SELF-HEALING BITUMINOUS MATERIALS BY ADAPTIVE ENCAPSULATED REJUVENATORS SYSTEM IS A HOT TOPIC WITHIN ROAD MATERIALS. FOR THE FIRST TIME, THIS WORK EXPLORES THE NATURAL SPORES FOR THE ENCAPSULATION OF REJUVENATORS AS A NOVEL CONTROLLED RELEASE SYSTEM TO PROMOTE THE SELF-HEALING CAPABILITY IN AGED BITUMINOUS MATERIALS. TREATED SPORES WERE OBTAINED FROM NATURAL SPORES BY CHEMICAL PROCESSES. TO SYNTHESIZE SPORE-BASED MICROCAPSULES, FIRSTLY, SPORES WERE DEFATTED, AND THEN THE PROTEIN AND CELLULOSIC MATERIALS WERE REMOVED. SPORES WERE PROCESSED, AND SUNFLOWER OIL AS A REJUVENATOR WAS ENCAPSULATED INSIDE SPORE MICROCAVITIES BY ENCAPSULATING PASSIVE AND VACUUM LOADING TECHNOLOGIES. PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND MICROSTRUCTURAL PROPERTIES OF THE NATURAL SPORE FORMULATIONS WERE EVALUATED. CHANGES IN THE COMPOSITION OF THE SPORES AMONG THE PROCESS WERE STUDIED BY FTIR SPECTROSCOPY. THE MICROSTRUCTURE ANALYSIS SHOWED THAT THE SPORES AFTER TREATMENT WERE EMPTY, SHOWING THE COMPLETE REMOVAL OF ALL CONTENTS INSIDE, KEEPING INTACT MICROSTRUCTURE, AND PROVIDING LARGE CAVITIES FOR MOLECULAR LOADING. FURTHERMORE, SUNFLOWER OIL ENCAPSULATION EFFICIENCY INTO THE SPORE CAVITIES WAS CONSIDERABLY HIGHER WITH VACUUM LOADING THAN BY THE PASSIVE LOADING PROCESS. THE CONTROLLED RELEASE MECHANISM AND THE HEALING EFFICIENCY OF ENCAPSULATED REJUVENATORS IN THE SPORE CAPSULES WERE ALSO QUANTIFIED. IT WAS PROVED THAT THE PROPOSED APPROACH WAS ABLE TO CONTROL THE RELEASE OF THE REJUVENATOR WITH AN ATTRACTIVE BIOMATERIAL POSSESSING A VERY STRONG STRUCTURE. THE MAIN RESULTS PROVIDE THE BASIS FOR FURTHER EXPLORATION INTO THE ENCAPSULATION OF REJUVENATORS IN NATURAL PLANT SPORES AS A PROMISING NOVEL CONTROLLED RELEASE SPORE-BASED SYSTEM FOR THE SELF-HEALING OF BITUMINOUS MATERIALS.

EL ENVEJECIMIENTO DEL CEMENTO ASFÁLTICO ES UNA DE LAS PRINCIPALES CAUSAS DE AGRIETAMIENTO EN LOS PAVIMENTOS ASFÁLTICOS. EN LOS ÚLTIMOS AÑOS SE HA LOGRADO UN AVANCE SIGNIFICATIVO EN EL PERFECCIONAMIENTO DE NUEVOS REJUVENECEDORES ENCAPSULADOS PARA MATERIALES ASFÁLTICOS, PROMOVIENDO EL DESARROLLO DE INNOVADORES PAVIMENTOS AUTORREPARABLES. EN ESTE ESTUDIO SE EVALUÓ LA PRODUCCIÓN Y CARACTERIZACIÓN DE CÁPSULAS DE ALGINATO QUE CONTIENEN ACEITE CRUDO DE PALMA COMO UN PROMETEDOR REJUVENECEDOR PARA LA AUTORREPARACIÓN EXTRÍNSECA DE CEMENTOS ASFÁLTICOS ENVEJECIDOS A LARGO PLAZO. PARA CARACTERIZAR EL ACEITE DE PALMA SE UTILIZARON ANÁLISIS TERMOGRAVIMÉTRICO (TGA-DTGA) Y REFLECTANCIA TOTAL ATENUADA (ATR)- FTIR.

