A new approach for separation and recovery of betaine from beet molasses based on cloud point extraction technique

Rethinking the Esterquats: Synthesis, Stability, Ecotoxicity and Applications of Esterquats Incorporating Analogs of Betaine or Choline as the Cation in Their Structure

Esterquats constitute a unique group of quaternary ammonium salts (QASs) that contain an ester bond in the structure of the cation. Despite the numerous advantages of this class of compounds, only two mini-reviews discuss the subject of esterquats: the first one (2007) briefly summarizes their types, synthesis, and structural elements required for a beneficial environmental profile and only briefly covers their applications whereas the second one only reviews the stability of selected betaine-type esterquats in aqueous solutions. The rationale for writing this review is to critically reevaluate the relevant literature and provide others with a "state-of-the-art" snapshot of choline-type esterquats and betaine-type esterquats. Hence, the first part of this survey thoroughly summarizes the most important scientific reports demonstrating effective synthesis routes leading to the formation of both types of esterquats. In the second section, the susceptibility of esterquats to hydrolysis is explained, and the influence of various factors, such as the pH, the degree of salinity, or the temperature of the solution, was subjected to thorough analysis that includes quantitative components. The next two sections refer to various aspects associated with the ecotoxicity of esterquats. Consequently, their biodegradation and toxic effects on microorganisms are extensively analyzed as crucial factors that can affect their commercialization. Then, the reported applications of esterquats are briefly discussed, including the functionalization of macromolecules, such as cotton fabric as well as their successful utilization on a commercial scale. The last section demonstrates the most essential conclusions and reported drawbacks that allow us to elucidate future recommendations regarding the development of these promising chemicals.

Influence of Infill Level and Post-Processing on Physical Parameters and Betaine Content of Enriched 3D-Printed Sweet Snacks

Betaine is a non-essential amino acid with proven functional properties and untapped potential for cereal food enrichment. While 3D printing represents a viable approach for manufacturing enriched cereal-based foods with novel shapes and textures, it is crucial to consider the impact of printing parameters and post-processing on the betaine content and properties of these products. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of the infill level (20, 30 and 40%) of 3D-printed cuboid shapes and the post-processing techniques (drying oven, vacuum dryer, air fryer) of betaine-enriched oat-based snacks on the print quality, texture, and sensory properties, as well as the content of preserved betaine. The interaction of post-processing technique and infill level influenced the length deviation and texture properties, as well as the betaine content of snacks. Height stability was only influenced by post-processing technique. In general, oven-dried snacks showed the best dimensional stability, having the lowest width/length deformation (about 8%) at the infill level of 20%. Betaine was best preserved (19-31% loss) in snacks post-processed in a vacuum dryer (1281-1497 mg/g), followed by an air fryer and a drying oven, where betaine loss was in the range 28-55%. Air-fried snacks with 40% infill level had the highest values of instrumentally measured crunchiness (38.9 Nmm) as well as sensory test values for liking of texture (7.5), intensity of odor (6) and overall flavor (6). Overall, air frying proved to be a convenient and quick post-processing technique for 3D-printed snacks, but infill patterns for preserving betaine should be further explored. Vacuum drying could be used to preserve bioactive compounds, but efforts should be made to minimize its negative impact on the physical deformations of the 3D-printed products.

Betaine as a Functional Ingredient: Metabolism, Health-Promoting Attributes, Food Sources, Applications and Analysis Methods

Betaine is a non-essential amino acid with proven functional properties and underutilized potential. The most common dietary sources of betaine are beets, spinach, and whole grains. Whole grains-such as quinoa, wheat and oat brans, brown rice, barley, etc.-are generally considered rich sources of betaine. This valuable compound has gained popularity as an ingredient in novel and functional foods due to the demonstrated health benefits that it may provide. This review study will provide an overview of the various natural sources of betaine, including different types of food products, and explore the potential of betaine as an innovative functional ingredient. It will thoroughly discuss its metabolic pathways and physiology, disease-preventing and health-promoting properties, and further highlight the extraction procedures and detection methods in different matrices. In addition, gaps in the existing scientific literature will be emphasized.

Reactive Extraction of Betaine from Sugarbeet Processing Byproducts

Betaine from natural sources is still preferred over its synthetic analogue in secondary industries. It is currently obtained by expensive separation means, which is one of the main reasons for its high cost. In this study, reactive extraction of betaine from sugarbeet industry byproducts, that is, molasses and vinasse, was investigated. Dinonylnaphthalenedisulfonic acid (DNNDSA) was used as the extraction agent, and the initial concentration of betaine in the aqueous solutions of byproducts was adjusted to 0.1 M. Although maximum efficiencies were obtained at unadjusted pH values (pH 6, 5, and 6 for aqueous betaine, molasses, and vinasse solutions, respectively), the effect of aqueous pH on betaine extraction was negligible in the range of 2-12. The possible reaction mechanisms between betaine and DNNDSA under acidic, neutral, and basic conditions were discussed. Increasing the extractant concentration significantly increased (especially in the range of 0.1-0.4 M) the yields, and temperature positively (but slightly) affected betaine extraction. The highest extraction efficiencies (∼71.5, 71, and 67.5% in a single step for aqueous betaine, vinasse, and molasses solutions, respectively) were obtained with toluene as an organic phase solvent, and it was followed by dimethyl phthalate, 1-octanol, or methyl isobutyl ketone, indicating that the efficiency increased with decreasing polarity. Recoveries from pure betaine solutions were higher (especially at higher pH values and [DNNDSA] < 0.5 M) than those from vinasse and molasses solutions, indicating the adverse influence of byproduct constituents; however, the lower yields were not due to sucrose. Stripping was affected by the type of organic phase solvent, and a significant amount (66-91% in single step) of betaine in the organic phase was transferred to the second aqueous phase using NaOH as the stripping agent. Reactive extraction has a great potential for use in betaine recovery due to its high efficiency, simplicity, low energy demand, and cost.

