Development of Gelatine-based Bio-film from Chicken Feet Incorporated with Sugarcane Bagasse

Purpose Protein-based films have good barrier characteristics against gas compared to synthetic films, but they have poor mechanical properties and high water vapour permeability (WVP) due to their hydrophilic nature. Sugarcane bagasse (SCB) is available abundantly in Southeast Asian countries and can be potentially utilized for its cellulose to increase the stiffness of the film. Hence, the purpose of this study was to develop a gelatine-based film from chicken feet incorporated with SCB. Design/methodology/approach Film-forming solutions (FFS) from chicken feet gelatine with different percentages of glycerol (25 and 35 per cent) were prepared by casting 4.0 g of FFS onto a rimmed silicone resin plate (50 × 50 mm2). Cellulose from SCB was purified and used to prepare hydrolyzed SCB. Films with 35 per cent glycerol were selected to be incorporated with different weight percentages (2.5, 5.0, 7.5 and 10.0 per cent) of hydrolyzed SCB to increase the tensile strength (TS) and lower the WVP of the films. Mechanical properties, colour and transparency of the films were also tested. Findings Films containing 35 per cent glycerol have lower TS but higher elongation at break compared to films prepared with 25 per cent glycerol. There were no significant differences between the films with 25 per cent and 35 per cent glycerol in thickness, WVP and transparency value tests. Film incorporated with 5.0 Wt.% SCB had a slight increment in TS (23.07 MPa) compared to the control film (22.50 MPa). WVP was also lowered from 2.18 × 10−11gm−1s−1Pa−1 to 1.85 × 10−11gm−1s−1Pa−1. The other properties, namely, thickness, colour measurement and transparency value, were significantly different (p &lt; 0.05) but nearer to the properties of the control film. Originality/value This study incorporates hydrolyzed SCB to study the potential mechanical benefits in protein-based bio-films. There is potential to utilize agricultural waste (chicken feet and SCB) to develop food packaging films. </jats:sec

Rhaponticum acaule (L) DC essential oil: chemical composition, in vitro antioxidant and enzyme inhibition properties

Background: α-glucosidase is a therapeutic target for diabetes mellitus (DM) and α-glucosidase inhibitors play a vital role in the treatments for the disease. Furthermore, xanthine oxidase (XO) is a key enzyme that catalyzes hypoxanthine and xanthine to uric acid which at high levels can lead to hyperuricemia which is an important cause of gout. Pancreatic lipase (PL) secreted into the duodenum plays a key role in the digestion and absorption of fats. For its importance in lipid digestion, PL represents an attractive target for obesity prevention. Methods: The flowers essential oil of Rhaponticum acaule (L) DC (R. acaule) was characterized using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The antioxidant activities of R. acaule essential oil (RaEO) were also determined using 2,2’-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS), reducing power, phosphomolybdenum, and DNA nicking assays. The inhibitory power of RaEO against α-glucosidase, xanthine oxidase and pancreatic lipase was evaluated. Enzyme kinetic studies using Michaelis-Menten and the derived Lineweaver-Burk (LB) plots were performed to understand the possible mechanism of inhibition exercised by the components of this essential oil. Results: The result revealed the presence of 26 compounds (97.4%). The main constituents include germacrene D (49.2%), methyl eugenol (8.3%), (E)-β-ionone (6.2%), β-caryophyllene (5.7%), (E,E)-α-farnesene (4.2%), bicyclogermacrene (4.1%) and (Z)-α-bisabolene (3.7%). The kinetic inhibition study showed that the essential oil demonstrated a strong α-glucosidase inhibiton and it was a mixed inhibitor. On the other hand, our results evidenced that this oil exhibited important xanthine oxidase inhibitory effect, behaving as a non-competitive inhibitor. The essential oil inhibited the turkey pancreatic lipase, with maximum inhibition of 80% achieved at 2 mg/mL. Furthermore, the inhibition of turkey pancreatic lipase by RaEO was an irreversible one. Conclusion: The results revealed that the RaEO is a new promising potential source of antioxidant compounds, endowed with good practical applications for human health. Keywords: α-glucosidase, Antioxidant activity, Chemical composition, Pancreatic lipase inhibition, Rhaponticum acaule essential oil, Xanthine oxidase