Natural Pectin Research Articles

Natural Pectin Polysaccharides as Edible Coatings

The most fashionable trends in food packaging research are targeted towards improvements in food quality and safety by increasing the use of environmentally-friendly materials, ideally those able to be obtained from bio-based resources and presenting biodegradable characteristics. Edible films represent a key area of development in new multifunctional materials by their character and properties to effectively protect food with no waste production. The use of edible films should be considered as a clean and elegant solution to problems related with waste disposal in packaging materials. In particular, pectin has been reported as one of the main raw materials to obtain edible films by its natural abundance, low cost and renewable character. The latest innovations in food packaging by the use of pectin-based edible films are reviewed in this paper, with special focus on the use of pectin as base material for edible coatings. The structure, properties related to the intended use in food packaging and main applications of pectins are herein reported.

Natural-gel derived, N-doped, ordered and interconnected 1D nanocarbon threads as efficient supercapacitor electrode materials

Natural gel pectin is transformen into interconnected, N-doped, ordered and Interconnected 1D nano-carbon threads upon high temperature pyrolysis inside SBA-15.

English

  Drying characteristics and the quality of dried mushrooms were analyzed. Calocybe indica slices (5 mm) were dried in cross flow dryer, open sun dryer, solar dryer, through flow dryer, vibro dryer, vacuum dryer in the respective drying chambers at 65, 36, 55, 60, 55  and 45°C. Mushrooms were dried from about 84 to 3% moisture content (w.b) in about 8 h. Solar drier was cost effective and efficient in drying in the overall analysis. Potassium meta bisulphite (0.25 g/l) and 3% H2O2 and was proposed for washing mushrooms which supports storage up to six days with minimal contamination. Mushroom jam was made with different sources of pectin; however, jam made with natural pectin (guava) showed highest sensory score. Mushroom squash Formulation - III contains flavor enhancers such as amla and lemon extract.   Key words: Calocybe indica, drying, driers, mushroom, post harvest, value addition, jam, canning and squash

13. Decorporation of Chernobyl Radionuclides

Tens of thousands of Chernobyl children (mostly from Belarus) annually leave to receive treatment and health care in other countries. Doctors from many countries gratuitously work in the Chernobyl contaminated territories, helping to minimize the consequences of this most terrible technologic catastrophe in history. But the scale and spectrum of the consequences are so high, that no country in the world can cope alone with the long-term consequences of such a catastrophe as Chernobyl. The countries that have suffered the most, especially Ukraine and Belarus, extend gratitude for the help that has come through the United Nations and other international organizations, as well as from private funds and initiatives. Twenty-two years after the Chernobyl releases, the annual individual dose limit in heavily contaminated territories of Belarus, Ukraine, and European Russia exceed 1 mSv/year just because of the unavoidable consumption of locally contaminated products. The 11-year experience of the BELRAD Institute shows that for effective radiation protection it is necessary to establish the interference level for children at 30% of the official dangerous limit (i.e., 15-20 Bq/kg). The direct whole body counting measurements of Cs-137 accumulation in the bodies of inhabitants of the heavily contaminated Belarussian region shows that the official Dose Catalogue underestimates the annual dose burdens by three to eight times. For practical reasons the curative-like use of apple-pectin food additives might be especially helpful for effective decorporation of Cs-137. From 1996 to 2007 a total of more than 160,000 Belarussian children received pectin food additives during 18 to 25 days of treatment (5 g twice a day). As a result, levels of Cs-137 in children's organs decreased after each course of pectin additives by an average of 30 to 40%. Manufacture and application of various pectin-based food additives and drinks (using apples, currants, grapes, sea seaweed, etc.) is one of the most effective ways for individual radioprotection (through decorporation) under circumstances where consumption of radioactively contaminated food is unavoidable.

