• Korean journal of applied entomology
• /
• v.45 no.3 s.144
• /
• pp.363-369
• /
• 2006

Effects of three packing materials and exposure time on the mortality of Plodia interpunctella and Tribolium castaneum were studied using $CO_{2}-modified$ atmosphere control. Materials used were triple layered craft paper (KKK), triple layered craft paper with one laminate coating layer (KLK), and triple layered craft paper with one HD film coating layer (KHK). In the test balls (${\phi}1.2\;m$) containing 85% $CO_{2}-modified$ atmosphere, concentration of $CO_{2}$ in small packing envelopes ($9.8{\times}9.8cm$) made of the materials after one day was higher in KKK ($26.67{\pm}0.58%$) than KLK ($23.33{\pm}0.58%$) or KHK ($20.67{\pm}0.58%$). Both P. interpunctella and T. castaneum showed higher mortality in KKK than in either KLK or KHK Similar results were obtained by larger space ($9{\times}4{\times}3m$) and packing volume (20 kg) studies. The effect of the packing materials was clearer on T. castaneum more tolerant to $CO_{2}$ than P. interpunctella. Regression of the insect mortality on cumulative concentration time (${\int}_{0}^{t}c{\times}tdc{\approx}{\sum}concentration{\times}time$) was highly significant. Control of P. interpunctella and T. castaneum by $CO_{2}-modified$ atmosphere were discussed in relation to packing materials, cumulative concentration time of $CO_{2}$ and food products.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.22 no.12
• /
• pp.1636-1643
• /
• 2012

Enzymatic pre-bleaching by modification of pulp fibers with xylanases is an attractive approach to reduce the consumption of toxic bleaching chemicals in the paper industry. In this study, an alkaliphilic endoxylanase gene was isolated from metagenomic DNA of a structurally stable thermophilic lignocellulose-degrading microbial consortium using amplification with conserved glycosyl hydrolase family 10 primers and subsequent genome walking. The full-length xylanase showed 78% sequence identity to an endo-${\beta}$-1,4-xylanase of Clostridium phytofermentans and was expressed in a mature form with an N-terminal His6 tag fusion in Escherichia coli. The recombinant xylanase Xyn3F was thermotolerant and alkaliphilic, working optimally at $65-70^{\circ}C$ with an optimal pH at 9-10 and retaining >80% activity at pH 9, $60^{\circ}C$ for 1 h. Xyn3F showed a $V_{max}$ of 2,327 IU/mg and $K_m$ of 3.5 mg/ml on birchwood xylan. Pre-bleaching of industrial eucalyptus pulp with no prior pH adjustment (pH 9) using Xyn3F at 50 IU/g dried pulp led to 4.5-5.1% increase in final pulp brightness and 90.4-102.4% increase in whiteness after a single-step hypochlorite bleaching over the untreated pulp, which allowed at least 20% decrease in hypochlorite consumption to achieve the same final bleaching indices. The alkaliphilic xylanase is promising for application in an environmentally friendly bleaching step of kraft and soda pulps with no requirement for pH adjustment, leading to improved economic feasibility of the process.