Systemic insecticides are applied to plants using a wide variety of methods, ranging from foliar sprays to seed treatments and soil drenches. Neonicotinoids and fipronil are among the most widely used pesticides in the world. Their popularity is largely due to their high toxicity to invertebrates, the ease and flexibility with which they can be applied, their long persistence, and their systemic nature, which ensures that they spread to all parts of the target crop. However, these properties also increase the probability of environmental contamination and exposure of nontarget organisms. Environmental contamination occurs via a number of routes including dust generated during drilling of dressed seeds, contamination and accumulation in arable soils and soil water, runoff into waterways, and uptake of pesticides by nontarget plants via their roots or dust deposition on leaves. Persistence in soils, waterways, and nontarget plants is variable but can be prolonged; for example, the half-lives of neonicotinoids in soils can exceed 1,000 days, so they can accumulate when used repeatedly. Similarly, they can persist in woody plants for periods exceeding 1 year. Breakdown results in toxic metabolites, though concentrations of these in the environment are rarely measured. Overall, there is strong evidence that soils, waterways, and plants in agricultural environments and neighboring areas are contaminated with variable levels of neonicotinoids or fipronil mixtures and their metabolites (soil, parts per billion (ppb)-parts per million (ppm) range; water, parts per trillion (ppt)-ppb range; and plants, ppb-ppm range). This provides multiple routes for chronic (and acute in some cases) exposure of nontarget animals. For example, pollinators are exposed through direct contact with dust during drilling; consumption of pollen, nectar, or guttation drops from seed-treated crops, water, and consumption of contaminated pollen and nectar from wild flowers and trees growing near-treated crops. Studies of food stores in honeybee colonies from across the globe demonstrate that colonies are routinely and chronically exposed to neonicotinoids, fipronil, and their metabolites (generally in the 1–100 ppb range), mixed with other pesticides some of which are known to act synergistically with neonicotinoids. Other nontarget organisms, particularly those inhabiting soils, aquatic habitats, or herbivorous insects feeding on noncrop plants in farmland, will also inevitably receive exposure, although data are generally lacking for these groups. We summarize the current state of knowledge regarding the environmental fate of these compounds by outlining what is known about the chemical properties of these compounds, and placing these properties in the context of modern agricultural practices.

/pdf/environmental-fate-and-exposure-neonicotinoids-and-fipronil-ln5a08bl9m.pdf

Environmental fate and exposure; neonicotinoids and fipronil

Agricultural residues are rich in bioactive compounds. These residues can be used as an alternate source for the production of different products like biogas, biofuel, mushroom, and tempeh as the raw material in various researches and industries. The use of agro-industrial wastes as raw materials can help to reduce the production cost and also reduce the pollution load from the environment. Agro-industrial wastes are used for manufacturing of biofuels, enzymes, vitamins, antioxidants, animal feed, antibiotics, and other chemicals through solid state fermentation (SSF). A variety of microorganisms are used for the production of these valuable products through SSF processes. Therefore, SSF and their effect on the formation of value-added products are reviewed and discussed.

/pdf/agro-industrial-wastes-and-their-utilization-using-solid-419ao2hw4h.pdf

Agro-industrial wastes and their utilization using solid state fermentation: a review

Culturalable and non-culturable microorganisms naturally ferment majority of global fermented foods and beverages. Traditional food fermentation represents an extremely valuable cultural heritage in most regions, and harbors a huge genetic potential of valuable but hitherto undiscovered strains. Holistic approaches for identification and complete profiling of both culturalable and non-culturable microorganisms in global fermented foods are of interest to food microbiologists. The application of culture-independent technique has thrown new light on the diversity of a number of hitherto unknown and non-cultural microorganisms in naturally fermented foods. Functional bacterial groups ("phylotypes") may be reflected by their mRNA expression in a particular substrate and not by mere DNA-level detection. An attempt has been made to review the microbiology of some fermented foods and alcoholic beverages of the world.

/pdf/review-diversity-of-microorganisms-in-global-fermented-foods-104q4scr0n.pdf

Review: Diversity of Microorganisms in Global Fermented Foods and Beverages

Fungi are an understudied, biotechnologically valuable group of organisms. Due to 
the immense range of habitats that fungi inhabit, and the consequent need to compete against a diverse array of other fungi, bacteria, and animals, fungi have developed numerous survival mechanisms. The unique attributes of fungi thus herald great promise for their application in biotechnology and industry. Moreover, fungi can be grown with relative ease, making production at scale viable. The search for fungal biodiversity, and the construction of a living fungi collection, both have incredible economic potential in locating organisms with novel industrial uses that will lead to novel products. This manuscript reviews fifty ways in which fungi can potentially be utilized as biotechnology. We provide notes and examples for each potential exploitation and give examples from our own work and the work of other notable researchers. We also provide a flow chart that can be used to convince funding bodies of the importance of fungi for biotechnological research and as potential products. Fungi have provided the world with penicillin, lovastatin, and other globally significant medicines, and they remain an untapped resource with enormous industrial potential.

