Incorporation Of Active Ingredients Research Articles

Comparing the Effects of Duo-Functional Triple-Layer Films Enriched with Different Sources of Curcumin on the Shelf-Life of Fish.

The objective of this study was to compare the effects of two types of active triple-layer films containing curcumin on the shelf-life of salmon fillets. One film (Film A) contained pure curcumin dissolved in lemongrass essential oil, while the other (Film B) incorporated curcumin from Curcuma longa extract dissolved in citral. The impact of these active films on the preservation of salmon fillets quality and safety was studied by analyzing factors such as color parameters, sensory evaluation, lipid oxidation, and biogenic amines. Despite good active properties measured in vitro, both films harmed the sensory quality and color of salmon. However, the incorporation of active ingredients in biopolymer films has shown the potential to inhibit biogenic amine formation. The findings pave the way for future research to explore the synergistic effects of combining various natural extracts with active packaging films.

A Comprehensive Review of Formulations, Ingredients, Advances, and Future Perspectives in Lipcare Cosmetics

Lip care cosmetics have gained immense popularity due to their ability to enhance the appearance and health of the lips. These products encompass lip balms for moisturizing and protecting, lip glosses for imparting shine and subtle color, and lip rouges (lipsticks) for bold, pigmented hues. Lip balms typically contain waxes, oils, butters, and emollients to nourish and shield lips from environmental stressors. Recent advancements involve incorporating herbal extracts, vitamins, and antioxidants for additional benefits. Lip glosses consist of oils, waxes, pigments, and additives, designed to provide a glossy finish and varying degrees of color intensity, from sheer to opaque. Their moisturizing properties, ease of application, and potential for stickiness or transfer are discussed. Lip rouges, available in solid, liquid, or glossy formulations, add vibrant color and definition to the lips. Their formulations include waxes, oils, pigments, and other additives tailored for desired textures and finishes. The historical significance of lip coloring and the growing demand for natural and herbal lip rouges are explored. Recent advances encompass long-wearing formulations, incorporation of active ingredients (anti-aging, skin-lightening), and sustainable, eco-friendly ingredients. Safety assessments and regulatory considerations are crucial for ensuring the responsible development of lip care cosmetics. Continued research and innovation are vital to meet evolving consumer needs and preferences while prioritizing safety and efficacy

FORMULA OPTIMIZATION OF FEMININE LIQUID SOAP

The formulation and optimization of feminine liquid soap represent a critical endeavor in the realm of personal care product development. This study explores the multifaceted aspects of designing an effective and appealing liquid soap tailored specifically for feminine hygiene. The research encompasses a comprehensive investigation into the selection and optimization of key ingredients, with a focus on achieving optimal cleansing efficacy while maintaining skin-friendly attributes. Fundamental to this optimization process is the delicate balance between pH levels, skin moisturization, and the incorporation of active ingredients that contribute to feminine hygiene. Methodologies involving experimental design and statistical analysis are employed to systematically optimize the formula, taking into account sensory attributes, stability, and microbial safety. The study aims to not only enhance the product's functional performance but also to address consumer preferences and market trends. The findings of this research contribute to the advancement of formulation science in the context of feminine liquid soap, offering insights that can be leveraged by personal care product developers and manufacturers to create products that align with the diverse needs of modern consumers.

Active Films Based on Starch and Wheat Gluten (Triticum vulgare) for Shelf-Life Extension of Carrots.

The use of biodegradable biopolymers with the incorporation of active ingredients has been considered as an alternative to extend the useful life of food. Therefore, the objective of this research was to develop active films based on starch and wheat gluten, containing cinnamon and turmeric essential oils by using the solvent casting method. Different film formulations were made from wheat starch, gluten, glycerol, and essential oils of cinnamon and turmeric. The films were characterized according to their morphology, optical, thermal, antioxidant, and barrier properties. Subsequently, the active properties on baby carrots regarding weight loss, appearance, and fungal growth were evaluated. The results indicated that the starch-based films showed a slight decrease in moisture content with the addition of essential oils (up to 13.29%), but at the same time showed a significant reduction in water solubility (up to 28.4%). Gluten-based films did not present significant differences in these parameters, although the solubility in water tended to increase (up to 13.15%) with the addition of essential oils. In general, the films presented good thermal stability and antioxidant capacity, and in the carrot coating test, a decrease in weight loss of up to 44.44% and 43.33% was observed for the coatings based on starch and gluten with the addition of turmeric essential oil, respectively. Finally, films developed with cinnamon and turmeric essential oils are potential candidates for the design of biodegradable active packaging.

