Preparation of environmentally friendly, high strength, adhesion and stability hydrogel based on lignocellulose framework.

Hydrogels are extensively utilized in the fields of electronic skin, environmental monitoring, biological dressings due to their excellent flexibility and conductivity. However, traditional hydrogel materials possess drawbacks such as environmental toxicity, low strength, poor stability, and water loss deactivation, which limited its frequent applications. Here, a flexible conductive hydrogel called wood-based DES hydrogel (WDH) with high strength, high adhesion, high stability, and high sensitivity was successfully synthesized by using environmentally friendly lignocellulose as skeleton and deep eutectic solvent as matrix. The strength of WDH prepared from lignocellulose framework is approximately 50 times higher than poly deep eutectic solvent hydrogel, and about 4.5 times higher than that prepared from cellulose skeleton. The WDH exhibits stable adhesion to most common materials and demonstrates exceptional dimensional stability. Its conductivity remains unaffected by water, even after prolonged exposure to air, maintaining a value of 0.0245 S/m. The anisotropy inherent in the system results in three distinct linear sensing intervals for WDH, exhibiting a maximum sensitivity of 5.45. This paper verified the advantages of lignocellulose framework in improving the strength and stability of hydrogels, which provided a new strategy for the development of sensor materials.

High-Strength, High-Swelling-Resistant, High-Sensitivity Hydrogel Sensor Prepared with Wood That Retains Lignin.

Wood-derived hydrogels possess satisfactory longitudinal strength but lack excellent swelling resistance and dry shrinkage resistance when achieving high anisotropy. In this study, we displayed the preparation of highly dimensional stable wood/polyacrylamide hydrogels (wood/PAM-Al3+). The alkali-treated wood retains lignin as the skeleton of the hydrogel. Second, Al ions were added to the metal coordination with lignin. Finally, by employing free radical polymerization, we construct a conductive electronic network using polyaniline within the wood/PAM-Al3+ matrix to create the flexible sensor. This approach leverages lignin's integrated structure within the middle lamella to provide enhanced swelling resistance and stronger binding strength in the transverse direction. Furthermore, coordination between lignin and Al ions improves the mechanical strength of the wood hydrogel. Polyaniline provides stable linear pressure and temperature responses. The wood/PAM-Al3+ exhibits a transverse swelling ratio of 3.90% while achieving a longitudinal tensile strength of 20.5 MPa. This high-strength and high-stability sensor is capable of monitoring macroscale human behavior. Therefore, this study presents a simple yet innovative strategy for constructing tough hydrogels while also establishing an alternative pathway for exploring lignin networks in new functional materials development.

Near Infrared Spectroscopy for Prediction of Yeast and Mould Counts in Black Soldier Fly Larvae, Feed and Frass: A Proof of Concept.

The use of black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) grown on different organic waste streams as a source of feed ingredient is becoming very popular in several regions across the globe. However, information about the easy-to-use methods to monitor the safety of BSFL is a major step limiting the commercialization of this source of protein. This study investigated the ability of near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy combined with chemometrics to predict yeast and mould counts (YMC) in the feed, larvae, and the residual frass. Partial least squares (PLS) regression was employed to predict the YMC in the feed, frass, and BSFL samples analyzed using NIR spectroscopy. The coefficient of determination in cross validation (R2CV) and the standard error in cross validation (SECV) obtained for the prediction of YMC for feed were (R2cv: 0.98 and SECV: 0.20), frass (R2cv: 0.81 and SECV: 0.90), larvae (R2cv: 0.91 and SECV: 0.27), and the combined set (R2cv: 0.74 and SECV: 0.82). However, the standard error of prediction (SEP) was considered moderate (range from 0.45 to 1.03). This study suggested that NIR spectroscopy could be utilized in commercial BSFL production facilities to monitor YMC in the feed and assist in the selection of suitable processing methods and control systems for either feed or larvae quality control.

Radial extracorporeal shock wave therapy alleviates acute inflammation of human primary tenocytes through the integrin-FAK-p38MAPK pathway.

