{"id":{"repo_id":"uiuc","oai_identifier":"oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/113020"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uiuc/oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/113020","repository":{"repo_id":"uiuc","name":"University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign","base_url":"https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh"},"display":{"title":"Fabrication of self-assembled zein nanoparticles via microfluidic chip and ultrasonic treatment","abstract":"There are many health-promoting and disease-preventing bioactive compounds that are beneficial for human health, such as curcumin, lycopene, lutein, resveratrol, and apigenin. However, these bioactive compounds have some challenges to be used in the food and pharmaceutical industries because of their poor solubility, poor bioavailability, and chemical instability. These limitations can be overcome by encapsulating bioactive compounds into the nanoscale delivery systems (emulsions, liposomes, nanoemulsions, microgels, and nanoparticles). Among these nanoscale delivery systems, nanoparticles have received increasing attention in the food industry for applications like food packaging, sensor, and encapsulation. Zein is a group of prolamines extracted from corn, which is generally recognized as safe in the food industry, and it can form self-assembled nanoparticles in water or a low concentration of ethanol via anti-solvent precipitation. The traditional method to form the zein nanoparticles is dropping the zein ethanol solution into a bulk water phase with mechanical shearing, which creates the heterogeneous shear environment and uncontrolled for nanoparticle formation. In this study, two methods were used to fabricate zein nanoparticles: microfluidic chip and ultrasonic treatment. Microfluidic chips are novel platforms that are used to control the ultra-small volume of fluids going through channels with the dimensions of tens of micrometers. Ultrasound technology has been used in the food industry for many years for bio-compounds extraction, viscosity modification. The overall objective of this study is to assess the impact of process parameters on the properties of the zein nanoparticles formed via a microfluidic fabrication and ultrasonic treatment and to assess the encapsulation and activities of bioactive compounds, such as nisin and curcumin, in the zein nanoparticles. First, zein-OSA modified starch nanoparticles were fabricated via a T-junction configuration of the microfluidic chip. The dispersed phase was 1% or 2% zein in 70% (w/v) ethanol and the continuous phase was OSA-modified starch solution at various concentrations: 0%, 1%, 2.5%, 5%, 7.5%, and 10% (w/w). Compared with zein nanoparticles, the zein-OSA starch nanoparticle complexes were stable in various sodium chloride concentrations. Then, nisin was encapsulated into zein-OSA modified starch and the encapsulation efficiency and the anti-microbial activity of nisin in the zein nanoparticles against Listeria monocytogenes in Queso Fresco were measured. As the concentration of OSA modified starch increased, the encapsulation efficiency and anti-microbial activity of nisin increased. Zein nanoparticles were also formed via ultrasonic treatment with the different initial concentrations of ethanol in the continuous phase, the different ratios of the dispersed phase to continuous phase, and the different ultrasound amplitude. As the initial concentration of ethanol in the continuous phase increased, the particle size increased. PDI results revealed that as the concentration of ethanol in the continuous increased, the PDI decreased and then increased suggesting that there may be a critical ethanol concentration for zein seld-assembly. Finally, the curcumin was encapsulated into zein nanoparticles via ultrasonic treatment with different initial concentrations of ethanol in the continuous phase and ultrasound amplitude. The findings from this study showed that the presence of zein protected curcumin from degradation under heat and UV light environment, and encapsulation altered the physical state of curcumin from a crystallized state to an amorphous state which may improve the bioaccessibility of the curcumin.","abstract_html":"There are many health-promoting and disease-preventing bioactive compounds that are beneficial for human health, such as curcumin, lycopene, lutein, resveratrol, and apigenin. However, these bioactive compounds have some challenges to be used in the food and pharmaceutical industries because of their poor solubility, poor bioavailability, and chemical instability. These limitations can be overcome by encapsulating bioactive compounds into the nanoscale delivery systems (emulsions, liposomes, nanoemulsions, microgels, and nanoparticles). Among these nanoscale delivery systems, nanoparticles have received increasing attention in the food industry for applications