Search

Calcium carbonate (CaCO

Background Spray drying is still the most important technique for the microencapsulation of bioactive ingredients. It makes possible to create easy-handling powdered microcapsules from liquid material in one simple and easy-scalable operation. However, the selection of proper wall material is crucial to obtain high retention of biological activity, high encapsulation efficiency, beneficial physical properties, high bioavailability and storage stability (both in terms of physical and biological properties). Scope and approach During last decade there was a trend to apply new types of biopolymers as wall materials, as additional compounds or as complete substitutions to conventionally used maltodextrins and gum arabic. Such approach provides new “clean label”, “green label” and health-promoting properties to the obtained microcapsules. Moreover, it creates also new possibilities for waste valorization. On the other hand, there is still a question about the technological suitability and properties of such biopolymers applied as wall materials. The review summarizes the investigations done in this topic during last decade. Key findings and conclusions the delivery of additional health benefits with wall materials and sustainable methods to obtain them, is a current trend in spray drying encapsulation.

Oral bioavailability is the key to the bioefficiency of food bioactive ingredients; it evaluates the relationship between foods and their health benefits. The analysis of the main factors limiting the oral bioavailability (bioaccessibility, absorption, and transformation) has led to the proposal of classification systems for pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals (Biopharmaceuticals Classification System and Nutraceutical Bioavailability Classification Scheme). Based on the relevant studies published in the last decade, this review presents the essential aspects regarding the factors limiting the oral bioavailability of the biocomponents and different in vitro methods used to investigate the mechanisms involved in the digestion, absorption, and metabolism of biocomponents, particularly encapsulated bioactive compounds. Oral bioavailability investigated by in vitro studies provides the food and drug manufacturers with information to formulate delivery systems more efficiently and to determine the dosage of biocomponents for increase the health benefits and avoid or reduce the risk of toxicity.

In recent years, researchers' concern for the applications of nanotechnologies in the food industry has grown exponentially. This has led to a major change in both consumer and producer behaviours. Thus, recent findings have shown that consumers increasingly prefer value-added foods, which provide significant health benefits. In this context, new approaches have emerged in the design of functional foods, such as the ‘reverse engineering’ approach that ensures the necessary conditions for designing sustainable ‘nano-food’ systems, in accordance with the requirements of the consumer. The stages of nano-food design using the reverse engineering method, the factors affecting the bioavailability of nanoencapsulated biocomponents and the fortification of foods with bioactive-loaded nanocarriers are briefly analyzed in this review.

Nowadays, many consumers prefer foods with a high content of nutraceuticals that contribute to the prevention or healing of chronic diseases. Therefore, in recent years, more and more researchers have studied the bioefficiency, safety, and toxicity of nutraceutical-enriched foods. The key stage of nutraceutical bioefficiency is oral bioavailability, which involves the following processes: the release of nutraceuticals from food matrices or nanocarriers in gastrointestinal fluids, the solubilization of nutraceuticals and their interaction with other components of gastrointestinal fluids, the absorption of nutraceuticals by the epithelial layer, and the chemical and biochemical transformations into epithelial cells. These processes are endogenous factors that greatly influence the bioavailability of nutraceuticals. In addition to endogenous factors, the bioavailability of nutraceuticals is also affected by exogenous factors, such as: physicochemical properties of nutraceuticals, food matrix, food processing and storage, and so forth. Both the endogenous and exogenous factors are comprehensively analyzed in this review. Thus, the physicochemical and enzymatic processes involved in food digestion are described, highlighting the role of each stage of gastrointestinal tract (mouth, stomach, and intestine) in nutraceuticals bioaccessibility. The structure and functions of the mucus and epithelial layers, the mechanisms involved in the active and passive transport of nutraceuticals through the cell membrane, and phase I and phase II metabolism reactions are also discussed. Finally, this review focuses on several types of bioactive-loaded nanocarriers such as lipid-based, surfactant-based, and biopolymeric nanocarriers that improve the bioavailability of nutraceuticals.

