Applications of lignin in the agri-food industry

Of late, valorization of agri-food industrial by-products and their sustainable utilization is gaining much contemplation world-over. Globally, 'Zero Waste Concept' is promoted with main emphasis laid towards generation of minimal wastes and maximal utilization of plantbased agri-food raw materials. One of the wastes/by-products in the agri-food industry are the lignin, which occurs as lignocellulosic biomass. This biomass is deliberated to be an environmental pollutant as they offer resistance to natural biodegradation. Safe disposal of this biomass is often considered a major challenge, especially in low-income countries. Hence, the application of modern technologies to effectively reduce these types of wastes and maximize their potential use/applications is vital in the present day scenario. Nevertheless, in some of the high-income countries, attempts have been made to efficiently utilize lignin as a source of fuel, as a raw material in the paper industry, as a filler material in biopolymer based packaging and for producing bioethanol. However, as of today, agri-food industrial applications remains significantly underexplored. Chemically, lignin is heterogeneous, bio-polymeric, polyphenolic compound, which is present naturally in plants, providing mechanical strength and rigidity. Reports are available wherein purified lignin is established to possess therapeutic values; and are rich in antioxidant, anti-microbial, anti-carcinogenic, antidiabetic properties, etc. This chapter is divided into four sub-categories focusing on various technological aspects related to isolation and characterization of lignin; established uses of lignin; proved bioactivities and therapeutic potentials of lignin, and finally on identifying the existing research gaps followed by future recommendations for potential use from agri-food industrial wastes.Theme of this chapter is based on our ongoing project- Valortech, which has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 810630

Insights into bridging flocculation

The phenomenon of bridging flocculation is very widely encountered in many industrial applications, but is rarely explained with any clarity. In this paper, a cohesive mechanistic model is used to explain the extraordinary effectiveness of bridging flocculation and to guide a body of work on synthesis and application of cationic polymers for the cane sugar industry

Characterization of sugar juice heat exchanger tube deposit

Fouling of heat exchanger surfaces during sugar manufacture reduces productivity and increases energy demand. This study characterizes a deposit (including its internal structure) formed in a sugar factory's evaporator unit using a variety of X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy techniques (including X-ray powder diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, elemental mapping with energy dispersive spectroscopy and backscattered electron imaging). Calcium sulfate dihydrate, calcium oxalate mono- and dihydrate, hydroxyapatite, amorphous silica and organic matter are present in the deposit. The composition of the deposit (which contains three layers) varies along the height of the tube. There are noticeable differences in the composition and porosity among the layers in the deposit. A porous structure consisting of a mixture of amorphous silica, calcium oxalate dihydrate and organic matter is attached to the surface of the deposit in contact with sugar juice, while a denser morphology of amorphous silica and hydroxyapatite is attached to the tube wall. Elemental mapping identifies an association between Si, Al, Mg, Fe and O, suggesting the presence of a silicate compound as a minor component in the deposit. An attempt is made to rationalize the formation of the observed phases

Inhibition of Calcium Oxalate Monohydrate by Poly(acrylic acids)s with Different End Groups

Water-soluble low molecular weight polymers are known to affect the crystal habit of scale-forming minerals and their rates of deposition. Poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and poly(maleic acid) are commonly used to control scale formation in sugar mill evaporators. Calcium oxalate (both mono- and dihydrate) forms the bulk of the hard intractable scale found in Australian sugar mills, causing efficiency losses of significant economic importance. In this work, the formation of calcium oxalate monohydrate in a synthetic juice solution was investigated in the presence of PAAs of varying molecular weights and end-group functionality and a strong dependency on both of these factors was observed. Terminal functionality was controlled using three chain-transfer agents (CTA): thioethanol, thioglycolic acid, and dodecanthiol. Effectiveness of inhibition varied with CTA in the order thioethanol thioglycolic acid > dodecanthiol for all molecular weights. This suggests that polymer end groups play a role in scale inhibition. The polymers that were prepared with dodecanthiol accelerated rather than inhibited calcium oxalate formation, implying a different mode of action on calcium oxalate crystallization. Consistent with previous reports for other scales, the calcium oxalate inhibition tests show optimum effectiveness for PAAs of molecular weight 2000-4000

Introduction

Lignocellulosic materials (LCMs) are the most available materials in the world. They are a source of biopolymers with outstanding features, which can be used in bio-based packaging. Encouraged by governmental policies and investments, the development of bio-based packaging boosted in the last years and is expected to reach values of 6.1 million tonnes in 2021. This chapter provides a broad overview on the economical and environmental interest of using LCMs in bio-based packaging and the recent numbers and developments on bio-based packaging materials.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Rhinovirus infection interferes with induction of tolerance to aeroantigens through OX40 ligand, thymic stromal lymphopoietin, and IL-33

BackgroundRhinovirus infection at an early age has been associated with development of asthma, but how rhinovirus influences the immune response is not clear.ObjectiveTolerance to inhaled antigen is mediated through induction of regulatory T (Treg) cells, and we examined whether rhinovirus infection of the respiratory tract can block airway tolerance by modulating Treg cells.MethodsThe immune response to intranasal ovalbumin in mice was assessed with concomitant infection with RV1B, and the factors induced in vivo were compared with those made by human lung epithelial cells infected in vitro with RV16.ResultsRV1B infection of mice abrogated tolerance induced by inhalation of soluble ovalbumin, suppressing the normal generation of forkhead box protein 3-positive Treg cells while promoting TH2 cells. Furthermore, RV1B infection led to susceptibility to asthmatic lung disease when mice subsequently re-encountered aeroantigen. RV1B promoted early in vivo expression of the TNF family protein OX40 ligand on lung dendritic cells that was dependent on the innate cytokine thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) and also induced another innate cytokine, IL-33. Inhibiting each of these pathways allowed the natural development of Treg cells while minimizing TH2 differentiation and restored tolerance in the face of RV1B infection. In accordance, RV16 infection of human lung epithelial cells upregulated TSLP and IL-33 expression.ConclusionsThese results suggest that infection of the respiratory epithelium with rhinovirus can antagonize tolerance to inhaled antigen through combined induction of TSLP, IL-33, and OX40 ligand and that this can lead to susceptibility to asthmatic lung inflammation