like food packaging, sensor, and encapsulation. Zein is a group of prolamines extracted from corn, which is generally recognized as safe in the food industry, and it can form self-assembled nanoparticles in water or a low concentration of ethanol via anti-solvent precipitation. The traditional method to form the zein nanoparticles is dropping the zein ethanol solution into a bulk water phase with mechanical shearing, which creates the heterogeneous shear environment and uncontrolled for nanoparticle formation. In this study, two methods were used to fabricate zein nanoparticles: microfluidic chip and ultrasonic treatment. Microfluidic chips are novel platforms that are used to control the ultra-small volume of fluids going through channels with the dimensions of tens of micrometers. Ultrasound technology has been used in the food industry for many years for bio-compounds extraction, viscosity modification. The overall objective of this study is to assess the impact of process parameters on the properties of the zein nanoparticles formed via a microfluidic fabrication and ultrasonic treatment and to assess the encapsulation and activities of bioactive compounds, such as nisin and curcumin, in the zein nanoparticles. First, zein-OSA modified starch nanoparticles were fabricated via a T-junction configuration of the microfluidic chip. The dispersed phase was 1% or 2% zein in 70% (w/v) ethanol and the continuous phase was OSA-modified starch solution at various concentrations: 0%, 1%, 2.5%, 5%, 7.5%, and 10% (w/w). Compared with zein nanoparticles, the zein-OSA starch nanoparticle complexes were stable in various sodium chloride concentrations. Then, nisin was encapsulated into zein-OSA modified starch and the encapsulation efficiency and the anti-microbial activity of nisin in the zein nanoparticles against Listeria monocytogenes in Queso Fresco were measured. As the concentration of OSA modified starch increased, the encapsulation efficiency and anti-microbial activity of nisin increased. Zein nanoparticles were also formed via ultrasonic treatment with the different initial concentrations of ethanol in the continuous phase, the different ratios of the dispersed phase to continuous phase, and the different ultrasound amplitude. As the initial concentration of ethanol in the continuous phase increased, the particle size increased. PDI results revealed that as the concentration of ethanol in the continuous increased, the PDI decreased and then increased suggesting that there may be a critical ethanol concentration for zein seld-assembly. Finally, the curcumin was encapsulated into zein nanoparticles via ultrasonic treatment with different initial concentrations of ethanol in the continuous phase and ultrasound amplitude. The findings from this study showed that the presence of zein protected curcumin from degradation under heat and UV light environment, and encapsulation altered the physical state of curcumin from a crystallized state to an amorphous state which may improve the bioaccessibility of the curcumin.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Liu, Xuanbo"],"institution":"University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign","degree_name":"Ph.D.","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Food Science & Human Nutrition","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Lee, Youngsoo","Hao, Feng","Padua, Graciela Wild","Miller, Michael J"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2022,"date_issued":"2022-01-12T21:45:38Z","date_published":"2022-01-12T21:45:38Z","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:24:52Z","subjects":["Zein nanoparticle complexes","the microfluidic chip","ultrasonic treatment"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["Copyright 2021 Xuanbo Liu"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/2142/113020","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Lee, Youngsoo","Hao, Feng","Padua, Graciela Wild","Miller, Michael J"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Liu, Xuanbo"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2022-01-12T21:45:38Z","2021-07-16","2021-08"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["text","Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Food Science & Human Nutrition"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Ph.D."]