Esters in the Food and Cosmetic Industries: An Overview of the Reactors Used in Their Biocatalytic Synthesis

©2024. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ This document is the, Published, version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in Materials. To access the final edited and published work see https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17010268Esters are versatile compounds with a wide range of applications in various industries due to their unique properties and pleasant aromas. Conventionally, the manufacture of these compounds has relied on the chemical route. Nevertheless, this technique employs high temperatures and inorganic catalysts, resulting in undesired additional steps to purify the final product by removing solvent residues, which decreases environmental sustainability and energy efficiency. In accordance with the principles of “Green Chemistry” and the search for more environmentally friendly methods, a new alternative, the enzymatic route, has been introduced. This technique uses low temperatures and does not require the use of solvents, resulting in more environmentally friendly final products. Despite the large number of studies published on the biocatalytic synthesis of esters, little attention has been paid to the reactors used for it. Therefore, it is convenient to gather the scattered information regarding the type of reactor employed in these synthesis reactions, considering the industrial field in which the process is carried out. A comparison between the performance of the different reactor configurations will allow us to draw the appropriate conclusions regarding their suitability for each specific industrial application. This review addresses, for the first time, the above aspects, which will undoubtedly help with the correct industrial implementation of these processes

Sustainable Biocatalytic Synthesis of a Second-Generation Biolubricant

©. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This document is the Published, version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in [Sustainability]. To access the final edited and published work see [https://doi.org/10.3390/su16041615]Background: Biolubricants represent a category of lubricating substances derived from sustainable sources such as vegetable oils, animal fats, and other bio-based materials. They are considered more environmentally friendly than mineral-based lubricants because they are biodegradable and nontoxic. Biolubricants derived from vegetable oils or animal fats were used as first-generation biolubricants. They have limited performance at extreme temperatures, both high and low, as well as low oxidative stability. Substitution of the double bonds by branching improves the performance and stability of the resulting second-generation biolubricants. Methods: In the past, the production of these compounds has relied on the chemical pathway. This method involves elevated temperatures and inorganic catalysts, leading to the necessity of additional purification steps, which decreases environmental sustainability and energy efficiency. A more environmentally friendly alternative, the enzymatic route, has been introduced, in accordance with the principles of “Green Chemistry”. Results: In this paper, the esterification of 2-methylhexanoic acid with 2-octyl-1-dodecanol and its optimization were developed for the first time. The synthesis was conducted within a jacketed batch reactor connected to a thermostatic bath in a solvent-free reaction medium and using Lipozyme® 435 as biocatalyst. Conclusions: The high viscosity index value of this new hyperbranched ester (>200, ASTM D2270) suggests that it may be an excellent biolubricant to be used under extreme temperature conditions. Regarding sustainability, the main green metrics calculated point to an environmentally friendly process

Effectiveness and Safety of the Sequential Use of a Second and Third Anti-TNF Agent in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Results from the Eneida Registry

Background: The effectiveness of the switch to another anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) agent is not known. The aim of this study was to analyze the effectiveness and safety of treatment with a second and third anti-TNF drug after intolerance to or failure of a previous anti-TNF agent in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. Methods: We included patients diagnosed with IBD from the ENEIDA registry who received another anti-TNF after intolerance to or failure of a prior anti-TNF agent. Results: A total of 1122 patients were included. In the short term, remission was achieved in 55% of the patients with the second anti-TNF. The incidence of loss of response was 19% per patient-year with the second anti-TNF. Combination therapy (hazard ratio [HR], 2.4; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.8-3; P < 0.0001) and ulcerative colitis vs Crohn''s disease (HR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.1-2.1; P = 0.005) were associated with a higher probability of loss of response. Fifteen percent of the patients had adverse events, and 10% had to discontinue the second anti-TNF. Of the 71 patients who received a third anti-TNF, 55% achieved remission. The incidence of loss of response was 22% per patient-year with a third anti-TNF. Adverse events occurred in 7 patients (11%), but only 1 stopped the drug. Conclusions: Approximately half of the patients who received a second anti-TNF achieved remission; nevertheless, a significant proportion of them subsequently lost response. Combination therapy and type of IBD were associated with loss of response. Remission was achieved in almost 50% of patients who received a third anti-TNF; nevertheless, a significant proportion of them subsequently lost response

Highly-parallelized simulation of a pixelated LArTPC on a GPU

The rapid development of general-purpose computing on graphics processing units (GPGPU) is allowing the implementation of highly-parallelized Monte Carlo simulation chains for particle physics experiments. This technique is particularly suitable for the simulation of a pixelated charge readout for time projection chambers, given the large number of channels that this technology employs. Here we present the first implementation of a full microphysical simulator of a liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) equipped with light readout and pixelated charge readout, developed for the DUNE Near Detector. The software is implemented with an end-to-end set of GPU-optimized algorithms. The algorithms have been written in Python and translated into CUDA kernels using Numba, a just-in-time compiler for a subset of Python and NumPy instructions. The GPU implementation achieves a speed up of four orders of magnitude compared with the equivalent CPU version. The simulation of the current induced on 10^3 pixels takes around 1 ms on the GPU, compared with approximately 10 s on the CPU. The results of the simulation are compared against data from a pixel-readout LArTPC prototype

