Physicochemical,crystallinity, pasting and thermal properties of heat‐moisture‐treated pinhão starch

The effect of heat‐moisture treatment (HMT) on the properties of pinhão starches under different moisture and heat conditions was investigated. The starches were adjusted to 15, 20 and 25% moisture levels and heated to 100, 110 and 120°C for 1 h. The X‐ray diffractograms, swelling power, solubility, gel hardness, pasting properties and thermal properties of the native and HMT pinhão starches were evaluated. Compared to native starch, there was an increase in the X‐ray intensity and gel hardness of HMT starches, with the exception of the 25% moisture‐treated and 120°C heat‐treated starch. HMT reduced the swelling power and solubility of the pinhão starches when compared to native starch. There was an increase in the pasting temperature, final viscosity and setback and a decrease in the peak viscosity and breakdown of HMT pinhão starches compared to native starch. HMT increases the gelatinisation temperature of native pinhão starch and reduces gelatinisation enthalpy.     

Prospection of the use of encapsulation in food packaging

Food safety and extended shelf life linked to convenience were the major reasons for the development of the packaging field. However, advances in material science and the widespread encapsulation technologies are allowing the establishment of new concepts for packages, such as intelligent and active packages. Particulate systems have been developed in recent years for the most diverse area with several purposes that can be employed to improve packaging performance mainly focusing on the modification of barrier properties. This review analyzes the recent developments using encapsulation in food packaging and the main concepts about mass transfer evolved in the functionality of these packages, as well as discusses the research challenges faced by the food packaging sector.     

Transcriptional Modulation of the Hippo Signaling Pathway by Drugs Used to Treat Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia

Recent reports suggest a link between positive regulation of the Hippo pathway with bipolar disorder (BD), and the Hippo pathway is known to interact with multiple other signaling pathways previously associated with BD and other psychiatric disorders. In this study, neuronal-like NT2 cells were treated with amisulpride (10 µM), aripiprazole (0.1 µM), clozapine (10 µM), lamotrigine (50 µM), lithium (2.5 mM), quetiapine (50 µM), risperidone (0.1 µM), valproate (0.5 mM), or vehicle control for 24 h. Genome-wide mRNA expression was quantified and analyzed using gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), with genes belonging to Hippo, Wnt, Notch, TGF- β, and Hedgehog retrieved from the KEGG database. Five of the eight drugs downregulated the genes of the Hippo pathway and modulated several genes involved in the interacting pathways. We speculate that the regulation of these genes, especially by aripiprazole, clozapine, and quetiapine, results in a reduction of MAPK and NFκB pro-inflammatory signaling through modulation of Hippo, Wnt, and TGF-β pathways. We also employed connectivity map analysis to identify compounds that act on these pathways in a similar manner to the known psychiatric drugs. Thirty-six compounds were identified. The presence of antidepressants and antipsychotics validates our approach and reveals possible new targets for drug repurposing.     

Changes in Energy Metabolism and Antioxidant Defense Systems During Seed Germination of the Weed Species <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ipomoea triloba</Emphasis> L. and the Responses to Allelochemicals

The relationships between changes in energy metabolism and the antioxidant defense system in the weed species Ipomoea triloba L. during seed germination and early seedling growth were investigated. The effects of some common allelochemicals on these parameters also were studied. Respiratory activity and the activities of alcohol dehydrogenase, superoxide dismutase, catalase, guaicol peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase, glutathione reductase, and lipoxygenase were measured. Mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation resumed shortly after the seed imbibition period, as indicated by considerable KCN-sensitive respiratory activity in embryos of I. triloba. The occurrence of superoxide dismutase, catalase, guaicol peroxidase, and lipoxygenase activities in the embryos, along with significant KCN-insensitive respiration, suggest that production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is initiated as soon as mitochondrial respiration is resumed. All assayed antioxidant enzymes were present in the embryos except ascorbate peroxidase, which appeared only in primary roots. The activities of antioxidant enzymes increased after completion of germination, especially in primary roots. Superoxide dismutase, catalase, and guaicol peroxidase probably were the crucial enzymes involved in the neutralization of ROS, since they had higher levels of activity compared with other enzymes, such as ascorbate peroxidase and glutathione reductase. When seeds were grown in the presence of α-pinene, coumarin, quercetin, and ferulic acid, there was an additional increase in activities of antioxidant enzymes, as well as increases in lipoxygenase activity and KCN-insensitive respiration, suggesting a further increase in ROS generation. The antioxidant defense system of I. triloba was not effective in preventing lipid peroxidation caused by α-pinene. The data indicate that during seed germination and initial growth of I. triloba, a period when antioxidant enzyme activity increases to counteract the harmful ROS effects produced during mitochondrial metabolism resumption, the presence of allelochemicals, which cause further oxidative stress, may leave the seeds/seedlings more vulnerable to cellular dysfunction and cell death.     

