Variation In The Carotenoid Composition Of Fruits And Vegetables Along The Food Chain

It is recognized that the composition of bioactive compounds in foods can be optimized through agriculture and food technology. To put this strategy into practice, the compositional variation throughout the food chain has to be known. In this study, the effects of variety, maturity, season/climate, processing and storage on the carotenoids of fruits and vegetables were assessed. In squashes and pumpkins, qualitative and quantitative variations occurred. The predominating carotenoids were β-carotene and α-carotene in Cucurbita moschata 'Menina Brasileira' and 'Goianinha', lutein, β-carotene and violaxanthin in the hybrid Tetsukaboto and C. pepo 'Mogango', and violaxanthin, β-carotene and lutein in C. maxima 'Exposição'. The guava 'Paluma' had more lycopene and β-carotene than the cultivars 'Ogawa' and 'IAC-4'. The acerola 'Olivier' had 3 times greater β-carotene than the common acerola. In fruits, ripening was accompanied by enhanced carotenogenesis. The ripe acerola and pitanga had 2-3 times greater β-carotene and lycopene, respectively, than the partially ripe fruit. Leaves did not follow a definite trend. In kale, β-carotene and lutein were higher in the mature leaves while violaxanthin was higher in the young leaves. In endive and lettuce, the carotenoids were 2-4 times greater in the mature leaves. On the other hand, the young leaves of New Zealand spinach had higher carotenoid levels than the mature leaves. The carotenoids of minimally processed leafy vegetables were higher in the summer than in winter. During storage of minimally processed leaves, losses occurred especially in New Zealand spinach. Lycopene degraded during processing of guava, especially in the traditional dessert "goiabada" due to prolonged and drastic heat treatment. Commercial products of pitanga and acerola had lower carotenoid levels compared to the fresh fruits, indicating that processing should be improved.744387394Azevedo-Meleiro, C.H., Rodriguez-Amaya, D.B., Varietal and interspecific variation and profiling of the carotenoids in squashes and pumpkins (2006) J. Agric. Food Chem., , Submitted toAzevedo-Meleiro, C.H., Rodriguez-Amaya, D.B., Carotenoid composition of kale as influenced by maturity, season and minimal processing (2005) J. Sci. Food Agric., 85, pp. 591-597Azevedo-Meleiro, C.H., Rodriguez-Amaya, D.B., Carotenoids of endive and New Zealand spinach as affected by maturity, season and minimal processing (2005) J. Food Comp. Anal, 18, pp. 845-855Godoy, H.T., Rodriguez-Amaya, D.B., Changes in individual carotenoids on processing and storage of mango (Mangifera indica) slices and puree (1987) Int. J. Food Sci. Technol., 22, pp. 451-460Godoy, H.T., Rodriguez-Amaya, Comportamento dos carotenóides de pure de mamão (Carica papaya) sob processamento e estocagem (1991) Cienc. Tecnol. Aliment, 11, pp. 210-220Kimura, M., Rodriguez-Amaya, D.B., Yokoyama, S.M., Cultivar differences and geographic effects on the carotenoid composition and vitamin A value of papaya (1991) Lebens. Wissen. Technol., 24, pp. 415-418Mercadante, A.Z., Rodriguez-Amaya, D.B., Effects of ripening, cultivar differences and processing on the carotenoid composition of mango (1998) J. Agric. Food Chem., 46, pp. 128-130Padula, M., Rodríguez-Amaya, D.B., Changes in individual carotenoids and vitamin C on processing and storage of guava juice (1987) Acta Aliment, 16, pp. 209-216Porcu, O.M., Rodriguez-Amaya, D.B., Pink-fleshed guava and guava products as rich sources of lycopene. Effect of industrial processing (2006) Food Chem., , Submitted toPorcu, O.M., Rodriguez-Amaya, D.B., Variation in the carotenoid composition of acerola and its processed products (2006) J. Sci. Food Agric., , in pressPorcu, O.M., Rodriguez-Amaya, D.B., Carotenoids of fresh and processed pitanga (Eugenia uniflora L.) (2006) Food Sci. Technol. Inter., , Submitted toRamos, D.M.R., Rodriguez-Amaya, D.B., Determination of the vitamin A value of common Brazilian leafy vegetables (1987) J. Micronutr. Anal, 3, pp. 147-155Rodriguez-Amaya, D.B., Kimura, M., Carotenóides e valor de vitamina A cajá (Spondias lutea) (1989) Cienc. Tecnol. Aliment., 9, pp. 148-16

Development of mesalazine pellets coated with methacrylic-derived polymer

Mesalazine (5-ASA) is the standard drug for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) due to its local effect on intestinal and colonic mucosa. The effective and safe treatment of this disease requires more efficient delivery of the active substance to its site of action. The focus of this study was the use of multiparticulate systems, a modified release form in which the drug is divided into several functional subunits of release in the form of granules or pellets. When these forms are administered, they are rapidly disintegrated, distributing their content throughout the gastrointestinal tract. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a multiparticulate system consisting of pellets coated with polymer for pH-dependent release, derived from methacrylic acid and incorporated into the tablet dosage form of mesalazine as a model drug. The extrusion-spheronisation technique was used, resulting in smooth and spherical pellets with uniform size distribution, which were coated in fluidized bed using Opadry® Enteric 94K28327 containing Eudragit® S100 as the agent regulating drug release. The dissolution profile of coated pellets showed good control of drug release from the polymer at the two levels of coating evaluated (8% and 10%), but only the 10% coated pellets were statistically similar to Asalit® 400 mg.<br>A mesalazina (5-ASA) tem se apresentado como fármaco padrão para o tratamento da doença inflamatória intestinal (DII) devido ao seu efeito local na mucosa intestinal e colônica. A terapia efetiva e segura desta doença requer a chegada da substância ativa ao seu local de ação com maior eficiência. Nessa busca, tem se destacado o uso de Sistemas Multiparticulados, forma farmacêutica de liberação modificada, em que o fármaco está dividido em várias subunidades funcionais de liberação, sob a forma de grânulos ou péletes, que quando administrados, são rapidamente desintegrados distribuindo seu conteúdo por todo trato gastrintestinal. Este trabalho teve como objetivo desenvolver e avaliar péletes revestidos com polímero de liberação pH-dependente, derivado do ácido metacrílico, tendo como fármaco modelo a mesalazina. A técnica de extrusão-esferonização foi utilizada obtendo-se péletes lisos e esféricos com distribuição granulométrica uniforme, que foram revestidos em leito fluidizado utilizando Opadry® Enteric 94K28327 contendo Eudragit® S100 como agente regulador da liberação do fármaco. O perfil de dissolução dos péletes revestidos demonstrou bom controle na liberação do fármaco por parte do polímero nos dois níveis de revestimento avaliados (8 e 10%), porém, apenas os péletes revestidos a 10% demonstraram semelhança estatística com o medicamento de referência Asalit® 400 mg