Microsatellite marker-based assessment of the biodiversity of native bioethanol yeast strains

Although many Brazilian sugar mills initiate the fermentation process by inoculating selected commercial Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains, the unsterile conditions of the industrial sugar cane ethanol fermentation process permit the constant entry of native yeast strains. Certain of those native strains are better adapted and tend to predominate over the initial strain, which may cause problems during fermentation. In the industrial fermentation process, yeast cells are often exposed to stressful environmental conditions, including prolonged cell recycling, ethanol toxicity and osmotic, oxidative or temperature stress. Little is known about these S. cerevisiae strains, although recent studies have demonstrated that heterogeneous genome architecture is exhibited by some selected well-adapted Brazilian indigenous yeast strains that display high performance in bioethanol fermentation. In this study, 11 microsatellite markers were used to assess the genetic diversity and population structure of the native autochthonous S. cerevisiae strains in various Brazilian sugar mills. The resulting multilocus data were used to build a similarity-based phenetic tree and to perform a Bayesian population structure analysis. The tree revealed the presence of great genetic diversity among the strains, which were arranged according to the place of origin and the collection year. The population structure analysis revealed genotypic differences among populations; in certain populations, these genotypic differences are combined to yield notably genotypically diverse individuals. The high yeast diversity observed among native S. cerevisiae strains provides new insights on the use of autochthonous high-fitness strains with industrial characteristics as starter cultures at bioethanol plants. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

On the parameters of performance of combined refrigeration and power plants

Combined Refrigeration and Power (CRP) plants generate power and refrigerate a thermal load simultaneously from the same fuel. The overall efficiency is a parameter based on the first law generally used to quantify the fuel saving, in the sense that a plant that has greater overall efficiency saves more fuel than others to generate the same useful energy. However, the literature shows that the overall efficiency and other parameters of performance are defined in several different ways. This heterogeneity is not desirable when considering a coherent and universally accepted parameter of performance based on the first law. In this work, some parameters found in the literature are critically analyzed in order to indicate the most proper one. The indicated parameter is then formally analyzed in order to verify its mathematical consistency. The primary energy rate is considered the most well-suited parameter based on the first law to characterize the performance of a CRP plant. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and IIR.

Influence of ethanol and glycerol concentration over functional and structural properties of zein-oleic acid films

This study was performed in order to determine the effect of the addition of different concentrations of glycerol and ethanol over functional and structural properties of zein-oleic acid films. Films were prepared from zein and oleic acid formulations, containing: 0, 10, 20 and 30% (w/w) of glycerol as plasticizer and 75, 80, 85, 90 and 95% (v/v) of ethanol as zein solvent. Water vapor permeability (WVP) at 4 and 24 C, opacity, water solubility and structural behavior of the film were assessed. The film water barrier properties, WVP and water solubility, were increased when higher ethanol concentration and lower glycerol concentration were used. Furthermore, WVP at 4 C was lower than WVP at 24 C due to the crystalline solid state of oleic acid at lower temperatures. Likewise, opacity, homogeneity and structure of the composite film were improved as ethanol increased and glycerol lowered. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Determinação de parâmetros cinéticos de fermentação alcoólica em diferentes substratos

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Energia na Agricultura) - FCA

Proposta para mensuração de custos em cadeia de suprimentos

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Reordenamento territorial e produtivo do agronegócio canavieiro no Brasil e os desdobramentos para o trabalho

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Produção de etanol utilizando mix de sorgo sacarino e cana-de-açúcar em processo de maturação

Pós-graduação em Microbiologia Agropecuária - FCAV

Effect of the balance between Co(II) and Co(0) oxidation states on the catalytic activity of cobalt catalysts for Ethanol Steam Reforming

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Evaluation of Fe uptake and translocation in transgenic and non-transgenic soybean plants using enriched stable Fe-57 as a tracer

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Foraging Activity and Seasonal Food Preference of Linepithema micans (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), a Species Associated With the Spread of Eurhizococcus brasiliensis (Hemiptera: Margarodidae)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Rutin ameliorates glycemic index, lipid profile and enzymatic activities in serum, heart and liver tissues of rats fed with a combination of hypercaloric diet and chronic ethanol consumption

