Chemical characterization and sensory potential of Brazilian vanilla species

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o perfil químico e sensorial, bem como a aceitabilidade, de espécies brasileiras de baunilhas. As espécies de baunilhas avaliadas foram: Vanilla planifolia, Vanilla chamissonis, Vanilla bahiana, and Vanilla pompona. Para tanto, foram utilizados a metodologia do perfil descritivo otimizado, testes de aceitação de consumidores por meio da aplicação dos extratos a chás e cremes, e análise de espectrometria de massa por meio de cromatografia gasosa. Foram identificados compostos voláteis, tais como vanilina, acetato de anisila, 4-metil-guaiacol, p-cresol, álcool benzílico e 2,3-butanodiol. As espécies V. planifolia e V. pompona apresentaram maiores intensidades de aroma de baunilha, aroma floral, aroma frutado, sabor de baunilha, cor marrom e gosto doce. Além disso, V. bahiana mostrou maior intensidade do atributo amadeirado, enquanto V. chamissonis mostrou atributos com menor intensidade. O chá de baunilha da espécie V. pompona teve melhor aceitação pelos consumidores. Entretanto, quando as baunilhas foram aplicadas a cremes, houve aceitação por mais de 80% dos consumidores de todas as amostras. As baunilhas nativas brasileiras apresentam diferentes perfis sensoriais e de compostos voláteis, além de potencial para alta aceitação pelo consumidor.The objective of this work was to evaluate the chemical and sensory profile, as well as the acceptability, of Brazilian vanilla species. The evaluated vanilla species were Vanilla planifolia, Vanilla chamissonis, Vanilla bahiana, and Vanilla pompona. For this, the optimized descriptive profile methodology, consumer acceptance tests with extracts applied to teas and creams, and the analysis of mass spectrometry by gas chromatography were used. Volatile compounds, such as vanillin, anisyl acetate, 4-methyl guaiacol, p-cresol, benzyl alcohol, and 2,3-butanediol, were identified. The species V. planifolia and V. pompona exhibited a more intense vanilla aroma, floral aroma, fruity aroma, vanilla flavor, brown color, and sweet taste. In addition, V. bahiana showed a more intense woody attribute, while V. chamissonis showed less intense attributes. Vanilla tea from V. pompona had a better consumer acceptance. However, when the vanillas were applied to creams, there was an acceptance rate of over 80% of all samples. Brazilian native vanillas have different sensory and volatile profiles, besides potential for a high acceptance by consumers

Produção de biodiesel através de transesterificação in situ de sementes de girassol via catálise homogênea e heterogênea

The objective of this work is to show the results of the in situ transesterification of sunflower seed oil with methanol on basic homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis for the production of biodiesel. In homogeneous catalysis, the activity of KOH and K2CO3 were evaluated using the same oil:methanol ratio of 1:90. KOH showed to be more active than K2CO3, leading to total conversion in biodiesel after 1h reaction time. In the heterogeneous catalysis the activity of K2CO3/Al2O3 was comparable to the activity of K2CO3 bulk: 53.0 and 66.6% resp. The properties of samples of biodiesel produced by homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis were evaluated and are in accordance with the recommended fuel properties