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Gum Ghatti (Anogeissus latifolia) is being widely used as an emulsifier, thickener, stabilizer in food, pharmaceutical, and allied industries due to its shelf life, tolerance of heat, and pH stability. Considering the oil & gas industry application, it is ideal for a hydraulic fracturing fluid additive as a direct replacement for Guar Gum. Basically, unlike Guar Gum, it contains less residual hull and it is suitable for low permeability unconventional reservoir; mainly shale gas reservoir, where permeability counts trivial in amount. The polymer of Ghatti aid exceptional rheological properties and help to produce higher molecular weight polymer; which has excellent proppant carrying capacity and fracture propagation. In this paper, the experimental study has been carried out in two different phases. This was achieved through optimization and characterization of hydraulic fracturing fluid which was embedded with gum matrices. In Phase-I, the study was carried out by using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). Wherein, the relation between several explanatory and response variables have been measured. In Phase-II, the characterization was done by using a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC), Thermo-Gravimetric Analysis (TGA) and also, Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). This experimental study will potentially benefit for development of a new hydraulic fracturing fluid. Where Gum Ghatti observed as a satisfactory alternative agent for Guar Gum.

Guar gum (GG) is a natural heteropolysaccharide. Due to its non-toxic, eco-friendly, and biodegradable nature, GG has found wide applications in many areas, in particular food, paper, textile, petroleum, and pharmaceutical industries. Therefore, GG is often called “Black Gold” as well. Due to the presence of hydroxyl groups, GG can be modified by various methods. The physical and biological properties of GG can be modulated by chemical modifications. In this manuscript, various methods for the chemical modifications of GG have been discussed according to the type of modifications. Mechanistic insights have also been provided whenever possible. In addition, potential applications of new GG derivatives have also been briefly mentioned.

The phytochemical-rich extract obtained from black jamun pulp were encapsulated using vibrating dripping extrusion technique. The utilisation of alginate (AL) with four variations of core-shell material comprising gum Arabic (AL-GA), guar gum (AL-GG), pectin (AL-P) and xanthan gum (AL-X) was engaged to form calcium-alginate based lyophilised jamun extract encapsulated beads. It resulted that among four variations, lyophilised alginate with AL-GG based encapsulated jamun extract filled beads have better physicochemical characteristics and 95% encapsulation efficiency. The results revealed the morphological comparison of each variation. The release behaviour of AL-GG based beads has a higher release of total phenolics (TPC) and total anthocyanin content (TAC). The release kinetics model involving Ritger-Peppas and Higuchi model were applied for release TPC and TAC of all variations of beads. The Ritger-Peppas model was found best suitable in terms of average R2 (0.965) and lowest χ2 (0.0039). The release kinetics study showed that AL-GA based beads followed by AL-GG could also be the best suitable in release behaviour using simulated gastrointestinal fluids at 140–160 min. Overall, results shown the encapsulated Jamun beads have the best agro-industrial efficacy in form of phytochemical compounds based microparticles, holding decent antioxidant potential.

Linear gel fracturing fluids are expressed with an extensive range of materials/polymers in an aqueous base. Earlier we developed fracturing linear gel with fossil diesel, bio-diesel and also used suspending anti-settling agents and emulsifiers. Here we report on a novel and an efficient method for the preparation of linear gel direct mix with water, guar gum and sodium acetate together instantly. In this research work, we used water instead of diesel without any need to mix anti-settling agents, suspending agents, emulsifiers that resulted in 30 viscosity linear gel. The degradation pattern observed from the breaker test showed that a reduction in gel viscosity depends on time, temperature & breaker concentration. Ammonium per sulphate or Ammonium per oxidisulphate and enzyme-G were used for oxidation purpose to break the gel gradually at a particular static temperature. Observations from experiments revealed that a small concentration of breaker provides rapid break compared to oxidative breakers. This article, designing of fracturing fluids describes how to use the fluid's viscosity generated by the gelling agents like guar gum for CBM operations.

