0000000000614090
AUTHOR
Laura G. Gómez-mascaraque
Fostering the antiviral activity of green tea extract for sanitizing purposes through controlled storage conditions
Food-contact surfaces is considered an important vehicle for the indirect transmission of foodborne viral diseases with enteric viruses, especially human norovirus (HuNoV) and hepatitis A virus (HAV). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antiviral activity of green tea extract (GTE) at room temperature as a function of pH and storage time and to relate it with changes in composition as a consequence of degradation and epimerization reactions in the storage conditions. The obtained results revealed that freshly prepared GTE was very effective in inactivating murine norovirus (MNV) and HAV at neutral and alkaline pH but was ineffective at pH 5.5. Additionally, storage of the solut…
Effect of (−)-epigallocatechin gallate at different pH conditions on enteric viruses.
Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a flavonoid from green tea, is said to have extensive antimicrobial activity in a wide range of food spoilage or pathogenic fungi, yeast and bacteria. In this work, the antiviral activity of EGCG was assessed against hepatitis A virus (HAV) and murine norovirus (MNV), a human norovirus surrogate, at different temperatures, contact times and pH conditions by cell-culture methods. EGCG was effective in reducing the titers of HAV and MNV in a dose-dependent manner at neutral pH and 25 and 37 °C, while no effect was reported at 4 °C. HAV and MNV infectivity was completely removed after overnight treatment with EGCG at 2.5 mg/mL at 37 °C. Furthermore, results als…
Stability and bioaccessibility of EGCG within edible micro-hydrogels. Chitosan vs. gelatin, a comparative study
Micro-hydrogels are very promising systems for the protection and controlled delivery of sensitive bioactives, but limited knowledge exists regarding the impact of this encapsulation on their bioaccessibility. In this work, two different hydrogel-forming biopolymers (gelatin and chitosan) were compared as wall materials for the microencapsulation of a model flavonoid, (−)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). Results showed that gelatin was more adequate as wall material for the encapsulation of EGCG than chitosan, achieving higher encapsulation efficiencies (95% ± 6%), being more effective in delaying EGCG release and degradation in aqueous solution and exhibiting a 7 times higher bioaccessibil…
Optimization of electrospraying conditions for the microencapsulation of probiotics and evaluation of their resistance during storage and in-vitro digestion
Electrospraying has recently emerged as a novel microencapsulation technique with potential for the protection of probiotics. However, research efforts are still needed to minimize the viability loss observed during the processing of sensitive strains, and to maximize productivity. The aim of the present work was the optimization of the electrospraying conditions for the microencapsulation of a model probiotic microorganism, Lactobacillus plantarum, within a whey protein concentrate matrix. In a pre-optimization step, the convenience of encapsulating fresh culture instead of freeze-dried bacteria was established. Additionally, a surface response methodology was used to study the effect of t…
Impact of molecular weight on the formation of electrosprayed chitosan microcapsules as delivery vehicles for bioactive compounds.
The molecular weight of chitosan is one of its most determinant characteristics, which affects its processability and its performance as a biomaterial. However, information about the effect of this parameter on the formation of electrosprayed chitosan microcapsules is scarce. In this work, the impact of chitosan molecular weight on its electrosprayability was studied and correlated with its effect on the viscosity, surface tension and electrical conductivity of solutions. A Discriminant Function Analysis revealed that the morphology of the electrosprayed chitosan materials could be correctly predicted using these three parameters for almost 85% of the samples. The suitability of using elect…
Nanostructuring Biopolymers for Improved Food Quality and Safety
Abstract Food-grade biopolymers, apart from their inherent nutritional properties, can be tailored designed for improving food quality and safety, either serving as delivery vehicles for bioactive molecules, or as novel packaging components, not only improving the transport properties of biobased packaging structures, but also imparting active antibacterial and antiviral properties. In this chapter, the potential of different food-grade biopolymers (mainly proteins and carbohydrates but also some biopolyesters) to serve as encapsulating matrices for the protection of sensitive bioactives or as nanostructured packaging layers to improve transport properties and control the growth of pathogen…