Combining eutectic solvents and pressurized liquid extraction coupled in-line with solid-phase extraction to recover, purify and stabilize anthocyanins from Brazilian berry waste

Pressurized techniques are straightforward for high-scale applications and highly controllable, which seems an excellent strategy for recovering unstable natural compounds. In this work, the main advance was the development of a platform based on the pressurized liquid extraction coupled in-line with a solid-phase extraction step (PLE-SPE) combined with the use of eutectic mixtures as solvents to promote an efficient extraction and purification of natural pigments from food wastes. Eutectic mixtures, conventionally known as (deep) eutectic solvents – (D)ES, are combinations of two or more substances with a lower melting point than any of their components. (D)ES are often referred as “green solvents” because they can potentially be more environmentally friendly than other solvents, especially volatile organic solvents (VOSs). Overall, (D)ES have the potential to contribute to the achievement of several of the SDGs (especially 3, 13, and 14) through their positive impacts on health, environment, and sustainable production and consumption practices. Thus, in this work, (D)ES were used as solvents to valorize Brazilian berry waste (Plinia cauliflora). Anthocyanins are the biomass's main compounds of commercial interest, mainly for food and cosmetic applications. However, there are several technological issues regarding color control due to their high sensitivity to light, heat, oxygen, and pH variations. Thus, the data achieved in this work highlighted the high efficiency and low environmental footprint of the PLE-SPE-(D)ES platform developed. The success of the downstream process here developed was proved by the high extraction efficiency and the purity level of the anthocyanins obtained. Besides, thermal stability analysis was evaluated, demonstrating that (D)ES are not only solvents but also stabilizing agents, improving the shelf-life of the extracted colorants.publishe

Supplementation of carotenoids from peach palm waste (Bactris gasipaes) obtained with an ionic liquid mediated process displays kidney anti-inflammatory and antioxidant outcomes

Sustainable extraction processes based on alternative solvents to recover bioactive compounds of different raw materials have been highlighted as excellent alternatives to supply the needs of society towards a bioeconomy strategy. Little is known about the safety and biological effect of compounds extracted by these processes. In this work, carotenoids from Bactris gasipaes wastes obtained by an IL-based process were investigated in terms of safety, anti-inflammatory and, antioxidant activity in a high-fat-diet animal model on the kidney. Wistar rats were supplemented or not by carotenoids extracted with IL or VOS. The animals supplemented with carotenoids had lower weight than control and high-fat diets. In the animals supplemented with carotenoids, the group IL improved anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity compared with carotenoids obtained by VOS. Also, the group HFD-VOS showed moderate-severe injuries on the kidney. Then, ILs could represent a novel tool for natural pigments safely applied to food industry.publishe

Ionic liquid-mediated recovery of carotenoids from the bactris gasipaes fruit waste and their application in food-packaging chitosan films

In this work, a process for the extraction and purification of carotenoids from the fruit Bactris gasipaes was developed. Ethanolic and aqueous solutions of ionic liquids (ILs) and surfactants were evaluated on the extraction of these pigments. Thus, we developed an optimized sustainable downstream process mediated by the best solvent with further isolation of the carotenoids and the recyclability of the IL used. The process was characterized not only in terms of efficiency but also regarding its environmental impact. The recyclability of the solvents as well as the high efficiency (maximum yield of extraction of carotenoids = 88.7 ± 0.9 μgcarotenoids·gdried biomass–1) and the low environmental impact of the integrated process developed in this work were demonstrated. In the end, in order to incorporate functional activity for an alternative food-packaging material, carotenoids were successfully applied on the preparation of chitosan-based films with excellent results regarding their mechanical parameters and antioxidant activity.publishe

Trophic ecology of Gymnodactylus geckoides Spix, 1825 (Squamata, Phyllodactylidae) from Caatinga, Northeastern Brazil

