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Reinforcing ethyl cellulose aerogels with poly(lactic acid) for enhanced bone regeneration
Gabrijela Horvat, Jan Rožanc, Uroš Maver, Matjaž Finšgar, Željko Knez, Zoran Novak, 2024, original scientific article

Abstract: Developing double porous biodegradable and biocompatible scafolds that can incorporate and release drugs in a controlled manner holds immense potential in regenerative medicine. This study presents a synthesis method for preparing a macro-mesoporous scafold, where poly(lactic acid) adds to the macroporous region and mechanical properties, and ethyl cellulose adds to the surface area (182 m2 /g). High surface area enables the incorporation of model drug indomethacin with an entrapment efciency of 17.0% and its later controlled release profle. The resulting scafold has desirable mechanical properties in the range of a natural trabecular bone with a compressive modulus of 22.4 MPa. The material is stable in the simulated body fuids for 120 days before the slow degradation starts. In vitro studies demonstrate the material’s ability to support bone cell adhesion, proliferation, and diferentiation, promoting osteogenic activity. Overall, the unique combination of poly(lactic acid) and ethyl cellulose produces advanced materials with tailored macro and mesopore properties, remarkable mechanical properties, optimal degradation rate, and drug delivery potential, making it a promising candidate for bone scafolds in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering
Keywords: bio composite, polymer-matrix composites (PMCs), polymers, porosity/voids, secondary ion mass spectrometry
Published in DKUM: 23.08.2024; Views: 130; Downloads: 6
.pdf Full text (2,87 MB)

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Mango peels as an industrial by-product: a sustainable source of compounds with antioxidant, enzymatic, and antimicrobial activity
Nika Kučuk, Mateja Primožič, Petra Kotnik, Željko Knez, Maja Leitgeb, 2024, original scientific article

Abstract: Plant waste materials are important sources of bioactive compounds with remarkable health-promoting benefits. In particular, industrial by-products such as mango peels are sustainable sources of bioactive substances, with antioxidant, enzymatic, and antimicrobial activity. Appropriate processing is essential to obtain highly bioactive compounds for further use in generating value-added products for the food industry. The objective of the study was to investigate and compare the biological activity of compounds from fresh and dried mango peels obtained by different conventional methods and unconventional extraction methods using supercritical fluids (SFE). The highest total phenolic content (25.0 mg GAE/g DW) and the total content of eight phenolic compounds (829.92 µg/g DW) determined by LC-MS/MS were detected in dried mango peel extract obtained by the Soxhlet process (SE). SFE gave the highest content of proanthocyanidins (0.4 mg PAC/g DW). The ethanolic ultrasonic process (UAE) provided the highest antioxidant activity of the product (82.4%) using DPPH radical scavenging activity and total protein content (2.95 mg protein/g DW). Overall, the dried mango peels were richer in bioactive compounds (caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, gallic acid, catechin, and hesperidin/neohesperidin), indicating successful preservation during air drying. Furthermore, outstanding polyphenol oxidase, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and lipase activities were detected in mango peel extracts. This is the first study in which remarkable antibacterial activities against the growth of Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and Gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus) were evaluated by determining the microbial growth inhibition rate after 12 and 24 h incubation periods for mango peel extracts obtained by different methods. Ethanolic SE and UAE extracts from dried mango peels resulted in the lowest minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC90) for all bacterial species tested. Mango peels are remarkable waste products that could contribute to the sustainable development of exceptional products with high-added value for various applications, especially as dietary supplements.
Keywords: mangifera indica, peels, bioactive substances, LC-MS/MS, proteins, enzymes, antibacterial activity
Published in DKUM: 12.08.2024; Views: 104; Downloads: 8
.pdf Full text (6,49 MB)

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Alginate beads with encapsulated bioactive substances from mangifera indica peels as promising peroral delivery systems
Nika Kučuk, Mateja Primožič, Željko Knez, Maja Leitgeb, 2024, original scientific article

