Published papers

Preparation and characterization of pectin/hydroxyethyl cellulose/clay/ TiO2 bionanocomposite films for microbial pathogen removal from contaminated water

Some of conventional wastewater disinfectants can have a harmful influence on the environment as well as human health. The aim of this investigation was synthesis and characterizes ecofriendly pectin/hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC)/clay and pectin/HEC/clay incorporated with titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2NPs) and use the prepared bionanocomposite as microbial disinfectants for real wastewater. Pectin/HEC/clay and pectin/ HEC/clay/TiO2 bionanocomposite were characterized by various methods including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). Mechanical properties and water vapor permeability (WVP) were carried out. The results of SEM showed that, the prepared bionanocomposite had a smooth surface. Additionally, TiO2 nanoparticles to the pectin/HEC/clay composites may lead to changes in the FTIR spectrum. The intensity of XRD peaks indicated that, TiO2NPs was small size crystallite. TGA illustrated that pectin has moderate thermal stability, while HEC generally exhibits good thermal stability. The TEM showed that, TiO2 nanoparticles have diameters <25 nm. On the other hand, antimicrobial activities of pectin/HEC/clay against Escherichia coli (E. coli), Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans have been enhanced by adding TiO2NPs. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of pectin/HEC/clay/TiO2 against E. coli was 200 mg/mL. Moreover, complete eradication of E. coli, Salmonella and Candida spp. from real wastewater was observed by using pectin/HEC/clay/TiO2 bionanocomposite. Finally, it can be concluded that, the synthesized bionanocomposite is environmentally friendly and considered an excellent disinfectant matter for removal of the microbial pathogens from wastewater to safely reuse

Source: International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 274 (2024) 133511

Authors: Faten Mohamed Ibrahim a, Mohamed Azab El-Liethy b,*, Ragab Abouzeid c, Ahmed M. Youssef d, Sara Z.A. Mahdy e, El Sayed El Habbasha

Developing a novel, low‑cost, antimicrobial, and biodegradable pectin/HEC/ZnO biofilm for edible food packaging applications

The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential of pectin extracted from orange waste by acid hydrolysis and prepared Pectin/ hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC)/ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) biofilm for food packaging applications.The pectin/HEC/ZnO biofilms were prepared in an aqueous solution at room temperature using solvent casting method and characterized by different techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Also, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), mechanical properties, and water vapor permeability-WVP were evaluated. Moreover, its antimicrobial activity against Gram negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Salmonella enterica Typhimiurium) and two Gram positive bacteria (Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus), and also has antifungal activity against Candida albicans was assessed. The obtained results display that the water vapor permeability (WVP) indicated a reduction in permeability with increased ZnO concentration, with WVPs ranging from 2.55 × 10−12 to 4.28 × 10−12 gm/pas.m2, which indicates that our pectin/HEC/ZnO bionanocomposite biofilm could efficiently decrease moisture transfer, thereby potentially extending the shelf-life of packaged food products. Furthermore, the results showed enhanced tensile strength and flexibility in the biofilms with the addition of 1% ZnO nanoparticles from 1.2 to 2.6 MPa and 4.5 to 13 MPa respectively. The WVP indicated a reduction in permeability with increased ZnO concentration, with WVPs ranging from 2.55 × 10−12 to 4.28 × 10− 12 gm/pas.m2. The antimicrobial activity against pathogens such as Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella enterica Typhimurium, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans was significant, with a 99.96% reduction in E. coli counts at a biofilm concentration of 200 mg/mL. Furthermore, the current study revealed that the synthesized bionanocomposite biofilms had excellent qualities such as transparency, flexibility, low cost, and being environmentally friendly. The pectin/HEC/ZnO bionanocomposite was found to be an ideal biofilm for food packaging due to its safety and affordability, which is able to prolong food shelf-life

Source: Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-024-05487-4

Authors: El Sayed El Habbasha1 · Ragab Abouzeid2 · Faten M. Ibrahim3 · Ahmed M. Youssef4 · Sara Z. A. Mahdy5 · Mohamed Azab El‑Liethy6

Development and Evaluation of Pectin extracted from Citrus sinensis peel and micro/nanocellulose from the solid fraction of citrus wastes

Pectin, a biopolymer that occurs naturally in plants, has a wide range of applications in various industries. The aim of the current study is to extract pectin through acid hydrolysis using sulfuric acid from orange waste, also extraction of micro/nanocellulose from the solid fraction of citrus wastes. Investigate the effects of multiple variables such as temperature, time and pH to reach the optimum conditions for the highest pectin yield. The extracted pectin and micro/nanocellulose were characterized using FTIR, XRD, TEM, scanning electron microscope and determination of the degree of esterification of pectin. It was found through our study that different parameters such as temperature, pH and time effect on the pectin yield, where temperature (80, 90, 100) °C , time (60, 90, 120) min and pH ( from 1.5-2.0), So we found that the pectin yield at its best result was 16.9 %, At which (temp 90 °C ,time 90 min, pH 1.5). Determination of degree of esterification of extracted pectin recorded 83 which is suitable value.

