Fabrication and characterization of antibacterial epsilon-poly-L-lysine anchored dicarboxyl cellulose beads

"Green" electrostatic droplet-assisted forming cellulose microspheres with excellent structural controllability and stability for efficient Cr(VI) removal

This study presents a novel and environmentally friendly method for producing cellulose microspheres (CM) with controllable morphology and size using electrostatic droplets. The traditional droplet method for CM production requires complex equipment and harmful reagents. In contrast, the proposed method offers a simple electrostatic droplet approach to fabricate CM10 at 10 kV, which exhibited a smaller volume, linear microscopic morphology, and a larger specific surface area, with a 36.60 % improvement compared to CM0 (prepared at 0 kV). CM10 also demonstrated excellent underwater structural stability, recovering in just 0.5 s, and exhibited the highest adsorption capacity for Cr(VI) at 190.16 mg/g, a 72.15 % improvement over CM0. This enhanced adsorption capacity can be attributed to the unique structure of CM10 and the introduction of more amino groups. Moreover, CM10 displayed good cyclic adsorption capacity and high dynamic adsorption efficiency, making it highly suitable for practical applications. CM10 exhibited remarkable adsorption capacity, stability, and practical value in treating Cr(VI) wastewater. This work proposes a simple and eco-friendly method for producing CM with excellent structural controllability and stability, providing an effective route for wastewater treatment.

Novel PVA/carboxylated cellulose antimicrobial hydrogel grafted with curcumin and ε-polylysine for chilled chicken preservation

PVA/CC/CUR/PL composite films containing curcumin (CUR) and ε-polylysine (PL) were prepared by casting and chemical grafting methods to address the threat to food spoilage. Morphological analysis showed that the grafting of CUR and PL resulted in a rough cross-section of the polymer matrix. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed the grafting of CUR and PL into the polymer matrix via esterification and amidation reactions, respectively. Thermal weight loss analysis showed that grafting process positively improved the thermal stability. The PVA/CC/CUR/PL films exhibited strong bactericidal activity, reaching 99.0% and 99.8% for Pseudomonas lundensis and Shewanella putrefaciens, respectively. After 8 days of storage, the total number of colonies and the TVB-N content in the PVA/CC/CUR/PL group decreased by 1.51 lg CFU/g and 13.77 mg/100 g, respectively. Therefore, PVA/CC/CUR/PL films are considered as a promising bactericidal material with good mechanical properties, functionality, and other excellent characteristics.

Impact of interactions between peanut protein isolate and cellulose nanocrystals on the properties of Pickering emulsions: Rheological properties and physical stabilities

The interactions between cellulose nanocrystals and proteins can regulate the interfacial properties of Pickering emulsions, which plays a leading role in the stabilities of Pickering emulsions. In this work, oil-in-water (O/W) Pickering emulsions with different oil-water ratios were prepared using peanut protein isolate modified by cellulose nanocrystals (PPI/CL-CNCs). The distributions of PPI/CL-CNCs at the oil-water interfaces and the microstructures of Pickering emulsions were observed by CLSM and cryo-SEM. The results showed that stable complexes PPI/CL-CNCs formed thick and dense interface layers on the surface of oil droplets. The results of rheological tests clarified that the Pickering emulsions showed an elastic and gel texture, and their gel strength could be enhanced by regulating the oil-water ratios from 3:7 to 7:3. In addition, after one month of storage, the EI of all emulsions remained above 92 % with no obvious phase separation or demulsification. These results suggested that the PPI/CL-CNCs-stabilized Pickering emulsions showed good physical stabilities. The study on the rheological properties and physical stabilities of PPI/CL-CNCs-based Pickering emulsions provided novel insights on developing highly stable Pickering emulsions.

Recent advances in microbial ε-poly-L-lysine fermentation and its diverse applications

The naturally occurring homo-polyamide biopolymer, ε-poly-L-lysine (ε-PL) consists of 25-35 L-lysine residues with amide linkages between α-carboxyl groups and ε-amino groups. ɛ-PL exhibits several useful properties because of its unusual structure, such as biodegradability, water solubility, no human toxicity, and broad-spectrum antibacterial activities; it is widely applied in the fields of food, medicine, clinical chemistry and electronics. However, current industrial production of ε-PL is only performed in a few countries. Based on an analysis of the physiological characteristics of ε-PL fermentation, current advances that enhance ε-PL fermentation, from strain improvement to product isolation are systematically reviewed, focusing on: (1) elucidating the metabolic pathway and regulatory mechanism of ε-PL synthesis; (2) enhancing biosynthetic performance through mutagenesis, fermentation optimization and metabolic engineering; and (3) understanding and improving the biological activity and functional properties of ε-PL. Finally, perspectives on engineering and exploiting ε-PL as a source material for the production of various advanced materials are also discussed, providing scientific guidelines for researchers to further improve the ε-PL fermentation process.

Regenerated Cellulose Products for Agricultural and Their Potential: A Review

Cellulose is one of the most abundant natural polymers with excellent biocompatibility, non-toxicity, flexibility, and renewable source. Regenerated cellulose (RC) products result from the dissolution-regeneration process risen from solvent and anti-solvent reagents, respectively. The regeneration process changes the cellulose chain conformation from cellulose I to cellulose II, leads the structure to have more amorphous regions with improved crystallinity, and inclines towards extensive modification on the RC products such as hydrogel, aerogel, cryogel, xerogel, fibers, membrane, and thin film. Recently, RC products are accentuated to be used in the agriculture field to develop future sustainable agriculture as alternatives to conventional agriculture systems. However, different solvent types and production techniques have great influences on the end properties of RC products. Besides, the fabrication of RC products from solely RC lacks excellent mechanical characteristics. Thus, the flexibility of RC has allowed it to be homogenously blended with other materials to enhance the final products' properties. This review will summarize the properties and preparation of potential RC-based products that reflect its application to replace soil the plantation medium, govern the release of the fertilizer, provide protection on crops and act as biosensors.

Characterization and antibacterial properties of epsilon-poly- l-lysine grafted multi-functional cellulose beads

In recent years, harmful microorganisms in water pose great harm to ecological environment and human health. To solve this problem, epsilon-poly-l-lysine (EPL) grafted cellulose beads were prepared via 2, 2, 6, 6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO) mediated oxidation and carbodiimide mediated cross-linking reaction. Hydroxyl groups on C6 of cellulose were oxidized to carboxyl groups by TEMPO and grafting reaction was achieved between newly formed carboxyl groups of cellulose and amino of EPL. The beads were characterized by FTIR, SEM, XRD and TGA. The crystalline form of cellulose transformed from cellulose I to cellulose II after being dissolved and regenerated. The grafted cellulose beads showed good antibacterial activities against Gram-negative Escherichia coli, Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris with 10 h. The beads could be biodegraded in soil after 28 days. It is expected that the bio-based composite beads could have potential applications in water purification and food treatment fields.