Application of Lactic Acid Bacteria in Fermentation Processes to Obtain Tannases Using Agro-Industrial Wastes
, Thelma Karina Morales Martínez 2, Juan Alberto Ascacio Valdés 1, Mónica Lizeth Chávez González 1, Adriana Carolina Flores Gallegos 1,* and Leonardo Sepúlveda 1,2,*Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
The manuscript is a review of tannins, tannase and Lactic acid bacteria. I believe the manuscript requires a major revision. I was disappointed as the version I downloaded initially didn't contain any figures or table. I'm not sure where the error lies but its unprofessional to submit without the figures and tables included in the document or as extra files.
The purpose of any review is just not to cite the relevant information from already published works, but to critic those for good and or bad information. This review does comprehensively cover the literature but I found no critical or creative interpretation. It reads more like a literature review from a graduate thesis. It is okay to be critical of published literature, especially where there is misinterpretation of data, lack of sufficient samples in experiments or data doesn't cover ranges expected.
The title of this review is misleading as it would be thought the LAB was going to be a major part of the review but it is only discussed in the last section. It was also unclear what the agro-industrial wastes were? There is a section on grapes so is it about dealing with waste from grape processing? Are there other waste streams of interest? If so, why just discuss grapes?
I was really unsure what this review was about as there wasn't clear information in the abstract as to why the review was being written. What was the scientific question being asked that this information needed to be gather together and reviewed and recommendations made tpo answer that scientific question.
Some of the sections are long but only a single paragraph which makes it difficult to read. Break sections up into smaller more readable paragraphs.
Author Response
All responses to the reviewer's questions are in the attached file.
Author Response File: 
Author Response.docx
Reviewer 2 Report
Authors present review which is incoherent, does not have logical structure and does not meet expectations from the title. The manuscript requires major language editing as a number of sentences are unclear and confusing to the reader.
First authors give short description into fermentation, then talk about grapes and in following few sections deal with tannins and their biological properties. Authors vaguely describe production of tannases by lactic acid bacteria in approximately 20 lines of text in section 14. This is far from enough to even consider review with such title for publishing. Also authors use agro-industrial waste in the title – they only have section about grapes and here they don’t give much details which can be related to the title of the review. Also have an issue with phrase “…release tannases” in the title – what did authors have in mind with this phrase? Usually one would use various wastes as substrates to grow microorganisms able to produce enzyme(s) having desired function…
Authors also reference to figures and tables in the main text but they are nowhere to be found…
Author Response
All the answers to the reviewer's questions were made in the attached document.
Author Response File: Author Response.docx
Round 2
Reviewer 1 Report
The authors have undertaken an extensive revision and the review is much better for this.
Author Response
Thank you very much for your comments, they helped us a lot.
Reviewer 2 Report
Although the authors have made improvements to the manuscript by adding section about agro-industrial waste used to produce tannases I still do not find the manuscript suitable for publication. Manuscripts requires extensive language editing to make it more readable and understandable. Authors tend to use long complex sentences which are almost impossible to follow – sentences have to be simplified and make more readable. Also some sentences look like they are just for themselves and not part of paragraph. As this is a review article authors have to explain some background for a data presented and not just throw it randomly. In general manuscript is still difficult to read, unclear in its presentation and at the end leaves reader puzzled about the true massage authors tried to convey.
Here are some specific comments:
Ln 18 replace “, and for which its efficiency with“ for its efficacy
Ln 40-43 Split the sentence in two.
95 pharmaceutical industry to produce antibiotics and offer multiple health benefits, mainly related to
96 the defense they provide against oxidative stress [11].
Ref 11 topic is winery industry waste. No word about pharmaceutical industry. I managed to find research where tannins are used as alternative to antibiotics, but haven’t found where tannins are used to produce antibiotics..
96 Tannins have astringent and anti-inflammatory
97 effects, help to promote coagulation and are helpful to treat poisonings [12],
- Rodríguez-Durán, L.V.; Valdivia-Urdiales, B.; Contreras-Esquivel, J.C.; Rodríguez-Herrera, R.; Aguilar,
515 C.N. Química y biotecnología de la tanasa. Acta Química Mexicana. 2010, 2, 1-10.
Paper in spanish dealing with the enzyme tannase. Could not verify tannins are used for treating poisonings.
142 and other complications. Most of the diseases are influenced by these affectations (cancer, diabetes,
143 inflammatory processes, among others) [14].
The sentence is unclear.. What affectation? Why was it used here? This doesn’t make any sense…
Definition of affectation
1a: speech or conduct not natural to oneself : an unnatural form of behavior meant especially to impress others
b: the act of taking on or displaying an attitude or mode of behavior not natural to oneself or not genuinely felt
Another effect is the inhibition of colorectal cancer metastasis by their
157 chemopreventive potential by inducing a reduction of azoxymethane and by acting on NF-kB, β-
158 catechin, nuclear antigen of cell proliferation, inducible nitric oxide synthase, and cyclooxygenase-2,
159 decreasing cell proliferation but increasing inflammation regulators, apoptosis, and suppression of
160 β-catechin and NF-kB signal [9].
Impossible to follow…
Luteolin acts on the cells of an intestinal model using cytokines
189 stimulating epithelial cells of the colon HT-29 and inhibiting the production of interleukin 8 (IL-8)
190 inducing nitric oxide synthase, nitric oxide, and cyclooxygenase-two, being tannins the future in the
191 treatment of this pathology [22]
Sentence unclear
192 Astringency is a sensory attribute that increases proline-rich salivary proteins, which help to
193 treat arthritis and hypermobile diseases. Proline-rich salivary proteins (PRP) are classified depending
194 on their isoelectric point and their glycosylation degree: acid, basic, and glycosylated PRP (APRP,
195 BPRP, GPRP). APRPs play an important role in calcium and GPRP binding in oral lubrication; the
196 dental film could be strengthened with the inclusion of the acid complex PRP [34]. The according23].
