Impact of ripening on the health-promoting components from fruta-do-lobo (Solanum lycocarpum St. Hill).

Fruta-do-lobo (Solanum lycocarpum St. Hill) is an underutilized native fruit commonly found in the Brazilian Cerrado, very known due to the presence of glycoalkaloids. In this work we evaluated the biochemical changes on carbohydrates, phenolic and alkaloids during ripening of fruta-do-lobo using chromatographic and spectrometric techniques. During ripening, we observed an increase in glucose, fructose and sucrose, while oligosaccharides levels varied. Chlorogenic acid isomers represented 80% of the identified phenolic compounds in unripe stage, but they reduced during ripening, resulting in predominance of p-coumaroylquinic acid (peel and pulp) and 1-O-sinapoyl-glucoside (seeds). Statistical analysis shows that the unripe fractions were richer in alkaloids compounds, which were the most important for antioxidant activity. Molecular network analysis summarizes the compound changes during ripening, especially regarding the alkaloid compounds, with a reduction of around 85% of solamargine abundance. These data show that fruta-do-lobo can presents different chemical compositions due their ripening stage providing support for future research aimed to the application of these compounds in glycemia control or uses of their extracts with higher content of alkaloids compounds.

Genipap (Genipa americana L.) fruit extract as a source of antioxidant and antiproliferative iridoids.

Iridoid blue-based pigments can be found in fruits of genipap (Genipa americana L.). Besides being a potential source of natural blue colorant in the food industry, they have also been associated with pharmacological effects. Therefore, the recovery of iridoids by ultrasound-assisted extraction from both unripe and ripe fruits was analysed by UPLC-DAD-ESI-(-)-QTOF-MS/MS. Nine iridoids were identified from their exact masses and fragmentation pattern, namely geniposidic acid, gardenoside, genipin-1-ß-gentiobioside, geniposide, 6''-O-p-coumaroyl-1-ß-gentiobioside geniposidic acid, 6''-O-p-coumaroylgenipin-gentiobioside, genipin, 6'-O-p-coumaroyl-geniposidic acid and 6'-O-feruloyl-geniposidic acid. Among them, genipin (60.77 mg/g fdw) was found to be the most abundant iridoid in unripe genipap extract, while the ripe genipap extract mainly contained geniposide and geniposidic acid (89.48 and 25.04 mg/g fdw, respectively). It was also observed that the iridoids of the unripe genipap extract are able to scavenger DPPH, ABTS and peroxyl radicals as well as exerting a cytostatic effect against both glioma and breast cancer cell lines. This study provided information about the properties of unripe and ripe genipap extracts which can be used as a reference for further studies focusing on the potential application of G. americana L. in commercial products containing natural blue colorant with functional claims.

Evaluation of fruta-do-lobo (Solanum lycocarpum St. Hill) starch on the growth of probiotic strains.

Fruta-do-lobo (Solanum lycocarpum St. Hill) is a native fruit commonly used in Brazilian folk medicine as a hypoglycemic agent. These properties are attributed to their starch, mainly its resistant fraction. Resistant starch has shown to increases the growth of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus in the gut, even though not being selective for these strains. In this scenario, this study aimed to investigate the potential prebiotic activity of fruta-do-lobo starch (FLS). FLS showed around 30% of resistant starch and their prebiotic potential was evaluated with five probiotic strains L. acidophilus (LA3 and LA5), L. casei (LC01) and B. animalis (BB12) and B. lactis (BLC1) in a concentration range of 1.0-2.0% of starch. In a preliminary screening, we evaluated, during 48 h, the viability of the starch with promoting growth agent. An increase in the growth of the probiotic strains tested was observed. We also evaluated the microorganism's metabolic activity by assessing the short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production, using the best starch growth promotion conditions (2% of FLS and strains BLC1, LA5, and LC01). As expected, MRS and lactose were preferentially metabolized by BLC1, with the highest growth rates: 0.231 and 0.224 h-1, respectively. However, for this strain, the FLS growth rate (0.222 h-1) was 65% higher than FOS (0.144 h-1). Also, for LA5 FLS promoted higher growth (0.150 h-1) than FOS (0.135 h-1). Additionally, FLS promoted acetate production. These data are promising and indicate that FLS may have prebiotic potential and more studies need to be done with pathogenic microorganisms.

