Ramesh Chander Kuhad

Central University of Haryana · Microbiology

Lignocelluloses from agricultural, industrial, and forest residues constitute a majority of the total biomass present in the world. Environmental concerns of disposal, costly pretreatment options prior to disposal, and increased need to save valuable resources have led to the development of value-added alternate technologies such as bioethanol prod...

A newly isolated alkalitolerant basidiomycetous fungus, identified as Crinipellis sp. RCK-1 was observed to produce laccase. The effect of different physicochemical factors on laccase production was studied. The identification of the important factors (initial pH of the medium, copper and tryptophan) with simple screening experiment involving optim...

A new, improved and cost effective protocol for extraction of pure, high molecular weight metagenomic DNA from soil samples using ligninolytic enzymes has been developed. DNA yield of 17 μg g−1 of soil from termite nest soil and 25 μg g−1 from forest soil and size of 15–20 kb was achieved by the optimized protocol. More than 90% of DNA was recovere...

Laccase-initiated oxidative coupling reactions of phenol and its derivatives with 4-aminoantipyrene using air as an oxidant has been investigated. The oxidation reaction of phenols and 4-aminoantipyrene is getting a lot of attention due to environmental concerns. Oxidation of simple phenol and 4-aminoantipyrene as a benchmark reaction enabled us to...

The fungal fermented wheat straws as animal feeds have been evaluated for its toxicological and nutritional status in male rats (Holtzman strain). Digestibility of dry matter and other nutrients as well as fiber fractions were found significantly higher (P < 0.05) in straw fermented with either Ganoderma sp. rckk02 (T3) or Crinipellis sp. RCK-1 (T4...

Enzymatic hydrolysis, the rate limiting step in the process development for biofuel, is always hampered by its low sugar concentration. High solid enzymatic saccharification could solve this problem but has several other drawbacks such as low rate of reaction. In the present study we have attempted to enhance the concentration of sugars in enzymati...

Xylanase production by a newly isolated Streptomyces sp. RCK-2010 was optimized for varying culture conditions following one factor at a time (OFAT) and response surface methodology (RSM) approaches. An initial medium pH 8.0, agitation 200 rpm, incubation temperature 40 °C and inoculum size 1.0% (v/v) were found to be optimal for xylanase productio...

Saponins are common in a large number of plants and plant products. It is having important role in human and animal nutrition. Saponins have biological role as membrane-permeabilising, immunostimulant and hypocholesterolaemic properties and it has found to have significant affect growth and feed intake in animals. These compounds have been observed...

A method is described for construction of an amperometric polyphenol biosensor employing nitrocellulose membrane-bound laccase purified from cell-free extract of Ganoderma lucidum onto a Pt electrode. The biosensor showed optimum response within 10s, at 0.4 V in 0.1M acetate buffer, pH 6.0, and 35°C. Detection limit of the biosensor was 3.0 × 10(-8...

The utilization of hemicellulose, the second most abundant polysaccharide, is must for the cost-efficient production of ethanol from second generation feedstocks. Xylan, the major hemicellulose in plant biomass yields mainly xylose as pentose sugars on hydrolysis. The progress in fermentation of pentose sugars has gone on slow pace as there are few...

Objective: Actinomycetes are group of bacteria, which are present widely in ecological diversity. Method: In this study Soil samples collected from different niche habitats of Gwalior were serially diluted and plated on selective media. Potential colonies were further purified and stored in agar slants and glycerol stocks. Isolates were biochemical...

In this paper, cellulose from brown-rot fungus Fomitopsis sp. RCK2010, thermostable and alkalostable xylanase from Bacillus pumilus MK001 and laccase from Ganoderma sp. rckk-02 were evaluated for (i) saccharification of alkali pretreated rice straw and wheat straw, (ii) upgradation of chick feed and (iii) decolorization of dyes, respectively. The c...

High level production of an extracellular cellulase-poor alkali stable xylanase has been conceded from newly isolated Bacillus pumilus SV-85S under solid state fermentation using wheat bran as a substrate. Optimization of the fermentation conditions enhanced the enzyme production to 73,000 ± 1,000 IU/g dry substrate, which was 13.8-fold higher than...