The diet of lizards is mainly composed of arthropods. It can be affected by biotic and abiotic factors, which influence the energy supply provided by the composition of the animal´s diet. The richness and abundance of many arthropod species can be influenced by environmental seasonality, especially in the Caatinga ecoregion, due to the rainfall regimes. The present study aims to describe aspects of the seasonal and morphological variation in the lizard Gymnodactylus geckoides diet and their energy content. We collected 157 individuals (63 females, 68 males, and 26 juveniles) at the Catimbau National Park, Northeastern Brazil, of which 72 were analyzed for the dry season and 59 for the rainy season. Our data indicates Isoptera to be the most common prey in G. geckoides’s diet. Energy content, prey number was higher in the dry season, whereas prey volume and glycogen content increased in the rainy season. Proteins and lipids did not show marked differences. The present study represents the first effort to understand variations in G. geckoide’s trophic ecology, indicating that this specie presents a wide variation in their diet, especially when considering seasonal factors, revealing their needs and restrictions according to prey availability and environmental conditions

Relationships between body growth indices and environmental factors on the reproductive cycle of the Gymnodactylus geckoides Spix, 1825 (Squamata, Gymnophthalmidae) in Northeast Brazil

In this study, we analyzed the energy and reproductive cycles of female and male Gymnodactylus geckoides in the Caatinga area of northeast Brazil. We investigated whether these proxies of body condition, such as reproductive cells maturation and cellular structures changed in response to variation in abiotic and biotic factors (i.e., humidity, temperature, seasonality, body temperature, growing rate and gonad volume), using individuals stored under scientific conditions collected between September 2018 and December 2021. The condition factor showed an isometric growth pattern in the population studied. Meanwhile, the lipid, hepatic, and gonad factors correlated with body growth and showed monthly and seasonal variations, as well as reproductive cell maturation and cellular structure morphology. The cycles displayed constant replacement of energy reserves and mature reproductive cells, indicating constant and acyclic reproduction in G. geckoides. Energy reserves appear to be used for many reproductive activities, including meeting, gestation, and egg laying that occur at different frequencies during different periods in the dry and rainy seasons. Therefore, the reproductive cycle is likely to be strongly controlled by biotic factors, which are modeled using abiotic factors and environmental conditions (environmental patterns which proportionate greater resource availability). Our study is the first to investigate energy cycles and reproductive strategies in G. geckoides. It has shown that this species stores greater amounts of energy during the rainy season and then depletes these reserves during the dry period, since the rainy season correspond to the increase in energy consumption, mainly because of gestation and egg laying.Asociación Herpetológica Argentin

Tide assessment for the continental shelf situated in the southwestern Atlantic between the latitudes 19.8ºS and 21.2ºS

Abstract The astronomical tide was numerically simulated by the MOHID model for the South-Central Region of Espírito Santo State (Brazil), between latitudes 19.8ºS and 21.2ºS. The grid nesting technique was used to transpose the boundary conditions from the larger domain to a more refined local domain (spatial resolution around 450 m), with tidal harmonics provided by the TPXO tide inverse model as boundary conditions for the larger domain. Results from the numerical model were compared with both the pre-existing tide harmonics and the harmonics calculated from measured data. From the maps of phase, amplitude, tidal ellipses and residual currents the main tidal kinematic characteristics in the study area were described. On the continental shelf, the results showed that the physiography and bathymetry of the region play an important role in the distribution of tidal co-phases, co-amplitudes, ellipses and residual currents. The MOHID model was able to reproduce satisfactorily the astronomical tide and thus can be used to study the behaviour of the tidal propagation in continental shelf areas

Evaluation of the effectiveness of an Internet-based continuing education program on pharmacy-based minor ailment management: a randomized controlled clinical trial

ABSTRACT The aim of this work was to evaluate the effectiveness of an internet-based continuing education (CE) program on pharmacy-based minor ailment schemes (PMASs). A controlled randomized clinical trial was conducted in community pharmacies in Brazil. Community pharmacists (CPs) were enrolled in two groups: intervention (n = 61) and control (n = 60). CPs who were enrolled to the intervention group participated in an Internet-based CE program. CPs in the control group received no educational intervention. We evaluated participant perception, learning outcomes, and practice performance. Learner satisfaction with the CE program was high for every point evaluated (mean ± standard deviation = 4.2 ± 0.4). Posttest learner outcome scores and practice performance in the intervention group after the conclusion of the CE program significantly improved compared with pretest scores (p < 0.001) and were significantly better compared with the control group (p < 0.001). The present Internet-based CE program is a viable educational strategy for improving participant perception, learning outcomes, and practice performance in PMASs