Recent progress in environmental catalytic technology

Recent progress and trends in environmental catalytic technology in Japan are described with emphasis on the catalysts having hybridized functions. In addition to automobile exhaust cleaning, use of environmental catalysts such as titanium oxide photocatalysts is rapidly growing for the control of residential environments, e.g., antimicrobial activity and odor control, as life styles change gradually and the living environment is deteriorating considerably. Many new catalysts are evolving through hybridization of functions. The market of environmental catalyst products in 2005 is estimated 2,000 billion yen/year (photocatalyst: 1,100 billion yen/year).     

Measurement of nanoparticles by light-scattering techniques

Nanoparticles (NPs), due to their unique physical and chemical properties, especially their minute particle size (?100 nm), find applications in numerous industrial, commercial and consumer products. After their end-user applications, these NPs find their way into the environment and food products. The NPs so discharged need to be quantified accurately to determine their toxicity and exposure levels.At this time, there is a need to develop a unified method for their determination. There are plenty of techniques available in the market that were initially used for colloidal particles (e.g., microscopy, spectroscopy and the recent addition of magnetic resonance), but each of these techniques has a certain degree of uncertainty.Further, sample homogeneity, sample preparation, instrument-operating procedures, and statistical practices are likely to add to the complexity of the problem. In this context, this review attempts to understand the widely-used light-scattering techniques, including their theory, practice and real-world use in determination of NPs in environmental and food applications.     

Indusrtial and Commercial Applications of Used Defense Technical Textiles Polymer Product Recycling

Summary: The global market for technical textiles is rising as never before. Although US and EU continue to be major manufacturers and consumers of technical textiles, the Asian countries like China and India have recently emerged as chief production centers of technical textiles. In the year 2000, the world market for technical textiles was estimated to have value of US $ 93 billion, which has already crossed US$126 billion in 2010. Also in last five years, the textiles disposed of in landfill sites have raised from 7% to 30% in US alone. Soon the technical textile will have similar story all over the world because this being very strong, durable and versatile material and hence, will not degrade or destroy easily in the nature. With increase of its demand and consumption, the problem for its disposal will also increase many fold. The technical textiles are grouped in 12 main categories. Out of it, Protech (personal and property protection) textile, broadly refers to “Defense Textile” has been given special reference in this paper. Experiments have shown that the major properties of these textiles do no deteriorate much even after its main use for years. Finally ways and means for innovative, added-value applications for recycled defense textiles and making desirable products out of recycled post-consumer materials are explained in this paper.     

Immobilization of Acetylcholinesterase onto Carbon Nanotubes Utilizing Streptavidin-biotin Interaction for the Construction of Amperometric Biosensors for Pesticides

Abstract

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are very promising materials onto which bioactive molecules can be immobilized in the construction of biosensors. Streptavidin was used as a molecular linker to immobilize biotinylated acetylcholinesterase (AChE) on CNTs in a gentle and controllable fashion for pesticide biosensors. Glassy carbon electrodes coated with the CNT-enzyme complex had high affinity for the substrate acetylthiocholine and produced strong peak oxidation currents in electrochemical assays. We also propose a new method, i.e., the use of relative net slope rather than the percentage of inhibition, in the calculation of pesticide concentrations. The biosensors could detect low levels of the pesticide methyl paraoxon.     

The Ability of Near Infrared (NIR) Spectroscopy to Predict Functional Properties in Foods: Challenges and Opportunities

Near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is considered one of the main routine analytical methods used by the food industry. This technique is utilised to determine proximate chemical compositions (e.g., protein, dry matter, fat and fibre) of a wide range of food ingredients and products. Novel algorithms and new instrumentation are allowing the development of new applications of NIR spectroscopy in the field of food science and technology. Specifically, several studies have reported the use of NIR spectroscopy to evaluate or measure functional properties in both food ingredients and products in addition to their chemical composition. This mini-review highlights and discussed the applications, challenges and opportunities that NIR spectroscopy offers to target the quantification and measurement of food functionality in dairy and cereals.     

Required technology breakthroughs to assume widely accepted biosensors

Silicon microsensors have been very successful over the last decade in a wide variety of applications. Although commercialization of silicon-based biosensors has been slow, careful applications of microfabrication technologies to the development of biosensors will drive the formation of many new markets. The most promising high-volume, emerging markets include clinical analysis, health care, and environmental. For example, the worldwide sales of clinical sensors are expected to reach several hundreds of millions by 2000, whereas the total worldwide market for biosensors is forecast to reach $1 billion by the year 2000. In this article, an overview of current and potential markets is presented with an emphasis on technological barriers to overcome before biosensors will become more widely accepted. We start by explaining the relative success of physical sensors compared to biosensors. Subsequently, we review several biosensor approaches and techniques and their associated problems. Finally, the markets that these sensors are meant to serve are analyzed.     

