Through a long history of co-evolution, multicellular organisms form a complex of host cells plus many associated microorganism species. Consisting of algae, bacteria, archaea, fungi, protists and viruses, and collectively referred to as the microbiome, these microorganisms contribute to a range of important functions in their hosts, from nutrition, to behaviour and disease susceptibility. In this book, a diverse and international group of active researchers outline how multicellular organisms have become reliant on their microbiomes to function, and explore this vital interdependence across the breadth of soil, plant, animal and human hosts. They draw parallels and contrasts across hosts in different environments, and discuss how this invisible microbial ecosystem influences everything from the food we eat, to our health, to the correct functioning of ecosystems we depend on. This insightful read also pertinently encourages students and researchers in microbial ecology, ecology, and microbiology to consider how this interdependence may be key to mitigating environmental changes and developing microbial biotechnology to improve life on Earth.

This edited volume explores Campylobacter species, which are some of the most important foodborne pathogens. Above all, contaminated poultry meat can cause human gastroenteritis in both developed and developing countries. The respective contributions reveal how these infections can also increase the risk of generalized paralytic diseases such as Guillain-Barre syndrome, Miller-Fisher syndrome, and Chinese paralytic syndrome. Due to their influence on the nervous system, circulatory system, and various organs, Campylobacter infections represent a serious public health concern. Campylobacter can be effectively combated by addressing the hygienic conditions in both food production and human lifestyles. Accordingly, the authors put forward a One Health perspective, which provides readers with essential insights into the basic biology of Campylobacter, as well as practical guidance on aspects ranging from food production to the clinical treatment of infections. Chapters 'Population Biology and Comparative Genomics of Campylobacter Species' and 'Natural Competence and Horizontal Gene Transfer in Campylobacter' are available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

Revolutionary research is revealing how the trillions of microbes living on and in our bodies can keep us healthy . . . or make us sick Suddenly, research findings require a paradigm shift in our view of the microbial world. The Human Microbiome Project at the National Institutes of Health is well under way, and unprecedented scientific technology now allows the censusing of trillions of microbes inside and on our bodies as well as in the places where we live, work, and play. This intriguing, up-to-the-minute book for scientists and nonscientists alike explains what researchers are discovering about the microbe world and what the implications are for modern science and medicine. Rob DeSalle and Susan Perkins illuminate the long, intertwined evolution of humans and microbes. They discuss how novel DNA sequencing has shed entirely new light on the complexity of microbe-human interactions, and they examine the potential benefits to human health: amazing possibilities for pinpoint treatment of infections and other illnesses without upsetting the vital balance of an individual microbiome. This book has been inspired by an exhibition, The Secret World Inside You: The Microbiome, at the American Museum of Natural History, which will open in New York in early November 2015 and run until August 2016. It will then travel to other museums in the United States and abroad.

Bioactive natural compounds have gained attention in recent years due to their potential health benefits, including reducing the risk of diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases. These benefits derive from bioactive compounds' anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative, anti-hypertensive and anti-hyperlipidemic activities, which serve in addition to their basic nutritional functions. Over the last decade, researchers have investigated the health impact of bioactive compounds in detail, and the development of food applications has attracted great interest. Consumer demand has surged for functional foods (nutraceuticals), superfoods, and tailor-made foods, generated by supplementing traditional food products with bioactive ingredients. Food Bioactives and Health offers comprehensive coverage of the properties and health effects of food bioactives in view of new trends in processing, food science and food technology. Starting with the metabolic characteristics of polyphenols, glucosinolates, and other food bioactives, the text then dives into their impact on human health and recent applications in the world of food technology. For food scientists, food technologists, and product developers looking to understand the role of food bioactives in health and develop applications in personalized nutrition, functional foods and nutraceuticals, Food Bioactives and Health serves as a one-stop reference.

This volume provides a comprehensive review of concepts and protocols related to fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) applied to microbial cells. Chapters will serve guide for the design of new probes and the development of novel FISH-based protocols. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and cutting-edge, Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH) for Microbial Cells: Methods and Concepts aims to ensure successful results in the further study of this vital field.

