In this study, multiple emulsions stabilized by hydrophobic-hydrophilic cellulose particles from oil palm empty fruit bunch were studied. The responsiveness of the emulsions to pH and the influenced ...on the release of encapsulated vitamin B
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was studied using high performance liquid chromatography. The cellulose was characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, differential thermogravimetric and X-ray diffraction. The result showed that crystallinity of native cellulose and modified cellulose were 66.12% and 61.38%, respectively. The emulsions stabilized by hydrophobic-hydrophilic cellulose particles showed unique responsiveness at pH 2, 4 and 7. The droplet size of the emulsion and the release of active constituent (vitamin B
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) depends on the pH. The encapsulation efficiency of w/o/w multiple emulsions at pH 4 and 7 was 78.41% and 65.95%, respectively. The result showed that the release of active constituent from w/o/w multiple emulsions can be controlled based on the responsiveness to pH, to develop fascinating new applications for some specific foods, pharmaceuticals, and drug release.
Organic pollutants in water and wastewater have been causing serious environmental problems. The arbitrary discharge of wastewater by industries, and handling, use, and disposal constitute a means by ...which phenols, flame retardants (FRs), phthalates (PAEs) and other toxic organic pollutants enter the ecosystem. Moreover, these organic pollutants are not completely removed during treatment processes and might be degraded into highly toxic derivatives, which has led to their occurrence in the environment. Phenols, FRs and PAEs are thus highly toxic, carcinogenic and mutagenic, and are capable of disrupting the endocrine system. Therefore, investigation to understand the sources, pathways, behavior, toxicity and exposure to phenols, FRs and PAEs in the environment is necessary. Formation of different by-products makes it difficult to compare the efficacy of the treatment processes, most especially when other organic matters are present. Hence, high levels of phenols, FRs and PAEs removal could be attained with in-line combined treatment processes.
•Cellulose derivatives from oil palm empty fruit bunch are very good Pickering emulsions stabilizer.•The stability and quality of emulsions depends on the viscosity of the dispersion medium.•Water ...retention value of cellulose from oil palm empty fruit bunch is independent of sample weight and particle size but depends on the curing temperature at above 150 ℃.
Isolation and hydrophobic modification of cellulose from oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) and its capacity to act as Pickering emulsion stabilizer was studied. The isolated cellulose was hydrophobically functionalized with acid chloride (benzoyl chloride) in aqueous medium. Proximate analysis indicated that oil palm empty fruit bunch is a valuable source of hemicellulose and cellulose. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed crystallinity index (CrI) of isolated cellulose (CB) and benzoylated cellulose (MCB) to be 66.12% and 61.38% respectively. Both Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Differential Thermogravimetric (DTG) showed that thermal stability of MCB is higher than CB. The aqueous modification method would mitigate problems of environmental challenges often encountered in non-aqueous methods of cellulose modification. Pickering emulsions stabilized by the benzoylated cellulose (MCB) derivatives are stable, more importantly at higher particles concentrations. The improved properties of modified cellulose (MCB) derivatives recorded in this study and resistance of Pickering emulsions to coalescence showed that MCB is a potential material for formulation of food, drug delivery and pharmaceuticals products.
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The inhibition of acetylcholinesterase plays a vital role in the treatment of Alzheimer disease. This study aimed to explore the acetylcholinesterase inhibition potential of Phyllanthus amarus and ...its phytoconstituents through an in vitro and in silico approach. The in vitro acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity of P amarus was carried out, followed by the molecular docking studies of its phytoconstituents. The top-ranked molecules identified through molecular docking were subjected to molecular dynamics simulation (MDS) and density functional theory (DFT) studies. The results obtained revealed the methanolic extract of P amarus as a potent acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, while amarosterol A, hinokinin, β-sitosterol, stigmasterol and ellagic acid were identified as potential acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. The MDS and DFT results are in agreement with those obtained from the docking studies. Our findings suggest further studies on the hit molecules.
•The modification process via green synthesis method preserved cellulose aesthetic, improved thermal property and is eco-friendly.•Pickering emulsions stabilized by native cellulose at neutral pH are ...unstable at all concentrations investigated.•Pickering emulsions stabilized by modified cellulose are very stable especially at higher concentrations.
