Search Results (7,495)

Natural antibacterial food packaging materials endowed with environmental responsiveness are garnering substantial research interest in sustainable food preservation. This study reports the development of a pH-responsive antimicrobial composite film through encapsulation of eugenol—a natural phenolic compound—within zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8). The engineered eugenol@ZIF-8 system demonstrated pH-dependent release characteristics, with cumulative release reaching 32.2% at pH 6 versus merely 0.61% at pH 7 over 4 h. Subsequent integration of this nanocarrier into a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/hydroxypropyltrimethyl ammonium chloride chitosan (HACC) matrix yielded a multifunctional composite film for active food packaging applications. The characterization of film revealed that while eugenol@ZIF-8 incorporation slightly compromised mechanical strength (tensile resistance decreased by 18.7%) and flexibility (elongation at break reduced to 54.3% of control), it significantly enhanced hydrophobicity (water contact angle increased to 92.5°) and thermal stability (decomposition temperature elevated by 34 °C). The composite film demonstrated synergistic antibacterial efficacy through the combined action of Zn²⁺ ions, ZIF-8 nanostructures, and eugenol, achieving 88% inhibition against E. coli. Practical validation through fresh noodle preservation trials confirmed the material’s effectiveness, with the optimized formulation (PVA-HACC-2% eugenol@ZIF-8, PHEZ2) extending shelf life by >5 days compared to conventional packaging. This work establishes a novel strategy for engineering intelligent ZIF-based packaging systems that respond to food spoilage microenvironments, offering significant potential for reducing food loss. Full article

Fish are nutritionally valuable foods but are also highly perishable, representing a major research focus for the development of effective preservation strategies to delay spoilage while maintaining microbiological acceptability. In this context, edible coatings have gained increasing attention as clean-label tools to extend the shelf life of perishable foods. In this study, an alginate-based emulsion containing oregano essential oil (OEO) was applied to commercial frozen–thawed ready-to-cook (RTC) hake fillets, intentionally selected as a reproducible model system to evaluate coating performance under refrigerated conditions. Coated and uncoated fillets, stored at 4 °C for up to 7 days, were monitored over time for microbiological and physicochemical parameters, including microbial loads, pH, weight loss, and lipid oxidation (TBARS). Compared to uncoated samples, fillets treated with the alginate–OEO emulsion exhibited a marked delay in spoilage-related microbial growth, with a consistent inhibition of Pseudomonas spp. throughout the experimental period, while maintaining microbiological acceptability. Emulsion-based coated fillets also exhibited reduced lipid oxidation, a more uniform surface appearance with only minor visible color changes, and the absence of unpleasant off odors during the refrigerated storage. Overall, the results demonstrate that the alginate–OEO coating could represent an effective strategy for improving the microbiological and oxidative stability of RTC fish fillets under refrigerated conditions, with potential implications for extended shelf life and a reduction in food waste. Full article

With the increasing depletion of shallow resources, marine-based mineral resources in coastal and continental shelf areas are poised to become a new frontier for resource development. However, ions in brine solutions undergo complex water-rock interactions with rocks, affecting the engineering stability of marine-based rock masses. This study addresses engineering safety concerns arising from the long-term coupled effects of brine erosion and confining pressure on rocks during seabed mineral resource extraction. Using red sandstone as the research subject, it investigates the evolution of its mechanical properties under complex brine-erosion conditions. Experiments involved immersing red sandstone specimens in simulated seabed brine solutions for erosion cycles of 14, 21, and 35 days. Triaxial compression tests were conducted under confining pressures of 5 MPa, 10 MPa, and 15 MPa to systematically analyze the effects of erosion duration and confining pressure on rock strength, deformation, energy characteristics, and failure modes. Results indicate that brine erosion significantly reduces the strength and elastic modulus of red sandstone, but the effect is not simply linear. Instead, it follows a trend of initial slight strengthening followed by significant deterioration. During short-term erosion (21 days), some mechanical parameters slightly recovered, potentially due to temporary filling of fractures by brine ions. After long-term erosion (35 days), all mechanical properties markedly declined. This study aims to reveal the triaxial mechanical properties and energy evolution patterns of red sandstone under multi-ionic brine erosion, providing crucial experimental evidence for designing safe isolation layers and evaluating long-term stability in seabed mining. Full article

