Verônica O. Alvarenga

Phenolic acids and flavonoids of peanut by-products: Antioxidant capacity and antimicrobial effects

Peanut skin (PS) and meal from dry-blanched peanuts (MDBP) were evaluated as sources of phenolic compounds. PS rendered the highest total phenolic content, antioxidant capacity towards ABTS radical cation, DPPH and hydroxyl radicals as well as reducing power. Phenolic acids were present in PS and MDBP whereas proanthocyanidins and monomeric flavonoids were found only in PS as identified by HPLC-DAD-ESI-MSn. Procyanidin-rich extracts prevented oxidation in non-irradiated and gamma-irradiated fish model system. Both extracts inhibited the growth of gram-positive (Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Geobacillus stearothermophilus) and gram-negative bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Salmonella Enteritidis, Salmonella Typhimurium, Escherichia coli). Regardless of the strain, phenolic acid-rich extracts showed the lowest minimum inhibitory capacity (MIC); therefore presenting higher antibacterial effect. The MIC of phenolic acid-rich extracts (24-49μgphenolics/mL) was higher but comparable to Ampicillin (10μg/mL). Thus, phenolics in PS and MDBP may serve as antioxidants and antimicrobial compounds.

Jabuticaba (Myrciaria cauliflora) Seeds: Chemical Characterization and Extraction of Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Compounds.

This study was aimed to assess the effect of time and temperature on the extraction of antioxidant compounds from jabuticaba seeds (Myrciaria cauliflora cv. Sabará), to optimize the solvent proportion (water, ethyl alcohol, and propanone), and to characterize the extract according to the chemical composition, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties. Proximal composition, total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant, and antimicrobial activities were analyzed. The optimized solvent ratio of 60% water and 40% propanone provided a mean TPC of 8.65 g GAE/100 g seeds and the antioxidant activity toward 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) was 82.79% ± 0.50%. Time and temperature parameters did not influence the yield of TPC. The gross seed extract was partially purified and both exhibited a high antioxidant activity and antimicrobial potential toward Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The purified jabuticaba seed lyophilized extract contained a higher (P < 0.05) TPC, o-diphenols, flavonols, and antioxidant activity measured by the DPPH assay and total reducing capacity as compared to the gross lyophilized extract. Electrospray ionization coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) data showed the presence of ellagitannins and ellagic acid in the extracts, which are probably the responsible for the antimicrobial and antioxidant activities.

Whey-grape juice drink processed by supercritical carbon dioxide technology: Physicochemical characteristics, bioactive compounds and volatile profile

The effect of supercritical carbon dioxide technology (SCCD, 14, 16, and 18MPa at 35±2°C for 10min) on whey-grape juice drink characteristics was investigated. Physicochemical characterization (pH, titratable acidity, total soluble solids), bioactive compounds (phenolic compounds, anthocyanin, DPPH and ACE activity) and the volatile compounds were performed. Absence of differences were found among treatments for pH, titratable acidity, soluble solids, total anthocyanin and DPPH activity (p-value>0.05). A direct relationship between SCCD pressure and ACE inhibitory activity was observed, with 34.63, 38.75, and 44.31% (14, 16, and 18MPa, respectively). Regards the volatile compounds, it was noted few differences except by the presence of ketones. The findings confirm the SCCD processing as a potential promising technology to the conventional thermal treatment.

Survival of Penicillium spp. conidia during deep-frying and baking steps of frozen chicken nuggets processing

This study aimed at determining whether Penicillium spp. strains could survive through the heat treatment applied during the processing of frozen chicken nuggets. Firstly, it was found that the conidia of Penicillium were not able to survive the heat shock in phosphate buffer at pH 7.2 in thermal death tubes (TDT) at 80 °C/30 min. Subsequently, each Penicillium strain was inoculated in frozen chicken nuggets, which were subjected to the following treatments: i) only deep frying (frying oil at 195-200 °C), ii) only baking (120-130 °C until the internal temperature reached 70 °C) and iii) deep frying followed by baking (frying oil temperature of 195-200 °C and baking temperature of 120-130 °C, until the internal temperature reached 70 °C). The results indicated that Penicillium polonicum NGT 23/12, Penicillium commune NGT 16/12, Penicillium solitum NGT 30/12 and Penicillium crustosum NGT 51/12 were able to survive after the combined treatment (deep frying followed by baking) when inoculated in chicken nuggets. P. polonicum NGT 23/12 was the most resistant strain to the combined treatment (deep frying and baking), as its population was reduced by 3 log cycles CFU/g, when the internal temperature reached 78 °C after 10 min and 30 s of baking. The present data show that if Penicillium spp. is present in high numbers in raw materials, such as breading flours, it will survive the thermal processing applied during chicken nuggets production.

