Triggered and controlled release of bioactives in food applications

Bioactive compounds (e.g., nutraceuticals, micronutrients, antimicrobial, antioxidant) are added to food products and formulations to enhance sensorial/nutritional attributes and/or shelf-life. Many of these bioactives are susceptible to degradation when exposed to environmental and processing factors. Others involve in undesirable interactions with food constituents. Encapsulation is a useful tool for addressing these issues through various stabilization mechanisms. Besides protection, another important requirement of encapsulation is to design a carrier that predictably releases the encapsulated bioactive at the target site to elicit its intended functionality. To this end, controlled release carrier systems derived from interactive materials have been developed and commercially exploited to meet the requirements of various applications. This chapter provides an overview on basic controlled and triggered release concepts relevant to food and active packaging applications. Different approaches to encapsulate bioactive compounds and their mode of release are presented, from simple blending with a compatible matrix to complex multiphase carrier systems. To further elucidate the mass transport processes, selected diffusion and empirical release kinetic models are presented, along with their brief historical significance. Finally, interactive carriers that are responsive to moisture, pH, thermal and chemical stimuli are presented to illustrate how these triggered release mechanisms can be useful for food applications.

Triggered and controlled release of active gaseous/volatile compounds for active packaging applications of agri-food products: A review

Gaseous and volatile active compounds are versatile to enhance safety and preserve quality of agri-food products during storage and distribution. However, the use of these compounds is limited by their high vapor pressure and/or chemical instability, especially in active packaging (AP) applications. Various approaches for stabilizing and controlling the release of active gaseous/volatile compounds have been developed, including encapsulation (e.g., into supramolecular matrices, polymer-based films, electrospun nonwovens) and triggered release systems involving precursor technology, thereby allowing their safe and effective use in AP applications. In this review, encapsulation technologies of gases (e.g., CO₂ , ClO₂ , SO₂ , ethylene, 1-methylcyclopropene) and volatiles (e.g., ethanol, ethyl formate, essential oils and their constituents) into different solid matrices, polymeric films, and electrospun nonwovens are reviewed, especially with regard to encapsulation mechanisms and controlled release properties. Recent developments on utilizing precursor compounds of bioactive gases/volatiles to enhance their storage stability and better control their release profiles are discussed. The potential applications of these controlled release systems in AP of agri-food products are presented as well.

Tuning the exchange dynamics of boronic acid hydrazones and oximes with pH and redox control

Dynamic bonds continually form and dissociate at equilibrium. Carbonyl compounds with proximal boronic acids, including 2-formylphenylboronic acid (2-FPBA), have been reported to form highly dynamic covalent hydrazone and oxime bonds in physiological conditions, but strategies to tune the dynamics have not yet been reported. Here, we characterize the dynamics of 2-FPBA-derived hydrazones and oximes and account for both the rapid rate of formation (∼102-103 M-1 s-1) and the relatively fast rate of hydrolysis (∼10-4 s-1) at physiological pH. We further show that these substrates undergo exchange with α-nucleophiles, which can be reversibly paused and restarted with pH control. Finally, we show that oxidation of the arylboronic acid effectively abolishes the rapid dynamics, which slows the forward reaction by more than 30 000 times and increases the hydrolytic half-life from 50 minutes to 6 months at physiological pH. These results set the stage to explore these linkages in dynamic combinatorial libraries, reversible bioconjugation, and self-healing materials.

