AVALIAÇÃO DE COMPOSTOS FENÓLICOS TOTAIS EM PIMENTAS CAPSICUM SPP. EM FUNÇÃO DE PROCESSOS TÉRMICOS

O Brasil possui uma das maiores biodiversidades do planeta, com fontes de alimentos ainda inexploradas naturalmente ricas em compostos bioativos com funções diversas e complementares. As pimentas do gênero Capsicum fazem parte desta grande biodiversidade e da riqueza cultural brasileira; são cultivadas em todo o território nacional possuindo enorme variedade de cores, sabores, tamanho e pungência. As pimentas são utilizadas in natura ou processadas. Portanto, muitos destes compostos bioativos necessitam de avaliação quanto aos aspectos de qualidade e potencial para utilização em produtos alimentícios. Durante o processamento, pode ocorrer redução no teor de compostos bioativos, pela instabilidade às condições tecnológicas de processamento, o que consequentemente pode reduzir sua capacidade funcional.  São consideradas, por diversos estudos, especiarias ricas em compostos bioativos, como, por exemplo, compostos fenólicos. Neste sentido este trabalho objetivou quantificar o teor de compostos fenólicos totais de duas espécies de pimentas: Dedo-de-moça (Capsicum baccatum) e Biquinho (Capsicum chinense) em função de dois processos de manufatura semi-industrial (pasteurização e cozimento). Os processos térmicos diminuíram em torno de 16% os teores de compostos fenólicos in natura para a pimenta Dedo-de-moça (de 53,6±0,14 mg EAG 100g-1 para 47,1±0,15 mg EAG 100g-1) considerando a pasteurização. A pimenta Biquinho apresentou 11% de redução somente para o cozimento (de 75,6±0,08 mg EAG 100g-1 para 67,6±0,25 mg EAG 100g-1). Assim, pode-se verificar que a temperatura contribuiu com possível degradação dos compostos fenólicos. O cozimento tende a ser mais contundente que a pasteurização, havendo variação conforme a espécie de pimenta estudada. A escolha do método de processamento mais adequado à conserva de pimentas Dedo-de-Moça e Biquinho, pode ser baseada no teor total de compostos fenólicos

An improved folate stable isotope dilution assay of unexploited food sources from Brazil

Brazil has a diverse plant community, including underutilized non-conventional food crops (PANCs), which have the potential to be a rich source of food and contribute to food security. For assessing the folate content in a range of Brazilian PANCs, we extended the validation of an existing stable isotope dilution assay (SIDA) for the stably 13C-labelled 10-formyl-Pte[13C5]Glu (10-CHO-Pte[13C5]Glu). The SIDA method with an enzymatic treatment, purification step, and an LC–MS/MS measurement was validated regarding linearity, precision, LoD/LoQ, and recovery for 10-CHO-PteGlu. After successful validation, the study of some underutilized Brazilian non-conventional fruits and leaves from the São Paulo State University campus revealed them as an important source of folates. It provided the first insights into the folate content of unexploited food sources from Brazil. Pequi had the highest folate content among the fruits studied, with mean values of 333 μg/100 g based on fresh weight (FW). The analysis also shows that different cultivars of fruit or fruits from different growing locations have a high variability in folate content or other nutritional factors. In most fruits, the main vitamer was 5-CH3-H4folate, but jenipapo and taioba showed the highest content of 10-CHO-PteGlu with 28.22 μg/100 g (FW) in jenipapo peel and 75.64 μg/100 g (FW) in the taioba leaves. Thus, this study also provides results on the importance of the folate vitamer 10-CHO-PteGlu contributing to the total folate content

Functional Fermented Milk with Fruit Pulp Modulates the In Vitro Intestinal Microbiota

The effect of putative probiotic fermented milk (FM) with buriti pulp (FMB) or passion fruit pulp (FMPF) or without fruit pulp (FMC) on the microbiota of healthy humans was evaluated. FM formulations were administered into a simulator of the human intestinal microbial ecosystem (SHIME®) to evaluate the viability of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), microbiota composition, presence of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), and ammonium ions. The probiotic LAB viability in FM was affected by the addition of the fruit pulp. Phocaeicola was dominant in the FMPF and FMB samples; Bifidobacterium was related to FM formulations, while Alistipes was associated with FMPF and FMB, and Lactobacillus and Lacticaseibacillus were predominant in FMC. Trabulsiella was the central element in the FMC, while Mediterraneibacter was the central one in the FMPF and FMB networks. The FM formulations increased the acetic acid, and a remarkably high amount of propionic and butyric acids were detected in the FMB treatment. All FM formulations decreased the ammonium ions compared to the control; FMPF samples stood out for having lower amounts of ammonia. The probiotic FM with fruit pulp boosted the beneficial effects on the intestinal microbiota of healthy humans in addition to increasing SCFA in SHIME® and decreasing ammonium ions, which could be related to the presence of bioactive compounds