The increasing demand for food that are more nutritious, safe, affordable, pleasant and healthy is the driving force of product and process innovation in the food and beverage industry. Nanotechnology offers a way to meet such demands through the design of materials that are able to improve the performance in some of the most relevant operations of this industry (such as filtration, preservation and quality control), as well as some important characteristics of the products (such as stability, flavour, nutritional quality, etc.). Among the nanomaterials developed for practical purposes, electrospun nanofibrous materials, produced from synthetic and bio- polymers have received great attention by virtue of their fabrication simplicity through the electrospinning technique and their special nano-related features that include large surface-to-mass ratio, very high porosity, enhanced mechanical resistance and improved responsive capacity to changes in the surrounding atmosphere compared to conventional configurations of the same polymer or polymer blend. Nanofibrous materials can combine the advantages of particulate nanomaterials like nanoparticles with the advantages of polymeric laminate materials like films or membranes. In this thesis, we will demonstrate the potentialities of nanofibers in three spheres of food-related applications: (i) sensors aimed at food quality control, (ii) as encapsulation/release systems for active ingredients or packaging materials and (iii) as separation membranes for beverage filtration. The methodological strategy that will be followed, intends to be as close as possible to the ready-to-use approach, rather than to the proof-of-concept study, by using more realistic samples, materials and testing conditions. The thesis is thus structured in three chapters, each one devoted to the above mentioned technological sphere. In particular, chapter 1 will investigate the application of polyamidic nanofibrous membranes for increasing selectivity and specificity in electrochemical sensing of complex foodstuffs. Chapter 2 will explore the use of nanofibers for encapsulation and controlled release of bioactive chemical species (such as antioxidant phenolic compounds and antimicrobial volatiles). Finally, chapter 3 will descrive the use of nanostructured membranes for the filtration of beverages (in particular of apple juice) and for selectively removing bitter polyphenols. Every tailor-made application developed represents a separate scientific contribution and is an individual deliverable of the thesis.
Attualmente, l’industria alimentare, per meglio rispondere alle attese dei consumatori, diversifica l’offerta con nuovi prodotti alimentari, risultato della continua ricerca e dell’innovazione tecnologica. L’applicazione di nuovi processi di produzione e l’impiego di materiali innovativi, hanno aumentato la varietà di alimenti disponibili e apportato dei miglioramenti rivelandosi molto promettenti per la futura produzione alimentare. In particolare, le nanotecnologie forniscono materiali quali nanoparticelle, nanoemulsioni, membrane porose, ecc., capaci di migliorare alcune delle principali operazioni unitarie quali la filtrazione, il packaging, i sistemi di controllo analitico nonché alcune delle caratteristiche dei prodotti quali la stabilità, il sapore, l’aroma, ecc. Tra le diverse forme di nanostrutture, particolare attenzione hanno ricevuto i materiali nanofibrosi, sviluppati mediante la tecnica di elettrofilatura (electrospinning). Questa tecnica, consente di produrre a partire da polimeri biologici e sintetici membrane nanostrutturate caratterizzate da un elevato rapporto superficie/massa, una elevata porosità e resistenza meccanica. I materiali nanofibrosi possono combinare i vantaggi dei nanomateriali particolati come le nanoparticelle, con quelli dei laminati polimerici come film o membrane. In questa tesi si sono studiate le potenzialità delle nanofibre in tre campi di applicazioni alimentari: (i) sensori destinati al controllo di qualità degli alimenti, (ii) sistemi di incapsulamento/rilascio per la formulazione di ingredienti attivi o materiali di packaging e (iii) membrane di separazione per il filtraggio di bevande. La strategia metodologica seguita ha utilizzato un approccio ready-to-use e non proof-of-concept, con campioni, materiali e condizioni operative, il più possibile reali. Di conseguenza la tesi è stata strutturata in tre capitoli, corrispondenti ai campi di applicazioni sopra elencati. In particolare il capitolo 1, descrive l’applicazione delle membrane nanofibrose poliammidiche per aumentare la selettività e specificità di sensori elettrochimici usati per l’analisi di matrici alimentari anche complesse. Il capitolo 2, esplora l’utilizzo delle nanofibre per incapsulare e rilasciare in modo controllato specie chimiche bioattive (quali composti fenolici antiossidanti e composti volatili antimicrobici). Infine, il capitolo 3 studia l’impiego delle membrane nanostrutturate per filtrare bevande (quali succo di mela) e per rimuovere selettivamente i suoi polifenoli amari. Ognuna delle applicazioni specifiche rappresenta un contributo scientifico distinto ed è un singolo risultato della tesi.
NANOFIBERS: TAILOR-MADE APPLICATIONS FOR THE FOOD AND BEVERAGE INDUSTRY / C.a. Fuenmayor Bobadilla ; tutor: M.S. Cosio ; co-tutor: A. Schiraldi. DIPARTIMENTO DI SCIENZE PER GLI ALIMENTI, LA NUTRIZIONE E L'AMBIENTE, 2014 Sep 29. 26. ciclo, Anno Accademico 2013. [10.13130/fuenmayor-bobadilla-carlos-alberto_phd2014-09-29].
NANOFIBERS: TAILOR-MADE APPLICATIONS FOR THE FOOD AND BEVERAGE INDUSTRY
C.A. FUENMAYOR BOBADILLA
2014
Abstract
The increasing demand for food that are more nutritious, safe, affordable, pleasant and healthy is the driving force of product and process innovation in the food and beverage industry. Nanotechnology offers a way to meet such demands through the design of materials that are able to improve the performance in some of the most relevant operations of this industry (such as filtration, preservation and quality control), as well as some important characteristics of the products (such as stability, flavour, nutritional quality, etc.). Among the nanomaterials developed for practical purposes, electrospun nanofibrous materials, produced from synthetic and bio- polymers have received great attention by virtue of their fabrication simplicity through the electrospinning technique and their special nano-related features that include large surface-to-mass ratio, very high porosity, enhanced mechanical resistance and improved responsive capacity to changes in the surrounding atmosphere compared to conventional configurations of the same polymer or polymer blend. Nanofibrous materials can combine the advantages of particulate nanomaterials like nanoparticles with the advantages of polymeric laminate materials like films or membranes. In this thesis, we will demonstrate the potentialities of nanofibers in three spheres of food-related applications: (i) sensors aimed at food quality control, (ii) as encapsulation/release systems for active ingredients or packaging materials and (iii) as separation membranes for beverage filtration. The methodological strategy that will be followed, intends to be as close as possible to the ready-to-use approach, rather than to the proof-of-concept study, by using more realistic samples, materials and testing conditions. The thesis is thus structured in three chapters, each one devoted to the above mentioned technological sphere. In particular, chapter 1 will investigate the application of polyamidic nanofibrous membranes for increasing selectivity and specificity in electrochemical sensing of complex foodstuffs. Chapter 2 will explore the use of nanofibers for encapsulation and controlled release of bioactive chemical species (such as antioxidant phenolic compounds and antimicrobial volatiles). Finally, chapter 3 will descrive the use of nanostructured membranes for the filtration of beverages (in particular of apple juice) and for selectively removing bitter polyphenols. Every tailor-made application developed represents a separate scientific contribution and is an individual deliverable of the thesis.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
---|---|---|---|
phd_unimi_R09214.pdf
Open Access dal 17/09/2015
Tipologia:
Tesi di dottorato completa
Dimensione
5.02 MB
Formato
Adobe PDF
|
5.02 MB | Adobe PDF | Visualizza/Apri |
Pubblicazioni consigliate
I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.