Nano-colloidal systems formulated from amphiphilically-modified polysaccharides (degree of modification 16.6%) are focus of prominent study due to their potential to augment active penetration across the skin. Here we report the synthesis of amphiphilically-modified guar gum (GBE-GG) prepared by grafting with glycidol butyl ether (GBE), which were subsequently formed into nanocarriers and loaded with α-arbutin (22.3% loading). The monodispersed and close-to-spherical nanocarriers (size range 239–297 nm) formed via cross-linking were adequately stable mainly at low temperature (4 °C) under physiological pH condition. α-arbutin was released from GBE-GG NPs in a more sustained manner and the release profiles can be accurately represented by the 1st order kinetic model. In-vitro interactions on immortalised human keratinocytes (HaCaT) cells revealed an increase in biological membrane permeability as well as the absence of cellular toxicity at application pertinent concentrations. No substantial haemolytic activity appeared and flow cytometry analysis revealed effective cellular uptake, suggesting their potential as promising nanocarriers for percutaneous delivery that warrants further comprehensive research.

Natural polymers are an efficient class of eco-friendly and biodegradable polymers, because they are readily available, come from natural sources, inexpensive and can be chemically modified with the correct reagents. Guar gum (GG) is a natural polymer with great potential to be used in pharmaceutical formulations due to its unique composition and lack of toxicity. GG can be designed to suit the needs of the biological and medical engineering sectors. In the development of innovative drug delivery systems, GG is commonly utilized as a rate-controlling excipient. In this review, different properties of GG including chemical composition, extraction methods and its usefulness in diabetes, cholesterol lowering, weight control, tablet formulations as well as its food application were discussed. The other purpose of this study is to evaluate potential use of GG and its derivatives for advanced nanomedicine such as drug delivery, tissue engineering and nanosensing. It should be noted that some applicable patents in medical area have also been included in the rest of this survey to extend knowledge about guar gum and its polymeric nature.

The development of porous adsorbent materials from renewable resources for water and wastewater treatment has received considerable interest from academia and industry. This work aims to synthesize composite hydrogel from the combination of guar gum (a neutral galactomannan polysaccharide) and TiO2. The TiO2-embedded guar gum hydrogel (TiO2@GGH) was utilized to remove methylene blue through adsorption and photodegradation. The presence of TiO2 particles in the hydrogel matrix (TiO2@GGH) was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. The mercury intrusion and N2 sorption isotherm indicate the macroporous structure of the TiO2@GGH composite, showing the presence of pore sizes ~420 μm. The dye removal efficiency of the GGH and TiO2@GGH was evaluated in batch mode at ambient temperature under varying pH. The effect of UV radiation on the dye removal efficiency was also assessed. The results demonstrated that the highest dye removal was recorded at pH 10, with the equilibrium condition achieved within 5 h. UV radiation was shown to enhance dye removal. The maximum adsorption capacity of TiO2@GGH is 198.61 mg g−1, while GGH sorbent is 188.53 mg g−1. The results imply that UV radiation gives rise to the photodegradation effect.

Burns are one of the most prevalent and harmful types of trauma. Patients with critical thermal harm need immediate specialized care to minimize morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to assess the curing possibility of chitosan/guar gum/Aloe Vera hydrogel on the curing of full-thickness burn wounds in the Wistar albino model. Two full-thickness burn wounds were formed on the dorsum of each rat under general anesthesia. Burn wounds were cured with chitosan gel; chitosan/guar gum hydrogel; chitosan/Aloe Vera hydrogel; chitosan/guar gum/Aloe Vera hydrogel, respectively. Healing was investigated based on the percentage of wound shrinkage, and surface area as well as histopathological and histomorphological observations. A significant decrease in the wound area and the epithelial gap was noticed in all groups, especially the wounds treated with chitosan/guar gum. Maximum angiogenesis was observed in the chitosan/Aloe Vera treated group. Chitosan/guar gum/Aloe Vera treated wounds demonstrated an enhancement in the thickness and integrity of collagen fibers and the highest score among fibroblast cells accumulation. Furthermore, the inflammatory cellular response and hyperemia were significantly higher in the control group when compared with those of other chitosan-based groups. Chitosan/guar gum/Aloe Vera hydrogel has a curing possibility and has presented the best healing result compared to other treatments for the restoration of full-thickness skin burn wounds in rats.

