Nutritional Composition and Bioactive Compounds of Native Brazilian Fruits of the Arecaceae Family and Its Potential Applications for Health Promotion.

The fruits from the Arecaceae family, although being rich in bioactive compounds with potential benefits to health, have been underexplored. Studies on their composition, bioactive compounds, and effects of their consumption on health are also scarce. This review presents the composition of macro- and micronutrients, and bioactive compounds of fruits of the Arecaceae family such as bacaba, patawa, juçara, açaí, buriti, buritirana, and butiá. The potential use and reported effects of its consumption on health are also presented. The knowledge of these underutilized fruits is important to encourage production, commercialization, processing, and consumption. It can also stimulate their full use and improve the economy and social condition of the population where these fruits are found. Furthermore, it may help in future research on the composition, health effects, and new product development. Arecaceae fruits presented in this review are currently used as raw materials for producing beverages, candies, jams, popsicles, ice creams, energy drinks, and edible oils. The reported studies show that they are rich in phenolic compounds, carotenoids, anthocyanins, tocopherols, minerals, vitamins, amino acids, and fatty acids. Moreover, the consumption of these compounds has been associated with anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative, antiobesity, and cardioprotective effects. These fruits have potential to be used in food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. Despite their potential, some of them, such as buritirana and butiá, have been little explored and limited research has been conducted on their composition, biological effects, and applications. Therefore, more detailed investigations on the composition and mechanism of action based on in vitro and/or in vivo studies are needed for fruits from the Arecaceae family.

Emerging Lipids from Arecaceae Palm Fruits in Brazil.

Arecaceae palm tree fruits (APTFs) with pulp or kernel rich in oil are widely distributed in six Brazilian biomes. APTFs represent a great potential for the sustainable exploitation of products with high added value, but few literature studies have reported their properties and industrial applications. The lack of information leads to underutilization, low consumption, commercialization, and processing of these fruit species. This review presents and discusses the occurrence of 13 APTFs and the composition, physicochemical properties, bioactive compounds, and potential applications of their 25 oils and fats. The reported studies showed that the species present different lipid profiles. Multivariate analysis based on principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) indicated a correlation between the composition of pulp and kernel oils. Myristic, caprylic, capric, and lauric acids are the main saturated fatty acids, while oleic acid is the main unsaturated. Carotenoids and phenolic compounds are the main bioactive compounds in APTFs, contributing to their high oxidative stability. The APTFs oils have a potential for use as foods and ingredients in the cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and biofuel industries. However, more studies are still necessary to better understand and exploit these species.

High-added value co-products obtained from pecan nut (Carya illinoinensis) using a green extraction technology.

Abstract: The aqueous (AF) and solid (SF) fractions obtained as co-products in the aqueous extraction of pecan nut oil assisted by Alcalase® were evaluated. In the AF, the degree of protein hydrolysis (DH) and the electrophoretic profile of protein hydrolysates, phenolic compounds, and antioxidant capacity (reducing potential of the hydrophilic compounds, RPHC, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, DPPH; and inhibition of lipid peroxidation) were determined. The proximate composition and microstructure were evaluated in SF. The results indicated a DH of 3.9%. The sample treated with the enzyme (ET) showed a molecular weight of proteins lower than 15 kDa. The ET showed higher content of phenolics (726.3 mg GAE/100 g) and antioxidant capacity higher than the sample without enzymatic treatment. The SF showed a residual lipid content rich in oleic and linoleic acids. Furthermore, changes in the proximate composition and the microstructure were observed. The results indicate the potentiality of hydrolyzed fractions for application in food.

Assessment of tomato-based thick fluid diet for patients with dysphagia using a simple and cheap test.

Swallowing difficulty, also known as dysphagia, is a health condition that can be managed by different approaches, such as changing the viscosity of fluid foods with thickener agents. Tomato-based beverages such as "gazpacho" and "salmorejo" are common foods much appreciated by the populations that adopt a Mediterranean diet, mainly in Spain. These beverages usually present a low viscosity, challenging to include in diets for dysphagia patients. Thus, this work aimed at evaluating the flow properties of tomato-based beverages with or without the addition of thickener agents (based on maltodextrin or gum) using a simple and cheap method proposed by the International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative (IDDSI) to verify the suitability of using those products in a diet of patients with dysphagia. The study also evaluated the differences in using BD-type syringes on the test. Results indicated that the type of thickener significantly (p < .05) affects the samples' flow properties, enhancing their rheological behavior. The type of syringe can also affect the results, as they present different Luer slip tips. The results revealed that tomato-based beverages may have their properties improved simply by using low amounts of thickener agents (1.2-3.0 g 200 ml-1 ) and that the IDDSI test can be an alternative, cheap and straightforward method for evaluating these types of foods in hospital environments. Including tomato-based beverages in the diet of patients with dysphagia may present many benefits as these products have a rich nutritional composition (fiber) in addition to biocompounds such as lycopene and phenolic compounds.

