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Mycoprotein is an alternative protein produced through fungal fermentation. However, it typically relies on refined glucose syrup derived from starch, which can be costly and unsustainable. This study investigates the potential of soybean processing by-products (okara and soy whey) as alternative substrates for producing mycoprotein using Aspergillus oryzae . A. oryzae was cultured for 7 days at 30 °C in diluted okara (1:50) and soy whey (1:1) with or without agitation (100 rpm). Soy whey produced higher biomass yields (369.2-408.8 mg dry biomass/g dry substrate), but had a lower biomass concentration (0.783-0.867 g dry weight/L). Conversely, okara produced a higher biomass concentration (2.02 g dry weight/L) with a yield of 114.7 mg dry biomass/g dry substrate. However, biomass formation in okara was only observed in static conditions, as agitation caused biomass to entangle with soy pulp, hampering its production. Additionally, okara tended to release protein into the media, while soy whey accumulated protein within the biomass, reaching up to 53% w / w protein content. The results of this study provide a promising approach to addressing both soybean processing waste reduction and food security concerns.

This study delves into the production and antimicrobial characteristics of cell-free supernatants from Pediococcus acidilactici (CFSs-Pa). Antimicrobial activity was initially observed in CFS-Pa harvested after 12 h of incubation and increased up to the late stationary phase at 48 h. The increase in antimicrobial activity did not align with total protein content, pointing to other factors linked to the accumulation of organic acids, particularly lactic acid. The SDS-PAGE analysis also indicated that the expected proteinaceous compound (pediocin) was not observed in CFS-Pa. Further investigations suggested that the antimicrobial properties of CFS-Pa were exclusively due to organic acids. The MIC values confirmed potent antimicrobial activity, particularly at a 10% dilution of CFS-Pa in MRS broth. The time-kill assays demonstrated bactericidal activity against EHEC, Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus by 12 h, 18 h, and 24 h using a 10% dilution of CFS-Pa. Additionally, CFS-Pa exhibited dose-dependent antioxidant activity, requiring a 70% ( v / v ) concentration to inhibit DPPH scavenging activity by 50%. All the experimental results suggested potential applications of CFS-Pa in food preservation. An attempt to incorporate CFS-Pa into bacterial cellulose (BC) for edible food packaging demonstrated promising antimicrobial results, particularly against L. monocytogenes and S. aureus , with room for optimization.

Synthetic biology has gained many interest around the globe in the last two decades, not only due to its rapid development but also the potential to provide addressable solutions using standardized design of biological systems. Considering its huge population, biodiversity, and natural resources, Indonesia could play an important role in shaping the future of synthetic biology towards a sustainable bio-circular economy. Here, we provide an overview of synthetic biology development in Indonesia, especially on exploring the potential of our biodiversity. We also discuss some potentials of synthetic biology in solving national issues. Furthermore, we also provide the projection and future landscape of synthetic biology development in Indonesia. In addition, we briefly explain the potential challenges that may arise during the development., Competing Interests: All authors declare that they have no conflicting interests., (© 2023 The Authors.)

Pediococcus acidilactici has gained research and commercial interest due to its outstanding probiotic properties, yet its survival during storage and consumption requires improvement. This study aims to enhance P. acidilactici survival using spray drying encapsulation. Different inlet air temperatures (120 °C, 150 °C, and 170 °C) and whey protein isolate (WPI):gum arabic (GA) ratios (1:1, 3:1, 1:3) were tested. Cell viability was significantly (p < 0.05) affected by the inlet temperature but not the WPI:GA ratio. Increasing the inlet temperature to 170 °C significantly decreased P. acidilactici viability by 1.36 log cycles, from 8.61 log CFU/g to 7.25 log CFU/g. The inlet temperature of 150 °C resulted in a powder yield (63.12%) higher than at 120 °C (58.97%), as well as significantly (p < 0.05) lower moisture content (5.71%) and water activity (aw 0.21). Viable cell counts in all encapsulated P. acidilactici were maintained at 5.24−6.75 log CFU/g after gastrointestinal tract (GIT) simulation, with WPI:GA of 3:1 and inlet temperature 150 °C having the smallest log reduction (0.3 log cycles). All samples containing different WPI:GA ratios maintained sufficient viability (>7 log CFU/g) during the first three weeks of storage at 25 °C. These results could provide insights for further developing P. acidilactici as commercial probiotic products.

Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common lung cancer which has the highest mortality rate in Indonesia. One of the trends in treating cancer is by utilizing peptide vaccines, an immunotherapeutic approach that aims to stimulate the cell-mediated adaptive immune system to recognize cancer-associated peptides. Currently, no peptide vaccines are available in the market for NSCLC treatment. Therefore, this project aims to develop a multi-epitope peptide-based vaccine for NSCLC utilizing citrullinated peptides. Citrullination is a post-translational modification that occurs in cancer cells during autophagy that functions to induce immune responses towards modified self-epitopes such as tumor cells, through activation of PAD enzymes within the APC and target cells. It was found that introducing a common citrullinated neo-antigen peptide such as vimentin and enolase to the immune system could stimulate a higher specific CD4 + T cell response against NSCLC. Moreover, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), an antigen that is highly expressed in cancer cells, is also added to increase the vaccine's specificity and to mobilize both CD4 + and CD8 + T cells. These antigens bind strongly to the MHC Class II alleles such as HLA-DRB1*07:01 and HLA-DRB*11:01, which are predominant alleles in Indonesian populations. Through in silico approach, the peptides generated from CEA, citrullinated vimentin and enolase, were analyzed for their MHC binding strength, immunogenicity, ability to induce IFNγ response, and population coverage. It is expected that the immunodominant antigens presentation is able to induce a potent immune response in NSCLC patients in Indonesia, resulting in tumor eradication., Competing Interests: Competing interestThe authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose., (© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2022, Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.)