Inulin extraction from Stevia rebaudiana roots in an autoclave.

Inulin is a polymer of d-fructose, characterized by the presence of a terminal glucose, and are a major component of Stevia rebaudiana roots. This type of polymer has nutritional properties and technological applications, such as fat substitutes in low-calorie foods and as the coating of pharmaceuticals. The aim of this study was to evaluate an alternative method for inulin extraction, in terms of extraction time and yield, since the traditional method of extraction under reflux is both time and energy consuming.

Design of Nanostructured Lipid Carriers Containing (Palmarosa) Essential Oil against .

Palmarosa essential oil (PEO) is an alternative to synthetic fungicides to control the contamination by food-deteriorating fungi, such as . Nonetheless, the low long-term stability and volatility hamper its utilization. Thus, this study aimed to develop nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) containing PEO to improve its stability and consequently prolong the activity against .

Assessing Mucoadhesion in Polymer Gels: The Effect of Method Type and Instrument Variables.

The process of mucoadhesion has been widely studied using a wide variety of methods, which are influenced by instrumental variables and experiment design, making the comparison between the results of different studies difficult. The aim of this work was to standardize the conditions of the detachment test and the rheological methods of mucoadhesion assessment for semisolids, and introduce a texture profile analysis (TPA) method. A factorial design was developed to suggest standard conditions for performing the detachment force method.

A pH/enzyme-responsive polymer film consisting of Eudragit FS 30 D and arabinoxylane as a potential material formulation for colon-specific drug delivery system.

Polymer film based on pH-dependent Eudragit FS 30 D acrylic polymer in association with arabinoxylane, a polysaccharide issued from gum psyllium, was produced by way of solvent casting. Physical-chemical characterization of the polymer film samples was performed by means of thermogravimetry (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Furthermore, water-equilibrium swelling index (I(s)) and weight loss of the films in KCl buffer solution of pH 1.

Reaction of pectin and glycidyl methacrylate and ulterior formation of free films by reticulation.

In this work, low-methoxyl pectin was chemically modified by reaction with glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) to give a material with low hydrosolubility. After physio-chemical characterization by FT-IR, DSC, and TGA analyses, the methacrylated/modified pectin (Pect-GMA) was crosslinked after the addition of sodium persulfate (SP), that actuates as initiator, at 50 degrees C for 24 and 48h either in the presence or not of aqueous polymethacrylate dispersion (Eudragit RS 30 D) to obtain free films by Teflon plate "casting" process. Different Pect-GMA/Eudragit RS 30 D ratios and SP concentrations were used.