Biopulping of lignocellulosic material using different fungal species: a review

SPRINGER LINK

Reviews

Reviews in Environmental Science and Bio/Technology

June 2010, Volume 9, Issue 2, pp 141-151

First online: 25 February 2010

• Pooja Singh
• , Othman Sulaiman 
• , Rokiah Hashim
• , P. F. Rupani
• , Leh Cheu Peng

• 
  

Abstract

Biopulping can be an alternative to the traditional methods of pulping. Biopulping use fungi that are known to be able to degrade wood as well as lignin constituent of wood. Amongst these white rot fungi are the most proficient biodegrader. The fungus is non sporulating and is a selective lignin degrader. It colonizes either on living or dead wood and decomposes all wood polymers including lignin and extractives making it to be extremely potential to be used in biopulping. The process of biopulping reduces the utilization of chemical in pulping industry and help in decreasing the environmental hazard caused by normal pulping. The present review deals with diverse aspects of biopulping and their ecological as well as economic significances.

Keywords
Biopulping Lignocellulosic material Fungal species Lignin Cellulose Hemicellulose

Authors :

• Pooja Singh 
• Othman Sulaiman 
• Rokiah Hashim 
• P. F. Rupani 
• Leh Cheu Peng 

Author Affiliations

• 1. Bioresource, Paper and Coatings Technology, School of Industrial Technology, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
• 2. Environmental Technology Division, School of Industrial Technology, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

• 
  

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http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11157-010-9200-0

Lignocellulolytic Materials-as a Raw Material for the Production of Fermentable Sugars via Solid State Fermentation

L.S. Hong, D. Ibrahim and I.C. Omar

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore the possibility of utilizing agrowastes effectively to convert them into fermentable sugars by the production of in situ enzyme in solid state fermentation, which agrowaste can be used as substrates for the microbial fermentation in the production of commercial viable products. To enhance the usage of abundant agrowaste generated in Malaysia a study was conducted in view of exploring the possibility of utilizing it effectively for the conversion to fermentable sugars. Agrowaste is rich of lignoselulolytic material which can serve as good substrate in solid state fermentation to produce the fermentable sugar. In this study, solid state fermentation was carried out through the flask system in lab skill. We evaluated the production of fermentable sugars by various fungal cultures namely A. niger USM AI1, A. niger II, Trichoderma sp., A. niger F4 and Phanerochaete chrysosporium via solid state fermentation system. Nine different types of lignocellulolytic materials paddy husks, coconut fibre, wood dust, coconut meal, palm kernel cake, sugarcane baggase, tapioca meal, oil palm trunk and oil palm frond were examined. The highest productivity, 57 mg of fermentable sugars per gram substrate was obtained when A. niger USM AI1 was grown on tapioca meal and the biomass of fungus showed about 1.7 mg glucosamine/g substrate. However, about 30.0 mg of fermentable sugars per gram of substrate was obtained when A. niger USM AI1 was grown on oil palm frond and the biomass of fungus showed 1.2 mg glucosamine/g substrate. Lesser yields of fermentable sugar were obtained when paddy husk, coconut fibre, wood dust, coconut meal, palm kernel cake and sugarcane bagasse were used as solid substrates, each yielding less than 6.6 mg of fermentable sugars per gram of substrate. Thus, the nature of the substrate and the suitability of fungi used in the solid state fermentation are important variable contributing to product yield of fermentable sugars in solid state fermentation and can presumably be more economical process for agrowaste utilization.

How to cite this article:

L.S. Hong, D. Ibrahim and I.C. Omar, 2011. Lignocellulolytic Materials-as a Raw Material for the Production of Fermentable Sugars via Solid State Fermentation. Asian Journal of Scientific Research, 4: 53-61.

