Properties and antimicrobial activity of edible films incorporated with kiam wood (Cotyleobium lanceotatum) extract

The antimicrobial properties of wood extracts are well known; however their application to edible films is limited. In this study, the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of kiam wood extract was established as 300 mg/L at which bacterial growth was completely inhibited. The antimicrobial properties of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) films containing 1-5 fold of MBC of kiam wood extract were tested against Escherichia coli O175:H7, Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes. The edible films containing kiam wood extract exhibited more effective impact on the growth reduction of L. monocytogenes than S. aureus and E. coli (p < 0.05). The use of kiam wood extract at 1 and 2 fold of MBC incorporated into edible HPMC films did not exhibit any antimicrobial activity. However, the inhibitory effect of edible HPMC films containing kiam wood extract was observed at 3, 4 and 5 fold of MBC. The greatest zone of inhibition was observed at 5 fold of MBC incorporated in edible HPMC films. Tensile strength and elongation at break significantly decreased with the incorporation of kiam wood extract, whereas water vapor permeability and film solubility increased. The color of edible films became darker and more reddish-yellowish as well as having a lower transparency as the level of kiam wood extract was increased. Kiam wood extract incorporated in edible film provided the films with a rougher surface than pure edible film. Our results pointed out that the incorporation of kiam wood extract as a natural antibacterial agent has potential for use in extending the shelf life of food products.     

Sulfur containing poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) copolymer hydrogels for thermosensitive extraction of gold(III) ions

Poly[N‐isopropylacrylamide‐co‐[2‐(methylthio)ethyl methacrylate]], poly(NIPA‐co‐MTEMA) gels were prepared by free radical polymerization in aqueous solution. The homogeneous and heterogeneous gels were prepared by using 10 mM MTEMA in 5.0%(v/v) ethanol at 10°C and 30 mM MTEMA in 20%(v/v) ethanol at 50°C, in 1.0 and 1.5M NIPA solution, respectively. Homogeneous and heterogeneous gels had swelling ratios at 540 ± 28% and 551 ± 37%, respectively. The extraction of Au(III) ion was studied in batch method. The optimum pHs for the extraction of Au(III) by homogeneous and heterogeneous gels were 1–3 and 1–5, respectively. The suitable extraction time was 3 h at 50°C when using a rod‐shaped copolymer (0.7 cm diameter and 1 cm length). The adsorption behavior obeyed the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. The maximum sorption capacities of Au(III) onto homogeneous and heterogeneous gels were 62.8 and 322 μmol/g, respectively. The desorption equilibrium was reached within 2–3 h at 10°C by 0.1M thiourea in 5%(v/v) HCl. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

A highly selective electrochemical sensor for l‐tryptophan based on a screen‐printed carbon electrode modified with poly‐p‐phenylenediamine and CdS quantum dots

A new highly selective electrochemical sensor for the determination of l ‐tryptophan was proposed by modifying the surface of screen‐printed carbon electrodes (SPCEs). The surface of SPCE was firstly modified by electropolymerization of p‐phenylenediamine (PPD). The polymer film was then covalently linked with cysteamine capped cadmium sulfide quantum dots (Cys‐CdS QDs) by using glutaraldehyde (GA) as a cross‐linker resulted in an organic–inorganic hybrid composite film (QDs/GA/PPD/SPCE). The modified electrode was applied as a working electrode for detecting various amino acids. It was found that the modified electrode gave an electrochemical response selectively to l ‐tryptophan over other amino acids. The experimental parameters, including pH of solution, buffer types, electropolymerization cycles, scan rate, and accumulation time, were studied and optimized. The proposed sensor can be used to detect l ‐tryptophan with a low detection limit of 14.74 µmol L^?1 with good precision and the relative standard deviation less than 3.7%. The modified electrode was used to detect l ‐tryptophan in beverage samples and gave satisfactory recoveries from 91.9 to 104.9%. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40356.     

Copper–amine complexes as new catalysts for rigid polyurethane foam preparations

A new class of catalyst for the preparation of rigid polyurethane (RPUR) foams was developed. Metal(II)–amine complexes [M(en)₂ and M(trien), where M = Cu or Ni, en = ethylenediamine, and trien = triethylenetetramine] were synthesized and used as catalysts in the preparation of RPUR foams. The catalytic activity of the metal(II)–amine complexes and properties of the RPUR foams were investigated and compared to those prepared by N,N‐dimethylcyclohexylamine (DMCHA), which is a common commercial tertiary amine catalyst used in the preparation of RPUR foams. The use of M(en)₂ and M(trien) can improve the working environment in RPUR foam processing because DMCHA and other commercial tertiary amine catalysts have a strong odor, whereas M(en)₂ and M(trien) do not have any odor. The reaction times in RPUR foam preparation, namely, cream time, gel time, tack‐free time, and rise time, were investigated. These data indicated that the copper–ethylenediamine complex [Cu(en)₂] and copper–triethylenetetramine complex [Cu(trien)] had comparable catalytic activity to DMCHA, whereas the catalytic activity of the nickel complexes was not good. Attenuated total reflection–IR spectroscopy of the RPUR foams prepared with Cu(en)₂ and Cu(trien) showed quantitative isocyanate (NCO) conversion. The density and compressive strength of the RPUR foams prepared from Cu(en)₂ and Cu(trien) were comparable to those prepared from DMCHA. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