ASPHALT PAVEMENTS AND BITUMINOUS COMPOSITES ARE MAJORLY DAMAGED BY BITUMEN AGING AND FATIGUE CRACKING BY TRAFFIC LOAD. TO ADD, MAINTENANCE AND REPARATION OF ASPHALT PAVEMENTS IS EXPENSIVE AND ALSO RELEASES SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF GREENHOUSE GASES. THESE ISSUES CAN BE MITIGATED BY PROMOTING ASPHALT SELF-HEALING MECHANISMS WITH ENCAPSULATED REJUVENATORS. THE ABILITY OF THE REQUIRED MICROCAPSULES TO BE RESILIENT AGAINST HIGH TEMPERATURES, OXIDATION, AND MECHANICAL STRESS IS ESSENTIAL TO PROMOTE SUCH SELF-HEALING BEHAVIOR WITHOUT COMPROMISING THE FIELD PERFORMANCE OF THE ASPHALT PAVEMENT. THIS WORK PROPOSES, FOR THE FIRST TIME, THE USE OF EXTREMELY RESISTANT BIOBASED SPORES FOR THE ENCAPSULATION OF RECYCLED OIL-BASED REJUVENATORS TO PRODUCE MORE RESILIENT SELF-HEALING PAVEMENTS. SPORE ENCAPSULANTS WERE OBTAINED FROM NATURAL SPORES (LYCOPODIUM CLAVATUM) BY APPLYING DIFFERENT CHEMICAL TREATMENTS, WHICH ENABLED THE SELECTION OF THE BEST MORPHOLOGICALLY INTACT AND CLEAN SPORE ENCAPSULANT. THE PHYSICAL, MORPHOLOGICAL, AND PHYSICOCHEMICAL CHANGES WERE EXAMINED USING FLUORESCENCE IMAGES, ATR-FTIR, SEM, SIZE DISTRIBUTION, XRD, TGA AND DSC ANALYSES. SUNFLOWER OIL WAS USED AS THE ENCAPSULATED REJUVENATOR WITH AN OPTIMAL SOL COLLOIDAL MIXTURE FOR SPOROPOLLENIN?OIL OF 1:5 (GRAM-TO-GRAM). VACUUM, PASSIVE, AND CENTRIFUGAL ENCAPSULATION TECHNIQUES WERE TESTED FOR LOADING THE REJUVENATOR INSIDE THE CLEAN SPORES AND FOR SELECTING THE BEST ENCAPSULATION TECHNOLOGY. THE ENCAPSULATION EFFICIENCY AND THE PROFILES OF THE ACCELERATED RELEASE OF THE REJUVENATOR FROM THE LOADED SPORES OVER TIME WERE STUDIED, AND THESE PROCESSES WERE VISUALIZED WITH OPTICAL AND INVERTED FLUORESCENCE MICROSCOPY. VACUUM ENCAPSULATION WAS IDENTIFIED AS THE BEST LOADING TECHNIQUE WITH AN ENCAPSULATION EFFICIENCY OF 93.02 ± 3.71%. THE REJUVENATOR WAS SUCCESSFULLY ENCAPSULATED INTO THE CLEAN SPORES, AS OBSERVED BY OPTICAL AND SEM MORPHOLOGIES. IN AGREEMENT WITH THE TGA AND DSC, THE MICROCAPSULES WERE STABLE UP TO 204 °

UNA DE LAS PRINCIPALES CAUSAS DEL AGRIETAMIENTO PREMATURO EN LAS MEZCLAS ASFÁLTICAS ES EL ENVEJECIMIENTO DEL CEMENTO ASFÁLTICO. DURANTE LOS ÚLTIMOS AÑOS SE HAN DESARROLLADO IMPORTANTES AVANCES EN NUEVOS REJUVENECEDORES ENCAPSULADOS PARA MATERIALES BITUMINOSOS, PERMITIENDO LA PRODUCCIÓN DE NUEVOS PAVIMENTOS AUTORREPARABLES CON UNA MAYOR VIDA ÚTIL. EN ESTE TRABAJO SE HAN PRODUCIDO CÁPSULAS DE ALGINATO CON ACEITE CRUDO DE PALMA COMO UN POTENCIAL REJUVENECEDOR PARA LA AUTORREPARACIÓN EXTRÍNSECA DE CEMENTOS ASFÁLTICOS ENVEJECIDOS A LARGO PLAZO. PARA CARACTERIZAR EL ACEITE DE PALMA SE UTILIZARON ANÁLISIS DE TERMOGRAVIMÉTRICO (TGA-DTGA) Y REFLECTANCIA TOTAL ATENUADA (ATR)-FTIR.

