High Water Absorption Capacity Research Articles

Effects of polyol and surfactant plasticisers on lyophilised rice starch wafers for buccal drug delivery

Rice starch is a promising biopolymer for buccal formulations but typical oven drying may promote starch retrogradation that affects mechanical properties. Hence, lyophilisation was proposed here to improve starch product's stability. This study aims to investigate the effects of plasticisers (sorbitol and Tween® 80, T80) on the characteristics and drug release profiles of lyophilised rice starch wafers incorporated with propranolol hydrochloride. The wafers were prepared by lyophilising starch mixture (5%w/v) with plasticiser (0.2 and 0.3 g/g) and drug (10, 20, 30%w/w). Control wafers exhibited loose layers with rough wrinkled surface. Sorbitol resulted in a dense structure with higher puncture strength (PS) but lower water absorption capacity (WAC) while T80 loosened the flakes that reduced PS and increased WAC. Drug inclusion decreased PS and increased WAC of unplasticised wafers. T80-plasticised wafers with drug had a lower PS and higher WAC than sorbitol-plasticised wafers. Particularly, T80-plasticised wafers achieved outstandingly high PS and the lowest WAC at 30%w/w drug. Drug dissolution of wafers relied mainly on the drug crystallinity and WAC at 10 and 30%w/w drug. Plasticisers reduced and increased drug dissolution at 10 and 20%w/w drug, respectively. This study highlights the potential of lyophilisation in preparing rice starch wafers for buccal delivery.

Isolation and Potential Testing of Cellulolytic Fungi from Tea Processing Waste

Tea as one of the long-established agricultural commodities in Indonesia, generates significant amounts of solid waste throughout the year. Tea waste, which has a low C/N ratio, can be used as compost to replace inorganic fertilizers, because it contains high nitrogen. The high carbon content can also be utilized as a soil ameliorant that acts as a soil buffer, because it has a high water absorption capacity. This research was conducted at the Soil Biology Laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Sumatra Utara. Cellulolytic microorganisms from tea factory waste were isolated using Carboxyl Methyl Cellulase (CMC) media, and superior fungal isolates were tested for their potential to degrade organic materials in raw tea factory waste. The results of the study revealed the presence of 5 fungal isolates, with isolate J3 showing potential in decomposing organic materials, resulting in a C/N ratio of 12.62, followed by a pH of 6.96. Fungal with the best potential test results can be used as decomposers in organic matter that is high in cellulose content which is difficult to decompose.

The Effect of the Type of Planting Media and The Addition of O2 Nanobubbles on the Growth of Dendrobium burana Green × Ong Ang Ai Boon Orchid Plantlets in Vitro

Dendrobium orchids come in a variety of colors, shapes, and beauty that are in great demand. The process of growing orchids requires special handling of an appropriate growing environment, such as proper planting media and nutrients that can stimulate orchid growth. This type of thin liquid film media is the use of liquid media with an immersion system while vermiculite and perlite media have almost the same properties. However, vermiculite has a higher water absorption capacity than perlite. Nanobubbles are bubbles with 1-100 nm that can live more stably in water. This study aims to influence the type of media and the addition of Nanobubbles O2 on the growth of Dendrobium burana Green × Ong Ang Ai Boon orchid plantlets. This research was carried out from November to December 2022 at the PT. Java Indo Arjuna Singosari, Malang. This study used a completely randomized design (CRD) with 10 treatments, namely solid MS, gaviota solid, thin liquid film, thin liquid film + NBs O2, vermiculite, vermiculite + NBs O2, perlite, perlite + NBs O2, vermiculite + Perlite, vermiculite + perlite + NBs O2 with 4 replications. The data were analyzed descriptively and the Manova test. The results showed that the vermiculite + NBs O2 treatment had the potential to increase the length of plantlets by 13.80 mm, the wet weight of plantlets by 0.30 g, the percentage of live plantlets by 100% whereas in the vermiculite + perlite treatment has the potential for the first root growth to appear, namely 5 HST. The vermiculite treatment had the potential to increase the highest number of leaves by 5 leaves, whereas in the leaf color treatment the solid MS treatment had a more intense green color.

