CO2-assisted production of polyethylene glycol / lauric acid microparticles for extended release of Citrus aurantifolia essential oil

A Mini-Review of the Main Effects of Essential Oils from Citrus aurantifolia, Ocimum basilicum, and Allium sativum as Safe Antimicrobial Activity in Poultry

Poultry production is accompanied by the use of antimicrobial agents because no production step is free of microorganisms. In the absence of antimicrobial treatments with synthetic drugs, essential oils are among the most cited natural alternatives used to prevent and treat microbial contamination in poultry. Although there are several studies on the antimicrobial properties of essential oils, there is still no review that simultaneously compiles information on the leading antimicrobial role of essential oils from Citrus aurantifolia (CAEO), Ocimum basilicum (OBEO), and Allium sativum (ASEO) in poultry. Awareness of the antimicrobial role of these substances opens the door to encouraging their use in natural antimicrobial protocols and discouraging harmful synthetics in poultry. This review aimed to compile information on applying CAEO, OBEO, and ASEO as antimicrobials in poultry farming. The available literature suggests that these essential oils can proportionately align with the poultry industry's demands for microbiologically safe food products.

An overview on the application of supercritical carbon dioxide for the processing of pharmaceuticals

Supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) application in the pharmaceutical industry is still undeveloped regardless of significant research interests in this processing medium shown in the last decades. ScCO2 technologies can improve drug solubility, bioavailability, and therapeutic effect. These technologies can lead to the development of new formulations that will contribute to a decrease in drug dose, medication frequency, and increase patients' well-being. Considering the significant decrease in the price of high-pressure equipment and society's growing need for cleaner production and safer products, it is expected that symbiosis between supercritical fluid and pharmaceutical technologies will happen soon. Therefore, this review was focused on the latest contributions of scCO2 technologies to the pharmaceutical field. The main aim was to bring these technologies closer to pharmaceutical specialists. For this purpose, the most commonly used technologies were explained and discussed: the preparation of solid dispersions, polymer impregnation with drugs, and drug micro/nanoparticle production using scCO2.

Essential Oils and Their Individual Components in Cosmetic Products

The current consumer demands together with the international regulations have pushed the cosmetic industry to seek new active ingredients from natural renewable sources for manufacturing more eco-sustainability and safe products, with botanical extract being an almost unlimited source of these new actives. Essential oils (EOs) emerge as very common natural ingredients in cosmetics and toiletries as a result of both their odorous character for the design and manufacturing of fragrances and perfumes, and the many beneficial properties of their individual components (EOCs), e.g., anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, and, nowadays, the cosmetic industry includes EOs or different mixtures of their individual components (EOCs), either as active ingredients or as preservatives, in various product ranges (e.g., moisturizers, lotions and cleanser in skin care cosmetics; conditioners, masks or antidandruff products in hair care products; lipsticks, or fragrances in perfumery). However, the unique chemical profile of each individual essential oil is associated with different benefits, and hence it is difficult to generalize their potential applications in cosmetics and toiletries, which often require the effort of formulators in seeking suitable mixtures of EOs or EOCs for obtaining specific benefits in the final products. This work presents an updated review of the available literature related to the most recent advances in the application of EOs and EOCs in the manufacturing of cosmetic products. Furthermore, some specific aspects related to the safety of EOs and EOCs in cosmetics will be discussed. It is expected that the information contained in this comprehensive review can be exploited by formulators in the design and optimization of cosmetic formulations containing botanical extracts.

Effect of Different Essential Oils on the Properties of Edible Coatings Based on Yam (Dioscorea rotundata L.) Starch and Its Application in Strawberry (Fragaria vesca L.) Preservation

