Verdades e mitos sobre o cogumelo Agaricus blazei

The mushroom Agaricus blazei Murrill was discovered in Piedade, state of São Paulo, Brazil, and sent to Japan to be studied for its medicinal properties. Studies in guinea pigs revealed antitumor properties, triggering Japanese importation of A. blazei from Brazil. Because of its high price on the international market, many companies and rural growers produce A. blazei as alternative crop to increase income, but because interest in this mushroom occurred suddenly there has not been enough time for the scientific community to investigate it and, technology used for its cultivation is still based on empirical rules. There are also some contradicting data regarding the classification of this mushroom, and its antitumor properties still need to be confirmed in humans.O cogumelo Agaricus blazei Murrill foi descoberto na cidade de Piedade, Estado de São Paulo, Brasil, e enviado para o Japão para o estudo das suas propriedades medicinais. Com a descoberta das suas propriedades antitumorais, comprovadas em cobaias, o Japão passou a importar esse cogumelo do Brasil. Devido ao seu elevado preço no mercado internacional, muitas empresas e produtores rurais passaram a buscar nesse cogumelo uma nova alternativa de renda. Diante de um interesse tão repentino, não houve tempo para que a comunidade científica pesquisasse o assunto, de maneira que a tecnologia de cultivo é ainda muito empírica. Além disso, existem informações contraditórias acerca da classificação desse cogumelo e as suas propriedades antitumorais ainda precisam ser confirmadas em seres humanos

Proizvodnja γ-dekalaktona u različitim uvjetima s pomoću dvaju sojeva kvasca

γ-Decalactone is a flavour compound that when obtained by biotechnological production using microorganisms is classified as natural. The aim of this study is to evaluate various conditions for γ-decalactone production by tropical yeast strains Yarrowia lipolytica CCMA 0242 and Lindnera saturnus CCMA 0243. The growth of and γ-decalactone production by Y. lipolytica CCMA 0242 were higher in castor oil than in glycerol. γ-Decalactone production in single batch or fed-batch fermentation did not differ significantly. The γ-decalactone production by L. saturnus CCMA 0243 was better at initial pH=5, while the production by Y. lipolytica CCMA 0242 was better at initial pH=6. The yeast L. saturnus CCMA 0243 produced more γ-decalactone than Y. lipolytica CCMA 0242 under the same fermentation conditions. The crude glycerol was not an alternative substrate for γ-decalactone production by Y. lipolytica CCMA 0242. Castor oil at volume fraction of 30 % showed better results as a substrate. The strain L. saturnus CCMA 0243 showed better results of γ-decalactone production. This yeast species can be considered an alternative producer of γ-decalactone in biotechnological processes.γ-Dekalakton je sastojak arome koji se, ako je dobiven biotehnološkom proizvodnjom uz pomoć mikroorganizama, smatra prirodnim proizvodom. Svrha je ovoga rada bila ispitati različite uvjete proizvodnje γ-dekalaktona s pomoću tropskih sojeva kvasca Yarrowia lipolytica CCMA 0242 i Lindnera saturnus CCMA 0243. Rast kvasca Y. lipolytica CCMA 0242 i proizvodnja γ-dekalaktona bili su izraženiji u podlozi s ricinusovim uljem nego s glicerolom. Koncentracija γ-dekalaktona dobivena šaržnom fermentacijom nije se bitno razlikovala od one dobivene fermentacijom s pritokom supstrata. S pomoću kvasca L. saturnus CCMA 0243 proizvedeno je više γ-dekalaktona pri pH=5, a s pomoću soja Y. lipolytica CCMA 0242 pri pH=6. Soj L. saturnus CCMA 0243 proizveo je više γ-dekalaktona od soja Y. lipolytica CCMA 0242 pri istim uvjetima fermentacije. Sirovi glicerol nije dobar supstrat za proizvodnju γ-dekalaktona s pomoću soja Y. lipolytica CCMA 0242, jer su bolji rezultati postignuti u podlozi s 30 % ricinusovog ulja. Proizvodnja je γ-dekalaktona bila bolja s pomoću soja L. saturnus CCMA 0243, pa se taj kvasac može smatrati alternativnim proizvođačem γ-dekalaktona u biotehnološkim procesima

Impact of a microbial cocktail used as starter culture on cocoa fermentation and chocolate flavor

Chocolate production suffered a vast impact with the emergence of the “witches’ broom” disease in cocoa plants. To recover cocoa production, many disease-resistant hybrid plants have been developed. However, some different cocoa hybrids produce cocoa beans that generate chocolate with variable quality. Fermentation of cocoa beans is a microbiological process that can be applied for the production of chocolate flavor precursors, leading to overcoming the problem of variable chocolate quality. The aim of this work was to use a cocktail of microorganisms as a starter culture on the fermentation of the ripe cocoa pods from PH15 cocoa hybrid, and evaluate its influence on the microbial communities present on the fermentative process on the compounds involved during the fermentation, and to perform the chocolate sensorial characterization. According to the results obtained, different volatile compounds were identified in fermented beans and in the chocolate produced. Bitterness was the dominant taste found in non-inoculated chocolate, while chocolate made with inoculated beans showed bitter, sweet, and cocoa tastes. 2,3-Butanediol and 2,3-dimethylpyrazine were considered as volatile compounds making the difference on the flavour of both chocolates. Saccharomyces cerevisiae UFLA CCMA 0200, Lactobacillus plantarum CCMA 0238, and Acetobacter pasteurianus CCMA 0241 are proposed as starter cultures for cocoa fermentation.Cledir Santos thanks the Universidad de La Frontera (Temuco, Chile) for the partial funding from Project DIUFRO DI16-0135. The authors acknowledge the financial support from the Brazilian Agencies Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq), Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG), and Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES), and the samples obtained from the Fazendas Reunidas Vale do Juliana (Igrapiuna, Bahia, Brazil).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Volatile compounds and protein profiles analyses of fermented cocoa beans and chocolates from different hybrids cultivated in Brazil

