Colloidal inorganic particle-based edible oleogels and bigels

The basic building blocks which are recently being explored as structurants for oil gelation include crystalline particles (e.g. waxes), polymeric strands (e.g. cellulose derivatives) and crystalline fibers (e.g. 12 hydroxy stearic acid etc.).1-2 In the current paper, we report the use of colloidal inorganic particles, SiO2 (a food-grade additive, E 551) as new structurants to fabricate clear gels in sunflower oil.3 Oleogels with high gel strength (G\u27 \u3e 10,000 Pa), high resistance to flow (σY \u3e 100 Pa), temperature stability and a good thixotropic recovery (\u3e 70 %) were obtained at 10-15 %wt of SiO2. Cryo-SEM (along with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy) revealed an interesting ‘chain-like’ arrangement of SiO2 aggregates which is responsible for creating a structural framework. The fact that the positive results were only seen with hydrophilic SiO2 (and not with functionalized hydrophobic SiO2) strongly suggests that hydrogen bonds among surface silanol groups (Si-OH) contributed to the network formation of colloidal particles. Moreover, water phase (structured using food hydrocolloids) was added to oleogel in different proportions to obtain stable ‘bigels\u27 with interesting microstructures (as seen under cryo-SEM and confocal microscope) and excellent rheological properties. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

Evaluation of synthesized cross linked polyvinyl alcohol as potential disintegrant

Purpose: The present study deals with evaluation of crosslinked poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) as a potential disintegrant. Methods: Crosslinking of PVA was carried out using glutaraldehyde as a crosslinker, in presence of acidic conditions. The crosslinking reaction was optimized for a) polymer: crosslinker ratio; b) temperature requirement and c) reaction duration. Certain physical parameters of the disintegrant (including sedimentation volume, hydration capacity, specific surface area and bulk and tap density) were determined and compared to the known disintegrants. Characterization was carried out using FT-IR, DSC, XRD, SEM and Photo microscopy studies. The developed excipient was also studied for acute toxicity in rats and found to be safe for oral use. Results: Disintegration property of formed product was found to give better results. As compared to known disintegrant (Ac-Di-Sol). The disintegration mechanism of developed disintegrant was postulated based on results obtained from various physical evaluations. Hausner's ratio & Carr's index value of 1.12 and 10.61 suggested excellent flowability. Wetting time and distintegration time of 21.90 +/- 0.1 and 26.20 +/- 0.2 seconds was obtained at the disintegrant level of 5 % w/w. Conclusions: By changing the condition parameters of well known crosslinking reaction of PVA, we obtained a crosslinked product which had excellent disintegration activity, good flow and optimal tableting properties

Rheological characterization of gel-in-oil-in-gel type structured emulsions

AbstractWe report the fabrication of multiple emulsions where both the enclosed and the external water phases are structured using a combination of two non-gelling biopolymers. Emulsions (with gelled inner water droplets and gelled water continuous phase) were created using a simple ‘one-step’ process where the oil phase (triglyceride oil and polyglycerol polyricinoleate) and the water phase (containing a combination of locust bean gum and carrageenan) were emulsified at an elevated temperature (70 °C) followed by cooling to room temperature. The temperature triggered gelling of the synergistic biopolymer combination led to the formation of structured emulsions on cooling. Flowable to self-standing emulsion gels could be prepared by changing the total concentration of polymers (and the ratios of the individual polymers) as confirmed from low amplitude oscillatory shear rheology and creep recovery measurements. The cryo-scanning electron microscopy images of freeze-fractured emulsion samples revealed the presence of gelled inner water droplets. Further, when subjected to heating and cooling cycles, emulsions displayed reversible rheological changes which could be tuned by simply changing the total polymer concentration and the proportions of individual polymers. Such biopolymer-based structured emulsions with interesting microstructure and rheological properties could find potential applications in bio-related fields like food structuring

A STUDY OF FERROFLUID LUBRICATION BASED ROUGH SINE FILM SLIDER BEARING WITH ASSORTED POROUS STRUCTURE

This paper attempts to study a ferrofluid lubrication based rough sine film slider bearing with assorted porous structure using a numerical approach. The fluid flow of the system is regulated by the Neuringer-Rosensweig model. The impact of the transverse surface roughness of the system has been derived using the Christensen and Tonder model. The corresponding Reynolds’ equation has been used to calculate the pressure distribution which, in turn, has been the key to formulate the load carrying capacity equation. A graphical representation is made to demonstrate the calculated value of the load carrying capacity which is a dimensionless unit. The numbers thus derived have been used to prove that ferrofluid lubrication aids the load carrying capacity. The study suggests that the positive impact created by magnetization in the case of negatively skewed roughness helps to partially nullify the negative impact of the transverse roughness. Further investigation implies that when the Kozeny-Carman’s model is used, the overall performance is enhanced. The Kozeny-Carman’s model is a form of an empirical equation used to calculate permeability that is dependent on various parameters like pore shape, turtuosity, specific surface area and porosity. The success of the model can be accredited to its simplicity and efficiency to describe measured permeability values. The obtained equation was used to predict the permeability of fibre mat systems and of vesicular rocks

The missense mutation in Abcg5 gene in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) segregates with phytosterolemia but not hypertension

