Studies on exopolysaccharide production by probiotic Lactic acid bacteria

The thesis mainly discussed the isolation and identification of a probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum, fermentative production of exopolysaccharide by the strain, its purification, structural characterisation and possible applications in food industry and therapeutics. The studies on the probiotic characterization explored the tolerance of the isolated LAB cultures to acid, bile, phenol, salt and mucin binding. These are some of the key factors that could satisfy the criteria for probiotic strains . The important factors required for a high EPS production in submerged fermentation was investigated with a collection of statistical and mathematical approach. Chapter 5 of the thesis explains the structural elucidation of EPS employing spectroscopic and chromatographic techniques. The studies helped in the exploration of the hetero-polysaccharide sequence from L. plantarum MTCC 9510. The thesis also explored the bioactivities of EPS from L. plantarum. As majority of chemical compounds identified as anti-cancerous are toxic to normal cells, the discovery and identification of new safe drugs has become an important goal of research in the biomedical sciences. The thesis has explored the anti-oxidant, anti-tumour and immunomodulating properties of EPS purified from Lactobacillus plantarum. The presence of (1, 3) linkages and its molecular weight presented the EPS with anti-oxidant, anti-tumour and immunomodulating properties under in vitro conditions.

Evaluation of cyanobacteria for biomass production and effluent treatment

The microalgae gained importance as food and feed as well as source of fine chemicals since the l960’s. Spirulina became the trend setter due to its easily culturable properties as well as nutritional composition. A rapid expansion of microalgal industry occurred in the Asia-Pacific region as microalgae came to stay as a health food supplement. Microalgae have been an integral component of oxidation ponds usually incorporated with wastewater treatment. Over the last few decades, efforts have been made to apply intensive microalgal cultures to perform biological tertiary treatment of secondary effluents. Given the limited number of species still available for commercial exploitation, it is imperative to isolate and cultivate those photosynthetic organisms with high growth rate and biomass accumulation, which could play the dual role of cleaning the wastewater and also providing useful biomass. This has been the objective of this study ie. 0 To develop pure cultures of local isolates of Cyanobacteria for extraction of biochemicals of commercial value 0 To couple biomass production with effluent treatment

Studies On In Vitfio Production Of Secondary Metabolites From Medicinal Plants

In the light of the very huge demand for natural ephedrine and pseudoephidrine, a search for an angiosperm plant containing the alkaloid ephedrine was made and could locate Sida spp. of malvaceae family. Sida is a large genus of, herbs and shrubs distributed throughout the tropics. About a dozen species occur in India. The medicinally important species known are S.rhombrfolia S.cordata and S.spinosa (Anon, 1972). Among the various species, S.rh0mbIfolia is the most widely used one in the traditional system of medicine. An attempt was made in the present study to develop an ideal bioprocess for the in vitro production of ephedrine from the cell culture system of Sida rhombrfolia Linn. ssp. retusa. The callus and suspension culture were initiated and attempts were made to enhance the yield positively by employing various strategies like mutagenesis, immobilization and addition of precursors, elicitors and penneabilizing agents.

Biocompatible polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) production by marine Vibrio azureus BTKB33 under submerged fermentation

Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) is known to have applications as medical implants and drug delivery carriers and is consequently in high demand. In the present study the possibilities of harnessing potential PHB-producing vibrios from marine sediments as a new source of PHB was investigated since marine environments are underexplored. Screening of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA)-producing vibrios from marine sediments was performed using a fluorescent plate assay followed by spectrophotometric analysis of liquid cultures. Out of 828 isolates, Vibrio sp. BTKB33 showed maximum PHA production of 0.21 g/L and PHA content of 193.33 mg/g of CDW. The strain was identified as Vibrio azureus based on phenotypic characterization and partial 16S rDNA sequence analysis. The strain also produced several industrial enzymes: amylase, caseinase, lipase, gelatinase, and DNase. The FTIR analysis of extracted PHA and its comparison with standard PHB indicated that the accumulated PHA is PHB. Bioprocess development studies for enhancing PHA production were carried out under submerged fermentation conditions. Optimal submerged fermentation conditions for enhanced intracellular accumulation of PHA production were found to be 35 °C, pH −7, 1.5 % NaCl concentration, agitation at 120 rpm, 12 h of inoculum age, 2.5 % initial inoculum concentration, and 36 h incubation along with supplementation of magnesium sulphate, glucose, and ammonium chloride. The PHA production after optimization was found to be increased to 0.48 g/L and PHA content to426.88 mg/g of CDW, indicating a 2.28-fold increase in production. Results indicated that V. azureus BTKB33 has potential for industrial production of PHB.