Comparison of Alginate Mixtures as Wall Materials of Schizochytrium Oil Microcapsules Formed by Coaxial Electrospray.

This work evaluated maltodextrin/alginate and ß-glucan/alginate mixtures in the food industry as wall materials for the microencapsulation of Schizochytrium sp. oil, an important source of the omega-3 fatty acid DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). Results showed that both mixtures display a shear-thinning behavior, although the viscosity is higher in ß-glucan/alginate mixtures than in maltodextrin/alginate. Scanning electron microscopy was used to assess the morphology of the microcapsules, which appeared more homogeneous for maltodextrin/alginate. In addition, oil-encapsulation efficiency was higher in maltodextrin/alginate mixtures (90%) than in ß-glucan/alginate mixtures (80%). Finally, evaluating the microcapsules' stability by FTIR when exposed to high temperature (80 °C) showed that maltodextrin/alginate microcapsules were not degraded contrary to the ß-glucan/alginate microcapsules. Thus, although high oil-encapsulation efficiency was obtained with both mixtures, the microcapsules' morphology and prolonged stability suggest that maltodextrin/alginate is a suitable wall material for microencapsulation of Schizochytrium sp. oil.

Anthropogenic contaminants of high concern: Existence in water resources and their adverse effects.

Existence of anthropogenic contaminants (ACs) in different environmental matrices is a serious and unresolved concern. For instance, ACs from different sectors, such as industrial, agricultural, and pharmaceutical, are found in water bodies with considerable endocrine disruptors potency and can damage the biotic components of the environment. The continuous ACs exposure can cause cellular toxicity, apoptosis, genotoxicity, and alterations in sex ratios in human beings. Whereas, aquatic organisms show bioaccumulation, trophic chains, and biomagnification of ACs through different entry route. These problems have been found in many countries around the globe, making them a worldwide concern. ACs have been found in different environmental matrices, such as water reservoirs for human consumption, wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs), groundwaters, surface waters, rivers, and seas, which demonstrate their free movement within the environment in an uncontrolled manner. This work provides a detailed overview of ACs occurrence in water bodies along with their toxicological effect on living organisms. The literature data reported between 2017 and 2018 is compiled following inclusion-exclusion criteria, and the obtained information was mapped as per type and source of ACs. The most important ACs are pharmaceuticals (diclofenac, ibuprofen, naproxen, ofloxacin, acetaminophen, progesterone ranitidine, and testosterone), agricultural products or pesticides (atrazine, carbendazim, fipronil), narcotics and illegal drugs (amphetamines, cocaine, and benzoylecgonine), food industry derivatives (bisphenol A, and caffeine), and personal care products (triclosan, and other related surfactants). Considering this threatening issue, robust detection and removal strategies must be considered in the design of WWTPs and DWTPs.

Combination of nejayote and swine wastewater as a medium for Arthrospira maxima and Chlorella vulgaris production and wastewater treatment.

Nejayote and swine wastewater are highly pollutant effluents and a source of organic matter load that sometimes released into water bodies (rivers or lakes), soils or public sewer system, with or without partial treatments. Nejayote is a wastewater product of alkaline cooking of maize, whereas, swine wastewater results from the primary production of pigs for the meat market. Owing to the presence of environmentally related pollutants, both sources are considered the major cause of pollution and thus require urgent action. Herein, we report a synergistic approach to effectively use and/or treat Nejayote and swine wastewater as a cost-effective culture medium for microalgae growth, which ultimately induces the removal of polluting agents. In this study, the strains Arthrospira maxima and Chlorella vulgaris were grown using different dilutions of Nejayote and swine wastewater. Both wastewaters were used as the only source of macronutrients and trace elements for growth. For A. maxima, the treatment of 10% nejayote and 90% of water (T3) resulted in a cell growth of 32 × 104 cell/mL at 12 days (µmax = 0.27/d). While, a mixture of 25% swine wastewater, 25% nejayote and 50% water (T2) produced 32 × 104 cell/mL at 18 days (µmax = 0.16/d). A significant reduction was also noted as 92% from 138 mg/L of TN, 75% from 77 mg/L of TP, and 96% from 8903 mg/L of COD, among different treatments. For C. vulgaris, the treatment of 10% swine wastewater and 90% water (T1) gave a cell growth of 128 × 106 cell/mL (µmax = 0.57/d) followed by T3 yielded 62 × 106 cell/mL (µmax = 0.70/d) and T2 yielded 48 × 106 cell/mL (µmax = 0.54/d). Up to 91% reduction from 138 mg/L of TN, 85% from 19 mg/L of TP and 96% from 4870 mg/L of COD was also recorded. These results show that microalgae can be used to treat these types of wastewater while at the same time using them as a culture media for microalgae. The resultant biomass can additionally be used for getting other sub-products of commercial interest.

Supercritical CO2-based tailor made valorization of Origanum vulgare L extracts: A green approach to extract high-value compounds with applied perspectives.

