AbstractChemical sensors utilizing immobilized enzymes and proteins are important for monitoring chemical processes and biological systems. Glucose oxidase (GOx) from Aspergillum Niger is a flavoenzyme that has been used to determine glucose. Among the conventional methods of enzyme deposition the main strategy consists in its entrapment in an inert matrix adsorbed on the electrode surface. We report here the synthesis and physical – chemical characterization of a new bionanocomposites obtaine...
Autori: , Gabriela Ciobanu, Ion Balasanian, Simona Ratoi
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25359

Abstract Herbs have been used as food and for medicinal purposes for centuries. In recent years, natural compounds such as phenolic acids, phenolic diterpenes and triterpenes, present in various plants, have been the subject of intense research due to their potential benefits for human health. It has been demonstrated that the antioxidant and radical scavenge activities are the main properties of these compounds. The main difficulties in using natural products as a source for pharmaceutical ...
Autori: Ruxanda Bodirlau, Iuliana Spiridon, Carmen Alice Teaca, Narcis Anghel, Maria Ichim, Svetlana Colceru , Alice Armatu
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25474

Abstract The olive mill wastewater (OMW) is a stable emulsion composed by water, olive pulp and residual oil. An approach for using this waste as a renewable resource is of greater interest. Several authors have been studding physicochemical treatment methods. However, the biological treatments allow not only the treatment, but also the effluent valorization, by producing several valuable products. This effluent is also a source of natural antioxidants and its extraction is economically attra...
Autori: Carina Pereira, Cristiana Goncalves, Isabel Belo, Madalena Alves
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25635

The first part of this work presents the development and implementation in the Benchmark Simulation Model No 1 (BSM1) of a modified Activated Sludge Model No 3 (ASM3). The enhanced ASM3 presented in this study has three modifications compared to the original ASM3. The first modification is the representation of the simultaneous heterotrophic biomass growth on the primary substrate and on the internal storage products. Second, nitrification is modeled as a two-step process with nitrite as an inte...
Autori: George Simion Ostace, Paul Şerban Agachi, Vasile Mircea Cristea
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25865

AbstractThe huge emission of greenhouse gases from fossil-fuelled power plants is emphasizing the need for efficient Carbon Captureand Storage (CCS) technologies. The biomimetic CO2 absorption in aqueous solutions has been recently investigated as apromising innovative alternative for post-combustion CCS. The carbonic anhydrase (CA) - a broad group of ubiquitous enzymes– may catalyse the CO2 hydration reaction and then to promote CO2 absorption rate into aqueous solutions. Nevertheless theresear...
Autori: Antonio Marzocchella, Giuseppe Olivieri, Maria Elena Russo, Piero Salatino
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25976

AbstractThe aim of this study is to elaborate a survey on the efficiency of three anti-aging cosmetic formulations by applying FourierTransform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) with Attenuated Total Reflection (ATR) in order to characterize and identify thespecific recognition markers of the active ingredients. FTIR (ATR) spectrometry in specific regions was applied also to theingredients used in these products, depending on their role in the specific cream. Comparing the different composition of th...
Autori: Anca Maria Juncan
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26261

AbstractSeed priming has been reported to be a simple technique for enhancing seedling establishment in environment and cropproduction under stressed condition. In this study, we investigated osmo and hydropriming effect in two salt stressed chickpeacultivars. This research monitors the changes in growth factors, proline content, lipid peroxidation and H2O2 scavenging enzymesactivities in osmo (mannitol 4%) and hydro (water) primed plantlets of two salt stressed chickpea cultivars (Arman and Biv...
Autori: Akbar Mostajeran, Fatemeh Khodabakhsh, Rayhaneh Amooaghaie
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26315

AbstractAccording to the study results, the level of soil pollution with heavy metals in the northern part of Kryvyy Rih iron ore basin(Kryvyy Rih district, Ukraine) reach to “moderately threating”. In the southern part of Kryvyy Rih basin (Shyroke district,Ukraine) the level of soil pollution was between two assessments: “moderately threating” and “permissible”. The results of thestudy on buffer capacity of usual black soils show that the tested elements can be arranged in the following descend...
Autori: Mykola Kharytonov
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26389

AbstractAmong foods that possess potent medicinal properties, Cucurbitaceae seeds stand as a promising source, since they are assumedto have a protective effect against oxidative stress. In order to analyze the antioxidant compounds of the seeds of Citrulluslanatus, Lagenaria siceraria, Telfaria occidentalis, Cucurbita maxima, Cucumis sativus, Cucumeropsis mannii, and Cucurbitamoschata, the dried seeds were extracted in MeOH-H2O (50 %; v/v) mixture at constant mixing rate. Qualitative phytochemi...
Autori: Aristide Guillaume Silapeux Kamda
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26440

