Development and characterization of antioxidant and antimicrobial poly (butylene adipate-co-terephtalate) (PBAT) film incorporated with oregano essential oil and applied in sliced mozzarella cheese.

The objective was to develop and characterize biodegradable films with antimicrobial and antioxidant action, using poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) incorporated with OEO - essential oil (Origanum vulgare). The degradation temperature of the OEO increased after incorporation into the PBAT matrix, however, the degradation of the matrix did not undergo considerable changes. The films showed increase in elongation and modulus of elasticity with presence of OEO, however, it reduced the maximum tension. The permeability of the films was reduced with OEO presence. The spectra (FTIR) showed the presence of the functional groups attributed to the bioactive compounds (Carvacrol) of OEO. The films presented high antioxidant activity and effective antimicrobial action, reducing Staphylococcus aureus in 53 days and psychrotrophic microorganisms in up to 28 days of storage. The films showed to be efficient with antioxidant activity and antimicrobial action with indication to be used as packaging of sliced mozzarella cheese.

1H NMR and UPLC-HRMS-based metabolomic approach for evaluation of the grape maturity and maceration time of Touriga Nacional wines and their correlation with the chemical stability.

Touriga Nacional is a well-adapted Portuguese grape variety in São Francisco River Valley (northeastern Brazil). Nevertheless, it has only been indicated to short-term consumption because of the lack of chemical stability, which is attributed to low grape acidity and incomplete phenolic maturity. Therefore, we used Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled High-resolution Mass Spectrometry, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and chemometrics (PCA and PLS-DA) to evaluate the grape maturity and maceration time on chemical composition of wines from two harvest seasons. Moreover, we investigated how these experimental factors could affect their chemical stability. Grapes maturity showed to be the main effect. Overall, phenolic acids and short-chain organic acids were found to be at higher levels in wines produced with unripe grapes from February and shorter maceration time (p < 0.05). Proanthocyanidins and other flavonoids were increased in wines macerated for longer time using overripe grapes harvested in July. Furthermore, stable wines were made from overripe grapes, which contained more galacturonic acid.

Technological Prospection of Oil Nanoparticles: Primary Characteristics and Profiles.

The search for technological applications for oils has been growing largely due to their potential nutritional and economic applications. Encapsulation makes it possible to reduce the disadvantages of oils, such as physical instability or thermodynamics, or to improve their technological properties, enabling their use in various industrial areas. Nanoencapsulated oils have the potential to improve oil bioavailability and achieve controlled release and are able to target bioactive compounds with greater precision than microencapsulated oils. The present study aims to evaluate the primary characteristics and profiles of the technological prospection of oil nanoparticles. This technology foresight study investigates the patenting activity and the academic literature to map out the technological progress and difficulties in the area of nanoencapsulation. Exponential growth in patent filing was noted with a peak in 2017, with China filing the highest number of patents. Regarding the area of application, the food industry was most common followed by the pharmaceutical industry. The most commonly used terms in patent documents on the subject were nanoemulsion and nanoparticle. The most commonly used oil, technique, wall materials and emulsifiers were soybean oil, emulsification, chitosan and lecithin, and Span 80, Tween 80 and Tween 40, respectively. The obtained articles were typically patent documents. The main depositor was Jiangnan University, and most inventors filed the same number of patent documents. Nanoencapsulation of oils has many known advantages that have been widely published in the literature and used by industry. There is a trend in the growth of patent document deposits and related scientific publications, indicating that many innovations have been made, highlighting the importance of oil nanoencapsulation.

Simultaneous production of polyhydroxyalkanoate and xanthan gum: From axenic to mixed cultivation.

In the present study, mixed and axenic submerged cultures of Cupriavidus necator and Xanthomonas campestris were performed for simultaneous and individual PHA and XG productions using palm oil (Elaeis guineensis) as substrate. Rotational Central Compound Design (RCCD) was successfully used in the optimization of individual productions of PHA (3.39 g L-1, Mw = 692.6 kDa) and XG (1.77 g L-1, Mw = 36.6 × 105 kDa). Novel simultaneous production of PHA (6.43 g L-1, Mw = 629.2 kDa) and XG (1.98 g L-1, Mw = 25.0 × 105 kDa), executed in bacterial co-cultivation, revealed to be a successful strategy to increment polymer synthesis, especially PHA. XG bioconversions followed a general trend of lower production in co-culture. Culture configurations also altered polymers properties and characteristics.

Impact of Preservation Conditions on Fatty Acids, Xanthan Gum Production and Other Characteristics of Xanthomonas campestris pv. mangiferaeindicae IBSBF 2103.

