A5068369796- Advanced Cellulose Research Studies
- Food composition and properties
- Polysaccharides and Plant Cell Walls
- Microbial Metabolites in Food Biotechnology
- Proteins in Food Systems
- Polysaccharides Composition and Applications
- Pickering emulsions and particle stabilization
- Photochromic and Fluorescence Chemistry
- Nanocomposite Films for Food Packaging
- Polydiacetylene-based materials and applications
- Supramolecular Self-Assembly in Materials
- Gut microbiota and health
- Diet and metabolism studies
- Bacterial biofilms and quorum sensing
- Glycosylation and Glycoproteins Research
- Streptococcal Infections and Treatments
- NMR spectroscopy and applications
- Cancer Research and Treatments
- Lignin and Wood Chemistry
- Clostridium difficile and Clostridium perfringens research
- Enzyme Production and Characterization
- Electrospun Nanofibers in Biomedical Applications
- Plant Micronutrient Interactions and Effects
- Adipose Tissue and Metabolism
- Phytase and its Applications
University of East Anglia
2019-2025
Norwich Research Park
2019-2025
Quadram Institute
2019-2024
University of Glasgow
2022
Targeted colonic drug delivery systems are needed for the treatment of endemic colorectal pathologies, such as Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and cancer. These vehicles difficult to formulate, they need remain structurally intact whilst navigating a wide range physiological conditions across upper gastrointestinal tract. In this work we show how starch hydrogel bulk structural molecular level parameters influence their properties platforms. The in vitro protocols mimic vivo conditions,...
Abstract Bacterial extracellular vesicles (BEVs) contribute to stress responses, quorum sensing, biofilm formation and interspecies interkingdom communication. However, the factors that regulate their release heterogeneity are not well understood. We set out investigate these in common gut commensal Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron by studying BEV throughout growth cycle. Utilising a range of methods, we demonstrate released at different stages have significantly composition, with early enriched...
A gelled Pickering emulsion system was fabricated by first stabilizing linseed oil droplets in water with dialdehyde cellulose nanocrystals (DACNCs) and then cross-linking cystamine. Cross-linking of the DACNCs shown to occur a reaction between amine groups on cystamine aldehyde CNCs, causing gelation nanocellulose suspension. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy X-ray photoelectron were used characterize cystamine-cross-linked CNCs (cysCNCs), demonstrating their presence. Transmission...
Linseed oil-in-water Pickering emulsions are stabilized by both sulfated CNCs (sCNCs) and octylamine-modified (oCNCs). oCNCs with hydrophobic moieties grafted on the surfaces of otherwise intact nanocrystals provided exhibiting stronger resistance to creaming oil droplets, compared unmodified sCNCs. sCNCs were not able completely stabilize linseed in water at low CNC concentrations while no unemulsified residue same concentrations. Oil droplets oCNC smaller than those samples sCNCs,...
Hydrogels have a complex, heterogeneous structure and organisation, making them promising candidates for advanced structural cosmetics applications. Starch is an attractive material producing hydrogels due to its low cost biocompatibility, but the dynamics of polymer chains within starch are not well understood, limiting their development utilisation. We employed range NMR methodologies (CPSP/MAS, HR-MAS, HPDEC WPT-CP) probe molecular mobility water featuring wide physical properties. The...
A highly hydrophobic fluorinated ionic liquid (IL), 3-aminopropyl-tributylphosphonium bis(trifluoromethylsolfonyl)imide ([aP
In complex living systems, such as the human gut, interplay between multiple cell types present is governed by exchange of small molecule metabolites. However, at present, we lack techniques capable monitoring this crosstalk in real time and with spatial resolution. Here, a model gut 5 mm NMR tube that accounts for intraluminal, mucosal, colonocyte spaces. Cells are cultured different regions enabling metabolites, changes pH, effects exogenous molecules to be monitored exclusively using...
