Antimicrobial activity of sugarcane bagasse nanoparticles against microorganisms from the agriculture and bioethanol industry

• Grant number: 24/13260-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: February 01, 2025
• End date: December 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Applied Microbiology
• Principal Investigator: Sandra Regina Ceccato Antonini
• Grantee: Augusto Anacleto Pariz
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Agrárias (CCA). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). Araras , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Aiming for an effective alternative that is sustainable for the environment, healthy andclean for the consumer, and presents good economic results, this project presents a proposalto investigate the application of bioparticles from sugarcane bagasse as a plant-based antimicrobialagent in the control and decontamination of the ethanolic fermentation process.Due to the complex structure of sugarcane bagasse (cellulose, hemicelluloses, lignin), combinedwith physical pre-treatment by steam explosion and particle size reduction, a possiblemodification of the structure was considered, which will favor its antimicrobial action. Inthis sense, the project aims to evaluate the effect of steam explosion treatment and theconcentration of sugarcane bagasse bioparticles on the growth of contaminating bacteriain the ethanol fermentation process Limosilactobacillus fermentum and Lactiplantibacillusplantarum) and phytopathogenic fungi of interest to agriculture (Fusarium sp, Alternariaalternata, and Geotrichum citri-aurantii ). Based on the results, this study will expand therange of natural ingredients used in sustainable agroindustry for the most diverse purposes.