Aspectos neoicnológicos dos sedimentos da plataforma do Amazonas

Several biogenic structures collected by box core samples in the Amazon Shelf sediments were described morphologically and classified in an ethological point of view. The biogenic structures are associated with ecological data from CTD analyses, such as luminosity, oxygen concentration, temperature and salinity. The present study summarizes the main ichnological aspects observed in the sediments of this area and the organisms which are more active in the biogenic reworking.Através das amostragens realizadas por box-core na plataforma do Amazonas foram observadas diversas estruturas biogênicas produzidas nos sedimentos atuais, o que nos forneceu uma distribuição espacial qualitativa dos indivíduos que são mais ativos na produção de icnitos e mesmo na destruição das estruturas sedimentares inorgânicas. Objetivou-se um estudo integrado dos aspectos físicos e químicos do meio de sedimentação, tais como temperatura, salinidade, luminosidade, concentração de partículas sedimentares em suspensão e de oxigénio, condições energéticas da interface deposicional, tipo de substrato, profundidade da lâmina dágua, granulometria do sedimento e pH, visando a interpretação sobre a origem e diversidade de pistas, escavações e demais produtos da atividade dos organismos sobre o substrato. O estudo da ação biogênica na plataforma do Amazonas teve como base a análise da macrofauna bentônica proveniente principalmente de amostras de box-core e dos icnitos associados. Foram reconhecidos os principais elementos da epifauna e infauna, capazes de realizarem a bioturbaçâo e destruição da matéria orgânica contida nos sedimentos

Dulce de Leche—Chemistry and Processing Technology

Originally hailing from Latin America, dulce de leche (DL) is one of the most widely manufactured dairy products in South America, where it is marketed as a paste or bar. Due to DL’s low moisture content, the product can be safely stored at room temperature, which facilitates storage and transportation logistics. The primary ingredients used to manufacture DL are milk, sucrose, and an acidity reducer. Needless to say, the raw materials must be of good quality from reliable suppliers in order for the final product to have the desired characteristics. The milk used to make DL must be microbiologically safe, remain stable during thermal processing, and preferably exhibit a high solid content. Dulce de leche is defined as a product made with or without the addition of other food substances that is obtained from milk or reconstituted milk and added sucrose (either partially substituted or not by monosaccharides and/or other disaccharides) via concentration and heat action at normal or reduced pressure. This chapter aims to explore the chemistry, processing technology, and most common industrial practices for manufacturing DL in South America

Princípios básicos de fabricação de queijo: do histórico à salga.

A arte de transformação do leite em queijo é muito antiga e se constitui basicamente em um processo de concentração do leite no qual parte dos componentes sólidos, principalmente proteína e gordura, são concentrados na coalhada enquanto as proteínas do soro, lactose e sólidos solúveis, são removidos no soro. O rendimento da fabricação e sua composição centesimal são determinados pelas propriedades do leite empregado, especialmente pela composição e pelas etapas do processo de fabricação. A importância da composição do leite está ligada à coagulação enzimática, firmeza da coalhada, sinérese e textura do queijo. Várias etapas ou grupos de etapas estão envolvidos na conversão do leite em queijo, das quais as principais são: coagulação, acidificação, sinérese, enformagem e salga. Intervindo nessas etapas, o queijeiro pode controlar a composição do queijo que vai influenciar diretamente na sua maturação e na qualidade final do produto. Assim este artigo apresenta uma curta revisão dos princípios básicos de tecnologia de queijos

