Search

Transcriptional regulation underlies most developmental programs and physiological responses to environmental changes in plants. Transcription factors (TFs) play a key role in the regulation of gene expression by binding specifically to short DNA sequences in the regulatory regions of genes: the TF binding sites (TFBSs). In recent years, several bioinformatic tools have been developed to detect TFBSs in candidate genes, either by de novo prediction or by directly mapping experimentally known TFBSs. However, most of these tools contain information for only a few species or require multi-step procedures, and are not always intuitive for non-experienced researchers. Here we present TFBS-Discovery Tool Hub (TDTHub), a web server for quick and intuitive studies of transcriptional regulation in plants. TDTHub uses pre-computed TFBSs in 40 plant species and allows the choice of two mapping algorithms, providing a higher versatility. Besides the main TFBS enrichment tool, TDTHub includes additional tools to assist in the analysis and visualization of data. In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of TDTHub, we analyzed the transcriptional regulation of the anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway. We also analyzed the transcriptional cascades in response to jasmonate and wounding in Arabidopsis and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), respectively. In these studies, TDTHub helped to verify the most relevant TF nodes and to propose new ones with a prominent role in these pathways. TDTHub is available at http://acrab.cnb.csic.es/TDTHub/, and it will be periodically upgraded and expanded for new species and gene annotations.

This study reports on a novel strategy for manufacturing thickened gel-like castor oil formulations by dispersing electrospun lignin/ethylcellulose nanostructures. These thickened formulations were rheologically and tribologically evaluated with the aim of being proposed as alternative ecofriendly lubricating greases. Low-sulfonate kraft lignin (LSL) and ethylcellulose (EC) were dissolved in a DMAc:THF mixture at different concentrations (8, 10, and 15 wt.%) and LSL:EC ratios (50:50, 70:30, and 90:10) and subjected to electrospinning. The resulting electrospun nanostructures were morphologically characterized. EC acting as the cospinning polymer improved both LSL spinnability and the oil structuring ability. Solutions with a high lignin content achieved microsized particles connected by fibrils, whereas solutions with a high EC content (50:50 ratio) and LSL/EC total concentration (10 and 15 wt.%) yielded beaded or bead-free nanofibers, due to enhanced extensional viscoelastic properties and nonNewtonian characteristics. The gel-like properties of electrospun nanostructure dispersions in castor oil were strengthened with the nanostructure concentration and the EC:LSL ratio, as a result of the formation of a more interconnected fiber network. The oleodispersions studied exhibited a satisfactory frictional response in a tribological contact, with friction coefficient values that were comparable to those achieved with traditional lithium-lubricating greases, This work was supported by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033, by “ERDF—A way of making Europe” (grant number: RTI2018-096080-BC21) and by Junta de Andalucía/EPIT2020-UHU (grant numbers: PY20_00751 and UHU202029) by the FEDER European Programme

The objective of this study was to build an understanding and optimize the secondary drying step of a freeze-drying process using a drug formulation from Fresenius Kabi (FK1) as a case study. For t...

The application of quality by design (QbD) is becoming an integral part of the formulation and process development for pharmaceutical products. An essential feature of the QbD philosophy is the design space. In this sense, a new approach to construct a process design space (PDS) for the primary drying section of a freeze-drying process is addressed in this paper. An effective customized design of experiments (DoE) is developed for freeze-drying experiments. The results obtained from the DoE are then used to construct the product-based PDS. The proposed product-based PDS construction approach has several advantages, including (1) eliminating assumptions on the heat transfer coefficient and dried product resistance, as it is constructed from experimental results specifically obtained from a given formulation, yielding more realistic and reliable results and (2) PDS construction based on a narrow range of product temperatures and considering the variations in product temperature and sublimation rate of vials across a shelf. This guarantees the effectiveness and robustness of the process and facilitates the process scale-up and transfer. The PDS developed herein was experimentally verified. The PDS predicted parameters were in excellent agreement with the experimentally obtained parameters.