Psyllium is a viscous, gel forming fibre with properties that have led it to be used for alleviating gastrointestinal discomfort. We previously identified fractions of psyllium differing flow properties. Fraction 1 (F1) forms non-gelling solution containing rhamnose. galactose, and arabinose. 2 (F2) fluid-like mainly xylose arabinose, 3 (F3) has almost identical monosaccharide linkage composition F2, but an insoluble, self-supporting gel. performed in vitro batch fermentation experiments...
Bacterial cellulose (BC) consists of a complex three-dimensional organization ultrafine fibers which provide unique material properties such as softness, biocompatibility, and water-retention ability, key importance for biomedical applications. However, there is poor understanding the molecular features modulating macroscopic BC gels. We have examined chemically pure hydrogels composites with arabinoxylan (BC–AX), xyloglucan (BC–XG), high weight mixed-linkage glucan (BC–MLG). Atomic force...
The human gut has emerged as a highly promising candidate for predicting the onset of pathologies and monitoring disease pro-gression. microbiota plays crucial role in maintaining homeostasis, modulating immune responses, metabolizing nutri-ents regulating host physiology. These functions have been linked to interplay between bacteria colonocytes large intestine. At present, we lack high-throughput techniques capable crosstalk these species on molecular level real time. In this work, develop...
Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) have emerged as promising, sustainable materials, with applications in sensors, coatings, pharmaceuticals, and composites. Their modification block copolymers such PEO-PPO-PEO triblock of the Pluronic family has been attempted many times literature, claims that would happen by an anchor(PEO)-buoy(PPO)-anchor(PEO) mechanism. However, there is much disagreement literature on this. We herein physically adsorbed F127, a nontoxic copolymer poloxamer, comprising...
Conventional composite formulation of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) with thermoplastics involves melt compounding or in situ polymerisation. In this rather unconventional approach, polypropylene (PP) microparticles were finely suspended and stabilized, at varying weight loadings, aqueous suspensions amphiphilic CNCs to enable adsorption the nanoparticles onto thermoplastic. order achieve these suspensions, modified either octyl hexadecyl groups. These modifications imparted hydrophobic...
We use a pH-driven annealing process to convert between co-assembled and self-sorted networks in multicomponent gels. The initially formed gels at low pH are co-assembled, with the two components coexisting within same self-assembled structures. an enzymatic approach increase pH, resulting gel-to-sol transition, followed by hydrolysis lower once again. As decreases, network is two-stage gelation determined pKa of each component. This can be expanded layered systems generate many varied...
Suitability of high-amylose starch branching enzyme II (sbeII) flour for industrial processing wheat convenience foods (i.e., ready-to-eat chilled sandwich bread) is not known, specifically its impacts on bread quality and digestibility over storage. Here we evaluated sbeII in an pilot plant using Chorleywood processing. Industrially-made showed lower volume upon production, after storage had (∼4% difference digested at 90 min) more resilient crumb texture compared to a wildtype (WT)...
Gut microbes have merged as powerful regulators of cancer responses, with Bifidobacterium species and strains playing a key role in promoting anti-tumour immunity. While they represent promising candidates for therapeutics, the specific underlying microbial mechanisms driving their efficacy remains poorly understood. In this study, we demonstrate broad potential to inhibit breast progression across multiple pre-clinical mouse models. We identify novel strain, pseudocatenulatum 210, which...
Abstract Bifidobacterium species and strains are key members of the gut microbiota, appearing soon after birth persisting into adulthood. Resistant starch is an important dietary substrate for adult-associated bifidobacteria, where its fermentation supports host health. However, little known about how different structures interact with bifidobacteria across various ages ecological niches. To address this, we carried out detailed growth kinetics screening reference unique isolates from...
Abstract We use a pH‐driven annealing process to convert between co‐assembled and self‐sorted networks in multicomponent gels. The initially formed gels at low pH are co‐assembled, with the two components coexisting within same self‐assembled structures. an enzymatic approach increase pH, resulting gel‐to‐sol transition, followed by hydrolysis lower once again. As decreases, network is two‐stage gelation determined p K of each component. This can be expanded layered systems generate many...