In-depth Investigation on Triterpenoid Production from the Desert Plants Aloe vera (L.) Burm.f. and Opuntia robusta JC Wendl. Prompted by Their Low Specific Methane Production
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In-depth Investigation on Triterpenoid Production from the Desert Plants Aloe vera (L.) Burm.f. and Opuntia robusta JC Wendl. Prompted by Their Low Specific Methane Production. / Almeida, Aldo; Raadam, Morten H.; Lopez-Villanueva, Adriana; Omar Hernandez-De Lira, Inty; Khakimov, Bekzod.
In: BioEnergy Research, Vol. 16, 2023, p. 898–911.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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T1 - In-depth Investigation on Triterpenoid Production from the Desert Plants Aloe vera (L.) Burm.f. and Opuntia robusta JC Wendl. Prompted by Their Low Specific Methane Production
AU - Almeida, Aldo
AU - Raadam, Morten H.
AU - Lopez-Villanueva, Adriana
AU - Omar Hernandez-De Lira, Inty
AU - Khakimov, Bekzod
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - Utilization of biomass is essential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It is therefore important to search for land and water-use efficient energy crops that can avoid diversion of arable land used for food crops. In this respect, desert plants could become potential crops for renewable energy production by anaerobic digestion as well as production of valuable compounds. The aim of this paper was to investigate the specific methane production as well as the triterpenoid biosynthesis, accumulation, and diversity of whole Aloe vera (L.) Burm.f. leaves and Opuntia robusta J.C. Wendl. cladodes. These plants were readily transformed by anaerobic digestion reporting cumulative biogas volumes of 3310.49 +/- 82.67 and 3685.19 +/- 207.74 NmL for A. vera and O. robusta, respectively. However, both substrates proved detrimental for the methanogenesis phase of anaerobic digestion giving specific methane production of only 8.22 +/- 0.09 and 28.88 +/- 2.63 NmL/g VS for A. vera and O. robusta, respectively. The observed inhibitory activity could be related to the high concentration of total triterpenoids in both substrates, 1.87 + 0.05 and 1.05 + 0.33 mu g/mg of DW for A. vera and O. robusta, respectively; these were the highest triterpenoid yields reported for species of the Aloe and Opuntia genera. Therefore, the triterpenoid biosynthesis pathways in these plants were explored. The presence of lupeol is reported for the first time in the Opuntia genus and a fragment from a putative lupeol synthase in O. robusta. Finally, the cycloartenol synthase of A. vera was functionally characterized and uncharacterized oxidosqualene cyclases of A. vera and O. robusta are reported. The results in this paper provide insights showing the potential of discovering new triterpenoids through further exploration of triterpenoid biosynthesis in these species.
AB - Utilization of biomass is essential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It is therefore important to search for land and water-use efficient energy crops that can avoid diversion of arable land used for food crops. In this respect, desert plants could become potential crops for renewable energy production by anaerobic digestion as well as production of valuable compounds. The aim of this paper was to investigate the specific methane production as well as the triterpenoid biosynthesis, accumulation, and diversity of whole Aloe vera (L.) Burm.f. leaves and Opuntia robusta J.C. Wendl. cladodes. These plants were readily transformed by anaerobic digestion reporting cumulative biogas volumes of 3310.49 +/- 82.67 and 3685.19 +/- 207.74 NmL for A. vera and O. robusta, respectively. However, both substrates proved detrimental for the methanogenesis phase of anaerobic digestion giving specific methane production of only 8.22 +/- 0.09 and 28.88 +/- 2.63 NmL/g VS for A. vera and O. robusta, respectively. The observed inhibitory activity could be related to the high concentration of total triterpenoids in both substrates, 1.87 + 0.05 and 1.05 + 0.33 mu g/mg of DW for A. vera and O. robusta, respectively; these were the highest triterpenoid yields reported for species of the Aloe and Opuntia genera. Therefore, the triterpenoid biosynthesis pathways in these plants were explored. The presence of lupeol is reported for the first time in the Opuntia genus and a fragment from a putative lupeol synthase in O. robusta. Finally, the cycloartenol synthase of A. vera was functionally characterized and uncharacterized oxidosqualene cyclases of A. vera and O. robusta are reported. The results in this paper provide insights showing the potential of discovering new triterpenoids through further exploration of triterpenoid biosynthesis in these species.
KW - Biogas
KW - Gas chromatography
KW - Lupeol
KW - Oxidosqualene cyclase
KW - Value-added compounds
KW - ANAEROBIC CO-DIGESTION
KW - OXIDOSQUALENE CYCLASE
KW - BIOGAS PRODUCTION
KW - EFFICIENCY
KW - SYNTHASE
KW - BIOMASS
KW - CLONING
KW - WASTE
U2 - 10.1007/s12155-022-10493-3
DO - 10.1007/s12155-022-10493-3
M3 - Journal article
VL - 16
SP - 898
EP - 911
JO - Bioenergy Research
JF - Bioenergy Research
SN - 1939-1234
ER -
ID: 315763952