The American University in Cairo

<h3 id="overview">Overview</h3>
<p>The American University in Cairo was founded in 1919 by Americans devoted to education and service in the Middle East.</p>
<p>In line with the liberal arts approach to education to which the University is committed, the School of Sciences and Engineering (SSE) offers degree programs in natural sciences (biology, chemistry and physics), Mathematics and actuarial science and computer science and engineering, as well as a number of engineering programs (architectural and construction, electronics, mechanical and petroleum).</p>
<h3 id="research">Research</h3>
<p>AUC is committed to actively transfer research and innovation through technology licensing and collaborative partnerships delivering tangible benefits to the community.</p>
<p>The university boasts 16 research centers that promote collaborative research across a wide array disciplines.</p>
<p>The Yousef Jameel Science and Technology Research Center was established to promote research at AUC. Bringing together a qualified group of scientists and engineers since its inception in Fall 2003, the Center has experienced a spectacular rate of growth. It is now a very visible feature of AUC and is increasing gaining national and international recognition. The Center supports a variety of nanoscience and technology-oriented projects that make use of its state-of-the-art equipment. The center aims to attract high-caliber researchers from around the world who, together with AUC faculty, contribute to the center’s research themes and help steer its future research activities. </p>
<h3 id="industry-partnerships">Industry Partnerships</h3>
<p>AUC is committed to actively transfer research and innovation through technology licensing and collaborative partnerships delivering tangible benefits to the community.</p>
<p>The Technology Transfer Office (TTO) works with the University’s researchers and inventors to accelerate the process of bringing their developed technologies to the community. The office supports research at all stages and helps establish a connection between companies and the commercialization of intellectual property.</p>


<h1 id="background">Background</h1>
<p>Lipid oxidation is a major degradative reaction limiting the shelf-life and deteriorating the quality of lipid-containing food products. The oxidative deterioration of food products has a negative impact in the food industry in addition to the generation of potentially toxic products. Consequently, the inclusion of additives to slow down or stop the propagation of oxidation reactions is warranted, especially for prolonged storage durations. Currently, there is an increasing interest in using natural phytochemicals of potential antioxidant activity due to their ability to retard oxidation reactions and to extend food shelf life.</p>
<h1 id="technology-overview">Technology Overview</h1>
<p>Seaweeds are an important source of bioactive compounds that could potentially be exploited as functional ingredients in food. Seaweeds represent an excellent source of vitamins, antioxidants and minerals. Among the various common seaweed species found along the Mediterranean coast, is the red algae <em>Jania rubens</em> (J. rubens) which is rich in several bioactive compounds including flavonoids, vitamins and fatty acids. These chemicals can be used as additives in food products, supplements and cosmetics. However, their use in food products has been limited due to their astringent taste, high reactivity with other food components, poor solubility, instability and fast sedimentation.</p>
<p>Nanoencapsulation presents a potential solution to mask the phytochemicals astringent taste, while protecting the bioactive compounds from light/oxygen and improving their dispersibility in food systems. Chitosan was selected as a suitable nanocarrier material, since carbohydrate-based carriers are well known for being biodegradable, biocompatible, non-toxic and generally recognized as GRAS by the United States Food and Drug Administration. Chitosan is also of food grade type and is also stable in food systems, i.e. during processing, packaging, storage and can withstand elevated temperatures due to its thermal stability.</p>
<p>In the present technology, J. rubens chitosan nanoparticles (JCNP) were prepared by ionic gelation technique using sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP) as the cross-linking agent with the aim of increasing the stability and activity of the entrapped phytochemicals in food products.</p>
<h1 id="benefits">Benefits</h1>
<ul>
<li>Extending the shelf-life of vegetable oils using natural ingredients</li>
<li>The usage of synthetic free preservatives.</li>
<li>Eliminating the usage of toxic materials for encapsulation.</li>
</ul>
<h1 id="applications">Applications</h1>
<p>Shelf-life extension of food products.</p>
