Maria Aparecida Azevedo Pereira da Silva

Retention of Vitamin C in Drying Processes of Fruits and Vegetables—A Review

This article presents a review of drying processes of fruits and vegetables in which vitamin C degradation was considered. Vitamin C is an important and essential nutrient for humans and it can be taken as an index of nutrient quality of processes. Many researchers have reported the effect of different drying methods and the influence of drying conditions on the vitamin C content. In addition, the effect of other parameters related to the sample structure or to pretreatments on the final quality of the dried product is discussed. Vitamin C degradation mechanisms proposed in the literature, models applied to describe its kinetics, and recent advances in drying processes aiming high retention of this nutrient are also provided.

The use of biomass residues in the Brazilian soluble coffee industry

Abstract The objective of this paper is to discuss the use of coffee grounds in the Brazilian soluble coffee industry. This residue is used as a fuel in the boilers of the same industry; so, data about their utilization are presented and analysed, discussing the actual technology and the advantages of improving the drying of the biomass with the exhaust combustion gases. After that, an experimental study is reported on the characteristics of this material, which are important for the combustion process, including the transport, storage and drying, the mean diameter of the particles, talus angle, apparent and real density, sphericity, surface area, terminal velocity, spontaneous ignition temperature and heat of combustion.

Impact of Oxygen Dissolved at Bottling and Transmitted through Closures on the Composition and Sensory Properties of a Sauvignon Blanc Wine during Bottle Storage

This work outlines the results from an investigation to determine the effect of the oxygen dissolved at bottling and the specific oxygen barrier properties of commercially available closures on the composition, color and sensory properties of a Bordeaux Sauvignon Blanc wine during two years of storage. The importance of oxygen for wine development after bottling was also assessed using an airtight bottle ampule. Wines were assessed for the antioxidants (SO(2) and ascorbic acid), varietal thiols (4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one, 3-mercaptohexan-1-ol), hydrogen sulfide and sotolon content, and color throughout 24 months of storage. In addition, the aroma and palate properties of wines were also assessed. The combination of oxygen dissolved at bottling and the oxygen transferred through closures has a significant effect on Sauvignon Blanc development after bottling. Wines highly exposed to oxygen at bottling and those sealed with a synthetic, Nomacorc classic closure, highly permeable to oxygen, were relatively oxidized in aroma, brown in color, and low in antioxidants and volatile compounds compared to wines sealed with other closures. Conversely, wines sealed under more airtight conditions, bottle ampule and screw cap Saran-tin, have the slowest rate of browning, and displayed the greatest contents of antioxidants and varietal thiols, but also high levels of H(2)S, which were responsible for the reduced dominating character found in these wines, while wines sealed with cork stoppers and screw cap Saranex presented negligible reduced and oxidized characters.

Aspectos nutricionais de fitatos e taninos

Os graos de leguminosas contem uma variedade de fatores antinutricionais que podem provocar efeitos fisiologicos adversos ou diminuir a biodisponibilidade de certos nutrientes. Danos cronicos leves devidos a prolongada ingestao de antinutrientes sao muito dificeis de se avaliar. Como consequencia, existem muitas controversias em estudos de biodisponibilidade in vivo a respeito da extrapolacao de resultados de sistemas experimentais, para seres humanos que se alimentam com dietas complexas. O papel dos fatores antinutricionais tem sido rediscutido, em funcao de descobertas recentes que evidenciam o potencial de algumas dessas substâncias em exercer funcoes beneficas ao organismo humano. A habilidade do acido fitico em atuar como anticarcinogenico, antioxidante e prestar contribuicao nutricional no tratamento de diabetes, atraves da acao inibidora de a-amilases, sao exemplos da diversidade de atuacao dessas substâncias. Os taninos sao antioxidantes, inibidores de determinadas enzimas e influenciam negativamente a digestibilidade de proteinas, no entanto, os seus efeitos em seres humanos ainda sao desconhecidos.Legumes contain a variety of antinutritional factors which can provoke adverse physiological effects or reduce the bioavailability of certain nutrients. Slight chronic damage caused by ingestion of these antinutrients is difficult to evaluate. As a consequence, many controversies are found in in vivo studies on bioavailability, regarding the extrapolation of the results of experimental systems to humans on complex diets. The role of antinutritional factors is being rediscussed as a result of recent discoveries which show the potential of some of these substances in exerting beneficial effects on human organism. The capacity of phytic acid to act as an anticarcinogen and antioxidant and to contribute nutritionally in the treatment of diabetes, due to its a-amylase inhibiting activity, is an example of the diversity of action of these substances. The Tannins are antioxidants, inhibitors of certain enzymes and show a negative influence on protein digestibility. However, their effects on human beings are still unknown.

