Microparticles and latexes prepared via suspension polymerization of a biobased vegetable oil and renewable carboxylic acid

Recovery of Aconitic Acid from Sweet Sorghum Plant Extract Using a Solvent Mixture, and Its Potential Use as a Nematicide

Trans-aconitic acid (TAA) is naturally present in sweet sorghum juice and syrup, and it has been promoted as a potential biocontrol agent for nematodes. Therefore, we developed a process for the extraction of aconitic acid from sweet sorghum syrup. The process economics were evaluated, and the extract was tested for its capability to suppress the motility of the nematodes Caenorhabditis elegans and Meloidogyne incognita. Aconitic acid could be efficiently extracted from sweet sorghum syrup using acetone:butanol:ethanol mixtures, and it could be recovered from this solvent with a sodium carbonate solution, with an overall extraction and recovery efficiency of 86%. The estimated production cost was USD 16.64/kg of extract and this was highly dependent on the solvent cost, as the solvent was not recycled but was resold for recovery at a fraction of the cost. The extract was effective in reducing the motility of the parasitic M. incognita and causing over 78% mortality of the nematode when 2 mg/mL of TAA extract was added. However, this positive result could not conclusively be linked solely to TAA. An unidentified component (or components) in the acetone:butanol:ethanol sweet sorghum extract appears to be an effective nematode inhibitor, and it may merit further investigation. The impact of aconitic acid on C. elegans appeared to be entirely controlled by pH.

Aconitic Acid Recovery from Renewable Feedstock and Review of Chemical and Biological Applications

Aconitic acid (propene-1,2,3-tricarboxylic acid) is the most prevalent 6-carbon organic acid that accumulates in sugarcane and sweet sorghum. As a top value-added chemical, aconitic acid may function as a chemical precursor or intermediate for high-value downstream industrial and biological applications. These downstream applications include use as a bio-based plasticizer, cross-linker, and the formation of valuable and multi-functional polyesters that have also been used in tissue engineering. Aconitic acid also plays various biological roles within cells as an intermediate in the tricarboxylic acid cycle and in conferring unique survival advantages to some plants as an antifeedant, antifungal, and means of storing fixed pools of carbon. Aconitic acid has also been reported as a fermentation inhibitor, anti-inflammatory, and a potential nematicide. Since aconitic acid can be sustainably sourced from renewable, inexpensive sources such as sugarcane, molasses, and sweet sorghum syrup, there is enormous potential to provide multiple streams of additional income to the sugar industry through downstream industrial and biological applications that we discuss in this review.