Elaboration and Characterization of Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents (NADESs): Application in the Extraction of Phenolic Compounds from pitaya.

In this paper, natural deep eutectic solvents (NADESs) with lactic acid, glycine, ammonium acetate, sodium acetate, and choline chloride were prepared with and without the addition of water. NADES formation was evaluated using FTIR and Raman, where hydrogen bonds were identified between the hydroxyl group of lactic acid and the amino and carboxyl groups of glycine. Acetate and ammonium ions were also identified as forming bonds with lactic acid. The addition of water did not cause changes in the vibrational modes of the FTIR and Raman spectra but contributed to a reduction in NADES viscosity and density. Viscosity ranged from 0.335 to 0.017 Pa s-1, and density ranged from 1.159 to 0.785 g mL-1. The best results for the extraction of phenolic compounds from pitaya (dragon fruit) were achieved with an organic solvent (450. 41 mg 100 g-1 dry bases-db) in comparison to NADESs lactic acid:glycine (193.18 mg 100 g-1 db) and lactic acid:ammonium acetate (186.08 mg 100 g-1 db). The antioxidant activity of the extracts obtained with the NADESs was not statistically different from that of the extract obtained with organic solvents.

Isolation and characterization of starch from purple yam (Dioscorea trifida).

As a starchy raw material, purple yam presents pigments and mucilaginous material, what can difficult the extraction of pure starch. The extracted starches of Dioscorea trifida by aqueous and alkaline ways were investigated for purity, thermal, physicochemical, technological and functional properties. The starch obtained by alkaline extraction presented higher water absorption capacity and pasting temperature when compared to that obtained by the aqueous extraction method. The starch obtained by the aqueous extraction showed higher oil absorption capacity and less water loss in the freezing-thawing cycles. For both processes, the starches exhibited B-type X-ray diffraction pattern. Thermal analysis showed that both starches pass easily through transition phenomena as observed by T0 and enthalpy values. The thermal effects presented similar behavior for both extraction methods. Although the extraction method induced changes in the properties of the starches, these changes did not compromise the functionality of the extracted starch and the purple yam starch was left unmodified. Starch can be used in preparations that require higher resistance to high temperatures as well as exposure to longer preparation times. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13197-021-05066-9.

Camu-camu [Myrciaria dubia (HBK) McVaugh]: A review of properties and proposals of products for integral valorization of raw material.

This review aims to evaluate the production and processing chain of camu-camu (Myrciaria dubia), giving suggestions to maximize the valorization of raw materials, demonstrating new product possibilities from processing to distribution and highlighting the suggested contributions. It is clear that despite the camu-camu pulp has important properties, a large part of its raw material, considered waste (around 50%) and formed by important bioactive compounds, can give rise to new products, such as bioactive extracts to be used by pharmaceutical, chemical and food industries, ingredients for bakery products, dairy and several others sectors, which constitutes opportunities, in addition to contributing to the reduction of agro-industrial waste and the preservation of the environment.

Enzymatic interesterification effect on the physicochemical and technological properties of cupuassu seed fat and inaja pulp oil blends.

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of enzymatic interesterification process in blends with different proportions (w:w) of cupuassu fat and inaja oil (80:20, 70:30, 60:40, 50:50 and 40:60). The interesterification reaction was carried out at 65 °C, agitation at 150 rpm, and enzyme concentration of 5% (w/w), for 6 h. Acidity index, melting point, consistency and solid fat content of the blends were characterized before and after the interesterification process. Fatty acid content was characterized in cupuassu fat and inaja oil and, nutritional quality indexes of atherogenicity (AI) and thrombogenicity (TI) were calculated. Enzymatic interesterification promoted a decrease in acidity (<0.6%) and changes in the blends' properties, making them suitable for food product preparation. All esterified blends (cupuassu seed fat:inaja pulp oil) presented suitable consistency properties, plasticity and spreadability to be used for the preparation of functional, table and soft table types of margarine and used in food preparation such as special fats.

Development of dehydrated products from peach palm-tucupi blends with edible film characteristics using refractive window.

This study aimed to obtain a dehydrated product with film characteristics with superior functional and technological quality, prepared from different varieties of peach palm (Bactris gasipaes) using the refractance window drying (RW) process. The experiments were carried out at 70 °C and drying was fully performed at an increasing rate. The physicochemical characteristics and mechanical, technological, and morphological properties were determined and the moisture and water activity curves of the different peach palm varieties were assessed. The dehydrated product by refractance window have good visual appearance and bright yellowish color due to the carotenoid content found in the samples used as raw material. All dehydrated products had non-homogenous microstructure, however, the products had low tensile strength, percent elongation, hygroscopicity, and water absorption and solubility, desired properties to obtain a food product. The presence of components such as proteins, lipids, and fibers had important effects on the mechanical properties of the products because the mechanical resistance of the biopolymers is influenced by the cohesion of the constituents of the polymer matrix. The production of a dehydrated product with film characteristics through the RW technique presented some advantages over conventional casting drying as such as short drying times, lower costs and without addition of plasticizers or non-food grade components. In general, the products dehydrated by RW are promising and can be consumed immediately after production as snacks or in the substitution of other ingredients, such as algae in sushi.

Technological properties of amazonian oils and fats and their applications in the food industry.

The application of lipids to food production is dependent on their physical, chemical, and nutritional properties. In this study, pracaxi oil, passion fruit oil, cupuassu fat, and palm stearin underwent physicochemical analyses and were combined at ratios of 40:60, 50:50, 60:40, and 70:30 to assess their potential applications in the food industry. Pracaxi oil, passion fruit oil, and cupuassu fat had interesting fatty acid profiles from a nutritional standpoint, displaying the lowest atherogenicity and thrombogenicity indices (0.02 and 0.14; 0.12 and 0.34; 0.16 and 0.65), respectively. Palm stearin had high thermal stability (7.23h). The primary applications of the blends obtained in this study are in table and functional margarine, particularly the pracaxi-stearin and passion fruit-stearin 40:60 and 50:50, pracaxi-cupuassu 60:40 and 70:30, and passion fruit-cupuassu 40:60 blends. The results suggest new industrial applications, especially for pracaxi and passion fruit oils, which are commonly applied in the cosmetic industry.

Production, characterization and foamability of α-lactalbumin/glycomacropeptide supramolecular structures.

The study of protein interactions has generated great interest in the food industry. Therefore, research on new supramolecular structures shows promise. Supramolecular structures of the whey proteins α-lactalbumin and glycomacropeptide were produced under varying heat treatments (25 to 75°C) and acidic conditions (pH3.5 to 6.5). Isothermal titration calorimetry experiments showed protein interactions and demonstrated that this is an enthalpically driven process. Supramolecular protein structures in aqueous solutions were characterized by circular dichroism and intrinsic fluorescence spectroscopy. Additional photon correlation spectroscopy experiments showed that the size distribution of the structures ranged from 4 to 3545nm among the different conditions. At higher temperatures, lower pH increased particle size. The foamability of the supramolecular protein structures was evaluated. Analysis of variance and analysis of regression for foaming properties indicated that the two-factor interactions between pH and temperature exhibited a significant effect on the volume and stability of the foam.