Pinhão potential and their parts (failures, shells, and almonds) in the elaboration of yogurts containing acai pulp: physicochemical, nutritional, and functional properties, antimicrobial activity, and multi-elemental profile.

This study applies natural resources, prioritizing recyclable and renewable inputs produced by pinhão cultivation, whose purpose is to use the failures, shells, and almonds as a source of bioactive compounds addition in yogurt, ensuring intelligent use of these natural resources. Thus, one açaí yogurt sample and eight yogurt formulations containing portions of pinhão byproducts between 5 % and 10 % were elaborated. These formulations were compared regarding their physicochemical, nutritional, functional properties, antimicrobial activity, and multi-elemental profile properties. Enriching açaí yogurt with pinhão byproducts does not significantly differ in protein, lipid, moisture, and mineral salt content between all samples with pinhão byproducts. Açaí yogurts enriched with pinhão byproducts had 5.71 to 26.07 % times total protein than the control sample, and total fiber also had a significant increase in samples ranging between 18.62 to 85.29 % times more than the control sample. Regarding color settings, all yogurt samples tended to be red-purple. A sample of açaí yogurt with pine nut flour and whole pine nut flour caused a biofilm mass amount of 46.58, 45.55, and 11.85 % for Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella enteritidis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The behavior of pathogenic bacteria is related to the total polyphenol content in yogurts enriched with pinhão byproducts, which increased from 8.27 to 18.24 mg/100 g. Yogurt with açaí enriched with whole pinhão flour showed high antioxidant capacity. The sample's antioxidant activity results increased by 47.62 % and 130.38 % in the ABTS and DPPH analyses, respectively. The compounds in pinhão failure nanosuspensions, pinhão flour, whole pinhão flour, and yogurts were identified and divided into hydrophilic and lipophilic classes. Five classes (amino acids, organic acids, sugars, phenols, and cyclitols) were identified as hydrophilic. Lipophilic compounds were identified and separated into six classes (carboxylic acids, diterpenes, alcohols, Α-hydroxy acids, sterols, and triterpenes). The addition of pinhão byproducts increased the contents of Ca, Fe, K, Na, and P. Açaí yogurt with pinhão nanosuspension, pinhão flour, and whole pinhão flour had the highest Ca content (2164.38 ± 2.16 µg/L). Açaí yogurt with pinhão flour and whole pinhão flour had the highest Fe content (84.02 ± 0.08 µg/L).

An opportunity for acerola pulp (Malpighia emarginata DC) valorization evaluating its performance during the block cryoconcentration by physicochemical, bioactive compounds, HPLC-ESI-MS/MS, and multi-elemental profile analysis.

The present study evaluated the effect of cryoconcentration of pulp blocks of acerola (Malpighia emarginata DC). The study evaluated cryoconcentration in three stages. The cryoconcentrated samples, the ice fractions, and the initial pulp were evaluated for physicochemical composition, bioactive composition, and multielement profile. The cryoconcentrated sample obtained in the third stage of cryoconcentration showed the best results for the concentration factor, process efficiency, total soluble solids content, red color intensity, and increasing of the macro and micronutrients: Cu, Ca, S, Sr, K, Mn, Na, P, Mg, Fe. All stages presented good performance in the total soluble solids content, increase in the titratable acidity of the concentrates, and progressive increase in the intensity of the red color. Generally, higher levels of total phenolic and antioxidant activity were found for the 2nd and 3rd concentrates. The phenolic activity showed an increase of 166.90% in the 3rd stage concentrate compared to fresh pulp, and the antioxidant activity was 112.10% by the ABTS method and 131.60% by the DPPH method, both in the 3rd stage concentrate. The major individual polyphenols were Ferulic acid, Protocatechuic acid, and Taxifolin, with significant increases in the concentration of the compounds in the 2nd and 3rd stage concentrates. In addition, the contents of potentially toxic metals were below detection limits. During the cryoconcentration process, there was a decrease in the values ​​of vitamin C content, moisture content, density, and elements Cu, Sr, and Zn.

Direct solid sample analysis using synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy coupled with chemometric tools for the geographical discrimination of coffee samples.

This work aims the study chemometric methods for the classification of the origin of coffee samples. Samples of finely pulverized coffee grains were analyzed by synchronous molecular fluorescence spectroscopy to carry out the classification. The spectral data of the samples were obtained in triplicate in two offsets: 10 nm (with emission wavelengths from 240 nm to 600 nm) and 40 nm (from 240 nm to 560 nm), all with 1 nm resolution. Different strategies were performed using the spectra obtained with the offsets of 10 nm and 40 nm and fused data at mid-level (10 nm + 40 nm). The performances of linear and nonlinear methods were compared, the best results were obtained from the raw data from the fusion at low-level of the 10 nm and 40 nm offset spectra with the Pareto optimization criterion.

