Eduardo Morales

High carotenoid bioaccessibility through linseed oil nanoemulsions with enhanced physical and oxidative stability

Carotenoid (astaxanthin or lycopene) emulsions obtained by high pressure homogenization were investigated for their physical, oxidative and storage stability and biological fate on an in vitro digestion model of bioaccessibility. Emulsion stability evaluated at various processing environments (20-50°C, 2-10 pH, 0-500 mM NaCl, and 0-35 days storage at 25°C) depended on carotenoid and homogenization pressures (5, 10, 100 MPa). Trolox increased the oxidative stability of nanoemulsions (100 MPa) and acted synergistically with BHT in increasing the stability of lycopene nanoemulsion. Intestinal digestibility depended on homogenization pressures with the fastest release and lower amount of free fatty acids observed at 100 MPa. Carotenoid nanoemulsions (100 MPa) were partially (66%) digested and highly bioaccessible (>70%). Therefore, nanoemulsions provide an effective and stable system for efficient astaxanthin or lycopene delivery and bioavailability in foods, beverages, nutraceuticals and/or other agriproducts.

Functional and physicochemical properties of a protein isolate from AluProt-CGNA: A novel protein-rich lupin variety (Lupinus luteus)

This study describes the isolation of proteins from the novel lupin variety AluProt-CGNA (Lupinus luteus) and the influence of pH and NaCl on their functional properties. AluProt-CGNA variety showed to have a great protein content in dehulled seeds (60.60g protein/100g, dry matter), which is higher than soybean and other lupin varieties. A lupin protein isolate (97.54g protein/100g) from AluProt-CGNA, LPIA, was prepared from lupin flour by alkali solubilization and isoelectric precipitation. The solubility profile of the LPIA was affected by pH, where the minimal values were observed at pH values close to its isoelectric point range (pH4-5). The highest values of water absorption capacity (1.71cm3H2O/g protein), oil absorption capacity (1.43g trapped oil/g protein), emulsifying capacity (61.94%), emulsion stability (96.43%), foaming capacity (114.29%), foam stability (65.69%) and least gelation concentration (20g/100cm3) were observed at pH values lower and higher than its isoelectric point. In the presence of 100mM of NaCl, their functional properties were improved. SDS-PAGE showed that LPIA mainly contained high molecular weight proteins (α and β-conglutin). These results are useful for increasing the utilization of this protein isolate as a potential functional ingredient in food industry.

Factor Optimization in the Manufacturing Process of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Based on Naturally Extracted Dye from a Maqui and Blackberry Mixture (Aristotelia Chilensis and Rubus Glaucus)

Optical and electrical properties of mini modules of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) using anthocyanin-enriched extracts from maqui (Aristotelia Chilensis) and blackberry (Rubus Glaucus) have been investigated. Anthocyanins pigments are a group of purple, red, blue and violet water-soluble polyphenolic components widely distributed in berry fruits, and maqui and blackberry are particularly rich sources. The main objective of this study was to analyze the factors involved in the performance of a DSSC. For this purpose, the experimental design considered the variation in the anthocyanin concentration, impregnation time and extract type through the Taguchi methodology with an orthogonal array L4(23) methodology that contributed to reduce cost, time and to obtain reliable statistical results. Then, the effect of these factors was identified by ANOVA, determining the incidence on the efficiency of the DSSC. As a result of the experimental program, the effect on efficiency by anthocyanin concentration was 43.90%, impregnation time 4.55% and extract type 51.22%. The variable extract type contributed the most to the performance, followed by anthocyanin concentration. However, the impregnation time had no effect on the efficiency of the DSSC with a maqui (Aristotelia Chilensis) and blackberry (Rubus glaucus) mixture. With this research, it is possible to identify the influence of different manufacturing factors that affect the efficiency of the DSSC with natural dyes, such as maqui and blackberry mixtures. Through this research, it is established that the incorporation of maqui to the mixture enhances the efficiency of the DSSCs. Maqui as a dye improves the optical absorption properties of the material by increasing the peak of absorption range. This study promotes new research in DSSC with mixtures of natural dyes.