Types Of Biopolymers Research Articles

Influence of Sodium Alginate and Genipin on Stability of Chitosome Containing Perilla Oil in Model and Real Drink

AbstractThe impacts of sodium alginate (SA) and genipin (GP) on low‐pH and thermal stability of chitosan‐coated liposome (chitosome), as a carrier of perilla oil, are investigated in a model drink. Oxidative stability, as well as quality parameters and sensory evaluation, are analyzed during 60 days of storage at 25 °C as well as in orange drink fortified with non‐coated and coated nanoliposome. The investigation of model drink shows that low‐pH and heating stability of nanoliposome are influenced by the type of coating biopolymer and can be improved by chitosan (CS) and GP. The coating by different biopolymers has fewer changes in quality parameters (°Brix and pH value, total acidity, and color difference), and shows higher oxidative stability than emulsified perilla seed oil and bare nanoliposome after storage at 25 °C for 60 days. The results indicate that the type of biopolymer and cross‐linkers plays a key role in the liposomal membrane structure stability.Practical applications: The present study is anticipated to promote a better understanding of the advantages of combining nanoliposomes (NLs) with the primary and secondary coatings as well as cross‐linkers to overcome the low oxidative stability of perilla oil (as a source of plant rich in n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids [PUFAs]) and semi‐permeability of NL membrane in like and real foods. It could also reduce the adverse effects of n‐3 PUFAs on sensory properties of orange drink and pave the way for making liposomes applicable to foods and drinks.

Review on biopolymer-based soil treatment (BPST) technology in geotechnical engineering practices

Abstract Various applications of biopolymer-based soil treatment (BPST) in geotechnical engineering have been implemented in recent years, including dust control, soil strengthening and erosion control. Despite BPST methods can ensure the effectiveness of engineering while meeting environmental protection requirements, BPST technology requires further validation in terms of site applicability, durability, and economic feasibility. This study aims to provide a state-of-the-art review and future prospective of BPST. Current biopolymer types, engineered and assessed in laboratory scales, are described along with site implementation attempts. The effect of biopolymers on soil behavior is reviewed with regard to geotechnical engineering application and practice, including soil consistency limits, strength parameters, hydraulic conductivity, soil-water characteristics, and erosion control. The economic feasibility and sustainability of BPST application in ground improvement and earth stabilization practices is discussed. This review postulates biopolymers to be a promising new, environmentally friendly ground improvement material for geotechnical and construction engineering practice.

Structural extracellular polymeric substances determine the difference in digestibility between waste activated sludge and aerobic granules

Aerobic granular sludge (AGS) technology is an alternative to conventional activated sludge to reduce the process footprint and energy consumption. Strategies for the efficient management of its produced biomass, that is grown in a granular morphology as well, need further development. Anaerobic digestion (AD) is commonly applied in waste activated sludge (WAS) treatment and is a potential option also for produced AGS treatment. In earlier studies, the biochemical methane potential of AGS was found lower than that of WAS both grown in full-scale municipal wastewater treatment systems. In order to understand this difference, this study aimed to investigate the anaerobic conversion of structural extracellular polymeric substances (SEPS), which is a type of gel-forming biopolymer, being responsible for the aggregation of sludge. Using WAS and AGS as substrates, a comparative AD batch experiment was performed for 44 days during which the SEPS fraction was extracted from both types of sludge. The changes in the SEPS chemical composition was analysed by Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy and three-dimensional excitation and emission matrix analysis. In addition, the mechanical strength of hydrogels of extracted polymers cross-linked with Ca2+ ions was investigated by dynamic mechanical analysis. Results showed that the amount of SEPS was reduced by 26% in AGS (SEPSAGS) and by 41% in WAS (SEPSWAS), respectively. Polysaccharides and, to a lesser extent, the proteins in the SEPSAGS were more refractory compared to those in SEPSWAS. This resulted in a lower loss of the gel stiffness of SEPSAGS than that of SEPSWAS during the AD process. Moreover, the release of SEPS from tightly bound EPS to loosely bound EPS were observed in both types of sludge, but that in AGS exhibited a lower transition rate. The observed properties explain the distinct differences in anaerobic biodegradability, the slower decomposition of the sludge structure, as well as the better dewaterability of AGS as compared to WAS after the AD process.