Use of activated carbon obtained from sugarcane straw for PAH adsorption - a comparative study with commercial materials.

This work evaluates the performance of activated carbon obtained from sugarcane straw (SCAC) as an adsorbent for polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) present in model wastewater. Two commercial samples of activated carbons with different textural properties were also studied for comparison. The activated carbon prepared from sugarcane straw presents a well-developed porosity with a high surface area, which was comparable to that of one of the commercial samples studied. For all the studied carbons, adsorption followed pseudo-second-order kinetics, and the higher rate constants were found for the SCAC sample for the four PAHs. Sips and Hill isotherms best fitted the adsorption equilibrium data of the PAHs on all activated carbons investigated. The activated carbon obtained from sugarcane straw (SCAC) presented a higher adsorption capacity (2.08 mmol g-1 for naphthalene, 1.26 mmol g-1 for fluorene, 1.14 mmol g-1 for phenanthrene, and 0.98 mmol g-1 for fluoranthene) when compared to the commercial carbon samples studied in this work as well as for those related in the literature. It confirms that its use of SCAC as an adsorbent for PAHs is a promising application for the valorization of this biomass waste.

Multivariate optimization of microwave-assisted digestion methods for Cu and Sn determination in antifouling paints using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry.

Antifouling paints containing Cu, Zn, organotins, and many organic booster biocides may be found in ships and watercraft hulls to avoid the fouling of marine organisms. This type of paint can be harmful to the environment, therefore, the monitoring of toxic elements and compounds in antifouling paints are of great importance to access its quality and potential toxicity to the environment. Hence, this work describes the development of microwave-assisted digestion methods for the determination of Cu and Sn in antifouling paints by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES). The factors: sample mass and solutions of HNO3, HF, and HCl were optimized using the central composite design (CCD). Dry ashing with a muffle furnace and laser ablation-ICP-MS were used for methodological comparison with the microwave digestion-assisted ICP-OES methods. All the mixtures of acids allowed efficient extraction of the analytes; however, the one that stood out was the use of HF, HNO3, and H2O2.

Dairy powder enriched with a soy extract (Glycine max): Physicochemical and polyphenolic characteristics, physical and rehydration properties and multielement composition.

This work presents the enrichment of powdered dairy compounds with soy extract, and the determination of its physical properties, rehydration characteristics, multielement profile, and polyphenolic potential. Five dairy compound formulations were developed, where milk powder was replaced by 10, 20, 30, 40, and 49 % w/w of soy extract.. Multivariate analyzes using combined PCA analyzes were used to group the samples and, thus, reveal the main characteristics associated with their physicochemical properties, bioactive composition, and multi-element profile. The protein content in the samples was not significantly affected by the addition of soy extract. There was a gradual increase in the total fat as the concentration of soy extract increased. Furthermore, with the increase in the percentage of soy extract in the dairy compounds, there was an increase in the levels of total polyphenols, total flavonols, and antioxidant capacity, and of some minerals, such as Fe, Mn, P, Cu, and Mg. The DC49 sample showed the highest values for total polyphenols (178.65 mg of gallic acid (GAE)/100 g) and total flavonols (1.51 mg of catechin/100 g). The addition of soy extract promoted the enrichment of important minerals in the samples, with an increase of up to 55 times in the Fe content and up to 40 times in the Mn content. Physical properties (density and fluidity) and rehydration properties (wetting, dispersibility, and solubility) also were affected as the percentage of soy extract in the samples increased. When there was an addition of up to 20 % soy extract, the samples are still wettable. All dairy compounds showed solubility above 69 %. The use of soy extract in the polyphenolic and mineral enrichment of the dairy compounds is important to add nutritional value to powdered milk, we emphasize that this product has enormous potential to be used in diets that require mineral supplementation.

Changes in organic acids, polyphenolic and elemental composition of rosé sparkling wines treated with mannoproteins during over-lees aging.

