Stabilization of Black Locust Flower Extract via Encapsulation Using Alginate and Alginate–Chitosan Microparticles

Black locust flower extract contains various polyphenols and their glucosides contribute to the potential health benefits. After intake of these bioactive compounds and passage through the gastrointestinal tract, their degradation can occur and lead to a loss of biological activity. To overcome this problem, the bioactive compounds should be protected from environmental conditions. This study aimed to encapsulate the black flower extract in the microparticles based on biodegradable polysaccharides, alginate, and chitosan. In the extract, the total antioxidant content was found to be 3.18 ± 0.01 g gallic acid equivalent per 100 g of dry weight. Also, the presence of lipids (16), phenolics (27), organic acids (4), L-aspartic acid derivative, questinol, gibberellic acid, sterol, and saponins (2) was confirmed using the UHPLC–ESI–MS analysis. In vitro assays showed that the extract has weak anti-α-glucosidase activity and moderate antioxidant and cytotoxic activity against the HeLa cell line. The extrusion method with secondary air flow enabled the preparation of microparticles (about 270 μm) encapsulated with extract. An encapsulation efficiency of over 92% was achieved in the alginate and alginate–chitosan microparticles. The swelling study confirmed a lower permeability of alginate–chitosan microparticles compared with alginate microparticles. For both types of microparticles, the release profile of antioxidants in the simulated gastrointestinal fluids at 37 °C followed the Korsmeyer–Peppas model. A lower diffusion coefficient than 0.5 indicated the simple Fick diffusion of antioxidants. The alginate–chitosan microparticles enabled a more sustained release of antioxidants from extract compared to the alginate microparticles. The obtained results indicated an improvement in the antioxidant activity of bioactive compounds from the extract and their protection from degradation in the simulated gastric conditions via encapsulation in the polymer matrixes. Alginate–chitosan showed slightly slower cumulative antioxidant release from microparticles and better antioxidant activity of the extract compared to the alginate system. According to these results, alginate–chitosan microparticles are more suitable for further application in the encapsulation of black locust flower extract. Also, the proposed polymer matrix as a drug delivery system is safe for human use due to its biodegradability and non-toxicity

Procedure for extraction of ellagic acid from lady`s mantles (Alchemilla vulgaris L.) RS-P-2017/0289.

Pronalazak se odnosi na nov postupak ekstrakcije elaginske kiseline iz herbe biljne vrste gospin plašt (Alchemilla vulgaris L.). Postupak ekstrakcije pokazuje neočekivanu selektivnost za elaginsku kiselinu, dok je sadržaj drugih jedinjenja ispod granica detekcije. Ispitivanja ekstrakta A. vulgaris pokazuju zadovoljavajuću antioksidativnu aktivnost, a određen je i sadržaj ukupnih flavonoida. Dobijeni ekstrakt herbe A. vulgaris može biti primenjen kao prirodni aditiv u prehrambenoj, kozmetičkoj i farmaceutskoj industriji, jer ima jak antioksidativni i zaštitni efekat.Решење о признању патента 990 број 2019/8183-П-2017/0289 од 14.05.2019. објава патента: Гласник интелектуалне својине 5/2019, Завод за интелектуалну својину, Република Србија. (RS 58657 B1

Hemijski sastav i biološka aktivnost ekstrakta semena šljive

The aim of this paper was to estimate the biological activity of the plum seed extract and to define the chemical composition by using the ESI-MS method. During the investigation of the antioxidant activity, the extract showed a better ability to inhibit DPPH radicals compared with amygdalin standard. The results of the antimicrobial study indicate that the extract has a greater effect on Gram-negative bacteria compared with amygdalin. Gram-positive bacteria and fungi remained resistant in both cases. Unlike amygdalin, the extract showed a greater antimicrobial activity against the same microbiological strains. Amygdalin was isolated from the extract before the investigation of antiproliferative activity against MDA-MB-361, MDA-MB-453, HeLa and LS174 cell lines using MTT assay. Unlike the MDA-MB-453 cell line, the activity of standard and isolated amygdalin was not observed at the concentrations lower than 400 μg cm-3 on MDA-MB-361 cell line. The isolated amygdalin has not shown the activity in other cell lines. The antiproliferative activity of amygdalin standard was also noticed on HeLa and LS-174 cell lines at the concentrations of 333.27 and 333.17 μg cm-3, respectively.Cilj ovog rada bila je procena biološke aktivnosti ekstrakta semena šljive i definisanje hemijskog sastava primenom ESI-MS metode. Tokom ispitivanja antioksidativne aktivnosti, ekstrakt je pokazao bolju sposobnost inhibiranja DPPH radikala u poređenju sa standardom amigdalina. Rezultati antimikrobne studije pokazali su da ekstrakt ima veći uticaj na rast Gram-negativnih bakterija u odnosnu na amigdalin. Gram-pozitivne bakterije i gljivice ostale su rezistentne u oba slučaja. Za razliku od amigdalina, ekstrakt je pokazao veću antimikrobnu aktivnost na iste sojeve mikroorganizama. Amigdalin je izolovan iz ekstrakta pre ispitivanja antiproliferativne aktivnosti na MDA-MB-361, MDA-MB-453, HeLa i LS174 ćelijskim linijama upotrebom MTT testa. Za razliku od MDA-MB-453 ćelijskih linija, aktivnost standarda i izolovanog amigdalina nije uočena na MDA-MB-361 ćelijskim linijama pri koncentracijama nižim od 400 μg cm-3. Izolovani amigdalin nije pokazao aktivnost na ostalim ćelijskim linijama. Antiproliferativna aktivnost standarda amigdalina uočena je i na HeLa i LS-174 ćelijskim linijama pri koncentracijama 333.27 i 333.17 μg cm-3, respektivno