The biological delignification of lignocellulosic feedstocks, Prosopis juliflora and Lantana camara was carried out with Pycnoporus cinnabarinus, a white rot fungus, at different scales under solid-state fermentation (SSF) and the fungal treated substrates were evaluated for their acid and enzymatic saccharification. The fungal fermentation at 10.0...

In order to improve the digestibility and nutrient availability in rumen, wheat straw was subjected to solid state fermentation (SSF) with white-rot fungi (i.e. Pleurotus ostreatus and Trametes versicolor) and the fermented biomass (called myco-straw) was evaluated for biochemical, enzymatic and nutritional parameters. The fungal treatment after 30...

Soils sustain an immense diversity of prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. Microbial functions in ecosystems are as diverse as the microbes themselves. Differences in microbial community structures reflect the abilities of microorganisms to respond to specific environmental factors and substrates. Microbes adapt to these microhabitats and live tog...

Methanogens, the members of domain Archaea are potent contributors in global warming. Being confined to the strict anaerobic environment, their direct cultivation as pure culture is quite difficult. Therefore, a range of culture-independent methods have been developed to investigate their numbers, substrate uptake patterns, and identification in co...

Composting of lignocellulosic waste material and application of compost as soil amendment improves the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soils. Composting method includes in-vessel, windrow, aerated pile, continuous-feed, and vermicomposting. The composting process proceeds through three phases: the mesophilic phase, the thermophilic...

A polyphenol biosensor employing epoxy resin membrane bound Ganoderma sp. laccase has been developed. The biosensor showed optimum response within 30 s, when operated at 0.4 V in 0.1 M acetate buffer, pH 6.0 and 35 �C. Detection limit of the biosensor was 3.0 x 10�7 M. Analytical recovery of added guaiacol was 96.66%. Within batch and between batch...

The present investigation provides a simple and convenient route to organic synthesis of substituted benzopyranocoumarin, which is important because it is a probable HIV protease inhibitor. The reaction of α,β-unsaturated derivatives of coumarins with catechol or 1,4-hydroquinones was catalyzed using laccase in an aqueous medium. Quinones, generate...

The effectiveness of alkali, acid and chlorite pretreatment of lignocellulosic feedstocks for improving the enzymatic saccharification of cellulose has been evaluated. The feedstocks such as Corncob, Prosopis juliflora and Lantana camara were pretreated with varied concentration of sulfuric acid, sodium hydroxide and sodium chlorite at 121°C for 15...

Culture conditions for enhanced cellulase production from a newly isolated brown rot fungus, Fomitopsis sp. RCK2010 were optimized under solid state fermentation. An initial pH of 5.5 and moisture ratio of 1:3.5 (solid:liquid) were found to be optimal for maximum enzyme production. Of the different carbon sources tested wheat bran gave the maximum...

Uptake of octadecane by Acinetobacter calcoaceticus S19 was found to be 70% during growth (doubling time of 4 h), of which 60% was incorporated into the cells and 40% was oxidized to 14CO2. The ratio of [14C]octadecane uptake to its mineralization by whole cells was similar to that found during the growth of A. calcoaceticus S19. After 4 h of incub...

Ramesh Chander Kuhad, male, microbiologist, M.Sc., M.Phil. and Ph.D. from Department of Microbiology, Bhopal University, Bhopal, India in 1980, 1981 and 1984, respectively. He started his career as an Assistant Professor in Department of Microbiology, Bhopal University, Bhopal in 1985. Then in the year 1988 he moved to University of Delhi South Cam...

New series of quinoxaline derivatives have been efficiently synthesized using environment friendly catalyst i.e enzyme. This methodology provides an alternative safest route for the synthesis of quinoxalines. Dihydroxy benzenes were used for the first time in the synthesis of quinoxalines.

Bioaugmentation, biostimulation and biocontrol approaches using microbial inoculants, biofertilizers, biochemicals and organic amendments improve soil biology, fertility and crop productivity by providing plant growth-promoting nutrients and suppressing soil-borne diseases and plant-parasitic nematodes. Our knowledge of microbial diversity and its...

