• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.520-525
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• 2011

Superporous hydrogels (SPHs) with fast swelling and superabsorbent properties are useful materials in various biomedical fields, by improving the swelling properties of conventional hydrogels based on their unique porous structure. In this study, Eudragit polymers were used as coating materials to control the swelling properties of poly(acrylic acid-co-acrylamide) based SPHs by environmental pH. The SPHs were coated with Eudragit L100 and S100 that have different pH characteristics as enteric coating materials by a dip coating method, and their pH dependent swelling behaviors were observed in various pH environments. The swelling of SPHs was inhibited at a low pH range, but significantly enhanced above a characteristic pH of Eudragit polymers. This pH dependent swelling behavior of hydrogels could be modulated by the characteristics of the enteric coating polymers.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.402-408
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• 2016

Master packaging system consists of an inner individual package and secondary outer package. During the stages of chilled transport and distribution, the combination of primary individual package and secondary package was used to maintain a modified atmosphere for shiitake mushrooms. During the retail stage at higher temperature ($25^{\circ}C$), the primary individual package was exposed to display conditions after dismantling of the secondary packaging. The master packaging system was constructed to contain eight individual $30-{\mu}m$ thick polypropylene film bags of 500 g shiitake mushrooms inside a $40-{\mu}m$ low-density polyethylene bag. Carbon dioxide absorbent material [$Ca(OH)_2$] and/or moisture absorbent (superabsorbent polymer) were designed in their required amounts based on respiration characteristics and then applied to the outer secondary packaging in sachet form. Gas concentration of the packaging, temperature, and humidity were monitored throughout transport and storage. The quality of shiitake mushrooms was measured at the retail stage to determine the packaging effect. During the distribution stage of 108 h, $O_2$ and $CO_2$ concentrations in the master packaging system were maintained at 9~11% and 1~4% in the inner packaging, respectively, which are good for quality preservation. Compared to the control, the master packaging with $CO_2$ and/or moisture absorbents improved mushroom preservation and particularly reduced decay.

• Clean Technology
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.269-277
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• 2022

With the recent development of the biological enzymatic reaction industry, lactic acid (LA) can be mass-produced from biomass sources. In particular, a catalytic process that converts LA into acrylic acid (AA) is receiving much attention because AA is used widely in the petrochemical industry as a monomer for superabsorbent polymers (SAP) and as an adhesive for displays. In the LA conversion process, NaY zeolites have been previously shown to be a high-activity catalyst, which improves AA selectivity and long-term stability. However, NaY zeolites suffer from fast deactivation due to severe coking. Therefore, the aim of this study is to modify the acid-base properties of the NaY zeolite to address this shortcoming. First, base promoters, Ca ions, were introduced to the NaY zeolites to tune their acidity and basicity via ion exchange (IE) and incipient wetness impregnation (IWI). The IWI method showed superior catalyst selectivity and stability compared to the IE method, maintaining a high AA yield of approximately 40% during the 16 h reaction. Based on the NH₃- and CO₂-TPD results, the calcium salts that impregnated into the NaY zeolites were proposed to exit as an oxide form mainly at the exterior surface of NaY and act as additional base sites to promote the dehydration of LA to AA. The NaY zeolites were further treated with KOH before calcium impregnation to reduce the total acidity and improve the dispersion of calcium through the mesopores formed by KOH-induced desilication. However, this KOH treatment did not lead to enhanced AA selectivity. Finally, calcium loading was increased from 1wt% to 5wt% to maximize the amount of base sites. The increased basicity improved the AA selectivity substantially to 65% at 100% conversion while maintaining high activity during a 24 h reaction. Our results suggest that controlling the basicity of the catalyst is key to obtaining high AA selectivity and high catalyst stability.