Whey edible films (EFs) functionalized with essential oils have a high potential to be used on various foods due to their antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. Encapsulation is applied for a better retention of volatiles in EFs; however, the functional properties of EFs are modified. The properties of EFs containing thyme essential oil (TEO) encapsulated by co-precipitation in β-CD, developed in three formulae, with inclusion complexes (EF/IC1, EF/IC2, and EF/IC3, respectively) in 15:85, 26:74, and 35:65 mass ratios were studied. Thymol is the main volatile in the ICs with TEO/β-CD (50%–60% of the total volatiles). In comparison with EF/TEO, all three formulae with EF/ICs had better, but similar, WVPs (p > 0.05). The EF/IC2 displayed a different FTIR profile than EF/IC1 and EF/IC3, suggesting a smaller number of free functional groups. The EF/IC2 showed better transparency in comparison with EF/IC1 and EF/IC3. All EF/ICs moderately inhibited R. glutinis, with the strongest activity registered by EF/IC3 (p < 0.05), but did not inhibit G. candidum, while showing a strong antibacterial activity against B. cereus. All EF/ICs inhibited 65%–70% of the total free radicals. The EF/ICs ensured a gradual release of VOCs in food simulants, with a higher rate in 95% ethanol than in water. These results have demonstrated the properties of EF/ICs with TEO/β-CD as bioactive packaging systems for foods.

During the Late Iron Age, draft animals, both oxen and horses, mules or donkeys, were harnessed on the transport vehicle by a double yoke that transmitted the traction power to the wagon through which it was fastened. Certain metallic parts were attached on these double wooden yokes, some of them having a functional role, and others an ornamental one. Such metal parts were also discovered in pre-Roman Dacia, most of them coming from fortunate discoveries, illegal detection and less in clear archaeological contexts. Some of the pieces presented in this article have been discussed and featured typologically and chronologically, but a number of differences and sub-variants require a re‑discussion of these. Also in this article will be discussed other yokes known in pre-Roman Dacia which will be typologically and chronologically framed.

The d-limonene (DL), a bioactive ingredient in citrus peels, is a monoterpene, volatile, and aromatic flavor which has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties and many health-promoting effects. To protect DL against the harsh conditions during the processing and storage, its entrapment in biocompatible, biodegradable and safe nanodelivery systems can be used. This review highlights recent studies on nanocarries used as delivery systems for DL including polymeric nanoparticles, micelles, nanoliposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carriers, nanosuspensions, and nanoemulsions for DL. Furthermore this review refers to updated information regarding DL bioavailability, release rates as well as applications in functional food products. Safety issues and health risks regarding the consumption of these products also was discussed which opens new horizons in food technology and nutrition with possibilities of commercialization in the near future. Overall, DL encapsulated within nanocarriers are considered safe, meanwhile more studies should be performed regarding the safety issues of nanodelivery of DL. In near future, it is assumed that nanoencapsulated DL will be broadly applied in the food and beverage products, cosmetic, pharmaceutical and perfume industries.

Foods contain both natural nanomaterials, like casein micelles in milk or certain organelles found in plant or animal cells (DNA, ribosomes, enzymes, antibodies), and engineered nanomaterials, which are deliberately added in order to increase food quality and safety, such as nanoparticle-based delivery systems. Other nanoparticles do not directly enter foods, but may come into contact with foods as a result of their inclusion in packaging or nanosensors. Food-grade nanomaterials are used in food processing as food additives, in the manufacture of smart and active packaging, reinforced bionanocomposites, and antimicrobial packaging through incorporation of metal nanoparticles; for nutraceutical protection, nanocarriers, and nanodelivery systems for the increase of their bioavailability; for producing nanobiosensors for detection of toxins, pathogens, and pesticides; in applications in food processing such as nanofluids, nanoadsorbents, and nanofiltration; and as nanostructures as food ingredients such as nanoemulsions. This chapter presents a brief overview of nanotechnology applications in various fields of the food industry along with characterization techniques for analysis of nanomaterials, safety and regulatory issues, and consumer expectations toward “nanofoods.”

