Wilmar International (Singapore)

On the insistence on taking preventative measures to avoid marine contamination in the waters around Galicia. This necessity is intensified by the EEC norms 91/492 of 15th July and 79/923 of the 30th October which classifies products as proceeding from waters type A, B or C; as far as Galicia is concerned, if the problem is not confronted, from type B. An invitation is made to all the sectors involved -especially the shell-fishers- to install measures of prevention of contamination.

The hac1 gene, a key regulator of the untranslated protein response (UPR), was co-expressed in Pichia pastoris GS115 to enhance the production of a lipase from Geobacillus stearothermophilus. Multicopy lipase constructs (1X and 4X) were transformed with pPICZAwbe_hac1, generating GS115/T1.2RQ(1X)_hac1 and GS115/T1.2RQ(4X)_hac1 strains. The GS115/T1.2RQ(1X)_hac1 strain showed an 186% lipase activity after 120 hours versus the control (100%), while the GS115/T1.2RQ(4X)_hac1 strain showed a faster initial increase (38% at 48 hours) and 28% at 120 hours, which was beneficial for efficient enzyme production. Overexpression of the hac1 gene enhances lipase production because it activates UPR genes when the endoplasmic reticulum is stressed due to a large number of recombinant proteins and forms proteins that are not appropriately folded. SDS-PAGE and tributyrin plate assays confirmed extracellular lipase expression (~43 kDa). These results demonstrate that hac1 co-expression significantly (p = 0.01) enhances lipase production in Pichia pastoris, especially in lower-copy constructs. This is the first report of co-expressing hac1 with Geobacillus stearothermophilus lipase genes in yeast. The findings are expected to contribute to developing more efficient microbial cell factories for producing industrial enzymes.

What is the impact of dynamic changes in facial visibility on identifying the eye and forehead region? This study examines how wearing or removing a mask affects the ability to visually identify the eyes. We investigate whether these changes impact the recognition of upper facial features and alter sensitivity to the misalignment of the face's upper and lower halves, which disrupts holistic face processing. Results show that removing a mask generally impairs visual identification, suggesting that the perception of the whole face hinders recognition of the upper half. This hindering is evident from the fact that the interference decreases when the face is misaligned. In contrast, the impairment in identification caused by adding a mask to a target face rises from losing original support of the holistic processing, given that it was not diminished when the upper and bottom halves were misaligned. Additional findings show that misalignment negatively affects the identification of faces where a mask was either maintained or added, suggesting that masks may actually help direct attention to relevant facial features, rather than being integrated into a holistic representation. We discuss these results in light of their theoretical and practical implications for visual identification, particularly in the context of dynamic changes to facial appearance.

Molasses, a by-product of raw sugar production, is widely used as a cost-effective carbon and nutrient source for industrial fermentations, including the production of baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). Due to the cost and limited availability of molasses, efforts have been made to replace molasses with cheaper and more readily available substrates such as corn syrup. However, the quality of dry yeast drops following the replacement of molasses with corn syrup, despite the same amount of total sugar being provided. Our understanding of how molasses replacement affects yeast physiology, especially during the dehydration step, is limited. Here, we examined changes in gene expression of a strain of baker’s yeast during fermentation with increasing corn syrup to molasses ratios at the transcriptomic level. Our findings revealed that the limited availability of the key metal ions copper, iron, and zinc, as well as sulfur from corn syrup (i) reduced their intracellular storage, (ii) impaired the synthesis of unsaturated fatty acids and ergosterol, as evidenced by the decreasing proportions of these important membrane components with higher proportions of corn syrup, and (iii) inactivated oxidative stress response enzymes. Taken together, the molecular and metabolic changes observed suggest a potential reduction in nutrient reserves for fermentation and a possible compromise in cell viability during the drying process, which may ultimately impact the quality of the final dry yeast product. These findings emphasize the importance of precise nutrient supplementation when substituting molasses with cheaper substrates.

Oil palm clonal propagation seeds (ramets) often give rise to somaclonal variation, which is a cause of hypomethylation in the Karma sequence as a part of the EgDEF1 gene that can lead to abnormalities in flowers and "mantled" fruits, causing a decrease in oil production. The loss of beneficial endophytic bacteria due to aseptic conditions in tissue culture is one of the causes of hypomethylation. This study analyzed the effect of inoculating beneficial endophyte bacteria in hypomethylated oil palm ramets and their impact on plant growth through measurement of the methylation level in the Karma sequence using methylation-specific restriction enzymes and quantitative PCR analysis. Our findings via inoculation of endophyte bacteria indicated that the most significant alteration in methylation occurred in ramets treated with the mixed isolates (3AK, PsJN, R6, GS 4.4) (62.5%), and the 3AK isolate showed a 44.4% increase in hypomethylation to normal methylation. In addition, all inoculation treatments showed more significant growth of oil palm ramets than the control group. These results demonstrate that inoculating appropriate beneficial microbes could significantly enhance the hypomethylated Karma sequence, leading to normal methylated oil palm ramets and promoting their growth.

