Maria da Pureza Spínola Miranda

ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF THE MICROALGA SPIRULINA MAXIMA

Spirulina maxima, which is used as a food additive, is a microalga rich in protein and other essential nutrients. Spirulina contains phenolic acids, tocopherols and beta-carotene which are known to exhibit antioxidant properties. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antioxidant capacity of a Spirulina extract. The antioxidant activity of a methanolic extract of Spirulina was determined in vitro and in vivo. The in vitro antioxidant capacity was tested on a brain homogenate incubated with and without the extract at 37 degrees C. The IC50 (concentration which causes a 50% reduction of oxidation) of the extract in this system was 0.18 mg/ml. The in vivo antioxidant capacity was evaluated in plasma and liver of animals receiving a daily dose of 5 mg for 2 and 7 weeks. Plasma antioxidant capacity was measured in brain homogenate incubated for 1 h at 37 degrees C. The production of oxidized compounds in liver after 2 h of incubation at 37 degrees C was measured in terms of thiobarbituric acid reactant substances (TBARS) in control and experimental groups. Upon treatment, the antioxidant capacity of plasma was 71% for the experimental group and 54% for the control group. Data from liver spontaneous peroxidation studies were not significantly different between groups. The amounts of phenolic acids, alpha-tocopherol and beta-carotene were determined in Spirulina extracts. The results obtained indicate that Spirulina provides some antioxidant protection for both in vitro and in vivo systems.

Análise de Risco aplicada aos alimentos no Brasil: perspectivas e desafios

The scope of this case study is to discuss the ideas of the Brazilian Codex Alimentarius Committee (CCAB) coordinated by National Institute of Metrology, Standardization and Industrial Quality (Inmetro), with respect to the Codex Alimentarius norm on Risk Analysis (RA) applied to Food Safety. The objectives of this investigation were to identify and analyze the opinion of CCAB members on RA and to register their proposals for the application of this norm in Brazil, highlighting the local limitations and potential detected. CCAB members were found to be in favor of the Codex Alimentarius initiative of instituting an RA norm to promote the health safety of foods that circulate on the international market. There was a consensus that the Brazilian government should incorporate RA as official policy to improve the countrys system of food control and leverage Brazilian food exports. They acknowledge that Brazil has the technical-scientific capacity to apply this norm, though they stressed several political and institutional limitations. The members consider RA to be a valid initiative for tackling risks in food, due to its ability to improve food safety control measures adopted by the government.

Phenolic compounds, flavonoids and antioxidant activity in different cocoa samples from organic and conventional cultivation

Purpose – Due to the importance attributed to the phenolic compounds present in cocoa samples for their beneficial effects on health, the purpose of this paper was to analyze four samples of organically and conventionally cultivated cocoa from the south area of Bahia for their composition of phenolics, flavonoids and their antioxidant activity.Design/methodology/approach – Non‐fermented beans, fermented beans, roasted nibs and cocoa liquor were analyzed using spectrophotometry.Findings – In general, the samples that contained a higher level of phenolics and flavonoids were the roasted nibs and the non‐fermented samples in both cultivation systems. The fermented beans and the liquor contained a lower level.Practical implications – The relationship between the concentration of total phenols and the capacity to “mop up” free radicals from the cocoa extracts appears to be highly significant. The extracts with a higher concentration of phenols also show higher antioxidant activity (non‐fermented beans extracts...

Avaliação da toxicidade oral subcrônica da bixina para ratos

A bixina em po (30% de bixina), proveniente das sementes de urucum (Bixa orellana L.), foi administrada, por gavagem, a ratos Wistar, 10 animais de cada sexo, na concentracao de 0,01±0,006% de bixina/dia, em oleo de milho, cinco dias por semana, durante 13 semanas, com o objetivo de verificar a toxicidade da substância-teste para essa especie animal. A grupos controle (10 animais por sexo), foi administrado oleo de milho, para comparacao. Durante o periodo de exposicao, foram registrados o peso absoluto corporeo, o ganho de peso, o consumo de racao e a eficiencia alimentar, bem como realizadas as avaliacoes clinica e oftalmoscopica. Antes da eutanasia, os animais foram anestesiados (eter etilico) e submetidos a exames hematologicos de rotina e bioquimicos (glicose, creatinina, colesterol total, triglicerides, asparagina transaminase e g-glutamil transaminase). Durante o exame necroscopico, figado, rins, baco, adrenais e testiculos foram excisados e pesados. O estudo histologico foi realizado em amostras de figado e rins dos animais expostos e respectivos controles. A analise estatistica dos parâmetros de peso, hematologicos e bioquimicos mostrou algumas diferencas significativas entre os grupos teste e controle, as quais nao parecem estar relacionadas a exposicao. Nao foram observadas alteracoes clinicas, comportamentais, necroscopicas e histologicas. Nas condicoes do estudo, a bixina nao produziu efeitos toxicos nos animais expostos.

