Wojciech Smułek

Poznan University of Technology · Faculty of Chemical Technology, Department of Organic Chemistry

Lignocellulose is considered to be the most abundant and sustainable material on earth. The concept of lignocellulosic biomass conversion into value-added chemicals or materials is gaining in importance worldwide as a means of replacing conventional petrochemical resources for environmental sustainability. The production of biofuels such as bioetha...

With increasing bacterial resistance to antibiotics, novel strategies for protection against microbial infections are crucial. Emulsions enhance the solubility of natural antibacterial oils and their uptake, making them promising drug delivery systems. However, it is important to find the right emulsifier to ensure that the oil has the right disper...

ANALIZA UKŁADÓW EMULSYJNYCH Z OLEJEM Z KONOPI JAKO SUPLEMENTÓW WITAMINY K S t r e s z c z e n i e Wprowadzenie. Witamina K odgrywa ważną rolę w procesie krzepnięcia krwi, poprawy stanu kości, zmniejszaniu zwapnień naczyń i ryzyka sercowo-naczyniowego oraz wykazuje właściwości przeciwzapalne. Słaba rozpuszczalność witaminy K w wodzie stanowić może o...

The Open Research Biopharmaceutical Internships Support project (ORBIS) was a response to the scientific, economic, and social challenge of increasing the effectiveness and productivity of the drug development process, both for innovative and (super)generic drugs. The overarching objective of the ORBIS project was to form a transnational and inters...

The delivery and uptake of adequate doses of a number of active compounds, including selected saturated and unsaturated fatty acids (frequently in the form of emulsion systems), is crucial to maintaining a healthy diet. The susceptibility of acids to oxidation and the time stability of emulsions are factors limiting their shelf life and storage tim...

Functional foods, drug delivery systems, and cosmetics are the main areas of application for multiphase systems, where the use of naturally derived compounds is preferred. Hence, this study aimed to assess the possibility of using natural surfactants and saponin-rich extracts to produce emulsions containing antibacterial and antioxidant cinnamon an...

Bioethanol is produced from carbohydrate-containing feedstocks through fermentation. Based on a bibliometric review of studies published between 2012 and 2021, we analyzed those on sustainable bioethanol production. The Web of Science main collection yielded 1647 publications, which were analyzed using VOSViewer, CiteSpace, and ArcMap software. Mor...

The aim of this research was to elucidate the surface active properties of Saponaria officinalis (soapwort) extract containing the plant surfactants saponins. To this end, the advancing contact angle (θ) of water, formamide and diiodomethane on the glass, as well as θ of the aqueous solution of S. officinalis extract fractions on PTFE, PMMA and gla...

The objective of this study was to extract the rapeseed protein from by-products and further examine the effect of lab-made rapeseed protein on the droplet size, microstructure, colour, encapsulation and apparent viscosity of emulsions. Rapeseed protein-stabilised emulsions with an increasing gradient of milk fat or rapeseed oil (10, 20, 30, 40 and...

Large-scale use of nitrofurans is associated with a number of risks related to a growing resistance to these compounds and the toxic effects following from their increasing presence in wastewater and the environment. The aim of the study was to investigate an impact of natural surfactant, saponins from Sapindus mukorossi, on antimicrobial propertie...

Vitamin D3 and iron are important components of a balanced diet. Supplementing meals with these is essential to support the recovery of humankind’s malnutrition. It is necessary to develop effective delivery systems to ensure the high bioavailability of these hydrophobic components. For this purpose, emulsions were prepared based on hemp seed oil a...

Nowadays, due to a higher resistance to drugs, antibiotics, and antiviral medicaments, new ways of fighting pathogens are intensively studied. The alternatives for synthesized compositions are natural products, most of which have been known in natural medicine for a long time. One of the best-known and intensively investigated groups are essential...

This study reports a biocatalytic system of immobilized laccase and 3D printed open-structure biopolymer scaffoldings. The scaffoldings were computer-designed and 3D printed using polylactide (PLA) filament. The immobilization of laccase onto the 3D printed PLA scaffolds were optimized with regard to pH, enzyme concentration, and immobilization tim...

Rapid urbanization is increasing the world's energy demand, making it necessary to develop alternative energy sources. These growing energy needs can be met by the efficient energy conversion of biomass, which can be done by various means. The use of effective catalysts to transform different types of biomasses will be a paradigm change on the road...

