Microbial enzyme production utilizing banana wastes

A critical survey of the fruits and vegetable markets of the towns and cities in South India reveals that banana fruit stalk wastes share a dominant proportion among the solid wastes generated. In the light of the review of literature presented in the foregoing section, few reports are available on the utilisation of banana waste for the production of alcoholic beverages, biogas, and single cell protein. However, it is not yet tried for the production of industrial enzymes. Moreover, preliminary fermentation studies conducted under uncontrolled conditions revealed that banana fruit stalk could be aptly utilised as solid substrate? for the industrial production of microbial amylases and cellulases at a cheaper cost. Therefore, it was proposed to conduct a detailed study towards the development of a suitable fermentation process for the production of industrial enzymes using banana fruit stalk wastes, which is rich in carbohydrate, as solid substrate, employing bacteria, under SSF.

Alkali insoluble glucan extracted from Acremonium diospyri is a more potent immunostimulant in the Indian White Shrimp, Fenneropenaeus indicus than alkali soluble glucan

E¡ect of an extraction method on the structure of glucan and its immunostimulatory response in Fenneropenaeus indicus was investigated. Here we extracted alkali insoluble glucan (AIG) and alkali soluble glucan (ASG) from a ¢lamentous fungi Acremonium diospyri following alkali^acid hydrolysis and the sodium hypochlorite oxidation and dimethyl sulphoxide extraction method respectively. Structural analysis showed that 85% of glucan in AIG was a (1 !3)-b-D-glucan and it increased the prophenoloxidase and reactive oxygen intermediate activity when administered to F. indicus. On the other hand, ASG, which contained 93% (1 !3)-a-glucan, did not induce signi¢cant immune response in shrimp. Here we report that the di¡erence in immunostimulatory potential between AIG and ASG is due to the di¡erence in the percentage of (1 !3)-b-D-glucans present in each preparation, which varies with the method of extraction employed. Also our observations suggest that glucan can be used as a potential immunostimulant to shrimp, provided it contains (1 !3)-b-D-glucan as the major fraction.

Solubility of 4-Nitrobenzoic Acid in Water & Salt Solutions

Solubilities of 4-nitrobenzoic acid at 25°, 35° and 42°C have been determined in water and in the presence of several concentrations of electrolytes. The free energies, enthalpies and entropies of transfer are also reported. The data have been rationalized by considering the structure-breaking effects of the ions of the salts and the requirement of the localized hydrolysis model. The theory of Symons is not satisfactory to rationalise the experimental data.

Thermodynamic Parameters of Transfer of 2-Nitrobenzoic Acid & 3-Nitrobenzoic Acid from Water to Aqueous Salt Solutions

The Setschenow parameters of solubility in salt solutions and the thermodynamic parameters (25·C) of transfer from aqueous solution to aqueous salt solutions for 2-nitrobenzoic acid and 3-nitrobenzoic acid have been reported. The data have been rationalized on the basis of the localized hydrolysis model and the structure breaking action of ions of the electrolytes.

Characterisation of the acid-base properties of pillared montmorillonites

Iron and mixed iron aluminium pillared montrnorillonites prepared by partial hydrolysis method were subjected to room temperature exchange with transition metals of the first series. The resulting materials were characterised by different spectroscopic techniques and surface area measurements. About 1-3% transition metals were incorporated into the porous network. The structural stability of the porous network was not affected by exchange. XRD and AI NMR spectroscopy evidenced the presence of iron substituted Al13 like polymers in FeAl pillared systems. Acidity and basicity benefited much as a result of metal exchange. Acidity and basicity were quantified by model reactions, viz., cumene cracking and cyclohexanol decomposition respectively. The presence of basic sites in otherwise acidic pillared clays, though diminutive in amount can be of much importance in acid base catalysed reactions.