Raw naringenin directly isolated from plants is significantly limited by its poor dissolution rate and low bioavailability for clinical and in vivo studies. This study reported a method for the preparation of naringenin ultrafine powder (NUP) using a novel anti-solvent recrystallization process; preliminary experiments were conducted using six single-factor experiments. The response surface Box–Behnken (BBD) design was used to optimize the level of factors. The optimal preparation conditions of the DMP were obtained as follows: the feed rate was 40.82 mL/min, the solution concentration was 20.63 mg/mL, and the surfactant ratio was 0.62%. The minimum average particle size was 305.58 ± 0.37 nm in the derived optimum conditions. A scanning electron microscope was used to compare and analyze the appearance and morphology of the powder before and after preparation. The characterization results of FTIR, TG and XRD showed that no chemical change occurred in the powder before and after preparation. Through the simulated gastrointestinal juice digestion experiment, it was confirmed that the absorption rate of NUP was 2.96 times and 4.05 times higher than raw naringenin, respectively. Therefore, the results showed that the reduction in the particle size through the use of low-speed recrystallization could improve the absorption rate and provided a feasible approach for the further applications.
Tissue adhesives have been widely used in surgical procedures. Compared to traditional surgical sutures, tissue adhesives provide fast bonding experiences and full closure of wounds. However, current tissue adhesives are mostly fossil-based synthetic products. Therefore, it is of great significance to explore the use of natural materials in tissue adhesives. Whey is a low-end byproduct of cheese manufacturing. Whey protein, a group of small globular proteins, can exhibit adhesive properties if their structures are modified by physical or chemical means. The objectives of this study were to investigate the functional and structural properties of whey protein-based tissue adhesive, along with the antibacterial effect of totarol, a natural antimicrobial agent. Whey protein isolate (WPI) solutions (25%–33% protein) were mixed with different levels (0.1%–0.3% w/w) of totarol. The mixtures were analyzed for total plate count and yeast and mold count. The lap-shear bonding strength was tested after the WPI-totarol solutions were mixed with a crosslinking agent, glutaraldehyde (GTA). The lap-shear bonding strength of the tissue adhesive was about 20 kPa, which is comparable to that of a commercial BioGlue®. The microstructures of the mixtures were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).
The essential oils and polysaccharides from guava leaves have important functions. In the process of microwave extraction of plant essential oils and polysaccharides, pretreatment with lithium salts solution is helpful to increase the extraction rate. The experiment was conducted using a single factor method. Results were optimized by principal component analysis and response surface optimization. The optimal conditions were: LiCl dosage 45 μmol, microwave time 40 min, liquid-solid ratio 10, homogenization time 4.2 min, liquid-material ratio 10, and microwave irradiation power 700 W. The highest yield of essential oil and polysaccharide were 10.27 ± 0.58 mL/kg dry weight (DW) and 50.31 ± 1.88 g/kg·DW, respectively. Three verification experiments showed that the extraction rate of the microwave method was higher than that of the traditional heating method. In addition, the bacteriostatic zones reached the maximum 23.7 ± 0.11 mm when the concentration was 40 μL/mL, and the above results have practical significance.
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