Comprehensive investigation of performance of construction and demolition waste based wood fiber reinforced geopolymer composites

This study focuses on developing eco-friendly building materials by valorising construction and demolition waste (CDW) in geopolymer matrices. Various CDW-based materials, including brick, tile, concrete, and glass waste, were utilized. Additionally, CDW-based waste wood fiber (WWF) was chemically treated and integrated as a reinforcing fiber. The developed CDW-based WWF-reinforced geopolymer composites were extensively evaluated through workability, strength, durability, and microstructural analysis. Findings showed that incorporating 2.00 vol % and 4.00 vol % WWF in geopolymer composites resulted in a slight decrease in compressive strength, while at 6.00 vol % and 8.00 vol % WWF, significant decreases were observed. Flexural strength showed improvement up to 4.00 vol % WWF, with significant enhancement of 17.67 % compared to plain geopolymer. This enhancement was attributed to the increased adhesion capability and improved interlocking and compatibility between the geopolymer matrix and chemically treated WWF. However, the advantages of WWF addition were limited at higher usage ratios due to its higher water absorption capacity and potential agglomeration behaviour. In this context, water absorption increased with WWF, ranging from 30.87 % to 59.01 %, while improvements in freeze-thaw resistance were observed up to 6.00 vol % WWF usage. The microstructural analysis further corroborated these findings by confirming the presence of interlocking and agglomeration phenomena within the composites.

Adsorption of Bromothymol Blue Dye onto Bauxite Clay

The goal of the current work is to use an inexpensive, non-toxic material with a high water absorption capacity, bauxite clay, to adsorb the bromothymol blue dye from an aqueous solution. In the production of textiles, leather, paint, food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals, synthetic organic compounds are used as dyes almost exclusively in modern industrial processes. Because to their harmful side effects, which include their inherent carcinogenicity, toxicity, and mutagenicity as well as the results of their biological transformation, these dyes pose a serious hazard to the environment when they are released. Clay minerals are valuable as depolluting agents due to their swelling potential, colloidal behavior, and adsorption capacity. The adsorption behavior of bromothymol blue dye from an aqueous solution was studied using bauxite clay. Different variables such as contact time, dosage, ionic strength, and temperature were studied to show the effect on bromothymol blue adsorption onto bauxite clay from an aqueous solution using the batch adsorption method. This study showed that the adsorption decreased by increasing the temperature (15–40 C) and increased by increasing the clay weight from 0.2 to 1.6 g. It also showed as the amount of time rose, the adsorption grew until it reached an equilibrium time of 155 minutes. Thermodynamic metrics including change in free energy (∆G), enthalpy (∆H), and entropy (∆S) all were assessed. A positive correlation was found between the absorbance and the range of concentrations of bromothymol blue (4–32 g/mL) with a correlation coefficient of 0.9911. The maximum wavelength was found and set to 432 nm for all measurements

Evaluation of Physicochemical, Functional and Morphological Characteristics of Starch Extracted from Defatted Conophor Seed (Tetracarpidium conophorum)

Aim: Starch is the main carbohydrate store for numerous crops and each crop has distinct and unique characteristics. This study was aimed at investigating the physicochemical composition, functional properties and morphological characteristics of starch extracted from defatted Conophor seed flour.
 Place and Duration: Food Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Food Science and Technology, and Biochemistry Laboratory of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, from March 2023 to September 2023.
 Methodology: Conophor seeds were washed, shelled manually, oven dried, milled into coarse flour and then defatted using solvent extraction method with the use of a soxhlet extractor. The defatted flour was air dried and grounded into fine powder. Starch was extracted by sedimentation at pH 11.0 and then oven dried and grounded into powder. The physicochemical composition, functional properties and morphological characteristics of Conophor starch were studied.
 Results: The physicochemical study shows that Conophor starch was abundant in carbohydrate (77.26%) but had a low protein (4.46%), fat (1.99%) and fibre (1.20%) content. Mineral content of the starch were high with calcium (194.17mg/g), copper (0.05mg/g), manganese (0.42mg/g), magnesium (4.26mg/g), iron (0.34mg/g), zinc (1.59mg/g), phosphorus (26.1mg/g), sodium (23.20mg/g) and potassium (37.13mg/g). The functional property of Conophor starch showed a high water absorption capacity (513.33%), oil absorption capacity (347.57%), emulsion capacity (45.48%), emulsion stability (50.00%), swelling index (246.67%), gelation capacity (12.00m/v) and low foaming capacity (12.69%) and foaming stability (3.26%). Conophor starch had a low pasting property with peak viscosity (14.00 RVU), final viscosity (16.00 RVU) and set-back viscosity (4.00 RVU).
 Conclusion: The study showed Conophor starch to be a rich source of mineral which makes it suitable for use as a supplement and its functional property makes it capable to be used in some industrial processes. However, the low paste quality of the starch renders it unsuitable for use in food processes that requires high paste formation but may be considered suitable for use in non- food related industries.