Sugar Analogues with Basic Nitrogen in The Ring as Anti-Infectives

1. INTRODUCTION

Infectious diseases have remained a serious problem for society and concerned government organisations. Due to the dramatic increase of international transport of goods and passengers, dangerous microbial species and infectious diseases can be rapidly distributed over large distances. According to estimations by the World Health Organisation (WHO), nearly 50,000 people are killed by infectious diseases daily. After having been kept at bay for decades, tuberculosis has returned to claim over three million lives per year. In addition, approximately thirty new infectious diseases such as Legionnaire's disease, HIV, or borreliosis have emerged during the past two decades.¹ Furthermore, long-known species, for example mycobacteria, the causative agents of such diseases as tuberculosis and leprosy, have acquired a high level of resistance to most commonly employed anti-infective agents. Because of the abundance of pathogenic microorganisms, a tremendous fraction of the pharmaceutical market is devoted to anti-infective drugs. Of a $73 billion total global market of chiral drugs, antibiotics are the largest fraction ($20 billion) closely followed only by cardiovascular therapeutics ($17.5 billion).¹     

Electrochromic dyes, enzyme reactions and hormone-protein interactions in fluorescence optic sensor (optode) technology

The analytical potential of fluorescence-based optochemical sensors (optodes) has been expanded by use of (1) electrochromic dyes incorporated in thin polymeric multilayers by means of Langmuir-Blodgett film techniques, (2) enzyme-catalysed biochemical reactions and (3) antibody-linked immunological reactions. Fluorescence optical biosensors have been developed for the determination of electrical potentials (e.g., those produced by ion-selective membranes) and of hormones (e.g., thyroxine) and metabolites (e.g., lactate, glucose, xanthine and ethanol).     

Conversion of food industrial wastes into bioplastics with municipal activated sludge

Plastics have become an integral part of our contemporary life because of many desirable properties including durability and resistance to degradation. However, these non-degradable, petrochemicals-derived plastics accumulate in the environment at a rate of 25 million tons per year. Recently there is an interest in the development of a class of microbially produced bioplastics, e.g., polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) which retain the desired physical and chemical properties of conventional synthetic plastics. Broader usage of biodegradable plastics in packaging and disposable products as a solution to the environmental problem would heavily depend on further reduction of costs and the discovery of novel biodegradable plastics with improved properties. In this paper, the microbial production of PHAs by activated sludge utilizing food industrial wastes is reported. The melting points of the products as well as the co-polymer composition of the products investigated by GC and NMR were compared. By use of activated sludge to convert the carbon source into PHAs not only environment-friendly bioplastics are produce, but also part of the problem of the disposal of municipal activated sludge is solved. The selection of food industrial waste as carbon resource can also further reduce the cost of production of PHAs.     

Live biotherapeutic products: the importance of a defined regulatory framework

Probiotics have been defined as “Live microorganisms that when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host”. This definition covers a wide range of applications, target populations and (combinations of) microorganisms. Improved knowledge on the importance of the microbiota in terms of health and disease has further diversified the potential scope of a probiotic intervention, whether intended to reach the market as a food, a food supplement or a drug, depending on the intended use. However, the increased interest in the clinical application of probiotics may require specific attention given their administration in a diseased population. In addition to safety, the impact of the type of product, in terms of quality, production method and, e.g., the acceptance of side effects, is now part of the current regulatory constraints for developers. In the European Union, foods are regulated by the European Food Safety Authority and drugs by the European Medicines Agency; in the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) deals with both categories. More recently, the FDA has defined a new “live biotherapeutic products” (LBP) category, clarifying pharmaceutical expectations. Since 2019, the quality requirements for this category of drug products have also been clarified by the European Pharmacopoeia (Ph. Eur.). Similar to all products intended to prevent or treat diseases, LBPs will have to be registered as medicinal products to reach the market in the US and in Europe. In this area, regulatory authorities and the pharmaceutical industry will routinely use guidelines of the “International Council for Harmonization of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use” (ICH). Although ICH guidelines are not legally binding, they provide very important recommendations, recognized by almost all drug authorities in the world. In this review, we discuss some aspects of this regulatory framework, especially focusing on products with an intended use in a diseased or vulnerable target population.Subject terms: Biological therapy, Biologics     