Microbial cellulases have shown their potential application in various industries including pulp and paper, textile, laundry, biofuel production, food and feed industry, brewing, and agriculture. Due to the complexity of enzyme system and immense industrial potential, cellulases have been a potential candidate for research by both the academic and...

Phosphorus plays a significant role in several physiological and biochemical activities such as photosynthesis, transformation of sugar to starch, and other biological processes in plants. Phosphorus in soils is immobilized due to formation of insoluble complexes such as iron and aluminium hydrous oxides, crystalline and amorphous aluminium silicat...

Lantanacamara contains 61.1% (w/w) holocellulose and can serve as a low-cost feedstock for bioethanol production. Acid hydrolysis (3.0%, v/v H(2)SO(4), 120 degrees C for 45 min) of L. camara produced 187.14 mg/g total sugars along with fermentation inhibitors such as phenolics (8.2mg/g), furfurals (5.1mg/g) and hydroxy methyl furfurals (6.7 mg/g)....

White-rot fungi are primarily the major degraders of lignin, a major obstacle for commercial exploitation of plant byproducts to produce bioethanol and other industrially important products. However, to improve their efficacy for lignin degradation, it has become necessary to genetically modify these organisms using appropriate vectors. Agrobacteri...

Decolorization of six synthetic dyes and two raw textile effluents (A and B) by eight basidiomycetous fungi was investigated. Among eight basidiomycetous fungi, fungal isolate RCK-1 decolorized textile effluent A maximally (42%), while fungal isolate RCK-3 was found to decolorize more of Congo Red (69%), Xylidine Ponceau 2R (100%), Poly R-478 (96%)...

The present study describes the one-step purification and characterization of an extracellular cellulase-free xylanase from a newly isolated alkalophilic and moderately thermophilic strain of Bacillus subtilis ASH. Xylanase was purified to homogeneity by 10.5-fold with ~43% recovery using ion-exchange chromatography through CM-Sephadex C-50. The pu...

The newspaper is comprised of (w w−1) holocellulose (70.0%) with substantial amount of lignin (16.0%). Bioconversion of the carbohydrate component of newspaper to sugars by enzymatic saccharification, and its fermentation to ethanol was investigated. Of various enzymatic treatments using cellulase, xylanase and laccase, cellulase enzyme system was...

The present study describes the one-step purification and characterization of an extracellular cellulase-free xylanase from a newly isolated alkalophilic and moderately thermophilic strain of Bacillus subtilis ASH. Xylanase was purified to homogeneity by 10.5-fold with ~43% recovery using ion-exchange chromatography through CM-Sephadex C-50. The pu...

This paper reports the production of a cellulase-free and alkali-stable xylanase in high titre from a newly isolated Bacillus pumilus SV-85S using cheap and easily available agro-residue wheat bran. Optimization of fermentation conditions enhanced the enzyme production to 2995.20 +/- 200.00 IU/ml, which was 9.91-fold higher than the activity under...

This paper reports high level production of a cellulase-free xylanase using wheat bran, a cost-effective substrate, under submerged fermentation by alkalophilic Bacillus subtilis ASH. Production of xylanase was observed even at alkaline pH up to 11.0 and temperature 60 °C, although the highest enzyme titer was recorded at neutral pH and 37 °C. The...

Large volumes of hazardous wastes are generated in the form of oily sludges and contaminated soils during crude oil transportation and processing. Although many physical, chemical and biological treatment technologies are available for petroleum contaminants petroleum contaminants in soil, biological methods have been considered the most cost-effec...

Due to a wide range of industrial and agricultural activities, a high number of chemical contaminants is released into the environment, causing a significant concern regarding potential toxicity, carcinogenicity, and potential for bioaccumulation in living systems of various chemicals in soil. Although microbial activity in soil accounts for most o...

magnified image The present investigation provides a simple and convenient route for the synthesis of substituted 5‐deaza‐10‐oxaflavins owing to their importance as probable redox coenzymes. The reaction of α,β‐unsaturated derivatives of barbituric acid and dimedone with catechol or 1,4‐hydroquinones was catalyzed using laccase in aqueous medium. Q...