Preparation and evaluation of caffeine bioadhesive emulgels for cosmetic applications based on formulation design using QbD tools.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of the incorporation of caffeine as a model active ingredient on the quality attributes of a bioadhesive emulgel formulation previously optimized by Quality by Design (QbD) tools. Emulgels are emerging topical drug delivery systems for cosmetic or pharmaceutical uses, which combine the advantages of both emulsions and gels. In this work, the observed and predicted values for spreadability, phase separation by centrifugation and detachment forces performed by texturometer were compared with those of the control and active-containing emulgel formulations. In addition, rheological properties, release of caffeine and comparative in vitro/ex vivo bioadhesion properties were evaluated using human skin. The flow curves of emulgel formulations showed the typical pseudoplastic and no thixotropic flow with yield stress. The incorporation of active ingredient did not produce significant changes. All emulgels were uniformly spread and no significant differences in spreadability values between control and caffeine containing formulations and neither respect to those predicted values from experimental design optimization were found. Emulgel formulations showed appropriate detachment forces values and no significant differences between caffeine loading and control emulgel formulations were observed. Caffeine was successfully vehiculized in this optimized bioadhesive emulgel formulation, which showed high robustness regarding the process variability. There were no significant changes in the critical quality attributes after the incorporation of the active ingredient and a promising stability was observed for at least one year. Results suggested that the optimized emulgel is an interesting topical biodhesive delivery system for cosmetic applications, including agents for skin conditioning, not present in gels formulations.

Surface modification of PLA nets intended for agricultural applications

Exclusion nets create a physical barrier between pests and crops, serving as a practical tool to reduce pesticide use in a wide variety of crops, and their negative impacts on the environment. While the efficiency of this method has been recently assessed, protection from pests is incomplete, as microorganisms such as fungi are not hindered by netting. In order to avoid favorable conditions for microbial development (e.g. wet leaf surfaces), the present study discusses two hydrophobic surface treatment approaches, each applied to two PLA substrates that can be used as exclusion nets to reduce water ingress on protected fruit trees. Both a commercial exclusion net and a fused deposition modelled (or 3D printed) mesh were treated via solvent-free and solvent-induced modifications. Photo-initiated chemical vapor deposition (PICVD) allowed organic thin film growth on the substrate at near-ambient conditions. Dip-dip-dry (DDD) exploited solvent-induced topology modification to yield hydrophobic PLA samples, showing various microstructures (crazes or hierarchical topology) depending on the substrate properties. Both substrates were efficiently rendered hydrophobic after surface treatments, with water contact angles climbing from 73° to 101° (PICVD) or 143° (DDD) for printed PLA samples, and to 131° (PICVD) or 135° (DDD) for commercial exclusion nets. The hierarchical features present on DDD-treated printed PLA substrates showed potential for molecular adsorption, paving the way for a method to increase the phytosanitary effect of agricultural textiles by active ingredient incorporation (limonene is used here as a test case). Surface properties were characterized with SEM imaging, contact angle measurements, tensile tests and drop penetration assessments (rain simulation).

