Structural characterization of starches from Chinese jackfruit seeds (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam)

Using waste biomass to produce 3D-printed artificial biodegradable structures for coastal ecosystem restoration

The loss of ecosystem functions and services caused by rapidly declining coastal marine ecosystems, including corals and bivalve reefs and wetlands, around the world has sparked significant interest in interdisciplinary methods to restore these ecologically and socially important ecosystems. In recent years, 3D-printed artificial biodegradable structures that mimic natural life stages or habitat have emerged as a promising method for coastal marine restoration. The effectiveness of this method relies on the availability of low-cost biodegradable printing polymers and the development of 3D-printed biomimetic structures that efficiently support the growth of plant and sessile animal species without harming the surrounding ecosystem. In this context, we present the potential and pathway for utilizing low-cost biodegradable biopolymers from waste biomass as printing materials to fabricate 3D-printed biodegradable artificial structures for restoring coastal marine ecosystems. Various waste biomass sources can be used to produce inexpensive biopolymers, particularly those with the higher mechanical rigidity required for 3D-printed artificial structures intended to restore marine ecosystems. Advancements in 3D printing methods, as well as biopolymer modifications and blending to address challenges like biopolymer solubility, rheology, chemical composition, crystallinity, plasticity, and heat stability, have enabled the fabrication of robust structures. The ability of 3D-printed structures to support species colonization and protection was found to be greatly influenced by their biopolymer type, surface topography, structure design, and complexity. Considering limited studies on biodegradability and the effect of biodegradation products on marine ecosystems, we highlight the need for investigating the biodegradability of biopolymers in marine conditions as well as the ecotoxicity of the degraded products. Finally, we present the challenges, considerations, and future perspectives for designing tunable biomimetic 3D-printed artificial biodegradable structures from waste biomass biopolymers for large-scale coastal marine restoration.

Hydrogel properties of non-conventional starches from guabiju, pinhão, and uvaia seeds

The physicochemical properties of starch vary depending on the botanical sources, thereby influencing the gelatinisation/retrogradation properties and subsequently affecting the hydrogels characteristics. This study aimed to assess the influence of botanical sources influence on starch and hydrogel properties using non-conventional starch derived from guabiju, pinhão, and uvaia seeds. Hydrogels were prepared by starch gelatinisation followed by 6 h ageing period at room temperature (20 ± 2 °C) and subjected to five freeze-thaw cycles. Pinhão starch exhibited a higher viscosity peak and breakdown, along with a lower final viscosity and setback, compared to guabiju and uvaia starches. The significantly different pasting properties influenced the porous microstructure, water absorption (p-value: 0.01), and resistance of the hydrogels (p-value: 0.01). The guabiju starch hydrogels showed a uniform pore structure without cavities, whereas pinhão and uvaia starch hydrogels exhibited agglomerated and spongy pore structures. Furthermore, the guabiju starch hydrogel demonstrated the lowest water absorption (4.56 g/g) and the highest compression resistance (1448.50 g) among all the studied starch hydrogels. In contrast, the pinhão starch hydrogel showed the highest water absorption (7.43 g/; p-value: 0.01) among all studied starch hydrogels. The hardness of uvaia starch hydrogel did not differ significantly from the guabiju and pinhão starch hydrogel. The different non-conventional starches reveal important variations in the hydrogels characteristics. This provides insights into how amylose and amylopectin interact and present alternatives for using these unique starch-based hydrogels in diverse applications.

Study of unripe and inferior banana flours pre-gelatinized by four different physical methods

This study aimed to prepare the pre-gelatinized banana flours and compare the effects of four physical treatment methods (autoclaving, microwave, ultrasound, and heat-moisture) on the digestive and structural characteristics of unripe and inferior banana flours. After the four physical treatments, the resistant starch (RS) content values of unripe and inferior banana flours were decreased from 96.85% (RS2) to 28.99-48.37% (RS2 + RS3), while C∞ and k values were increased from 5.90% and 0.039 min^-1 to 56.22-74.58% and 0.040-0.059 min^-1, respectively. The gelatinization enthalpy (ΔHg) and I_1047/1022 ratio (short-range ordered crystalline structures) were decreased from 15.19 J/g and 1.0139 to 12.01-13.72 J/g, 0.9275-0.9811, respectively. The relative crystallinity decreased from 36.25% to 21.69-26.30%, and the XRD patterns of ultrasound (UT) and heat-moisture (HMT) treatment flours maintained the C-type, but those samples pre-gelatinized by autoclave (AT) and microwave (MT) treatment were changed to C + V-type, and heat-moisture (HMT) treatment was changed to A-type. The surface of pre-gelatinized samples was rough, and MT and HMT showed large amorphous holes. The above changes in structure further confirmed the results of digestibility. According to the experimental results, UT was more suitable for processing unripe and inferior banana flours as UT had a higher RS content and thermal gelatinization temperatures, a lower degree and rate of hydrolysis, and a more crystalline structure. The study can provide a theoretical basis for developing and utilizing unripe and inferior banana flours.

