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Polyesters based on 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) are a new class of biobased polymers with enormous interest, both from a scientific and industrial perspective. The commercialization of these polymers is imminent as the pressure for a sustainable economy grows, and extensive worldwide research currently takes place on developing cost-competitive, renewable plastics. The most prevalent method for imparting these polymers with new properties is copolymerization, as many studies have been published over the last few years. This present review aims to summarize the trends in the synthesis of FDCA-based copolymers and to investigate the effectiveness of this approach in transforming them to a more versatile class of materials that could potentially be appropriate for a number of high-end and conventional applications.

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Grape pomace is a by-product of winemaking process and rich in bioactive compounds such as plant polyphenols having antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. As known, oxidative stress may cause a number of pathological conditions in farm animals and thus affecting animal welfare and production. Moreover, pathogenic bacteria affect animals' health status. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate whether lambs' feed supplemented with grape pomace enhances the antioxidant mechanisms and reduces the growth of pathogenic bacteria. For this purpose, redox status was assessed in blood and tissues using oxidative stress markers in lambs fed with diet supplemented with grape pomace. Moreover, the effect on bacterial growth was assessed by examining microbial populations in lambs' faecal microflora. The following oxidative stress markers were assessed: reduced glutathione (GSH), catalase activity (CAT), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) and protein carbonyls (CARB). Twenty-four lambs were assigned to two experimental groups receiving standard or experimental diet for 55 days. Blood and tissues (liver, quadriceps muscle, spleen, heart and brain) were collected at two different time-points, 42 and 70 days post-birth, after ration administration. The results showed that lambs fed with experimental diet had significantly increased antioxidants mechanisms in blood and tissues as shown by increases in CAT and GSH compared to control. Moreover, lambs fed with the experimental diet exhibited decreased oxidative stress-induced damage to lipids and proteins as shown by decreases in TBARS and CARB respectively. In addition, the experimental diet enhanced the growth of facultative probiotic bacteria and inhibited the growth of pathogen populations such as Enterobacteriacae and E. coli. This is the first study investigating the effect of diet supplemented with grape pomace on the redox status and microbiota of lambs.

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The effect of several catalysts on the synthesis of poly(ethylene furanoate) (PEF) was studied during a two-stage melt polycondensation process.