The challenges to meet the food requirement of the burgeoning population and stabilized productivity of agriculture lands can only be met by a second green revolution. After steadily declining for over a decade hunger is on the rise again, affecting million people of the global population. Therefore, crop yields must be increased substantially over the coming decades to keep pace with global food demand. The plant rhizosphere is a multidimensional and dynamic ecological environment of complicated microbe-plant interactions for harnessing essential macro and micronutrients from a limited nutrient pool. This book will showcase naturally-occurring endophyte which can be explored for nutrient mineralization and mobilization for sustainable agriculture. This will cover recent trends, prospects, critical commentaries and advancement in the research area focusing on naturally-occurring beneficial endophytic microbes. Thus, it is proposed to bring out new scientific insights and frontiers of research that have exploration of endophyte for mineral nutrient management in soil and crops. The chapters are contributed by leading scientists across the globe. The book will be useful to agronomists, microbiologists, ecologists, plant pathologists, molecular biologists, environmentalists, policy makers, conservationists, and NGOs working for the crop production and productivity development and consequently over all agricultural significance.

Natural gums are polysaccharides consisting of multiple sugar units linked together via glycosidic linkages. Most natural gums reveal appropriate safety for oral consumption in the form of food additives or drug carriers. Challenges related to the utilization of natural polysaccharides, however, include uncontrolled rates of hydration, pH dependent solubility, viscosity reduction during storage, and weak interfacial properties. Modification provides an efficient route for not only removing such drawbacks but also improving physicochemical properties, such as solubility, viscosity and swelling index, and introducing new properties for varied applications.This book provides a comprehensive review of the various modifications on gums to make them suitable for food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. The book is divided in four parts: an introduction to natural gums followed by in-depth coverage of chemical modification, physical modification, and enzymatic modification of gums. Each chapter includes reaction mechanisms, physicochemical properties, rheological properties, interfacial properties, applications and future perspectives. Presenting a succinct account on gum modification from a practical point of view, this book is a helpful reference for academic and industrial scientists and engineers in food technology, materials chemistry, pharmaceuticals, chemical, industrial, and applied engineering, biochemistry, and biopolymers.

Techniques of Microbiology: A Laboratory Manual introduces students to methods of culturing microorganisms, staining microorganisms, and identifying bacteria by commonly used techniques. Students will look at the effect of antimicrobial agents on bacteria and be introduced to bacterial genetics, both conjugation and transformation. Each exercise in the laboratory manual is divided into five sections: Introduction, Materials, Procedure, Results, and Questions.

This book describes a simplified approach to the modelling and process design of a fixed bed hybrid bioreactor for wastewater treatment. In this work a simplified model for hybrid bioreactor is developed to determine output parameters like exiting substrate concentration in bulk liquid, average substrate flux in the biofilm, effective and total biofilm thickness. The model is based on mass balance of both carbonaceous substrate and biomass under suspended and attached growth simultaneously along with substrate mass transport into the biofilm. The proposed model has also been validated with the results obtained from experimental study with municipal wastewater considering as a low strength wastewater with no inhibition. There is a flexibility of the proposed model making it a versatile one to find out the exiting substrate concentration both in hybrid bioreactor as well as in a completely mixed biofilm reactor (CMBR). The book caters to academics and practitioners working in the field of advanced wastewater treatment.

Natural phenolics are powerful bioactive compounds, but their use as antioxidant agents in lipid-based foodstuffs and cosmetics is limited due to their hydrophilic traits. A promising technique to overcome low solubility of phenolics is to increase their hydrophobicity by grafting with lipophilic moiety to form lipid-enriched phenolics (lipo-phenolics). Another way to enhance the amphiphilic traits of phenolics is by lipophilization with phospholipids in a suitable solvent to form phenolics-enriched phospholipids (pheno-phospholipids). Both functionalized phenolics (phenolipids) exhibit high bioavailability and antioxidative potential. Functional phenolics-enriched phospholipids (pheno-phospholipids) play an important role in enhancing the functional properties of both phenolic compounds and phospholipids in food for their use in nutrition and health. Phenolipids have also found applications on an industrial scale, likely due to low costs, the availability of starting material and safety. Recent advances in the field of lipophilization allow accessing molecules with high potency and targeted action covering a wide spectrum of bioactivities. Owing to their cost and availability, phenolipids find applications in niche sectors such as cosmetics and pharmaceutics as well as in the novel food. This book reports on the chemistry, preparation, and functionality of lipid-enriched phenolics (lipo-phenolics), broadening their applications in food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. The strategies of the lipophilization of phenolics, the effect of modification on the biological properties and potential applications of the resulting lipo-phenolics are reviewed. The text also discusses the preparation, physicochemical characteristics and functional properties of phenolipids and phytosomes, including the latest developments and their current industrial status.