Every year the world loses about 50% of fruits and vegetables post-harvest and in the supply chain. The use of biodegradable coatings and films with antioxidant properties has been considered an excellent alternative to extend the shelf life of food. Therefore, the objective of this work was to develop a coating based on yam (Dioscorea rotundata L.) starch-containing lime, fennel, and lavender essential oils to extend the shelf life of strawberries (Fragaria vesca l.). The tensile properties, barrier properties (water vapour permeability (WVP) and oxygen permeability (OP)), moisture content, water-solubility, absorption capacity, water contact angle, optical properties, the antioxidant activity of the resultant starch-based coatings were evaluated. After that, the active properties of the coatings were assessed on strawberries inoculated with Aspergillus niger during 14 days of storage at 25 °C. The results showed that the incorporation of essential oils improved the elongation and WVP and provided antioxidant capacity and antimicrobial activity in the films. In particular, the essential oil of lime showed higher antioxidant activity. This fact caused the unwanted modification of other properties, such as the decrease in tensile strength, elastic modulus and increase in OP. The present study revealed the potential use of lime, fennel, and lavender essential oils incorporated into a polymeric yam starch matrix to produce biodegradable active films (antioxidant and antimicrobial). Obtained films showed to be a viable alternative to increase the shelf life of strawberries and protect them against Aspergillus niger.

Supercritical fluid (SCF)-assisted fabrication of carrier-free drugs: An eco-friendly welcome to active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs)

Despite the success in developing various pharmaceutical formulations, most of the active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs)/drugs, according to the Biopharmaceutics Classification System (BCS), often suffer from various intrinsic limitations of solubility and permeability, substantially hindering their bioavailability in vivo. Regardless of the fact that the availability of different particle fabrication approaches (top-down and bottom-up) towards pharmaceutical manufacturing, the supercritical fluid (SCF) technology has emerged as one of the highly effective substitutes due to the environmentally benign nature and processing convenience, as well as the economically promising character of SCFs. The exceptional features of SCFs have endowed the fabrication of various APIs either solely or in combination with the compatible supramolecular species towards achieving improved drug delivery. Operating such APIs in high-pressure conditions often results in arbitrary-sized particulate forms, ranging from micron-sized to sub-micron/nano-sized particles. Comparatively, these SCF-processed particles offer enhanced tailorable physicochemical and morphological properties (size, shape, and surface), as well as improved performance efficacy (bioavailability and therapy) over the unprocessed APIs. Although the "carrier-based" delivery is practical among diverse delivery systems, the direct fabrication of APIs into suitable particulate forms, referred to as "carrier-free" delivery, has increased attention towards improving the bioavailability and conveying a high payload of the APIs. This review gives a comprehensive emphasis on the SCF-assisted fabrication of diverse APIs towards exploring their great potential in drug delivery. Initially, we discuss various challenges of drug delivery and particle fabrication approaches. Further, different supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO₂)-based fabrication approaches depending on the character of SCFs are explicitly described, highlighting their advantages and suitability in processing diverse APIs. Then, we provide detailed insights on various processing factors affecting the properties and morphology of SCF-processed APIs and their pharmaceutical applications, emphasizing their performance efficacy when administered through multiple routes of administration. Finally, we summarize this compilation with exciting perspectives based on the lessons learned so far and moving forward in terms of challenges and opportunities in the scale-up and clinical translation of these drugs using this innovative technology.

Utilization of Plantago major seed mucilage containing Citrus limon essential oil as an edible coating to improve shelf-life of buffalo meat under refrigeration conditions

This study is aimed to develop a novel edible coating based on Plantago major seed mucilage (PMSM) and Citrus limon essential oil (CLEO) to increase the shelf-life of buffalo meat during cold storage. The CLEO was firstly isolated by the hydrodistillation method, and it contained mainly limonene (40.5%) and carene (15.4%) with remarkable antioxidant activity (55.7%, 63.8%, and 51.85% based on the DPPH-radical scavenging, ABTS-radical scavenging, and carotene-linoleic acid bleaching tests, respectively) and antibacterial effect against some pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms. The CLEO (0%, 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, and 2%) was then incorporated into PMSM solution to develop a novel CLEO-loaded PMSM edible coating for improving the shelf-life of buffalo meat. The edible coating was able to significantly reduce the progression of lipid oxidation (peroxide value) and microbial growth (total viable count, psychrotrophic bacteria, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and fungi) in buffalo meat during storage period of 10 days at 4°C in comparison with the control (noncoated sample). The meat hardness and sensory properties (i.e., odor, color, appearance, texture, and overall acceptability) were also maintained better upon edible coating applications. Based on the results, the CLEO-rich PMSM edible coating could be applied as a new and effective preservative to improve the stability of meat products to lipid oxidation and microbial spoilage.

