Untargeted metabolomic profile of recovered bioactive compounds by subcritical water extraction of acerola (Malpighia emarginata DC.) pomace.

The untargeted metabolomics approach was used to compare the chemical profiles of acerola (Malpighia emarginata DC.) pomace extracts. The effect of drying the raw material before subcritical water extraction (SWE) at different temperatures on the yield, phenolic content, and in vitro antioxidant activity was evaluated. The results were compared with those obtained via Soxhlet and the findings suggest that SWE saves time (15 min) and solvent for extracting valuable components as compared to Soxhlet (6 h). An increase in temperature significantly improved the extraction yield (23.9 to 33.4 %), phenolic content (119.1 to 362 mgGAEg-1), and antioxidant activity, and higher values were obtained with SWE as compared to Soxhlet. The most abundant compounds detected by UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS were ascorbic acid, kaempferol, quercetin, and isorhamnetin. The investigation of different moisture contents in the SWE showed promising results for eliminating the drying operation, saving time and energy, and obtaining highly concentrated phenolic-rich by-products.

Non-conventional techniques for the extraction of antioxidant compounds and lycopene from industrial tomato pomace (Solanum lycopersicum L.) using spouted bed drying as a pre-treatment.

This study aimed to use the non-conventional microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) and pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) techniques for recovering bioactive compounds from tomato pomace, a valuable agro-industrial waste. The raw material was previously dried using a spouted bed dryer and then submitted to extraction with green solvents. A response surface methodology (RSM) performed the optimization of MAE and PLE. Next, the yield and the antioxidant activity results were maximized, and the lycopene content of the optimum MAE and PLE extracts was assessed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Additionally, a fraction of raw material was oven dried as a comparison. The PLE extract exhibited the highest antioxidant activity, whereas the MAE extract showed the highest lycopene content (59.66 µg lycopene/g extract), which represents a 66.93% lycopene recovery compared to a standard technique with acetone. The remarkable results show that the non-conventional drying and extraction techniques were effective in valorizing this neglected material.

Co-precipitation of anthocyanin in PHBV by the SEDS technique.

Anthocyanins are pigments of plant origin responsible for most blue, purple and all shades of red found in flowers, fruits and some stems and roots of plants, besides comprising a class of potent antioxidant phenolic compounds. Due to the relevance of anthocyanins this work aims to encapsulate anthocyanin extracted from the wine lees through the Solution Enhanced Dispersion by Supercritical Fluids (SEDS) technique and to evaluate the thermal stability of encapsulated versus non-encapsulated anthocyanin. The highest encapsulation efficiency obtained was approximately 66%. Submicron size particles ranging from 0.22 to 0.30 µm were obtained and they were free of residual organic solvent. In relation to the thermal stability, it was verified that the particles degraded about six times less than the non-encapsulated sample, which allows numerous applications since one of the barriers of anthocyanin use is its sensitivity to high temperatures.

Investigation on the Anticonvulsant Potential of Luteolin and Micronized Luteolin in Adult Zebrafish (Danio rerio).

Epilepsy affects around 50 million people worldwide, and an important number of patients (30%) fail to respond to any available antiepileptic drug. Previous studies have shown that luteolin presents a promising potential as an anticonvulsant. On the other hand, different studies showed that luteolin does not promote anticonvulsant effects. Therefore, there is a lack of consensus about the use of luteolin for seizure control. Luteolin low bioavailability could be a limiting factor to obtain better results. Attractively, micronization technology has been applied to improve flavonoids bioavailability. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the effects of luteolin on its raw form and micronized luteolin in a PTZ-induced seizure model in adult zebrafish (Danio rerio). Our results demonstrate that luteolin and micronized luteolin did not block PTZ-induced seizures in adult zebrafish. Also, luteolin and micronized luteolin did not provoke behavioral changes. Finally, our results show that 24 h after seizure occurrence, no changes were detected for p70S6Kb, interleukin 1ß, and caspase-3 transcript levels. Altogether, we failed to observe an anticonvulsant potential of luteolin in adult zebrafish, even in its micronized form. However, we recommend new studies to investigate luteolin benefits in epilepsy.

Intensified green-based extraction process as a circular economy approach to recover bioactive compounds from soursop seeds (Annona muricata L.).

