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Mushrooms are a group of fungi with great diversity and ultra-accelerated metabolism. As a consequence, mushrooms have developed a protective mechanism consisting of high concentrations of antioxidants such as selenium, polyphenols, β-glucans, ergothioneine, various vitamins and other bioactive metabolites. The mushrooms of the Pleurotus genus have generated scientific interest due to their therapeutic properties, especially related to risk factors connected to the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In this report, we highlight the therapeutic properties of Pleurotus mushrooms that may be associated with a reduction in the severity of COVID-19: antihypertensive, antihyperlipidemic, antiatherogenic, anticholesterolemic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antihyperglycemic properties. These properties may interact significantly with risk factors for COVID-19 severity, and the therapeutic potential of these mushrooms for the treatment or prevention of this disease is evident. Besides this, studies show that regular consumption of Pleurotus species mushrooms or components isolated from their tissues is beneficial for immune health. Pleurotus species mushrooms may have a role in the prevention or treatment of infectious diseases either as food supplements or as sources for pharmacological agents.

The genomes of two Penicillium strains were sequenced and studied in this study: strain 2HH was isolated from the digestive tract of Anobium punctatum beetle larva in 1979 and the cellulase hypersecretory strain S1M29, derived from strain 2HH by a long-term mutagenesis process. With these data, the strains were reclassified and insight is obtained on molecular features related to cellulase hyperproduction and the albino phenotype of the mutant. Both strains were previously identified as Penicillium echinulatum and this investigation indicated that these should be reclassified. Phylogenetic and phenotype data showed that these strains represent a new Penicillium species in series Oxalica, for which the name Penicillium ucsense is proposed here. Six additional strains (SFC101850, SFCP10873, SFCP10886, SFCP10931, SFCP10932 and SFCP10933) collected from the marine environment in the Republic of Korea were also classified as this species, indicating a worldwide distribution of this new taxon. Compared to the closely related strain Penicillium oxalicum 114-2, the composition of cell wall-associated proteins of P. ucsense 2HH shows five fewer chitinases, considerable differences in the number of proteins related to β-D-glucan metabolism. The genomic comparison of 2HH and S1M29 highlighted single amino-acid substitutions in two major proteins (BGL2 and FlbA) that can be associated with the hyperproduction of cellulases. The study of melanin pathways shows that the S1M29 albino phenotype resulted from a single amino-acid substitution in the enzyme ALB1, a precursor of the 1,8-dihydroxynaphthalene (DHN)-melanin biosynthesis. Our study provides important knowledge towards understanding species distribution, molecular mechanisms, melanin production and cell wall biosynthesis of this new Penicillium species.

The main objective of this work was to evaluate whether Pleurotus albidus extract exerts influences on aorta artery tone by its antioxidant properties. The hearts and aortic arteries of male Wistar rats were removed for use in biochemical analysis and vascular reactivity. Both tissues were exposed to P. albidus extract at different concentrations for 30 min and were then exposed to a free radical generation system for 30 min. The extract reduced lipid peroxidation levels and increased catalase and glutathione peroxidase activity in cardiac tissue. In the aorta, P. albidus extract demonstrated a direct vasodilatory effect, which was associated with a reduction in nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase (NOX) activity and an increase in sulfhydryl levels and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity. Our findings suggest that P. albidus extract has regulatory potential on aorta arteries, regulating the balance of NOX/NOS enzymes and then influencing vessel tone. Further studies are needed to determine the protective mechanisms of the extract.

The conversion of rice hulls into fermentable saccharides was explored through steam pretreatment employing 2.5% SO2. The interaction between temperature and time was assessed by means of the response surface method to achieve optimum contents of C6-sugars in water-insoluble solids (WIS) and C5-sugars in the liquor. Pretreatment carried out at 218 °C for 2.3 min released liquor containing 55.4 g/L of sugars (29.1 g/L of xylose). In parallel, the WIS was subjected to enzymatic saccharification using different solid and enzyme loads via an experimental design: assays using 22.0% WIS and 20.0 filter paper units (FPU)/g led to 90.6 g/L of glucose, corresponding to a yield of 86.4% and an overall yield of 72.4%. The data reported are the highest ever found for such raw material, making it attractive to compete with conventional lignocellulosic biomass.

