Search Results (42)

The cosmetic industry is growing at an impressive rate worldwide. In the cosmetic field, natural-origin ingredients represent the new frontier in this industry. Among the main components of cosmetics, lipids, emulsifiers, rheological modifiers, preservatives, colorants, and antioxidants can be found. These compounds form emulsions, which are among the main cosmetic formulations. An important aspect in this regard is the evaluation of emulsions’ stability over time and emulsions’ production methodology. In this paper, a comparison is made between two emulsion production technologies, the Standard and the “One-Pot” methods, through the characterization of the raw material ABWAX^® Revomul, a multifunctional wax for cosmetic use which consists of a low-melting structuring wax of vegetal origin (Rhus wax) and a natural emulsifier (Polyglyceril-3 Stearate). First, we evaluated the affinity between the wax raw materials and emollients of different chemical nature; then, we analyzed the impact of the production method on the emulsions to identify similarities and differences. ABWAX^® Revomul demonstrated a high level of effectiveness in regard to stabilizing water-in-oil emulsions. This study suggests that from an industrial point of view, the application of the two procedures allows products with different characteristics to be obtained, consequently allowing a specific method to be chosen to obtain the desired product. Full article

The aim of this study was to determine the intraspecific variability among 11 wild-growing populations of wormwood (Artemisia absinthium L.) originating from Central Europe and preserved in the Polish Genebank Collection. The populations were introduced into ex situ conditions, and assessed in terms of selected developmental and chemical traits (essential oil, phenolic acids, polyphenols, and tannins content). Developmental observations and harvest of raw materials were carried out in the second year of plant vegetation, at the beginning of flowering. The populations exhibited significant differences. The greatest variability was observed in the number of shoots per plant (38–51) and dry mass of herb per plant (0.83–1.60 kg). Essential oil (EO) content ranged from 0.75 to 1.69 g/100 g dry weight (DW). A total of 41 compounds were identified in the EOs, with oxygenated monoterpenes (such as sabinyl acetate, cis-chrysanthenol, chrysantenyl acetate, 1,8-cineole, α- and β-thujone) as dominants, showing considerable variation among populations. Based on the EO profiles, several chemotypes were distinguished, mainly (1) a pure sabinyl acetate chemotype; (2) mixed chemotypes with sabinyl acetate accompanied by β-myrcene, cis-chrysanthenol, chrysanthenyl acetate, or 1,8-cineole; and (3) a thujone chemotype. The total content of phenolic acids (expressed as caffeic acid equivalent), tannins, and polyphenols (as pyrogallol equivalent) varied significantly, too (0.37–0.50; 0.10–0.26; 0.58–0.79%, respectively). The results confirm a high level of intraspecific variability in both developmental and chemical traits of A. absinthium populations originating from Poland. This diversity may be valuable for future breeding programs and for the selection of populations with desired phytochemical profiles for medicinal, food, and agricultural applications. It is worth noting that the floristic diversity among populations indicates the habitat heterogeneity, ranging from natural or semi-natural (populations 1, 6) to more anthropogenically influenced ones (populations 2, 4, 5, 7–11). Full article

Turning to green technologies in wastewater treatment is a well-known global trend. The use of natural sorbents of plant origin or phytosorbents in order to purify water from various types of pollutants is becoming more and more popular. This solves several important problems at once: the use of harmless natural materials, reducing the cost of processing, and waste disposal. Moreover, there is a global increase in waste in the agricultural, food, woodworking, and other industries. This review presents data on the modern use of natural materials, mainly vegetable waste, as sorbents in wastewater treatment technologies. Natural materials remove ion metals, dyes, crude oil and petroleum products, and other organic and non-organic contaminants. The techniques of obtaining phytosorbents from plant raw materials are considered. The methods for activation and modification of the various phytosorbents, which provide greater sorption efficiency, are presented. The adsorption mechanisms for various water contaminants are examined, and model descriptions are shown. It has been revealed that the effectiveness of sorption interaction mainly depends on the presence of functional groups. Studies over the past twenty years have shown good prospects for the use of such materials and technologies in practice. Full article

