Chemical, morphological and functional properties of Brazilian jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus L.) seeds starch

AbstractStarches used in food industry are extracted from roots, tubers and cereals. Seeds of jackfruit are abundant and contain high amounts of starch. They are discarded during the fruit processing or consumption and can be an alternative source of starch. The starch was extract from the jackfruit seeds and characterised to chemical, morphological and functional properties. Soft and hard jackfruit seeds showed starch content of 92.8% and 94.5%, respectively. Starch granules showed round and bell shape and some irregular cuts on their surface with type-A crystallinity pattern, similar to cereals starches. The swelling power and solubility of jackfruit starch increased with increasing temperature, showing opaque pastes. The soft seeds starch showed initial and final gelatinisation temperature of 36°C and 56°C, respectively; while hard seeds starch presented initial gelatinisation at 40°C and final at 61°C. These results suggest that the Brazilian jackfruit seeds starches could be used in food products

MATURAÇÃO NATURAL DE CARNE-DE-SOL

A carne-de-sol é um produto levemente salgado, com ampla aceitação pelos brasileiros. Apesar da maciez ser um dos principais atributos de qualidade para carnes, inexistem publicações científicas relativas à maciez  de carne-de-sol. Visando melhorar esse atributo através da maturação natural e agregando valor ao produto elaborado, cortes cárneos bovinos (coxão mole) foram maturados a 0 ºC por diferentes tempos (0, 7, 14 e 21dias), foram processados em carne-de-sol seguindo metodologia empregada pelos produtores da região e a maciez foi aferida pela força de cisalhamento (FC), índice de fragmentação miofibrilar (IFM), quantificação de colágeno, comprimento de sarcômero (CS) e análise sensorial (ADQ). A maturação influenciou positivamente na maciez de todas as carnes e os resultados da FC, IFM, CS e ADQ foram sugestivos que a maturação das carnes por sete dias foi o tratamento mais indicado, não havendo diferença nos tempos superiores. A quantificação de colágeno não se apresentou como um eficaz instrumento avaliativo, provavelmente devido ao corte cárneo utilizado. Desta forma, sugere-se que a maturação como tratamento da matéria-prima para o processamento da carne-de-sol promove maciez, melhorando sua qualidade e assim, proporciona um incremento no valor agregado desse produto tradicional brasileir

Effects of added Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium lactis probiotics on the quality characteristics of goat ricotta and their survival under simulated gastrointestinal conditions

AbstractThis study evaluated the effects of incorporating the probiotics Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis Bb-12 (B. lactis) or Lactobacillus acidophilus La-05 (L. acidophilus) into goat ricotta on the technological, physicochemical, physical and sensory parameters of this product during refrigerated storage, as well as the protective effects of the goat ricotta on the survival of the tested probiotics during exposure to simulated gastrointestinal conditions. Incorporating the tested probiotics did not affect the yield or syneresis of the obtained goat ricotta. The counts of L. acidophilus and B. lactis during the chosen storage period were approximately 6 log CFU/g. The ricotta samples containing a probiotic strain presented smaller and greater amounts of lactose and lactic acid, respectively, and exhibited greater hardness and lower brightness after storage compared with the samples lacking a probiotic. No differences were observed in the fatty acid profiles of the goat ricotta containing or not containing a probiotic. All of the ricotta samples were described as a soft cheese with a homogeneous texture; however, the goat ricotta cheeses containing L. acidophilus or B. lactis were described as having a more acidic flavor. At the end of a challenge using experimental human digestive conditions, the counts of each of the tested probiotic strains were approximately 6 log CFU/g if it had been incorporated into goat ricotta. These results demonstrated the feasibility of incorporating L. acidophilus or B. lactis into goat ricotta because these probiotics did not negatively affect the quality characteristics of this product and suggested that goat ricotta is an efficacious food matrix for maintaining the viability of these probiotics during storage and under the stressful conditions imposed by the human gastrointestinal tract