Physicochemical and powder characteristics of various citrus pectins and their application for oral pharmaceutical tablets

Novel films of pectin extracted from ambarella fruit peel and jackfruit seed slimy sheath: Effect of ionic crosslinking on the properties of pectin film

Here, we prepared ionically crosslinked films using pectin extracted from agro-wastes, specifically ambarella peels (AFP) and jackfruit seed slimy sheath (JFS). Physiochemical properties of pectins, including moisture content, molecular weight (Mw), degree of esterification (DE), and galacturonic acid (GA), were analyzed. Optimal extraction was determined, i.e., citric acid concentration 0.3 M, time 60 min, solid/liquid ratio 1:25, and temperature 90 °C for AFP or 85 °C for JFS. Pectin yields under these conditions were 29.67 % ± 0.35 % and 29.93 ± 0.49 %, respectively. AFP pectin revealed Mw, DE, and GA values of 533.20 kDa, 67.08 % ± 0.68 %, and 75.39 ± 0.82 %, while JFS pectin exhibited values of 859.94 kDa, 63.04 % ± 0.47 %, and 78.63 % ± 0.71 %, respectively. The pectin films crosslinked with Ca2+, Cu2+, Fe3+, or Zn2+ exhibited enhanced tensile strength and Young's modulus, along with reduced elongation at break, moisture content, water solubility, water vapor permeability, and oxygen permeability. Structural analyses indicated metal ions were effectively crosslinked with carboxyl groups of pectin. Notably, the Cu2+-crosslinked film demonstrated superior water resistance, mechanical properties, and exhibited the highest antioxidant and antibacterial activities among all tested films. Therefore, the pectin films represent a promising avenue to produce eco-friendly food packaging materials with excellent properties.

Physicochemical and thermal characterization of the edible shellac films incorporated with oleic acid to enhance flexibility, water barrier and retard aging

In this work, shellac plasticized with oleic acid was solvent cast to prepare the flexible and water-resistant film for packaging applications. The films were prepared with varying amounts of oleic acid and studied in detail for appearance, surface morphology, thermal, chemical, barrier, mechanical, and robustness. The surface morphology confirmed the smooth surface of films up to SH-OA20 (100:20 w/w; shellac: oleic acid). Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed that oleic acid reduced the hydrogen bonding of the shellac matrix to provide a plasticization effect. Also, the thermal analysis showed a reduction in the melting enthalpy. Moreover, the plasticized films had a better barrier to water vapor due to increased smoothness and reduction in brittleness. Adding oleic acid also increased the elongation at break up to 40 % without any changes in tensile strength. The flexibility of the films increased with the oleic acid content, making them resistant to burst, crumbling, bending, rolling, and stretching. Oleic acid also showed the retardation of aging and thermal aging of shellac. In the future, the long-term stability and migration of the films can be investigated.

Evaluation of pectin extractions and their application in the alkaline Maillard reaction

A 2³ factorial design was used to evaluate the influence of temperature, catalyst and time and esterification degree (DE) of pectin obtained from mango, orange and tangerine peels as well as tamarind seeds by using the acid hydrolysis method. The study showed that a high temperature positively influenced the percentage of pectin yield for the four second generation biomasses. Nevertheless, the temperature showed a greater influence in the solubility and diffusion of the acid solvent in the tamarind seed matrix, resulting a pectin recovery 32.9%. Concerning the %DE, the most statistically significant value observed was dependent on the type of biomass studied. The %DE and the nature of the pectin are determining factors in the pectin's final use, in the present work the pectin extracted was used to produce furfural, a precursor of high value chemicals. The furfural production was achieved through alkaline hydrolysis and enhanced using the Maillard reaction, reaching a maximum concentration of 71.8 g/L which represents a 42.1% increase from the alkaline hydrolysis.

Evaluation of chitosan/xanthan gum polyelectrolyte complexes potential for pH-dependent oral delivery of escin

Escin is an amphiphilic and weakly acidic drug that oral administration may lead to the irritation of gastric mucosa. The entrapment of escin into chitosan (CH)/xanthan gum (XG)-based polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) can facilitate controlled drug release which may be beneficial for the reduction of its side effects. This study aimed to investigate the influence of escin content and drying method on the formation, physicochemical, and controlled, pH-dependent drug release properties of CH/XG-based PECs. Measurements of transmittance, conductivity, and rheological characterization confirmed the formation of CH/XG-based PECs with escin entrapped at escin-to-polymers mass ratios 1:1, 1:2, and 1:4. Ambient-dried PECs had higher yield, entrapment efficiency, and escin content in comparison with spray-dried ones. FT-IR spectra confirmed the interactions between CH, XG, and escin, which were stronger in ambient-dried PECs. PXRD and DSC analyses showed the amorphous escin character in all dry PECs, regardless of the drying method. The most promising controlled and pH-dependent in vitro escin release was from the ambient-dried PEC at the escin-to-polymers mass ratio of 1:1. For that reason and due to the highest yield and entrapment efficiency, this carrier has the potential to prevent the irritation of gastric mucosa after oral administration of escin.

