Sandra Bučko

• PhD in Food Technology
• Research Assistant at University of Novi Sad

Silk fibroin (SF) is a protein with many outstanding properties (superior biocompatibility, mechanical strength, etc.) and is often used in many advanced applications (epidermal sensors, tissue engineering, etc.). The properties of SF-based biomaterials may additionally be tuned by SF interactions with other (bio)polymers. Being a weak amphoteric p...

Environmental problems caused by food packaging impede the sustainability of packed food. Therefore, efficient and environmentally–friendly solutions need to be urgently implemented. Zein is water–insoluble plant protein which can form biodegradable films that have potential to be used as sustainable food packaging. In this work, zein films (zFc) w...

Microencapsulation of bioactive substances is a common strategy for their protection and release rate control. The use of chitosan (Ch) is particularly promising due to its abundance, biocompatibility, and interaction with anionic surfactants to form complexes of different characteristics with relevance for use in microcapsule wall design. In this...

This paper evaluated the potential of zein–resins nanoparticles to act as a carrier for water–insoluble oil carvacrol. The rosin and shellac were used as natural resins in different mass ratio to plant protein zein. Rosin is one of the natural gums. Shellac is a resinous secretion of the insect. The influence of nanoparticle composition on colloida...

The objective of this study was to produce and characterize microcapsules for simultaneous encapsulation hydrophilic and lipophilic active substances. For this purpose, double emulsification process was employed, followed by complex coacervation in the system of two oppositely charged biopolymers, gelatin and sodium caseinate (NaCAS). Properties of...

In mixed solutions of anionic and cationic surfactants, called catanionics, ion pairs are formed which behave like non-ionic surfactants with a much higher surface activity than the single components. In equimolar mixtures of NaCnSO4 and CmTAB, all surface-active ions are paired. For mixtures with n + m = const, the interfacial properties are rathe...

Potential benefit of microencapsulation is its ability to deliver and protect incorporated ingredients such as vitamin E. Microcapsule wall properties can be changed by adding of coss-linking agents that are usually considered toxic for application. The microcapsules were prepared by a spray-drying technique using coacervation method, by depositing...

The objective of this study was to investigate interactions of zein (Z) and zein/rosin (Z/R) nanoparticles with gum arabic (GA), at different pH. Nanoparticles were firstly prepared by antisolvent precipitation of biopolymers from aqueous ethanol solutions. Nanoparticles suspensions were then dialyzed against water in order to remove ethanol and ot...

Zein, a corn protein, is often used for preparing edible films and coatings. Since zein is insoluble in water, zein films and coatings are usually prepared by spraying or casting its aqueous ethanol solutions to a contact surface (Z sol films). However, the use of organic solvents in many food applications is unwanted. In this work, aqueous dispers...

The aim of this work was to investigate a possibility of preparing composite zein/natural resin (shellac and rosin) nanoparticles by antisolvent co–precipitation from their aqueous ethanol solutions. Influence of zein/resin mass ratio (1/0, 0.8/0.2, 0.5/0.5, 0.4/0.6 and 0/1) and pH (2–12) on particle size, d, and zeta potential, , of the prepared...

Double emulsions are complex liquid dispersion systems in which the droplets of one dispersed liquid are further dispersed in another liquid, producing W/O/W or O/W/O emulsions. W/O/W emulsions are the most studied systems because they have great potential application. However, despite all the advantages, that these systems offer, it is very diffic...

Chitosan is a cationic biopolymer, which attracts more and more attention in recent years, due to its exceptional physical and chemical properties, expressive biocompatibility and possibilities of obtaining from renewable sources. Formed polymer/surfactant complexes affect changes in the rheological properties and the final result is the formation...

Pumpkin seed protein isolate, PSPI, was enzymatically hydrolysed by alcalase to obtain pumpkin seed protein hydrolysate, PSPH. Kinetics of PSPI and PSPH adsorption layer formation at oil–protein solution interface and interfacial dilatational properties of the layers were investigated by the drop profile analysis tensiometer (PAT) in order to deter...

Many pharmaceutical, cosmetic and chemical products exist in form of emulsions. A common problem with emulsions is their instability. Interaction between polymer and surfactant could change the adsorption layer around the oil droplets in emulsion which affects their stability. In order to understand the stabilization mechanism, the interface of oil...

Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo) seed protein hydrolysate (PSPH) was obtained by enzymatic hydrolysis of pumpkin seed protein isolate using pepsin. Influence of pH (3, 5 and 8) and ionic strength, Ic (0?1 mol dm-3), on the adsorption kinetics of PSPH (diffusion rate constant, kdiff, and adsorption rate constant, kads), interfacial pressure (?) and interfac...

Chitosan is a biopolymer that has many potential applications in the industry because of its unique physicochemical properties. Many of these properties depend on its ability to interact with surfactants. The purpose of this study was to investigate interactions between chitosan (Ch), a cationic polysaccharide, and sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES...

In drop profile analysis tensiometry, the ratio of drop surfaces area S to volume V is large, i.e., S/V >> 1. In such a case, the concentration of a surfactant within the drop bulk decreases due to adsorption at the drop surface. In contrast, in bubble profile analysis tensiometry, we have S/V << 1 so that depletion due to adsorption is negligible....

Water in oil (W/O) emulsions are dispersed systems which have very wide application as a carriers in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry products. The main problem with practical application of such systems is their low stability. The emulsifiers used to stabilize this type of emulsions are with low hydrophilic-lipophilic balance values....

Contemporary formulations of cosmetic and pharmaceutical emulsions may be achieved by using combined polymer/surfactant system, which can form complexes with different structure and physicochemical properties. Such complexation can lead to additional stabilization of the emulsion products. For these reasons, the main goal of this study was to inves...

Polymer/surfactant association is a cooperative phenomenon where surfactant binds to the polymer in the form of aggregates, usually through electrostatic or hydrophobic forces. As already known, polyelectrolytes may interact with oppositely charged surfactants through electrostatic attraction that results in polymer/surfactant complex formation. Th...

Water-in-oil (W/O) emulsions are dispersed systems which are often used in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industries as products, or as carriers of active substances. It is well known that they are very unstable, so that selection of the emulsifier and properties of the oil and water phase are main factors affecting their stability. The aim...

Pumpkin seed protein isolate (PSPI) was enzymatically hydrolysed by pepsin to obtain pumpkin seed protein hydrolysate, PSPH. Investigation of the solubility, interfacial and emulsifying properties of both PSPI and PSPH was conducted under different conditions of pH (3-8) and ionic strength (0-1 mol dm-3 NaCl). PSPI had the lowest solubility, i.e.,...

Mixtures of polymers and surfactants are commonly found in a range of products of pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food industry. Interaction between polymers and surfactantsinfluences different properties of these products, e.g. stability, flow properties, phase behavior, etc. It is known from previous work that an interaction in binary mixtures ofhy...

Rheological properties of mixtures of hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose (HPMC), a nonionic associative cellulose ether, and sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS), an anionic surfactant, were investigated by viscosity measurements performed at different shear rates (0.1-6000 s-1). HPMC/SDS mixtures containing different concentrations of SDS (CSDS=0.00-3.50 % w/w)...