15. Consequences of the Chernobyl Catastrophe for Public Health and the Environment 23 Years Later

More than 50% of Chernobyl's radionuclides were dispersed outside of Belarus, Ukraine, and European Russia and caused fallout as far away as North America. In 1986 nearly 400 million people lived in areas radioactively contaminated at a level higher than 4 kBq/m(2) and nearly 5 million individuals are still being exposed to dangerous contamination. The increase in morbidity, premature aging, and mutations is seen in all the contaminated territories that have been studied. The increase in the rates of total mortality for the first 17 years in European Russia was up to 3.75% and in Ukraine it was up to 4.0%. Levels of internal irradiation are increasing owing to plants absorbing and recycling Cs-137, Sr-90, Pu, and Am. During recent years, where internal levels of Cs-137 have exceeded 1 mSv/year, which is considered "safe," it must be lowered to 50 Bq/kg in children and to 75 Bq/kg in adults. Useful practices to accomplish this include applying mineral fertilizers on agricultural lands, K and organosoluble lignin on forestlands, and regular individual consumption of natural pectin enterosorbents. Extensive international help is needed to provide radiation protection for children, especially in Belarus, where over the next 25 to 30 years radionuclides will continue to contaminate plants through the root layers in the soil. Irradiated populations of plants and animals exhibit a variety of morphological deformities and have significantly higher levels of mutations that were rare prior to 1986. The Chernobyl zone is a "black hole": some species may persist there only via immigration from uncontaminated areas.

Chapter IV. Radiation Protection after the Chernobyl Catastrophe

Chapter IV. Radiation Protection after the Chernobyl Catastrophe

Studies of pectin/polyvinylpyrrolidone blends exposed to ultraviolet radiation

The new biodegradable blends composed of natural pectin and synthetic polymer: polyvinylpyrrolidone were obtained by casting from aqueous solutions. The molecular interactions between components have been studied by FTIR. The blends were exposed to UV-irradiation and the changes in chemical structure were investigated using absorption spectroscopy (FTIR and UV–Vis). The morphology of sample surfaces before and after exposure to UV was observed by atomic force microscopy. Insoluble gel, formed as a result of photocrosslinking, was appointed gravimetrically. The relation between the blend composition and the efficiency of observed photoreactions has been considered.

Preparation and Characterization of Hydrocolloid Biopolymer-Based Films for Dressing Applications

In this study three types of dressings in the form of thin films were prepared from a mixture of two natural biopolymers, namely gelatin and pectin. The protein and the polysaccharide were chosen because of their hydrosolubility and interactivity, respectively. Glutaraldehyde was also used to crosslink the films. The physical properties of the resulting films were evaluated through measurements of absorption capacity and water vapor permeability. FTIR and UV spectroscopy were also used to characterize the films. It was found that crosslinking much increased the absorption capacity, reflecting the strong interactions that developed between gelatin and pectin. It was also found that the water vapor permeability depends greatly on the film thickness and evolves linearly with time. The FTIR analysis also allowed us to identify the different functional groups through which gelatin and pectin chemically interacted. The quantitative analysis of the residue by means of UV spectroscopy indicated that the films were biodegradable and therefore can be used for biomedical applications.

Influência da temperatura no comportamento reológico da polpa de jabuticaba

O comportamento reológico em estado estacionário e dinâmico da polpa de jabuticaba foi estudado em diferentes temperaturas (5, 25, 45, 65 e 85 °C). As amostras foram submetidas a ensaios em estado estacionário (0 a 300 s-1) para o ajuste dos diferentes modelos de escoamento. O modelo de Herschel-Bulkley foi o que melhor se ajustou aos dados experimentais, no qual se observou a redução do índice de consistência (k) e um leve aumento do índice de comportamento de escoamento (n) com o aumento da temperatura. Ensaios oscilatórios, com valores de tensão dentro do intervalo linear, foram realizados para obtenção dos espectros mecânicos. As amostras analisadas a 5 °C apresentaram maior módulo de armazenamento (G'), indicando uma maior interação entre as partículas a esta temperatura, o que contribui para o fortalecimento da rede elástica. A polpa analisada a 45 °C não apresentou a mesma tendência que as outras temperaturas, o que pode ser um indício do início da estruturação da pectina natural presente na polpa.

Photodegradation studies of novel biodegradable blends based on poly(ethylene oxide) and pectin

Blends of two biodegradable polymers: natural pectin and synthetic poly(ethylene oxide) at different weight-ratios were obtained by physical mixing in aqueous solutions, and evaporation of the solvent. The macromolecular order in the composites was investigated by applying X-ray diffraction, while the surface morphology was observed using atomic force microscopy. The photooxidative degradation of the blends was studied by viscometry, FTIR spectroscopy and UV–vis spectroscopy. It has been found that the susceptibility of the studied composites to UV radiation depends on an appropriate ratio of components, and the most sensitive to UV-irradiation among the samples studied was the equal weight-ratio blend of poly(ethylene oxide)/pectin.