Physico-chemical and sensorial evaluation of new varieties of acerola.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the chemical, physical and sensory composition of three new varieties of acerola (Rubra, Cabocla and CMF 017).Design/methodology/approach – The samples of ripe acerola were collected from the Active Germoplasm Bank of Embrapa Cassava and Tropical Fruits – Cruz das Almas/Bahia, from the species Malpighia emarginata DC and analyzed by using standard methods.Findings – The findings were that the Rubra variety stood out among the others in terms of flavour and purchasing intention, probably due to its pH 3.60, total acid (0.83 percent malic acid) and Vitamin C (911.97 g ascorbic acid/100 g) which gave the variety a less acidic flavour. As regards size, the average acceptability of this variety was 6.01, statistically different from Cabocla (8.08). Total anthocyanins were also found to be the highest, 76.7 mg/100 g and therefore the antioxidant activity of the peel was greater (85 percent) compared with the other varieties, though not differing statistically f...

PATENTED MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY FOR TROPICAL FRUITS DEHYDRATED

Embora exista grande producao, o consumo de frutos in natura pela populacao brasileira nao acontece de forma adequada pela pouca disponibilidade e qualidade destes ao longo do ano. De maneira geral, devido as condicoes climaticas de algumas regioes do Brasil e por inumeros problemas que ocorrem desde a etapa da colheita ate a comercializacao ao consumidor final, os frutos apresentam elevada perecibilidade. A maioria dos frutos possue apenas tres meses de safra, nao sendo possivel encontra-los em epocas entressafras. Por isto, a industrializacao se apresenta como uma maneira pratica e simples de aproveitar o excesso de frutas produzidas na safra e tornar a materia-prima disponivel pelo restante do ano. Neste contexto, esta prospeccao buscou identificar potencialidades, caracteristicas e evolucao das competencias tecnologicas sobre metodos, equipamentos e aplicacoes industriais de desidratacao de frutas e vegetais no periodo de 1943-2010. Esta pesquisa foi realizada a partir de palavras-chave e codigos da classificacao internacional de patentes nas bases Espacenet e INPI. A primeira patente identificada foi de 1943, nos Estados Unidos, que ate 2010 apresentou o maior numero de patentes depositadas. O Brasil possui poucas patentes nesta area, evidenciando pouca transferencia de tecnologia para industrias, sendo de fundamental relevância fomento para melhorar o cenario inovador.

Classification and compositional characterization of different varieties of cocoa beans by near infrared spectroscopy and multivariate statistical analyses

Abstract Effective and fast methods are important for distinguishing cocoa varieties in the field and in the processing industry. This work proposes the application of NIR spectroscopy as a potential analytical method to classify different varieties and predict the chemical composition of cocoa. Chemical composition and colour features were determined by traditional methods and then related with the spectral information by partial least-squares regression. Several mathematical pre-processing methods including first and second derivatives, standard normal variate and multiplicative scatter correction were applied to study the influence of spectral variations. The results of chemical composition analysis and colourimetric measurements show significant differences between varieties. NIR spectra of samples exhibited characteristic profiles for each variety and principal component analysis showed different varieties in according to spectral features.

Safety and Quality in the Agricultural Product Chain in Brazil

An agriculture-intensive country should be aware of natural toxins, including both mycotoxins and cyanotoxins, which are closely associated with the quality of raw materials, for food safety and industry. The major production chains – corn, wheat, beef, and broiler chicken – are the top components of agribusiness, and they should be tracked by reliable and practical tools. The corn chain is of particular concern in food production; intensive controls, multi-year mycotoxin monitoring, and improved harmless/sustainable management methods for uninterrupted farming in the tropicsubtropics are needed to achieve a long-lasting trend. The rapid control of natural toxins (mycotoxin and cyanotoxin) has focused on immunochemical methods developed with highly specific monoclonal antibodies (mAb) matched with chroma‐ tographic methods. In parallel, the promising widespread application of nondestructive analytical methods based on NIR (Near Infrared Reflectance)

Atividade antioxidante da epicatequina-(2β→7,4β→8)-epicatequina isolada de Dioclea lasiophylla

This work describes the evaluation of the antioxidant activity in the system b-carotene / linoleic acid and radical scavenging effects of the substances epicatechin-(2β→7,4β→8)-epicatechin, epicatechin, epigalocatechin-(2β→7,4β→8)-epicatechin, luteolin 3-β-Dglicopiranoside and crisoeriol 7-β-D-glicopiranoside isolated of the extract AcOEt of the stem of Dioclea lasiophylla, in comparison with the standards n-propyl gallate, BHT and a-tocopherol.