Microstructural Changes during Drying of Apple Slices

Abstract In recent years some effort has been done trying to relate microstructural changes of dehydrated foods with macroscopical properties and quality factors of the processed product. This work assesses the microstructural changes of apple slices submitted to convective drying. Apple slices (25.7 mm diameter, 2.6 mm thickness) were dried in an oven at 70°C on a screen sample holder in order to allow mass transfer in any side of the sample. Microphotographs of the same sample were taken at determined time intervals using a stereomicroscope. The objects in these photographs were identified and classified in three size groups: (a) the cells group, containing objects with an area less than 0.03 mm2; (b) the mixed cells-intercellular spaces group, with an area between 0.03 and 0.06 mm2, and (c) the intercellular spaces group, including objects with an area higher than 0.06 mm2. Geometrical parameters of such objects, namely size (area, perimeter, equivalent diameter, and major and minor axis length) and shape parameters (compactness, elongation, and roundness) were evaluated. Shrinkage of cells and intercellular spaces was very clear during drying, observing a decrease of size with moisture content. Concerning shape factors, compactness remained constant, roundness slightly decreased during drying, and elongation increased in the final stage of the process. Macroscopical changes of the entire disc followed the same behavior as microscopical ones, suggesting that changes at the two scale levels are strongly related.

Thermal Degradation Kinetics of Carotenoids in a Cashew Apple Juice Model and Its Impact on the System Color

The thermal degradation kinetics of the main carotenoids of cashew apple in a juice model system was studied by HPLC and related to the changes of its CIELAB color parameters. Similar isomerization equilibrium constants and activation energies were observed for both all-trans-beta-carotene and all-trans-beta-cryptoxanthin. The curves for the decay of the main carotenoids and color changes showed a biphasic behavior that was best fitted by a biexponential equation. For the same heating conditions (60 or 90 degrees C), similar rate constants for the fast (gamma(1)) and slow (gamma(2)) decays were obtained for both the chemical (carotenoids) and physical (color) parameters monitored in the present research. This fact indicates that color parameters, such as DeltaE*, are good predictors of both all-trans-beta-cryptoxanthin and all-trans-beta-carotene thermal degradation. A mechanism for thermal carotenoid degradation was proposed, involving parallel irreversible and reversible coupled reactions of both the initial all-trans-beta-cryptoxanthin and all-trans-beta-carotene to yield, respectively, degradation compounds and mono-cis isomers.

Impact of concentration of ellagitannins in oak wood on their levels and organoleptic influence in red wine.

Some wood substances such as ellagitannins can be extracted during wine aging in oak barrels. The level of these hydrolyzable tannins in wine depends of some parameters of oak wood. Their impact on the organoleptic perception of red wine is poorly known. In our research, oak staves were classified in three different groups according to their level of ellagitannins estimated by NIRS (near infrared spectroscopy) online procedure (Oakscan). First, the ellagitannin level and composition were determine for each classified stave and an excellent correlation between the NIRS classification (low, medium and high potential level of ellagitannin) and the ellagitannin content estimated by HPLC-UV was found. Each different group of NIRS classified staves was then added to red wine during its aging in a stainless tank, and the extraction and evolution of the ellagitannins were monitored. A good correlation between the NIRS classification and the concentration of ellagitannins in red wine aging in contact with the classified staves was observed. The influence of levels of ellagitannins on the resulting wine perception was estimated by a trained judges panel, and it reveals that the level of ellagitannins in wine has an impact on the roundness and amplitude of the red wine.

On the Influence of Glass Transition on Shrinkage in Convective Drying of Fruits: A Case Study of Banana Drying

The ideal shrinkage model assumes that the extent of shrinkage is equal to the volume of liquid water removed from the dried medium. Generally if a material undergoes glass transition during the drying process, shrinkage will no longer be ideal. The aim of this study was to observe how the glass transition temperature influences the shrinkage kinetics. Cylindrical banana samples were dried. Shrinkage extent was significant for all drying conditions (temperature: 30–50°C, relative humidity: 0–80%). Deviation from linearity was found to be affected not only by drying air temperature but also by its relative humidity.

Fatores antinutricionais: inibidores de proteases e lectinas

The antinutritional factors present in foods can cause adverse physiological effects or decrease the bioavailability of nutrients. Health risk factors associated with antinutrients include: lack of knowledge of the tolerance levels to these compounds in the human organism, little available information on the degree of variation of individual risks and little knowledge with respect to the influence of environmental factors on the detoxification capacity of the human organism. The possible adverse effects of protease inhibitors and lectin on human health are, in most cases, only inferred by way of experiments with laboratory animals. Pancreatic hypertrophy caused by trypsin inhibitors has been shown in some animal experiments. Alterations in physiological functions at the intestinal level shown by animals submitted to lectins containing diets seem to be related to the specificity of these substances with the intestinal mucosa cells. There is no evidence that the trypsin inhibitors and lectins present in adequately processed foods are toxic to humans.

Performance of three affective methods and diagnosis of the ANOVA model

Abstract Consumer data arising from traditional scales frequently do not comply with ANOVA assumptions of normality, independence and homoscedasticity. Differential expansiveness of scoring between assessors is also a limitation in the use of scales. The self-adjusting scale was designed to minimize some of these problems but its performance with consumers has not been reported. This study compared the performance of the 9-point hedonic scale, the self-adjusting scale and the ranking test with respect to: differential expansiveness between assessors, discriminating power and compliance of data with ANOVA assumptions. Candies were evaluated by 288 consumers. Data normality was checked by normal probability plots, Kolmogorov–Smirnov test and coefficients of skewness and kurtosis. Homoscedasticity assumptions were evaluated by the Levene test and scatterplots. The self-adjusting scale was effective to deal with differential assessor expansiveness, produced homogeneous variances but its data showed gross deviations from normality. Hedonic scale data showed slight deviation from normality and lack of homoscedasticity. Rank and self-adjusting scale showed the highest and the lowest discriminating power, respectively.