Laccases (benzenediol:oxygen oxidoreductase, EC 1.10.3.2) are a diverse group of multicopper oxidases that catalyze the oxidation of a variety of aromatic compounds. Here we present evidence for distribution of laccases among archaea and their probable functions. Putative laccase genes have been found in different archaeal groups that might have br...

Biological Remediation of Soil: An Overview of Global Market and Available Technologies.- Local Gain, Global Loss: The Environmental Cost of Action.- Bioavailability of Contaminants in Soil.- Biosurfactants in Bioremediation.- The Diversity of Soluble Di-iron Monooxygenases with Bioremediation Applications.- Bioremediation of Polluted Soil.- Soil B...

Prosopis juliflora (Mesquite) is a raw material for long-term sustainable production of cellulosics ethanol. In this study, we used acid pretreatment, delignification and enzymatic hydrolysis to evaluate the pretreatment to produce more sugar, to be fermented to ethanol. Dilute H(2)SO(4) (3.0%,v/v) treatment resulted in hydrolysis of hemicelluloses...

Abstract Lignocellulose is the most abundant biomass available on Earth. It has attracted considerable attention as an alternate feed stock and energy resource because of the large quantities available and its renewable nature. The potential uses of lignocelluloses are in pulp and paper industries, production of fuel alcohol and chemicals, protein...

One enzyme, one physiological role, that's how most scientists have traditionally looked at it but there is a growing appreciation that some enzymes "moonlight" i.e. in addition to their "primary" catalytic function, they carry other functions as well. Moonlighting refers to a protein that has multiple functions, which are not because of gene fusio...

Bioethanol is recognized as a solution to rising fuel prices and environmental issues but high substrate and hydrolysis costs are hindering its effective exploitation. To overcome these, multiple substrates have been screened and Prosopis juliflora, a panotropical weed was selected and evaluated for bioethanol production using thermotolerant Saccha...

Alkalophilic Bacillussubtilis ASH produced high levels of xylanase using easily available inexpensive agricultural waste residues such as wheat bran, wheat straw, rice husk, sawdust, gram bran, groundnut and maize bran in solid-state fermentation (SSF). Among these, wheat bran was found to be best substrate. Xylanase production was highest after 72...

Phanerochaete chrysosporium, Pycnoporus cinnabarinus,and fungal isolates RCK-1 and RCK-3 were tested for their lignin degradation abilities when grown on wheat straw (WS) and Prosopis juliflora (PJ) under solid-state cultivation conditions. Fungal isolate RCK-1 degraded more lignin in WS (12.26% and 22.64%) and PJ (19.30% and 21.97%) and less holoc...

The empirical models developed through two independent RSM (RSM-I, 2(3); RSM-II, 2(5)) in terms of effective operational factors of inoculum age, inoculum volume, wheat bran-to-moisture ratio (RSM-I) and contact time, extraction temperature, agitation, fermented bran-to-solvent ratio and SDS (RSM-II) were found adequate to describe the optimization...

Streptomyces cyaneus SN32 was used in this study to produce extracellular xylanase, an important industrial enzyme used in pulp and paper industry. The enzyme was purified to homogeneity by ammonium sulfate precipitation followed by anion exchange chromatography using DEAE-Sepharose column, with 43.0% yield. The enzyme was found to be a monomer of...

Cultural conditions for xylanase production by an alkalophilic Bacillus pumilus strain MK001 were optimized under submerged fermentation. An initial medium pH 9.0, agitation 200 rpm, inoculum size 1.25% (v/v) and inoculum age 2 h were found to be optimal for maximum enzyme production. The bacterium secretes high levels of xylanase on agricultural r...

Soil is a dynamic and complex system consisting of living organisms interacting with inorganic mineral particles and organic matter. A wide range of functions is performed by soil that directly or indirectly sustains the world’s human population. Soil plays a vital role in food production, as a reservoir for water and filter for pollutants. Soils s...

Pentose-utilizing yeast development by protoplast fusion and sequential mutations and ethanol fermentation using lignocellulosic substrate. Protoplasts of thermotolerant Saccharomyces cerevisiae and mesophilic, xylose-utilizing Candida shehatae were fused by electrofusion. The fusants were selected based on their growth at 42 degrees C and ability...