A COBRANÇA DE ROYALTIES SOBRE A ENERGIA EÓLICA: UM ESTUDO PRELIMINAR SOBRE A PROPOSTA DE EMENDA À CONSTITUIÇÃO 97/15

The present work deals with a brief analysis on the Proposal of Amendment to the Constitution (PAC) 97/15 and its possible impacts. The same is aimed at collecting royalties on wind energy in Brazil. The purpose of this study was to analyze the text of the SGP and its possible consequences. Methodologically, a bibliographic review was carried out on the subject and a search in the main electronic sites that approached data of the sector. The results pointed out that the main reasons that led to the creation of this PAC were mainly because it is considered that the sector prevents the development of economic activities in the places where they are installed. However, it has been seen that, for some scholars, because it is a renewable and clean energy, it would not fit such a charge for the sector, in addition to a number of advantages that it brings both in the economic, social and environmental spheres. In addition, it would make it a preference in the search for sources of energy that are polluting. On the other hand, there are studies that consider that there is no participative management of the local communities on the resources coming from the wind sector, besides the fact of cases in which an imposition for parks implementation occurs, pondering only the ecological returns and their efficiency without taking into consideration the cultural and emotional identities of the populations with their respective territories. However, positive and negative points need to be assessed in order to know whether royalty collection is the solution to these cases without generating a chain impact on the wind sector.O presente trabalho trata-se de uma breve análise sobre a Proposta de Emenda à Constituição (PEC) 97/15 e seus possíveis impactos. A mesma visa a cobrança de royalties sobre a energia eólica no território brasileiro. Para tanto objetivou-se analisar o texto da referida PEC e suas possíveis consequências. Metodologicamente foi realizada uma revisão bibliográfica sobre o tema e uma busca nos principais sítios eletrônicos que abordassem dados do setor. Os resultados apontaram que os principais motivos que levaram à criação desta PEC foi principalmente por se considerar que o setor impede o desenvolvimento de atividades econômicas nos locais onde os mesmos estão instalados. Contudo, foi visto que, para alguns estudiosos, por se tratar de uma energia renovável e limpa não caberia tal cobrança para o setor, além de uma série de vantagens que o mesmo traz tanto no âmbito econômico, social e ambiental. Além disso, faria com que houvesse uma preferência nas buscas por fontes de energias que são poluentes. Por outro lado, há estudos que consideram não haver uma gestão participativa das comunidades locais sobre os recursos provenientes do setor eólico, além do fato de casos em que ocorre uma imposição para implementação de parques ponderando apenas os retornos ecológicos e sua eficiência sem levar em consideração as identidades culturais e emocionais das populações com seus respectivos territórios. Contudo, é preciso avaliar pontos positivos e negativos para saber se a cobrança de royalties seja a solução para estes casos sem que gere impactos em cadeia sobre o setor eólico

Physical and chemical quality, biodiversity, and thermodynamic prediction of adhesion of bacterial isolates from a water purification system: a case study

The objective of this study was to evaluate the quality of water purification system and identify the bacteria this system, predict bacterial adherence according to the hydrophobicity of these microorganisms and of the polypropylene distribution loop for purified water. The assessment of drinking water that supplies the purification system allowed good-quality physical, chemical, and microbiological specifications. The physicochemical specifications of the distributed purified water were approved, but the heterotrophic bacteria count was higher than allowed (>;2 log CFU mL-1).The sanitation of the storage tank with chlorine decreased the number of bacteria adhered to the surface (4.34 cycles log). By sequencing of the 16SrDNA genes, six species of bacteria were identified. The contact angle was determined and polypropylene surface and all bacteria were considered to be hydrophilic, and adhesion was thermodynamically unfavorable. This case study showed the importance of monitoring the water quality in the purified water systems and the importance of sanitization with chemical agents. The count of heterotrophic bacteria on the polypropylene surface was consistent with the predicted thermodynamics results because the number of adhered cells reached approximate values of 5 log CFU cm-2

Probiotics in Dairy Fermented Products

Interest in the role of probiotics for human health began as early as 1908 when Metchnikoff associated the intake of fermented milk with prolonged life (Lourens-Hattingh and Vilijoen, 2001b). However, the relationship between intestinal microbiota and good health and nutrition has only recently been investigated. Therefore, it was not until the 1960’s that health benefit claims began appearing on foods labels. In recent years,there has been an increasing interest in probiotic foods, which has stimulated innovation and fueled the development of new products around the world. Probiotic bacteria have increasinglybeen incorporated into foods in order to improve gut health by maintaining the microbial gastrointestinal balance. The most popular probioticfoodsare produced in the dairy industry because fermented dairy products have been shown to be the most efficient delivery vehicle for live probiotics to date. In this chapter, we will discuss the application of probiotic microorganisms in fermented dairy products, particularly cheeses. In addition, we will also discuss the benefits of probiotic fermented foods on human health

Selective enumeration of propionibacteria in Emmental-type cheese using PetrifilmTM Aerobic count plates added to lithium glycerol broth

