The growth of the aquaculture sector leads to a demand for sustainable feed ingredients. Prebiotics are potential sustainable feed ingredients that can promote the improved performance of aquaculture species without the use of antimicrobials. This study investigated the potential of Azolla pinnata as a candidate prebiotic source. Prebiotic characteristics and dietary effect of commercial diet (CD) with varying pulverised azolla (PA) inclusion was evaluated. Results showed that PA (9.40% moisture) constitutes around 16.1% ash, 22.3% crude fibre, 20.9% crude protein, 1.7% crude fat and 29.6% nitrogen-free extract. Crude xylan and cellulose content of PA were 13.7% and 12.6% dry matter (DM) respectively. Growth of Lactobacillus rhamnosus in PA-supplemented MRS broth remarkably improved after 4 to 6 hours of incubation. Feeding trials results revealed that PA inclusion had no adverse effect on average survival of milkfish fingerlings, albeit significant improvement (p < 0.01) was noted in group fed with 2% PA-replaced CD in terms of the total weight gain (119.9%), specific growth rate (2.62% day–1) and feed efficiency (79.9%). The present study demonstrated the prebiotic activity of PA, as well as its potential use as dietary feed component for improved growth and feed efficiency of cultured milkfish.
The amount of gelatin used worldwide in the food industry is increasing annually. Recovery of valuable components from fish processing-by products could help solve problems on tons of wastes produced each year and address religious beliefs like Islam and Judaism as well as the fear of mad cow disease. In this study, gelatin was extracted from milkfish scales for food application. The physical properties (yield, strength, color, clarity and pH) of extracted gelatin were studied and compared with commercially-available bovine gelatin. Marshmallows were developed from these gelatin sources. Sensory evaluation was done to determine the appropriateness of the level of a specific attribute and the consumer’s preference using the nine-point hedonic and just about right (JAR) scales. The extracted fish gelatin was comparable to bovine gelatin in terms of strength but they differ in terms of color, clarity and pH. The fish gelatin had a yield of 8.7%, high bloom value of 505g, white appearance and an acidic pH (5.25). The marshmallow developed from fish gelatin is comparable to bovine gelatin in all attributes (color, aroma, texture, taste, sweetness and aftertaste) except for sweetness. Overall, the gelatin extracted from milkfish scales can be used as an alternative to bovine gelatin for food application such as in marshmallow production.
The study was conducted to evaluate the effect of alkali pretreatment of rice straw on enzymatic hydrolysis for bioethanol production. The experiments conducted were divided into two studies. For Study 1, rice straw was treated with different concentrations (0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5%) of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and steeping durations (15, 30, and 45 hours). Alkali pretreated rice straws were subjected to enzymatic hydrolysis using cellulase complex (NS22074). In the second study, untreated rice straw as well as rice straw treated with NaOH (conditions as determined in the first study), were subjected to enzymatic hydrolysis using three different enzyme combinations of cellulase complex (NS22074), xylanase (NS22036), and hemicellulase (NS22002), and yeast fermentation using Saccharomyces cerevisae.Results of Study 1 revealed that NaOH concentrations and steeping durations significantly affect the enzymatic hydrolysis of rice straw to fermentable sugars. Rice straws treated with 1.5% NaOH solution steeped for 45 hours had the highest reducing sugar of 0.5402 g and conversion efficiency at 56.85%. Thus, these conditions were used in Study 2. In this study, it was found that pretreatment and different enzyme combinations have a highly significant effect on enzymatic conversion of rice straw to fermentable sugars. Alkali pretreated rice straw hydrolyzed using three enzyme combinations-cellulose complex, xylanase, and hemicellulase-obtained the highest reducing sugar of 0.7396 g and conversion efficiency at 77.88%.Alkali pretreatment, specifically sodium hydroxide (NaOH) at 1.5% concentration, and steeping for 45 hours of rice straw was an effective pretreatment to enhance enzymatic hydrolysis in terms of increase in reducing sugar and conversion efficiency. Similarly, alkali pretreatment of rice straw had significant advantage over untreated rice straw in enhancing the effect of enzymes cellulase complex, xylanase, and hemicellulase in enzymatic hydrolysis. After yeast fermentation using Saccharomyces cerevisiae, ethanol yield of the study ranged from 0.0354 g to 0.0781 g/g glucose, or 41.18 to 51.51% of the maximum theoretical yield.