DOI: 10.3923/ajsr.2011.53.61 

URL: http://scialert.net/abstract/?doi=ajsr.2011.53.61

INTRODUCTION
Lignocellulolytic materials are abundant in nature and have great value as alternative energy sources. The compositions of this biomass vary. The major component is cellulose (35-50%), followed by hemicelluloses (20-3%) and lignin (10-25%), in addition to minor components such as proteins, oils and ash that make up the remaining fraction of lignocellulosic biomass (Sjostrom, 1981). The biodegradation and bioconversion of lignocelluloses into useful products and biological alleviation of pollution from lignocelluloses waste is an enormous environment challenge (Panagiotou et al., 2003). A great variety of fungi can degrade these macromolecules by using a battery of hydrolytic or oxidative process (Perez et al., 2002). Degradation of lignocellulosic materials to monomeric sugars through the concerted action of cellulolytic enzymes is of great importance because sugars can serve as the raw material for a number of biotechnological production processes (Juhasz et al., 2005). For example, the sugars produced can be converted to ethanol (Lawford and Rousseau, 2003), lactic acid (El-Hawary et al., 2001) and biohydrogen (Taguchi et al., 1996: Kaparaju et al., 2009).

The technique of solid state fermentation (SSF) has been used for decades to convert moist agricultural polymeric substrates, example wheat, rice, soy cassava, etc, into fermented products (Rahardjo et al., 2005). SSF is an attractive technique for enzyme production because it presents many advantages, especially for fungal cultivation (Weiland, 1988). In SSF, the productivity per reactor or fermenter volume is much higher compared with that of submerged culture (Grajek, 1987). Also, the operation cost is lower, because simple design machinery and less energy usually are required (Roche et al., 1994).

Over the past decades, enzyme-based technologies have aroused worldwide research interest. Finding economically suitable substrates has always been of particular interest. An ideal lignocellulosic substrate is cheap, easily processed with a high yield and is suitable both for hydrolysis and for production of enzyme. Production of enzymes in situ instead of inoculating with commercially available enzymes can improve the economics of a process. However, lack of report has been seen on hydrolyzing agrowaste by using the production of enzymes in situ through solid state fermentation. Thus, the objective of this study proposed to seriously explore the possibility of utilizing agrowastes effectively to convert them into fermentable sugars by the production of in situ enzyme in solid state fermentation, which agrowaste can be used as substrates for the microbial fermentation in the production of commercial viable products.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
This study was carried out in June 2006 at Industrial Biotechnology Research Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia. The duration taken to conduct this work was about 6 months.

Microorganisms and culture condition: The fungi used in this study consisted of A. niger USM AI1, A. niger II, Trichoderma sp., A. nigerF4 and Phanerochaete chrysosporium which obtained from Industrial Biotechnology Research Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia. The fungi were grown on potato dextrose agar (Oxoid, England) slants at 37°C until sporulation (5 days) and then were maintained at 4°C until used. The inoculum was prepared by adding 4 mL of sterile distilled water to an agar slant and adjusting the spore suspension to 1x10⁶ spores per mL.

Substrate preparation: To be used as substrate, the lignocellulosic material (paddy husks, coconut fibre, wood dust, coconut meal, palm kernel cake, sugarcane baggase, tapioca meal, oil palm trunk and oil palm frond) was thoroughly dried and milled with grinder machine (Rong Tsong Precision Technology Corporation, Taiwan) to 1 mm particle size. Five grams of lignocellulosic material was then weighed and place into a 250 mL Erlenmeyer flask and autoclaved at 121°C for 20 min.
Solid-State Fermentation (SSF): The sterilized solid substrate was inoculated with 1.0 mL of inoculums (1x10⁶ spores mL^-1) and the moisture content was adjusted to 80% (v/w) with sterile distilled water. The contents were mixed thoroughly by using a sterile spatula and incubated at room temperature (30±2°C). Sample as a whole flasks in triplicates, were withdrawn after one week of cultivation.

Fermentable sugars extraction: The crude fermentable sugars from the fermented materials were extracted by a simple contact method. The fermented substrate was added with 100 mL distilled water. Contents were mixed by shaking for 1 h at room temperature (30±2°C) in a rotary shaker at 150 rpm. At the end of the extraction, the suspension was filtered through filter paper (Whatman No. 1, England) and the supernatant was collected and used as the crude fermentable sugar suspension for analysis.