Cocoa beans from different geographical and genetic origins show distinct fermentation dynamics which result in different chocolate qualities. In order to understand the effects of genetic improvement of cocoa plants, in this work volatile compounds and proteins profiles of beginning and end of the fermentation from different cocoa hybrids (CEPEC2004, PH15, PS1319, SJ02) were searched. Moreover, sensorial characterization of the produced chocolate from these hybrids was performed. According to the results obtained, different volatile compounds were identified in fermented beans and in the chocolate produced. Chocolate from CEPEC2004 was the most accepted by judges and correlated with sweet and bitter taste which can be explained by the presence of desired flavor compounds, such as 2,3-butanediol and 2-methyl-1-butanol. A higher presence of acids (undesirable compounds) was observed in chocolates samples from PS1319 hybrid, that have resulted in the low acceptance by judges. In addition, MALDI-TOF MS analysis showed that during fermentation the protein profile was different among the hybrids, which indicates this kind of compounds also contributes to the cocoa-specific flavor.Cledir Santos thanks the Universidad de La Frontera (Temuco, Chile) for the partial funding from Project DIUFRO PIA 17-0006. The authors thank the Brazilian agencies Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico of Brasil (CNPQ), Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG) and Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior(CAPES) for scholarships and Fazendas Reunidas Vale do Juliana (Igrapiúna, Bahia, Brazil) where the experimental work was done.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Perfis proteicos de café durante a fermentação por diferentes métodos de inoculação de leveduras

The objective of this work was to evaluate the protein profiles of natural and semidry fermented Coffea arabica, either subjected to treatments with different yeast inoculation methods with starter culture or to an uninoculated control. Saccharomyces cerevisiae CCMA 0543 and Candida parapsilosis CCMA 0544 were separately inoculated into coffee by directly spraying the cherries on a terrace or in buckets, for 16 hours before sun drying. Protein quantification showed a significant difference between the protein profiles of the samples collected after natural dry fermentation. The MALDI-TOF MS analysis generated a list of 96 peaks with different mass-to-charge ratios (m/z) in the samples collected at the beginning and the end of fermentation. The highest number of peaks in the natural dry coffee was observed at the end of fermentation in the samples inoculated with S. cerevisiae CCMA 0543, in bucket, and in C. parapsilosis CCMA 0544 sprayed on the terrace. However, in the semidry processed coffee, the highest number of peaks was observed in the initial fermentation, with a decrease in the peptide peaks after fermentation. The fermentation with different microorganisms, processing types, and inoculation methods affects m/z profiles, influencing the types of proteins found in coffee. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o perfil proteico de café arábica (Coffea arabica) fermentado por via natural e semisseco, submetido ou a tratamentos com diferentes métodos de inoculação com culturas iniciadoras ou a um controle sem inoculação. Saccharomyces cerevisiae CCMA 0543 e Candida parapsilosis CCMA 0544 foram inoculadas separadamente no café, por pulverização direta nos frutos-cereja, em um terreiro suspenso, ou em baldes, por 16 horas antes da secagem ao sol. A quantificação de proteínas mostrou uma diferença significativa no perfil proteico das amostras colhidas, após fermentação seca natural. A análise MALDI-TOF MS gerou uma lista de 96 picos com diferentes proporções massa/carga (m/z), nas amostras colhidas no início e ao final da fermentação. O maior número de picos no café processado seco ao natural foi observado ao final da fermentação nas amostras com inoculação de S. cerevisiae CCMA 0543, no balde e nas amostras de C. parapsilosis CCMA 0544 pulverizadas no terraço. No entanto, no café processado semisseco, o maior número de picos foi observado no tempo inicial de fermentação, com diminuição dos picos dos peptídeos após a fermentação. A fermentação com diferentes microrganismos, tipos de processamento e métodos de inoculação afeta os perfis m/z e influencia os tipos de proteínas encontradas no café.

A survey of whole-plant corn silages from Minas Gerais dairy farms

Whole-plant corn silage (WPCS) is a commonly used forage for feeding dairy cattle in Brazil. The aim of this study was to evaluate on-farm ensilaging practices and the nutritional value, microbiology and fermentation profiles of WPCS from dairy farms in the south of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Silages from 54 dairy farms located in nine cities were sampled and a questionnaire was distributed for completion to describe the herd profile and ensilage practices. Herd size ranged from 8 to 1,000 lactating cows, and 52 % of the farms had fewer than 50 cows in lactation. The majority of the farms cultivated hard endosperm texture hybrids (52 %) and used pull-type forage harvesters (87 %). Double-sided plastic was the most used form of silo sealing (56 %) and 28 % used inoculants. Lactic acid bacteria count was greater than 6.01 log CFU g–1 in 60 % of the samples, and the mean populations of enterobacteria and Bacillus spp. were 4.23 and 4.09 log CFU g–1, respectively. Silo size ranged from 100 to 250 m3 in 44 % of the farms, and the silage removal rate was below 15 cm of the face/d in 41 % of cases. Silage dry matter (DM) concentration was 33 ± 3 % of fresh matter, NDF concentration was 57 ± 7 % of the DM, and in vitro NDF digestibility was 35 ± 11 % of the NDF. Silages with high DM concentrations had large particle size, affecting the nutritional value and the fermentative pattern. Improvements in ensiling practices can potentially inhibit the growth of spoilage microorganisms and raise the nutritional value of silages