TAMARIND GUM IS A BIOPOLYMER OBTAINED FROM THE SEEDS OF THE TAMARIND TREE (TAMARINDUS INDICA L.). THE TAMARIND TREE IS AN EVERGREEN TREE DISTRIBUTED WIDELY IN AFRICA, ASIA, AND LATIN AMERICA, MAINLY IN COUNTRIES SUCH AS THE ISLAND OF MADAGASCAR, INDIA, AND MEXICO. THIS CHAPTER DISCUSSES THE COMPONENTS OF THE TAMARIND TREE, AS WELL AS THE TAMARIND PULP AND SEED. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE MAIN TECHNOLOGIES USED TO EXTRACT THE GUM FROM TAMARIND SEEDS ARE DESCRIBED. IN ADDITION, THE GUM VALORIZATION FROM A VISION OF THE NATURE OF THE EXTRACTION PROCESS IS ANALYZED WITH THE CHEMICAL, PHYSICOCHEMICAL, AND STRUCTURAL CHARACTERIZATION TECHNIQUES. IN THIS CHAPTER, A FULL DISCUSSION OF THE FUNCTIONAL PROPERTIES AND THE FORMULATION OF COLLOIDAL SYSTEMS EMPLOYING TAMARIND GUM ARE INCLUDED TO SHOW ITS FUNCTIONALITY. FINALLY, THE CHAPTER DESCRIBES THE ROLE THAT TAMARIND GUM HAS PLAYED AS A WALL MATERIAL IN INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS.

ONE OF THE MOST EXTENSIVELY STUDIED POLYSACCHARIDES IS ALGINATE EXTRACTED FROM BROWN SEAWEED. THESE TYPES OF NATURAL POLYSACCHARIDES ARE FOUND THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. OVER THE YEARS, STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT ALGINATES ARE BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS WITH ANTICANCER PROPERTIES, LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE, REDUCE CHOLESTEROL LEVELS, PREVENT DIABETES, AND ABSORB HEAVY METALS IN THE BODY. SINCE THE 20TH CENTURY, ALGINATES HAVE BEEN USED IN DIFFERENT AREAS OF INDUSTRY, AMONG WHICH STAND OUT THE CHEMICAL, ENVIRONMENTAL, BIOFUEL, BIOMASS, PHARMACEUTICAL, COSMETIC, AND FOOD INDUSTRIES. THIS CHAPTER DESCRIBES THE CHEMICAL STRUCTURE OF ALGINATE POLYSACCHARIDE AND ITS MAIN CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE MAIN TECHNOLOGIES USED TO EXTRACT SODIUM ALGINATE ARE ANALYZED, AND A FULL DISCUSSION OF THE FUNCTIONAL PROPERTIES AND THE FORMULATION OF COLLOIDAL SYSTEMS EMPLOYING ALGINATE ARE INCLUDED TO SHOW ITS FUNCTIONALITY. FINALLY, THE MOST RECENT ADVANCES ON THE ROLE PLAYED BY ALGINATE AS A CARRIER IN THE DELIVERY OF THERAPEUTICS, DELIVERY DRUGS, AND BIOMEDICAL APPLICATIONS ARE DESCRIBED.