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Microsatellite markers in candidate genes for wood properties and its application in functional diversity assessment in Eucalyptus globulus

Electronic Journal of Biotechnology ISSN: 0717-3458	Vol. 15 No. 2, Issue of March 15, 2012
© 2012 by Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso -- Chile	Received August 21, 2011 / Accepted December 21, 2011
DOI: 10.2225/vol15-issue2-fulltext-3

Cintia V. Acuña¹ · Pamela V. Villalba¹ · Martín García¹ · Pablo Pathauer¹ · H. Esteban Hopp^1,2 · Susana N. Marcucci Poltri*¹

¹ Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, Instituto de Biotecnología e Instituto de Recursos Biológicos, CNIA, Castelar, Argentina  

² Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Buenos Aires, Argentina

*Corresponding author: smarcucci@cnia.inta.gov.ar

Financial support: This research was supported by the ANPCyT/FONCYT, BID 1728 OC/AR, PICT-2008-00118 and INTA-PE 041120 and BiotecSur UE 127118.

Keywords: functional markers, genetic diversity, lignin pathway, SSR, wood density.

Abstract

Background: Functional genetic markers have important implications for genetic analysis by providing direct estimation of functional diversity. Although high throughput sequencing techniques for functional diversity analysis are being developed nowadays, the use of already well established variable markers present in candidate genes is still an interesting alternative for mapping purposes and functional diversity studies. SSR markers are routinely used in most plant and animal breeding programs for many species including Eucalyptus. SSR markers derived from candidate genes (SSR-CG) can be used effectively in co-segregation studies and marker-assisted diversity management. Results: In the present study, eight new non reported SSRs were identified in seven candidate genes for wood properties in Eucalyptus globulus: cinnamoyl CoA reductase (CCR), homocysteine S-methyltransferase (HMT), shikimate kinase (SK), xyloglucan endotransglycosylase 2 (XTH2), cellulose synthase 3 (CesA3), glutathione S-transferase (GST) and the transcription factor LIM1. Microsatellites were located in promoters, introns and exons, being most of them CT dinucleotide repeats. Genetic diversity of these eight CG-derived SSR-markers was explored in 54 unrelated genotypes. Except for XTH2, high levels of polymorphism were detected: 93 alleles (mean of 13.1 sd 1.6 alleles per locus), a mean effective number of alleles (Ne) of 5.4 (sd 1.6), polymorphic information content values (PIC) from 0.617 to 0.855 and probability of Identity (PI) ranging from 0.030 to 0.151. Conclusions: This is the first report on the identification, characterization and diversity analysis of microsatellite markers located inside wood quality candidate genes (CG) from Eucalyptus globulus. This set of markers is then appropriate for characterizing genetic variation, with potential usefulness for quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping in different eucalypts genetic pedigrees and other applications such as fingerprinting and marker assisted diversity management.

Introduction

Eucalyptus tree species are among the most planted hardwoods in the world. They are long-living, evergreen species belonging to the predominantly southern-hemisphere endemic angiosperm family Myrtaceae. Eucalyptus is predominantly out crossing, highly heterogeneous and genetically diverse. 

Within the genus, Eucalyptus globulus species is native of Tasmania and coastal regions of south-eastern Australia. Several forest plantations were successfully established in southern Europe, northern Africa and southern America (Myburg et al. 2007).

Most eucalypt domestication and breeding programs are focused on increasing the volume of produced wood, as well as improving its quality properties. 

Wood is essentially composed of cellulose, hemicelluloses, lignin, and extractives, each of them contributing to fiber properties which ultimately impact product properties. 

Principal traits for improving pulping procedures include quantity and quality of extractives and lignin, which affect directly the economic and/or environmental cost of pulping (Raymond and Apiolaza, 2004) as well as the use of forest residues for bioenergy purposes like ethanol production. For solid timber applications wood density as well as microfibril angle (MFA) have been considered as the most important factors affecting wood properties such as stiffness, strength, and shrinkage behaviour of solid wood (Evans and Ilic, 2001).