Creosote, a mixture of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), was and is a wood impregnate of widespread use. Over the years the accumulation of creosote PAHs in soils and freshwaters has increased, causing a threat to ecosystems. The combined ozonation-biodegradation process is proposed to improve the slow and inefficient biodegradation of creos...

Citation: Waszkowiak, K.; Mikołajczak, B.; Polanowska, K.; Wieruszewski, M.; Siejak, P.; Smułek, W.; Jarzębski, M. Protein Fractions from Flaxseed: The Effect of Subsequent Extractions on Composition and Antioxidant Capacity. Antioxidants 2023, 12, 675. Abstract: Flaxseed proteins exhibit functionalities interesting for the food industry, including...

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of saponins-rich plant extract on two model biological membranes: phospholipid monolayers and liposomes. The Langmuir monolayer technique was used to study the interactions of model phospholipid membranes with saponins. The π–A isotherms were determined for DPPE (1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho...

Insufficient mechanical properties of hydroxyapatite-based composites prompted the search for new and effective solutions for dental applications. To improve the mechanical properties without losing the remineralization potential, the use of hybrid fillers was proposed. The first of them was based on the formation of hydroxyapatite (HA) layer on th...

The bark of Frangula alnus Mill (FAM), the so-called alder buckthorn, has been widely investigated for its medicinal properties, especially its laxative effects and the bioactive properties of the plant material extract. Still, there is no wider study devoted to its antibacterial properties. This is important in the context of its impact on probiot...

The bioavailability of organic compounds to bacterial cells is crucial for their vital activities. This includes both compounds that are desirable to the cells (e.g., sources of energy, carbon, nitrogen, and other nutrients) and undesirable compounds that are toxic to the cells. For this reason, bioavailability is an issue of great importance in ma...

In this study, we present the concept of co-immobilization of 3-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase with xylose dehydrogenase or glucose dehydrogenase on the XN45 nanofiltration membrane for application in the bioconversion of levulinic acid as well as xylose or glucose with simultaneous cofactor regeneration. During the research, changes in the properti...

The antioxidant potential of bird cherry fruit of water, methanol, ethanol, and acetone extracts and their antioxidant efficiency against oxidation of PC liposomes using spectroscopic and chromatographic methods were investigated. The chromatographic methods quantified and specified the presence of phenolic and flavonoid compounds in the investigat...

Limited bioavailability of antibiotics is an urgent problem in the treatment of microbial infections. To increase transport of nitrofurantoin (NFT) into the bacterial cells the proposed strategy is to use the natural surfactants - saponins, extracted from Sapindus mukorossi L. This study aimed to investigate whether and in which way saponins may in...

In this study, lipase from Aspergillus niger immobilized by physical immobilization by the adsorption interactions and partially interfacial activation and mixed physical immobilization via interfacial activation and ion exchange was used in the kinetic resolution of the ketoprofen racemic mixture. The FTIR spectra of samples after immobilization o...

The current study aims to evaluate the effect of tamarind gum (TG) on the optical, mechanical, and drug release potential of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-based films. This involves preparing PVA-TG composite films with different concentrations of TG through a simple solvent casting method. The addition of TG has enhanced the phase separation and aggre...

Creosote, a mixture of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), was and is a wood impregnate of widespread use. Over the years the accumulation of creosote PAHs in soils and freshwaters has increased causing a threat to ecosystems. To improve the slow and inefficient biodegradation of creosote hydrocarbons the combined ozonation-biodegradation proc...

The problem of environmental contamination with chemical compounds continues to be a serious, large-scale, global problem. Petroleum compounds, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals are some of the most emerging pollutants in the world. Bioremediation methods using enzymes for the degradation of pollutants are distinguished from physicochemical and biolo...

The occurrence of 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) in the environment and its removal have drawn special attention from the scientific community in recent years, due to its hazardous effects on human and wildlife around the world. Therefore, the aim of this study was to produce an efficient enzymatic system for the removal of EE2 from aqueous solutions....

Membrane processes are one of the key factors influencing the function of living cells [...]

Insufficient mechanical properties of hydroxyapatite -based composites prompted the search for new and effective solutions for dental applications. To improve the mechanical properties without losing the remineralization potential, the use of hybrid fillers was proposed. The first of them was based on the formation of hydroxyapatite (HA) layer on t...

