Amir Mahboubi

Bio: Amir Mahboubi is an academic researcher from University of Borås. The author has contributed to research in topics: Anaerobic digestion & Chemistry. The author has an hindex of 11, co-authored 38 publications receiving 455 citations. Previous affiliations of Amir Mahboubi include Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences & Flemish Institute for Technological Research.

Evaluation of filamentous fungal biomass cultivated on vinasse as an alternative nutrient source of fish feed: protein, lipid, and mineral composition.

Abstract: The rapid growth of aquaculture and scarcity of conventional fish feed supplements has prompted the introduction of new sustainable supplementation sources. In this study, the potential of five strains of fungal biomass of Ascomycetes and Zygomycetes edible filamentous fungi, Aspergillus oryzae, Neurospora intermedia, Rizhopus oryzae, Monascus purpureus, and Fusarium venenatum, cultivated on vinasse, a by-product of the bioethanol industry, as alternative protein sources for fishmeal in the fish diet was evaluated. It was observed that 5% vinasse with an initial pH of 5–6.5 can support fungal biomass yields of 34.3 ± 2.4–118.5 ± 3.9 g DM/L for A. Oryzae, N. intermedia, and R. oryzae. High protein contents of about 44.7%, 57.6%, and 50.9% (w/w), and fat contents of 7.0%, 3.5%, and 5.5% (w/w) were obtained for A. oryzae, N. intermedia, and R. oryzae, respectively. The latter three fungi species contained noticeable amino acid contents, including promising profiles of amino acids that are highly compatible with those of fishmeal. These findings provide evidence that fungal biomasses, with their relatively high protein content, good amino acid profiles, and other essential nutrients, are a promising supplementation alternative that can be produced from low-value by-products and organic-rich waste streams like vinasse to meet the dietary protein requirements in fish feed.

Use of Organic Wastes and Industrial By-Products to Produce Filamentous Fungi with Potential as Aqua-Feed Ingredients

Abstract: Organic-rich waste and industrial by-product streams, generated in enormous amounts on a daily basis, contain substantial amounts of nutrients that are worthy of recovery Biological conversion of organic-waste streams using filamentous fungi is a promising approach to convert nutrients into value-added bioproducts, such as fungal biomass High-protein fungal biomass contains different kinds and levels of amino acids, fatty acids, immunostimulants, antioxidants, pigments, etc, which make it a potential choice for application in animal feed supplementation Considering the challenges long faced by the aquaculture industry in fishmeal production due to the increasing prices and environmental concerns, the aquaculture industry is forced to provide alternative protein-rich sources to replace conventional fishmeal In this review, the possibilities of utilization of filamentous fungi biomass cultivated on organic-rich waste streams, as an alternative nutrient source in fish feed, were thoroughly reviewed

Bioengineering of anaerobic digestion for volatile fatty acids, hydrogen or methane production: A critical review

Abstract: Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a well-established technology used for producing biogas or biomethane alongside the slurry used as biofertilizer. However, using a variety of wastes and residuals as sub ...

Abscisic acid and sucrose regulate tomato and strawberry fruit ripening through the abscisic acid-stress-ripening transcription factor.

Abstract: Although great progress has been made towards understanding the role of abscisic acid (ABA) and sucrose in fruit ripening, the mechanisms underlying the ABA and sucrose signalling pathways remain elusive. In this study, transcription factor ABA-stress-ripening (ASR), which is involved in the transduction of ABA and sucrose signalling pathways, was isolated and analysed in the nonclimacteric fruit, strawberry and the climacteric fruit, tomato. We have identified four ASR isoforms in tomato and one in strawberry. All ASR sequences contained the ABA stress- and ripening-induced proteins and water-deficit stress-induced proteins (ABA/WDS) domain and all ASR transcripts showed increased expression during fruit development. The expression of the ASR gene was influenced not only by sucrose and ABA, but also by jasmonic acid (JA) and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), and these four factors were correlated with each other during fruit development. ASR bound the hexose transporter (HT) promoter, which contained a sugar box that activated downstream gene expression. Overexpression of the ASR gene promoted fruit softening and ripening, whereas RNA interference delayed fruit ripening, as well as affected fruit physiological changes. Change in ASR gene expression influenced the expression of several ripening-related genes such as CHS, CHI, F3H, DFR, ANS, UFGT, PG, PL, EXP1/2, XET16, Cel1/2 and PME. Taken together, this study may provide new evidence on the important role of ASR in cross-signalling between ABA and sucrose to regulate tomato and strawberry fruit ripening. The findings of this study also provide new insights into the regulatory mechanism underlying fruit development.

Correction for Feeding aquaculture in an era of finite resources

Abstract: Aquaculture's pressure on forage fisheries remains hotly contested. This article reviews trends in fishmeal and fish oil use in industrial aquafeeds, showing reduced inclusion rates but greater total use associated with increased aquaculture production and demand for fish high in long-chain omega-3 oils. The ratio of wild fisheries inputs to farmed fish output has fallen to 0.63 for the aquaculture sector as a whole but remains as high as 5.0 for Atlantic salmon. Various plant- and animal-based alternatives are now used or available for industrial aquafeeds, depending on relative prices and consumer acceptance, and the outlook for single-cell organisms to replace fish oil is promising. With appropriate economic and regulatory incentives, the transition toward alternative feedstuffs could accelerate, paving the way for a consensus that aquaculture is aiding the ocean, not depleting it.