Enhancing carotenoid bioaccessibility in food matrices using modified mango cotyledon starch microcapsules: Contribution to the recommended daily intake.

Preparation and characterization of glycosylated walnut protein isolate and its effect on the stability of walnut oil microcapsules

Temperature-responsive gelatin/carboxymethyl agarose aroma hydrogels for controllable adhesion and desorption in hair care products.

Hydrogen bond network-driven sustained-release antibacterial films of cinnamaldehyde microcapsules for the preservation of dried tofu.

Enhanced viability of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei under storage and gastrointestinal conditions by electrostatic spray drying: Effects of polysaccharide type and concentration.

This study explored the integral use of imperfect red guava by extracting carotenoids from the pulp, employing the peel and seed as natural wall materials for nanoencapsulation. Ultrasound-assisted extraction with cereal ethanol was maximized using a 24 full factorial design, yielding 31.40±5.04μg/g and an extraction efficiency of 90.90%. The extract was nanoencapsulated using poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (NPPLGA), guava peel (NPGP), and guava seed (NPGS), producing nanoparticles with sizes ranging from 171.50±10.69 (NPPLGA) to 219.52±33.98 (NPGP) nm, an acidic pH, and measurable antioxidant activity. NPGS exhibited the highest encapsulation efficiency and carotenoid content and was found to be non-cytotoxic to HT22 cells at concentrations ≤0.07μg/mL. In a liquid dietary supplement model system, NPGS exhibited minimal changes in yellow color over 22days of refrigerated storage (ΔE*<2), indicating a possible application as a food dye and demonstrating a strategy for valorizing guava by-products.

Citral exhibits favorable broad-spectrum antibacterial activity; however, it is prone to oxidative degradation or structural changes. To improve its stability and practical applicability, citral-loaded microcapsules were prepared using sodium carboxymethyl starch (CMS) and sodium caseinate (CS) via emulsification and freeze-drying. We then investigated the effects of the CMS-to-CS mass ratio on the physicochemical properties and microstructure of the microcapsules, and systematically evaluated the antibacterial activity and underlying mechanisms of the citral-loaded microcapsules against typical foodborne pathogenic bacteria and food-related bacteria. The results showed that when the CMS-to-CS mass ratio was 3:1, the microcapsules prepared exhibited the highest encapsulation efficiency (83.87%). The molecular interactions between citral and the wall materials were confirmed. The citral-loaded microcapsules demonstrated good thermal stability and a compact morphology with dense blocks. Furthermore, treatment with the citral-loaded microcapsules led to the leakage of intracellular contents and compromised the cell membrane integrity of Staphylococcus aureus, thereby inhibiting its normal physiological functions, as well as effectively disrupting bacterial aggregation at high concentrations. These findings offer a valuable reference for future studies aimed at improving the stability of citral when used as an antibacterial agent and at enhancing its practical application value.

Sustainable Building Solutions: Testing Fiber-Stabilized Adobe Blocks as Wall Materials in Assosa, Ethiopia

Clove oil (CO), rich in phenolic compounds such as eugenol, was encapsulated to enhance its stability and antimicrobial performance. Fish gelatin (FGe) and sodium alginate (SA) were used as wall materials for encapsulation through complex coacervation. Prior to encapsulation, turbidity and zeta potential were measured as a function of pH, and coacervate yield was calculated to determine optimal coacervation conditions. The FGe: SA ratios of 3:1-5:1 and pH values between 3 and 4 were determined as optimal ranges. These parameters, together with the wall-to-core ratio (wall: core), were used as independent variables in a Box-Behnken response surface methodology (RSM) to evaluate their effects on encapsulation efficiency (EE) and encapsulation yield (EY). The highest experimental EE and EY values obtained within the design were 91.7% and 89.5%, respectively. Microcapsules prepared under the optimized conditions exhibited a moisture content of 2.57%, hygroscopicity of 8.64%, and solubility of 65.33%. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) confirmed enhanced thermal stability, with decomposition shifting to higher temperatures (~ 200-350°C). In the simulated gastrointestinal system, the microcapsules remained stable under acidic conditions and released CO gradually at higher pH. Antimicrobial assays showed comparable inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus and significantly higher activity against Escherichia coli compared to unencapsulated CO. These findings suggest that FGe-SA coacervate microcapsules are a promising delivery system for clove oil in functional food applications.