In this study, the supercritical CO2-based extraction approach was used from the green technologies to extract Oregano oil (Origanum vulgare L.). A Taguchi experimental design was applied to evaluate the effect of pressure, temperature and ethanol as co-solvent. High yield of oregano oil (13.40%) was obtained at 40 °C, 100 bar and 8 g min-1 of co-solvent flow. Fatty acids profile include α-linolenic, palmitic, oleic and linoleic that contribute to 70.9-76.8% of total fatty acids. Volatile compounds including carvacrol (29.99%), heneicosane (8.21%), nonacosane (11.78%), docosane (7.18%), borneol (4.35%) and thymol (4.51%) were the main compounds identified. Antimicrobial activity assays showed that extracts obtained at 40 °C were highly efficient against S. aureus, E. coli, and C. albicans. Highest antioxidant activities on DPPH and FRAP assays were reached under 8 g min-1 of co-solvent flow (6.08 and 6.89 µmol TE g-1 extract, respectively). On the other hand, antioxidant activity (35.76 µmol TE g-1) on ABTS assay was improved at 40 °C, 100 bar, and 4 g min-1 of co-solvent flow.

Botryococcus braunii as a bioreactor for the production of nanoparticles with antimicrobial potentialities.

BACKGROUND: Microalgae produce metabolites with notable potentialities to act as reducing and capping agents for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in a process widely recognized as an eco-friendly and cheaper alternative for the generation of nanoparticles (NPs). METHODS: In the present work, AgNPs were synthesized using live Botryococcus braunii cultures. Two biosynthesis routes were explored: (1) intracellular and (2) extracellular at pH levels of 6-9 using 1-5 mM silver nitrate concentrations. RESULTS: The generation of NPs was confirmed via ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. The morphological characteristics were observed using scanning electron microscopy which revealed that the newly developed AgNPs were mostly spherical in sizes starting from 168 nm. The characteristic peaks in a typical Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy suggested that the exopolysaccharides were the possible reducing and capping agents. The antimicrobial spectrum of the newly developed AgNPs was tested against bacterial strains, both Gram-negative, Gram-positive, and yeast, ie, Escherichia coli (American Type Culture Collection [ATCC] 25922), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923), and the yeast Candida albicans (ATCC 10231), respectively. The antimicrobial activity tests showed a stronger inhibition against Gram-negative bacteria. Statistically, the NPs biosynthesized at pH values of 6 and 8 displayed a higher antimicrobial activity. CONCLUSION: Our findings showed that B. braunii is capable of generating AgNPs with antimicrobial potential.

Microfluidics technology for drug delivery: A review.

Microfluidics is undoubtedly an influential technology that is currently revolutionizing the chemical and biological studies by replicating laboratory bench-top technology on a miniature chip-scale device. In the area of drug delivery science, microfluidics offers advantages, such as precise dosage, ideal delivery, target-precise delivery, sustainable and controlled release, multiple dosing, and slight side effects. These advantages bring significant assets to the drug delivery systems. Microfluidic technology has been progressively used for fabrication of drug carriers, direct drug delivery systems, high-throughput screening, and formulation and immobilization of drugs. This review discusses the recent technological progress, outcomes and available opportunities for the usage of microfluidics systems in drug delivery systems.

Lignocellulose: A sustainable material to produce value-added products with a zero waste approach-A review.

A novel facility from the green technologies to integrate biomass-based carbohydrates, lignin, oils and other materials extraction and transformation into a wider spectrum of marketable and value-added products with a zero waste approach is reviewed. With ever-increasing scientific knowledge, worldwide economic and environmental consciousness, demands of legislative authorities and the manufacture, use, and removal of petrochemical-based by-products, from the last decade, there has been increasing research interests in the value or revalue of lignocellulose-based materials. The potential characteristics like natural abundance, renewability, recyclability, and ease of accessibility all around the year, around the globe, all makes residual biomass as an eco-attractive and petro-alternative candidate. In this context, many significant research efforts have been taken into account to change/replace petroleum-based economy into a bio-based economy, with an aim to develop a comprehensively sustainable, socially acceptable, and eco-friendly society. The present review work mainly focuses on various aspects of bio-refinery as a sustainable technology to process lignocellulose 'materials' into value-added products. Innovations in the bio-refinery world are providing, a portfolio of sustainable and eco-efficient products to compete in the market presently dominated by the petroleum-based products, and therefore, it is currently a subject of intensive research.

Identification of Bioactivity, Volatile and Fatty Acid Profile in Supercritical Fluid Extracts of Mexican arnica.

Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) is a sustainable technique used for the extraction of lipophilic metabolites such as pigments and fatty acids. Arnica plant is considered a potential candidate material with high antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Therefore, in this study, a locally available Heterotheca inuloides, also known as Mexican arnica, was analyzed for the extraction of high-value compounds. Based on different pressure (P), temperature (T), and co-solvent (CoS), four treatments (T) were prepared. A maximum 7.13% yield was recovered from T2 (T = 60 °C, P = 10 MPa, CoS = 8 g/min), followed by 6.69% from T4 (T = 60 °C, P = 30 MPa, CoS = 4 g/min). Some bioactive sesquiterpenoids such as 7-hydroxycadalene, caryophyllene and δ-cadinene were identified in the extracts by GC/MS. The fatty acid profile revealed that the main components were palmitic acid (C16:0), followed by linoleic acid (C18:2ω6c), α-linolenic acid (C18:3ω3) and stearic acid (C18:0) differing in percent yield per treatment. Antibacterial activities were determined by the agar diffusion method, indicating that all the treatments exerted strong antibacterial activity against S. aureus, C. albicans, and E. coli strains. The antioxidant capacity of the extracts was also measured by three in vitro assays, DPPH, TEAC and FRAP, using Trolox as a standard. Results showed high antioxidant capacity enabling pharmaceutical applications of Mexican arnica.