Recent advances in extraction technologies for recovery of bioactive compounds derived from fruit and vegetable waste peels: A review

Fruits and vegetables are the most important commodities of trade value among horticultural produce. They are utilized as raw or processed, owing to the presence of health-promoting components. Significant quantities of waste are produced during fruits and vegetables processing that are majorly accounted by waste peels (∼90-92%). These wastes, however, are usually exceptionally abundant in bioactive molecules. Retrieving these valuable compounds is a core objective for the valorization of waste peel, besides making them a prevailing source of beneficial additives in food and pharmaceutical industry. The current review is focused on extraction of bioactive compounds derived from fruit and vegetable waste peels and highlights the supreme attractive conventional and non-conventional extraction techniques, such as microwave-assisted, ultrasound assisted, pulsed electric fields, pulsed ohmic heating, pressurized liquid extraction, supercritical fluid extraction, pressurized hot water, high hydrostatic pressure, dielectric barrier discharge plasma extraction, enzyme-assisted extraction and the application of "green" solvents say as well as their synergistic effects that have been applied to recover bioactive from waste peels. Superior yields achieved with non-conventional technologies were identified to be of chief interest, considering direct positive economic consequences. This review also emphasizes leveraging efficient, modern extraction technologies for valorizing abundantly available low-cost waste peel, to achieve economical substitutes, whilst safeguarding the environment and building a circular economy. It is supposed that the findings discussed though this review might be a valuable tool for fruit and vegetable processing industry to imply an economical and effectual sustainable extraction methods, converting waste peel by-product to a high added value functional product.

Whole-cell biocatalytic synthesis of S-(4-chlorophenyl)-(pyridin-2-yl) methanol in a liquid-liquid biphasic microreaction system

This work aims to synthesize S-(4-chlorophenyl)-(pyridin-2-yl) methanol (S-CPMA) in a green, economic, and efficient way. In the water-cyclohexane liquid-liquid system, recombinant Escherichia coli (E. coli) was used as a whole-cell catalyst and retained > 60% of its catalytic activity after five reuse cycles. In situ accumulation of the substrate/product in the organic phase effectively improves substrate tolerance and reduces product inhibition and toxicity. Meanwhile, a microreaction system consisting of membrane dispersion and three-dimensional (3D) bending-microchannel was developed to successfully generate droplet swarms with an average diameter of 30 μm. Large specific surface area provided high mass transfer efficiency between phases. While the analogous reaction in a traditional stirred tank required > 270 min to achieve a yield of > 99%, in this biphasic microreaction system, the yield reached 99.6% with a high enantiomeric excess (ee) of > 99% in only 80 min. Efficient synthesis was achieved by reducing the time by 70%.

Recent advances of green pretreatment techniques for quality control of natural products

A few advancing technologies for natural product analysis have been widely proposed, which focus on decreasing energy consumption and developing an environmentally sustainable manner. These green sample pretreatment and analysis methods following the green Analytical Chemistry (GAC) criteria have the advantage of improving the strategy of chemical analyses, promoting sustainable development to analytical laboratories, and reducing the negative effects of analysis experiments on the environment. A few minimized extraction methodologies have been proposed for replacing the traditional methods in the quality evaluation of natural products, mainly including solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and liquid phase microextraction (LPME). These procedures not only have no need for large numbers of samples and toxic reagent, but also spend a small amount of extraction and analytical time. This overview aims to list out the main green strategies on the application of quality evaluation and control for natural products in the past 3 years.

Novel, energy efficient and green cloud point extraction: technology and applications in food processing

Recently, a novel technique for extraction of functional thermally sensitive bioactive components from food has been developed due to its green efficacy (no toxic chemicals) and cost effectiveness. Cloud point extraction (CPE) is one of the such best alternative techniques that can be used for extraction of wide range of organic and inorganic components using green surfactants. It is a simple, rapid and inexpensive extraction technique which involves clustering of non-ionic surfactant monomers to form a hydrophobic core (micelle), which then entraps the hydrophobic bioactive compounds within it. CPE can be applied for extraction of bioactives from food processing waste as well as separation and purification of proteins. Besides that, research has received special attention on sample preparation for analysis of food constituents in the last decade. The scope of CPE is very vast in these sectors because of the advantages of CPE over other methods. This review deals with significance of CPE method and their potential green applications in food processing.