12 Pág., Lignin-enriched waste products from bioethanol production of agriculture residues were tested as structuring agents in castor oil once functionalized with hexamethylene diisocyanate. Cane bagasse, barley and wheat straw were processed through steam explosion, pre-saccharification and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (PSSF). Alternatively, cane bagasse was submitted to steam explosion and enzymatic hydrolysis (EH). Several Nuclear Magnetic Resonance techniques were used to characterize both residues and NCO-functionalized counterparts. The β-O-4'/resinol/phenylcoumaran content and hydroxyphenyl/guaiacyl/syringyl distribution depend on biomass source, pretreatment, and enzymatic hydrolysis. Total hydroxyl content (from 1.23 for cane bagasse to 1.85 for wheat straw residues), aromatic/aliphatic hydroxyl ratio (0.78 for cane bagasse and 0.61 and 0.49 for barley and wheat straw residues, respectively) and S/G ratio (ranging from 0.25 to 0.86) influence the NCO-functionalization and oleogel rheological response. Oleogels obtained with barley straw residues exhibited the highest values of the storage modulus; around 2 × 105 Pa and 104 Pa for 25% and 20% contents, respectively. PSSF process showed weaker modification, leading to softer viscoelastic response compared to EH. These oleogels exhibited rheological properties similar to lubricating greases of different NLGI grades. Therefore, we herein show an integrative protocol for the valorization of lignin-enriched residues from bioethanol production as potential thickeners of lubricating greases., This work is part of two coordinated research projects (RTI2018-096080-B-C21 and RTI2018-096080-B-C22) funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by “ERDF A way of making Europe”. The financial support is gratefully acknowledged. A.M.B-L. also acknowledges the Ph.D. Research Grant FPU16/03697 from MECD (Spain).

Plant growth and adaptation to environmental fluctuations involve a tight control of cellular processes which, to a great extent, are mediated by changes at the transcriptional level. This regulation is exerted by transcription factors (TFs), a group of regulatory proteins that control gene expression by directly binding to the gene promoter regions via their cognate TF-binding sites (TFBS). The nature of TFBS defines the pattern of expression of the various plant loci, the precise combinatorial assembly of these elements being key in conferring plant's adaptation ability and in domestication. As such, TFs are main potential targets for biotechnological interventions, prompting in the last decade notable protein-DNA interaction efforts toward definition of their TFBS. Distinct methods based on in vivo or in vitro approaches defined the TFBS for many TFs, mainly in Arabidopsis, but comprehensive information on the transcriptional networks for many regulators is still lacking, especially in crops. In this chapter, detailed protocols for DAP-seq studies to unbiased identification of TFBS in potato are provided. This methodology relies on the affinity purification of genomic DNA-protein complexes in vitro, and high-throughput sequencing of the eluted DNA fragments. DAP-seq outperforms other in vitro DNA-motif definition strategies, such as protein-binding microarrays and SELEX-seq, since the protein of interest is directly bound to the genomic DNA extracted from plants yielding all the potential sites bound by the TF in the genome. Actually, data generated from DAP-seq experiments are highly similar to those out of ChIP-seq methods, but are generated much faster. We also provide a standard procedure to the analysis of the DAP-seq data, addressed to non-experienced users, that involves two consecutive steps: (1) processing of raw data (trimming, filtering, and read alignment) and (2) peak calling and identification of enriched motifs. This method allows identification of the binding profiles of dozens of TFs in crops, in a timely manner.

An o-nitrobenzyl-protected precursor was used as a phototrigger for the release of the diamine cadaverine in polyurethane adhesives based on castor oil as a renewable source of polyol and organic diisocyanates. This resulted in formulations with suitably controlled curing by photoactivation. This material shows faster curing when UV light is applied as compared to curing in the absence of irradiation, which was in situ monitored by rheological measurements. In addition, the adhesion performance is superior, reaching lap shear strength values of up to 4600 kPa, which is unprecedented for bio-based adhesives. On one hand, the in-depth chemical characterization with FTIR spectroscopy revealed that the slow release of cadaverine yields a well-balanced urethane/urea composition with direct impact on adhesion properties. The photocured bioadhesive was shown to bond a variety of surfaces, such as polyethylene or even wood. On the other hand, the direct one-time addition of cadaverine yields a material with approximately the same viscoelastic properties, which were achieved almost immediately as a consequence of the favored fast formation of urea bonds in detriment of urethanes, however, lacking adhesion properties., We are grateful for financial support through the project UHU-1252599, financed by the University of Huelva, in the frame of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)-Junta de Andalucía 2014−2020 Operational Programme. A.M.B.-L. acknowledges the Spanish Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte for the award of a doctoral fellowship (FPU16/03697)., Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Huelva / CBUAUniversity of Huelva, in the frame of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)-Junta de Andalucía 2014−2020 Operational Programme. Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte (FPU16/ 03697) Funding for open acess charge: Universidad de Huelva/CBUA

We examined the rheological and tribological behavior of novel formulations based on castor oil and epoxidized cellulose pulp intended for use as biodegradable lubricating greases. Epoxidized cellulose pulp was found to thicken castor oil to a variable extent depending on its modification degree and the epoxide compound. Greases were subjected to small-amplitude oscillatory shear tests, evaluating the temperature-dependence of the plateau modulus. In addition, friction coefficient and wear were determined in a steel–steel ball-on-three-plates tribological configuration, at two different temperatures (25 and 95 °C), generally obtaining smaller values of both parameters when using aromatic diepoxides instead of aliphatic to modify the cellulose pulp.

