Bruno Chaboli Gambarato

The agro-industrial sector is a key pillar of the global economy, playing a central role in the supply of food, energy, and industrial inputs. However, its production chain generates significant amounts of residues and by-products, which, if not properly managed, may cause considerable environmental impacts. In this context, the search for alternatives to reuse these materials is essential, particularly when they can be converted into high-value products. One promising application is their use as a nutrient source for microorganisms in high-value biotechnological processes, such as the production of L-Asparaginase, an important enzyme used both in mitigating acrylamide formation in foods and as a biopharmaceutical in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia therapy. This approach offers a sustainable and competitive pathway, combining robust, scalable, and economical enzyme production with waste valorization and circular economy benefits. Although interest in developing more sustainable processes is growing, supported by international agreements and strategies for the valorization of agricultural residues, important challenges remain. The variability and impurity of residues pose significant challenges for producing biological products for the pharmaceutical and food industries. In addition, meeting regulatory requirements is essential to ensure product safety and traceability, while achieving high yields is crucial to maintain production viability compared to conventional media. Overcoming these barriers is critical to enable industrial-scale application of this approach. This review provides a residue-centered revision of the most relevant agro-industrial by-products used as substrates for L-asparaginase production, systematically comparing their compositional characteristics, fermentation strategies, and reported yields. Additionally, we present a novel SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis that critically examines the technical, regulatory, and economic challenges of implementing residue-based processes on an industrial scale.

Soy molasses, a byproduct of soy protein concentrate production, offers potential as a substrate for biotechnological applications due to its rich composition of carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and bioactive compounds. Despite this, it remains underutilized, often relegated to low-value applications such as animal feed or waste, largely due to variability in its composition, the presence of microbial inhibitors, and limited industrial awareness of its potential. This review explores the biotechnological strategies for valorizing soy molasses, focusing on its chemical and physical properties, potential applications, and the challenges associated with its use. Its high carbohydrate content supports its utilization in producing biofuels, organic acids, and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), addressing the global demand for sustainable energy and materials while costing approximately 20% of the value of conventional carbohydrate sources. Additionally, bioactive compounds have extended applications to nutraceuticals and cosmetics, while proteins and lipids enable enzyme and biosurfactant production. However, challenges such as variability in composition, the presence of inhibitory compounds, and scalability issues require innovative approaches, including pre-treatment methods and strain engineering. By integrating soy molasses into a circular bioeconomy framework, industries can reduce waste, lower their carbon footprint, valorize agro-industrial residues, and generate economic value. This review underscores the untapped potential of soy molasses as a versatile, sustainable resource, while highlighting the need for continued advancements to transform it into a key player in industrial biotechnology.

Citrus fruit production generates substantial by-products, primarily from juice processing, which represent significant environmental and economic challenges. However, these residues, rich in polysaccharides, flavonoids, essential oils, and enzymes, offer an untapped resource for biotechnological applications. This review explores the potential of citrus by-products as substrates for enzyme production, focusing on key industrial enzymes such as cellulases, pectinases, xylanases, ligninases, lipases, and proteases. Various microbial strains have demonstrated the ability to convert citrus residues into high-value enzymes through solid-state and submerged fermentation. The optimization of fermentation conditions—including temperature, pH, moisture content, and the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio—further enhances enzymatic yields. The valorization of citrus waste aligns with circular economy principles, reducing environmental impacts while supporting sustainable bioproduct development for the food, biofuel, pharmaceutical, and textile industries. Future research should focus on scaling up enzyme production using citrus waste to improve economic feasibility and advance industrial biorefineries.

Objetivos: Analisar e compreender as demandas e o perfil dos usuários atendidos em um ambulatório de genética do sul fluminense, buscando o aprimoramento dos atendimentos. Método: Trata-se de um estudo retrospectivo que avaliou os prontuários de 119 pacientes atendidos em 2018. Resultados: Verificou-se que 90% dos encaminhamentos para avaliação genética foram realizados por médicos de diversas especialidades, com predomínio dos pediatras (19,3%). Dos pacientes, 51,3% eram oriundos do município de Volta Redonda (RJ) e o restante de outros 14 municípios do Rio de Janeiro e de Minas Gerais. A maioria dos pacientes (93,3%) era casos índice, e os demais buscavam aconselhamento genético. Nos casos índice, não houve diferença de sexo, e a faixa etária predominante foi entre 5 e 9 anos. Foram diagnosticadas mais de 50 doenças genéticas, sendo as mais frequentes a síndrome de Down, a síndrome de Turner e a neurofibromatose. Conclusão: As doenças raras apresentam diversas causas, sendo 80% delas de origem genética. Para atender pacientes com essa condição, é preciso ter serviços especializados em genética médica. A maioria desses serviços concentra-se nas regiões Sudeste e Sul, entre eles o ambulatório de genética clínica vinculado à Faculdade de Medicina do Centro Universitário de Volta Redonda, em Volta Redonda. Os dados avaliados auxiliam na compreensão do perfil dos pacientes e nas demandas do sistema de saúde da região, possibilitando planejar a capacitação de profissionais para a identificação de pacientes com prováveis doenças genéticas e organizar o fluxo de encaminhamento para o serviço, incorporando uma logística mais eficaz.

