this work was to determine the possibility of using an alternative method of coffee fermentation using SCOBY, in which the fermentation was carried out in a bioreactor with a constant air flow (rate 2L/min). This study determined the effect of the fermentation method on the processing time, SCOBY mass gain, and selected properties of the fermented coffee beverage. The alternative fermentation method did not negatively affect the properties of the fermented coffee beverage, i.e., caffeine content, colour, polyphenol content, and antioxidant properties, in comparison with the traditional fermentation method. Additionally, it accelerated the fermentation process, shortening it from 8 to 4 days, and in some cases caused an increase in the total polyphenol content and antioxidant activity, almost 10% and over 40%, respectively. The results of this study show a possibility to use alternative methods for coffee fermentation, which can be easily adapted for industrial scale. Variants of fermented and aerated beverages with 4% coffee, and 4 and 5% sugar concentrations stood out among the others as having the best properties and might be introduced to the industry. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbiotechnology in Cosmetics, Pharmaceuticals and Food)

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12 pages, 5866 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Pectinase on Bacterial Succession during Hemp Retting

by Yu Fu, Yan Zhang, Michael S. Allen and Sheldon Q. Shi

Processes 2024, 12(8), 1725; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr12081725 - 16 Aug 2024

Viewed by 1049

Abstract

Pectinase accelerates hemp retting. An elevated temperature during the enzymatic action is favorable for bacterial colonization. Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) bast fiber was retted in a 40 °C water bath under four different conditions: water retting, pectinase retting, bacterial retting, and bacterial retting with the presence of pectinase. Bacterial communities were sampled from the retting liquid of each condition at the beginning of retting and on days 1, 3, and 5. The bacterial successions were identified by 16S rRNA gene metagenomic sequencing. The results showed that Bacillaceae dominated the hemp retting conditions containing 1% (m/v) pectinase, suggesting that pectinase can manipulate the bacterial community succession by changing the nutrients available to bacteria through the breakdown of pectin. Micromorphological analysis also observed the degradation of a gum-like substance and the aggregation of bacteria with the addition of pectinase. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbiotechnology in Cosmetics, Pharmaceuticals and Food)

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Figure 1
Schematic diagram of the bacterial retting strategy of hemp bast. Full article ">Figure 2
Experimental plan. Full article ">Figure 3
pH changes during four retting processes. The retting conditions with the involvement of pectinase rapidly turn acidic. Full article ">Figure 4
SEM micrographs of hemp fiber sampled from day 1 (a,c,e,g) and day 5 (b,d,f,h) of four retting schedules (R1–R4), where a and b are from R1, c and d are from R2, e and f are from R3, and g and h are from R4. Fibers were wrapped by gummy substance (a), and retting schedule R1 did not remove the gummy substance (b). The gummy substance was removed partially (c,e) at the beginning of schedules R2 and R3. Bacteria colonized and adhered to the fiber surfaces after 5 days of retting for both R2 and R3 (d,f). Bacteria were not enriched on fiber for retting schedule R4 (g,h). Full article ">Figure 5
Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) based on unweighted and weighted UniFrac distances. Unweighted PCoA (a) showed the clustering of bacterial communities at the beginning of retting. The microbial communities showed clustering in the presence and absence of pectinase. Weighted PCoA (b) indicated that the bacterial communities in the presence of pectinase were similar after 3 days of hemp retting. Each point represents a sample. Full article ">Figure 6
Relative abundances of the phylum-level (a) and family-level (b) bacterial community compositions during retting. Only bacterial phyla with relative abundances >1% and bacterial families with relative abundances >5% are shown. Full article ">Figure 7
Reducing sugar analysis with DNS method indicated that a small amount of pectinase (1% w/v) could degrade the pectin at the beginning of retting. The reducing sugar concentration within 24 h was slightly higher than that from the water retting. As the Bacillaceae accumulated for 72 h (Day 3), the reducing sugar concentration reached its peak. Full article ">

13 pages, 2776 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Effects of Olive Oil and Tween 80 on Production of Lipase by Yarrowia Yeast Strains

by Gizella Sipiczki, Stefan Savo Micevic, Csilla Kohari-Farkas, Edina Szandra Nagy, Quang D. Nguyen, Attila Gere and Erika Bujna

Processes 2024, 12(6), 1206; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr12061206 - 12 Jun 2024

