Ultrasound technology has emerged as a promising tool for enhancing enzymatic biodiesel production, yet the cavitation effect induced can compromise enzyme stability. This study explored the efficiency of polyols in enhancing lipase stability under ultrasound conditions to further improve biodiesel yield. The incorporation of sorbitol resulted in the highest fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) content in the ultrasound-assisted biodiesel production catalyzed by Eversa® Transform 2.0 among the investigated polyols. Furthermore, sorbitol enhanced the stability of the lipase, allowing it to tolerate up to 100 % ultrasound amplitude, compared to 60 % amplitude in its absence. Enzyme activity assays revealed that sorbitol preserved 99 % of the lipase activity, in contrast to 84 % retention observed without sorbitol under an 80 % ultrasound amplitude. Circular dichroism (CD) and fluorescence spectroscopy analyses confirmed that sorbitol enhanced lipase rigidity and preserved its conformational structure under ultrasound exposure. Furthermore, employing a stepwise methanol addition strategy in ultrasound-assisted reactions with sorbitol achieved an 81.2 wt% FAME content in 8 h with only 0.2 wt% enzyme concentration. This promising result highlights the potential of sorbitol as a stabilizing agent in ultrasound-assisted enzymatic biodiesel production, offering a viable approach for enhancing biodiesel yield and enzyme stability in industrial applications.
Several lipases have been used to catalyze the hydrolysis of crude palm oil (CPO) to concentrate palm phytonutrients. Previously, the retention of phytonutrients during hydrolysis has been improved with a small addition of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid. However, the production of free fatty acids (FFA) via enzymatic hydrolysis has yet to be optimised. Thus, for the first time, this study explored the combined use of AY 30SD (from Candida rugosa) and Eversa® Transform 2.0, ET 2.0 (from Aspergillus oryzae) to investigate the effect of reaction time and temperature on the lipases' performance towards the production of FFA during the alcohol-free process of producing phytonutrients concentrates. The results revealed that the application of combi-lipases at 45 °C yielded the highest final FFA content due to ET 2.0's affinity towards longer fatty acid chain lengths and AY 30SD's effectiveness in hydrolysing TAG molecules. With total enzyme concentration of 0.2 wt%, incorporating combi-lipase AY 30SD and ET 2.0 produced >95 wt% of FFA. Furthermore, a basic economic analysis validated that the combination of 0.15 wt% AY 30SD and 0.05 wt% ET 2.0 reduced the reaction time by seven times (completed within 24 h), potentially leading to a substantial increase in profit without sacrificing the phytonutrients retention.
The spread of fake news increased dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide. This study aims to synthesize the extant literature to understand the magnitude of this phenomenon in the wake of the pandemic in 2021, focusing on the motives and sociodemographic profiles, Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based tools developed, and the top trending topics related to fake news. A scoping review was adopted targeting articles published in five academic databases (January 2021-November 2021), resulting in 97 papers. Most of the studies were empirical in nature (N = 69) targeting the general population (N = 26) and social media users (N = 13), followed by AI-based detection tools (N = 27). Top motives for fake news sharing include low awareness, knowledge, and health/media literacy, Entertainment/Pass Time/Socialization, Altruism, and low trust in government/news media, whilst the phenomenon was more prominent among those with low education, males and younger. Machine and deep learning emerged to be the widely explored techniques in detecting fake news, whereas top topics were related to vaccine, virus, cures/remedies, treatment, and prevention. Immediate intervention and prevention efforts are needed to curb this anti-social behavior considering the world is still struggling to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
The development of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) presents a promising alternative to conventional jet fuel, with biofuels offering net-zero CO2 emissions. However, the conventional SAF production process typically involves expensive metal catalysts and extreme operating conditions. In contrast, the enzymatic approach offers a milder alternative; however, it is hindered by several limitations, including prolonged reaction times, reliance on cosolvents and low productivity. This study investigates the impact of CO2-based alkyl carbamate ionic liquids (ILs) on the enzymatic photodecarboxylation reaction catalyzed by Chlorella variabilis algal fatty acid photodecarboxylase (CvFAP). Notably, the study examines four ILs: N,N-dimethylammonium N',N'-dimethylcarbamate (DIMCARB), N,N-dipropylammonium N',N'-dipropylcarbamate (DPCARB), N,N-diallylammonium N',N'-diallylcarbamate (DACARB), and bis(2-ethylhexyl)-ammonium bis(2-ethylhexyl)carbamate (DBCARB). The results demonstrated that DACARB was the most optimal IL as it enhanced hydrocarbon conversion by 40 % and was able to reduce DMSO usage up to 86.7 % as compared to the absence of DACARB. This enhancement is attributed to DACARB's optimal balance of hydrophobic and hydrophilic properties, which increased enzyme activity while serving as a viable DMSO replacement, as well as acting as an allosteric modulator, as shown by Michaelis-Menten model fitting. Overall, this study highlights the potential of DACARB to facilitate process intensification in enzymatic SAF production, contributing to sustainable aviation practices.