Along the Arctic and sub-Arctic coasts of Alaska, Siberia, north-eastern China, Hokkaido, Scandinavia and Iceland, people have dressed in clothes or worn shoes made of fish skin for millennia. (Within this article, the terms fish skin and fish leather are used to indicate different processes of the same material. Fish skin: Skin indicates the superficial dermis of an animal. Fish skin is referred to as the historical raw material that is tanned following traditional methods such as mechanical, oiling and smoking tanning, using materials such as bark, brain, urine, fish eggs and corn flour. Fish leather is used to refer that the fish skin has passed one or more stages of industrial vegetable or chrome tanning production and is ready to be used to produce leather goods). These items are often decorated with a rich colour palette of natural dyes provided by nature. In this study, minerals and raw materials of plant origin were collected from riverbanks and processed by Arctic seamstresses who operated as designers, biochemists, zoologists, and climatologists simultaneously. During our research, an international team of fashion, tanning and education specialists used local Arctic and sub-Arctic flora from Sweden, Iceland, and Japan to dye fish leather. Several plants were gathered and sampled on a small scale to test the process and determine the colours they generated based on the historical literature and verbal advice from local experts. This paper describes the process and illustrates the historical use of natural dyes by the Arctic groups originally involved in this craft, building on the traditional cultural heritage that has enabled us to develop sustainable dyeing processes. The results are promising and confirm the applicability of these local plants for dyeing fish skins, providing a basis for a range of natural dye colours from local Arctic flora. The aim is to develop a moderate-sized industrial production of fish leather in this colour palette to replace current unsustainable chemical dyeing processes. This project represents an innovation in material design driven by traditional technologies, addressing changes in interactions between humans and with our environment. The results indicate that new materials, processes, and techniques are often the fruitful marriage of fashion and historical research of traditional methods, helping the industry move towards a more sustainable future. Full article

Nowadays, there is a need to search for new renewable energy sources from which it is possible to obtain hydrocarbons that are similar in composition and properties to hydrocarbons of petroleum origin. This is due to a significant increase in demand for natural minerals and, as a consequence, the depletion of their reserves. Today, the most promising alternative renewable energy sources are various vegetable oils, which are used both in their pure form, adding them to commercial mineral fuels, and as products of catalytic processing using various catalysts. However, most studies in the field of alternative energy show that the use of fuels obtained from vegetable oils is limited by their properties as well as the climatic conditions of the areas where biofuels can be used. In this work, we propose an integrated approach to the processing of vegetable oils, which allows us to obtain products of a wide fractional composition with improved operational properties. This approach consists of sequential processing of vegetable oils, first using a CoMo/Al₂O₃ hydrotreating catalyst in order to obtain classical long-chain hydrocarbons with unsatisfactory properties, and then using a zeolite catalyst, ZSM-5 type, which is characterized by the active occurrence of cracking, isomerization, and aromatization reactions, which are accompanied by a decrease in the length of the hydrocarbon chain of the hydrocarbons obtained during the hydrotreating process and, as a result, improving the physicochemical and low-temperature properties of the resulting processed products. Full article

The research presented here is an attempt to develop an innovative and environmentally friendly material based on bacterial nanocellulose (BNC), which will be able to replace both animal skins and synthetic polymer products. Bacterial nanocellulose becomes stiff and brittle when dried, so attempts have been made to plasticise this material so that BNC can be used in industry. The research presented here focuses on the ecological modification of bacterial nanocellulose with vegetable oils such as rapeseed oil, linseed oil, and grape seed oil. The effect of compatibilisers of a natural origin on the plasticisation process of BNC, such as chlorophyll, curcumin, and L-glutamine, was also evaluated. BNC samples were modified with rapeseed, linseed, and grapeseed oils, as well as mixtures of each of these oils with the previously mentioned additives. The modification was carried out by passing the oil, or oil mixture, through the BNC using vacuum filtration, where the BNC acted as a filter. The following tests were performed to determine the effect of the modification on the BNC: FTIR spectroscopic analysis, contact angle measurements, and static mechanical analysis. As a result of the modification, the BNC was plasticised. Rapeseed oil proved to be the best for this purpose, with the help of which a material with good strength and elasticity was obtained. Full article

