Application of prebiotics in apple products and potential health benefits.

Among the fruits, the apple stands out among the most used for elaboration of processed foods. However, the importance of prebiotics in apple products has never been widely analyzed. Prebiotic is a food component resistant to gastric acidity, digestion by mammalian enzymes and gastrointestinal absorption. But following fermentation in the colon, prebiotics result in specific changes in the composition and / or metabolism of the gastrointestinal microbiota, conferring benefits to the health of the host. Therefore, fortifying apple-based products with additional prebiotics is an important strategy for improving consumer health benefits. In this review, after compiling and analyzing scientific and technological studies focusing on prebiotics in apple products, the following benefits of these prebiotics became evident: (1) reduction of water loss in the food matrix; (2) preservation of bioactive and volatile compounds; (3) texture improvement (thickening) in the food industry; (4) increased shelf-live and (5) increased survival of probiotic bacteria, promoting positive effects on microbiota. In addition, this review shows the benefits of different prebiotics for stability and sensory acceptance of apple processed foods.

Phytotoxicity test in check: Proposition of methodology for comparison of different method adaptations usually used worldwide.

Seed germination tests have been widely used in recent years to indicate the toxicity levels of samples of organic compounds, biosolids, residues and effluents. Lactuca sativa L, commonly known as lettuce, has been one of the main indicative species for these tests due to its high sensitivity to low levels of toxicity, when compared to other seeds and also because it is cultivated worldwide. Although this type of analysis or essay is being widely used, it is necessary to reflect on the various adaptations of methods used by different researchers worldwide. This work presents an innovative methodology that makes it possible to compare the different phytotoxicity methods currently used in the world, through four stages that include the coefficient of variation (CV) as the main classification criterion, also counting on an eliminatory criterion. The existence of a significant difference (P value < 0.05) between the evaluated tests was proven. The phytotoxicity test that presented the lowest CV was T8 (test with lettuce seeds at 25 °C, 60 min agitation, resting overnight, 5 mL of sample on the plate, 90 mm size plate). It has concluded that not all adaptations of this type of test are reliable. It has also concluded that there is a lack of standardization for the phytotoxicity test on a global scale, which makes the various researchers in the field end up promoting variations, adaptations for the phytotoxicity test; therefore, there is an urgent need for ways to compare these variations, as the innovation proposed by this work. With a single standard methodology, we conclude that it will make it possible to compare phytotoxicity in samples directly between countries and continents, being able to generate a worldwide panorama of phytotoxicity, publicizing and comparing the standardized phytotoxicity levels in each region.

Gluten-free green banana flour muffins: chemical, physical, antioxidant, digestibility and sensory analysis.

Considering the low availability of gluten-free products that are offered an affordable price and good sensory characteristics, the main objective of the study was developed a gluten-free muffin based on green banana flour and evaluate their physical-chemical and sensorial aspects. The quality of the muffin was analyzed through such moisture content, ashes, proteins, lipids, fiber, carbohydrates, total caloric content, yield mass, weight loss in the supply, antioxidant activity, protein digestibility, and hedonic scale. The results showed that the gluten-free muffin had a moisture content of 26.7%, ash of 2.39%, lipids of 15.4%, proteins of 10.3%, fibers of 1.2%, carbohydrates of 44.0%, the total caloric value of 261.2 kcal, high protein digestibility and moderate antioxidant activity. The acceptability index was 84.5%. It has been concluded that gluten-free muffin with green banana flour is a viable alternative for the reason that they have higher protein content than other alternative flours.