Search

The work discussed the necessity to evaluate the environmental effect – i.e. carbon footprint (CF), of N-containing fertilizers when including their production, transportation and use. For that purpose, life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology was involved. The LCA-based CF concerned model fertilizer technology determined with the consideration of greenhouse gases assimilation during fertilizer-induced vegetation, as compared to non-treated crops system. According to the available data, the inclusion of CO2 assimilation by plants via photosynthesis in balance sheet offsets 87.6% of the CF from the biomass consumption. Thus, the new approach to LCA along with the analysis of life cycle costs would provide more reliable determination of the fee amount charged to European fertilizer manufacturers. The approach might be further developed for various products for plant treatment. Also, the verification of similar fertilizer technologies in different installations is expected to identify bottlenecks in terms of the ecological, technical and economic evaluation.

Purpose Investigation on stimulating effect of seed coating with algal homogenate formulations in the initial growth phase was performed.

Currently, legislation restricts the use of mineral fertilizers and pesticides and thus forces a new approach to reducing the use of chemical products through either parallel application or partial replacement with formulations capable of enhancing the efficiency of conventional treatment. Among the natural materials of such capability are algae, which contain a variety of biologically active compounds verified to have a beneficial influence on plants. Algal derivatives have been confirmed to provide crops with nutrients, increase biomass production, and activate the natural ability of plants to respond properly to stress agents. Depending on the formulation, algae-based products might show the functionality of organic fertilizers or components of organo-mineral fertilizers, soil amendments (improvers), (bio)stimulants, and pesticides. However, current European rules are not harmonized at the union level. Until a single market is established, algae’s potential for plant growth enhancement will not be sufficiently developed. There are, however, new strategies for elaborating EU-wide standards and regulations governing products obtained within value chains based on secondary feedstock.

Increasing customer need for natural products of both high and well-defined activity has enhanced the use of biological materials, such as algal biomass. At the same time, algae transport and storage issues, concerning fresh seaweeds in particular, have led to the development of biomolecule isolation, including extraction. To the best of our knowledge, various approaches have been successfully applied in extracting biologically active compounds from algal biomass, among which solvent and temperature treatment are the most common. Considering novel methods, processing under high pressure (pressurized liquid and supercritical fluid extraction) and ultrasound-, microwave-, and enzyme-assisted extraction have been reported. The approaches differ in their efficacy and selectivity and extract purity, determining the usability of the final product in either bulk manufacturing or as a high-value material. Application of algae-based constituents in food and beverage products, dietary and feed supplements, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals is being widely discussed. Recently, the usability of algae oil in the technology of biofuels has been extensively examined. In the current work, preparation of algal extracts and formulations for potential industrial use are discussed.

The green seaweed Enteromorpha prolifera was used as a feedstock for the production of enzymatic hydrolysate using cellulase. The selection of the conditions for enzymatic hydrolysis of the biomass was carried out for different enzyme doses and incubation periods. The obtained extract was examined in terms of its multielemental composition, content of polyphenols and antibacterial properties (tested against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus). Additionally, its influence on the metabolic activity of human colon epithelial cells (Caco-2) was analyzed. The tested concentrations of extract using an in vitro model were 62.5, 125, 250, 500, 1000 and 2000 µg/mL. The hydrolysis yield in the most suitable experimental conditions (8-h process and 50 and 100 µL of cellulase) was 36%. Micro- and macroelements were poorly extracted from the algal biomass. Total phenolic content was 55 mg of gallic acid equivalent per 100 g of dry mass of extract. The cytotoxic effect of extracts, related to the inhibition of the metabolic activity of Caco-2, was noted only after 24 h. In turn, cultures of Caco-2 propagated with extracts for 72 h were characterized by significantly elevated metabolism (the concentration of extracts ranged from 62.5 to 1000 µg/mL, p < 0.05). Obtained results indicated the high biological activity of the prepared extracts; however, the observed effects did not occur in a dose-dependent manner.