Effects of ultrasound energy density on the non-thermal pasteurization of chocolate milk beverage

This study presents the emerging high-intensity ultrasound (HIUS) processing as a non-thermal alternative to high-temperature short-time pasteurization (HTST). Chocolate milk beverage (CMB) was subjected to different ultrasound energy densities (0.3-3.0 kJ/cm3), as compared to HTST pasteurization (72 °C/15 s) aimed to verify the effect of the HIUS processing on the microbiological and physicochemical characteristics of the beverage. The application of HIUS at an energy density of 3.0 kJ/cm3 was able to reduce 3.56 ± 0.02 logarithmic cycles in the total aerobic counts. In addition, the ultrasound energy density affected the physical properties of the beverage as the size distribution of fat globule and rheological behavior, as well as the chemical properties such as antioxidant activity, ACE inhibitory activity, fatty acid profile, and volatile profile. In general, the different energetic densities used as a non-thermal method of pasteurization of CMB were more effective when compared to the conventional pasteurization by HTST, since they improved the microbiological and physicochemical quality, besides preserving the bioactive compounds and the nutritional quality of the product.

Fate of Alicyclobacillus spp. in enrichment broth and in juice concentrates.

In this study, the fate of Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris spores in different types of juice concentrates stored under different conditions was investigated. In addition, the impact of dilution procedures during the enrichment step for the detection of Alicyclobacillus in lemon juice concentrates was studied. Pear, red grape, mango, tangerine, carrot and lemon juice concentrates (50-69.4°Brix, pH1.7-4.3) were inoculated with A. acidoterrestris spores (10(3) spore/mL) and stored at 4 °C and 20 °C, after which the spores were counted at 0, 2, 5, 9, 17, 21, 28, 36, 43, and 50 days. No significant differences in the number of Alicyclobacillus spores were observed at storage temperatures of 4 °C and 20 °C (p>0.05). The results also indicated that the number of spores of A. acidoterrestris remained stable in all types of juice concentrates during the storage period, except in lemon juice concentrate. In lemon juice concentrate, a decline in A. acidoterrestris spore populations of 0.3-0.8 log CFU/mL was observed within 5-10 days of storage. The decline in A. acidoterrestris spore populations was more pronounced in cloudy lemon juice concentrate, which contained higher concentrations of flavonoids (mainly eriocitrin and hesperidin) than clarified lemon juice concentrate. It was also found that dilution of lemon juice concentrate samples in the proportion of 1:19 allowed the germination of A. acidoterrestris spores and the growth of populations of up to 10(7) CFU/mL. In contrast, the proportion (1:9) recommended in internationally recognized methods led to a reduction in the population of this microorganism that would yield false negative results. Data presented in this study demonstrated that Alicyclobacillus spores remain stable in most juice concentrates during storage, but that natural antimicrobial compounds present in some of them may decrease spore counts and inhibit their recovery by detection procedures.

Physicochemical changes and microbial inactivation after high-intensity ultrasound processing of prebiotic whey beverage applying different ultrasonic power levels

In this work, we investigated the effects of the ultrasonic power (0, 200, 400 and 600 W) on non-thermal processing of an inulin-enriched whey beverage. We studied the effects of high-intensity ultrasound (HIUS) on microbial inactivation (aerobic mesophilic heterotrophic bacteria (AMHB), total and thermotolerant coliforms and yeasts and molds), zeta potential, microstructure (optical microscopy, particle size distribution), rheology, kinetic stability and color. The non-thermal processing applying 600 W of ultrasonic power was comparable to high-temperature short-time (HTST) treatment (75 °C for 15 s) concerning the inactivation of AMHB and yeasts and molds (2 vs 2 log and 0.2 vs 0.4 log, respectively), although HIUS has reached a lower output temperature (53 ± 3 °C). The HIUS was better than HTST to improve beverage kinetic stability, avoiding phase separation, which was mainly attributed to the decrease of particles size, denaturation of whey proteins and gelation of polysaccharides (inulin and gellan gum). Thus, non-thermal processing by HIUS seems to be an interesting technology for prebiotic dairy beverages production.