Biocompatible and multi-responsive poly(N-vinylcaprolactam)-based microgels: The role of acidic comonomers in the colloidal properties and phase transition as a function of temperature and pH

Stimuli-responsive microgels have great potential for biomedical applications owing to their well-defined structure and tunable swelling-collapse behavior in response to environmental conditions changes. Herein, thermo- and pH-responsive biocompatible microgels have been developed via surfactant-free precipitation polymerization of N-vinylcaprolactam (NVCL) in aqueous media using acrylic or itaconic acid (AA or IA) as acidic comonomers. A comparative study was performed regarding the incorporation of acidic comonomers and their effect on the stimuli-responsive behavior and nanoparticles stability in aqueous dispersion. The particles size, polydispersity as well as temperature- and pH-responsiveness were characterized by Dynamic Light Scattering experiments. The results indicated that the acidic segments in the microgel networks not only rendered pH-responsiveness behavior but were also capable to stabilize the nanoparticles due to the negative charges from carboxyl groups present in AA and IA. Smaller particles diameters were obtained when IA was used as the ionizable comonomer. Moreover, IA proved to be more efficient in the stability of the dispersions against time. The microgels morphology was accessed by Electron Transmission Microscopy, which revealed their spherical shape and low polydispersity, although a tendency for particles aggregation. All microgels were well tolerated by murine peritoneal macrophages, as revealed by cytotoxic tests. These results provide important information for further studies on the incorporation of active ingredients in such microgels for controlled drug release systems.

Development and Characterization of a Gel Formulation Integrating Microencapsulated Nitrofurazone

Nitrofurazone (NTZ) is usually employed in the topical treatment of infected wounds and lesions of both skin and mucosa. Microencapsulation is a process utilized in the incorporation of active ingredients within polymers aiming at, among other objectives, the prolonged release of pharmaceutical compounds and protection from atmospheric agents (viz. moisture, light, heat and/or oxidation). With the goal of utilizing the microparticles containing encapsulated NTZ in pharmaceutical formulations, one prepared microparticles containing NTZ via ionotropic gelation of sodium alginate. The microparticles were characterized via scanning electron microscopy analyses, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses, via determination of encapsulation efficiency, and via thermal analyses (both TGA and DSC). The final gel formulation was also characterized rheologically. The extrusion/solidification technique employed to obtain the calcium alginate microparticles with encapsulated NTZ was found to be adequate, and produced an NTZ encapsulation efficiency of ca. 97.8% ± 1.1%. The calcium alginate microparticles thus obtained, with encapsulated NTZ, exhibited an oval shape and hydrodynamic diameters between 500 μm and 800 μm. From the thermal analyses performed, together with information from the infrared spectra, one may conclude that NTZ did not strongly bind to the polymer, which may be favorable for the release of the active ingredient. From the results obtained in the present research effort, one may conclude that the microparticles produced possess the potential to be utilized as carriers for NTZ in pharmaceutical formulations such as gels, ointments, and solutions.

Preparation and characterization of nocodazole-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles

Nocodazole (NCD) has more carcinogenic effect than similar drugs. Moreover, it has low drug release time and high particle size. Solid Lipid Nanoparticles (SLNs) have been evaluated for decrease in particle size and therefore increase in drug release time, for such drugs. In this study, NCD has been successfully incorporated into SLNs systems and remained stable for a period of 90 days. NCD structure related to the chemical nature of solid lipid is a key factor to decide whether anticarcinogenic agent will be incorporated in the long term and for a controlled optimization of active ingredient incorporation and loading, intensive characterization of the physical state of the lipid particles were highly essential. Thus, NMR, FT-IR, DSC (for thermal behavior) analyses were performed and the results did not indicate any problem on stability. Moreover, SLNs were decreased size of NCD in addition to increase in time of the drug release. After SLN preparation, particle size, polydispersity index, electrical conductivity and zeta potential were measured and drug release from NCD-loaded SLNs were performed. These values seem to be of the desired range.

Problems in the Formulation of Pesticides for ULV Application

AbstractThe various factors affecting the production of satisfactory ULV formulations of common pesticides are discussed. Both the selection of carrier oils and the incorporation of active ingredients are examined and field workers are warned against possible misfortunes as the result of « on the spot » formulations. The importance of using machines capable of emitting the carefully controlled droplets necessary for satisfactory ULV spraying is stressed.