A comprehensive characterization of Solanum lycocarpum St. Hill and Solanum oocarpum Sendtn: Chemical composition and antioxidant properties.

In this study we evaluated the proximate composition of two Solanaceae fruits from Brazilian Cerrado, their mineral content, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), phenolic compounds profile, and antioxidant capacity employing Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) assay, for each part of the fruits (pulp, peel and seeds). Our results showed that the pulp has a high moisture content (74.62-85.40 g/100 g) and soluble fiber (1.29-2.06 g/100 g) content, and low fat, protein, and ash content. The peel exhibited high levels of carbohydrates and total fibers (6.55-11.39 and 12.35-13.12 g/100 g, respectively), while the seed presented high content of fat, protein, and insoluble fiber (10.14-12.62, 9.14-13.24 and 19.84-23.15 g/100 g). Potassium is the main mineral found in both fruits. It is the first time that the carbohydrate profile, volatile components, and phenolic compounds of the fruta-do-lobo and juá-açu are reported. 1-Kestose (GF2) and nystose (GF3) were found in both fruits. The main VOCs of juá-açu were esters, while in fruta-do-lobo, aldehydes were the major components. UPLC-Q-ToF fraction analysis of juá-açu and fruta-do-lobo revealed 24 phenolic compounds, most being hydroxycinnamic acids derivatives in juá-açu, and chlorogenic acids in fruta-do-lobo. The antioxidant capacity (ORAC) of the fruits ranged from 1.35 to 11.51 µmol TE/100 mL of extract. These results indicate that Solanum genus can be interesting for the Brazilian fruit market, and that it has potential to be exploited for agroindustry for diversification of fruit products.

Whey permeate as the raw material in galacto-oligosaccharide synthesis using commercial enzymes.

Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS), molecules with prebiotic properties are considered promising in the food industry. Its synthesis can be performed by enzymatic pathway, using commercial microbial enzymes. The reaction, known as transgalactosylation, is mediated by the enzyme ß-galactosidase and its catalysis is influenced during the process by substrate concentration present (in this case lactose), pH, and temperature, among others. The use of whey permeate, a by-product of the dairy industry, demonstrates the interest in making such processes viable from an economic and technological point of view. The main of this work was to use whey permeate as raw material in an enzymatic GOS synthesis, comparing three commercial enzymes of different microbial sources. For better performance, the results on lactose conversion, yield, and specific productivity were evaluated. The commercial enzyme of Kluyveromyces lactis (Lactozyme™ 2600 L) showed the best results for lactose conversion (89.27%), yield (25 g GOS/100 g lactose) and specific productivity (51 g GOS/g enzyme*h). Thus, it can be considered suitable for further technological development. Aspergillus oryzae commercial enzyme also showed good results and could be used for other studies either. However, the Escherichia coli commercial enzyme did not present good results in GOS synthesis, being more appropriate to lactose hydrolysis reactions. All the three enzymes showed a decrease in the production and even depletion of GOS molecules, and therefore, smaller reaction times should be established. New stages of optimization and processes development should be considered in future works, in order to obtain best yields and productivities.

Solid lipid microparticles loaded with cinnamon oleoresin: Characterization, stability and antimicrobial activity.

Cinnamon bark oleoresin (CO) is a natural flavoring that has several biological properties and can act as an antimicrobial agent. However, oleoresins are susceptible to degradation by light, oxygen and temperature. Thus, the objective of this work was the production and characterization of microparticles loaded with CO obtained by the spray chilling technique. Hardfat (PH) and palm oil (PO) were used as carriers in different proportions: 100:0; 80:20; 60:40, respectively. The active concentration was 1 and 2%. Solid lipid microparticles (SLM) were stored at 25 and 45°C having their polymorphism, retention capacity of the volatile compounds and antimicrobial capacity assessed over 28 days. CO presented cinnamaldehyde (Cn), O-methoxy cinnamaldehyde (OmCn) and coumarin (Co) as the major volatile components. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the CO against molds, yeasts and Gram-negative bacteria was of 0.1% (v/v), for every microorganism. In the SLM characterization there was a significant size variation, with a mean diameter (d 0.5) in the range of 8-72 µm. Most of the formulations showed crystals in the polymorphic form ß '. The formulation containing only PH as the carrier agent and 2% CO was able to better retain the volatile compounds. During the storage period, formulations F2 and F3, containing proportions of HP and OP of 80:20 and 60:40, respectively, and 2% CO, showed the best stabilities in relation to the concentration of Cn. The antimicrobial activity of the SLM against Candida pseudointermedia and Penicillium paneum, evaluated by the diameter of inhibition zone, increased over the 28 days of storage.

