Edible packaging from legume by-products

The world plastic industry produces over 322 million tons of waste per year. Thus, bioplastic and edible packaging are highly researched due to their reduced environmental impact. Legumes have been used in packaging in the form of soy fibre and protein. Soy fibre is extracted by sieves, columns or freeze-drying sieving, then processed physically by compression molding or enzymatically by microbial transglutaminase. Soy proteins are extracted by centrifugation or filtration/ultrafiltration. Protein manufacturing can be achieved by addition of several ingredients: plasticizers, surfactants, biodegradable polymers and oils. Alternatively, proteins can be modified via chemical cross-linking (salts), radiation modification (UV), enzyme cross-linking or surface modification. Legume wastewater contains interesting levels of carbohydrates, with as much as 2.5 g/100 g of insoluble fibre. In addition, proteins account for up to 1.6 g/100 g. Therefore, a new technology that upcycles fibre and protein from legume wastewater into edible packaging is encouraged. The challenge is achieving acceptable structure and thermal stability while keeping the costs low. Processing legume fibre and proteins can provide the desired technological quality. In addition, upcycling by-products such as wastewater can reduce manufacturing costs. This could be the start of a new era for bioplastics and sustainable food packaging

Rivaroxaban with or without aspirin in stable cardiovascular disease

BACKGROUND: We evaluated whether rivaroxaban alone or in combination with aspirin would be more effective than aspirin alone for secondary cardiovascular prevention. METHODS: In this double-blind trial, we randomly assigned 27,395 participants with stable atherosclerotic vascular disease to receive rivaroxaban (2.5 mg twice daily) plus aspirin (100 mg once daily), rivaroxaban (5 mg twice daily), or aspirin (100 mg once daily). The primary outcome was a composite of cardiovascular death, stroke, or myocardial infarction. The study was stopped for superiority of the rivaroxaban-plus-aspirin group after a mean follow-up of 23 months. RESULTS: The primary outcome occurred in fewer patients in the rivaroxaban-plus-aspirin group than in the aspirin-alone group (379 patients [4.1%] vs. 496 patients [5.4%]; hazard ratio, 0.76; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.66 to 0.86; P<0.001; z=−4.126), but major bleeding events occurred in more patients in the rivaroxaban-plus-aspirin group (288 patients [3.1%] vs. 170 patients [1.9%]; hazard ratio, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.40 to 2.05; P<0.001). There was no significant difference in intracranial or fatal bleeding between these two groups. There were 313 deaths (3.4%) in the rivaroxaban-plus-aspirin group as compared with 378 (4.1%) in the aspirin-alone group (hazard ratio, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.71 to 0.96; P=0.01; threshold P value for significance, 0.0025). The primary outcome did not occur in significantly fewer patients in the rivaroxaban-alone group than in the aspirin-alone group, but major bleeding events occurred in more patients in the rivaroxaban-alone group. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with stable atherosclerotic vascular disease, those assigned to rivaroxaban (2.5 mg twice daily) plus aspirin had better cardiovascular outcomes and more major bleeding events than those assigned to aspirin alone. Rivaroxaban (5 mg twice daily) alone did not result in better cardiovascular outcomes than aspirin alone and resulted in more major bleeding events