The “food polymer science” approach to flour functionality and ingredient technology in biscuit baking

An overview is made on the “food polymer science” approach developed by the authors. The quality and performance of flours for the production of cookies and crackers have been shown to depend upon the major functional polymeric components of flour: gluten protein, damaged starch, and pentosans. Of these, damaged starch and soluble pentosans in soft-wheat flours are detrimental to the commercial production of low-moisture cookies and crackers. The detrimental effects of soluble pentosans in flours can be eliminated through the use of pentosanase enzyme in cookie and cracker doughs. Three commercialized applications of this industrial enzyme technology have been patented by Nabisco. The “food polymer science” approach to baking technology has also been used to study finished-product attributes such as texture, in the context of the thermomechanical properties (e.g. modulus) of glassy solid and rubbery liquid matrices. Results of various studies have clearly demonstrated that products in a glassy solid physical state (at T < T_g) are hard and crisp in texture, but upon increasing plasticization by water (such that T_g is depressed below the observation T), are transformed to a rubbery or viscous liquid state, wherein textural hardness (and mechanical modulus) and crispness are dramatically reduced.     

Developments in the production of biological and synthetic binders for immunoassay and sensor-based detection of small molecules

The need for chemical and biological entities of predetermined selectivity and affinity towards target analytes is greater than ever, in applications such as environmental monitoring, bioterrorism detection and analysis of natural toxin contaminants in the food chain.In this review, we focus on advances in the production of specific binders, in terms of both natural entities (e.g., antibodies) and synthetic binders (e.g., molecularly-imprinted polymers). We discuss the potential of emerging technologies for integration into immunoassay and sensing techniques. We place special emphasis on use of these technologies in bioanalytical applications.     

Combined scenarios of chemical and ecological quality under water scarcity in Mediterranean rivers

Water resources are directly and indirectly affected by anthropogenic activities (e.g., changes in land use) and natural factors (e.g., climate change), that is, global change. The Mediterranean basin is one of the most vulnerable regions of the world to global change, and one of the “hot spots” for forthcoming problems of water availability. The present review provides an overview about the relationship between chemical quality (especially concerning organic microcontaminants) and water scarcity, particularly in the Mediterranean area. We include an overview of environmental contaminants and analytical methodologies and consider the fate and the behavior of organic contaminants, and the effects of pollutants on ecosystems.     

Whole cell immobilised biosensors for toxicity assessment of a wastewater treatment plant treating phenolics-containing waste

Wastewater treatment plants dealing with industrial wastes are often susceptible to overload of toxic influent that can partially or completely destroy treatment for extended periods. An obvious candidate for monitoring toxicity in such wastewater systems is bioluminescent bacteria. However, the natural bioluminescent bacteria can be particularly sensitive to some industrial wastes and therefore their response to normal operational conditions does not reflect the status of the microbial community responsible for treatment. Moreover, the salt dependence of the marine bioluminescent bacteria, and the temperature sensitivity of some strains, further complicate their use. Here we describe the construction of whole cell genetically modified bioluminescent biosensors and their immobilisation for use in monitoring the toxicity of a complex industrial wastewater containing phenolic materials. A hand-held luminometer was designed for laboratory or field use, and the immobilisation system designed with several things in mind: the geometry of the instrument; the need for containment of GM bacteria; the maximisation of the bioavailability of the wastewater to the biosensor. The performance of a candidate GM sensor was compared with Vibrio fischeri in liquid culture and after immobilisation in thin films of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) cryogels. The biosensors were tested against pure phenol and 3-chlorophenol as a reference toxic chemical known to be much more toxic to bacteria than phenol. The biosensors were then tested with the phenolics-containing industrial wastewater. The immobilisation system proved to operate predictably with pure toxicants, and was able to discriminate toxicity of various zones within the wastewater treatment plant.     

Electrochemical Biosensors in Food Safety: Challenges and Perspectives

Safety and quality are key issues for the food industry. Consequently, there is growing demand to preserve the food chain and products against substances toxic, harmful to human health, such as contaminants, allergens, toxins, or pathogens. For this reason, it is mandatory to develop highly sensitive, reliable, rapid, and cost-effective sensing systems/devices, such as electrochemical sensors/biosensors. Generally, conventional techniques are limited by long analyses, expensive and complex procedures, and skilled personnel. Therefore, developing performant electrochemical biosensors can significantly support the screening of food chains and products. Here, we report some of the recent developments in this area and analyze the contributions produced by electrochemical biosensors in food screening and their challenges.     