Results from genetic variation analyses carried out within E. globulus subraces (Strackpole et al. 2011), suggest that selection increasing wood density tends to decrease lignin S/G relationship. However, they did not find additive genetic relationship between density and extractives, and suggest that selection for increased pulp yield would result in increased cellulose content and S/G but reduced lignin and extractives content. 

As with other forest tree genera with long generation times, eucalypt domestication and breeding programs will benefit tremendously from molecular technologies which can contribute to quantify genetic diversity and relationships, breeding systems analysis, gene flow, fingerprinting and clone identification, QTL detection and molecular breeding through marker- or gene-assisted selection (Myburg et al. 2007). Also, the possible improvement by using marker-assisted selection aimed by breeders requires genomic resources publicly available involving putative candidate genes that control wood properties (Rengel et al. 2009). Good candidates for wood properties include genes involved in lignin and carbohydrate biosynthesis (Hertzberg et al. 2001).

Many genomic studies have reported the analysis of genes expressed during wood formation and xylogenesis (Hertzberg et al. 2001; Moran et al. 2002; Israelsson et al. 2003; Kirst et al. 2004; Paux et al. 2004; Paux et al. 2005; Foucart et al. 2006) and some important metabolic pathways are now well known. In Eucalyptus, several structural and regulatory candidate genes involved in lignin biosynthesis were identified, including those encoding components of the common phenylpropanoid pathway: phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), 4-coumarate-3-hydroxylase (C3H), Cinnamic acid 4-hydroxylase (C4H), caffeic acid 3-O-methyltransferase (COMT), caffeoyl-CoA Omethyltransferase (CCoAOMT), and 4-coumarate: CoA ligase (4CL) (Gion et al. 2000; Thamarus et al. 2002), and those of the monolignol specific pathway like cinnamoyl CoA reductase (CCR) and cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase (CAD) (Poke et al. 2003), as well as lignin regulatory genes such as MYB transcription factors (Goicoechea et al. 2005). All of these genes seem to be good candidates for QTL co-localization studies with wood-quality and lignin-content/quality QTLs.

Results and Discussion

Screening for microsatellite sequences in candidate genes for wood quality

Microsatellite sequences that were identified in silico were confirmed by PCR amplification using E. globulus genomic DNAs. Some of them were corroborated by automatic nucleotide sequencing. After homology reconfirmation of the flanking sequences using BLAST software, microsatellite structure was corroborated by direct visualization of their DNA sequence profiles. Eight new microsatellite sequences involved in lignin and cell-wall polysaccharide biosynthesis were, thus, characterized in seven candidate genes: Eucalyptus gunnii cinnamoyl-CoA reductase promoter (GenBank: AJ132750), E. grandis cellulose synthase 3 (CesA3) (GenBank: EU165713, 2 microsatellite regions), transcription factor LIM1 (GenBank: AB208710, E. grandis EST CB967988 similar to Arabidopsis thalianahomocysteine S-methyltransferase (HMT), E. globulus EST GenBank: BF942502 similar to A. thaliana shikimate kinase (SK), a putative E. globulus XTH2 (GenBank: DQ100338), E. globulus EST CT988111 similar to Vitis vinifera glutathione S-transferase and E. globulus). 

In E. grandis EST CB967988, similar to Arabidopsis thaliana homocysteine S-methyltransferase (HMT), the microsatellite was identified after automatic sequencing of fragments which were higher than the expected size. Sequence data from this genomic fragment was annotated in the GenBank under accession number FJ492059.

For diversity analysis samples of 54 non selected unrelated trees were assayed for each SSR.

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The Best Piece of Gym Equipment You're Not Using

Overview

The rowing machine. You’ve seen it in the corner of countless gyms, lonely and unused. So what is this thing? How do you use it? And why should you give this machine a try? 

The rowing machine is a gym's hidden weapon. Photo Credit iStock/Squaredpixels.

Bottom line: You won’t get a better full-body workout on any other piece of equipment in the gym. The indoor-rowing machine (also known as the ergometer, or erg) engages your legs, hips, core, back and arms. When used properly, you’ll get both a cardio and strength session from an erg workout.