Características físicas y químicas del grano de sor- go. Relación con la degradación ruminal en bovinos

We studied the relationship between physical or chemical characteristics of different sorghum grain hybrids on in situ dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP) and starch degradability. Physical (bulk density, milling ratio, percentage of floating grains, apparent density) and chemical (tannins, CP and kafirins contents) characteristics were related to ruminal degradability of sorghum grains in order to identify predictors for rumina degradation. Differences in DM, CP and starch degradability in situ between sorghum hybrids were found after 16 h of incubation. Physical characteristics were not related to in situ DM, CP and starch degradability. However, tannins and kafirins contents were related to DM, CP and starch degradability. Degradability of sorghum grain was highly dependent on genotype and tannin contents were the most reliable predictor of DM degradabilitySe estudió la relación entre las características físicas y químicas de diferentes híbridos de gra- nos de sorgo y la degradabilidad in situ de la materia seca (MS), proteína bruta (PB) y almidón. Las características físicas (peso hectólitro, rela- ción de molienda, porcentaje de flotación, densi- dad aparente) y químicas (taninos, PB y kafirinas) fueron relacionadas con la degradabilidad ruminal de los granos de sorgo para identificarlas como posibles predictoras de la misma. Se detectaron diferencias entre los híbridos en la degradabilidad in situ de la MS, PB y almidón tras 16 horas de incubación en el rumen. Las características físi- cas de los granos no se relacionaron con la degradabilidad in situ de los mismos. Sin embargo, los contenidos de taninos y de kafirinas de los granos estuvieron relacionados con la degrada- bilidad in situ de la MS, PB y almidón. La degradabilidad del grano de sorgo fue altamente dependiente del genotipo y el contenido de taninos fue el mejor predictor de la degradabilidad de la M

Desactivación de taninos en grano húmedo de sorgo con polietilenglicol o urea

An in vivo experiment was carried out to study the effect of polyethylene glycol-4000 (PEG-4000) or urea on apparent digestibility and ruminal fermentation characteristics in bovine fed high tannin high moisture sorghum grain. The treatments were generated as follows: sorghum untreated or control (T), sorghum treated with 1 g PEG/g CP of grain (P) and sorghum treated with 2% urea based on dry matter (U). Three ruminally fistulated steers (312 ± 38 kg BW) which consumed a diet with 70% sorghum grain were assigned according to treatment to a Latin square design (three animals and three experimental periods). In vivo apparent digestibility of the diet and ruminal and blood parameters were measured. The grain treatments with PEG-4000 or urea generated positive responses, increasing (p<0.05) in vivo total digestion of the diet. In addition, they decreased (p<0.05) ruminal pH and increased the concen- tration of NH 3 -N in the rumen in accordance with a higher concentration of urea in plasma (p<0.05). The PEG-4000 increased (p<0.05) total VFA concentration; acetate/propionate ratio was lower (p<0.05) in animals under P and U treatments. The diets containing grains with PEG-4000 or urea modified molar ratios of propionic and valeric, without altering those of acetic, butyric and isovaleric. The use of substances such as PEG- 4000 and urea is effective in reducing the detrimental effects of condensed tannins in sorghum grain, increasing the digestibility of the diet and changing ruminal and blood parameters of the animals.Se realizó un ensayo in vivo para estudiar el efecto del polietilenglicol 4000 (PEG-4000) o la urea sobre la digestibilidad aparente y las carac- terísticas de la fermentación ruminal de bovinos alimentados con grano húmedo de sorgo con alto contenido de taninos. Los tratamientos quedaron generados de la siguiente manera: sorgo no tra- tado o testigo (T), sorgo tratado con 1 g PEG/g PB del grano (P) y sorgo tratado con 2% urea en base a la materia seca (U). Se utilizaron tres novillos (312 ± 38 kg PV) fistulados de rumen en un diseño cuadrado latino con 3 animales y 3 períodos experimentales donde consumieron una dieta con 70% de grano de sorgo de acuerdo a los tratamien- tos. Se estimó la digestibilidad aparente in vivo de la dieta y se caracterizó el ambiente ruminal y metabólico de los animales. Los tratamientos P y U generaron respuestas positivas, aumentando (p<0,05) la digestión total in vivo de la dieta. Además, produjeron una disminución (p<0,05) del pH ruminal y aumentaron las concentraciones de nitrógeno amoniacal (NH 3 -N) y de urea en plasma (p<0,05). La adición de PEG-4000 incrementó (p<0,05) la concentración de AGV totales; la relación acético/propiónico fue menor (p<0,05) en los tratamientos P y U. Las dietas que contenían granos con PEG-4000 y urea modificaron las proporciones molares de propiónico y valérico, sin alterar las de acético, butírico e isovalérico. La utilización de PEG-4000 y urea es efectiva para disminuir los efectos detrimentales de los taninos condensados del grano de sorgo, aumentando la digestión de la dieta y modificando los parámetros ruminales y plasmáticos de los animales

Interrelations between lignin deposition and polysaccharide matrices during the assembly of the plant cell walls

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