Porous amphiphilic biogel from a facile chemo-biosynthetic route

Grafting of medium-chain-length poly-3-hydroxyalkanoates (mcl-PHA) with glycerol 1,3-diglycerolate diacrylate (GDD) in acetone was performed using benzoyl peroxide as the initiator. A detailed mechanism scheme provides significant improvement to previous literature. Radical-mediated grafting generated α–β carbon inter-linking of mcl-PHA and GDD, resulting in a macromolecular structure with gel properties. The thermal properties of the copolymer for different graft yields were investigated as a function of initiator concentration, GDD monomer concentration, incubation period and temperature. The water absorption and porosity of the gel were significantly improved relative to neat mcl-PHA

Functionalization of medium-chain-length poly(3-hydroxyalkanoates) as amphiphilic material by graft copolymerization with glycerol 1,3-diglycerolate diacrylate and its mechanism

Glycerol 1,3-diglycerolate diacrylate (GDD) was graft copolymerized onto poly(3-hydroxyoctanoate-co-3- hydroxyhexanoate) P(3HO-co-3HHX) to render the latter more hydrophilic. Grafting of P(3HO-co-3HHX) backbone was performed using benzoyl peroxide as free radical initiator in homogenous acetone solution. The graft copolymer of P(3HO-co-3HHX)-g-GDD was characterized using spectroscopic and thermal methods. The presence of GDD monomer in the grafted P(3HO-co-3HHX) materials linked through covalent bond was indicated by spectroscopic analyses. Different parameters affecting the graft yield viz. monomer concentration, initiator concentration, temperature and reaction time were also investigated. Water uptake measurement showed that P(3HO-co-3HHX)-g-GDD copolymer became more hydrophilic as the GDD concentration in the copolymer increased. Introduction of hydroxyl groups via grafted GDD monomers improved the wettability and imparted amphiphilicity to the graft copolymer, thus potentially improving their facility for cellular interaction. Thermal stability of grafted copolymer reduced with increased grafting yield. The activation energy, Ea, for the graft copolymerization was calculated at » 51 kJ mol¡1. Mechanism of grafting reaction was also proposed

Biotransformation of Momordica charantia fresh juice by Lactobacillus plantarum BET003 and its putative anti-diabetic potential

Lactobacillus plantarum BET003 isolated from Momordica charantia fruit was used to ferment its juice. Momordica charantia fresh juice was able to support good growth of the lactic acid bacterium. High growth rate and cell viability were obtained without further nutrient supplementation. In stirred tank reactor batch fermentation, agitation rate showed significant effect on specific growth rate of the bacterium in the fruit juice. After the fermentation, initially abundant momordicoside 23-O-β-Allopyranosyle-cucurbita-5,24-dien-7α,3β,22(R),23(S)-tetraol-3-O-β-allopyranoside was transformed into its corresponding aglycone in addition to the emergence of new metabolites. The fermented M. charantia juice consistently reduced glucose production by 27.2%, 14.5%, 17.1% and 19.2% at 15-minute intervals respectively, when compared against the negative control. This putative anti-diabetic activity can be attributed to the increase in availability and concentration of aglycones as well as other phenolic compounds resulting from degradation of glycosidic momordicoside. Biotransformation of M. charantia fruit juice via lactic acid bacterium fermentation reduced its bitterness, reduced its sugar content, produced aglycones and other metabolites as well as improved its inhibition of α-glucosidase activity compared with the fresh, non-fermented juice

Effects of pretreatment of single and mixed lignocellulosic substrates on production of endoglucanase by Bacillus aerius S5.2.

A mixed substrate (MS) comprising oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB), oil palm frond (OPF), and rice husk (RH) was evaluated for endoglucanase prodn. by Bacillus aerius S5.2. Effects of sulfuric acid, sodium hydroxide, N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide (NMMO), and hydrothermal pretreatments on endoglucanase prodn. were investigated. Endoglucanase prodn. by B. aerius on the untreated (0.677 U/mL) and pretreated MS (0.305 - 0.630 U/mL) was generally similar, except that the acid (0.305 U/mL) and hydrothermal (0.549 U/mL) pretreatments that were more severe consequently produced significantly lower titers. Alkali pretreatment supported the highest enzyme prodn. (0.630 U/mL) among all pretreatments that were studied. When endoglucanase prodn. on the alkali-pretreated MS and single substrates (SS) was compared, alkali-pretreated EFB produced a titer (0.655 U/mL) similar to the MS, and this was significantly higher than titers recorded on OPF (0.504 U/mL) and RH (0.525 U/mL). Lower enzyme prodn. was found to be consistent with higher pretreatment severity and greater removal of amorphous regions in all the pretreatments. Furthermore, combining the SS showed no adverse effects on endoglucanase prodn. [on SciFinder(R)]CAPLUS AN 2016:1770933(Journal; Online Computer File)</p