The amazing potential of fungi: 50 ways we can exploit fungi industrially

We discuss current information on the ability of extracts and isolated metabolites from mushrooms to modulate immune responses. This can result in a more enhanced innate and acquired disease resistance. The major immunomodulating effects of these active substances derived from mushrooms include mitogenicity and activation of immune effector cells, such as lymphocytes, macrophages, and natural killer cells, resulting in the production of cytokines, including interleukins (ILs), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF)-alpha, and interferon gamma (INF)-gamma. In particular, the ability of selective mushroom extracts to modulate the differentiation capacity of CD4(+) T cells to mature into T(H)1 and/or T(H)2 subsets will be discussed. As a consequence these extracts will have profound effects in particular diseases, like chronic autoimmune T(H)1-mediated or allergic T(H)2-mediated diseases. Immunosuppressive effects by mushroom components have also been observed. The therapeutic effects of mushrooms, such as anticancer activity, suppression of autoimmune diseases, and allergy have been associated with their immunomodulating effects. However, further studies are needed to determine the molecular mechanisms of the immunomodulating effects of mushrooms metabolites both individually and in complex mixtures, for example, extracts.

/pdf/antiinflammatory-and-immunomodulating-properties-of-fungal-3sz1gr4y97.pdf

Antiinflammatory and immunomodulating properties of fungal metabolites.

Succession of bacterial and fungal communities during natural coffee (Coffea arabica) fermentation.

Determination of dynamic characteristics of microbiota in a fermented beverage produced by Brazilian Amerindians using culture-dependent and culture-independent methods.

Diferentes residuos agricolas disponiveis na regiao sul de Minas Gerais foram testados para o cultivo do cogumelo Pleurotus sajor-caju. Foram avaliados os seguintes substratos: palha de feijao pura (PFP), palha de milho pura (PMP), casca de cafe pura (CCP), palha de feijao enriquecida com 2% de calcario, 2% de gesso e 10% de farelo de trigo (PFE), palha de milho enriquecida (PME) e casca de cafe enriquecida (CCE). Todos os substratos receberam 2% de inoculante e foram incubados a 24°C. Apos a colonizacao, os sacos foram mantidos abertos em ambiente a 24°C e umidade a 80%. PFP, PFE e PME apresentaram os melhores resultados na producao de cogumelos, com uma eficiencia biologica de 85,7; 81,4 e 83,4%, respectivamente. A palha de feijao foi considerada o melhor residuo para a producao do cogumelo P. sajor-caju, porque apresentou a melhor eficiencia biologica sem necessidade de enriquecimento.

http://www.scielo.br/pdf/cagro/v27n6/22.pdf

Cultivo do cogumelo Pleurotus sajor-caju em diferentes resíduos agrícolas

O cultivo de cogumelos esta em franca expansao no Brasil, gracas a descoberta de suas propriedades medicinais e culinarias pelo povo brasileiro e tambem em funcao da melhoria das condicoes economicas. Entretanto, ha ainda uma necessidade de desenvolvimento de uma tecnologia de cultivo apropriada para as condicoes brasileiras. Durante muitos anos, a tecnologia de cultivo de cogumelos utilizada no Brasil foi uma adaptacao daquela utilizada nos paises desenvolvidos, cujas condicoes climaticas e disponibilidade de materia-prima sao diferentes do Brasil. Portanto, para que se possa desenvolver todo o potencial brasileiro para o cultivo de cogumelos, e essencial o desenvolvimento de tecnologias de cultivo mais apropriadas para a agricultura familiar, mas tambem e importante o desenvolvimento tecnologico voltado para o cultivo de cogumelos em escala industrial. As principais especies de cogumelos cultivados no Brasil sao discutidas neste trabalho, alem da indicacao das principais necessidades de pesquisa para o futuro.

/pdf/mushroom-cultivation-in-brazil-challenges-and-potential-for-18eb04osyo.pdf

Mushroom cultivation in Brazil: challenges and potential for growth

The mushroom Agaricus blazei Murrill was discovered in Piedade, state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and sent to Japan to be studied for its medicinal properties. Studies in guinea pigs revealed antitumor properties, triggering Japanese importation of A. blazei from Brazil. Because of its high price on the international market, many companies and rural growers produce A. blazei as alternative crop to increase income, but because interest in this mushroom occurred suddenly there has not been enough time for the scientific community to investigate it and, technology used for its cultivation is still based on empirical rules. There are also some contradicting data regarding the classification of this mushroom, and its antitumor properties still need to be confirmed in humans.

/pdf/truths-and-myths-about-the-mushroom-agaricus-blazei-229us3pq30.pdf

Eustáquio Souza Dias

Papers

Succession of bacterial and fungal communities during natural coffee (Coffea arabica) fermentation.

Determination of dynamic characteristics of microbiota in a fermented beverage produced by Brazilian Amerindians using culture-dependent and culture-independent methods.

Cultivo do cogumelo Pleurotus sajor-caju em diferentes resíduos agrícolas

Mushroom cultivation in Brazil: challenges and potential for growth

Truths and myths about the mushroom Agaricus blazei