Potential of Thai aromatic fruit (Artocarpus species) seed as an alternative natural starch for compact powder

This study aims to extract the starch from seeds of the Thai aromatic fruit (Artocarpus species), champedak (Artocarpus integer) and jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus L.) and evaluate its potential use as a raw material to develop compact powder as substitute for talcum in powder formulations. The chemical and physical characteristics as well as the physicochemical properties of the starch were also determined. Moreover, compact powder formulations using the extracted starch as an ingredient were developed and investigated. This study found that champedak (CS) and jackfruit starch (JS) provided a maximum average granule size of 10 μm. The bell or semi-oval shape and smooth surface of the starch granules was perfectly suited to compact powder development under the cosmetic powder pressing machine, which could reduce the opportunity of fracture during the process. CS and JS presented low swelling power and solubility but high water and oil absorption capacities, which could potentially increase the absorbency of the compact powder. Finally, the developed compact powder formulations provided a smooth surface with a homogeneous and intense colour. All formulations presented a highly adhesive property and were resistant to transport and normal handling by users.

Antioxidant capacity and antitumor activity of the bioactive protein prepared from orange peel residues as a by-product using fungal protease

Agricultural and industrial residues (AIR) are renewable biomass sources present in large quantities causing pollution. Converting AIR to eco-friendly products (bioactive materials) reduces their quantity and impact on the environment, in addition to reducing production costs. Therefore, orange peel (OP) protein degradation, antioxidant capacity, and antitumor activity were investigated using Aspergillus niger WA 2017 protease. The highest value of the protein hydrolysate with the highest antioxidant using the DPPH method was obtained after 24 h. The single-factor method boosted the protein hydrolysate and the DPPH antioxidant activity by 3.7 and 1.7-fold, respectively. Statistical optimized conditions (Central Composite Method) increased the hydrolysate value and the DPPH antioxidant activity by 1.6 and 1.1-fold, respectively. The central trial samples exhibited the highest DPPH antioxidant activity (62.37 %), while the control sample recorded 20 %. All antioxidant tests in vitro (DPPH, reducing power, ABTS, and FRAP) confirmed the superiority of the potent hydrolysate as a good antioxidant. In vitro antitumor activity, the potent hydrolysate exhibited the highest effect on the Ehrlich Ascites Carcinoma Cells viability as it recorded 60.62 % dead cells. In vivo antitumor activity, the volume of the untreated tumor mice was found to be 1.4-fold bigger than the volume obtained from the potent hydrolysate. The increase in life span (ILS %) for oral treatment and intraperitoneal injection treatment with the potent hydrolysate increased by 13.91 and 19.42 %, respectively, compared to the untreated tumor.

Effect of the Amylose Nanoscale Polymerization Index on the Digestion Kinetics and Mechanism of Recombinant Chinese Seedless Breadfruit Starch Triadic Complexes

The demand for multicomponent foods to meet human energy and nutritional needs has been increasing; however, few studies have addressed the theoretical basis for their preparation. We investigated the effect of the nanoscale polymerization index (DPw) of amylose on the logarithm of slope plot-based kinetics and the mechanism of digestion of starch-lauric acid-β-lactoglobulin protein complexes. Amylose from each of the five Chinese seedless breadfruit species was mixed with breadfruit amylopectin with the highest resistant starch (RS) content to form starch ternary complexes with various amylose DPws. All five complexes exhibited V-type crystalline diffraction and rod-like molecular configuration. Characteristic X-ray diffraction peaks and Fourier transform-infrared spectra of the ternary complexes revealed similar molecular configurations. As the amylose DPw increased, the complexing index, relative crystallinity, short-range order, weight-average molar mass, molecular density index, gelatinization temperature, decomposition temperature, RS, slowly digestible starch (SDS), and speed rate constants at the second hydrolysis stage (k₂) increased, whereas the semicrystalline lamellae thickness, mass fractal structure parameter, average characteristic crystallite unit length, radius of gyration, fractal dimension and cavities of granule surface microstructure, final viscosity, interval speed rate from SDS to RS, equilibrium concentration, and glycemic index decreased. The digestion kinetics exhibited highly significant variation according to the physiochemical properties and multiscale supramolecular structure (r > 0.99 or r < -0.99, p < 0.01). Together, these results identify amylose DPw as an important structural factor that markedly affects the kinetics and mechanism of ternary complex digestion and provide a new theoretical direction for the production of starch-based multicomponent foods.