Optical chemical biosensors for high-throughput screening of drugs

Optical biosensors have been commercially available since the early 1990s, and have been used extensively in many areas of research in the life sciences. Optical biosensors developed for drug analysis generally exploit the high selectivity of the antigen-antibody and drug-protein interaction. Optical biosensors can be made based on optical diffraction or electro-chemiluminescence. High-throughput screening, (HTS) which includes automated preparation of a large number of samples and then screening of their properties in multi-well plates, improves the efficiency of research in many scientific areas, e.g., catalyst screening, food processing, chemical synthesis, drug discovery, absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion and toxicological and cell based screening. The three most common detection techniques used in HTS are UV-VIS absorbance, fluorescence and luminescence. In this review, we summarize some recent trends and developments in the construction of optical chemical biosensors used in high-throughput screening of drugs. Also, we have included environmental, biological and other medical applications of biosensors.     

Electrochemical biosensors for food analysis

Abstract  

Food analysis has become a very important and interesting area of research because of the rapid expansion of food trade and highly increased mobility of today’s populations. Food quality control is essential both for consumer protection and also for the food industry. Application of the electrochemical biosensors in the field of food analysis is promising. This review covers the recent developments and issues in electrochemical biosensors for food analysis, such as ease of preparation, robustness, sensitivity, and realization of mass production of the detection strategies. This review also emphasizes the current development of electrochemical biosensors combined with nanotechnology.     

From electronic to opto-electronic biosensors: an engineering view

Electronic engineering has played a significant role in biosensor design, at the primary transducer level, since the appearance of chemically sensitive field-effect transistors (CHEMFETs) in the seventies. The early promise of CHEMFETs could not easily be carried through into more advanced biosensors, e.g., immunosensors, not have CHEMFETs paved the way for a range of non-sensing bioelectronic devices. However, collaboration of electronic engineers and biosensor designers, at a level more fundamental than simple signal-processing instrumentation, was initiated. Such collaborations have led to the appearance of several very promising opto-electronic biosensors and in the use of micro-electronic fabrication techniques in, otherwise, conventional biosensors. It is now possible to foresee the wide use of integrated micro-optical biosensors in medicine and the possibility that integrated fault-tolerant biosensor arrays may start to address some of the severe problems of using biosensors in process control.     

Anthocyanins Recovered from Agri-Food By-Products Using Innovative Processes: Trends,Challenges, and Perspectives for Their Application in Food Systems

Anthocyanins are naturally occurring phytochemicals that have attracted growing interest from consumers and the food industry due to their multiple biological properties and technological applications. Nevertheless, conventional extraction techniques based on thermal technologies can compromise both the recovery and stability of anthocyanins, reducing their global yield and/or limiting their application in food systems. The current review provides an overview of the main innovative processes (e.g., pulsed electric field, microwave, and ultrasound) used to recover anthocyanins from agri-food waste/by-products and the mechanisms involved in anthocyanin extraction and their impacts on the stability of these compounds. Moreover, trends and perspectives of anthocyanins’ applications in food systems, such as antioxidants, natural colorants, preservatives, and active and smart packaging components, are addressed. Challenges behind anthocyanin implementation in food systems are displayed and potential solutions to overcome these drawbacks are proposed.     

Gum Tragacanth (GT): A Versatile Biocompatible Material beyond Borders

The use of naturally occurring materials in biomedicine has been increasingly attracting the researchers’ interest and, in this regard, gum tragacanth (GT) is recently showing great promise as a therapeutic substance in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. As a polysaccharide, GT can be easily extracted from the stems and branches of various species of Astragalus. This anionic polymer is known to be a biodegradable, non-allergenic, non-toxic, and non-carcinogenic material. The stability against microbial, heat and acid degradation has made GT an attractive material not only in industrial settings (e.g., food packaging) but also in biomedical approaches (e.g., drug delivery). Over time, GT has been shown to be a useful reagent in the formation and stabilization of metal nanoparticles in the context of green chemistry. With the advent of tissue engineering, GT has also been utilized for the fabrication of three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds applied for both hard and soft tissue healing strategies. However, more research is needed for defining GT applicability in the future of biomedical engineering. On this object, the present review aims to provide a state-of-the-art overview of GT in biomedicine and tries to open new horizons in the field based on its inherent characteristics.