Proposal of New Emulsion Systems Containing Hydroxypropylmethylcellulose as a Viscosity Modifier and Diacylglycerols from Mutton Tallow and Hemp Seed Oil
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
The paper prepared new emulsions based on enzyme-modified fats using hydroxymethylcellulose as viscosity modifier. The work is solid. I recommend publishing the paper after major revision.
1. The stability and physicochemical properties of emulsions based on modified fats without HMPC should be investigated as the control experiments.
2. The legends of Figure 1 should be in English.
Author Response
Dear Reviewer,
We would like to thank you for carefully reading of our manuscript (ID: applsci-2479026 ) entitled “Proposal of new emulsion systems containing hydroxymethylcellulose as viscosity modifier and fatty phase based on enzymatically modified mutton tallow with hemp oil”. We appreciate your comments and constructive recommendations, which have contributed to the improvement of our manuscript. Here, we present separate answers to your comments. We also send the modified file via the online submission process. The corrections introduced are in the red colour.
Comments:
The paper prepared new emulsions based on enzyme-modified fats using hydroxymethylcellulose as viscosity modifier. The work is solid. I recommend publishing the paper after major revision.
- The stability and physicochemical properties of emulsions based on modified fats without HMPC should be investigated as the control experiments.
Answer
Control samples were not really indicated at this stage. The authors focused on varying the concentration of the thickener and obtaining an answer as to what smallest concentration of this thickener is effective to obtain a stable system. In addition, the type of modified fat used was an important factor in our study. Since emulsifiers were formed during the modification process, it was unreasonable to create systems on mixed fats (which could then be used as a reference). In such samples, there would be no emulsifier at all. Thus, the article (paper) was created by examining the two variables of fat and amount of emulsifier.
- The legends of Figure 1 should be in English.
Answer
Figure 1 was corrected.
Reviewer 2 Report
The authors describe a new emulsion system based on modified fats with varying amounts of hydroxypropylmethylcellulose. The stability and properties of the emulsions were investigated using Turbiscan analysis, evaluation of microstructure, texture, particle size, and viscosity. While this study is meaningful, the writing lacks comparative discussion and in-depth demonstration. The following points are questionable and require major modifications:
1. The abstract lacks quantitative data and should be improved with more quantitative information.
2. The Introduction is poorly written and requires significant editing, regardless of the future journal where this work will be published. The introduction lacks a concise summary of the research background and a clear explanation of the purpose and significance of this study. For example, what are the current strategies for improving emulsion stability? The authors need to provide more literature summaries to support their claims. Regarding the statement in lines 44-46: "There are two mechanisms of action of texture modifiers. They consist of increasing the viscosity of the continuous phase (viscosity modifiers) or creating a gel structure in this phase (gelling agents)," it is not clear and requires more references. Why was hydroxypropylmethylcellulose chosen? Have similar research studies using hydroxypropylmethylcellulose as viscosity modifiers in emulsion systems been reported previously?
3. I recommend presenting the method of enzymatically modifying fat mixtures with manufactured emulsifiers (mono- and diacylglycerols) in the Materials and Methods section.
4. How did the authors confirm the effectiveness of the enzymatic modification in the fat mixtures? Were corresponding experiments conducted? Please provide experimental evidence and result statements to support this.
5. In lines 132-133, the definition of adhesion force is a little confusing. Could the authors provide a more detailed explanation and supporting references?
6. The sentence in lines 223-226, "The results obtained in terms of changes in backscattered light intensity for E1 and E2 systems indicate that it is possible to produce emulsion systems containing HPMC that show good stability for at least 31 days," is not easy to understand. Please rephrase it for clarity.
7. In lines 253-254, the statement "...perhaps the higher proportion of hemp seed oil negatively affected the final homogenization efficiency" needs clarification. How did the authors arrive at this conclusion?
8. In lines 264 and 265, what do "E25-E27" and "E18-E24" refer to?
9. In Figure 1 & 6, what do the labels represent? Are they in English?
10. The sentence in lines 370-372 is confusing. What is the meaning of "emulsion E1 was indicated"?
11. The formatting of the references is inconsistent. Please correct them.
12. I recommend seeking the assistance of a professional expert to revise the manuscript and improve the quality of writing and grammar.
I recommend seeking the assistance of a professional expert to revise the manuscript and improve the quality of writing and grammar.
Author Response
Dear Reviewer,
We would like to thank you for carefully reading of our manuscript (ID: applsci-2479026 ) entitled “Proposal of new emulsion systems containing hydroxymethylcellulose as viscosity modifier and fatty phase based on enzymatically modified mutton tallow with hemp oil”. We appreciate your comments and constructive recommendations, which have contributed to the improvement of our manuscript. Here, we present separate answers to your comments. We also send the modified file via the online submission process. The corrections introduced are in the red colour.
