Katarina Mihajlovski

Preparation and characterization of silver-loaded hemp fibers with antimicrobial activity

The objective of this research was to impart antimicrobial properties to hemp fibers by incorporation of silver ions in hemp fibers by chemisorption. Sorption properties of hemp fibers were improved by non-selective oxidation using hydrogen peroxide and potassium permanganate. The optimal conditions for silver ions sorption by hemp fibers were determined by changing sorption conditions: pH value and concentration of aqueous silver nitrate solution, as well as duration of sorption. The maximum sorption capacity of modified hemp fibers was 1.84 mmol of Ag+ ions per gram of fibers. Antimicrobial activity of silver-loaded hemp fibers against different pathogens: Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans was evaluated in vitro. Obtained silver-loaded hemp fibers show antimicrobial activity against tested pathogens.

Influence of hemicelluloses and lignin content on structure and sorption properties of flax fibers (Linum usitatissimum L.)

In this work, alkali and oxidative treatments were employed to obtain flax fibers with different content of hemicelluloses and lignin, in order to study the influence of chemical composition on structure and sorption properties of flax fibers. The flax fibers were characterized using FTIR spectroscopy and FESEM microscopy, and by determination of chemical composition, carboxyl group content, electrokinetic and sorption properties. Adsorption of silver ions was used to evaluate flax fiber sorption properties, but also to obtain antimicrobial fibers whose antimicrobial activity was tested against Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli, Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and fungi Candida albicans. The progressive removal of hemicelluloses or lignin influenced the sorption properties through the increased liberation of elementary fibers and accessibility of functional surface groups of flax fibers. Removal of hemicelluloses led to increase of iodine sorption without significant change in functional groups content and electrokinetic properties. On the other hand, lignin removal led to an increase of functional groups content, namely carboxyl groups, which in turn influenced better moisture and silver ions sorption. Flax fibers with incorporated silver exhibit fair antimicrobial activity against Gram (−) E. coli, Gram (+) S. aureus and fungi C. albicans.

β-Amylase production from packaging-industry wastewater using a novel strain Paenibacillus chitinolyticus CKS 1

Transport packaging factories generate a large amount of wastewater that contains residuals of starch glue. These residuals could be used as substrates for microorganism growth and enzyme production. In this study, β-amylase production using a new strain Paenibacillus chitinolyticus CKS1 was optimized using wastewater from a Serbian transport packaging factory. The optimization of β-amylase production was carried out using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). A Central Composite Design under the RSM with four interacting parameters (incubation time, inoculum concentration, casein hydrolysate concentration and yeast extract concentration) was employed to identify the optimal conditions for maximum β-amylase activity (334.20 U L−1) as 62 h of incubation with 2.40% inoculum, 2.02 g L−1 casein hydrolysate and 3.98 g L−1 yeast extract. High performance liquid chromatography showed that the P. chitinolyticus CKS1 strain hydrolyzed starch to form maltose as a major product. Due to the application of wastewater as an inexpensive material for enzyme and maltose production it may be considered that the economic and eco-friendly aspects of this method are very promising.

Biocontrol and plant stimulating potential of novel strain Bacillus sp. PPM3 isolated from marine sediment

In the current study, the biocontrol potential of a novel strain Bacillus sp. PPM3 isolated from marine sediment from the Red Sea in Hurghada, Egypt is recognized. This novel strain was selected out of 32 isolates based on its ability to suppress the growth of four plant pathogenic fungi: Aspergillus flavus, Fusarium graminearum, Mucor sp. and Alternaria sp. The new marine strain was identified and characterized by phenotypic and molecular approaches. The culture filtrate of Bacillus sp. PPM3 suppressed the growth and spore germination of all tested fungi in vitro with the highest value of inhibition reported for Mucor sp. (97.5%). The antifungal effect of the culture filtrate from the strain PPM3 was due to production of highly stable secondary metabolites resistant to extreme pH, temperature and enzymatic treatments. A PCR analysis confirmed the expression of genes involved in the synthesis of antifungal lipopeptides: iturin, bacillomycin D, mycosubtilin and surfactin. In a greenhouse experiment strain PPM3 effectively reduced disease incidence of F. graminearum in maize plants and displayed additional plant growth stimulating effect. The results show that novel marine strain PPM3 could have a potential in commercial application as biocontrol agent for treatment of various plant diseases caused by soil-borne and postharvest pathogenic fungi.

Novel protein-repellent and antimicrobial polysaccharide multilayer thin films

Abstract Nanostructured and bio-active polysaccharide-based thin films were manufactured by means of subsequent spin-coated deposition of a regenerated cellulose (RC) layer and a 2,2,6,6-Tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl radical (TEMPO) oxidised cellulose nanofibril (TOCN) layer. The bio-activity of the bilayer was achieved by addition of chitosan (CS). The chitosan was either mixed with the TOCN (TOCN+CS) and deposited on the RC layer by spin-coating, or deposited on the RC and TOCN bilayer by pumping its aqueous solution with various pH over the surface of the bilayer. The water content of the thin films and the CS interactions with the bilayer during deposition were studied in situ by means of a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D). The pH dependent charging behaviour of the TOCN, TOCN+CS and CS dispersions was evaluated by pH-potentiometric titrations. The surface morphology of the thin films was characterised by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The bio-activity of the thin films was evaluated by studying their protein-repellent properties in situ with a continuous flow of bovine serum albumin (BSA) by means of QCM-D and by evaluating their antibacterial properties in vitro against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. These polysaccharide-based thin films are high value-added products because of their multifunctionality, high water absorbance capacity, protein-repellence and antimicrobial activity, and have the potential for medical application as a wound dressing material.