Pharmaceuticals or pharmaceutical products are medicinal drugs—of proven safety, effectiveness and high quality, which are prescribed and intended to rational dosage. In general, most of the pharmacologically active compounds were isolated from microorganisms and plants, drug-resistance and identification of new disease entities have imposed to select both new sources and application areas of drug components. There is a broad range of health disorders—including cancer, allergy, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases and inflammation, against which algae have been widely used. Medicinal application of algae depends on the biochemical diversity which is affected by a number of factors, including location, season, grazing pressure, salinity, water motion, temperature, light climate, biomass density and nutrient availability. Despite algae variability, main groups of compounds—such as polysaccharides, pigments, terpenoids, alkaloids, polyphenols, peptides and polyunsaturated fatty acids—showing pharmaceutical activity are indicated. Algae constitute an abundant source of bioactive compounds which have a great potential to be used as pharmaceuticals. Currently, the growing interest is put on the application of different algal compounds in the civilization diseases treatment and the market for pharmaceuticals based on compounds of natural origin is growing worldwide. The still untapped reservoir of chemically active compounds and potential in the field of pharmaceuticals imply a requirement of increased screening of algae for healthcare chemicals and the isolation methods development.

Increasing knowledge on nutrition and plant biotechnology has changed the concepts of agriculture, food, and its impact on health. The numerous scientific research and publications have shown that algae provide health benefits to the people. Seaweeds, due to the beneficial biochemical composition, have a great potential to be used as components of food aimed at increasing its nutritional value. Algal cells possess a wide diversity of biologically active metabolites, e.g., proteins, vitamins, minerals, polysaccharides, amino acids, fatty acids, lipids and could be used in the development of pharmaceuticals and also essential compounds for human nutrition. They could be used as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticoagulant, antimicrobial, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, anticancer, antiobesity, antidiabetic, hypercholesterolemic, and antihypertensive nutraceuticals. The nutritional algae value differs from various species, geographic areas, seasons, and water conditions are taken into account. Currently, the algal products have become familiar to people and the prevention of disease is better understood. The number of healthcare pharmaceuticals from algae is still in the development stage and new functions are being investigated.

The paper discusses the potential applicability of the process of supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) in the production of algal extracts with the consideration of the process conditions and yields. State of the art in the research on solvent-free isolation of biologically active compounds from the biomass of algae was presented. Various aspects related with the properties of useful compounds found in cells of microalgae and macroalgae were discussed, including their potential applications as the natural components of plant protection products (biostimulants and bioregulators), dietary feed and food supplements, and pharmaceuticals. Analytical methods of determination of the natural compounds derived from algae were discussed. Algal extracts produced by SFE process enable obtaining a solvent-free concentrate of biologically active compounds; however, detailed economic analysis, as well as elaboration of products standardization procedures, is required in order to implement the products in the market.

In bioprocesses lipases are typically used in immobilized form, irrespective of type of reaction systems, to ensure an even distribution of catalysts in water restricted media and/or to facilitate separation and reuse. In these studies we report on the selection of appropriate enzyme-carrier preparation for hydrolysis reaction in aqueous and biphasic systems and transesterification in organic solvent. For this Candida rugosa lipase was bound by adsorption or covalent attachment onto various carriers to give 24 preparations. Selection of proper preparation was based on reactivity, thermal stability (4 h at 60°C), possibility of drying and operational stability in 17-23 successive batch processes of 4-nitrophenyl palmitate hydrolysis in water. Activity of preparations varied from 20 to 5100 U∙mL(-1) but the most stable preparations were those of moderate activity: bound by adsorption or covalent attachment to NH₂-Kieselgel or acrylic carrier (retained activity over 90%). Selected preparations were used for hydrolysis of ethyl (1-butyryloxyethyl)-phenylphosphinate in biphasic system, and, after drying, in ethyl (1-hydroxyethyl)-phenyl-phosphinate transesterification. In this study operational stability was the principal criterion of selection. In water system, lipase covalently bound to NH₂-Kieselgel was the best - preserved 50% of initial activity in consecutive batch processes. In biphasic system and lipase covalently bound to acrylic and NH₂-Kieselgel the values were 90 or 77%, respectively, whereas in organic solvent, when lipase was immobilized on NH₂-Kieselgel by adsorption, it was 50%. Thus, NH₂-Kieselgel appears to be an universal matrix for investigated lipase immobilization and can be used in all reaction systems.