Comments:
The authors describe a new emulsion system based on modified fats with varying amounts of hydroxypropylmethylcellulose. The stability and properties of the emulsions were investigated using Turbiscan analysis, evaluation of microstructure, texture, particle size, and viscosity. While this study is meaningful, the writing lacks comparative discussion and in-depth demonstration. The following points are questionable and require major modifications:
- The abstract lacks quantitative data and should be improved with more quantitative information.
Answer
The abstract was corrected.
2.The Introduction is poorly written and requires significant editing, regardless of the future journal where this work will be published.
The introduction lacks a concise summary of the research background and a clear explanation of the purpose and significance of this study.
For example, what are the current strategies for improving emulsion stability?
Answer
It was corrected.
3.The authors need to provide more literature summaries to support their claims. Regarding the statement in lines 44-46: "There are two mechanisms of action of texture modifiers. They consist of increasing the viscosity of the continuous phase (viscosity modifiers) or creating a gel structure in this phase (gelling agents)," it is not clear and requires more references.
Answer
The sentence was rephrased, additional reference was added.
4.Why was hydroxypropylmethylcellulose chosen? Have similar research studies using hydroxypropylmethylcellulose as viscosity modifiers in emulsion systems been reported previously?
Answer
Hydroxypropylmethylcellulose is one of the many thickeners we deal with in our project. In this article, we limited the research only for this thickener. Some of these have already been published, while others are in the process of being tested and developed. Concerning the use of hydroxypropylmethylcellulose in emulsions, it is a typical thickener and there are many systems based on this ingredient for cosmetic or food emulsion systems. To date, however, no work has been done on the use of this thickener if the fat phase was enzymatically modified fat.
- I recommend presenting the method of enzymatically modifying fat mixtures with manufactured emulsifiers (mono- and diacylglycerols) in the Materials and Methods section.
Answer
Section was implemented.
- How did the authors confirm the effectiveness of the enzymatic modification in the fat mixtures? Were corresponding experiments conducted? Please provide experimental evidence and result statements to support this.
Answer
Section was implemented.
- In lines 132-133, the definition of adhesion force is a little confusing. Could the authors provide a more detailed explanation and supporting references?
Answer
Section was modified.
- The sentence in lines 223-226, "The results obtained in terms of changes in backscattered light intensity for E1 and E2 systems indicate that it is possible to produce emulsion systems containing HPMC that show good stability for at least 31 days," is not easy to understand. Please rephrase it for clarity.
Answer
The sentence was corrected.
- In lines 253-254, the statement "...perhaps the higher proportion of hemp seed oil negatively affected the final homogenization efficiency" needs clarification. How did the authors arrive at this conclusion?
Answer
The sentence was corrected.
- In lines 264 and 265, what do "E25-E27" and "E18-E24" refer to?
Answer
The designations are due to an obvious mistake and have been corrected.
- In Figure 1 & 6, what do the labels represent? Are they in English?
Answer
Abbreviations were described in materials and methods section. Figure labels were translated for Figure 1, 2 and 6.
- The sentence in lines 370-372 is confusing. What is the meaning of "emulsion E1 was indicated"?
Answer
The sentence was corrected.
- The formatting of the references is inconsistent. Please correct them.
Answer
The consistency of references was reviewed.
- I recommend seeking the assistance of a professional expert to revise the manuscript and improve the quality of writing and grammar.
Answer
The article was reviewed.
Reviewer 3 Report
Proposal of New Emulsion Systems Containing Hydroxymethylcellulose as Viscosity Modifier and Fatty Phase Based on Enzymatically Modified Mutton Tallow with Hemp Oil
References 4 and 5 are from 2019 and 2017 respectively. Please use current references.
Lines: 33-36. The definition of emulsion stability is very poorly described in the introduction section. I suggest reading the following article: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0166662289802719
in the introduction it is not mentioned what hydroxypropylmethylcellulose is. What is it used for?
Line 52. the objective of the work is not in accordance with the methodology presented
The article presents many deficiencies in the introduction, it does not clearly present an experimental design. The conclusions are not consistent with the stated objective
Author Response
Dear Reviewer,
We would like to thank you for carefully reading of our manuscript (ID: applsci-2479026 ) entitled “Proposal of new emulsion systems containing hydroxymethylcellulose as viscosity modifier and fatty phase based on enzymatically modified mutton tallow with hemp oil”. We appreciate your comments and constructive recommendations, which have contributed to the improvement of our manuscript. Here, we present separate answers to your comments. We also send the modified file via the online submission process. The corrections introduced are in the red colour.
Comments:
- Proposal of New Emulsion Systems Containing Hydroxymethylcellulose as Viscosity Modifier and Fatty Phase Based on Enzymatically Modified Mutton Tallow with Hemp Oil
- References 4 and 5 are from 2019 and 2017 respectively. Please use current references.
Answer
Reference 4 was replaced.
- Lines: 33-36. The definition of emulsion stability is very poorly described in the introduction section. I suggest reading the following article: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0166662289802719
Answer
Section was added.
- in the introduction it is not mentioned what hydroxypropylmethylcellulose is. What is it used for?
