Sensory profiling of complex meals : the case study of baked cod with cream and duck

Sensory analysis provides important information for developing new products and improving existing ones on the market. In fact, this science appears as a link between research and the development of innovative foods and their acceptance by the consumer [1]. The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of sensory methodologies for profiling of complex meals such as baked cod with cream and duck rice. Evaluation was performed with two sets of eight samples of industrial cod with cream and duck rice. Two independent trained panels of 9 and 12 judges evaluated the samples according to Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA). Two independent panels of 16 untrained judges applied the Flash-Profile (FP) methodology over four sessions: attribute generation; final attribute list choice; evaluation 1 and 2. Two consumer panels evaluated the overall acceptance of each set of samples, on a sequential monadic presentation. For duck rice meals, the correlation between QDA and FP was not high (RV=0,646), and consumers preferred samples characterized by rice colour intensity, amount of duck, oiliness, bacon and chorizo in the meal. For cod with cream meals, the consumers preferred the samples characterized by amount and size of the cod pieces and intensity of cod taste, with a high correlation between FP and QDA (RV=0,860). Both sensory descriptive methodologies provide us with reliable and robust data in the characterization of complex meals. The FP methodology is relevant when working with panels of consumers to the extent that allows it to use their own lexicon of attributes. The application of external preference mapping on consumers’ response to FP emerges as a quick tool, either to describe products or to be used by food companies that have difficulties in using trained assessors’ panels. References: [1] Siegrist, M. (2008) Factors influencing public acceptance of innovative food technologies and products. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 19, 603-608

Methodology for integration of wind resource forecasts based on artificial neural networks

An adaptation of the portfolio theory (PT) is proposed in this article, denoted as PrevPT, "Previsao" (in Portuguese) by PT, to integrate the three artificial neural networks, namely multilayer perceptron (MLP) backpropagation, radial basis function (RBF), and self-organizing map (SOM), based forecasting techniques, aiming to analyze the impact of wind speed forecasting errors and achieve more accurate results. In its first use, the PT goal was to maximize a financial return, at any risk, through the diversification of securities or investments that are not positively correlated. Based on the development of PrevPT, which was used until this work only for solar forecasting, the proposed technique is applied in this paper to integrate and improve the results of individual wind forecasts. Four-year wind speed data (January 2007 to December 2010) from two different locations (Algeciras, Spain and Petrolina, Brazil) were used. Our methodology develops a topology that integrates the forecasts obtained by MLP, RBF, and SOM aiming to obtain smaller forecast errors. By diversifying the forecasted asset, when one of the assets has negative prediction errors, another compensates for them and, thus, the total or partial cancellation of the errors occurs. PrevPT obtains a mean absolute percentage error of 1.13% for Spain and 2.35% for Brazil. PrevPT surpassed the results obtained by the three techniques applied individually in the two locations. The main innovations of the methodology are the significant reduction of errors and optimization of resource planning, and the beneficial features compared to other predictor integration techniques

Public perceptions of hazards associated with Brazil nuts (Bertholletia excelsa) : evaluation of risk within an European context

One of the most important economic plants of the Amazon is the Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa). Brazil nuts for international trade are mainly obtained from wild collection rather than from plantations, often cited as one of the most important products of extractive reserves in Amazonia. The European Commission (2003/493/EC) has imposed strict regulations on the import from Brazil of Brazil nuts in their shells, as the shells have been found to contain high levels of aflatoxins, which can lead to liver cancer. This may have a negative impact on the Brazilian exports of shelled Brazil nuts, due to possible public awareness. The aim of the present research is to assess public perceptions regarding Brazil nuts and to contrast these with other nuts in general through the use of the Portuguese version of the Perceived Food Risk Index (PFRI). A sample of 418 consumers was drawn through a door-to-door interview using a random route walk procedure and following a quota sampling controlled for sex, age and location. Consumers were asked to choose the most relevant quality and preservation characteristics and to identify their consumption patterns for Brazil nuts and for nuts in general. Risk perception was evaluated over ten risk characteristics, for each of the following hazards: i) aflatoxins; ii) biological contaminants; iii) organoleptic changes; iv) fragments and strange bodies and v) microbial contamination. Additionally, subjects were asked to rate the probability of each hazard occurring in Brazil nuts or in nuts in general. Results show high consumptions of nuts in general, and a reduced consumption of Brazil nuts, although with low differences on the dimensions of risk perception. Concluding, this work adds to knowledge about the perceptions of risk connected to Brazil nuts consumption, namely that consumers perceive Brazil nuts as safe as nuts in general

PHYTOCHEMICAL STUDY AND BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES OF SUNFLOWER BUD (Helianthus annuus L.)