The effectiveness of surfactants applied with essential oil of Lippia alba in the anesthesia of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and their toxicity assessment for fish and mammals

The Lippia alba essential oil (EO) is a fish anesthetic immiscible in water and commonly used diluted in ethanol. We evaluated the effectiveness of surfactant use with Lippia alba EO in the anesthesia of Oreochromis niloticus, as well as its toxicity in fish and mammals. The EO was extracted by hydrodistillation and the fish were exposed to anesthesia at the concentration of 250 μL/L for 10 min with the surfactants polysorbate 20 (T20), polysorbate 80 (T80), polyethylene glycol (PEG), and ethanol. We also evaluated fish recovery and anesthetic safety margin after exposure for 10, 20, and 30 min. To assess the surfactants' toxicity in mammals, Mus musculus (mice) received the same treatments by gavage. The main constituents of the Lippia alba EO were linalool (42.36%), geraniol (12.46%), neral (10.7%), and limonene (7.45%). Deeper anesthesia was faster in the T20 (60 ± 2.9 s) and T80 (272 ± 21 s) treatment groups, while recovery time for T80 was longer (596 ± 47 s). All treatments showed a good safety margin, without mortality. The genotoxic effects caused by surfactants in mammals and fish were at similar levels to those found in the ethanol treatment. Therefore, this study demonstrated that the use of surfactants T20 and T80 in Oreochromis niloticus anesthesia presented neither a reduction nor a considerable increase of the toxicity when compared to the commonly used ethanol; however, an increase in anesthetic effectiveness was observed throughout the experiment.

Encapsulation of Flavours and Fragrances into Polymeric Capsules and Cyclodextrins Inclusion Complexes: An Update

Flavours and fragrances are volatile compounds of large interest for different applications. Due to their high tendency of evaporation and, in most cases, poor chemical stability, these compounds need to be encapsulated for handling and industrial processing. Encapsulation, indeed, resulted in being effective at overcoming the main concerns related to volatile compound manipulation, and several industrial products contain flavours and fragrances in an encapsulated form for the final usage of customers. Although several organic or inorganic materials have been investigated for the production of coated micro- or nanosystems intended for the encapsulation of fragrances and flavours, polymeric coating, leading to the formation of micro- or nanocapsules with a core-shell architecture, as well as a molecular inclusion complexation with cyclodextrins, are still the most used. The present review aims to summarise the recent literature about the encapsulation of fragrances and flavours into polymeric micro- or nanocapsules or inclusion complexes with cyclodextrins, with a focus on methods for micro/nanoencapsulation and applications in the different technological fields, including the textile, cosmetic, food and paper industries.

Modeling of the Production of Lipid Microparticles Using PGSS® Technique

Solid lipid microparticles (SLMPs) are attractive carriers as delivery systems as they are stable, easy to manufacture and can provide controlled release of bioactive agents and increase their efficacy and/or safety. Particles from Gas-Saturated Solutions (PGSS^®) technique is a solvent-free technology to produce SLMPs, which involves the use of supercritical CO₂ (scCO₂) at mild pressures and temperatures for the melting of lipids and atomization into particles. The determination of the key processing variables is crucial in PGSS^® technique to obtain reliable and reproducible microparticles, therefore the modelling of SLMPs production process and variables control are of great interest to obtain quality therapeutic systems. In this work, the melting point depression of a commercial lipid (glyceryl monostearate, GMS) under compressed CO₂ was studied using view cell experiments. Based on an unconstrained D-optimal design for three variables (nozzle diameter, temperature and pressure), SLMPs were produced using the PGSS^® technique. The yield of production was registered and the particles characterized in terms of particle size distribution. Variable modeling was carried out using artificial neural networks and fuzzy logic integrated into neurofuzzy software. Modeling results highlight the main effect of temperature to tune the mean diameter SLMPs, whereas the pressure-nozzle diameter interaction is the main responsible in the SLMPs size distribution and in the PGSS^® production yield.