Personal Doses of Cocaine and Coca Paste are Adulterated in Cartagena de Indias (Colombia).

Knowledge of drug composition consumed on the streets and the identification and quantification of their adulterants is essential for understanding unexpected side effects, tracking routes, and drug profiling. Therefore, this work aimed to determine the purity and to identify and quantify the main adulterants found in personal doses of cocaine (perico) and coca paste (bazuco) in Cartagena de Indias (Colombia). The data collected in this study describe a first attempt to introduce the qualitative and quantitative analyses of adulterants present in street drugs in Cartagena de Indias to improve surveillance. Through gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS), the purity and adulterants were quantified in 45 personal doses of cocaine powder and coca paste. 100% of the personal doses in the city were adulterated; caffeine, phenacetin, and levamisole were the main adulterants identified in cocaine. Besides the above, lidocaine was also found in coca paste. The purity of cocaine varied from 8% to almost 70%, with caffeine ranging from 6% to 42%. In the case of coca paste, the maximum content of cocaine found was 60%, while some samples contained as little as 14%. The results are consistent with other research in terms of the widespread use of caffeine as an adulterant, but they also follow the growing trend of the use of levamisole and phenacetin. The wide range of cocaine content in samples sold in the illicit market could cause undesirable effects on cocaine users who do not know the exact intended dose for consumption; so, this study intends to make these results available not only to academic, public health, and national security agencies but also to tourists entering Cartagena de Indias, so that they are aware of what they are consuming and the risks to which they are exposed.

Pasting and Dough Rheological Properties of Ackee (Blighia sapida) Aril Flour: A Contribution to the Search for Wheat Flour Substitutes.

Wheat is one of the most widely used cereals in the world. However, studies consider wheat flour doughs to be of low nutritional quality, as there is now greater public awareness of celiac disease and gluten intolerance. Therefore, consumers are demanding healthier and more varied food products. Consequently, wheat flour is being replaced fully or partially by flours from other sources with higher quality. Hence, the main objective of this work was to report the effect of blending wheat flour with ackee aril flour, until the total replacement of wheat flour, on pasting and dough rheological properties. Five different levels of blending were analyzed: wheat to ackee aril flour mass ratios of 100 : 0, 75 : 25, 50 : 50, 25 : 75, and 0 : 100. Pasting properties (pasting temperature, peak viscosity, ease of cooking, swelling power, final viscosity at 50 °C, and thixotropy) were analyzed; and steady-state shear measurements were used to obtain consistency coefficients (K) and flow behavior indexes (n) after data was fitted to the Power Law and Herschel-Bulkley models. The gradual addition of the ackee aril flour fraction produced an increase in ash, fat, protein, and fiber content; while water and carbohydrate content showed the opposite behavior in the obtained composite flour. Consequently, the partial or full replacement of wheat flour changed the rheological properties of the produced doughs, as well as the quality of the final product. These changes were mostly related to the protein and carbohydrate content of the ackee aril flour fraction. In general, doughs showed a pseudoplastic behavior with thixotropy whose viscosity decreased as the addition of ackee aril flour was increased. Pasting properties of blends involving 25 %-75 % ackee aril flour demonstrate the feasibility of including these flours in products subjected to high processing temperatures such as canned products or even to produce chips and pasta.

Effect of deformation history on the stress relaxation behaviour of Colombian Caribbean coastal cheese from goat milk.

Textural attributes are a manifestation of the rheological properties and physical structure of foods, cheeses among these. In order to describe these physical properties, the objective of this work was to analyse the effect of deformation history on the stress relaxation behaviour of Colombian Caribbean coastal cheese made from goat milk with 3.75% (F1), 4.00% (F2) and 4.25% (F3) fat content, through prediction made by a four-term Prony series based on Chen's model. For this, stress relaxation data and stress relaxation spectra were analysed. Moreover, textural attributes by texture profile analysis were measured. Physicochemical results were similar to those published by other authors, and all samples meet national and international standards. Results from this work showed that Chen's model could be successfully used to describe the effect of deformation history on the stress relaxation behaviour of Colombian Caribbean coastal cheese made from goat milk. F1 had the highest elastic response, with the most significant residual modules ( P0) and relaxation times (τ1, τ2 and τ3). On the other hand, residual modules and relaxation times (τ1, τ2 and τ3) for cheeses F2 and F3 did not present statistically significant differences (p > 0.05). Besides, by interpretation of the stress relaxation spectra, F1 presented the firmest structure (greatest distribution function and relaxation time) which was characterised by the highest elastic behaviour. Finally, according to texture profile analysis test, F1 had the highest hardness, cohesiveness and chewiness, whereas F2 and F3 did not present statistically significant differences (p > 0.05) between them.

Optimización del proceso de fritura por inmersión de la arepa con huevo utilizando metodología de superficie de respuesta / Optimization of the deep fat frying process of arepa con huevo using response surface methodology

RESUMEN Los alimentos fritos son consumidos debido a sus características de palatabilidad y textura. Sin embargo, una limitante es el contenido de grasa que adquieren, lo cual es catalogado como un riesgo para la salud. Por lo tanto, se han desarrollado estrategias para controlar el proceso de fritura y obtener productos con bajos contenidos de grasa. La arepa con huevo (AH) es un alimento autóctono y consumido en Colombia. El objetivo de este estudio fue optimizar la fritura de AH, analizando la relación temperatura-tiempo sobre los atributos de calidad. Las muestras se formularon con masa de maíz y huevos de gallina, en forma de placa circular. La inmersión se realizó en aceite de palma®, utilizando un diseño central compuesto rotable. La humedad disminuyó con el aumento de los factores. Las muestras fritas a temperaturas altas y tiempos cortos absorbieron el menor contenido de grasa. La luminosidad disminuyó con el aumento de la temperatura, mientras que la variación del color y la dureza aumentaron con el tiempo del proceso. La deseabilidad máxima fue de 0,84 obteniendo la mejor combinación de los factores a 180,8 °C y 364,8 s. La optimización de la fritura hace posible obtener AH con bajo contenido de grasa.

ABSTRACT Fried foodstuffs are consumed by their characteristics of palatability and texture. However, one of the main disadvantages is the high oil content that these acquire, which is classified as a risk for health. Hence, strategies have been developed in order to control frying process and obtain products with a lower fat content. The arepa con huevo (AH) is an autochthonous and consumed foodstuff in Colombia. The objective of this study was to optimize the frying of AH, analyzing the temperature-time relationship on quality attributes. The samples were made in the form of a circular plate and were formulated with maize dough, and hen's eggs. The process was performed in refined palm oil® and a rotating composite central design was applied. Moisture decreased when increasing factors. The samples fried at high temperatures and short times had lowest oil uptake. The luminosity decreased with increasing temperature, whereas the color variation and the hardness increased with the time of the process. The desirability was 0.84 point where the best combination of factors was at 180.8 °C and 364.7 s. The optimization of the deep fat frying makes it possible to obtain AH with a low oil content.