Carlos Eduardo de Farias Silva

Comparison of the Volatile Components Released By Calling Males Of Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae) with Those Extractable from the Salivary Glands

Abstract The volatile compounds released by calling males of Ceratitis capitata and those that were extracted from the salivary glands with n-hexane were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Twelve of the 24 compounds identified in the released volatiles, namely, 2-heptanone, 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, 3-octanone, ethyl hexanoate, methyl heptanoate, 2-ethyl-1-hexanol, limonene, indene, ethyl heptanoate, methyl octanoate, α-trans-bergamotene and (E,E)-α-farnesene, also were detected in the glandular extract. The similarities found in the chemical profiles of the released volatiles and of the salivary gland suggest that the latter is the storage site, and also perhaps the site of synthesis, of some of the pheromone components in this species of fruit fly.

Pheromone Communication in Anastrepha obliqua (Diptera: Tephritidae): A Comparison of the Volatiles and Salivary Gland Extracts of Two Wild Populations

Abstract The West Indian fruit fly Anastrepha obliqua Macquart (Diptera: Tephritidae) is one of the major pests on mango (Mangifera indica L.; Sapindales: Anacardiaceae) and starfruit (Averrhoa carambola L.; Oxalidales: Oxalidaceae) crop plantations in Brazil. Pheromone communication inter alia plays an important role in fruit-fly courtship behavior. In order to highlight the site of pheromone synthesis, we identified and compared the volatiles from the aeration extracts of calling males with the volatiles produced by their salivary glands in 2 wild populations of A. obliqua collected from mangoes and starfruits. In addition, we performed a series of bioassays to compare the biological significance of both extracts. In total, 36 volatile compounds were identified, with 8 of them being shared by the 2 populations and the 2 extract types. Linalool and &agr;-copaene were exclusively found in the aeration extract while ethyl heptanoate, methyl octanoate, and 1-nonanol were detected only in the salivary-gland extracts. The chemical profiles of the volatiles from the aeration extracts and from the salivary-gland extracts differed significantly between the 2 populations as well as the chemical profiles of both extracts within each population. The quantities of the 8 shared compounds generated a variability of more than 60% in the mango population and 80% in the starfruit population. The similarities observed between the chemical profiles of the aeration extracts and the salivary-gland extracts suggest that the latter could be the storage site and probably also the production site of some pheromone components in this fruit-fly species. This hypothesis is supported by the comparable biological activities of both extracts in terms of their attractiveness for conspecific females.

Treatment of textile industry effluents using orange waste: a proposal to reduce color and chemical oxygen demand

Various agricultural residues have been tested as biosorbents due to their low cost, high surface area, and favorable surface chemistry. In this work, a sweet orange albedo was tested as a biosorbent for treatment of real textile effluents. The orange albedo powder was prepared by drying the residue at 50 °C and milling to 30 mesh, and then used for dye adsorption from a alkaline (pH = 10.71) effluent. The adsorption process was studied in batch experiments at 30 °C by measuring color removal and chemical oxygen demand (COD). The color removal was found not to be significantly altered when the effluent was used in its raw state, while COD increased probably due to albedo degradation. For the effluent diluted to 60% (Veffluent VH2O(-1)), color and COD removal percentages of approximately 89% were obtained. It was found that pH played a very significant role on the adsorption process, as the treated albedo displayed a relative pHPZC* of 4.61, and the highest dye removal efficiencies were reached at pH lower than 2. The COD was strongly influenced by the effluent dilution. The effectiveness in eliminating color and COD shows that orange albedo can be potentially used as a biosorbent to treat textile wastewater.

Effects of sodium bicarbonate on biomass and carbohydrate production in synechococcus PCC 7002

Effects of Sodium Bicarbonate on Biomass and Carbohydrate Production in Synechococcus PCC 7002 Carlos Eduardo de Farias Silva*, Barbara Gris, Eleonora Sforza, Nicoletta La Rocca, Alberto Bertucco a Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padova, via Marzolo 9, 35131 Padova, Italy. b Department of Biology, University of Padova, via U. Bassi 58/b, 35131 Padova, Italy. carloseduardo.defariassilva@studenti.unipd.it

Biorefinery as a Promising Approach to Promote Ethanol Industry From Microalgae and Cyanobacteria

Abstract The development of new technologies to increase the production of biofuels without directly competing with food production is a must. Microalgal biomass has recently been highlighted in this regard. In this chapter, the role of this biomass for bioethanol production is discussed within a biorefinery approach, in the view to promote industrial sustainability. Cultivation aimed at accumulating around 50%–60% of carbohydrates in the biomass (dry weight) and the importance of water and nutrient recycling are reviewed. Saccharification of biomass using enzymes or acids is addressed together with alternative operations (such as hydrothermal liquefaction and flash hydrolysis) that aim at recovering additional products (i.e., biocrude). Because the main monosaccharide in microalgal biomass is glucose, high rates of hydrolysis and fermentation are possible, achieving more than 80% of the efficiency as a sum of these two operations. Anaerobic digestion to treat vinasse after distillation and the recycling of CO2 from the ethanolic fermentation and from biogas combustion could increase the process sustainability. Finally, the advantage of using microalgae rather than other sources of biomass in bioethanol production is estimated with reference to the production rate, even though the cultivation costs remain still high.

