Simultaneous encapsulation of trans-resveratrol and vitamin D in highly concentrated double emulsions.

Background: Encapsulation of biocompounds is essential to protect them from environmental factors that could enhance their oxidation or cause them to lose their beneficial properties due to extreme photosensitivity, among other factors. The main goal of this work was to study the feasibility of preparing concentrated double emulsions with a high loading capacity containing simultaneously trans-resveratrol (RSV) and vitamin D (VitD ). Such emulsions could be used for food fortification or pharmaceutical formulations or as vehicles for targeted controlled release.

Enhancing trans-Resveratrol loading capacity by forcing W/O/W emulsions up to its colloidal stability limit.

Trans-Resveratrol (3, 5, 4'-trihydroxystilbene) is a naturally occurring polyphenol easily oxidizable and extremely photosensitive with a short biological half-life that must be encapsulated to maintain its beneficial properties on the human body. The aim of this work is to increase the amount of resveratrol encapsulated using concentrated double water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) emulsions, making these systems more interesting as ingredient for functional food products and/or pharmaceutical formulations. The concentration of the inner emulsion (W/O) for several external (WO/W) ratios was optimized in terms of encapsulation efficiency (EE), colloidal stability and rheological behaviour.

Cell immobilization of Streptomyces coelicolor : effect on differentiation and actinorhodin production.

Streptomycetes are mycelium-forming bacteria that produce two thirds of the clinically relevant secondary metabolites. Despite the fact that secondary metabolite production is activated at specific developmental stages of the Streptomyces spp. life cycle, different streptomycetes show different behaviors, and fermentation conditions need to be optimized for each specific strain and secondary metabolite.

Evaluation of ultra- and nanofiltration for refining soluble products from rice husk xylan.

Liquors from water treatments of rice husks (containing soluble xylan-derived products) were processed with NF and UF membranes for concentrating and removing both monosaccharides and non-saccharide compounds. Among the commercial membranes assayed, the best results were achieved with the 4 kDa polymeric tubular ESP04 (PCI Membranes), and the 1 kDa ceramic monolithic Kerasep Nano (Novasep). Several trade-offs were identified both in membrane selection and in operating conditions.

Membrane-assisted processing of xylooligosaccharide-containing liquors.

Liquors from rice husk autohydrolyis, containing xylooligosaccharides, other saccharides, and nonsaccharide compounds, were subjected to two selected processing schemes to increase the proportion of substituted xylooligosaccharides in refined liquors. Nanofiltration through a ceramic membrane with a molecular mass cutoff of 1000 Da allowed simultaneous concentration and purification; this latter derived from the preferential removal of monosaccharides and nonsaccharide compounds. When liquors were nanofiltered to achieve a volume reduction factor of 5 operating at a transmembrane pressure of 14 bar, 58.