Owing to the problems of guar gum fracturing fluid and conventional slickwater fracturing fluid systems in hydraulic fracturing of tight oil reservoirs, such as bad fracture network capacity, high damage, and low sand-carrying performance, researchers are actively looking for new alternative fracturing fluids. This study takes four commonly used additives for hydraulic fracturing of tight oil and gas reservoirs in western China, including the conventional polyacrylamide friction reducer EM30S, bioglue, thickener CHS-1, and high-viscosity friction reducer HVFR-1. By testing the water solubility, rheological properties, drag reduction, sand-carrying performance, imbibition oil displacement effect, and residue content of the four additives, the best additives suitable for hydraulic fracturing of tight oil and gas reservoirs were selected, and a set of indoor evaluations and the experimental method of screening hydraulic fracturing additives for tight oil and gas reservoirs were established. The research results show that the high-viscosity slickwater system composed of CND + HVFR-1 is more suitable for hydraulic fracturing of tight oil and gas reservoirs. Compared with the other three types of additives, CND + HVFR-1 fracturing fluid has good water solubility, and the dissolution time is less than 30 s. Therefore, in order to save construction time, the CND + HVFR-1 high-viscosity slickwater system is first recommended for field application. The research results of rheological properties show that although the apparent viscosity of high-concentration HVFR-1 + CND is low, the cross value of G′ and G″ is the smallest (0.006 Hz) and the elastic modulus is the largest (4.554 Pa) corresponding to 1 Hz. HVFR-1 + CND has better sand-carrying performance when used as a sand-carrying liquid. CND + HVFR-1 not only achieves a friction reduction rate of more than 60% but also has the effect of imbibition oil displacement to improve oil recovery; it can easily break gels, and its low residue content can ensure rapid flowback after construction is completed, and the lower residue content also causes the least damage to the reservoir. At the same time, the establishment of this evaluation method provides a certain reference for other researchers who select fracturing fluids for tight oil and gas reservoirs.

Biocompatible materials that act as scaffolds for regenerative medicine are of enormous interest. Hydrogel-nanoparticle composites have great potential in this regard, however evaluations of their wound healing and safety in vivo in animal studies are scarce. Here we demonstrate that a guar gum/curcumin-stabilized silver nanoparticle hydrogel composite is an injectable material with exceptional wound healing and antibacterial properties. We show that the curcumin-bound silver nanoparticles themselves exhibit low cytotoxicity and enhance proliferation, migration, and collagen production in in vitro studies of human dermal fibroblasts. We then show that the hydrogel-nanoparticle composite promotes wound healing in in vivo studies on rats, accelerating wound closure by > 40% and reducing bacterial counts by 60% compared to commercial antibacterial gels. Histopathology indicates that the hydrogel composite enhances transition from the inflammation to proliferation stage of healing, promoting the formation of fibroblasts and new blood vessels, while target gene expression studies confirm that the accelerated tissue remodeling occurs along the normal pathways. As such these hydrogel composites show great promise as wound dressing materials with high antibacterial capacity.

The development of plant-based milks for use as functional foods is relatively new and challenging. The objective of this work was to develop and characterize two coconut milk products fermented by Lactobacillus reuteri LR 92. The best proportion of gums to promote greater viscosity and absence of syneresis of the beverage was 0.15% xanthan gum (w/v) and 0.05% guar gum (w/v). Two products were formulated: fermented coconut milk (FC) and fermented coconut milk with strawberry pulp (FCS). After gastrointestinal simulation, a high survival rate of L. reuteri was found for the products, with 81.63 ± 0.58% for FC and 74.17 ± 1.65% for FCS. In the hedonic acceptance sensory test (total 9 points), the products obtained global scores above 7.5. In the attitude scale test (total 7 points), 5.10 ± 1.28 for FC and 5.48 ± 1.30 for FCS. Among the fatty acids detected, the products had a higher percentage of lauric acid, with values ranging from 37.89 ± 0.89% to 44.45 ± 3.16%. The FC and FCS products showed promising results, indicating that fermented coconut milk beverages are suitable for the development of new functional products with high acceptability by the consumer. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13197-021-05303-1.

