High pressure-induced structural effects in plastic packaging

Today, flexible vacuum packages are predominantly used for products to be subjected to high pressure treatment. However, tray packages with a modified atmosphere are in demand, which provide a high failure rate with respect to gas and water vapour permeability and packaging integrity. Methods to follow permeation processes under high pressure were developed and used together with optical microscopy, confocal scanning laser microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy to identify the mechanisms for changes in permeability and damage to the packaging materials. Single film samples and pouch packages filled with model products were studied. Results indicate a reversible decrease in the coefficients of diffusion and permeation under the impact of high pressure, due to the compression of the polymeric bulk. Irreversible changes in the polymeric materials are associated with gases in the packaging head space, which cause high local temperatures and create damage due to rapid deliberation upon the pressure drop at the end of the high pressure cycle.     

Quality assurance in immunoassay performance—comparison of different enzyme immunoassays for the determination of caffeine in consumer products

Enzyme immunoassays with optical detection are amongst the most widely used bioanalytical tools. We defined seven parameters for the quality assessment of immunoassays that were addressed in a systematic study of direct and indirect immunoassays, using the enzymes horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and alkaline phosphatase (AP), the chromogenic substrates 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) and para-nitrophenyl phosphate, and the fluorescent substrates 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propionic acid and 4-methylumbelliferyl phosphate. The same monoclonal antibody against caffeine was used throughout the study. The four quality parameters regarding the standard curve were the test midpoint (sensitivity), the measurement range, the relative dynamic range of the signal, and the goodness of fit of the adjusted four-parameter logistic function. All HRP immunoassays showed a higher sensitivity compared to the AP assays. On the basis of all four criteria, it was established that the direct assay format is superior to the indirect format, the immunoassay using HRP TMB fulfilling all requirements best. In a second step, caffeine concentrations in 24 beverage and cosmetics samples were determined and three more quality parameters were assessed with this application. The direct HRP TMB assay showed one of the best intra- and inter-plate precisions and the best accuracy, defined by the correlation of results with those from the chosen reference method liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Considering all criteria, HRP TMB seems to be the enzyme substrate system of choice preferably used in the direct assay format.

Production of Antibodies and Development of Specific Polarization Fluoroimmunoassay for Acetochlor

Specific polyclonal antibodies towards acetochlor (2-chloro- N -(ethoxymethyl)- N -(2-ethyl-6-methylphenyl)acetamide) were obtained from rabbits immunized against a 3-mercaptopropionic acid derivative of acetochlor, covalently attached to bovine serum albumin. A polarization fluoroimmuoassay (PFIA) based on these antibodies was developed and optimized to detect acetochlor in water samples. The optimized PFIA had a detection limit of 9 µg/L, linear working range from 50 to 5500 µg/L and within-assay coefficient of variation less than 4%. Cross-reactivity studies demonstrated that these antibodies are capable of specific detection of acetochlor amongst structurally related chloroacetanilide herbicides. Assay cross-reactivity values were: alachlor 0%, metolachlor 2.4%, propachlor 0%, butachlor 0.2% and dimethachlor 0.5%. Five organic solvents commonly used in sample extraction were evaluated for their effect on acetochlor PFIA performance, and methanol and ethanol were found to be compatible with the assay up to 10% v/v.     

Barrier Dispersion-Based Coatings Containing Natural and Paraffin Waxes

Petroleum, synthetic, and natural waxes have been used as hydrophobic bases for dispersions intended for use as barrier coatings for packaging paper. Oil-in-water dispersions with alkaline pH were prepared by a two-step homogenization procedure containing paraffin wax, with various characteristics, the Fischer–Tropsch synthesis product or beeswax. The size of the dispersed particles determined by dynamic light scattering depended on the type of hydrophobic base used and was in the range of 350–440 nm. The ability of dispersion particles in aggregation driven by electrostatic attraction, evaluated by Zeta potential analysis by electrophoretic light scattering, was from −26 to −50 mV. Static multiply light scattering was used for 30 days of stability assessment and helped to select the dispersion with a Sarawax SX70 wax base as the most stable. Dispersions were further used for coating the backing of kraft paper by the Meyer rod method. Coated paper with an applied coating of 6 g/m² had very good hydrophobic properties (Cobb60 < 4 g/m²), sufficient strength properties, and air permeation, which enabled its application as a packaging material. The dispersions based on Sarawax SX70 wax were evaluated as the best coating for Mondi ProVantage Kraftliner 125 g/m² backing paper. Good hydrophobic properties and strength properties indicate the possibility of using the SX70-based wax dispersion coating as a replacement for PFAS coatings in some applications.     

Important Requirements for the Selection of Internal Standards during the Development of Desorption/Ionization Assays for Drug Quantification in Biological Matrices—A Practical Example

Desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (DI-MS) approaches allow for the rapid quantification of drugs in biological matrices using assays that can be validated according to regulatory guidelines. However, specific adaptations must be applied to create reliable quantification methods, depending on the approach and instrumentation used. In the present article, we demonstrate the importance of the molecular weight, the fragmentation pattern, and the purity of the internal standard for the development of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI)-ion mobility (IM)-tandem MS and MS/MS methods. We present preliminary results of method development for the quantification of selinexor in microdialysis fluids with a stable isotopically labeled internal standard. In addition, we discuss the selection of internal standards for MALDI-MS assays using different instrumentations.     

Apoptolidin: induction of apoptosis by a natural product

Apoptolidin is a natural product that selectively induces apoptosis in several cancer cell lines. Apoptosis, programmed cell death, is a biological key pathway for regulating homeostasis and morphogenesis. Apoptotic misregulations are connected with several diseases, in particular cancer. The extrinsic way to apoptosis leads through death ligands and death receptors to the activiation of the caspase cascade, which results in proteolytic degradation of the cell architecture. The intrinsic pathway transmits signals of internal cellular damage to the mitochondrion, which loses its structural integrity, and forms an apoptosome that initiates the caspase cascade. Compounds which regulate apoptosis are of high medical significance. Many natural products regulate apoptotic pathways, and apoptolidin is one of them. The known synthetic routes to apoptolidin are described and compared in this Review. Selected further natural products which regulate apoptosis are introduced briefly.     

Direct computation of second-order SCF properties of large molecules on workstation computers with an application to large carbon clusters

Summary The ab initio SCF computation of second-order properties of large molecules (with 50 atoms or more) on workstation computers is demonstrated for static dipole polarizabilities and nuclear magneting shieldings. The magnetic shieldings are calculated on the basis of gauge including atomic orbitals (GIAO). Algorithmic advances (semi-direct algorithms with efficient integral pre-screening, and use of a quadratically convergent functional for the polarizabilities) are presented together with an illustrative application to the fullerenes C₆₀ and C₇₀.     

Heat‐Free Biomimetic Metal Molding on Soft Substrates

Fabrication of bio‐templated metallic structures is limited by differences in properties, processing conditions, packing, and material state(s). Herein, by using undercooled metal particles, differences in modulus and processing temperatures can be overcome. Adoption of autonomous processes such as self‐filtration, capillary pressure, and evaporative concentration leads to enhanced packing, stabilization (jamming) and point sintering with phase change to create solid metal replicas of complex bio‐based features. Differentiation of subtle differences between cultivars of the rose flower with reproduction over large areas shows that this biomimetic metal patterning (BIOMAP) is a versatile method to replicate biological features either as positive or negative reliefs irrespective of the substrate. Using rose petal patterns, we illustrate the versatility of bio‐templated mapping with undercooled metal particles at ambient conditions, and with unprecedented efficiency for metal structures.