Effects of Enzymatic Modification and Cross-Linking with Sodium Phytate on the Structure and Physicochemical Properties of Cyperus esculentus Starch

Starch-based bio-membrane for water purification, biomedical waste, and environmental remediation

This review article explores the utilization of starch-based materials as smart materials for the removal of dyes and heavy metals from wastewater, highlighting their cost-effectiveness, biodegradability, and biocompatibility. It addresses the critical need for clean water, emphasizing the contamination caused by industrial activities, such as printing, textile, cosmetic, and leather tanning industries. Starch and its derivatives demonstrate significant potential in water purification technology, effectively removing toxicants through hydrogen bonding, electrostatic interactions, and complexation. The review also discusses the application of starch-based materials in the biomedical field, particularly as drug carriers. Starch-based microspheres, hydrogels, nano-spheres, and nano-composites exhibit sustained drug-release properties and are effective in transporting various drugs, including DOX, quercetin, 5-Fluorouracil, glycyrrhizic acid, paclitaxel, tetracycline hydrochloride, amoxicillin, ciprofloxacin, and moxifloxacin. These materials show good antimicrobial activity against a range of pathogens, including C. albicans, E. coli, S. aureus, C. neoformance, B. subtilis, A. niger, A. fumigatus, and A. terreus. While highlighting the significant achievements of starch-based materials, the review also discusses current limitations and areas for future development. Key weaknesses include the need for enhanced adsorption capacities and the challenge of scaling up production for industrial applications. The review concludes by identifying development directions, such as improving functionalization techniques and exploring new applications in water purification and drug delivery systems. This article aims to assist researchers in advancing the field of starch-based materials for environmental and biomedical applications.

Sustained release, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties of modified porous starch-based biodegradable polylactic acid/polybutylene adipate-co-terephthalate/thermoplastic starch active packaging film

Porous starch (PS) is a modified starch with commendable biodegradable and adsorption properties. PS exhibits poor thermal stability, and the aqueous solution casting method is conventionally used for PS-activated packaging films. This approach limits the large-scale production of films and makes it difficult to play the functions of porous pores. In this study, PS was prepared by enzymatic digestion combined with freeze-drying and adsorbed with clove essential oil (CEO) after cross-linking with sodium trimetaphosphate. Subsequently, a novel PLA/PBAT/TPS/ScPS-CEO sustained release active packaging film was prepared by blending PLA, PBAT, TPS, and ScPS-CEO using industrial melt extrusion. Compared with PS, ScPS effectively slowed down the release of CEO from the film, with the maximum release of active substances at equilibrium increasing by approximately 100 %, which significantly enhanced the persistence of the antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. The polylactic acid/poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)/thermoplastic starch/trimetaphosphate-crosslinked porous starch incorporated with clove essential oil (PLA/PBAT/TPS/ScPS-CEO) film could reduce the proteolysis, lipid oxidation and microbial growth of salmon, extending its shelf life by approximately 100 % at 4 °C. These results indicate that the ScPS can be used in fresh packaging material in practical applications.

Bioinformatics study of phytase from Aspergillus niger for use as feed additive in livestock feed

BACKGROUND

Phytase supplementation in rations can reduce their phytic acid composition in order to enhance their nutritional value. Aspergillus niger is a fungus that can encode phytase. This study aims to determine the characteristics of its DNA sequences and amino acid composition that encode the phytase enzyme, as well as to determine the primer designs.

METHOD

This study used gene sequence data and protein-encoding phytase from Aspergillus niger that was collected manually from NCBI and PDB. The data was analyzed using SPDBV and then be aligned using the ClustalW Multiple Alignment features. The phylogenetic tree was built by Mega11 software. Primers were designed from selected candidate sequences that were analyzed. The designed primers were then simulated for PCR using FastPCR and SnapGene software.

RESULTS

There are 18 Aspergillus niger phytases in NCBI which is 14.87% of the total Aspergillus. There are 14 Aspergillus niger phytases that have identity above 95%. Aspergillus niger 110. M94550.1 is the closest strain to the PDB template. Candidate sources of phytase genes are Aspergillus niger 110.M94550.1, 48.2.BCMY01000003.1, and 92.JQ654450.1. The primer design has 2 possibilities of self-annealing and high melting temperature on the reverse primer. PCR simulation shows that the primer design can attach completely but still has the possibility of mispriming.

CONCLUSION

This study suggests promising results for the future development of phytase enzyme production from Aspergillus niger as a feed additive using genetic engineering to enhance the quality of livestock feed in Indonesia.

Analysis and Research on Starch Content and Its Processing, Structure and Quality of 12 Adzuki Bean Varieties

Investigating starch properties of different adzuki beans provides an important theoretical basis for its application. A comparative study was conducted to evaluate the starch content, processing, digestion, and structural quality of 12 adzuki bean varieties. The variation ranges of the 12 adzuki bean varieties with specific analyzed parameters, including the amylose/amylopectin (AM/AP) ratio, bean paste rate, water separation rate, solubility, swelling power and resistant starch (RS) content level, were 5.52-39.05%, 44.7-68.2%, 45.56-54.29%, 6.79-12.07%, 11.83-15.39%, and 2.02-14.634%, respectively. The crystallinity varied from 20.92 to 37.38%, belonging to type BC(The starch crystal type is mainly type C, supplemented by type B). In correlation analysis, red and blue represent positive and negative correlation, respectively. Correlation analysis indicated that the termination temperature of adzuki bean starch was positively correlated with AM/AP ratio. Therefore, the higher the melting temperature, the better the freeze-thaw stability. The 12 varieties were divided into Class I, Class II, and Class III by cluster analysis, based on application field. Class I was unsuitable for the diabetics' diet; Class II was suitable for a stabilizer; and Class III was suitable for bean paste, mixtures, and thickeners. The present study could provide a theoretical basis for their application in the nutritional and nutraceutical field.