Intestinal glucose absorption plays a central role in the regulation of glucose plasmatic; however, current clinical management does not target the gut for treating diabetes. This study evaluated the effects of peel and pulp aqueous extract from

The antimicrobial activity of the metabolites produced by Fusarium oxysporum PR-33 in submerged culture was evaluated against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and yeasts. Metabolites were determined by HPLC-DAD-MS/MS. An extract was obtained following the removal of mycelium by centrifugation and lyophilisation of the supernatant. The compounds in this extract demonstrated broad-spectrum antimicrobial action, with rates of inhibition between 60 and 80%, depending on the species and extract tested. The major compounds of the extracts were identified as fusarinolic acid and its isomer [56.9% flask extract (FE)] and 59.2% bioreactor extract (BE), dehydrofusaric acid (35.7% FE and 31.6% BE), and fusaric acid (6.5% FE and 1.1% BE). Fusaric acid has been shown to be responsible for antimicrobial activity. The cytotoxicity of the extracts was evaluated in culture of HEK-293 and SH-SY5Y animal cells and toxicity of these extracts was verified even in the lowest tested concentrations. Therefore, our results indicate that the compounds identified exhibit potential as antimicrobial agents.

Metals are considered one of the biggest environmental problems, due to their toxicity and the complexity of removal. This study evaluated the bioaccumulation capacity of water contaminating metals by fungal isolates of Lentinus and Panus species, to elucidate the bioremediation processes of metal contaminated effluents. Initially, tests were performed with fungal isolates using a mixture of metals, aluminum, iron, copper, lead, chromium, nickel and zinc. Lentinus crinitus 154L.21 was the most promising fungus for the removal of metals in the mixture. Based on these data, the potential application of this fungus for the treatment of galvanic and tannery effluents was evaluated. For galvanic effluent, no detectable copper, chromium, and nickel was removed; however, for tannery effluents, reductions in aluminum concentrations from 204.1 to 3.7 mg L

9 páginas.- 5 figuras.- 2 tablas.- 53 referencias.- Supplementary data associated with this article can be found in the online version at doi:10.1016/j.indcrop.2022.115658, Agro-industrial residues were used as a successful, cheap and renewable substrate, capable of increasing activity of ligninolytic enzymes for further use in melanin degradation assays to develop inputs for the treatment of skin hyperpigmentation. The analysis of melanin degradation was performed in a quantitative and qualitative way. The enzymatic crude broth extract, rich in laccases, produced by Marasmiellus palmivorus VE111 in medium formulated with lignocellulosic residues of Araucaria angustifolia subjected to hydrolysis and alcoholic fermentation, degraded almost 33% of the melanin content and enzymatic crude broth extract produced by Pycnoporus sanguineus PR_32 degraded 13%, in just 8 h, using vanillin as a mediator. Proton 2D NMR spectra show melanin changes after laccase treatment. This work has provided an insight for the development of ecofriendly, sustainable and innovative cosmetics to deal with skin hyperpigmentation. © 2022 Elsevier B.V., The Research Support Foundation of the State of Rio Grande do Sul (Process 16/2551-0000 246-0) and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) (Process 407228/2018-7 and 314897/2018-6).

Expanded polystyrene (EPS) is a synthetic polymer that is widely applicable in the fields of food packaging, equipment protection and civil construction. Aiming to replace EPS, biofoams were developed utilizing mycelia of the macrofungi Pycnoporus sanguineus, Pleurotus albidus and Lentinus velutinus in a medium formulated with sawdust and wheat bran. Sample characterization was obtained by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermal analysis and infrared spectroscopy with Fourier Transform; density and compression strength were analysed as mechanical properties. The main results include that the compression strengths of biofoams from P. sanguineus, P. albidus and L. velutinus were 1.3, 0.4, and 1.3 MPa, respectively, which exceed that of EPS (0.4 MPa). The thermal stability of the biofoams was lower than that of EPS; however, they were stable up to 350 °C. Biofoams are denser than EPS, with values of 0.3 and 0.03 g cm−3, respectively. The data obtained for biofoams categorize this material as sustainable substitute for EPS in some applications, while at the same time, reducing the environmental impact caused by sawdust and EPS.

This study aimed to examine the antioxidant activity, total phenolic content, and phenolic profile of nine strains of Pleurotus spp. isolated in southern Brazil. Basidiomes were obtained from a solid-state culture in medium containing Pinus sp. sawdust (SCM-PSW), coffee grounds (CG), or organic grape waste (OGW). Mycelia were obtained from submerged culture-potato dextrose broth (MSC-PDB). Basidiomes had the highest total phenolic content (between 31.30 ± 0.26 and 47.00 ± 0.12 mg gallic acid equivalents [GAE]/g) compared with mycelia (between 8.15 ± 0.26 and 15.96 ± 0.82 mg GAE/g). Antioxidant activity of the basidiomes showed an IC50 value between 5.36 ± 0.27 (88F.13) and 10.68 ± 0.22 mg/mL (189H.3). Mushrooms produced in the OGW and CG media had higher total phenolic content than those from MSC, indicating that they can serve as sources of bioactive compounds on culture media. These findings show the potential of natural wastes to be used as a strategy for increasing secondary metabolites in edible mushrooms, proposing an interesting approach for the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industries.