This book highlights the importance of various emerging technologies that are used to clean up the environment from pollution caused by human activities. It assesses several existing applied and environmental microbiological techniques and introduces new technologies through applied aspects. Select topics covered include municipal wastewater treatment, environmental microorganisms, metal pollutants in the environment, and biogeochemical cycling.

This volume is intended to guide readers through the important areas of work on naturally-occurring toxicants in food. It is aimed at food scientists and technologists, ingredients suppliers, quality assurance personnel, and analytical chemists and microbiologists working within environmental health laboratories.

The enzymology of milk and other products is of enormous significance for the production and quality of almost every dairy product. Milk itself is a complex biological fluid that contains a wide range of enzymes with diverse activities, some of which have identifiable functions while others are present as an accidental consequence of the mechanism of milk secretion. Over time milk enzymology has become an incredibly essential component of milk and other dairy product production, and with advancing technology and processing techniques, its importance is at its peak. Dairy Enzymology presents an expansive overview of the enzymology of milk and other dairy products, focusing on the use of indigenous and endogenous enzymes in milk and exogenous enzymes in cheese processing. A full section is dedicated to the enzymology of bovine milk, focusing on the main families of indigenous enzymes as well as their potential significance in the mammary gland plus the technological significance for the properties of dairy products. Implications for the manufacture and ripening of cheese plus the use of enzymes such as alkaline phosphatase for measuring heat treatment in milk are explored in full, and the role of milk protease plasmin and other indigenous enzymes in the age-gelation is focused on. Further sections focus on enzymes found in raw milk and enzymes deliberately added for manufacture or modification of properties and the manufacture of food ingredients from dairy-derived ingredients. The key bacterial families are discussed in depth as well as their known contributions to the quality of dairy products. With its comprehensive scope and fully up-to-date coverage of dairy product enzymology, this text is a singular source for researchers looking to understand this essential dairy processing aspect.

Biological control has become an attractive alternative strategy for the control of plant diseases to reduce the excessive use of agrochemicals and its health hazards. But a significant gap still exists between basic research involving the discovery of a biocontrol agent and its development and implementation under commercial conditions. Because BCAs (unlike chemical a.m.) need to establish, colonize, survive and perform their metabolic activity to control diseases. In order to move a biocontrol agent from the laboratory to the market place requires many different disciplines and people with a variety of expertise. Research can stimulate the development of commercial biocontrol agents. Chapter 16 is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

This book is focused on the current status of industrial pollution, its source, characteristics, and management through various advanced treatment technologies. The book covers the recycle, reuse and recovery of waste for the production of value-added products. The book explores industrial wastewater pollution and its treatment through various advanced technologies and also the source and characteristics of solid waste and its management for environmental safety. It discusses new methods and technologies to combat the waste-related pollution and focuses on the use of recycled products. This book is of value to upcoming students, researchers, scientists, industry persons and professionals in the field of environmental science and engineering, microbiology, biotechnology, toxicology, further it is useful for global and local authorities and policy makers responsible for the management of liquid and solid wastes.

This book offers a comprehensive study of biological molecules acquired from marine organisms, which have been exploited for drug discovery with the aim to treat human diseases. Biomolecules have potential impacts on a diverse range of fields, including medical and pharmaceutical science, industrial science, biotechnology, basic research, molecular science, environmental science and climate change, etc. To understand and effectively apply medicinally important biomolecules, multidisciplinary approaches are called for. The ocean remains a rich biological resource, and the vast untapped potential of novel molecules from marine bio-resources has caught the interest of more and more researchers. These novel biological compounds have never been found in terrestrial or other ecosystems, but only in this rich niche. Advances in sampling techniques and technologies, along with increased funding for research and nature conservation, have now encouraged scientists to look deeper in the waters. Aquaculture supports both tremendous seafood production and the bulk production of marine-derived drugs. Furthermore, molecular methods are now being extensively employed to explore the untapped marine microbial diversity. With the help of molecular and biotech tools, the ability of marine organisms to produce new biosynthetic drugs can be greatly enhanced. This book provides an extensive compilation of the latest information on marine resources and their undisputedly vital role in the treatment of diverse ailments.