Abstract: Since various bioactive substances are unstable and can degrade in the gastrointestinal tract, their stabilization is crucial. This study aimed to encapsulate mango peel extract (MPE) into edible alginate beads using the ionotropic gelation method for the potential oral delivery of bioactive substances. Mango peels, generally discarded and environmentally harmful, are rich in health-promoting bioactive substances. The alginate beads were examined for entrapment efficiency, particle size, morphology, thermal stability, physiochemical interactions, release profile under gastrointestinal conditions, and antibacterial efficacy. The study demonstrated the successful encapsulation of MPE with an efficiency of 63.1%. The in vitro release study showed the stability of the alginate beads in simulated gastric fluid with a maximum release of 45.0%, and sustained, almost complete release (99.4%) in simulated intestinal fluid, indicating successful absorption into the human body. In both fluids, the MPE release followed first-order kinetics. Encapsulation successfully maintained the antibacterial properties of MPE, with significant inhibitory activity against pathogenic intestinal bacteria. This is the first study on MPE encapsulation in alginate beads, presenting a promising oral delivery system for high-added-value applications in the food industry for dietary supplements, functional foods, or food additives. Their production is sustainable and economical, utilizing waste material and reducing environmental pollution.
Keywords: alginate beads, encapsulation, Mangifera indica, mango peels, characterization, in vitro release, antbacterial activity
Published in DKUM: 02.08.2024; Views: 104; Downloads: 9
.pdf Full text (6,98 MB)

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Superkritični fluidi za izolacijo in formulacijo bioaktivnih snovi
Maša Knez Marevci, Katja Andrina Kravanja, Željko Knez, 2024, review article

Keywords: podkritične tekočine, nadkritične tekočine, ekstrakcija, mikronizacija, impregnacija, nanašanje, sterilizacija
Published in DKUM: 30.07.2024; Views: 141; Downloads: 21
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20th European Meeting on Supercritical Fluids : Book of Abstracts
2024

Abstract: The 20th European Meeting on Supercritical Fluids (EMSF 2024) was hosted by the Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering of the University of Maribor from 26 May to 29 May 2024 in Maribor, Slovenia. The EMSF 2024 was a joint event of the International Society for the Advancement of Supercritical Fluids (ISASF) and the European Federation of Chemical Engineering (EFCE) Working Party on High Pressure Technology (WP HPT) Event No. 807. This symposium provided an excellent opportunity for engineers, chemists, physicists, food technologists, and biologists to meet and discuss new ideas, review ongoing challenges, present potential solutions, and identify future issues related to high pressure technologies and supercritical fluids. The aim of the meeting was to deepen connections between researchers, establish new contacts, and promote synergies and partnerships between researchers. The symposium presented the latest advances in high-pressure process technologies that can contribute to the further development of the field.
Keywords: supercritical fluids, fundamental data, novel materials, industrial applications, research and development
Published in DKUM: 24.07.2024; Views: 161; Downloads: 24
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Prices of conventional and renewable energy as determinants of sustainable and secure energy development : regression model analysis
Sandi Knez, Goran Šimić, Anica Milovanović, Sofia Starikova, Franc Željko Županič, 2022, original scientific article

Abstract: Background The prices of energy resources are important determinants of sustainable energy development, yet associated with significant unknowns. The estimates of the impact of prices of energy products in the domestic market (for domestic consumers) are rare—hence the importance and novelty of this research. Therefore, the main goal of the paper is to assess the impact of domestic prices of gasoline, gas, coal, and solar energy on sustainable and secure energy future. Methods The research includes 14 countries (of which 7 are developed and 7 are developing countries) and a period of 5 years (2014–2018). The model also includes discrete variables: level of development (developing or developed), and the fact as to whether the country is an energy exporter or not. For the purposes of analysis, the following elements were used: Panel Data Analysis, Linear regression (with random and fixed effects), Durbin–Wu–Hausman test, and Honda test, with the use of R-studio software for statistical computing. Results The research showed that the biggest negative impact on energy sustainability was recorded by an increase in the price of coal and the smallest one by an increase in the price of solar energy. An increase in the price of gasoline has a positive impact, while an increase in the price of gas has no impact. The basic methodological result showed that the fixed effects linear model is more accurate than the random effect model. Conclusions The results of the paper, important as a sustainable energy policy recommendation, showed that the impact of changes in energy product prices is significantly greater in developing countries, but that the status of the country as an energy exporter has no significance. In addition, the paper points to the need to intensify the research on the assessment of the impact of energy product prices for domestic consumers on their ability to pay that price, because with a certain (so far undefined) increase in energy product prices, a certain group of domestic consumers moves into a category that is not in line with sustainable energy development and is extremely undesirable in every respect—energy poverty.
Keywords: sustainable energy development, conventional energy prices, solar prices, developing countries, R-studio
Published in DKUM: 26.06.2024; Views: 133; Downloads: 10
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