The Interplay between Whey Protein Fibrils with Carbon Nanotubes or Carbon Nano-Onions

Abstract

Whey protein isolate (WPI) fibrils were prepared using an acid hydrolysis induction process. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and carbon nano-onions (CNOs) were made via the catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of methane. WPI fibril–CNTs and WPI fibril–CNOs were prepared via hydrothermal synthesis at 80 °C. The composites were characterized by SEM, TEM, FTIR, XRD, Raman, and TG analyses. The interplay between WPI fibrils and CNTs and CNOs were studied. The WPI fibrils with CNTs and CNOs formed uniform gels and films. CNTs and CNOs were highly dispersed in the gels. Hydrogels of WPI fibrils with CNTs (or CNOs) could be new materials with applications in medicine or other fields. The CNTs and CNOs shortened the WPI fibrils, which might have important research value for curing fibrosis diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. The FTIR revealed that CNTs and CNOs both had interactions with WPI fibrils. The XRD analysis suggested that most of the CNTs were wrapped in WPI fibrils, while CNOs were partially wrapped. This helped to increase the biocompatibility and reduce the cytotoxicity of CNTs and CNOs. HR-TEM and Raman spectroscopy studies showed that the graphitization level of CNTs was higher than for CNOs. After hybridization with WPI fibrils, more defects were created in CNTs, but some original defects were dismissed in CNOs. The TG results indicated that a new phase of WPI fibril–CNTs or CNOs was formed.

New Composite Hydrogel Based on Whey and Gelatin Crosslinked with Copper Sulphate

“…The research results of Kang et al [ 32 ] showed that in the case of composite hydrogel based on whey and carbon nanotubes or carbon nano-onions the secondary structure of whey suffered minor changes due to the interactions with carbon based materials; the diffraction peak around 2θ ≈ 20° is still present in the diffraction patterns of composite materials.…”

“…The spectroscopic analysis in the field of IR (400–4000 cm −1 ) makes a significant contribution to understanding the composition and structure of compounds in the food industry, especially their proteinaceous components [ 16 , 32 , 33 ]. The peptide bonds in the α-helical and β-sheet structures, the coil, and disorganized/random areas of the proteins can be estimated by analyzing the amide I bands (1600–1700 cm −1 ) that correspond with the secondary structure of proteins [ 34 ].…”

Composites Based on Hydroxyapatite and Whey Protein Isolate for Applications in Bone Regeneration

“…Whey is a by-product of the cheese production process, obtained from bovine milk [ 24 ]. The whey protein isolated from it contains peptides, glycopeptides and other protein glycoconjugates with immunomodulating properties such as α-lactalbumins, β-lactoglobulins and components promoting bone mineralization such as calcium, lactates, and phosphates [ 25 , 26 ].…”

Smart Hydrogels Meet Carbon Nanomaterials for New Frontiers in Medicine

“…In particular, doxorubicin was released through a photo-thermal effect that was triggered by near-infrared light irradiation of the responsive CNTs [ 154 ]. Whey proteins were recently reported to facilitate CNT dispersion within their hydrogels, with CNTs leading to shortening of the protein fibrils that may have useful implications in the development of innovative therapies for amyloidoses [ 173 ].…”