BACKGROUND Zein as a sole material is not suitable for technological applications since it is not flexible. A possible solution to extend the applications of zein is the formation of zein-polysaccharide complexes. As a first step, sonication parameters were optimized to obtain finer emulsions formulated with zein, rosemary essential oil as food preservative, and sunflower oil, by means of response surface methodology. After the formation of these guar- or diutan-zein complexes the rheological properties of these food emulsions were evaluated. RESULTS An increase in sonication power, sonication time and cycles provoked a decrease in mean droplet size and a lack of recoalescence. The optimized emulsion was the starting point to form two different complexes: zein with diutan gum and zein with guar gum at different concentrations. Rheological properties as well as the microstructure observed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) were analyzed. Interestingly, zein-guar gum complexes did not form a rheological gel; as a consequence, emulsions containing them seem to undergo a destabilization process with aging time. In contrast, emulsions formulated with zein-diutan gum presented a 3D network, observed by FESEM technique and proved by rheological measurements. CONCLUSION While emulsions containing zein-guar gum complexes did not form networks to stabilize oil droplets, zein-diutan gum complexes did. This work brings to light the importance of the selection of polysaccharide used in food emulsions formulated with zein. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

In the present study, minimally processed pomegranate arils were subjected to dip coating treatment to enhance its shelf-life owing to its high perishability. Grape pomace extract was used as an antimicrobial agent and guar gum (GG) as a matrix. Plate count agar and pour plate technique were used for mesophilic bacterial counts. The microbial analysis demonstrated that the control sample had an initial microbial count of 3.3 ± 0.17 cfu g−1 which reached > 107 cfu g−1 after 4 days of storage at 10 °C thus limiting its shelf-life. However, mesophilic counts of 0.5% pomace treated samples were 2.7 ± 0.14 cfu g−1 and it remained below < 106 cfu g−1 even after storage of 6 days at 10 °C. Sensory attributes of treated samples were comparable to fresh arils throughout the storage period. During storage, all samples showed significant loss of moisture thus consequently increase in their firmness. After 6 days of storage 2.9 ± 0.15 and 2.7 ± 0.13% of moisture loss was observed for control and 0.5% treated samples, respectively. Headspace gaseous composition of arils packed tray remains constant till the end of storage which might be due to very high CO2 and O2 permeability of GG based active film used in the present study. Antioxidant activity, ascorbic acid, anthocyanins, phenolics, and flavonoids content of arils juice remain unchanged during treatment and storage. Effectivity of grape pomace extract to enhance the shelf-life of arils was thus observed in the present study.

Natural polymer hydrogels are promising candidates for solid-state electrolytes in zinc-ion batteries. They are safe, biocompatible, and mechanically robust. However, the ionic conductivity of most natural polymer-based hydrogels is unsatisfactory, and they are particularly problematic at sub-zero temperatures because freezing severely limits their functionality. In this study, we fabricate composite hydrogels with high ionic conductivity (25.37 mS cm−1). This is done by blending two kinds of natural polymers, guar gum (GG) and sodium alginate (SA). The zinc-ion batteries with GG/SA hydrogel electrolytes show a superior electrochemical performance (354.9 mAh g−1 at 0.15 A g−1, 137.0 mAh g−1 at 6 A g−1 and capacity retention of 91.52% over 1000 cycles) than the zinc-ion batteries with the pure GG hydrogel electrolyte. In addition, to extend the application range of GG/SA hydrogels into the sub-zero temperature region, we introduce ethylene glycol (EG) into GG/SA to form GG/SA/EG anti-freeze hydrogel. Below -20 °C, the GG/SA/EG hydrogel maintains a high ionic-conductivity (6.19 mS cm−1), and the zinc-ion batteries, which were made of GG/SA/EG hydrogel electrolyte, showed an excellent low-temperature discharge performance, for a specific capacity of 181.5 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1. This study describes a new approach for the development of natural polymer-based hydrogel electrolytes with high ionic-conductivity and good anti-freeze capability.