Nowadays, there is a marked tendency in order to develop new composite fibers based on proteins and polysaccharides due to these materials can exhibit a wide range of tailored functional properties. In this framework, this study has been focused on the development of novel potato protein (PP)-based composite fibers by electrospinning technique using formic acid as solvent media. At the selected electrospinning conditions, PP pure solutions (3–8 wt.%) showed inadequate spinnability. Interestingly, the addition of polyethylene oxide (PEO) as co-blending polymer improved the solutions viscoelasticity and hence, the solutions spinnability. Composite fibers with enhanced properties were obtained at higher PEO concentrations while systems with higher PP protein contents led to electrosprayed separate aggregates of particles. Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis results showed that the obtained composite fibers were composed of both PP and PEO materials. DSC results show that PP influences on PEO polymer thermal behaviour lowering its melting point, and an increase of the PEO amount produces a decrease of the α-helix denaturation temperature. Due to the properties of PP and PEO, these novel composite fibers could find importance in a diverse range of applications as advanced functional materials in fields like food science and biomedical applications.

To obtain multiple emulsions containing Agnique™ AE 3-2H as oil phase and Atlas™ G-5000 as emulsifier, two formulation variables were studied: the effect of the Atlas™ G-5000 concentration in emulsions containing 15 wt% Agnique™ AE 3-2H and the study of the influence of the solvent concentration maintaining the Agnique™ AE 3-2H/Atlas™ G-5000 ratio equal to 10. To assess microstructure and physical stability of these emulsions different techniques were employed, namely laser diffraction, transmitted light optical microscopy, steady-state measurements, and multiple light scattering. An increase in copolymer concentration and solvent concentration provoked a decrease in Sauter diameter but an increase in volume mean diameter and polydispersion due to droplet coalescence. Regardless of polymer concentration, all emulsions showed Newtonian behavior which led to shear thinning with increasing oil concentration. The main destabilization processes are creaming, when the concentration of polymer or solvent is low, and coalescence, when both concentrations are high.

The overall objective of this work was to study the combined effect of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and light emitting diodes (LED) process assisted by titanium dioxide (TiO2) on the photo-oxidation behaviour of polylactic acid (PLA). The photochemical behaviour of PLA in a TiO2 suspensions was studied by irradiation under photo-oxidative conditions (λ > 454 nm, ambient temperature and with or without the presence of H2O2). The chemical and thermal properties induced by LED irradiation process were analyzed using fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). It was found that the presence of photoactive TiO2 particles, combined with H2O2 leads to strong impact on the physicochemical properties of the samples during photochemical ageing. A new comprehensive mechanism for the photo-oxidation of PLA for these conditions was discussed.

This paper presents the rheological properties of three types of lime putty, specifying the influence of their origin. The study aims to compare a special lime putty prepared from phosphogypsum with a commercial lime powder and an aged lime putty. The results obtained in terms of chemical composition, crystalline structure, grain size and rheological characterization, (linear viscoelasticity, shear rate and time-dependent flow behaviour) are presented in the study. Putties studied present a similar rheological response, which mainly depends on the particle size and water content. Lower values of the linear viscoelastic functions and viscosity were found for the phosphogypsum lime putty, in agreement with the higher particle size. Transient flow tests reveal a predominant elastic response with no significant shear-induced structural perturbations. However, either a thickening phenomenon over time, i.e. rheopexy, favoured at low shear rates, or a viscosity decrease, i.e. thixotropy, favoured at high shear rates, was observed., The authors would like to thank the aid of CITIUS at the University of Seville for the use of their laboratories for the characterization analyses. A.M.B.-L. has received a Ph.D. Research Grant from the Ministerio de Education, Cultura y Deporte (FPU16/03697).

This work explores the electrospinnability of low-sulfonate Kraft lignin (LSL)/polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) solutions in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) and the ability of the different micro- and nano-architectures generated to structure castor oil. LSL/PVP solutionswere prepared at different concentrations (8–15wt%) and LSL:PVP ratios (90:10–0:100) and physico-chemically and rheologically characterized. The morphology of electrospun nanostructures mainly depends on the rheological properties of the solution. Electrosprayed nanoparticles or micro-sized particles connected by thin filamentswere obtained fromsolutionswith lowLSL/PVP concentrations and/or high LSL:PVP ratios,whereas beaded or bead-free nanofibers were produced by increasing concentration and/or decreasing LSL:PVP ratio, due to enhanced extensional viscoelastic properties and non-Newtonian characteristics. Electrospun LSL/PVP nanofibers are able to form oleogels by simply dispersing them into castor oil at concentrations between 10 and 30 wt%. The rheological properties of the oleogels may be tailored bymodifying the LSL:PVP ratio and nanofibers content. The potential application of these oleogels as bio-based lubricants was also explored in a tribological cell. Satisfactory friction and wear results are achieved when using oleogels structured by nanofibers mats with enhanced gel-like properties as lubricants. Overall, electrospinning of lignin/ PVP solutions can be proposed as a simple and effective method to produce nanofibers for oil structuring, Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Huelva / CBUAThis work is part of a research project (RTI2018-096080-B-C21) sponsored by the MICINN-FEDER I+D+i Spanish Programme

