Swami A. Maruyama

Evaluation of nutritional compounds in new amaranth and quinoa cultivars

This study evaluated the fatty acid quantification, proximate and amino acid compositions, antioxidant activity, total phenolic compounds, vitamin E, and mineral contents of new amaranth (BRS Alegria) and quinoa (BRS Piabiru) cultivars which were produced in order to adapt these pseudocereals to the climatic conditions of central-western Brazil. They showed superior levels of protein and total lipids in comparison to their native counterparts. The lipid profile of the amaranth BRS Alegria was revealed to be better than those of other native cultivars. Quinoa BRS Piabiru presented a higher antioxidant capacity and phenolic content than the studied amaranth cultivar, but lower contents of tocopherols. All of the obtained results confirm that these new grains possess an overall amount of nutritional compounds that is better than those reported for many native counterparts of the studied samples. The employed analytical methods in this work contributed to a better understanding of the quinoa BRS Piabiru and amaranth BRS Alegria chemical compositions. Therefore, the diversity and quantity of all of the studied compounds in the samples denote the considerable importance of these grains for food science research area.

A simple, fast and efficient method for transesterification of fatty acids in foods assisted by ultrasound energy

E altamente desejavel desenvolver testes analiticos com resultados de elevada qualidade e reduzir o tempo que e utilizado para esta finalidade. Neste contexto, um novo metodo de metilacao de acidos graxos assistido por ultra-som, rapido e eficiente para obtencao de esteres com melhor qualidade para analise de alimentos, foi otimizado e validado atraves da aplicacao da metodologia de superficie de resposta, sendo obtido um tempo de esterificacao ideal de 11,72 min, 71% mais rapido do que o melhor metodo, que e comumente utilizado para esta finalidade. O novo processo de metanolise pode ser eficazmente aplicado a amostras com acidos graxos livres e os teores de umidade superior a 10 e 5%, respectivamente, sem o risco de oxidacao de compostos durante o processo.

Evaluation of antioxidant potential of Brazilian rice cultivars

This study quantified the fatty acids and evaluated the proximate composition, antioxidant activity (using the Quencher procedure), and total phenolic compound concentrations in Brazilian rice cultivars. The cultivars studied showed high amounts of unsaturated fatty acids, such as linoleic and oleic acid. The ratios of polyunsaturated and saturated fatty acids obtained were high. Regarding the antioxidant activity, the best results were found using the ABTS method and the worst in the DPPH assay. The results of the DPPH and FRAP assays showed the highest correlation. The antioxidant capacity results obtained were also much higher than those reported for other varieties worldwide. Therefore, the Quencher procedure is highly suitable for application in cereals such as rice, especially when combined with the ABTS radical capture method.

Sensory and physico-chemical characteristics of desserts prepared with egg products processed by freeze and spray drying

In this work, three freeze-dried (FD) egg products (whole egg (WE), egg yolk (EY) and egg white (EW)) were obtained and the acceptability of confections prepared with each was evaluated. Sensory analyses for confections were performed by hedonic testing with fifty panelists in each evaluation. The studied confections were: Condensed Milk Pudding (P), Quindim (Q) and Meringue (M). The results obtained for confections made with FD egg products were compared with the achieved through other formulations of the same desserts made with fresh (F) or spray-dried (SD) egg products. The sensory analysis results for confections made with FD egg products showed good acceptance by panelists. A principal component analysis of the sensory evaluation data was carried out to identify similarities between the different egg products. The PCA supported the conclusion that FD egg products can substitute their fresh and SD counterparts in dessert formulations with good acceptability while keeping the advantages conferred by the freeze-drying method.

Analysis of carotenoids, α-tocopherol, sterols and phenolic compounds from white bread enriched with chia (Salvia hispanica L.) seeds and carrot (Daucus carota L.) leaves

Each food matrix is unique. Thus, the endogenous antioxidants of an underexplored bakery product might show different responses regarding free radical scavenging/resistance to forced oxidation than what is expected for other foods previously reported in the literature. In this context, a Box-Behnken design and correlation studies were applied in order to obtain more information about how specific antioxidants affect the total antioxidant activity (TAC) and the degree of forced oxidation in white breads with chia seeds and carrot leaves. Hypotheses of synergism/antagonism between the studied compounds were also elucidated in order to justify the obtained results. In this specific sample type, carotenoids and cholesterol showed the greatest relationships with results from TAC assays, as well with induction points using Oxitest® equipment, while α-tocopherol and phytosterols showed negative correlations. Phenolic compounds did not have any influence on the system because the baking procedure at high temperature had severe impacts on them.

