Laboratory of chemistry and applications of biomaterials
生物材料化學與應用研究室
Laboratory of Chemistry and Application of Biomaterials
生物材料化學與應用研究室
Department of Agricultural Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taiwan
研究方向 / Research Areas
(1)生物高分子再生資源及奈米材料之研究與應用
自然界存在有許許多多的資源可供利用，如醣類、蛋白質、油脂與核酸，尤其是具有高分子特性的醣類與蛋白質是具有開發潛力之可再生材料，這些生物性高分子經過加工或改質後可以製作成為環保的日常生活用品或是生醫相容性材料。本研究室以生物高分子為研究材料，進行改質或以複合方式進行新穎生物性材料之研究與開發，包括生物可分解性 (薄膜或容器)、生物相容性 (化妝品、藥品、人工器官)、乳化性 (以微膠囊形式包覆脂溶性藥物或香氣分子分散於水溶液中)、纖維素的自組液晶排列 (一般印刷染料、鈔票防偽、色紙)等。
(2)食品機能性成分之分離純化與產品開發應用
利用化學方法從天然作物中萃取及純化具有生理活性之機能性成分，例如：植物固醇、寡醣、膳食纖維等，透過分子量測定及結構鑑定以確認機能性成分的化學結構，且開發含此機能性成分之複合組成食品的實際應用。
(3)榖類產品之開發與應用
穀物是人類最重要的糧食作物，以其為原料之應用可含括食品與非食品，對民生有深遠的影響。本研究室除了從原料的探討經製程因子的管控到產品的開發與品質的探討外，更以分子結構及運動的觀點切入榖類相關之研究與開發。此外，與國際研究機構合作，建立穀物組成分分析與品質檢測之相關標準方法亦為重要的研究內容。
(4)食品系統中水分子移動性質與儲存穩定性之研究
食品中水分子經常扮演著重要的角色，水分子的移動性(mobility)或可利用性(availability)會影響食品內部組成分子在製作與儲存過程中的重新排列與交互作用，也是影響貯存期間品質改變與微生物生長之重要因子。本研究室以非破壞性核磁共振儀分析技術來探討食品系統於製程或貯存期間之水分子移動性質，同時以示差掃描熱分析儀、質地分析儀、水活性計、色差計等來探討其理化性質之變化。
Research and applications on biodegradable biopolymers and nanomaterials
There are abundant of utilizable resources in the nature, such as sugars, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. Moreover, polymeric sugars and proteins have the potential for development of renewable materials, and these biopolymers could be utilized as environmentally friendly products or biomedically compatible products after processing or modifications. Our laboratory uses biopolymers as research material, and conduct researches and developments of these biopolymers through chemical modifications or compositing to produce newly developed biomaterials, which includes biodegradability (films or packaging), biocompatibility (cosmetics, drugs, and artificial organs), emulsifying property (through microcapsules to encapsulate lipid-soluble drugs or dispersibility of aroma compounds in water), self-arrangement liquid crystal arrangement of cellulose (printing dyes, banknote anti-counterfeiting, colored paper), etc.
Separation and purification of functional food composition, product development and application
Using chemical methods to extract and purify functional compositions with physiological activity from natural crops, such as phytosterols, oligosaccharides, dietary fibers, etc. Using molecular weight measurements and structural analysis to identify the chemical structure of functional composition, as well as developing composite food products with real-life applications using the functional compositions.
Cereal products development and applications
Cereals are the most important food crops for humans, at which its materials and applications could include food and non-food products, and greatly influences human life. Aside from exploring the control of process factors quality, product development and quality from the perspective of raw materials, this laboratory also explores cereal products research and development from the perspective of molecular structure and motion. Besides, we also collaborated with international research institutions, to establish relevant standard methods on cereals compositional analysis and quality test.
Research on water molecules mobility and storage stability in the food system
Water molecules play an important role in the food system, at which its mobility and availability influences the rearrangement and interactions in the internal composition of the food products during manufacturing and storage. It is one of the significant factors that influences the shelf life, quality deterioration, and microbial growth of food products. This laboratory focuses on nondestructive methods nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis to explore the mobility of water molecules during processing or storage in food systems, at the same time also utilizes differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), textural analysis, water activity, colorimeter to discuss the changes in physicochemical properties