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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
The development of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) to target polyphenols present
in vegetable extracts was here addressed. Polydatin was selected as a template polyphenol due to its
relatively high size and amphiphilic character. Different MIPs were synthesized to explore preferential
interactions between the functional monomers and the template molecule. The effect of solvent
polarity on the molecular imprinting efficiency, namely owing to hydrophobic interactions, was also
assessed. Precipitation and suspension polymerization were examined as a possible way to change
MIPs morphology and performance. Solid phase extraction and batch/continuous sorption processes
were used to evaluate the polyphenols uptake/release in individual/competitive assays. Among the
prepared MIPs, a suspension polymerization synthesized material, with 4-vinylpyridine as the
functional monomer and water/methanol as solvent, showed a superior performance. The underlying
cause of such a significant outcome is the likely surface imprinting process caused by the amphiphilic
properties of polydatin. The uptake and subsequent selective release of polyphenols present in
natural extracts was successfully demonstrated, considering a red wine solution as a case study.
However, hydrophilic/hydrophobic interactions are inevitable (especially with complex natural
extracts) and the tuning of the polarity of the solvents is an important issue for the isolation of the
different polyphenols.
Description
Keywords
Molecular imprinting Crosslinking polymerization Polyphenols Adsorbents Amphiphilic materials Vegetable extracts Continuous processes
Citation
Gomes, Catarina; Sadoyan, Gayane; Dias, Rolando; Costa, Mário Rui (2017). Development of molecularly imprinted polymers to target polyphenols present in plant extracts. Processes. ISSN 2227-9717. 5:4, p. 1-24
Publisher
MDPI AG