Two exopolysaccharide (EPS)-producing lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains, Liquorilactobacillus (L.) sp CUPV281 and Liquorilactobacillus (L.) mali CUPV271, were isolated from Spanish apple must. Each of the strains produced a dextran, with different branching degrees, to be incorporated into soy protein isolate (SPI) film-forming formulations. Films were prepared by compression molding, a more rapid processing method than solution casting and, thus, with a greater potential for scaling-up production. Thermal analysis showed that SPI and EPS start the degradation process at temperatures above 190 °C, confirming that the compression temperature selected (120 °C) was well below the corresponding degradation temperatures. Resulting films were transparent and homogeneous, as shown by UV-Vis spectroscopy and SEM, indicating the good compatibility between SPI and EPS. Furthermore, FTIR analysis showed that the interactions between SPI and EPS were physical interactions, probably by hydrogen bonding among the polar groups of SPI and EPS. Regarding antifungal/fungistatic activity, LAB strains used in this study showed an inhibitory effect on germination of fungal spores.

Marine environments harbor a vast diversity of microorganisms, which have developed multiple strategies to adapt to stress conditions such as high salt concentrations and nutrient scarcity and, thus, are a source of natural products and high-value enzymes, as they have the ability to degrade complex polymeric substrates. These features make marine microorganisms a valuable source for the development of new biotechnological tools. Here, we focused on the isolation of filamentous fungi, using sediment samples collected from estuaries of the Basque Country in the Bay of Biscay. The phenotype of these isolates was characterized based on the potential to grow on complex marine polysaccharides or to secrete pigments to the culture medium. Based on this screening, the genomes of two isolates of the order Hypocreales,Marquandomyces marquandiiandAlbophoma yamanashiensis, were sequenced and are described here for the first time. The analysis of their CAZYme (carbohydrate-active enzyme) and secondary metabolite gene-cluster repertoires suggest that these estuarine isolates could be used as a source of novel enzymatic activities and secondary metabolites.