A capsule for preparing a beverage from beverage powder, such as coffee from coffee powder, by introducing water into the capsule. The capsule includes a compacted pellet made of a powder containing at least one polysaccharide. The compacted pellet is sheathed with at least one coating layer that includes a cross-linked polysaccharide. The cross-linked polysaccharide can be obtained by cross-linking a polysaccharide with a cross-linking agent without the use of a polyol spacer. Also disclosed are methods for manufacturing such a capsule.

The present invention discloses a matrix comprising a modified polysaccharide consisting of repeating disaccharide units whereby in at least 11% of the disaccharide units one primary alcohol group is oxidized into a carboxylic acid group.

The present invention discloses a matrix comprising a modified polysaccharide consisting of repeating disaccharide units whereby in at least 11% of the disaccharide units one primary alcohol group is oxidized into a carboxylic acid group.

The present invention provides amidic polymers, which exhibit shale swelling inhibitor activity having improved biodegradability. The amidic polymers of the invention may be employed in a wide variety of compositions, particularly in subterranean drilling operations. Non-limiting generic structures of the amidic polymers are set out below: formula (1) wherein R.sub.1-R.sub.3 and integers m and n are defined herein. ##STR00001##

A capsule, especially for preparing a beverage from beverage powder, in particular of coffee from coffee powder, by introducing water into the capsule, wherein the capsule comprises a compacted pellet made of a powder containing at least one polysaccharide, wherein the compacted pellet is sheathed with at least one coating layer, wherein the at least one coating layer comprises a cross-linked polysaccharide, wherein the cross-linked polysaccharide can be obtained by cross-linking a polysaccharide with a cross-linking agent without the use of a polyol spacer.

A method for manufacturing such a capsule comprises the following steps: i) preparing a compacted pellet from a powder containing at least one polysaccharide, ii) bringing at least one part and preferably the entire surface of the compacted pellet used in step i) into contact with a solution of a polysaccharide in a solvent or with a dispersion of a polysaccharide in a dispersant, iii) when appropriate, removing of the compacted pellet from the solution or dispersion of step ii), iv) bringing the compacted pellet obtained in step ii) or iii) into contact with at least one cross-linking agent, v) when appropriate, removing the compacted pellet from the solution of step iv) and vi) drying of the compacted pellet obtained in step iv) or v).

The invention relates to the preparation and the use of ?,?-unsaturated aldehydes in the structure of sulfated polysaccharides. It concerns the derivatives with a conjugated double bond in the 4th and 5th positions of the galactopyranose part situated in the 6th position with respect to the aldehyde, according to the general structural formula (I) or its hydrated form according to the general structural formula (II). The preparation of these derivatives derives from sulfated polysaccharides containing a galactopyranose ring sulfated in the 4th position that is bound in the polymer chain via ?(1.fwdarw.3) or ?(1.fwdarw.3) O-glycosidic bond. In the described solution, the sulfated polysaccharides undergo a regio- and chemoselective oxidation to form C6-saturated aldehyde, which, via a direct elimination of the sulfate group, provides the ?,?-unsaturated derivative according to the general formula (I) or (II). The described solution is technically advantageous, because it leads directly to ?,?-unsaturated aldehydes, without any elimination agents, higher temperature, or isolation of intermediates during the synthesis. The conjugation in the structure of ?,?-unsaturated aldehyde allows, under physiological conditions, to bind a wide variety of biocompatible amines in the structure of the sulfated polysaccharides. The proposed method allows to prepare materials suitable for pH-responsive drug delivery systems, or for the preparation of scaffolds in tissue engineering or regenerative medicine. Formulae for the abstract (I), (II) above, where R is OH, OSO.sub.2OH, OSO.sub.2ONa, or NHAc.

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An integrated process for the recovery of a spectrum of commercially valuable products such as agar, cellulose, lipids, pigments and a liquid rich in minerals of agricultural importance directly from fresh seaweed without employing any catalyst driven in situ chemical conversions. Also solvents used during lipid extraction were shown to be used for three cycles without affecting the yield and quality of successive products. Furthermore, this new process is highly efficient and utilizes total seaweed raw material without any leftover biomass as solid waste.

A cell tissue gel, comprising one or more matrix molecules cross-linked with a cross-linking agent, and a quenching agent bound to a reactive group of the cross-linking agent, wherein the quenching agent contains a moiety that is capable of reacting with the reactive group of the cross-linking agent and the one or more matrix molecules contain one or more functional groups that are capable of cross-linking with the reactive group, the amount of the reactive group of the cross-linking agent being equal to or less than a total amount including the amount of the one or more functional groups and the amount of the moiety.

Described herein are hemi-aminal ethers and thioethers of N-alkenyl cyclic compounds that may be produced through a reaction comprising: (A) at least one first reactant represented by a structure (I), wherein X is a functionalized or unfunctionalized C.sub.1-C.sub.5 alkylene group optionally having one or more heteroatoms, and each R.sub.1, R.sub.2, and R.sub.3 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and functionalized and unfunctionalized alkyl groups optionally having one or more heteroatoms, and (B) at least one second reactant having at least one hydroxyl moiety or thiol moiety. The hemi-aminal ethers and thioethers of N-alkenyl cyclic compounds may comprise a polymerizable moiety, in which case they may be left as-is or used to create homopolymers or non-homopolymers, or they may not comprise a polymerizable moiety. A wide variety of formulations may be created using the hemi-aminal ethers and thioethers of N-alkenyl cyclic compounds, including personal care, oilfield, and construction formulations. ##STR00001##

Disclosed herein are compositions and articles made therefrom, the compositions and articles comprising at least one hydrocolloid, at least one plasticizer, at least one filler and/or humectant and water. Typically, the components are derived from biological sources, such as seaweed, plants, or animals. Typically, the components are made from food quality ingredients, making the compositions and articles edible and/or biodegradable. The compositions are used to form articles, such as straws, and the articles have desirable flexibility and moisture barrier properties, such as swelling resistance, as well as biodegradability and/or compostability properties.