Bacterial contamination of food is a global concern. Methods of treating bacterial contamination are limited. Bacteriophages, bacterial viruses, offer a promising solution. However, bacteriophages may have limited application for foods that undergo sterilization processing, are inhospitable to organisms, or must be maintained in a dry state. This thesis focused on methods to expand the application of bacteriophages. First, bacteriophages were subjected to generalized stresses of desiccation, heat, and acidity, under laboratory conditions to propagate new populations with improved stress resistance. However, testing of these stress-resistant populations under real-world conditions failed to produce results comparable to generalized laboratory conditions. Success in the application of selected bacteriophages may require high situational specificity during selection, including in terms of food matrix and stress mechanics. The focus of our research shifted from the modification of bacteriophage populations themselves to the development of food-safe protective matrices. Designed matrices encapsulate bacteriophage for integration with modern food production and even the food products themselves. A pullulan-trehalose sugar powder was developed for the protection of a model bacteriophage from pasteurization. Microparticles were engineered such that the majority of the particle would be composed of trehalose as a stabilizer and polysaccharide pullulan was designed to accumulate at the particle surface to slow dissolution. This structure resulted in a bacteriophage powder that remained intact and protective over short-term high-temperature pasteurization, whereas unprotected bacteriophage experienced significant loss in titer. Leucine-lactose and leucine-lactose-maltodextrin microparticles were engineered for the inclusion of bacteriophage in powdered infant formula. The bacteriophage powder was designed as a dormant protection system that could activate upon reconstitution. The excipient system was formulated to not significantly affect the pH, composition, and dissolution of commercial infant formula. The bacteriophage powder was also engineered to match the shelf life and secondary shelf life of infant formula. Altogether, this thesis demonstrates that bacteriophage application in different foods can be expanded through particle engineering. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / Bacterial contamination of food can lead to widespread outbreaks and subsequent preventable deaths. Our best tool against bacteria, antibiotics, cannot be widely applied to food for risk to the natural human biome and creation of resistant bacteria. Bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria, are a naturally occurring bactericide that offer an alternative solution. This thesis focuses on improving the application of bacteriophages in food. First, bacteriophages are selected for resistance to common food processing stresses, such as heat, drying, and acidity, to prepare future generations that are stress-resistant. Second, a protective sugar powder was designed that could be used to add bacteriophages to milk before pasteurization. Post-pasteurization, the sugar would dissolve and release bacteriophage into the milk to deal with any post-processing contamination. Lastly, an infant-safe bacteriophage powder was developed that could be intermixed with powdered infant formula in an effort to reduce infant death due to the ingestion of bacteria.

No description available.

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω3 PUFAs) provide important health benefits, but dietary consumption is low. Supplementing foods with ω3 PUFAs is of interest, but intervention strategies are necessary to preserve the integrity of these unstable compounds. Microencapsulation of ω3 PUFA sources is one means of improving their stability. In this work, ω3 PUFA microcapsules were prepared by spray drying with chitosan and blends of chitosan, high-amylose starch, and pullulan as wall materials. The primary objectives of this research were (1) to evaluate the effect of chitosan type and oil:wall ratio on ω3 PUFA microcapsule properties, (2) to evaluate the effect of blending chitosan with high-amylose starch and pullulan on ω3 PUFA microcapsule properties, and (3) to evaluate the oxidative stability of ω3 PUFA microcapsules by monitoring primary and secondary oxidation products during storage. Microcapsule encapsulation efficiencies (EE) ranged from 63% to 79% with the highest EEs observed for microcapsules prepared from chitosan with higher degree of deacetylation (DD) and lower molecular weight (MW). Median microcapsule size ranged from 3 μm to 11 μm. Moisture contents were all below 7% and water activities (a_w) were below 0.27. Microcapsules prepared from blends of chitosan with starch and/or pullulan had lower aw values than those prepared from chitosan alone. Oxidative stability was evaluated by measuring oxidation induction time (OIT) using pressure differential scanning calorimetry. OIT values ranged from 14 to 20 minutes. Microcapsules prepared from chitosan with lower DD and higher MW had longer OITs than those prepared from chitosan with higher DD and lower MW. Microcapsules prepared from blends of chitosan, starch, and pullulan had longer OITs than those prepared from chitosan alone. Oxidative stability of microcapsules during long term storage was evaluated on one microcapsule formulation by monitoring peroxide value (PV) and secondary oxidation products by HS-SPMEGC/ MS. Volatiles including propanal, 1-penten-3-ol, pentanal, hexanal, and 2,4-heptadienal were detected in the headspace of the microcapsules; however, PVs did not indicate substantial oxidation of the ω3-PUFA source during 5 weeks of storage. Chitosan, high-amylose starch, and pullulan are effective materials for microencapsulation of ω3 PUFA sources. / Ph. D.

