Oxidative stability and physicochemical changes of dark chocolates with essential oils addition.

This research aimed to evaluate the oxidative stability and rheological properties of dark chocolates with the addition of essential oils (EO) of Cymbopogon citratus, Pimpinella anisum, and Mintostachys mollis. For this purpose, before the inclusion in chocolates, the EO were chemically characterized to identify the most important volatile compounds. We added essential oils of P. anisum, C. citratus and M. mollis to dark chocolates (cocoa 70%) at doses of 10, 12 and 14 µL per 500 g, separately. These chocolates were evaluated for oxidative activity, hardness, microstructure, rheological and melting properties and antioxidant capacity. It was found that C. citratus EO (10 µL/500 g of chocolate) improve the oxidative stability of the chocolates at 90 days of storage at 25 °C (230 meq O2/kg), while higher concentrations promote lipid oxidation. The incorporation of essential oils improves the antioxidant capacity, likewise, it changes the rheological, thermal, and microstructural properties. Therefore, essential oils can improve the physicochemical characteristics of dark chocolates allowing greater stability in oxidative fat and thus increase the shelf life.

Changes in bioactive compounds during fermentation of cocoa (Theobroma cacao) harvested in Amazonas-Peru.

Cocoa (Theobroma cacao) is the main raw material for the production of chocolate; it is considered the food of the gods, as it possesses a diversity of bioactive compounds beneficial to human health. The abundance of bioactive compounds, among others, is conditioned by the post-harvest processing of cocoa beans, and fermentation is a major step in this regard. Consequently, this research evaluated the changes in phenolic compounds and methylxanthines occurred in the fermentation of Criollo and CCN-51 cocoa beans, varieties of great commercial interest for the cocoa-growing areas of Peru. For this purpose, samples were taken every 12 h of cocoa beans under fermentation for 204 h in which phenols (gallic acid, caffeic acid, catechin, and epicatechin) and methylxanthines (theobromine, caffeine and theophylline) were quantified by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC); total polyphenols by Folin Ciocalteu; antioxidant capacity by DPPH free radical capture method; total anthocyanins; pH; titratable acidity; and fermentation rate of beans. We found that during fermentation, phenolic content, antioxidant activity, and methylxanthines of cocoa beans decreased; on the other hand, the anthocyanin content increased slightly. Indeed, at distinctly degree, fermentation influences bioactive compounds in cocoa beans, depending on the variety cultivated.

Changes of polyphenols and antioxidants of arabica coffee varieties during roasting.

Coffee is the most consumed beverage in the world after water. Multiple benefits are attributed to it in human health due to the presence of antioxidant compounds, whose content depends, among other factors, on the processing conditions of the coffee bean. The objective of this study was to determine the kinetics of polyphenols and antioxidants during the roasting of three varieties of arabica coffee. For this, we worked with varieties of coffee, Catimor, Caturra, and Bourbon, from the province of La Convencion, Cuzco, Peru. The samples were roasted in an automatic induction roaster, and 12 samples were taken during roasting (at 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, and 21 min of roasting) in triplicate. For green coffee beans, titratable acidity, total soluble solids, moisture and apparent density were determined. The change in polyphenol content was determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu method, and antioxidant activity was determined using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2-azino-bis- (3-ethyl-benzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS+) free radical capture technique during roasting. Polyphenol and antioxidant contents increased until minute 5 of roasting and then decreased until minute 20, and in some cases, there were slight increases in the last minute. The model that best described the changes in these bioactive compounds was the cubic model (R 2 0.634 and 0.921), and the best fits were found for the Bourbon variety, whose green grain had more homogeneous characteristics. The changes in the relative abundances of nine phenolic compounds were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In conclusion, roasting modifies phenolic compounds and antioxidants differently in the coffee varieties studied. The content of some phenols increases, and in other cases, it decreases as the roasting time increases. The roasting process negatively affects the bioactive compounds and increases the fracturability of Arabica coffee beans, elements that should be taken into account at the moment of developing roasting models in the industry.

Physical, functional and sensory properties of bitter chocolates with incorporation of high nutritional value flours.

Due to the growing demand for healthy food products, the industry is seeking to incorporate inputs with high nutritional potential to traditional products. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of incorporating Lepidium meyenii, Chenopodium pallidicaule, Amaranthus caudatus, Sesamum indicum and Salvia hispanica flours on the physical, chemical, rheological, textural and thermal characteristics, and the degree of sensory acceptance of dark chocolate bars (65% cocoa). To this end, chocolate bars were made with the incorporation of five flours in four doses (1, 2, 3 and 4%), obtaining 20 different formulations compared with a control treatment (without flour addition). It was found that as flour incorporation levels increased, viscosity, antioxidants and particle size of the chocolates increased, but hardness and pH decreased. The addition of the flours also affected the acceptability and microstructure of the chocolate bars. The incorporation of up to 4% of the flours studied improved the degree of acceptance of the chocolates. Consequently, the incorporation of grain flours with high nutritional value can enhance the characteristics of dark chocolates, becoming a technological alternative for the chocolate industry.