Plant-based proteins, such as hazelnut protein isolates (HPIs), often exhibit limited solubility and functionality, as well as allergenic potential, thereby limiting their applicability in food products. This investigation sought to improve the techno-functional characteristics of HPI and mitigate its allergenicity via high-pressure homogenization treatment (HPHT) coupled with pH shifting, and to assess the feasibility of the modified HPI as a wall material for probiotic encapsulation. The combined application of alkaline pH (pH 12) and high pressure (875 bar) substantially enhanced protein solubility (up to 86.5%) and emulsion activity; concurrently, the zeta potential became more negative, suggesting increased electrostatic repulsion. Structural investigations demonstrated significant conformational alterations, including the disruption of α-helix and β-sheet structures and an increase in random coils, which, in turn, exposed hydrophobic groups and augmented surface hydrophobicity. These structural changes, crucially, modified protein epitopes, leading to a 49% decrease in HPI allergenicity. Furthermore, when assessed as a wall material for spray-drying microencapsulation of Lactobacillus acidophilus, the modified HPI, in conjunction with maltodextrin (1:1 ratio), displayed the greatest protective capacity, preserving 7.96 log CFU mL-1 viability post-drying and 7.22 log CFU mL-1 survival under simulated gastrointestinal conditions. The findings demonstrate that altering the structure of the HPI via HPHT and pH modulation enhances its solubility and emulsifying characteristics while simultaneously reducing its allergenic potential, thus supporting its use as a viable wall material. As a result, this approach offers a potentially beneficial method for converting hazelnut meal by-products into adaptable, hypoallergenic ingredients for functional food applications. © 2026 The Author(s). Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Microencapsulation is a process of building a functional barrier between the core and wall material to avoid chemical and physical reactions and to maintain the biological, functional, and physicochemical properties of core materials. Microencapsulation of marine, vegetable, and essential oils has been conducted and commercialized by employing different methods including emulsification, spray-drying, coaxial electrospray system, freeze-drying, coacervation, in situ polymerization, melt-extrusion, supercritical fluid technology, and fluidized-bed-coating. Spray-drying and coacervation are the most commonly used techniques for the microencapsulation of oils. The choice of an appropriate microencapsulation technique and wall material depends upon the end use of the product and the processing conditions involved. Microencapsulation has the ability to enhance the oxidative stability, thermostability, shelf-life, and biological activity of oils. In addition, it can also be helpful in controlling the volatility and release properties of essential oils. Microencapsulated marine, vegetable, and essential oils have found broad applications in various fields. This review describes the recognized benefits and functional properties of various oils, microencapsulation techniques, and application of encapsulated oils in various food, pharmaceutical, and even textile products. Moreover, this review may provide information to researchers working in the field of food, pharmacy, agronomy, engineering, and nutrition who are interested in microencapsulation of oils.

Childhood anemia remains a critical public health challenge in sub-Saharan Africa, with malaria being a major contributing factor to its burden. Although insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) and improved housing are established malaria prevention strategies, their combined associations with childhood anemia are poorly understood. We examined the independent and joint associations of housing quality and ITN use with childhood anemia in The Gambia, using propensity score-weighted methods. We analyzed data from 4155 children aged 6-59months in the Gambia Demographic and Health Survey 2019/20. Housing quality was defined as having improved floor, wall, and roof materials in the household. ITN use was defined as sleeping under an ITN the night beforethe survey. We estimated propensity scores for each exposure and used inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) to fit marginal structural models. Interaction was assessed on both multiplicative and additive scales using the relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI) with bootstrap confidence intervals. Stratified analyses examined effect modification by urbanicity and malaria transmission intensity. The weighted prevalence of anemia was 46.5%. Good housing quality (OR: 0.75; 95% CI 0.65-0.86) and ITN use (OR: 0.79; 95% CI 0.70-0.89) were independently associated with reduced anemia. A significant positive RERI of 0.45 (95% CI 0.11-0.67) indicated sub-additive interaction, the combined protective effect was less than the sum of individual effects. Protective associations were concentrated in urban areas (Housing OR: 0.77; ITN OR: 0.67) and low-transmission regions (Housing OR: 0.70; ITN OR: 0.70), with no significant effects in rural or high-transmission settings. E-values of 2.00 and 1.85 suggested moderate robustness to unmeasured confounding. Housing quality and ITN use independently reduce childhood anemia but partially substitute for each other rather than acting synergistically. The concentration of effects in urban and low-transmission areas suggests that in high-transmission settings, additional interventions beyond housing improvements and ITN use may be required. These findings have implications for integrated malaria control and anemia prevention strategies in The Gambia and other similar endemic settings.