Antioxidant Activity of Brazilian Bean Cultivars

This study quantified fatty acids and evaluated the proximate composition, antioxidant activity paired with Quencher procedure and total phenolic compounds in Brazilian bean cultivars. The samples showed high amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as linoleic acid (191.54 to 329.50 mg g-1 of total lipids) and α-linolenic acid (228.03 to 367.27 mg g-1 of total lipids). The obtained ratios between Omega 6 and 3 fatty acids were low, between 0.71 and 1.12. In relation to antioxidant activity assays, the cultivars showed the best results upon employing the 2,2-azinobis (3-ethyl-benzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) method (2401.34 to 4394.80 µmol Trolox equivalent g-1). The lowest results were observed in the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays, 530.93 to 1440.13 µmol Trolox equivalent g-1. The results from 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ABTS methods showed the greatest correlation between themselves (r = 0.619). High concentrations of total phenolic compounds were also detected in the studied cultivars, which varied from 81.85 to 173.65 mg gallic acid equivalent 100g-1.

Application of box-behnken design to the study of fatty acids and antioxidant activity from enriched white bread

This work determined the proximate/fatty acid composition and the antioxidant activity of breads using a Box-Behnken design composed of fifteen experiments and three factors. The studied breads had altered baking times and the wheat flour was partially substituted by chia seeds and carrot leaves. Total antioxidant capacity results were superior to those obtained from control bread (495.33 µmol TEAC g-1 for DPPH assays and 413.85 µmol TEAC g-1 for FRAP assays), showing increased levels of 97 and 102% for DPPH and FRAP assays, respectively. The addition of chia seeds and carrot leaves led to maximal alpha-linolenic acid increase of 216.69% and maximum PUFA:SFA ratio increase of 18.88% in relation to control bread (this with alpha-linolenic acid amount of 34.03 mg g-1 total lipid and a 2.86 ratio value), as well as a maximum omega-3:omega-6 ratio reduction of 70.01% (15.59 ratio value for control bread).

Incorporation of conjugated linoleic and alpha linolenic fatty acids into Pimedolus maculatus fillets

The objective of this study was to investigate the fatty acid composition of Pimedolus maculatus fillets of fish fed with different diets. The fish were submitted to an adaptation period (over 30 days) and fed only a control diet (diet I). After this period, the fish were divided into two groups: one group received a diet enriched with flaxseed oil (diet II), and the other received a diet enriched with conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) (diet III). Subsequent collections were undertaken after 25 and 50 days. Compared to the control samples, fish fed diet II showed an increase in concentrations of total fatty acid omega-3 (n-3) in the fillets, with an improvement ratio of n-6/n-3. The incorporation of CLA into fish fed diet III was successful. Supplementing the diet of Pimedolus maculatus with CLA and flaxseed oil led to improvements in nutritional quality and fatty acid profile of the fish fillets.

Optimization of a New Methodology for Determination of Total Phenolic Content in Rice Employing Fast Blue BB and QUENCHER Procedure

Response surface methodology was used to optimize the total phenolic content (TPC) result in white rice, using a new methodology that employed Fast Blue BB (FBBB) reagent, which reacts more specifically with phenolic compounds, along with direct QUENCHER procedure. This is the first time in which such conciliation between FBBB reagent and QUENCHER was done. The obtained model allowed to evaluate how the factors influenced the method linearity (R2), improving the choice of the optimal system condition. Furthermore, the similarity between experimental results and values generated by the model indicated the method validity within the studied region. Thus, the optimal condition determined in the present work was 30 min reaction time, 0.17 mL FBBB reagent and use of 5% NaOH as the catalyst for the reaction. This optimized condition suggested that the combination of the method, which used FBBB reagent and the direct QUENCHER procedure, was rapid and effective, yielding high TPC values (1488.73 mg of gallic acid equivalent per 100 g).

Absolute quantification of fatty acid and proximate composition of cow and goat powdered milks

This work investigated of the lipid quality of processed milks by fatty acid quantification. Ten samples of dry whole milk from cow and two from goat were submitted to total lipid extraction and to fatty acid methyl ester synthesis. Then, the synthesized products were separated in a gas chromatograph. The variation of the fatty acid per total lipid gram for polyunsaturated compounds, omega-6, omega-3 and conjugated linoleic acid, was 25.20-46.67, 12.82-31.45, 1.77-7.65 and 7.77-11.60, respectively. The n-6/n-3 ratio for the cow powdered milk samples (2.85-6.07) was lesser reagarding goat milk samples (11.31-12.75) and the trans fatty acid amount varied from 0.09 to 0.17 g per 26 g portion. Essential fatty acids from the omega-3 and omega-6 groups were present in every sample, besides conjugated linoleic acid isomers. The trans fatty acid contents of the samples is in accordance with the Brazilian legislation.