Effects of inclusion of waste vinegar residue in the diet of laying hens on chyme characteristics and gut microflora

Vinegar residue biochar: A possible conditioner for the safe remediation of alkaline Pb-contaminated soil

A better understanding how to modulate alkaline soil-plant systems with lead (Pb) toxicity with by vinegar residue biochar is important for the remediation of Pb-contaminated soil. Leaching column and pot experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of vinegar residue biochar on Pb speciation, soil properties, and plant growth under Pb stress. The results indicate that biochar could effectively decrease the exchangeable and carbonated-bound Pb but increase the Fe-Mn oxide and residue fractions in the soil with Pb at 500 mg kg^-1. Biochar did not effectively immobilize Pb in the soil with Pb at 1000 mg kg^-1. After leaching, biochar evidently increased the organic carbon and dissolved organic carbon content of the soil, but slightly affected the pH, cation exchange capacity and carbonate content. The biochar addition at 0.5% had no significant effect on soil aggregates, and biochar at 2.0% and 5.0% significantly decreased soil aggregate stability. The dry weight and soluble protein content of pak choi (Brassica chinensis L.) increased with biochar treatment. Lead assimilation by plants was inhibited by the decreased availability of Pb in biochar-treated soils. Soil enzymes activities also significantly increased, then facilitated biochemical reactions in the soil environment. The applied biochar has shown an important role in mitigating Pb toxicity by increasing the soil organic carbon, dissolved organic carbon content, enzyme activities, and plant growth. The low dose biochar (0.5-2.0%) are recommended as references for subsequent experiments, especially in alkaline loam soil.

Hepatoprotective Effect of Cereal Vinegar Sediment in Acute Liver Injury Mice and Its Influence on Gut Microbiota

Cereal vinegar sediment (CVS) is a natural precipitate formed during the aging process of traditional grain vinegar. It has been used as Chinese traditional medicine, while its composition and function are reported minimally. In this study, we measured CVS in terms of saccharide, protein, fat and water content, and polyphenol and flavonoid content. Furthermore, we determined the amino acids, organic acids, and other soluble metabolites in CVS using reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC), HPLC, and liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) platforms. The hepatoprotective effect of CVS was evaluated in acute CCl₄-induced liver injury mice. Administration of CVS for 7 days prior to the CCl₄ treatment can significantly decrease liver alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, compared with those in the hepatic injury model group. The gut microbiota was changed by CCl₄ administration and was partly shifted by the pretreatment of CVS, particularly the Muribaculaceae family, which was increased in CVS-treated groups compared with that in the CCl₄ administration group. Moreover, the abundances of Alistipes genus and Muribaculaceae family were correlated with the liver ALT, AST, and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. Our results illustrated the composition of CVS and its hepatoprotective effect in mice, suggested that CVS could be developed as functional food to prevent acute liver injury.

Study on the nutritional value and ruminal degradation characteristics of fermented waste vinegar residue by N. sitophila

Chemical composition and rumen degradability of waste vinegar residue (WVR) as roughage feed used for mutton sheep were evaluated in this work. Compared with the unfermented WVR, the WVR fermented by N. sitophila had more (P < 0.01) ash, crude protein (CP), and true protein (TP), less (P < 0.01) ether extract (EE), and significantly more carotenoid by about 27 times. But the contents of dry matter (DM), crude fiber (CF), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and acid detergent fiber (ADF) had no obvious differences (P > 0.05) between unfermented and fermented WVR. The results suggested that the nutritional value of fermented WVR was higher for mutton sheep as roughage feed than that of unfermented WVR. The effective degradability (ED) of DM was higher (P < 0.05) in sheep with fermented WVR-based diet. The ED of CP and NDF of fermented WVR was reduced (P < 0.01) compared with the unfermented WVR. The results further suggested that the fermentation improved the degradability of WVR, and the rumen degradability of protein by ruminal flora decreased in fermented WVR, saving more protein for the sheep post-ruminal digestion and absorption. Furthermore, the results presented here clearly indicated the potential of fermented WVR by N. sitophila as an unconventional and functional feedstuff with rich carotenoid for ruminants, which could reduce WVR discharge in vinegar brewing industry and improve ruminant production. This work laid a foundation for the development of ruminant carotenoid functional feed.

Remediation of cadmium contaminated water and soil using vinegar residue biochar

This study investigated a new biochar produced from vinegar residue that could be used to remediate cadmium (Cd)-contaminated water and soil. Aqueous solution adsorption and soil incubation experiments were performed to investigate whether a biochar prepared at 700 °C from vinegar residue could efficiently adsorb and/or stabilize Cd in water and soil. In the aqueous solution adsorption experiment, the Cd adsorption process was best fitted by the pseudo-second-order kinetic and Freundlich isotherm models. If the optimum parameters were used, i.e., pH 5 or higher, a biochar dosage of 12 g L^-1, a 10 mg L^-1 Cd initial concentration, and 15-min equilibrium time, at 25 °C, then Cd removal could reach about 100%. The soil incubation experiment evaluated the biochar effects at four different application rates (1, 2, 5, and 10% w/w) and three Cd contamination rates (0.5, 1, and 2.5 mg kg^-1) on soil properties and Cd fractionation. Soil pH and organic matter increased after adding biochar, especially at the 10% application rate. At Cd pollution levels of 1.0 or 2.5 mg kg^-1, a 10% biochar application rate was most effective. At 0.5 mg Cd kg^-1 soil, a 5% biochar application rate was most efficient at transforming the acid extractable and easily reducible Cd fractions to oxidizable and residual Cd. The results from this study demonstrated that biochar made from vinegar residue could be a new and promising alternative biomass-derived material for Cd remediation in water and soil.