** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** WITHIN THE FOOD INDUSTRY, A WIDE RANGE OF PRODUCTS EXISTS IN THE FORM OF EMULSIONS, SUCH AS MILK AND MAYONNAISE. AN EMULSION IS A MIXTURE WHERE TYPICALLY TWO IMMISCIBLE SUBSTANCES, LIKE WATER AND LIPIDS (OILS AND FATS), ARE STABLY MIXED TOGETHER BY EMULSIFIERS. SOLID LIPID NANOPARTICLES (SLNS) PLAY A CRUCIAL ROLE AS CARRIERS WITH EMULSION-BASED SYSTEMS. THEY CONSIST OF NANO-SIZED SOLID LIPID PARTICLES DISPERSED IN A LIQUID AQUEOUS MEDIUM. SLNS ARE UTILIZED TO TRANSPORT DRUGS OR OTHER ACTIVE INGREDIENTS IN MEDICINES AND COSMETICS OWING TO THEIR CAPACITY TO SHIELD THESE ACTIVE COMPOUNDS AND REGULATE THEIR RELEASE IN THE BODY. THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY, IN PARTICULAR, FOCUSES ON POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS IN DRUG DELIVERY, CLINICAL MEDICINE, AND RESEARCH. IN RECENT YEARS, RESEARCHERS IN THE FOOD INDUSTRY HAVE ALSO BEEN VENTURED INTO EXPLORING EMULSION-BASED DELIVERY MECHANISMS FOR BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS DERIVED FROM FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. MANY BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS ARE CHEMICALLY UNSTABLE AND INSOLUBLE IN WATER, LEADING TO RAPID DEGRADATION AND LIMITED ABSORPTION. SLNS OFFER A REMEDY TO THESE CHALLENGES BY EFFECTIVELY ENCAPSULATING AND TRANSPORTING BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS, THEREBY ENHANCING THEIR STABILITY AND CONTROLLING THEIR RELEASE WITHIN THE BODY.HOWEVER, SLNS ENCOUNTER A SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGE WITH ALTERATIONS IN THEIR CRYSTALLINE STRUCTURE DURING STORAGE, POTENTIALLY RESULTING IN THE LEAKAGE OF ENCAPSULATED COMPOUNDS. THE UNDESIRED CHANGE IN LIPID CRYSTALLINE STRUCTURE OCCURS DUE TO THE INTRINSIC TENDENCY OF SUBSTANCES TO TRANSITION FROM THERMODYNAMICALLY UNSTABLE STATES TO STABLE ONES. COOLING SLNS AT LOWER TEMPERATURES CAN HINDER THIS UNFACORABLE ALTERATION, THUS PREVENTING INSTABILITY AND LEAKAGE. THIS INDICATES THAT COOLING AND STOARING SLNS AT SUB-ZERO TEMPERATURES CAN POTENTIALLY RESOLVE THE UNDESIRABLE TRANSITION IN LIPID CRYSTALLINE STRUCTURE. HOWEVER, IN GENERAL, SUBJECTING SLNS OR EMULSIONS AT SUB-ZERO TEMPERATURES IS NOT PREFERRED DUE TO THE INSTABILITY INDUCED BY ICE FORMATION.SUPERCOOLING TECHNOLOGY CAN PRESENT A SOLUTION TO THIS PREDICAMENT BY MAINTAINING SLNS IN A SUPERCOOLED STATE. SUPERCOOLING INVOLVES LOWERING THE TEMPERATURE OF A LIQUID BELOW ITS FREEZING POINT WITHOUT ICE FORMATION. IN PARTICULAR, RESEARCH HAS BEEN CONDUCTED TO MAINTAIN THE SUPERCOOLED STATE USING MAGNETIC FIELDS TO MAINTAIN THE QUALITY OF FOOD OR BIOMATERIALS.THE PROPOSED RESEARCH AIMS TO (1) OPTIMIZE SUPERCOOLING CONDITIONS FOR STABLE SLNS USING MAGNETIC FIELDS, (2) INVESTIGATE THEIR PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES AND THERMAL BEHAVIOR, AND (3) ENCAPSULATE BIOACTIVE SUBSTANCES INTO SLNS AND ANALYZE THEIR DELIVERY EFFICACY. THE FIRST OBJECTIVE WILL BE ACHIEVED THROUGH EXPERIMENTAL OPTIMIZATION OF THE MAGNETIC FIELD-BASED SUPERCOOLING TECHNIQUE FOR SLNS. PARAMETERS SUCH AS MAGNETIC FIELD STRENGTH, COOLING TEMPERATURE, AND DURATION ARE SYSTEMATICALLY VARIED TO IDENTIFY CONDITIONS FOR STABLE SLN FORMATION. THE SECOND OBJECTIVE INVOLVES A COMPREHENSIVE PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND THE,RMAL BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS. THE PHYSICOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS INCLUDES PARTICLE SIZE, PARTICLE DISTRIBUTION, AND ZETA POTENTIAL, WHICH REPRESENTS THE ELECTROSTATIC POTENTIAL OF THE PARTICLES, TO GAUGE THE SLN STABILITY. THERMAL BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS INCLUDES MELTING POINT, FREEZING POINT, AND SOLID FAT CONTENT TO ACCESS THE CRYSTALLINE STRUCTURE OF SOLID LIPIDS IN SLNS AND THE EXTENT OF TRANSITION FROM LIQUID TO SOLID PHASE. THE FINAL OBJECTIVE ENTAILS ENCAPSULATING Β-CAROTENE, A REPRESENTATIVE FAT-SOLUBLE BIOACTIVE SUBSTANCE, IN SLNS AND THEN EVALUATING THE ABILITY OF SUPERCOOLED SLNS TO DELIVER Β-CAROTENE THROUGH IN VITRO DIGESTION BY SIMULATING THE CONDITIONS OF THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM.IN SUMMARY, EMPLOYING SLNS AS A CARRIER FOR BIOACTIVE SUBSTANCES IN THE FOOD SECTOR HOLDS IMMENSE PROMISE. BY SURMOUNTING EXISTING CHALLENGES SUCH AS CRYSTALLINE STRUCTURE CHANGES AND CONTROLLED RELEASE OF COMPOUNDS, SLNS STAND POISED TO TRANSFORM THE LANDSCAPE OF FUNCTIONAL FOOD PRODUCTION, MAKING SUBSTANTIAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO ITS EXPANDING MARKET SEGMENT. ONGOING EXPLORATION AND CREATIVITY ON SLNS USING THE DEVELOPED SUPERCOOLING TECHNOLOGY ARE POISED TO YIELD NOVEL FOOD PRODUCTS WITH ENHANCED NUTRITIONAL VALUE AND PROLONGED SHELF LIFE, WITH HIGHLY ANTICIPATED EFFECTS IN ALLIED INDUSTRIES LIKE PHARMACEUTICALS, BIOTECHNOLOGY, AND COSMETICS.

University Of Hawaii, Honolulu

Investigators