Purpose: Recent advances in nanotechnology have given rise to the potential utilization of nanoparticles as food, nano-medicine/biomedicines. Patient: The study aimed to investigate the effects of nano-zinc oxide (nano-zinc) on the bio-assimilation of mineral (Zn) in mice, aged 3– 6 weeks. Methods: ZnO nanoparticles were added to the basal diet as a supplement at amounts of 0.07, 0.14 and 0.21 mg/kg. The synthesized material was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer, particle size, scanning electron microscope, Thermogravimetric Analysis Thermal, X-ray diffraction spectrophotometer and Zeta potential. Results: In-vitro bioavailability of synthesized group ZnO (120 nm) was 43%, whereas for standard group ZnO (50 nm) was reported as 55%. In-vivo bioavailability of zinc oxide illustrated the maximum absorption level compared with the control. In-vivo toxicity was characterized as damage done to the liver and spleen tissues with a high dose of 0.21 mg/kg, while smaller doses indicated no toxic effects. Conclusion: The study provided important insights on the toxicological effects of ZnO nanoparticles, depending on dose rate and bio-assimilation, as well as particles, under various conditions (in-vitro and in-vivo). These findings will motivate further detailed research on nano-based medicine for alleviating malnutrition conditions.

Endopolygalacturonase (EndoPGase), EC: 3.2.1.15. is one of the crucial pectinases belonging to the class of carbohydrase. The catalytic action of EndoPGase captivates the attention of the production of this extremely valuable catalyst in the industrial sector. The main focus was to ascertain a potential bacterial candidate for endoPGase production. The isolated bacterial strain was further identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The parameters for enzyme biosynthesis were optimized by a single and multiple factor approach at a time. The results of our investigation led to the identification of a potent strain of Bacillus subtilis NR2 [strain 168]. The sequence of 16S rRNA amplified from the isolated bacterium has been submitted to GenBank under accession number ON738697. The strain was found active for pectic enzyme activity under shaking- flask fermentation at pH 5.0 and 50 °C temperature of incubation. Among all monomeric and polymeric substrates (inducer-substrates), citrus pectin, followed by potato starch and pectin (Sigma) were considered the best enzyme inducers at 1% concentration. In comparison, an increased wheat bran concentration at 5% was proved to be ideal for EndoPGase biosynthesis Moreover, an increasing trend in enzyme activity was observed with the increasing concentration of inducer. The combined effect of three variables (pH, inducer-substrates, and inducer-substrate concentration) was explored by response surface methodology (RSM) involving a Box–Behnken design (BBD). Based on the results, we concluded that the soil-isolated B. subtilis can be effectively utilized for commercial-scale pectinase enzyme biosynthesis.

Lactobacillus is an important class of Gram-positive, non-spore-forming bacteria for food industrial applications. The genus Lactobacillus is a potential candidate in fermentation technology for the production of fermented food, feed, and pharmaceutical products. The diverse features of Lactobacilli based on their capability to produce acids, enzymes, bacteriocins by fermenting carbohydrates. Lactobacilli have probiotic potential and therefore applied in dairy [cheese, yoghurt, fermented milk] and nondairy products such as sausages, juices as well as in animal feed in the form of starter culture. Among Lactobacilli, lactic acid-producing bacteria are applied as starter cultures in a variety of fermented foods. Lactobacilli are the natural microflora of the gastrointestinal tract and play a beneficial role against infections. The ability of Lactobacilli to produce bacteriocins and other antifungal compound lead to the development of bioprotective cultures for use in different foods. Bacteriocins has wide applications in food industries for preventing the attack of foodborne pathogens and for manufacturing active packaging materials. This chapter aimed to review significant industrial applications of Lactobacilli with specified strains and also starter cultures with their potential beneficial effects are engrossed. The chapter highlights the commercial applications of Lactobacilli in the food, feed, wine and pharmaceutical industries.

Endopolygalacturonase (EndoPGase) is one of the crucial pectinases belonging to the class of carbohydrase. The catalytic action of EndoPGase captivate the attention for production of this extremely valuable catalyst of industrial sector. The main focus was to ascertain a potential bacterial candidate for endoPGase production. The isolated bacterial strain was further identified by 16S rDNA gene sequencing. A genomic library was constructed by using Lambda ZAP II vector system to investigate the pectinolytic potential of the expressed genes. The parameters for enzyme biosynthesis were optimized by single as well as multiple factor approach at a time. The results of our investigation led to the identification of a potent strain of Bacillus subtilis NR2. The strain was found active for pectic enzyme activity under shaking- flask fermentation at pH 5.0 and 50 °C temperature of incubation. Among all monomeric and polymeric substrates, citrus pectin followed by wheat bran was considered the best enzyme inducers at 1 % concentration. Moreover, an increasing trend in enzyme activity was observed with the increasing inducer concentration. The combined effect of three variables (pH, substrates, and substrate concentration) was explored by response surface methodology involving Box Benken Design (BBD). The study concluded that the soil isolated B. subtilis can be utilized for commercial scale pectinase enzyme production.