Postupak primene termoosetljivih hidrogelova za modifikovano oslobađanje elaginske kiseline

Pronalazak se odnosi na novu primenu hidrogelova poli(N-izopropilakrilamid-ko-2-hidroksipropilmetakrilata), p(NIPAM-HPMet)-a i poli(N-izopropilakrilamida), p(NIPAM)-a, kao nosača za modifikovano oslobađanje elaginske kiseline i ekstrakta Alchemilla vulgaris L. sa visokim sadržajem elaginske kiseline. Analiza FTIR spektara homopolimera p(NIPAM)-a i kopolimera p(NIPAM-HPMet)-a sa uklopljenim standardom elaginske kiseline i ekstraktom Alchemilla vulgaris L., ukazuju na formiranje intermolekulskih vodoničnih veza između lanaca homopolimera, tj. kopolimera, s jedne strane i elaginske kiseline, s druge strane. Hidrogelovi p(NIPAM) i p(NIPAM-HPMet) su se pokazali kao pogodni nosači elaginske kiseline, jer omogućavaju njeno modifikovano oslobađanje

Risks in the Role of Co-Creating the Future of Tourism in “Stigmatized” Destinations

The primary goal of this paper was to investigate the strength of the influence of different types of risk on the travelers’ intention to visit destinations in future, that are, prejudiced due to COVID-19, marked as “stigmatized”, “isolated”, or “risky destinations”. Field interview research was conducted at the “Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport” (Serbia). The results obtained by multiple regression analysis showed that all types of risks influenced the intention of travelers, with financial risk showing a more significant impact. Canonical discriminant analysis indicated that men were most afraid of human induced risk, service quality risk, natural disaster and COVID-19 risk, and they chose safer destinations. Among the women, the biggest fear was financial risk, socio-psychological risk, and food safety risk. Older respondents and those under the influence of external factors decided on safer destinations, while financial status did not play a significant role in predicting the choice of destination. The selection of the destination according to the degree of security was determined by the ordinal regression methodology. The entire research presents a certain novelty, because so far in the numerous studies on the topic of the negative consequences of COVID-19 on tourism, there has been no discussion of stigmatized or risky destinations that received that epithet, and were therefore negatively and unfairly marked in the minds of tourists for future visits

Modeling and optimization of bioactive compounds from chickpea seeds (Cicer arietinum L)

The aim of study was to model and optimize the extraction of polyphenols and flavonoids with expressed antioxidant activity from chickpea seeds using a central composite design. The optimal extraction conditions were the extraction time of 145.5 min, ethanol concentration of 83.7% and liquid-to-solid ratio of 24.9 (expressed as cm(3) per g). The content of total polyphenol and flavonoid was 2.75 g gallic acid equivalent per kilogram of the dried extract and 0.147 g rutin equivalent per kilogram of the dried extract, respectively. Using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl assay, it was found that the optimal extract had the IC50 of 1.55 mg cm(-3)

Preparation and Characterization of Alginate Hydrogels with High Water-Retaining Capacity