Biological pretreatment was investigated to increase ethanol production from lignocellulosic biomass, like sugarcane bagasse. Enzyme secretion, changes in substrate composition, enzymatic hydrolysis and ethanol yield after pretreatment by different basidiomycetes were evaluated. Analysis by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that P. pulmonarius PS2001 and T. villosa 82I6 promoted more extensive selective modifications in the lignin content. Glucose release during enzymatic hydrolysis of samples pretreated with P. pulmonarius PS2001 for 35, 42 and 49 days and with T. villosa 82I6 for 21, 28 and 49 days were higher than the control (48.5±2.38 mg/g), i.e. 68.4 ±0.7, 76.3 ±1.6 and 76.5±2.1 mg/g and 70.9±8.3, 77.8±5.8 and 77.6±4.2 mg/g, respectively. During the fermentation of hydrolysates of samples pretreated with T. villosa 82I6 for 28 and 49 days, a maximum ethanol yield of 19.1±2.8 and 20.2±0.5 mg/g, respectively, was achieved. A positive effect of biological pretreatment on hydrolysis and fermentation was demonstrated.

Biodegradability and water resistance of cassava starch trays with different plasticizers [glycerol, sorbitol and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)] were investigated. The degradability was tested by exposure at two amylolytic enzymes of microbial origin, one of them commercial (Termamyl®) and the other obtained in laboratory by the submerged cultivation of the fungus Penicilium echinulatum. The extent of degradation was analyzed by the percentage of weight loss and the concentration of released reducing sugars. The results showed that the packaging was sensitive to the action of the enzymes, because it was observed an increase in the concentration of reducing sugars in the first hours of reaction and percentages of weight loss near 90%. Water resistance was measured by solubility, contact angle and moisture sorption isotherms, with adjustment of the experimental data to mathematical models of Guggen-heim, Anderson de Boer (GAB), Brunauer–Emmet–Teller (BET), Oswin and Jaafar. Trays containing PVA addition showed less solubility, with greater contact angle and lower equilibrium moisture (in aw 0.98). The mathematical models of GAB and Oswin reproduced the best fit to the experimental data of the isotherms. The starch trays showed biodegradability independent of the material used as plasticizer.

Penicillium echinulatum 2HH is an ascomycete well known for its production of cellulolytic enzymes. Understanding lignocellulolytic and sugar uptake systems is essential to obtain efficient fungi strains for the production of bioethanol. In this study we performed a genome-wide functional annotation of carbohydrate-active enzymes and sugar transporters involved in the lignocellulolytic system of P. echinulatum 2HH and S1M29 strains (wildtype and mutant, respectively) and eleven related fungi. Additionally, signal peptide and orthology prediction were carried out. We encountered a diverse assortment of cellulolytic enzymes in P. echinulatum, especially in terms of β-glucosidases and endoglucanases. Other enzymes required for the breakdown of cellulosic biomass were also found, including cellobiohydrolases, lytic cellulose monooxygenases and cellobiose dehydrogenases. The S1M29 mutant, which is known to produce an increased cellulase activity, and the 2HH wild type strain of P. echinulatum did not show significant differences between their enzymatic repertoire. Nevertheless, we unveiled an amino acid substitution for a predicted intracellular β-glucosidase of the mutant, which might contribute to hyperexpression of cellulases through a cellodextrin induction pathway. Most of the P. echinulatum enzymes presented orthologs in P. oxalicum 114-2, supporting the presence of highly similar cellulolytic mechanisms and a close phylogenetic relationship between these fungi. A phylogenetic analysis of intracellular β-glucosidases and sugar transporters allowed us to identify several proteins potentially involved in the accumulation of intracellular cellodextrins. These may prove valuable targets in the genetic engineering of P. echinulatum focused on industrial cellulases production. Our study marks an important step in characterizing and understanding the molecular mechanisms employed by P. echinulatum in the enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass.

Considering the growing importance of biofuels in Brazil and throughout the world, and taking into account that glycerol is a surplus byproduct of biodiesel production, the present study aimed to evaluate the production of cellulases and xylanases by Peniciliium echinulatum, mutant strain S1M29, using different concentrations of glycerol as a carbon source in combination or not with cellulose. Experimental use of 50% glycerol and 50% cellulose showed promising FPA activity, however, this was only approximately 50% of that obtained by previous studies employing only cellulose as a carbon source. More relevant was the fact that the enzyme broth prepared with 50% glycerol and 50% cellulose proved to be efficient in the hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomasses, especially for elephant grass pretreated by steam explosion.