Utilization of biopolymers to stabilize curcumin nanoparticles prepared by the pH-shift method: Caseinate, whey protein, soy protein and gum Arabic

The water-dispersibility of hydrophobic polyphenols can be enhanced using nanotechnology-based approaches. Previous studies have shown that curcumin nanoparticles fabricated by a pH-shift method have a good water-dispersibility and a high loading capacity. Moreover, this method has considerable potential for large-scale commercial production of nutraceutical-loaded delivery systems for food applications. In this study, four kinds of amphiphilic biopolymers (sodium caseinate (SC), whey protein isolate (WPI), soy protein isolate (SPI), and gum Arabic (GA)) were used to coat curcumin nanoparticles (CNPs) produced by the pH-shift method. The encapsulation efficiency, loading capacity, particle dimensions, electrical potential, morphology, and stability of the CNPs were characterized. The four biopolymers could all stabilize aqueous dispersions of the CNPs and had a relatively high loading capacity. The maximum loading capacities of the SC, WPI, SPI, and GA-coated CNPs were 27%, 21%, 12%, and 9%, respectively. The resistance of the biopolymer-coated CNPs to changes in environmental conditions depended strongly on biopolymer type. GA coatings gave the best pH and salt stability, whereas SC and SPI gave the best thermal stability.

Characterization of blended cellulose/biopolymer films prepared using ionic liquid

Owing to their inherent biocompatibility and biodegradability, biopolymer-based materials are a good replacement for synthetic materials. We prepared cellulose-based films blended with various biopolymers by co-dissolution in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate followed by regeneration in ethanol. Cellulose was blended with bacterial cellulose, β-cyclodextrin, dextran, starch, agarose, agar, arabic gum, κ-carrageenan, chitosan, tragacanth gum, xanthan gum, xylan, lignin, gelatin, collagen, and silk. Physicochemical properties including surface morphology, thermal properties, optical properties, and hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity of the blended films were highly dependent on the biopolymer types. The altered properties of the blended films influenced the adsorption capacity for dyes and proteins and cytotoxicity. The adsorption capacity of a cellulose/chitosan film for methyl orange was 9.1-fold higher, that of a cellulose/silk film for crystal violet was 7.9-fold higher, and that of a cellulose/chitosan film for lysozyme was 7.9-fold higher than that of cellulose film. Gelatin as a blending biopolymer most efficiently enhanced cell viability.

Biopolymer Skeleton Produced by Rhizobium radiobacter: Stoichiometric Alternation of Glycosidic and Amidic Bonds in the Lipopolysaccharide O‐Antigen

AbstractThe lipopolysaccharide (LPS) O‐antigen structure of the plant pathogen Rhizobium radiobacter strain TT9 and its possible role in a plant‐microbe interaction was investigated. The analyses disclosed the presence of two O‐antigens, named Poly1 and Poly2. The repetitive unit of Poly2 constitutes a 4‐α‐l‐rhamnose linked to a 3‐α‐d‐fucose residue. Surprisingly, Poly1 turned out to be a novel type of biopolymer in which the repeating unit is formed by a monosaccharide and an amino‐acid derivative, so that the polymer has alternating glycosidic and amidic bonds joining the two units: 4‐amino‐4‐deoxy‐3‐O‐methyl‐d‐fucose and (2′R,3′R,4′S)‐N‐methyl‐3′,4′‐dihydroxy‐3′‐methyl‐5′‐oxoproline). Differently from the O‐antigens of LPSs from other pathogenic Gram‐negative bacteria, these two O‐antigens do not activate the oxidative burst, an early innate immune response in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, explaining at least in part the ability of this R. radiobacter strain to avoid host defenses during a plant infection process.

Biopolymer Skeleton Produced by Rhizobium radiobacter: Stoichiometric Alternation of Glycosidic and Amidic Bonds in the Lipopolysaccharide O-Antigen.