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin on diosmin, substance from the flavones category with important pharmacological properties. We carried out solubility studies, calculating the solubility constant of the complex formed between diosmin and hydroxypropyl-cyclodextrin at various temperatures (20, 25 and 37 0C) and in the presence of increasing cyclodextrin concentrations. AL type curves were obtained which suggest the format...
Autori: Constantin Ciobanu
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26643

Abstract β-galactosidase from Aspergillus oryzae was strongly immobilized on magnetic particles functionalized with amino groups. By simple incubation without any activating agents, electrostatic interactions between amino groups and enzymes allowed obtaining a strong linkage. The immobilization efficiency was studied with the quantification of amino groups of the particles and of immobilized β-galactosidase. Kinetic parameters, especially the maximal velocity Vmax and the affinity...
Autori: Kalim Belhacene
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26682

Abstract Total anthocyanins were extracted from six sweet cherry cultivars grown in Sakarya, Turkey. In vitro inhibition effects of the extracted total anthocyanins on purified carbonic anhydrase I and II were investigated using CO2 as a substrate. All the extracted total anthocyanins inhibited the activity of the human carbonic anhydrase (hCA) I and II enzymes. Among all the cultivars, ‘Karakiraz’ was found to be the most active on both hCA I (IC50 = 30.59 μg/mL) and hCA II a...
Autori: Taki Demir
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26715

Abstract Natural herbicides may be more sustainable than their chemical homologues, but they are still toxic substances that can affect humans and animals. Implementation of natural herbicides may require just as many safety precautions as the application of commercial herbicides, hence the need not to confuse the term "organic" with "non toxic". Allelopathy is accomplished through chemical inhibition of species towards each other, being an antagonistic phenomenon. Respon...
Autori: Ana Maria Vîrteiu
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26752

Abstract Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that occurs due to a progressive degeneration of dopaminergic (DA) neurons. Brain area affected by progressive destruction of neurons controls movements, and patients with PD reveal rigid and uncontrollable gestures, postural instability, small handwriting and tremor. There are some risk factors that have been proven to trigger PD with a certain probability (for example insecticides exposure, and genetic and environmental ...
Autori: Oana Geman
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26868

In the presence of surfactant sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS), the development of main hydrolysis products (soluble carbohydrate and protein) and hydrolytic enzyme activities (amylase and protease) were monitored during microaerobic thermophilic digestion (MATD) of waste activated sludge (WAS). Results showed that the presence of SDBS remarkably increased the solubility of protein and carbohydrate into aqueous phase. The maximal concentration of carbohydrate and protein was 990.39 and...
Autori: Qi Yang
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26958

Selenium (Se) is a mineral of fundamental importance for human health. Se status in general population is very important due to its remarkable benefits to the human body: antioxidant, hormonal regulator, anti-carcinogen. At the same time Se can be toxic leaving a narrow optimal range for optimal intake. Both excess and deficit are known to cause a wide range of clinical manifestations. Even though a large body of evidence provides vast information about Se, the exact molecular mechanisms of i...
Autori: Cristina Preda
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27016

The release of low molecular weight (LMW) organic acids under lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) stresses in Typha latifolia (T. Latifolia) and Vetiver zizanioides (V. zizanioides) were investigated. In addition, changes in antioxidative enzymes: superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) in the leaves of T. Latifolia under Pb stress were also examined. Amongst the eight types of LMW organic acids detected in the present study, oxalic acid was found to be the most dominant during Pb and Zn treatmen...
Autori: Yu Bon Man
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27092

The production process of wine and distilled generates several by-products (20-30% of total production). Currently, most of the solid by-products (pomace, stalks, lees and seeds) obtained as downstream of the vinery industry, are conferred to the distillery or, less frequently, used in agriculture and for energy production. As a consequence, much of the antioxidant compounds contained in the grape is unused in the products of processing and is lost. These substances (among which the most impo...
Autori: Paola Zitella
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27135

The aim of the present study was to prepare environmentally friendly silver-based materials using Cornus mas L. fruits extract. For this purpose, silver nanoparticles (Cornus mas-AgNPs) were green synthesized using this plant extract. The bioreduction of silver ions was analyzed by UV–VIS and ATR-FTIR spectroscopic studies. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis revealed the formation of spherical phyto-nanosilver particles with size ranging between 12 and 40 nm. Different amounts ...
Autori: Ioana-Raluca Suica-Bunghez
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27139

With population growth and increasing industrialization, enormous amounts of agro-industrial wastes are being produced. Without proper use, these keep piling up leading to tremendous pressure on environmental safety. There is also considerable economic interest not only in the proper utilization of these wastes, but also in developing appropriate processes for this purpose. Sludge generated in pulp and paper mills is one of such solid wastes. Although several studies have investigated its reuse,...
Autori: Patrícia Raquel Silva Zanoni
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27320

