A study of correlations between the release of drugs from petrolatum-based gels containing nonionic surfactants and some physical and physico-chemical characteristics of the gel systems

The in vitro release of benzocaine and 2-ethyIhexyl p-di-methylaminobenzoate (EH-PABA) from petrolatum-based gels either containing two nonionic surfactants, or not, was compared with some physical and/or physico-chemical characteristics of the drugs, the gels and the drug-gel systems. The surfactants had no effect on the release of EH-PABA, the less polar drug, whereas they decreased the release of benzocaine. Moreover, the release data show a complex dependence of diffusive properties of ben-zocaine on drug and surfactant concentration. Benzocaine appears to form mixed micelles with each of the two surfactants and/or undergoes self-aggregation phenomena within surfactant micelles. The results indicate that drug diffusion is influenced by gel porosity, drug molecular size and polarity and molecular interactions.
Ětude des corrélations entre la disponibilité des medicaments dans les gels a base de vaseline contenant des surfactifs non ioniques et quelques propriétés physiques et physicochimiques des gels     

Biodegradable polymers as encapsulation materials for cosmetics and personal care markets

The topical and transdermal delivery of active cosmetic ingredients requires safe and non‐toxic means of reaching the target sites without causing any irritation. Preservation of the active ingredients is also essential during formulation, storage and application of the final product. As many biologically active substances are not stable and sensitive to temperature, pH, light and oxidation, they require encapsulation to protect against unwanted degradation and also to target specific and controlled release of the active substance. The use of biodegradable polymers as encapsulation materials offers several advantages over other carrier materials. Encapsulation of active ingredients using biodegradable polymeric carriers can facilitate increased efficacy and bioavailability and they are also removed from the body via normal metabolic pathways. This article reviews current research on biodegradable polymers as carrier or encapsulation materials for cosmetic and personal care applications. Some of the challenges and limitations are also discussed. Examples of biodegradable polymers reviewed include polysaccharides, poly α‐esters, polyalkylcyanoacrylates and polyamidoamine dendrimers.     

The effect of the type and the concentration of the lipophilic surfactant on the stability and release kinetics of the W/O/W multiple emulsions

Stable multiple emulsions that contain different lipophilic surfactants in the internal aqueous phase have been formulated. The multiple systems were assessed by evaluating several parameters such as macroscopic aspect, droplet size, percent release and accelerated stability under centrifugation or elevated temperature. The effect of polymeric and monomeric surfactants on the release mechanism and stability was examined. An excess of monomeric surfactant in the oil phase enhances the release rate and decreases stability. The release rate can be decreased by an increase of the lipophilic surfactant concentration. It appears that the more the oil globule swells, the less hydrosoluble drug is released. As a result a high swelling capacity is associated with better stability.     

Pickering emulsions in foods - opportunities and limitations

In order to critically discuss the potential of Pickering-type emulsions in food applications this review provides the theoretical background of the stabilizing mechanisms, the resulting requirements for particles to stabilize these systems and the limitations resulting from these fundamental considerations. Food grade particle systems investigated in the past are presented. It becomes obvious that with a proper choice of a particle type, oil-in-water as well as water-in-oil emulsions can be achieved. For highly viscous products, products with a high internal phase volume and foams Pickering particles offer alternatives to commonly used surfactants. Pickering emulsions might be able to offer new approaches for fat reduction as well as encapsulation and sustained release of active ingredients. Nevertheless, a major part of successful systems have been achieved with silica or modified silica particles, which is not in line with the consumer demand for clean label, natural systems or not even food grade. However, the intriguing possibilities motivate and justify future research on the identification of new suitable ingredients, improvement of existing formulations and identification of new fields of application.     

Repair of dry skin by minerals in seawater: OLIGOMARINE® as a skin moisturizer

A typical formula for shampoo containing cationic polymers and anionic/amphoteric surfactants exhibits liquid–liquid phase separation under certain conditions when the shampoo is diluted with water upon the actual use in bathroom. The lower dense phase is considered to be an insoluble complex formed with the cationic polymer and mixed surfactants. Generally, this associative liquid–liquid phase separation is called 'coacervation' and the phase of complex is called 'coacervate'. Although it is well known that the usage texture of shampoo is influenced by coacervate, there are only a few reports about their relationship. In this work, we studied the properties of coacervate and its effect on the usage texture of shampoo, particularly focusing on the effect of the cationic polymer structure. We prepared five different model shampoos that contain various cationic polymers and studied the effect of the characteristics of the polymers on the condition of the complex formations, the amount of coacervate, the rheological properties and the adhesive behaviour of coacervate on the surface of damaged hair. It was found that both the structure and the degree of substitution of cationic polymer drastically changed the condition of coacervation. Moreover, the cationic polymers showed remarkable effect on the rheological properties and the adhesive behaviour of the coacervate on the damaged hair. These results implied that we could control the usage texture of shampoo by choosing proper cationic polymers to control coacervation.     

