Potential Challenges of the Extraction of Carotenoids and Fatty Acids from Pequi (Caryocar brasiliense) Oil.

Pequi is a natural source of bioactive compounds with wide versatility for fresh or processed fruit consumption, but it is still little explored economically. Functional foods are the subject of diverse scientific research since, in addition to being nourishing, they contain bioactive compounds capable of promoting several benefits to the human body. Pequi is a fruit species native to the Brazilian Cerrado, which is rich in oil and has components with a high nutritional value, such as unsaturated fatty acids (omega-3, omega-6, EPA, and DHA), antioxidants (carotenoids and phenolic compounds), and vitamins. Therefore, the present narrative review aims to compile and critically evaluate the methods used to extract oil from the pulp and almonds of pequi and describes the carotenoid separation from the oil because carotenoids are natural pigments of great interest in the pharmaceutical and food industries. It is emphasized that the main challenges linked to bioactive compound extraction are their susceptibility to degradation in the processing and storage stages of pequi and its derived products.

Stabilization of oil-water emulsions with protein concentrates from the microalga Tetradesmus obliquus.

The present work used water-soluble protein concentrates from the microalga Tetradesmus obliquus to stabilize sunflower oil emulsions. Microalgal cells were disrupted by sonication, and proteins were separated from the biomass using two methods, isoelectric and solvent precipitations. The protein extracts were concentrated by lyophilization, and the concentrates were used to produce emulsions with three amounts of Tetradesmus obliquus protein concentrate (TobPC) (0.1, 0.5, and 1.0% w/v). Emulsions were homogenized through sonication and characterized for creaming index, optical microscopy, size distribution, ζ-potential, and rheology. Isoelectric precipitation resulted in TobPC with a high protein content (51.46 ± 2.37%) and a better dispersibility profile. Emulsion stability was higher for both the isoelectric TobPC and control systems than for the TobPC solvent. Solvent TobPC does not efficiently stabilize emulsions at low protein concentrations that showed microscopically larger oil droplets and flocculation spots. A high phase separation velocity was observed for solvent TobPC, probably due to the higher hydrodynamic droplet diameters. The increase in TobPC content in the emulsions resulted in more stable emulsions for all samples. Therefore, Tetradesmus obliquus protein concentrates are a potential emulsifying agent.

Rheology of dispersions and emulsions composed of chia mucilage and the application of chia in food.

Chia mucilage (CM) is an emerging resource in food applications. However, the mechanism of this biopolymer as a stabilizer/emulsifier ingredient has not yet been well defined. A non-uniform viscoelastic tridimensional network was observed on emulsions with CM, while the surface activity of the CM ingredient has been associated with its protein content. To understand its functionality in food, this review focused on discussing and summarizing the rheological properties of dispersions and emulsions composed of CM under different conditions, such as pH, temperature, salt content, and mucilage content. For example, emulsions and dispersions with CM showed pseudoplastic behavior. An increase in the CM concentration increased the viscosity and the consistency index and decreased the behavior index. The consistency index of dispersions with CM increased with pH. The future evaluation of emulsions and dispersions properties, such as viscoelastic properties and microstructure, is particularly important for the successful use of CM in the food industry. The principal studies have evaluated the use of CM in dairy and meat systems as an emulsifier, stabilizer, or lipid replacer. The nutritional quality of the products with CM was maintained or improved, but sometimes an undesirable darkening was observed. Future evaluation of the cold extraction method of CM might improve the color and overall sensory acceptability of food products with CM. Integrated chia seed processing, including mucilage, oil, and protein extraction could be carried out to make chia seed industrial processing viable. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Association of Lower Limb Compression Garments During High-Intensity Exercise with Performance and Physiological Responses: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Although compression garments are used to improve sports performance, methodological approaches and the direction of evidence regarding garments for use in high-intensity exercise settings are diverse. OBJECTIVES: Our primary aim was to summarize the association between lower-limb compression garments (LLCGs) and changes in sports performance during high-intensity exercise. We also aimed to summarize evidence about the following physiological parameters related to sports performance: vertical jump height (VJ), maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), submaximal oxygen uptake (VO2submax), blood lactate concentrations ([La]), and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE, 6-20 Borg scale). METHODS: We searched electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov) and reference lists for previous reviews. Eligible studies included randomized controlled trials with athletes or physically active subjects (≥ 18 years) using any type of LLCG during high-intensity exercise. The results were described as weighted mean difference (WMD) with a 95% confidence interval (95% CI). RESULTS: The 23 included studies showed low statistical heterogeneity for the pooled outcomes. We found that LLCGs yielded similar running performance to controls (50-400 m: WMD 0.06 s [95% CI - 1.99 to 2.11]; 800-3000 m: WMD 6.10 s [95% CI - 7.23 to 19.43]; > 5000 m: WMD 1.01 s [95% CI - 84.80 to 86.82]). Likewise, we found no evidence that LLCGs were superior in secondary outcomes (VJ: WMD 2.25 cm [95% CI - 2.51 to 7.02]; VO2max: WMD 0.24 mL.kg-1.min-1 [95% CI - 1.48 to 1.95]; VO2submax: WMD - 0.26 mL.kg-1.min-1 [95% CI - 2.66 to 2.14]; [La]: WMD 0.19 mmol/L [95% CI - 0.22 to 0.60]; RPE: WMD - 0.20 points [95% CI - 0.48 to 0.08]). CONCLUSIONS: LLCGs were not associated with improved performance in VJ, VO2max, VO2submax, [La], or RPE during high-intensity exercise. Such evidence should be taken into account when considering using LLCGs to enhance running performance.