Strategies to take advantage of residual lignin from industrial processes are well regarded in the field of green chemistry and biotechnology. Quite recently, researchers transformed lignin into nanomaterials, such as nanoparticles, nanofibers, nanofilms, nanocapsules and nanotubes, attracting increasing attention from the scientific community. Lignin nanoparticles are seen as green way to use high-value renewable resources for application in different fields because recent studies have shown they are non-toxic in reasonable concentrations (both in vitro and in vivo assays), inexpensive (a waste generated in the biorefinery, for example, from the bioethanol platform) and potentially biodegradable (by fungi and bacteria in nature). Promising studies have tested lignin nanoparticles for antioxidants, UV-protectants, heavy metal absorption, antimicrobials, drugs carriers, gene delivery systems, encapsulation of molecules, biocatalysts, supercapacitors, tissue engineering, hybrid nanocomposites, wound dressing, and others. These nanoparticles can be produced from distinct lignin types and by different chemical/physical/biological methods, which will result in varied characteristics for their morphology, shape, size, yield and stability. Therefore, taking into account that the theme "lignin nanoparticles" is a trending topic, this present review is emerging and has the discuss the current status, covering from concepts, the formation mechanism, synthesis methods and applications, to the future perspectives and challenges linked to lignin-based nanomaterials, aiming at the viability and commercialization of this biotechnological product.

Background: The production of bioethanol using lignocellulosic feedstocks has proved to be a cutting-edge technology. However, this technology faces limitations such as cost and yield of enzymatic systems, required to degrade efficiently the polysaccharides of plant cell walls. Penicillium echinulatum 2HH is a widely studied ascomycete, known by its efficient cellulolytic cocktails. One strategy to improve the saccharification yields for commercial exploitation is the design of hypersecreting strains. However, molecular knowledge about the lignocellulolytic system of this specific fungus is scarce. Understanding both lignocellulolytic and sugar uptake systems is essential to obtain industrial strains with adequate efficiency for bioethanol production. Results: We report a comprehensive in silico characterization of CAZymes and sugar transporters of P. echinulatum 2HH. The CAZyome reveals an outstanding repertoire of enzymes involved in plant biomass degradation. Among them, we highlight the cellulolytic enzyme system whose genes are predominantly orthologous to P. oxalicum 114-2, demonstrating the high similarity of these phylogenetically related enzyme producers. We also report a LPMO-type enzyme of the AA16 family described for the first time in these fungi. In addition to the well-known high activity of ß-glucosidases, we found that coding genes for the AA16, GH5-4 and GH45 families comprehend the main differences in the cellulolytic complexes of P. echinulatum 2HH and P. oxalicum 114-2, when both are compared to commercial producers. Our phylogenetic analysis of the sugar transportome suggests that P. echinulatum 2HH diversity and specificity of STs include eight major families with specificity to different groups of sugars. Finally, our phylogenetic analyses enabled the identification of several iBGLs and STs potentially involved in the accumulation of intracellular cellodextrins.Conclusions: Overall, both CAZyome and sugar transportome of P. echinulatum revealed new insights into the mechanisms underlying a flexible and highly functional metabolism to degrade plant biomass. Peculiarities found in our study help to highlight the cellulolytic complex of P. echinulatum 2HH, contributing to the commercial ascendance of Penicillium spp. as cellulolytic enzyme producers. Furthermore, the first phylogenetic classification of STs and iBGLs shed new light into the role of these genes regarding the preferred carbon source during fungal growth. Along these lines, these iBGLs and STs comprise valuable gene targets to understand the regulatory mechanisms underlying cellulolytic enzymes and to design hypersecreting strains with adequate efficiency for bioethanol production in large-scale.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of diet supplementations on biochemical, hematological, and redox metabolism parameters in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Healthy male Wistar rats and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were provided diets supplemented with 20% of Pinus sp. sawdust or Pycnoporus sanguineus mycelium for 4 weeks. Diabetic rats treated with both Pinus sp. sawdust- and P. sanguineus mycelium-supplemented diets presented a significant decrease in non-HDL cholesterol of 38.43% and 33.53% and triglycerides of 70.03% and 69.81%, respectively, compared to diabetic control. As far as we know, this is the first report of a significant decrease in serum lipids attributed to these supplementations. Even though with the alterations in hematological and redox metabolism parameters related to these diet treatments, our data suggest that Pinus sp. sawdust and Pycnoporus sanguineus mycelium could be a useful a diet supplement to control diabetic dyslipidemia in animals. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Pinus sp. sawdust is a residue from the wood industry that can be reused as a substrate to cultivate Pycnoporus sanguineus mycelium. Both species have specific and rich natural compounds. The results of the present study surprisingly showed that diets supplemented with the isolated substrate (Pinus sp. sawdust) and Pycnoporus sanguineus mycelium significantly decrease non-HDL cholesterol and triglycerides in induced diabetic animal model. These new natural approaches can be interesting to develop a nutraceutical to treat dyslipidemia.