The use of natural surfactants including plant extracts, plant hydrocolloids and proteins in nanoemulsion systems has received commercial interest due to demonstrated safety of use and potential health benefits of plant products. In this study, a whey protein isolate (WPI) from a byproduct of cheese production was used to stabilize a nanoemulsion f...

The amounts of antibiotics of anthropogenic origin released and accumulated in the environment are known to have a negative impact on local communities of microorganisms, which leads to disturbances in the course of the biodegradation process and to growing antimicrobial resistance. This mini-review covers up-to-date information regarding problems...

Threats connected with contamination of environment with heavy metals include negative influence on human and animal health and also negatively influence the biodiversity of ecosystems. While applying various techniques of heavy metal remediation from soils, an important problem is the adsorption of ions on solid particles. In this respect, the com...

Biotechnological use of probiotic microorganisms involves providing them with appropriate conditions for growth, but also protection against environmental changes caused by an exchange of the medium, isolation of metabolites, etc. Therefore, the research on effective immobilization of probiotic microorganisms should be focused in this direction. Th...

Antibiotics presence in wastewater leads to migration of pollutants and disrupts natural processes of mineralization of organic matter. In order to understand the mechanism of this, research was undertaken on the influence of nitrofurantoin (NFT) and furazolidone (FZD), on the behaviour of a consortium of microorganisms present in a model wastewate...

It is with great pleasure that we present to you the output of the Special Issue Study of Biodegradation and Bioremediation [...]

The dentin-enamel junction (DEJ) is known for its special role in teeth. Several techniques were applied for the investigation of the DEJ in human sound molar teeth. The electron (EPMA) and proton (PIXE) microprobes gave consistent indications about the variability of elemental concentrations on this boundary. The locally increased and oscillating...

Biopolymer-based particles may be prepared using a soft-template method. Surfactants are among the most popular soft templates, but synthetic surfactants may be toxic or hazardous for humans and the environment. In this research, for the first time, natural surfactants were used to prepare spherical and doughnut-like particles. Two different powder...

To meet the growing interest in natural antibacterial agents, we evaluated the physicochemical and biological properties of the folk medicine known as "five thieves' oil" (Polish name: olejek pięciu złodziei). Five thieves' oil consists of a mixture of five oils: rosemary, lemon, clove, eucalyptus, and cinnamon. In this study, we performed gas chro...

(1) Background: Environmental contamination with antibiotics is particularly serious because the usual methods used in wastewater treatment plants turn out to be insufficient or ineffective. An interesting idea is to support natural biodegradation processes with physicochemical methods as well as with bioaugmentation with efficient microbial degrad...

Background Microbial surfactants called biosurfactants, thanks to their high biodegradability, low toxicity and stability can be used not only in bioremediation and oil processing, but also in the food and cosmetic industries, and even in medicine. However, the high production costs of microbial surfactants and low efficiency limit their large-scal...

The use of carbohydrates, as a part of surface-active compounds, has been studied due to their biodegradability and nontoxic profile. A series of alkyl glycosides containing D-lyxose and L-rhamnose with alkyl chains of 8-12 carbon atoms were investigated. The effects of structural variations on their physico-chemical and biological properties have...

Nanoemulsion systems receive a significant amount of interest nowadays due to their promising potential in biomedicine and food technology. Using a two-step process, we produced a series of nanoemulsion systems with different concentrations of hemp seed oil (HSO) stabilized with Aesculus hippocastanum L. extract (AHE). Water and commercially-availa...

A series of linear profiles of the elements of the enamel in human molar teeth were made with the use of an electron microprobe and a Raman microscope. It is postulated that the enamel can be treated as the superposition of variable "overbuilt" enamel on the stable "core" enamel at the macro-, micro-and nanoscale level. The excessive values charact...

Diclofenac (DCF) constitutes one of the most significant ecopollutants detected in various environmental matrices. Biological clean-up technologies that rely on xenobiotics-degrading microorganisms are considered as a valuable alternative for chemical oxidation methods. Up to now, the knowledge about DCF multi-level influence on bacterial cells is...

In the efforts for the removal of hazardous materials from the environment biological processes are a valuable tool. Although much attention has been paid to the changes in bacteria at the omics level, another, physical-chemical perspective on the issue is essential, as little is known of microbial response to continuous exposition on harmful subst...

The possibility of removing bisphenol A and its five potential substitutes (bisphenols S, F, AF, E, and B) was tested using microorganism consortia from river water and activated sludge from municipal and rural wastewater treatment plants. For most bisphenols, biodegradation with activated sludge was faster than with river water and a greater exten...

