Hymenaea courbaril var courbaril seed xyloglucan was efficiently extracted with 0.1 M NaCl, followed by ethanol precipitation (yield = 72 ± 5% w/w). Its amorphous structure was identified by the pattern of X-ray diffraction. The monosaccharide composition was determined by GC/MS analysis of the alditol acetates and showed the occurrence of glucose:xylose:galactose:arabinose (40:34:20:6). One-(1D) and two-dimens...
This study aimed at the encapsulation of quercetin into lecithin/chitosan nanoparticles using the electrostatic self-assembly technique, followed by evaluation of their functionality (antioxidant activity) and stability at different environmental conditions. These nanoparticles were characterized in terms of: average size, morphology, zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency, loading, and spectroscopic characte...
The development of hydrogels based on natural polysaccharides was investigated by preparing mixtures of policaju/chitosan at weight ratios of 1:4 and 2:3. Utilizing dynamic light scattering (DLS) techniques for these mixtures, an increase on the hydrodynamic particle radius was observed varying their pH from 3.0 to 12.0. Furthermore, a reduction of ζ-potential was also observed for the same pH interval. Followi...
A nanomultilayer coating made of food-grade, bio-based materials (consisting of five nanolayers of pectin and chitosan) was produced. This coating was firstly characterized in terms of the water vapor, oxygen and carbon dioxide permeabilities; these parameters exhibited values of 0.019 ± 0.005 × 10−11, 0.069 ± 0.066 × 10−14 and 44.8 ± 32 × 10−14 g m/(Pa s m2), respectively, and are of the same order of magnitud...
Proteases with new properties are required due to their increasing industrial importance. In this work, the optimal fermentation conditions for the production of a protease from Penicillium aurantiogriseum dierchx (URM-4622) are presented together with partial characterization of the protease catalytic properties. The batch fermentation conditions that allow for the highest specific proteolytic activity are 26 ...