Algins applications

Table 5. Alginate Properties Utilized in Food and Industrial Applications...

Natural product-derived dispersants, such as tannins, lignins, and alginates, are still widely used as drilling mud thinners or in specialty applications where their low toxicity is a cmcial property, eg, in boilers producing steam for food applications. 

An example of the first type is the emulsion stabiliser as exemplified by sodium oleyl sulphate, cetyl pyridinium chloride and poly(ethylene oxide) derivatives. For a number of applications it is desirable that the latex be thickened before use, in which case thickening agents such as water-soluble cellulose ethers or certain alginates or methacrylates may be employed. Antifoams such as silicone oils are occasionally required. 

The system shown is heavily used in food processing applications such as milk or chocolate crumb production, sugar substitutes, modified starch, and alginates. In addition to food processing applications, such a system is used in the processing of heat-sensitive pharmaceuticals, polymer suspensions like latex, in processing pigments and dyestuffs, and pesticides. 

Commercial applications for polysaccharides include their use as food additives, medicines and industrial products. Although plant polysaccharides (such as starch, agar and alginate) have been exploited commercially for many years, microbial exopolysaccharides have only become widely used over the past few decades. The diversity of polysaccharide structure is far greater in micro-organisms compared to plants and around 20 microbial polysaccharides with market potential have been described. However, microorganisms are still considered to be a rich and as yet underexploited source of exopolysaccharides. 

Polysaccharides can also be used to immobilise cells or enzymes, permitting the re-use of the catalyst and continuous flow systems. Alginates have the advantage that gel formation occurs under mild conditions, therefore cells remain viable and enzymes are not denatured but calcium gradually leaches out and the gel dissolves. Gellan or other combinations may prove superior for this application. 

Dextrans are particularly useful and are employed as a plasma substitute. A concentration of about 6% dextran (50,000-100,000 relative molecular weight) has equivalent viscosity and colloid-osmotic properties to blood plasma. Dextran can also be used as non-irritant absorbent wound dressings, an application also suited to alginate gels. 

Cellulose gum, Irish moss extract, and propylene glycol alginate are the hydrocolloids most of en used in this application at levels of between 0.25 and 1%, depending on the fruit-sugar ratio and the type of fruit. 

W e know of many examples of the effect of impurities of crystallization. In many cases impurities will completely inhibit (2-4) nucleus formation. Reading the literature on this subject impresses one with the frequent occurrence of hydrocolloids as crystal modifiers, particularly where sugar or water is the material being crystallized. The use of gelatin, locust bean gum, or sodium alginate in ice cream is just one example of many practical applications of hydrocolloids in crystal modification. 

Guo, X.-L., Deng, G., Xu, J. and Wang, M.-X. (2006) Immobilization of Rhodococcus sp. AJ270 in alginate capsules and its application in enantioselective biotransformation of ira/i.s-2-methyl-3- phenyl-oxiranecarbonitrile and amide. Enzyme and Microbial Technology, 39, 1-5. 

Besides the previously mentioned collagen, a wide variety of natural polymers have been involved in the synthesis of bio-nanohybrid materials with potential application in bone repair and dental prostheses. For instance, some recent examples refer to bionanocomposites based on the combination of HAP with alginate [96,97], chitosan [98,99], bovine serum albumin (BSA) [100], sodium caseinate [101], hyaluronic acid [102], silk fibroin [103,104], silk sericin [105], or polylactic add (PLA) [106,107]. These examples illustrate the increasing interest in the subject of HAP-based biohybrid materials, which has led to almost 400 articles appeared in scientific journals in 2006 alone. 

Bio-nanocomposites based on calcium phosphates can perform other innovative fundions such as acting as a reservoir for the controlled release of bioadive compounds once the material is implanted in the bone defect. For instance, the incorporation of a morphogenetic protein that promotes bone regeneration in an HAP-alginate-collagen system [110] or a vitamin in a Ca-deficient HAP-chitosan nanocomposite [111] are recent examples of this kind of application. 

Sakai, S., Ono, T., Ijima, H. and Kawakami, K. (2001) Synthesis and transport characterization of alginate/ aminopropylsilicate/alginate microcapsule application to bioartificial pancreas. Biomaterials, 22, 2827-2834. 

In one application, Raman spectroscopy was used to identify and quantitate various drugs present in polymer matrices [21]. In Fig. 2, Raman spectra obtained within the fingerprint region for diclofenac, sodium alginate, and a 20% dispersion of diclofenac in sodium alginate are shown. It is evident in the spectra... 

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