Source: Egypt. J. Chem. Vol. 67, No. 2 pp.615 - 623 (2024)

Authors: Sara ZA. Mahdya, Alaa S. Amin a, Ragab Abouzeidb, Islam M. I. Moustafaa, Ahmed M. Youssefc, El Sayed El Habbashad

Eco-friendly low-cost insecticidal formulation extracted from orange peel essential oil and ZnO nanoparticles against Tribolium castaneum

This study investigated the insecticidal potential of Citrus sinensis (L.) essential oil derived from orange peels, its emulsifiable concentrate (EC), and zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles alone and in combination with C. sinensis oil against Tribolium castaneum (Herbst). GC/MS analysis of orange peel oil identified 31 compounds, with limonene (45.8%), α-pinene (16.38%), β-pinene (10.49), and γ-terpinene (10.01%) being the most prevalent. EC formulation of C. sinensis oil exhibited good emulsion stability and foam formation, with a separation layer of 1 mL and foam formation of 2 mL. Characterizations of prepared nanoparticles revealed mean sizes of 433.2 nm for zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) and 458.4 nm for ZnO-oil nanoparticles. Toxicity assays demonstrated that both C. sinensis essential oil and its EC formulation exhibited insecticidal activity against T. castaneum, with LC50 values of 0.246 and 0.215 g/kg, respectively. ZnO with essential oil NPs formulation achieved 100% mortality at lower concentrations and shorter exposure times than ZnO NPs alone or bulk ZnO. These findings suggest that C. sinensis waste, specifically the peel, can be effectively utilized as a source of natural insecticides. The combination of essential oil and ZnO nanoparticles, showcasing synergistic effects, presents a promising approach for developing sustainable and environmentally friendly pest control solutions for stored grains

Source: Egyptian Journal of Chemistry

Authors: Ahmed M. El-Bakry1, Faten M. Ibrahim2, Nasr M. Abdelmaksoud1*, Elham A. Sammour1, Nahed F. Abdel-Aziz1 and El Sayed El Habbasha3

Egyptian Citrus Essential Oils Recovered from Lemon, Orange, and Mandarin Peels: Phytochemical and Biological Value

Citrus peels are an important by-product of citrus processing industries, but a large part is considered waste. There has been increased attention in the last five years on these industrial by-products, especially those containing residual essential oils (EOs). Lemon, orange, and mandarin peels from Egypt were subjected to hydro-distillation to obtain EOs, which were analyzed via mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and by building Global Natural Products Social Molecular Networking (GNPS-MN) for the purpose of visually exploring the volatile components of citrus species. The constructed MN revealed that D-Limonene, α-pinene, and β-pinene are the dominant volatile constituents in the three Egyptian citrus species. The EOs from three citrus peels exhibited promising activities as antioxidants using two tested methods: 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazil (DPPH) and nitric oxide (NO) compared with vitamin C. Lemon EO proved excellent antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and negative bacteria. Additionally, the three citrus EOs showed good activities against the yeast Candida albicans. Regarding the anti-inflammatory assay, the three citrus EOs showed promising activities as COX-1 and COX-2 inhibitors. This study concludes that EOs extracted from citrus peel waste can be valorized as an innovative strategy for food preservation or may be incorporated in cosmetics and pharmaceutical formulations in alignment with circular economy principles.

Source: Horticulturae 2024, 10, 180. https:// doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae10020180

Authors: Faten Mohamed Ibrahim 1 , Reda Sayed Mohammed 2,*, Eman Abdelsalam 3, Wedian El-Sayed Ashour 2, Daniela Magalhães 4 , Manuela Pintado 4,* and El Sayed El Habbasha 5

Formulation and Characterization of Non-Toxic, Antimicrobial, and Alcohol-Free Hand Sanitizer Nanoemulgel Based on Lemon Peel Extract