This paragraph simply doesn't make any sense…How does a sensory attribute increase proline-rich salivary proteins? What does that even mean? Does it affect protein synthesis?
Ln 344 delete LABs
One of
355 the least used microorganisms to obtain tannins through fermentation is LAB [7860], there are reports
356 that LAB degrade and hydrolyze natural tannins and tannic acid efficiently [4029]. One of the least
357 used microorganisms to obtain tannins through fermentation is LAB [7860], there are reports that
358 LAB degrade and hydrolyze natural tannins and tannic acid efficiently [4029].
Lns 354-358 duplication of sentence
Tannase production was
417 optimized by a sequential statistical using pomegranate husk as a solid substrate.
What does that mean?? Was sequential analysis used? What was all taken into account?
This review doesn’t have its purpose if I must go to the original paper to understand what authors wanted to say in their review…
Author Response
Here are some specific comments:
Ln 18 replace "and for which its efficiency with" for its efficacy
Response: changed "and for which its efficiency" by "its efficacy".
Ln 40-43 Split the sentence in two.
Response: The sentence was divided in two.
95 pharmaceutical industry to produce antibiotics and offer multiple health benefits, mainly related to
96 the defense they provide against oxidative stress [11].
Ref 11 topic is winery industry waste. No word about pharmaceutical industry. I managed to find research where tannins are used as alternative to antibiotics, but haven’t found where tannins are used to produce antibiotics..
Response: The reference was replaced.
96 Tannins have astringent and anti-inflammatory
97 effects, help to promote coagulation and are helpful to treat poisonings [12],
- Rodríguez-Durán, L.V.; Valdivia-Urdiales, B.; Contreras-Esquivel, J.C.; Rodríguez-Herrera, R.; Aguilar,
515 C.N. Química y biotecnología de la tanasa. Acta Química Mexicana. 2010, 2, 1-10.
Paper in spanish dealing with the enzyme tannase. Could not verify tannins are used for treating poisonings.
Response: The sentence was changed
142 and other complications. Most of the diseases are influenced by these affectations (cancer, diabetes,
143 inflammatory processes, among others) [14].
The sentence is unclear.. What affectation? Why was it used here? This doesn’t make any sense…
Definition of affectation
1a: speech or conduct not natural to oneself : an unnatural form of behavior meant especially to impress others
b: the act of taking on or displaying an attitude or mode of behavior not natural to oneself or not genuinely felt
Response: The sentence was changed.
Another effect is the inhibition of colorectal cancer metastasis by their
157 chemopreventive potential by inducing a reduction of azoxymethane and by acting on NF-kB, β-
158 catechin, nuclear antigen of cell proliferation, inducible nitric oxide synthase, and cyclooxygenase-2,
159 decreasing cell proliferation but increasing inflammation regulators, apoptosis, and suppression of
160 β-catechin and NF-kB signal [9].
Impossible to follow…
Response: The sentence was changed.
Luteolin acts on the cells of an intestinal model using cytokines
189 stimulating epithelial cells of the colon HT-29 and inhibiting the production of interleukin 8 (IL-8)
190 inducing nitric oxide synthase, nitric oxide, and cyclooxygenase-two, being tannins the future in the
191 treatment of this pathology [22]
Sentence unclear
Response: The sentence was changed.
192 Astringency is a sensory attribute that increases proline-rich salivary proteins, which help to
193 treat arthritis and hypermobile diseases. Proline-rich salivary proteins (PRP) are classified depending
194 on their isoelectric point and their glycosylation degree: acid, basic, and glycosylated PRP (APRP,
195 BPRP, GPRP). APRPs play an important role in calcium and GPRP binding in oral lubrication; the
196 dental film could be strengthened with the inclusion of the acid complex PRP [34]. The according23].
This paragraph simply doesn't make any sense…How does a sensory attribute increase proline-rich salivary proteins? What does that even mean? Does it affect protein synthesis?
Response: The paragraph was changed.
Ln 344 delete LABs
Response: LABs were deleted.
One of
355 the least used microorganisms to obtain tannins through fermentation is LAB [7860], there are reports
356 that LAB degrade and hydrolyze natural tannins and tannic acid efficiently [4029]. One of the least
357 used microorganisms to obtain tannins through fermentation is LAB [7860], there are reports that
358 LAB degrade and hydrolyze natural tannins and tannic acid efficiently [4029].
Lns 354-358 duplication of sentence
Response: One sentence was deleted.
Tannase production was
417 optimized by a sequential statistical using pomegranate husk as a solid substrate.
What does that mean?? Was sequential analysis used? What was all taken into account?
This review doesn’t have its purpose if I must go to the original paper to understand what authors wanted to say in their review…
Response: The sentence was changed.
Round 3
Reviewer 2 Report
Still requires language editing
Ln 45 decreased -> decrease
Ln 237-255 It’s ok to use LAB instead of Lactic acid bacteria
Author Response
Still requires language editing
Response: The manuscript was edited and revised in the English language.
Ln 45 decreased -> decrease
Response: It was corrected.
Ln 237-255 It’s ok to use LAB instead of Lactic acid bacteria
Response: Changed to LAB throughout the document.
