Storage stability of L-citrulline in cucumber (Cucumis sativus) and watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) juices / Estabilidade em armazenamento de L-citrulina em sucos de pepino (Cucumis sativus) e melancia (Citrullus lanatus)

Since foods rich in L-citrulline are important for vascular health, it is important to determine the amount of this compounds in foods present in the human diet. Therefore, the present study evaluated storage stability of L-citrulline in cucumber rind and pulp juices and to compare them with watermelon rind and pulp juices. The L-citrulline stability was evaluated for 12 days at refrigerated condition (4 ºC). Since L-arginine is an amino acid involved in L-citrulline metabolism, L-arginine content was also evaluated. On the initial day, L-citrulline content in cucumber rind and pulp was lower when compared to watermelon rind and pulp juices, respectively. A significative reduction in L-citrulline content in cucumber rind and pulp and watermelon pulp juices was observed in day 6 and day 12 when compared to the first day. However, L-citrulline content was stable for 12 days in watermelon rind juice. A significative reduction in L-arginine content was also observed in cucumber pulp and watermelon pulp juices, but not in cucumber rind and watermelon rind juices in day 6 and day 12 when compared to the first day. The results suggested that L-citrulline in cucumber rind and pulp and watermelon pulp juices were unstable at refrigerated conditions for 12 days.    

Evaluation of total polyphenols content and antioxidant capacity of different commercial cocoa (theobroma cacao) powders) / Avaliação do teor de polifenóis totais e capacidade antioxidante de diferentes pós comerciais de cacau (theobroma cacao)

Polyphenols from cocoa have been demonstrated to reduce blood pressure and improve endothelial function in hypertensive individuals. However, polyphenols content in commercial cocoa products may be lost during fermentation, alkalinization, and/or roasting process, impairing its bioactivity. Therefore, the current study sought to investigate whether total polyphenols content and antioxidant capacity are preserved among commercial cocoa powders. Four best-selling 100% cocoa powder products in Brazil (Garoto®, Nestle®, Mãe Terra®, and Hershey®) and one alkalinized 100% cocoa powder product (Hershey®) were examined. The total polyphenols content was determined by using the Folin-Ciocalteu’s phenol reagent and antioxidant capacity by using 22,2’-azino-bis (3- ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) method. No significant difference in total polyphenols and antioxidant capacity among the brand of natural powder products (Garoto®, Nestle®, Mãe Terra®, and Hershey®) was observed. However, Alkalinized cocoa powder (Hershey®) exhibited significantly lower total polyphenols content and antioxidant capacity compared to other brands of natural cocoa powder products. The current study showed that total polyphenols content and antioxidant capacity are consistent between natural cocoa powder products. However, total polyphenols content and antioxidant capacity of cocoa are reduced during the alkalinization process.  

Physicochemical and protein profile of goat whey powder

ABSTRACT: The cheese after processing, generates whey, which is a residue that has potential benefit to human health. However, there are still few studies that seek to evaluate the composition and potential benefits of goat milk whey, even though it is a promising dairy source. Despite this, the large-scale generation of this waste can favor the environmental impact when improperly disposed of. Given this, the use of all content of dairy production can reverse this impact and increase the income of the dairy industry. Thus, this research prepared a powdered product based on goat’s milk whey from the spray drying technique and evaluate its physicochemical composition by chemical analytical methods and protein profile through polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The elaborated product had a higher carbohydrate content than protein, and the identification of protein fractions showed that the most expressive bands represented beta-lactoglobulin and alpha-lactoalbumin. Therefore, the elaborated product has the potential to generate novel products for human consumption and with potential health benefits