Physicochemical, Morphological, and Cytotoxic Properties of Brazilian Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) Starch Scaffold Loaded with Silver Nanoparticles

Due to the physical, thermal, and biological properties of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), as well as the biocompatibility and environmental safety of the naturally occurring polymeric component, polysaccharide-based composites containing AgNPs are a promising choice for the development of biomaterials. Starch is a low-cost, non-toxic, biocompatible, and tissue-healing natural polymer. The application of starch in various forms and its combination with metallic nanoparticles have contributed to the advancement of biomaterials. Few investigations into jackfruit starch with silver nanoparticle biocomposites exist. This research intends to explore the physicochemical, morphological, and cytotoxic properties of a Brazilian jackfruit starch-based scaffold loaded with AgNPs. The AgNPs were synthesized by chemical reduction and the scaffold was produced by gelatinization. X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to study the scaffold. The findings supported the development of stable, monodispersed, and triangular AgNPs. XRD and EDS analyses demonstrated the incorporation of silver nanoparticles. AgNPs could alter the scaffold’s crystallinity, roughness, and thermal stability without affecting its chemistry or physics. Triangular anisotropic AgNPs exhibited no toxicity against L929 cells at concentrations ranging from 6.25 × 10−5 to 1 × 10−3 mol·L−1, implying that the scaffolds might have had no adverse effects on the cells. The scaffolds prepared with jackfruit starch showed greater crystallinity and thermal stability, and absence of toxicity after the incorporation of triangular AgNPs. These findings indicate that jackfruit is a promising starch source for developing biomaterials.

High-amylose maize starch: Structure, properties, modifications and industrial applications

High-amylose maize refers to a special type of maize cultivar with a 50 %-90 % amylose content of the total starch. High-amylose maize starch (HAMS) is of interest because it possesses unique functionalities and provides many health benefits for humans. Therefore, many high-amylose maize varieties have been developed via mutation or transgenic breeding approaches. From the literature reviewed, the fine structure of HAMS is different from the waxy and normal corn starches, influencing its gelatinization, retrogradation, solubility, swelling power, freeze-thaw stability, transparency, pasting and rheological properties, and even in vitro digestion. HAMS has undergone physical, chemical, and enzymatical modifications to enhance its characteristics and thereby broaden its possible uses. HAMS has also been used for the benefit of increasing resistant starch levels in food products. This review summarizes the recent developments in our understanding of the extraction and chemical composition, structure, physicochemical properties, digestibility, modifications, and industrial applications of HAMS.

Compatibilization of Starch/Synthetic Biodegradable Polymer Blends for Packaging Applications: A Review

The health and environmental concerns of the usage of non-biodegradable plastics have driven efforts to explore replacing them with renewable polymers. Although starch is a vital renewable polymer, poor water resistivity and thermo-mechanical properties have limited its applications. Recently, starch/synthetic biodegradable polymer blends have captured greater attention to replace inert plastic materials; the question of ‘immiscibility’ arises during the blend preparation due to the mixing of hydrophilic starch with hydrophobic polymers. The immiscibility issue between starch and synthetic polymers impacts the water absorption, thermo-mechanical properties, and chemical stability demanded by various engineering applications. Numerous studies have been carried out to eliminate the immiscibility issues of the different components in the polymer blends while enhancing the thermo-mechanical properties. Incorporating compatibilizers into the blend mixtures has significantly reduced the particle sizes of the dispersed phase while improving the interfacial adhesion between the starch and synthetic biodegradable polymer, leading to fine and homogeneous structures. Thus, Significant improvements in thermo-mechanical and barrier properties and water resistance can be observed in the compatibilized blends. This review provides an extensive discussion on the compatibilization processes of starch and petroleum-based polymer blends.