Currently, solving global environmental problems is recognized as an important task for humanity. In particular, automobile exhaust gases, which are pointed out as the main cause of environmental pollution, are increasing environmental pollutants and pollution problems, and exhaust gas regulations are being strengthened around the world. In particular, when an engine is idling while a car is stopped and not running, a lot of fine dust and toxic gases are emitted into the atmosphere due to the unnecessary fuel consumption of the engine. These idling emissions are making the Earth’s environmental pollution more serious and depleting limited oil resources. Biodiesel, which can replace diesel fuel, generally has similar physical properties to diesel fuel, so it is receiving a lot of attention as an eco-friendly alternative fuel. Biodiesel can be extracted from various substances of vegetable or animal origin and can also be extracted from waste resources discarded in nature. In this study, we used biodiesel blended fuel (B20) in a CRDI diesel engine to study the characteristics of gases emitted during combustion in the engine’s idling state. There were a total of four types of biodiesels used in the experiment. New Soybean Oil and New Lard Oil extracted from new resources and Waste Soybean Fried Oil and Waste Barbecue Lard Oil extracted from waste resources were used, and the gaseous substances emitted during combustion with pure diesel fuel and with the biodiesels were compared and analyzed. It was confirmed that all four B20 biodiesels had a reduction effect on PM, CO, and HC emissions, excluding NOx emissions, compared to pure diesel in terms of the emissions generated during combustion under no-load idling conditions. In particular, New Soybean Oil had the highest PM reduction rate of 20.3% compared to pure diesel, and Waste Soybean Fried Oil had the highest CO and HC reduction rates of 36.6% and 19.3%, respectively. However, NOx was confirmed to be highest in New Soybean Oil, and Waste Barbecue Lard Oil was the highest in fuel consumption. Full article

Recent advances in the olive oil sector aim to develop sustainable strategies for the valorisation of mechanical extraction co-products as a rich source of bioactive compounds with antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. In this work, we studied the effectiveness of a phenolic extract (PE) from olive vegetation water (OVW) as a new antioxidant of natural origin for improving the quality and extending the secondary shelf life (SSL) of a fresh basil pesto sold as a served loose product at the deli counter, simulating the storage conditions after packaging, opening, and serving. For that, the PE was mixed with the oily phase of fresh pesto in two different concentrations and compared to a control pesto (CTRL) made with the addition of common additives (ascorbic acid (E300) and sorbic acid (E200)). The physicochemical parameters, phenolic and volatile composition, sensory profiles, and antioxidant capacity of the experimental pesto samples were evaluated after opening. The results proved that the enrichment with the PE improved the stability of the pesto and, hence, its overall quality. The PE provided higher protection than the CTRL against primary and secondary oxidation at both concentrations tested and delayed the accumulation of the volatile compounds responsible for the ‘rancid’ off-flavour up to 7 days after first opening, while also preserving higher levels of the pesto phytonutrients (such as the rosmarinic, caffeic, and chicoric acids and α-tocopherol). These results show that the generation of food waste in households, catering chains, retail, and/or restaurants can be reduced, improving the sustainability of the food industry and the competitiveness of the olive oil sector. Full article

The World Health Organization (WHO) proposed the dietary guidelines presented as the Food-based Dietary Guidelines (FBDG). The FBDG classify foods according to their origin, nature, nutrient source, food group, and processing level. Food science and technology (FST) ranks food according to its origin, perishability, nutrient source, processing, food group, and formulation. This paper aimed to compare the convergence points for food classification according to the FBDG and FST. This study was carried out in two phases. The first step was identifying the Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDG). For each of the FBDG, food items were grouped as fruits, vegetables, cereals, sugars, fat and oils, legumes, foods from animals, dairy products, and others. The second step aimed to identify and describe the different food classification systems. The search was performed on PubMed^®, Science Direct, and Web of Science and websites of international organizations such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Codex Alimentarius. Our results show that the points of convergence between the classifications were the classification in terms of origin (animal and vegetable), nutrient sources, and food groups. However, inconsistencies were observed for the distribution of food items in each group in the 98 surveyed FBDG. As for nature, there was a convergence for in natura, minimally processed, and processed foods. However, the criteria adopted for minimally processed and processed foods described in the FBDG differ from those considered by the FST. FST also does not recognize the classification of foods concerning the level of processing. Full article