THIS STUDY AIMED TO SYNTHESISE ENHANCED BIOCAPSULES CONTAINING OIL AS AN ADDITIVE TO PROMOTE SELF-HEALING IN BITUMINOUS MATERIALS. THE CAPSULES CONSISTED OF A BIOPOLYMERIC MATRIX OF SODIUM ALGINATE AS ENCAPSULATING MATERIAL AND SUNFLOWER COOKING OIL AS A NON-HAZARDOUS REJUVENATING AGENT. OIL WAS INCORPORATED IN FIVE CONCENTRATIONS BY WEIGHT OF ALGINATE, 1:1, 1:3, 1:5, 1:7, AND 1:9, RESPECTIVELY. THUS, FIVE OIL-IN-WATER (O/W) EMULSIONS WERE PREPARED TO SYNTHESISE BIOPOLYMERIC CAPSULES VIA IONIC GELATION USING AN ENCAPSULATOR DEVICE THAT WORKS BY JET VIBRATION TECHNIQUE. THE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES, STABILITY AND DROPLET SIZE DISTRIBUTION WERE MEASURED IN THE O/W EMULSIONS USING MICROSCOPY TECHNIQUES AND LABORATORY TESTS. THE MORPHOLOGICAL AND THE PHYSICAL-MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF THE BIOCAPSULES WERE ALSO EVALUATED. THE MAIN RESULTS SHOWED THAT THE O/W EMULSIONS INCREASED THEIR VISCOSITY AND PHYSICAL STABILITY WHEN INCREASED THE OIL CONTENT, REDUCING THEIR CREAMING RATE OVER TIME. THE SYNTHESISED BIOCAPSULES PRESENTED SPHERICAL MORPHOLOGY AND HIGH ENCAPSULATION EFFICIENCY. THE SIZE OF THE PRODUCED BIOCAPSULES WAS MAINLY DEPENDENT ON THE SELECTED NOZZLE SIZE, THE FLOW RATE AND VISCOSITY OF THE EXTRUDED O/W EMULSIONS, AND THE VIBRATIONAL FREQUENCY APPLIED AND CONTROLLED ON THE ENCAPSULATOR DEVICE. A REDUCTION IN THE ENCAPSULATED REJUVENATOR CONTENT WAS QUANTIFIED IN THE BIOCAPSULES, RESULTING IN A LOWER VOLUME AND HIGHER DENSITY AND COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH VALUES. FINALLY, THE CAPSULES EFFECTIVELY RESISTED THE LOAD ASSOCIATED TO ON-SITE COMPACTION IN A WAY THAT THEY CAN BE POTENTIALLY

ENCAPSULATED REJUVENATING AGENTS FOR SELF-HEALING OF BITUMINOUS MATERIALS HAVE GAINED SIGNIFICANT INTEREST WITHIN THE ROAD SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY, TURNING THESE ENHANCED MATERIALS INTO A HOT TOPIC. IN THIS STUDY, VIRGIN COOKING OIL, WASTE COOKING OIL, AND VIRGIN ENGINE OIL WERE USED AS ENCAPSULATED REJUVENATORS TO RESTORE PROPERTIES OF AGED BITUMEN AND THEIR CAPACITY FOR ASPHALT SELF-HEALING. THE ALGINATE-BASED CAPSULES AND THEIR COMPONENTS WERE CHARACTERISED BY CHEMICAL, PHYSICAL, MORPHOLOGICAL, THERMAL STABILITY, AND MECHANICAL TESTS. SELF-HEALING RECOVERY TESTS OF CRACKED LONG-TERM AGED BITUMEN BY THE EFFECT OF OIL RELEASE WERE ALSO PERFORMED. MAIN RESULTS SHOWED THAT ALL REJUVENATING OILS PRESENTED FUNCTIONAL GROUPS CONTRIBUTING TO THE CHEMICAL RESTORATION OF AGED BITUMEN. ENCAPSULATION OF STABLE O/W EMULSIONS WAS ACHIEVED. CAPSULES PRESENTED UNIFORM SIZE, MULTICAVITY MICROSTRUCTURE, HIGH ENCAPSULATION EFFICIENCY, THERMAL AND MECHANICAL STABILITY. FINALLY, ALL REJUVENATING OILS WERE SUCCESSFULLY DIFFUSED INTO AN AGED BITUMEN, ALTHOUGH VIRGIN COOKING OIL PRESENTED THE HIGHEST HEALING CAPACITY.

