Development of Biodegradable Films Produced from Residues of Nixtamalization of Popcorn

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Development of biodegradable films produced from residues of nixtamalization of popcorn

 

Dear Editor,

 

I have carefully reviewed the manuscript titled "Development of Biodegradable Films Produced from Residues of Nixtamalization of Popcorn" and would like to provide my feedback and recommendation for publication in Applied Sciences.

 

The study offers a significant investigation into the environmental issues surrounding nejayote and pericarp leftovers produced by nixtamalization. The authors want to use these residues to create compostable and environmentally friendly biodegradable films, and they want to assess their qualities and how they affect the preservation of avocados. Although the study offers insightful information, I have found a few areas that need clarification and improvement.

 

-The introduction lacks a comprehensive review of existing literature. The authors briefly mention the potential environmental issues associated with nejayote and pericarp residues but fail to provide an in-depth discussion of previous studies or the wider context of the problem. It is crucial to include relevant references to support the claims made and establish the significance of the research.

 

- I strongly recommend that the manuscript undergo a thorough review for grammar and title number correctness.

1. Materials and methods

 

for example: Therefore, the aim of this study was to reuse nejayote an pericarp into biodegradable films and evaluate the effect of their application on the physicochemical properties of avocados to preserve and extend their postharvest life.

 

recommend: Therefore, the objective of this study was to repurpose nejayote and pericarp for the production of biodegradable films. Moreover, our aim was to assess the impact of applying these films on the physicochemical properties of avocados, thereby enhancing their preservation and extending their postharvest life.

 

Fig.7.

 

- it is crucial to provide clear explanations for the manuscript: 

 

for example: Finally, the tone of all films is low because these must be colorless since they are a coating and should not be seen.

 

- I would like to draw your attention to the clarity issue present in the SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy) images provided in the manuscript. The images appear to be unclear, making it difficult to discern the fine details and obtain a comprehensive understanding of the analyzed samples. It is crucial to address this concern as clear and high-resolution SEM images are essential for accurately interpreting the research findings and validating the results. I recommend ensuring that the SEM images are of sufficient quality and resolution, allowing for precise analysis and evaluation.

 

Degradation Time: The manuscript mentions that all films exhibited a degradation time between 11 and 12 days. While this information is useful, it would be valuable to discuss the implications of this degradation time in terms of the intended applications of these films. How does the degradation time align with the desired lifespan of the films and the practical needs of avocado preservation?

 

Limitations and Future Directions: It would be helpful for the authors to acknowledge any limitations or potential challenges associated with the development and application of these biodegradable films. Additionally, suggestions for future research directions and possible improvements to the current methodology or film formulations would enhance the manuscript's value and encourage further exploration of this topic.

 

Overall, the manuscript provides important insights into the development of biodegradable films using nejayote and pericarp residues from nixtamalization. However, addressing the above-mentioned issues would significantly enhance the clarity, reliability, and impact of the study.

 

Therefore, I recommend that the manuscript undergo revisions to address these concerns. Once the revisions are made, I believe the manuscript would be suitable for publication in Applied Sciences. I appreciate the authors' efforts in conducting this research and contributing to the field of sustainable materials.

 

Thank you for considering my review, and I remain available for any further assistance.

 

Sincerely,

Development of biodegradable films produced from residues of nixtamalization of popcorn

 

Dear Editor,

 

I have carefully reviewed the manuscript titled "Development of Biodegradable Films Produced from Residues of Nixtamalization of Popcorn" and would like to provide my feedback and recommendation for publication in Applied Sciences.

 

The study offers a significant investigation into the environmental issues surrounding nejayote and pericarp leftovers produced by nixtamalization. The authors want to use these residues to create compostable and environmentally friendly biodegradable films, and they want to assess their qualities and how they affect the preservation of avocados. Although the study offers insightful information, I have found a few areas that need clarification and improvement.

