• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.835-840
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• 2003

Micron-sized alginate microparticles were formed in the water pools of reverse micelles (RM) composed of hexane/aerosol OT(AOT)/water through the gelation process between sodium alginate and $CaCl_2$. The size of microparticles formed increased as Wo (the molar ratio of water to surfactant) increased from 5 to 10. The microparticles became aggregated at Wo of 15, and stable RM no longer existed at Wo of 20. The characteristics of microparticles prepared at Wo of 5 and 10 showed significant differences in area, maximum diameter, minimum diameter, mean diameter, and perimeter of microparticles (p<0.05). However, there was no difference in appearance and roundness between the microparticles These results indicate that the size of microparticles are affected by Wo, whereas the overall shape of microparticles are not substantially influenced within Wo values used for stable RM formation. The mean diameter of microparticles was about $2{\sim}2.5\;{\mu}m$ and much smaller $(70{\sim}1,000\;times)$ than the reported sue of alginate microparticles formed in an aqueous medium.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.29 no.8
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• pp.707-711
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• 2006

Bifidobacteria-loaded alginate poly-l-lysine microparticles (bap microparticles) were prepared using an air atomization method and then freeze-dried. The viability of the bap microparticles was investigated as a function of the amount of the bifidobacteria cultures, and the addition of a yeast extract, cryoprotectants, antioxidants and neutralizer. The size of the bap microparticles with and without the bifidobacteria was $84.8{\pm}28.5\;{\mu}m$ ($mean{\pm}standard$ deviation) and $113.1{\pm}38.5\;{\mu}m$, respectively. The surface morphology was slightly ellipsoid and wrinkled regardless of the incorporating bifidobacteria. The viability gradually decreased with increasing freeze-drying time. Free-flowing powdered bap microparticles were obtained at least 12 h after freeze-drying the wetted slurry of bap microparticles. However, the particles tended to aggregate when either lactose or ascorbic acid was added. The addition of a yeast extract, cryoprotectants (glycerol and lactose), antioxidants ($NaHSO_3$ and ascorbic acid) and neutralizer $(Mg_3(PO_4)_2)$ resulted in a significantly higher viability of the bifidobacteria in the bap microparticles after freeze-drying (0.34-1.84 log) compared with the culture alone.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.23-29
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• 2023

Microfluidic reactors have been made to achieve significant development for the generation of new functional materials to apply in a variety of fields. Over the last decade, microfluidic reactors have attracted attention as a user-friendly approach that is enabled to control physicochemical parameters such as size, shape, composition, and surface property. Here, we develop a centrifugal microfluidic reactor that can control the flow of fluid based on centrifugal force and generate multifunctional particles of various sizes and compositions. A centrifugal microfluidic reactor is fabricated by combining microneedles, micro- centrifuge tubes, and conical tubes, which are easily obtained in the laboratory. Depending on the experimental control param- eters, including centrifuge rotation speed, alginate concentration, calcium ion concentration, and distance from the needle to the calcium aqueous solution, this strategy not only enables the generation of size-controlled microparticles in a simple and reproducible manner but also achieves scalable production without the use of complicated skills or advanced equipment. Therefore, we believe that this simple strategy could serve as an on-demand platform for a wide range of industrial and academic applications, particularly for the development of advanced smart materials with new functionalities in biomedical engineering.