A very high level of cellulase-free, thermostable xylanase has been produced from newly isolated strain of Bacillus pumilus under submerged fermentation in a basal medium supplemented with wheat bran (2%, w/v) pH 8.0 and at 37 °C. After optimization of various production parameters, an increase of nearly 13-fold in xylanase production (5407 IU/ml)...

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Xylanase from Bacillus pumilus strain MK001 was immobilized on different matrices following varied immobilization methods. Entrapment using gelatin (GE) (40.0%), physical adsorption on chitin (CH) (35.0%), ionic binding with Q-sepharose (Q-S) (45.0%), and covalent binding with HP-20 beads (42.0%) showed the maximum xylanase immobilization efficienc...

Aims: Investigation of waste pulps and soda pulp bleaching with xylanase (X) and laccase mediator system (LMS) alone and in conjunction (one after the other) (XLMS). Methods and results: Soda and different grades of waste pulp fibres [used for making three-layered duplex sheets - top layer (TL), protective layer (PL) and bottom layer (BL)] when...

Sugarcane bagasse hydrolysis with 2.5% (v/v) HCl yielded 30.29g/L total reducing sugars along with various fermentation inhibitors such as furans, phenolics and acetic acid. The acid hydrolysate when treated with anion exchange resin brought about maximum reduction in furans (63.4%) and total phenolics (75.8%). Treatment of hydrolysate with activat...

Nine 3,9-diaryl- and 3,9-difuryl-bis-1,2,4-triazolo[4,3-a][4,3-c]pyrimidines (3a-i) have been synthesized by the oxidation of bis-2,4-pyrimidinylhydrazones of various araldehydes and furfural with 2equiv of iodobenzene diacetate (IBD) in dichloromethane and tested in vitro for their antibacterial activity. Three compounds, namely 3,9-di-(4'-fluorop...

Response surface methodology employing central composite design (CCD) was used to optimize fermentation medium for the production of cellulase-free, alkaline xylanase from Streptomyces violaceoruber under submerged fermentation. The design was employed by selecting wheat bran, peptone, beef extract, incubation time and agitation as model factors. A...

Biomass based fuel technologies are rapidly developing and the barriers in implementing such technologies are being identified to achieve their widespread commercialisation. The two most common biofuels are biodiesel and bioethanol. About 500 million litres of ethanol is required in India itself for 10% blending to gasoline. Indian Planning Commiss...

An alkalistable endoxylanase from Streptomyces cyaneus SN32 was applied in bleaching of wheat straw enriched soda pulp. The xylanase dose of 10 IUg(-1) moisture free pulp exhibited maximum bleach boosting of soda pulp (pH 9.5-10.0) optimally at 65 degrees C after 2 h of reaction time. Pre-treatment of pulp with xylanase and its subsequent treatment...

Bacillus pumilus ASH produced a high level of an extracellular and thermostable xylanase enzyme when grown using solid-state fermentation (SSF). Among a few easily available lignocellulosics tested, wheat bran was found to be the best substrate (5,300U/g of dry bacterial bran). Maximum xylanase production was achieved in 72h (5,824U/g). Higher xyla...

Eighty-eight actinomycetes were isolated from 20 samples collected from different locations in and around Delhi, India. Among these, 69 isolates were found positive for xylanase production. Of 69 isolates, 3 (SN32, SN77, and SN83) produced >125 IU/ml xylanase. Modern genetic tools were used for revealing the identities of these potent xylanase prod...

An alkalophilic Streptomyces sp. M-83, isolated from the decaying flowers of Bombax ceba, produced alkalo-thermostable xylanase, amylase and phytase when grown on wheat bran under submerged fermentation. Use of immobilized cells of Streptomyces on polyurethane foam enhanced xylanase yield by 133 percent over submerged fermentation. In solid state f...

The lack of an efficient transformation system in filamentous fungi is one of the major problems in carrying out cloning and expression of genes to produce a value-added product at the commercial level. Therefore an attempt has been made to develop an efficient, convenient and expeditious genetic transformation system for successful transfer of tra...