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Zein nanoparticle complexes","the microfluidic chip","ultrasonic treatment"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright 2021 Xuanbo Liu"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/2142/113020"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["There are many health-promoting and disease-preventing bioactive compounds that are beneficial for human health, such as curcumin, lycopene, lutein, resveratrol, and apigenin. However, these bioactive compounds have some challenges to be used in the food and pharmaceutical industries because of their poor solubility, poor bioavailability, and chemical instability. These limitations can be overcome by encapsulating bioactive compounds into the nanoscale delivery systems (emulsions, liposomes, nanoemulsions, microgels, and nanoparticles). Among these nanoscale delivery systems, nanoparticles have received increasing attention in the food industry for applications like food packaging, sensor, and encapsulation. Zein is a group of prolamines extracted from corn, which is generally recognized as safe in the food industry, and it can form self-assembled nanoparticles in water or a low concentration of ethanol via anti-solvent precipitation. The traditional method to form the zein nanoparticles is dropping the zein ethanol solution into a bulk water phase with mechanical shearing, which creates the heterogeneous shear environment and uncontrolled for nanoparticle formation. In this study, two methods were used to fabricate zein nanoparticles: microfluidic chip and ultrasonic treatment. Microfluidic chips are novel platforms that are used to control the ultra-small volume of fluids going through channels with the dimensions of tens of micrometers. Ultrasound technology has been used in the food industry for many years for bio-compounds extraction, viscosity modification. The overall objective of this study is to assess the impact of process parameters on the properties of the zein nanoparticles formed via a microfluidic fabrication and ultrasonic treatment and to assess the encapsulation and activities of bioactive compounds, such as nisin and curcumin, in the zein nanoparticles. First, zein-OSA modified starch nanoparticles were fabricated via a T-junction configuration of the microfluidic chip. The dispersed phase was 1% or 2% zein in 70% (w/v) ethanol and the continuous phase was OSA-modified starch solution at various concentrations: 0%, 1%, 2.5%, 5%, 7.5%, and 10% (w/w). Compared with zein nanoparticles, the zein-OSA starch nanoparticle complexes were stable in various sodium chloride concentrations. Then, nisin was encapsulated into zein-OSA modified starch and the encapsulation efficiency and the anti-microbial activity of nisin in the zein nanoparticles against Listeria monocytogenes in Queso Fresco were measured. As the concentration of OSA modified starch increased, the encapsulation efficiency and anti-microbial activity of nisin increased. Zein nanoparticles were also formed via ultrasonic treatment with the different initial concentrations of ethanol in the continuous phase, the different ratios of the dispersed phase to continuous phase, and the different ultrasound amplitude. As the initial concentration of ethanol in the continuous phase increased, the particle size increased. PDI results revealed that as the concentration of ethanol in the continuous increased, the PDI decreased and then increased suggesting that there may be a critical ethanol concentration for zein seld-assembly. Finally, the curcumin was encapsulated into zein nanoparticles via ultrasonic treatment with different initial concentrations of ethanol in the continuous phase and ultrasound amplitude. The findings from this study showed that the presence of zein protected curcumin from degradation under heat and UV light environment, and encapsulation altered the physical state of curcumin from a crystallized state to an amorphous state which may improve the bioaccessibility of the curcumin.","Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2022-01-12 without embargo terms","The student, Xuanbo Liu, accepted the attached license on 2021-07-12 at 13:51.","The student, Xuanbo Liu, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2021-07-12 at 14:02.","This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2021-07-16 at 13:38.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #16863 on 2022-01-12 at 12:44:57","Made available in DSpace on 2022-01-12T21:45:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 3 LIU-DISSERTATION-2021.pdf: 4186976 bytes, checksum: 0b8bad614deff66641c385c11c2d378a (MD5) LICENSE.txt: 4207 bytes, checksum: 61432283770392dd15b0bfec70e02153 (MD5) PROQUEST_LICENSE.txt: 4553 bytes, checksum: 3e942fdc928c647c71e65b95c5c706c7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2021-07-16"]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Fabrication of self-assembled zein nanoparticles via microfluidic chip and ultrasonic treatment"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Lee, Youngsoo","Hao, Feng","Padua, Graciela Wild","Miller, Michael J"],"dc:creator":["Liu, Xuanbo"],"dc:date":["2022-01-12T21:45:38Z","2021-07-16","2021-08"],"dc:description":["There are many health-promoting and disease-preventing bioactive compounds that are beneficial for human health, such as curcumin, lycopene, lutein, resveratrol, and apigenin. However, these bioactive compounds have some challenges to be used in