Nowadays, in the era of growing ecological awareness, composites based on synthetic or bio-based polymers and fillers of natural origin find various potential applications. Plant-based materials are obtained using plant-derived materials, such as e.g., vegetable oil or wood fillers. Such synthesis of polymer composites allows for the selection of the reactants in terms of the potential requirements of the application. In the presented research polymer composites were obtained using bio-based high molecular-weight epoxy resins of hydroxylated soybean oil (SMEG) and a low-molecular-weight epoxy resin (EPR 0162) filled with the oak wood flour waste from the production of parquet flooring. To increase the poor compatibility between the highly hydrophilic wood fibers and the hydrophobic polymer matrix, waste wood flour (WF) was subjected to chemical modifications (mercerization, acetylation, and diisocyanate modification). Based on performed FT-IR and SEM analysis of wood flour, it was found that, among all performed modifications, the acetylation allows for the hydroxyl groups removal to the greatest extent. As a result of sequence synthesis including (1) the synthesis of SMEG_EPR polyaddition product, (2) the introduction of WF followed by its (3) curing with diisocyanate, obtained wood/polymer composites contain about 40% of raw materials of natural origin. As a consequence of the carried out modification of the wood waste flour, the compatibility of the filler and the bio-based polymer matrix was improved, resulting in an improvement in compressive strength by 3.51 MPa (SMEG_EPR_2% WF-10% NaOH) and 2.19 MPa (SMEG_EPR_2% A-WF) compared to samples containing unmodified wood flour. Additionally, concerning the results registered for pure SMEG_EPR composition, the introduction of 2 wt.% of wood filler resulted in a three/fourfold increase in the elongation at the break of the composition containing unmodified and chemically modified wood flour (10.99%—SMEG_EPR_2%WF; SMEG_EPR_2%WF-5%NaOH–10.36%; SMEG_EPR_2%WF-10%NaOH–9.54%, and 12.15%—SMEG_EPR_2%A-WF). Moreover, the incorporation of wood filler increased the value of the compression set of samples (2.40%—SMEG_EPR_2%WF, 2.39%—SMEG_EPR_2%WF-5%NaOH, and 2.34% for SMEG_EPR_2%WF-10%NaOH compared with 2.32%—SMEG_EPR). Full article

The Mediterranean diet is recognized as one of the healthiest available dietary patterns. This perception results from its beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system and, also, on hypertension, diabetes, and cancer compared with other diets. Its impact on the course of diabetes is assessed in the available scientific literature; however, little information is available about its impact on diabetic retinopathy. The MD is characterized mainly by the consumption of fish, seafood, foods of plant origin, and fresh fruit and vegetables. It is also recommended to consume legumes, which are a source of folic acid, magnesium, iron, and dietary fiber. High consumption of nuts and unrefined grains is also recommended in the MD. Marine fish provide polyunsaturated acids from the omega-3 group. Olive oil plays a very important role, especially olive oil obtained from mechanical pressing. Additionally, olive oil contains vitamins E, K, and polyphenols. Polyphenols, which are present in a diverse range of vegetables, fruits, and seeds, have the ability to decrease oxidative stress, inflammation, and insulin resistance. Resveratrol is naturally found in grape skins and seeds, as well as in peanuts and berries, and is a constituent of red wine. Resveratrol can inhibit increased vascular leakage and loss of pericytes and regulate the level of VEGF protein in the retina, thus inhibiting the development of DR. Consumption of fruits, vegetables, fish, and olive oil may be correlated with a lower risk of diabetic retinopathy. This paper presents the definition of the Mediterranean diet and its influence on the course of diabetes and diabetic retinopathy. Full article

