Stephanie Burton

• PhD Biochemistry (Rhodes University)
• Principal Investigator at University of Pretoria

This article applies findings from the recent national review of South African doctoral qualifications to examine ways in which universities interpret the formulation of, and apply in the context of a differentiated higher education system, the graduate attributes established in the qualification standard, in order to achieve the characteristics of...

SIGNIFICANCE: The recently completed national review of the doctoral qualifications offered by South African higher education institutions has provided important insights into the national landscape of doctoral education, and raised many questions. One key question is whether our doctoral qualifications educate our students to be the broad and crit...

The current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has brought a number of major global clinical, sociological and economic issues into sharp focus. We address some of these issues, focusing on short-term factors such as virus mutations and vaccine efficacy, and also considering the longer-term implications of the current pandemic. We discuss societal responses to th...

The extracellular peroxidase from Streptomyces albidoflavus BSII#1 was purified to near homogeneity using sequential steps of acid and acetone precipitation, followed by ultrafiltration. The purified peroxidase was characterised and tested for the ability to catalyse coupling reactions between selected phenolic monomer pairs. A 46-fold purification...

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on research at universities. Universities around the world, including in South Africa, have been or are still closed as part of national lockdown strategies. Students have not been attending classes or doing hands-on experimental work, and students and academics have been working from home. Many thousand...

Actinomycetes are a ubiquitous group of bacteria, and are hypothesised to produce tyrosinases for protection against the potential toxic effect of phenolic compounds and for the production of melanin. In this study, tyrosinase production by Streptomyces pharetrae CZA14T (CZA14Tyr) and Streptomyces polyantibioticus SPRT (SPRTyr) was optimised. The e...

A hydroxytyrosol polymer formed by either C—C coupling or C—O—C coupling is provided. Preferred polymers are formed by C—C coupling and the dimer has the following structure: Compounds of the invention have been found to have antioxidant properties and their use in antioxidant compositions forms a further aspect of the invention.

The formation of environmentally toxic acidic waste from mining activities is a world-wide problem. Neutralization of this waste can be accomplished by physicochemical and/or biological means. In this short-term study, synthetic acid mine drainage was added to sand-filled mesocosms containing silica-dominated (quartz) sand. Glucose was added as a c...

In this study, three biological sand filters (BSF) were contaminated with a synthetic iron- [1500 mg.L(-1) Fe(II), 500 mg.L(-1) Fe(III)] and sulphate-rich (6000 mg.L(-1) SO4 (2-) ) acid mine drainage (AMD) (pH=2), for 24 days, to assess the remediation capacity and the evolution of autochthonous bacterial communities (monitored by T-RFLP and 16S rR...

To optimise peroxidase production by Streptomyces sp. strain BSII#1, up to 3 l culture volumes. Peroxidase production by Streptomyces sp. strain BSII#1 was optimised in terms of production temperature and pH and the use of lignin-based model chemical inducers. The highest peroxidase activity (1.30±0.04 U ml(-1) ) in 10 ml culture volume was achieve...

Agri effluents such as winery or olive mill wastewaters are characterized by high phenolic concentrations. These compounds are highly toxic and generally refractory to biodegradation. Biological sand filters (BSFs) represent inexpensive, environmentally friendly, and sustainable wastewater treatment systems which rely vastly on microbial catabolic...

Geobacillus thermoglucosidasius is a Gram-positive, thermophilic bacterium capable of ethanologenic fermentation of both C5 and C6 sugars and may have possible use for commercial bioethanol production (Tang et al., 2008; Taylor et al., 2009). Little is known about the physiological changes that accompany a switch from aerobic (high redox) to microa...

To assess the impact of winery wastewater (WW) on biological sand filter (BSF) bacterial community structures, and to evaluate whether BSFs can constitute alternative and valuable treatment- processes to remediate WW. During 112 days, WW was used to contaminate a BSF mesocosm (length 173 cm/width 106 cm/depth 30 cm). The effect of WW on bacterial c...

