Analysis of the Microbial Structure in Daqu for the Main Types of Chinese Baijiu

Abstract

This investigation undertook a systematic analysis of the microbial structure of six kinds of daqu from different types of Chinese baijiu. From the results, it was noted that the prokaryotic microbial species present in daqu were much more complex than the eukaryotic microorganisms, but the number of eukaryotic microorganisms was greater than that of prokaryotic microbes. The investigation identified 8 phyla, 74 classes, 130 orders, 203 families, and 255 genera for eukaryotic microbes and 11 phyla, 74 classes, 116 orders, 411 families, and 473 genera for prokaryotic microorganisms. The main eukaryotic microbe in daqu was Ascomycota, followed by Basidiomycota; Ascomycota species are mainly moulds and yeasts, and they play a major role in of baijiu fermentation. The main prokaryotic microorganism in daqu was Firmicutes, followed by Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Euryarchaeota and Planctomycetaceae. The number of eukaryotic microbes OTUs were ranked in the order Nongxiang> Zhima-xiang>Qing-xiang>Feng-xiang>Chi-xiang>Jiang-xiang, and the abundance values were ranked in the order Qingxiang> Nong-xiang>Jiang-xiang>Zhima-xiang>Chi-xiang. The number of prokaryotic microorganisms OTUs were ranked in the order Qing-xiang>Nong-xiang>Zhima-xiang>Feng-xiang>Chi-xiang>Jiang-xiang, and the abundance values were ranked in the order Qing-xiang>Nong-xiang>Zhima-xiang>Feng-xiang>Chi-xiang>Jiang-xiang.

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Genetics and Human Intelligence

 Abstract

High intelligence is a valuable human capital that is correlated with success in one’s life. Human intelligence is governed by genetics as well as environmental factors. Recent studies indicate that contribution of genetics to intelligence is greater as compared to environment. Based on the above facts, we have gone through literature available on this topic. In this review article, we have focused on the genetic factors which influence human intelligence. Intelligence, in terms of IQ, is a polygenic trait and counting of genes linked to intelligence thus continues. Heritability of human intelligence increases with age. Genes of intelligence can protect a person from certain disorders but increase the vulnerability towards other disorders. Nowadays, Gene Plaza and DNA Land can predict the genetic IQ of a person. Few studies so far have been done on human intelligence and its relation with genetics. Hence, intense research is required to explore the genetics of human intelligence.

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Shift of The Neutral-Niche Dynamics in The Human Microbiome Under Disturbances Associated with Lifestyle Changes

 Abstract

Background: It is well recognized by now that human micro biome has far reaching influences on our healthy and diseases.
One venue to investigate the influences can be through the study of the mechanisms of microbial community assembly and diversity
maintenance. In this article, we apply a hybrid model of neutral-niche dynamics by Ofiteru et al. to reanalyze the dataset from
David et al.’s study on the effects of life style to the micro biome of two individuals, aiming to explore the shift of the neutral-niche
dynamics in the human micro biota.
Results: We obtained two major findings. First, in gut, Faecali bacterium prausnitzii, an anti-inflammatory bacterium, exhibited
high neutral dynamics, and few other species showed similar level of neutral dynamics. In contrast, in the oral micro biome, more
species demonstrated high neutral dynamics. Second, we detected some bacterial species whose neutral-niche dynamics are
strongly associated with the occurrences of disturbances such as change of diets and infection.
Conclusions: We postulate that the difference between gut and oral micro biota could be due to the open gateway nature of oral
habitat, which makes it difficult for niche-selected species to maintain. The balance shift in the neutral-niche dynamics may play an
important role in dysbiosis and possess broad health implication.