BACKGROUND: Sitosterolemia is a recessively inherited disorder in humans that is associated with premature atherosclerotic disease. Mutations in ABCG5 or ABCG8, comprising the sitosterolemia locus, STSL, are now known to cause this disease. Three in-bred strains of rats, WKY, SHR and SHRSP, are known to be sitosterolemic, hypertensive and they carry a missense 'mutation' in a conserved residue of Abcg5, Gly583Cys. Since these rat strains are also know to carry mutations at other genetic loci and the extent of phytosterolemia is only moderate, it is important to verify that the mutations in Abcg5 are causative for phytosterolemia and whether they contribute to hypertension. METHODS: To investigate whether the missense change in Abcg5 is responsible for the sitosterolemia we performed a segregation analysis in 103 F2 rats from a SHR × SD cross. Additionally, we measured tail-cuff blood pressure and measured intestinal lipid transport to identify possible mechanisms whereby this mutation causes sitosterolemia. RESULTS: Segregation analysis showed that the inheritance of the Gly583Cys mutation Abcg5 segregated with elevated plant sterols and this pattern was recessive, proving that this genetic change is responsible for the sitosterolemia in these rat strains. Tail-cuff monitoring of blood pressure in conscious animals showed no significant differences between wild-type, heterozygous and homozygous mutant F2 rats, suggesting that this alteration may not be a significant determinant of hypertension in these rats on a chow diet. CONCLUSION: This study shows that the previously identified Gly583Cys change in Abcg5 in three hypertension-susceptible rats is responsible for the sitosterolemia, but may not be a major determinant of blood pressure in these rats

Biopolymer-based structuring of liquid oil into soft solids and oleogels using water-continuous emulsions as templates

Physical trapping of a hydrophobic liquid oil in a matrix of water-soluble biopolymers was achieved using a facile two-step process by first formulating a surfactant-free oil-in-water emulsion stabilized by biopolymers (a protein and a polysaccharide) followed by complete removal of the water phase (by either high- or low-temperature drying of the emulsion) resulting in structured solid systems containing a high concentration of liquid oil (above 97 wt %). The microstructure of these systems was revealed by confocal and cryo-scanning electron microscopy, and the effect of biopolymer concentrations on the consistency of emulsions as well as the dried product was evaluated using a combination of small-amplitude oscillatory shear rheometry and large deformation fracture studies. The oleogel prepared by shearing the dried product showed a high gel strength as well as a certain degree of thixotropic recovery even at high temperatures. Moreover, the reversibility of the process was demonstrated by shearing the dried product in the presence of water to obtain reconstituted emulsions with rheological properties comparable to those of the fresh emulsion

Structural characterization of a novel KH-domain containing plant chloroplast endonuclease

Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is a single celled alga that undergoes apoptosis in response to UV-C irradiation. UVI31+, a novel UV-inducible DNA endonuclease in C. reinhardtii, which normally localizes near cell wall and pyrenoid regions, gets redistributed into punctate foci within the whole chloroplast, away from the pyrenoid, upon UV-stress. Solution NMR structure of the first putative UV inducible endonuclease UVI31+ revealed an alpha(1)-beta(1)-beta(2)-alpha(2)-alpha(3)-beta(3) fold similar to BolA and type II KH-domain ubiquitous protein families. Three alpha-helices of UVI31+ constitute one side of the protein surface, which are packed to the other side, made of three-stranded beta-sheet, with intervening hydrophobic residues. A twenty-three residues long polypeptide stretch (D54-H76) connecting beta(1) and beta(2) strands is found to be highly flexible. Interestingly, UVI31+ recognizes the DNA primarily through its beta-sheet. We propose that the catalytic triad residues involving Ser114, His95 and Thr116 facilitate DNA endonuclease activity of UVI31+. Further, decreased endonuclease activity of the S114A mutant is consistent with the direct participation of Ser114 in the catalysis. This study provides the first structural description of a plant chloroplast endonuclease that is regulated by UV-stress response

Genomic, Lipidomic and Metabolomic Analysis of Cyclooxygenase-null Cells: Eicosanoid Storm, Cross Talk, and Compensation by COX-1

AbstractThe constitutively-expressed cyclooxygenase 1 (COX-1) and the inducible COX-2 are both involved in the conversion of arachidonic acid (AA) to prostaglandins (PGs). However, the functional roles of COX-1 at the cellular level remain unclear. We hypothesized that by comparing differential gene expression and eicosanoid metabolism in lung fibroblasts from wild-type (WT) mice and COX-2-/- or COX-1-/- mice may help address the functional roles of COX-1 in inflammation and other cellular functions. Compared to WT, the number of specifically-induced transcripts were altered descendingly as follows: COX-2-/->COX-1-/->WT+IL-1β. COX-1-/- or COX-2-/- cells shared about 50% of the induced transcripts with WT cells treated with IL-1β, respectively. An interactive “anti-inflammatory, proinflammatory, and redox-activated” signature in the protein–protein interactome map was observed in COX-2-/- cells. The augmented COX-1 mRNA (in COX-2-/- cells) was associated with the upregulation of mRNAs for glutathione S-transferase (GST), superoxide dismutase (SOD), NAD(P)H dehydrogenase quinone 1 (NQO1), aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), peroxiredoxin, phospholipase, prostacyclin synthase, and prostaglandin E synthase, resulting in a significant increase in the levels of PGE2, PGD2, leukotriene B4 (LTB4), PGF1α, thromboxane B2 (TXB2), and PGF2α. The COX-1 plays a dominant role in shifting AA toward the LTB4 pathway and anti-inflammatory activities. Compared to WT, the upregulated COX-1 mRNA in COX-2-/- cells generated an “eicosanoid storm”. The genomic characteristics of COX-2-/- is similar to that of proinflammatory cells as observed in IL-1β induced WT cells. COX-1-/- and COX-2-/- cells exhibited compensation of various eicosanoids at the genomic and metabolic levels