Mechanochemical Modification of 5-Nitro-8-hydroxyquinoline with Cellulose, Pectin, and -Cyclodextrin

The physicochemical consequences of mechanical treatment of 5-nitro-8-hydroxyquinoline with natural polymers cellulose, pectin, and β-cyclodextrin were studied in order to improve its properties. It was found that particle sizes of the medicinal compound in the agglomerated mechanical-composite materials increased. The particle-size increase of the medicinal compound was avoided by adding a third component differing from 5-nitro-8-hydroxyquinoline by the acid-base properties and containing calcium carbonate.

Erosion-corrosion of a stainless steel distillation column in food industry

Unusual extended corrosion phenomena were detected in a distillation column made in AISI type 316 stainless steel (UNS S31600) of a plant for natural pectins extraction from citrus. The column was the first of a series of two distillation columns representing the unit core. Corrosion problems were observed only in that column and mainly along the surface of the trays located in the lower section of the column. The phenomenon was observed subsequently to a modification of the original plant layout that caused an increase of the operating temperatures and turbulence of the process stream inside the column.

Pectin lyase production by Penicillium griseoroseum grown in sugar cane juice in repeated batch cultures

Penicillium griseoroseum cultured in the presence of sucrose and yeast extract produces pectin lyase (EC 4.2.2.10) (PL) in the absence of its natural inducer pectin. This fungus was cultured in a fermenter at an aeration rate of 0.5 l/min for the first 25 h and 1.0 l/min for the remainder of the culture period, and at a stirring rate of 200 rev/min for the entire culture period. Fungal spores were inoculated directly into the fermenter at a final concentration of 5 × 104 spores/ml. The fungus was cultured in minimal medium supplemented with powdered dehydrated sugar cane juice, producing PL without added yeast extract. Maximum PL activity (0.067 IU/ml) was obtained after 65 h in batch culture. Pellet morphology of the mycelia made it possible to carry out three cycles of repeated batch culture. The same medium was used for renewal as for the single batch culture. The initial cycle was 53 h, after which approximately 0.103 IU/ml of PL was obtained. After this period, the medium was renewed and fermentation continued for two more cycles, which lasted approximately 20 h. Activity of PL obtained in the second cycle was approximately 0.118 IU/ml and in the third, approximately 0.109 IU/ml.

Use of pectinesterase for detection of hydrocolloids addition in natural orange juice

In natural orange juice, pectin is the major constituent responsible for cloud stability. In adulterated and imitation orange juices, for technical reasons, cloud stability is effected by different natural or synthetic hydrocolloids. Pectinesterase, an enzyme specific for pectin hydrolysis, was used to detect substitution of natural pectin of orange juice by other hydrocolloids. Natural orange juice, imitation orange juice and mixtures of them were used in this study. In pasteurized orange juice samples, pectinesterase was added at 20 mg/100 ml of juice. Mixtures were heated at 50°C in a water bath for 24 h and the percentage of clarification, as well as the amount of precipitate formed after centrifugation were measured. A linear correlation was found to exist between natural orange juice percentage in the natural–imitation orange juice mixtures and precipitate formed. A second order relation was found to exist between the percentage of the natural orange juice in the natural–imitation orange juice mixtures and the degree of clarification of orange juice. The method was used successfully for the detection of addition of extraneous hydrocolloids in orange juice for adulteration purposes.

Endogenous Production of Methanol after the Consumption of Fruit

After the consumption of fruit, the concentration of methanol in the human body increases by as much as an order of magnitude. This is due to the degradation of natural pectin (which is esterified with methyl alcohol) in the human colon. In vivo tests performed by means of proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometry show that consumed pectin in either a pure form (10 to 15 g) or a natural form (in 1 kg of apples) induces a significant increase of methanol in the breath (and by inference in the blood) of humans. The amount generated from pectin (0.4 to 1.4 g) is approximately equivalent to the total daily endogenous production (measured to be 0.3 to 0.6 g/day) or that obtained from 0.3 liters of 80-proof brandy (calculated to be 0.5 g). This dietary pectin may contribute to the development of nonalcoholic cirrhosis of the liver.

