The food nutritional content is reduced as result of vitamins degradation. In order to minimize such losses, the encapsulation technique into polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) could offer an additional protection, extending the stability. The crosslinking formed by the ionic gelation process of chitosan and tripolyphosphate (Chi-TPP) has been widely used as an encapsulating matrix for several chemical compounds. In this way, Chi-TPP was used for encapsulation of C, B9 and B12 vitamins. The stability of the vitamins in NPs was evaluated in aqueous suspension by UV-Visible spectroscopy under different conditions: stored in dark, light exposure and effect of oxygen bubbling. The results indicated that encapsulation had a positive effect in preserving the vitamins, mainly vitamin C. The encapsulation preserved 47% of the initial concentration of vitamin C by the tenth day and around 28% after 17 days. Conversely, in non-encapsulated controls (neutral and acidic medium) the losses were higher, reaching 13% by the tenth day and almost 3% after 17 days of storage in both medium. When exposed to light and O2 the protection provided by the encapsulation was even greater. By thermogravimetric analysis, the pure and the encapsulated vitamins showed distinct thermal behavior confirming Chi-TPP as a potential encapsulation material.

Zeínas são proteínas de reserva do milho (prolaminas), que podem ser extraídas através de solubilização em meio alcoólico. Essas proteínas são altamente hidrofóbicas, com elevado grau de polimerização. Neste estudo, zeínas do tipo a (massa molecular entre 10 e 22 kDa) foram extraídas do glúten do milho e caracterizadas com respeito às suas principais bandas de absorção espectroscópica na região do infravermelho. Blendas de zeínas com ácido oléico (AO) como plastificante foram avaliadas em diversas proporções e filmes processados por casting sobre superfície apolar. Filmes de zeínas sem plastificante mostraram-se inviáveis para manipulação e medidas, mas a adição de 1 e 2% em massa de AO proporcionou um significativo aumento do módulo de elasticidade, segundo análise realizada por DMA. A presença de plastificante introduz também irregularidades superficiais e leva a uma perda das características hidrofóbicas dessas proteínas.

Zeins comprise a group of maize storage proteins (prolamines) that can be extracted via solubization in alcoholic media. Such proteins are highly hydrophobic with elevated degree of polymerization. In the present study, zein type a (molecular mass between 19 and 22 kDa) was extracted from corn gluten meal and characterized concerning the main spectroscopy absorption bands in the infrared region. Cast films were processed by blending zein and oleic acid (OA) as plasticizer. Films with no plasticizer were extremely brittle, and thus impossible to handle or used for mechanical analysis. The addition of 1 or 2% wt OA resulted in significant increase in the elongation length, according to DMA analysis. The presence of the plasticizer led to microscopic surface irregularities and to a reduction in the original hydrophobic characteristics.

Alteration in hydrophilicity feature of chitosan films by hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) cold-plasma treatment is evaluated. All treated films were colorless and transparent with no apparent textural changes. The effect on surfaces was characterized through contact angle measurements, degree of swelling and water vapor permeation. A significant reduction in all of the hydrophilicity parameters was observed. It is assumed that the HMDS treatment forms nonpolar silicone type structures. The goal is to investigate the formation of a stable hydrophobic barrier in order to increase the chitosan films usefulness in packaging applications.

Neste trabalho resultados e considerações sobre o uso de vidro reciclado na forma de material granulado, como potencial meio filtrante para remoção de agrotóxicos diluídos em água são apresentados. Para esta avaliação garrafas e vasilhames de vidro transparente foram fragmentados e moídos até partículas com tamanhos inferiores a 1 mm e ensaios de filtração gravitacional realizados em colunas, em escala laboratorial. O herbicida atrazina foi escolhido como contaminante em virtude de ser um composto altamente tóxico e amplamente empregado no Brasil. Análises por cromatografia gasosa indicam a retenção de agrotóxicos pelo meio poroso, em todo o intervalo de concentrações avaliadas (0,5; 1,0; 3,0; 10 e 15 mg L-1). O vidro apresentou-se como material de fácil manuseio e potencialmente atraente para uso como meio coadjuvante em filtragem lenta.

In this paper results and consideration about the use of recycled glass, as a granulated medium for filtration interaction with diluted agrotoxic materials in water, are presented. For this purpose, transparent bottles and glass containers were first fragmented and than crushed into pieces with sizes < 1 mm. Gravitational filtration tests were carried out in columns, in laboratorial scale. The herbicide atrazine was chosen as a standard contaminant due to its high toxicity and intensive use in Brazil. The results, from gas chromatography analysis, showed that the contamination was retained by the porous medium over all ranges of concentration (0.5, 1.0, 3.0, 10 and 15 mg L-1), which was dependent on the initial contamination degree. With regard to glass as a raw material, it showed itself to be a quite amenable material, potentially attractive for uses as a coadjutant medium in slow filtration.

Chitosan, a versatile hydrophilic polysaccharide derived from chitin, has a broad antimicrobial spectrum to which gram-negative, gram-positive bacteria and fungi are highly susceptible. In the current review, three possible and accepted antimicrobial mechanisms for chitosan are presented and briefly discussed. The activity dependence on polymeric molecular weight (MW) and degree of acetylation (DA) are described. The chitosan minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) are summarized according to recent data found in the literature. The potential to improve inhibitory growth of bacteria by using water soluble chitosan derivatives is also discussed. The data indicate that the effectiveness of chitosan varies and is dependent on species of target microorganisms.

Filmes finos de quitosana (média massa molecular) foram produzidos a partir de soluções precursoras em diversas concentrações e caracterizados com respeito à estrutura e grau de absorção de água. Os filmes foram obtidos por adsorção sobre lâminas de vidro previamente funcionalizadas (técnica de automontagem). Análises por microscopia eletrônica de varredura e de força atômica revelaram espessuras fracamente relacionadas à concentração do polissacarídeo, com espessuras não superiores a 25-30 nm e caracterizados por estrutura de nano poros. A afinidade por água indica, por sua vez, forte dependência com um comportamento do tipo exponencial com a concentração de quitosana. Testes comparativos em solução tampão também foram realizados demonstrando comportamento diverso ao obtido com água.

Chitosan thin-films (medium molar mass) were produced from different concentration precursor solution and characterized regarding structure and water absorption capability. Films were obtained from direct dipping of glass slides previously functionalized into acid medium gels (self-assembly technique). Analysis of scanning electron and atomic force microscopy data revealed a film thickness of less than 25-30 nm with low dependence upon polymer concentration. All films were featured as a nano porous structure. The water affinity, however, varies exponentially (2ls) with the chitosan content. Comparison tests in buffer solution were also carried out pointing to different behavior from that found for water.

The protein lysozyme was deposited onto a permeable support comprising chemically functionalized glass fiber. The main objective of this study was to set a stable organic net with no effect on the medium bed permeability and a preliminary test the activity of this enzyme under immobilized conditions. The film formation is followed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) surface imaging. The effect on the bacteria Escherichia coli was tested using a simple microfiltration column. The filtration results pointed around 75% removal of bacteria in the effluent when compared to the influent concentration. The removal mechanism is assumed as being essentially due biointeraction. The surface polarity characteristics of the formed film were also considered as playing an important role, suggesting an electrostatic interaction mechanism in the microorganism removal.