This study developed biodegradable carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) films crosslinked with citric acid (CA) and X-ray irradiation as sustainable packaging alternatives to reduce plastic use. CMC/CA films were subjected to three doses of X-ray irradiation at two energy levels. CMC/CA films exposed to 10 kGy at 350 kV exhibited a significant three-fold reduction in water solubility compared to non-irradiated films, while also lowering water vapor and oxygen permeability without affecting mechanical strength (p ≤ 0.05). FTIR analysis confirmed the esterification between CMC and CA, which reduced the film hydrophilicity. Onion peel extract (OPE) was added as a bioactive compound to provide antifungal properties. Release studies showed reduced OPE diffusion in irradiated films, with lower release rate constant (k_kp) values. The in situ test on cheese inoculated with Penicillium commune showed that the irradiated bioactive films prolonged shelf life, reducing fungal counts to log 2.3 CFU/g after 18 days compared to log 5.7 CFU/g in control samples. Cheese wrapped with irradiated bioactive films had weight loss from 1.05 to 9.37%, whereas uncovered samples exhibited the highest weight loss (2.07 to 15.07%). Overall, irradiation-assisted crosslinking and OPE incorporation improved film functionality, offering a sustainable and effective packaging solution for cheese preservation within a circular economy framework. Full article

The proliferation of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations, driven by the NewSpace economy and reduced launch costs, has opened new opportunities for positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) applications. Compared to traditional GNSS systems operating in Medium Earth Orbit, LEO satellites offer several advantages: higher received signal power, better satellite geometry and visibility in urban environments, and greater Doppler dynamics—enabling approaches such as single-satellite and Doppler-based positioning. Although dedicated LEO-PNT constellations are still under development, existing commercial LEO satellites can already be leveraged for experimental positioning applications. This paper presents a portable, multi-constellation testbed built using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware and software-defined radio (SDR) technologies. The platform enables the synchronous acquisition and processing of LEO signals from Orbcomm, Iridium, and Starlink, allowing for the extraction of key positioning observables. A comprehensive measurement campaign is conducted across both indoor and outdoor environments to evaluate signal visibility and Doppler tracking performance. Results highlight the potential of opportunistic LEO-based positioning, particularly in challenging scenarios such as indoor environments where traditional GNSS solutions are unreliable. Full article

Antarctic krill oil (AKO) is a valuable nutraceutical; however, it is highly susceptible to oxidation. Encapsulation represents an effective strategy to enhance the storage stability of AKO. This study explored a novel approach for encapsulating AKO using sodium alginate (ALG) and gelatin (GLN) to improve its stability, and multiple parameters were systematically evaluated, including oil-loading efficiency, surface oil content, particle size, water activity, and thermal stability. Additionally, core-material retention efficiency, acid value, peroxide value, and anisidine value were measured after accelerated oxidation. The results demonstrated that the optimal encapsulation conditions consisted of an ALG:GLN ratio of 2:1, a 9% CaCl₂ coagulation bath, 750 μm nozzle size, followed by freeze-drying. Under these conditions, the microcapsules achieved an oil-loading efficiency of 62.63% and a surface oil content of 19.21%. The water activity of the microcapsules was 0.516. Thermogravimetric analysis indicated that AKO microcapsules encapsulated with ALG/GLN exhibited higher thermal stability (~300 °C) compared to those encapsulated with ALG alone (~280 °C). When AKO or its microcapsules were subjected to accelerated oxidation at 65 °C, compared to ALG-encapsulation alone, the ALG/GLN encapsulation system significantly reduced the oxidation indicators of the oil, such as acid value (24%), peroxide value (26%), and anisidine value (28%). In conclusion, incorporating GLN into ALG-based microcapsules significantly enhanced the antioxidant capacity of AKO and prolonged its shelf life. Full article