Recently, hand sanitization has gained attention for preventing disease transmission. Many on-the-market convenient dermal sanitizers contain alcohol, which can be detrimental to the skin. Therefore, three nanoemulgel formulations (LN-F1, LN-F2, LN-F3) incorporating lemon peel extract (LE), and with various increasing concentrations of xanthan gum as a gelling agent and stabilizer, were developed and characterized as a novel alternative. All formulations showed non-Newtonian shear-thinning flow behavior, particle size values below 200 nm, and increasing zeta potential with higher xanthan gum concentrations. All nanoemulgel formulations exhibited greater in vitro phenolic compound release than free LE. LN-F2 (1.0% LE, 20.0% mineral oil, 20.0% Span 80, 4.0% Cremophor RH 40, 4.0% PEG 400, 0.5% xanthan gum, 50.5% dH2O) was selected as the optimal formulation due to improved characteristics. LE and LN-F2 potential cytotoxicity was assessed on MA-104, showing no significant cellular morphological alterations up to 10 mg/mL for both samples. LN-F2 showed in vitro antimicrobial activity against E. coli, S. Typhimurium, P. aeruginosa, S. aureus, L. monocytogenes, and C. albicans, as well as antiviral activity against phiX 174, but no effect against rotavirus (SA-11). In vivo, LN-F2 presented a removal capacity of 83% to 100% for bacteria and 89% to 100% for fungi. These findings suggest that the formulated nanoemulgel holds potential as a safe and effective antiseptic, providing a viable alternative to commercial alcohol-based formulations

Source: Cosmetics 2024, 11, 59. https://doi.org/10.3390/ cosmetics11020059

Authors: Faten Mohamed Ibrahim 1,* , Eman Samy Shalaby 2 , Mohamed Azab El-Liethy 3 , Sherif Abd-Elmaksoud 4 , Reda Sayed Mohammed 5, Said I. Shalaby 6 , Cristina V. Rodrigues 7 , Manuela Pintado 7,* and El Sayed El Habbasha

Innovative Processing Technologies to Develop a New Segment of Functional Citrus-Based Beverages: Current and Future Trends

The food industries are interested in developing functional products due to their popularity within nutritional and healthy circles. Functional fruit-based beverages represent one of the fastgrowing markets due to the high concentrations of bioactive compounds (BCs), which can be health promoters. Hence, functional beverages based on citrus fruits are a potential way to take advantage of their nutritional and bioactive properties that could attract the interest of consumers. In order to ensure microbial and quality stability, the beverages are subjected to preservation treatment; however, the application of high temperatures leads to the loss of thermolabile BCs. Nowadays, innovative processing technologies (IPT) such as pulsed electric field (PEF), high-pressure processing (HPP), ultrasound processing (US), ohmic heating (OH), and microwave (MW) are a promising alternative due to their efficiency and low impact on juice BCs. The available literature concerning the effects of these technologies in functional fruit-based beverages is scarce; thus, this review gathers the most relevant information about the main positive and negative aspects of the IPT in functional properties, safety, and consumer acceptance of functional citrus-based beverages, as well as the use of citrus by-products to promote the circular economy in citrus processing.

Source: Foods 2022, 11, 3859. https://doi.org/ 10.3390/foods11233859

Authors: Ana A. Vilas-Boas 1,† , Daniela Magalhães 1,† , Débora A. Campos 1 , Sebastiano Porretta 2, Giovanna Dellapina 2, Giovanna Poli 2, Yildiray Istanbullu 3, Sema Demir 3 , Ángel Martínez San Martín 4, Presentación García-Gómez 4, Reda S. Mohammed 5 , Faten M

Pectin: methods of extraction and biomedical application

Pectin is a naturally occurring biopolymer found in various plant tissues, such as fruits, vegetables, and some seaweeds. It is a complex polysaccharide composed of a chain of galacturonic acid units that can form a gel when combined with sugar and acid under certain conditions. This unique property of pectin makes it useful in many different applications in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Pectin is a versatile biopolymer with a wide range of applications in various industries, especially in pharmaceuticals, food and biotechnology. This study will discuss the origins and extraction of pectin from the orange peel as well as its chemical structure and general characteristics. Furthermore, pectin-based hybrid materials, composite materials and emulsions are synthesized, characterized and evaluated.

Source: Egypt. J. Chem. Vol. 67, No. 4 pp. 461 - 483 (2024)

Authors: Sara ZA. Mahdya, Alaa S. Amin a, Ragab Abouzeidb, Islam M. I. Moustafaa, Ahmed M. Youssef c, El Sayed El Habbashad

Polyphenol-Rich Extracts and Essential Oil from Egyptian Grapefruit Peel as Potential Antioxidant, Antimicrobial, and Anti-Inflammatory Food Additives