The lipopolysaccharide (LPS) O-antigen structure of the plant pathogen Rhizobium radiobacter strain TT9 and its possible role in a plant-microbe interaction was investigated. The analyses disclosed the presence of two O-antigens, named Poly1 and Poly2. The repetitive unit of Poly2 constitutes a 4-α-l-rhamnose linked to a 3-α-d-fucose residue. Surprisingly, Poly1 turned out to be a novel type of biopolymer in which the repeating unit is formed by a monosaccharide and an amino-acid derivative, so that the polymer has alternating glycosidic and amidic bonds joining the two units: 4-amino-4-deoxy-3-O-methyl-d-fucose and (2'R,3'R,4'S)-N-methyl-3',4'-dihydroxy-3'-methyl-5'-oxoproline). Differently from the O-antigens of LPSs from other pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria, these two O-antigens do not activate the oxidative burst, an early innate immune response in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, explaining at least in part the ability of this R. radiobacter strain to avoid host defenses during a plant infection process.

Natural biopolymer-based hydrogels for use in food and agriculture.

Hydrogels are important materials that are of high scientific interest and with numerous applications. Natural polymer-based hydrogels are preferred to synthetic ones due to their safety, biocompatibility, and ecofriendly properties. They have been studied extensively and implemented in various fields, such as medicine, cosmetics, personal-care products, water purification, and more. This review focuses on the applications of nature-sourced polymer-based hydrogels in food and agriculture. Different types of biopolymers and crosslinking agents, and various methods for hydrogel formation are described. The physicomechanical properties and applied activities of the resulting materials are also comprehensively discussed. Biodegradable synthetic polymers are outside the scope of this review. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

식품용 유화제에 따른 커큐민 나노에멀젼의 이화학적 특성 평가

Curcumin-loaded nanoemulsions (Cur-NEs) were prepared with medium chain tryglyceride (MCT) oil, soybean lecithin and various biopolymers such as glucidex, whey protein isolate (WPI), and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) as co-surfactants or stabilizers by ultrasonic homogenization. The Cur-NEs were characterized by measuring the mean particle size, polydispersity index (PDI) and zeta potential at various ratios of lecithin and biopolymer concentrations. The type of biopolymer also affected the particle formation and mean particle size of the Cur-NEs. The mean particle sizes of the Cur-NEs increased significantly from 204.7±0.7 nm for Cur-NEs with only lecithin to 265.8±2.58 nm for Cur-NEs with HPMC. The storage stability of the Cur-NEs was investigated by comparing their particle size and viscosity before and after storage at 4°C and 25°C for 2 months. Phase separation was observed for the Cur-NEs with WPI after storage at 25°C for 2 months, while the particle size of the Cur-NEs increased significantly by 5.8–11.6% after storage at 4°C for 2 months. The morphology of the Cur-NEs observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The TEM results indicated that stable Cur-NEs can be prepared by using lecithin, glucidex, and HPMC as a stabilizer.

Biopolymers as a sustainable solution for the enhancement of soil mechanical properties

Improving soil engineering properties is an inevitable process before construction on soft soil. Increasing soil strength with chemical stabilizing agents, such as cement, raises environmental concerns. Therefore, sustainable solutions are in high demand. One of the promising solutions is the usage of biopolymers. Five biopolymer types were investigated in this study: Xanthan Gum, Beta 1,3/1,6 Glucan, Guar Gum, Chitosan, and Alginate. Their effect on the soil strength improvement was experimentally investigated by performing unconfined compression, splitting tensile, triaxial, and direct shear tests. All tests were performed with different biopolymer concentrations and curing periods. Additionally, in order to have an insight on the susceptibility to natural elements, plain soil, and biopolymer-treated specimens were exposed to real atmospheric conditions. The extensive experimental results showed that the soil strength tends to increase with the increase of biopolymer concentration and with the curing time. However, it was shown that the soil strength does not considerably change after a certain biopolymer concentration level and curing time. Furthermore, it has been observed that the biopolymer-treated specimens showed better resistance to the influence of the environmental conditions. In general, Xanthan Gum, Guar Gum, and Beta 1,3/1,6 Glucan showed the most dominant effect and potential for the future of sustainable engineering.