This study investigated the effects of dietary black cumin seed meal (BCSM) supplementation on growth performance, carcass traits, intestinal histomorphology, cecal microbiota, meat quality, and breast meat malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in Japanese quail. A total of 200 one-week-old quail were randomly allocated to four dietary treatments containing 0, 5, 10, or 20 g/kg BCSM for a 35-day experimental period, with five replicates per treatment. Dietary BCSM supplementation did not significantly affect body weight, body weight gain, feed intake, or conversion ratio (p > 0.05). However, carcass weight was significantly increased in birds fed 20 g/kg BCSM (p < 0.05), while carcass yield and relative internal organ weight remained unchanged. Intestinal histomorphology was markedly influenced by dietary treatments (p < 0.05), with improved villus height and villus height-to-crypt depth ratio in the jejunum and ileum of BCSM-fed birds. In addition, cecal microbiota analysis revealed a dose-dependent increase in Lactobacillus spp. (p < 0.05), whereas Escherichia coli counts were numerically reduced but not statistically affected (p > 0.05). Meat quality evaluation showed that BCSM supplementation significantly increased breast meat lightness (L*) and water-holding capacity and reduced post-slaughter pH values (p < 0.05). Lipid oxidation, as assessed by malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations, was observed to be significantly lower in breast meat during refrigerated storage, suggesting a potential improvement in oxidative stability and a possible contribution to extended shelf life (p < 0.05). In conclusion, dietary inclusion of black cumin seed meal, particularly at 20 g/kg, positively modulated intestinal health, cecal microbiota composition, and meat oxidative stability without compromising growth performance. Owing to its high nutritional value and rich bioactive compound profile, BCSM can be considered a functional and sustainable feed ingredient for quail nutrition. Full article

Background/Objectives: Plants alter metabolites of their fruits during the ripening process, leading to improved nutritional properties and taste. In addition, metabolite compositions continue to change on the shelf after harvest. However, the dynamics of these important processes are species-specific and so this study aimed to contrast the ripening dynamics of ten different fruit species simultaneously. Methods: Plant material was collected from the fruits of apple, banana, blueberry, kiwifruit, pear, plum, peach, strawberry, raspberry, and tomato at three different stages: unripe, fully ripe, and overripe fruits. Comparative metabolome analysis by GCMS was performed to identify differentially abundant metabolites across the species of this study and to examine their dynamics across ripening and post-harvest storage. These results were complemented by elemental compositions derived from a literature search. Results: In a first, this study demonstrated that both baseline metabolite abundances and their dynamics across ripening clustered species vary largely according to their phylogeny. Comparisons across ripe fruit identified differences in nutritional properties, highlighting species such as banana to be of especially high nutritional value and blueberry and peach to be prominent sources of antioxidants. Comparing the ripening dynamics of all species identified common patterns, such as the conversion of organic acids to sugars and cell wall dynamics, although species-specific responses were also acknowledged, in particular, kiwi and the Rosaceae berries, which may explain differences in post-harvest shelf-life. Conclusions: The observed inter- and intra-specific variation in nutritionally relevant metabolites and elements serves as a reference for both producers and consumers and emphasizes that consuming a variety of fruits, not only across species but also across cultivars within a species, can maximize the intake of beneficial phytonutrients, sugars, amino acids, and antioxidants. Full article

