Brian Freeland

• Doctor of Engineering
• Lecturer at Dublin City University

Exopolysaccharides (EPS) produced by lactic acid bacteria with immunomodulatory potential are promising natural food additives. This study employs small-scale, 250 mL bioreactors combined with a central composite design to optimise two important bioprocess parameters, namely temperature and airflow, to achieve high yields of biomass and EPS from La...

The synthesis of nanoparticles (NPs) via laser ablation synthesis in solution (LASiS) is a promising method for sustainable and efficient nanoparticle fabrication. This work investigates the transition from one-factor-at-a-time experimentation to a more efficient, multivariate approach for optimising NP production efficiency. By applying the Indust...

This chapter presents some of the most important currently utilized techniques for the characterization of nanostructures and nanoparticles. The techniques presented here are grouped into categories of topology, internal structure, and compositional investigation. Topological techniques presented here include field emission scanning electron micros...

Single-use plastics (SUPs) in life science laboratories account for approximately 5.5 million tonnes of waste per year globally. Of SUPs used in life science laboratories, Petri dishes, centrifuge tubes, and inoculation loops are some of the most common. In order to reduce the reliance on petrochemical-based SUPs in the life science research labora...

Lactic acid bacteria are traditionally applied in a variety of fermented food products, and they have the ability to produce a wide range of bioactive ingredients during fermentation, including vitamins, bacteriocins, bioactive peptides, and bioactive compounds. The bioactivity and health benefits associated with these ingredients have garnered int...

The biodegradable biopolymer polylactic acid (PLA) has been used in the recent past in single-use packaging as a suitable replacement for non-biodegradable fossil fuel-based plastics, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Under FDA and EU regulations, lactic acid (LA), the building block of PLA, is considered safe to use as a food contact mater...

Lactic acid bacteria are traditionally applied in a variety of fermented food products and have the capability to produce a wide range of bioactive ingredients during fermentation including vitamins, bacteriocins, bioactive peptides and bioactive compounds. The bioactivity and health benefits associated with these ingredients have gained interest i...

Lactobacillus rhamnosus (L. rhamnosus) is a commensal bacterium with health-promoting properties and with a wide range of applications within the food industry. To improve and optimize the control of L. rhamnosus biomass production in batch and fed-batch bioprocesses, this study proposes the application of artificial neural network (ANN) modelling...

Food spoilage is an ongoing global issue that contributes to rising carbon dioxide emissions and increased demand for food processing. This work developed anti-bacterial coatings utilising inkjet printing of silver nano-inks onto food-grade polymer packaging, with the potential to enhance food safety and reduce food spoilage. Silver nano-inks were...

This work reports the development of a novel and facile physical vapour deposition (PVD) system for SiO 2 deposition with a wide and controllable range of final film thicknesses. An investigation...

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are capable of synthesising metabolites known as exopolysaccharides (EPS) during fermentation. Traditionally, EPS plays an important role in fermented dairy products through their gelling and thickening properties, but they can also be beneficial to human health. This bioactivity has gained attention in applications for f...

Additive free conductive ink formulation via green techniques and its direct printing is critical for many applications including smart electronics, solar cells, healthcare and electrochemical energy storage. The available printable ink generations are far away from ideal. This study reports the development of additive free silver (Ag) nano particl...

Hypothesis Functionalized nanoparticles (NPs) offer diverse biomedical applications, but their synthesis is complex, costly, and labour-intensive, particularly when providing for additional functionalization requirements which are a key feature of biomedical applications. Pulsed laser ablation in liquids (PLAL) has previously allowed for the synthe...

Every year, the EU emits 13.4 Mt of CO2 solely from plastic production, with 99% of all plastics being produced from fossil fuel sources, while those that are produced from renewable sources use food products as feedstocks. In 2019, 29 Mt of plastic waste was collected in Europe. It is estimated that 32% was recycled, 43% was incinerated and 25% wa...