Dataset on the phytochemicals, antioxidants, and minerals contents of pecan nut cake extracts obtained by ultrasound-assisted extraction coupled to a simplex-centroid design.

This article contains a dataset related to the research published in "The potential of the pecan nut cake as an ingredient for the food industry" [1]. A three-component simplex-centroid mixture design coupled with response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to generate statistical models and to analyze the dataset. The method was also applied to evaluate the effect of different solvents (ethanol, water, and acetic acid) on the extraction of bioactive compounds of pecan nut cake (PNC) and its antioxidant activity. Furthermore, simultaneous optimization of the solvent mixture was carried out to predict the optimum point with the best combination of solvents to obtain an extract with enhanced phytochemical composition, as well as high in vitro antioxidant activity. The maximization of total phenolic compounds, condensed tannins, and antioxidant activity of the PNC was predicted by the desirability function. A total of 80 interactions were run to provide the best condition for optimization. The combined use of the different solvents enables a higher recovery of the compounds than their isolated use. This dataset may help other researchers on the application of a mixture design to recover phytochemicals from a broad range of co-products such as defatted meals and other nut cakes, which are sometimes discarded as waste by many industries.

The potential of the pecan nut cake as an ingredient for the food industry.

Pecan nut [Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch] cake (PNC) is a co-product from the oil extraction industry and its potential as an ingredient for the food industry are not well known. In this work, the nutritional composition and the functional properties of PNC were studied. Additionally, the influence of different solvents (ethanol, water, and acetic acid) on the phytochemical composition and antioxidant capacity (reducing potential of the hydrophilic compounds - RPHC, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl - DPPH, and total reducing capacity - TRC) of PNC extracts were established using a simplex-centroid design. PNC is a source of carbohydrates, protein, and dietary fiber (40.5; 21.87 and 13.01 g 100 g-1, respectively). The PNC exhibited a low energy value when compared to the raw nut (398.8 kcal 100 g-1 and 645.54 kcal 100 g-1, respectively). Mg, Mn and Co (416.74; 23.21 mg 100 g-1 and 59.00 µg 100 g-1, respectively) were the main minerals identified in PNC. The PNC also presented functional properties such as emulsifying and oil absorption capacities and a great ability to absorb water. Using the proposed solvent mixture system, the content of total phenolic compounds and condensed tannins recovered from PNC ranged between 172.43 and 2744.24 mg GAE 100 g-1, and 253.42 to 1376.44 mg CE 100 g-1, respectively. The antioxidant capacity of the PNC extract was showed through its ability to reduce hydrophilic (172.06-1714.96 mg GAE 100 g-1) to transfer hydrogen atoms (12.55-74.11% scavenging activity) and lipophilic compounds (509.87-2070.80 mg QE 100 g-1) using RPHC, DPPH, and TRC methods, respectively. Combining ethanol, water, and acetic acid at 30 °C for 15 min, positively affects the extraction of bioactive compounds from PNC, as well as the antioxidant activity of the extracts. The physicochemical, functional, phytochemical, and antioxidant properties demonstrate that pecan nut cake may represent a potential ingredient or additive for the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries.

Chemical Properties, Rheological Behavior, and Melissopalynological Analysis of Selected Brazilian Honeys from Hovenia dulcis Flowering

Abstract Monofloral honeys are high-added-value food, a reason for constant cases of fraud. This study investigated Brazilian monofloral honeys from Hovenia dulcis flowering produced by Apis mellifera and Tetragonisca angustula bees. Chemical, physicochemical, rheological, and melissopalynological analysis were assessed. Properties such as moisture, pH, ashes, total acidity, total available carbohydrate, and soluble sugars of all analyzed honey samples agreed with the established by the legislation. All the honey samples were satisfactorily fitted by both Ostwald-de Waele and Casson rheological models revealing homogenous products, mostly presenting pseudoplastic character. The melissopalynology confirmed the presence of H. dulcis pollen in the MH samples; however, some honeys did not show >45% pollen of H. dulcis, thus revealing mislabeling cases. Continuous evaluation of honey is necessary, once this is a valuable food frequently involved in frauds, hence causing problems to consumers.

Influence of stingless bee genus (Scaptotrigona and Melipona) on the mineral content, physicochemical and microbiological properties of honey.