O girassol é cultivado especialmente para produção do óleo e, recentemente, o broto de girassol passou a ser consumido por um grupo específico de pessoas, principalmente os vegetarianos. Devido ao aumento do uso destes brotos como alimento, este trabalho teve como objetivo investigar a composição fitoquímica e as atividades biológicas do broto de girassol. Para tanto, o extrato etanólico bruto e frações dos brotos foram submetidos aos ensaios de toxicidade frente à Artemia salina, atividade antioxidante pela formação do complexo fosfomolibdênico, atividade hemolítica e atividade sobre a enzima tirosinase. O ensaio de toxicidade demonstrou que as frações hexano e hidroalcoólica não apresentaram toxicidade. As amostras não causaram hemólise e o extrato etanólico bruto não apresentou atividade sobre a enzima tirosinase. O extrato bruto, a fração clorofórmio e acetato de etila revelaram notável capacidade antioxidante

Impacts of Bar-driven Shear and Shocks on Star Formation

Bars drive gas inflow. As the gas flows inward, shocks and shear occur along the bar dust lanes. Such shocks and shear can affect the star formation (SF) and change the gas properties. For four barred galaxies, we present Hα velocity gradient maps that highlight bar-driven shocks and shear using data from the PHANGS-MUSE and PHANGS-ALMA surveys, which allow us to study bar kinematics in unprecedented detail. Velocity gradients are enhanced along the bar dust lanes, where shocks and shear are shown to occur in numerical simulations. Velocity gradient maps also efficiently pick up H ii regions that are expanding or moving relative to the surroundings. We put pseudo-slits on the regions where velocity gradients are enhanced and find that Hα and CO velocities jump up to ∼170 km s−1, even after removing the effects of circular motions due to the galaxy rotation. Enhanced velocity gradients either coincide with the peak of CO intensity along the bar dust lanes or are slightly offset from CO intensity peaks, depending on the objects. Using the Baldwin–Philips–Terlevich BPT diagnostic, we identify the source of ionization on each spaxel and find that SF is inhibited in the high-velocity gradient regions of the bar, and the majority of those regions are classified as a low-ionization nuclear emission-line region (LINER) or composite. This implies that SF is inhibited where bar-driven shear and shocks are strong. Our results are consistent with the results from the numerical simulations that show SF is inhibited in the bar where the shear force is strong

Development and characterization of high-absorption microencapsulated organic propolis EPP-AF® extract (i-CAPs)

