Evaluation of Banana Pseudostem Fibres for Packaging Material Development

Acacia senegal vs. Acacia seyal gums – Part 1: Composition and structure of hyperbranched plant exudates

The current research article presents development, characterization, stability, antimicrobial activity, antispasmodic activity and antidiarrheal activity of silver nanoparticles synthesized and stabilized by polymeric coating of gum tragacanth solution. The nanoparticles were developed by a chemical reduction of silver nitrate. The reducing sugars and polysaccharides-based natural polymers such as gum acacia, gum tragacanth, alginates and cellulose derivatives were investigated as both reducing agents and stabilizers of silver nanoparticles. Influence of the molar concentration of silver nitrate, type and concentration of reducing agent on the formation and stability of silver nanoparticles have been investigated in detail. The stability or aggregation behavior of silver nanoparticles when diluted with simulated gastric fluid, simulated intestinal fluid and phosphate buffer saline were investigated to understand the influence of biological fluids on the stability of silver nanoparticles. SNPs in basic buffers were found to be more stable compared to those in acidic buffers. Silver nanoparticles were characterized by UV absorption spectrometry, particle size and zeta potential analyzer, FTIR spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy. SNPs were found spherical within 2.5–4 nm as per atomic force microscopic studies. The silver nanoparticles developed from gum tragacanth were better and more stable than those produced by gum acacia. The smaller particle size, low polydispersity index and high zeta potential resulted in silver nanosuspensions stable over a period of six months. The silver nanoparticles were found to exhibit significant antimicrobial, antispasmodic and antidiarrheal activities.

Background: Pregelatinized starches exhibit good swelling and flow properties, imparting fast disintegration time but low mechanical strength in tablets. On the other hand, acacia gum acts as a binder in tablets by imparting high mechanical strength but prolonged disintegration time. Development of a co-processed excipient involving combination of the two excipients at sub-particle level will improve the functionality of the final product.Objective: To develop a direct compressible co-processed excipient with pregelatinized cocoyam starch and acacia gum and to evaluate its compaction behavior and tableting properties in metoprolol succinate tablets.Material and Methods: Batches of the co-processed excipient were prepared by co-fusion using different ratios (97.5:2.5; 95:5; 92.5:7.5; 90:10; 85:15; 80:20) of pregelatinized cocoyam starch and acacia gum. Flow and compaction properties and Fourier transform Infrared (FT-IR) analysis were carried out on native and pregelatinized starches and on the co-processed excipients. Metoprolol succinate tablets were formulated by direct compression using selected batches of co-processed excipients, pregelatinized cocoyam starch and acacia gum and then evaluated for mechanical strength and drug release.Results: Pregelatinization produced starch with larger granules (138.75±59.21μm), improved swelling (2.03±0.00) and flow (flow rate 0.52±0.03g/s). The FTIR analysis of the co-processed excipients confirmed absence of chemical interaction. Flow properties, compressibility (Kawakita value, a = 0.190 – 0.223) and rate of packing (Consolidation rate, K = 0.1221 – 0.2551) of the co-processed excipients were enhanced. Metoprolol succinate tablets containing the co-processed excipients had higher mechanical strength (Crushing strength 106.03±15.80 MNm-2) than those containing starch alone but faster drug release (disintegration time 1.80 ±0.20 -5.75±0.25; dissolution time; t80 30-50 min) than those containing acacia gum. Cocoyam starch: acacia gum ratio 97.5:2.5 gave the optimum formulation with high crushing strength (106.03 ± 15.8MNm-2) and fast release (t80 = 30 min).Conclusion: Co-processed excipients of pregelatinized cocoyam starch and acacia gum could serve as suitable alternatives to other directly-compressible excipients for the formulation of tablets.
 Keywords: Acacia gum, Cocoyam starch, Compaction properties, Co-processing, Metoprolol