A Wayback Machine (WM) permite visualizar páginas da World Wide Web arquivadas, reconstruindo o fluxo de informações sobre um tópico durante um período de tempo definido. Objetivos: Delinear e comparar a evolução histórica da apropriação do conceito de príon pela comunidade científica e popular. Metodologia: Estudo exploratório no Pubmed (PM) e WM, utilizando como termo de entrada “Prion” ou “Scrapie”. Os dados do WM foram selecionados seguindo uma metodologia de amostragem aleatória trimestral. Resultados: Há um grande aumento no fluxo de publicações no PM nos anos posteriores a 1996, totalizando 10.551 artigos até 2018. Discussão: Nota-se especulação inicial na sociedade, enquanto o conhecimento sobre o príon não foi consolidado, com reação de intenso alarmismo, sendo isso amenizado com a construção e disseminação do conhecimento científico. Conclusão: O WM provou ser uma ferramenta inovadora e prática a ser empregada para analisar a construção historiográfica de um conceito científico.

In this study, a lichen-like structure was obtained through the production of a unique biomass, formed by algae cells of Scenedesmus obliquus adhering to the mycelium of filamentous fungal Mucor circinelloides. This structure was composed in two steps; in the first one, microalgal cells and spores were incubated separately, and in the second one, after 72 h of growth, isolated, mature mycelium was harvested and added to cell culture. For spores’ incubation, a culture medium containing only 2 g·L⁻¹ of glucose and minerals was used. This culture medium, with low sugar content, provided a fungal biomass to the anchorage of microalgae cells. WC medium was used without and with sugarcane molasses supplementation for microalgae cells’ incubation. The lichen-type structure that was formed resulted in 99.7% efficiency in the recovery of microalgae cells and in up to 80% efficiency in the recovery of algae biomass in the lichen biomass composition. In addition, the resulting consortium attained a satisfactory lipid accumulation value (38.2 wt%) with a balanced fatty acid composition of 52.7% saturated plus monounsaturated fatty acids and 47.4% polyunsaturated fatty acids. Since fungal species are easy to recover, unlike microalgae, the lichen-like structure produced indicates an efficient low-cost bioremediation and harvesting alternative; in addition, it provides an oleaginous biomass for various industrial applications.

Introdução: A publicação de artigos científicos em periódicos é uma eficiente forma de divulgação de pesquisas e de novos conhecimentos humanos em constante expansão. Os descritores servem como forma de catalogar publicações, facilitando sua busca. Objetivo: Avaliar se diferentes formas de pesquisa do mesmo termo (Health Education) influenciam quanti e qualitativamente no resgate de artigos no Pubmed. Método: A pesquisa dos artigos foi feita de forma exploratória na base de dados PubMed entre os anos de 2000 a 2015, utilizando as palavras Health Education de quatro formas diferentes: Health Education, “Health Education”, Health Education [MeSH Terms] e Health Education [MeSH Major Topic] e comparados quantitativamente. O MeSH é organizado em uma rede hierárquica tipo árvore denominada MeSH Tree. Para comparação qualitativa, foram utilizados resultados obtidos entre 2002 e 2014. Resultados: o uso de descritores (MeSH) forneceu um número menor de artigos resgatados, mas estes se adequavam mais ao tema pesquisado do que aqueles resgatados por outras formas de busca. Conclusão: Estratégias de busca com descritores são mais adequados para temas muito abordados na literatura. Temas pouco abordados na literatura podem ser mais difíceis de serem encontrados, podendo ser necessário utilizar estratégias de pesquisa que possam resgatar um número maior de artigos.