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Degradable poly(β-amino ester) microparticles for cleansing products and food fortification
Summary
Researchers developed degradable microparticles made from a material that breaks down into sugar and amino acid byproducts, designed to replace the non-degradable plastic microbeads used in cleansing products and food fortification. These new particles performed similarly to conventional plastic microbeads but dissolve harmlessly in the environment. This innovation could help reduce one significant source of microplastic pollution that enters waterways and the food supply.
Microplastic pollution is a pressing global crisis caused by the extensive use of nondegradable microplastic materials in daily activities. One effective approach to mitigate this issue is to replace nondegradable plastics with degradable materials that have properties amendable for targeted applications. Here we present the development of a degradable microparticle (MP) platform based on a poly(β-amino ester) (PAE) that degrades into sugar and amino acid derivatives. This PAE MP platform showed functional replacement of nondegradable microplastics used in cleansing products and food fortification. In cleansing products, PAE MPs effectively enhanced the cleansing efficiency of a representative rinse-off product and showed effective removal of potentially toxic elements, as an alternative of traditional nondegradable microbeads. In food fortification, PAE MPs provided robust protection for multiple essential vitamins and minerals against extensive cooking and storage conditions with rapid nutrient release in a simulated human digestion system. Collectively, these PAE MPs present a potential platform to replace microplastic usage on a global scale in many applications.