The increasing energy demand has prompted engineers to explore deeper wells where rich oil and gas reserves exist. However, the high-temperature and high-salt conditions have impeded the further application of traditional water-based fracturing fluids in such reservoirs. Therefore, it is urgent to develop fracturing fluids that are suitable for such geographic characteristics. In this study, for the first time, a novel synthetic polymer, poly-(acrylamide-co-acrylic acid-co-2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid) (P3A), was investigated as a rheological modifier for water-based fracturing fluids in high-temperature and high-salt conditions and compared with a guar gum system. Results showed that the apparent viscosity increased with increasing P3A and guar gum concentrations, and the thickening ability of P3A was much better than that of guar gum. Despite the better shear and temperature resistance and proppant suspension ability of guar gum fluids in high-temperature and saturated salt conditions, plentiful solid residues after gel-breaking have prevented their progress in the petroleum industry. P3A fluids have no residues, but the unsatisfying proppant suspension capability and high dosage encourage us to promote their rheological performance via interaction with an organic zirconium crosslinker. Infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy were applied to guarantee the successful reaction of P3A with the crosslinker. The subsequent investigation indicated that the transformed fracturing fluid exhibited remarkably improved thickening capability and satisfying rheological performance in terms of temperature and shear resistance and proppant-carrying ability as well as gel-breaking results in a high-temperature and saturated salt environment. All of the above results suggest the potential application of crosslinked P3A in hydraulic fracturing for the reservoirs with hostile conditions, and this article also provides a new orientation for synthetic polymers utilized in the oil and gas industry.

This study aimed to investigate synthesis and structural characteristics of the chitosan (CS) – modified dialdehyde guar gum (DAGG) hydrogel through the Schiff base reaction. The highest swelling capacity was achieved as about 12,000% of dry weight of the freeze-dried powder at CS: DAGG hydrogel with the mixing ratio of 30:70. The swelling ratio was not affected by changes in pH, which could be considered as an important property in the control of moisture in absorbent pad. The FTIR results indicated that the new amide groups have been formed at 1680 cm−1, which can be attributed to the covalent bond between the amide groups of CS and the aldehyde groups of GG. Based on a SEM image, the prepared hydrogel showed the porous structure so it verified the crosslinking formation between the two polymers. Rheological analyses confirmed that formation compact and porous structure led to some noteworthy improvements in the strength of hydrogel prepared with a high ratio of DAGG. The hydrogel loaded with 5% pomegranate peel extract (PPE) showed both good antioxidant (81.13%) and antimicrobial activities. The hydrogel was observed to have a good potential to be used as an antibacterial pad.

Improving oil production for high-salinity reservoirs using polymer flooding is challenging due to chemical and mechanical degradations. This study developed two biodegradable biopolymers based on graft copolymerization of guar gum (GG) with two different co-monomers, which are acrylamide (Am) and 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid (AMPS), and cross-linked by N,N′-methylene bisacrylamide (MBA) to face these challenges. The newly synthesized guar gum-based hydrogels, GG-g-poly(Am-AMPS) (GH) and GG-g-poly(Am-AMPS)/Biochar (GBH composite), were evaluated as potential candidates for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) under high-salinity conditions. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of the synthesized hydrogels were investigated, and their rheological properties were measured at room temperature. Both GH and GHB display a shear-thinning performance. In polymer flooding experiments, guar gum hydrogel (GH) and guar gum/biochar composite hydrogel (GHB) showed a remarkable influence on delaying the water breakthrough and proved to be effective biopolymers for enhanced oil recovery in high-salinity reservoirs. At the optimum concentration of 5 g/L, GH flooding achieved maximum oil recoveries of 70.53 and 72.11% in secondary and tertiary recovery processes, respectively. Meanwhile, the waterflooding process achieved an ultimate oil recovery of 58.42%. GHB flooding at optimum concentration, 2 g/L, increased the amount of oil recovery by 8.95% in tertiary recovery compared to waterflooding. Furthermore, GH (5 g/L) and GHB (2 g/L) slightly enhanced the rock water wettability as confirmed by contact angle measurements for GH and the relative permeability saturation curves for GH and GHB.

The current investigation was developed to study the role of functionalized guar gum as carrier in solid dispersion of iboprofen. The solid dispersion technique using aminated guar gum would be an effective approach for increasing the solubility and increasing dissolution behaviour of ill fathomable medicament than the native guar gum. The results of FTIR and DSC studies confirmed that there is no chemical interaction or no incompatability between the drug and excipients. The invitro dissolution study was performed for the the prepared formulations. Based on the results SD3 was shown highest drug release 99.41% within 24hrs. Stabiliy study was conducted as per ICH guidelines and the falloutsrevealed that there is no physical or chemical change.it may be concluded that solubility of ibuprofen can br improved by using functionalized guar gum in the solid dispersion, which provides a wide scope for the therapeutic efficiency.