This study investigated Pickering emulsions stabilized by hydrophobically modified cellulose from oil palm frond (OPF). The Cellulose modification was performed in aqueous medium using benzoyl chloride as modifying agent. Characterizations showed that isolated native cellulose (NC) suffered no structural degradation while surface degradation and improved thermal properties was observed in the modified cellulose (CB-10). Proximate analysis revealed that oil palm frond is a good source of cellulose and hemicellulose. The x-ray diffraction (XRD) showed that the crystallinity index (CrI) of NC and CB-10 derivative are 71.98% and 61.64% respectively. Also, the Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) revealed that modified cellulose is more thermally stable than unmodified cellulose. The Pickering emulsions stabilized by isolated native cellulose (NC) was unstable at all concentrations investigated while Pickering emulsions stabilized by modified cellulose (CB-10) are stable and this showed that modified cellulose derivative from oil palm frond is a promising material for food, drug delivery, encapsulation and biomedical applications.
Malaria is a deadly disease that continues to pose a threat to children and maternal well-being. This study was designed to identify the chemical constituents in the ethanolic fruit extract of ...Azadirachta indica, elucidate the pharmacological potentials of identified phytochemicals through the density functional theory method and carry out the antimalarial activity of extract using chemosuppression and curative models. The liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis of the ethanolic extract was carried out, followed by the density functional theory studies of the identified phytochemicals using B3LYP and 6-31G (d, p) basis set. The antimalarial assays were performed using the chemosuppression (4 days) and curative models. The LC-MS fingerprint of the extract led to the identification of desacetylnimbinolide, nimbidiol, O-methylazadironolide, nimbidic acid, and desfurano-6α-hydroxyazadiradione. Also, the frontier molecular orbital properties, molecular electrostatic potential, and dipole moment studies revealed the identified phytochemicals as possible antimalarial agents. The ethanolic extract of A indica fruit gave 83% suppression at 800 mg/kg, while 84% parasitaemia clearance was obtained in the curative study. The study provided information about the phytochemicals and background pharmacological evidences of the antimalarial ethnomedicinal claim of A indica fruit. Thus, isolation and structure elucidation of the identified phytochemicals from the active ethanolic extract and extensive antimalarial studies towards the discovery of new therapeutic agents is recommended for further studies.
•Oil palm waste cellulose has a better drainability for paper-based applications.•Cellulose fibre length and diameter are 1.2–1.5 mm and 17–20 µm, respectively.•The fibres aging process of cellulose ...from oil palm waste is extremely slow.•Water retention value influences paper-based products qualities and properties.•Conversion of paracrystalline region to amorphous increase viscoelastic properties.
Cellulose is the major component of pulp. The quality, physical and chemical properties of paper and paper-based products depends on the amount and structural network bonding of cellulose fibres. This study assessed cellulose from oil palm waste for paper-based applications. Characterization revealed that cellulose from oil palm waste is crystalline, thermally stable, and possessed excellent swelling properties with fibre length and fibre diameter 1.2–1.5 mm and 17–20 µm, respectively. The fiber morphology, fibre lengths and diameters, and resistance to early degradation of cellulose from oil palm waste revealed its suitability for paper-based products applications.
This study investigate extraction and green hydrophobic modification of cellulose from oil palm waste in aqueous medium. Cellulose is isolate from empty oil palm bunch (EOPB) and palm frond (PF), ...respectively, and modify in an aqueous medium using benzoyl chloride to produce cellulose benzoate esters. Characterization is performed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy disperse X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The green synthesis techniques using water and sodium hydroxide as a reaction medium is fast, safe, eco-friendly, save cost, effective, and the product is pure. From XRD results, the crystallinity of cellulose isolate from EOPB and PF is 66.12% and 71.98%, while the crystallinity of hydrophobically modified cellulose is 61.38% and 61.6%, respectively. EDX results show that isolated cellulose is very pure (> 98% pure) and have carbon and oxygen as major elemental composition. TGA, EDX, SEM and FTIR show that the integrity of the cellulose structure is well-preserved after modification in the aqueous medium. Hence, cellulose isolated from oil palm waste and modified via green synthesis techniques can be used as commercial cellulose. Also, the green synthesis technique gives very pure modified cellulose products and solves problems of environmental challenges often associated with other methods of chemical modification of cellulose.