Amorphous active pharmaceutical ingredients remain in the research focus as an avenue to achieve a better solubility of drugs. Several processing techniques are applied to produce amorphous materials. Main two approaches applied to production of amorphous phases are comminution of crystalline materials in order to break down molecular long-range order of their crystal lattices and amorphous phase precipitation from solutions. This thesis is focused on processing challenges in preparation of amorphous API phases from solutions by spray drying and evaporative antisolvent sonoprecipitation. Budesonide (BUD) and simvastatin (SMV) were used as model poorly soluble APIs. Amorphous phases of relatively low-glass transition (Tg) APIs are physically unstable and crystallise upon storage and/or processing conditions. To tackle this issue, for the first time in this work a selection of polyvinylpyrrolidone vinyl acetate (PVP-VA) co-polymers has been applied to investigate impact of sonoprecipitation processing parameters and a composition of PVP-VA on physicochemical and micromeritic properties of BUD/PVP-VA nanoparticulate composites. Studies confirmed that in solid-state BUD is miscible with PVP-VA polymers. Application of factorial design revealed that processing parameters: polymer type, surfactant concentrations, time and amplitude of sonication impact the entrapment efficiency, drug loading, polydispersity and particle size properties of produced nanoparticles. The largest fraction of polymer to drug in produced nanoparticles has been achieved with PVP VA E-535. As it is known that polymer content in formulation of APIs may slow down its dissolution, novel approach to processing and dissolution enhancement of amorphous composites of SMV produced by spray drying has been applied. Introduction of easily crystallising inorganic salt- sodium chloride into spray drying feed rendered SMV-polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) amorphous microparticles loaded with nanocrystalline NaCl. Addition of NaCl successfully facilitated generation of discrete microparticles post spray drying with low-Tg polymers, which otherwise were not processable as binary mixtures. In addition, NaCl content aided tabletability and dissolution of amorphous API composites with more viscous and high-Tg PVP polymers. Studies confirmed that application of factorial design facilitates robust design of production process of amorphous nanocomposites by sonoprecipitation as well as that introduction of soluble nanocrystalline phase into amorphous binary solid dispersion by spray drying aids its processing and dissolution.

No / Molecular mobility and physical form of co-spray-dried sugar:lysozyme formulations were evaluated. Co-spray-dried trehalose:lysozyme and sucrose:lysozyme formulations in 1:9, 1:1 and 9:1 ratios (w:w) were stored at 0% RH and 75% RH for 5-6 days. Molecular mobility and physical form of the co-spray-dried formulations after storage were determined by using 13C and 1H solid-state NMR as well as X-ray powder diffractometry. The results showed that increasing sugar content in co-spray-dried formulations stored at 0% RH decreased molecular mobility of the amorphous formulations indicating a close association of the protein and sugar. Exposure of sugar:lysozyme 1:1 and 9:1 formulations to 75% RH led to separation of sugar and protein phases, where the sugar phase was crystalline. The intimate sugar:lysozyme interaction of the formulations stored at 0% RH and the phase separation of the sugar-rich formulations stored at 75% RH were also confirmed by using 13C solid-state NMR spin-lattice relaxation time-filter (T1-filter) measurements. The propensity of sucrose and trehalose to crystallise was similar; however, the results suggest that part of the sugar in the phase-separated formulations remained amorphous and in close association with lysozyme.

The Sungai Terah Palm Oil Mill was tasked with creating a spray drying process for drying of palm oil mill effluent based on a study conducted byThe Malaysian Palm Oil Board. The process does not work and the goal of this report was to identify the problem and recommend possible changes.This has been done through conducting a trial run, a literature study and performing thermodynamic and kinetic calculations. The results show that to reach the goal of drying 14 litres of effluent per minute the process needs a minimum of 633 kW through an increased throughput of heated air to 4.7m3/s. Additionally, the height of the drying chamber is estimated to need an increase to 8 metres. Other suggestions are also presented. / Palmoljefabriken Sungai Terah Palm Oil Mill fick i uppdrag att skapa en process som använder en sprejtork för att torka utsläppet från palmoljeproduktionen, baserat på en studie från The Malaysian Palm Oil Board. Processen fungerar inte och målet med denna rapport var att identifiera problemet och rekommendera möjliga lösningar. Detta har gjorts genom att genomföra ett fabriksexperiment, en litteraturstudie och termodynamiska och kinetiska beräkningar. Resultaten visar att processen kräver minst 633 kW genom ett luftflöde på 4.7 m3/s för att uppnå målet av att torka 14 liter utsläppper minut. Dessutom har höjden på sprejtorkens kammare uppskattats behöva öka till 8 meter. Andra förslag ges också.

