Search Results (176)

Natural materials present sustainable opportunities in architectural design, but often lack the aesthetic controllability associated with synthetic alternatives. This research explores the bio-aesthetic potential of mycelium-bound composites (MBCs) cultivated from Ganoderma Steyaertanum (Reishi mushroom), focusing on how external stimuli and surface treatments influence material expression. This investigation was carried out through interdisciplinary collaboration involving design, architecture, and material science. Two post-demolding surface treatment strategies were applied to MBC samples: ‘Delayed Growth‘ and ‘Accelerated Growth‘. These treatments were designed to assess the mycelium’s responsiveness in terms of colour and texture development. A controlled set of samples was analysed using scanning electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and hydrophobicity testing to evaluate changes in microstructure, chemical composition, and surface properties. The results demonstrate that mycelium exhibits a measurable capacity for aesthetic adaptation, with distinct variations in pigmentation and texture emerging under different treatment conditions. These findings highlight the potential for co-creative design processes with living materials and offer new insights into the integration of biological responsiveness in design practices. The study contributes to the advancement of sustainable material systems and expands the possibilities for bio-design through controlled interaction with bio-materials. Full article

The fashion industry is facing increasing challenges related to textile waste and environmental pollution, driving the need for sustainable material innovations. Bacterial cellulose (BC), a biodegradable and non-polluting biomaterial, has emerged as a promising alternative for the sustainable transformation of fashion materials. Investigations into printing and dyeing techniques are expected to provide methodological frameworks for the design and functional application of BC materials, promoting their adoption and development in the fashion sector. This study, using the kombucha culture method, systematically investigated the cultivation, purification, plasticization, and drying processes of BC as a fashion material, examined its color characteristics using plant and reactive dyeing, and evaluated the effects of pattern printing and the feasibility of traditional plant pigment stencil printing, digital printing, and cyanotype printing on BC. Based on these printing and dyeing methods, digital printing combined with reactive dyeing—offering richer print effects, a wider color gamut, and higher rubbing fastness—was selected to realize the fashion design series Photosynthesis using BC as the primary material. This research contributes methodological insights into the integration of bio-based materials in fashion design and promotes the advancement of sustainable practices within the textile and apparel industries. Full article

The textile industry’s reliance on synthetic dyes contributes significantly to pollution, highlighting the need for sustainable alternatives like biopigments. This study investigates the production and application of the biopigment prodigiosin, which was produced by Pseudomonas putida with a yield of 1.85 g/L. Prodigiosin was prepared under acidic, neutral, and alkaline conditions, resulting in varying protonation states that influenced its affinity for cotton and polyester fibers. Three surfactants (anionic, cationic, non-ionic) were tested, with non-ionic Tween 80 yielding a promising color strength (above 4) and fastness results with neutral prodigiosin at 1.3 g/L. Cotton and polyester demonstrated good washing (color difference up to 14 for cotton, 5 for polyester) and light fastness (up to 15 for cotton, 16 for polyester). Cellulose acetate, used in the conventional printing process as a thickener, produced superior color properties compared to commercial thickeners. Neutral prodigiosin achieved higher color strength, and cotton fabrics displayed halochromic properties, distinguishing them from polyester, which showed excellent fastness. Prodigiosin-printed samples also exhibited strong antimicrobial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and retained halochromic properties over 10 pH cycles. These findings suggest prodigiosin as a sustainable dye alternative and pH sensor, with potential applications in biomedical materials, such as antimicrobial and pH-responsive wound dressings. Full article

GOLDEN2-LIKEs (GLKs) are important transcription factors for the chloroplast development influencing photosynthesis, nutrition, senescence, and stress response in plants. Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is a highly photosynthetic plant; here, a GLK-homologues gene HaGLK was identified from the sunflower genome by bioinformatics. To analyze the bio-function of HaGLK, transgenic rice plants overexpressing HaGLK (HaGLK-OE) were constructed and characterized via phenotype. Compared to the wild-type control rice variety Zhonghua 11 (ZH11), the HaGLK-OE lines exhibited increased photosynthetic pigment contents, higher net photosynthetic rates, and enlarged chloroplast area; meanwhile, genes involved in both photosynthesis and chlorophyll biosynthesis were also significantly up-regulated. Significantly, the HaGLK-OE plants showed a 12–13% increase in yield per plant. Additionally, the HaGLK-OE plants were demonstrated to have improved salt and drought tolerance compared to the control ZH11. Our results indicated that the HaGLK gene could play multiple roles in photosynthesis and stress response in rice, underscoring its potential value for improving crop productivity and environmental adaptability in breeding. Full article

