Bianca Stefania Zabava

Dr. Bianca Stefania Zabava


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

7Years (2020-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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3 September 2020 in Sustainability
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
Mariana FerdesMariana Ferdes
Mariana Ferdes
MDMirela Nicoleta Dinca
Mirela Nicoleta Dinca
GMGeorgiana Moiceanu
Georgiana Moiceanu
BZBianca Stefania Zabava
Bianca Stefania Zabava
Gigel ParaschivGigel Paraschiv
Gigel Paraschiv
The pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass (LC biomass) prior to the anaerobic digestion (AD) process is a mandatory step to improve feedstock biodegradability and biogas production. An important potential is provided by lignocellulosic materials since lignocellulose represents a major source for biogas production, thus contributing to the environmental sustainability. The main limitation of LC biomass for use is its resistant structure. Lately, biological pretreatment (BP) gained popularity because they are eco-friendly methods that do not require chemical or energy input. A large number of bacteria and fungi possess great ability to convert high molecular weight compounds from the substrate into lower mass compounds due to the synthesis of microbial extracellular enzymes. Microbial strains isolated from various sources are used singly or in combination to break down the recalcitrant polymeric structures and thus increase biogasgeneration. Enzymatic treatment of LC biomass depends mainly on enzymes like hemicellulases and cellulases generated by microorganisms. The articles main purpose is to provide an overview regarding the enzymatic/biological pretreatment as one of the most potent techniques for enhancing biogas production.

28 August 2022 in Energies
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
Mariana FerdesMariana Ferdes
Mariana Ferdes
BZBianca Stefania Zabava
Bianca Stefania Zabava
Gigel ParaschivGigel Paraschiv
Gigel Paraschiv
MIMariana Ionescu
Mariana Ionescu
MDMirela Nicoleta Dinca
Mirela Nicoleta Dinca
GMGeorgiana Moiceanu
Georgiana Moiceanu
In the context of increasing pressure regarding the sustainable utilization of food waste in a circular economy, one of the trends is their biological transformation, through anaerobic digestion, into biogas as a renewable source of energy. We presented the physical-chemical properties of the main categories of food waste from different sources: dairy, meat, and poultry, fish, fruit and vegetable, cereal and bakery, brewing and winery industries, and others. Due to the high organic load, the presence of a multitude of nutrients, and an insignificant amount of inhibitors, food waste can be successfully used in the biogas production process in co-digestion with other materials. Physical (mechanical and thermal), chemical (alkali, acid, and oxidative), and biological (enzymatic, bacterial, and fungal) techniques have been widely used for pretreatment of different substrate types, including food waste. These pretreatments facilitate the degradation of pretreated food waste during anaerobic digestion and thus lead to an enhancement in biogas production. The purpose of this study is to review the situation of food waste generated in the food industry and to formulate the main trends of progress in the use of this waste in the anaerobic digestion process.

22 February 2023 in Energies
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
Mariana FerdesMariana Ferdes
Mariana Ferdes
Gigel ParaschivGigel Paraschiv
Gigel Paraschiv
MIMariana Ionescu
Mariana Ionescu
MDMirela Nicoleta Dinca
Mirela Nicoleta Dinca
GMGeorgiana Moiceanu
Georgiana Moiceanu
BZBianca Stefania Zabava
Bianca Stefania Zabava
In this paper, the latest research in the field of anaerobic co-digestion related to the advantages of using different mixtures of substrates on the performance of the process and increasing its efficiency is reviewed. The main aspects presented in this review refer to the study of the most commonly used types of substrates, highlighting their characteristics, the diversity of microbial communities involved in the production of biogas, the applied pretreatments, and the possibility of obtaining an improved digestate as a secondary product. The main types of substrates used in anaerobic co-digestion are food waste, sewage sludge, animal manure, lignocellulosic biomass, algae, fats, oils, and greases. The data from the studied works demonstrated that the anaerobic co-digestion process improves the carbon/nitrogen ratio and nutrient balance, increases the process stability, and diminishes the concentration of toxic inhibitors. At the same time, the use of appropriate mixtures of substrates leads to an increase in the diversity of microbial communities, among which synergistic relationships are established that ultimately favor the growth of the methanogenic potential. Finally, based on the research results found, one of the main trends is the need to adapt technology to the type of substrate and the industry.