Local delivery of anticancer agents via injectable hydrogels could be a promising method for achieving spatiotemporal control on drug release as well as minimizing the disadvantages related to the systemic mode of drug delivery. Keeping this in mind, we report the development of N,O-carboxymethyl chitosan (N,O-CMCS)-guar gum-based injectable hydrogels for the sustained delivery of anticancer drugs. The hydrogels were synthesized by chemical crosslinking of multialdehyde guar gum (MAGG) and N,O-CMCS through dynamic Schiff base linkages, without requiring any external crosslinker. Fabrication of injectable hydrogels, involving N,O-CMCS and MAGG via Schiff base crosslinking, is being reported for the first time. The hydrogels exhibited pH-responsive swelling behavior and good mechanical properties with a storage modulus of about 1625 Pa. Due to the reversible nature of Schiff base linkages, hydrogels displayed excellent self-healing and thixotropic properties. Doxorubicin (Dox), an anticancer agent, was loaded onto these hydrogels and its release studies were conducted at pH 7.4 (physiological) and pH 5.5 (tumoral). A sustained release of about 67.06% Dox was observed from the hydrogel after 5 days at pH 5.5 and about 32.13% at pH 7.4. The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay on the human embryonic kidney cell line (HEK-293) and the hemolytic assay demonstrated the biocompatible nature of the hydrogels. The Dox-loaded hydrogel exhibited a significant killing effect against breast cancer cells (MCF-7) with a cytotoxicity of about 72.13%. All the data presented support the efficiency of the synthesized N,O-CMCS/MAGG hydrogel as a biomaterial that may find promising applications in anticancer drug delivery.

In the present investigation, photosensitized nanofibers (NFs) based on guar gum (GG)/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/Mg4Si6O15(OH)2·6H2O (SP) (modified by 1, 4-diamminobutane [DAB]) was fabricated by electrospinning approach and same was used for the degradation of dye under solar light irradiation. For electrospinning of NFs, the acceleration voltage, nozzle flow rate and collector distance levels of 19,000 KV, 0.5 mL/h and 3 cm were optimum conditions along with 7% (w/v) blend of GG/PVA (1.4:5.6 wt/wt) and 0.01 g modified Mg4Si6O15(OH)2·6H2O. The exfoliation, intercalation and clay organophilization in GG/PVA/Mg4Si6O15(OH)2·6H2O (GG/PVA/SP) NFs were examined by FTIR analysis. The photocatalytic activity (PCA) of NF was studied under the solar light irradiation for methylene blue (MB) dye degradation. The photosensitized GG/PVA/SP2 (G3) showed promising PCA under visible light and G3 furnished higher degradation of MB dye (99.1%) within 10 min of irradiation. Results revealed that GG/PVA/SP based NFs are highly active under solar light, which can be applied for the treatment of wastewater.

A low-temperature active glycosyl hydrolase family 26(GH26) β-mannanase (Man37) was identified in Bacillus velezensis BS-37 by gene mining. The β-mannanase Man37 contained a signal peptide at the N-terminus. The Man37 and Man37△1−25 (without the signal peptide sequence) coding sequences were successfully expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) using the pET-28a(+) vector. The specific activity of the purified Man37 and Man37△1−25 with guar gum as substrate was 98.12 and 150.34 U/mg, respectively. Man37△1−25 was superior to Man37 due to its higher specific activity and soluble expression. The temperature and pH range of Man37△1−25 was 20−55 °C and pH5.0–10.0, respectively. The enzyme could effectively reduce the viscosity of fracturing fluid from 6200 to 1000 mPa·s after 10 min at 25 °C, which demonstrates its application potential as a gel-breaker in low-temperature hydrocarbon reservoirs. Uncoated recombinant Man37△1−25 cells could completely reduce the viscosity of water-based fracturing fluid within only 3 h, while was greatly prolonged to 18 h with coating polyethylenimine-glutaraldehyde (PEI-GA). Thus, this study provides an effective solution for premature degradation caused by the addition of water-based fracturing fluid together with a short-acting gel-breaker.

