Characterization of Microparticles for Micronutrient Stabilization
Characterization of Microparticles for Micronutrient Stabilization
Tianyi Jin, Linzixuan (Rhoda) Zhang, David Mankus, Alfredo Alexander-Katz, Robert Langer, Ana Jaklenec
Koch Institute at MIT
To combat worldwide micronutrient deficiency, we want to apply this microparticle-based nutrient delivery platform to stabilize micronutrients under harsh cooking conditions, such as water boiling.
These microparticles are fabricated by a novel and biodegradable natural product-based polymer material, and are used for encapsulation and stabilization of multiple micronutrients. Half of the image is from in situ imaging, and half of the image is snapshot from a computational simulation. This subject is an excellent example to bridge the experiment and simulation.
The in situ experimental image helps us qualitatively identify shape, porosity, and surface smoothness and quantitatively characterize size distribution of the microparticles; the snapshots from the simulation provide the detailed protection mechanism.