Antioxidant, antibacterial and biodegradable hydrogel films from carboxymethyl tragacanth gum and clove extract: Potential for wound dressings application

Bioactive films based on sodium carboxymethyl tragacanth gum (CMT) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) enriched with clove extract (CE) for potential wound healing applications were fabricated by the solution casting method. The fabricated films were characterized by FTIR, XRD, EDX, SEM, and TGA analyses. The XRD pattern of CMT/PVA/CE5 % showed an amorphous structure with broad peaks, suggesting that the presence of CE led to a reduction in crystallinity and an increase in amorphousness in the polymer film. The fabricated films showed a high water absorption capacity and swelled up to 80 % over 24 h for the CMT/PVA/CE5 % formulation crosslinked with 15 % citric acid. Excellent biodegradability with 88 % was observed in soil over 40 days for CMT/PVA/CE5 %. The presence of CE in CMT/PVA improved the antioxidant activity by up to 92 % within 30 min. Strong antibacterial effects of CMT/PVA/CE5 % film were observed against Salmonella enterica and Staphylococcus aureus, with inhibition zone diameters of 20 mm and 18 mm, respectively. Across concentrations from 25 to 600 μg/mL, CMT/PVA/CE5 % films displayed over 80 % cell viability on cultured human dermal fibroblasts after 48 h. The results indicated that CMT/PVA/CE5 % bioactive film can be employed as effective, non-toxic wound dressings with infection prevention and healing promotion capabilities.

Biocompatible, porous hydrogels composed of aliphatic polyesters and poly(2-isopropenyl-2-oxazoline). Their application as scaffolds for bone tissue regeneration.

In this study, porous networks were efficiently prepared by crosslinking hydrophilic poly(2-isopropenyl-2-oxazoline) (PiPOx) with dicarboxylic polyesters (HOOC-PLA-COOH or HOOC-PCL-COOH) in the presence of sodium chloride as a water-soluble porogen. Importantly, by using a relatively simple synthetic protocol, the resulting spongy materials were freely formed to the desired size and shape while maintaining stable dimensions. According to the SEM data, the porous 3D structure can be altered by the pore dimensions, which are dependent on the porogen crystal size. After porosity characterization, the mechanical properties were also evaluated via uniaxial compression and tensile tests. The porous networks formed hydrogels with a high water absorption capacity. Finally, after showing cytocompatibility by the MTT assay, we also demonstrated the applicability of the porous hydrogels as scaffolds for cell cultivation. The presented results suggest that this type of hydrogels is a promising material for tissue engineering.

Experiments in the development of porous concrete as an environmentally friendly alternative to road pavement

Road infrastructure development must prioritize safety and environmental aspects in addition to road stability. Porous concrete is a road pavement technology that looks at this aspect. Developed countries like Japan have used porous concrete for roads with high traffic. In this research, experiments were carried out related to porous concrete to determine the compressive strength and percolation obtained, so that it can be used as an alternative road pavement. The research method involves direct testing in the laboratory using two samples with different preparation materials. The test results showed that the average compressive strength of porous concrete for 28 days was 26.5 Mpa and the percolation obtained was 323.75 liters/minute/m2, so it can be proven that it can be used as road pavement for low traffic and has high water absorption capacity.

