Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements

Comparative study of capsaicinoid composition in capsicum peppers grown in Brazil

Twenty different varieties of Capsicum pepper cultivars belonging to four species (Capsicum chinense, Capsicum annuum, Capsicum frutescens, and Capsicum baccatum) were characterized in terms of their capsaicinoid and total phenolic content. The peppers were sown in a farm in the southeastern region of São Paulo State. The determination of capsaicinoids was performed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography. The total phenolic content was determined spectrophotometrically with the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent. Results were expressed as µg capsaicinoid/g fresh pepper and as Scoville heat unit. A wide variation was observed among the compositions of capsaicinoids. Capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin were the most abundant peaks. Capsaicinoids were not identified in the pepper varieties Cheiro Verde, Cambuci Verde, Cambuci Vermelha, and Biquinho. The spiciest pepper was Naga Jolokia (119,016 Scoville heat unit). Regarding the phenolic contents, a large variability was observed. Total phenolic content ranged from 0.35 mg gallic acid equivalent/g in Cambuci Verde to 3.06 mg gallic acid equivalent/g in Naga Jolokia. The current study may benefit consumers, the food, and pharmaceutical industries due to the increasing interest in pharmacological compounds present in hot and sweet Capsicum peppers19612921302CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQCOORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIOR - CAPESFUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESP473342/2011-1Sem informação2011/08656-7; 2013/02203-

Economic analysis of oleoresin production from malagueta peppers (capsicum frutescens) by supercritical fluid extraction

An economical evaluation of the extraction of capsaicinoids-rich oleoresin from malagueta pepper using supercritical carbon dioxide was performed, considering both oleoresin and total capsaicinoids yields. Simulations of SFE process (15 MPa and 40 °C) were performed using the SuperPro Designer 8.5® to estimate the cost of manufacturing (COM) for three different SFE production scales (0.05, 0.3 and 0.5 m3). The calculated COM based on the total capsaicinoids yield had a minimum point in the extraction curve (for the three different scales) at 240 min, which indicates that the SFE process should be conducted up to this time. The COM for oleoresin extraction yield was obtained at 240 min in a 2 × 0.5 m3 unit, corresponding to 125.41 US$/kg extract. The estimated commercialization price of oleoresin obtained under the proposed conditions was 223 US$/kg extract, suggesting that the production of malagueta oleoresin by SFE seems to be economically applicable in large production scale13318693FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESP2015/18119-

Supercritical fluid extraction and low pressure extraction of biquinho pepper (capsicum chinense)

This work evaluated the influence of the extraction process at low pressure, such as ultrasound-assisted extraction, soxhlet and maceration with different solvents, and mainly supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) at different pressures and temperatures on the recovery of capsaicinoids and capsinoids from Biquinho pepper. Capsinoids and capsaicinoids were identified in all extracts. For the low pressure techniques, yields varied depending on solvent used. For total yield, the best condition was soxhlet-methanol (0.42 g extract/g freeze-dried pepper). In terms of capsaicinoids and capsinoids, the best yields were obtained with maceration-ethanol and soxhlet-acetone, respectively. Although SFE has provided low extraction yields (0.0049–0.0134 g extract/g freeze-dried pepper) when compared to low pressure techniques, the extract obtained at 60 °C and 15 MPa showed high concentration of capsinoids (28.5 mg/g extract). Regarding the global extraction yield, the best conditions to extract capsaicinoids and capsinoids were 40 °C and 50 °C at 15 MPa, with values of 0.004 and 0.17 g/g freeze-dried pepper, respectively. The results indicate that low pressure techniques are more efficient in the extraction of capsaicinoids and capsinoids. However, the extracts obtained by SFE have higher concentrations of these compounds, depending on the polarity of CO2 at the applied conditions592212391246CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQCOORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIOR - CAPESFUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESP473342/2011-1Sem informação2013/02203-

Obtaining anthocyanin-rich extracts from frozen açai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) pulp using pressurized liquid extraction

<div><p>Abstract Açai is considered a functional food, and in addition to being a source of energy and fiber, it is a valuable source of bioactive compounds such as anthocyanins, minerals and fatty acids. In the present work, antioxidant-rich extracts from açai pulp were obtained using pressurized liquid extraction (PLE). The effects of the independent variables, including solvent type (pure ethanol and ethanol/water (50:50 v/v)), citric acid (0 and 0.3%, w/w), pressure (20 and 80 bar) and temperature (30 and 60 °C) were evaluated using a full factorial design. The extraction was affected primarily by the solvent type and the citric acid percentage. The results indicate that the maximum overall yield (X0) was 64± 9 (%, d.b.) when the process was performed using ethanol (99.5%) and citric acid (0.3% w/w). The maximum total anthocyanin content and anthocyanin recovered from the raw material were 7 ± 1 (mg anthocyanin/g extract, d.b.) and 11 ± 2 (%, d.b.), respectively.</p></div