There’s no need to spend hours on this thing in order to burn your daily calorie goal. The erg is the perfect machine to practice intervals, which can help develop your body’s ability to switch between energy systems and is an effective way to lose weight. 

The erg is extremely honest. A display screen shows your power output for each stroke, letting you know exactly how efficiently you are moving and if your pace is letting up. You move this machine; it does not move you.

The Importance of Proper Form

Imagine bending down to pick something off the ground and repeating that motion hundreds of times. It doesn’t matter how heavy that item is, your body is eventually going to wear out, especially if you’re not using your strongest muscles. 

Rowing is essentially the same thing, except you’re moving that item horizontally with each stroke instead of vertically. If you compromise the position of your hips and core, you will wear out those muscles more quickly. For this reason, it’s very important to use your largest muscle groups in order to produce the greatest possible power output and to protect those areas vulnerable to injury.

Tips and Drills for Getting It Right

It's key to make sure you're using proper form during each stroke. Photo Credit Jacob Lund/AdobeStock

First and foremost: Stop setting your fan to 10! A higher fan setting does not equal a tougher workout. Damper setting is similar to bicycle gears: It affects how rowing feels, but does not directly affect the resistance. A lower damper setting on the indoor rower is comparable to easier gears on a bike. Starting around a 3 to 4 on the fan will give you a great aerobic workout without wearing out your muscles too fast. 

The rowing stroke is divided into two equal parts: the recovery, in which you are preparing to take a stroke, and the drive, in which you are doing the work. (When rowers are on the water, the drive is when the oar is pushing the water to propel the boat forward.)

The Recovery

The goal of the recovery portion of each stroke is twofold: to prepare your body to do the work required for the drive and to relax! Think about this: You’re spending half of your time on the erg recovering. If you can use this time to relax your muscles, you will have that much more energy to produce power on the drive. 

In order to properly prepare for the drive, you want to make sure that you’re loading your muscles in the correct order. A great drill to help develop this is a Three-Part Pause Drill: During each part of the stroke, take one second to pause in the Finish Position, the Arms-Away Position and the Body-Over Position. 

Finish Position: In this position, you’ve “finished” the stroke — your legs and back are straight and you’re leaning back about 10 degrees with the handle up against the middle of your chest. Pause.

Arms-Away Position: Still in the same position, release your arms and send them “away” from your body. Pause. 

Body-Over Position: From the Arms-Away Position, hinge at the waist so that you’re now leaning forward about 10 degrees, arms and legs still straight.

Try to find each one of these positions while remaining loose and relaxed. As you get comfortable with this load ordering you can remove each pause one at a time until you are moving continuously through the recovery.

The Drive

Use your biggest muscles -- your legs -- to generate power in the Drive. Photo Credit Klaus Vedfelt/Taxi/Getty Images.

The Drive is executed in the exact opposite order of the Recovery, with a focus of using your biggest muscles to create power -- pushing first with your legs while holding your core stable, then adding in the rest of your body by opening your hips and finishing the stroke by following through with your arms. 

One of the most common mistakes is trying to involve the upper body and hips too early in the stroke. The more skilled you become, the more “quiet” and still your body will be as you push with your legs. You can develop this skill with the Legs-Only Drill:

Sit in the Catch Position. Sit tall with your knees bent and shins vertical. Your seat should be close to your heels. Your arms should be straight out, reaching forward with wrists flat.

From the Catch, push away with your legs while holding your core tall and stable, pause, then slide back to the Catch. Your arms and back should be straight and still throughout the entire movement.

Continue this drill until you are comfortable supporting your core, then add in the remaining portions of the stroke. 

So go get your sweat on and give the erg a try. You’ll be impressed at how great this machine is for giving you a full-body workout in a short amount of time.

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What Are the Benefits of Rowing Vs. Running?

The rowing machine might not be as popular as the treadmill at your gym, but rowing is a great alternative to running for your workout. Not only does rowing burn calories and strengthen your heart, it also offers other benefits that running doesn’t. It may be a better option for you -- especially if you’re looking for a low-impact exercise or one that will also strengthen your upper body.