The polar growth of pollen tubes requires the precise coordination of membrane trafficking processes, such as exocytosis and endocytosis, and the orderly deposition of cell wall materials at the growing tip. We previously identified two plasma membrane-localized receptor kinases, LePRK1 and LePRK2, which form a dynamic complex with the small GTPase-activating protein Kinase Partner Protein (KPP) and actin-binding proteins to regulate pollen tube growth. Here, we show that Kinase Partner Zinc-finger Protein (KPZP) in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), whose N-terminus interacts with LePRK1 and LePRK2, negatively regulates the membrane targeting of both LePRK1 and LePRK2 and, thereby, the phenotype caused by LePRK1 or LePRK2 overexpression. A significant proportion of pollen tubes overexpressing KPZP exhibited cytoplasmic invagination at the tip while maintaining active cytoplasmic streaming in the shank. Furthermore, trans-Golgi network/early endosome -derived vesicles and recycling endosomes, which are typically found only in the inverted cone region, accumulated in large quantities in an expanded region in the front and shank of pollen tubes. This indicates that a significant proportion of vesicles failed to fuse with the cell membrane at the growing tip. KPZP overexpression led to an imbalance between exocytosis and endocytosis, resulting in the irregular deposition of cell wall polysaccharides at the pollen tube apex. Transgenic tomato pollen tubes overexpressing only the N-terminal portion of KPZP also showed the tip cytoplasm invagination phenotype. In conclusion, KPZP plays a crucial role in regulating vesicle trafficking at the pollen tube tip, limiting the distribution of LePRK1 and LePRK2 on the plasma membrane to maintain the expanding dome shape of pollen tubes.

Mold contamination in biopharmaceutical manufacturing is a serious patient safety, product quality, and regulatory risk. This paper reviews the mechanisms by which wall construction materials contribute to microbial ingress and colonization, compares traditional gypsum (drywall) construction with nonporous wall panel systems such as unplasticized polyvinyl chloride (uPVC)/modular panels, and documents regulatory actions, recalls, and plant shutdowns linked to fungal contamination. Drawing on industry guidance, inspection findings, and published case histories, it explains why gypsum-based "stick-built" walls pose higher long-term mold risk in many life-science environments and presents engineering, procedural, and design strategies to reduce risk (material selection, environmental control, inspection/monitoring, construction sequencing, and remediation policy). Practical recommendations are offered for facility owners, designers, and quality/regulatory teams who must justify capital choices and satisfy regulators.

Phase change microcapsules have a wide range of applications, but as a type of microplastic, they pose a certain environmental pollution risk. In this article, we prepared degradable lactic-acid-based phase change microcapsules by using PLA diol (PLA-500)-modified IPDI and BDO as wall materials and n-octadecane as the core material via an interfacial polymerization method. The optimal process conditions for microcapsule preparation were explored through experiments. The results showed that at a core/shell ratio of 4:1, the prepared microcapsules exhibit good morphology, uniform particle size distribution, and high phase change thermal storage capacity, with a melting enthalpy of 171.9 J/g. The lactic-acid-based phase change microcapsules had a certain degradation capacity.

Selecting appropriate wall materials for low-cost housing is a complex decision-making process involving multiple technical, economic, social, and environmental considerations. This study aims to identify and prioritize the most influential attributes affecting wall material selection for affordable housing. A total of twenty-two attributes were derived from a comprehensive literature review and evaluated through a structured questionnaire survey involving 30 respondents, consisting of academics, decision-makers, and technical practitioners. A consensus-based weighting approach was applied using the mean value (μᵢ), normalized weight (wᵢ), and relative ratio (r) to establish the priority structure of attributes. The results indicate that all attributes are considered relevant (r &gt; 0.1), with the highest priorities assigned to structural strength and stability (T1, w = 0.060), initial wall cost (E1, w = 0.058), life-cycle cost (E2, w = 0.057), durability and weather resistance (T3, w = 0.056), occupant safety and perceived security (S4, w = 0.056), and embodied carbon and energy (L1, w = 0.053). At the aspect level, technical factors contributed 34% of the total weight, followed by economic (26%), social (21%), and environmental aspects (19%). These findings provide a quantitative attribute-weighting framework that can support the development of Multi-Attribute Decision Making (MADM) models for context-sensitive wall material selection in low-cost housing.

