Seaweed bioactive compounds: Promising and safe inputs for the green synthesis of metal nanoparticles in the food industry.

Scientific research on developing and characterizing eco-friendly metal nanoparticles (NPs) is an active area experiencing currently a systematic and continuous growth. A variety of physical, chemical and more recently biological methods can be used for the synthesis of metal nanoparticles. Among them, reports supporting the potential use of algae in the NPs green synthesis, contribute with only a minor proportion, although seaweed was demonstrated to perform as a successful reducing and stabilizing agent. Thus, the first part of the present review depicts the up-to-date information on the use of algae extracts for the synthesis of metal nanoparticles, including a deep discussion of the certain advantages as well as some limitations of this synthesis route. In the second part, the available characterization techniques to unravel their inherent properties such as specific size, shape, composition, morphology and dispersibility are comprehensively described, to finally focus on the factors affecting their applications, bioactivity, potential toxic impact on living organisms and incorporation into food matrices or food packaging, as well as future prospects. The present article identifies the key knowledge gap in a systematic way highlighting the critical next steps in the green synthesis of metal NPs mediated by algae.

Valorization of fruit and vegetables agro-wastes for the sustainable production of carotenoid-based colorants with enhanced bioavailability.

Carotenoids are pigments naturally occurring in fruits and vegetables, and responsible for their yellow to red colors. They also have several bioactive properties, making them interesting alternatives to the artificial colorants commonly used in the food industry. This review compiles an updated research progress about green production of carotenoid-based colorants focusing on the benefits associated with their sustainable extraction from agro-wastes, also considering the environmental aspects associated to the processes. Taking into account the hydrophobic nature of carotenoids and their susceptibility to degradation when exposed to technological and/or storage conditions (e.g., light, heat, and oxygen), protecting strategies based on nanotechnological approaches were presented as tools to avoid degradation and thus, retain the bioactive properties. Additionally, the effect of such nanotechnological strategies on carotenoids bioaccessibility and bioavailability was reviewed and discussed. Finally, the health-related properties of carotenoids that make them promising candidates to be used not only as functional food ingredients but also in therapeutic applications and in the nutraceutical and cosmeceutical industries were also considered.

Adsorption of arsenic onto films based on chitosan and chitosan/nano-iron oxide.

Films made from neat chitosan and chitosan with magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) were tested as adsorbents of arsenate ions. Sorption equilibrium and sorption kinetics studies are reported, including different models applied to enlighten experimental observations and predict results. The sorption of As (V) was reasonably explained using Freundlich isotherm for neat chitosan film although it was better represented by Langmuir equation for the composite sample. The experimental kinetics results showed that the adsorption of arsenate ions is very fast during the first minutes and then the composite seems to reach saturation, while a slow desorption in the chitosan film was observed and acceptably fitted with a pseudo first order reversible model. The adsorbent containing MNPs presented higher adsorption capacity, which was associated to the additional adsorbent capacity provided by the MNPs and its much more irregular surface area that leads to an enhanced adsorption surface. For instance, at 10 mg/L equilibrium concentration, which corresponds to an initial concentration of As (V) much higher than the normal concentration of arsenate in natural water, chitosan-MNP sample exhibits a removal capacity of 10.4 mg/g that is more than six times higher than the 1.6 mg/g shown by the chitosan film.

Chitosan/iron oxide nanocomposite films: Effect of the composition and preparation methods on the adsorption of congo red.

Composite films based on chitosan, glycerol and magnetic iron oxides were obtained by two different procedures: in situ generation of iron oxide particles in the already formed films and dispersion of previously synthesized iron oxide particles into the film forming solution by sonication, and then tested as adsorbents for the removal of congo red (CR) from solutions of different concentrations. Their performances were compared with those of the corresponding films without particles. All the samples presented similar behavior when contacted with solutions containing up to 70 mg/L CR (maximum sorption capacity ˜25 mg/g), but sonicated samples exhibited an increased dye adsorption when in contact with more concentrated solutions, reaching up to 700 mg/g sorption capacity. These differences were explained considering the obtaining procedure of the films, their composition and microstructure, as well as the changes in the pH of the dye solution once the adsorbent film was put inside.

Polyelectrolyte films based on chitosan/olive oil and reinforced with cellulose nanocrystals.

Composite films designed as potentially edible food packaging were prepared by casting film-forming emulsions based on chitosan/glycerol/olive oil containing dispersed cellulose nanocrystals (CNs). The combined use of cellulose nanoparticles and olive oil proved to be an efficient method to reduce the inherently high water vapor permeability of plasticized chitosan films, improving at the same time their tensile behavior. At the same time, it was found that the water solubility slightly decreased as the cellulose content increased, and further decreased with oil addition. Unexpectedly, opacity decreased as cellulose content increased, which balanced the reduced transparency due to lipid addition. Contact angle decreased with CN addition, but increased when olive oil was incorporated. Results from dynamic mechanical tests revealed that all films present two main relaxations that could be ascribed to the glycerol- and chitosan-rich phases, respectively. The response of plasticized chitosan-nanocellulose films (without lipid addition) was also investigated, in order to facilitate the understanding of the effect of both additives.

Antimicrobial effectiveness of bioactive packaging materials from edible chitosan and casein polymers: assessment on carrot, cheese, and salami.

Antimicrobial packaging is one of the most promising active packaging systems for controlling spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms. In this work, the intrinsic antimicrobial properties of chitosan (CH) were combined with the excellent thermoplastic and film-forming properties of sodium caseinate (SC) to prepare SC/CH film-forming solutions and films. The antimicrobial effectiveness of SC, CH, and SC/CH coatings on the native microfloras of cheese, salami, and carrots was evaluated. In vitro assays through the test tube assay indicated that the most significant antimicrobial effect was achieved by CH and SC/CH solutions on carrot and cheese native microfloras. SC film-forming solutions did not exert antimicrobial activity on any of the native microflora studied. SC, CH, and SC/CH films stored in controlled environments showed that the retention of the antimicrobial action was observed until 5-d storage, at 65% relative humidity in both temperatures (10 °C and 20 °C). In vivo assays were also performed with SC, CH, and SC/CH applied as coatings or wrappers on the 3 food substrates. CH and SC/CH applied at both immersion and wrapper exerted a significant bactericidal action on mesophilic, psychrotrophic, and yeasts and molds counts, showing the 3 microbial populations analyzed a significant reduction (2.0 to 4.5 log CFU/g). An improvement of the bactericidal properties of the CH/SC blend respect to those of the neat CH film is reported. The ionic interaction between both macromolecules enhances its antimicrobial properties. Practical Application: The continuous consumer interest in high quality and food safety, combined with environmental concerns has stimulated the development and study of biodegradable coatings that avoid the use of synthetic materials. Among them, edible coatings, obtained from generally recognized as safe (GRAS) materials, have the potential to reduce weight loss, respiration rate, and improve food appearance and integrity. They can be used in combination with other food preservation techniques in order to extend the effectiveness of the food preservation chain. Moreover, antimicrobial films and coatings have innovated the concept of active packaging and have been developed to reduce, inhibit, or delay the growth of microorganisms on the surface of food in contact with the package. The use of antimicrobials packaging films to control the growth of microorganisms in food can have a significant impact on shelf-life extension and food safety. In addition, antimicrobial films can be prepared by the combination of inherent antimicrobial materials (that is, CH), with good film-forming protein-based ones (that is, SC). Therefore, the objective of this work is to study the performance of 2 biodegradable and edible biopolymers and their combination as natural packages for selected food products.