A woman working out on a rowing machine in her apartment. Photo Credit FlairImages/iStock/Getty Images.

Move More Muscles

Most of the muscles you use in running are in your lower body: your quads, hamstrings, glutes, hip flexors and calves. Your abs and biceps serve as supporting muscles and are strengthened to a lesser degree. When you row, however, both upper-body and lower-body muscles serve as your primary movers, and you strengthen many more muscles than when running. In addition to your calves, hamstrings, quadriceps and glutes, you strengthen your abs and erector spinae in your core, and your deltoids, biceps and brachioradialis in your arms.

Kinder to Your Joints

Unlike running, rowing is both low-impact and non-weight bearing, so it causes less wear and tear on your joints. This is especially important if you have weak joints or suffer from arthritis. Of course, as with any exercise, it can be harmful to your joints if you do not maintain proper form. When rowing, push off with your entire foot, including your heels, and not just with your toes. This will prevent strain on your knee joints.

Burn Calories, but at a Slower Rate

You will burn calories using a rowing machine, but not as many as when running. According to the American Council on Exercise, a 150-pound person burns approximately 158 calories in 30 minutes rowing at a moderate pace, but burns 181 calories in the same amount of time running at a pace of 5 miles per hour. A study in the May 1996 issue of the "Journal of the American Medical Association" also concluded that running on a treadmill is superior to using the rowing machine for burning calories.

Make the Most of Your Workout

Always begin your workout with a five-minute warm-up to prepare your muscles and cardiovascular system for the work ahead. Always end your workout with a five-minute cool-down to return your body to its pre-workout state. Begin slowly with a lower resistance and gradually increase the intensity once you feel comfortable with the movement. Maintain proper form, with back straight and shoulders back to prevent excess stress on your back. Stop exercising if you become too tired to maintain proper form.

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How Do You Make Lemon Water to Lose Weight?

When it comes to weight loss, lemon water may help a bit, but it's not a magic potion for melting away extra pounds. In fact, it may be the water more than the lemon that helps you lose the weight. If you're struggling to drop unwanted pounds, consult your doctor or make an appointment with a registered dietitian for help and guidance.

Drinking water with lemon may help your waistline. Photo Credit Image Source/Image Source/Getty Images.

Lemons and Weight Loss

While lemons may not hold the key to unlocking your thin self, substances in lemons helped rodents lose weight in one study. The polyphenols, which are plant compounds that also act as antioxidants, in lemon peel -- some of which are also found in the juice -- may help stimulate the liver to burn fat, according to a 2008 study published in Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition. This study found that supplementing rats on a high-fat diet with lemon polyphenols helped prevent weight gain and the accumulation of body fat better than rats simply fed a high-fat diet. While this research shows a that a link between lemons and weight loss may be possible, not all animal studies translate to humans, and clinical trials need to be conducted in people before any claims can be made.

If you're working out, the vitamin C in the lemon juice may help your body burn more fat, according to a 2005 article published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition. The authors report that getting an adequate intake of vitamin C helps the body burn 30 percent more fat during exercise. Most importantly, people who carry more body weight tend to have lower levels of vitamin C. Juice from one lemon has 18 milligrams of vitamin C, and you need 75 to 90 milligrams a day.

Benefits of Drinking More Water

When you're trying to lose weight, adding more water to your diet may be beneficial. Drinking 2 cups of water before each meal helped a group of overweight and obese adults following a weight-loss diet lose more weight -- 4 more pounds over 12 weeks -- than those simply following the diet, according to a 2010 study published in Obesity. The researchers concluded that the water helped the group fill up faster so they ate even less. While water may help you feel more full, however, there's also some evidence it may give your body a calorie- and fat-burning boost, according to the authors of a 2008 study published in the journal Obesity. If you don't drink water because it doesn't have any flavor, adding lemon may encourage you to drink more and get the weight-loss benefits of the calorie-free beverage.

