Preparation and properties of multifunctional sinapic acid corn bran arabinoxylan esters

Fabrication and characterization of dual-functional porous starch with both emulsification and antioxidant properties

Starchy materials with good antioxidant, emulsification and adsorption properties have potential applications in industry. To improve these properties, a Dual-functional porous starch was prepared through one-pot synthesis. In this case, octenyl succinic anhydride (OSA) and syringic acid (SA) were selected to modify the porous starch (PS) by esterification, with subsequent signals recorded by 1H NMR at 1.2 ppm and FT-IR at 1743 cm-1, indicating the formation of Dual-functional porous starch grafted by OSA and SA. N2 adsorption analysis further proved that the porous structure (2.9 m2g-1) was still maintained after modification. This was followed by measurements of droplet size distribution (34.18 ± 3.80 μm), zeta potential (-39.62 ± 1.89 mV) and emulsion index (85.10 ± 1.76 %), all of which indicated good emulsifying capacity. Meanwhile, results of radical scavenging assay proved that the Dual-functional porous starch had considerable antioxidant properties due to the introduction of SA groups. Besides, the Dual-functional porous starch also showed good resistance to digestion. These findings not only provide a novel strategy for constructing multi-functionalized starchy materials, but also open up potential applications of starch in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

Ultrasound-assisted extraction and characteristics of maize polysaccharides from different sites

Antitumor, antioxidant, hypoglycemic, and immunomodulatory properties are all exhibited by maize polysaccharides. With the increasing sophistication of maize polysaccharide extraction methods, enzymatic method is no longer limited to a single enzyme to extract polysaccharides, and is more often used in combination with ultrasound or microwave, or combination with different enzymes. Ultrasound has a good cell wall-breaking effect, making it easier to dislodge lignin and hemicellulose from the cellulose surface of the maize husk. The "water extraction and alcohol precipitation" method is the simplest but most resource- and time-consuming process. However, the "ultrasound-assisted extraction" and "microwave-assisted extraction" methods not only compensate for the shortcoming, but also increase the extraction rate. Herein, the preparation, structural analysis, and activities of maize polysaccharides were analyzed and discussed.

The Food-Materials Nexus: Next Generation Bioplastics and Advanced Materials from Agri-Food Residues

The most recent strategies available for upcycling agri-food losses and waste (FLW) into functional bioplastics and advanced materials are reviewed and the valorization of food residuals are put in perspective, adding to the water-food-energy nexus. Low value or underutilized biomass, biocolloids, water-soluble biopolymers, polymerizable monomers, and nutrients are introduced as feasible building blocks for biotechnological conversion into bioplastics. The latter are demonstrated for their incorporation in multifunctional packaging, biomedical devices, sensors, actuators, and energy conversion and storage devices, contributing to the valorization efforts within the future circular bioeconomy. Strategies are introduced to effectively synthesize, deconstruct and reassemble or engineer FLW-derived monomeric, polymeric, and colloidal building blocks. Multifunctional bioplastics are introduced considering the structural, chemical, physical as well as the accessibility of FLW precursors. Processing techniques are analyzed within the fields of polymer chemistry and physics. The prospects of FLW streams and biomass surplus, considering their availability, interactions with water and thermal stability, are critically discussed in a near-future scenario that is expected to lead to next-generation bioplastics and advanced materials.

Molecular modification, structural characterization, and biological activity of xylans

The differences in the source and structure of xylans make them have various biological activities. However, due to their inherent structural limitations, the various biological activities of xylans are far lower than those of commercial drugs. Currently, several types of molecular modification methods have been developed to address these limitations, and many derivatives with specific biological activity have been obtained. Further research on structural characteristics, structure-activity relationship and mechanism of action is of great significance for the development of xylan derivatives. Therefore, the major molecular modification methods of xylans are introduced in this paper, and the primary structure and conformation characteristics of xylans and their derivatives are summarized. In addition, the biological activity and structure-activity relationship of the modified xylans are also discussed.