The Structures and Functions of Ice Crystal-Controlling Proteins from Bacteria

Experimental Warming Reduces Survival, Cold Tolerance, and Gut Prokaryotic Diversity of the Eastern Subterranean Termite, Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar)

Understanding the effects of environmental disturbances on insects is crucial in predicting the impact of climate change on their distribution, abundance, and ecology. As microbial symbionts are known to play an integral role in a diversity of functions within the insect host, research examining how organisms adapt to environmental fluctuations should include their associated microbiota. In this study, subterranean termites [Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar)] were exposed to three different temperature treatments characterized as low (15°C), medium (27°C), and high (35°C). Results suggested that pre-exposure to cold allowed termites to stay active longer in decreasing temperatures but caused termites to freeze at higher temperatures. High temperature exposure had the most deleterious effects on termites with a significant reduction in termite survival as well as reduced ability to withstand cold stress. The microbial community of high temperature exposed termites also showed a reduction in bacterial richness and decreased relative abundance of Spirochaetes, Elusimicrobia, and methanogenic Euryarchaeota. Our results indicate a potential link between gut bacterial symbionts and termite's physiological response to environmental changes and highlight the need to consider microbial symbionts in studies relating to insect thermosensitivity.

Recovering sodium erythorbate from wastewater through freeze crystallization technology

Eutectic freeze crystallization was developed to recover sodium erythorbate (NaE) from wastewater at pHs 4.1, 5.3, and 6.5. Two substances (A and B) were sequentially recovered from the samples. The recovery rate of substance A was 2.06, 1.83, and 3.03 g/L at pHs 4.1, 5.3, and 6.5, respectively; while that of B was 5.51, 3.09, and 3.26 g/L at the corresponding pHs. The analysis results of the two recovered substances indicated that substance A was mostly Na₂ SO₄ ·10H₂ O, while substance B was mainly NaE. Salt recovery was most successful at pH 4.1 with the purity of recovered NaE reaching 87.53 wt%. Moreover, the chemical oxygen demand and electric conductivity of the ice were far smaller than the initial wastewater. The concentration effect was minimal due to the formation of Na₂ SO₄ ·10H₂ O and NaE crystals. This combined crystallization strategy can potentially become an economic technology to recover NaE from wastewater. Practitioner points Segregation of NaE and Na₂ SO₄ ·10H₂ O during the freeze crystallization process. Recovering 5.53 kg NaE with the purity of 87.53 wt% from 1 m³ wastewater. Decreasing chemical oxygen demand and electric conductivity of wastewater through freeze crystallization technology.

State diagrams for improving processing and storage of foods, biological materials, and pharmaceuticals (IUPAC Technical Report)

Supplemented temperature/composition phase diagrams include the non-equilibrium glass-transition temperature (Tg) curve and equilibrium ice-melting and solubility curves. The inclusion of the non-equilibrium curve allows one to establish relationships with the time coordinate and, thus, with the dynamic behavior of systems, provided that the thermal history of such systems is known. The objective of this report is to contribute to the potential applications of supplemented state diagrams for aqueous glass-formers, in order to describe the influence of water content, nature of vitrifying agents, and temperature on the physico-chemical properties of foods and biological and pharmaceutical products. These data are helpful to develop formulations, processing strategies, or storage procedures in order to optimize the stability of food ingredients and pharmaceutical formulations. Reported experimental data on phase and state transitions for several food and pharmaceutical systems were analyzed. Some methodological aspects and the effect of phase and state transitions on the main potential chemical reactions that can alter those systems during processing and/or storage are discussed.