Lipases are efficient enzymes with promising applications in the nutraceutical and food industry, as they can offer high yields, pure products under achievable reaction conditions, and are an environmentally friendly option. This review addresses the production of high-value-added compounds such as fatty acid esters, with the potential to be used as flavoring agents or antioxidant and antimicrobial agents, as well as structured lipids that offer specific functional properties that do not exist in nature, with important applications in different food products, and pharmaceuticals. In addition, the most recent successful cases of reactions with lipases to produce modified compounds for food and nutraceuticals are reported.

DNA extraction from environmental samples is a critical step for metagenomic analysis to study microbial communities, including those considered uncultivable. Nevertheless, obtaining good quality DNA in sufficient quantities for downstream methodologies is not always possible, and it depends on the complexity and stability of each ecosystem, which could be more problematic for samples from tropical regions because those ecosystems are less stable and more complex. Three laboratory methods for the extraction of nucleic acids from samples representing unstable (decaying coffee pulp and mangrove sediments) and relatively stable (compost and soil) environments were tested. The results were compared with those obtained using two commercial DNA extraction kits. The quality of the extracted DNA was evaluated by PCR amplification to verify the recovery of bacterial, archaeal, and fungal genetic material. The laboratory method that gave the best results used a lysis procedure combining physical, chemical, and enzymatic steps.

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The establishment of persistent dengue virus infection within the cells of the mosquito vector is an essential requirement for viral transmission to a new human host. The mechanisms involved in the establishment and maintenance of persistent infection are not well understood, but it has been suggested that both viral and cellular factors might play an important role. In the present work, we evaluated differential gene expression in Aedes albopictus cells acutely (C6/36-HT) and persistently infected (C6-L) with Dengue virus 2 by cDNA-AFLP. We observed that importin β3 was upregulated in noninfected cells compared with C6-L cells. Using RT-qPCR and plaque assays, we observed that Dengue virus levels in C6-L cells essentially do not vary over time, and peak viral titers in acutely infected cells are observed at 72 and 120 h postinfection. The expression level of importin β3 was higher in acutely infected cells than in persistently infected cells; this correlates with higher levels of NS5 in the nucleus of the cell. The differential pattern of importin β3 expression between acute and persistent infection with Dengue virus 2 could be a mechanism to maintain viral infection over time, reducing the antiviral response of the cell and the viral replicative rate.

La producción de biocombustibles a nivel mundial ha crecido exponencialmente en los últimos años, su desarrollo ha estado ligado al aumento del precio del petróleo y a la creciente concientización social desarrollada en torno al cuidado del medio ambiente. El mundo apuesta actualmente por el biodiesel como alternativa parcial a los combustibles de origen fósil dado que procede de fuentes renovables y permite reducir, de modo significativo, las emisiones de dióxido de carbono a la atmósfera. Los avances tecnológicos amplían la gama de materias primas para biocombustibles, algunas de las cuales; como los pastos y los árboles de crecimiento rápido pueden crecer en regiones menos fértiles y más propensas a la sequía y compiten menos con cultivos para la producción de alimentos humano y animal como el maíz, la caña de azúcar, la soya y la colza, tal es el caso de Moringa oleifera que en la actualidad se cultiva prácticamente en todas las regiones tropicales, subtropicales y semiáridas del mundo, ya que puede crecer en condiciones de escasez de agua. El objetivo de esta investigación fue evaluar económicamente la producción integral de biodiesel con granos de moringa considerando dos zonas agroecológicas de producción de materia prima, el Soconusco, Chiapas y Uxmal, Yucatán y su transformación a biodiesel mediante el proceso de transesterificación industrial en una planta piloto. Para las fases agrícola e industrial, se generaron los indicadores de rentabilidad como la tasa interna de retorno (TIR), valor actual neto (VAN) y punto de equilibrio (PE). Los resultados indicaron que la producción agrícola es altamente rentable debido al aprovechamiento adicional de las hojas como coproducto con TIR de 109 y 130% para el Soconusco, Chiapas y Uxmal, Yucatán, respectivamente, mientras que la fase industrial, considerando cero subsidios a la producción de biodiesel resultó rentable con TIR de 53% en Uxmal, Yucatán y 37% en el Soconusco, Chiapas.