The textile industry is progressively shifting towards more sustainable solutions, particularly in the field of printing technologies. This study reports the development and evaluation of water-based pigment inks formulated with bio-based pigments derived from intermediates produced via bacterial fermentation. Two pigments—indigo (blue) and quinacridone (red)—were incorporated into ink formulations and applied on cotton and polyester fabrics through valve-jet inkjet printing (ChromoJet). The physical properties of the inks were analyzed to ensure compatibility with the equipment, and printed fabrics were assessed as to their color fastness to washing, rubbing, artificial weathering, and artificial light. The results highlight the good performance of the bio-based inks, with excellent light and weathering fastness and satisfactory wash and rub resistance. The effect of different pre-treatments, including a biopolymer and a synthetic binder, was also investigated. Notably, the biopolymer pre-treatment enhanced pigment fixation on cotton, while the synthetic binder improved wash fastness on polyester. These findings support the integration of biotechnologically sourced pigments into eco-friendly textile digital printing workflows. Full article

Small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) derived from mesenchymal stem cells have emerged as promising therapeutic agents in regenerative dermatology. This study evaluated the safety and efficacy of Bio-Pulsed avian mesenchymal stem cell-derived sEVs (AMSC-sEVs), topically applied for hair follicle stimulation and skin rejuvenation. Two prospective, single-arm clinical trials were conducted: one involving 30 participants using a hair ampoule over 60 days, and the other involving 30 participants applying a facial essence for 28 days. Objective measurements demonstrated significant improvements in the anagen/telogen hair ratio, reduced shedding, increased collagen density, and reduced wrinkle depth and pigmentation. Small RNA sequencing and qPCR profiling confirmed that Bio-Pulsed AMSC-sEVs were enriched with regenerative microRNAs, such as miR-21-5p and miR-199a-5p, associated with anti-inflammatory and anti-aging effects. No adverse events were reported. These findings suggest that Bio-Pulsed AMSC-sEVs may offer a safe, non-invasive, and cell-free approach to enhance skin and hair regeneration in human subjects. Full article

This study investigates the effects of salinity and pH modulation on the growth, biochemical composition, and bioactive compound production of Limnospira platensis under photoautotrophic batch cultivation. Cultures were grown in cylindrical photobioreactors using modified Jourdan medium, with controlled variations in NaCl concentrations (0.2–10 g L⁻¹) and pH levels (9–11) to simulate moderate environmental stress. Maximum biomass productivity (1.596 g L⁻¹) was achieved at pH 11 with 10 g L⁻¹ NaCl, indicating that L. platensis can tolerate elevated stress conditions. Phycocyanin (PC) content peaked at 9.54 g 100 g⁻¹ dry weight (DW) at pH 10 and 5 g L⁻¹ NaCl, triple the value at pH 9, highlighting optimal physiological conditions for pigment synthesis. Protein fraction dominated biomass composition (40–60%), while total lipid content increased significantly under high pH and salinity. Polyphenol content reached 19.5 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE) gDW⁻¹ at pH 10 with 0.2 g L⁻¹ NaCl, correlating with the highest antioxidant activity (Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity). These findings underscore the potential of L. platensis as a valuable source of proteins, pigments, and antioxidants, and emphasize the utility of moderate environmental stress in enhancing biomass quality, defined by protein, pigment, and antioxidant enrichment. While this study focused on physiological responses, future research will apply omics approaches to elucidate stress-response mechanisms. This study provides insights into optimizing cultivation strategies for large-scale production exploitable in food, pharmaceutical, and bio-based industries. Full article

Species of Talaromyces C.R. Benj. are valuable biological resources for human beings as competent producers of enzymes, antibiotics, antifungal agents and biopigments, but a comprehensive taxonomic system at the series level has not been fully provided for this genus. In this study, three new series, Palmarum, Resedani and Subinflati, are proposed in section Subinflati. Section Trachyspermi is also restructured to include five series, in which Diversi, Erythromelles, Miniolutei and Resinarum are newly erected, and Trachyspermi is emended. Additionally, four new species are discovered: T. elephas, T. sinensis and T. xishuangbannaensis isolated from rotten fruit husk in Yunnan Province, China, belonging to the series Erythromelles, Subinflati and Miniolutei, respectively, and T. tianshanicus from soil in Uzbekistan, located in ser. Diversi. Morphological distinctions, including colony characteristics, conidiophore structures, and conidial morphologies, along with phylogenetic analyses based on multi-locus datasets (ITS, BenA, CaM and RPB2), confirm their novelty to science. Detailed descriptions and illustrations of the new species are given. The proposed classification of Talaromyces at the series level provides a refined infrageneric framework and facilitates taxonomic stability and future biodiversity studies. Full article

