Preparation and catalytic behavior of antioxidant cassava starch with selenium active sites and hydrophobic microenvironments

Abstract

The preparation of antioxidant starch with the activity of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) for scavenging free radicals can not only enrich the types of modified starch but also alternate native GPx to overcome its drawbacks.

The untold story of starch as a catalyst for organic reactions

“…Similar to other polysaccharides, 47 the hydroxyl groups on the surface of simple starch can be modified and attached to other functional groups to increase the ability of starch and accelerate organic reactions. 48 For example, simple starch can be sulfonated using sulfonating agents (sulfuric acid, chlorosulfonic acid, and sulfur trioxide) to convert starch to a suitable brøsnted acid. 21 As another instance, attaching amine groups to these hydroxyl groups by appropriate linkers to prepare related Schiff bases makes starch capable of being like molecular pincers holding metal ions as Lewis acid catalysts.…”