Altering metabolism in biological processes
Compositions of peptides and surface-active agents are described, as are methods of making and using such compositions. The compositions are capable of affecting metabolic rates in biological systems, and to accelerate nutrient uptake without a concomitant increase in biofilm production.
1. A method for accelerating nutrient uptake in bacteria without a substantially commensurate increase of biomass, comprising contacting said bacteria with a mixture of an aerobic yeast fermentation supernatant and a surface-active agent, whereby the nutrient uptake in said bacteria is increased without a substantially commensurate increase of biomass,
wherein the mixture of the aerobic yeast fermentation supernatant and the surface-active agent is obtained by:
fermenting under aerobic conditions a plurality of yeast cells in the presence of a nutrient source,
heating the plurality of yeast cells to a temperature of between about 40° to about 60° C. after the fermenting step to obtain a fermentation product,
centrifuging the fermentation product to obtain the aerobic fermentation supernatant containing peptides, and
combining the aerobic fermentation supernatant with the surface-active agent; wherein the surface-active agent is a non-ionic or an anionic surfactant; and wherein the yeast is selected from the group consisting of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Kluyveromyces marxianus, Kluyveromyces lactis, Candida utilis, Zygosaccharomyces, Pichia , and Hansanula.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said heating releases intracellular peptides from the yeast cells into the fermentation product.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising substantially separating the plurality of yeast cells from the aerobic fermentation supernatant.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein said separating step takes place prior to said combining step.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nutrient source comprises a sugar.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the nutrient source further comprises one or more of diastatic malt, diammonium phosphate, magnesium sulfate, ammonium sulfate zinc sulfate, and ammonia.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said nonionic surfactant is an ethoxylated linear alcohol and said anionic surfactant is an alkyl ether sulfate.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein said heating step comprises increasing the temperature of said plurality of yeast cells to between about 40° to about 60° C. for about 2 to about 24 hours, followed by cooling to less than 25° C.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein said bacteria are mixed in with wastewater.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein said bacteria are used in a sewage collection system.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein said sewage collection system comprises a system selected from a cross-flow membrane filtration system or a cooling tower.
12. A method for accelerating nutrient uptake in bacteria or yeast without a substantially commensurate increase in biofilm production, comprising contacting said bacteria or yeast with a mixture of a an aerobic yeast fermentation supernatant and a surface-active agent, whereby the nutrient uptake in said bacteria or yeast is increased without a substantially commensurate increase in biofilm production,
wherein the mixture of the aerobic yeast fermentation supernatant and the surface-active agent is obtained by:
fermenting under aerobic conditions a plurality of yeast cells in the presence of a nutrient source,
heating the plurality of yeast cells to a temperature of between about 40° to about 60° C. after the fermenting step to obtain a fermentation product,
centrifuging the fermentation product to obtain the aerobic fermentation supernatant containing peptides, and
combining the aerobic fermentation supernatant with the surface-active agent;
wherein the surface-active agent is a non-ionic or an anionic surfactant; and
wherein the fermentation yeast is selected from the group consisting of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Kluyveromyces marxwnus, Kluyveromyces lactis, Candida utilis, Zygosaccharomyces, Pichia , and Hansanula.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein said heating step comprises increasing the temperature of said plurality of yeast cells to between about 40° to about 60° C. for about 2 to about 24 hours, followed by cooling to less than 25° C.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein said heating, prior to said cooling, disrupts the cellular structure of some of the plurality of yeast cells to obtain a fermentation product.