This article reviews the recent trends, developments, and future applications of bio-based polymers produced from renewable resources. Bio-based polymers are attracting increased attention due to environmental concerns and the realization that global petroleum resources are finite. Bio-based polymers not only replace existing polymers in a number of applications but also provide new combinations of properties for new applications. A range of bio-based polymers are presented in this review, focusing on general methods of production, properties, and commercial applications. The review examines the technological and future challenges discussed in bringing these materials to a wide range of applications, together with potential solutions, as well as discusses the major industry players who are bringing these materials to the market.

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Current progress on bio-based polymers and their future trends

Encapsulation efficiency and oxidative stability of flaxseed oil microencapsulated by spray drying using different combinations of wall materials

Food proteins: a review on their emulsifying properties using a structure-function approach.

Progress in developing spray-drying methods for the production of controlled morphology particles: From the nanometer to submicrometer size ranges

Interest in stimuli-responsive polymers is steadily gaining increasing momentum especially in the fields of controlled and self-regulated drug delivery. Delivery systems based on these polymers are developed to closely resemble the normal physiological process of the diseased state ensuring optimum drug release according to the physiological need. Also termed 'environmental-sensitive' or 'smart', these polymers experience rapid changes in their microstructure from a hydrophilic to a hydrophobic state triggered by small changes in the environment. The changes are reversible; therefore, the polymer is capable of returning to its initial state as soon as the trigger is removed. Stimuli may occur internally (e.g. a change in pH in certain organs or diseased states, a change in temperature or the presence of specific enzymes or antigens). External stimuli include magnetic or electric fields, light, ultrasound, etc. This review will delve into the various internally and externally stimuli-responsive polymers and the drug delivery systems that exploit them.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-6041/4/2/022001/pdf

Stimuli-responsive polymers and their applications in drug delivery.

Applications of spray-drying in microencapsulation of food ingredients: An overview

Oil-in-water emulsions can be considered as an important delivery system for lipophilic food molecules. In this study, pea protein isolate (PPI) was studied for its emulsifying capacity at various pH values and pH 7 was selected to prepare emulsions for the production of dry microcapsules. Emulsions stabilized by PPI just enough to cover oil droplets were mixed with solutions of starch hydrolysates of various dextrose equivalent (DE) and subsequently spray dried to yield powders with 30 wt% oil. Effects of DE (6, 12, 19, and 28) on feed emulsion properties and on the characteristics of the spray-dried powders were examined. Reconstituted emulsion oil droplet size and stability were affected by DE in all cases. Microencapsulation efficiency of dried emulsions increased significantly with increasing DE. The scanning electron microscope results showed that lower maltodextrins DE microcapsules are shallow and presented rough surfaces or invaginations. However, higher carbohydrates DE microcapsules were circular and uniform showing minimum cracks and dents on the surface confirming these DE to be efficient encapsulating materials. The formation of the drying matrix seems control the destabilization of pea protein-coated oil droplets during spray drying. In systems where the matrix is formed in a uniform manner, the interfacial protein film is less affected by the drying process. Thus the functionalities of pea protein can be protected during drying by using high DE carbohydrates.

Pea ( Pisum sativum, L. ) Protein Isolate Stabilized Emulsions: A Novel System for Microencapsulation of Lipophilic Ingredients by Spray Drying

Colon-specific drug delivery: Influence of solution reticulation properties upon pectin beads performance

Utilisation of pectin coating to enhance spray-dry stability of pea protein-stabilised oil-in-water emulsions.

In this paper, we compare the interactions between low methoxy pectin (LMP) and either Ca2+ or Zn2+ in semi-dilute solutions. Intrinsic viscosity and turbidity measurements reveal that pectin–calcium solutions are more viscous, but yet less turbid, than pectin–zinc ones. To get a molecular understanding of the origin of this rather unexpected behavior, we further performed isothermal titration calorimetry, small angle neutron scattering experiments, as well as molecular dynamics simulations. Our results suggest that calcium cations induce the formation of a more homogeneous network of pectin than zinc cations do. The molecular dynamics simulations indicate that this difference could originate from the way the two cations bind to the galacturonate unit (Gal), the main component of LMP: zinc interacts with both carboxylate and hydroxyl groups of Gal, in a similar way to that described in the so-called egg-box model, whereas calcium only interacts with carboxylate groups. This different binding behavior seems to arise from the stronger interaction of water molecules with zinc than with calcium. Accordingly, galacturonate chains are more loosely associated with each other in the presence of Ca2+ than with Zn2+. This may improve their ability to form a gel, not only by dimerization, but also by the formation of point-like cross-links. Overall, our results show that zinc binds less easily to pectin than calcium does.

Structural behaviour differences in low methoxy pectin solutions in the presence of divalent cations (Ca2+ and Zn2+): a process driven by the binding mechanism of the cation with the galacturonate unit

Odile Chambin

Papers

Applications of spray-drying in microencapsulation of food ingredients: An overview

Pea ( Pisum sativum, L. ) Protein Isolate Stabilized Emulsions: A Novel System for Microencapsulation of Lipophilic Ingredients by Spray Drying

Colon-specific drug delivery: Influence of solution reticulation properties upon pectin beads performance

Utilisation of pectin coating to enhance spray-dry stability of pea protein-stabilised oil-in-water emulsions.

Structural behaviour differences in low methoxy pectin solutions in the presence of divalent cations (Ca2+ and Zn2+): a process driven by the binding mechanism of the cation with the galacturonate unit