Making Lemon Water for Weight Loss

Calories from all sources count when you're trying to lose weight. To keep calories in check with your lemon water, it's best to keep it simple, making your refreshing drink with only water and lemons. The juice of one lemon has 11 calories. Squeeze half a lemon in 2 cups of water to make a 5.5-calorie drink -- which makes it essentially calorie-free. For each whole lemon you squeeze into your water, you get 20 to 25 percent of your daily vitamin C needs. If you prefer, add the cut and peeled fruit to your drink and muddle it, then remove any large pieces, for a natural beverage that includes the pulp.

You may be tempted to add sweetener to turn your lemon water into a type of lemonade, but adding 1 tablespoon of sugar bumps the number of calories in your drink up to 45. And honey isn't any better, adding 64 calories per tablespoon.

You may want to drink your lemon water with a straw to prevent the acidity in the lemon juice from affecting your tooth enamel.

Diet and Exercise Too

Your lemon water may help a little bit with your weight-loss efforts, but the only way to lose successfully is to make a concerted effort to eat better and be more active. Weight loss is about creating a negative calorie balance so your body burns more than you feed it. Filling your diet with low-calorie, nutrient-rich foods, such as fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean proteins and low-fat dairy, may help you limit calories to create that deficit. Finding ways to add activity to your day helps you burn more calories to widen the deficit. That extra activity can include both planned exercise, such as a daily run, and moving more doing everyday things, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator.

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Ice Water With Lemon for Losing Weight

A tall glass of ice water with fresh-squeezed lemon juice is a refreshing treat and a nice change from plain old water. It's also low in calories, so if you drink it in place of higher-calorie beverages, it may help you slim down. Drinking a big glass of water with lemon before meals might also help you eat less at that meal, another way to shave calories from your diet to aid weight loss.

A glass of ice water with lemon. Photo Credit Photosiber/iStock/Getty Images.

Low in Calories

Ice water with lemon is virtually calorie-free. Water, of course, contains no calories, and the juice of one lemon wedge provides only 1 calorie. Even if you mixed your water with 1/4 cup of lemon juice, you'd still only get 13 calories. Compare that to a glass of orange juice, which has 112 calories, or a 12-ounce can of cola, which has 152 calories. Replacing these beverages with a cup of ice water with lemon can help you shave hundreds of calories off your daily intake to help you lose weight.

Fills You Up

When you drink a glass or two of lemon water, you might notice that it makes you feel a bit full. Even though water isn't food, it can create a feeling of fullness that might help you to eat less at a meal, if you drink the water right before the meal, according to study findings presented at the 240th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society. Researchers found that over the course of 12 weeks, the 24 dieters who drank 2 cups of water before each meal of the day lost 15.5 pounds, while the group of 24 dieters that did not drink water before meals only lost 11 pounds.

Helps Curb Cravings

If you find yourself craving sweet or salty foods that are high in calories, immediately drinking a glass of tangy, ice cold water with lemon could help satisfy you, or at least distract you, so that you can get on with your day without bingeing on high-calorie foods. Sipping on lemon water throughout the day will help you stay hydrated, which could prevent hunger and cravings all together. Thirst is sometimes mistaken for hunger, which can lead you to reach for a snack when what you really need is water.

The Cold Water Myth

The temperature of your water with lemon won't make much of a difference for weight loss, contrary to what you may have heard about ice water raising your metabolism. Your body does expend energy to maintain a constant body temperature, but according to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences website, you'll only burn about 8 calories drinking a glass of ice water versus a glass of room temperature water.

www.livestrong.com

Good & Bad Breakfast Choices

Your morning meal is perhaps one of the most important ones you eat all day. Eating a nutritious breakfast can help improve and maintain your health as well as refuel your body after a night of sleeping. Adding a healthy breakfast to your morning is possible if you know what foods to choose and what foods to avoid.

A nutritious breakfast is an important part of your overall health. Photo Credit healthy breakfast image by William Berry from <a href='http://www.fotolia.com'>Fotolia.com</a

Bagels vs. Donuts

Whole grains are one way to satisfy your morning hunger as well as provide your body with the nutrients you need to start your day. A whole grain bagel is a nutritious part of your breakfast, because it will supply fiber as well as B vitamins and protein. Donuts do not contain whole grains or fiber and are too high in sugar to be considered healthy. A breakfast full of sugar will give you initial energy, but it will only last for a short time before you are hungry and tired again. Spread your bagel with peanut butter for an added dose of protein and vitamins.

