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Particulate composites based on poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) biopolymers have been formulated. Silver skin (SSK), the by‐product derived from the roasting of coffee beans, has been milled to micrometric size and added up to a 30 wt% of loading, without any previous treatment. The dynamic mechanical properties of the composites have been investigated, as well as the stability toward UV and IR radiation. The filler improves some mechanical properties such as the elastic modulus (E′) mostly in PBS. Photoaging experiments demonstrate that SSK, due to its polyphenols content and antioxidant activity, is able to protect both PLA and PBS from UV degradation, highlighting an added value of SSK waste‐based composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel bio-based and biodegradable electrospun membranes, containing bactericidal ricinoleic acid (RA) units either by copolymerization with butylene succinate (BS) units or by blending PRA and PBS homopolymers, are characterized in their chemical, thermal, mechanical and surface properties. In the blends E. coli and S. aureus mortality rate increases with PRA amount, while the copolymer shows lower bactericidal activity compared to the blend with similar composition. XPS demonstrates that in the blends an enrichment of RA units at the fiber surface occurs during electrospinning due to phase separation, while in the copolymer RA units are homogeneously dispersed along fiber cross-section. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Wheat grains are a rich source of dietary fibres, particularly in the western human diet. Many of the health effects attributed to dietary fibres are believed to be related to their microbial fermentation in the gut. This study evaluated the ability of two potentially probiotic strains, Lactobacillus plantarum L12 and Bifidobacterium pseudocatenulatum B7003, to ferment soluble dietary fibres (SDFs) from modern and ancient durum-type wheat grains. RESULTS: Fibre microbial utilisation was highly variable and dependent on the strain. SDFs from the varieties Svevo and Solex supported the growth of L. plantarum L12 the best, whereas those from the varieties Anco Marzio, Solex and Kamut® Khorasan were good carbohydrate substrates for B. pseudocatenulatum B7003. The highest prebiotic activity scores (describing the extent to which prebiotics support selective growth of probiotics) for B7003 were obtained with SDFs from the varieties Solex (0.57), Kamut® Khorasan (0.56) and Iride (0.55), whereas for L12 the highest scores were achieved with the varieties Orobel (0.63), Kamut® Khorasan (0.56) and Solex (0.53). CONCLUSION: The present study has identified some SDFs from durum-type wheat grains as suitable prebiotic substrates for the selective proliferation of B. pseudocatenulatum B7003 and L. plantarum L12 in vitro. The results provide the basis for the potential utilisation of wheat-based prebiotics as a component of synbiotic formulations. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]