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Nutritional and Protein Characterization of the Leachate Produced in the São Paulo Zoo Composting Unit

Introduction

In recent years the, Foundation Zoological Park of São Paulo (FZPSP) implemented and put into operation the Organic Composting Production Unit (OCPU). The main goal of this action was to give a new destination to the organic waste collected daily in the park since before that sustainable attitude, this waste had the same fate as the usual household waste: landfills. Currently, the composting produced in OCPU serves as fertilizer for the park gardens and food cultivation in the Rural Production Unit (UPR), where much of the food served to the animals in the Zoo (ZOO) and Zoo Safari comes from Bernal et al [1].
Leachate is a liquid residue of high organic contents and strong color produced during the percolation of water through the composted organic waste. During the passage of this water, various chemical, physico- chemical and fermentation processes occur concurrently and, for this reason, various organic and inorganic compounds, besides that microorganism and its metabolites can be transferred to the leachate. Thus, leachate from different sources can be considered as a distinct matrix with specific characteristics.
Currently, what is known of leachate are those generated in landfills that have a high toxic potential. But it can be considered that the one produced during the composting in FZPSP is different, due to the nature of the organic material and also the water used to cool the composters, which runs several times by the composting systems. Therefore, because there is very few information on leachates from different sources other than municipal landfills, by the differentiated characteristics of the process and also of the materials used during composting at OCPU there was interest in studying this particular leachate, the potential of this matrix in bringing nutritional and proteomic information.

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Lupine Publishers | Anthocyanin: A Revolutionary Pigment for Textile industry

  Lupine Publishers | Current Trends on Biotechnology & Microbiology

 

Abstract

Chemical dyes from textile industry continuously degrading environment. Dyes from natural resources are proved to be ecofriendly since ancient times. Anthocyanin from plants is not only a natural dye but have many other potential characteristics. Colour of anthocyanin varies with pH which shows its adaptability to nature with varied environmental conditions Research showed that they possess antimicrobial properties. Advance research using Anthocyanin and its related gene, textile could develop with antibacterial and self-fluorescence properties. Anthocyanin is also known to protect plant in extreme weather conditions. This property could be used to develop super cloths. Anthocyanin has been used in organic solar cells because of their ability to convert light energy into electrical energy. Anthocyanin is also known to double the Shelf Life of plants. The application of genetic modification using properties of Anthocyanin in textile producing plants could bring revolution.

Keywords: Anthocyanin; Solar cells, Shelf life, Visual markers, Fluorescence, pH

Mini Review

Dyeing process in textile industry is one of the major breakthroughs in the evolution of fashion. On the other hand, it is well-known fact that fast fashion today degrades the environment. The textile industry produces and uses approximately 1.3 million tons of dyes, pigments and dye precursors, valued at around $23 billion, almost all of which is manufactured synthetically [1]. Textile clothing ends up in landfills and chemical dyes leach into the water bodies. Some of the chemicals found in synthetic dyes are mercury, lead, chromium, copper, sodium chloride, toluene, and benzene. Exposure to large doses of these substances can be toxic and can have severe effects in the human body.

Nature has given us all necessary molecules for sustainable development, especially in form of secondary metabolites from plant kingdom. Natural pigments, one of the secondary metabolites, are alternative for chemical dyes. Natural dyes are environment friendly and have many advantages over synthetic dyes. Natural dyes are suitable for skin and are biodegradable. Anthocyanin is one of the pigments that can be used as a natural dye [2]. Anthocyanin pigment can very well used as dye material giving primarily different shades of blue purple to red. The largescale production of textile dyed with anthocyanin is a new concept for the textile industry.

The word ‘anthocyanin’ is derived from the Greek language. ‘Anthos’ translates into flower and ‘kianos’ means blue. Anthocyanins belong to a group flavonoid synthesized via phenylpropanoid pathway. They are the largest group of watersoluble natural pigments. They are present in flower, fruit, stem, leaves and root of plants. They soluble in water and generally occur in the aqueous cell sap. They are found in fruits and vegetables such as red cabbage, strawberries, grape skin, blueberries and raspberries [3]. Anthocyanin extract of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis flowers yield shades with good fastness properties [4]. Anthocyanin is soluble in aqueous solutions. It becomes brighter in lower pH range and becomes blue at higher pH levels. Colour of anthocyanin varies with pH which shows its adaptability to nature with varied environmental conditions [5].