PurposeDespite wide research on bioremediation of hydrocarbon-contaminated soil, the mechanisms of surfactant-enhanced bioavailability of the contaminants are still unclear. The presented study was focused on the in-depth description of relationships between hydrocarbons, bacteria, and surfactants. In order to that, the biodegradation experiments a...

In this study, two saponins-rich plant extracts, viz. Saponaria officinalis and Quillaja saponaria, were used as surfactants in an oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion based on hempseed oil (HSO). This study focused on a low oil phase content of 2% v/v HSO to investigate stable emulsion systems under minimum oil phase conditions. Emulsion stability was char...

Due to the increasing use of antibiotics, measures are being taken to improve their removal from the natural environment. The support of biodegradation with natural surfactants that increase the bioavailability of impurities for microorganisms that degrade them, raises questions about their effect on bacterial cells. In this paper we present analys...

To handle the impact of habitat transformations, the microbial cells developed mechanisms aimed at adjustment of their biological processes in response to signals indicating environmental changes. One of the first changes in their properties is observed on their surface, which has direct contact with the dynamically varying surroundings. In this st...

Open Research Biopharmaceutical Internships Support (ORBIS) is an international, Horizon 2020 project funded by Maria Skłodowska-Curie Actions, Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (RISE) programme. Six academic institutions and four pharmaceutical companies from seven countries cooperate with the aim to improve the preclinical pathway of medicin...

Hypericum perforatum L. (HPL) is also called as St. John's wort and is traditionally used as a herbal tea and food supplement because of its excellent bioactive properties. One of the main objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of an additional filtration process on the properties of final HPL extract. Physicochemical studies...

Creosote oil, widely used as a wood preservative, is a complex mixture of different polycyclic aromatic compounds. The soil contamination result in the presence of a specific microcosm. The presented study focuses on the most active strains involved in bioremediation of long-term creosote-contaminated soil. In three soil samples from different bore...

Ekstrakty roślinne są jednym z podstawowych substancji bioaktywnych, wykorzystywanych w medycynie, farmacji oraz przemyśle spożywczym. Pomimo stosowania wyciągów z roślin od tysięcy lat, nadal odkrywane są ich nowe unikalne właściwości. Rośliny, w których składzie znajdują się saponiny (znane z właściwości powierzchniowoczynnych), wykorzystuje się...

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) contained in creosote oil are particularly difficult to remove from the soil environment. Their hydrophobic character and low bioavailability to soil microorganisms affects their rate of biodegradation. This study was performed on samples of soil that were (for over forty years) subjected to contamination with...

Effective biodegradation of hydrophobic pollutants, such as 1-chloronaphthalene, is strictly associated with the adaptation of environmental bacteria to their assimilation. This study explores the relation between the modifications of cell properties of bacteria belonging to Pseudomonas and Serratia genera resulting from a 12-month exposure to 1-ch...

The contact angles of water, formamide and diiodomethane on the polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and quartz covered with Saponaria officinalis saponins and pure hederagenin films as well as the contact angles of aqueous solutions of saponins on the PTFE, PMMA and quartz surface, were measured. The adsorption of the s...

Aesculus hippocastanum L. extract is gaining interest because of the presence of saponins content as a potential emulsion stabilizer. Saponin-containing plant extracts are receiving much interest because of their surface-active properties. This study presents the investigations on Aesculus hippocastanum L. (AHL) bark extract as a potential antibact...

Pollution of the environment with chlorinated aromatic compounds is a problem of increasing importance, which has stimulated the search for efficient methods for the remediation of contaminated soil and water. Additionally, for better understanding of the significance of bioavailability to biodegradation, investigation of the cell surface propertie...

The continuous exposure of living organisms and microorganisms to antibiotics that have increasingly been found in various environmental compartments may be perilous. One group of antibacterial agents that have an environmental impact that has been very scarcely studied is nitrofuran derivatives. Their representative is nitrofurantoin (NFT)—a synth...

This paper analyzes the impact of saponins from English ivy leaves on the properties of environmental bacterial strains and hydrocarbon degradation ability. For this purpose, two bacterial strains, Raoultella ornitinolytica M03 and Acinetobacter calcoaceticus M1B, have been used in toluene, 4-chlorotoluene, and α,α,α-trifluorotoluene biodegradation...

