Growing silk fibroin in advanced materials for food security

Sun, Hui; Marelli, Benedetto

doi:10.1557/s43579-020-00003-x

Cited by 16 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 96 publications

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“…In addition, the tunable disorder-to-order transition of SF structure can be used to modulate physicochemical, mechanical properties, and degradation time, making this structural protein a strong candidate for diverse microencapsulation applications in biomedical, optoelectronics, agriculture, and food. [22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30] Current studies on SF as carrier for controlled delivery focus on emulsification diffusion, complex coacervation, layer-bylayer assembly, microfluidic extrusion, and droplet evaporation methods. [31,32] Nonetheless, manufacturing SF in microparticles of pre-defined size and morphology that encapsulate soluble and insoluble payloads remains a technological challenge due to complex phenomena occurring at the point of nanomicelleto-microparticle assembly, which also involves solvent evaporation and sol-gel-solid transitions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microencapsulation of High‐Content Actives Using Biodegradable Silk Materials

Liu

Millard

Urch

et al. 2022

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There is a compelling need across several industries to substitute non‐degradable, intentionally added microplastics with biodegradable alternatives. Nonetheless, stringent performance criteria in actives’ controlled release and manufacturing at scale of emerging materials hinder the replacement of polymers used for microplastics fabrication with circular ones. Here, the authors demonstrate that active microencapsulation in a structural protein such as silk fibroin can be achieved by modulating protein protonation and chain relaxation at the point of material assembly. Silk fibroin micelles’ size is tuned from several to hundreds of nanometers, enabling the manufacturing—by retrofitting spray drying and spray freeze drying techniques—of microcapsules with tunable morphology and structure, that is, hollow‐spongy, hollow‐smooth, hollow crumpled matrices, and hollow crumpled multi‐domain. Microcapsules degradation kinetics and sustained release of soluble and insoluble payloads typically used in cosmetic and agriculture applications are controlled by modulating fibroin's beta‐sheet content from 20% to near 40%. Ultraviolet‐visible studies indicate that burst release of a commonly used herbicide (i.e., saflufenacil) significantly decreases from 25% to 0.8% via silk fibroin microencapsulation. As a proof‐of‐concept for agrochemicals applications, a 6‐day greenhouse trial demonstrates that saflufenacil delivered on corn plants via silk microcapsules reduces crop injury when compared to the non‐encapsulated version.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microencapsulation of High‐Content Actives Using Biodegradable Silk Materials

Liu

Millard

Urch

et al. 2022

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“…In this domain, silk fibroin regenerated from Bombyx mori cocoons may serve as a good example to illustrate how an ancient material can be reinvented and engineered into various high-tech and multifunctional formats to enhance food safety and security in a sustainable way. [413,414] Moving forward, utilization of biomaterials in the agriculture and food industry still faces various challenges. Unlike many healthcare applications, which could justify huge investments in the research & development of novel biomaterials-based devices and platforms, agricultural practices generally cannot afford costly raw materials and sophisticated micro-/nanofabrication techniques, which would make the price of food products prohibitive for certain populations, thereby further aggravating food insecurity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biomaterials Technology for AgroFood Resilience

Sun

Cao

Kim

et al. 2022

Adv Funct Materials

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This review article highlights recent advances in designing biomaterials to be interfaced with food and plants, with the goal of enhancing the resilience of the AgroFood infrastructure by boosting crop production, mitigating environmental impact, and reducing losses along the supply chain. Special attention is given to innovations in biomaterial-based approaches and platforms for 1) seed enhancement through encapsulation, preservation, and controlled release of payloads (e.g., plant growth-promoting microbes) to the seeds and their rhizosphere; 2) precision delivery of multi-scale payloads to targeted plant tissues, organelles, and vasculature; 3) edible food coatings that regulate gas exchanges and provide antimicrobial properties to extend the shelf life of perishable food; and 4) food spoilage detection based on different sensor/reporter systems. Within each domain, biomaterials design principles, emerging micro-/nanofabrication strategies, and the advantages and disadvantages of different delivery/preservation/sensing platforms are introduced and critically discussed. Views of future requirements, aims, and trends are also given based on the opportunities and challenges of applying biomaterials in the AgroFood system.

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“…Therefore, there is a need to find biomaterials that could provide a microenvironment to protect microbes from desiccation while also having the mechanical properties to conform around a seed (Figure ). Biomaterials are biocompatible, biodegradable, and abundant and, thus, have potential in enhancing food security and safety. − …”

Section: Formulationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Engineering the Plant Microenvironment To Facilitate Plant-Growth-Promoting Microbe Association

Zvinavashe

Mardad

Mhada

et al. 2021

J. Agric. Food Chem.

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New technologies that enhance soil biodiversity and minimize the use of scarce resources while boosting crop production are highly sought to mitigate the increasing threats that climate change, population growth, and desertification pose on the food infrastructure. In particular, solutions based on plant-growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) bring merits of self-replication, low environmental impact, tolerance to biotic and abiotic stressors, and reduction of inputs, such as fertilizers. However, challenges in facilitating PGPB delivery in the soil still persist and include survival to desiccation, precise delivery, programmable resuscitation, competition with the indigenous rhizosphere, and soil structure. These factors play a critical role in microbial root association and development of a beneficial plant microbiome. Engineering the seed microenvironment with protein and polysaccharides is one proposed way to deliver PGPB precisely and effectively in the seed spermosphere. In this review, we will cover new advancements in the precise and scalable delivery of microbial inoculants, also highlighting the latest development of multifunctional rhizobacteria solutions that have beneficial impact on not only legumes but also cereals. To conclude, we will discuss the role that legislators and policymakers play in promoting the adoption of new technologies that can enhance the sustainability of crop production.

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Growing silk fibroin in advanced materials for food security

Cited by 16 publications

References 96 publications

Microencapsulation of High‐Content Actives Using Biodegradable Silk Materials

Microencapsulation of High‐Content Actives Using Biodegradable Silk Materials

Biomaterials Technology for AgroFood Resilience

Engineering the Plant Microenvironment To Facilitate Plant-Growth-Promoting Microbe Association

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