可持续生产再生资源表面活性剂的国际研究进展（网络首发、推荐阅读）

表面活性剂是重要的化学产品,作为乳化剂和界面改性剂应用于家用洗涤剂、个人护理产品、油漆和涂料、食品、化妆品和制药工业中。聚焦表面活性剂在研究和开发方面取得的最新国际进展,尤其以改善其在整个生命周期的生态可持续性,包括以再生资源为原料的衍生物、使用绿色制造原则生产、以及在消费者使用和处置过程中提高生物相容性和生物降解性。生物基表面活性剂来源于植物油、多糖、蛋白质、磷脂和其他可再生资源,目前约占表面活性剂市场的24%,这一比例预计还将增加,特别是在亚洲。可再生能源的使用对消费者很有吸引力,因为这能减少二氧化碳（一种与气候变化有关的温室气体）的产生。酶可以通过减少有机溶剂、水和能源的使用,减少副产品和废物的形成,大大提高工艺的可持续性。在用于合成表面活性剂的生物酶中,脂肪酶是最强效的,因其具有较高的生物催化活性、操作稳定性和形成或切割酯、酰胺和硫代酯键的能力。为了使酶成为表面活性剂的强效催化剂,需对其进一步研究开发,以提高催化生产率、稳定性和降低其购买成本。     

Protein‐Based Delivery Systems for the Nanoencapsulation of Food Ingredients

Many proteins possess functional attributes that make them suitable for the encapsulation of bioactive agents, such as nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals. This article reviews the state of the art of protein‐based nanoencapsulation approaches. The physicochemical principles underlying the major techniques for the fabrication of nanoparticles, nanogels, and nanofibers from animal, botanical, and recombinant proteins are described. Protein modification approaches that can be used to extend their functionality in these nanocarrier systems are also described, including chemical, physical, and enzymatic treatments. The encapsulation, retention, protection, and release of bioactive agents in different protein‐based nanocarriers are discussed. Finally, some of the major challenges in the design and fabrication of protein‐based delivery systems are highlighted.     

阳离子微粒乳化中性分散松香胶的制备与应用

在常压逆转工艺的基础上,采用阳离子共聚物型有机微粒/低分子表面活性剂体系对松香/松香甘油酯混合物进行乳化与分散,制得了稳定性良好的阳离子微粒乳化中性分散松香胶。实验研究结果表明,采用两种常规的阳离子低分子表面活性剂构成低分子表面活性剂复配体系时,阳离子共聚物型有机微粒/低分子表面活性剂体系可对松香/松香甘油酯混合物起到良好的乳化与分散作用。胶料用量超过0.5%时,所制得的阳离子微粒乳化中性分散松香胶可获得良好的应用效果,并可适用于近中性抄纸体系。当松香甘油酯在被乳化物中所占的质量分数为40%时,胶料应用效果最佳。     

Renewable sources: applications in personal care formulations

A global tendency for products considered environmentally sustainable, and ecologically obtained led the industry related to personal care formulations to fund the research and the development of personal care/cosmetics containing ingredients from natural resources. Furthermore, consumers are aware of environmental and sustainability issueans, thus not harming the environment represents a key consideration when developing a new cosmetic ingredient. In this study we review some examples of active ingredients or raw materials used in cosmetics/personal care/biomedical products that are coming from either through biotechnological systems, or as byproducts of several industries. A skin formulation containing biosynthetic actives, prepared by us and the study regarding its dermocosmetic properties are also described. The need for the standardization processes, the safety assessment tools, the improvement of the exploitation methods of these renewable sources in order the production to be ecologically and economically better are also discussed.     

