Recently added articles from Critical Reviews in Biotechnology:
Effects of Water on Enzyme Performance with an Emphasis on the Reactions in Supercritical Fluids
Oct 01, 2007; ... ABSTRACT Enzymes require a certain level of water in their structures in order to maintain their natural conformation, allowing them to deliver their full functionality. Furthermore, as a modifier of the solvent, up to a certain level, water can modify the solvent properties such as ...
Microbial Mannanases: An Overview of Production and Applications
Oct 01, 2007; ... ABSTRACT Microbial mannanases have become biotechnologically important since they target the hydrolysis of complex polysaccharides of plant tissues into simple molecules like manno-oligosaccharides and mannoses. The role of mannanases in the paper and pulp industry is well established and ...
Guayule and Russian Dandelion as Alternative Sources of Natural Rubber
Oct 01, 2007; ... ABSTRACT Natural rubber, obtained almost exclusively from the Para rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis), is a unique biopolymer of strategic importance that, in many of its most significant applications, cannot be replaced by synthetic rubber alternatives. Several pressing motives lead to the search ...
Novel Delivery Systems for Interferons
Jul 01, 2007; ... ABSTRACT Interferons, IFNs, are among the most widely studied and clinically used biopharmaceuticals. Despite their invaluable therapeutic roles, the widespread use of IFNs suffers from some inherent limitations, mainly their relatively short circulation lifespan and their unwanted effects on ...
The State of the Art in the Production of Fructose from Inulin Enzymatic Hydrolysis
Jul 01, 2007; ... ABSTRACT The present work reviews the main advancements achieved in the last decades in the study of the fructose production process by inulin enzymatic hydrolysis. With the aim of collecting and clarifying the majority of the knowledge in this area, the research on this subject has been divided ...
The Genus Gluconobacter Oxydans: Comprehensive Overview of Biochemistry and Biotechnological Applications
Jul 01, 2007; ... ABSTRACT The genus Gluconobacter comprises some of the most frequently used microorganisms when it comes to biotechnological applications. Not only has it been involved in "historical" production processes, such as vinegar production, but in the last decades many bioconversion routes for special ...
Metabolic Engineering of Plant L-Ascorbic Acid Biosynthesis: Recent Trends and Applications
Jul 01, 2007; ... ABSTRACT Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid; AsA) is the major soluble antioxidant found in plants and is also an essential component of human nutrition. Although numerous biotechnological methods have been exploited to increase its yield, pressures such as commercial competition and environmental ...
Integrative Analysis of Transcriptomic and Proteomic Data: Challenges, Solutions and Applications
Apr 01, 2007; ... ABSTRACT Recent advances in high-throughput technologies enable quantitative monitoring of the abundance of various biological molecules and allow determination of their variation between biological states on a genomic scale. Two popular platforms are DNA microarrays that measure messenger RNA ...
Molecular Phylogenies and Evolution of crt Genes in Algae
Apr 01, 2007; ... ABSTRACT The carotenoids constitute the most widespread class of pigments in nature. Most previous work has concentrated on the identification and characterization of their chemical physical properties and bioavailability. In recent years, significant amounts of research have been conducted in ...
Yeast Phytases: Present Scenario and Future Perspectives
Apr 01, 2007; ... ABSTRACT Phytases hydrolyze phytates to liberate soluble and thus readily utilizable inorganic phosphate. Although phytases are produced by various groups of microbes, yeasts being simple eukaryotes and mostly non-pathogenic with proven probiotic benefits can serve as ideal candidates for ...
Microbial Biosynthesis of Polyglutamic Acid Biopolymer and Applications in the Biopharmaceutical, Biomedical and Food Industries
Jan 01, 2007; ... ABSTRACT This review article provides an updated critical literature review on the production and applications of Polyglutamic Acid (PGA). α-PGA is synthesized chemically, whereas γ-PGA can be produced by a number of microbial species, most prominently various Bacilli. Great ...
Bacterial Chitinases: Properties and Potential
Jan 01, 2007; ... ABSTRACT Chitin is among the most abundant biomass present on Earth. Chitinase plays an important role in the decomposition of chitin and potentially in the utilization of chitin as a renewable resource. During the previous decade, chitinases have received increased attention because of ...
Hairy Root Culture for Mass-Production of High-Value Secondary Metabolites
Jan 01, 2007; ... ABSTRACT Plant cell cultivations are being considered as an alternative to agricultural processes for producing valuable phytochemicals. Since many of these products (secondary metabolites) are obtained by direct extraction from plants grown in natural habitat, several factors can alter ...
L-Asparaginase: A Promising Chemotherapeutic Agent
Jan 01, 2007; ... ABSTRACT This article comprises detailed information about L-asparaginase, encompassing topics such as microbial and plant sources of L-asparaginase, treatment with L-asparaginase, mechanism of action of L-asparaginase, production, purification, properties, expression and characteristics ...
Potential Applications of the Oxidoreductive Enzymes in the Decolorization and Detoxification of Textile and Other Synthetic Dyes from Polluted Water: A Review
Oct 01, 2006; ... ABSTRACT Recently, the enzymatic approach has attracted much interest in the decolorization/degradation of textile and other industrially important dyes from wastewater as an alternative strategy to conventional chemical, physical and biological treatments, which pose serious limitations ....
Biosorption with Algae: A Statistical Review
Oct 01, 2006; ... ABSTRACT The state of the art in the field of biosorption using algae as biomass is reviewed. The available data of maximum sorption uptake (q^sub max^) and biomass-metal affinity (b) for Cd^sup 2+^, Cu^sup 2+^, Ni^sup 2+^, Pb^sup 2+^ and Zn^sup 2+^ were statistically analyzed using 37 different ...
Bio-Microarray Fabrication Techniques-A Review
Oct 01, 2006; ... ABSTRACT Microarrays with biomolecules (e.g., DNA and proteins), cells, and tissues immobilized on solid substrates are important tools for biological research, including genomics, proteomics, and cell analysis. In this paper, the current state of microarray fabrication is reviewed. According to ...
Use of Genetically Engineered Microorganisms (GEMs) for the Bioremediation of Contaminants
Jul 01, 2006; ... ABSTRACT This paper presents a critical review of the literature on the application of genetically engineered microorganisms (GEMs) in bioremediation. The important aspects of using GEMs in bioremediation, such as development of novel strains with desirable properties through pathway ...
Biotechnological Methods to Accelerate Cheddar Cheese Ripening
Jul 01, 2006; ... ABSTRACT Cheese is one of the dairy products that can result from the enzymatic coagulation of milk. The basic steps of the transformation of milk into cheese are coagulation, draining, and ripening. Ripening is the complex process required for the development of a cheese's flavor, texture and ...
Directed Evolution: An Approach to Engineer Enzymes
Jul 01, 2006; ... ABSTRACT Directed evolution is being used increasingly in industrial and academic laboratories to modify and improve commercially important enzymes. Laboratory evolution is thought to make its biggest contribution in explorations of non-natural functions, by allowing us to distinguish the ...