Food industry, polymers

General application areas for LR-NMR are given in Table 7.27. Low-resolution pulsed H NMR has found widespread application in a variety of QC laboratories and research establishments in the food industry, polymer and chemical industries, mineral oil industry, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries, and medical research because it offers rapid analysis without the need for difficult sample preparation [30, 199,210]. Applications of LR-NMR in the food industry, e.g. as applied to measurement of moisture in foodstuffs, were described as long as 50 years ago [211], Applications now include measuring oil or fat in cosmetics, oilseeds, chocolate and other foodstuffs, solid-fat content, droplet size in oil-inwater emulsions total moisture content in seeds, milk powder, pharmaceuticals oils in/on polymers... 

The PHB is one of the commercially available PHAs which find multiple applications in Food Industry. Polymer of 3-hydroxybutyrate, have been introduced into the market in relatively large quantities as bioplastic material. The PHB is accumulated as intracellular granules by many prokaryotic organisms (including /ca//gene5 spp.. Bacillus spp., Azotobacter spp., Pseudomonas spp.) as they enter the stationary phase of growth, to be used later as an internal reserve of carbon and energy... 

The TEM is one of the most generally useful microscopes many thousands of them ate in daily use throughout the world. They ate appHcable to the study of ultrafine particles (eg, pigments abrasives and carbon blacks) as well as microtomed thin sections of plant and animal tissue, paper, polymers, composites of all kinds, foods, industrial materials, etc. Even metals can be thinned to sections thin enough for detailed examination. 

Polyethylene can be chlorinated in solution in carbon tetrachloride or in suspension in the piescnce ot a catalyst. Below 55-60% chlorine, it is more stable and more compatible with many polymers, especially polyvinyl chloride, to which it gives increased impact strength. The low pressure process copolymerizes polyethylene with propylene and butylene to increase its resistance to stress cracking. Copolymerization with vinyl acetate at high pressure increases flexibility, resistance to stress cracking, and seal ability of value to the food industry. 

Besides its usage in foods, indene polymer is used in the coatings industry, inks, floorings and in rubber applications. Some use has been made of the nitrated polymer as an ingredient in fuze powder (substituting for charcoal), but because of the sensy to impact this use is discontinued (Ref 3)... 

In 2002, the world production of polymers (not including synthetic libers and rubbers) was ca. 190 million metric tons. Of these, the combined production of poly(ethylene terephthalate), low- and high-density polyethyelene, polypropylene, poly(vinyl chloride), polystyrene, and polyurethane was 152.3 milhon metric tons [1]. These synthetic, petroleum-based polymers are used, inter alia, as engineering plastics, for packing, in the construction-, car-, truck- and food-industry. They are chemically very stable, and can be processed by injection molding, and by extrusion from the melt in a variety of forms. These attractive features, however, are associated with two main problems ... 

NMR microscopy is ultimately an innovative method of research and it is not surprising that most of the commercially installed systems, approximately 80%, are installed in public scientific research centers, where new applications are continuously being developed. The method is not particularly widely distributed in industry, where standardized methods are more often used. However, NMR microscopy is mainly used in the pharmaceutical industry for the development of new drugs, in the food industry for the development of new types of food, in the chemical industry for creating and characterizing new materials and in the polymer industry, e.g., for creating new mixtures for tires. 

The food polymer science approach is being applied successfully in the food industry for understanding, improving, and developing food processes and products. However, to date, the glass transition generally remains more of a research and development tool than a routine quality assurance measure of food processability and stability. 

Lipases can catalyze hydrolysis of esters, synthesis of esters, trans-esterification, and synthesis of some polymers. They have been applied in many fields including the food industry, fine chemistry, and the pharmaceutical industry. The low stability of native lipases makes them unsuitable for industrial applications. In order to use them more economically and efficiently, their operational stability can be improved by immobilization. Numerous efforts have been focused on the preparation of lipases in immobilized forms involving a variety of both support materials and immobilization methods [278],... 

Starch is one of the most abimdant plant polysaccharides and is a major source of carbohydrates and energy in the human diet (Zobel and Stephen, 1995). Starch is the most widely used hydrocolloid in the food industry (Wanous, 2004), and is also a widely used industrial substrate polymer. Total annual world production of starch is approximately 60 million MT and it is predicted to increase by additional approximately 10 million MT by 2010 (FAO, 2006b LMC International, 2002 S. K. Patil and Associates, 2007). Com/maize Zea mays L.), cassava (also known as tapioca—Manihot escu-lenta Crantn.), sweet potato Ipomoea batatas L.), wheat Triticum aestivum L.), and potato Solanum tuberosum L.) are the major sources of starch, while rice Oryza sativa L.), barley Hordeum vulgare L.), sago Cycas spp.), arrowroot Tacca leontopetaloides (L.) Kimtze), buckwheat Fagopyrum esculentum Moench), etc. contribute in lesser amounts to total global production. 

Of partieular interest is the PAT guidance, finalized in September 2004. Unlike the ehemical, petroleum, polymer and food industries, the pharmaceutical industry is under heavy regulatory serutiny. This is not just regulation by the FDA, but regulatory agencies worldwide. The delivery of safe and effeetive drug product to improve the quality of life neeessitates regulation. 

World War II helped shape the future of polymers. Wartime demands and shortages encouraged scientists to seek substitutes and materials that even excelled those currently available. Polycarbonate (Kevlar), which could stop a speeding bullet, was developed, as was polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon), which was super slick. New materials were developed spurred on by the needs of the military, electronics industry, food industry, etc. The creation of new materials continues at an accelerated pace brought on by the need for materials with specific properties and the growing ability to tailor-make giant molecules macromolecules—polymers. 

Because PVAc is approved by the FDA it has also several uses in the food industry. PVAc can also be found in just about every chewing gum. It is a major component in the so called gumbase, a mixture of different polymers that in combination with sugar, sweeteners, flavours, and other additives make up a chewing gum. 

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