Potential Dental Biofilm Inhibitors: Dynamic Combinatorial Chemistry Affords Sugar-Based Molecules that Target Bacterial Glucosyltransferase

We applied dynamic combinatorial chemistry (DCC) to find novel ligands of the bacterial virulence factor glucosyltransferase (GTF) 180. GTFs are the major producers of extracellular polysaccharides, which are important factors in the initiation and development of cariogenic dental biofilms. Following a structure‐based strategy, we designed a series of 36 glucose‐ and maltose‐based acylhydrazones as substrate mimics. Synthesis of the required mono‐ and disaccharide‐based aldehydes set the stage for DCC experiments. Analysis of the dynamic combinatorial libraries (DCLs) by UPLC‐MS revealed major amplification of four compounds in the presence of GTF180. Moreover, we found that derivatives of the glucose‐acceptor maltose at the C1‐hydroxy group act as glucose‐donors and are cleaved by GTF180. The synthesized hits display medium to low binding affinity (K_D values of 0.4–10.0 mm) according to surface plasmon resonance. In addition, they were investigated for inhibitory activity in GTF‐activity assays. The early‐stage DCC study reveals that careful design of DCLs opens up easy access to a broad class of novel compounds that can be developed further as potential inhibitors.

Structure based discovery of novel hexokinase 2 inhibitors

Hexokinase 2 (HK2) is over-expressed in most of human cancers and has been proved to be a promising target for cancer therapy. In this study, based on the structure of HK2, we screened over 6 millions of compounds to obtain the lead. A total of 26 (E)-N'-(2,3,4-trihydroxybenzylidene) arylhydrazide derivatives were then designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their HK2 enzyme activity and IC₅₀ values against two cancer cell lines. Most of the 26 target compounds showed excellently in vitro activity. Among them, compound 3j showed the strongest inhibitory effects on HK2 enzyme activity with an IC₅₀ of 0.53 ± 0.13 μM and exhibited the most potent growth inhibition against SW480 cells with an IC₅₀ of 7.13 ± 1.12 μM, which deserves further studies.

Synthesis and Characterization of Ethyl Formate Precursor for Activated Release Application

Ethyl formate (EF) is a generally recognized-as-safe flavoring agent commonly used in the food industry. It is a naturally occurring volatile with insecticidal and antimicrobial properties, promising as an alternate fumigant to methyl bromide which is undesirable due to its ozone depletion in the stratosphere and toxic properties. However, EF is highly volatile, flammable, and susceptible to hydrolytic degradation. These properties present considerable end-use challenges. In this study, a precursor of EF was synthesized via the condensation reaction of adipic acid dihydrazide and triethyl orthoformate to form diethyl N,N'-adipoyldiformohydrazonate, as confirmed by Fourier transformed infrared and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis showed that the precursor had a melting point of 174 °C. The physical properties of the precursor were studied using scanning electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering analysis, which showed that the precursor was made up of agglomerated particulates with irregular shapes and sizes. The resulting precursor was nonvolatile and remained stable under dry conditions but could be hydrolyzed readily to trigger the release of EF. The release behaviors of EF from the precursor was evaluated by citric acid-catalyzed hydrolysis, showing that 0.38 ± 0.008 mg EF/mg precursor was released after 2 h at 25 °C, representing about 98% of the theoretical loading. Both EF release rate and its total release amount decreased significantly (p < 0.05) with decreasing temperature and relative humidity. The conversion of the highly volatile EF into a solid-state precursor, in conjunction with the activated release strategy, can be useful for controlled release of EF for fumigation and other applications in destroying insect pests and inhibiting the proliferation of spoilage microorganisms.

A multi-stimuli responsive conductive sonometallogel: a mechanistic insight into the role of ultrasound in gelation

We report here the synthesis of an ultrasound induced multi-responsive, fluorescent, conductive metallogel based on a non-fluorescent citric acid derived ligand (1), LiOH and Cd(OAc)₂ in DMF.