2 March 2022 in Energies
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
Gigel ParaschivGigel Paraschiv
Gigel Paraschiv
Mariana FerdesMariana Ferdes
Mariana Ferdes
MIMariana Ionescu
Mariana Ionescu
GMGeorgiana Moiceanu
Georgiana Moiceanu
BZBianca Stefania Zabava
Bianca Stefania Zabava
MDMirela Nicoleta Dinca
Mirela Nicoleta Dinca
The accumulation of waste and toxic compounds has become increasingly harmful to the environment and human health. In this context, the use of laccases has become a focus of interest, due to the properties of these versatile enzymes: low substrate specificity, and water formation as a non-toxic end product. Thus, we begin our study with a general overview of the importance of laccase for the environment and industry, starting with the sources of laccases (plant, bacterial and fungal laccases), the structure and mechanism of laccases, microbial biosynthesis, and the immobilization of laccases. Then, we continue with an overview of agro-waste treatment by laccases wherein we observe the importance of laccases for the biodisponibilization of substrates and the biodegradation of agro-industrial byproducts; we then show some aspects regarding the degradation of xenobiotic compounds, dyes, and pharmaceutical products. The objective of this research is to emphasize and fully investigate the effects of laccase action on the decomposition of lignocellulosic materials and on the removal of harmful compounds from soil and water, in order to provide a sustainable solution to reducing environmental pollution.

6 November 2024 in Sustainability
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
FAFatma Yiğit Açıkgöz
Fatma Yiğit Açıkgöz
MKMehmet KAYAKUŞ
Mehmet KAYAKUŞ
BZBianca Stefania Zabava
Bianca Stefania Zabava
Onder KabasOnder Kabas
Onder Kabas
Reputation is shaped depending on factors such as the quality of products and services offered by a brand to its stakeholders, its reliability, and its innovative aspect in the eyes of stakeholders. The sustainability of a brand reputation depends on the brand creating a positive perception by fulfilling its social responsibilities and maintaining this perception in the long term. In this study, the brand reputation of Hewlett-Packard (HP) computers is evaluated through customer reviews. The data set in the study consists of 2012 customer reviews obtained from Hepsiburada, one of the most widely used e-commerce platforms in Turkey. Sentiment analysis and text mining artificial intelligence methods were used in the study. For sentiment analysis, the Naive Bayes method, which is one of the machine learning methods, was used, and the comments were divided into three groups as positive, negative, and neutral. In the study, 82% of the customer comments were positive, 11% were negative, and 7% were neutral. The fact that most of the comments consist of positive sentiments shows that HP Computer has a positive reputation in the eyes of stakeholders consisting of customers. Comments consisting of negative and neutral emotions show the aspects that the brand needs to improve. In the study, the text mining method emphasises the prominent features of the brand in the comments. This study makes an important contribution to the reputation assessment of brands and to ensuring sustainable brand reputation.

14 September 2025 in Foods
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
MIMariana Ionescu
Mariana Ionescu
MDMirela Nicoleta Dinca
Mirela Nicoleta Dinca
Mariana FerdesMariana Ferdes
Mariana Ferdes
BZBianca Stefania Zabava
Bianca Stefania Zabava
Gigel ParaschivGigel Paraschiv
Gigel Paraschiv
GMGeorgiana Moiceanu
Georgiana Moiceanu
Edible mushrooms represent great promise for the future of food and medicine due to their excellent nutritional, functional, and therapeutic properties. Macrofungi synthesize numerous bioactive compounds, among which proteins stand out for their remarkable diversity, both in terms of structure and their nutritional and functional roles. Fungi from the phylum Basidiomycota have a high protein content, characterized by a complete and balanced amino acid composition. Proteins and peptides from mushrooms have both nutritional and functional roles, with numerous health benefits, such as antimicrobial, antiviral, antioxidant, anticancer, hypotensive, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition, immunomodulatory, and enzymatic activities. Functional proteins include lectins, immunomodulatory proteins, enzymes (laccase, cellulase, ribonuclease), enzyme inhibitors, ribosome-inactivating proteins, and hydrophobins. In addition to traditional cultivation, mushrooms can be grown as mycelium on solid substrates or in submerged culture, followed by protein separation and extraction. The main trends in protein biosynthesis from Basidiomycota involve both improving the properties of the producing strains and optimizing the cultivation methods in submerged culture and on solid substrates. Moreover, new techniques in the fields of genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics will enable increasingly promising results. This paper provides a systematic overview of the types and properties of proteins from edible mushrooms, with a focus on the main beneficial effects of their consumption.