 

-The introduction lacks a comprehensive review of existing literature. The authors briefly mention the potential environmental issues associated with nejayote and pericarp residues but fail to provide an in-depth discussion of previous studies or the wider context of the problem. It is crucial to include relevant references to support the claims made and establish the significance of the research.

 

- I strongly recommend that the manuscript undergo a thorough review for grammar and title number correctness.

1. Materials and methods

 

for example: Therefore, the aim of this study was to reuse nejayote an pericarp into biodegradable films and evaluate the effect of their application on the physicochemical properties of avocados to preserve and extend their postharvest life.

 

recommend: Therefore, the objective of this study was to repurpose nejayote and pericarp for the production of biodegradable films. Moreover, our aim was to assess the impact of applying these films on the physicochemical properties of avocados, thereby enhancing their preservation and extending their postharvest life.

 

Fig.7.

 

- it is crucial to provide clear explanations for the manuscript: 

 

for example: Finally, the tone of all films is low because these must be colorless since they are a coating and should not be seen.

 

- I would like to draw your attention to the clarity issue present in the SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy) images provided in the manuscript. The images appear to be unclear, making it difficult to discern the fine details and obtain a comprehensive understanding of the analyzed samples. It is crucial to address this concern as clear and high-resolution SEM images are essential for accurately interpreting the research findings and validating the results. I recommend ensuring that the SEM images are of sufficient quality and resolution, allowing for precise analysis and evaluation.

 

Degradation Time: The manuscript mentions that all films exhibited a degradation time between 11 and 12 days. While this information is useful, it would be valuable to discuss the implications of this degradation time in terms of the intended applications of these films. How does the degradation time align with the desired lifespan of the films and the practical needs of avocado preservation?

 

Limitations and Future Directions: It would be helpful for the authors to acknowledge any limitations or potential challenges associated with the development and application of these biodegradable films. Additionally, suggestions for future research directions and possible improvements to the current methodology or film formulations would enhance the manuscript's value and encourage further exploration of this topic.

 

Overall, the manuscript provides important insights into the development of biodegradable films using nejayote and pericarp residues from nixtamalization. However, addressing the above-mentioned issues would significantly enhance the clarity, reliability, and impact of the study.

 

Therefore, I recommend that the manuscript undergo revisions to address these concerns. Once the revisions are made, I believe the manuscript would be suitable for publication in Applied Sciences. I appreciate the authors' efforts in conducting this research and contributing to the field of sustainable materials.

 

Thank you for considering my review, and I remain available for any further assistance.

 

Sincerely,

Author Response

Reviewer 1

*I have carefully reviewed the manuscript titled "Development of Biodegradable Films Produced from Residues of Nixtamalization of Popcorn" and would like to provide my feedback and recommendation for publication in Applied Sciences. The study offers a significant investigation into the environmental issues surrounding nejayote and pericarp leftovers produced by nixtamalization. The authors want to use these residues to create compostable and environmentally friendly biodegradable films, and they want to assess their qualities and how they affect the preservation of avocados. Although the study offers insightful information, I have found a few areas that need clarification and improvement. R: Thanks for your comments and suggestions

 

-The introduction lacks a comprehensive review of existing literature. The authors briefly mention the potential environmental issues associated with nejayote and pericarp residues but fail to provide an in-depth discussion of previous studies or the wider context of the problem. It is crucial to include relevant references to support the claims made and establish the significance of the research. R: Thank you for your suggestion, the introduction was modified, and also relevant references were included.

 

- I strongly recommend that the manuscript undergo a thorough review for grammar and title number correctness. R: Thank you for your suggestions, the grammar and the title numbers were revised and corrected.

 

1. Materials and methods

 

for example: Therefore, the aim of this study was to reuse nejayote and pericarp into biodegradable films and evaluate the effect of their application on the physicochemical properties of avocados to preserve and extend their postharvest life.