EL OBJETIVO DE ESTE TRABAJO FUE EVALUAR A LA ESPOROPOLENINA DERIVADA DE LYCOPODIUM CLAVATUM L. COMO AGENTE ENCAPSULANTE ESTUDIANDO LAS PROPIEDADES ENCAPSULANTES Y LAS TASAS DE LIBERACIÓN DEL ACEITE DE CHÍA Y ACEITE DE AJONJOLÍ. SE FORMULARON CUATRO TIPOS DE ENCAPSULADOS EMPLEANDO EL PROCESO DE MICROENCAPSULACIÓN AL VACÍO CON UNA RELACIÓN PESO DE MATERIAL ENCAPSULADO A AGENTE ENCAPSULANTE 1:3 PARA INCORPORAR LOS ACEITES UTILIZANDO EL BIOPOLÍMERO SIN PURIFICAR Y PURIFICADO. LAS MICROGRAFÍAS DE TODOS LOS SISTEMAS ENCAPSULANTES MOSTRARON ESTRUCTURAS DE SÓLIDOS EN FORMA SEMIESFÉRICA DE TAMAÑO UNIFORME (~20 ?M) CON CAVIDADES EN FORMA DE NANOCANALES. LA ESPOROPOLENINA PURIFICADA PRESENTÓ MAYOR PORCENTAJE DE ENCAPSULAMIENTO PARA EL ACEITE DE CHÍA (42.3%) Y ACEITE DE AJONJOLÍ (29.1%) RESPECTO A LA ESPOROPOLENINA SIN PURIFICAR. LOS PERFILES DE LIBERACIÓN DE LOS ACEITES SE AJUSTARON ADECUADAMENTE AL MODELO TIPO LEY DE POTENCIA, EVIDENCIANDO QUE EL MECANISMO DE LIBERACIÓN DE LOS ACEITES SE DA POR DIFUSIÓN EFECTIVA APARENTE, CUYOS VALORES DE DIFUSIVIDAD SE ENCUENTRAN EN EL ORDEN DE 2×10-14 M2 /S MOSTRANDO QUE EL MÉTODO DE ENCAPSULAMIENTO Y LA ESTRUCTURA DE LA ESPOROPOLENINA INFLUYEN DE MANERA DIRECTA EN ESTE PARÁMETRO DE TRANSPORTE. ESTOS RESULTADOS MUESTRAN QUE LA ESPOROPOLENINA PODRÍA SER ÚTIL COMO AGENTE ENCAPSULANTE DE COMPUESTOS BIOACTIVOS. ADICIONALMENTE, SE REQUIEREN ESTUDIOS MÁS ROBUSTOS PARA DEMOSTRAR SU EFICACIA COMO AGENTE ENCAPSULANTE EN OTRAS TECNOLOGÍAS DE ENCAPSULACIÓN.

IONIC GELATION OF ALGINATE HAS BECOME ONE OF THE MOST WIDELY USED ENCAPSULATION TECHNIQUES, WITH THE MAIN DRAWBACK THAT ALGINATE HYDROGELS EXHIBIT HIGHLY POROUS STRUCTURAL NETWORKS, WHICH PROMOTES HIGH RATES OF RELEASE OF ENCAPSULATED CORE MATERIALS. TO RETARD THE DIFFUSION AND LOSS OF OIL, AND IN TURN TO DEVELOP NEW ALTERNATIVES AS WALL MATERIALS, THIS WORK AIMS TO ANALYZE THE EFFECT OF STRUCTURAL PROPERTIES OF HYDROGEL BEADS PREPARED WITH SODIUM ALGINATE (SA) AND TWO BLENDS OF SA - TAMARIND SEED MUCILAGE (SA-TSM) AS WALL MATERIALS, IN THE RELEASE PROFILES OF SESAME OIL (SO) ENCAPSULATED BY IONIC GELATION. THREE EMULSIONS WERE FORMED USING SA, OR SA-TSM BLENDS IN MASS RATIOS 1:1 AND 1:2, WITH AN SO DISPERSED PHASE FRACTION OF 0.02 AND MASS RATIO OF WALL MATERIAL:SO 1:1. THE RESULTING EMULSIONS WERE DROPPED INTO A 2.5 % WT. CACL2 SOLUTION TO PRODUCE THREE DIFFERENT SYSTEMS OF HYDROGEL BEADS. THEY WERE CHARACTERIZED BY THEIR MORPHOLOGY, SIZE, PHYSICAL PROPERTIES, OIL ENCAPSULATION, SWELLING, AND RELEASE PERFORMANCE. ACCORDING TO THE RESULTS OBTAINED, THE HYDROGEL BEADS SHOWED AN ELLIPSOIDAL-LIKE GEOMETRY WITH A MEAN SIZE OF ?2.46 MM. SA-TSM HYDROGEL BEADS SHOWED HIGHER ENCAPSULATION EFFICIENCY (> 73.45%) THAN SA BEADS (61.49%). THE KINETIC CURVES OF SO RELEASE SHOWED TWO REGIONS: A ?BURST EFFECT? AT SHORT TIMES FOLLOWED BY A """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""LAG TIME"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" RELEASE. THE KORSMEYER-PEPPAS MODEL PERFORMED THE BEST FIT (R2 > 0.90) FOR THE RELEASE OF SO, INDICATING A DIFFUSION-CONTROLLED FICKIAN TRANSPORT MECHANISM FOR ALL THE BEADS, THE EFFECTIVE DIFFUSION COEFFICIENTS RANGED FROM 5.18 × 10?11 TO 6.46 × 10?11 M2/S. THEREFORE, TSM DIRECTLY INFLUENCES THE STRUCTURAL AND PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF SA-TSM HYDROGEL BEADS, DEMONSTRATING EFFICIENT STRUCTURAL SUPPORT AND FILLER FUNCTION IN THE FORMATION OF WALL MATERIALS, IMPROVING THE ENCAPSULATION AND CONTROLLING THE RELEASE RATE OF SO IN COMPARISON WITH SA HYDROGEL BEADS.

ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT POLYSACCHARIDES IN THE VEGETAL KINGDOM IS PECTIN. THIS CLASS OF NATURAL POLYSACCHARIDE IS FOUND PRIMARILY IN CITRUS FRUITS AND APPLE POMACE. PECTIN HAS BEEN USED IN DIFFERENT SECTORS OF THE INDUSTRY, AMONG WHICH THE FOOD, PHARMACEUTICAL, COSMETIC, AND PAPER INDUSTRIES STAND OUT. TODAY, THERE IS A GROWING DEMAND FOR THIS TYPE OF HYDROCOLLOID, WHERE BOTH THE SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL FIELDS HAVE FOCUSED ON USING NEW SOURCES OF PECTIN AND DEVELOPING NOVEL EXTRACTION METHODS. THIS CHAPTER DESCRIBES THE CHEMICAL STRUCTURE OF PECTIN AND ITS MAIN CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS. THEN, THE CONVENTIONAL SOURCES FROM WHICH PECTIN IS OBTAINED ARE EXPOSED AS WELL AS ITS MAIN INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND FUNCTIONAL PROPERTIES OF PECTINS OBTAINED FROM UNCONVENTIONAL SOURCES ARE DESCRIBED AND ANALYZED AS WELL AS THE MAIN TECHNOLOGIES USED FOR THEIR EXTRACTION. FINALLY, THE MOST RECENT ADVANCES IN THE ROLE PLAYED BY PECTIN IN THE INDUSTRIAL SECTOR ARE DESCRIBED.

THIS WORK AIMED TO CARRY OUT A STRAIGHTFORWARD AQUEOUS EXTRACTION OF PECTIN FROM RED PITAYA PEELS (RPP), IN A DRIVE TO PROMOTE THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY OF THE SETTLEMENTS WHERE THE FRUIT OF THIS ENDEMIC SPECIES GROWS. THE AVERAGE PECTIN YIELD WAS 11.59 G/100 G DRY BASIS, THE DEGREE OF ESTERIFICATION WAS 60.35±1.35%, THE GALACTURONIC ACID CONTENT WAS 54.36±1.03%, AND THE PROTEIN CONTENT OF 5.86 ± 0.25%. THE RPP PECTIN WAS ANALYZED IN TERMS OF PHYSICOCHEMICAL, FUNCTIONAL, AND STRUCTURAL FEATURES. THE FTIR SPECTRUM CONFIRMED THAT THE UNVEILED PECTIN STRUCTURE WAS CONSISTENT WITH THAT REPORTED FOR COMMERCIAL PECTINS FROM DIFFERENT BOTANICAL SOURCES. PECTIN AQUEOUS DISPERSIONS EXHIBITED POWER-LAW SHEAR THINNING BEHAVIOUR. CORN OIL (10 ML) IN 150 ML AQUEOUS PECTIN SOLUTIONS (0.12, 0.15, 0.30, 0.60 AND 0.90%, W/V) EMULSIONS EXHIBITED INCREASING EMULSIFYING ACTIVITY AND EMULSIFYING STABILITY WITH INCREASED PECTIN CONCENTRATION. THE SMALL IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT THE RPP PECTIN IS AN ALTERNATIVE POTENTIAL NEW SOURCE OF PECTIN FOR USE IN THE FORMATION AND STABILIZATION OF OIL-IN-WATER FOOD EMULSIONS.