Recently, most functional foods are consumed to prevent or ameliorate important diseases such as various types of cancer, cardiovascular problems, eye diseases, bone diseases, etc. These foods, known as functional foods, have been extensively researched in terms of both bioefficiency and preparation techniques. An important problem in the formulation of functional foods is the bioavailability of the nutrients, i.e., the fraction of an ingested nutrient which reaches an active form in the blood. This chapter first describes the main physico-chemical processes that take place inside the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and contribute to improving or decreasing the bioavailability of nutrients. The processes that define bioaccessibility (release, solubilization, interaction), the transport mechanisms of nutrients through the intestinal cell monolayer (passive transport, active transport, efflux, etc.), and their metabolism by chemical and biochemical transformations are also presented. Finally, this chapter reviews the main in vitro methods for measuring bioaccessibility and absorption of nutrients. It will also cover the techniques of releasing and digestion of nutrients using static and dynamic gastrointestinal models. The nutrient permeability study is described on the basis of the Caco-2 cells model.

(In recent years, a new concept in nanoscience has been developing called “nanofoods.” Food nanomaterials have special physicochemical and biological properties that contribute to the development of innovative foods and smart packaging. In this chapter, the main properties of food nanomaterials and their characterization will be discussed, such as structure and morphology, surface area, surface charge, surface hydrophobicity, particle size, mechanical strength, thermal stability, sensory attributes, and their impacts on quality and food safety. The main techniques for analyzing the physical characteristics of food nanomaterials are also described: microscopic techniques including light microscopy, polarizing microscopy, fluorescence microscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), environmental scanning electron microscopy; light scattering techniques such as static light scattering, dynamic light scattering, nanoparticle tracking analysis, small-angle X-ray scattering, laser Doppler electrophoresis, X-ray diffraction; thermal techniques, mainly differential scanning calorimetry; and techniques for the characterization of mechanical properties of nanomaterials including oscillatory tests, colloidal probe AFM, and counterrotating shear method.

Chlorogenic acid (CA) is a natural compound used as an antioxidant in the preparation of food, drugs, and cosmetics. Due to their low stability and bioavailability, many researchers have studied the encapsulation of CA in various delivery colloidal systems. The aim of this study was to evaluate the stability of water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) double emulsions loaded with CA and its antioxidant capacity. For this purpose, CA-W/O/W double emulsions were prepared using Span 80 and lecithin as lipophilic emulsifiers, and Tween 20 as a hydrophilic emulsifier. The influence of nature of lipophilic emulsifiers, the presence of chitosan (CH) in the internal and external aqueous phases, pH, temperature and the storage time of W/O/W double emulsions were also investigated. Depending on the preparation conditions, the W/O/W double emulsions showed the droplet size in the range 9.13 ± 0.55 μm-38.21 ± 1.87 μm, the creaming index 34%-78% and the efficiency encapsulation 79.45 ± 1.5%-88.13 ± 1.9%. Zeta potential values were negative for the W/O/W double emulsion without CH (-36.8 ± 2.02mV; -27.3 ± 1.75mV) and positive for the W/O/W double emulsions with CH in the external aqueous phase (+6.5 ± 0.42mV; 28.6 ± 0.92mV). The study of the release of CA from W/O/W double emulsions has highlighted two mechanisms: one based on the coalescence between the water inner droplets or between the oil globules as well as a diffusion releasing mechanism. The oxidative stability parameters of the W/O/W double emulsions, such as the peroxide value (POV) and the conjugated diene content (CD) were measured.

Calcium and vitamin D

Calcium and vitamin D3 were co-encapsulated in three types of water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) double emulsions stabilized with biopolymers: gum arabic, sodium alginate (Alg) and chitosan (Ch). Three calcium salts with different solubility were used: calcium carbonate (CaC), tricalcium phosphate (CaP) and calcium gluconate (CaG). In order to study the bioavailability of calcium and vitamin D3, the W/O/W double emulsions were subjected to digestion in simulated conditions using in vitro gastrointestinal models. The size of the oil droplets of all double emulsions increased in oral phase and decreased in gastric and intestinal phases. In the intestinal phase, the average diameter of oil globules in the W/O/W(Alg) and W/O/W(Ch) was d23 = 6.56 ± 0.09 and d23 = 5.33 ± 0.01 and the electro-kinetic potential was: ζ ≈ −25 mV and ζ ≈ −17 mV, respectively. Presence of calcium ions in the intestinal fluid decreased the free fatty acids content and decreased the bioaccessibility of vitamin D3 due to the inhibition of micellization process.