Schizophyllum commune VE_07 was produced in different culture media containing pine sawdust (PS), grape residue (GR), cotton cake (CC) and jatropha seed cake (JC). The content of phenolics and antioxidant activity were determined for the substrates and mushrooms produced. The content of s-glucans and the composition of S. commune were also evaluated. The medium formulated with 94% grape residue enabled the highest values of yield, biological efficiency, and productivity. Mushrooms grown in this condition showed the highest value (13.14%) of s-glucans. The contents of proteins and dietary fibre were 16.59% and 59.61%, respectively. Mushrooms grown in cotton cake showed the highest phenolic content (291.51 ± 1.83 mg GAE/ 100 g mushroom) and antioxidant activity (58.15 ± 0.86 DPPH % scavenging). The results obtained indicate that substrate composition affected the production of S. commune and its chemical composition.

12 páginas.- 5 figuras.- 4 tablas.- 103 referencias.- Supplementary data to this article can be found online at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2020.114493.0.00.51.01.52.0, Novel laccases have promising and valuable applications in biorefineries. This investigation documents, for the first time, the potential of depolymerising and repolymerising lignin by the secretome, rich in laccases, from a newly isolated white-rot basidiomycete Marasmiellus palmivorus VE111, for further saccharification and ethanolic fermentation steps. Proteomic analyses of the secretome of M. palmivorus show that laccases are the most predominant enzyme released by this fungus. The whole crude enzymatic broth is used for the delignification of lignin in Eucalyptus globulus wood, with the aim of enhancing the saccharification by cellulolytic and xylanolytic enzymes from Penicillium echinulatum S1M29. In addition, two different strategies, namely, laccase treatment before and after enzymatic hydrolysis, are employed to detoxify steam-exploded E. globulus wood. The objective is to increase the fermentative performance by removing substances formed during the feedstock pretreatment that can inhibit microbial fermentation. The E. globulus wood delignification results in a 31% decrease in the lignin content and a 10% increase in the glucose yield after hydrolysis. An important finding of the present work is the successful wood delignification in the absence of laccase mediators. This laccase-rich preparation also demonstrates its potential in removing the phenolic inhibitors present in steam-exploded E. globulus wood, increasing the ethanol yield by an additional 10%. Furthermore, it is important to highlight that these findings are achieved in the absence of commercial enzymes, making M. palmivorus laccases a potential candidate not only for the production of biofuels but also for the generation of lignin-derived aromatic compounds for different applications in the biotechnology industry. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd, Funding from University of Caxias do Sul (UCS) Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) (Process 3255/2013), Research Support Foundation of the State of Rio Grande do Sul (Process 16/2551-0000 246-0), Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA) (34/2014), National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) (Process 201925/2018-4), the Biobased Industries Joint Undertaking (www.bbi-europe.eu) project EnzOx2 (H2020-BBI-PPP-2015-2-720297, www.enzox2.eu), the projects RETOPROSOST-2-CM [S2018/EMT-4459] financed by the Comunidad de Madrid, HIDROFUN [BIO2015-68387-R], and GLYSUS [RTI2018-093683-B-I00] from MINECO/FEDER, and the CSIC Project (201740E07)

The present work was carried out to determine the best sources and concentrations of carbon and nitrogen in the production of laccases, total peroxidases and manganese peroxidase by Marasmiellus palmivorus VE111. Among the carbon and nitrogen sources used, the combination of glucose and casein led to higher production of laccases (5134 U/mL), total peroxidases (187 U/mL) and manganese peroxidase (57 U/mL). Central composite rotatable design (CCRD) was used to determine the optimum concentrations of glucose and casein to produce enzymes. The experiments with better results were scaled up in a 5 L bioreactor. It was verified that lower concentrations of glucose (5 and 10 g/L) stimulated higher activity of total peroxidases (1285 U/mL) and laccases (3420 U/mL), respectively, while a higher concentration of glucose (30 g/L) favoured the production of manganese peroxidase (59 U/mL). These data indicate high performance of M. palmivorus VE111 in the production of ligninolytic enzymes.

Pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass using ionic liquids (ILs) has been widely studied and is considered one of the most promising methods to obtain fermentable sugars. However, few data exist on the fermentation of reducing sugars (RS) obtained by enzymatic hydrolysis of biomass pretreated with ionic liquids for the production of ethanol. Therefore, this study evaluated the production of ethanol from sugars liberated from sawdust of Pinus sp. and Eucalyptus sp. pretreated with ionic liquid [C4mim][OAc] and [C2mim][OAc], hydrolyzed with enzymes of Penicillium echinulatum employing Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe Y698 yeasts. The data indicate that when the biomass is pre-treated by [C2mim][OAc] there is higher production of ethanol that, when treated by [C4mim][OAc] for both evaluated yeasts, even though the pretreatment with [C2mim] [OAc] caused the highest losses of cellulose and hemicellulose. Under the conditions analyzed, it is possible to produce approximately 40 and 47 L of ethanol per ton of Pinus sp. and Eucalyptus sp, respectively. In addition to contributing to knowledge about the physiology of the yeasts in the sugars liberated from biomass pretreated in presence of ionic liquid, this data is also relevant to the development of processes for the production of lignocellulosic ethanol.