Research progress on preparation of polysaccharide-based probiotic microcapsules and their application in food.

The combined effect of gum arabic and casein on selected parameters of lime-metakaolin paste and hemp concrete for use as wall material

• Thermal and Helium (He) particle confinement in JET He and H-He H-mode discharges are analysed. • Empirical thermal and He particle Bohm-gyroBohm models validated in D plasmas has been recalibrated for He plasmas. • Helium particle confinement strongly improves with toroidal magnetic field B tor , increasing the risk of the He ash accumulation in future power plants operating at high B tor . • Based on the validated models the He ash accumulation in burning plasmas in the future devices (ARC and EU-DEMO) is estimated. Fusion performance in a tokamak-reactor strongly depends on the confinement of thermalised α-particles (Helium (He) ash) in the core plasma region. Consequently, the development of He particle transport models and their validation in present experiments is an important step towards a more accurate prediction of fusion power production in future devices. In the absence of a computationally fast well-validated theory-based transport models for He, the empirical Bohm-gyroBohm (BgB) model is tested here for the first time to our knowledge in the predictive self-consistent temperature and density simulations of JET H-mode He and Hydrogen (H) - He discharges. The thermal confinement in JET He plasmas is found to be well below the Deuterium (D) BgB model reference – this result is qualitatively consistent with the observation of reduced global thermal confinement in He discharges observed on ASDEX Upgrade, Cmod, DIII-D and EAST tokamaks compared to the confinement of D plasmas. The “Helium” version of the BgB model including the re-calibrated BgB thermal diffusivity and the He particle diffusion coefficient defined as a fixed fraction of the thermal electron diffusivity is proposed here. This model is validated in the JET discharges performed at different toroidal magnetic fields, plasma densities, wall materials (Carbon and ITER-like wall) and main ion compositions. Strong reduction of He particle transport with the increase of magnetic field has been found in JET discharges. However, the simulations of the He ash accumulation in the future high-field tokamak-reactor ARC with the model validated in JET predict a tolerable amount of He content in the burn phase in the investigated parameter space, with a weak impact on the fusion power production. Similar conclusion has been drawn for the H-mode EU-DEMO scenario by extrapolating the JET He particle transport model to this device.

Ascorbic acid is a well-known antioxidant compound with significant potential for combating oxidative stress. However, its application is limited due to poor stability and susceptibility to degradation under environmental conditions. To address this limitation, microencapsulation was employed as a protective strategy to enhance the stability and functional delivery of ascorbic acid. This study aimed to optimize the microencapsulation conditions of ascorbic acid using gum arabic as a natural wall material, focusing on the influence of pH and stirring time. Optimization was conducted using Response Surface Methodology (RSM), with pH values ranging from 4 to 6 and stirring times from 20 to 60 min. Encapsulation efficiency was used as the primary response variable. The optimal conditions were identified at pH 5 and a stirring time of 40 min, resulting in an encapsulation efficiency of 91 %. The microcapsules produced under these conditions exhibited antioxidant activity, with an IC₅₀ value of 73.60 μg/mL. Structural characterization using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed the successful formation of microcapsules, indicated by the presence of characteristic carbonyl (1687.21 cm⁻¹) and carboxylic (1406.24 cm⁻¹) functional groups. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed predominantly spherical microcapsules with particle sizes ranging from 1.33 to 6.54 μm. These findings suggest that gum Arabic-based microencapsulation is an effective approach to improving the stability and antioxidant functionality of ascorbic acid for potential applications in functional food and pharmaceutical formulations. • This study utilizes Response Surface Methodology (RSM) to optimize the freeze-drying microencapsulation process of ascorbic acid. • Gum Arabic was used as encapsulating wall materials, with variables including pH, stirring time and polymer concentration. • The optimized conditions significantly improved encapsulation efficiency (EE) and retained antioxidant activity of ascorbic acid. • SEM confirmed that microcapsules had smooth and spherical morphology, ideal for stability and controlled release.