Use of strawberry and vanilla natural flavors for sugar reduction: A dynamic sensory study with yogurt.

Yogurt is a food with great acceptance by consumers. However, this product often contains excessive added sugar content. A potential strategy to reduce sugar content without compromising sensory quality is the addition of flavors. Thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate the relationship between flavors (vanilla and strawberry) and sweet taste, using a time-intensity analysis, temporal dominance of sensations (TDS) and acceptance test to verifying the viability of sugar reduction in yogurt with the addition of flavors. The results showed that 25% sugar reduction in yogurt with 0.2% vanilla flavor did not affect the sweetness, as shown in temporal profiles, and hedonic perception. The yogurt with 25% sugar reduction and 0.2% strawberry flavor proved to be as well accepted as samples with ideal concentration. Therefore, study of the flavor-taste interaction for the reformulation of foods represents an important strategy to reduce sucrose concentration, maintaining a similar temporal sweetness profile.

Prebiotic potential of pulp and kernel cake from Jerivá (Syagrus romanzoffiana) and Macaúba palm fruits (Acrocomia aculeata).

The jerivá (Syagrus romanzoffiana) and the macaúba (Acrocomia aculeata) are palm trees of the Arecaceae family, widely distributed in tropical and subtropical areas of Latin America, which have a low production cost and high productivity throughout the year. Due to the high content of lipids, their fruits have been used for oil extraction, which generates byproducts such as the pulps and the kernel cakes, a nutritionally rich byproduct that can be added into human food and, may have prebiotic potential. Therefore, the objective of this work was to characterize and evaluate the prebiotic potential of jerivá pulp (JP), macaúba pulp (MP), jerivá kernel cake (JC) and macaúba kernel cake (MC). For this, the fruits characterization was carried out through proximate composition, phenolic compounds content, and antioxidant activity, besides evaluating the antimicrobial and fermentative capacity of Bifidobacterium lactis, Lactobacillus casei, and Lactobacillus acidophilus against Escherichia coli. Jerivá and macaúba pulps and kernel cakes presented high levels of dietary fiber (20.45% JP, 37.87% JC, 19.95% MP and 35.81% MC) and high antioxidant activity, especially JP, which also showed the high values found for ABTS and DPPH (2498.49 µMTrolox·g-1 fruit and 96.97 g fruit·g-1 DPPH, respectively), has a high total phenolic content (850.62 mg GAE·100 g-1). Also, JP promoted a better growth of probiotic strains and a more relevant pH reduction when compared to the commercial prebiotic FOS. However, MP, JC, and MC were also able to favor the growth of the strains. Probiotic microorganisms were able to use JP, MP, JC, and MC and produced short-chain fatty acids such as lactic, propionic, butyric, and acetic acid, capable of promoting health benefits. Therefore, the byproducts from jerivá and macaúba oil extraction have characteristics that indicate their prebiotic potential, and maybe interesting components to increase the nutritional value of foods.

Desenvolvimento de muffin funcional e avaliação da aceitabilidade / Functional muffin development and acceptability evaluation

Objetivou-se o desenvolvimento de muffin funcional com substituição parcial da sacarose por fruto-oligossacarídeo e adicionado de isolado proteico de soja e avaliar a aceitação do muffin padrão e funcional. No grupo de foco observou-se que os termos de sabor e aroma se apresentaram semelhantes para ambos. O teste de aceitação em relação ao aspecto global apresentou diferença significativa (p≤0,05), com médias de 7,02 e 6,54 para o muffin padrão e o funcional, respectivamente. No entanto, considerando a escala hedônica utilizada, ambas as amostras foram bem aceitas sensorialmente. O teste de intenção de compra não apresentou diferença significativa (p>0,05). O muffin padrão foi significativamente preferido em relação ao funcional. Portanto, conclui-se que o produto desenvolvido possui grande potencial de mercado e boa aceitação sensorial.

Elaboração de hambúrguer a base de carne de frango com adição de fibras / Elaboration of chicken-based meat patty with added fiber

Este trabalho objetivou avaliar sensorialmente hambúrgueres a base de carne de frango adicionados de farinha de aveia e biomassa de banana verde. Realizou-se a metodologia CATA, na qual foram avaliados os atributos de aparência, aroma, sabor e textura e o teste de intenção de compra. A metodologia CATA permitiu identificar as diferenças entre as formulações e os atributos, ou seja, caracterizou eficientemente as formulações. Para intenção de compra, verificou-se que houve diferença significativa entre as amostras (p≤0,05), sendo que o hambúrguer adicionado de biomassa de banana verde foi o que apresentou maior intenção de compras. Conclui-se que é viável adicionar farinha de aveia e biomassa de banana verde em hambúrgueres a base de carne de frango, uma vez que essas fibras são potenciais ingredientes para substituição de gordura.

Efeito da supressão de pensamentos sobre alimentação no comportamento alimentar: uma revisão de literatura / Effect of thought suppression on feeding about food behavior: a literature revision