Fall cone test on biopolymer-treated clay

Fall cone tests were conducted to evaluate the consistency variations of clay soils treated with six types of biopolymers, e.g. carrageenan kappa gum (KG), locust bean gum (BG), xanthan gum (XG), agar gum (AG), guar gum (GG) and sodium alginate (SA) at various concentrations (e.g. between 0.1% to 5% biopolymer to soil mass ratio). The dependences of shear viscosity on water content, and undrained shear strength on water content were established. The results indicated that KG and SA increased the liquid limit (LL) of treated soils after the biopolymer content exceeded a certain limit (e.g. 0.5%), BG and GG contributed to a peak point in LL at biopolymer concentration of 1% to 2%, while XG and AG almost did not change the LL at all. The plastic limit (PL) was about 25% to 50% of the LL, leading to a trend of plasticity index (PI) similar to liquid limit. In order to further simplify the testing procedure and get the Atterberg limits for biopolymer-treated soil, one-point method was adopted.

Recent Advances in the Preparation, Characterization and Applications of Locust Bean Gum-Based Films

Locust bean gum (LBG) is a typical galactomannan isolated from carob bean (Ceratonia siliqua L.) cultivated in the Mediterranean area. Due to its superior biodegradable, rheological and film-forming properties, LBG has been used alone or combined with other biopolymers (e.g., polysaccharides, proteins and lipids) to develop films. Till now, different kinds of functional ingredients (e.g., montmorillonite, bacteriocins, antibiotics, plant extract, essential oils and microbial cells) have been added into LBG-based films. Notably, the physical and functional properties of LBG-based films are affected by many factors, such as the structure of LBG, the type and content of other biopolymers and functional ingredients, and the physical treatment of film-forming solution. LBG-based films can be not only used as active packaging and edible coating in food industry but also used as wound dressings in pharmaceutical industry. For the first time, this review focuses on the recent advances in the preparation, characterization, physical and functional properties, and potential applications of LBG-based films.

Conductivity Performance of Biopolymer Membrane based on Kappa-Carrageenan

Smart energy systems are well-known among researchers who wish to introduce new technology. Biopolymer is an environmentally friendly material. Kappa-Carrageenan is one type of biopolymer with high proton conductivity and durability which has been studied for almost 10 years. The membrane based on kappa-carrageenan was prepared using solution cast technique incoorperated with ammonium thiocyanate (NH4SCN). The solution was poured into glass petri dishes and left to dry at room temperature before further dying in an oven at 60°C to obtain thin films. The highest conductivity was obtained for 40 wt. % NH4SCN added kappa-carrageenan. The conductivity dropped when the amount of kappa-carrageenan is equal to the amount of NH4SCN. The maximum conductivity of kappa-carrageenan incorporated with NH4SCN obtained is 1.64E-03 S cm-1. FTIR studies show peak at 1638 cm-1 in pure kappa-carrageenan which slowly disappeared at 60 wt. % kappa-carrageenan. It is however characterized by a peak attributed to NH4SCN at 1600 cm-1 which appeared for 50 wt. % of kappa-carrageenan and below. Â

Effect of kappa carrageenan on acid-induced gelation of whey protein aggregates. Part II: Microstructure

The influence of κ-carrageenan (KC) was investigated on the microstructure of gels formed by acid-induced gelation of whey protein aggregates (WPA). In part I of this two-part series we discussed results obtained by potentiometric titration, rheology and turbidimetry. Here we report on the microstructure of both the proteins and the polysaccharides using confocal laser scanning microscopy with different fluorescent labels for each type of biopolymer. The effect of KC concentration at fixed net protein charge densities (α) and the effect of α at fixed KC concentrations were studied. It is shown that WPA starts to form microdomains and associates with KC at approximately the same α. Microstructures at steady state at different α were compared with those obtained at different times during in-situ acidification after addition of GDL. Significantly different microstructures were observed at elevated gelation temperatures. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching measurements showed that a significant fraction of the KC chains associated with the proteins could still freely exchange even when the proteins were strongly positively charged. The observations of the microstructure are compared with those obtained with other experimental techniques that were reported in part I.

