Abstract
We have obtained kefir biofilms loaded with Maytenus rigida extract. The main goal was to evaluate the influence of the addition of the extract on the biofilms microtexture using stereometric and fractal parameters. Atomic force microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and contact angle tecniques were used to evaluate the topography, chemical interation and wettability of the biofilms. Chemical evaluation showed that the extract interacts with the polymeric matrix of the biofilms, changing their structure. This behavior affected the surface energy because the wettability decreased when the Maytenus content increased. The surface morphology was also affected and suggested the prevalence of bacteria and yeast at lower and higher extract concentrations, respectively. The surface roughness increased according to the increase in the extract concentration. Texture parameters revealed that the biofilm with lowest concentration had deeper furrows than for higher concentration. Advanced fractal parameters revealed that topographic uniformity, percolation and texture homogeneity were more suitable for the biofilm with 0.25 g.L-1 of extract. These results indicate that this biofilm have promising 3D micromorphology for regenerative medicine application. Furthermore, the physics tools used revealed to be very useful for characterizing of the microtexture of polymeric-based biological materials.
Highlights
Kefir is a fermented drink produced from kefir grains and they are constituted by colonies of lactic bacteria
The spectrum related to pure EPS matrix (Bio0) has a band related to hydroxyl groups at 3280 cm-1, as well as symmetric and antisymmetric stretching vibration of C-H related to CH3 and CH2 between ~ 2830 and 2870 cm-1
We studied the morphology and microtexture of kefir biofilms associated with the Maytenus rigida extract
Summary
Kefir is a fermented drink produced from kefir grains and they are constituted by colonies of lactic bacteria These microorganisms produce a polysaccharide matrix that changes according to the substrate on which kefir grains are grown (e.g., “Kefiran” of dairy substrate grains[1] and “Dextran” of water kefir grains2) and has been recently studied a lot. This polysaccharide has been used in the development of biofilms for application in the food industry and more recently as potential natural skin dressing[3,4]. Tchobanian et al.[11] fabricated Dextran-based films standardized using thermal nanoimprint lithography (T-NIL) and revealed that the films had character moderately hydrophobic, with low surface roughness and proved that the polysaccharide matrix can support cell adhesion and anchorage
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