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Research Publications (Applied Sciences)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://ir-dev.dut.ac.za/handle/10321/213

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    Bioaugmentation efficiency of diesel degradation by Bacillus pumilus JLB and Acinetobacter calcoaceticus LT1 in contaminated soils
    (2010-10-11) Pillay, Charlene; Lin, Johnson
    The abilities of diesel-degrading Bacillus pumilus JLB and Acinetobacter calcoaceticus LT1 were tested in contaminated soils. The effect of nutrient supplementation on bioaugmented samples was also examined. The results show that bio-augmentation and biostimulation accelerated significantly (p < 0.05) the diesel degradation in the contaminated loam soil and sea sand. Supplementing fertilizers to the augmented loam samples did not result in a significantly higher degradation rate. Furthermore, A. calcoaceticus LT1 alone failed to stimulate higher degradation rates in sea sand unless further supplementation of fertilizer. The results from environmental scanning electron microscopy demonstrate the population increases, then decreases in augmented samples corresponding to the level of diesel degradation. Fungi-like microorganisms became dominant in contaminated loam soil at the end of the study but not in sea sand. The study shows that it is critical not only to understand the physiology of the inoculum but also how it affects microbial community structure and function before the microorganism being introduced in the contaminated soil.
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    Diversity, stability and applications of mycopigments
    (Elsevier BV, 2023-10) Abel, Grace; Amobonye, Ayodeji; Bhagwat, Prashant; Pillai, Santhosh
    The role of fungi as major pigment producers in the environments has endeared their application as sources of industrially important pigments. Compared to synthetic colorants, fungal pigments are rapidly becoming the preferred choice due to their biodegradability, eco-friendliness and versatility. Besides their uses as colourants, their functions as preservatives and/or bioactive agents have promoted their potential across numerous industries. In the past, more focus has been placed on enhancing the production levels of fungal pigments with little attention to the stabilization of the pigments and other important areas of concern. To this end, this review draws attention to the diverse classes of fungal pigments with emphasis on their existing and future applications, especially in the food and textile industries. Emphasis was also placed on the factors affecting fungal pigment stability and the techniques to efficiently circumvent the instability. Finally, the application of emerging technologies such as copigmentation, microencapsulation, metabolic engineering, and chemo-informatics tools in enhancing the mycopigment industry are highlighted.