Higher College of Technology

About: Higher College of Technology is a based out in . It is known for research contribution in the topics: Higher education & Tourism. The organization has 369 authors who have published 379 publications receiving 729 citations.

Improved intestinal absorption and oral bioavailability of astaxanthin using poly (ethylene glycol)-graft-chitosan nanoparticles: preparation, in vitro evaluation, and pharmacokinetics in rats

Abstract: Background Astaxanthin (ASTA) is a kind of food-derived active ingredient (FDAI) with antioxidant and antidiabetic functions. It is nontoxic but its poor solubility and low bioavailability hinder its application in the food industry. In this study, a novel carrier, polyethylene glycol-grafted chitosan (PEG-g-CS) was applied to enhance the bioavailability of astaxanthin. It encapsulated astaxanthin completely by solvent evaporation to manufacture astaxanthin using poly (ethylene glycol)-graft-chitosan nanoparticles (ASTA-PEG-g-CS) nanoparticles to improve absorption. Results The ASTA-PEG-g-CS nanoparticles were spherical, with a particle size below 200 nm and a ζ potential of about -26 mV. Polyethylene glycol-grafted chitosan can encapsulate astaxanthin well, and the encapsulated astaxanthin was released rapidly - in 15 min in an in vitro release study. In a rat single-pass intestinal perfusion study, a low concentration of ASTA-PEG-g-CS nanoparticle (0.2 μg mL-1 ) was better absorbed in the intestine. In particular, the jejunum could absorb most astaxanthin without a change in the concentration. An in vivo release study also demonstrated that ASTA-PEG-g-CS nanoparticles enhanced oral bioavailability significantly. Conclusion This novel carrier, PEG-g-CS, provided a simple way to encapsulate food, which improved the bioavailability of hydrophobic ingredients. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Scientific output of the European Journal of Tourism Research: A bibliometric overview and visualization

Abstract: This paper aims to analyse and visualise the scientific output of the European Journal of Tourism Research (EJTR) by employing a set of bibliometric metrics; including productive and impact measures, co-authorship analysis, co-citation analysis, and co-occurrence analysis. The collected and analyzed data involved 304 peer-reviewed articles published in the EJTR during the period from 2008 to 2020 within Scopus database. The results indicated that there is a substantial growing trend and evolution in publications and ranking of the EJTR during the given period. Additionally, a number of leading institutions and countries significantly contributed to the EJTR. Moreover, some top-tier academic journals and authors cited the articles published by the EJTR. Furthermore, the co-occurrence analysis identified seven clusters of research areas among the EJTR published papers over the selected period. Theoretical and practical contributions are presented as well as limitations and further research avenues are outlined.