Biodegradable polymers as wall materials to the synthesis of bioactive compound nanocapsules

BackgroundNanoparticles have been synthetized using polymers as wall materials to protect bioactive compounds against external factors (light, heat and oxygen), increasing the stability and improving the bioavailability of nanoencapsulated compounds.Scope and approachThe encapsulation processes and type of polymers (natural or synthetic) exert a direct impact on the synthesis of bioactive compound nanocapsules, which reflect in parameters, such as size, zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency, aqueous solubility, aqueous stability, surface permeability, desired bioactive compounds release profile and wall resistance; and these characteristics might limit its use by food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. This review summarizes researches on nanocapsules synthesis (advantages and limitations of different techniques) and focuses on the importance of different biodegradable polymers as wall materials for obtaining stable and safe nanocapsules.Key findings and conclusionsDifferent wall materials can be used to synthesize bioactive compound nanocapsules; however, biodegradable polymeric nanocapsules have proven to be one of the most stable structures during storage and showed high efficiency to control the release of encapsulated compounds and due to these characteristics, they have been focus of various studies for future applications in health and food-related areas.     

Antimicrobial activity of biodegradable polysaccharide and protein-based films containing active agents

Significant interest has emerged in the introduction of food packaging materials manufactured from biodegradable polymers that have the potential to reduce the environmental impacts associated with conventional packaging materials. Current technologies in active packaging enable effective antimicrobial (AM) packaging films to be prepared from biodegradable materials that have been modified and/or blended with different compatible materials and/or plasticisers. A wide range of AM films prepared from modified biodegradable materials have the potential to be used for packaging of various food products. This review examines biodegradable polymers derived from polysaccharides and protein-based materials for their potential use in packaging systems designed for the protection of food products from microbial contamination. A comprehensive table that systematically analyses and categorizes much of the current literature in this area is included in the review.     

表面活性剂对蔗糖结晶MA、CV及CRI影响的研究

本文对制糖工业常用的几种表面活性剂在影响蔗糖结晶平均孔径(MA),变异系数(CV)及晶体规一性指数(CRI)方面作了系统的研究。参考国内外资料,我们自行设计按装了一套性能良好的实验室模拟煮糖装置,它充分满足试验要求。试验结果表明:在糖膏煮炼过程中,应该选用降粘和降表面张力作用强,受糖液性质影响小的非离子型表面活性剂,这不仅可降低废蜜纯度,缩短煮糖时间,而且可改善蔗糖晶体外形和均匀度,提高成品白砂糖的感观质量。     

Structured Lipids‐Novel Fats with Medical,Nutraceutical, and Food Applications

Generally, structured lipids (SLs) are triacylglycerols (TAGs) that have been modified to change the fatty acid composition and/or their positional distribution in glycerol backbone by chemically and/or enzymatically catalyzed reactions and/or genetic engineering. More specifically, SLs are modified TAGs with improved nutritional or functional properties. SLs provide an effective means for producing tailor‐made lipids with desired physical characteristics, chemical properties, and/or nutritional benefits. The production, commercialization outlook, medical, and food applications of SLs are reviewed here. Physical property measurements for SL in food systems and future research needs for increased industrial acceptance are also included in this review.     

Electrospinning of Poly(vinyl alcohol) Nanofibers Loaded with Hexadecane Nanodroplets

Abstract: The feasibility of producing poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) nanofibers containing fine-disperse hexadecane droplets by electrospinning a blend of hexadecane-in-water emulsions and PVA was investigated. Hexadecane oil-in-water nanoemulsions (d₁₀= 181.2 ± 0.1 nm) were mixed with PVA at pH 4.5 to yield polymer-emulsion blends containing 0.5 to 1.5 wt% oil droplets and 8-wt% PVA. The solution properties of emulsions and emulsion-PVA blends (viscosity, conductivity, surface tension) were determined. Solutions were electrospun and the morphology and thermal properties of deposited fiber mats characterized by scanning electron microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. Fiber mats were dissolved in buffer to liberate incorporated hexadecane droplets and the buffer solutions analyzed by optical microscopy, UV-spectroscopy, and light scattering. Analysis of dry fiber mats and their solutions showed that emulsion droplets were indeed part of the electrospun fiber structures. Depending on the concentration of hexadecane in the initial emulsion-polymer blends, droplets were dispersed in the fibers as individual droplets or in form of aggregated flocs of hexadecane droplets. Nanofibers with spindle-like perturbations or nanofibers containing bead-like structures with approximately 5 times larger than the size of droplets in the original nanoemulsion were obtained. Remarkably, incorporation of hexadecane droplets in fibers did not alter size of individual droplets, that is, no coalescence occurred. The manufacture of solid matrix containing nanodroplets could be of substantial interest for manufacturers wishing to develop encapsulation system for lipophilic functional compounds such as lipid-soluble flavors, antimicrobials, antioxidants, and bioactives with tailored release kinetics. Practical Applications: The paper describes the formation of electrospun nanofibers from hydrophilic polymers that contain fine-disperse emulsion droplets. By incorporating emulsion droplets, a large variety of lipophilic ingredients can be easily loaded into the fibers’ hydrophilic polymer matrix. This is of practical importance as to date the only way to include a lipophilic ingredient in a nanofibers is by dissolving the lipophilic ingredient and polymer in an organic solvent followed by electrospinning. However, use of an organic solvent is (a) not feasible if one wants to electrospin hydrophilic polymers, and (b) use of organic solvents is generally highly undesirable in the food industry. Our results should be of interest to a number of industries such as the food, pharmaceutical, chemical, and personal care industries that are generally in need of novel matrices that can serve as carrier vehicles and release functional components such as flavors, antimicrobials, antioxidants, drugs, and bioactives.     