Increasing use of biosurfactants has stimulated the search for new and efficient biosurfactant-producing bacterial strains, preferably nonpathogenic ones. The aim of the present study was to characterize a new isolated Pseudomonas sp. KZ1 strain and its exocellular surface active compounds. After examining several mineral media of different composi...

The use of diphenyl ether (DE) and its 4-monohalogenated derivatives (4-HDE) as flame retardants, solvents, and substrates in biocide production significantly increases the risk of ecosystem contamination. Their removal is important from the point of view of environmental protection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the degradation processes o...

The environment pollution with hydrophobic hydrocarbons is a serious problem that requires development of efficient strategies that would lead to bioremediation of contaminated areas. One of the common methods used for enhancement of biodegradation of pollutants is the addition of biosurfactants. Several mechanisms have been postulated as responsib...

The effects of hydrocarbons sorption on sand and saponins presence in the system on butylbenzene and tert-butylbenzene biological degradation was investigated. Additionally, the impact of saponins-containing plant extracts on environmental microorganisms was studied. Results of cell surface property measurements in samples with saponins only reveal...

The rolling bearings' diagnosing methods used in exploitation diagnostics are not usually dedicated to the postproduction control. However, this does not mean, that they cannot be used there. A comprehensive comparison of the sensitivity of rolling bearings' diagnosing methods to occurrence of faults and damage should be based on measurements of ne...

Flowers of Verbascum nigrum L. (mullein) contain considering amounts of saponins which are surfactants with carbohydrates chain in their molecules. Hence, the mullein was used for water-oil (W/O) systems as an emulsion stabilizer. As an oil phase paraffin, rapeseed and Vaseline oils were used respectively. Emulsification and foaming tests were perf...

Wpływ stresu metabolicznego na biodegradację chloropochodnych toluenu i modyfi kację właściwości powierzchniowych komórek szczepu Raoultella planticola SA2 Obecność toksycznych zanieczyszczeń w ekosyste-mach wymaga podejmowania różnorakich działań, przede wszystkim w zakresie gospodarki odpadami oraz kon-troli stanu zanieczyszczenia wody, gleby i p...

Chlorotoluene isomers are used in a number of industries and their wide application results in the uncontrolled release of these compounds to the environment. Therefore, their removal is required primarily from the soil-water environment. Numerous physicochemical methods are in use to remove organic compounds from the ecosystem. However, their prim...

Ibuprofen is one of the most often detected pollutants in the environment, particularly at landfill sites and in wastewaters. Contamination with pharmaceuticals is often accompanied by the presence of other compounds which may influence their degradation. This work describes the new degradation pathway of ibuprofen by Bacillus thuringiensis B1(2015...

Halophenols make a group of aromatic compounds that are resistible to biodegradation by environmental microorganisms. In this study, the biodegradation of 4-bromo-, 4-chloro- and 4-fluorophenols was studied with two types of activated sludges (from a small rural plant and from a bigger municipal plant) as an inoculum. Because of their wide use, sur...

A group of four selected non-ionic surfactants based on carbohydrates, namely octyl d-xyloside (C8X), nonyl d-xyloside (C9X), decyl d-xyloside (C10X) and dodecyl d-xyloside (C12X), have been investigated to accomplish a better understanding of their physico-chemical properties as well as biological activities. The surface-active properties, such as...

Background The isomers of chlorotoluene (2‐chlorotoluene, 3‐chlorotoluene and 4‐chlorotoluene) are considered to be toxic and to have a negative impact on humans and the environment. Therefore, issues related to their removal from the natural environment have become of increasing interest. Results The morphology of cells and colonies after long‐te...

The main purpose of the study was to achieve effective immobilization of lipase B from Candida antarctica (CALB) onto 3D spongin-based scaffolds from Hippospongia communis marine demosponge for rapeseed oil transesterification. Successful immobilization onto the marine sponge skeleton was confirmed for the first time. Lipase B-containing biocatalyt...

Plant-derived surfactants are characterised by low toxicity, high biodegradability and environmental compatibility. They therefore have many applications; for instance, they can be used in bioremediation to accelerate biodegradation processes, especially of hydrophobic pollutants. This paper analyses the properties of an extract from Saponaria offi...

Fuels, such as diesel oil, can have a substantial impact on the microbial equilibrium of activated sludge and have a negative influence on work of wastewater treatment plant. The primary objective of the research was to examine the possibility of using the surfactants to improve pollutants biodegradation by bacteria from activated sludge. The resul...