Correlation of antioxidant activities with theoretical studies for new hydrazone compounds bearing a 3,4,5-trimethoxy benzyl moiety

A new series of antioxidants, namely imines bearing the well-known free radical scavenger group 3,4,5-trimethoxybenzyloxy, was designed and synthesized. Theoretical calculations based on density functional theory (DFT) were performed to understand the antioxidant activities. Experimental studies evaluating the antioxidant activities of the compounds using DPPH and FRAP assays verified the predictions obtained by DMOL3 based on DFT.1. The DPPH radical scavenging activities depended on the substitution pattern of the aromatic aldehyde, with both the substitution type and position showing significant effects. Compounds 7b, 7c and 7d, which contain a phenolic hydroxyl group at the para position to the imine as well as, additional electron donating groups at the ortho-position to this hydroxyl group, exhibited IC₅₀ values of 62, 75 and 106 μg/mL, respectively, and potent antioxidant activities against DPPH, which were better than that of the reference compound BHT. With the exception of compounds 7a and 7h with a phenolic hydroxyl group at the ortho position, all of the investigated compounds exhibited ferric reducing activities above 1000 μM. Correlation analysis between the two antioxidant assays revealed moderate positive correlation (r = 0.59), indicating differing antioxidant activities based on the reaction mechanism. Therefore, imines bearing a 3,4,5-trimethoxybenzyloxy group can be proposed as potential antioxidants for tackling oxidative stress.

Perspectives in chemistry--aspects of adaptive chemistry and materials

Chemistry, pure and applied, is a science and an industry. By its power over the expressions of matter, it also displays the creativity of art. It has expanded from molecular to supramolecular chemistry and then, by way of constitutional dynamic chemistry, towards adaptive chemistry. Constitutional dynamics allow for adaptation, through component exchange and selection in response to physical stimuli (e.g. light, photoselection), to chemical effectors (e.g. metal ions, metalloselection) or to environmental effects (e.g. phase change) in equilibrium or out-of-equilibrium conditions, towards the generation of the best-adapted/fittest constituent(s) in a dynamic set. Such dynamic systems can be represented by two-dimensional or three-dimensional dynamic networks that define the agonistic and antagonistic relationships between the different constituents linked through component exchange. The introduction of constitutional dynamics into materials science opens perspectives towards adaptive materials and technologies, presenting attractive behavioral features (such as self-healing). In particular, dynamic polymers may undergo modification of their properties (mechanical, optical, etc.) through component exchange and recombination in response to physical or chemical agents. Constitutional adaptive materials open towards a systems materials science and offer numerous opportunities for soft-matter technologies.

Dynamic combinatorial/covalent chemistry: a tool to read, generate and modulate the bioactivity of compounds and compound mixtures

Reversible covalent bond formation under thermodynamic control adds reactivity to self-assembled supramolecular systems, and is therefore an ideal tool to assess complexity of chemical and biological systems. Dynamic combinatorial/covalent chemistry (DCC) has been used to read structural information by selectively assembling receptors with the optimum molecular fit around a given template from a mixture of reversibly reacting building blocks. This technique allows access to efficient sensing devices and the generation of new biomolecules, such as small molecule receptor binders for drug discovery, but also larger biomimetic polymers and macromolecules with particular three-dimensional structural architectures. Adding a kinetic factor to a thermodynamically controlled equilibrium results in dynamic resolution and in self-sorting and self-replicating systems, all of which are of major importance in biological systems. Furthermore, the temporary modification of bioactive compounds by reversible combinatorial/covalent derivatisation allows control of their release and facilitates their transport across amphiphilic self-assembled systems such as artificial membranes or cell walls. The goal of this review is to give a conceptual overview of how the impact of DCC on supramolecular assemblies at different levels can allow us to understand, predict and modulate the complexity of biological systems.

Selective reduction of carboxylic acids to aldehydes through manganese catalysed hydrosilylation

The direct reduction of carboxylic acids to disilylacetals was achieved through a manganese catalyzed hydrosilylation reaction in the presence of triethylsilane under mild conditions, at r.t. and under UV irradiation (350 nm). The aldehydes were obtained in good to excellent yields after acidic hydrolysis.

Dynamic uptake and release from poly(methacryloyl hydrazide) microgel particles through reversible hydrazide-aldehyde chemistry

The uptake and release time-profiles of aldehydes from aqueous formulations can be fine tuned using hydrazide functional microgels.