This book complies latest advancement in the field of environmental biotechnology. It focuses on topics that comprises industrial, environment and agricultural related issues to microbiological studies and exhibits correlation between biological world and dependence of humans on it. It is designed into three sections covering the role of environmental biotechnology in industry, environmental remediation, and agriculture. Ranging from micro-scale studies to macro, it covers up a huge domain of environmental biotechnology. Overall the book portrays the importance of modern biotechnology technologies in solving the problems in modern day life. The book is a ready reference for practicing students, researchers of biotechnology, environmental engineering, chemical engineering and other allied fields likewise.

Microbial biosurfactant compounds are a group of structurally diverse molecules produced by microorganisms, and are mainly categorized according to their chemical structure. The diversity of microbial biosurfactants makes them versatile and means that they offer a range of capabilities, while at the same time being economically sustainable. As such, they have potential applications in environmental processes, as well as in food, biomedicine and other industries. This book discusses innovative approaches and cutting-edge research that utilize the various properties of biosurfactants. Drawing on research from around the globe, it provides an up-to-date review of biosurfactant applications and their importance in fields such as medicine, gene therapy, immunotherapy, antimicrobial bioremediation and agriculture. It also discusses their anti-adhesive properties. The book will appeal to academics and researchers in the field of microbiology, as well as policymakers. It also serves as additional reading material for undergraduate and graduate students of agriculture, ecology, soil science, and environmental sciences.

Indian mycologists have extensively studied various groups of fungi such as soil fungi, aquatic fungi, marine fungi, endophytic fungi, fungi associated with man and animals. Though several books on various aspects of fungi are published, this is the first account of the history and developments in mycology in India. It discusses at length various stages of development of mycology including both classical and biotechnological aspects. It begins with a historical account of Indian mycology, followed by a description of research on fossil fungi. Further chapters cover the latest updates on different taxonomic groups of fungi. A dedicated section describes the roles and applications of fungal endophytes. The book also includes research in other important areas such as mushrooms and wood rotting fungi. Different chapters are written by leading mycologists. This book is useful to students, teachers and researchers in botany, microbiology, biotechnology and life sciences, agriculture and industries using fungi to produce various valuable products.

This exciting book presents diverse applications of microalgal renewable resources to meet modern demands for energy and value-added products. It also comprehensively describes the role of algae in sustainable and cost-effective wastewater treatment strategies, and highlights the latest research on, advances in and biotechnological relevance of algae in the areas of bioenergy, bioremediation, pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals and green economy. The book addresses gaps in the fields of bioenergy, waste management, health and economy by providing broad information on bioenergy production, management strategies, drug development, nutraceuticals products and biobased economy using algae at the commercial level. The book introduces researchers to key and emerging innovations in the field of algal biology research and will assist policymakers, environmentalists, scientists, students and global thinkers in defining sustainable developmental goals for the future. Accordingly, it is an extremely important read for researchers and students in the environmental sciences, life sciences and chemistry, experts in the energy sector and policymakers alike.

This book explores microbial symbiosis, with a particular focus on soil microorganisms, highlighting their application in enhancing plant growth and yield. It addresses various types of bacterial and fungal microbes associated with symbiotic phenomena, including rhizobium symbiosis, arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis, ectomycorrhizal symbiosis, algal/lichen symbiosis, and Archeal symbiosis. Presenting strategies for employing a diverse range of bacterial and fungal symbioses in nutrient fortification, adaptation of plants in contaminated soils, and mitigating pathogenesis, it investigates ways of integrating diverse approaches to increase crop production under the current conventional agroecosystem. Providing insights into microbial symbioses and the challenges of adopting a plant-microbe synergistic approach towards plant health, this book is a valuable resource for researchers, graduate students and anyone in industry working on bio-fertilizers and their agricultural applications.