Dec. 9 () –
MIT researchers have developed a class of biodegradable materials that could replace the plastic beads now used in cleansers, cosmetics and beauty products.
These polymers, currently an important source of microplasticsare broken down into harmless sugars and amino acids, thanks to this new research.
“One way to mitigate the problem of microplastics is to figure out how to clean up existing pollution. But it’s equally important to look to the future and focus on creating materials that don’t generate microplastics in the first place,” he says. in a statement Ana Jaklenec, principal investigator at the Koch Institute for Comprehensive Cancer Research at MIT.
These particles could also find other applications. In the new study, Jaklenec and his colleagues showed that the particles could be used to encapsulate nutrients such as vitamin A. Enrich foods with encapsulated vitamin A and other nutrients could help some of the 2 billion people around the world who suffer from nutrient deficiencies.
Jaklenec and Robert Langer, a professor at MIT and a member of the Koch Institute, are the lead authors of the article, which appears in Nature Chemical Engineering.
In 2019, Jaklenec, Langer and others reported a polymeric material that they showed could be used to encapsulate vitamin A and other essential nutrients. They also found that people who ate bread made with flour fortified with encapsulated iron showed higher iron levels.
BANNED FROM 2023
However, the European Union has since classified this polymer, known as BMC, as a microplastic and has included it in a ban that came into force in 2023. As a result, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which funded the original research, asked the MIT team if they could design an alternative that was more environmentally friendly.
The researchers, led by Zhang, turned to a type of polymer that Langer’s lab had previously developed, known as poly(beta-aminoesters). These polymers, which have shown promise as vehicles for gene delivery and other medical applications, They are biodegradable and break down into sugars and amino acids.
By changing the composition of the material’s building blocks, researchers can tune properties such as hydrophobicity (ability to repel water), mechanical strength, and pH sensitivity. After creating five different candidate materials, the MIT team tested them and identified one that appeared to have the optimal composition for microplastic applications. including the ability to dissolve when exposed to acidic environments such as the stomach.
The researchers showed that they could use these particles to encapsulate vitamin A, as well as vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin C, zinc and iron. Many of these nutrients are susceptible to degradation by heat and light, but when encapsulated in the particles, the researchers found that the nutrients could withstand exposure to boiling water for two hours.
They also showed that even after being stored for six months at high temperature and high humidity, more than half of the encapsulated vitamins were not damaged.
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