The commercial enzyme (E.C. = 3.2.1.23) from Kluyveromyces lactis (liquid) and Aspergillus oryzae (lyophilized) was investigated for its hydrolysis potential in lactose substrate, UHT milk, and skimmed milk at different concentrations (0.7; 1.0 and 1.5%), pH values (5.0; 6.0; 6.5 and 7.0), and temperature (30; 35; 40 and 55 ºC). High hydrolysis rates were observed for the enzyme from K. lactis at pH 7.0 and 40 ºC, and from A. oryzae at pH 5.0 and 55 ºC. The enzyme from K. lactis showed significantly higher hydrolysis rates when compared to A. oryzae. The effect of temperature and β-galactosidase concentration on the lactose hydrolysis in UHT milk was higher than in skimmed milk, for all temperatures tested. With respect to the thermal stability, a decrease in hydrolysis rate was observed at pH 6.0 at 35 ºC for K. lactis enzyme, and at pH 6.0 at 55 ºC for the enzyme from A. oryzae. This study investigate the hydrolysis of β-galactosidase in UHT and skimmed milk. The knowledge about the characteristics of the β-galactosidase from K. lactis and A. oryzae enables to use it most efficiently to control the enzyme concentration, temperature, and pH in many industrial processes and product formulations.Keywords: UHT and skimmed milk; β-galactosidase; enzymatic characterization; lactose intolerance; enzyme activity.Practical Application: Lactose hydrolysis potential and thermal stability of commercial β-galactosidase.β-galactosidase hydrolysis in processed milk Food Sci. Technol, Campinas, 36(1): 159-165,

Microalgae have been used widely as a biological source for several industries, such as biofuel, pharmaceutical and food. Recently, the agricultural industry has also began using microalgae as an alternative source for sustainable products to replace agrochemicals. Due to the lack of scientific articles in this research area, the objective of this study was to search for applications of microalgae and to characterize its use in agriculture using the patent documents available in three patent databases, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), European Patent Office (EPO) and Brazilian Institute of Industrial Property (INPI). The search was carried out using the keyword “microalgae” and applying the filter for International Patent Classification (IPC) code “A01N” which corresponds to patents related to agriculture and cultivation of microalgae. Our patent database search returned 669 documents and 132 patents were selected for the study based on their abstracts. The first patent was registered in 1982 and described the use of microalgae Chlorella extract as a plant growth promoter. After that, no patent was registered for 15 years. From 2005 to 2014, only seven patents were found. However, the scenario changed from 2015 when the number of patents increased mainly in the United States, China and Europe. The patent analysis showed several applications for microalgae in the agricultural sector, such as plant growth promotion, biofertilization, plant disease control, weed management, and post-harvest quality. This review confirmed the increasing interest in microalgae-derived products in agriculture and the value of using patent documents to assess innovative areas.

ResumoLactobacilos e bifidobactérias apresentam um longo histórico de uso seguro em alimentos, além de apresentarem características de interesse biotecnológico como a inibição de patógenos. Neste trabalho duas linhagens de lactobacilos e uma de bifidobactéria, isoladas do intestino humano, foram avaliadas em testes de difusão em ágar, quanto à capacidade de inibição de microrganismos patogênicos de ocorrência comuns em toxinfecções alimentares. Adicionalmente, foram avaliados os metabólitos produzidos em caldo de cultivo estático e em agitação para simular condições de anaerobiose a aerobiose, respectivamente. AbstractLactobacilli and bifidobacteria have a long history of safe use in foods. These bacteria have biotechnological characteristics of interest such as the inhibition of pathogens. In this work, two lactobacilli strain and a bifidobacterium strain isolated from human gut were evaluated concerning to their ability to inhibit pathogenic microorganisms in foods by diffusion agar tests. Moreover, we assessed the metabolites produced in culture broth under static and shaking growth to simulate anaerobiosis and aerobiosis conditions, respectively. L. acidophilus LA5, L. plantarum DCTA 8420 and B. lactis DCTA 8724 showed ability to inhibit S. aureus FRI 196, strains producer toxins A and D, as well as B. cereus ATCC 25923, E. coli ATCC 25922 and S. Enteritidis, whose inhibition halos reached, on average, 24 mm in diameter. In the agar diffusion method with concentrated culture medium, it was possible to observe the effect of oxygen on the production of toxic substances. This result showed that cultivation of Lactobacillus under aerobic conditions seems to exert greater inhibitory effect, whereas for Bifidobacterium strain the effect was the opposite.

The production of value-added products could be a valuable option for cheese wastewater management. However, this kind of study cannot just focus alone on getting the final product. This also necessitates studies on the dynamics of bioprocesses. With these as background, the present investigation aimed at evaluating the buffering capacity of deproteinized whey and effect of temperature and nitrogen source on ethanol yields from it. The batch fermentation conditions used to evaluate ethanol production were temperatures 30, 35, 40°C and pH 4.5, 5.0, 5.5, 6.0 (3% v/v). These results could be important for developing low-cost method for industrial production of ethanol from deproteinized whey.

ResumoBovinos holandeses, girolandos e mestiços são os principais responsáveis pela produção de leite no Brasil. A raça e o número de lactações são fatores que podem afetar essa produtividade, bem como características do leite. O objetivo desse trabalho foi avaliar a influência do grupo racial e do número de lactações sobre a produção leiteira, a composição físico-química e a contagem de células somáticas (CCS) do leite de bovinos Holandeses, Girolandos e mestiços. Dados de uma propriedade rural, no norte do Paraná, foram coletados entre os anos de 2006 e 2011. A relação entre os parâmetros foi analisada por meio de teste de correlação, e os efeitos do número de lactações (1-6) e do grupo racial por análise de variância (ANOVA). As diferenças entre as médias foram avaliadas através de teste de Tukey. A raça Holandesa apresentou maior produtividade diária de leite (p<0,05). Os animais mestiços e Girolandos apresentaram teores de proteínas, de lipídios e de sólidos totais do leite, semelhantes e superiores aos animais da raça Holandesa. Os grupos raciais não diferiram quanto à CCS e teor de lactose do leite. Produção leiteira e CCS aumentaram até a 3ª e a 5ª lactações, respectivamente, enquanto os teores de lactose decaíram continuamente após a 1ª lactação e os de lipídios e de proteínas praticamente não se alteraram. Todas as correlações entre os parâmetros foram significativas sendo as maiores correlações verificadas entre produção leiteira, teores de proteínas e de lactose, teor de sólidos totais e teores de lipídios e de proteínas, teor de lipídios e teor de proteínas, e para CCS e teor de lactose. A raça Holandesa mostrou-se mais produtiva, porém com menor teor de lipídios e proteínas do que o da raça Girolando e de animais mestiços, os quais apresentaram características do leite e de produtividade semelhantes entre si. Palavras-chave: Raças leiteiras, raça Holandesa, Girolando, composição físico-química, contagem de células somáticas AbstractMilk in Brazil is produced mainly by Holstein, Girolando and crossbred cattle. Animal breed and number of lactations are factor that can affect productivity and features of the milk. The purpose of this research