In chapter 8, pulsed laser ablation in a liquid process is presented. In this process a laser is fired at the interface between a solid and liquid, and a plasma is created from the solid, which in turn condenses back into nanoparticles retained within the liquid. This process can be used within a static liquid or a dynamic flow regime. In the stati...

A novel high-density yeast propagation system has been developed, which produced yeast that performed as well as cropped yeast in commercial brewery trials. This process is capable of producing yeast concentrations 13 times greater than traditional yeast propagation approaches used in breweries to date. The system is based on a controlled fed-batch...

Nanotechnology is a significant research tool for biological and medical research with major advancements achieved from nanoparticle (Np) applications in biosensing and biotherapeutics. For laser ablation synthesis in solution (LASiS) to be chosen by researchers for Np colloid production, the process must effectively compete with chemical synthesis...

Typical controllers for fed-batch cultivations are based on the estimation and control of the specific growth rate in real time. Biocalorimetry allows one to measure a heat signal proportional to the substrate consumed by cells. The derivative of this heat signal is usually used to evaluate the specific growth rate, introducing noise to the resulti...

Metal nanoparticles have unique chemical, physical, electrical, and optical properties that make them attractive for a wide range of applications in sensing, anti-fouling surfaces, medicine, and conductive inks. Pulsed Laser Ablation in Liquid (PLAL) is a green method of nanoparticle colloid production, capable of producing ligand-free nanoparticle...

New developments in laser ablation have shown great potential as nanofabrication methodologies, offering many significant advantages over more traditional methods. Herein, we have developed a method for applying two of these techniques, confined atmospheric pulsed-laser (CAP) deposition and laser ablation synthesis in solution (LASiS), to the fabri...

Accurate control of the specific growth rate (µ) of microorganisms is dependent on the ability to quantify the evolution of biomass reliably in real time. Biomass concentration can be monitored online using various tools and methods, but the obtained signal is often very noisy and unstable, leading to inaccuracies in the estimation of μ. Furthermor...

As nanomaterials find applications in an increasingly diverse range of fields such as wastewater treatment, biotechnology and flexible electronics, the demand for nanomaterials with specific properties has increased. This increase is coupled with an increasing emphasis on nanomaterials with highly specific properties for specialised applications. I...

This chapter presents some of the most important currently utilised techniques for the characterisation of nanostructures and nanoparticles. The techniques presented here are grouped into categories of topology, internal structure and compositional investigation. Topological techniques presented here include field emission scanning electron microsc...

Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) is a mature technique for the growth of thin and ultrathin films whereby stoichiometric transfer of a metal or metal composite target is achieved via laser ablation. When conducted in vacuum or with a low-pressure background gas, thin films can be deposited. Control of plasma density and electron temperature during pul...

Turbidity is an important water-quality indicator as it not only indicates the presence of suspended solids but also shows the possible presence of algae, microorganisms, organic matter, and microparticulates. Generally, turbidity is removed through two very important steps in a typical water treatment process: coagulation and flocculation. At lab...

With increasing pressure from regulatory authorities on industry to develop processes embracing process analytical technology (PAT) initiatives, there is a growing demand to establish reliable tools and systems capable of meeting this need. With regard to monitoring and control of bioprocesses, this need translates to a search for robust instrument...

Biological reaction calorimetry, also known as biocalorimetry, has led to extensive applications in monitoring and control of different bioprocesses. A simple real-time estimator for biomass and growth rate was formulated, based on in-line measured metabolic heat flow values. The performance of the estimator was tested in a unique bench-scale calor...

To address a declining interest in process engineering, a project to design and build a compact heat exchanger was initiated in the second year of a four-year, multidisciplinary degree programme in biotechnology. The heat exchangers had a double-pipe configuration and employed plastic outer pipes and copper inner pipes of various diameters. Designs...

The paper describes a newly developed laboratory practical that teaches students how to develop an Artificial Neural Network model and its possible use in bio-processing. An emphasis is placed on giving students "hands on" experience with bio-processing equipment, namely bio-reactors and data acquisition systems in an attempt to help prepare them f...