The effect of mannoproteins on the evolution of rosé sparkling wines during over-lees aging was investigated on the basis of the chemical characterization of polyphenols, organic acids, macro- and microelements using a combined analytical approach. Variations on these constituents were assessed using Raman and near-infrared spectroscopy. During the biological aging, caffeic acid, catechin, gallic acid and malvidin-3-O-glucoside were the most abundant polyphenolics in the rosé wines. The phenolic compound tyrosol, a fermentation derivative, was found at concentrations up to 98.07 mg L-1. The addition of mannoproteins significantly affected the concentrations of organic acids and individual polyphenolic compounds, particularly trans-resveratrol, quercetin, catechin, p-coumaric and hydroxybenzoic acids that showed increased concentrations over time. The positive effects of mannoproteins were mainly observed at the end of the biological aging. The mineral composition remained stable, while potassium was the most abundant mineral in all wines. The observed changes involving these constituents may offer new insights on their behavior during wine aging and on the bioactive and nutritional quality of rosé sparkling wines.

Yogurt and whey beverages available in Brazilian market: Mineral and trace contents, daily intake and statistical differentiation.

Mineral and trace elements (Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Na, Pb, Cd, Cr, Cu, and Mn) in commercial strawberry-flavored yogurts and fermented whey beverages in Brazil were investigated. K, Ca, Na, Mg and Fe concentrations ranged from 1.6 to 1.4, 1.4 to 1.1, 0.74 to 0.68, 0.16 to 0.11, and 0.01 mg g-1 for yogurts and whey beverages, respectively. Similar concentrations of the minerals were observed for both products, except Mg (0.16 mg g-1 in yogurts and 0.11 mg g-1 in whey beverages). Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, and Pb was found below the detection limit (21.4 to 94.1 µg g-1), demonstrating safety levels for consumption. Regarding the mineral daily intake, consumption of 100 g of the product has relevance for calcium in infants (>40%) and children between 4 and 8 years (>13%), and a greater contribution of yogurt over whey beverage was observed. PLSDA model suggested that Mg analytical determination should be performed to ensure the identity of the product.

Similar glucose leakage pattern on smear-covered, EDTA-treated and BioPure MTAD-treated dentin.

This study assessed the effect of BioPure MTAD on the sealing ability on the basis of the filtration rate of glucose along the root fillings. Both 17% ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and smear-covered dentin were used as reference patterns to compare the results. Sixty-four human upper incisors were prepared with different irrigation protocols (n = 18): G1, NaOCl; G2, NaOCl + EDTA; and G3, NaOCl + BioPure MTAD. The teeth were obturated and then prepared in a double-chamber apparatus to evaluate the glucose leakage along the root fillings. The amount of glucose leakage was quantified with spectrophotometry at 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, and 56 days. Leakage existed in every sample and was variable in all of the experimental groups, and Kruskal-Wallis H test results showed that there were no significant differences among the experimental groups (P > .05). The smear-covered dentin did not allow more glucose leakage than EDTA-treated and BioPure MTAD-treated dentin.

Brazilian cheeses: A survey covering physicochemical characteristics, mineral content, fatty acid profile and volatile compounds.

Chemical characteristics, mineral levels (Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Na, Zn, Cr, Cu, and Mn), fatty acid profile and volatile compounds of typically Brazilian cheeses (Minas Frescal, Minas Padrão, Prato and Coalho, n = 200, equally distributed) were investigated. The cheeses have proven to be a source of Ca, Cu and Zn (>15% RDI/30 g), with low atherogenic and thrombogenic indices, with ethanol as the main alcohol and butanoic acid as the main acid, and moderate to high sodium content. Minas Frescal cheese presented lower nutritional value (proteins, lipids, and minerals), while Prato cheese had a higher fatty acids concentration, including conjugated linoleic acid (0.013 g 100 g-1). Coalho cheese had a higher acetic acid level, while citric acid and lactic acid predominated in Minas Padrão cheese. The results provide essential information for Brazilian consumers, demonstrated that the manufacturing conditions are heterogeneous and suggested that a standardized manufacturing protocol for dairy processors is needed.

Kinetic modeling and equilibrium studies during cadmium biosorption by dead Sargassum sp. biomass.

A basic investigation on the removal of cadmium(II) ions from aqueous solutions by dead Sargassum sp. was conducted in batch conditions. The influence of different experimental parameters; initial pH, shaking rate, sorption time, temperature and initial concentrations of cadmium ions on cadmium uptake was evaluated. Results indicated that cadmium uptake could be described by the Langmuir adsorption model, being the monolayer capacity negatively affected with an increase in temperature. Analogously, the adsorption equilibrium constant decreased with increasing temperature. The kinetics of the adsorption process followed a second-order adsorption, with characteristic constants increasing with increasing temperature. Activation energy of biosorption could be calculated as equal to 10 kcal/mol. The biomass used proved to be suitable for removal of cadmium from dilute solutions. Its maximum uptake capacity was 120 mg/g. It can be considered an optimal result when compared to conventional adsorbing materials. Thus Sargassum sp. has great potential for removing cadmium ions especially when concentration of this metal is low in samples such as wastewater streams.