The particleboard industry consumes large amounts of raw material, and this type of product consumption has been increasing over the last few years. The research for alternative raw materials becomes interesting, since most of the resources come from planted forests. In addition, the investigation of new raw materials must take into account environmentally correct solutions, such as the use of alternative natural fibers, use of agro-industrial residues, and resins of vegetable origin. The objective of this study was to evaluate the physical properties of panels manufactured by hot pressing using eucalyptus sawdust, chamotte, and polyurethane resin based on castor oil as raw materials. Eight formulations were designed with variations of 0, 5, 10, and 15% of chamotte, and two variations of resin with 10% and 15% of volumetric fraction. Tests of gravimetric density, X-ray densitometry, moisture content, water absorption, thickness swelling, and scanning electron microscopy were carried out. Through the results it can be noticed that the incorporation of chamotte in the manufacture of the panels increased the water absorption and the swelling in thickness, around 100% and the use of 15% of resin decreased, more than 50%, the values of these properties. X-ray densitometry analyzes showed that the addition of chamotte alters the density profile of the panel. In addition, the panels manufactured with 15% resin were classified as P7, the most demanding type on EN 312:2010 standard. Full article

Renewable materials are materials that are replenished naturally and can be used again and again. These materials include things such as bamboo, cork, hemp, and recycled plastic. The use of renewable components helps to reduce the dependence on petrochemical resources and reduce waste. Adopting these materials in various industries such as construction, packaging, and textiles can lead to a more sustainable future and decrease the carbon footprint. The presented research describes new porous polyurethane biocomposites based on used cooking oil polyol (50 per hundred polyol—php) modified with cork (3, 6, 9, and 12 php). The research described here demonstrated that it is possible to replace some petrochemical raw materials with raw materials of renewable origin. This was achieved by replacing one of the petrochemical components used for the synthesis of the polyurethane matrix with a waste vegetable oil component. The modified foams were analyzed in terms of their apparent density, coefficient of thermal conductivity, compressive strength at 10% of deformation, brittleness, short-term water absorption, thermal stability, and water vapor permeability, while their morphology was examined using scanning electron microscopy and the content of closed cells. After the successful introduction of a bio-filler, it was found that the thermal insulation properties of the modified biomaterials were comparable to those of the reference material. It was concluded that it is possible to replace some petrochemical raw materials with raw materials of renewable origin. Full article

Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) and virgin olive oil (VOO) are valuable natural products of great economic interest for their producing countries, and therefore, it is necessary to establish methods capable of proving the authenticity of these oils on the market. This work presents a methodology for the discrimination of olive oil and extra-virgin olive oil from other vegetable oils based on targeted and untargeted high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) profiling of phenolic and triterpenic compounds coupled with multivariate statistical analysis of the data. Some phenolic compounds (cinnamic acid, coumaric acids, apigenin, pinocembrin, hydroxytyrosol and maslinic acid), secoiridoids (elenolic acid, ligstroside and oleocanthal) and lignans (pinoresinol and hydroxy and acetoxy derivatives) could be olive oil biomarkers, whereby these compounds are quantified in higher amounts in EVOO compared to other vegetable oils. The principal component analysis (PCA) performed based on the targeted compounds from the oil samples confirmed that cinnamic acid, coumaric acids, apigenin, pinocembrin, hydroxytyrosol and maslinic acid could be considered as tracers for olive oils authentication. The heat map profiles based on the untargeted HRMS data indicate a clear discrimination of the olive oils from the other vegetable oils. The proposed methodology could be extended to the authentication and classification of EVOOs depending on the variety, geographical origin, or adulteration practices. Full article

The immortelle (Helichrysum italicum (Roth) G. Don) is a typical perennial plant of natural vegetation in the Mediterranean region, and due to secondary metabolites with several biological properties (anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-proliferative), it has become an important species for essential oil production, especially in the cosmetic industry. To increase the production of highly priced essential oils, it has been moved to cultivated fields. However, due to the lack of highly characterized planting material, there is a great need for genotype identification, and to provide a link with chemical profiles and geographic origin as a basis for the identification of local superior genotypes. The aims of the study were to characterize the ITS (ribosomal internal transcribed spacer) regions, ITS1 and ITS2, in samples from the East Adriatic region to determine the possibility of using these regions for plant genetic resources identification. Genetic variation was observed when comparing the ITS sequence variants of samples from the North-East Adriatic and the South-East Adriatic. Some rare and unique ITS sequence variants can be helpful for identifying specific populations from different geographical regions. Full article