Functional Properties of Tannia Corms (Xanthosoma sagittifolium (L.) Schott) Flour As Affected By Cooking, Soaking, and Peeling Processes

The study aimed to characterize the functional properties of tannia (Xanthosoma sagittifolium (L.) Schott) flour to realize the crop’s immense potential as an alternative ingredient. Experiments were conducted using a 23 factorial design with cooking, soaking, and peeling as the independent variables. The predicted best treatment was subjected to proximate analysis. Results revealed that tannia flour had high water absorption capacity (71.6-75.9%), oil absorption capacity (52.3-58.3%), foaming stability (94.0-97.0%), and swelling power (53.1-75.0%). The flour obtained had a low gelling point (46.7°C-58.7°C), boiling point (52.0-64.0°C), and least gelation concentration (4-5.33%). Further, peeling significantly affected the water absorption capacity, foaming capacity and stability, and swelling power of tannia flour, while cooking and soaking significantly affected tannia flour’s foaming capacity and gelling point. The interaction of factors (peeling, cooking, and soaking) was also found to significantly affect the functional properties of tannia flour, except for the least gelation concentration. The predicted best treatment was the combination of steaming, cold water soaking, and peeled tannia (Treatment 7), which contains lower moisture (4.31%), ash (0.52%), crude protein (4.41%), crude fat (1.01%), but higher contents of carbohydrates (89.74%), and crude fiber (10.5%.). Overall, tannia flour has good functional properties with the best treatment containing comparable amounts of nutrients with wheat flour except for ash, crude protein, and crude fat. This provides an advantage in enhancing its applicability in various food products and in the production of energy and fiber-rich food products.

Engineering assessment of Lateritic soils of Obiaruku highway sections in South-southern, Nigeria

In order to determine the suitability of lateritic soils for the paving structures of highways, an engineering examination of some numbers of unsuccessful routes and highways in Obiaruku, southern Nigeria, was conducted. Thirty-two (32) lateritic bulk soil samples were taken for road construction-related index and strength testing from three stable and five failing sections. Compared to soils from the failed parts of A-7-6, which indicate poor-quality sub-grade materials, the soils from the stable sections have a greater specific gravity (2.49–2.85) and a lower percentage of clay (23.90%), indicating A-2-6 on the AASHTO classification system. Pores water pressure developed as a result of the high water absorption capacity, high proportion of fine particles (> 40%), and high values of linear shrinkage (> 8%) of the majority of soils from failed sections, leading to a loss in soil index strength. The degree of instability observed is caused by the predominance of fines in lateritic soils, low California bearing ratio (16–39% un-soaked), intermediate and high OMC above recommendation for most soil samples (12.6–19.1), maximum dry density (MDD) (<2000 kg/m3), and liquid limit (35.1–53.0). The lateritic soils of failed sections have poor geotechnical qualities, which suggest that they are not appropriate for use as sub-grade materials in other engineering constructions or even in the construction of new roads. For an accurate assessment of the sub-grade soils for highways, the significance of lateritic soils in detail sampling is emphasized. The findings of this study will be helpful in the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the road's failing parts, and it is advised that this investigation be well documented for future use.

A urea-loaded hydrogel comprising of cellulose nanofibers and carboxymethyl cellulose: An effective slow-release fertilizer