Thoracic aortic pathology involving the aortic arch is most commonly treated with open total arch replacement. However, open surgery is still associated with significant risk of mortality and morbidity, particularly in the elderly, patients with high-risk comorbidities, and those with previous cardiac surgery. Multiple endovascular approaches to enable zone 0 arch reconstruction have been developed, including custom-made, physician-modified, and off-the-shelf fenestrated/branched endografts. The initial experiences of this approach have been plagued by high incidence of stroke; although improvements have been made over the past decade, it remains suboptimal. Several factors contribute to this stagnation, including limited descriptive studies with small sample sizes, heterogeneous patient populations, varied techniques, and lack of data granularity and standardization. These limitations reduce the ability to analyze factors that could improve patient selection, device design, and procedural techniques. In addition, consistent follow-ups have not been reported, and the long-term outcome of these interventions are unknown. To address these issues, a randomized controlled trial of open versus endovascular arch repair or multicenter registry with standardized data reporting, follow-up protocol, and sufficient sample size would be needed. High-quality data will help identify patient clinical or anatomical features as well as procedural factors that can improve outcomes. Full article

Immune checkpoint inhibitors have transformed the treatment landscape for advanced melanoma in the past 15 years, delivering unprecedented and durable survival benefits. This success has propelled the development of complementary immune-directed therapies, including cancer vaccines. Among these, synthetic long peptide (SLP) and mRNA vaccine platforms have emerged as highly promising. Advances in next-generation sequencing technology, alongside computational neoantigen algorithm predictions, have enabled patient-specific neoantigen identification to improve vaccine immunogenicity and enhance therapeutic efficacy. Off-the-shelf and personalised SLP and mRNA vaccines have demonstrated the ability to induce robust antigen-specific T-cell responses and modulate the tumour microenvironment. Mechanistically, cancer vaccines synergise with immune checkpoint inhibition. This review outlines the current clinical development of mRNA and peptide vaccines in melanoma, highlighting the significant promise to synergise with immune checkpoint inhibition to enhance efficacy without adding to the systemic toxicity profile. The neoadjuvant setting, characterised by intact tumour antigens and draining lymphatic architecture, offers a compelling biological context for leveraging cancer vaccines for enhanced immune priming and response assessment. Collectively, the rapid advances in technology and emerging clinical data position cancer vaccines as a promising therapy capable of improving immunotherapy in Stage III and IV melanoma. Full article

This study investigated the quality stability of a ready-to-eat swordfish-based gourmet product, “swordfish caponata,” during refrigerated storage (2–3 °C) for 15 days, with the goal of extending its current 10-day shelf life. Although spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms were initially present in the raw materials, their levels remained below detectable limits in the finished product throughout storage. Physicochemical parameters showed only minor changes in color (L* ≈ 49, a* ≈ 11, b* ≈ 24) and soluble solids concentration (≈20 °Brix). The pH rose slightly from 3.95 to 4.12, and titratable acidity increased from 1.00 to 2.00 mL NaOH/10 g. Water activity remained high (a_w ≈ 0.99), indicating that no dehydration occurred in the final product. Volatile compound analysis revealed notable shifts in lipid-derived aldehydes and acids, including reduction in 2,4-decadienal (7.44 to 5.70%) and oleic acid (8.06 to 6.03%), along with an increase in hexadecanoic acid (19.75 to 25.18%). Sensory evaluation by a trained panel confirmed that overall acceptability was maintained (p > 0.05) for up to 15 days, despite a slight decline in odor after day 12. Overall, the results demonstrated that the swordfish caponata produced at the industrial facility under study successfully achieved a 15-day refrigerated shelf life while maintaining microbiological safety, physicochemical stability, and sensory quality. Full article

Spaceflight has become more accessible than ever due to increased launch reliability and significant advances in electronics. Among these advancements are small-sized PocketQubes, which are small satellites (5 × 5 × 5 cm for 1P) that can be built using commercial off-the-shelf components. A critical subsystem in these satellites is the communication system, which requires compact and deployable antennas. This work focuses on the design of deployable antennas for TU Delft’s upcoming Delfi-Twin PocketQube mission, operating in the 10 m and 6 m amateur bands. The Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) nitinol was selected as the antenna material due to its favorable mechanical and deployment characteristics. However, its high electrical resistivity limits antenna efficiency. This study investigates multiple conductive coating techniques for nitinol antenna wires, aiming to improve electrical performance while maintaining mechanical flexibility. The coatings are evaluated through electrical resistance measurements and mechanical bending tests. Among them, a DuPont ME164 ink showed the most promising performance, significantly reducing wire resistance compared to bare nitinol while preserving mechanical integrity. These results address a novel conductive coating for efficient SMA-based antennas and demonstrate a valid approach for improving deployable antennas in small-satellite applications. Full article