OBJECTIVES: To explore whether radial extracorporeal shock wave therapy (rESWT) can alleviate acute inflammation of human primary tenocytes by the integrin-focal adhesion kinase (FAK)-p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. METHODS: Western blotting was used to evaluate the changes in the integrin-FAK-p38MAPK signaling pathway mediated by rESWT using specific antibodies targeting the phosphorylation sites of intracellular signal pathway proteins. RESULTS: rESWT up-regulated FAK phosphorylation and down-regulated p38MAPK phosphorylation levels in a tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α-induced acute inflammation model of human primary tenocytes. Pretreatment with an integrin inhibitor significantly reduced rESWT-mediated downregulation of p38MAPK phosphorylation and attenuated its reversal effect on the increased secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines in TNF-α-induced human primary tenocytes. CONCLUSIONS: Our results imply that rESWT may partially alleviate acute inflammation in human primary tenocytes through the integrin-FAK-p38MAPK pathway.

Evaluation of the fermentation potential of lactic acid bacteria isolated from herbs, fruits and vegetables as starter cultures in nut-based milk alternatives.

Fermentation of plant-based milk alternatives (PBMAs), including nut-based products, has the potential to generate new foods with improved sensorial properties. In this study, we screened 593 lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolates from herbs, fruits and vegetables for their ability to acidify an almond-based milk alternative. The majority of the strongest acidifying plant-based isolates were identified as Lactococcus lactis, which were found to lower the pH of almond milk faster than dairy yoghurt cultures. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) of 18 plant-based Lc. lactis isolates revealed the presence of sucrose utilisation genes (sacR, sacA, sacB and sacK) in the strongly acidifying strains (n = 17), which were absent in one non-acidifying strain. To confirm the importance of Lc. lactis sucrose metabolism in efficient acidification of nut-based milk alternatives, we obtained spontaneous mutants defective in sucrose utilisation and confirmed their mutations by WGS. One mutant containing a sucrose-6-phosphate hydrolase gene (sacA) frameshift mutation was unable to efficiently acidify almond, cashew and macadamia nut milk alternatives. Plant-based Lc. lactis isolates were heterogeneous in their possession of the nisin gene operon near the sucrose gene cluster. The results of this work show that sucrose-utilising plant-based Lc. lactis have potential as starter cultures for nut-based milk alternatives.

Ultra-Thin Wood-Based Acoustic Diaphragms Fabricated via an Environmentally Friendly Strategy.

An acoustic diaphragm is a crucial component that regulates sound quality in earphones and loudspeakers. Natural wood with inherent good acoustic resonance and vibration spectrum is widely used in sound devices. However, using natural wood to produce an acoustic diaphragm is still a big challenge because making ultra-thin wood is hard and it warps easily. Therefore, this study introduces a new method for preparing ultra-thin wood acoustic diaphragms less than 10 µm in thickness, relying on delignification, sulfonation, and densifying techniques. The innovative sulfonation process increased the intermolecular hydrogen bond force, which significantly improved the tensile strength and Young's modulus of the wood diaphragm, up to 195 MPa and 27.1 GPa, respectively. Compared with the commonly used diaphragms in the market, this wood diaphragm exhibits an excellent specific dynamic elastic modulus up to 95.1 GPa/g cm3, indicating better acoustic properties. Also, the resonance frequency was up to 1240 Hz, 4.5 times higher than the titanium diaphragm among high-end products. Besides, the drying shrinkage rate of the ultra-thin wood diaphragm is only 1.2%, indicating excellent dimensional stability. This high-quality wood acoustic diaphragm has a very high application prospect and outstanding attributes for promoting the development of acoustic devices. Moreover, the reaction reagent can be recycled after preparation, and the selected reagents are green and environmentally friendly.

Isolation and Evaluation of Anti-Listeria Lactococcus lactis from Vegetal Sources.

This chapter describes methods used to isolate, identify, and partially characterize lactic acid bacteria (LAB) which exhibit inhibitory activity against Listeria monocytogenes from foods. Vegetal (plant based) sources are rich in naturally occurring LAB and therefore provide an easily accessible source of strains with potential antimicrobial activity for use in food-processing applications. From our previous work, the majority of LAB with inhibitory activity against L. monocytogenes were identified as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) Lactococcus lactis. Although these bacteria are most commonly known for their role in industrial dairy fermentations, they are believed to have originally derived from natural plant-based habitats. These isolates with anti-Listeria activity were all found to carry the genes involved in the production of nisin, which is an approved food-grade preservative (E234). These isolates may find various applications for in situ production of nisin allowing control of L. monocytogenes in various fermented and non-fermented foods and other environments.