Experimental and theoretical methods for the analyses of dynamic combinatorial libraries

Progresses in spatial and temporal analytical tools open new avenues for the study and control of increasingly complex chemical systems.

Solid-phase glycan isolation for glycomics analysis

Glycosylation is one of the most significant protein PTMs. The biological activities of proteins are dramatically changed by the glycans associated with them. Thus, structural analysis of the glycans of glycoproteins in complex biological or clinical samples is critical in correlation with the functions of glycans with diseases. Profiling of glycans by HPLC-MS is a commonly used technique in analyzing glycan structures and quantifying their relative abundance in different biological systems. Methods relied on MS require isolation of glycans from negligible salts and other contaminant ions since salts and ions may interfere with the glycans, resulting in poor glycan ionization. To accomplish those objectives, glycan isolation and clean-up methods including SPE, liquid-phase extraction, chromatography, and electrophoresis have been developed. Traditionally, glycans are isolated from proteins or peptides using a combination of hydrophobic and hydrophilic columns: proteins and peptides remain on hydrophobic absorbent while glycans, salts, and other hydrophilic reagents are collected as flowthrough. The glycans in the flowthrough are then purified through graphite-activated carbon column by hydrophilic interaction LC. Yet, the drawback in these affinity-based approaches is nonspecific binding. As a result, chemical methods by hydrazide or oxime have been developed for solid-phase isolation of glycans with high specificity and yield. Combined with high-resolution MS, specific glycan isolation techniques provide tremendous potentials as useful tools for glycomics analysis.

Applications of reversible covalent chemistry in analytical sample preparation

Reversible covalent chemistry (RCC) adds another dimension to commonly used sample preparation techniques like solid-phase extraction (SPE), solid-phase microextraction (SPME), molecular imprinted polymers (MIPs) or immuno-affinity cleanup (IAC): chemical selectivity. By selecting analytes according to their covalent reactivity, sample complexity can be reduced significantly, resulting in enhanced analytical performance for low-abundance target analytes. This review gives a comprehensive overview of the applications of RCC in analytical sample preparation. The major reactions covered include reversible boronic ester formation, thiol-disulfide exchange and reversible hydrazone formation, targeting analyte groups like diols (sugars, glycoproteins and glycopeptides, catechols), thiols (cysteinyl-proteins and cysteinyl-peptides) and carbonyls (carbonylated proteins, mycotoxins). Their applications range from low abundance proteomics to reversible protein/peptide labelling to antibody chromatography to quantitative and qualitative food analysis. In discussing the potential of RCC, a special focus is on the conditions and restrictions of the utilized reaction chemistry.

Multicomponent assembly of cavitand-based polyacylhydrazone nanocapsules

The thermodynamically controlled syntheses of different di-, tetra-, and hexacavitand polyacylhydrazone nanocapsules are reported. [2+4]-, [4+8]-, and [6+12]-nanocapsules assemble upon reacting a tetraformyl cavitand with two equivalents of isophthalic dihydrazide, or terephthalic dihydrazide in the presence of trifluoroacetic acid, whereby the building blocks are linked together through 8, 16, or 24 newly formed acylhydrazone bonds. Futhermore, the reaction of the tetraformylcavitands with different trigonal planar trihydrazides, simultaneously leads to the formation of [2+4]- and [6+8]-nanocapsules in varying ratios that depend on the cavitand to trihydrazide ratio and the nature of the cavitand and trihydrazide building blocks. The product ratios are rationalized with the different conformational strain of the acylhydrazone linkages in these nanocapsules. Diffusion NMR experiments with the hexacavitand polyacylhydrazone nanocapsules yield solvodynamic radii that range from 1.6 to 2.5 nm, consistent with estimates from force field calculations, and support, that these capsules have solvent filled, spherical interiors, the sizes of which approaches those of smaller proteins.