The utilization of agro-industrial waste as a potential substrate for producing enzymes may serve a dual purpose of reducing the environmental pollution along with producing a high value commercial product. Twelve different agro-industrial wastes were evaluated for extracellular BGL (β-glucosidase) production by a mutant of Bacillus subtilis on solid state fermentations (SSF). The Citrus sinensis bagasse was found to be the most suitable substrate with highest BGL titer (35 U/gds). Optimum ...
Autori: Ruchi Agrawal
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27378

Lignocellulosic residues are relatively recalcitrant to bioconversion during anaerobic digestion (AD) for biogas production. Pre-treatments with cellulolytic enzymes or diluted alkali can facilitate biomass hydrolysis and enhance the process. Both pre-treatments require low energy and chemical inputs, without accumulation of inhibitor. Milled wheat straw was pre-treated with hydrolytic enzymes or with diluted NaOH before AD. The pre-treatments were performed on sterilized, stabilized with formic...
Autori: Ciro Vasmara
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27420

A large number of microorganisms are capable of producing cellulases; however, fungi are considered among the most active enzymes producers. Different strains of white rot fungi (WRF) were reported to have a great potential for biotechnological applications and cellulase enzymes is much involved in this effect, especially for bioethanol production. Misiones is included in a forest region characterized by a vast biodiversity, and within this environment, a large number of microorganisms can be...
Autori: Ernesto M. Giorgio
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27489

There is an increasing interest in the food industry and in protective health care for the expansion of natural antioxidants from plant materials. The solid wastes generated by the winemaking industry represent about 30% of the material used and it consists mainly of grape pomace (containing seeds, pulp, stem and skin). It is well known that high quantities of valuable compounds like dietary fibre, oils from the seeds, anthocyanins and phenolic compounds still remain within the grape marc. The p...
Autori: Valeriu V. Cotea
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27553

Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) serve as an alternative tool in sustainable agriculture. PGPR influence the heavy metal accumulation of crops in contaminated soils, either by decreasing or increasing the accumulation. This study focuses on the effect of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria on the heavy metal uptake, plant growth and stress response of bean plants. The simultaneous treatment of Cd2+ and Mitsuaria chitosanitabida T310-2/4 (PGPR strain) as well as Zn2+ and bacteria resu...
Autori: Éva Boglárka Vincze
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27554

Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) colonize rhizosphere and enhance growth in crop plants, by producing various regulatory substances. Since PGPR employ diverse array of mechanisms and exact mechanism and role are still to be established. Therefor experiment was designed 1) to identify and 2) to select potential rhizobacterial strains based on their impact on the growth, physiological and enzymatic activities of rice. A CRD pot experiment with six PGPR isolates; two containing only ACC-...
Autori: Waseem Hassan
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27587

α-cypermethrin is a pyrethroid and environmental genotoxic pesticide extensively used worldwide for agricultural applications. However, like other pesticides, it affects non-target organisms as well as target organisms and causes various toxic effects. To evaluate α-cypermethrin toxicity in non-target organisms, the effect of α-cypermethrin on the activity of malondialdehyde (MDA, an indicator of lipid peroxidation) content, antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, SOD; perox...
Autori: Ozkan Aksakal
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27647

Though Scirpus triqueter plays an important role in protecting the ecological functions of Yangtze River estuary wetland which is frequently contaminated by petroleum, knowledge is limited about the mechanisms involved. In this study, comparative analysis of soil properties, microbial community structure and soil enzymes in the rhizosphere of S. triqueter and bulk soil was conducted throughout one year to provide an insight into the phytoremediation mechanism in the field. The total petroleum hy...
Autori: Jing Wei
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27697

Application of a biological treatment system using white rot fungi is an interesting alternative for treatment of water and wastewater contaminated with persistent organic pollutants, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). A packed bed bioreactor using the white rot fungi, Phanerochaete chrysosporium (P. chrysosporium) was evaluated for degradation of pyrene and phenanthrene in polluted wastewater. White rot fungi have significant potential to metabolize organic pollutants such as PAHs...
Autori: Mahsa Baniasadi
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27767

The aim of this paper was to investigate and understand the relationship between several physical and chemical parameters such as temperature, chemical oxygen demand (COD), and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) on the one hand and dynamics of bacterial populations involved in the breakdown (hydrolysis) of macromolecular organic matter, on the other. The study was carried out during July-November 2009 at Cernavoda Wastewater Treatment Plant and included quantitative estimation of proteolytic, amylo...
Autori: Constantin Ioan
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27872

A wide range and globally active agro-industries such as olive oil processing, winery, tannery, textile and food production discharge a large volume of wastewater containing tannins. Tannins are complex structured chemicals which cause high organic content, requiring high dissolved oxygen in wastewater treatment plants or producing oxygen depletion in the aquatic environment. Tannins are known to be hardly degraded in biological treatment. There has been evidence that the presence of natural ...
Autori: Giusy Lofrano
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27885