Bioethanol in Brazil: Status, Challenges and Perspectives to Improve the Production

Abstract Brazil is one of the biggest producers of bioethanol worldwide, using sugarcane as the main raw material in the first-crop generation. However, geographical limitations and food versus fuel debate has prompted to search for alternative sources of biomass since the demand for bioethanol continuously increases. Lignocellulosics (second-crop generation) can represent a valuable chance to grow the ethanolic biorefinery sector which estimulate the efforts of different Brazilian research centers and resulted in two industrial plants with several difficulty to validate this technology at large scale. Thus government, institutions, and researchers are trying to apply the concept of biorefinery to reduce production costs and to adapt existents plants to operate simultaneously first–second-ethanol generation. Third-crop generation (micro- and macroalgae) is studied but without perspectives for large-scale exploitation.

A Two-Stage System for the Large-Scale Cultivation of Biomass: a Design and Operation Analysis Based on a Simple Steady-State Model Tuned on Laboratory Measurements

The optimal design and operation at large scale of a continuous fermentation process including a biological reactor/photobioreactor and a gravity settler with partial recycle and purge of the biomass are addressed. The proposed method is developed with reference to microalgae (Scenedesmus obliquus) cultivation, but it can be applied to any fermentation process as well as to activated sludge wastewater treatment. A procedure is developed to predict the effect of process variables, mainly the recycle ratio (R), the solid retention time (θc), the reactor residence time (θ), and the ratio between feed and purge flow rates (FI/FW). It includes a simple steady-state model of the two units coupled in the process and the experimental measurement of basic kinetic data, in both the bioreactor and the settler, for the tuning of model parameters. The bioreactor is assumed as perfectly mixed, and a rigorous gravity-flux approach is used for the settler. The process model is solved in terms of dimensionless variables, and plots are given to allow sensitivity analyses and optimization of operating conditions. A discussion about washout is presented, and a simple method is outlined for the calculation of the minimum values of residence time (θmin) and recycle ratio (Rmin) and of the maximum allowed recycle ratio (Rmax,operating) and biomass purge rate (FWmax). In particular, it is shown that the system is sensitive to the concentration of biomass lost from the top of the settler (CXS). The proposed method can be useful for the design and analysis of large-scale processes of this type.

Severity Factor as an Efficient Control Parameter to Predict Biomass Solubilization and Saccharification During Acidic Hydrolysis of Microalgal Biomass

In this paper, the acidic pretreatment of microalgal biomass is investigated, and the solubilized biomass and hydrolyzed sugars were evaluated. The process is analyzed through the severity factor approach (acidic combined severity factor (ACSF)). A suitable kinetic model is developed and applied, and it is shown that the severity factor theory works. A discussion and comparison are presented with respect to the literature methods, which are mainly related to lignocellulosic biomass. In the case of microalgae, reaction orders for biomass and acid are shown to be the main parameters, and no other assumptions are needed. Two regions of the acidic treatment process have to be evaluated: low and high reactivity regions. Furthermore, a suitable experimental design is required in order to provide an appropriate reaction spectrum to obtain a good estimation of the kinetic parameters. A logarithmic severity factor range (ln ACSF) between 5 and 6 is able to solubilize around 80% of biomass and to hydrolyze more than 90% of sugars present in the biomass.

Tropical Fruit Pulps: Processing, Product Standardization and Main Control Parameters for Quality Assurance

ABSTRACT Fruit pulp is the most basic food product obtained from fresh fruit processing. Fruit pulps can be cold stored for long periods of time, but they also can be used to fabricate juices, ice creams, sweets, jellies and yogurts. The exploitation of tropical fruits has leveraged the entire Brazilian fruit pulp sector due mainly to the high acceptance of their organoleptic properties and remarkable nutritional facts. However, several works published in the last decades have pointed out unfavorable conditions regarding the consumption of tropical fruit pulps. This negative scenario has been associated with unsatisfactory physico-chemical and microbiological parameters of fruits pulps as outcomes of little knowledge and improper management within the fruit pulp industry. There are protocols for delineating specific identity and quality standards (IQSs) and standardized good manufacturing practices (GMP) for fruit pulps, which also embrace standard operating procedures (SOPs) and hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP), although this latter is not considered mandatory by the Brazilian legislation. Unfortunately, the lack of skilled labor, along with failures in complying established protocols have impaired quality of fruit pulps. It has been necessary to collect all information available with the aim to identify the most important hazards within fruit pulp processing lines. Standardizing methods and practices within the Brazilian fruit pulp industry would assurance high quality status to tropical fruit pulps and the commercial growth of this vegetal product towards international markets.

DIVERSIFICACÃO TECNOLÓGICA DA CADEIA PRODUTIVA DE POLPA DE FRUTA COM O USO DE FONTES DE PROTEÍNA NATURAL: DESENVOLVIMENTO DE PRODUTOS FUNCIONAIS

O presente trabalho tem por objetivo discutir o uso da polpa de fruta como possivel carreador de propriedade funcional, em conjunto com outros alimentos. Devido a aceitacao desse produto no Brasil e sua crescente producao nas duas ultimas decadas, sua diversificacao para as exigencias dos consumidores e competitividade industrial se torna necessaria. Apresenta-se o uso de aditivos proteicos, dotados de capacidade funcional e discutidos amplamente em literatura sobre seus multiplos efeitos na manutencao da saude humana. Percebe-se que existe uma enorme propensao da industria a utilizacao do produto que esta sendo estudado e testado em uma cooperacao entre as Universidades Federais de Alagoas e de Sergipe e a Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Duas patentes para proteger o produto desenvolvido foram feitas, esperando-se a sua futura aplicacao no mercado. . Palavras-chave : alimento funcional, polpa de fruta, ciencia e tecnologia de alimentos, proteina.