Publications by authors named "Maria A Andres"

Curcuma root ( L.) is a very important plant in gastronomy and medicine for its unique antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. Conventional methods for the extraction of curcuma oil require long extraction times and high temperatures that can degrade the active substances.

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The objective of this work was to study the suitability of the pretreated vine shoots as a source of lignin and to determine its structural features. The best conditions to achieve the aim of this work were 12% NaOH, 124°C and 105min, as they permitted a removal of 67.7% of the lignin present in the pretreated vine shoots and the obtaining of a solid with a 69.

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As, in the market, poly (lactic acid) (PLA) is the most used polymer as an alternative to conventional plastics, and as functionalized chitin nanocrystals (CHNC) can provide structural and bioactive properties, their combination sounds promising in the preparation of functional nanocomposite films for sustainable packaging. Chitin nanocrystals were successfully modified via acylation using anhydride acetic and dodecanoyl chloride acid to improve their compatibility with the matrix, PLA. The nanocomposite films were prepared by extrusion/compression approach using different concentrations of both sets of functionalized CHNC.

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Use of plastic based packaging tools is causing both health and economic problems. To overcome this situation, researchers are focusing on the use of different biomaterials such as chitosan and cellulose. The current study was conducted to check the effect of flax (Linum usitatissimum) cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) on mechanical and barrier properties of chitosan-based films.

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