The conditions of storage, cultivation and maintenance of microbial cultures should preserve the microbiological homogeneity, phenotypic and genotypic characteristics to ensure better reproducibility of metabolic production. To evaluate the influence of the storage condition on the composition of cell fatty acids, genetic profile and biochemical characteristics of Xanthomonas campestris pv. mangiferaeindicae IBSBF 2103, as well as, to identify its relationship with the yielding and viscosity of the xanthan gum produced, this study monitored the strain preserved in two simple and widely used conditions, ultra-freezer (-80 °C) and refrigeration (3-8 °C) during 5 months. Were identified and quantified 13 fatty acids. The cells preserved at -80 °C showed more stable concentration of all fatty acids, producing more xanthan gum and with higher viscosity. The chromosomal analysis obtained with the enzyme XbaI revealed 17 distinct fragments with maximum size of 485 kilobases, without variations among the subcultures maintained in both storage conditions. The X. campestris pv. mangiferaeindicae subcultures preserved at -80 °C showed less pronounced phenotypic variations, which had positive influence in the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the xanthan gum produced.

Effects of different biomass drying and lipid extraction methods on algal lipid yield, fatty acid profile, and biodiesel quality.

Three lipid extraction methods of hexane Soxhlet (Sox-Hex), Halim (HIP), and Bligh and Dyer (BD) were applied on freeze-dried (FD) and oven-dried (OD) Chlorella vulgaris biomass to evaluate their effects on lipid yield, fatty acid profile, and algal biodiesel quality. Among these three methods, HIP was the preferred one for C. vulgaris lipid recovery considering both extraction efficiency and solvent toxicity. It had the highest lipid yields of 20.0 and 22.0% on FD and OD biomass, respectively, with corresponding neutral lipid yields of 14.8 and 12.7%. The lipid profiling analysis showed that palmitic, oleic, linoleic, and α-linolenic acids were the major fatty acids in the algal lipids, and there were no significant differences on the amount of these acids between different drying and extraction methods. Correlative models applied to the fatty acid profiles concluded that high contents of palmitic and oleic acids in algal lipids contributed to balancing the ratio of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids and led to a high-quality algal biodiesel.

Cassava starch-based films plasticized with sucrose and inverted sugar and reinforced with cellulose nanocrystals.

UNLABELLED: Bionanocomposites films of cassava starch plasticized with sucrose and inverted sugar and reinforced by cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) were prepared by solution casting method incorporating 0.1 to 5 wt% of eucalyptus CNCs. The nanocrystals were characterized using transmission electron microscopy, whereas the bionanocomposites properties were studied using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, tensile measurements, water solubility, swelling behavior, and water activity (a(w)). The water resistance properties (solubility and swelling behavior) of the nanocomposites were enhanced with the addition of cellulose nanofillers. These results were explained in terms of the high crystallinity of the nanocrystals and the formation of a rigid network with the nanofillers, which provide physical barriers to the permeation of water within the hydrophilic cassava matrix. The addition of CNCs in the bionanocomposites decreases a(w) linearly, reaching values below 0.5 (for CNCs concentration higher than 4 wt%), a reference value for no microbial proliferation for food product design. The presence of small concentrations of CNCs (0.1-0.3 wt%) also effectively increased the maximum tensile strength (more than 90%) and elastic modulus (more than 400%), indicating the formation of a suitable percolation network in this concentration range. Because the cellulose nanofillers enhanced the mechanical and water stability properties of the nanocomposites, the obtained results in this work may be applied to the development of biodegradable packaging or coatings to enhance shelf life of food products. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The main drawbacks of using starch-based polymers as packaging or coating in the food industry are their low mechanical properties and inherent water sensitivity. This study demonstrates that cellulose nanocrystals can be used to: (i) obtain better mechanical properties (increasing the tensile strength and modulus more than 90% and 400%, respectively; (ii) enhance the water stability and (iii) water activity of starch-based films. These results indicate that the obtained environmentally friendly nanocomposites in this work can be used to the development of films or coatings to enhance the shelf life of food products.

Mango and acerola pulps as antioxidant additives in cassava starch bio-based film.

The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of incorporating mango and acerola pulps into a biodegradable matrix as a source of polyphenols, carotenoids, and other antioxidant compounds. We also sought to evaluate the efficacy of mango and acerola pulps as antioxidants in film-forming dispersions using a response surface methodology design experiment. The bio-based films were used to pack palm oil (maintained for 45 days of storage) under accelerated oxidation conditions (63% relative humidity and 30 °C) to simulate a storage experiment. The total carotenoid, total polyphenol, and vitamin C contents of films were evaluated, while the total carotenoid, peroxide index, conjugated diene, and hexanal content of the packaged product (palm oil) were also monitored. The same analysis also evaluated palm oil packed in films without antioxidant additives (C1), palm oil packed in low-density polyethylene films (C2), and palm oil with no package (C3) as a control. Although the film-forming procedure affected the antioxidant compounds, the results indicated that antioxidants were effective additives for protecting the packaged product. A lower peroxide index (36.12%), which was significantly different from that of the control (p<0.05), was detected in products packed in film formulations containing high concentration of additives. However, it was found that the high content of vitamin C in acerola pulp acted as a prooxidant agent, which suggests that the use of rich vitamin C pulps should be avoided as additives for films.