Edible structuring agent shaped via interfacial precipitation on solid template: Crosslinked starch colloidosome.

Water-permeable hollow starch particles alter the rheological behavior of their granular suspensions. However, their thin shells can rupture limiting applications. In this study, we used amaranth starch as building blocks (1 µm) to craft a crosslinked superstructure. Pickering emulsions were used as the templates where starch coated the droplets. Emulsions were heated at 75 °C to induce interpenetration of the polymers followed by precipitation in ethanol to trigger colloidal fusion. Particles were then crosslinked by sodium tri-metaphosphate; hollow particles formed after the interior template was removed by hexane. When canola oil was used, the particles ruptured at pH 11.5 due to the repulsion between the strands. In contrast, palm oil, emulsified at 50 °C, formed a rigid core after cooling, locked the starch at the surface and retained the structure. The crosslinked colloidosomes were larger (89 µm) and exhibited higher viscosity, and stronger stability. Larger particles (>100 µm) were produced using higher templating volume. Gentle centrifugation to harvest the particles kept the shells intact. The hollow structure exhibited jamming transition above 10 w/w%, which could serve as a super-thickener. This work demonstrates that microarchitecture plays a critical role in shaping material functionality.

Viologen-Derived Covalent Organic Frameworks: Advancing PFAS Removal Technology with High Adsorption Capacity.

The escalating presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water poses urgent public health concerns, necessitating effective removal. This study presents a groundbreaking approach, using viologen to synthesize covalent organic framework nanospheres: MELEM-COF and MEL-COF. Characterized by highly crystalline features, these nanospheres exhibit exceptional affinity for diverse anionic PFAS compounds, achieving simultaneous removal of multiple contaminants within 30 min. Investigating six anionic PFAS compounds, MEL- and MELEM-COFs achieved 90.0-99.0% removal efficiency. The integrated analysis unveils the synergistic contributions of COF morphology and functional properties to PFAS adsorption. Notably, MELEM-COF, with cationic surfaces, exploits electrostatic and dipole interactions, with a 2500 mg g-1 adsorption capacity-surpassing all reported COFs to date. MELEM-COF exhibits rapid exchange kinetics, reaching equilibrium within 30 min. These findings deepen the understanding of COF materials and promise avenues for refining COF-based adsorption strategies.

Interactive roles of co-solvents and lemon-oil composition in the fabrication of dilutable clear emulsions.

Clear emulsions are used as flavor carriers by the beverage industry because of their favorable optical properties. A transparent microemulsion with small droplets requires a high concentration of surfactants, and is often non-dilutable, posing a significant challenge to their application in the food industry. The formation of dilutable microemulsions by modulating the compatibility of oil composition and co-solvents was studied. While single-fold lemon oil exhibited poor loading capacity overall, no precipitation occurred due to the stronger interaction between monoterpenes and sucrose monopalmitate (SMP). Conversely, emulsification of five-fold lemon oil with 20 % ethanol demonstrated a higher loading capacity and a stronger dilution stability than other lemon oils. This is likely due to the balanced composition of surface-active monoterpenes and other components in five-fold lemon oil which facilitated the effective use of micellar space and aided in the retention of both surfactants and co-solvents post-dilution. The emulsification of higher-folded lemon oil, however, was favored by the use of propylene glycol as a surfactant exhibiting stronger dilution stability than ethanol, though it required twice as much co-solvent. The high concentration of surface-active monoterpene in the lower-folded lemon oils competes with propylene glycol for interfacial incorporation. This study demonstrated that co-solvents and oil composition play interactive roles in producing dilutable optically clear emulsions, and it provides a blueprint for the food industry to design colloidal systems using a minimum of surfactants.

Substitution and Orientation Effects on the Crystallinity and PFAS Adsorption of Olefin-Linked 2D COFs.

Solid phase adsorbents with high removal affinity for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in aqueous environments are sought. We report the synthesis and investigation of COF-I, a new covalent organic framework (COF) with a good affinity for PFAS adsorption. COF-I was synthesized by the condensation reaction between 2,4,6-trimethyl-1,3,5-triazine and 2,3-dimethoxyterephthaldehyde and fully characterized. In addition to the high crystallinity and surface area, COF-I showed high hydrolytic and thermal stability. Further, we converted its hydrophobic surface to a hydrophilic surface by converting the ortho-methoxy groups to hydroxyl derivatives and produced a new hydrophilic olefin-linked two-dimensional (2D) COF. We experimentally measured the crystallinity of both COFs by X-ray diffraction and used atomistic simulations coupled with cross-polarization/magic angle spinning solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (CP/MAS ssNMR) to determine the relative amounts of AA-stacking and AB-stacking present. COF-I, with its hydrophobic surface and methoxy groups in the ortho positions, showed the best PFAS adsorption. COF-I reduced the concentration of perfluorooctanoic acid from 20 to 0.069 µg L-1 and to 0.052 µg L-1 for perfluorooctanesulfonic acid. These amounts are lower than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency advisory level (0.070 µg L-1). High efficiency, fast kinetic adsorption, and reusability of COF-I are advantages of COF-I for PFAS removal from water.