Conventional fertilizers used worldwide to increase crop yield have several environmental and economic issues resulting from their quickly soluble nature, causing most of the fertilizers to be lost through agricultural field runoff and leachate. Utilizing slow or controlled-release fertilizers may reduce the issues associated with conventional fertilizers. However, many commercially available variants of slow-release formulations are ecologically unsustainable as they are made of non-biodegradable polymers. In the present study, a hydrogel composed of cellulose nanofibers (CNF) and carboxyl methyl cellulose (CMC) was synthesized for use as a biodegradable and environmentally sustainable host for carrying urea within its matrix and released the same slowly over a long period of time. The swelling measurements showed that the thermally stable urea-loaded CNF/CMC hydrogel (UCNF) had a high water absorption capacity of 147 g/g in distilled water owing to its porous morphology and the presence of various polar groups. When exposed to a dry environment, it released the absorbed moisture slowly over a period of more than 2 weeks. The urea release rate was also relatively slow; it took about 30 days to release the urea loaded in UCNF. The results indicated that urea diffusion from the material was non-Fickian in character and fit well with the pseudo-second-order kinetics model. The hydrogel demonstrated excellent biodegradability; more than 80% by weight of the hydrogel disappeared through biodegradation by soil bacteria within 3 months. The plant study revealed that adding UCNF to the soil effectively enhanced the seed germination and growth of the plant. Also, plants treated with urea-loaded hydrogel had better growth than the pure urea- and control plant samples. The study found that crosslinked and functionalized cellulose nanofiber may effectively transport water and fertilizer slowly and sustainably.

Characteristics of functional water retaining porous ceramics prepared from waste diatomite and waste ceramics tiles

This paper reports on the use of waste ceramics tiles and waste diatomite in the synthesis of a novel porous ceramics construction material (WRPC) for moisture retention. Experiments were performed to elucidate the impact of sintering temperature (1000 °C–1200 °C) and the proportion of waste ceramics tiles (0 %–40 %) on mechanical properties and water absorption performance. The crystalline phases and constituent minerals were identified using X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The proportion of waste ceramic material in the mix was positively correlated with volume shrinkage and inversely correlated with porosity. Sintering temperature was positively correlated with density and compressive strength, and negatively correlated with porosity and water absorption capacity. The primary crystal phase in the WRPC was identified as cristobalite, the intensity of which decreased with an increase in the content of material derived from waste ceramics tile. Under high heating temperatures, all of the quartz in the WRPC samples transformed into cristobalite, resulting in good chemical and thermal stability. The WRPC samples exhibited high compressive strength (>3 MPa), high water absorption capacity (>0.15 g/m2), and slow water-releasing behavior (t1/2 = 4.1−17.3 h). Experiment results confirmed that waste ceramic tiles and waste diatomite could be transformed into construction materials of practical value.

Improving the Physical Properties of Starch-Based Powders for Potential Anti-Adhesion Applications.

Postoperative adhesion is one of the most common complications that occur during and after surgery; thus, materials that can prevent adhesion are often applied. Starch powders with a high water absorption capacity are preferred, and many studies have focused on increasing the water absorption of modified starches, as native starch powders display poor water-holding capacities. The effects of salts on the physical properties of acetylated distarch phosphate potato starch powders were investigated here. Changes in functional groups, the crystal structures of modified starch, particle morphologies, water absorption, viscosity, and in vivo adhesion were investigated. The results showed that salts greatly improved the water absorption and viscosity of acetylated distarch phosphate potato starch powders. Among the three different salt-modified starch powders, NaCl-modified starch powders displayed higher water absorption and viscosity and demonstrated better in vivo anti-adhesion performance. The results of this study propose a potential biomaterial that may function as an anti-adhesive, potentially leading to reduced surgical risks and a better quality of life for patients.

Optimising the Production Process of Bacterial Nanocellulose: Impact on Growth and Bioactive Compounds.

Research into bacterial cellulose production has been growing rapidly in recent years, as it has a potential use in various applications, such as in the medical and food industries. Previous studies have focused on optimising the production process through various methods, such as using different carbon sources and manipulating environmental conditions. However, further research is still needed to optimise the production process and understand the underlying mechanisms of bacterial cellulose synthesis. We used Plackett-Burman and Box-Behnken experimental designs to analyse the effect of different factors on bacterial cellulose production. The fermentation kinetics of the optimised medium was analysed, and the produced cellulose was characterised. This approach was used because it allows the identification of significant factors influencing bacterial cellulose growth, the optimisation of the culture medium and the characterisation of the produced cellulose. The results showed that higher sucrose concentrations, higher kombucha volume fractions and a smaller size of the symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast were the most important factors for the improvement of bacterial cellulose production, while the other factors had no relevant influence. The optimised medium showed an increase in the concentrations of total phenolic compounds and total flavonoids as well as significant antioxidant activity. The produced pure bacterial cellulose had a high water absorption capacity as well as high crystallinity and thermal stability. The study makes an important scientific contribution by optimising the culture medium to produce bacterial cellulose more productively and efficiently. The optimised medium can be used for the production of a kombucha-like beverage with a high content of bioactive compounds and for the production of bacterial cellulose with high crystallinity and thermal stability. Additionally, the study highlights the potential of bacterial cellulose as a highly water-absorbent material with applications in areas such as packaging and biomedical engineering.