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

INFLUENCE OF NOZZLE TYPE AND SPRAY RATES ON CORN AND WEED PLANTS DROP DEPOSITIONS

The objective of this study was to evaluate different nozzles and spray rates on drop deposition in corn (Zea mays), Euphorbia heterophylla and Brachiaria plantaginea, both weeds located at and between crop rows. The experimental design established was complete random blocks with treatments arranged at 2 x 2 factorial scheme (2 nozzles types: DG11002VS flat flan and medium droplets, TXVK08 cone and very fine droplets; and 2 rates: 100 and 200 L ha(-1)) with four replications. The spray applications occurred at 13 days after corn germination (3-5 expanded leaves), when E. heterophylla and B. plantaginea plants had 2-4 and 2-3 leaves, respectively. Solution of Brilliant Blue (FD&C-1) dye at 3,000 ppm was used as spray tracer. It was concluded that the greatest average deposits in corn plants was provided by TXVK08, independently of the spray rates used. The most uniform deposits occurred when the spray rates of 200 L ha(-1) was used. Spray deposits were most uniform in B. plantaginea compared to E. heterophylla when both weds were located at crop row, independently of nozzle or spray rates. However, the DG 11002VS spray nozzle provided the most uniform drop deposition on B. plantaginea located between the rows, while the most efficient deposition over E. heterophylla located between rows was TXVK08.

Carvão (Sporisorium scitamineum) e podridão-abacaxi (Ceratocystis paradoxa) em cana-de-açúcar (Saccharum spp.): uma revisão

Sugarcane (Saccharum sp.) is an important grass cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, such as in Br, Ind, and Ch, and has its biomass being raw material for production of sugar, fuel ethanol, and some other derivatives. Fungal diseases infect sugarcane fields worldwide, damaging crops and thus, causing great economic losses. Fungal specialized structures act during all Pathogen-Host Relationship Cycle (PHRC) (survival, dissemination, infection, colonization, and reproduction of pathogen), maintaining fungal populations in cultivation soil, infecting plants in following crops and vegetative propagation of sugarcane by infected seeds may allow fungal transportation into regions where diseases haven’t occured before. Biotechnological methods and approaches have significantly contributed to understanding of the relationship among parasite and host, as to diseases management (control, detection, and prevention). Some techniques have daily applications in Agriculture, while others are only used in research and to breeding of host resistant varieties. Among notable diseases, smut (Sporisorium scitamineum) and pineapple disease (Ceratocystis paradoxa) are important because they cause damage and losses in sugarcane regions, although there are different periods for each one to occur. This work aims to review the PHRC for each patosystem, the biotechnological methods and approaches and its perspectives in the study and management of these diseases. As environment is an important factor to the effectiveness of PHRC, one chapter is dedicated to Global Climate Change (GCC) and its possible influences over these diseases in a longterm period

Spermatic and testicular damages in rats exposed to ethanol: Influence of lipid peroxidation but not testosterone

Chronic consumption of ethanol causes morphological and physiological changes in the reproductive system of mammals. Vitamin C has an antioxidant role in organisms by neutralizing the ROS (reactive oxygen species) produced by oxidizing agents and this vitamin has an important function in the male reproductive system. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether vitamin C could prevent or attenuate the alterations in the male reproductive system caused by ethanol consumption. To test this hypothesis, male rats were divided into three experimental groups and treated by gavage for 63 days. The ethanol (E) and ethanol +vitamin C (EC) groups received 2 g/kg of ethanol (25% v/v) daily. In addition to ethanol, the EC group received vitamin C at a dose of 100 mg/day, diluted in water. The control group (C) received only the vehicle. On the 64th experimental day, the animals were anesthetized and euthanized, and blood was collected for plasmatic hormonal analysis. The testis, epididymis, vas deferens, and seminal vesicles were removed and weighed. Sperm from the vas deferens was submitted to morphological and motility analysis. The testis and epididymis were used for oxidative stress and histopathological analysis, sperm count, morphometric analysis of the testis, and stereological analysis of the epididymis. The results showed that vitamin C has a protective effect in the testes of adult male rats, entirely normalizing the parameters of sperm count, spermatogenesis kinetics, lipid peroxidation levels, and sperm motility, as well as partially normalizing the histopathological damage in the testis, epididymis, and sperm morphology. Thus, we concluded that lipid peroxidation is a major mechanism by which ethanol affects the testes and sperm, whereas no plasmatic testosterone alterations were found.

Mineral nitrogen associated changes in growth and Xylem-N compounds in amazonian legume tree

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)