Antioxidant films and coatings based on starch and phenolics from Spondias purpurea L

The objective of this study was to prepare, for the first time, active films and coatings from fruit starch (SPFS) and phenolic stem bark extract (SBPE) from Spondias purpurea L. Starch film formulations were prepared with different SBPE contents (5-20 wt% on starch), then cast and dried into films. SBPE showed higher antioxidant activity and antimicrobial activity against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Chemical, morphological, thermal, optical, mechanical, and barrier properties were studied for SPFS-SBPE films. In general, the phenolic extract caused significant changes in starch films (especially when in excess), such as gradual reduction of elastic modulus and tensile strength, increased elongation, opacity, and thermal properties (e.g. glass transition and melting enthalpy). On the other hand, SBPE provided the films with active properties (antioxidant and UV-absorbing). Coatings were applied to minimally processed mangoes (MPM), which were stored for 10 days at 12 °C. SBPE-containing coatings provided better protective action, reducing the total color difference (∆E^⁎) and delaying the browning index (BI) during storage as well as reducing fungus attack. The active SPFS-SBPE films showed great potential as environmentally friendly active films and coatings.

Volatile profiles of five jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.) cultivars grown in the Mexican Pacific area

The volatile compounds of five kind of cultivars of jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.) grown in Nayarit, Mexico, was researched by using extraction and chromatographic methods such as headspace-solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Eighty-six volatile compounds were identified. The most prominent compounds in the analyzed cultivars were alkyl esters of 3-methylbutanoic acid. Ethyl 3-methylbutanoate was the most abundant ester in FMC, JMC and RMC cultivars (190.7-961.2 µg/kg), whereas butyl 3-methylbutanoate (152.8-205.2 µg/kg) and pentyl 3-methylbutanoate (105.1-210.9 µg/kg) were predominant in DMC and BMC cultivars. By utilizing clustering statistical techniques such as principal component analysis was possible to identify certain esters compounds (number and concentration) to differentiate each cultivar.

Holistic approach to microwave-reflux extraction and thermo-analytical fingerprints of under-utilized Artocarpus heterophyllus seed wastes

The increase in wastes generated from jackfruit seeds has been largely under-utilized in Malaysia. Due to the high nutritional and medicinal content embedded in the cellulosic structure of jackfruit wastes, a need then arises for their physicochemical elucidations. In this study, the extraction of Artocarpus heterophyllus seed was carefully investigated using Taguchi orthogonal optimization design. Complete functional group characteristics and chemical profile of the A. heterophyllus seed extracts were obtained using different physicochemical characterization. The optimal conditions of the microwave extraction parameters were determined at 5 min of irradiation time, 450 W of power and 50 °C of temperature. Under this condition, the optimal yield of 17.34 (mg/g) % was achieved at an SNR ratio of 24.78. The mass spectrometry analysis tentatively identified a total of 90 and 148 secondary metabolites at positive and negative ESI modes, respectively. The chemical profile obtained provided a baseline reference for further investigation on the food and medicinal bioactive from Artocarpus heterophyllus seed oleoresins. The FT-infrared emission spectrum shows the presence of some specific carbohydrates and amide protein functional groups directly linked to C–O (1008 cm⁻¹) the carbonyl (C=O) groups, respectively. Moreover, the morphological characteristics of the jackfruit raw and crude extracts conspicuously revealed large-sized globules which suggest the carbohydrates and protein contents. The result of this study indicates that the use of microwave extraction technology produced high-quality extracts with lower degradation of the thermal labile constituents. This will assist in determining the suitable conditions necessary for the total recovery of medicinal and nutritional constituents and conversion of agricultural waste products into useful products.