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1796

Abstract

Lipase is one of the most commonly used biocatalysts in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries, and can be produced by Yarrowia lipolytica yeast. Despite the intensive studies of lipase from Yarrowia, there are still many open questions regarding the enzyme secretion process, especially by new isolates of this genus as well as the effect of substrates or surfactants, or both on the production of lipase. This research focused on the effect of olive oil and surfactant Tween 80 including the optimisation of the concentration of these compounds on the production of lipase by some novel Yarrowia isolates. Moreover, the optimal environmental parameters (pH, temperature) of crude enzyme synthetised by Yarrowia strains were determined. All investigated strains were able to produce lipase in both intracellular and extracellular fractions. The extracellular lipase activities were higher than the intracellular ones (Y. divulgata Y.02062 and Yarrowia lipolytica 854/4 147 U/L, 80 U/L and 474 U/L, 122 U/L, respectively). In the case of extracellular lipase, supplementing olive oil and Tween 80 enhanced significantly the synthesis and secretion of the enzyme. The lipase activity can even be enhanced by 20 times higher from 25 U/L to 474 U/L in the case of Yarrowia lipolytica 854/4 strain. In the case of intracellular, supplementation of Tween 80 generally reduces lipase activity except for the Y. lipolytica 1/4 strain, which was affected by two times the increase. The optimised concentration of olive oil and Tween 80 were determined for Y. divulgata Y.02062, Y. divulgata 5257, Y. lipolytica 1/4, and Yarrowia lipolytica 854/4 strains as 1.6% olive oil and 0.09% Tween 80, 1.6% olive oil and 0.06% Tween 80, 1.4% olive oil and 0.09% Tween 80 as well as 1.6% olive oil and 0.065% Tween 80, respectively. The optimum pH and temperature of crude lipases (intra and extracellular) synthetised by the tested Yarrowia lipolytica and Y. divulgata yeast strains were found to be pH 7.2 and 37 °C, respectively. Our results confirmed that the new isolate Y. divulgata is a very promising species for further development for industrial use as Y. lipolytica. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbiotechnology in Cosmetics, Pharmaceuticals and Food)

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20 pages, 1128 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Improving the Functionality of Yogurt after Fortification with a Synbiotic Combination of a Potential Probiotic and Bacteriocin-Producing Bacteria and Hydnora abyssinica Phytosomes

by Ghoson Daba, Waill Elkhateeb, Tarek Nour Soliman, Asmaa Negm El-Dein and Takeshi Zendo

Processes 2024, 12(4), 727; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr12040727 - 3 Apr 2024

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1464

Abstract

Functional dairy products are attracting consumers’ attention, as they simultaneously have nutritional and health benefits. Hence, we aimed in this study to fortify a dairy product (yogurt) with phytosomes of extract from Hydnora abyssinica (a holoparasitic plant that has ethnobotanical value) and a potential bacteriocin-producing probiotic lactic acid bacterium (LAB). Goat cheese was screened for LAB with promising antimicrobial activity, and the safety and probiotic potential of the selected isolate were studied. As a result, strain GA5 was selected due to its wide antimicrobial activity that was suggested to be caused by bacteriocin production. Moreover, this strain showed promising stress tolerance, in vitro antioxidant activity (95 ± 2.8%), and hydrophobic potential (87.18 ± 3.43%). Strain GA5 was molecularly identified as Lactiplantibacillus plantarum GA5. On the other hand, a hydromethanolic extract was prepared from H. abyssinica flowers, and its prebiotic potential and polyphenol content were evaluated. This extract was also encapsulated in phytosomes. Then, the physical and morphological characteristics of prepared phytosomes were studied. Yogurt fortified with these ingredients (L. plantarum GA5 together with free H. abyssinica extract or its extract encapsulated in phytosomes) showed higher antioxidant content, viscosity, texture profile, and sensory properties than the control. Furthermore, the yogurt remained unspoiled for over 21 days, indicating that the added ingredients prolonged its shelf life. As far as we know, this is the first study describing the fortification of yogurt with H. abyssinica phytosomes and a potential bacteriocin-producing probiotic LAB. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbiotechnology in Cosmetics, Pharmaceuticals and Food)

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Figure 1
An H. abyssinica flower as collected from the soil (a); a longitudinal section of it, showing the osmophore (1), perianth lobe (2), antheral ring (3), androecial chamber (4), and gynoecial chamber (5); (b); and a cross section of an H. abyssinica flower (c). Full article ">Figure 2
Stress tolerance response (%) of L. plantarum strain GA5 after exposure to some stress conditions, including heat stress by exposure to 55 and 70 °C for 15 min; acidic pH stress at pH (2.5 for 3 and 6 h, pH 3.5 for 3 and 6 h); alkaline pH stress (at pH 9.0 for 3 and 6 h); osmotic stress at 3.0 M NaCl for 3 and 6 h; detergent stress at 0.2% Tween 80 for 24 h; pancreatic enzymes (PE, 0.15%) for 24 h; and bile salts (0.05 and 0.1%) for 24 h. Error bars represent the mean ± SD of three independent experiments. Full article ">Figure 3
Viscosity evaluation of yogurt samples. Control (A); fortified with 0.1% free H. abyssinica phytosomes (B); fortified with 0.2% free H. abyssinica phytosomes (C); fortified with 0.1% nanoencapsulated H. abyssinica phytosomes (D); and fortified with 0.2% nanoencapsulated H. abyssinica phytosomes (E). Error bars represent the mean ± SD of three independent experiments. Full article ">Figure 4
Sensory evaluation of yogurt fortified with H. abyssinica free and its nanoencapsulated phytosomes. Full article ">