Effects of salt ions and heating on the behaviour of whey protein particle dispersions

We investigated the aggregation stability of whey protein isolate (WPI) particles in the presence of different salts (NaCl, MgCl2, and AlCl3) and the heat stability of dispersions in the presence of protein (native WPI) and polysaccharides (dextran and gum Arabic, GA). WPI particles coagulated either at pH values close to the iso-electric point of proteins or at high salt concentrations. Critical coagulation concentration (CCC) for different salts decreased with increasing valence of ions. CCC values for colloidal WPI particle dispersions closely followed the Schulze-Hardy rule, which is derived from the DLVO theory; however, deviations from the theory, particularly in the case of multivalent ions, showed that the specific ion adsorption also played a role. To investigate the heat stability of WPI particles, particle size and viscosities of dispersions containing different biopolymers were measured. Using dynamic viscosity of dilute dispersions, with the assumption of no particle aggregation after heating, swelling ratio (SR) of particles was estimated. Increasing concentrations of biopolymers decreased the SR of particles, and the presence of GA totally inhibited the swelling. Shear viscosity of concentrated dispersions showed an increase and shear-thickening behaviour after heating, when native WPI or dextran was present, whereas viscosity did not change when GA was present in the continuous phase. At low volume fractions, swelling was more likely to occur; whereas at high volume fractions, possibly both swelling and aggregation occurred. In addition, concentration and type of biopolymer were found to be important for the heat stability of dispersions.

Green Bio Composites for Food Packaging

Petroleum-based synthetic polymers are mostly used for packaging materials for their advantageous features such as flexibility, lightness and transparency. However, the waste caused by the increasing usage has led to serious environmental impacts. There are many packaging products claimed as ‘green’ material in the market but, they are not fully from natural renewable resources. Most biocomposites materials comprised only either the matrix or fiber/filler from natural renewable resources, but still blended with another synthetic compound. Thus, green biocomposites which composed of fully biodegradable natural fibers and biopolymer matrix would be a great alternative. It can be naturally degraded and completely return to the environment safely after usage. The main shortcomings of biopolymer are their inadequate of mechanical and barrier properties in product application. Yet, the embedding reinforcing fibers or fillers would help in improving the final properties of the composites. The intention of this review is to present the latest development of green biocomposites research and its application for food packaging. It is also proposed to provide critical information that covers around properties of green biocomposites, types of available biopolymers and natural fibers, including their manufacturing techniques. Furthermore, the economic circumstances and forthcoming trend of these materials in food packaging industry would also be reviewed

Characterization of Edible Films Based on Alginate or Whey Protein Incorporated with Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 and Prebiotics

Recently, edible films were shown to be an effective strategy for the delivery of functional ingredients, such as probiotics and prebiotics. With that in mind, two soluble fibres (inulin and fructooligosaccharides) were selected as prebiotic elements, in whey protein isolate (WPI) and alginate (ALG) matrices plasticized with glycerol and used for the incorporation of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12. The results obtained showed that the viability of the B. animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 probiotic strain was maintained within the minimum threshold (106 CFU/g) necessary to act as a probiotic throughout 60 days of storage at 23 °C. The incorporation of prebiotic compounds improved B. animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 viability, with inulin showing the best performance, as it maintained the viability at 7.34 log CFU/g. The compositional characteristics (biopolymer type and prebiotics addition) of the film forming solutions had no significant impact upon the viability of the probiotic strain. The incorporation of probiotics and prebiotics did not modify the infrared spectra, revealing that the molecular structure of the films was not modified. The moisture content and water solubility decreased positively in WPI- and ALG-based films with the addition of prebiotics compounds. Overall, the results obtained in this work support the use of WPI films containing inulin as a good strategy to immobilize B. animalis subsp. lactis BB-12, with potential applications in the development of functional foods.