One of the current challenges to produce second-generation ethanol is to obtain an efficient enzyme complex for hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass. Genetic improvement of lignocellulolytic fungi has helped to obtain strains that secrete higher enzymatic titers. This article analyzes the enzymatic profile of two strains of Penicillium echinulatum, wild type 2HH and mutant S1M29, grown on different carbon sources (sugarcane bagasse pretreated by steam explosion, cellulose, glucose, and glycerol) at different cultivation times. To determine enzyme activities, 23 substrates were used. P. echinulatum showed potential to produce cellulases, hemicellulases, esterases, and in minor proportions, pectinases. The mutant strain showed the highest enzymatic titers to most enzymes considered and its enzymatic broth was used in the enzymatic hydrolysis of vegetable biomass. This study broadened the understanding of the enzyme complex of this fungus and the importance of future studies with the mutant strain for use in the production of second-generation ethanol.

The efficiency of Marasmiellus palmivorus enzymes in synthetic dye decolorization was evaluated both during submerged cultivation and by crude enzyme broth treatment. Additionally, post-treatment toxicity of the samples against Lactuca sativa was assessed. M. palmivorus VE-111 crude broth achieved highest decolorization efficiency for dyes Reactive blue 220 and Acid blue 80. During submerged cultivation, maximal decolorization was observed for Acid blue 80, Dianix yellow Seg, Reactive blue 220, Navy blue S2GRL and Disperse orange 30. Superior laccase activity was accomplished in culture media containing Reactive blue 220, reaching a yield of 3444.44 ± 0.00 U mL−1 in 8 days. Phytotoxicity assays indicate no toxic metabolites were formed during simultaneous decolorization and submerged cultivation. Results achieved regarding azo and anthraquinone dye decolorization by M. palmivorus VE-111 enzymes and biomass are noteworthy and support its potential application in bioremediation of industrial wastewater.

Production of phenol oxidases by Marasmiellus palmivorus was evaluated in submerged cultures at different pH conditions: uncontrolled (free), fixed at 5.0, 6.0 and 7.0 and controlled after reaching pH 5.0, 6.0 and 7.0. pH (3–8) and temperature (20–45 °C) were optimized for laccase production and the thermal stability (30–60 °C) of laccases was evaluated. In addition, laccase activity in concentrated crude enzyme extract was evaluated. Laccase activity was greatest in production conditions of free pH (1950.6 ± 42.7 U mL−1), free - pH 6 (1901 ± 85.5 U mL−1) and fixed - pH 7 (1851.8 ± 0.0 U mL−1). Laccase activity was highest when reaction conditions were pH 4.0–5.5 and 25–45 °C. By concentrating the crude enzyme extract it was possible to significantly increase laccase activity. The greater the enzymatic activity used in the decolorization of the dyes Reactive Blue 220 and Acid Green 28, the shorter the time required to remove 90% and 75% of the color respectively. Given the results, it is evident that M. palmivorus can secrete high concentrations of phenol oxidases with potential biotechnological applications.

One of the main challenges to improve the quality of Brazilian education is to promote reading and an understanding of what is read. This situation is more complex in Youth and Adult Education, which has focused on students who exhibited academic failure in mainstream classes or had not engaged in reading and writing for many years. In addition to adolescents, adults and elderly individuals have the same interests when they are in school; however, the identification of a way to engage these different audiences is a challenge. Thus, we propose reading newspapers online to generate an interest in reading, as well as determining how to select updated texts that are able to draw the attention of students. The findings indicated 100% of the students were satisfied with the activity. Nevertheless, when the times of reading performed in the Educational Computer Laboratory and classroom were compared, the evaluation that employed computer tools was far superior to the classroom. We conclude that although online newspaper reading is quite simple and easy to perform, it is an important tool capable of stimulating and developing the taste and habit of reading and is effective for different audiences. http://dx.doi.org/10.18226/23185279.v5iss2p51

Biological pre-treatment seems to be promising being an eco-friendly process, with no inhibitor generated during the process. The potential for elephant grass pre-treatment with white degradation fungi Pleurotus ostreatus, Agaricus blazei, Lentinula edodes, Pleurotus citrinopileatus and Pleurotus djamor, in isolated or mixed cultures of these strains, was evaluated. The highest activities of enzymes involved in the degradation of lignocellulosic biomass (laccases, endoglucanases, xylanases and β-glucosidases) were observed for A. blazei, L. edodes and the combination of P. ostreatus and A. blazei. In the enzymatic hydrolysis, there was greater release of reducing sugars in the pre-treated elephant grass samples by A. blazei during 10 days (338.91±7.39 mg/g of biomass). For this sample, higher lignin reductions, 24.81 and 57.45%, after 15 and 35 days of incubation, respectively, were also verified. These data indicate the potential of macromycetes such as A. blazei to perform biological pre-treatments. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schum.) is an energy crop ready to be used as a source of fermentable sugars. Imidazole was proposed as a new solvent for biomass fractionation to facilitate disruption of the lignocellulosic matrix and production of a polysaccharide lignin-free material highly susceptible to enzymatic saccharification. Approximately 82% w·w–1 of lignin was extracted from elephant grass under the optimized operational condition (135.6 °C for 308.4 min). For similar conditions the recovered polysaccharide-rich materials demonstrated enzymatic digestibility with glucan to glucose yields as high as 80.6 mol %.