Internal Quality Assessment of East African Highland Cooking Banana (Musa spp.) Flour: Significance for Breeding and Industrial Applications.

This study assessed the internal quality traits of East African Highland cooking banana flours, exploring their significance for breeding and potential industrial applications. Twenty cultivars (nine hybrids and eleven landraces) were used. Swelling power capacity, water solubility, water absorption capacity, water absorption index, freeze-thawing stability, and pasting characteristics of banana flour were assessed using standard methods. The results showed that cultivars with high swelling power also exhibited a high water absorption capacity and water absorption index, thus making them suitable for bakery industries. The water absorption capacity ranged between 5.66% (N2) and 11.68% (N11). Landraces KBZ (9.01) and NKYK (8.05), and hybrids N11 (11.68) and N9 (8.48) are suitable as thickeners due to high WAC. Hybrids (N7, 27.83%, and N9, 22.59%) and landraces (NMZ, 32.69%, and NFK, 34.24%) had low freeze-thawing stability, hence it is applicable as a food stabilizer. Landrace NKT (19.14%) and hybrid N9 (16.95%) had the highest solubility, and landrace KBZ (6.93%) and hybrid N3 (6.66%) had the lowest solubility. Landraces MSK (6265), NKY (3980), and NFK (3957), and hybrids N6 (3608), N7 (3505), and N9 (3281 RVU) had high peak viscosity. The trough viscosity, final viscosity, and breakdown viscosity of cultivars varied from 422.5 to 5004 RVU. The landraces MSK (5021 RVU) and NFK (4111 RVU) had the highest final viscosity, making them suitable for application in the food industry for thick and stable sauces. Landrace TRZ had the lowest pasting temperature (62.7 °C), making it advantageous for use where fast gelatinization is required, hence saving energy costs and cooking time. These findings suggest that the genetic attributes inherent in cultivars can be incorporated into breeding programs targeting required traits for industrial application.

Biomimetic Apatite/Natural Polymer Composite Granules as Multifunctional Dental Tissue Regenerative Material

This study presents a comprehensive evaluation of novel composite biomaterials designed for dental applications, aiming to potentially address the prevalent challenge of dental and periodontal tissue loss. The composites consisted of biomimetic hydroxyapatite (mHA) enriched with Mg2+, CO32−, and Zn2+ ions, type I collagen, alginate, and, additionally, chitosan and sericin. The granules were loaded with ibuprofen sodium salt. The investigation encompassed a morphology characterization, a porosity analysis, a chemical structure assessment, and an examination of the swelling behavior, drug release kinetics (ibuprofen), and release profiles of zinc and magnesium ions. The granules exhibited irregular surfaces with an enhanced homogeneity in the chitosan-coated granules and well-developed mesoporous structures. The FT-IR spectra confirmed the presence of ibuprofen sodium, despite overlapping bands for the polymers. The granules demonstrated a high water-absorption capacity, with delayed swelling observed in the chitosan-coated granules. Ibuprofen displayed burst-release profiles, especially in the G1 and G3 samples. In the case of the chitosan-coated granules (G2 and G4), lower amounts of ibuprofen were released. In turn, there was a significant difference in the released amount of magnesium and zinc ions from the granules, which was most likely caused by their different location in the hydroxyapatite crystals. The cytotoxicity assays confirmed the non-cytotoxic behavior of the biomaterial. These findings suggest the potential applicability of these biomaterials in dental scenarios, emphasizing their multifunctional and biocompatible nature.

