Development of Bio-Composites with Enhanced Antioxidant Activity Based on Poly(lactic acid) with Thymol, Carvacrol, Limonene, or Cinnamaldehyde for Active Food Packaging

The new trend in food packaging films is to use biodegradable or bio-based polymers, such as poly(lactic acid), PLA with additives such as thymol, carvacrol, limonene or cinnamaldehyde coming from natural resources (i.e., thyme, oregano, citrus fruits and cinnamon) in order to extent foodstuff shelf-life and improve consumers’ safety. Single, triple and quadruple blends of these active compounds in PLA were prepared and studied using the solvent-casting technique. The successful incorporation of the active ingredients into the polymer matrix was verified by FTIR spectroscopy. XRD and DSC data revealed that the crystallinity of PLA was not significantly affected. However, the Tg of the polymer decreased, verifying the plasticization effect of all additives. Multicomponent mixtures resulted in more intense plasticization. Cinnamaldehyde was found to play a catalytic role in the thermal degradation of PLA shifting curves to slightly lower temperatures. Release of thymol or carvacrol from the composites takes place at low rates at temperatures below 100 °C. A combined diffusion-model was found to simulate the experimental release profiles very well. Higher antioxidant activity was noticed when carvacrol was added, followed by thymol and then cinnamaldehyde and limonene. From the triple-component composites, higher antioxidant activity measured in the materials with thymol, carvacrol and cinnamaldehyde.

Migratory Behavior of Chinook Salmon Microjacks Reared in Artificial and Natural Environments

Emigration was evaluated for hatchery Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) microjacks (age-1 mature males) and immature parr (age-1 juveniles, both sexes) released from both a hatchery and a natural stream (fish released as fry). In the hatchery, volitional releases (∼14 to 15 months post-fertilization) to an adjacent river occurred during October–November. The hatchery release was monitored by using an experimental volitional release that diverted fish to a neighboring raceway. Fish captured during the experimental release (range 361–4,321 volitional migrants) were made up of microjacks and immature parr. Microjacks were found only in the migrant samples, averaged 18% (range 0–52%) of all migrants, and were rarely found in non-migrant samples. In comparison, immature parr were common in both the migrant and non-migrant samples. Microjacks were significantly longer (9%), heavier (36%), and had a greater condition factor (16%) than migrant immature parr (P < 0.01). In addition, they differed significantly (P < 0.01) from non-migrant immature parr; 10% longer, 44% heavier and 14% greater condition factor. In natural streams, microjacks were captured significantly earlier (P < 0.01) than immature parr during the late-summer/fall migration and comprised 9–89% of all fish captured. Microjacks have the potential to contribute to natural spawning populations but can also represent a loss of productivity to hatchery programs or create negative effects by introducing non-native genes to wild populations and should be monitored by fishery managers.

Drug Release Kinetics from Polymer Matrix through Fractal Approximation of Motion

The present paper analyzes the process of drug release from polymer matrix. This process has been considered as fractal polymer process. Since complexity of physical processes is replaced by fractality, the paper studies the process through fractal approach. In drug dynamics, fractal “diffusion” equation can be obtained through fractal approximation of motion. All experimental release curves have been best demonstrated by Weibull relation (which was, in its turn, also demonstrated). Weibull parameters are related to the fractal dimension of drug release kinetics from a polymer matrix. Such a dimension can characterize and measure the complexity of the system. In the above-mentioned context, some experimental results of our researchers are presented and analyzed by comparing them with Peppas relation, a basic law in the description of drug release kinetics. Consequently, experimental data for Weibull relation are better correlated with certain resulting factors. At the same time, some conclusions regarding the phenomena involved in the process are considered as being based on the approach.