Yes / A dry powder inhaled liposomal azithromycin formulation was developed for the treatment of chronic respiratory diseases such as cystic fibrosis and bronchiectasis. Key properties including liposome size, charge and encapsulation efficiency powder size, shape, glass transition temperature (Tg), water content and in vitro respiratory deposition were determined. Antimicrobial activity against cystic fibrosis (CF) respiratory pathogens was determined by MIC, MBC and biofilm assays. Cytotoxicity and cellular uptake studies were performed using A549 cells. The average liposome size was 105 nm, charge was 55 mV and encapsulation efficiency was 75 %. The mean powder particle size d[v,50] of 4.54 µm and Mass Median Aerodynamic Diameter (MMAD) was 5.23 µm with a mean Tg of 76˚C and water content of 2.1 %. These excellent physicochemical characteristics were maintained over one year. Liposomal loaded azithromycin demonstrated enhanced activity against P. aeruginosa clinical isolates grown in biofilm. The formulation was rapidly delivered into bacterial cells with > 75 % uptake in 1 h. Rapid uptake into A549 cells via a cholesterol-dependent endocytosis pathway with no cytotoxic effects apparent. These data demonstrate that this formulation could offer benefits over current treatment regimens for people with chronic respiratory infection.

Este trabalho teve por objetivo o desenvolvimento, padronização e avaliação da atividade antioxidante e antimicrobiana de extratos secos nebulizados de Dalbergia ecastaphyllum. Para que os objetivos propostas fossem alcançadosforam desenvolvidas metodologias analíticas capazes de avaliar a qualidade da matériaprima vegetal durante os processos de transformação (extração de compostos ativos, secagem, produto final, etc). A solução extrativa foi obtida a partir das folhas de D. ecastaphyllum empregando-se a extração por maceração dinâmica onde se avaliou fatores como: proporção planta:solvente, tempo e temperatura de extração através de um planejamento composto central (PCC). A solução extrativa otimizada foi avaliada quanto a presença de metabólitos secundários, atividade antioxidante/ antimicrobiana e foi submetida à secagem por nebulização onde foram investigados parâmetros de secagem e adjuvantes tecnológicos sobre o desempenho do equipamento e nas características morfológicas, físico-químicas e farmacológicas do produto. Os extratos secos foram submetidos a um estudo de estabilidade; sendo também utilizados para o desenvolvimento de formulações semi-sólidas cuja estabilidade foi avaliada em estudo acelerado. Pretende-se que os resultados advindos desse trabalho possam servir de base para a padronização de extratos de outras plantas medicinais com interesse terapêutico, bem como contribuir para o aprimoramento dos conhecimentos envolvidos no desenvolvimento tecnológico de produtos fitoterápicos. / This work aimed the development, standardization and evaluation of antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of spray dried extracts from Dalbergia ecastaphyllum. Analytical methodologies for evaluating the quality of the vegetable raw material during processing procedures (such as extraction of active compounds, drying, final product, etc.) were developed in order to achieve the proposed objectives. The extraction solution was obtained from the leaves of D. ecastaphyllum by dynamic maceration. In this stage, some factors were evaluated such as: the plant: solvent ratio, extraction time and temperature using a central composite design (CCD). The optimized extraction solution was evaluated for the presence of secondary metabolites and antioxidant / antimicrobial activity. It was also subjected to spray drying. In this process, the effects of the drying parameters and processing aids on the equipment performance and the morphological, physicochemical and pharmacological properties of the product were investigated. The dry extracts were subjected to a stability study; and were used for the development of semi-solid formulations, also evaluated in an accelerated stability study. It is intended that the results from this work can provide a basis for further standardization of extracts of other medicinal plants with therapeutic interest, as well as to contribute to the enhancement of the knowledge involved in the technological development of herbal products.

Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-21T14:13:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Amanda Lyra.pdf: 6099284 bytes, checksum: 8701070289c9fd679c58cb469286e18a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-02-17 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The efavirenz is the first choice drug of non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors used in the treatment of HIV-1 infections. It belongs to class II of the Biopharmaceutics Classification System and your therapeutic dose is of 600 mg, taken before bedtime due the side effects. With the aim of improve the drug’s bioavailability with possible reduction of side effects, microparticles with Eudragit® L100 or S100 were developed by spray drying. The formulations M1 to M4 were prepared in ethanol:water (50:50, V/V) and M5 to M8 in ethanol:phosphate buffer pH 7.4 (50:50, V/V). Microparticles were obtained with yield (40 - 70%), humidity (1.41 - 5.77%), particle size (2.02 - 4.07 μm) and zeta potential (-61 to -43) suitable. The drug’s quantification was realized by high performance liquid chromatography analytical method developed and validated. The method proved to be specific, linear (r = 0.9997, n = 3), precise, accurate and robust in a range of 8.0 to 50.0 μg.mL-1, with analysis and retention time of 5.0 and 3.5 minutes, respectively. M1 to M4 showed spherical morphology with drug content between 90 - 104%, and M5 to M8 exhibited flattened and distorted morphology with drug content between 67 - 75%. No chemical interactions was observed in the Fourier transformed infrared spectrum for microparticles M1 to M4. However, there enlargement and increased intensity of some bands in the spectra of microparticles M5 to M8, suggesting a modification of chemical bonds. The thermal analysis and X ray diffraction indicated that the incorporation of EFV into the microparticles contributed to the amorphization of the drug. In vitro drug release confirmed the low solubility of the drug in water (22.88%). The microparticles released less than 22% in acid medium promoting higher release at pH 6.8. All formulations evaluated increased the drug solubility and dissolution efficiency, and exhibited biexponential release kinetics according to the applied mathematical models, being interesting strategies to increase the drug’s bioavailability. The M3 accounted for the major release in pH 6.8 (73.69%) and, according to the Korsmeyer-Peppas model showed anomalous transport characteristics (diffusion and erosion of the polymer), while in other microparticles the release process was controlled by diffusion. In in vitro assay the animals subjected to the administration of M3 exhibited less alterations in the biochemical parameters compared to treatment group EFV, suggesting that the microparticles contributed to the reduction of side effects such as increase in cholesterol, LDL, HDL and triglycerides plasmatic levels. It was observed decay in the quantification of pure drug during the period evaluated in the stability study. The microparticles showed no significant changes in the content of EFV during the 180 days. The thermograms showed no difference in the drug melting range and decays of thermogravimetric curves suggesting no formation of new products and consequently loss of stability. The evaluation of Carr index and Hausner factor indicated that M3 showed better flow and compression properties compared to pure EFV, characteristics which can improving the flow and to facilitate industrial routine. / O efavirenz (EFV) é o fármaco de primeira escolha da classe dos inibidores da transcriptase reversa não análogos de nucleosídeo utilizado no tratamento de infecções por HIV-1. Pertence à classe II do sistema de classificação biofarmacêutico e sua dose terapêutica é de 600 mg, tomados antes de dormir devido aos efeitos colaterais. Com objetivo de melhorar a biodisponibilidade do fármaco com possível redução dos efeitos colaterais, foram desenvolvidas micropartículas com Eudragit® L100 ou S100, por spray drying. As formulações M1 a M4 foram preparadas em etanol:água (50:50, V/V), e M5 a M8 em etanol:tampão fosfato pH 7,4 (50:50, V/V). Foram obtidas micropartículas com rendimentos (40 – 70%), umidades (1,41 – 5,77%), tamanhos de partícula (2,02 – 4,07 μm) e potenciais zeta (-61 a -43 mV) adequados. A quantificação do fármaco foi realizada por meio do método analítico por cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência desenvolvido e validado. O método mostrou-se específico, linear (r = 0,9997, n = 3), preciso, exato e robusto, na faixa de 8,0 a 50,0 μg.mL-1, com tempo de corrida e o tempo de retenção de 5,0 e 3,5 minutos, respectivamente. M1 a M4 apresentaram morfologia esférica, com teor de fármaco entre 90 – 104%, e M5 a M8 exibiram morfologia achatada e distorcida, com teor de fármaco entre 67 – 75%. Nenhuma interação química foi observada nos espectros de infravermelho por transformada em Fourier para as micropartículas M1 a M4. No entanto, houve alargamento e aumento da intensidade de algumas bandas nos espectros das micropartículas M5 a M8, sugerindo uma modificação nas ligações químicas. As análises térmicas e de difração de raios X indicaram que a incorporação do EFV às micropartículas contribuiu para a amorfização do fármaco. Ensaios de liberação in vitro confirmaram a baixa solubilidade do fármaco em água (22,88%). As micropartículas liberaram menos de 22% em meio ácido, promovendo maior liberação em pH 6,8. Todas as formulações avaliadas aumentaram a solubilidade e a eficiência de dissolução do fármaco, e exibiram cinética de liberação biexponencial, segundo os modelos matemáticos aplicados, sendo estratégias interessantes para o aumento da biodisponibilidade do fármaco. A M3 foi responsável pela maior liberação em pH 6,8 (73,69%) e, de acordo com o modelo de Korsmeyer-Peppas, apresentou características de transporte anômalo (difusão e erosão do polímero), enquanto que nas demais micropartículas o processo de liberação foi controlado por difusão. No ensaio in vivo, os animais submetidos à administração de M3 apresentaram menos alterações nos parâmetros bioquímicos, quando comparados ao grupo de tratamento com EFV, sugerindo que as micropartículas contribuíram para a redução dos efeitos colaterais tais como aumento nos níveis plasmáticos de colesterol, LDL e HDL e triglicerídeos. Foi observado um decaimento na quantificação do fármaco puro durante o período avaliado no estudo de estabilidade. As micropartículas não mostraram mudanças significativas no teor de EFV durante 180 dias. Os termogramas indicaram que não houve diferença na faixa de fusão do fármaco e nos decaimentos das curvas termogravimétricas, sugerindo que não houve formação de novos produtos e, consequentemente, perda da estabilidade. A avaliação do índice de Carr e do fator de Hausner indicou que a M3 apresentou melhores propriedades de fluxo e de compactação quando comparadas ao EFV puro, características que podem melhorar o escoamento e facilitar a rotina industrial.