Highly Absorbent Egg White/Carbomer-940 Hydrofilm as a Potential Diabetic Wound Dressing.

Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is the most critical problem in diabetic patients. Managing exudate in this kind of wound presents significant challenges in clinics. Advanced wound dressings serve as the most effective approach to managing DFU. Herein, a highly absorbent hydrofilm is presented through a combination of egg white (EW) and Carbomer-940, benefiting from the bioactivity of the EW component and superabsorption capacity of Carbomer-940. The crystallinity of samples rises due to the presence of Carbomer-940. Regarding the high water absorption capacity of Carbomer-940, the swelling ratio and water-holding capacity of samples are also improved via its incorporation of up to 1005%. In contrast, the transmission of water vapor and in vitro degradation rate decreases as Carbomer-940 powers the crystallinity of hydrofilms. Carbomer-940 incorporation in the EW structure accelerates protein release during the time, while this acceleration is partially compensated by the crystallization effect. The cell viability assay demonstrates no toxicity as well as high human foreskin fibroblast cell proliferation for the hybrid hydrofilm sample, where the cell migration is positively affected in the presence of the bioactive components extracted from the dressing. Taken together, the optimized hybrid hydrofilm could be suggested as a promising wound dressing for managing DFUs.

Physicochemical and functional properties of pulp and pectin from agro-waste of three Cucurbitaceae species

Cucurbita pepo L., Citrullus lanatus T. and Cucumis melo L. belong to the family Cucurbitaceae and are cultivated for their seeds. The fruit pulp and peel are discarded as agro-waste after seed removal. This study evaluated the physicochemical and functional properties of the pulp and pectin extracts from the Cucurbitaceae species. Proximate, antioxidant, total polyphenol and flavonoid contents were determined. The purity, structural and sugar constituents of the extracted pectin were analysed using spectrophotometric techniques (NMR, FTIR and LCMS). Results showed that the pulp wastes had high carbohydrate content (28.4 to 69.7%) and demonstrated high antioxidant activities (40 to 50%, 63 to 85% and 0.2 to 0.4 mg mL−1 for DPPH, ABTS and FRAP respectively). Cucurbita pepo L. had the highest pectin yield (13.9%), and the purity of the pectin extracts ranged from 60.4 to 75.2% for total carbohydrate and 3.3 to 4.4 % for protein. The pectin extracts showed structural similarities. LCMS fingerprints of the pectin extracts showed that the monosaccharides comprised of mannose, rhamnose, galacturonic acid, glucose, galactose, xylose, arabinose and fucose. The polymers demonstrated high water absorption capacities (309 g/100 g to 604 g/100 g) and can be applied as thickeners in food systems.

Investigating the hydrophilicity of phenol formaldehyde foams: Effects of synthesis parameters

AbstractOpen‐cell phenol (P) formaldehyde (F) foams are used for various applications such as hydroponic seed germination, flower arrangements, and sound insulation. This study investigated the influence of various parameters such as F/P molar ratios, blowing agents, surfactants, wetting agents, polymeric and inorganic additives, and oxidizing agents on the hydrophilicity of PF foams. Experimental results indicate that an F/P ratio of 1.8 was ideal for producing phenolic foams with good foam structure, uniform pore distribution, and favorable mechanical properties. A mixture of pentane and hexane at a mass ratio of 1:3 (wt/wt) used as a blowing agent resulted in a foam with the lowest density. With the optimal foaming catalyst (p‐toluene sulfonic acid) at a loading of 28 wt%, the foam exhibited a low density and excellent mechanical properties. A phenolic foam with a low density (39.27 kg/m3), high water absorption capacity (1210 wt%) and high open cell content (78.94%), was achieved by combining 6 wt% Tween‐80 as the surfactant and 3 wt% sodium dodecyl sulfate as the wetting agent. Additionally, 6.5 wt% loading of H2O2 led to a slight decrease in the foam density (38.46 kg/m3), but with a remarkable improvement in the wetting characteristics (water absorption capacity—2404 wt% and nearly 100% open cell content of the produced foam.