Extraction of nimbin from neem seeds using supercritical CO2 and a supercritical CO2–methanol mixture

Nimbin, a component found in neem seeds, which is reported to have several valuable medicinal properties including: anti-inflammatory, anti-pyretic, anti-fugal, antihistamine and antiseptic was extracted from neem seeds using supercritical CO₂ and CO₂ with a methanol modifier.Nimbin extraction yields using supercritical carbon dioxide were found to be approximately 85% at 308 K, 23 MPa and a CO₂ flow rate of 0.62 cm³/min for a 2-g sample of neem. An optimum extraction pressure appears to exist at ≈23 MPa and 328 K. Although extraction using a methanol modifier did improve the extraction somewhat, methanol was not found to be an effective modifier for extracting nimbin.Dynamic extraction curves were predicted using three empirical models and a theoretical model. The three empirical models were: a Langmuir gas adsorption model, a first order plus dead time (FOPDT) model and a so-called tⁿ cyclone model used to incorporate sigmoidal curves. The parameters in the empirical models were fitted to the experimental data. The Goto et al. [J. Chem. Eng. Jpn. 31 (1998) 171] theoretical model was compared to the experimental results and was found to fit the data well. The theoretical model shows that the extraction yield depends strongly on the solvent flow rate, that is, external mass transfer or equilibrium is the controlling step of this process.     

Nitrogen behavior in tropical wetland rice soils. 2. The efficiency of fertilizer nitrogen,priming effect and A-values

Results of tracer pot experiments show that in tropical wetland rice soils, rice plants recovered 50–69% of applied fertilizer N in the first cropping, 7–12% in the second cropping and 1–4% in the third cropping. Recovery of fertilizer N in the presence of incorporated rice straw was decreased to 45–53% (first cropping), 9–12% (second cropping), and 3–5% (third cropping), respectively. Application of fertilizer N resulted in the increase in plant uptake of native soil nitrogen due to priming effect which valued 3–29% of total N uptake by the rice plants. A-values calculated show overestimated amounts of available soil N in relation to plant uptake of native soil N. Perhaps their use in assessing fertilizer requirement in tropical wetland rice soils would be of limited meaning.     

Predicting the extraction yield of nimbin from neem seeds in supercritical CO2 using group contribution methods, equations of state and a shrinking core extraction model

The purpose of this paper is to present the predicted extraction of nimbin from neem seeds using supercritical CO₂ when only the molecule structure of nimbin is known. Group contribution methods (GCM) were used to estimate pure component properties, equations of state (EoS) to estimate the pressure/volume/temperature (PVT) behaviour and fugacity coefficient of solute in the solute–solvent mixture. Transport properties were estimated using available correlations and a shrinking core model was used to predict the extraction yield. The model predictions were compared with experimental data; the effect of CO₂ flow rate (0.24–1.24 mL/min), temperature (308–333 K), pressure (10–26 MPa), particle size (0.575–1.850 mm) and weight of neem kernel powder (1.0–2.5 g) were investigated. The predicted results were found to agree well with the measured results and the model was able to explain the presence of optimum yields that were observed experimentally.     

Sensitivity and working range of backside calibration potentiometry

A new direction in potentiometric sensing, termed backside calibration potentiometry, was recently introduced. It makes use of the fact that the stir effect disappears in the absence of an ion-ionophore complex concentration gradient across supported liquid ion-selective membranes. This method is especially suitable for measurements in which recalibration in the sample is not feasible, such as in remote monitoring applications. Here, a theoretical model is established to predict the working concentration range of the method. Lead(II)-selective Celgard membranes were used here with H+ as the dominant interfering ions. The emf difference for stirred and unstirred solutions was measured, and the magnitude of this emf change as a function of the sample Pb2+ concentration was found to exhibit a bell shape that spans approximately 3 orders of magnitude. The concentration of interfering ions and the selectivity of the membrane were demonstrated to be important factors that affect the working range. Smaller ratios of primary ion concentrations at both aqueous sides of the membrane gave smaller emf difference values, and emf changes could still be observed with a logarithmic concentration ratio of 0.05. All experimental results correlated satisfactorily with the theoretical model.