Este trabalho teve por objetivo o desenvolvimento, padronização e avaliação da atividade antioxidante e antimicrobiana de extratos secos nebulizados de Dalbergia ecastaphyllum. Para que os objetivos propostas fossem alcançadosforam desenvolvidas metodologias analíticas capazes de avaliar a qualidade da matériaprima vegetal durante os processos de transformação (extração de compostos ativos, secagem, produto final, etc). A solução extrativa foi obtida a partir das folhas de D. ecastaphyllum empregando-se a extração por maceração dinâmica onde se avaliou fatores como: proporção planta:solvente, tempo e temperatura de extração através de um planejamento composto central (PCC). A solução extrativa otimizada foi avaliada quanto a presença de metabólitos secundários, atividade antioxidante/ antimicrobiana e foi submetida à secagem por nebulização onde foram investigados parâmetros de secagem e adjuvantes tecnológicos sobre o desempenho do equipamento e nas características morfológicas, físico-químicas e farmacológicas do produto. Os extratos secos foram submetidos a um estudo de estabilidade; sendo também utilizados para o desenvolvimento de formulações semi-sólidas cuja estabilidade foi avaliada em estudo acelerado. Pretende-se que os resultados advindos desse trabalho possam servir de base para a padronização de extratos de outras plantas medicinais com interesse terapêutico, bem como contribuir para o aprimoramento dos conhecimentos envolvidos no desenvolvimento tecnológico de produtos fitoterápicos. / This work aimed the development, standardization and evaluation of antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of spray dried extracts from Dalbergia ecastaphyllum. Analytical methodologies for evaluating the quality of the vegetable raw material during processing procedures (such as extraction of active compounds, drying, final product, etc.) were developed in order to achieve the proposed objectives. The extraction solution was obtained from the leaves of D. ecastaphyllum by dynamic maceration. In this stage, some factors were evaluated such as: the plant: solvent ratio, extraction time and temperature using a central composite design (CCD). The optimized extraction solution was evaluated for the presence of secondary metabolites and antioxidant / antimicrobial activity. It was also subjected to spray drying. In this process, the effects of the drying parameters and processing aids on the equipment performance and the morphological, physicochemical and pharmacological properties of the product were investigated. The dry extracts were subjected to a stability study; and were used for the development of semi-solid formulations, also evaluated in an accelerated stability study. It is intended that the results from this work can provide a basis for further standardization of extracts of other medicinal plants with therapeutic interest, as well as to contribute to the enhancement of the knowledge involved in the technological development of herbal products.