 

recommend: Therefore, the objective of this study was to repurpose nejayote and pericarp for the production of biodegradable films. Moreover, our aim was to assess the impact of applying these films on the physicochemical properties of avocados, thereby enhancing their preservation and extending their postharvest life. R: Thank you for your suggestion, this text was added

 

Fig.7. Thank you, the name of the Figures was matched

 

 

- it is crucial to provide clear explanations for the manuscript: 

 

for example: Finally, the tone of all films is low because these must be colorless since they are a coating and should not be seen. Thank you for your suggestion, the discussion was modified

 

- I would like to draw your attention to the clarity issue present in the SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy) images provided in the manuscript. The images appear to be unclear, making it difficult to discern the fine details and obtain a comprehensive understanding of the analyzed samples. It is crucial to address this concern as clear and high-resolution SEM images are essential for accurately interpreting the research findings and validating the results. I recommend ensuring that the SEM images are of sufficient quality and resolution, allowing for precise analysis and evaluation. Thank you for your suggestion, SEM images with higher resolution were added. The objective of this analysis was to observe the surface homogeneity of the films and it was complemented by AFM. The discussion was modified. Please consider it.

 

Degradation Time: The manuscript mentions that all films exhibited a degradation time between 11 and 12 days. While this information is useful, it would be valuable to discuss the implications of this degradation time in terms of the intended applications of these films. How does the degradation time align with the desired lifespan of the films and the practical needs of avocado preservation? Thank you for your suggestion, the implication of the degradation time was added and the discussion was modified.

 

Limitations and Future Directions: It would be helpful for the authors to acknowledge any limitations or potential challenges associated with the development and application of these biodegradable films. Additionally, suggestions for future research directions and possible improvements to the current methodology or film formulations would enhance the manuscript's value and encourage further exploration of this topic. Thank you for your suggestions, some of them were added in the conclusions.

 

 

Overall, the manuscript provides important insights into the development of biodegradable films using nejayote and pericarp residues from nixtamalization. However, addressing the above-mentioned issues would significantly enhance the clarity, reliability, and impact of the study.

 

Therefore, I recommend that the manuscript undergo revisions to address these concerns. Once the revisions are made, I believe the manuscript would be suitable for publication in Applied Sciences. I appreciate the authors' efforts in conducting this research and contributing to the field of sustainable materials.

Thanks for your comments and suggestions

 

Thank you for considering my review, and I remain available for any further assistance.

 

Sincerely,

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

Authors need to make minor corrections.

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Proof reading by native English speaker is required

Author Response

Development of Biodegradable Films Produced from Residues of Nixtamalization of Popcorn

Thanks for your corrections

1. Line 71: “Persea americana” should be in italics. It was corrected
2. Line 79: “however it is necessary”. It was corrected
3. Line 82: “was to use nejayote”. The study is to use nejayote in film preparation, but not to reuse in film preparation. This word change to “use”
4. Line 89: “The films were made, such as”. The films were made as per the method published by Velickova et al….. It was corrected
5. Line 94: “were variable”. Were varied. It was corrected
6. Table 1, Table 3, Table 4: Space should be given between number and units. For example: “100 g”. It was corrected
7. Line 99: “Film color was measured by a colorimeter, and six films from each treatment studied were taken.” Remove the sentence, repetitive. It was removed
8. Line 118: “weighted”. Weighed. It was corrected
9. Line 120, 134, 188, 232: “using the following expression”. Using the following formula. It was corrected
10. Line 129: “Hernández-Varela et al. . [18].” Remove extra period. It was removed
11. Line 151: “graphing”. Plotting. It was corrected
12. Line 154: “methodology Valdespino”. Methodology published by. It was corrected
13. Line 182: “in accordance reported”. In accordance with the methodology reported. It was corrected
14. Line 185: “1m2 ”. 1 m2 . It was corrected
15. Line 186: “24 hours”. 24 h. It was corrected
16. Line 226: “(TSS), and”. (TSS) and. It was corrected
17. Line 240: “0.6 ml”. 0.6 mL. It was corrected
18. Line 243, 247, 248: “15 minutes”. 15 min. It was corrected
19. Line 124, 137, 148: Remove the sentence: “The measurement was carried out in triplicate on each film studied.” It was removed
20. Line 282, 283, 309, 310, 323, 333, 362, 363, 364, 367, 368, 396, 403, 404, 405, 406, 407, 478: remove space between number and %. For example: “34.35%”. 2 It was corrected
21. Line 284: TiO2. It was corrected
22. Line 289: “0.001 mm”. It was corrected
23. Line 323: “value similar”. Similar value. It was corrected
24. Line 315, 337: WA. It was corrected
25. Line 342: 0.45 MPa and 0.13 MPa. It was corrected
26. Figure 3a. Better resolution figure needed. The figure was changed

