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Undergraduate Theses

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14583/13

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Committee Chair: search.filters.chair.Ortillo, Danilo O.SDG: search.filters.sdg.SDG 12 - Responsible consumption and production

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    Antifungal activities of alginate films incorporated with lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus) essential oil on sliced bread
    Bronzal, Lucile A. (Department of Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Visayas, 2018-06)
    The accumulation of non-degradable and non-recyclable waste materials leads researches to venture on biopolymer films which have been regarded as the promising green substitutes of non-biodegradable plastic materials. However, food products can be subjected to contamination by bacteria and fungi. The addition of plant derived essential oil can control microbial contamination of foods by reducing the growth rate of target microorganisms or by inactivating microorganisms by direct or indirect contact. Incorporating antimicrobial compounds into films provides a different way to improve the safety of ready-to-eat foods. In this study, the efficiency of synthesized alginate films incorporated with lemon grass essential oil (LGEO) for antifungal activity on white bread was evaluated. Two sets of film were prepared the (1) LGEO - Ethanol incorporated films and (2) LGEO — β-cyclodextrin inclusion complex films via solution casting method. Furthermore, the FTIR analysis of the generated films was also assessed to identify the functional groups present in the film that facilitates its antifungal property. Experimental results showed that LGEO enhanced the antifungal properties in the films and significantly slowed down the propagation of fungi on white sliced bread. After two weeks of storage, all bread samples packed with various film samples showed fungal growth. It was found out that citral is the main component of essential oil which contributes to the inhibition of fungal growth. The incorporation of LGEO in the film decreased the O-H peak absorbance while the inclusion complex in the film increases the O-H peak absorbance and broad O-H peaks were also obtained.
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    Extraction of humic substances from vermicompost and application as component matrix for slow-release fertilizers
    Boloron, Nina Loren R. (Department of Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Visayas, 2018-06)
    Humic acid was extracted from vermicomposts (hereafter referred as VCHAs) by alkali/acid fractionation and their concentration were determined to be 54.79 (± 0.25) g HS/kg vermicompost in average. The extracted humic substances from vermicomposts were also determined to contain an average K+ of 0.0671 (± 0.0053) g K/kg vermicompost. The Fourier transform infrared spectra of crude VCHSs show similar spectral features with humic acids extracted from vermicomposted materials. The VCHSs were complex with K nutrient and encapsulated in cross-linked Ca-alginate to form vermicompost humic substance — potassium slow-release fertilizer bead (VCHS-K SRF). The synthesized VCHS-K SRF were subjected to total nutrient analysis, swelling kinetics, and slow release test to evaluate the role of nutrient compositions on its capability and capacity as slow- release fertilizer. Results for total nutrient analysis show that with an increase in nutrient loading, encapsulation efficiency is low and nutrient concentration is low. These findings imply that at neutral pH of HS solution, binding sites are saturated with Na+, therefore with having the same affinity as K+ , minimal ion exchange took place and it became difficult for K+ to bind to the HS complex. It also suggests that the amount of polymer coating and the degree of crosslinking were not sufficient to hold all nutrients. Discrepancies on the amount of released K+ was also observed on the release profile as a product of errors on acid digestion and matrix effect, this lead to elevated amounts of release by the VCHS-K SRF. The result of the release behavior profile of VCHS-K SRF shows that with an increase in enriched nutrient load, the release rate is faster. The results on the release profile of the VCHS-K SRF exhibited a parabolic and burst release. This finding in relation to the observed fluctuations on the absorbency pattern suggests that internal pressure build-up on the polymer matrix caused abrasions on the surface of the polymer coating resulting to the instantaneous release of nutrient and absorbed water. Overall, the VCHS-K SRF cannot be classified as a slow-release fertilizer. The present findings suggest the need for further improvement on the study of VCHS-K SRF from vermicompost.
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    Optimization of parameters for the Fe-humic acid complex formation using cyclic voltammetry
    Bautista, Coleen M. (Department of Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Visayas, 2019-06)
    Humic acid extracted from an artesian well located at Sta. Barbara, Iloilo was used to generate an Fe-HA complex as a potential additive to bio floc systems to augment the essential mineral Fe. The humic acid obtained was black in color and had a powdery texture after oven-drying. The Fe-HA complex were prepared using Fe3+ ions at different pH values specifically at pH 8, 9 and 10. Formation of the complex was investigated using the cyclic voltammetry to determine the ideal conditions to maximize the binding of the metal ion. The results showed that there are two oxidation and reduction cycles which suggests that there are two species undergoing oxidation and reduction. It is possible that the free iron and the Fe in the complex are undergoing a redox cycle although the quinone group in the humic acid can also act as a redox center. Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy can help corroborate the amount of complex formed to help deduce the redox active center.
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    Determination of the concentration of essential minerals (Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Na, Zn) in honey samples from Negros Occidental
    Arellano, Lory Mae F. (Department of Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Visayas, 2018-06)
    Honey is a natural, sweet and highly nutritional substance produced by bees through a series of nectar collection and chemical processes. Due to the popularity of the product, certain regions in the Philippines has been producing honey and recently, different apiaries from Negros Occidental has been producing its own share of popular product in the market. The products are well received by the consumers, but the problem is the lack of characterization which gives the product doubtful and unconfirmed nutritional value. This study focuses on the quantification of essential minerals (Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Na, Zn) present in local honey samples from Negros Occidental. Eight honey samples were obtained from the different apiaries including an external sample from Mindoro. Samples were acid digested using HNO3/H2O2 solution at 130 °C. The concentration of each minerals in the honey samples were analyzed using AAS. The data reported high concentration (5.71 to 93.20 ppm) of K on most of the samples. The second most abundant mineral in the local honey is Ca ranging from 13.67 to 45.88 ppm. The Mg concentration ranges from 1.19 to 4.09 ppm while Na is in between 0.82 to 3.14 ppm. The mineral Zn and Fe contained the lowest concentration in most of the samples with Zn at 0.46 to 0.86 ppm and Fe at 0.04 to 0.30 ppm.