Influence of spray-drying process on properties of chitosan/xanthan gum polyelectrolyte complexes as carriers for oral delivery of ibuprofen

Polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) are attractive carriers with recognized potential to enhance oral delivery of poorly soluble high-dosed low-molecular-weight drugs. The formulation of solid oral dosage forms requires the drying of PECs, which may affect their physicochemical and biopharmaceutical properties. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of spraydrying on the properties of ibuprofen-loaded chitosan/xanthan gum PECs and to assess the drug release kinetics from such PECs filled into hard capsules in comparison with corresponding PECs which are dried under ambient conditions. The yield, ibuprofen content, entrapment efficiency, and residual moisture content of spray-dried PECs were lower than those of ambient-dried PECs. Better flowability of spray-dried PECs was attributed to the almost spherical particle shape, shown by scanning electron microscopy. DSC and PXRD analysis confirmed the amorphization of ibuprofen during spray-drying. All the investigated PECs, obtained by drying under ambient conditions as well as by spray-drying, had high rehydration capacity both in 0.1 M hydrochloric acid (pH 1.2) and phosphate buffer pH 7.4. In vitro ibuprofen release from dried PECs was controlled during 12 h with the release of approximately 30% of entrapped ibuprofen. Spray-dried PECs provided better control of ibuprofen diffusion from the carrier compared to the ambientdried ones.

Dietary Fiber and Prebiotic Compounds in Fruits and Vegetables Food Waste

The fruits and vegetables processing industry is one of the most relevant food by-products, displaying limited commercial exploitation entailing economic and environmental problems. However, these by-products present a considerable amount of dietary fiber and prebiotics with important biological activities, such as gut microbiota modulation, lowering the glycemic load and replacing some unhealthy ingredients with an impact on food texture. Therefore, the international scientific community has considered incorporating their extracts or powders to preserve or fortify food products an area of interest, mainly because nowadays consumers demand the production of safer and health-promoting foods. In the present review, literature, mainly from the last 5 years, is critically analyzed and presented. A particular focus is given to utilizing the extracted dietary fibers in different food products and their impact on their characteristics. Safety issues regarding fruits and vegetables wastes utilization and anti-nutritional compounds impact were also discussed.

Synthesis, characterization and fabrication of sodium carboxymethyl-okra-gum-grafted-polymethacrylamide into sustained release tablet matrix

The objective of the present study was to modify okra gum (Abelmoschus esculentus) by carboxymethylation and subsequent graft-copolymerization, characterize and fabricate into sustained-release tablet matrix. Firstly, okra gum was carboxymethylated using sodium hydroxide and monochloroacetic acid followed by grafting with polymethacrylamide employing synergistic combination of free-radical-initiator and microwave-irradiation. The FTIR, NMR, elemental analysis and viscosity study corroborate the formation of sodium-carboxymethyl-okra gum-grafted-polymethacrylamide copolymer (SCMOG-g-PMA). The maximum degree of carboxymethyl-substitution (DCS) and % grafting (%G) were found to be 0.604 ± 0.011 and 644.1, respectively. Water-uptake-capacity was found to increase by 3.5 fold. The tablet formulation of diclofenac sodium with SCMOG-g-PMA (DCS 0.604 and 423.4% G) showed to exhibit excellent sustained-release capacity with 90% drug-release at 11.7 h and similarity-factor of 72.0. The toxicity and biodegradability study also exhibited the bio-compatible and biodegradable nature of the copolymer, which might make the copolymer suitable for sustained-release drug delivery systems as smart semi-synthetic biopolymer.

Chemoprevention of Colorectal Cancer by Dietary Compounds

Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of death, and the third most diagnosed type of cancer, worldwide. It is most common amongst men and women over 50 years old. Risk factors include smoking, alcohol, diet, physical inactivity, genetics, alterations in gut microbiota, and associated pathologies (diabetes, obesity, chronic inflammatory bowel diseases). This review will discuss, in detail, the chemopreventive properties of some dietary compounds (phenolic compounds, carotenoids, iridoids, nitrogen compounds, organosulfur compounds, phytosterols, essential oil compounds, polyunsaturated fatty acids and dietary fiber) against colorectal cancer. We present recent data, focusing on in vitro, laboratory animals and clinical trials with the previously mentioned compounds. The chemopreventive properties of the dietary compounds involve multiple molecular and biochemical mechanisms of action, such as inhibition of cell growth, inhibition of tumor initiation, inhibition of adhesion, migration and angiogenesis, apoptosis, interaction with gut microbiota, regulation of cellular signal transduction pathways and xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes, etc. Moreover, this review will also focus on the natural dietary compounds' bioavailability, their synergistic protective effect, as well as the association with conventional therapy. Dietary natural compounds play a major role in colorectal chemoprevention and continuous research in this field is needed.

Pectin Alleviates High Fat (Lard) Diet-Induced Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Mice: Possible Role of Short-Chain Fatty Acids and Gut Microbiota Regulated by Pectin

Consumption of pectin contributes to changes in the gut microbiota and the metabolism of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). We aimed to investigate the effects of and mechanism by which pectin prevented nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in mice that were fed a high-fat diet containing 30% lard (HF). HF-fed mice that orally ingested pectin for 8 weeks exhibited improvements in lipid metabolism and decreased oxidative stress and inflammation through a mechanism regulated by the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. Pectin dose-dependently generated an increase in acetic acid (from 566.4 ± 26.6 to 694.6 ± 35.9 μmol/mL, p < 0.05) and propionic acid (from 474.1 ± 84.3 to 887.0 ± 184.7 μmol/mL, p < 0.05) contents and significantly increased the relative abundance of Bacteroides (from 0.27% to 11.6%), Parabacteroides (from 3.9‰ to 5.3%), Olsenella (from 2.9‰ to 1.3%), and Bifidobacterium (from 0.03% to 1.9%) in the gut of HF-fed mice. Intestinal microbiota and SCFAs may thus contribute to the well-established link between pectin consumption and NAFLD.