The demand for organic and functional food continues to increase yearly. Among the available functional foods, propolis is a bee product that has various beneficial properties, including antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities. However, it generally is only available in ethanol solution, which has poor bioavailability, as it is relatively insoluble in water. The use of such ethanol extracts is often objectionable because of the alcohol content and because they have a strong and striking taste. Development of alternatives that can efficiently and safely increase solubility in water, and that meet organic production specifications, has been a challenge. To address these concerns, microcapsules were developed using spray-dryer technology from an emulsion based on EPP-AF® propolis and gum arabic (i-CAPS). These propolis-loaded microcapsules were characterized using FT-IR, SEM, TGA, HPLC, and spectrophotometric techniques, along with determination of antimicrobial, antioxidant, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, and antihypercholesterolemic activities, as well as permeability in in vitro models. The production system resulted in microcapsules with a spherical shape and an encapsulation efficiency of 93.7 0.7%. They had IC50s of 2.654 0.062 and 7.342 0.058 g/mL by FRAP and DPPH antioxidant methods, respectively. The EPP-AF® i-CAPS also had superior antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria. Antitumor activity was calculated based on the concentration that inhibited 50% of growth of AGS, Caco-2, and MCF-7 cell strains, giving results of 154.0 1.0, 117 1.0, and 271.0 25 g/mL, respectively. The microcapsule presentation reduced the permeation of cholesterol by 53.7%, demonstrating antihypercholesterolemic activity, and it improved the permeability of p-coumaric acid and artepillin C. The IC50 for NO production in RAW264.7 cells was 59.0 0.1 g/mL. These findings demonstrate the potential of this new propolis product as a food and pharmaceutical ingredient, though additional studies are recommended to validate the safety of proposed dosages.CNPq financially supported this research through the CNPQ/MCTI/SEMPI No. 021/2021 process on RHAE modality, contract number 424727/2021-8. It was also supported by São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) grant #2017/04138-8, CNPq (grant 309614/2021-0; INCT-INFO), CNPq grants 350088/2022-5 and 350089/2022-1, São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) (grant no. 2013/07276-1). The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support by national funds FCT/MCTES to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020 and UIDP/00690/2020) and SusTEC (LA/P/0007/2021). Thanks to the project GreenHealth, Norte-01- 0145-FEDER-000042.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Sinopsis taxonómica, ecológica y etnobotánica del género Tachigali Aubl. (Leguminosae) en la región del Cusco, Perú

Se da a conocer la sinopsis taxonómica, etnobotánica y ecológica del género Tachigali Aubl. (Leguminosae), en la región del Cusco. Los resultados revelan la presencia de nueve especies: Tachigali chrysaloides, T. guianensis, T. macbridei, T. paniculata, T. setifera, T. vasquezii y otras tres morfoespecies. Todas presentan su distribución restringida al bosque amazónico húmedo lluvioso y al bosque amazónico húmedo pre-montano. La mayoría de especies son aprovechadas para el comercio de madera y como combustible. Se propone incluir dentro de las categorías de amenaza a cuatro especies con preocupación menor (LC), tres como casi amenazada (NT) y dos como vulnerables (VU). La riqueza de este género en el Cusco es comparable a otras regiones de alta diversidad y endemismo como Loreto en Perú y el bioma de la Mata Atlántica en Brasil, que supera ampliamente en extensión territorial a la región del Cusco

Acetylated cashew gum-based nanoparticles for the incorporation of alkaloid epiisopiloturine

The natural alkaloid epiisopiloturine has recently become the focus of study for various medicinal properties, particularly for its anti-inflammatory and antischistosomal effect. The incorporation of active molecules in natural polymeric matrices has garnered increasing interest during recent decades. A new derivative of cashew gum successfully obtained by gum acetylation has shown great potential as a carrier in controlled drug release systems. In this work, epiisopiloturine was encapsulated in acetylated cashew gum nanoparticles in order to increase solubility and allow slow release, whereas the morphology results were supported by computer simulations. The particles were produced under a variety of conditions, and thoroughly characterized using light scattering and microscopic techniques. The particles were spherical and highly stable in solution, and showed drug incorporation at high levels, up to 55% efficiency. Using a dialysis-based in vitro assay, these particles were shown to release the drug via a Fickian diffusion mechanism, leading to gradual drug release over approximately 6 h. These nanoparticles show potential for the use as drug delivery system, while studies on their potential anti-inflammatory action, as well as toxicity and efficacy assays would need to be performed in the future to confirm their suitability as drug delivery candidates.This work was conducted in partnership with the Polymer Laboratory of the Federal University of Ceará for polymer modification. The authors thanks Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for the fellowships SFRH/BD/97995/2013 (AP) and SFRH/BD/95983/2013 (MPA), in the context of the POCH program. The work at UCIBIO/REQUIMTE was supported by FCT through project UID/MULTI/04378/2013 – POCI/01/0145/FEDER/007728 with financial support from FCT/MCTES through national funds and co-financed by FEDER, under the Partnership Agreement PT2020. The work at REQUIMTE/LAQV received financial support from the European Union (FEDER funds through COMPETE) and National Funds (FCT) through project UID/QUI/50006/2013. The computational time was provided by GRID-Unesp, SICC/IFSP and CENAPAD/SP. The authors also acknowledge CNPq and CAPES for a scholarship and financial aid.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio