Juan Angel Morales

Viscoelabs Materials Research Center · R&D

The aim of this study was to evaluate the production and quality of milk from Sannen goats supplemented with maguey silage, prickly pear cladodes and mesquite pod. Two diets for milk-producing goat were prepared. The first diet was formulated with maize, alfalfa hay, soy meal and poultry litter (diet 1); the second diet was prepared with the same i...

The objective of this work was to evaluate the microbiological load of total coliforms (TCs), Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella spp. in milk and fresh cheeses as indicators of process practices carried out in cheese dairies of different localities in the region of Salinas, San Luis Potosí. Fifteen establishments were sampled, milk and cheese sam...

The content of epicuticular waxes on the surface of the cladodes of Opuntia streptacantha and their thermal characteristics based on the stage of maturation of the plant were determined. The moisture content of samples of cladodes from O. streptacantha at different stages of maturation was determined. The ultrastructure of the surface of the cladod...

The vegetable waxes are widely used in the agri-food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. Epicuticular wax of Opuntia spp could be a new alternative able to satisfy industrial needs. The objective of this research is to characterize the thermal and structural properties of cuticle hydrophobic compounds from four species of Opuntia [O. robusta W...

Entrepreneurship is the tendency of individuals to take advantage of opportunities that lead to changes in the way of doing things in the organization or in the creation of a new business, focusing on legal and formal activities. Education influences entrepreneurs remarkably therefore, the nonconventional teaching is a relevant factor that can incr...

We synthesize a new silicon-based endodontic sealer that reacts at room and body temperature. The sealer is initially hydrophilic allowing flowing and filling every accessory tubule of the root canal and turns hydrophobic during polymerization. A hydrophobic surface of dentinal walls could limit fluid penetration by reversing capillary pressure and...

The presence of bacterial resistance to antibiotics is a very important issue and the search of new alternatives is necessary. In this work, a combination of chitosan gel with silver or gold nanoparticles was prepared and characterized using thermal, rheology, bactericide, and biocompatibility analyses. ESEM images were also taken to visualize the...

Using safflower oil as the liquid phase we investigated the organogelation properties of stearic acid (SA), (R)-12-hydroxystearic acid (HSA), and different primary and secondary amides synthesized from SA and HSA. The objective was to establish the relationship between the gelator's molecular structure, solid content, and gels' microstructure that...

The primary structure of amaranth 11S globulin (Ah11S) was engineered with the aim to improve its functional properties. Four continuous methionines were inserted in variable region V obtaining the Ah11Sr+4M construction. Changes on protein structure and surface characteristics were analyzed in silico. Solubility and heat-induced gelation of recomb...

We investigated the organogelation of candelilla wax (CW) in safflower oil during cooling (6 °C/min) from 90 °C to 5 °C. The gelation of 3% CW solutions was done statically, or by applying a particular shear rate (30 to 600 s −1) constantly during cooling (CS), or just during cooling from 90 °C to 52 °C then continuing the cooling under static cond...

We investigated the shearing effect in the thermo-mechanical properties of candelilla wax (CW) and candelilla wax–tripalmitin (CW-TP) organogels developed using safflower oil as the liquid phase. A shear rate of 600s−1 was applied during cooling (1°C/min) of 3% CW and 3% CW-1% TP solutions, until reaching nucleation (i.e., 47°C) or metastable condi...

Candelilla Wax (CW) is a wax obtained from the leaves of a small shrub native to northern Mexico and the southwestern United States, Euphorbia cerifera and Euphorbia antisyphilitica, from the family Euphorbiaceae. CW is a globally recognized food additive approved by the FDA, used mainly as a glazing agent and binder for chewing gums. It is also us...

In this research, we studied the relationship between the molecular structure of (R)-12-hydroxyoctadecanamide, (R)-N-propyl-12-hydroxyoctadecanamide, and (R)-N-octadecyl-12-hydroxyoctadecanamide and the thermo-mechanical properties of their 2% (wt/wt) organogels developed using safflower oil high in oleic acid (HOSFO) as the liquid phase. Candelill...

The rheology of organogels developed by candelilla wax (CW) and a pure n-alkane (dotriacontane, C32) was evaluated with a rheometer equipped with a true-gap system and compared with the rheograms obtained with a fixed-gap system. The two systems used a cone and plate geometry. In contrast to the fixed-gap system, the true-gap system makes the corre...

The thermo-mechanical properties of organogels developed by a complex mixture of n-alkanes present in candelilla wax (CW) were investigated and compared with the ones of organogels developed by a pure n-alkane, dotriacontane (C32). In both cases, the liquid phase used was safflower oil high in triolein (SFO) and the variables studied were two level...

We investigated organogel formation in dispersions of CW in safflower oil (SFO). Candelilla wax (CW) has as its main component hentriacontane (78.9%), a n-alkane with self assembly properties in organic solvents (i.e., vegetable oils). Results showed that, independent of the cooling rate (i.e., 1 °C/min and 10 °C/min) and gel setting temperature (T...

The solid fat content (SFC), Avrami index (n), crystallization rate (z), fractal dimension (D), and the pre-exponential term [log(γ)] were determined in blends of cocoa butter (CB) with canola oil or soybean oil crystallized at temperatures (T Cr) between 9.5 and 13.5°C. The relationship of these parameters with the elasticity (G′) and yield stress...