Grapefruit (GF) processing generates significant nutrient and economic losses due to the production of 50% by-products, primarily peels. GF peels are a rich and sustainable source of bioactive compounds (BCs), such as essential oils (EOs) and phenolic compounds. Thus, finding valueadded solutions based on a circular economy is paramount. This research aims to assess the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties of a hydroethanolic polyphenol-rich extract from crude GF peels (GF-CE), essential oil (GF-EO), and polyphenol-rich extract from GF peels after essential oil extraction (GF-PE). The GF-CE and GF-PE showed high concentrations of naringenin (7.71 and 48.60 mg/g dry extract (DE)), narirutin (15.03 and 28.73 mg/g DE), and hesperidin (0.67 and 0.29 mg/mL), respectively. Extracting firstly EOs from GF improved the release of phenolic acids (p-coumaric, ferulic, and chlorogenic acid). The GF-CE exhibited stronger free radical scavenging activity mainly in DPPH (IC50 = 75.69 ± 0.81 μg/mL) than GF-EO (1271 ± 0.85 μg/mL) and GFPE (113.45 ± 0.85 μg/mL). The GF-EO demonstrated moderate antimicrobial activity against Grampositive bacteria compared to the reference standard (amoxicillin) and strong activity against the yeast Candida albicans (inhibition zone of 16 mm). The major compounds in the GF-EO included Dlimonene (25%), nootkatone (24%), and β-pinene (8%). Both polyphenol-rich extracts showed promising activities as COX1 and COX2 inhibitors with IC50 values of 25 ± 0.1 and 0.28 ± 0.00 μg/mL (compared to celecoxib (97.5 ± 0.1 and 0.31 ± 0.01 μg/mL) and indomethacin (6.25 ± 0.00 and 0.52 ± 0.01 μg/mL) as the standards), respectively. The study concludes that GF peels are a valuable source of BCs with significant bioactivities, offering a sustainable multi-cascade approach to recovering value-added compounds from GF peels in alignment with circular economy principles and open opportunities as functional ingredients for food applications

Source: Appl. Sci. 2024, 14, 2776. https://doi.org/10.3390/app14072776

Authors: Faten Mohamed Ibrahim 1,*, Eman Abdelsalam 2, Reda Sayed Mohammed 3, Wedian El Sayed Ashour 3, Ana A. Vilas-Boas 4, Manuela Pintado 4,* and El Sayed El Habbasha

Functional Ingredients and Additives from Lemon by-Products and Their Applications in Food Preservation: A Review

Citrus trees are among the most abundant fruit trees in the world, with an annual production of around 124 million tonnes. Lemons and limes are among the most significant contributors, producing nearly 16 million tonnes per year. The processing and consumption of citrus fruits generates a significant amount of waste, including peels, pulp, seeds, and pomace, which represents about 50% of the fresh fruit. Citrus limon (C. limon) by-products are composed of significant amounts of bioactive compounds, such as phenolic compounds, carotenoids, vitamins, essential oils, and fibres, which give them nutritional value and health benefits such as antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. These by-products, which are typically discarded as waste in the environment, can be explored to produce new functional ingredients, a desirable approach from a circular economy perspective. The present review systematically summarizes the potential high-biological-value components extracted from by-products to achieve a zero-waste goal, focusing on the recovery of three main fractions: essential oils, phenolic compounds, and dietary fibres, present in C. limon by-products, and their applications in food preservation

Source: Foods 2023, 12, 1095. https:// doi.org/10.3390/foods12051095

Authors: Daniela Magalhães, Ana A. Vilas-Boas, Paula Teixeira and Manuela Pintado

Hesperidin from Orange Peel as a Promising Skincare Bioactive: An Overview

The pursuit for better skin health, driven by collective and individual perceptions, has led to the demand for sustainable skincare products. Environmental factors and lifestyle choices can accelerate skin aging, causing issues like inflammation, wrinkles, elasticity loss, hyperpigmentation, and dryness. The skincare industry is innovating to meet consumers’ requests for cleaner and natural options. Simultaneously, environmental issues concerning waste generation have been leading to sustainable strategies based on the circular economy. A noteworthy solution consists of citrus by-product valorization, as such by-products can be used as a source of bioactive molecules. Citrus processing, particularly, generates substantial waste amounts (around 50% of the whole fruit), causing unprecedented environmental burdens. Hesperidin, a flavonoid abundant in orange peels, is considered to hold immense potential for clean skin health product applications due to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticarcinogenic properties. This review explores hesperidin extraction and purification methodologies as well as key skincare application areas: (i) antiaging and skin barrier enhancement, (ii) UV radiation-induced damage, (iii) hyperpigmentation and depigmentation conditions, (iv) wound healing, and (v) skin cancer and other cutaneous diseases. This work’s novelty lies in the comprehensive coverage of hesperidin’s promising skincare applications while also demonstrating its potential as a sustainable ingredient from a circular economy approach

Source: Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25, 1890. https://doi.org/10.3390/ ijms25031890

Authors: Cristina V. Rodrigues and Manuela Pintado

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