Summary The interplay between the phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) and the gasotransmitter nitric oxide (NO) regulates seed germination and post-germinative seedling growth. We show that GAP1 (germination in ABA and cPTIO 1) encodes the transcription factor ANAC089 with a critical membrane-bound domain and extranuclear localization. ANAC089 mutants lacking the membrane-tethered domain display insensitivity to ABA, salt, and osmotic and cold stresses, revealing a repressor function. Whole-genome transcriptional profiling and DNA-binding specificity reveals that ANAC089 regulates ABA- and redox-related genes. ANAC089 truncated mutants exhibit higher NO and lower ROS and ABA endogenous levels, alongside an altered thiol and disulfide homeostasis. Consistently, translocation of ANAC089 to the nucleus is directed by changes in cellular redox status after treatments with NO scavengers and redox-related compounds. Our results reveal ANAC089 to be a master regulator modulating redox homeostasis and NO levels, able to repress ABA synthesis and signaling during Arabidopsis seed germination and abiotic stress., Graphical abstract, Highlights • GAP1 encodes transcription factor ANAC089, expressed in seeds and stress • Changes in cellular redox status induce translocation of ANAC089 to the nucleus • ANAC089 binds specifically to genes controlling seed germination and abiotic stress • ANAC089 regulates NO levels and cell redox and represses ABA synthesis and signaling, Albertos et al. report the cleavage of ANAC089 transcription factor from the membrane-anchoring domain in the endoplasmic reticulum, controlled by cell redox alterations. Once in the nucleus, ANAC089 induces redox homeostasis-related genes and represses ABA-responsive genes to increase NO levels and ABA insensitivity during seed germination and abiotic stress.

A geothermal power development project begins with a preliminary study of the region of interest. This is followed by a smaller area exploration stage in which geoscientific studies are performed. A geothermal system conceptual model is constructed before proceeding to the prefeasibility stage, where data analysis and risk assessment are carried out prior to recommending drilling wells. The feasibility stage of a geothermal project is described in this chapter, the aim of which is making the project viable and facilitating its financing. From production tests, field expansion plans are designed for drilling new producer wells. The tasks contained in the feasibility stage of a general project are reviewed. Different types of geothermal power generation plants are examined. Options available to developers include (1) dry steam plants using direct flow steam, (2) flash steam plants using a mixture of liquid water and steam, and (3) binary cycle plants. A cooling system is required to operate any power plant.

Lignin is demonstrated as an unprecedented reinforcing material that tailors the rheological and cushioning properties of castor oil-based polyurethane elastomers, expanding their viscoelastic moduli by four orders of magnitude. The tensile strain at break was triplicated in the presence of lignin while the Young modulus and the stress at break were enhanced 17- and 7-fold, respectively. Remarkably, in compression tests, lignin addition increased the stresses at break by more than 88-fold, whereas the strain at failure shifted from 50 to 93%. Dynamic mechanical compression tests indicated outstanding cushioning and resistance performance. Overall, the results demonstrate a performance not reached before for biosourced elastomeric materials, fitting the demands of a wide range of applications.

This work presents a comprehensive study on the influence of processing variables (temperature, agitation speed) and type of diisocyanate crosslinker on the rheological properties of liquid and gel-like polyurethane formulations based on lignin and castor oil. With this aim, a green and facile one-step preparation protocol which avoids the use of any harmful catalyst or solvent was proposed. Different processing temperatures (25, 45, 70 °C), stirring speeds (23, 70, 140 rpm) and kinds of diisocyanates (hexamethylene diisocyanate, and toluene diisocyanate) were selected to process the different bio-sourced polyurethane samples. These processing variables have proven to be crucial to modulate and control the rheological (viscous and viscoelastic) properties, and curing kinetics after processing, due to the different chemical structures achieved that were elucidated by means of Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. In general, a low processing temperature and low stirring speed favour the achievement of gel-like characteristics and/or the formation of highly viscous polyurethanes, as a consequence of a higher number of total hydrogen-bonded carbonyl groups, urethane/urea ratio and ratio of hydrogen-bonded/non-bonded urethane and urea linkages. Besides, the selected one-step process, in comparison with the reported two-step process, provides polyurethanes with similar rheological characteristics by significantly reducing the isocyanate content. Finally, lignin was demonstrated to act as an effective filler agent increasing the values of the viscoelastic moduli.