The influence of the storage temperature on the stability of lipid microparticles containing ginger oleoresin.

Ginger oleoresin (GO) can be encapsulated within a protective lipid matrix in order to facilitate handling, provide protection against the external environment or promote the stability of GO compounds. The aim of this study was to verify the ability of solid lipid microparticles (SLMs) containing GO (10-20% w/w) to maintain or improve the stability of ginger compounds, by monitoring SLMs' characteristics during storage at different temperatures (25 and 40 °C). The lipids matrix of SLMs were composed by stearic acid (90, 80, 75, 65% w/w) and oleic acid (15% w/w), The crystalline structure of the particles after 84 days of storage did not present any polymorphic alterations, while presenting spherical form upon scanning by electron microscopy. SLMs containing oleic acid showed degradation of 6-gingerol when stored at 40 °C. Major volatile compounds had better stability in particles containing oleic acid. Kinetics of volatiles release resulted in a diffusion mechanism. SLMs showed better stability of GO compounds during storage at 25 °C than un-encapsulated GO and could, therefore, improve its distribution in foods due to its conversion to powder.

Oligosaccharide biotechnology: an approach of prebiotic revolution on the industry.

Oligosaccharides are polymers with two to ten monosaccharide residues which have sweetener functions and sensory characteristics, in addition to exerting physiological effects on human health. The ones called nondigestible exhibit a prebiotic behavior being fermented by colonic microflora or stimulating the growth of beneficial bacteria, playing roles in the immune system, protecting against cancer, and preventing cardiovascular and metabolic issues. The global prebiotics market is expected to grow around 12.7% in the next 8 years, so manufacturers are developing new alternatives to obtain sustainable and efficient processes for application on a large scale. Most studied examples of biotechnological processes involve the development of new strategies for fructooligosaccharide, galactooligosaccharide, xylooligosaccharide, and mannanooligosaccharide synthesis. Among these, the use of whole cells in fermentation, synthesis of microbial enzymes (ß-fructofuranosidases, ß-galactosidases, xylanases, and ß-mannanases), and enzymatic process development (permeabilization, immobilization, gene expression) can be highlighted, especially if the production costs are reduced by the use of agro-industrial residues or by-products such as molasses, milk whey, cotton stalks, corncobs, wheat straw, poplar wood, sugarcane bagasse, and copra meal. This review comprises recent studies to demonstrate the potential for biotechnological production of oligosaccharides, and also aspects that need more investigation for future applications in a large scale.

Fusarium species-a promising tool box for industrial biotechnology.

Global demand for biotechnological products has increased steadily over the years. Thus, need for optimized processes and reduced costs appear as a key factor in the success of this market. A process tool of high importance is the direct or indirect use of enzymes to catalyze the generation of various substances. Also, obtaining aromas and pigments from natural sources has becoming priority in cosmetic and food industries in order to supply the demand from consumers to substitute synthetic compounds, especially when by-products can be used as starting material for this purpose. Species from Fusarium genera are recognized as promising sources of several enzymes for industrial application as well as biocatalysts in the production of aromas, pigments and second generation biofuels, among others. In addition, secondary metabolites from these strains can present important biological activities for medical field. In this approach, this review brings focus on the use of Fusarium sp. strains in biotechnological production of compounds of industrial interest, showing the most recent researches in this area, results obtained and the best process conditions for each case.

Current status in biotechnological production and applications of glycolipid biosurfactants.

Biosurfactants are natural compounds with surface activity and emulsifying properties produced by several types of microorganisms and have been considered an interesting alternative to synthetic surfactants. Glycolipids are promising biosurfactants, due to low toxicity, biodegradability, and chemical stability in different conditions and also because they have many biological activities, allowing wide applications in different fields. In this review, we addressed general information about families of glycolipids, rhamnolipids, sophorolipids, mannosylerythritol lipids, and trehalose lipids, describing their chemical and surface characteristics, recent studies using alternative substrates, and new strategies to improve of production, beyond their specificities. We focus in providing recent developments and trends in biotechnological process and medical and industrial applications.