The Organization of the Quorum Sensing luxI/R Family Genes in Burkholderia

Members of the Burkholderia genus of Proteobacteria are capable of living freely in the environment and can also colonize human, animal and plant hosts. Certain members are considered to be clinically important from both medical and veterinary perspectives and furthermore may be important modulators of the rhizosphere. Quorum sensing via N-acyl homoserine lactone signals (AHL QS) is present in almost all Burkholderia species and is thought to play important roles in lifestyle changes such as colonization and niche invasion. Here we present a census of AHL QS genes retrieved from public databases and indicate that the local arrangement (topology) of QS genes, their location within chromosomes and their gene neighborhoods show characteristic patterns that differ between the known Burkholderia clades. In sequence phylogenies, AHL QS genes seem to cluster according to the local gene topology rather than according to the species, which suggests that the basic topology types were present prior to the appearance of current Burkholderia species. The data are available at http://net.icgeb.org/burkholderia/.     

Deacidification of Soybean Oil by Ion Exchange

This work investigated the deacidification of soybean oil by ion exchange using a fixed bed loaded with the strong anionic resin Amberlyst A26 OH. Degummed soybean oil was dissolved in isopropanol and the deacidification process was studied according to an experimental design based on two factors, the feed flow rate and its content of free fatty acids. The responses of interest were the solute recovery efficiency and the bed utilization efficiency, both calculated from breakthrough curves. Oil samples before and after deacidification by ion exchange, as well as samples deacidified in the industrial plant by the chemical method, were characterized according to the usual indexes for quality and identity. The results revealed that the flow rate was an important and statistically significant factor with 95 % of confidence. The deacidification by ion exchange decreased the oil acidity and also removed undesirable compounds, such as phospholipids and peroxides. However, a decrease in the concentration of tocopherol was also observed.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Nano‐Encapsulated Black Pepper Oleoresin using Hydroxypropyl Beta‐Cyclodextrin for Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Applications

Previous studies have reported antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of black pepper oleoresin which is associated to its phenolic compounds and piperine. The ability of cyclodextrins to form an inclusion complex with a guest molecule could improve black pepper oleoresin application, bioavailability, and stability in foods. Hydroxypropyl beta‐cyclodextrin (HPBCD) inclusion complex with black pepper olereosin were synthesized using the kneading method and characterized for its physico‐chemical properties and its antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Inclusion complex size was 103.9 ± 7.6 nm and indicated to be a polydisperse system. The entrapment efficiency was 78.3 ± 3.6%, which suggests that other constituents in black pepper oleoresin have higher affinities for HPBCD than piperine (major compound in black pepper oleoresin). Thermograms showed the disappearance of oxidation peaks of black pepper oleoresin, proving complex formation with HPBCD. Phase solubility results indicated 1:1 stoichiometric inclusion complex formation and an increase of black pepper oleoresin aqueous solubility with HPBCD concentration. Nano‐encapsulation with HPBCD did not affect (P > 0.05) total phenolic content; however, it enhanced (P < 0.05) black pepper oleoresin antioxidant activity. Black pepper oleoresin and its inclusion complex were analyzed for their antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli K12 and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium LT2. Both free and encapsulated black pepper oleoresin effectively inhibited bacterial growth within the concentration range tested. Black pepper oleoresin encapsulated in HPBCD was able to inhibit Salmonella at lower (P < 0.05) concentrations than its corresponding free extract. Therefore, black pepper oleoresin‐HPBCD nanocapsules could have important applications in the food industry as antimicrobial and antioxidant system.     

Improvement of the Sensory Properties of Dry Fermented Sausages by the Superficial Inoculation and/or the Addition of Intracellular Extracts of Mucor racemosus

ABSTRACT: The effect of inoculation of the "salchichón" (dry fermented sausage) surface with an atoxigenic, proteolytic, and lipolytic strain of Mucor racemosus and/or the addition of a intracellular extract of the same mold on the ripening process was studied. Four batches of salchichón were manufactured: control, superficially inoculated, added with intracellular extract, and a combination of both treatments. Superficial mold modified the amino and free fatty acid contents, volatile compounds, and sensory properties. Intracellular extract degraded free amino acids, producing a rise in ammonia and volatile compounds. Both treatments combined improved significantly the sensory properties, which were given scores higher than control sausages at the end of ripening.