Human plasma lipid modulation in schistosomiasis mansoni depends on apolipoprotein E polymorphism.

BACKGROUND: Schistosomiasis mansoni is a parasitic liver disease, which causes several metabolic disturbances. Here, we evaluate the influence of Apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene polymorphism, a known modulator of lipid metabolism, on plasma lipid levels in patients with hepatosplenic schistosomiasis. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Blood samples were used for APOE genotyping and to measure total cholesterol (TC), LDL-C, HDL-C and triglycerides. Schistosomiasis patients had reduced TC, LDL-C and triglycerides (25%, 38% and 32% lower, respectively; P<0.0001) compared to control individuals, whereas HDL-C was increased (10% higher; P = 0.0136). Frequency of the common alleles, ε2, ε3 and ε4, was similar (P = 0.3568) between controls (n = 108) and patients (n = 84), implying that APOE genotype did not affect susceptibility to the advanced stage of schistosomiasis. Nevertheless, while patient TC and LDL-C levels were significantly reduced for each allele (except TC in ε2 patients), changes in HDL-C and triglycerides were noted only for the less common ε2 and ε4 alleles. The most striking finding, however, was that accepted regulation of plasma lipid levels by APOE genotype was disrupted by schistosomiasis. Thus, while ε2 controls had higher TC and LDL-C than ε3 carriers, these parameters were lower in ε2 versus ε3 patients. Similarly, the inverse relationship of TG levels in controls (ε2>ε3>ε4) was absent in patients (ε2 or ε4>ε3), and the increase in HDL-C of ε2 or ε4 patients compared to ε3 patients was not seen in the control groups. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: We confirm that human schistosomiasis causes dyslipidemia and report for the first time that certain changes in plasma lipid and lipoprotein levels depend on APOE gene polymorphism. Importantly, we also concluded that S. mansoni disrupts the expected regulation of plasma lipids by the different ApoE isoforms. This finding suggests ways to identify new metabolic pathways affected by schistosomiasis and also potential molecular targets to treat associated morbidities.

LLE experimental data, thermodynamic modeling and sensitivity analysis in the ethyl biodiesel from macauba pulp oil settling step.

The aim of this study was to obtain experimental data related to liquid­liquid equilibrium (LLE) of systems containing glycerol + ethanol + ethyl biodiesel from macauba pulp oil, perform thermodynamic modeling and simulate the settling step of this biodiesel using simulation software. Binary interaction parameters were adjusted for NRTL and UNIQUAC models. The UNIFAC-LLE and UNIFAC-Dortmund models were used to predict the LLE of the systems. A sensitivity analysis was applied to the settling step to describe the composition of the output streams as a function of ethanol in the feed stream. Ethanol had greater affinity for the glycerol-rich phase. The deviations between experimental data and calculated values were 0.44%, 1.07%, 3.52% and 2.82%, respectively, using the NRTL, UNIQUAC, UNIFAC-LLE and UNIFAC-Dortmund models. Excess ethanol in the feed stream causes losses of ethyl ester in the glycerol-rich stream and high concentration of glycerol in the ester-rich stream.