In this study, a new monoclinic polymorph (space group C2/c) of 2,2'-methyl-enebis(isoindoline-1,3-dione), C17H10N2O4, is reported and compared to the previously reported triclinic polymorph (space group P ). Similarly, both polymorphs consist of a unique mol-ecule in the asymmetric unit (Z' = 1). The mol-ecular conformations of the two polymorphs are very similar, as shown by the r.m.s. deviation of 0.368 Å (excluding all H atoms). The inter-molecular inter-actions of both polymorphs are described along with the Hirshfeld surface analysis, and the lattice energies are calculated.
The enzymatic production of fatty acids from vegetable oils is becoming a preferred method due to its mild conditions, simplicity, and scalability. This review analyzes studies on enzymatic hydrolysis, exploring various feedstocks, lipases, reaction conditions, and conversion yields. However, a key limitation is the longer reaction time compared to conventional methods. This limitation is primarily due to the immiscibility of triacylglycerols (TAGs) with water at low temperatures and pressures, as well as the lower activity of enzymes compared to chemical catalysts. To overcome these issues, chemical additives are identified as the most effective process intensification strategy. They are easy to implement, cause less damage to lipases, and are more efficient than mechanical methods. The impact of various chemical additives was thoroughly examined for potential improvements in the enzymatic hydrolysis of vegetable oils. A synergistic combination of chemical additives comprising ionic liquids (ILs) and polyols, along with ultrasound, as well as the consideration of immobilization techniques were explored. Overall, this review highlights the potential of chemical additives and their synergistic feasibility in enhancing the enzymatic performance of lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis reactions.
The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C15H15N3O3·0.5H2O, comprises two 2-{[(4-iminiumyl-3-methyl-1,4-di-hydro-pyridin-1-yl)meth-yl]carbamo-yl}benzoate zwitterions (A and B) and a water mol-ecule. The dihedral angles between the pyridine and phenyl rings in the zwitterions are 53.69 (10) and 73.56 (11)° in A and B, respectively. In the crystal, mol-ecules are linked by N-H⋯O, O-H⋯O, C-H⋯O and C-H⋯π(ring) hydrogen bonds into a three-dimensional network. The crystal structure also features π-π inter-actions involving the centroids of the pyridine and phenyl rings [centroid-centroid distances = 3.5618 (12) Å in A and 3.8182 (14) Å in B].
Microalgae are a sustainable source of bioactive proteins for personal care and cosmetic applications. Conventional alkaline extraction can achieve high protein recovery but relies on harsh chemical conditions that often compromise protein integrity, reduce bioactivity, and raise environmental concerns. Moreover, the extracted proteins often require additional enzymatic hydrolysis to enhance their functionality, thus increasing process complexity. This study proposes a dual-function Savinase-assisted in situ extraction strategy for the simultaneous extraction and functionalization of protein from Nannochloropsis oculata (N. oculata). Process optimization using improvement in protein extraction yield (IPEY) as the performance indicator identified optimal conditions of pH 7, 50 °C, 0.5 wt% Savinase and 2 h hydrolysis, under which a maximum IPEY of 85.1% was achieved. Fluorescence spectroscopy and zeta potential measurements confirmed that Savinase remained structurally stable under the optimized conditions while promoting protein solubilization. The resulting protein hydrolysates exhibited enhanced functional properties, with ABTS•+ radical scavenging activity reaching 83.3% at 5 mg/mL, representing a 56.9% increase compared with the non-enzymatic control. In addition, UV absorption analysis revealed a critical wavelength (λc) of 383.6 nm, indicating broad-spectrum photoprotective potential. Overall, the proposed one-step Savinase-assisted process provides a mild, sustainable, and effective strategy for producing bioactive microalgal protein hydrolysates with strong potential as natural ingredients in skin-protective cosmetic formulations.