Bran Flakes vs. Sugary Cereal

Bran flakes are another good source of fiber and nutrients that will fill your stomach without adding a huge amount of sugar to your meal. Sugary cereals are often low in nutrition and the sugar they contain will not get your through the morning until your next meal. In her book, "The Change Your Life Challenge," Brook Noel reports that whole grain cereals, such as bran flakes, will help prevent overeating and will encourage you to eat healthier foods for the rest of your meals. Serve your bran flakes with sliced fruit for an added bit of sweetness without the unhealthy effects of added sugar.

100-Percent Fruit Juice vs. Fruit Drinks

Many bottled and canned juices claim to be made of fruit, but if you look closer they have little real fruit juice in them. Drinking 100 percent fruit juice is a better choice at breakfast. It will help energize you and get you started toward eating at least five servings of fresh fruit during the day. Citrus juices, such as orange or grapefruit, are particularly energizing and can be added to your bagel or bowl of cereal.

Lean Ham vs. Bacon

Traditional breakfast meats, including bacon and sausage, are high in calories and saturated fat, which will fill you up but will cause you to feel run down shortly after you are through eating. Lean meats will supply the protein you need to start your day, Noel notes, without causing you to consume too much unhealthy fat. Add a slice of lean ham to a toasted bagel or add as a side to an egg white omelet.

www.livestrong.com

Step-by-Step Mid-century Modern Coffee Table

THE WOODWORKING DESIGN COLLECTION - ORDER NOW !

By Michael Crow

Format: DVD 

Other available formats: DIGITAL DOWNLOAD

Make Your Own Mid-Century Masterpiece! 

Mid-century tables are recognizable for their spare presentation and the often "floating" top. This table (a tribute to the work of Danish designer Finn Juhl) combines both of these attributes and serves as a great learning experience for maximizing shape and style, without adding a great deal of material.

In this woodworking DVD, you'll learn:

• To construct a two-piece tapered leg with tongue-and-groove joinery
• How to suspend the tabletop above the base using aluminum dowel pins
• The steps to add a tapered, solid-wood edge to the plywood top
• And much more!

Take your first step into mid-century modern with this classically styled piece.

Watch a Preview Now:

About the Host:

Michael Crow is the author of the book Mid-Century Modern Furniture and is the host of the DVD Building Techniques in Mid-century Modern Furniture. He is a contributor to major woodworking and homebuilding magazines. Michael can often be found working on his Craftsman bungalow or building furniture for it. Follow his work at 1910craftsman.com

For further information log on website:

http://www.shopwoodworking.com/step-by-step-mid-century-modern-coffee-table?source=igodigital

Contemporary Furniture

THE WOODWORKING DESIGN COLLECTION - ORDER NOW !

17 Elegant Projects You Can Build

By The Editors of Popular Woodworking

Format: Paperback 

Other available formats: EBOOK

Matching furniture to your home décor can be a tall order. Classic furniture styles with intricate details can overpower a room or clash with other styles in the typical home. That's one of the reasons why contemporary furniture is so popular - and why woodworkers love to build it.

Contemporary furniture has an understated elegance that is suited to just about any room, regardless of decorating style. This book presents 17 contemporary furniture projects hand-picked from the pages of Popular Woodworking Magazine and American Woodworker magazine. Each one comes with step-by-step instructions, high-quality diagrams, cutting lists, color photos and detailed, easy-to-follow assembly techniques.

Inside, you'll find:

•	Elegant side tables
•	An open-construction bookcase
•	Sleek modern cabinets
•	A mid-century inspired coffee table
•	A city sideboard
•	And many more stylish projects!

From simple drawer pulls to gracefully beveled edges, contemporary furniture offers a subtle elegance that can really bring the room together. Let this book be your guide, and create your own contemporary pieces today.

For further information log on website:

http://www.shopwoodworking.com/contemporary-furniture-paperback?source=igodigital