There is a growing interest in natural antioxidants due to their potential in improving the quality of food and cosmetic products and their health-promoting properties. Distilled spirits contain high amount of ethanol and may be an alternative to the food-grade solvents, while agricultural by-products contain phenolic substances that may have antioxidant properties. This study was therefore conducted to find out if gin, vodka, and tequila flavored spirit, alcoholic beverages with about 40% ethanol, can extract the phenolic compounds from agricultural by-products, and to determine if the extracts possess the antioxidant activity. Peels of ripe banana (Musa acuminata), ripe mango (Mangifera indica), calamansi (Citrofortunella microcarpa), squash (Cucurbita maxima), ripe pineapple (Ananas comosus), purple yam (Dioscorea alata), and sweet potato (Ipomea batatas) were collected, dried, and ground. The phenolic substances in the plant materials were extracted with alcoholic beverages or 40% ethanol. The total phenolic content (TPC) of the extracts was determined by means of UV-Vis spectroscopy using Folin-Ciocalteau reagent and gallic acid as reference compound. The antioxidant activity of the extracts was evaluated through the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging assay. Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) served as positive control in the DPPH assay. Non-linear regression was applied to the DPPH assay data to estimate the values of median effective concentration (EC 50). All three alcoholic beverages were able to extract the phenolic materials from the plant samples. However, the ability of vodka and gin to extract the phenolic substances was either statistically comparable or better than 40% ethanol. The results of the DPPH scavenging assay showed that the M. indica peel had the strongest activity, while C. microcarpa had the weakest scavenging activity. At 1000-ppm level, the antioxidant activity of the M. indica peel was comparable with that of BHA, regardless of the solvent used for extraction. Therefore, the M. indica peel can be a source of natural antioxidants and potential substitute to synthetic antioxidants. Both gin and vodka can be used as a substitute for food-compatible solvents.
The processing of Citrofortunella mircocarpa fruit juice generates large volume of solid waste, causing disposal problem. Several studies have demonstrated that wastes from agricultural and food processing industries such as fruit and vegetable peels contain high amount of polysaccharides that can be transformed into useful chemicals, including lactic acid, through fermentation. Lactic acid is widely used in various industries, such as in the manufacture of biodegradable plastic, and the demand for this chemical justifies the search of renewable feedstock for its biotechnological production. This study aimed to produce lactic acid from C. microcarpa fruit waste biomass through fermentation with Lactobacillus plantarum. The hydrolysate from C. microcarpa fruit waste was prepared, inoculated with different amounts of L. plantarum cell suspension, and incubated for three days. Lactic acid production was monitored daily. The lactic acid produced from the fermentation was recovered as calcium lactate and lactic acid crystals. The identity of the crystals was evaluated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectroscopy and paper chromatography. The highest lactic acid production was observed in fermentation mixtures containing the highest number of L. plantarum cells. Within three days of fermentation, the amount of lactic acid production increased with increasing period of incubation. Partial characterization of the crystals recovered from the fermentation mixtures by FTIR spectroscopy showed that the peaks in the spectrum were consistent with the chemical structure of lactate. Paper chromatography results likewise confirmed that the crystals are lactate. C. microcarpa fruit waste can afford lactic acid when fermented with L. plantarum. The results of the study may serve as basis for the development of technology for the utilization of C. microcarpa fruit waste biomass as renewable resource for industrial production of lactic acid.
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