Thyme essential oils (TEO) exhibit antimicrobial activities against a wide range of pathogenic microorganisms. Microcapsulation technology can be used to improve the stability, water solubility and antibacterial performance of TEO. In this paper, TEO was selected as the core material, and β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) was the wall material for microcapsulation; gum arabic (GA) was used as an emulsifier to prepare microcapsules by coprecipitation. The effects of gum arabic on the encapsulation rate, particle size and release rate of microcapsules were investigated. The optimal condition was found to be TEO : GA by 1 : 3 (w/w) ratio. In this condition, the embedding rate, release rate, and average size of the microcapsules were 87.61%, 53.00%, and 8.20 μm, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that, under the action of gum arabic, the surface of microcapsules was more complete, and the size apparently decreased. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) indicated that there was no significant chemical interaction between gum arabic and β-CD. Gum arabic acted only as an emulsifier and remained in the mixed solution. For microcapsules with gum arabic as an emulsifier, the cumulative release rate of essential oils were slower at the initial time compared to microcapsules without added gum arabic. Antimicrobial activity assay exhibited TEO, which showed an inhibitory effect against Botryodiplodia theobromae Pat., and the inhibitory effect was especially strong against Colletotrichum gloeosporioides Penz. Finally, the obtained microcapsules showed the same antibacterial effect.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of organic lime mortar containing rice soup and acacia gum in three different climatic regions with varying temperatures and humidity levels: warm and humid (35°C, 72%), dry (25°C, 20%), and cold (25°C, 50%). The rice soup and acacia gum were fermented for one day and then analysed for photochemical composition using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The hydrated phases of organic lime mortars were examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD) to understand the interaction between lime and the organic components. The photochemical composition of rice soup included 62.35% alkanes and 10.14% saturated long-chain fatty acids, while acacia gum contained 56.25% polysaccharides and 32.76% carboxylic acids. The alkanes in rice soup contributed to an increase in compressive strength in the S2 sample (2.63 N/mm²), which was higher than in all other samples. The mineral components in rice soup included calcite, portlandite, albite, anorthite, aragonite, quartz, C₃S₂H₃ (afwillite), and tobermorite. The fatty acids reacted with lime mortar to generate complex compounds; polymerisation occurred, leading to the formation of CSH (calcium silicate hydrate). Similarly, acacia gum contained calcite, albite, anorthite, quartz, portlandite, and vaterite. The polysaccharides in acacia gum contributed to improved carbonation. During fermentation, carboxylic acids reduced CO₂, enhancing carbonation and leading to the formation of calcite, aragonite, and vaterite. Rice soup exhibited superior performance in warm and humid climates due to enhanced CSH mineral formation; however, it was unsuitable for dry and cold climatic conditions. Acacia gum mortar performed best in dry climates due to its enhanced mineralogical properties; however, it was unsuitable for warm, humid, or cold climatic conditions.

Improvement of the characteristics of fish gelatin – gum arabic through the formation of the polyelectrolyte complex

This study examined the role of gum arabic (GA) as a depressant in the flotation separation of fine-grained scheelite and calcite using flotation and adsorption tests, Zeta potential and contact angle measurements, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Microbubbles were introduced to improve the flotation separation of scheelite and calcite, addressing the poor flotation performance of fine-grained minerals. In the pH 9 slurry, GA significantly depress calcite while having minimal effect on scheelite. A concentrate with a WO<sub>3</sub> grade of 60.47% and a recovery of 74.29% was achieved using GA and sodium oleate as the depressant and collector for a 1:1 mixed mineral. Adsorption tests indicated that scheelite adsorbed less GA on its surface compared to calcite. Contact angle measurements demonstrated that GA altered calcite's wettability, rendering it hydrophilic. XPS analysis indicated that GA formed a chemical interaction with the surface Ca<sup>2+</sup> ions of calcite, whereas it exhibited weak physical adsorption on scheelite. Zeta potential measurements revealed selective chemical adsorption of GA anions on fine-grained calcite surfaces. In conclusion, the inhibition mechanism of GA on calcite is related to the chemical chelation with surface Ca<sup>2+</sup>, enabling the efficient flotation separation of fine-grained scheelite and calcite, and the introduction of microbubbles can enhance the recovery of scheelite.

Sesame protein hydrolysate-gum Arabic Maillard conjugates for loading natural anthocyanins: Characterization, in vitro gastrointestinal digestion and storage stability