Hydrogels are very attractive materials due to their multifunctional properties. Many natural polymers, such as polysaccharides, are used for the preparation of hydrogels. The most important and commonly used polysaccharide is alginate because of its biodegradability, biocompatibility, and non-toxicity. Since the properties of alginate hydrogel and its application depend on numerous factors, this study aimed to optimize the gel composition to enable the growth of inoculated cyanobacterial crusts for suppressing the desertification process. The influence of alginate concentration (0.1–2.9%, m/v) and CaCl2 concentration (0.4–4.6%, m/v) on the water-retaining capacity was analyzed using the response surface methodology. According to the design matrix, 13 formulations of different compositions were prepared. The water-retaining capacity was defined as the system response maximized in optimization studies. The optimal composition of hydrogel with a water-retaining capacity of about 76% was obtained using 2.7% (m/v) alginate solution and 0.9% (m/v) CaCl2 solution. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used for the structural characterization of the prepared hydrogels, while the water content and swelling ratio of hydrogels were determined using gravimetric methods. It was concluded that alginate and CaCl2 concentrations play the most important role regarding the gelation time, homogeneity, water content, and swelling ratio of the hydrogel

ESTIMATION OF THE POSSIBILITY FOR FURTHER APPLICATION OF ETHANOLIC FRACTION OBTAINED DURING ALGINATE PRODUCTION FROM BROWN SEAWEED BIOMASS

The first stage in alginate production is the depigmentation and defatting of brown seaweed biomass using 70% (v/v) ethanol. The obtained ethanolic fraction is discarded from the further production process as a side product. Having in mind these facts, this study aimed to valorize the ethanolic extract generated during the alginate extraction from brown seaweed (Laminaria digitata). The possibility of valorization of the extract was estimated based on the determination of the total phenolic and flavonoid content, and the antioxidant activity. For the extract, the total phenolic and flavonoid content was 29.3 g gallic acid equivalent per 100 g dry weight and 1.49 g rutin equivalent per 100 g dry weight, respectively. The results of the DPPH assay showed that the extract exhibited antioxidant activity with the IC50 value of 42.9 μg/mL. The antioxidant activity of the extract was almost the same as for synthetic antioxidant butylated hydroxytoluene (IC50 = 36.6 μg/mL). The obtained results indicated that the brown seaweed extract represents the source of phenolic compounds that have an expressed antioxidant activity. This approach is important because it utilizes the extract as the secondary raw material for the recovery of valuable compounds that can be significant as a starting raw material in various branches of industry

Sustainable Dyeing and Functionalization of Different Fibers Using Orange Peel Extract’s Antioxidants

A diluted ethanol orange peel extract was used for sustainable dyeing and functionalization of different fabrics. The extract analysis was performed using UPLC-ESI-MS/MS; its total flavonoid (0.67 g RE/100 g d.w.) and antioxidant (2.81 g GAE/100 g d.w.) contents and antioxidant activity (IC50 of 65.5 µg/mL) were also determined. The extract dyeing performance at various dyebath pH values was evaluated using multifiber fabric. Among six fabrics, extract possessed the ability for dyeing wool, polyamide, and cellulose acetate (at pH 4.5), which color strength (K/S) values increased after washing (9.7–19.8 vs. 11.6–23.2). Extract:water ratio of 20:35 (v/v) was found to be sufficient for achieving satisfactory K/S values (i.e., 20.17, 12.56, and 10.38 for wool, polyamide, and cellulose acetate, respectively) that were slightly changed after washing. The optimal dyeing temperatures for wool, polyamide, and cellulose acetate are 55, 35, and 25 °C, while the equilibrium dye exhaustion at those temperatures was achieved after 45, 120, and 90 min, respectively. The color coordinate measurements revealed that wool and polyamide fabrics are yellower than cellulose acetate, while, compared to polyamide and cellulose acetate, wool is redder. Possible interactions between selected fabrics and extract compounds are suggested. All fabrics possessed excellent antioxidant activity (88.6–99.6%) both before and after washing. Cellulose acetate provided maximum bacterial reduction (99.99%) for Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus, which in the case of Staphylococcus aureus remained unchanged after washing. Orange peel extract could be used for simultaneous dyeing and functionalization of wool and polyamide (excellent antioxidant activity) and cellulose acetate (excellent antioxidant and antibacterial activity) fabrics

Development and validation of an RP-HPLC method for quantification of trans-resveratrol in the plant extracts

New, simple, cost effective, accurate and reproducible RP-HPLC method was developed and validated for the quantification of trans-resveratrol in the extracts of grape exocarp and seeds. The method has proved to be simpler and faster than available methods. Methanol was used as a mobile phase with a flow rate of 1.0 cm3 min-1, while the quantification was effected at 306 nm. The separation was performed at 35°C using a C18 column. The results showed that the peak area response was linear in the concentration range of 1-40 μg cm-3. The values of LOD and LOQ were found to be 0.125 and 0.413 μg cm-3, respectively. The antioxidant activity of the extracts was determined using DPPH assay. The ability of DPPH radicals inhibition decreases in the following order: the extract of grape exocarp > trans-resveratrol standard > the extract of grape seeds. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. TRp-34012