Research shows that Anthocyanin has many significant properties along with its coloring nature. Some are discussed as follows (Figure 1).

 Lupinepublishers-openaccess-biotechnology-microbiology

A. Antimicrobial properties: Anthocyanin has been proved effective against bacteria and fungi [6]. Antibacterial fabric / infectious disease resistant fabric could be developed using anthocyanin. The application can also be used in medical linen and military uniforms. Antimicrobial clothing can prevent the growth and spread of microorganisms within the fabric and surrounding.

B. Anthocyanin as visual markers: Anthocyanins fluorescence, enabling a tool for plant cell research to allow live cell imaging without a requirement for other fluorochromes [7]. Its ability gives off fluoresce could be used for developing new advance self-fluorescence textile. Anthocyanin production may be engineered into genetically-modified materials to new generation cloths.

C. Anthocyanins double the shelf life: There are certain fabrics that do not last for a long time, although of high quality and great demand. Anthocyanins can play a role here. Life of fabrics can be increased by adding anthocyanins. Anthocyanins double the Shelf Life of tomatoes by delaying over ripening and reducing susceptibility to grey Mold [8]. This property can be genetically engineered into fabrics and used to improve shelf life of materials such as silk or chiffon.

D. Anthocyanin for extreme weather conditions: Research done for photo electrochemical cell utilizing an Anthocyanin Dye- Sensitized TiO2 Nano crystalline Electrode [9]. With advanced research, fabric could be developed with dye anthocyanin and some nanoparticle and could be proved as excellent absorber of solar energy. This property can be utilized for development of fabric for cold regions. Jackets can be manufactured which absorb the sun rays and transform them into heat. Anthocyanin has also shown a protective role in plants against extreme temperatures [10]. Tomato plants protect against cold stress with anthocyanin countering reactive oxygen species, leading to a lower rate of cell death in leaves. With advance research, properties shown by anthocyanin can be used for protective fabric for prevention from heat [10] also.

E. Anthocyanins: dye-sensitized solar cells: Anthocyanins have been used in organic solar cells because of their ability to convert light energy into electrical energy. Benefits using dye-sensitized solar cells instead of traditional p-n junction silicon cells include lower purity requirements and abundance of component materials, as well as the fact that they may be produced on flexible substrates, making them amenable to rollto- roll printing processes [11]. This property of anthocyanin could be used in textile industries to make super cloths.

Conclusion

Research has proven that anthocyanin holds great potential for fabric industries not only as dye but for development of “super cloths”. The world is now moving towards ‘Eco-fashion’. The use of natural dyes such as anthocyanin may bring revolution in textile industries. The application of genetic modification can bring about many other benefits such as visual markers and solar dyes which will increase the output of the fabric industry thus reducing the total cost. The washing fastness is also considerably good in anthocyanin dyed fabric. This pigment has good scope in the commercial dyeing of cotton, silk and wool for garment industry.

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Lupine Publishers | The Study on Repellent Activities of Four Kinds of Plant Essential Oils

  Lupine Publishers | Current Trends on Biotechnology & Microbiology

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the mosquito repelling effects of four plant essential oils. Methods National standard method was adopted to test the mosquito repelling effects of four plant essential oils. Response surface methodology was used to analyze the optimum ratio of the essential oils.

Results: The repellent effects ranked as follows:

Chrysanthemum oil>Calendula oil>Holly oil>Anise-star oil. And the synergistic effects were regarded with the combination of chrysanthemum and calendula oil. The mosquito repelling effect was up to (93.33±2.57)% when 50μL chrysanthemum oil and 18.49μL calendula was mixed together in the 0.075m3 cylinder.

