Physicochemical Properties of Carboxy-methylated Sago (Metroxylon sagu) Starch

Carboxymethyl starch as a reducing and capping agent in the hydrothermal synthesis of selenium nanostructures for use with three-dimensional-printed hydrogel carriers

The hydrothermal method is a cost-effective and eco-friendly route for preparing various nanomaterials. It can use a capping agent, such as a polysaccharide, to govern and define the nanoparticle morphology. Elemental selenium nanostructures (spheres and rods) were synthesized and stabilized using a tailor-made carboxymethyl starch (CMS, degree of substitution = 0.3) under hydrothermal conditions. CMS is particularly convenient because it acts simultaneously as the capping and reducing agent, as verified by several analytical techniques, while the reaction relies entirely on green solvents. Furthermore, the effect of sodium selenite concentration, reaction time and temperature on the nanoparticle size, morphology, microstructure and chemical composition was investigated to identify the ideal synthesis conditions. A pilot experiment demonstrated the feasibility of implementing the synthesized nanoparticles into vat photopolymerization three-dimensional-printed hydrogel carriers based on 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA). When submersed into the water, the subsequent particle release was confirmed by dynamic light scattering (DLS), promising great potential for use in bio-three-dimensional printing and other biomedical applications.

Crosslinked Carboxymethyl Sago Starch/Citric Acid Hydrogel for Sorption of Pb2+, Cu2+, Ni2+ and Zn2+ from Aqueous Solution

In the present study, CMSS (carboxymethyl sago starch)-based hydrogel was synthesized by crosslinking with citric acid via esterification and then applied as a metal sorbent to overcome excessive heavy metal pollution. The CMSS/CA (carboxymethyl sago starch/citric acid) hydrogel was characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The absorption band at 1726 cm⁻¹ was observed in the FT-IR spectrum of CMSS/CA hydrogel and indicated ester bonds formed. Further findings show that the cross-linkages in the CMSS/CA hydrogel increased the thermal stability of CMSS and various sizes of pores were also shown in the SEM micrograph. Conversely, the removal of heavy metals was analyzed using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optic Emission Spectra (ICP-OES). The effects of the pH of the metal solution, contact time, initial concentration of the metal ions and temperature on the sorption capacity were investigated. Under optimum condition, the sorption capacity of Pb²⁺, Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺ and Zn²⁺ onto CMSS/CA hydrogel were 64.48, 36.56, 16.21, 18.45 mg/g, respectively. The experiments demonstrated that CMSS/CA hydrogel has high selectivity towards Pb²⁺ in both non-competitive and competitive conditions. In conclusion, the CMSS/CA hydrogel as a natural based heavy metal sorption material exhibited a promising performance, especially in the sorption of Pb²⁺ for wastewater treatment.

Hydrophilic films based on starch and carboxymethyl starch

The hydrophilic films based on starch and carboxymethyl starch (CMS) were obtained using cast method. The effect of CMS content on the physicochemical properties of prepared films were evaluated. With increasing content of starch derivative the moisture absorption, solubility in water as well as swelling ratio increased. The highest values of mechanical parameters (tensile strength and Young’s modulus) were determined for the starch/CMS film containing the lowest CMS amount, i.e. 10 wt.% (1.1 MPa, 15 MPa, respectively). For the same system the lowest moisture absorption, solubility in water as well as swelling ratio were reported. Thus, it could be concluded that for this system the highest crosslinking density has been achieved, what was confirmed by DMTA results. Such a film could potentially find application in food or agricultural industry.

Plantain flours as potential raw materials for the development of gluten-free functional foods

Plantain flour (Musa ssp., group AAB, sub-group clone Harton) was modified by acetylation, carboxymethylation, methylation, oxidation and phosphation, in order to determine which of these modifications produce a material with potential for the development of gluten-free products with improved nutritional properties. The structural, rheological and nutritional properties of the modified flours were investigated. The phosphated plantain flour, cross-linked with sodium trimetaphosphate (STMP), had a lower in vitro digestibility rate associated with resistant starch (RS) types RS2, RS4 and RS5. This latter was confirmed by the formation of the amylose-lipid complex as determined by XRD. All the flours tested had a C-type structure with the exception of the methylated plantain flour which produced a large quantity of reaction by-product (BaSO₄). The phosphated plantain flour represents a raw material with great potential for the development of gluten-free food (bread and cookie) with functional properties, i.e. health benefits.

Synthesis and evaluation of the structural and physicochemical properties of carboxymethyl pregelatinized starch as a pharmaceutical excipient

A pregelatinized starch (PGS) was derivatized with sodium chloroacetate (SCA) in alcoholic medium under alkaline condition to produce carboxymethyl pregelatinized starch (CMPGS) with various degrees of substitution (DS). Influence of the molar ratio of SCA to the glucopyranose units (SCA/GU), reaction time, temperature and the amount of sodium hydroxide on the degree of substitution (DS) and the reaction efficiency (RE) was studied. An optimal concentration of 30% of NaOH, for a reaction time of 1 h at 50 °C and molar ratio (SCA/GU) equal to 1.0, yielded an optimal DS of 0.55 and a RE of 55%. SEM micrographs revealed that the carboxymethylation assigned the structural arrangement of CMPGS and caused the granular disintegration. Wide angle diffraction X-ray (XRD) showed that the crystallinity of starch was obviously varied after carboxymethylation. New bands in FTIR spectra at 1417 and 1603 cm(-1) indicated the presence of carboxymethyl groups. The solubility and viscosity of CMPGS increased with an increase in the degree of modification. In order to investigate the influence of DS on physical and drug release properties, CMPGS obtained with DS in the range of 0.12-0.55 was evaluated as tablet excipient for sustained drug release. Dissolution tests performed in phosphate buffer (pH 6.8), with Ibuprofen as drug model (25% loading) showed that CMPGS seems suitable to be used as sustained release excipient since the drug release was driven over a period up to 8 h. The in vitro release kinetics studies revealed that all formulations fit well with Korsmeyer-Peppas model and the mechanism of drug release is non-Fickian diffusion.

Physicochemical and functional properties of ozone-oxidized starch

The effects of oxidation by ozone gas on some physicochemical and functional properties of starch (corn, sago, and tapioca) were investigated. Starch in dry powder form was exposed to ozone for 10 min at different ozone generation times (OGTs). Carboxyl and carbonyl contents increased markedly in all starches with increasing OGTs. Oxidation significantly decreased the swelling power of oxidized sago and tapioca starches but increased that of oxidized corn starch. The solubility of tapioca starch decreased and sago starch increased after oxidation. However, there was an insignificant changed in the solubility of oxidized corn starch. Intrinsic viscosity [eta] of all oxidized starches decreased significantly, except for tapioca starch oxidized at 5 min OGT. Pasting properties of the oxidized starches followed different trends as OGTs increased. These results show that under similar conditions of ozone treatment, the extent of starch oxidation varies among different types of starch.