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The hydrolysis/fermentation of wheat straw and the adsorption/desorption/deactivation of cellulases were studied using Cellic® CTec2 (Cellic) and Celluclast mixed with Novozyme 188. The distribution of enzymes cellobiohydrolase I (Cel7A), endoglucanase I (Cel7B) and -glucosidase of the two formulations between the residual substrate and supernatant during the course of enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation was investigated. The potential of recyclability using alkaline wash was also studied. The efficiency of hydrolysis with an enzyme load of 10 FPU/g cellulose reached >98 % using Cellic® CTec2, while for Celluclast a conversion of 52 % and 81 %, was observed without and with -glucosidase supplementation, respectively. The decrease of Cellic® CTec2 activity observed along the process was related to deactivation of Cel7A rather than of Cel7B and -glucosidase. The adsorption/desorption profiles during hydrolysis/fermentation revealed that a large fraction of active enzymes remained adsorbed to the solid residue throughout the process. Surprisingly, this was the case of Cel7A and -glucosidase from Cellic, which remained adsorbed to the solid fraction along the entire process. Alkaline washing was used to recover the enzymes from the solid residue. This method allowed efficient recovery of Celluclast enzymes; however, this may be achieved only when minor amounts of cellulose remain present. Regarding the Cellic formulation, neither the presence of cellulose nor lignin restricted an efficient desorption of the enzymes at alkaline pH. This work shows that the recycling strategy must be customized for each particular formulation, since the enzymes found e.g.in Cellic and Celluclast bear quite different behaviour regarding the solid-liquid distribution, stability and cellulose and lignin affinity., P7 KACELLE (Kalundborg Cellulosic Ethanol, Grant no. 239379) project for supporting this work. FCT Strategic Project of UID/BIO/ 04469/2013 unit, the project RECI/BBB-EBI/0179/2012 (FCOMP- 01-0124-FEDER-027462) and the Project “BioEnv—Biotechnology and Bioengineering for a sustainable world”, REF. NORTE-07-0124- FEDER-000048, co-funded by the Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (ON.2—O Novo Norte), QREN, FEDER.

The potential of enzymes recycling after hydrolysis and fermentation of wheat straw under a variety of conditions was investigated, monitoring the activity of the enzymes in the solid and liquid fractions, using low molecular weight substrates. A significant amount of active enzymes could be recovered by recycling the liquid phase. In the early stage of the process, enzyme adsorb to the substrate, then gradually returning to the solution as the saccharification proceeds. At 50 °C, normally regarded as an acceptable operational temperature for saccharification, the enzymes (Celluclast) significantly undergo thermal deactivation. The hydrolysis yield and enzyme recycling efficiency in consecutive recycling rounds can be increased by using high enzyme loadings and moderate temperatures. Indeed, the amount of enzymes in the liquid phase increased with its thermostability and hydrolytic efficiency. This study contributes towards developing effective enzymes recycling strategies and helping to reduce the enzyme costs on bioethanol production., The authors acknowledge funding through FP7 KACELLE (Kalundborg Cellulosic Ethanol) project for supporting this work. We also thank Dra. Lucilia Domingues for supplying the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae CEN PK 113 wild type.

The uptake of nanoparticles by cells of the mononuclear phagocytic system limits its use as colloidal drug carriers, reducing the blood circulation time and the ability to reach biological targets. In this work, the interaction between dextrin nanoparticles – recently developed in our laboratory – and murine bone marrow-derived macrophages was evaluated. Cytotoxicity and nitric oxide production were studied, using the MTT assay and the Griess method, respectively. FITC labelled nanoparticles were used to assess the phagocytic uptake and blood clearance after intravenous injection. The phagocytic uptake was analysed in vitro by confocal laser scanning microscopy and fluorescence activated cell sorting. The results show that the nanoparticles are not cytotoxic and do not stimulate the production of nitric oxide by macrophages, in the range of concentrations studied. Nanoparticles are phagocytosed by macrophages and are detected inside the cells, concentrated in cellular organelles. The blood clearance study showed that the blood removal of the nanoparticles occurs with a more pronounced rate in the first 3 h after intravenous administration, with about 30% of the material remaining in systemic circulation at this stage. Given the fairly high blood circulation time and biocompatibility, the dextrin nanoparticles are promising carriers for biomedical applications. Both applications targeting phagocytic, antigen-presenting cells (for vaccination purposes) and different tissues (as drug carriers) may be envisaged, by modulation of the surface properties., POCTI program, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT)

Colloidal probe microscopy has been used to study the interaction between model cellulose surfaces and the role of cellulose binding domain (CBD), peptides specifically binding to cellulose, in interfacial interaction of cellulose surfaces modified with CBDs. The interaction between pure cellulose surfaces in aqueous electrolyte solution is dominated by double layer repulsive forces with the range and magnitude of the net force dependent on electrolyte concentration. AFM imaging reveals agglomeration of CBD adsorbed on cellulose surface. Despite an increase in surface charge owing to CBD binding to cellulose surface, force profiles are less repulsive for interactions involving, at least, one modified surface. Such changes are attributed to irregularity of the topography of protein surface and non-uniform distribution of surface charges on the surface of modified cellulose. Binding double CBD hybrid protein to cellulose surfaces causes adhesive forces at retraction, whereas separation curves obtained with cellulose modified with single CBD show small adhesion only at high ionic strength. This is possibly caused by the formation of the cross-links between cellulose surfaces in the case of double CBD., European Commission (EC) - Fifth Framework Programme.