11 pages, 1275 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

In Vitro Evaluation of Commercial Probiotic Products Containing Streptococcus salivarius K12 by Assessment of Probiotic Viability and Inhibitory Potency against Respiratory Pathogens

by Medana Zamfir, Iulia-Roxana Angelescu and Silvia-Simona Grosu-Tudor

Processes 2023, 11(2), 622; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11020622 - 18 Feb 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3085

Abstract

Upper respiratory infections (URI) are the most frequent illnesses, especially in children. The majority of those infections are prescribed broad-spectrum antibiotics, which are associated with various side effects and with the increase in multi-drug-resistant strains. A promising alternative approach is the administration of the probiotic strain Streptococcus salivarius K12 (SSK12) that colonizes the upper respiratory tract (URT) and produces the salivaricins A2 and B, which strongly antagonize the growth of key respiratory pathogens. However, since for food supplements no quality controls of the active probiotic ingredient are mandatory, the efficacy of commercial products containing SSK12 may vary. This study aimed to investigate the in vitro efficacy of several commercial SSK12-containing probiotics, positioned for the prevention of respiratory infections. The parameters evaluated to determine the in vitro efficacy included the viability of the probiotic bacterial strain and the minimum inhibitory dilution (MID) of the probiotic, determined by the agar spot method, against the pathogenic/potential pathogenic bacterial strains Streptococcus pyogenes FF22 and Micrococcus luteus T18. All tests were carried out both 12 and 24 months after manufacturing (AM) for each commercial product. The viability ranged from 9 × 10⁸ to 4.4 × 10⁹ CFU/serving at 12 months AM and from 8.5 × 10⁷ to 2.8 × 10⁹ CFU/serving at 24 months AM. The MID was, in general, positively correlated with the probiotic bacterium viability and varied between the commercial products, ranging from 10⁻⁵ to 10⁻⁷ at 12 months AM and from 10⁻⁴ to 10⁻⁷ at 24 months AM. Moreover, the inhibition zones related to the two indicator strains were variable in diameter for different products. The high variation of the in vitro efficacy of commercial products containing SSK12 may explain the different results reported in the literature regarding the clinical benefits of these preparations, and the determination of this parameter may be useful to evaluate the quality of probiotic products containing this bacterial strain. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbiotechnology in Cosmetics, Pharmaceuticals and Food)

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11 pages, 1542 KiB

Open AccessReview

Pyridazinic Bioisosteres with Potential Applications in Medicinal Chemistry and Agriculture

by Roxana Angela Tucaliuc, Violeta Mangalagiu and Ionel I. Mangalagiu

Processes 2023, 11(8), 2306; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11082306 - 1 Aug 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2034

Abstract

Bioisosteres are substituents or groups (atoms, ions, or molecules) with similar chemical or physical properties, and which usually have similar biological properties. Pyridazine and its derivatives are invaluable scaffolds in medicinal chemistry, having a large variety of activities such as antibacterial, antifungal, antimalarial, anticancer, antituberculosis, antihypertensive, etc. Also, the pyridazine core is of high interest in agriculture, being used as a growth factor for plants, herbicides, etc. This study aims to review our previous contributions related to antimicrobials and the germination and seedling capabilities of some seeds and plants of some pyridazine classical and nonclassical bioisosteres. So, we present herein the synthesis (under conventional thermal heating and microwave irradiation) and spectral characterization of seven series of pyridazine bioisosteres, the in vitro antimicrobial activity (against different strains of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and fungi), and the biologic effect on wheat germination and seedling growth. Some pyridazine bioisosteres proved to have very good activity against pathogenic bacterial strains, with some spectacular results. Overall, nonclassical bioisosteres prove to have better antibacterial and antifungal activity compared with classical bioisosteres. The pyridazine bioisosteres may influence the wheat germination rate, seedling growth, height, and weight of the plantlets. Feasible explanations for this behaviour were furnished. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbiotechnology in Cosmetics, Pharmaceuticals and Food)

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13 pages, 1348 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperReview

Strain Development, Substrate Utilization, and Downstream Purification of Vitamin C

by Alexandra Tucaliuc, Ana Cîșlaru, Lenuţa Kloetzer and Alexandra Cristina Blaga

Processes 2022, 10(8), 1595; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr10081595 - 12 Aug 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 8793

Abstract

Vitamin C, C₆H₈O₆, is a water-soluble vitamin that is widespread in nature. It is an essential nutrient involved in many biological processes in the living organisms: it enhances collagen biosynthesis, ensures the optimal functioning of enzymes and the immune system, has a major role in lipid and iron metabolism, and it enhances the biosynthesis of l-carnitine. Due to its antioxidant activity, vitamin C can neutralize the tissue-damaging effects of free radicals. Vitamin C is being related to the prevention of cancer and cardiovascular diseases. This review includes current information on the biosynthesis of ascorbic acid, as new methods are now challenging the traditional Reichstein process for vitamin C’s industrial-scale production. Different strains were analyzed in correlation with their ability to synthesize ascorbic acid, and several separation techniques were investigated for a more effective production of vitamin C. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbiotechnology in Cosmetics, Pharmaceuticals and Food)

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