Search

The development of biofilm on the biotic and abiotic surfaces is the greatest challenge for health care sectors. At present times, oral infection is a common concern among people with an unhealthy lifestyle and most of these biofilms-associated infections are resistant to antibiotics. This has increased a search for the development of alternate therapeutics for eradicating biofilm-associated infection. Nanobiotechnology being an effective way to combat such oral infections may encourage the use of herbal compounds, such as bio-reducing and capping agents. Green-synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO NP) by the use of the floral extract of Clitoria ternatea, a traditionally used medicinal plant, showed stability for a longer period of time. The NPs as depicted by the TEM image with a size of 10 nm showed excitation spectra at 360 nm and were found to remain stable for a considerable period of time. It was observed that the NPs were effective in the eradication of the oral biofilm formed by the major tooth attacking bacterial strains namely Porphyromonsas gingivalis and Alcaligenes faecalis, by bringing a considerable reduction in the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). It was observed that the viability of the Porphyromonsas gingivalis and Alcaligenes faecalis was reduced by NP treatment to 87.89 ± 0.25% in comparison to that of amoxicillin. The results went in agreement with the findings of modeling performed by the use of response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural network (ANN). The microscopic studies and FT-IR analysis revealed that there was a considerable reduction in the biofilm after NP treatment. The in silico studies further confirmed that the ZnO NPs showed considerable interactions with the biofilm-forming proteins. Hence, this study showed that ZnO NPs derived from Clitoria ternatea can be used as an effective alternative therapeutic for the treatment of biofilm associated oral infection.

In microbial electrochemical systems, microorganisms catalyze chemical reactions converting chemical energy present in organic and inorganic molecules into electrical energy. The concept of microbial electrochemistry has been gaining tremendous attention for the past two decades, mainly due to its numerous applications. This technology offers a wide range of applications in areas such as the environment, industries, and sensors. The biocatalysts governing the reactions could be cell secretion, cell component, or a whole cell. The electroactive bacteria can interact with insoluble materials such as electrodes for exchanging electrons through colonization and biofilm formation. Though biofilm formation is one of the major modes for extracellular electron transfer with the electrode, there are other few mechanisms through which the process can occur. Apart from biofilm formation electron exchange can take place through flavins, cytochromes, cell surface appendages, and other metabolites. The present article targets the various mechanisms of electron exchange for microbiome-induced electron transfer activity, proteins, and secretory molecules involved in the electron transfer. This review also focuses on various proteomics and genetics strategies implemented and developed to enhance the exo-electron transfer process in electroactive bacteria. Recent progress and reports on synthetic biology and genetic engineering in exploring the direct and indirect electron transfer phenomenon have also been emphasized.

Determination of the quality of food products is an essential key factor needed for safe-guarding the quality of food for the interest of the consumers, along with the nutritional and sensory improvements that are necessary for delivering better quality products. Bacteriocins are a group of ribosomally synthesized antimicrobial peptides that help in maintaining the quality of food. The implementation of multi-omics approach has been important for the overall enhancement of the quality of the food. This review uses various recent technologies like proteomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics for the overall enhancement of the quality of food products. The matrix associated with the food products requires the use of sophisticated technologies that help in the extraction of a large amount of information necessary for the amelioration of the food products. This review would provide a wholesome view of how various recent technologies can be used for improving the quality food products and for enhancing their shelf-life.