The nanotech potential of turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) in food technology: A review.

New trends in food are emerging in response to consumer awareness of the relationship between food and health, which has triggered the need to generate new alternatives that meet the expectations of the market. Revolutionary fields such as nanotechnology have been used for the encapsulation of nutritional ingredients and have great potential for the management of food additives derived from fruits and plant species. Turmeric, a spice that has been used as a dyeing agent, is recognized for its properties in Ayurveda medicine. This article aims to provide an overview of the characteristics of turmeric as an ingredient for the food industry, including its properties as a coloring agent, antioxidant, and functional ingredient. This article also highlights the potential of nanotechnology to enhance these properties of turmeric and increase the possibilities for the application of its components, such as cellulose and starch, in the development of nanostructures for food development.

Nanocellulose from Cocoa Shell in Pickering Emulsions of Cocoa Butter in Water: Effect of Isolation and Concentration on Its Stability and Rheological Properties.

There is a growing interest in developing new strategies to completely or partially replace cocoa butter in food and cosmetic products due to its cost and health effects. One of these alternatives is to develop stable emulsions of cocoa butter in water. However, incorporating cocoa butter is challenging as it solidifies and forms crystals, destabilizing the emulsion through arrested coalescence. Prevention against this destabilization mechanism is significantly lower than against coalescence. In this research, the rheological properties of nanocellulose from cocoa shell, a by-product of the chocolate industry, were controlled through isolation treatments to produce nanocellulose with a higher degree of polymerization (DP) and a stronger three-dimensional network. This nanocellulose was used at concentrations of 0.7 and 1.0 wt %, to develop cocoa butter in-water Pickering emulsion using a high shear mixing technique. The emulsions remained stable for more than 15 days. Nanocellulose was characterized using attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), hot water and organic extractives, atomic force microscopy (AFM), degree of polymerization (DP), and rheological analysis. Subsequently, the emulsions were characterized on days 1 and 15 after their preparation through photographs to assess their physical stability. Fluorescent and electronic microscopy, as well as rheological analysis, were used to understand the physical properties of emulsions.

Use of Fourier Series in X-ray Diffraction (XRD) Analysis and Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) for Estimation of Crystallinity in Cellulose from Different Sources.

Cellulose crystallinity can be described according to the crystal size and the crystallinity index (CI). In this research, using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods, we studied the crystallinity of three different types of cellulose: banana rachis (BR), commercial cellulose (CS), and bacterial cellulose (BC). For each type of cellulose, we analyzed three different crystallization grades. These variations were obtained using three milling conditions: 6.5 h, 10 min, and unmilled (films). We developed a code in MATLAB software to perform deconvolution of the XRD data to estimate CI and full width at half-maximum (FWHM). For deconvolution, crystalline peaks were represented with Voigt functions, and a Fourier series fitted to the amorphous profile was used as the amorphous contribution, which allowed the contribution of the amorphous profile to be more effectively modeled. Comparisons based on the FTIR spectra and XRD results showed there were no compositional differences between the amorphous samples. However, changes associated with crystallinity were observed when the milling time was 10 min. The obtained CI (%) values show agreement with values reported in the literature and confirm the effectiveness of the method used in this work in predicting the crystallization aspects of cellulose samples.

Desarrollo de un refresco a partir de la mezcla de fresa ( Fragaria ananassa ), mora ( Rubus glaucus ), gulupa ( Passiflora edulis Sims ) y uchuva ( Physalis peruviana L. ) fortificado con hierro dirigido a niños en edad preescolar / Development of an iron-fortified drink from strawberry ( Fragaria ananassa ), blackberry ( Rubus glaucus ), purple passion fruit ( Passiflora edulis sims ) and gooseberry ( Physalis peruviana l. ) for preschoolers

RESUMEN Antecedentes la deficiencia de hierro, es reconocida a nivel mundial como uno de los principales problemas de salud pública asociados a la nutrición. En Colombia es necesario mejorar las estrategias nutricionales encaminadas a la población infantil, con el fin de incrementar su calidad de vida. Objetivo: desarrollar un refresco a partir de la mezcla de fresa, mora, gulupa y uchuva fortificado con hierro para niños en edad preescolar. Materiales y métodos para el desarrollo del producto, se seleccionaron cuatro frutas y se caracterizaron fisicoquímicamente. Para establecer la formulación del refresco, se realizó un diseño experimental ortogonal L82 , evaluando la aceptación sensorial como variable respuesta. Finalmente, se caracterizó el producto desarrollado, determinando el contenido de hierro y vitamina C. Resultados los ocho prototipos evaluados durante el desarrollo de la formulación, cumplieron con los requisitos establecidos en la normativa colombiana para los refrescos de fruta. El prototipo final presentó un contenido de 36,7% de fruta y el 40% del valor diario recomendado de hierro, en una porción de 250 ml. Conclusiones las cuatro frutas estudiadas pueden ser utilizadas en el desarrollo de refrescos con un importante aporte de vitamina C y fortificados con hierro, como estrategia nutricional para prevenir la deficiencia de este mineral en niños.

ABSTRACT Background Iron deficiency is recognized worldwide as a major public health concern, related to nutrition. In Colombia, the improvement of the nutritional strategies for children are required to increase their life quality. Objective To develop a mixed fruit beverage from strawberry, blackberry, gooseberry and purple passion fruit, fortified with iron for preschoolers. Materials and methods For the product development, four fruits were selected and characterized. To establish the beverage formulation, an orthogonal experimental design L825 was performed, evaluating the sensory acceptance as the response variable. Finally, the selected product was characterized by determining the content of iron and vitamin C. Results The eight prototypes obtained during the development of the beverage formulation accomplished the requirements of the Colombian law. The final prototype had a fruit content of 36.7 wt% and an iron intake value of 40 wt%, in a portion of 250 ml. Conclusions the four fruits studied can be used for the development of iron-fortified beverages, with an important contribution of vitamin C, as a nutritional strategy to prevent the deficiencies of this mineral in children.