The oil from Pequi pulp, also known as pequi oil (PO) is a promising bioactive for the food industry, and complex coacervation is a simple encapsulation method to improve its stability and use as a food ingredient. The high reaction volume used is considered a challenge to microcapsule production by coacervation process. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the reaction volume on the formation, morphology, size, yield, and efficiency of pequi microcapsules. The complex coacervation was performed with wall material composed by polymers (gelatin and gum arabic) and pequi oil as the core material. The oil was mixed with gelatin, added the polysaccharide and pH was adjusted to 3.5, to allow the microparticle formation. The reaction volume treatments T1, T2, T3, and T4, related to wall material concentration, were 0.39, 0.77, 0.58, and 1.16 g 100 mL-1, respectively. The results of zeta potential were close to zero, without differences related to the reaction volume. Optical microscopy showed that, regardless of volume, microparticles of pequi oil presented defined walls, mononuclear core and particle size from 2.71 up to 7.27 µm, adequate for food application. In a smaller reaction volume (T1 and T3), the coacervates were aggregated due to the increase of the chemical interactions; in higher volumes (T3 and T4) the microcapsules showed an inverse behavior. The yield ranged from 58.40 up to 63.42 %. The encapsulation efficiency exhibited high values ??ranging from 90.05% ± 8.15 to 99.40% ± 0.21. The variation of reaction volume did not influence the formation of pequi oil microcapsules in the analyzed treatments, but the dispersion of the microcapsules changed. This study provided a new perspective on how the reaction volume influences the encapsulation by complex coacervation.

Synthesis and performance of bio-based unsaturated oligomer and containing gum arabic as a novel protective steel coating under UV irradiation

Preparation and characterization of nanocomposite films based on gum arabic, maltodextrin and polyethylene glycol reinforced with turmeric nanofiber isolated from turmeric spent

Graft copolymerization of polyacrylic acid (PAA) onto Acacia gum (AG) using erythrosine dye (ERY) in aqueous media combined with thiourea (TU) as a reducing agent under visible light was studied. The optimal grafting parameters were examined in terms of irradiation time and the concentrations of ERY, TU, AA, and AG. Grafting factors such as grafting percentage (GP%), grafting efficiency (GE%), as well as homopolymerization (HP%) all were determined. Graft products of PAA-g-AG copolymers were characterized using FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and thermal analysis. The highest GP (310%) was obtained through optimization of the grafting variables. The optimized graft product was crosslinked and used as a potential candidate for removing of methylene blue dye from an aqueous system.

Encapsulation is an effective method to keep the quality of and avoid changes in flavors or essential oils due to oxidation, heating, volatilization, or chemical interactions. This study aims to microencapsulate key flavorings by traditional wall materials, namely, gum arabic (GA), maltodextrin (MD) and sodium caseinate (SC) and evaluate the effects of different wall materials on the properties of the flavor microcapsules. The emulsions of flavor compounds (linalool, citral, orange oil, allyl caproate and isoamyl acetate) were prepared using GA, SC and MD as carriers with different concentrations and then encapsulated in powder form by a spray dryer. Physical properties, including encapsulation efficiency, viscosity, emulsion stability and moisture, were studied before and after the spray drying process. Moreover, the morphology and extent of the nonenzymatic browning (NEB) of powder particles were performed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and a chroma meter. The effect of encapsulation on flavor retention and chemical composition was evaluated using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Orange oil shows the maximum retention efficiency (84.5-97.9%), whereas isoamyl acetate is less retained during drying (44.4-72.5%) compared with other volatile compounds. Increasing the concentration of GA provides the highest retention for all aroma compounds and improves the viscosity and the emulsion stability of spray-dried powder. The presence of MD as the main encapsulating agent enables the formation of several homogeneous capsules with a good spherical shape and a smooth surface, according to SEM. The NEB is observed intensively in encapsulated samples containing citral and orange oils, whereas the least browning occurs in isoamyl acetate microcapsules. Wall material formulation affects the retention, morphology and physical properties of the encapsulated flavors, which can be used in food or nutraceutical powder premixes.

Synthesis and characterization of pH-responsive hydrogels based on chemically modified Arabic gum polysaccharide

Microencapsulation of fermented noni juice (FNJ) into powder format could protect bioactive compounds, reduce the unpleasant odour and improve the acceptability for consumers. Blends of maltodextrin (MD) and gum acacia (GA) were used to achieve spray-drying microencapsulation of noni juice at different blending ratios. The physicochemical properties including microstructure, moisture content, water activity, particle size, bulk/tapped density, dissolution rate, ATR-FTIR and the bioaccessibility of bioactive compounds in powders during in vitro digestion were examined. Results showed that blends produced with more GA produced microcapsules with lower moisture content, water activity and bulk/tapped density, but slower powder dissolution. The ATR-FTIR results suggested that there were no significant chemical interactions between the core material and carrier or between the MD and GA in the blend powders. The spray-dried noni juice powder produced using the blends with higher ratio of GA to MD showed a better protection on the bioactive compounds, resulting in a higher bioaccessibility of powders during in vitro digestion. This study provides insights into microencapsulation of noni juice using blends of MD and GA and examines the physicochemical properties and bioaccessibilities of spray-dried powders as affected by the selected carriers.