THE LYOPHILIZED STRAWBERRY ANTHOCYANINS WERE EXTRACTED USING A SUPERCRITICAL EXTRACTION (SE) PROCESS. THE EFFECT OF PULSED ELECTRIC FIELDS (PEF) AS PRETREATMENT AND THE INFLUENCE OF THE ADDITION OF ETHANOL AS A COSOLVENT ON THE PERCENTAGE OF EXTRACTION YIELD (EY) AND THE TOTAL ANTHOCYANIN CONCENTRATION (TAC) WERE ANALYZED. THE EFFECT OF PEF WAS EVALUATED AT 0.5 AND 1.0 KV/CM, WHILE THE EFFECT OF THE COSOLVENT WAS STUDIED IN MIXTURES OF SUPERCRITICAL CARBON DIOXIDE - ETHANOL (SCCO2 + ETHANOL) AT 1.6 AND 3.3% BY WEIGHT. THE BEST RESULTS (% EY = 0.506, TAC = 0.428 G /100 G OF LYOPHILIZED STRAWBERRY) WERE OBTAINED WITH A PEF PRETREATMENT OF 1.0 KV CM-1, 3.3%WT. ETHANOL AT 200 BAR AND 333.15 K. THE EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS OF SOLUBILITY WERE SUITABLY ADJUSTED WITH THE KUMAR AND JOHNSTON MODEL. THE MAXIMUM SOLUBILITY (0.114 G/100 G OF SOLVENT MIXTURE) WAS OBTAINED AT 300 BAR AND 313.15 K.

THE IMPORTANCE OF ADDING CELLULOSE FIBERS TO STARCH FILMS IS THAT THEY ARE USED AS REINFORCEMENT, REDUCE THE INTERACTION OF FILMS WITH WATER, AND ENHANCE STABILITY AT LOW WATER ACTIVITY LEVELS COMPARED TO FILMS BASED ON STARCH ONLY, OFFERING NEW OPTIONS AS MATERIALS INTENDED FOR FOOD PACKAGING. THE AIM OF THIS WORK WAS TO ANALYZE THE THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES OF FILMS COMPOSED OF A) COMMELINA STARCH AND B) COMMELINA STARCH ADDED WITH CELLULOSE FIBERS. THE SORPTION ISOTHERMS WERE FITTED TO THE GUGGENHEIM-ANDERSON-DE BOER EQUATION (GAB). THE THERMODYNAMIC ANALYSIS ALLOWED ALLOCATING THE MINIMUM INTEGRAL ENTROPY VALUE IN THE 0.23-0.55 RANGE OF WATER ACTIVITY IN BOTH TYPES OF FILM. THE LOWEST RANGE OF WATER ACTIVITY WAS OBSERVED IN FILMS OF COMMELINA STARCH ADDED WITH CELLULOSE FIBERS. ACCORDING TO THE COMPENSATION ENTHALPY-ENTROPY THEORY, AT LOW WATER ACTIVITY VALUES (0.1 TO SIMILAR TO 0.39), THE WATER VAPOR SORPTION PROCESS WAS MAINLY DRIVEN BY ENTHALPY, WHILE AT HIGH VALUES OF WATER ACTIVITY (SIMILAR TO 0.39 TO SIMILAR TO 0.90) IT WAS MAINLY CONTROLLED BY ENTROPY. THE BEHAVIOR OF FILMS WITH OR WITHOUT THE ADDITION OF CELLULOSE FIBERS COULD BE AKIN TO THAT OF OTHER NON-IONIC, HYDROPHILIC BIOPOLYMERS. THIS CHARACTERIZATION IS IMPORTANT FOR THE HANDLING AND APPLICATION OF FILMS INTENDED FOR FOOD PACKAGING AND STORAGE.