Sugar-derived surfactants, such as alkyl glycosides, represent alternatives to synthetic surfactants. However, their structures are often built upon small monosaccharide moieties, resulting in limited hydrophilicity and constrained functional performance. In this work, we address this limitation by introducing a “top-down” mechanochemical strategy to produce oligosaccharide-derived surfactants via partial alcoholysis directly from cellulose and even raw biomass. By controlling the average degree of polymerization, we achieve tunable surface properties in the resulting surfactants. Performance tests show comparable or improved oil dewetting, reduced irritation potential, and enhanced water solubility relative to conventional surfactants. Overall, this approach streamlines the synthetic procedure of oligosaccharide-derived biobased surfactants and allows tailoring of surfactant properties.

Abstract. Primananda S, Soedijo S, Gazali A, Aidawati N, Fitriana CDA, Sukarman, Prasetyo AE, Rozziansha TAP. 2025. Ecological design for the propagation of Sycanus dichotomus in insectariums for sustainable oil palm pest management. Biodiversitas 26: 617-627. The oil palm industry plays a substantial role in national and global economies, and sustainable agricultural practices are critical to its longevity including aspects related to pest management. This study aimed to identify effective methods for propagating the predatory insect Sycanus dichotomus as part of integrated pest management in oil palm plantations. The primary focus is on ecological design within the insectarium, selecting appropriate refugia plants, and determining the sex ratio to support an efficient predator population. The study was conducted at an oil palm plantation in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, which serves as a natural ecosystem for S. dichotomus. A multifactorial experimental design was employed, combining variables such as insectarium type manifested as paranet density, adults sex ratio, and refugia plant type. The most optimal results for enhancing the productivity of the predator S. dichotomus were achieved using an insectarium with 100% sunlight intensity, a sex ratio of males to females of 2:4, and Cassia cobanensis as the host plant. The maturation rate from eggs to nymphs increased in an insectarium with 25% sunlight intensity and Antigonon leptopus as the host plant, resulting in high fertility and the presence of 1st, 3rd, and 5th instar nymphs. The interaction between egg groups and the total eggs was highly correlated (80%), and the development of instar 1 and instar 3 showed a fair correlation at 60%, indicating key relationships that support the predator's growth and reproduction under these conditions. Additionally, the study demonstrated that balancing sunlight exposure and selecting appropriate host plants significantly affect the development and reproductive success of S. dichotomus. This research highlights the importance of microclimatic conditions in the insectarium, refugia plants, and sex ratio as crucial factors for rearing S. dichotomus. It provides important insights for the propagation of predator techniques to support the sustainable oil palm industry. These findings underscore the importance of an integrated approach to pest management, ensuring long-term sustainability and economic viability in oil palm cultivation.

This study investigates the influence of product innovation, supply chain management, and product quality on customer satisfaction in the organic food sector. A quantitative approach was employed using survey data collected from 120 organic food consumers in the Jabodetabek area. The data were analyzed using multiple linear regression analysis to determine the impact of each variable. The findings indicate that all three factors product innovation, supply chain management, and product quality have a significant and positive influence on customer satisfaction. Notably, innovations in eco-friendly packaging, product variety, and transparency in supply chain operations contribute significantly to enhancing customer perceptions and trust. These results underscore the critical role of integrated management practices and continuous product development in sustaining customer loyalty and satisfaction in the growing organic food market.

BackgroundThe gut microbiota of black soldier fly larvae (BSFL, Hermetia illucens) play a crucial role in recycling various organic waste streams. This capability is linked to the presence of a potential common core microbiota in BSFL. However, subjective thresholds for defining core taxa and the difficulty of separating genetic and environmental influences have prevented a clear consensus in the literature. We analysed the gut bacterial communities of two genetically distinct BSF lines (wild type (WT) and lab-adapted line (LD)) raised on ten different diets based on common agricultural by-products and food waste in Southeast Asia.ResultsHigh-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed that gut bacterial communities were significantly influenced by genetics (p = 0.001), diet (plant/meat-dominated; p = 0.001), larval age (p = 0.001), and the interactions between all three (p = 0.002). This led us to investigate both common core taxa and lineage-specific core taxa. At a strict > 97% prevalence threshold, four core taxa were identified: Providencia_A_732258, an unclassified genus within the family Enterococcaceae, Morganella, and Enterococcus_H_360604. A relaxed threshold (> 80% prevalence) extended the core to include other potential common core taxa such as Klebsiella, Proteus, and Scrofimicrobium. Our data suggest that Proteus, Scrofimicrobium, Corynebacterium, Vagococcus_B, Lysinibacillus_304693 (all LD), and Paenibacillus_J_366884 (WT) are lineage-specific rather than members of a common core (> 90% prevalence in either LD or WT, with prevalence significantly different between lines (p ≤ 0.05)). Positive correlations were observed between several core genera and larval performance in LD, typical of a highly optimized lab-adapted line. Interestingly, only members of the genus Providencia appeared to play a crucial role in most aspects of larval performance in both genetic lineages.ConclusionOur study demonstrates that the gut microbiota of BSFL is influenced by genetic factors, diet composition, larval age, and their interactions. We identified a distinct lineage-specific core microbiota, emphasizing genetic background’s role. Future studies should apply a standardized high prevalence threshold of at least > 90% unless there is a valid reason for relaxation or sample exclusion. The consistent association of Providencia spp. with larval performance across both genetic lines highlights their crucial role in the BSFL gut ecosystem.