Microscopic cell classification is a fundamental challenge in both clinical diagnosis and biological research. However, existing methods still struggle with the complexity and morphological diversity of cellular images, leading to limited accuracy or high computational costs. To overcome these constraints, we propose an efficient classification method that balances strong feature representation with a lightweight design. Specifically, an Inception-Linear Attention-based Lightweight Vision Transformer (ILViT) model is developed for microscopic cell classification. The ILViT integrates two innovative modules: Dynamic Inception Convolution (DIC) and Contrastive Omni-Kolmogorov Attention (COKA). DIC combines dynamic and Inception-style convolutions to replace large kernels with fewer parameters. COKA integrates Omni-Dimensional Dynamic Convolution (ODC), linear attention, and a Kolmogorov-Arnold Network(KAN) structure to enhance feature learning and model interpretability. With only 1.91 GFLOPs and 8.98 million parameters, ILViT achieves high efficiency. Extensive experiments on four public datasets are conducted to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. It achieves an accuracy of 97.185% on BioMediTech dataset for classifying retinal pigment epithelial cells, 97.436% on ICPR-HEp-2 dataset for diagnosing autoimmune disorders via HEp-2 cell classification, 90.528% on Hematological Malignancy Bone Marrow Cytology Expert Annotation dataset for categorizing bone marrow cells, and 99.758% on a white blood cell dataset for distinguishing leukocyte subtypes. These results show that ILViT outperforms the state-of-the-art models in both accuracy and efficiency, demonstrating strong generalizability and practical potential for cell image classification. Full article

The growing threat of antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria highlights the urgent need for innovative, non-bactericidal therapeutic strategies. Quorum-sensing (QS) inhibition has emerged as a promising approach to attenuate bacterial virulence without exerting selective pressure. This study evaluated the antimicrobial, anti-QS, and antibiofilm properties of aqueous extracts from five medicinal plants native to northeastern Mexico: Gymnosperma glutinosum, Ibervillea sonorae, Larrea tridentata, Olea europaea, and Tecoma stans. Disk diffusion and violacein quantification assays using Chromobacterium violaceum demonstrated significant QS inhibition by G. glutinosum and T. stans, with violacein reductions of 60.02% and 52.72%, respectively, at 40 mg/mL. While L. tridentata and O. europaea exhibited antibacterial activity, I. sonorae showed no growth or pigment inhibition but achieved the highest biofilm disruption (89.89%) against Salmonella typhimurium. UPLC-MS analysis identified chlorogenic acid, kaempferol, and D-(−)-quinic acid as major constituents, compounds previously associated with QS modulation. These findings highlight the potential of traditional Mexican plant species as sources of QS inhibitors and bio-film-disrupting agents, supporting their further development as alternatives to conventional antibiotics. Full article

The mounting global population and the challenges posed by climate change underline the need for sustainable food production systems. This review synthesizes evidence for a dual-track bioeconomy, green (terrestrial plants and insects) and blue (aquatic algae), as complementary pathways toward sustainable nutrition. A comprehensive review of the extant literature, technical reports, and policy documents published between 2015 and 2025 was conducted, with a particular focus on environmental, nutritional, and techno-economic metrics. In addition, precision agriculture datasets, gene-editing breakthroughs, and circular biorefinery case studies were extracted and compared. As demonstrated in this study, the use of green resources, such as legumes, oilseeds, and edible insects, results in a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, land use, and water footprints compared with conventional livestock production. In addition, these alternative protein sources offer substantial benefits in terms of bioactive lipids. Blue resources, centered on micro- and macroalgae, furnish additional proteins, long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, and antioxidant pigments and sequester carbon on non-arable or wastewater substrates. The transition to bio-based resources is facilitated by technological innovations, such as gene editing and advanced extraction methods, which promote the efficient valorization of agricultural residues. In conclusion, the study strongly suggests that policy support be expedited and that research into bioeconomy technologies be increased to ensure the sustainable meeting of future food demands. Full article

Bio-based polyamide 56 (PA56) is a new sustainable material in the polyamide family. In this study, dyes suitable for PA56 fibers were experimentally screened from natural plants rich in pigments. The results showed that the preferred natural dyes for PA56 fabric are turmeric for a yellow hue, madder for a red hue, catechu for a brown hue, and indigo for a blue hue. A green hue was achieved by the two-bath dyeing method using indigo and turmeric, respectively. For a dyability comparison with conventional PA6 and PA66, PA56, PA6, and PA66 fabrics were woven under identical conditions and dyed with turmeric, madder, catechu, and commercial indigo extracts. PA56 fabric exhibited the best dye uptake and the fastest dyeing rate (PA56 > PA6 > PA66). The reason for the excellent dyeability of PA56 fibers was analyzed in terms of differential scanning calorimetry measurement and molecular dynamics simulations. The results showed that the lowest crystallinity was exhibited by PA56 (PA56 < PA6 < PA66); in addition, PA56 displayed the largest fractional free volume (PA56 > PA6 > PA66). These structural characteristics contribute to the excellent dyeability of PA56 fibers. Therefore, PA56 fibers are promising materials, as they are derived from a sustainable source and have superior dyeing properties compared to PA6 and PA66 fibers. Full article