The replacement of mineral oils and non-renewable gelling agents is an imperative requirement for the lubricant industry in the near future. In this framework, cellulose pulp and castor oil are proposed as sustainable substitutes for these components. Biological treatment has been explored and evaluated to enhance the dispersing and thickening properties of cellulose pulp in oil media. Streptomyces sp. MDG147 and MDG301 strains were employed to modify agricultural wheat and barley straw residues from which cellulose pulp was obtained afterwards. In addition, an environmentally friendly process for the production of cellulose-pulp-/castor-oil-based polyurethanes was applied, in which neither catalysts nor harmful solvents were used, resulting in chemical oleogels. These oleogels were rheologically and tribologically characterized to evaluate their performance as lubricating greases. The enzymatic activity pattern developed was dependent on the raw material, the strain type, and the temperature, influencing the cellulose pulp&rsquo, s composition, polymerization degree, and crystallinity. These modified characteristics tuned the rheological behavior of the different oleogels, providing a beneficial range of viscoelastic responses and viscosity values that were generally favored by the Streptomyces action. Furthermore, the friction coefficient and dimensions of wear scars measured in a tribological contact were comparable to, or even lower than, those found with commercial and other bio-based lubricating greases that have previously been studied.

Freeze-drying, a drying unit operation frequently used in food, pharmaceutical, and biopharmaceutical industries to prolong the shelf life of labile products, is an energy-intensive, time-consuming, and expensive process. Although all three steps (freezing, primary drying, and secondary drying) of freeze-drying are important, primary drying is the longest and most critical one. As sublimation during primary drying is mainly described in terms of heat and mass transfer, the present work provides extensive theoretical and experimental analyses of these processes. First, a detailed review of the current state-of-the art of freeze-drying, focusing on the drying stage, is given, which contributes to a fundamental understanding of the drying process. Second, a detailed experimental study of the drying section of the freeze-drying process is discussed, furnishing information on the relationship between input and output process parameters during the primary drying stage and thus aiding freeze-drying process design and optimization. In this regard, the influence of primary drying input parameters (i.e., shelf temperature and chamber pressure) and vial position on output parameters such as product temperature, sublimation rate, overall vial heat transfer coefficient, and resistance to mass transfer of the dried product are extensively discussed. For all combinations of shelf temperature and chamber pressure studied herein, the highest product temperature, sublimation rate, and overall vial heat transfer coefficient are observed in front edge vials, whereas the lowest values are observed in center vials. In general, the highest sublimation rate, at a given product temperature, is observed for low chamber pressure-high shelf temperature combinations.

This study explores the suitability of residual lignin-containing fractions generated as side-streams in different conversion processes of eucalypt and pine woods as thickening agents in bio-lubricant formulations. These conversion processes included fermentable sugars extraction by autohydrolysis or steam explosion and kraft pulping. Structural properties of lignin fractions were characterized by FTIR, 1H and 13C NMR, two-dimensional NMR, TGA and SEC, whereas their compositions were analysed by standard analytical methods. On the other hand, chemical oleogels were prepared with NCO-functionalized residual lignin fractions, and characterized by means of rheological, tribological and AFM techniques. Hydrolysis lignin fractions exhibited a great content of carbohydrates, especially glucose (46.0-48.5%), xylose (4.3-15.6%) and lignin (32.5-39.9%) with a well-maintained structure, displaying the main inter-unit linkages and low phenolic content. By contrast, kraft lignin fractions presented a lower carbohydrate content, mainly xylose (3.4-4.3%), and higher content (44.9-67%) of severely degraded lignin, showing a dramatic reduction of inter-unit linkages, and thereby high phenolic content. The rheological response of NCO-functionalized lignin fractions-based oleogels is highly influenced by the composition and chemical structure of residual lignin fractions. Moreover, these oleogels presented suitable tribological properties with values of the friction coefficient lower than those typically exhibited by standard lubricating greases.

