Search

Today, diabetes mellitus is one of the most common diseases that affects the population on a worldwide scale. Patients suffering from this disease are required to control their blood-glucose levels several times a day through invasive methods such as piercing their fingers. Our NaGdF 4 : 5% Er 3+ , 3% Nd 3+ nanoparticles demonstrate a remarkable ability to detect D-glucose levels by analysing alterations in their red-to-green ratio, since this sensitivity arises from the interaction between the nanoparticles and the OH groups present in the D-glucose molecules, resulting in discernible changes in the emission of the green and red bands. These luminescent sensors were implemented and tested on paper substrates, offering a portable, low-cost and enzyme-free solution for D-glucose detection in aqueous solutions with a limit of detection of 22 mg/dL. With this, our study contributes to the development of non-invasive D-glucose sensors, holding promising implications for managing diabetes and improving overall patient well-being with possible future applications in D-glucose sensing through tear fluid., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Cellulosic material is considered to be excellent for food packaging due to its low cost, easy degradability, and high recyclability rates. However, its application is still limited due to its porous structure and high hydrophilicity, which provide high permeabilities to grease, gas and water vapor. One solution to fix these issues and to bring new functionalities that can also extend food shelf life is to coat the paper substrate with biopolymers containing nanoparticles and/or components with antioxidant and/or antimicrobial activities. In this regard, the aim of this study was to review some aspects of the current knowledge critically and didactically on applications of biopolymer-based coatings incorporated with active components and/or nanoparticles on paper/paperboard materials usually applied as primary cellulosic active packaging. Studies have shown that this combination can positively improve the physical, mechanical, and barrier properties of cellulosic packaging, along with the enhancement of antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. A better understanding of these aspects enables the use of other active compounds to develop more functionality to the packaging itself as well as to apply it to food packaging in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]