No abstract

The bovine pericardium has been used as biomaterial in developing bioprostheses. Freeze-drying is a drying process that could be used for heart valve's preservation.

This article describes a solid-state NMR (SSNMR) investigation of the influence of hydration and chemical cross-linking on the molecular dynamics of the constituents of the bovine pericardium (BP) tissues and its relation to the mechanical properties of the tissue. Samples of natural phenethylamine-diepoxide (DE)- and glutaraldehyde (GL)-fixed BP were investigated by (13)C cross-polarization SSNMR to probe the dynamics of the collagen, and the results were correlated to the mechanical properties of the tissues, probed by dynamical mechanical analysis. For samples of natural BP, the NMR results show that the higher the hydration level the more pronounced the molecular dynamics of the collagen backbone and sidechains, decreasing the tissue's elastic modulus. In contrast, in DE- and GL-treated samples, the collagen molecules are more rigid, and the hydration seems to be less effective in increasing the collagen molecular dynamics and reducing the mechanical strength of the samples. This is mostly attributed to the presence of cross-links between the collagen plates, which renders the collagen mobility less dependent on the water absorption in chemically treated samples.

RESUMOO comportamento higroscópico de produtos desidratados pode ser visualizado a partir da construção de curvas denominadas Isotermas de Sorção de Umidade (ISU). Esse tipo de curva relaciona a quantidade máxima de água absorvida por uma substância, com a pressão de vapor de equilíbrio ou a atividade de água, numa dada temperatura mantida constante. Com o objetivo de estudar posteriormente a reconstituição, material de embalagem e utilização de implantes feitos a partir de pericárdio bovino liofilizado, foram traçadas curvas de adsorção e dessorção de umidade em um analisador de sorção de vapor de água, Hydrosorb TM 1000, nas temperaturas de 15, 25 e 35°C. Os resultados obtidos mostraram ISU tendendo ao tipo II, segundo a classificação de BET, reação típica de superfícies hidrofílicas com formação de monocamada e multicamadas. O fenômeno da histerese foi observado durante todo o intervalo da ISU. Os modelos matemáticos de Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) e Guggenheim-Anderson-de Boer (GAB) ajustaram bem os dados experimentais permitindo o cálculo do valor monomolecular, importante para a estimativa do nível crítico de umidade residual que confere maior estabilidade de armazenamento ao produto.Palavras chaves: Liofilização, pericárdio bovino, comportamento higroscópico, isotermas de sorção de umidade. Hygroscopic behavior of lyophilized bovine pericardium ABSTRACTHygroscopic behavior of lyophilized products can be visualized starting from the construction of Moisture Sorption Isotherms (MSI). Such curves show the relationship between the maximum amount of absorbed water for a substance, with the equilibrium vapor pressure or water activity, at a given constant temperature. Aimed to study later the reconstitution and use of biological materials of lyophilized bovine pericardium, it was plot adsorption and desorption curves, at temperatures of 15, 25 and 35°C, on Hydrosorb TM 1000 -water vapor sorption analyzer. The results showed MSI type II, according BET classification, typical reaction of hydrophilic surfaces with monolayer and multilayer formation. Histerese phenomenon was observed during the whole MSI interval. The mathematical models of BET and GAB fitted well the experimental data and allowed the water monolayer calculation, estimate the critical level of residual moisture that assures more stability to the product.

The effects of various plate temperatures and rehydration procedures in texture of precooked freeze‐dried beef, were evaluated. Frozen precooked commercial beef was freeze‐dried at 20, 40, 60 and 80C during 24 h. The rehydration procedure involved two main variables: distilled water at room‐temperature and at 80C, for 30 min. The texture profile analysis was performed with a TA‐XT2 Texture Analyzer (SMS) for freeze‐dried rehydrated samples and compared to frozen precooked beef. The results showed that with a same drying period, the 60C plate temperature and rehydrated in distilled water at room‐temperature resulted in a better product texture, in regards to texture parameters hardness and chewiness.