Conclusion: The four plant essential oils all have good mosquito repelling effect and show synergism when they are mixed

Keywords: Plant essential oil; Mosquito repelling effect; Complex with; Synergism; Response Surface methodology

Introduction

Every spring and summer, the mosquito breeding speed increases, which brings great trouble to people’s life and work. Not only it itches badly after the mosquito biting, but also it can spread malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever and other diseases [1- 3]. In daily life, people will use a variety of mosquito repellents. Repellents are divided into chemical synthesis and plant source repellents. Among all these chemical syntheses, DEET has the most widely use [4,5]. But in recent years, Research have shown that DEET has a negative effect upon human body and is harmful to the environment. As the mosquitoes have been producing resistance to chemical repellents and the environmental pollution of chemical repellents has been worse [6]. People are paying more and more attention to environmentally friendly plant repellents [7]. Therefore, how to look for some new plant repellents taking place of DEET has become a hot topic.
Plants essential oils have the following advantages: low toxicity, without injury to the human body, environment-friendly and easily degradable. However, the repellency and permanence of plants essential oils are lower than synthetic repellents. Peppermint leaf and basil extracts have high repellent activity, but still below DEET’s [8] & Kwaka et al. [9] found that the protective rates on anopheles arabiensis mosquitoes of sweetscented basil leaf oil, african basil oil and DEET was respectively 91.98%, 89.75% and 93.40%, and the protection rate of culex pipiens fatigans was 88.65%, 90.50% and 91.30%. Weibin M [10] has studied the fumigation activity of holly essential oil against culex pipiens pallens. Holly essential oil had a good knockdown activity against culex pipiens pallens and KT50 was 3.91min with 12μL/L concentration.
Holly oil, chrysanthemum essential oil, calendula and star anise oil these four kinds was chosen and assessed the repellent against aedes albopictus for their broad source. The plant essential oils with good repellent ability were screened out by the combination of essential oils. It will provide experimental datum for finding natural mosquito repellent substances.

Experimental Materials and Instruments

Experimental material

Plant essential oils: chrysanthemum essential oil, holly oil, calendula, star anise oil. The four plant essential oils were all extracted by steam distillation and should be stored in cool 4 ℃ and dark condition. All oils were provided by Ningbo Dayang Limited Company.

Test mosquitoes: Aedes albopictus female adults (3-4days old) were taken for the research. Larvae were reared at 12:12 light/ dark photoperiod, 70±2% RH, and 26 ℃ in an insectary in Ningbo Dayang Limited Company.

Experimental instrument

Mosquito cage(40cm×30cm×30cm), Cylinder (The cage is composed of three cages which diameter 25cm and length 50cm. The three cylinders are separated by baffles). The fittings were all our own making.

Experimental Method

Determination of mosquito repellent properties of essential oils[11]

Determination of laboratory mosquitoes and workers: Using aggressivity experiment, 300 mosquitoes were placed in the mosquito cage. Experimenter (men and women are not limited. Don’t drink alcohol, tea or coffee during the test and fragrance products are not used). The dorsum of the hand was exposed to a 40mm×40mm area and the rest of skins were sheltered closely. The experimenters extend their hands into the mosquito cage, shaking their hands to disperse the mosquitoes before the mosquito mouthparts pierce the skin, as 1 mosquito stop. The number of mosquitoes stopping on the skin during 2min were observed. More than 30 mosquitoes were stopped, the experimenters and mosquitoes, attack was up to standard.

Determination of effective protection time: Four qualified experimenters (male and female were half each) were selected. Apply a certain amount of plant essential oils being tested to a hand which exposed to 40mm×40mm skin (closely masking the rest). After 5 minutes, put the experimenters’ hands into the mosquito cage for 2 minutes. Observe whether it has any mosquitoes came landing frequency and blood feeding. Than the essential oils were tested every fifteen minutes after that. The essential oils were judged to invalid as long as a mosquito comes to suck blood. Record effective protection time(min) for plant essential oils repellents. The other hand was served as blank control.