Soursop (Annona muricata L.) seeds, which is a residue obtained from juice agro-industries, were subjected to supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and subcritical water extraction (SWE) in single or combined mode to extract the potential value-added compounds. Different extraction methods were evaluated in terms of the extraction yield, phenolics content, antioxidant activity (DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP), and Maillard reaction products. The extracts were analyzed using SEM, GC-MS, and LC-MS/MS techniques. The temperature and a combination of high-pressure techniques positively affected the overall results (SFE + SWE), affording nonpolar and polar extracts rich in phenolics and antioxidant compounds. SEM analysis showed that the use of SFE caused modifications in the cell wall, and the oil fraction was rich in fatty acids. Twenty-nine compounds associated with soursop seed extracts were detected for the first time using LC-MS/MS, showing the potential of the raw material as well as promoting resource re-utilization in circular economy.

Estabilidade fenotípica de genótipos haplóides dobrados de algodoeiros obtidos por semigamia no estado de Minas Gerais / Stability of double haploid cotton genotypes developed by semigamy in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil

Os objetivos desta pesquisa foram: avaliar o desempenho de genótipos haplóides dobrados (HD) de algodoeiros frente aos cultivares que lhes deram origem em três ambientes contrastantes de Minas Gerais, determinar possíveis interações genótipos versus ambientes (GxA) e estimar parâmetros de estabilidade pertinentes. Oito genótipos incluindo haplóides dobrados (HD) obtidos pela técnica da semigamia e seus respectivos genitores, todos desenvolvidos pela EPAMIG, foram plantados em experimentos no ano agrícola 2006/2007 nas regiões do Triângulo Mineiro (Uberaba), Alto Paranaíba (Patos de Minas) e Norte de Minas (Nova Porteirinha). O delineamento experimental utilizado foi o de blocos ao acaso com cinco repetições. Foram realizadas análises individuais e conjuntas das principais características agronômicas e de fibra. A estabilidade foi avaliada, quando pertinente, pelos métodos de Annicchiarico (1992) e Lin e Binns (1988). Não foram encontradas interações GxA para a maioria das características. Os HD obtiveram, em média, desempenhos melhorados em relação aos seus parentais, portanto, a técnica do dobramento cromossômico do complemento haplóide em genótipos de algodoeiro não causou efeitos negativos sobre os fenótipos. Os haplóides dobrados foram mais estáveis que seus cultivares de origem, mostrando que a metodologia da semigamia é eficiente e promissora para obtenção de novos genótipos. Não foi confirmada a hipótese da homozigose esperada nos HD provocar menor estabilidade destes genótipos. No ambiente de Uberaba os HDs em geral apresentaram menor variância que os parentais, confirmando a eficiência do método da semigamia. O HD-Epamig-4 mostrou-se mais variável que o seu parental e que os demais HD.

The objectives of this research were: to evaluate the performance of doubled haploid genotypes as compared to their parents in three diverse environments in Minas Gerais state; to determine possible genotype-byenvironment (GxE) interactions, and to estimate stability paramenters when pertinent. A set of eight cotton genotypes which included doubled haploids (DH) obtained through semigamy and their respective progenitors, all developed by EPAMIG breeding program were planted in field trials conducted in the 2006/2007 growing season, at three representative locations of the regions: Triângulo Mineiro (Uberaba), Alto Paranaíba (Patos de Minas) and North (Nova Porteirinha). The experimental design used was the complete randomized-block, with five replications. The data collected comprised the characters of greater economic importance (agronomic and fiber properties). Analyzes of stability were performed, when pertaining, by the methods of Annicchiarico (1992) and Lin & Binns (1988). No significant GxE interactions were found for the great majority of the characters evaluated. The double-haploids were, in general, more stable than the parental genotypes from which they were derived, which demonstrated that the semigamy method is efficient and promising for the development of new genotypes. It was not confirmed the hypothesis that the high levels of expected homozygosis of the DH genotypes could imply lesser stability over different environments. In the location of Uberaba, the DH genotypes in general presented smaller variation than their respective parents for the traits evaluated and presented improved values for the characters, thus confirming the efficiency of the method. The DH-EPAMIG-4 was more variable than its parental genotype and the other DH genotypes.

The effect of temperature, pressure, exposure time, and depressurization rate on lipase activity in SCCO2.

We investigated the influence of temperature, pressure, exposure time, and decompression rate on lipase activity in high-pressure CO2 medium. A high-pressure, variable-volume view cell was employed in the experiments, varying the temperature from 30 to 70 degrees C in the pressure range of 70-250 bar at various high-pressure exposure times (60-360 min) and adopting several decompression rates (10-200 kg/[m3 x min]). The results obtained show that an increase in temperature and density led to an enhancement of enzyme activity losses while the decompression rates had a weak influence on enzyme inactivation.