Generation of porous scaffolds from cacao mesocarp for biomedical applications using surface response methodology

Tissue engineering is the area where cells are applied in combination with biomaterials that induce the proliferation of these cells, in order to regenerate different types of tissues in an organism. Different cytocompatible biomaterials have been developed for this application; however, there is no production of this type of materials in Ecuador. A viable alternative, to produce biomaterials that help cellular regeneration is the use of lignocellulosic material which can be found in agroindustrial waste, due to its high biocompatibility. Therefore, the present study evaluates the use of waste from the pod shell of cacao type CCN-51, which is abundant in Ecuador, for the production of porous scaffolds by alkaline treatments applying a response surface design (Central Composite Designs). Scaffolds were produced by means of an alkaline attack using NaOH, varying operating conditions such as reactant concentration, biomass concentration, operating time, temperature, and mesocarp dimensions to generate a prediction model through the implementation of a central composite design (CCD). It was found that temperature and NaOH concentration were the most influential variables in the model. The CCD analysis allowed to partially predict the behavior of each output variable (lignin content, cellulose, ash and yield) with respect to the input variables mentioned before, obtaining maximum values of yield and cellulose content of 7.91% and 63.77%, respectively. A physicochemical analysis by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetry, and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) showed important morphological and structural changes depending on the composition of the scaffold.