Classification of edible oils and modeling of their physico-chemical properties by chemometric methods using mid-IR spectroscopy.

This research work describes two studies for the classification and characterization of edible oils and its quality parameters through Fourier transform mid infrared spectroscopy (FT-mid-IR) together with chemometric methods. The discrimination of canola, sunflower, corn and soybean oils was investigated using SVM-DA, SIMCA and PLS-DA. Using FT-mid-IR, DPLS was able to classify 100% of the samples from the validation set, but SIMCA and SVM-DA were not. The quality parameters: refraction index and relative density of edible oils were obtained from reference methods. Prediction models for FT-mid-IR spectra were calculated for these quality parameters using partial least squares (PLS) and support vector machines (SVM). Several preprocessing alternatives (first derivative, multiplicative scatter correction, mean centering, and standard normal variate) were investigated. The best result for the refraction index was achieved with SVM as well as for the relative density except when the preprocessing combination of mean centering and first derivative was used. For both of quality parameters, the best results obtained for the figures of merit expressed by the root mean square error of cross validation (RMSECV) and prediction (RMSEP) were equal to 0.0001.

Rapid characterization of transgenic and non-transgenic soybean oils by chemometric methods using NIR spectroscopy.

Near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and multivariate classification were applied to discriminate soybean oil samples into non-transgenic and transgenic. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was applied to extract relevant features from the spectral data and to remove the anomalous samples. The best results were obtained when with Support Vectors Machine-Discriminant Analysis (SVM-DA) and Partial Least Squares-Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) after mean centering plus multiplicative scatter correction. For SVM-DA the percentage of successful classification was 100% for the training group and 100% and 90% in validation group for non transgenic and transgenic soybean oil samples respectively. For PLS-DA the percentage of successful classification was 95% and 100% in training group for non transgenic and transgenic soybean oil samples respectively and 100% and 80% in validation group for non transgenic and transgenic respectively. The results demonstrate that NIR spectroscopy can provide a rapid, nondestructive and reliable method to distinguish non-transgenic and transgenic soybean oils.

Does active Crohn's disease have decreased intestinal antioxidant capacity?

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Oxidative stress is presumed to play an important role in Crohn's disease (CD) pathogenesis. Nevertheless, the evaluation of the intestinal antioxidant capacity through the analysis of glutathione peroxidase activity in CD remains to be determined. METHODS: 20 CD outpatients and 16 volunteers going through colonic cancer screening were enrolled. Colonoscopy with biopsies was performed in all individuals. Samples from inflamed and non-inflamed mucosa were taken when there was CD endoscopic activity. Spectrophotometric assays were performed to measure tissue glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity, and total (GSHT) and oxidized (GSSG) glutathione in all samples. Demographics and clinical characteristics were collected from clinical charts. RESULTS: Inflamed CD mucosa presented reduced GPx activity compared to non-inflamed CD mucosa (42.94mU/mg protein vs 79.62mU/mg protein, P<0.05) and control mucosa (42.94mU/mg protein vs 95.08mU/mg protein, P<0.001). GSHT concentration was reduced in inflamed mucosa when compared to non-inflamed CD mucosa (0.78µmol/g vs 1.98µmol/g, P<0.01) and the control group (0.78µmol/g vs 2.11µmol/g, P<0.001). A significant correlation was detected between GPx activity and GSSG (r=-0.599), disease duration (r=0.546), and thiopurine treatment (r=-0.480) in non-inflamed CD mucosa. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that reduced GPx activity is present in inflamed CD mucosa. In addition, endoscopic activity, disease duration and thiopurine therapy could be associated with mucosal decreased antioxidant activity.

Competitive biosorption of cadmium(II) and zinc(II) ions from binary systems by Sargassum filipendula.

The present work describes our study on the competitive biosorption of Cd(II) and Zn(II) ions onto Sargassum filipendula from single component and binary systems. Results showed that S. filipendula was an efficient biosorbent for the removal of Cd(II) and Zn(II) ions from an aqueous solution. The equilibrium experimental data for the single component system for the two metallic species fitted well to Langmuir and Langmuir-Freundlich isotherm models. Seven isotherm models were tested with the equilibrium data for modeling of the binary system. Based on the sum of squares error, the Langmuir-Freundlich isotherm model showed the best fit to the binary adsorption data. The influence of the additional cation on the behavior of the biosorption of Cd(2+) and Zn(2+) was analyzed comparing single component and binary isotherms. It was observed that Zn(2+) had a relevant effect on the Cd(2+) biosorption, but the interference of Cd(2+) on the sorption of Zn(2+) was considerably less intense.