Evaluation of a cross contamination model describing transfer of Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes during grinding of pork and beef

In a previous study, a model was developed to describe the transfer and survival of Salmonella during grinding of pork (Møller, C.O.A., Nauta, M.J., Christensen, B.B., Dalgaard, P., Hansen, T.B., 2012. Modelling transfer of Salmonella typhimurium DT104 during simulation of grinding of pork. Journal of Applied Microbiology 112 (1), 90-98). The robustness of this model is now evaluated by studying its performance for predicting the transfer and survival of Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes during grinding of different types of meat (pork and beef), using two different grinders, different sizes and different numbers of pieces of meats to be ground. A total of 19 grinding trials were collected. Acceptable Simulation Zone (ASZ), visual inspection of the data, Quantitative Microbiological Risk Assessment (QMRA), as well as the Total Transfer Potential (TTP) were used as approaches to evaluate model performance and to access the quality of the cross contamination model predictions. Using the ASZ approach and considering that 70% of the observed counts have to be inside a defined acceptable zone of ±0.5 log10CFU per portion, it was found that the cross contamination parameters suggested by Møller et al. (2012) were not able to describe all 19 trials. However, for each of the collected grinding trials, the transfer event was well described when fitted to the model structure proposed by Møller et al. (2012). Parameter estimates obtained by fitting observed trials performed at different conditions, such as size and number of pieces of meat to be ground, may not be applied to describe cross contamination of unlike processing. Nevertheless, the risk estimates, as well as the TTP, revealed that the risk of disease may be reduced when the grinding of meat is performed in a grinder made of stainless steel (for all surfaces in contact with the meat), using a well-sharpened knife and holding at room temperatures lower than 4°C.

Quantifying the responses of three Bacillus cereus strains in isothermal conditions and during spray drying of different carrier agents

Spray drying is a widely used method for producing milk powder. This process is not aimed to cause microbial inactivation, thus sporeforming bacteria may be abundant in the microbiota of milk powder. The first aim of this study was to determine the inactivation kinetics parameters in capillary tubes of three Bacillus cereus strains (436, B63, 540) in three menstrua (whole milk, phosphate buffer, and talc suspension) at 90, 100, and 110°C. D-values for B. cereus in the three menstrua were not significantly different at the highest tested temperature (p > 0.05). Thus, talc was chosen as a carrier agent to allow the recovery of B. cereus from spray dried materials given its low interference on inactivation kinetics. B. cereus spores were also inoculated in whole milk and skim milk following spray drying at 95, 105, and 110°C (outlet temperature). After the spray drying runs, B. cereus spores were counted and the number of decimal reductions (γ) calculated. A correlation between the small diameter of the particles with the survival of spores of three B. cereus strains was found, and B. cereus 436 presented consistently the lowest γ no matter temperature and a carrier agent. The highest γ was found when talc powder was used, which suggest that this carrier agent does not protect B. cereus spores during spray drying. Spray drying of milk can lead to up to 4 γ (strain 540) of B. cereus spores but depending on the strain less than one γ (strain 436) could be observed. This study contributes to the knowledge on the microbiology of low water activity foods by providing novel findings regarding the fate of three B. cereus strains to different spray drying conditions. Acknowledging the variability of inactivation of B. cereus during spray drying is key in the current context of food safety in which the quantification of effects of unit operations must be known for the validation of processes and development of more robust formulations.

Contributor factors for the occurrence of salmonellosis during preparation, storage and consumption of homemade mayonnaise salad

This study aimed to analyze the impact of practices adopted for preparation, storage and consumption of homemade mayonnaise salad (HMS) as contributor factors for the occurrence of salmonellosis. A total of 493 individuals answered a questionnaire composed of demographic and socioeconomic questions and, preparing, storage and consumption practices of HMS. The level of good hygiene practices (GHP) of respondents was calculated using Good Practice and Outbreak Prevention Indexes. The consumer behavior and the correlation between practices were performed using Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA). 75% of respondents consume HMS, being 43% of interviewers doing this at least once per month. HMS was prepared from 30min to 1h before being served by 46% of individuals, it remaining for 30min to 1h at room temperature during the meal by 63% of people. Furthermore, 51% of respondents left the HMS container open or improperly closed, which may lead to cross-contamination. Most respondents (66%) stated reuse the HMS for less than one day (44%), at once (76%). 77% of participants declared that they prepare HMS, being only 7% preparing HMS without eggs. The majority (51%) used a cooked and a raw egg yolk. In addition, 75% of the cases showed raw eggs in recipe. The Weighted Good Practice Index, Weighted Outbreak Prevention Index and Weighted Harmonic Outbreak Prevention Index were 63%, 62% and 27% of participants, respectively. The MCA gathered the participants into two groups one commits various errors and other commits few errors on GHP. Thus, a consumer would probably perform multiple either good or bad practices simultaneously.