Nanotechnology Perspectives in Agro and Food Industries

Nanotechnology is a rapidly emerging field of research with enormous potential for societal and economic benefits. It exploits physical phenomena and mechanisms that cannot be derived by simply scaling down the associated bulk structures and bulk phenomena. In this article nanotechnology perspectives and applications in agro and food industries has been analyzed. Development and perspectives for intelligent packaging materials and encapsulated components for slow release of active compounds has been especially reviewed

Supplementary data for article: Solarz, D., Witko, T., Karcz, R., Malagurski, I., Ponjavić, M., Levic, S., Nešić, A., Guzik, M., Savić, S.,& Nikodinović-Runić, J.. (2023). Biological and physiochemical studies of electrospun polylactid/polyhydroxyoctanoate PLA/ P(3HO) scaffolds for tissue engineering applications. in RSC Advances, 13(34), 24112-24128. https://doi.org/10.1039/D3RA03021K

Polyhydroxyoctanoate, as a biocompatible and biodegradable biopolymer, represents an ideal candidate for biomedical applications. However, physical properties make it unsuitable for electrospinning, currently the most widely used technique for fabrication of fibrous scaffolds. To overcome this, it was blended with polylactic acid and polymer blend fibrous biomaterials were produced by electrospinning. The obtained PLA/PHO fibers were cylindrical, smaller in size, more hydrophilic and had a higher degree of biopolymer crystallinity and more favorable mechanical properties in comparison to the pure PLA sample. Cytotoxicity evaluation with human lung fibroblasts (MRC5 cells) combined with confocal microscopy were used to visualize mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEF 3T3 cell line) migration and distribution showed that PLA/PHO samples support exceptional cell adhesion and viability, indicating excellent biocompatibility. The obtained results suggest that PLA/PHO fibrous biomaterials can be potentially used as biocompatible, biomimetic scaffolds for tissue engineering applications.Supplementary material for:[https://doi.org/10.1039/D3RA03021K]Related to published version: [https://imagine.imgge.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/2059

Biological and physiochemical studies of electrospun polylactid/polyhydroxyoctanoate PLA/ P(3HO) scaffolds for tissue engineering applications

Polyhydroxyoctanoate, as a biocompatible and biodegradable biopolymer, represents an ideal candidate for biomedical applications. However, physical properties make it unsuitable for electrospinning, currently the most widely used technique for fabrication of fibrous scaffolds. To overcome this, it was blended with polylactic acid and polymer blend fibrous biomaterials were produced by electrospinning. The obtained PLA/PHO fibers were cylindrical, smaller in size, more hydrophilic and had a higher degree of biopolymer crystallinity and more favorable mechanical properties in comparison to the pure PLA sample. Cytotoxicity evaluation with human lung fibroblasts (MRC5 cells) combined with confocal microscopy were used to visualize mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEF 3T3 cell line) migration and distribution showed that PLA/PHO samples support exceptional cell adhesion and viability, indicating excellent biocompatibility. The obtained results suggest that PLA/PHO fibrous biomaterials can be potentially used as biocompatible, biomimetic scaffolds for tissue engineering applications.Related to supplementary material: [https://imagine.imgge.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/2060

Microencapsulation of Flavors in Carnauba Wax

The subject of this study is the development of flavor wax formulations aimed for food and feed products. The melt dispersion technique was applied for the encapsulation of ethyl vanillin in wax microcapsules. The surface morphology of microparticles was investigated using scanning electron microscope (SEM), while the loading content was determined by HPLC measurements. This study shows that the decomposition process under heating proceeds in several steps: vanilla evaporation occurs at around 200 °C, while matrix degradation starts at 250 °C and progresses with maxima at around 360, 440 and 520 °C. The results indicate that carnauba wax is an attractive material for use as a matrix for encapsulation of flavours in order to improve their functionality and stability in products

Industry-Relevant Encapsulation Technologies for Food and Functional Food Production

Despite numerous challenges, encapsulation technologies are likely to become increasingly the focus of the food industry, because of their advantages for certain applications, for example, taste masking, limiting oxidation, increasing bioavailability, or controlling the release of active ingredients in food and functional food products. This chapter gives a summary of encapsulation technologies that can be adopted by food manufacturers aiming to develop effective nutrient delivery systems. The main groups of encapsulation technologies are described and compared from the engineering aspect, that is, the impact of process conditions on resulting properties of encapsulates composition (structure, dimensions, interfacial properties, loading, and stability). Besides, their advantages and drawbacks are listed to get a critical point of view on existing and future industrial applications. Finally, along with a comprehensive review of research insights focused on the implementation of produced encapsulates in food products, this chapter provides examples of main patents based on described encapsulation technologies

Impact of high-intensity ultrasound probe on the functionality of egg white proteins

High-intensity ultrasound represents a non-thermal processing method that has been extensively researched and used in the last decade. The application of power ultrasound offers the opportunity to modify and improve some technologically important compounds which are often used in food products, such as proteins. The focus of this research was to evaluate the effect of high-intensity ultrasound on egg white proteins (EWPs) with an objective to improve their functional properties. In this study, 10% (w/w) aqueous solution of egg white was treated with ultrasound probe which frequency was 20 kHz and treatments were performed for 5, 10, 15 and 20 min. The effect of the treatment was examined for aforementioned properties: the change of pH and temperature, solubility, foaming by a whipping method, emulsifying by turbidometric technique, sulfydryl content (exposed and total SH groups), antioxidant and antimicrobial activity and susceptibility of treated samples to enzymatic hydrolysis. Ultrasound affected functional properties of egg white proteins and improved antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. Furthermore, the samples showed an increased concentration of the total SH groups, while the concentration of exposed SH groups was not affected. pH did not change significantly upon the ultrasound treatment, while the temperature of the egg white solutions increased. These results suggest that high-intensity ultrasound probe can be used for improvement of the functionality of the EWPs and thus it could be potentially applied in the food industries. The trials reported here may represent relevant information to consider when attempt¬ing the use of high-intensity treatment for improving functional properties

Bimetallic alginate nanocomposites: New antimicrobial biomaterials for biomedical application

Two bimetallic (Zn/Cu) alginate based nanocomposites, impregnated with carbonate or phosphate mineral phase, were prepared by a facile procedure. Mineralized samples exhibited different morphologies and properties when compared to the non-mineralized sample. Antimicrobial testing against Escherichia coil, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans showed that mineralized samples are more efficient than non-mineralized in elimination of microorganisms. The results of this study suggest that bimetallic mineralized alginates could be potentially used as affordable, easy to produce antimicrobial materials

Mineralized agar-based nanocomposite films: Potential food packaging materials with antimicrobial properties

New mineralized, agar-based nanocomposite films (Zn-carbonate and Zn-phosphate/agar) were produced by a combination of in situ precipitation and a casting method. The presence of minerals significantly influenced the morphology, properties and functionality of the obtained nanocomposites. Reinforcement with the Zn-mineral phase improved the mechanical properties of the carbonate-mineralized films, but had a negligible effect on the phosphate-mineralized samples. Both nanocomposites showed improved optical and thermal properties, better Zn(II) release potential in a slightly acidic environment and exhibited antimicrobial activity against S. aureus. These results suggest that Zn-mineralized agar nanocomposite films could be potentially used as affordable, eco-friendly and active food packaging materials