Due to their biological properties, essential oils are used as an ingredient to enhance the functionality of various products such as foodstuff, drinks, perfumes, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, or green pesticides. Currently, research is mainly focused on developing innovative and eco-friendly techniques to extract essential oils and subsequently stabilize them through encapsulation in order to obtain GRAS (generally recognized as safe) natural products. The emerging market of essential oils demands diverse analytical methods and improved regulations for their marketing and application.

For the present study, whole coriander seeds harvested in Romania were screened (

Lipophilic biocomponents pose a real challenge to food and drug researchers because they have weak solubility in water and cannot be easily included into the food and drug matrix. Biomaterials with new functional properties, i.e. biodegradable, biocompatible and stimulus responsive, have been tested for the purpose of improving the solubility and bioavailability of lipophilic components in recent years. Also, high-performance micro- and nanotechnologies were involved. These were used to prepare microcapsules and nanocarriers with multiple applications in food industry and pharmacy. The micro- and nano-encapsulation of lipophilic components is used to increase and maintain solubility in physiological fluids or the food matrix, to improve bioavailability and to protect the bioactive compounds against the aggression of some factors such as pH, enzymes, temperature, light and oxygen. The microcapsule and nanocarrier delivery systems guarantee the controlled and targeted delivery of bioactive molecules, thus increasing the therapeutic potential of drugs, along with food safety and security. The purpose of this review is to synthesize the newest information about the lipophilic biocomponents’ encapsulation. The first part of the paper is devoted to data on the solubility and bioavailability of lipophilic components used for food and drug formulations. The second part deals with the main methods of lipophilic compounds encapsulation, evincing the preparation of nanoparticles with applicability in the food and drug industry.

Dacian weapons discovered at Ardeu(Hunedoara county)- Abstract -A. Emplacement of the siteArdeu village is located in South-Western Transylvania (Fig. 1/3),on the Ardeu Valley (Fig. 1/2). From a geographical point of view, the arreabelongs to the Metaliferi Mountains – a small group in the Southern part ofthe Romanian Western Carpathians.The “CetăŃuie” Hill is placed right near the road named DJ 705, witha good positon on the shortest way from the Dacian Kingdom’s capital (Fig.1/1) area to the region rich in golden minerals in the Apuseni Mountains(Romanian Western Carpathians).The hill was inhabited during several historical periods.B. The discoveriesThis ancient pieces that we intent to present in this paper werefound fortunately, but also through archaeological investigations.C. The weapons1. Iron shield boss - MCDR-Deva nr. inv. 40993 (Fig. 2/2), fragmentary.2. Iron curved-dagger scabbard - MCDR-Deva nr. inv 40599 (Fig. 3/3),fragmentary.3. Bone dagger handle - MCDR-Deva nr. inv. 40608 (Fig. 3/2), fragmentary.4. Iron lance-head - MCDR-Deva nr. inv. 40950 (Fig. 3/5), fragmentary.5. Iron lance-butt - MCDR-Deva, nr inv. 23387 (Fig. 3/4), fragmentary.6. Iron lance-butt - MNIR, box 157, without inventory number (Fig. 3/1).D. Analogies and chronologyThree of the pieces which we present here (Fig. 2/2-3, Fig. 3/2) were discovered in the same complex, partially investigated, but very probably dated at the end of the Ist century B.C. or, at the begining of the Ist century A.D. The other objects are dated, based on the analogies, during the Ist century B.C. - Ist century A.D.

The encapsulation of the Pimenta dioica (P. dioica) essential oil in chitosan and chitosan/k-carrageenan microspheres was investigated. The P. dioica essential oil was extracted from P. dioica (L) Merr. berries by means of supercritical CO2. 23 components, among which eugenol (68.06%), methyl eugenol (9.37%), were identified through GC analysis. The study of the antioxidant activity revealed that the IC50 (DPPH) value for the P. dioica essential oil is significantly lower (p ≤ 0.05) than the value of the butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and of the ascorbic acid (AAc). The microspheres containing P. dioica essential oil were prepared through the extrusion of the oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions using as wall material the chitosan and the chitosan/k-carrageenan in different mass ratios. Chitosan microspheres present a high swelling degree than the chitosan/k-carrageenan microspheres (p Industrial relevance Nowadays, more and more consumers prefer foods able to equally satisfy the nutritional requirements, the pleasure to eat and the health security. Therefore, it is noticeable the tendency of using natural additives and ingredients for food preparation. This paper presents mechanisms for loading and releasing P. dioica essential oil involved in the preparation of chitosan and chitosan/k-carrageenan microspheres. Our study suggests that P. dioica essential oil encapsulated in chitosan and chitosan/k-carrageenan microspheres can be used in the meat industry to increase the functionality of meat products.