Traditional plastic preservation films face significant environmental challenges due to their non-degradable nature and limited functional versatility. In contrast, hydrocolloid–nanomaterial composite films—which integrate biopolymer matrices (e.g., cellulose, chitosan, alginate and gelatin) with nanoparticles such as SiO₂, Se, TiO₂, or ZnO—have emerged as a prominent research focus. These composite films preserve the inherent biodegradability and biocompatibility of hydrocolloids, while the nanomaterials, when stably dispersed, enhance interfacial interactions through electrostatic forces, hydrogen-bonding, or coordination bonds. This synergy endows the films with multifunctional properties, including antimicrobial activity, antioxidant capacity, UV-shielding performance, and stimuli-responsive intelligence. Prepared via techniques like electrospinning, solution casting, reactive extrusion, and coating, they exhibit excellent mechanical strength, barrier properties, and multifunctionality, effectively extending the shelf life of fruits, vegetables, meats, etc. However, challenges remain: nanomaterial dispersion, migration risks, and scalable production. This review summarizes recent advances to guide green preparation optimization, balance performance and safety, and advance sustainable development in food packaging. Full article

Meat products face microbial safety challenges, while growing consumer demand for “clean label” options discourages the use of synthetic preservatives. Although Nisin and cultured dextrose (CD) are known natural antimicrobials, their combined application in meat systems has not been fully assessed. Herein, we systematically evaluated the antibacterial activity of CD in combination with Nisin against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) using a uniform design. While regression modeling of the in vitro data indicated a potent synergistic interaction at lower concentrations, the optimal practical combination for meat preservation was identified as 0.02% Nisin and 0.5% CD. This combination was applied to braised chicken breast stored at 0–4 °C, with microbial counts, pH, color, and sensory quality monitored over 28 days. The results indicated that this Nisin-CD combination significantly suppressed the growth of total viable bacteria, S. aureus, and E. coli, stabilized pH, minimized color variation, and maintained sensory acceptability. Therefore, the 0.02% Nisin and 0.5% CD combination is recommended as an effective clean-label strategy to extend the shelf life of meat products by enhancing microbial safety and quality without synthetic preservatives. Full article

Background/Objectives: The effects of thermal drying on the viability of beneficial microorganisms immobilized in biochar, as well as on biochar nutrient retention, remain insufficiently understood. This study aimed to evaluate how drying temperature influences the survival of hyper-ammonia-producing bacteria (HAB) immobilized on pine wood biochar and to assess the impact of subsequent storage on bacterial recovery and nutrient stability. Methods: Biochar was inoculated with HAB and subjected to drying at temperatures ranging from 40 to 60 °C. Following drying, samples were characterized and stored for 30 days. Microbial revival was assessed through reculturing, while changes in surface functional groups were analyzed using FTIR spectroscopy. Nutrient retention, particularly nitrogen content, was also evaluated. Results: Higher drying temperatures resulted in reduced immediate microbial revival during reculturing. However, samples exhibiting limited immediate recovery demonstrated enhanced revival after the 30-day storage period. FTIR analysis revealed that drying temperature modified the availability of surface functional groups associated with microbial attachment and activity. Nutrient analysis indicated only minor reductions in nitrogen retention in biochar dried at temperatures above 55 °C. Conclusions: Drying temperature significantly affects both the short-term survival and post-storage recovery of beneficial microorganisms immobilized in biochar. While elevated temperatures may initially suppress microbial activity, recovery potential during storage remains substantial. Optimizing drying conditions is therefore essential to balance microbial viability with nutrient retention in biochar-based formulations. Full article