Fabrication and characterization of food-grade fibers from mixtures of maltodextrin and whey protein isolate using needleless electrospinning

Dietary Supplementation of Haskap Berry (Lonicera caerulea L.) Anthocyanins and Probiotics Attenuate Dextran Sulfate Sodium-Induced Colitis: Evidence from an Experimental Animal Model

Haskap berry (Lonicera caerulea L.) is a rich dietary source of anthocyanins with potent anti-inflammatory properties. In this study, isolated haskap berry anthocyanins were encapsulated in maltodextrin and inulin (3:1) by freeze-drying to improve stability and bioavailability. The structural properties of microcapsules, encapsulation yield, efficiency, recovery, and powder retention were evaluated. The microcapsules that exhibited the highest encapsulation efficiency (60%) and anthocyanin recovery (89%) were used in the dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced acute colitis in mice. Thirty-five BALB/c male mice of seven weeks old were divided into seven dietary supplementation groups (n = 5) to receive either free anthocyanins, encapsulated anthocyanins (6.2 mg/day), or probiotics (1 × 109 CFU/day) alone or as combinations of anthocyanin and probiotics. As observed by clinical data, free anthocyanin and probiotic supplementation significantly reduced the severity of colitis. The supplementary diets suppressed the DSS-induced elevation of serum inflammatory (interleukin (IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor) and apoptosis markers (B-cell lymphoma 2 and Bcl-2-associated X protein) in mice colon tissues. The free anthocyanins and probiotics significantly reduced the serum IL-6 levels. In conclusion, the dietary supplementation of haskap berry anthocyanins and probiotics protects against DSS-induced colitis possibly by attenuating mucosal inflammation, and this combination has the potential as a health-promoting dietary supplement and nutraceutical.

Properties of galactomannans and their textile-related applications-A concise review

Galactomannans are reserve carbohydrates in legume plants and are primarily extracted from their seeds. They contain galactose side chains throughout the mannose backbone and have unique features such as emulsifying, thickening, and gelling together with biodegradability, biocompatibility, and non-toxicity, which make them an appealing material. Guar gum and locust bean gum mainly are used in all galactomannan needed applications. Nonetheless, tara gum and fenugreek gum have also attracted considerable attention in recent decades. Despite the increased usage of galactomannans in the textile-related fields in recent years, there is no review article published yet. To fill this gap and to demonstrate the striking and increasing importance of galactomannans, a concise summary of the properties of common galactomannans and their comparisons is given first, followed by an account of recent developments and applications of galactomannans in the textile-related fields. The associated potential opportunities are also provided at the end of this review.

Sustainable production of curable maltodextrin-based electrospun microfibers

Maltodextrins are inexpensive, water-soluble starch hydrolysis products composed of high molecular weight polysaccharide molecules. This feature allows their water solutions to be processed by electrospinning to produce bio-based microfibrous mats. Also, the presence of hydroxyl functions along the maltodextrin's backbone enables cross-linking reactions to be performed, necessary to overcome the intrinsic solubility of the starting material, by exploiting suitable functional molecules. In this work, the electrospinning process to obtain fibre deposition from water solutions of five different commercial maltodextrins was firstly optimized. Well-defined fibres with diameters ranging between 1.1 μm and 1.5 μm were successfully obtained using water as the unique solvent. Subsequently, the same maltodextrin-containing water solutions with citric acid added were then processed again. The presence of citric acid did not hinder the spinnability of the studied systems, while the possibility to achieve a one-step thermal curing of the obtained fibres was proved via solubility tests, TGA, and FTIR-ATR analyses. Eventually, bio-based cross-linked mats with fibre diameters ranging from 0.7 μm to 1.4 μm were obtained from the electrospinning of commercial maltodextrins and citric acid, employing water as the unique solvent and environmentally friendly curing processes. This approach enables the reported mats to be further studied for environmental, pharmaceutical, and medical applications.

Advances in Fabricating the Electrospun Biopolymer-Based Biomaterials

Biopolymers formed into a fibrous morphology through electrospinning are of increasing interest in the field of biomedicine due to their intrinsic biocompatibility and biodegradability and their ability to be biomimetic to various fibrous structures present in animal tissues. However, their mechanical properties are often unsatisfactory and their processing may be troublesome. Thus, extensive research interest is focused on improving these qualities. This review article presents the selection of the recent advances in techniques aimed to improve the electrospinnability of various biopolymers (polysaccharides, polynucleotides, peptides, and phospholipids). The electrospinning of single materials, and the variety of co-polymers, with and without additives, is covered. Additionally, various crosslinking strategies are presented. Examples of cytocompatibility, biocompatibility, and antimicrobial properties are analyzed. Special attention is given to whey protein isolate as an example of a novel, promising, green material with good potential in the field of biomedicine. This review ends with a brief summary and outlook for the biomedical applicability of electrospinnable biopolymers.

Improvement of emulsifying behavior of pea proteins as plant-based emulsifiers via Maillard-induced glycation in electrospun pea protein–maltodextrin fibers

This work studies the interfacial and emulsifying properties of pea protein isolate-maltodextrin conjugates produced via the first step of the Maillard reaction in electrospun protein–polysaccharide fibers.

Formation of Whey Protein Isolate (WPI)-Maltodextrin Conjugates in Fibers Produced by Needleless Electrospinning

Glycation of proteins via the first stage of the Maillard reaction is capable of improving their stability but not economically feasible yet. This work reports the glycation of whey protein isolate (WPI) with maltodextrin at a high yield after heating electrospun fibers made from the reactants. Glycoconjugates were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and SDS-PAGE. The binding ratio between WPI and maltodextrin was assessed via the free amino groups. The molecular weight of the conjugates and the reaction yield were studied by size exclusion chromatography. The impact of different mass ratios between WPI and maltodextrin in the fibers (5:95, 10:90, 20:80, and 25:75 w/w) was investigated. With increasing WPI content, the binding ratio of maltodextrin decreased from ∼2.1 to ∼1.2. Preferably small polysaccharides (2-13 kDa) from the maltodextrin reacted. Protein specific reaction yields of up to 44.52 ± 7.46% w/w were demonstrated in all WPI-maltodextrin fibers after heating.