The performance of two lignocellulosic biomasses was studied in high-pressure carbon dioxide/water pre-treatment. Sugarcane bagasse and elephant grass were used to produce C5-sugars from hemicellulose and, simultaneously, to promote cellulose digestibility for enzymatic saccharification. Different pre-treatment conditions, with combined severity factor ranging from -1.17 to -0.04, were evaluated and maximal total xylan to xylose yields of 59.2wt.% (34.4wt.% xylooligomers) and 46.4wt.% (34.9wt.% xylooligomers) were attained for sugarcane bagasse and elephant grass, respectively. Furthermore, pre-treated biomasses were highly digestible, with glucan to glucose yields of 77.2mol% and 72.4mol% for sugarcane bagasse and elephant grass, respectively. High-pressure carbon dioxide/water pre-treatment provides high total C5-sugars and glucose recovery from both lignocellulosic biomasses; however it is highly influenced by composition and intrinsic features of each biomass. The obtained results confirm this approach as an effective and greener alternative to conventional pre-treatment processes.

Agaricus blazei, Auricularia fuscosuccinea and Pleurotus albidus mycelia were obtained in solid-state cultivation (SSC), using grains (brown rice, canjica corn and wheat) as raw material. Colonized grain flours were analysed for their nutritional, physical and physico-chemical characteristics and biological activity in vitro. Wheat flour with P. albidus showed higher values for protein (18.34 g/100 g), ergosterol (0.60 mg/g), mycelial biomass (183 mg/g) and total amino acids (58.34 mg/g). Corn flour with A. fuscosuccinea showed the highest total phenolic content (2.38 mg GAE/g), antioxidant activity in the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) (8.90 μmol TEAC/g) and 2,2′-Azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) (16.52 μmol TEAC/g) assay. Wheat flour with P. albidus were more effective at inhibiting of pancreatic lipase (74.5%) and of α-glucosidase (98.2%). In conclusion, grains colonized by macrofungi mycelia through SSC can enrich the nutritional value and the biological activity of the flours, which presents a potential for functional foods.

The combination of hydrothermal pretreatment followed by delignification with imidazole was evaluated for the first time as a potential selective two-stage fractionation for elephant grass, aiming at obtaining pure fractions susceptible to conversion to high value-added products. In addition, the recovery of cellulose and hemicelluloses and enzymatic hydrolysis yield of pretreated elephant grass were evaluated. Hydrothermal pretreatment at 180 °C under non-isothermal conditions allowed obtaining a liquor rich mainly in xylo- and glucooligosaccharides, as well as pentoses. Subsequent treatment of the recovered solid fraction with imidazole at 140 °C for 182.5 min resulted in 83.8 wt% delignification and cellulose enrichment of 97.7 wt%. The solids obtained from the two-stage pretreatment process also permitted high glucan to glucose conversion through enzymatic hydrolysis using Cellic CTec2 (99.0 mol%) or an enzymatic complex of Penicillium echinulatum (96.3 mol%).

Testing different pHs, dissolved oxygen concentrations and temperatures, plus the addition of inducers, to optimize ligninolytic enzyme activity, resulted in increased production of laccases, total peroxidases and manganese peroxidases on the order of 2.1-fold, 4.6-fold and 10-fold, respectively; laccases reached 6588 U/mL, total peroxidases reached 3533 U/mL and manganese peroxidase achieved 60 U/mL. Furthermore, an increase in laccase volumetric productivity and in its specific activity was verified. The addition of inducers, such as copper sulphate and manganese sulphate, improved enzymatic activity. In addition, a new previously unidentified laccase isoform was documented by zymography. The present work successfully increased the production of ligninolytic enzymes.