Endogenous Production of Methanol after the Consumption of Fruit

After the consumption of fruit, the concentration of methanol in the human body increases by as much as an order of magnitude. This is due to the degradation of natural pectin (which is esterified with methyl alcohol) in the human colon. In vivo tests performed by means of proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometry show that consumed pectin in either a pure form (10 to 15 g) or a natural form (in 1 kg of apples) induces a significant increase of methanol in the breath (and by inference in the blood) of humans. The amount generated from pectin (0.4 to 1.4 g) is approximately equivalent to the total daily endogenous production (measured to be 0.3 to 0.6 g/day) or that obtained from 0.3 liters of 80-proof brandy (calculated to be 0.5 g). This dietary pectin may contribute to the development of nonalcoholic cirrhosis of the liver.

Einflu� des Pectins auf die elektrokinetischen Eigenschaften von Pulpesuspensionen aus �pfeln

Apple pulp suspensions to which different kinds of pectin in concentration up to 500 g.m−3 was added were studied electrophoretically. It was shown that the natural pectin exerts an essential influence upon the adsorption ability of the pectin added, and upon the electrokinetic potential of the tissue particles respectively.

Morphology development for three‐component emulsion polymers: Theory and experiments

AbstractThree‐component emulsion polymer systems constitute an overall four‐component system from a morphological viewpoint. The aqueous phase is always the continuous phase within which 22 distinct and thermodynamically stable particle morphologies may exist. Six uniquely different categories of particles compose this morphological menu and may be identified as core–shell–shell, hemicore, hemishell, trisectional, “snowman,” and cored hemisphere. Extension of previously published free‐energy thermodynamic analyses of two component emulsion polymers has resulted in the ability to predict the most likely equilibrium morphology to be found for three‐component particles. Predictions have been carried out for each possible three‐component combination of poly(methyl methacrylate), polystyrene, poly(dimethyl siloxane), and polycarbonate. The results show that in nearly every instance two or three different morphologies are computed to possess nearly equivalent free energies, whereas all other possibilities would result in much higher free energies. This indicates that more precise knowledge of all interfacial tensions is required when considering three‐component systems than was found to be generally needed for two‐component systems. Experiments were carried out for each polymer combination using a very surface‐active emulsifier (sodium lauryl sulfate) and, separately, a weakly surface‐active emulsifier (natural pectin). For this choice of polymers and emulsifiers, only three of the six unique morphological categories were found experimentally. In all cases, the thermodynamic analysis predicted the experimentally determined morphology to possess the lowest or next to lowest free energy. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Regulation of plant cell-wall pectin methyl esterase by polyamines--interactions with the effects of metal ions.

The kinetic study of the de-esterification of natural pectin by soya bean or orange pectin methyl esterase shows that the rate of the reaction is highly controlled by the presence of polyamines. The reaction rate versus the polyamine concentration is a bell-shaped curve similar to that which is obtained when the concentration of salts is varied in the reaction mixture. However polyamines, in particular the largest ones, are more efficient than salts. The results may be interpreted by assuming that polyamines mainly interact with the negative charges of the pectic substrate which condition the binding of the pectin methyl esterase. Activating effects were observed at polyamine concentrations that have been shown to exist in the plant cell wall in vivo. Thus, polyamines may act as efficient regulators of the cell-wall pH via the control of the electrostatic cell-wall potential. If such is the case, they might have a role in all regulatory mechanisms in which cell-wall enzymes are involved.

Insight into the structure of pectin by high performance chromatographic methods

Various high performance chromatographic methods (analytical and preparative size exclusion chomatography, as well as ion exchange chromatography) have been developed in order to provide a deeper insight into the structure of pectin. The study mainly concentrated on commercial high-methoxy samples and products from the MRS research centre. By coupling size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and low angle laser light scattering (LALLS), realistic values of the molecular weight and molecular weight distribution can be obtained, as the contribution from aggregates may be easily determined. Differences between apple and lime pectin are shown. Preparative size exclusion chromatography allowed us to obtain information about the dependence of pectin composition on molecular weight by analysing the neutral sugars, the degree of esterification and the acetyl content in each individual molecular weight fraction. It was found that the high content of abrabinose and galactose in the low molecular weight fractions was associated with the ballast of free polysaccharides that accompany the actual pectic chain in all natural pectins. High resolution ion exchange chromatography was used to compare the intermolecular distribution of degrees of esterification (DE). Distributions of DE were found to be very narrow, with very few exceptions and by analysing SEC fractions, they were found to be constant with the molecular weight in all cases.