The list of international projects SAS
Institute of Molecular Biology
Application of active packaging enriched with essential oils for enhancing the shelf life of fruit
Aplikácia aktívneho obalu obohateného o esenciálne oleje na predĺženie trvanlivosti ovocia
| Duration: |
1.1.2025 - 31.12.2026 |
| Program: |
Mobility |
| Project leader: |
RNDr. Bučková Mária PhD. |
| Annotation: | For many years, much attention has been paid to packaging materials. Packaging is a vital component of a food product, fruit, or vegetable, as it aims to protect the product itself from external influences during transport or storage, ensure the longest possible freshness of the food, and attract the customer. The properties of packaging are constantly being improved and are moving towards so-called active packaging. Fruit is a nutrient-rich food with a high content of health-beneficial compounds. However, fruit is susceptible to mechanical damage and microbiological contamination, which can cause changes in sensory properties. These
changes consequently affect ripening and shelf life.
In recent years, essential oils (EOs) have been recognized for their antimicrobial and antioxidant properties and are promising ecological alternatives to chemical antimicrobial substances. Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is one of the several polymers suitable for encapsulating EOs, while at the same time being a non-toxic, biodegradable, and compostable polymer derived from renewable resources. Suitable packaging prolongs the shelf life of fruit, maintains the highest possible nutritional level, improves quality, and
attracts customer attention. |
BEekeeping products valorization and biomonitoring for the SAFEty of BEEs and HONEY (BeSafeBeeHoney)
BEekeeping products valorization and biomonitoring for the SAFEty of BEEs and HONEY
European Network for Skin Engineering and Modeling
European Network for Skin Engineering and Modeling
Interdisciplinary Study on Mushroom and Yeast Polysaccharides Application in Honey Bee Health and Functional Bee Products Development
Interdisciplinárna štúdia aplikácie fungálnych a kvasinkových polysacharidov v podpore zdravia včiel a v príprave nových funkčných včelích produktov
| Duration: |
1.1.2026 - 31.12.2028 |
| Program: |
Bilateral - other |
| Project leader: |
Ing. Majtán Juraj DrSc., MBA, FIFST |
| Annotation: | Honeybee is a key pollinator for natural as well as agricultural ecosystems. In the last decade massive honeybee colony losses have been observed worldwide, as the result of a complex syndrome triggered by multiple stress factors. Stimulation and enhancement of bee immunity is one of the approaches counteracting some threats to bee health. Previous research has indicated that polysaccharides from mushrooms and fungal fermentations have the potential to enhance honey bee immunity. Therefore, the main goal of the international collaborative project is to prepare immunomdolatory polysaccharides from different sources (oyster mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus and black yeast Aureobasidium melanogenum CK-CsC) and to explore the effects of these polysaccharides on bee immunity at individual bee level as well as at the colony level. Furthermore, the levels of bees’ protective proteinous compounds in honeybee products will be determined since the biologically active polysaccharides can stimulate their high secretion. Finally, the functional and nutritional values of bee products from the polysaccharides-treated bee colonies will be evaluated. The expected outcomes include promoting bee colony health and, by extension, producing functional bee products, thereby fostering the development of the apicultural industry and offering an additional option for health foods for the aging society. |
Microorganisms and the environment of historical archives: optimization of monitoring approaches
Mikroorganizmy a prostredie historických archívov: optimalizácia monitorovacích prístupov
Sustainable Archives and Greener Approaches
Udržateľné archívy a ekologickejšie prístupy
| Duration: |
1.11.2024 - 30.9.2027 |
| Program: |
European Commision |
| Project leader: |
Dr. Pangallo Domenico DrSc. |
| Annotation: | With National Archives collection materials serving as a living labs, SAS experts will particularly be able to assess (qualitatively and quantitatively) the impacts on archives conservation taking into account both, physical impacts (light, temperature, humidity) and biological agents (fungi, bacteria and insects) thanks to the collection of biological samples, different measuring and predictive tools, with the final objective of identifying gaps and risks in the participant archival institutions.
The microbiological analysis will permit the identification of paper deteriorating microorganisms which can contaminate the documents, the books and also the surrounding environments (for example air, walls and other surfaces). |
Exploitation of environmental microbiota and its genetic resources for the development of innovative and sustainable biosorption solutions of rare earth elements (REEs)
Využitie environmentálnej mikrobioty a ich genetických zdrojov na vývoj inovatívnych a udržateľných riešení biosorpcie prvkov vzácnych zemín
| Duration: |
1.1.2025 - 31.12.2027 |
| Program: |
Bilateral - other |
| Project leader: |
RNDr. Bučková Mária PhD. |
| Annotation: | The project EMERGE will focus on the improvement of Rare Earth Elements (REEs). biosorption approaches using microorganisms.
During the project microorganisms will be isolated (from diverse environments) and selected, according to their REEs biosorption
abilities. The genetic information obtained from the promising microorganisms and from the environmental DNA (eDNA) will be
utilized for microbial-based solutions through genetic engineering, which permit a better capture of REEs from the environment. The
cutting-edge sequencing applications will permit to decipher the intricate environmental microbial communities in order to mining
valuable genes encoding for REEs binding proteins, such as metallothioneins.
The identified genes will undergo cloning into E. coli for surface display, facilitating the creation of a whole-cell biosorbent aimed at
optimizing the efficiency of rare earth elements (REEs) recovery. Furthermore, the detoxification and accumulation mechanisms
inherent in strains exhibiting notable tolerance to REEs will be subject to genetic modification to augment REEs recovery efficiency.
Additionally, biosorbents functionalized with REEs-specific binding peptides onto phage and biomass-derived matrices will be
engineered to mitigate potential inhibition effects arising from industrial mixtures when deployed in natural environments. These
efforts will involve meticulous optimization of operational conditions to ensure maximal metal recovery efficiency.
The developed approaches aim to improve and mitigate the environmental impact of resource extraction by implementing eco-friendly
techniques for the biosorption of rare earth elements. Microbial-based REEs biosorption is important in addressing environmental
concerns, promote resource sustainability, and foster technological innovation in the context of modern industrial practices |
The total number of projects: 7