The effect of pH on the chemical and structural interactions between apple polyphenol and starch derived from rice and maize

To date, how pH affects starch-polyphenol mixtures has not been thoroughly investigated. This study explored the impact of combining apple polyphenol (AP) with both normal rice starch (NRS) and normal maize starch (NMS) across a range of pH conditions. NRS-AP mixture particle sizes across a pH range of 3-8 varied from 169.9 ± 5.4 to 187.5 ± 6.9 μm, while for NMS-AP particles, these sizes ranged from 161.8 ± 8.0 to 176.0 ± 4.9 μm, indicating that the aggregation of starch-AP was inhibited under low pH condition. The melting enthalpy (△H) values of the NRS-AP mixture across a pH range of 3-8 were 8.50 ± 0.06-9.56 ± 0.12 J/g, while the corresponding value for the NMS-AP mixture was 5.77 ± 0.05-6.21 ± 0.08 J/g. FTIR analyses revealed that the degree of order of these starch-AP mixtures significantly decreased under low pH conditions. XRD analysis further revealed that both NRS-AP and NMS-AP mixtures exhibited V-type structures, and relative crystallinity levels decreased significantly under low pH conditions. Together, these results indicate that low pH values inhibit the recrystallization of NRS-AP and NMS-AP mixtures. Overall, these findings provide additional evidence regarding the interactions between AP and specific starches under a range of pH conditions.

Supramolecular structure of Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam seed starch prepared by improved extrusion cooking technology and its relationship with in vitro digestibility

Jackfruit seed starch (JFSS) was modified by an improved extrusion cooking technology (IECT), and the supramolecular structure, molecular weight, debranched chain length distributions, relative crystallinity (Rc), and amylose content, were studied. During IECT, the α-1.4-glycosidic bond in amylopectin was broken, which led to decreased radius of gyration (Rg), number-average molar mass (Mn), weight-average molar mass (Mw), long chains and Rc. The medium and short chains and PI (Mw/Mn) increased, while the amylose content hardly changed. The crystalline structure of JFSS was converted from A-type to V-type. Increasing the temperature and screw speed during the treatment significantly increased the medium and short chains and Rg, while it decreased the long chains, amylose, Mn, Mw, PI, and Rc. However, the opposite effect was observed when increasing the moisture content. The in vitro digestibility of JFSS was significantly improved after IECT, due to destruction of starch supramolecular structure according to principal component analysis.

Yellow mombin and jackfruit seeds residues applied in the production of reducing sugars by a crude multi-enzymatic extract produced by Penicillium roqueforti ATCC 101110

BACKGROUND

As an alternative to the use of widely investigated agro-industrial residues, the present study aimed to promote the valorization of two selected residues, yellow mombin seed (YS) and jackfruit seed (JS), as a result of their enhanced performance.

RESULTS

YS was applied as a solid state substrate for Penicillium roqueforti ATCC 101110 cultivation (25 °C, A_w = 0.963, 10⁷ spores g^-1 and 142 h) to produce a crude multi-enzymatic extract (CE-YS) containing activities of CMCase = 31.95 U g^-1 , xylanase = 56.85 U g^-1 , exoglucanase = 5.55 U g^-1 and FPase = 24.60 U g^-1 . CE-YS was then applied to six different residues saccharification and the best performance was obtained with jackfruit seed residue (JS), which was selected for enzymatic saccharification. The highest productivity of reducing sugars expressed as glucose (6.26 mg g^-1 h^-1 ) was obtained under the conditions: 40.7 g L^-1 JS, 5 mmol L^-1 MgCl₂ , 65 °C, 120 rpm, pH 3.0 (citrate buffer 50 mmol L^-1 ) and 18 h.

CONCLUSION

The residues, YS and JS, can be used satisfactorily for the production of bioproducts of great industrial applicability, such as crude extracts (containing cellulolytic enzymes) and RS (which can be converted, for example, into bioethanol). © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Effect of Pre-hydrolysis on Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation of Native Rye Starch

The rising population and increasing demand for food place added pressure on the agricultural sector to maintain high process efficiency while implementing environmentally friendly methods. In this study, we investigate the effect of pre-hydrolysis of native rye starch and its influence on the yield of ethanol obtained by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) from high gravity rye mashes with 25% and 28% w w−1 dry matter content. Fermentation was carried out in a 3-day system at a temperature of 35 ± 1 °C using the dry distillery yeast Ethanol Red (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). The characteristics of the tested raw material and changes in the native rye starch during enzymatic hydrolysis were analyzed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The SEM images revealed characteristic changes on the surface of the starch, which was found to have a layered structure, as well as interesting behavior by the yeast during SSF when the glucose concentration in the environment was lowered. Both in the mashes with 25% and 28% w w−1 dry matter, starch pre-hydrolysis did not significantly increase either the initial amounts of sugars available to the yeast or the fermentation efficiency and ethanol yield in comparison to the mashes without this pre-treatment.