the food and pharmaceutical industries because of their poor solubility, poor bioavailability, and chemical instability. These limitations can be overcome by encapsulating bioactive compounds into the nanoscale delivery systems (emulsions, liposomes, nanoemulsions, microgels, and nanoparticles). Among these nanoscale delivery systems, nanoparticles have received increasing attention in the food industry for applications like food packaging, sensor, and encapsulation. Zein is a group of prolamines extracted from corn, which is generally recognized as safe in the food industry, and it can form self-assembled nanoparticles in water or a low concentration of ethanol via anti-solvent precipitation. The traditional method to form the zein nanoparticles is dropping the zein ethanol solution into a bulk water phase with mechanical shearing, which creates the heterogeneous shear environment and uncontrolled for nanoparticle formation. In this study, two methods were used to fabricate zein nanoparticles: microfluidic chip and ultrasonic treatment. Microfluidic chips are novel platforms that are used to control the ultra-small volume of fluids going through channels with the dimensions of tens of micrometers. Ultrasound technology has been used in the food industry for many years for bio-compounds extraction, viscosity modification. The overall objective of this study is to assess the impact of process parameters on the properties of the zein nanoparticles formed via a microfluidic fabrication and ultrasonic treatment and to assess the encapsulation and activities of bioactive compounds, such as nisin and curcumin, in the zein nanoparticles. First, zein-OSA modified starch nanoparticles were fabricated via a T-junction configuration of the microfluidic chip. The dispersed phase was 1% or 2% zein in 70% (w/v) ethanol and the continuous phase was OSA-modified starch solution at various concentrations: 0%, 1%, 2.5%, 5%, 7.5%, and 10% (w/w). Compared with zein nanoparticles, the zein-OSA starch nanoparticle complexes were stable in various sodium chloride concentrations. Then, nisin was encapsulated into zein-OSA modified starch and the encapsulation efficiency and the anti-microbial activity of nisin in the zein nanoparticles against Listeria monocytogenes in Queso Fresco were measured. As the concentration of OSA modified starch increased, the encapsulation efficiency and anti-microbial activity of nisin increased. Zein nanoparticles were also formed via ultrasonic treatment with the different initial concentrations of ethanol in the continuous phase, the different ratios of the dispersed phase to continuous phase, and the different ultrasound amplitude. As the initial concentration of ethanol in the continuous phase increased, the particle size increased. PDI results revealed that as the concentration of ethanol in the continuous increased, the PDI decreased and then increased suggesting that there may be a critical ethanol concentration for zein seld-assembly. Finally, the curcumin was encapsulated into zein nanoparticles via ultrasonic treatment with different initial concentrations of ethanol in the continuous phase and ultrasound amplitude. The findings from this study showed that the presence of zein protected curcumin from degradation under heat and UV light environment, and encapsulation altered the physical state of curcumin from a crystallized state to an amorphous state which may improve the bioaccessibility of the curcumin.","Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2022-01-12 without embargo terms","The student, Xuanbo Liu, accepted the attached license on 2021-07-12 at 13:51.","The student, Xuanbo Liu, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2021-07-12 at 14:02.","This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2021-07-16 at 13:38.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #16863 on 2022-01-12 at 12:44:57","Made available in DSpace on 2022-01-12T21:45:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 3 LIU-DISSERTATION-2021.pdf: 4186976 bytes, checksum: 0b8bad614deff66641c385c11c2d378a (MD5) LICENSE.txt: 4207 bytes, checksum: 61432283770392dd15b0bfec70e02153 (MD5) PROQUEST_LICENSE.txt: 4553 bytes, checksum: 3e942fdc928c647c71e65b95c5c706c7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2021-07-16"],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["http://hdl.handle.net/2142/113020"],"dc:language":["en"],"dc:rights":["Copyright 2021 Xuanbo Liu"],"dc:subject":["Zein nanoparticle complexes","the microfluidic chip","ultrasonic treatment"],"dc:title":["Fabrication of self-assembled zein nanoparticles via microfluidic chip and ultrasonic treatment"],"dc:type":["text","Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Food Science & Human Nutrition"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ph.D."],"thesis:institution_name":["University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:24:52Z"}