Towards chemical characterization and possible applications of juçara fruit: an approach to remove Euterpe edulis Martius from the extinction list.

Juçara (Euterpe edulis Martius) is a palm widely distributed in the Atlantic Forest. It produces a non-climacteric, black-violet small fruit similar to the Amazonian açaí (Euterpe precatoria). The fruit is known as superfruit because it presents chemical characteristics of great importance, such as anthocyanins content. Regarding bioactive compounds and antioxidant scavenging capacity, it presents high anthocyanin (634.26 to 2,929 mg of cyanidin-3-glucoside 100 g-1) and total phenolic compounds (415.1 to 9,778.20 mg equivalents of gallic acid 100 g-1) contents. The soluble solid content ranges from 3.0 to 4.9% and its pH is higher than other tropical fruits (4.8 to 5.6). Despite the rich bioactive compound content of juçara fruits, this plant has been traditionally used for palm heart production. The accelerated and illegal palm heart exploitation, without the use of an adequate management has led to the risk of extinction of this species. In order to prevent this species from vanishing, several studies have valued the health characteristics of juçara fruit chemical composition. An economical approach has been the production of juçara pulp described as a source of bioactive compounds, which has attracted the attention of industrial field aiming the production of functional foods, foodstuff, cosmetics and pharmaceutical products. A full botanical and chemical characterization of juçara tree and fruit is presented in this paper, as well as suggestions to increase the use of this tropical fruit and derivatives. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13197-021-05342-8.

Processing tomato waste as a potential bioactive compounds source: phenolic compounds, antioxidant capacity and bioacessibility studies / Resíduo do processamento do tomate como potencial fonte de compostos bioativos: compostos fenólicos, capacidade antioxidante e bioacessibilidade

A comparative study was perfomed with conventional and ultrasound assisted extraction on tomato processing waste. Ultrasound extraction exhibited slightly higher phenolic and flavonoids content, as well as higher ABTS + radical scavenging capacity (4.63 mg GAE.g-1, 0.96 mg RUE.g-1 and 27.90 µmol TE.g -1 respectively). On both extracts, a high percentage of flavonoids was lost during simulated digestion, resulting on a bioacessibility of approximately 13 %. Extracts presented good stability during storage conditions, which indicates a possible technological application.

Foi realizado um estudo comparativo com a extração convencional e assistida por ultrassom em resíduos do processamento de tomate. A extração ultrassônica exibiu teor de fenólicos e flavonóides ligeiramente maiores, bem como maior capacidade antioxidante ABTS + (4,63 mg AG.g-1, 0,96 mg RUE.g-1 e 27,90 µmol TE.g -1, respectivamente). Em ambos os extratos, uma alta porcentagem de flavonóides foi perdida durante a digestão simulada, resultando em uma bioacessibilidade de aproximadamente 13%. Os extratos apresentaram boa estabilidade durante as condições de armazenamento, o que indica uma possível aplicação tecnológica.

Influence of processing conditions on bioactive compound extraction from Vitis vinifera L. var. Alicante Bouschet grape skin.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of process conditions on the solid-liquid extraction of bioactive compounds from the Alicante Bouschet grape skin from the semi-arid region of Brazil. The influence of temperature (23-57 °C), ethanol concentration (16-84%) and citric acid concentration (0-4%) on the total phenolic content, monomeric anthocyanin content and on the antioxidant capacity of the extracts measured by oxygen radical absorbance capacity and cation radical scavenging activity (ABTS·+) methods was investigated. Ethanol concentration and temperature had a significant influence on total phenolic compounds extraction and antioxidant capacity while monomeric anthocyanins extraction was only affected by ethanol concentration. The conditions selected as the most adequate for the extraction were: temperature of 40 °C, 50% v/v ethanol and 2% m/v citric acid.

Towards integral utilization of grape pomace from winemaking process: A review.

Grape is the main fruit crop in several countries. Although many grape-based food products can be found in the market, studies have shown that around 75% of the world grape production is destined for the wine industry. Grape pomace is an abundant by-product from the wine industry, which consists of the remaining skin, seeds and stalks and represents around 25% of total grape weight used in the winemaking process. In countries such as Italy, France and Spain, where wine production is more relevant, the annual grape pomace generation can reach nearly 1200 tonnes per year. In order to reach a sustainable winemaking process there is a need of a waste reduction policy. Several studies explore this subject using grape pomace as a source of healthy and technological compounds that could be applied in animal feed, pharmaceutical, cosmetic or food industry to improve stability and nutritional characteristics, and in cosmetic industry, where grape seeds oil is widely used. This review aims to approach the recent winemaking scenario and the benefits achieved when a waste management policy is implemented, as well as to compare available extractive technologies and a wide alternative of uses for grape pomace.

Antioxidant dietary fibre recovery from Brazilian Pinot noir grape pomace.

Brazilian grape pomace was extracted in hot water, and a factorial experiment was used to evaluate polysaccharide recovery. The dependent variables were the temperature, particle size and solute:solvent ratio. Polysaccharide yields varied from 3% to 10%, and the highest sugar content was observed when extraction was carried out at 100 °C from finely sized particles (⩽249 µm) in a 1:12 solute:solvent ratio. The monosaccharide composition of extracts obtained from flours were, on average, Rha:Ara:Xyl:Man:Gal:Glc:GalA in a 3:32:2:13:11:20:19 M ratio, with varying Glc:GalA ratios. (13)C NMR and HSQC spectra confirmed the presence of pectic- and glucose-based polysaccharides in the extracts. Phenolic compounds were found after pomace extraction, and catechin, gallic acid and epicatechin were the principal compounds identified. The extracts also had ABTS radical scavenging capacity (from 8.00 to 46.60 mMol Trolox/100 g pomace). These findings indicate that these grape pomace flours are rich in antioxidant dietary fibre and have a potential use as food ingredients.

Tapered plastic optical fiber-based biosensor--tests and application.

Cells detection is crucial in microbiological analysis of clinical, food, water or environmental samples. However, currently employed methods are time consuming. Plastic optical fiber (POF) biosensors consist in a viable alternative for rapid and inexpensive scheme for detection. In order to study the sensitivity of tapers for microbiological detection, geometric parameters are studied, such as the taper waist diameter since the formation of taper regions are the key sensing element in this particular type of sensors. In this study, a series of POF taper sensors were prepared using a specially developed tapering machine, and the dispersion of geometric dimensions is evaluated, aiming to achieve the best tapering characteristics which will provide a better sensitivity on the sensor response. The fiber tapers that presented the finest results were those constructed in U-shaped (bended) configurations, with taper waist diameters ranging from 0.40 mm up to 0.50 mm. These fiber tapers were used as the main section of the monitoring device, and when chemically treated as immunosensors for the detection of bacteria, yeast and erythrocytes.