Biofortification of crops with exogenous iodine is a novel strategy to control iodine deficiency disorders (IDD). The bioaccessibility of iodine (BI) in the biofortified vegetables in the course of soaking, cooking and digestion, were examined. Under hydroponics, the concentration of iodine in leafstalks of the celery and pakchoi increased with increasing exogenous iodine concentration, 54.8-63.9% of the iodine absorbed by pakchoi was stored in the soluble cellular substance. Being soaked in water within 8 h, the iodine loss rate of the biofortified celery was 3.5-10.4% only. More than 80% of the iodine in the biofortified celery was retained after cooking under high temperature. The highest BI of the biofortified vegetables after digestion in simulated gastric and intestinal juice amounted to 74.08 and 68.28%, respectively. Factors influencing BI included pH, digestion duration, and liquid-to-solid ratio. The high BI of the biofortified vegetables provided a sound reference for the promotion of iodine biofortification as a tool to eliminate the IDD.

Pyrophyllite (Prl), an aluminosilicate with a balanced mineral structure and extremely small particle size, appears to be an ideal filler but is rarely used in polymers. Herein, a method for the application of pyrophyllite in polymers is reported. A multifunctional filler is prepared by epoxy-modified pyrophyllite and incorporated into poly(latic acid) (PLA) to enhance its processability and crystallization properties. Results show the effectiveness of epoxy-modified Prl in composite film with a significant reduction in glass transition temperature, and noteworthy increment in crystallinity and spherulite growth rate. Water vapor barrier properties of PLA composite films increase over 30% with a range of Prl Loading. Furthermore, an enhancement of the tensile strength is increased by 30% and strain at break by 337.1% for PLA composite films compared to neat PLA. This work provides a new idea to prepare the functionalized pyrophyllite fillers and a theoretical basis to develop the application of pyrophyllite for polymers.

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