No. 3 Vol. 42, No. 3, pp. 218–225, 2008 Optimizing performance of makeup products by controlling surface free energy

As a popular method for longwearing lipsticks, self-organizing polymers [e.g. glyceryl ether modified dimethicone (GE)], which can form a gel with a small amount of water are used. However, these polymers have the defect that they tend to inhibit the dispersibility of pigments, especially in a lipstick containing a large amount of liquid isoparaffin that has high moisturizing properties. In this study, the compatibility of the longwearing property and the high dispersibility of pigments in isoparaffin-rich lipstick has been investigated. The introduction of alkyl chain moieties to the GE structure markedly improved the pigment dispersibility. However, random copolymerization type structure inhibited the longwearing properties. On the other hand, the introduction of an alkyl chain to the both ends of GE did not affect the longwearing properties. For further improvement of the pigment dispersibility, fine silica particles were investigated as a dispersant. The compatibility of longwearing properties and good dispersibility of pigments was achieved with silica particles. TEM observation and ¹H-NMR measurement revealed that GE was absorbed on silica particles and the silica formed a network in the lipstick composition. We assume that this organic-inorganic hybrid aggregate has no adverse effect on the properties of pigments in the lipstick, hence no flocculation of pigments occurs.
Keywords:  longwearing lipstick, polymer, pigment, dispersibility, fine particle silica, glyceryl ether modified dimethicone, moisturizing properties, organic-inorganic hybrid aggregate, alkyl chain     

Structure and physical stability of hybrid model systems containing pork meat and superworm (Zophobas morio larvae): The influence of heating regime and insect: meat ratio

Hybrid model systems, containing pork shoulder meat and Zophobas morio larvae in different insect:meat ratios, were subjected to isothermal heating at 70 or 80 °C to investigate how this would affect the rheological behavior, water holding properties and textural properties of these model systems. Meat and insect model systems were also studied for comparison. Rheological and textural characteristics were significantly higher in meat model systems compared to insect and hybrid model systems. Furthermore, insect:meat ratio had little to no effect on the studied attributes of the hybrid model systems. It was also demonstrated that heating the hybrid model systems at 80 °C resulted in similar viscoelastic and water holding properties compared to meat model systems heated at 70 °C. However, even when heated at this higher temperature, the maximum force measured during penetration of the hybrid model systems was still approximately 3 times lower compared to meat model systems.Industrial relevanceThis study investigated the effect of insect:meat ratio and heating temperature on structure formation and water holding in hybrid model systems. The results offer important insights with regard to the composition and processing of hybrid meat products. They indicate that similar viscoelastic and water holding properties compared to meat products may be obtained by applying higher heating temperatures. However, results showed that obtaining the desired texture may pose an important challenge when developing hybrid meat products.     

Review of techniques to manufacture micro-hydrogel particles for the food industry and their applications

Microgels are ‘soft’ microscopic cross-linked polymeric particles that are being increasingly exploited in a variety of industries for rheology control, encapsulation and targeted delivery. They are valued because of the ability to tune their functionality to address specific applications in oil recovery, coatings, drug delivery, cosmetics, personal care and foods. Food microgels are typically biopolymer hydrogels in the form of microspheres, nanospheres (also called nanogels), spheroids and fibres. The utilisation of engineered microgels in foods has so far been limited, despite their great potential to address several needs in the food industry, including: satiety control, encapsulation of phytonutrients and prebiotics, texture control for healthier food formulations (e.g. reduced fat products), and targeting delivery to specific areas in the digestive tract. We review the scientific and patent literature on the utilisation and manufacturing methods for producing microgels with an emphasis on micro-hydrogels for food applications.     