Chinese lacquer, a historically significant bio-based coating, has garnered increasing attention in sustainable materials research due to its outstanding corrosion resistance, thermal stability, and environmental friendliness. Its curing process relies on the laccase-catalyzed oxidation and polymerization of urushiol to form a dense lacquer film. However, the stringent temperature and humidity requirements (20–30 °C, 70–80% humidity) and a curing period that can extend over several weeks severely constrain its industrial application. Recent studies have significantly enhanced the curing efficiency through strategies such as pre-polymerization control, metal ion catalysis (e.g., Cu²⁺ reducing drying time to just one day), and nanomaterial modification (e.g., nano-Al₂O₃ increasing film hardness to 6H). Nevertheless, challenges remain, including the sensitivity of laccase activity to environmental fluctuations, the trade-off between accelerated curing and film performance, and issues related to toxic pigments and VOC emissions. Future developments should integrate enzyme engineering (e.g., directed evolution to broaden laccase tolerance), intelligent catalytic systems (e.g., photo-enzyme synergy), and green technologies (e.g., UV curing), complemented by multiscale modeling and circular design strategies, to drive the innovative applications of Chinese lacquer in high-end fields such as aerospace sealing and cultural heritage preservation. Full article

An oceanographic cruise with 34 stations was conducted in the central-southwestern region of the Gulf of Mexico from February 19 to 10 March 2013. This study included the measurement of hydrographic and phytoplankton bio-optical parameters, and pigment samples were collected at two depth levels (10 and 50 m). Our results showed a warm and nutrient-depleted water column associated with low chlorophyll a (<1 mg Chla m⁻³) and average values of a_ph440 (0.01 ± 0.008, m⁻¹) and a_d350 (0.04 ± 0.02, m⁻¹). In addition, nano-microphytoplankton abundance and pigments were analyzed using a light microscope and HPLC, respectively. Overall, the Gulf of Mexico exhibited oligotrophic characteristics, with Chla (0.17 ± 0.11 mg m⁻³) and NO₃⁻ (0.03 ± 0.001 µM), except at 50 m depth in some stations north of Yucatán and in Campeche Bay and at surface level off the Tamaulipas shelf. In these three regions, values of a_ph(440), a_d(350), (Chla) and phytoplankton abundance (>12 × 10³ cells L⁻¹) were observed near river mouths and under seasonal oceanographic forcings, which increased the growth and diversity of phytoplankton. The most relevant pigments found were DVchla (0.06 ± 0.13 mg m⁻³), Chlb (0.16 ± 0.21 mg m⁻³), Zea (0.06 ± 0.03 mg m⁻³), and Hex-fuco (0.02 ± 0.02 mg m⁻³); these are associated with the presence of Prochlorococcus, chlorophytes, Synechococcus, prymnesiophytes, and diatoms. Through the bio-optical variability, we determined the ecological geography of phytoplankton in four different spectral shapes, where M1 and M2 represent the group of cyanobacteria (Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus) and M3 and M4 represent a mixture of diatoms, dinoflagellates, and chlorophytes. In conclusion, we consider that oceanographic processes such as cyclonic and anticyclonic structures and permanent rivers determine the favorable changes in phytoplankton (>nutrients, Chla, a_ph440) and an increment in the number of phytoplankton spectral shapes). Full article

In this study, pigment-producing yeast (Rhodotorula alborubescens) was isolated from the soil sample, demonstrating the potential for carotenoid biosynthesis. Physiological, morphological, biochemical, and molecular characterization confirmed the identity of the isolate. Optimization of the physical parameters for carotenoid production was achieved through batch shake flask experiments. The optimal conditions were determined to be 84 h of incubation at pH 6.0 and 28 °C under white light irradiation, utilizing the Yeast Peptone Dextrose (YPD) medium composed of 10 g/L yeast extract, 5 g/L of peptone, and 5 g/L dextrose, resulting in maximum carotenoid content. Further, the presence of β-carotene was confirmed using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. These findings highlight the potential of the isolated soil yeast (R. alborubescens) as a potential source of carotenoids, offering natural alternatives for various industrial applications. Full article