Answer
Section regarding HPMC was replaced.
- Line 52. the objective of the work is not in accordance with the methodology presented
Answer
The sentence was rephrased.
- The article presents many deficiencies in the introduction, it does not clearly present an experimental design. The conclusions are not consistent with the stated objective
Answer
It was corrected.
Reviewer 4 Report
Dear authors,
To start with, the work you have presented is not reproducible, as the experimental description is very incomplete. It remains unclear how you homogenized. Which tool did you use. What dimensions and gap widths it has. What does the dispersion vessel look like. What dimensions does it have and how is the dispersing tool installed there with what gaps. In addition, for the fat types in Table 2, you refer to a new paper of your own from Acta Pol. Pharm. However, this type designation is not found there. I recommend to add the composition table of the used fat types in the paper and not to limit oneself only to the indication of the ratio mutton tallow fat: hamp seed oil. In the area of analytics, the determination of the zeta potential, measured immediately after the production of the emulsions, is missing in any case. In the viscosity measurement, the data of the spindle diameter and the vessel diameter as well as the immersion depth would be useful.
In the discussion section, present your results strictly sorted by E1, E2,... and this is how you discuss them. This should also be done in relation to the fat composition, which is unclear. Especially the question how many monoglyerides are contained in T-1 to T-5 could be of importance and should be discussed.
Please check the heading
Maybe
Proposal of new emulsion systems containing hydroxymethyl- 2 cellulose as viscosity modifier and DIACYLGLYCEROLS FROM MUTTON TALLOW AND HEMP SEED OIL BLENDS
fits better
Author Response
Dear Reviewer,
We would like to thank you for your careful reading of our manuscript. We appreciate your comments and constructive recommendations, which have contributed to the improvement of our manuscript. Here, we present separate answers to your comments. We also send the modified file via the online submission process (changes with blue colour).
- To start with, the work you have presented is not reproducible, as the experimental description is very incomplete. It remains unclear how you homogenized. Which tool did you use. What dimensions and gap widths it has. What does the dispersion vessel look like. What dimensions does it have and how is the dispersing tool installed there with what gaps.
Answer
Section 2.2.1 was modified and section 2.2.2. was added (emulsions preparation process description). Homogenizer type was rotor-stator, ULTRA-TURRAX T18, dispersing tool S18G-19G (IKA, China). The missing data was added. Unfortunately, we did not find such information provided by the manufacturer.
- In addition, for the fat types in Table 2, you refer to a new paper of your own from Acta Pol. Pharm. However, this type designation is not found there.
Answer
The information was added to the section 2.2.1.
- I recommend to add the composition table of the used fat types in the paper and not to limit oneself only to the indication of the ratio mutton tallow fat: hamp seed oil.
Answer
Table 1 and Figure 1 were supplemented with information on the content of emulsifiers (mono- and diacylglycerols) in the modified fat mixtures constituting the fat phases of the emulsions.
- In the area of analytics, the determination of the zeta potential, measured immediately after the production of the emulsions, is missing in any case. In the viscosity measurement, the data of the spindle diameter and the vessel diameter as well as the immersion depth would be useful.
Answer
We used Turbiscan apparatus to determine the stability of the emulsions. We did not have access to a zetasizer or master sizer apparatus so this type of test was not included. In our opinion, it was important to determine the degree and dynamics of change, so we felt that the Turbiscan determination was sufficient.
- In the discussion section, present your results strictly sorted by E1, E2,... and this is how you discuss them. This should also be done in relation to the fat composition, which is unclear. Especially the question how many monoglyerides are contained in T-1 to T-5 could be of importance and should be discussed.
In our opinion, describing each emulsion one by one will not have the correct translation and outcome that we intended. There are 15 emulsions in the work, some elements are repeated, which gives us a certain discussion and then conclusions. Describing each emulsion chronologically will create a completely different work. Therefore, we think it is more appropriate to remain in such a description scheme. We apologize for such approach.
- Please check the heading
Maybe
Proposal of new emulsion systems containing hydroxymethyl- 2 cellulose as viscosity modifier and DIACYLGLYCEROLS FROM MUTTON TALLOW AND HEMP SEED OIL BLENDS fits better
Answer
The title was modified, according to the reviewer’s suggestion, in fact it fits better.
Round 2
Reviewer 2 Report
Accept in the revised form.
Author Response
Dear Reviewer,
I have not find any comments,
Regards,
Reviewer 3 Report
Research is nos conducted correctly
Author Response
Dear Reviewer,
Suggestion
- Research is nos conducted correctly
Answer
Thank you for referring to our article again. Unfortunately, at this point, I don't really know what the reviewer wishes for us to improve the paper. The wording that the research requires the experiment to be done correctly does not show us the way of reference. We have made changes in line with changes also suggested by other reviewers. I hope that this type of amendment will allow the reviewer to look favorably on our work
Reviewer 4 Report
Many thanks for the changes.