Future developments in cosmetic formulations

In recent years, there have been a great deal of interest in applications of microemulsions, liposomes (vesicles) and multiple emulsions in cosmetic formulations. These systems will provide the cosmetic industry with new types of formulations which are easier to apply, better functional benefit and potentially safer formulations. Microemulsions are thermodynamically stable systems and hence shelf life is no problem. Many cosmetic ingredients can be adequately solubilized in the swollen micelles of the microemulsions. Such solubilized systems may enhance transport and diffusion through various barriers, eg., the skin, thus enhancing the efficacy of the formulations. However, microemulsions may cause skin irritation by disrupting the liquid crystalline structure of the stratum corneum. This problem may be overcome by formulating microemulsions, which on evaporation produce lamellar liquid crystalline structures. The problem of skin irritation is certainly reduced or eliminated using liposomes or vesicles, which offer an alternative to microemulsions. The principles for formation and stabilization of vesicles are discussed in this paper and research work is needed to produce nanocapsules from liposomes, using polymerizable surfactants. Multiple emulsions of the water/oil/water (w/o/w) or oil/water/oil (o/w/o) types are also valuable systems for formulating cosmetics. In the first place, they offer a means of sustained release of the various ingredients. Secondly, they allow one to separate the various ingredients in the formulation, thus preventing their possible interaction. The basic principles required for preparation of stable multiple emulsions are summarised. Developments of polymeric surfactants led to the formulation of stable multiple emulsions. An example of a recently formulated stable w/o/w multiple emulsion is given in this paper The stability of the system was investigated using optical microscopy. Creaming occurred on storage, particularly at high temperature (40°C) and this was significantly reduced by addition of Kelzan (a polysaccharide with high molecular weight). The final formulation was studied rheological techniques.     

Poly(ethylene glycol)-alpha-chymotrypsin complex catalytically active in anhydrous isooctane

Enzymatic catalysis in predominantly organic media has undergone rapid expansions, particularly over the past decade. There are numerous potential advantages in employing enzymes in organic media. However, there are some crucial defects in the native enzyme-catalyzed biocatalyses, such as a decrease in their reaction rate due to diffusional limitations of substrates. To overcome these defects, enzymes modified chemically with polymers and physically with surfactants, which were soluble in organic solvents, were often used. However, they had inherent drawbacks. On the other hand, the enzymes modified physically with polymers were found to be soluble and catalytically active in organic media. To date, however, the effect of the amount of added polymers on the enzyme activity has not been clarified, even though this may be an important factor governing the activity of polymer-enzyme complexes in organic media. In this study, we obtained a complex of an enzyme and a hydrophilic polymer by lyophilizing an aqueous solution containing a polymer and an enzyme. We found that the polymer-enzyme complex was catalytically active in organic media even when the molar ratio of polymer/enzyme in its preparation stage was unity, and that the activity of the polymer-enzyme complex increased with an increase in the molar ratio of polymer/enzyme, reached the maximum activity (ca. 7200-fold higher than that of the native enzyme suspended in organic media) and then gradually decreased.     

Effects of low-level hydrophobic substitution on conditioning properties of cationic cellulosic polymers in shampoo systems

A new class of cationic conditioning polymers (Polymer SL) has been prepared and evaluated in shampoo formulations. Polymer SL is a family of high viscosity quaternized hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) polymers with cationic substitution of trimethyl ammonium and dimethyldodecyl ammonium (Figure 1). SL compositions benefit from hydrophobic character to deliver superior conditioning performance in hair care applications. At the same time, low levels of hydrophobes have been chosen to assure good compatibility with surfactant systems without the complications of associative thickening. The polymers have been evaluated in clear shampoo formulations and two-in-one silicone containing shampoos using objective lab methods and subjective panel evaluation on hair tresses. Commercial conditioning polymers: Polyquaternium-10 (PQ-10) (UCARE Polymer LR-30 M™3) and Guar Hydroxypropyltrimethylammonium Chloride (Jaguar C-13S^®4) were used as performance benchmarks. The new hydrophobically-modified cationic polymers demonstrated superior performance in all major categories of conditioning and showed improved silicone deposition from two-in-one systems. Moreover, they retained other good qualities of their PQ-10 structural analogs such as enabling crystal clear formulations and showing no build-up or volume-down effects on hair. These new polymers were also found to be efficient conditioning agents in different surfactant systems with or without silicones. Supplied by Rhodia.