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Hidden hunger is a significant social issue in numerous countries worldwide, causing the development of nutrition-related diseases among populations annually. Biofortification offers a sustainable solution as it combines methods of cross-breeding, genetic engineering, agriculture, and microbiology. The authors reviewed international studies in the field of microbial biofortification in order to assess the microbial potential to enh ance the essential element content in grain crops. The review featured relevant scientific articles published by foreign experts in Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar in 1984–2024. The keywords included biofortification, wheat, rice, oats, growth stimulation, antagonism, and phytopathogen. The sources were processed in Zotero and VOSviewer. Nitrogen fixation and nutrient solubilization are the main mechanisms of microbial biofortification. Solubilization occurs as a synthesis of organic and inorganic acids, protons, siderophores, extracellular enzymes, and other secondary metabolites. Microorganisms can improve the expression of plant genes in terms of absorption and nutrient accumulation. They also affect root systems, facilitating the extraction of nutrients from the soil. The authors summarized laboratory and field studies on microbial biofortification of rice, wheat, and barley with iron, selenium, zinc, copper, manganese, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Biofortified growth-promoting microorganisms are a sustainable, reliable, and cost-effective approach to food security and hidden hunger issues. The review offers relevant information that can be used to develop new microbial preparations for the domestic agriculture.

Background. Ageing is associated with progressive impairment of physical functions and increased risk of age-related chronic diseases. Polyphenols such as mangiferin, quercetin and trans-cinnamic acid are also used for the treatment and prevention of chronic diseases. Toxicological research was important in biomedical research, as some high-dose extracted polyphenols could contribute to the development and progression of cancer and other diseases. This study is aimed at assessing toxicological safety of previously isolated phenolic compounds from plants of the Siberian Federal District. Materials and methods. Rodents have been chosen as the model organism. The study of mutagenic and antimutagenic properties was carried out using a micronuclear test of bone marrow cell. Cytotoxicity in vitro was assessed using the MTT test. Results. Polyphenols studied at doses of 50.0 and 100.0 mg/kg are not mutagenic. Mangiferri and quercetin at a dose of 50.0 mg/kg do not have anti-thagenic effects. In this case, trans-cinnamic acid in the same concentration has antimutagenic effect. Mangiferin in concentrates from 4.2 to 16.7 ug/ml has a cytotoxic effect. Trans-cinnamic acid is not cytotoxic (at 2.1-33.3 ug/ml). Quercetin has a cytotoxic effect in concentrations of 0.21 and 1.67 ug/ml, and at concentrations of 3.33 ug/ml increases the viability of splenocytes, presumably due to antioxidant properties. Conclusion. Safety or low toxicity is a decisive advantage of the continued use of polyphenols as advanced heroic flow agents. Further study of biologically active substances (mangiferin, quercetin and trans-cinnamic acid) has been found to be ce-woody. The work was carried out by the state task on the topic «Development of biologically active additives consisting of metabolites of plant objects in vitro to protect the population from premature aging» (project FZSR-2024-0008) using the equipment of Center of Collective Use «Instrumental methods of analysis in the field of applied biotechnology» on the basis of KemSU.

Wheat is a vital agricultural crop whose phytopathogens include fungi of the genera Fusarium and Alternaria. Synthetic pesticides, which are used to combat them, have a negative impact on the environment. Therefore, there is a need for developing safe and effective biopesticides. We aimed to create a consortium of extremophilic microorganisms isolated from natural sources to protect wheat from the diseases caused by Alternaria and Fusarium fungi. Ten isolates of extremophilic microorganisms were tested for their antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli and their antagonistic activity against phytopathogens. Based on the results, we developed microbial consortia and evaluated their effectiveness in protecting wheat from phytopathogens. Five of the strains under study showed the highest activity, three of which were biocompatible, namely Leclercia sp., Sphingomonas paucimobilis, and Lactobacillus plantarum. Four consortia were created from these microorganisms, of which consortium B (with a 2:1:1 ratio of the strains, respectively) proved the most effective. In particular, it increased the area free from the phytopathogen by 4.2% compared to the average values of its individual microorganisms. Also, the consortium had a phytostimulating effect on wheat seedlings (germination of 73.2–99.6%) and protected the seeds infected with phytopathogens from morphometric changes. The resulting consortium can be used as a biopesticide since it is highly effective in protecting wheat from Alternaria and Fusarium pathogens.

Due to the large amount of pollution at coal spoil heaps, soil reclamation is slow and requires development and use of microbial preparations, selected based on assessments of the biochemical parameters of soil and the extent of its contamination. The material for this study was mine soils sampled in three different zones (Ka, Kb, Kc) of the Korchakol coal spoil heap. The studied sanitary and chemical indicators did not exceed the approximate permissible concentrations (APC) / maximum allowable concentrations (MAC), except for oil products (in the Ka, Kb, Kc zones, the excess averaged 2.2, 1.4, 1.2 times, respectively). The study found a direct correlation between the zinc content and the enzymatic activity of polyphenol oxidase, the level of Ni and peroxidase, as well as an inverse correlation between the As and Cu concentrations with invertase and nitrite reductase, respectively. The index of bacteria of the Escherichia coli group (coliform bacteria) in different zones exceeded the standard values by 61 and 171 times. Even though the sanitary indicators studied do not exceed permissible levels, they can slow down growth and development of plants. Thus, successful reclamation of mine soils requires introduction of biological preparations based on microorganisms that biotransform heavy metals and rhizobacteria.

Introduction. Anthropogenic activities cause large-scale environmental problems. The growing volumes of toxic emissions contribute to soil, water, and air pollution, thus posing a serious threat to all living systems and the global ecosystem. New reclamation methods are a relevant research topic as they help to restore and preserve ecosystems. Study objects and methods. The research covered sixteen years of scientific publications from PubMed of the National Center for Biotechnology Information (USA), Elsevier (Scopus, ScienceDirect), Web of Science, and the national electronic library service eLibrary.ru. Results and discussion. The authors reviewed various scientific publications to define the main technogenic objects that have a toxic effect on biota. Soil is more vulnerable to destructive effects, and mining wastes are responsible for the largest share of technogenically disturbed objects. Pollutants include many compounds, such as heavy metals, hydrocarbons, sulfur compounds, acids, etc. Reclamation technologies reduce the man-induced impact on the environment, e.g. pollutants can be completely or partially destroyed, processed into non-toxic products, completely removed, stabilized into less toxic forms, etc. This review provides information on the main methods of reclamation of disturbed soils and substantiates the prospect of developing integrated reclamation technologies. Conclusion. The present review featured the main pollutants of anthropogenic origin and the traditional soil reclamation methods. The most prospective new technologies of soil reclamation appeared to be a combination of such biological methods as phytoremediation, bioaugmentation, and biostimulation.