 

 

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 3 Report

In this work the authors reported the preparation, investigation and evaluation of biodegradable films based on food wastes such as pericarp and nejayote. The films, especially that produced from pericarp, were interestingly found to extend the life time of avocados.

While the preparation of films from food wastes is not a new concept, my impression is that this work is correct and well-carried out, however, it should undergo a few major revisions before publication as noted below:

a) In the introduction could the authors state what are the strong innovative points of this research; for instance, have nejayote an pericarp ever been used to prepare biodegradable films? and if so for which application? It would be better to briefly list some facts of this research that are new.

b) From section 2.1.1 I understand that the films were made by a published method but with "some modifications". To enhance the reproducibility of the work it would be better to list a detailed experimental procedure anyway, specifying the scale of the preparation and all involved operations.

c) In the FTIR discussion the authors state "...The native beeswax spectrum represented absorption peak at 3299 cm-1, which indicates hydroxyl group existences..." (it would be better to write as "the presence of hydroxyl groups). However, it is a misconception that one could observe the hydroxyl groups of beeswax alone by carrying our IR under ambient conditions because these materials absorb moisture and what one sees is just the O-H stretching of adsorbed water. In order to observe the O-H stretching of the material, one should before remove the water adsorbed under high vacuum (10-5 mbar) at, at least 200 C, and carry out the FT-IR under protective atmosphere. If the authors carry out such an operation, the O-H stretching will look sharper such as in Figure 2a of (Inorg. Chem. 2017, 56, 861−871). Overall, a better discussion of the FTIR is required. The authors should also make sure that the amide peak at 1640 cm-1 that the authors deconvolute is not overlapped by the expected moisture signal at about the same energy.

The English is ok and understandable but it needs improvement in some expressions. I feel that the authors will be able to make such corrections.

Author Response

In this work the authors reported the preparation, investigation and evaluation of biodegradable films based on food wastes such as pericarp and nejayote. The films, especially that produced from pericarp, were interestingly found to extend the life time of avocados.

While the preparation of films from food wastes is not a new concept, my impression is that this work is correct and well-carried out, however, it should undergo a few major revisions before publication as noted below: Thanks for your comments and suggestions