The present work aims to synthesize the pH-sensitive crosslinked guar gum-g-poly(acrylic acid-co-acrylonitrile) [guar-g-(AA-co-ACN)] via microwave-assisted technique for the sustained release of thymoquinone. The synthesized material [guar-g-(AA-co-ACN)] was optimized by varying synthetic parameters viz. monomer concentration, reaction time, and microwave power to obtain the maximum yield of the crosslinked guar gum grafted product as well as maximum encapsulation of thymoquinone. The synthesized material [guar-g-poly(AA-co-ACN)] was characterized by FT-IR, SEM, XRD, NMR, zeta potential, and thermal techniques. This synthesized material was used to encapsulate thymoquinone (TQ) for effective nanotherapeutic delivery. In-vitro thymoquinone release behavior of guar-g-poly(AA-co-ACN) based nanoparticles (NpTGG) was investigated. The maximum thymoquinone release (78%) was achieved at pH 7.4 and time (6 h). The NpTGG also exhibited better antioxidant activity and hemocompatibility as compared to thymoquinone. Cytotoxicity of uar-g-(AA-co-ACN) and NpTGG was also evaluated against the human kidney VERO cell line and found to be nontoxic. Current research provides a cost-effective and green approach for the synthesis of guar-g-(AA-co-ACN) and NpTGG for sustained release of thymoquinone.

Guar gum is a neutral, non-ionic polysaccharide that has been extensively utilized in the food industry as a stabilizer, excipients, and emulsifier agent. An oxidized derivative of this edible guar gum was prepared and used as a complexing agent for iron to obtain a polysaccharide-bound iron (II) complex. The degree of oxidation varies between 30.12 and 60.63% with a corresponding aldehyde content (0.59–1.79 mmol/g) and carboxyl contents (0.49–1.62 mmol/g), which were determined by the titrimetry method. Sophisticated spectroscopic techniques characterized all the products. The natural polymer-based hydrophilic and hydrophobic formulations as coating were used for achieving the sustained or prolonged release from the complex tablets. Release studies of the tablets were carried out in different mediums of varying pH. The total iron available from the tablets was compared with that obtained from ferrous fumarate prepared under similar conditions, and the results were found to be comparable. Release results demonstrate the pH-sensitive behaviour of the guar gum-based delivery system towards the controlled release of iron. Antianemic effect of new functionalized guar gum iron complexes was investigated on male albino rats. The complexes may exhibit the potential to recover the hematological index of the albino rats with some positive effects on improving rat's growth with iron deficiency anaemia.

Polysaccharides-based hydrogel has many advantages such as biocompatibility, self-repair property, and biodegradability. It has been widely applied in various fields and has attracted great attention of researchers. The natural polysaccharides involved in this review include fenugreek gum, guar gum, locust bean gum, gellan gum, sodium alginate, agarose, and konjac glucomannan etc. Borax is a highly effective crosslinking agent for cis-ortho-hydroxyl polysaccharides. This paper focused on the synthesis mechanism, functional additives, characteristics, and applications of borax crosslinked cis-ortho-hydroxyl polysaccharides hydrogels (BHs). Moreover, the factors affecting BHs performance such as temperature, pH, and media were analyzed. Its mechanical and self-repair properties are enhanced by the dynamic and reversible borate/di-diol, which play a significant role in sensors, biomedicine, and tissue engineering. This review summarizes the research progress of BHs for the first time. Additionally, hoping to contribute to the development of this field, the review analyzes the correlation of performance through the SPSS 26 software.

Objective: The objective of the study is to explore polysaccharide mucilages of Colocasia esculenta (CE), and Fenugreek (FG) as buoyancy enhancing agents, and mucoadhesive agents by developing gastroretentive floating tablets of Glipizide. Methods: Glipizide loaded floating tablets were developed with CE, and FG alone and in combination of Guar gum (GG), and Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) K4M using direct compression technique. The developed formulations have been subjected to evaluation of in vitro buoyancy study, in vitro drug release study (pH 1.2), and in vitro bioadhesiveness study. Therefore, the final optimized formulation was subjected to Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) study. Results: The results of the buoyancy study for formulation F1, F2, and F5 revealed that the instant floating lag time, floating time duration of 1 h, and exhibited 100% drug release in 4 h. Therefore, the formulations developed with GG (F3), and HPMC K4M (F4) have been exhibited slow floating lag time, prolonged floating duration and drug released up to 100 % in 12 h, while; formulations F6, F7, F8, and F9 have been exhibited shortest floating lag time, longest floating time duration, the best drug released up to 12 h, and better in vitro bioadhesiveness properties. Furthermore, F7 exhibited good bioadhesive property as compared to F6, F8-F9. The results of the FTIR, DSC, and XRD study for F7 revealed that the presence of functional groups and amorphous. Conclusion: Owing to the anticipated properties like biocompatibility, biodegradability, swelling ability, and cost-effectiveness of CE; it could be the potential macromolecule for the replacement of synthetic polymers.

Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques are essential to improve oil production, and polymer flooding has become one of the promising technologies for the Brazilian Pre-Salt scenario. Biopolymers offer a range of advantages considering the Pre-Salt conditions compared to synthetic polymers, such as resistance to high salinity, high temperature, and mechanical degradation. In that sense, bulk rheology is the first step in a workflow for performance analysis. This paper presents a rheological analysis of four biopolymers (Schizophyllan, Scleroglucan, Guar Gum, and Xanthan Gum) in concentrations from 10 to 2,300 ppm, generally suitable for EOR applications, in temperature levels of 25, 40, 50, 60 and 70°C and two brines of 30,100 ppm and 69,100 ppm total dissolved solids, which aim to model seawater and the mixture between injected seawater and reservoir water typical in Pre-Salt conditions. The pseudoplastic behavior, the overlap concentration, and the activation energy were determined for each polymer solution. The structural differences in the polymers resulted in different rheological behaviors. Schizophyllan is the most promising, as its viscosifying power is higher than synthetic polymers comparable to Xanthan Gum. Its resistance at high temperatures is higher than that of synthetic polymers. Scleroglucan behaved similarly to Xanthan Gum, with the added advantage of being nonionic. Guar Gum had the lowest viscosities, highest overlap concentrations, and most pronounced viscosity decay among the tested polymers. To the author’s knowledge, rheological studies of the biopolymers presented here, considering the viscosities and the overlap concentration and activation energy, in the Pre-salt conditions, are not available in the literature and this will benefit future works that depend on this information

Rice bran flour is a byproduct of rice processing and can be used as food. The objective of the current study was to use pregelatinized rice bran flour along with hydrocolloids to stabilize guava nectar, as well as to evaluate the stability of bioactive compounds during a storage period of 180 days. For this purpose, the guava fruits were processed in the form of pulp, following the elaboration of the nectars. Four formulations were prepared: one control (pulp, water, and sugar) and three by the addition of xanthan, guar gum, and pregelatinized rice flour. The sedimentation stability, the content of bioactive compounds, and the physicochemical parameters were evaluated at every 45 days of storage. The formulations with guar and pregelatinized rice bran flour gave better results than the others for all the evaluated parameters, indicating that they could be a good option for stabilization of the guava nectar. Moreover, the rice flour seems to be a cost-effective option and is easy to obtain in contrast to the other commonly used hydrocolloids that are generally used in food industry.

The main factors of a microbial fuel cell (MFC) are the anode and the microorganisms around it that produce electrons. This research focuses on increasing the efficiency of a MFC in plantMFC (PMFC) or aquarium-like conditions by inoculating microorganisms that help produce electrons to the soil. Guar gum was used as a base structure as it can culture microorganisms and create a hydrogel by cross-linking with borax.[1,2] Bacillus megaterium was added to the hydrogel as it can survive under the basic conditions of borax while producing electrons.[3] Glucose was added as well to help culture the bacteria. Then, the change of voltage was observed along with the growth of B.megaterium. A compound consisting of 0.5% glucose, 1% Guar gum, 10% Borax, and B.megaterium culture medium was created with a volume ratio of 1:25:1:1 in each order. This compound will be named GGB-B. GGB-B was able to keep its shape as a hydrogel along with a voltage increase of 250mV compared to control due to the stable growth of B.megaterium. 100g of GGB-B was placed inside a beaker and was covered with aquarium soil. Two goldfishes (Carassius auratus) were added. Voltage, pH, and the health of goldfishes were observed for 9 days. The result was approximately a 150mV increase in voltage compared to control (tap water). pH decrease was about 1.3, showing a pH of 6.12. There was no change in the goldfishes, and the GGB-B under the aquarium soil fused with the soil as it disintegrated. Therefore, when electron-producing microorganisms such as B.megaterium are added to guar gum, the microorganisms would slowly spread over the soil, thereby increasing the efficiency of MFC. This could also apply to PMFC and aquarium-like conditions as well.