The encapsulation by spray drying method of coriander essential oil (CEO) in various materials (chitosan, alginate, chitosan/alginate, chitosan/inulin) was studied. The viscoelastic properties of the oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions and the characteristics of CEO-loaded microcapsules like morphology, moisture, wettability, solubility, flowability properties, swelling and release mechanisms were investigated. The chitosan microcapsules had a brain-like structure while the alginate and chitosan/alginate microcapsules are spherical with a smooth surface. The Compressibility Index (CI=29.09-32.25%) and Hausner Ratio (HR=1.38-1.44) values showed that all the microcapsules prepared correspond to the "poor" flowability powders group. The chitosan microcapsules exhibited the maximum release rate at pH 2.5 while the alginate microcapsules exhibited the maximum release rate at pH 6.5. Kinetics and mechanism of CEO release were studied using various mathematical models such as, zero order, first order, Higuchi model and Peppas model. The diffusional exponent (n) values of Peppas equation explains a non Fickian transport mechanism and diffusion or diffusion-swelling controlled process.

This paper describes the motivation, design and implementation of a Perception Validation System (PVS), a system for measuring the outdoor perception performance of an autonomous vehicle. The PVS relies on using large amounts of real world data and ground truth information to quantify performance aspects such as the rate of false positive or false negative detections of an obstacle detection system. Our system relies on a relational database infrastructure to achieve a high degree of flexibility in the type of analyses it can support.

One of the thrusts of the Integrated Automation for Sustainable Specialty Crops Farming project funded by USDA is focused on the development of advanced sensing and modeling technologies for predicting citrus yield. This paper describes the approaches developed and evaluated so far, along with their estimated prediction accuracy. The described capabilities include systems for modeling tree canopies using mobile ground based sensors (laser range finders, stereo and color cameras mounted on vehicles). These sensors are used to generate canopy features including tree volume, tree canopy density and orange counts. The different sources of information are combined through a regression model. Preliminary experimental results from a commercial citrus grove in Florida are presented.

Real-world applications of mobile robotics call for increased autonomy, requiring reliable perception systems. Since manually tuned perception algorithms are difficult to adapt to new operating environments, systems based on supervised learning are necessary for future progress in autonomous navigation. Data labeling is a major concern when supervised learning is applied to the large-scale problems occuring in realistic robotics applications. We believe that algorithms for automatically selecting important data for labeling are necessary, and propose to employ active learning techniques to reduce the amount of labeling required to learn from a data set. In this paper we show that several standard active learning algorithms can be adapted to meet specific constraints characteristic to our domain, such as the need to learn from data with severely unbalanced class priors. We validate the solutions we propose by extensive experimentation on multiple realistic data sets captured with a robotic vehicle. Based on our results for the task of obstacle detection, we conclude that active learning techniques are applicable to our domain, and they can lead to significant reductions in the labeling effort required to use supervised learning in outdoor perception.

This paper describes an approach for using several levels of data fusion in the domain of autonomous off-road navigation. We are focusing on outdoor obstacle detection, and we present techniques that leverage on data fusion and machine learning for increasing the reliability of obstacle detection systems. We are combining color and IR imagery with range information from a laser range finder. We show that in addition to fusing data at the pixel level, performing high level classifier fusion is beneficial in our domain. Our general approach is to use machine learning techniques for automatically deriving effective models of the classes of interest (obstacle and non-obstacle for example). We train classifiers on different subsets of the features we extract from our sensor suite and show how different classifier fusion schemes can be applied for obtaining a multiple classifier system that is more robust than any of the classifiers presented as input. We present experimental results we obtained on data collected with both the Experimental Unmanned Vehicle (XUV) and a CMU developed robotic vehicle.