1. In the introduction could the authors state what are the strong innovative points of this research; for instance, have nejayote and pericarp ever been used to prepare biodegradable films? and if so for which application? It would be better to briefly list some facts of this research that are new. Thank you for your questions and suggestions, a pair of studies about the development of films by using phenolic extract of nejayote and hemicelluloses extracted from pericarp were found, but these were not applied directly on fruits. These studies and our input on this field were added in the introduction.
2. b) From section 2.1.1 I understand that the films were made by a published method but with "some modifications". To enhance the reproducibility of the work it would be better to list a detailed experimental procedure anyway, specifying the scale of the preparation and all involved operations. Thank you for your suggestion, the detail experimental procedure for films elaboration was added.
3. c) In the FTIR discussion the authors state "...The native beeswax spectrum represented absorption peak at 3299 cm-1, which indicates hydroxyl group existences..." (it would be better to write as "the presence of hydroxyl groups). However, it is a misconception that one could observe the hydroxyl groups of beeswax alone by carrying our IR under ambient conditions because these materials absorb moisture and what one sees is just the O-H stretching of adsorbed water. In order to observe the O-H stretching of the material, one should before remove the water adsorbed under high vacuum (10-5 mbar) at, at least 200 C, and carry out the FT-IR under protective atmosphere. If the authors carry out such an operation, the O-H stretching will look sharper such as in Figure 2a of (Inorg. Chem. 2017, 56, 861−871). Overall, a better discussion of the FTIR is required. The authors should also make sure that the amide peak at 1640 cm-1 that the authors deconvolute is not overlapped by the expected moisture signal at about the same energy. Thank you for your suggestion, the results were analyzed again and the discussion was modified.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 4 Report

The authors use potential toxic materials like nejayote and pericarp derived from nixtamalization and convert them into stable and biodegradable films that can be used for enhancing the stability of fruits such as Avocado. The authors have nicely characterized the nanomaterial derived from these molecules and showed their application on enhancing the shelf life and biological properties of avocado. The manuscript is nicely written and data is properly analyzed. Few more changes and experiments are required before the decision could be made:

1. The toxicity of these materials in terms of antibacterial properties or cell death should be studied and quantified before applying these on the fruits. 

2. Figures 3-6, the blank untreated controls are missing. 

 

 

 

Please check for the proper grammatical use of words and phrases. 

Author Response

Reviewer 4

The authors use potential toxic materials like nejayote and pericarp derived from nixtamalization and convert them into stable and biodegradable films that can be used for enhancing the stability of fruits such as Avocado. The authors have nicely characterized the nanomaterial derived from these molecules and showed their application on enhancing the shelf life and biological properties of avocado. The manuscript is nicely written and data is properly analyzed.

Thanks for your comments and suggestions

Few more changes and experiments are required before the decision could be made:

1. The toxicity of these materials in terms of antibacterial properties or cell death should be studied and quantified before applying these on the fruits. 

Thank you very much by your comments. In this study, we did not consider to evaluate the toxicity of the films by the following reasons.

1. a) The avocado peel is removed for it consume, therefore the consumer does not eat the coated peel, however a new study about the coating material diffusion through avocado peel could be proposed.
2. b) Nejayote was adjusted to pH 5 (It was added in films elaboration method) near to the neutrality.
3. c) It was reported that Nejayote is used for preparing bread (Acosta-Estrada, et al., 2014)

However, the toxicity of these materials and their antibacterial properties can be seen as a limitation of this study and a future direction for new ones. These were added in the manuscript. Please consider it.

2. Figures 3-6, the blank untreated controls are missing. ç

Thank you for your comments, figures 3-6 correspond only to the characterization of the three films. In this stage of the study, the films had not been applied to fruits yet, therefore there is not a control. The control avocados were those that not were coated. Please consider it.

                                                         

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

Dear Editor, 

I am writing to express my enthusiasm for the manuscript titled ""Development of biodegradable films produced from residues of nixtamalization of popcorn" and to request its acceptance for publication in Applied Sciences. I recommend the acceptance of this manuscript for publication in Applied Sciences. Thank you for considering my request. I appreciate your time and dedication in managing the publication process. I look forward to the opportunity to contribute further to the journal's peer-review process.

Yours sincerely,

Reviewer 3 Report

After consulting the revised manuscript I believe that the authors have complied to the requested revisions and the manuscript is now acceptable.

There are minor English issues remaining; for instance in the conclusions "Pericarp film (P film) is the best because..." should be better written as "Pericarp provided the film (P film) with the best properties because...." and "It is even needed some future studies about...." would be better written as "some future studies about... are needed".

Overall, while the English is understandable, it should be presented by using a more neutral and "scientific" expression