Stingless bees, important pollinating insects in the tropics, produce honey whose unique quality features differentiate their origin. The feasibility of multivariate data analysis for quality discrimination of stingless bee honey from different genera (Melipona bicolor, quadrifasciata, marginata and Scaptotrigona bipunctata) by mineral content, physicochemical and microbiological properties were investigated. The principal component analysis explained 72.12% of the total variance of the data, and the separation into two main groups in a scatter plot was observed. Group 2 was formed by Scaptotrigona genus, that showed the highest values of pH, ash, and soluble solids. Potassium was the most abundant mineral followed by calcium and sodium for both groups quantified by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. This honey has higher acidity and moisture than Apis mellifera honey. Microbiological analyses showed that total aerobic mesophiles ranged between 2.00 and 4.77 log CFU/g. Salmonella spp. was not detected, while the mould and yeast content was above the maximum allowed under the Apis mellifera honey legislation. The evaluated honey samples presented the lactic acid bacteria, which are considered a benefit. The multivariate statistical analysis was efficient in discriminate stingless bee honey, contributing to approaches that can be used for standardization and regulation.

Bioactive compounds and biological properties of Brazilian stingless bee honey have a strong relationship with the pollen floral origin.

Multivariate data analysis feasibility for the evaluation of Brazilian stingless bee honey (SBH) by pollen spectrum, bioactive compounds content, physicochemical, antioxidant and antimicrobial analysis was investigated. Levels of total and individual phenolics content were analyzed by HPLC-PDA. The antioxidant capacity was performed by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical (DPPH), oxygen radical absorption capacity (ORAC) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. The total phenolic compounds from the thirty-two SBH was positively correlated with the antioxidant capacity. Bioactive compounds such as p-coumaric acid, quercetin, and hesperetin were identified in all the samples. Brazilian SBH shows more effective antibacterial activity against Gram-negative bacteria (E. coli and S. Typhimurium) compared to Gram-positive ones. Results also revealed that SBH could reach up to 45% higher antioxidant and biological activities than the traditional Apis mellifera honey. Chemometrics shows that chemical and biological properties of SBH have a strong relationship with the pollen botanical origin. Principal component analysis (PCA) grouped the honey into three categories with predominant pollen from Verbenaceae, Asteraceae and Sapindaceae families, confirming that SBH belonging to the same floral origin present similar characteristics.

Factors affecting mushroom Pleurotus spp.

Pleurotus genus is one of most extensively studied white-rot fungi due to its exceptional ligninolytic properties. It is an edible mushroom and it also has several biological effects, as it contains important bioactive molecules. In basidiomycete fungi, lignocellulolytic enzymes are affected by many typical fermentation factors, such as medium composition, ratio of carbon to nitrogen, pH, temperature, air composition, etc. The survival and multiplication of mushrooms is related to a number of factors, which may act separately or have interactive effects among them. Out that understanding challenges in handling Pleurotus species mushroom requires a fundamental understanding of their physical, chemical, biological and enzymatic properties. This review presents a practical checklist of available intrinsic and extrinsic factors, providing useful synthetic information that may help different users. An in-depth understanding of the technical features is needed for an appropriate and efficient production of Pleurotus spp.

Sapucaia nut (Lecythis pisonis Cambess.) flour as a new industrial ingredient: Physicochemical, thermal, and functional properties.

The aim of this work was to investigate the physicochemical, thermal, and functional properties of partially defatted sapucaia nut (Lecythis pisonis Cambess.) flours (PDSF) degreased by subcritical propane (20-60 °C; 20-100 bar) and supercritical CO2 + ethanol (1:1 w/w) as co-solvent (60 °C; 200 bar) in comparison to the PDSF obtained through Soxhlet extraction with petroleum ether. Under the conditions studied herein, compressed propane has a minor effect on the granules' morphology (average particle size between 22 and 32 µm) or in the physicochemical characteristics of the PDSF. It caused a minimum impact on the nutritional profile of the samples; unlike, the thermogravimetric analysis revealed that there is an influence on the thermal stability of the PDSF. Functional characteristics, such as emulsifying (8-20 m2/g), foam (6-12%), and high water (0.35-1.38 g/g flour) and oil (0.72-1.57 g/g flour) absorption capacity, were observed in PDSF. Defatted flours were found to be effective in the production of emulsions with structures that showed micrometric-sized droplets (up to 85% droplet size <15.0 µm) with alleged stability. PDSF is a source of proteins (31-49%) and carbohydrates (17-31%), thus it can be used as an ingredient to produce foodstuff in bakery and confectionery aiming to increase their nutritional value and functional properties.