There is a growing concern about chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, cancer and cardiovascular diseases resulting from profound changes in the western lifestyle. Aquaculture by-products are generated in large quantities and they can be profitably recycled through their bioactive compounds used for health or food supplements. Improving waste utilization in the field of aquaculture is essential for a sustainable industry to prevent or minimize the environmental impact. In this sense fish by-products are a great source of protein and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids which are particularly studied on Atlantic salmon or rainbow trout. Fish protein hydrolysate (FPH) obtained from chemical, enzymatical and microbial hydrolysis of processing by-products are being used as a source of amino acids and peptides with high digestibility, fast absorption and important biological activities. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) from fish discards have been reported to decrease postprandial triacylglycerol levels, reduction of blood pressure, platelet aggregation and the inflammatory response. Crustacean by-products can also be used to produce chitosan with antioxidant and antimicrobial activity for food and pharmaceutical industries and carotenoids with important biological activity. Seaweeds are rich in bioactive compounds such as alginate, carrageenan, agar, carotenoids and polyphenols with different biological activities such as antioxidant, anticancer, antidiabetic, antimicrobial or anti-inflammatory activity. Finally, regarding harvest microalgae, during the past decades, they were mainly used in the healthy food market, with75% of the annual microalgal biomass production, used for the manufacture of powders, tablets, capsules or pills. We will report and discuss the present and future role of aquaculture by-products as sources of biomolecules for the design and development of functional foods/beverages. This chapter will focus on the main bioactive compounds from aquaculture by-products as functional compounds in food and their applications in biomedicine for the prevention and treatment of diseases.

There is a growing concern about chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, cancer and cardiovascular diseases resulting from profound changes in the western lifestyle. Aquaculture by-products are generated in large quantities and they can be profitably recycled through their bioactive compounds used for health or food supplements. Improving waste utilization in the field of aquaculture is essential for a sustainable industry to prevent or minimize the environmental impact. In this sense fish by-products are a great source of protein and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids which are particularly studied on Atlantic salmon or rainbow trout. Fish protein hydrolysate (FPH) obtained from chemical, enzymatical and microbial hydrolysis of processing by-products are being used as a source of amino acids and peptides with high digestibility, fast absorption and important biological activities. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) from fish discards have been reported to decrease postprandial triacylglycerol levels, reduction of blood pressure, platelet aggregation and the inflammatory response. Crustacean by-products can also be used to produce chitosan with antioxidant and antimicrobial activity for food and pharmaceutical industries and carotenoids with important biological activity. Seaweeds are rich in bioactive compounds such as alginate, carrageenan, agar, carotenoids and polyphenols with different biological activities such as antioxidant, anticancer, antidiabetic, antimicrobial or anti-inflammatory activity. Finally, regarding harvest microalgae, during the past decades, they were mainly used in the healthy food market, with > 75% of the annual microalgal biomass production, used for the manufacture of powders, tablets, capsules or pills. We will report and discuss the present and future role of aquaculture by-products as sources of biomolecules for the design and development of functional foods/beverages. This chapter will focus on the main bioactive compounds from aquaculture by-products as functional compounds in food and their applications in biomedicine for the prevention and treatment of diseases.

Freeze-drying, a drying unit operation frequently used in food, pharmaceutical, and biopharmaceutical industries to prolong the shelf life of labile products, is an energy-intensive, time-consuming, and expensive process. Although all three steps (freezing, primary drying, and secondary drying) of freeze-drying are important, primary drying is the longest and most critical one. As sublimation during primary drying is mainly described in terms of heat and mass transfer, the present work provides extensive theoretical and experimental analyses of these processes. First, a detailed review of the current state-of-the art of freeze-drying, focusing on the drying stage, is given, which contributes to a fundamental understanding of the drying process. Second, a detailed experimental study of the drying section of the freeze-drying process is discussed, furnishing information on the relationship between input and output process parameters during the primary drying stage and thus aiding freeze-drying process design and optimization. In this regard, the influence of primary drying input parameters (i.e., shelf temperature and chamber pressure) and vial position on output parameters such as product temperature, sublimation rate, overall vial heat transfer coefficient, and resistance to mass transfer of the dried product are extensively discussed. For all combinations of shelf temperature and chamber pressure studied herein, the highest product temperature, sublimation rate, and overall vial heat transfer coefficient are observed in front edge vials, whereas the lowest values are observed in center vials. In general, the highest sublimation rate, at a given product temperature, is observed for low chamber pressure-high shelf temperature combinations.

The applications of biogenic lubricating greases to machine elements play important roles in the reduction of friction energy and minimizing wear in a tribological contact, as well as the prevention of environmental pollution. The aim of this work was to investigate completely biogenic lubricating greases from a tribological point of view. Model greases were examined using a ball on a disc tribometer at a constant normal force to investigate the friction and wear process according to Fleischer&rsquo, s energetic wear model. Using the energy-based wear model, the friction and wear process could be interpreted as a cause&ndash, effect sequence. Moreover, the influence of the model grease composition on the friction and wear process was analyzed. In addition, rolling bearing tests were performed to investigate the tribological behaviors of some selected biogenic greases during real machine element contact. These tests allowed for the quantification of the friction torque behavior of the full bearing and the evaluation of the wear obtained through lubricant analysis procedures. This experimental work provides useful information regarding the influence that the composition of biogenic model greases has on friction and wear behaviors in a tribological contact.