Efecto del aceite esencial de Minthostachys mollis Kunth en la estabilidad oxidativa de aceite de sachainchi (Plukenetia hayllabambana)

RESUMEN El aceite de sachainchi, es considerado un alimento de alto valor nutritivo por su elevado contenido en ácidos grasos poliinsaturados, tocoferoles y esteroles. Sin embargo, al igual que otros aceites de su categoría, es muy susceptible a la oxidación lipídica durante el almacenamiento. El objetivo fue evaluar el efecto del aceite esencial de Minthostachys mollis en la estabilidad oxidativa de aceite de sachainchi (Plukenetia huayllabambana). Se mezcló aceite esencial (AE) de M. mollis con 1, 2, 4, 6 y 8 g/kg de aceite de sachainchi y dos aceites controles (sin AE y con 0,02 g/kg de antioxidante comercial BHT). Todos los tratamientos fueron almacenados a T° ambiente (17 °C promedio). Se midió el índice de peróxido de los tratamientos a los 2, 5, 10 y 15 días de almacenamiento. Se encontró que dosis de 1, 2 y 4 g/kg de AE de M. mollis estabilizaron la oxidación lipídica del aceite de sachainchi hasta por 10 días de almacenamiento con igual efectividad que el antioxidante comercial BHT. Aunque este trabajo revela el potencial que tiene el AE de M. mollis como antioxidante natural en alimentos, es necesario evaluaciones con menores dosis y mayor tiempo de almacenamiento para fortalecer esta primera aproximación.

ABSTRACT Sacha inchi oil is considered a food of high nutritional value, due to its high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids, tocopherols and sterols. However, like other oils in its category, it is very susceptible to lipid oxidation during storage. The objective was to evaluate the effect of Minthostachys mollis essential oil on the oxidative stability of sacha inchi oil (Plukenetia huayllabambana). Essential oil (EO) of M. mollis was applied with 1, 2, 4, 6 and 8 g/kg of sacha inchi oil and two controls (without EO and with 0.02 g/kg of commercial antioxidant BHT). All treatments were stored at room temperature (17 °C average) and the peroxide value of the treatments was measured at 2, 5, 10 and 15 days of storage. It was found that doses of 1, 2 and 4 g/kg of M. mollis EO could stabilize lipid oxidation of sacha inchi oil for up to 10 storage days with equal effectiveness to the commercial antioxidant BHT. Although this work reveals the potential of M. mollis EO as a natural antioxidant in food, evaluations with lower doses and longer storage times are necessary to strengthen this first approximation.

Terapia biológica en el tratamiento de las enfermedades reumáticas / Biological therapy in the treatment of rheumatic diseases

El desarrollo de la terapia biológica en el tratamiento de las enfermedades reumáticas ha progresado rápidamente en los últimos años, especialmente aquellos dirigidos contra citocinas, que juegan un papel importante tanto en la iniciación como en el mantenimiento de la inflamación, El presente es una revisión de los agentes bloqueadores de citocinas, utilizados en la practica clínica reumatológica.

The development of biological therapy in the treatment of rheumatic diseases has progressed rapidly in recent years, especially those directed against cytokines, which play an important role in both initiation and maintenance of inflammation. This is a review of cytokine blocking agents used in rheumatology clinical practice.

Pericarditis tuberculosa; Presentación de casos y revisión de la literatura / Tuberculous pericarditis; Case presentation and literature review

La infección por Mycobacterium tuberculosis, es un diagnóstico de exclusión que siempre debe estar presente en todos los casos de derrame pericárdico agudo y crónico, más aún en nuestro país donde la prevalencia de tuberculosis es cada vez más alta. El diagnóstico precoz y el inicio del tratamiento influyen directamente en la sobrevida del paciente y su mortalidad. Aquí presentamos 4 pacientes con diagnóstico de pericarditis tuberculosa quienes tuvieron diferente evolución y grados variables de derrame.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection is a diagnosis of exclusion that must always be present in all cases of acute and chronic pericardial effusion, even more so in our country where the prevalence of tuberculosis is increasingly high. Early diagnosis and initiation of treatment directly influence patient survival and mortality. Here we present 4 patients with a diagnosis of tuberculous pericarditis who had different evolution and variable degrees of effusion.

Dermatomitosis a propósito de un caso / Dermatomitosis with regard to a case

La dermatomiositis es una enfermedad autoinmune caracterizada por debilidad muscular proximal, aumento de enzimas musculares y afección cutánea. Se presenta el caso clínico de una mujer de 35 años con historia de ocho meses de evolución caracterizada por compromiso tegumentario sin alteración muscular.