Determination of repellent rate of compound plant essential oil: To select the essential oils with effectively repellent from “2.1.2”, and use Optimal in Design-Expert 8.0.6 software to design compound experiment of essential oils of plant.100 female mosquitoes were placed in the middle cylinder of three 0.025m³ cylinders (separated by baffles). Put the test oil in the other side of the cylinder. Two pieces of baffle between 3 cylinders are drawn at the same time in 2 minutes. Plug the bezel back in 10 minutes. Record the number of mosquitoes on both sides of the cylinder. Calculate the rate of essential oil repellent according to the following formula.

Results

The results of plant essential oil effective protection time

The effective time of four plant essential oils to repel mosquitoes: Four essential oils showed different repellent effects to Aedes albopictus. The repelling effectiveness time of the four essential oils ranked as follows: Chrysanthemum oil> Calendula> Holly oil> Anise-star oil. The repelling effectiveness time of chrysanthemum essential oil was up to 151.67 minutes (Table 1).

The repellent efficiency of mosquitoes to compound plant essential oil: According to the experimental results of four essential oils repellent effective protection time and considering the adaptation of essential oils aroma to the population. The essential oil of chrysanthemum and marigold was screened and compounded to test the rate of mosquito repellent. The results are shown in Table 2, 3 and Figure 1.

According to Table 3, the quadric polynomial fitting equations of the effect of plant essential oils on the rate of insect repellent was obtained.

Figure 1: RSM analysis for interactive effects of chrysanthemum oils and calendula complexed

Table 1. The effective protection time of mosquitoes on plant essential oils.

Table 2. The experimental results of chrysanthemum oils and calendula complex.

Table 3. ANOVA for response surface quadratic model analysis of variance table on chrysanthemum oils and calendula complex.

The repellent rate=85.91+15.05A+13.51B-24.76AB-10.44A²- 21.57B², R²=0.9646

The result shows that the regression model (P<0.01) has very significant statistical significance. The two kinds of essential oils on the repellent rate have a significant impact (The P value of A、B、AB、B² was less than 0.05). The influence sequence is as follows: Combination of chrysanthemum and marigold essential oil AB>Chrysanthemum oil A>Calendula oil B. From the experimental data and statistical analysis, there is obvious interaction between the two essential oils, compound essential oil repellent rate was significantly stronger than that of chrysanthemum and Calendula essential oil and the two essential oils have synergistic effect.
According to the analysis of the software, the mosquito repelling effect was 91.99% when 50μL chrysanthemum oil and 18.49μL calendula was mixed in the 0.075m³ cylinder. Under this condition, three verification experiments were carried out. The average mosquito repelling rate was 93.33%, the RSD was 2.57%(n=3). This result was close to the value predicted. It shows that the regression model has a certain prediction reliability.

Discussion

The research and development of plant essential oil repellent products cannot meet the current market demand. In this experiment, four essential oils were used to do mosquito repellent test on Aedes albopictus. The essential oils of Chrysanthemum oil, Calendula, Holly oil and Anise-star oil have repellent effects on Aedes albopictus. Among them, effects of chrysanthemum oil and Calendula repellent are good. The combination of the two has synergistic effect on mosquito repellent. Chrysanthemum and Calendula belong to the composite. They smell alike and are popular with the public. It has the potential to develop into a new generation of mosquito repellents and insect repellents. As a purely natural extract, it has an obvious advantage over chemically synthesized insecticides of the same kind.

Conclusion

The composition of essential oils is very complex. Now most of the studies focus on the use of plant essential oils as a whole or as a single ingredient in essential oils. However, there are few studies on the interaction between various components and essential oils. The synergistic effects between different essential oils and different active components need to be studied.

 

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