Electrospray‐assisted fabrication of core‐shell arabinoxylan gel particles for insulin and probiotics entrapment

This work presents the fabrication and characterization of electro‐sprayed core‐shell particles that were composed of maize bran arabinoxylans (MBAX) with insulin in the core, and maize wastewater arabinoxylans (MWAX) with Bifidobacterium in the shell. Two concentrations of MBAX (3% and 6% w/v) and MWAX (6% and 10% w/v) were evaluated. The particles fabricated with MBAX at 6% (w/v) in the core and MWAX at 10% (w/v) in the shell were more stable, presented spherical shape and no aggregation being therefore selected to be loaded with insulin and probiotics. These particles presented a size of 2.9 mm. Scanning electron microscopy analysis of the particle cross section revealed the presence of both, a smooth (shell) and a porous (core) microstructure. Confocal laser scanning microscopy confirmed the core‐shell structure of the particles and the viability of the probiotic entrapped. Gastrointestinal simulation strongly suggests that these particles are not degraded in the stomach and small intestine and that 76% of the carried insulin is released in colon. These results indicate that insulin and Bifidobacterium encapsulation by tetraaxial electro spraying can be a feasible and adequate technique to produce arabinoxylan capsules containing both insulin and probiotics. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 46411.     

Effect of adhesive application on the shear bond strength of flowable composite resins and APC plus to orthodontic molar tubes

Objectives: To evaluate the effect of adhesive application on the shear bond strength (SBS) of orthodontic tubes to acid-etched human enamel when using different flowable composite resins and the APC Plus system (APC). Study design: One hundred metal tubes were bonded to human third molars, which were randomly divided into five groups: Tetric EvoFlow (TF); Wave mv Flow (W); Transbond Supreme LV (S); Transbond XT (XT); and APC. For each experimental group, half of the specimens were bonded in combination with Transbond XT adhesive. After 72?h, an SBS test was performed using a universal testing machine. Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was run for multiple comparison tests and for comparing the mean SBS among the 10 subgroups to evaluate the effect of both the composite and the adhesive factors. Then, a Student-Newman-Keuls test was used for pairwise comparisons using the highest mean SBS group as reference. Adhesive Remnant Index scores were determined for the teeth after failure and compared by χ ²-test. Two representative molar surfaces from the 10 subgroups were assessed under scanning electron microscope. Results: The application of adhesive did not have a significant effect, but there was a marked tendency toward the influence of the factor composite on SBS. The mean SBS of tubes bonded with XT with adhesive was significantly higher than that of those bonded with APC with adhesive, TF with and without adhesive, and S with adhesive. Conclusion: Flowable composites and the APC system without intermediate bonding resin could be conveniently applied for orthodontic tube bonding.     

Strong morphological and crystallographic texture and resulting yield strength anisotropy in selective laser melted tantalum

Selective laser melting (SLM) makes use of a high energy density laser beam to melt successive layers of metallic powders in order to create functional parts. The energy density of the laser is high enough to melt refractory metals like Ta and produce mechanically sound parts. Furthermore, the localized heat input causes a strong directional cooling and solidification. Epitaxial growth due to partial remelting of the previous layer, competitive growth mechanism and a specific global direction of heat flow during SLM of Ta result in the formation of long columnar grains with a 〈1 1 1〉 preferential crystal orientation along the building direction. The microstructure was visualized using both optical and scanning electron microscopy equipped with electron backscattered diffraction and the global crystallographic texture was measured using X-ray diffraction. The thermal profile around the melt pool was modeled using a pragmatic model for SLM. Furthermore, rotation of the scanning direction between different layers was seen to promote the competitive growth. As a result, the texture strength increased to as large as 4.7 for rotating the scanning direction 90° every layer. By comparison of the yield strength measured by compression tests in different orientations and the averaged Taylor factor calculated using the viscoplastic self-consistent model, it was found that both the morphological and crystallographic texture observed in SLM Ta contribute to yield strength anisotropy.     

Melanosis inhibition and 4-hexylresorcinol residual levels in deepwater pink shrimp (Parapenaeus longirostris) following various treatments

Inhibition of melanosis was studied in pink shrimp (Parapenaeus longirostris) treated on shipboard with various concentrations of 4-hexylresorcinol (4-HR)-based formulations. Treatments, applied by dipping and dusting, were carried out at sea immediately following the catch. A selection of the most effective treatments was made to determine the level of 4-HR residues in the muscle and viscera. 4-Hexylresorcinol proved effective at extending shelf-life over that of untreated shrimp at all the concentrations tested. However, the minimum dose of 4-HR to avoid melanosis for at least one week was found to be 0.5%, with a residual level in muscle ranging from ≈80 to 90 mg/kg at day 2 of storage to >200 mg/kg after 7 days. Residues around 2–3 mg/kg were shown to be effective to prevent melanosis in pink shrimp only for 2 days from a commercial point of view.     

Detection limits of antimicrobials in ewe milk by delvotest photometric measurements

The Delvotest method detection limits per manufacturer's instructions at a fixed reading time of 3 h for 24 antimicrobial agents were determined in ewe milk by photometric measurement. For each drug, eight concentrations were tested on 20 ewe milk samples from individual ewes. Detection limits, determined by means of logistic regression models, were (microg/kg): 3, amoxycillin; 2, ampicillin; 18, cloxacillin; 1, penicillin "G"; 34, cefadroxil; 430, cephalosporin "C"; 40, cephalexin; 20, cefoperazone; 33, Ceftiofur; 18, cefuroxime; 6100, streptomycin; 1200, gentamycin; 2600, neomycin; 830, erythromycin; 100, tylosin; 180, doxycycline; 320, oxytetracycline; 590, tetracycline; 88, sulfadiazine; 44, sulfamethoxazole; 140, sulfametoxypyridazine; 48, sulfaquinoxaline; 12,000, chloramphenicol; and 290, trimethoprim. Whereas the beta-lactam antibiotics, sulphonamides, and tylosin were detected by Delvotest method at levels equal to those of maximum residue limits, its sensitivity needs to be enhanced to detect aminoglycosides, tetracyclines, streptomycin, chloramphenicol, and trimethoprim residues in ewe milk or to develop an integrated residue detection system for ewe milk with different sensitive microorganisms for each group of antiinfectious agents.     

Functional and bioactive properties of collagen and gelatin from alternative sources: A review

The rising interest in the valorisation of industrial by-products is one of the main reasons why exploring different species and optimizing the extracting conditions of collagen and gelatin has attracted the attention of researchers in the last decade. The most abundant sources of gelatin are pig skin, bovine hide and, pork and cattle bones, however, the industrial use of collagen or gelatin obtained from non-mammalian species is growing in importance. The classical food, photographic, cosmetic and pharmaceutical application of gelatin is based mainly on its gel-forming properties. Recently, and especially in the food industry, an increasing number of new applications have been found for gelatin in products such as emulsifiers, foaming agents, colloid stabilizers, biodegradable film-forming materials and micro-encapsulating agents, in line with the growing trend to replace synthetic agents with more natural ones. In the last decade, a large number of studies have dealt with the enzymatic hydrolysis of collagen or gelatin for the production of bioactive peptides. Besides exploring diverse types of bioactivities, of an antimicrobial, antioxidant or antihypertensive nature, studies have also focused on the effect of oral intake in both animal and human models, revealing the excellent absorption and metabolism of Hyp-containing peptides. The present work is a compilation of recent information on collagen and gelatin extraction from new sources, as well as new processing conditions and potential novel or improved applications, many of which are largely based on induced cross-linking, blending with other biopolymers or enzymatic hydrolysis.