Propionibacteria derived from dairy products are relevant starter cultures for the production of Swiss and Emmental-type cheeses, and the monitoring of which is mandatory for proper quality control. This study aimed to evaluate an alternative procedure to enumerate propionibacteria, in order to develop a reliable and practical methodology to be employed by dairy industries. 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) inhibitory activity was tested against five reference strains (CIRM 09, 38, 39, 40 and 116); TTC at 0·0025% (w/v) was not inhibitory, with the exception of one strain (CIRM 116). Subsequently, the four TTC-resistant strains, three commercial starter cultures (PS-1, PB-I, and CHOO) and twelve Emmental-type cheese samples were subjected to propionibacteria enumeration using Lithium Glycerol (LG) agar, and Petrifilm™ Aerobic Count (AC) plates added to LG broth (anaerobic incubation at 30 °C for 7 d). Petrifilm™ AC added to LG broth presented high counts than LG agar (P<0·05) for only two reference strains (CIRM 39, and 40) and for all commercial starter cultures. Cheese sample counts obtained by both procedures did not show significant differences (P<0·05). Significant correlation indexes were observed between the counts recorded by both methods (P<0·05). These results demonstrate the reliability of Petrifilm™ AC plates added to LG broth in enumerating select Propionibacterium spp., despite some limitations observed for specific commercial starter cultures

Germination and vigour of primed asparagus seeds

The osmotic conditioning or priming is considered a promising technique to speed up germination and to improve seed performance. Four seed lots of asparagus, Mary Washington cultivar, were primed at 25&deg;C for seven or 14 days using PEG 6000 at -1.0 or -1.2 MPa, or sea water at -3.3 MPa; or for three days in distilled water. The physiological quality of the seeds was evaluated by standard germination, first count germination, speed of seedling emergence, and germination percentage and seedling fresh and dry weights after controlled deterioration test. Primed seeds presented higher germination speed, independently of their initial physiological quality. Beneficial effects of priming on germination and vigour were more expressive in the seed lot of low physiological quality. Priming in PEG 6000 at -1.0 MPa for 14 days was the most beneficial treatment to improve asparagus seeds performance.O condicionamento osmótico ou priming tem sido considerado uma técnica promissora para acelerar a germinação e melhorar o desempenho das sementes. Sementes de quatro lotes de aspargo, cv. Mary Washington, foram condicionadas em PEG 6000 a -1,0 e -1,2 MPa, por 7 e 14 dias, em água do mar a -3,3 MPa, por 7 e 14 dias e em água destilada por 3 dias, em BOD a 25&deg;C. Sementes não condicionadas foram usadas como testemunha. A qualidade fisiológica das sementes foi avaliada pela germinação, primeira contagem de germinação, velocidade de emergência e pela porcentagem de geminação e pesos da matéria fresca e seca das plântulas obtidas no teste de deterioração controlada (45&deg;C/24 horas). O experimento foi instalado no delineamento inteiramente casualizado com quatro repetições e oito tratamentos, sendo as médias comparadas pelo teste de Duncan a 5%. Sementes de aspargo condicionadas osmoticamente apresentaram maior velocidade de germinação, independentemente de sua qualidade fisiológica inicial. Efeitos benéficos do condicionamento osmótico, na germinação e no vigor, foram mais expressivos no lote de baixa qualidade fisiológica. O condicionamento em PEG a -1,0 MPa por 14 dias foi, em geral, o tratamento mais adequado para promover melhoria na qualidade fisiológica dessas sementes

Composição molecular e origem paleobotânica de âmbares da bacia do Araripe, Formação Santana

The terpenoid composition of seven amber samples from Araripe Basin (Santana Formation, Crato Member) has been analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to determine their botanical origin. The diterpenoids, which have been identified in the fossil resin extracts are derived primarily from the abietane class, e.g., dehydroabietane, 4-epidehydroabietol, 16,17,18-trisnorabieta-8,11,13-triene, 7-oxo-16,17,19-trisnorabieta-8,11,13-trieno, dehydroabietic acid, ferruginol, hinokiol and hinokione. Their composition is certainly typical for conifers, and angiosperms can be excluded as the botanical source, as no triterpene was identified. The terpenoid characteristics strongly support a relationship to the Araucariaceae or Podocarpaceae families. In addition, the fossil record of the embedding sediments (pollen and fossil leaves) also supports the proposal of these paleobotanical origins for the ambers