Freeze-drying, until now, has been a process that was designed using a trial and error experimental approach. This approach is often material and time consuming, and the resulting freeze-drying processes are neither optimum nor robust. Accordingly, the objective of this study was to develop a simple-to-use and experimental-based approach to design an optimum and robust freeze-drying process for any given formulation. The temperature ramp approach (TRA) detailed in this study involves the implementation of a customized design of experiments (DoE) to perform few (three or four) experiments using a given drug formulation. The DoE results are analyzed to define optimum processing conditions (i.e., shelf temperature and chamber pressure) based on a predefined range of target product temperature for primary drying, which could be defined from formulation characterization at its frozen state. In this study, a successful freeze-drying process of two model formulations using the TRA was designed. Verification experiments at the optimum processing conditions showed excellent agreement in both product temperature and sublimation rate with the values obtained using the TRA. Thus, the TRA detailed in this study offers a significant advantage to reduce development time and material, and enhance the efficiency and robustness of the resulting freeze-drying process.

A method to prepare solvent free castor oil (CO) based polyurethane (PU) adhesives with different ratios of CO and hexamethylene diisocyanate (HMDI) has been developed and the relationships between the microstructure and mechanical properties investigated. Solvent free castor oil-based PU adhesives were synthesized by promoting the reaction between castor oil and HMDI, at room conditions, and by varying the CO/HMDI weight ratio in the range 1:0.032–1:0.32 wt%. The curing of these adhesives did not require any external stimuli such as heat or irradiation treatment and once cured at room temperature they were stable up to 140 °C and water-resistant. A multi-technique approach was used to characterize so-obtained adhesives. The adhesion energy in metal–metal contact was evaluated as a function of the debonding velocity (Vd) through tack experiments. The mechanical properties were influenced by the NCO/ OH ratio, which varies the crosslinking density in the adhesives. Moreover, the structure–mechanical property relationship was explored and the inter-correlation between the storage modulus (G’), adhesion energy (Ead) and correlation length (ξ) detailed, with both G’, Ead increasing while ξ decreased. These solvent-free bio-based adhesives showed capability to adhere different substrates such as wood, paper, textile, and metal, which makes them promising candidates in different industrial and commercial applications.

The main aim of this study was to elucidate the influence of an alkali treatment on the rheological and tribological properties, and microstructure, of cellulose pulp-based gel-like dispersions potentially usable as biodegradable lubricating greases. For this purpose, cellulose pulp was treated with sodium hydroxide under different conditions of alkali concentration (20, 30 and 40%), temperature (20, 45 and 75 °C) and contact time (1 and 2 h). Favourable conditions relative to the rheological response of a commercial lithium lubricating grease used as benchmark were found to be 40% NaOH, 20 °C and 2 h. Gel-like dispersions with acceptable lubrication properties in terms of consistency indices, mechanical stability, and frictional and wear performance, were obtained by using a 6–7% (w/w) proportion of cellulose pulp.

We present herein an unexpected selectivity in the reactions of castor oil with 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate (HMDI) in the absence of catalysts, heat or N2 protection to give monofunctionalized castor oil derivatives. The reagents were stirred at room temperature for 24 h, and the resulting formulations characterized with infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and NMR. In the highly viscous neat systems, the reaction stops at the formation of NCO-terminated urethane monomers. When the mass transfer limitations due to high viscosity are minimized, the NCO-terminated urethane monomers go on to form not di- or tri- urethane monomers, but cross-linked monourethane dimers. We propose that the selectivity of the functionalization reaction of castor oil originates from a hydrogen bonding mediated steric hindrance on two out of the three fatty acid moieties. This selectivity is normally associated with conformational preferences in crystallized triglycerides, and indicates an inherent level of struct...