Bacillus sp. RPP-1, isolated from garden soil at University of Delhi, South Campus produced negligible cellulase, alkalothermostable xylanase in submerged fermentation (SmF). Among the various agro-byproducts tested, wheat bran induced the highest level of xylanase production (5740.0 IU L-1). Peptone was found to be the best nitrogen source and sup...

Mangroves form an important ecosystem of Great Nicobar, a continental island in the Bay of Bengal with luxuriant tropical rainforests. The rhizosphere of the mangrove plants of Great Nicobar was investigated for the presence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) and phosphate solubilising bacteria (PSB). The soils of the Great Nicobar mangroves we...

Cyathus bulleri, a bird's nest fungus, known to decolorize polymeric dye Poly R-478, was found to produce 8 U ml(-1) of laccase in malt extract broth. Laccase activity appeared as a single band on non-denaturing gel. Laccase was purified to homogeneity by anion exchange chromatography and gel filtration. The enzyme was a monomer with an apparent mo...

The effect of nine different antibiotics (chloramphenicol, ampicillin trihydrate, kanamycin A monosulfate, neomycin sulfate, erythromycin, thiostrepton, tetracycline, apramycin sulfate and streptomycin sulfate) on growth and laccase production from Cyathus bulleri and Pycnoporus cinnabarinus has been investigated. All the antibiotics tested at a co...

The present study aimed at optimization of cultural and nutritional parameters for enhanced production of xylanase from Streptomyces cyaneus SN32. The xylanase production by S. cyaneus SN32 on most of the agro-residues tested in this study was more, as compared with the xylanase yield in the medium supplemented with commercial xylan. The presence o...

The effect of in vivo enzymatic digestion (IVED), in vitro xylanase digestion (IVXD), metabolic analogues, surfactants and polyethylene glycol (PEG) on laccase production from Ganoderma sp. kk-02 was studied. An acidic laccase producing Ganoderma sp. kk-02 produced 16.0 U ml(-1) and 365.0 U g(-1) of laccase, when grown under submerged (SmF) and sol...

Aims: The effect of in vivo enzymatic digestion (IVED), in vitro xylanase digestion (IVXD), metabolic analogues, surfactants and polyethylene glycol (PEG) on laccase production from Ganoderma sp. kk-02 was studied. Methods and Results: An acidic laccase producing Ganoderma sp. kk-02 produced 16·0 U ml−1 and 365·0 U g−1 of laccase, when grown under...

An alkalophilic Streptomyces sp. RCK-SC, which produced a thermostable alkaline pectinase, was isolated from soil samples. Pectinase production at 45 °C in shaking conditions (200 rev min−1) was optimal (76,000 IU l−1) when a combination of glucose (0.25% w/v) and citrus pectin (0.25% w/v) was added along with urea (0.25% w/v) in the basal medium d...

This chapter reviews various dye decolorization methods and developments in biological treatment methods for dye. Biological methods are currently viewed as effective, specific, less energy intensive, and environmentally benign, because they result in partial or complete bioconversion of organic pollutants to stable nontoxic end products. Both bios...

A new simple method used to eliminate polysaccharides that cause problems during DNA isolation was established for 6 different white-rot fungi using 1% hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as wash buffer and followed by centrifugation. Variation in the DNA yield and quality was ascertained using precipitating agents, detergents and cell-wall-h...

The cleanup of the contaminated soils is a priority environmental task due to the risks contaminants pose to the groundwater, drinking water and soil fertility. A wide variety of biological, physical and chemical methods have been developed to decontaminate polluted sites. Any successful remediation technology should not simply transfer the contami...

About 4 million tonnes of pesticides are applied to agricultural crops annually for pest control worldwide. It is estimated that less than 1% of total applied pesticides generally gets to the target pests and most of the pesticides remain unused and enter into the ecosystem. The ultimate sink for excessive pesticides is soil and water. Despite thei...

Effect of ethidium bromide, a DNA intercalating agent, on laccase production from Cyathus bulleri was studied. The bird's nest fungus, Cyathus bulleri was grown on 2% (w/v) malt extract agar (MEA) supplemented with 1.5 microg ml(-1) of the phenanthridine dye ethidium bromide (EtBr) for 7 d and when grown subsequently in malt extract broth (MEB), pr...