In situ monitoring of lipid droplet release from biopolymer microgels under simulated gastric conditions using magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy.

Functional foods are being designed to breakdown in the human gut in a controlled fashion so as to regulate blood nutrient profiles, hormone release, energy intake, and bioavailability. Biopolymer microgels, small spherical beads made from proteins and/or polysaccharides, are a promising tool that can be used to modulate the gastrointestinal behavior of food components. In this study, lipid droplets were loaded into microgels fabricated from either alginate or carrageenan using an injection-gelation method. The lipid-loaded microgels were then incubated in simulated gastric juices and the impact of biopolymer type on the release of the lipid droplets was observed. Optical microscopy and turbidity measurements showed that lipid droplet release occurred more rapidly for the carrageenan microgels, which was attributed to their partial disruption in the gastric fluids. In contrast, lipid droplet release was relatively slow from the alginate microgels because they remained intact. We also showed that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could be used for in situ monitoring of carrageenan microgel disruption and lipid droplet release under simulated stomach conditions. This method was based on quantifying the local lipid levels using T1 images and the magnetic resonance spectroscopy. A water-selected VIBE sequence was optimized for obtaining the T1 images and a stimulated echo acquisition mode (STEAM) sequence was selected for obtaining the MR spectra. The MRI method may be particularly useful for in vivo studies of the behavior of filled microgels.

Confinement induces helical organization of chromosome-like polymers

Helical organization is commonly observed for a variety of biopolymers. Here we study the helical organization of two types of biopolymers, i.e., DNA-like semiflexible and bottle-brush polymers, in a cell-like confined space. A bottle-brush polymer consists of a backbone and side chains emanating from the backbone, resembling a supercoiled bacterial chromosome. Using computer simulations, we calculate ‘writhe’ distributions of confined biopolymers for a wide range of parameters. Our effort clarifies the conditions under which biopolymers are helically organized. While helical organization is not easily realized for DNA-like biomolecules, cylindrical confinement can induce spiral patterns in a bottle brush, similarly to what was observed with bacterial chromosomes. They also suggest that ring-shape bottle brushes have a stronger tendency for helical organization. We discuss how our results can be used to interpret chromosome experiments. For instance, they suggest that experimental resolution has unexpected consequences on writhe measurements (e.g., narrowing of the writhe distribution and kinetic separation of opposite helical states).

Determination of optimal ultrasound conditions for preparation of O/W emulsions with encapsulated juniper berry essential oil (Juniperus communis L.)

The microencapsulation of essential oils can provide their evaporation and oxidation protection, flavor retention or/and masking of unpleasant taste. The microencapsulation process involves emulsions preparation and drying of the obtained emulsion droplets. The aim of this study is the determination of optimal conditions for preparation of the stable O/W emulsions containing juniper berry essential oil with minimal droplet size, as a preparatory stage for microcapsule formation. As the first step for pre-emulsions preparation, homogenization at 10000 rpm for 5 min. was chosen, which gave emulsions with droplet size between 1.82 and 2.51?m, depending on concentrations of the surfactant (Tween 20) and encapsulated essential oil. The second step was ultrasound emulsification during 5 minutes at a frequency of 99%, using pulsed 10:10 s (ON/OFF) ultrasound treatment, which was chosen as an optimal, creating emulsions of droplet sizes of 320 nm in diameter (for 5% essential oil and 1% Tween 20). The addition of wall material changed the size and stability of emulsions, which depends on type of biopolymer and its surface competition with used surfactant. The maltodextrin (MD), gum arabic (GA) and their mixture in equal ratio were used. GA emulsions can be singled out as the most stable without used surfactant, with D4,3 = 1.11 ? 0.003 ?m. Using MD as a wall material requires addition of surfactant (1% w/v) to form stable emulsions. The mixture of MD/GA can be used with or without surfactant. The addition of Tween 20 (1% w/v) decreases droplet size from 14.86 to 0.99 ?m, while utilization of the ultrasound contributes to the droplet size decrease and emulsions stability.