This work advances the development and use of sustainable polyurethane elastomers as green adhesives by providing insights into the mechanisms of humidity-induced changes on adhesive performance. Using a model adhesive prepared from equimolar ratios of castor oil and hexamethylene diisocyanate under facile reaction conditions, we show that the subtle changes in the chemical composition which occur with curing under different humidity environments significantly impact the cohesive integrity of the adhesives and, thus, their performances with different substrates. The curing chemistry was evaluated based on the isocyanate consumption, which was followed using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and Differential Scanning Calorimetry. Thermal, mechanical and adhesion properties were evaluated from thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, rheology, tacking and lap shear tests. Moisture-cured adhesives were less covalently crosslinked, harder, more resistant to deformation, and recovered faster upon shear deformation compared to those cured otherwise. These mechanical properties complimented adhesive lap shear performance with substrates which formed covalent bonds during curing. For substrates with which covalent bonds could not form during curing, however, decreased internal cohesive integrity and associated increased hardness by urea formation resulted in poorer adhesive lap shear performance. This is contrary better tack performances obtained for the moisture-cured adhesives, attributed to their increased polarity and the energy dissipating ability.

This work describes the solid-state fermentation(SSF) of wheat straw with Streptomyces sp. MDG147 and further soda-pulping process to obtain wheat straw soda lignins(WSLs). Subsequently, these WSLs were NCO-functionalized with 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate and then dispersed in castor oil to achieve stable oleogels. The WSLs were characterized using standard analytical methods, gel permeation chromatography, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis. Rheological properties of oleogels were determinedby means of small-amplitude oscillatory shear and viscous flow measurements. The enzymatic profile and production oflignin−carbohydrate complexes were recorded along the growth time of Streptomyces, whose life cycle was achieved after 7 days. NCO-functionalized WSL was able to chemically interact with castor oil via urethane bonding, providing oleogels with suitable rheological characteristics. Linear viscoelastic functions and viscosity values of oleogels were higher when wheat straw was submitted to SSF using Streptomyces, turning out in stronger oleogels., Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad

On account of the heavy reliance of the adhesive industry on petrochemical derivatives, there is a particular interest in the development of bio-sourced polyurethane adhesives. In this context, a moisture-curable polyurethane adhesive has been synthesized from cellulose acetate and castor oil, using 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate as a crosslinker. In particular, this research delves into the rheological and adhesion properties achieved by bio-inspired polyurethanes cured at 20 °C and under different relative humidity conditions (11, 33, 64, and 90.4%). Green shear and peeling strengths on wood and stainless steel as well as chemical structure variations were monitored over curing time. Moreover, fully cured polyurethane-urea adhesives were thermally (thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimetric analyses) and rheologically characterized within the linear viscoelastic region. The results corroborated the noteworthy impact of environmental humidity throughout the curing process of the synthesized bio-sourced adhesives, favoring the formation of urea linkages, while sharply reducing the crystalline/amorphous ratio. All the bio-based polyurethane-urea copolymers showed a predominant elastic behavior and the time-Temperature superposition principle was found to be applicable up to around 120 °C, due to the thermal rearrangement of the hard segment units. The crosslinking density of the resulting supramolecular structure depends on the humidity-driven balance between the urethane and urea linkages production. As a consequence of the balance between the establishment of bidentate hydrogen bonds and the curing rate, moisture curable polyurethane adhesive cured at 33% relative humidity exhibited the most appropriate shear adhesion performance on wood, while the debonding shear strength on stainless steel increased with the relative humidity due to the higher urea:urethane ratio and larger proportions of non-bonded urethane and urea groups, thus enhancing secondary interactions. Therefore, on the basis of the present study results, it might be concluded that the synthesis of bio-inspired moisture-curable polyurethane can be tuned according to its end-use application through the control of the environmental conditions, and thereby optimizing their adhesion performance, while meeting the Green Chemistry tenets.

8 Pág. Instituto de Ciencias Forestales (ICIFOR), In this study, modified residual lignins from barley and wheat straws submitted to solid-state fermentation with diverse Streptomyces strains were targeted as binders in eco-friendly castor oil-based polyurethane adhesive formulations. The thermo-rheological and adhesion properties of these adhesives were examined and related to the solid-state fermentation yields. Viscoelastic properties were enhanced by lignin addition, and the Streptomyces action generally increased the values of the linear viscoelastic functions. Adhesion performance was dominated by lignin source and further Streptomyces activity and can be correlated with the resulting lignocellulosic composition. Wheat straw lignin-based polyurethane adhesives showed the best performance in metal-textile peeling tests, whereas barley straw lignin provided the best achievements in terms of shear strength in metal-metal and wood-wood joints. Overall, solid-state fermentation with Streptomyces demonstrated to be a suitable pretreatment to conveniently modify and improve residual lignin fractions for application as binders in environmental-friendly polyurethane adhesive formulations., This work was partially funded by two coordinated research MINECO-ERDF projects (CTQ2014-56038-C3-1R and CTQ2014-56038-C3-2R) and the ERDF-Junta de Andalucía 2014-2020 Operational Programme (project UHU-1252599). A.M.B-L. has received a Ph.D. Research Grant from the Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte (FPU16/03697). The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support.