A series of water quality and ecological problems are caused by algal blooms, and natural allelochemicals are considered as the source of algaecides due to their friendly advantages to environment. It has been reported that abundance of secondary metabolites are found in grape plants, and the extracts from the plant exhibit antioxidant, antibacterial and antifungal capacities. In order to reveal the anti-algal activity of grape pruning wastes and promote their usage, we analyzed the composition ...
Autori: Zhaojiang Zuo
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27971

Synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) by plants is a simple, non-toxic and eco-friendly method. The purpose of this study was to develop a method for obtaining silver nanoparticles with biological properties. For reducing the silver ions, an extract of Tilia cordata (linden) flowers was used. Some parameters were investigated to optimize the synthesis method. Thus, the conditions of reaction were varied, such as pH, concentration of silver salt, different ratio of plant extract and silver sa...
Autori: Andreia Corciova
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27977

Since the middle of the past century, when the synthetic fibers began their rise, wool has steadily lost importance in the textile sector, and now is a marginal fiber on the textiles market. Great amounts of non-marketed raw wool have turned from an income source for sheep farmers into a problematic waste, which is, at best, burn or landfill. With increasing interest for sustainable use of natural resources, wool was reconsider as an underrated, underused renewable resource, worthy of a bette...
Autori: Hossein Rajabinejad
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=28031

Extracts of Bifurcaria bifurcata seaweed were obtained by diverse conditions. Different extraction techniques, such as hydrothermal and ultrasounds, and three different solvents (water, ethanol and water/ethanol (50:50)) depending on technique were used. Moreover, supercritical CO2 (SC-CO2) with 10% of ethanol as co-solvent using different extraction times (30, 45 and 60 min) was also used as extraction technique. Extraction yield, phenolic content and antioxidant activity were measured for e...
Autori: Rubén Agregán
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=28039

In this work we aimed to examine the influence of the main abiotic factors (temperature, rainfall, relative humidity, atmospheric pressure) on the synthesis of active compounds (phenolics, flavonoids), with antioxidant and therapeutic effect of two herbs - Capsella bursa-pastoris (shepherd's purse) and Marrubium vulgare (horehound) collected from two different areas of Romania: Dobrogea (Constanta) and Muntenia (Bucharest). The studies have shown that biogenesis and accumulation of second...
Autori: Elena Neagu
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=28041

Common centaury, Centaurium erythraea Rafn., represent the best known and the most investigated medicinal plant species of genus Centaurium. Centaury has been used for centuries in traditional medicine. Secondary metabolites such as bitter secoiridoid glucosides (gentiopicrin, swertiamarin and sweroside), xanthones (eustomin and demethyleustomin), and phenolic acids are the main constituents responsible for the therapeutic properties of centaury. Previous investigation showed that overexpression...
Autori: Milana Trifunović-Momčilov
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=28068

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Autori: Muhammad Akram
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=28136

Growth rate and biomass yield in the case of Arthrospira platensis depend on nutrient availability, temperature and light, which can determine changes in the metabolism and therefore in the biomass composition. The aim of this study is to evaluate the behavior of A. platensis during the growing time in several liquid culture media and their influence on the yield of biomass production. The following culture media have been investigated in this sense: ARS, Zarrouk (Z), modified Zarrouk (MZ), eco...
Autori: Mariana Diaconu
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=28163

Silk sericin is a water-soluble macromolecular protein obtained from the raw cocoons of silkworm, Bombyx mori. It comprises of about 25% of the total cocoon shell weight and is categorized as a waste by-product in textile and silk industries after the extraction of silk fibers. This study emphasizes on the extraction of sericin from B. mori by a conventional salt alkaline method and characterized their physico-chemical properties, thermal stability, anti-bacterial and anti-oxidant activities. T...
Autori: Inderchand Manjubala
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=28213

In the wake of advance industrialization, the intensive growth of modern textile production and inappropriate wastewater treatment strategies have led to the release of noxious and carcinogenic contaminants like azo dyes directly or indirectly into the environment. Therefore, to ensure the protection of the humankind and natural bionetwork, cost-effective and efficiently regulated control measures are necessary. On this account, recent developments in biotechnology and microbiology have driven ...
Autori: Geetanjali Rajhans
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=28318

The present study describes the facile synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) by green method using aqueous extract of Gazania rigens. The size, morphological, compositional and optical properties of silver nanoparticles were examined through X-ray diffraction (XRD), Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), and UV-Vis spectroscopy respectively. Ultraviolet-Visible spectra showed the absorbance band between 425–460 nm which indicated the synthesis o...
Autori: Tayyaba Shahzadi
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=28349