A supressão do pensamento sobre a alimentação pode ser considerada um efeito colateral de dietas restritivas que influenciam o comportamento alimentar e o funcionamento cognitivo dos indivíduos. Neste contexto, este estudo visa sistematizar os dados relacionados com a supressão de pensamentos em indivíduos e o seu efeito no comportamento alimentar. Realizou-se uma revisão integrativa de artigos científicos publicados nas seguintes bases de dados: Scientific Eletronic Library Online (SciElo), Medical Literature Analisys and Retrivial System Online(MEDLINE), Scopus e Literatura Latino-Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde(LILACS). A busca ocorreu utilizando os descritores: ''thought suppression'', ''food'', ''craving'',''food behavior'' e ''dietary restraint''. Foram elegíveis 12 artigos para revisão que foram selecionados em duas etapas e organizados com as informações: autor e ano de publicação, público-alvo, amostra, metodologia e principais resultados e conclusões. Os resultados apontamos reflexos negativos da influência da supressão do pensamento sobre o comportamento alimentar principalmente no gênero feminino, praticantes de dietas restritivas e indivíduos com excesso de peso e obesidade. Tais aspectos negativos envolvem episódios de compulsão alimentar, após um determinado tempo de restrição alimentar. Sendo assim, a supressão de pensamentos está fortemente associada ao desenvolvimento de compulsão alimentar e são necessários mais estudos que comprovem a eficácia na utilização de métodos como questionários validados para diagnóstico precoce e técnicas como o ''mindfulness'' e outras ainda pouco divulgadas que objetivam o desvio desses pensamentos.(AU)

Thought suppression about food can be considered a collateral damage by restrictive diets to influence the food behavior and cognitive development of individuals. Thus, the aim of this study is systematize the dada related to thought suppression in humans and its effects in food behavior. It was realized a integrative review of scientific articles published in the following databases: Scientific Eletronic Library Online (SciElo), Medical Literature Analysis and Retrivial System Online (MEDLINE), Scopus and Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature (LILACS). Were used the following descriptors ''thought suppression'', ''food'', ''craving'', ''food behavior'' e ‘''dietary restraint''. Twelve articles for review were eligible and selected by two steps and organized with informations as author and publication year, target audience, sample, methodology and them main results, and conclusions. The results indicate negative aspects about thought suppression in food behavior mostly in females, practitioners of restrictive diets and individuals with weight excess and obesity. Negatives aspects include binge eating after a long time of a restrictive diet. In conclusion, thoughts suppression are strongest associated to development of binge eating, so they are necessary more studies to proof the efficiency of methods that can deviate this thoughts as validated questionnaires to precoce detection and techniques as''mindfulness'' and another ones no yet disclosed that allow a deviation these thoughts.(AU)

Miracle fruit: An alternative sugar substitute in sour beverages.

High sugar consumption has been related to several chronic diseases and thus, many alternative sweeteners have been extensively researched. However, there is still controversy regarding the harmful effects of their consumption, mainly regarding the use of artificial sweeteners, controversy which increases the demand for natural sweeteners, such as miracle fruit. This tropical plant grows in West Africa is named for its unique ability of changing a sour taste into sweet. Therefore, this study aimed to characterize the temporal profile of miracle fruit and assess its sugar substitute power in sour beverages through time-intensity and temporal dominance of sensations tests. For this, unsweetened lemonade and lemonades with sugar, sucralose and previous miracle fruit ingestions were evaluated. We noted that the dynamic profile of lemonade ingested after miracle fruit ingestion indicates that it seems to be a good sugar substitute, since it provides high sweetness intensity and persistence, reduced product sourness and an absence of aftertastes. The miracle fruit also provided a sensory profile similar to that of sucralose, an established and recognized sugar substitute. The results of this study provide important information for future applications of miracle fruit as a sugar substitute in sour beverages, providing an alternative use for a natural substance as a sweetening agent.

Effect of temperature, water activity, and pH on growth and production of ochratoxin A by Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus carbonarius from Brazilian grapes.

The growth of ochratoxigenic fungus and the presence of ochratoxin A (OTA) in grapes and their derivatives can be caused by a wide range of physical, chemical, and biological factors. The determination of interactions between these factors and fungal species from different climatic regions is important in designing models for minimizing the risk of OTA in wine and grape juice. This study evaluated the influence of temperature, water activity (aw), and pH on the development and production of OTA in a semisynthetic grape culture medium by Aspergillus carbonarius and Aspergillus niger strains. To analyze the growth conditions and production of OTA, an experimental design was conducted using response surface methodology as a tool to assess the effects of these abiotic variables on fungal behavior. A. carbonarius showed the highest growth at temperatures from 20 to 33°C, aw between 0.95 and 0.98, and pH levels between 5 and 6.5. Similarly, for A. niger, temperatures between 24 and 37°C, aw greater than 0.95, and pH levels between 4 and 6.5 were optimal. The greatest toxin concentrations for A. carbonarius and A. niger (10 µg/g and 7.0 µg/g, respectively) were found at 15°C, aw 0.99, and pH 5.35. The lowest pH was found to contribute to greater OTA production. These results show that the evaluated fungi are able to grow and produce OTA in a wide range of temperature, aw, and pH. However, the optimal conditions for toxin production are generally different from those optimal for fungal growth. The knowledge of optimal conditions for fungal growth and production of OTA, and of the stages of cultivation in which these conditions are optimal, allows a more precise assessment of the potential risk to health from consumption of products derived from grapes.

Fish filleting residues for enrichment of wheat bread: chemical and sensory characteristics.

The fish processing industry generates a large amount of materials discarded as residue. It is known that fish and its residue are a source of essential nutrients. Conversely, bread is a food accessible to different social classes but is deficient in protein, minerals, and fatty acids. Thus, this study aimed to develop bread products based on the addition of flour from Red-tailed Brycon (Brycon cephalus) processing residue and then evaluate the chemical and sensory qualities of the products. In relation to a standard bread formulation without fish flour, the addition of fish flour to bread formulations resulted in products with not only higher contents of protein, essential fatty acids, and minerals, especially calcium and phosphorus, but also lower contents of carbohydrates. The breads with fish flour received sensory acceptance better than or as good as that of a bread formulation without fish flour. Hence, the addition of fish processing residue to breads is a way to provide essential nutrients to the population through a well-accepted, accessible, and low-cost product.