The enzymatic treatment of hides in tannery processes is a promising technology. However, the reaction kinetics of commercial enzymes available to the leather industry are not fully understood and their activities have been mainly determined with model proteins such as casein as substrate, which are not of direct relevance for cattle hides. Therefore, it is important to determine their activities on collagen and keratin, the main proteins of skin, in order to use these enzymes in leather processing. This work describes the study of five proteases, used commercially in tanneries, to assess their ability to act upon collagen and keratin and to determine their unhairing. Results showed that all commercial enzymes tested had more activity on collagen than on keratin. Unhairing was also tested and four out of the five enzymes tested showed some unhairing activity. Optima of the temperature and pH of the enzymes were very similar for all five enzymes, with maximal activities around 55ºC and pH 9 to 12, respectively.

Production, viscosity, and chemical composition of xanthan synthesized by bacterium Xanthomonas campestris pv pruni strain 101 were evaluated in bioreactor systems. During the process, the volumetric oxygen mass transfer coefficient (kLa) and the biomass were determined and the pH was monitored. The cultures were grown in a 3 l bioreactor, with aeration and agitation varying as follows: conditions (A) 300 rpm, 3 vvm and (B) 200 rpm, 2 vvm, at 28 °C. Our results showed that gum production was dependent on kLa, with a maximum yield of 8.15 g/l at 300 rpm, 3 vvm, 54 h of fermentation, kLa 21.4/h, while biomass was not affected. All aqueous solutions of 3% (w/v) xanthans synthesized showed a pseudoplastic behavior. The highest viscosity was reached under the strongest aeration/agitation conditions. All xanthan samples contained glucose, mannose, rhamnose, and glucuronic acid as their main components. The highest agitation and aeration rates used under condition A (300 rpm and 3 vvm) favorably influenced the yield and viscosity of the xanthan produced by bacterium X. campestris pv pruni 101 at different fermentation times.

Se evaluó la producción, viscosidad y composición química del xantano sintetizado por la bacteria Xanthomonas campestris pv. pruni cepa 101 en un fermentador. Durante el proceso se controló el pH y se determinaron el coeficiente de transferencia de masa de oxígeno (kLa) y la producción de masa celular seca. Los cultivos se realizaron en un fermentador de 3 l variando la aireación y la agitación, en las siguientes condiciones: (A) 300 rpm, 3 vvm y (B) 200 rpm, 2 vvm; a 28 °C. Nuestros resultados mostraron que la producción de goma fue dependiente del kLa, con un rendimiento máximo de 8,15 g/l a 300 rpm y 3 vvm a las 54 h de fermentación, kLa de 21,4/h, mientras que la producción de biomasa no se afectó. Todas las soluciones acuosas de xantano al 3% (m/v) sintetizadas presentaron comportamiento pseudoplástico. La mayor viscosidad se alcanzó en la condición de aireación/agitación más intensa. Todas las muestras de xantano contenían glucosa, manosa, ramnosa y ácido glucurónico como constituyentes principales. La mayor tasa de agitación y aireación utilizada en la condición A (300 rpm y 3 vvm) influyó favorablemente en el rendimiento y la viscosidad del xantano producido por la bacteria X. campestris pv. pruni 101 a diferentes tiempos de fermentación.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain W303 was transformed with two yeast integrative plasmids containing Kluyveromyces lactis LAC4 and LAC12 genes that codify beta-galactosidase and lactose permease respectively. The BLR030 recombinant strain was selected due to its growth and beta-galactosidase production capacity. Different culture media based on deproteinized cheese whey (DCW) were tested and the best composition (containing DCW, supplemented with yeast extract 1 %, and peptone 3 % (w/v)) was chosen for bioreactor experiments. Batch, and fed-batch cultures with linear ascending feeding for 25 (FB25), 35 (FB35), and 50 (FB50) hours, were performed. FB35 and FB50 produced the highest beta-galactosidase specific activities (around 1,800 U/g cells), and also the best productivities (180 U/L.h). Results show the potential use of fed-batch cultures of recombinant S. cerevisiae on industrial applications using supplemented whey as substrate.