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2,6-Dimethoxyphenol is a phenolic compound that is extensively used for the measurement of laccase activity, but is often not exploited for its potential as an antioxidant compound. Since laccase can be used to modify phenolic antioxidants as a way of improving their activities, the present study investigated the laccase-mediated oxidation of 2,6-d...

This study explored technologies for recovering energy from wastewater through production of bio-mass, combustion and gasification, generation of biogas, production of bioethanol, heat recovery and microbial fuel cells. A first order desktop analysis of the potential for applying these solutions to waste-waters in South Africa revealed that 3 200 t...

Compounds derived from botanicals such as olive trees have been shown to possess various qualities that make them function as ideal antioxidants and in so doing protect against the damaging effect of UV-derived oxidative stress. The aim of this study was to biocatalytically synthesise a dimeric product (compound II) from a known botanical, 3-hydrox...

2,6-Dimethoxyphenol is a phenolic compound that is extensively used for the measurement of laccase activity, but is often not exploited for its potential as an antioxidant compound. Since laccase can be used to modify phenolic antioxidants as a way of improving their activities, the present study investigated the laccase-mediated oxidation of 2,6-d...

Winery wastewater is characterized by its high chemical oxygen demand (COD), seasonal occurrence and variable composition, including periodic high ethanol concentrations. In addition, winery wastewater may contain insufficient inorganic nutrients for optimal biodegradation of organic constituents. Two pilot-scale biological sand filters (BSFs) were...

This study evaluated the removal processes involved in the removal of the phenolic component of winery wastewater in biological sand filters, sand columns and sand microcosms. It was found that at low influent phenolic concentrations, complete organic removal was accomplished, but at high concentrations, there was incomplete substrate removal and a...

Enzymatic modification can be used to enhance the bioactive properties of phenolic compounds. The present study employed laccase from Trametes pubescens to catalyze the modification of ferulic acid in a monophasic or biphasic system, as a way of enhancing its antioxidant capacity. Two dimeric products (m/z 385.1) were purified and characterized as...

Constructed wetlands (CWs) are known to be effective for treating waste streams, and pilot-scale CWs are useful for assessing the impact of pollutants and their remediation. However, little is known with respect to the establishment of these mesocosm systems or the parameters which should be monitored in assessing system equilibration, i.e. when th...

Biocatalytic conversion of 5-substituted hydantoin derivatives is an efficient method for the production of unnatural enantiomerically pure amino acids. The enzymes required to carry out this hydrolysis occur in a wide variety of eubacterial species each of which exhibit variations in substrate selectivity, enantiospecificity, and catalytic efficie...

Enzymatic transformation of recalcitrant and other pollutants is a promising eco-friendly alternative to physico-chemical methods in environmental remediation. This review summarizes some of the significant advances in applications of oxidative enzymes for treatment of xenobiotics. The review also discusses some of the underlying principles and enz...

journal published by Elsevier. The attached copy is furnished to the author for internal non-commercial research and education use, including for instruction at the authors institution and sharing with colleagues. Other uses, including reproduction and distribution, or selling or licensing copies, or posting to personal, institutional or third part...

Biofuels currently feature heavily on scientific, social, and political agenda, and particular focus is reserved for liquid fuels that may act as a substitute or blending agent for petroleum. Many pertinent questions arise when a thorough analysis of the feasibility of liquid alcohol fuels is performed. The focus of this chapter is to analyze our c...

Peroxidases are redox enzymes that can be found in all forms of life where they play diverse roles. It is therefore not surprising that they can also be applied in a wide range of industrial applications. Peroxidases have been extensively studied with particular emphasis on those isolated from fungi and plants. In general, peroxidases can be groupe...

A multi-faceted screening programme was designed to search for the oxidases, laccase, peroxidase and tyrosinase. Actinobacteria were selectively isolated from the paunch and colon region of the hindguts of the higher termite, Amitermes hastatus. The isolates were subjected to solid media assays (dye decolourization, melanin production and the utili...

Many industries are currently pursuing enzymatic approaches for developing green chemistry technologies mainly due to shortcomings of physico-chemical methods, growing environmental concerns, legal restrictions, and increasing scientific knowledge. Laccase-assisted reactions, in particular, are being intensively investigated as they are generally e...