Toxicity Reduction of Phenolic Compounds in Water Systems by Yeasts

This video was part of the poster presented at the 61st Annual Meeting and ToxExpo at the Society of Toxicology, held from March 27 – 31, 2022 in San Diego, California. Valérie Pihen obtained the 2022 International Ph.D. Student Travel Award from the Hispanic Organization of Toxicologists.

As the video shows, the objective of the study was to evaluate the use of a mixture of yeasts with ligninolytic capacity for their use in water treatment systems to reduce the toxicity of phenolic compounds, decreasing the risk to human beings and the environment.

Based on this objective, it can be concluded that the yeasts used grew in the presence of phenols, with the Phenol> Nonylphenol> p-Nitrophenol> Pentachlorophenol tendency. The value of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of nonylphenol and phenol is greater than the p-Nitrophenol. The MIC limit of pentachlorophenol is reached due to its solubility. The five strains analyzed can use the four phenols as their only source of carbon. Therefore, the combination of the selected yeasts has the potential to reduce the toxicity of the phenolic compounds in water treatment.

About the authors:

Valérie Pihen

Licenciatura in Mechanical Engineering from Universidad de las Américas Puebla 2015. Master’s in Project Management from Universidad Tecnológica de México 2018. She is currently a doctoral candidate in Water Sciences at Universidad de las Américas Puebla.

Contact: valerie.pihenmz@udlap.mx

Dr. Teresa Palacios Hernández

Licenciatura in Agricultural Biology from Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala 2005, Master’s in Biotechnology from Universidad de las Américas Puebla 2007 and Doctorate in Chemical Science specializing in Inorganic Chemistry from Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla 2012. She has postdoctoral stays at UDLAP (2014), at Johns Hopkins University (2014-2016) and in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (2016-2019). Since 2019 she is Lead Reviewer (Senior Staff Fellow Biologist) and expert consultant at the FDA. Additionally, Dr. Palacios has received different awards and honorable mentions, including Honorary Mention at the 2021 FDA Honor Awards. She is also the president of the Organization of Hispanic Toxicologists from the American Society of Toxicology.

Dr. José Luis Sánchez Salas

Licenciatura in Pharmacological Chemistry from Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla 1986. Graduate studies from the School of Biological Sciences at Instituto Politécnico Nacional, receiving his Master’s in Microbiology in 1990 and his Doctoral Degree in Science at the same institution in 1993. He won the Puebla State Award in Science and Technology in 2019. He currently is a professor, researcher and Water Science Doctorate Coordinator at UDLAP.