Negligible expression of arsenic in some commercially available brands of Portland cement and mineral trioxide aggregate.

INTRODUCTION: This study was designed aiming to determine and compare the amount of arsenic in some brands of mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) and Portland cement. METHODS: In the present study, arsenic species (As[III], As[V], and dimethylarsinic acid) were separated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using a strong anion exchange column and converted into arsines by online HG. The instrumental coupling, HPLC-HG-AFS, was applied to 0.2 g of each cement that was prior digested in a solution of HCl, HNO(3), and HBF(4). Data were expressed as a part per million, and the preliminary analysis of the raw pooled data revealed a bell-shaped distribution. Statistical analysis was performed using one-way analysis of variance for multiple comparisons. RESULTS: In all chromatograms obtained, only type III arsenic could be detected. The minimum amount of arsenic was detected in samples of white MTA ProRoot (3.3 x 10-4) and the maximum in the samples MTA Bio Angelus (Angelus, Londrina, PR, Brazil) (8.6 x 10-4). In the Gray MTA (Angelus), gray ProRoot MTA (Tulsa/Dentsply, Tulsa, OK) and CP Juntalider (Brasilatex Ltda, Diadema, SP, Brazil) did not detect any trace of arsenic. The values of arsenic found in CP Irajazinho (Votorantim Cimentos, Rio Branco, SP, Brazil) and white MTA Angelus were intermediaries to minimum and maximum values. The nonparametric test Kruskal-Wallis showed statistically similar results among all cements tested (p > 0.5). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the present study showed that all cements showed insignificant amounts of type III arsenic as well as no trace of arsenic DMA and type V could be detected.

Dye extraction results on bacterial leakproof root fillings.

This study was designed to assess and compare the sensitivity and sealability results between bacterial leakage and dye extraction. Eighty mandibular incisors were prepared, and their roots were filled as follows (n = 20): G1, lateral condensation; G2, System B; and G3, Thermafil system. All teeth were mounted in a 2-chamber apparatus, and the coronal access was exposed to human saliva for 100 days. The remaining bacterial leakproof specimens were randomly assigned to create 3 new and equal groups (n = 10). These bacterial leakproof specimens were submitted to a dye extraction setup. Each specimen was placed into a plastic vial with 5 mL of 2% methylene blue for 48 hours. After storage, the specimens were rinsed with tap water and dissolved in nitric acid. A sample of 100 microL of the supernatant from each specimen was analyzed in a UV-Visible spectrophotometer to determine the amount of methylene blue leakage. The log-rank test showed no significant difference in the bacterial leakage pattern among the groups (P > .05). In the dye extraction analysis, Kruskal-Wallis H test was unable to detect significant differences among all experimental groups (P > .05). The 3 filling techniques displayed similar leakage for both leakage models. Moreover, the present study demonstrated that all bacterial leakproof specimens leaked when submitted to the blue methylene extraction model.

Characterization of thermostructural damages observed in a seaweed used for biosorption of cadmium: effects on the kinetics and uptake.

The effect of drying Sargassum filipendula on the kinetics and uptake of cadmium was studied. The maximum uptake was not reduced when ovendried biomass was used for cadmium concentrations from 10.0 to 500.0 mg/L. Kinetics indicated better performance of the in natura biomass. Drying at 333 K affected the uptake capacity. Results fit the Langmuir model better than the Freundlich. This process followed pseudo-second-order kinetics. Thermogravimetric and infrared analysis confirmed that no structural damage occurred after drying, and no differences between the biomasses were observed. Temperatures from 303 to 328 K affected cadmium uptake capacity.

The use of 2-2-thiazolylazo-p-cresol to minimize the interference of Ni and Cu for the bismuth determination in alloys by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry.

Thiazolylazo p-cresol (TAC) was studied as a masking agent for the determination of Bi in rich Ni and Cu alloys by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (HGAAS). In the presence of TAC, Bi/Ni and Bi/Cu ratios up to 1:160 000 and 1:16 000, respectively, were found to be tolerable. No buffering was necessary once the masking agent was effective even in very acid medium. Limits of detection at the low mug g(-1) range were reached and the accuracy of the procedure was confirmed by the good concordance between found and certified values in the analysis of certified reference materials (CRM).