Food LEGO: Building hollow cage and sheet superstructures from starch.

The idea of building large structures from small building blocks has had a long history in the human imagination, from the beautifully intricate shells assembled from silica by unicellular algae to the Egyptian pyramids built from stone. Carrying this idea into the food industry has important implications. Here, we introduce a Pickering emulsion platform for building superstructures like hollow cages and sheets using starch granules as building blocks. In food, these superstructures occupy up to six times more space than their constituent parts, thereby delivering a viscosity greater by an order of magnitude than unstructured starch. To achieve this higher viscosity, they use an alternative superstructure mechanism as opposed to the classic swelling mechanism of individual particles. These super-thickeners may reduce calories, cut production costs, and stretch the global food supply, demonstrating how we can design the future by playing with our food.

Synthesis of a Cation-Exchange Resin by Inverse Suspension Polymerization for Lactoferrin Extraction from Whey.

Lactoferrin (LF), the main iron-binding protein of milk, has important nutritional, biological, and pharmaceutical properties. It is an essential nutritional component of newborn diets and also for adult health. Small amounts of lactoferrin can be found in whey, a nutritionally and biologically useful byproduct of the dairy industry. Although the amount of lactoferrin in whey is less than that in other sources like milk and bovine colostrum, the extraction of LF from this underused source has many economic and environmental benefits. The most common technique for the isolation of LF from dairy products is the use of cation-exchange resins. Here, we present the synthesis of a strong cation-exchange resin for the extraction of high-purity lactoferrin from whey. This resin was synthesized by inverse suspension copolymerization of aqueous solutions of sodium 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonate and N,N-methylenebisacrylamide in corn oil. The adsorption efficiency of this resin showed selective extraction of lactoferrin from four different whey sources. The adsorption efficiency of lactoferrin from these whey samples ranged from 93.8 to 97.4%.

Alterations in Intestinal Brush Border Membrane Functionality and Bacterial Populations Following Intra-Amniotic Administration (Gallus gallus) of Catechin and Its Derivatives.

Catechin is a flavonoid naturally present in numerous dietary products and fruits (e.g., apples, berries, grape seeds, kiwis, green tea, red wine, etc.) and has previously been shown to be an antioxidant and beneficial for the gut microbiome. To further enhance the health benefits, bioavailability, and stability of catechin, we synthesized and characterized catechin pentaacetate and catechin pentabutanoate as two new ester derivatives of catechin. Catechin and its derivatives were assessed in vivo via intra-amniotic administration (Gallus gallus), with the following treatment groups: (1) non-injected (control); (2) deionized H2O (control); (3) Tween (0.004 mg/mL dose); (4) inulin (50 mg/mL dose); (5) Catechin (6.2 mg/mL dose); (6) Catechin pentaacetate (10 mg/mL dose); and (7) Catechin pentabutanoate (12.8 mg/mL dose). The effects on physiological markers associated with brush border membrane morphology, intestinal bacterial populations, and duodenal gene expression of key proteins were investigated. Compared to the controls, our results demonstrated a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in Clostridium genera and E. coli species density with catechin and its synthetic derivative exposure. Furthermore, catechin and its derivatives decreased iron and zinc transporter (Ferroportin and ZnT1, respectively) gene expression in the duodenum compared to the controls. In conclusion, catechin and its synthetic derivatives have the potential to improve intestinal morphology and functionality and positively modulate the microbiome.

Alterations in Intestinal Brush Border Membrane Functionality and Bacterial Populations Following Intra-Amniotic Administration (Gallus gallus) of Nicotinamide Riboside and Its Derivatives.

Nicotinamide riboside (NR) acts as a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) precursor where NR supplementation has previously been shown to be beneficial. Thus, we synthesized and characterized nicotinamide riboside tributyrate chloride (NRTBCl, water-soluble) and nicotinamide riboside trioleate chloride (NRTOCl, oil-soluble) as two new ester derivatives of nicotinamide riboside chloride (NRCl). NRCl and its derivatives were assessed in vivo, via intra-amniotic administration (Gallus gallus), with the following treatment groups: (1) non-injected (control); and injection of (2) deionized H2O (control); (3) NRCl (30 mg/mL dose); (4) NRTBCl (30 mg/mL dose); and (5) NRTOCl (30 mg/mL dose). Post-intervention, the effects on physiological markers associated with brush border membrane morphology, intestinal bacterial populations, and duodenal gene expression of key proteins were investigated. Although no significant changes were observed in average body weights, NRTBCl exposure increased average cecum weight. NR treatment significantly increased Clostridium and NRCl treatment resulted in increased populations of Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, and E. coli. Duodenal gene expression analysis revealed that NRCl, NRTBCl, and NRTOCl treatments upregulated the expression of ZnT1, MUC2, and IL6 compared to the controls, suggesting alterations in brush border membrane functionality. The administration of NRCl and its derivatives appears to trigger increased expression of brush border membrane digestive proteins, with added effects on the composition and function of cecal microbial populations. Additional research is now warranted to further elucidate the effects on inflammatory biomarkers and observe changes in the specific intestinal bacterial populations post introduction of NR and its derivatives.