The oxidation activity of laccase on a broad range of substrates has attracted great interest in the development of technologies for industrial and environmental applications. In this work, a crude laccase from Marasmiellus palmivorus was immobilized onto chitosan-coated magnetic particles. The support was developed and characterized by X-ray diffraction, vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), specific surface area, and pore size by BET/BJH method, and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). Magnetic particles retained approximately 30% of magnetization (19.5 emu/g) after enzyme immobilization. The highest activity of the immobilized crude laccase was 139.84 U.g dry support−1 (48.74% efficiency and 99% yield) when 25 mg protein. g dry support−1 were applied in the support previously activated with 90 mM glutaraldehyde. Enzyme immobilization was fast, reaching maximum recovered activity (36%) after 5 min of contact with the support. The optimum pH of the soluble and immobilized crude laccase was 5.5 and the optimum temperature varied between 40 and 50 °C for the soluble form and between 25 and 35 °C for the immobilized form. Immobilization increased the thermal stability of the enzyme by a factor of 1.33. Decolorization reaction of methyl orange dye using ABTS (2,2-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt) as a mediator allowed 30 cycles of reuse with a percentage of decolorization above 60%.

The enzymatic hydrolysis of Pennisetum purpureum (elephant grass) was evaluated at high total solid levels (from 4% to 20% (w/v)) in a concomitant ball milling treatment in a rotating hydrolysis reactor (RHR). The greatest glucose yield was 20.17% when 4% (w/v) untreated biomass was employed. When sugars obtained from enzymatic hydrolysis were submitted to fermentation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the greatest ethanol yield was 22.61% when 4% (w/v) untreated biomass was employed; however, the highest glucose concentration (12.47g/L) was obtaining using 20% (w/v) solids and highest ethanol concentration (6.1g/L) was obtained using 16% (w/v) solids. When elephant grass was hydrolyzed in the rotating hydrolysis reactor, ethanol production was about double that was produced when the biomass was hydrolyzed in a static reactor (SR). These data indicate that it is possible to produce ethanol from elephant grass when milling treatment and enzymatic hydrolysis are performed at the same time.

The aim of this study was to investigate the production profile of Pleurotus albidus and Pycnoporus sanguineus on different waste substrates containing natural phenolics, and also to investigate whether phenolic-rich substrates can improve the phenolic content of these macrofungi. The medium formulated with Pinus sp. sawdust (PSW) made possible the highest yields (2.62±0.73%) of P. sanguineus. However, the supplementation of PSW with apple waste (AW) resulted in better P. albidus yields (23.94±2.92%). The results indicated that the substrate composition affected macrofungi production, also the chemical composition and the presence of phenolic compounds in the production media influence phenolic content and antioxidant activity in macrofungi.

One of the bottlenecks in the production of second-generation ethanol is the high cost of the enzymes used for the hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass. One way to reduce this cost is to use local biomass, such as elephant grass ( Pennisetum purpureum ), but for this use the lignocellulosic material must be pretreated. Among the pretreatments that have been studied, steam explosion has been the most efficient. In this study, it was evaluated the production of cellulases and xylanases by Penicillium echinulatum S1M29 in solid-state cultivation using elephant grass pretreated by steam explosion at different temperatures (180, 190 and 200 °C) and residence times (6, 8, 10 min). In culture media, it was used 100% elephant grass that was pretreated by steam explosion (washed and unwashed after the process) or in combination with wheat bran (50%). It was found that the untreated elephant grass is superior to wheat bran for Filter Paper Activity (FPA) with values of 23.38 ± 0.10 IU g −1 . The replacement of 50% wheat bran with elephant grass that was pretreated by steam explosion and washed favoured the production of enzymes with maximal activities of 32.93 ± 0.58 IU g −1 for FPA, 205.83 6.85 ± IU g −1 for endoglucanase, and 148.96 ± 0.00 IU g −1 for β-glucosidases. For xylanase production, untreated elephant grass proved more effective because the combination of substrates provided the greatest enzymatic activity in a sample that was not subjected to washing, reaching values of 571.74 ± 27.14 IU g −1 .

The production of Agaricus blazei, Auricularia fuscosuccinea and Pleurotus albidus mycoproteins in brewer-spent grain and grape bagasse by solid-state cultivation was studied, including an investigation of their nutritional value and biological activity. The production of P. albidus mycoprotein in brewer-spent grain resulted in the highest values of protein (22.6 g.100 g−1), total amino acids (78.54 mg.g−1), ergosterol (0.39 ± 0.01 mg.g−1) and mycelial biomass (125.60 ± 3.30 mg.g−1). The A. fuscosuccinea mycoprotein in brewer-spent grain resulted in the highest value of total phenolics (3.80 mg EAG/g) and higher antioxidant activity. Using grape bagasse, the P. albidus mycoprotein increased 23.9% proteins, reduced 15.5% and 77% total fats and phenolics, respectively. Anti-hyperglycaemic activity, assessed by α-glycosidase inhibition in vitro, was observed in the P. albidus and A. blazei mycoproteins produced in brewer-spent grain (inhibition of α-glycosidase >98%). Mycoproteins produced in brewer-spent grain and grape bagasse could be a strategy to increase the nutritional value and biological activity of these agroindustrial residues.