Edson Leandro de Oliveira

Use of fibres obtained from the cashew (Anacardium ocidentale, L) and guava (Psidium guayava) fruits for enrichment of food products

With the purpose of using the cashew and guava dried bagasse for enrichment of cookies, a study of drying process was done. The physico- chemical characterization included the determination of pH, soluble solids, total acidity, protein, lipids, fiber, ash, moisture and total and reducing sugars. Total coli forms, yeasts and molds counting were the microbiological analyses conducted. Enriched cookies were prepared by adding 5, 10 and 15% (of total weight) of dry residues of cashew and guava. Appearance, color, odor, taste and texture were the sensorial attributes evaluated for the enriched and non-enriched cookies. The granulometric analysis defined that more adequate particle to add were between 65 and 100 mesh. The enriched cookies with cashew and guava fibers in 10% e 5%, respectively, showed a high rate of acceptability in relation to flavor.

Relationship between the Mass of Organic Matter and Carbon in Soil

The quantity of soil organic matter (SOM) was estimated through the determination of soil organic carbon (SOC) times a factor, which assumes that 58% of the SOM was formed by carbon. A number of soil samples with wide range of SOC content collected in the state of Parana, Brazil were evaluated in the laboratory. SOC was measured by Walkley-Black method and the total SOM by loss on ignition. The SOC was positively correlated with SOM. The SOM/SOC ratio varied from 1.91 to 5.08 for the soils. It shows that Brazilian SOM has greater oxidation degree. Although, the SOM and SOC decreased with soil depth the SOM/SOC ratio increased. It showed that SOM in the subsoil contained more oxygen but less carbon than the SOM in the upper soil surface. The CEC/SOC also increased with depth indicating that the functional groups of the SOM increased per unity of carbon.

Absorption and Toxicity of Copper and Zinc in Bean Plants Cultivated in Soil Treated with Chicken Manure

The interaction between copper, zinc, and chicken manure, whenadded to soil, was studied in a greenhouse setting. Coppersulfate and of zinc chloride at concentrations of 0.5 to 2.0mmol kg-1 were added separately to pots containing 3.0 kgof dystrophic dark red latosoil (LEd) plus 1,0% (m/m) pH 4.2chicken manure. IAPAR 57 beans were used as test plant andcultivated in the experimental soils for 30 days. Plant growthin terms of dry weight and the concentrations of copper and zincin the aerial part of the plants were determined. Bean plantingswere repeated four times, at four-month intervals. A 20%decrease in dry weight was observed when amounts of copper orzinc equal to or geater than 1.0 or 2.0 mmol kg-1, respectively, were applied to the soil over an average of fourplantings. For these concentrations, the average amount of metalfound in the plant was 13.4 mg kg-1 for copper and 224.8 mgkg-1 for zinc. Chlorosis of the leaves in the bean plantswas also observed. The copper and zinc concentrations in thetreated soil were determined using different extractants. Amongthe solutions evaluated for the extraction of available zinc,1.0 M ammonium acetate, pH 4.8, showed a better correlation withthe metal concentration in the plant. As for copper, the bestcorrelation was found with the Mehlich-1 extractant.

Estudio del Secado de Anacardo (Anacardium occidentale L.) mediante Secador Solar de Radiación Directa

In this work solar drying tests with direct radiation and its mathematical modeling to evaluate the kinetics of cashew-nut (Anacardium occidentale L.) drying comparing their efficiency concerned to natural solar drying board are presented. The experiments were performed using fruit slices with 1 cm and 2 cm of thickness, obtaining its water content versus time. Using a direct solar radiation dryer, the drying time was lower than that of natural drying board, therefore adding value to products. Diffusivity values obtained from water sliced fruits were similar to other data available in the literature. The dried products had good organoleptic properties, aroma, color and crunchy texture.

Effect of Organic Matter on Manganese Solubility

O estudo foi conduzido com objetivo de reavaliar alguns aspectos da importância relativa da materia orgânica na solubilidade do Mn em solos acidos. Em condicao de campo cobertura morta com residuos de aveia preta, nabo forrageiro, napier, tremoco, leucena e folhas de cafe diminuiram a solubilidade de Mn quando comparada com o solo descoberto. A reducao na solubilidade do Mn em solo coberto com residuos vegetais foi relacionada com o teor de umidade do solo. Estudos de laboratorio demonstraram que o aumento da temperatura de 25 para 100oC aumentou a solubilidade do Mn com pouca alteracao no teor de carbono do solo; de 150 a 200oC aumentou ambas a solubilidade do Mn e a oxidacao do carbono orgânico e acima de 300oC diminuiu a solubilidade do Mn e completou a oxidacao do carbono orgânico. A solubilidade do Al sempre aumentou com a elevacao da temperatura. A materia orgânica influenciou diretamente a solubilidade do Mn e do Al.

Characterization and drying of caja bagasse (Spondias mombin L.) in a tray dryer using a factorial planning

The caja (Spondias mombin L.) is used in the manufacture of ice-cream, jams, pulps, beverages being also consumed in natura. One of the most important procedures in food conservation is drying, considering that most fresh fruits contain approximately 80% of water. Food drying is used to obtain two basic aspects: (1) the economic factor; in the shipping and handling of the product; (2) at the manipulation; once dried and grinded, the material is rehydrated, at desirable levels, to formulate a new product as in ice cream, jams, yoghurts and drinks and may also be added to pasta, biscuits and other industrialized products. The aim of this study was to investigate the kinetics of caja bagasse drying in a fixed-bed tray dryer, using central composite factorial planning. The following factors were evaluated: temperature (55, 65 and 75 oC), dryer inlet air velocity (3.2, 4.6 and 6.0 m.s-1) and cake thickness (0.8, 1.2 and 1.6 cm) where the response of the considered variable was caja bagasse moisture content (b.s.) and the results showed that the main effects and their interactions were significant at a 95% confidence level being the best condition obtained at temperature of 75 oC, velocity of 6.0 m.s-1 and cake thickness of 0.8 cm.