showing 7 related works from this author
Enhanced Mechanical Properties in Organofluorosilica Thin Films
2008
Fluorinated hybrid organic-inorganic silicates (ORMOSIL) thin films display exceptional mechanical properties in terms of both hardness and elastic modulus that can be finely tuned by varying the angular velocity of the spin coating process. Hence, as traditional alkyl-modified silica xerogels generally show poor mechanical behavior, these materials offer a solution to a major limitation to applicability of ORMOSIL-based films.
Neuroprotective and Mitoprotective Effects of Lemon IntegroPectin on SH-SY5Y Cells
2021
AbstractLemon IntegroPectin obtained via hydrodynamic cavitation of organic lemon processing waste in water shows significant neuroprotective activity in vitro, as first reported in this study investigating the effects of both lemon IntegroPectin and commercial citrus pectin on cell viability, cell morphology, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and mitochondria perturbation induced by treatment of neuronal SH-SY5Y human cells with H2O2. Mediated by ROS including H2O2 and its derivatives, oxidative stress alters numerous cellular processes, including mitochondrial regulation and cell signaling, propagating cellular injury that leads to incurable neurodegenerative diseases. These result…
New neuroprotective effect of lemon integropectin on neuronal cellular model
2021
Lemon IntegroPectin obtained via hydrodynamic cavitation of organic lemon processing waste in water shows significant neuroprotective activity in vitro, as first reported in this study investigating the effects of both lemon IntegroPectin and commercial citrus pectin on cell viability, cell morphology, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and mitochondria perturbation induced by treatment of neuronal SH-SY5Y human cells with H2O2. Mediated by ROS, including H2O2 and its derivatives, oxidative stress alters numerous cellular processes, such as mitochondrial regulation and cell signaling, propagating cellular injury that leads to incurable neurodegenerative diseases. These results, and t…
Pectin: A Long-Neglected Broad-Spectrum Antibacterial.
2020
First reported in the late 1930s and first partly explained in 1970, the antibacterial activity of pectin remained almost ignored until the late 1990s. The concomitant emergence of research on natural antibacterials and on new usages of pectin polysaccharides, including those in medicine widely researched in Russia, has led to a renaissance of research in the physiological properties of this uniquely versatile polysaccharide ubiquitous in plants and fruits. Collecting scattered information, this study provides an updated overview on the subtle factors affecting the behaviour of pectin as antimicrobial. Less degraded pectin extracted via acid-free routes, we argue in the conclusions, will so…
Integral Extraction of Opuntia ficus-indica Peel Bioproducts via Microwave-Assisted Hydrodiffusion and Hydrodistillation
2019
The microwave-assisted hydrodiffusion extraction process affords high quality pectin and betanin from the peel of red and green Opuntia ficus-indica fruits under mild conditions. An aqueous mixture of valued bioproducts is readily obtained from the fruit peel cell water itself, without any water addition. The integral extract can be used as such to formulate nutraceutical beverages and products or, upon straightforward separation, to isolate pectin and betanin devoid of chemical contaminants suitable as ingredients for products ranging from food and beverage to cosmetic and pharmaceutical sectors. Betanin shows exceptional stability thanks to the high amounts of antioxidant polyphenols in t…
Economic and Technical Feasibility of Betanin and Pectin Extraction from Opuntia ficus-indica Peel via Microwave-Assisted Hydrodiffusion
2019
Investigating the feasibility of betanin and pectin extraction from Opuntia ficus-indica peel via microwave-assisted hydrodiffusion and gravity, this study identifies selected important economic and technical aspects associated with this innovative production route starting from prickly pear fruit discards. Which benefits would be derived from this process? Would production be limited to Opuntia-growing countries or, likewise to what happens with dried lemon peel chiefly imported from Argentina, would production take place abroad also? Can distributed manufacturing based on clean extraction technology compete with centralized production using conventional chemical processes?
Polymers of Limonene Oxide and Carbon Dioxide: Polycarbonates of the Solar Economy
2018
Limonene epoxide (1,2 limonene oxide) readily reacts with carbon dioxide in a ring opening copolymerization reaction with insertion of CO2 and formation of polycarbonates of exceptional chemical and physical properties. Both poly(limonene carbonate) and poly(limonene dicarbonate) can be synthesized using low cost Zn or Al homogeneous catalysts. This study addresses selected relevant questions concerning the technical and economic feasibility of limonene and carbon dioxide polymers en route to the bioeconomy.