Long-Term Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG Storage at Ambient Temperature in Vegetable Oil: Viability and Functional Assessments.

Vegetable oils with varying saturated fat levels were inoculated with Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG), subjected to different heat treatments in the absence and presence of inulin and stored for 12 months at room temperature. After storage, the heat-treated probiotics actively grew to high concentrations after removal of the oils and reculturing. The bacterial samples, regardless of aerobic or anaerobic conditions and treatment methods, showed no changes in their growth behavior. The random amplified polymorphic DNA-polymerase chain reaction, antimicrobial, morphology, and motility tests also showed no major differences. Samples of LGG treated with a higher antioxidant content (Gal400) showed reduced inflammatory and anti-inflammatory properties. These findings have been confirmed by metabolite and genome sequencing studies, indicating that Gal400 showed lower concentrations and secretion percentages and the highest number of single nucleotide polymorphisms. We have shown proof of concept that LGG can be stored in oil with minimum impact on probiotic in vitro viability.

Dihydronicotinamide riboside: synthesis from nicotinamide riboside chloride, purification and stability studies.

In the present work, we describe an efficient method for scalable synthesis and purification of 1,4-dihydronicotinamide riboside (NRH) from commercially available nicotinamide riboside chloride (NRCl) and in the presence of sodium dithionate as a reducing agent. NRH is industrially relevant as the most effective, synthetic NAD+ precursor. We demonstrated that solid phase synthesis cannot be used for the reduction of NRCl to NRH in high yield, whereas a reduction reaction in water at room temperature under anaerobic conditions is shown to be very effective, reaching a 55% isolation yield. For the first time, by using common column chromatography, we were able to highly purify this sensitive bio-compound with good yield. A series of identifications and analyses including HPLC, NMR, LC-MS, FTIR, and UV-vis spectroscopy were performed on the purified sample, confirming the structure of NRH as well as its purity to be 96%. Thermal analysis of NRH showed higher thermal stability compared to NRCl, and with two major weight losses, one at 218 °C and another at 805 °C. We also investigated the long term stability effects of temperature, pH, light, and oxygen (as air) on the NRH in aqueous solutions. Our results show that NRH can be oxidized in the presence of oxygen, and it hydrolyzed quickly in acidic conditions. It was also found that the degradation rate is lower under a N2 atmosphere, at lower temperatures, and under basic pH conditions.

Synthesis, Stability, and Bioavailability of Nicotinamide Riboside Trioleate Chloride.

Nicotinamide riboside chloride (NRCl) is an effective form of vitamin B3. However, it cannot be used in ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages or high-water activity foods because of its intrinsic instability in water. To address this issue, we synthesized nicotinamide riboside trioleate chloride (NRTOCl) as a new hydrophobic nicotinamide riboside (NR) derivative. Contrary to NRCl, NRTOCl is soluble in an oil phase. The results of stability studies showed that NRTOCl was much more stable than NRCl both in water and in oil-in-water emulsions at 25 °C and 35 °C. Finally, we evaluated the bioavailability of NRTOCl by studying its digestibility in simulated intestinal fluid. The results demonstrated that NRTOCl was partially digestible and released NR in the presence of porcine pancreatin in a simulated intestinal fluid. This study showed that NRTOCl has the potential to be used as an NR derivative in ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages and other foods and supplement applications.

Fabrication and characterization of polycaprolactone fumarate/gelatin-based nanocomposite incorporated with silicon and magnesium co-doped fluorapatite nanoparticles using electrospinning method.

The aim of this study was to fabricate and characterize biodegradable polycaprolactone fumarate(PCLF)/gelatin-based nanocomposite incorporated with the 0, 5 and 10 wt% silicon and magnesium co-doped fluorapatite nanoparticles (Si-Mg-FA) membranes using electrospinning process for guided bone regeneration (GBR) and guided tissue regeneration (GTR) applications. Results demonstrated the formation of randomly-oriented and defect-free fibers with various fiber sizes depending on the Si-Mg-FA content. Moreover, incorporation of 5 wt% Si-Mg-FA significantly improved the mechanical strength (1.5times) compared to the mechanical strength of PCLF/gelatin membrane and nanocomposite with 10 wt% nanoparticles. There was no clear difference between degradation rate of PCLF/gelatin and PCLF/gelatin with 5 wt% nanoparticles at 7, 14 and 28 days of immersion in phosphate buffer saline while 10 wt% nanoparticles significantly increased biodegradation of PCLF/gelatin, and no cytotoxic effect of membranes was seen. Finally, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs of fibroblast cells cultured on the samples demonstrated that the cells were completely attached and spread on the surface of nanocomposites. In summary, PCLF/gelatin membranes consisting of 5 wt% Si-Mg-FA nanoparticles could provide appropriate mechanical and biological properties and fairly good degradation rate, making it appropriate for GTR/GBR applications.