Microbial activity is the main route for cycling mangrove nutrients. In general, microorganisms have abilities to degrade lignocellulosic compounds. Among the biotechnological potential of the microbiota from mangroves, it is noteworthy about endophytic fungi, which can be considered as effective sources of different bioactive compounds. In this sense, thirty (30) endophytic fungi were isolated from mangrove forest sampling Cananeia, SP, Brazil. These microorganisms were analyzed about their enzymatic activities including: lignin peroxidase EC 1.11.1.14, manganese peroxidase EC 1.11.1.13 and laccase EC 1.10.3.2, as well endo-cellulase EC 3.2.1.4 and endo-xylanase EC 3.2.1.8. Besides that, production of bioactive secondary metabolites like biosurfactant and/or bioemulsifier was also investigated. As results, nineteen (19) isolates were selected about their ligninolytic abilities, nine (9) of them about cellulase activity and thirteen (13) showed xylanase abilities. The fungal isolate named as 3(3), characterized as Fusarium sambucinum, showed a prominent lignin peroxidase (42.4 U L⁻¹) and manganese peroxidase (23.6 U L⁻¹) activities. The isolate 63.1, also related to Fusarium sp. genera, was selected about its laccase activity (41.5 U L⁻¹). From all the investigated fungi, the isolate 47(4) Trichoderma camerunense was selected about its cellulolytic and xylanolytic activities, showing 45.23 and 26.09 U mL⁻¹, respectively. The same fungi also showed biosurfactant ability demonstrated by superficial tension decreasing to 38 mN/m. In addition, fifteen (15) fungi exhibited bioemulsifier activity, with E₂₄ values up to 62.8%.

Hydrocarbons are important environmental pollutants, and the isolation and characterization of new microorganisms with the ability to degrade these compounds are important for effective biodegradation. In this work we isolated and characterized several bacterial isolates from compost, a substrate rich in microbial diversity. The isolates were obtained from selective culture medium containing n-hexadecane, aiming to recover alkane-degraders. Six isolates identified as Gordonia by MALDI-TOF and 16S rRNA sequencing had the ability to degrade n-hexadecane in three days. Two isolates were selected for genomic and functional characterization, Gordonia paraffinivorans (MTZ052) and Gordonia sihwensis (MTZ096). The CG-MS results showed distinct n-hexadecane degradation rates for MTZ052 and MTZ096 (86% and 100% respectively). The genome sequence showed that MTZ052 encodes only one alkane degrading gene cluster, the CYP153 system, while MTZ096 harbors both the Alkane Hydroxylase (AH) and the CYP153 systems. qPCR showed that both gene clusters are induced by the presence of n-hexadecane in the growth medium, suggesting that G. paraffinivorans and G. sihwensis use these systems for degradation. Altogether, our results indicate that these Gordonia isolates have a good potential for biotransformation of hydrocarbons.

Gold nanoparticles have attracted great interest from the scientific community in recent years due to their wide variety of applications in various science areas. The green synthesis shows a sustainable alternative to obtain nanomaterials and aims to use biological materials to replace chemical reagents, traditionally used in these processes. In this work gold nanoparticles (AuNP) were synthesized using aqueous leaf of Mimusops coriacea (McAuNP). The obtained nanoparticles were characterized by different techniques, such as UV-Vis; fluorescence; FTIR; transmission electron microscopy (TEM); dynamic light scattering (DLS) and Zeta potential. Variations in the pH of the medium, concentration of the reagents and pH were applied, aiming to optimize the synthesis processes. The method to synthesize gold nanoparticles using Mimusops coriacea leaves extract presented high reproducibility and is in accordance with the principles of green chemistry and sustainability, presenting a low-cost and biocompatible alternative to obtain AuNPs. Antimicrobial action of McAuPs was tested using minimum inhibitory concentration test.