Quality characteristics of virgin coconut oil:Comparisons with refined coconut oil

Virgin coconut oil (VCO) is a vegetable oil that is extracted from fresh coconut meat and is processed using only physical and other natural means. VCO was compared to refined, bleached, and deodorized coconut oil (RCO) using standard quality parameters, 31 P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and headspace solid-phase micro - extraction/gas chromatography mass spectrometry (SPME/GCMS). VCO tends to have higher free fatty acids (FFAs), moisture, and volatile matter and lower peroxide value than RCO. However, the range of values overlap and no single standard parameter alone can be 31 used to differentiate VCO from RCO. Using 31P NMR, VCO and RCO can be distinguished in terms of the total amount of diglycerides: VCO showed an average content (w/w %) of 1.55, whereas RCO gave an average of 4.10. There was no overlap in the values found for individual VCO and RCO samples. There are four common methods of producing VCO: expeller (EXP), centrifuge (CEN), and fermentation with and without heat. VCO products prepared using these four methods could not be differentiated using standard quality parameters. Sensory analysis showed that VCO produced by fermentation (with and without heat) could be distinguished from those produced using the EXP and CEN methods; this sensory differentiation correlated with the higher levels of acetic acid and octanoic acid in the VCO produced by fermentation. Studies on physicochemical deterioration of VCO showed that VCO is stable to chemical and photochemical oxidation and hydrolysis. VCO is most susceptible to microbial attack, which leads to the formation of various organic acids, in particular, lactic acid. However, at moisture levels below 0.06 %, microbial action is significantly lessened

Effects of Process Parameters on the Color Quality of Anthocyanin-Based Colorants from Conventional and Microwave-Assisted Aqueous Extraction of Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) Leaf Varieties

The study aimed to evaluate the effects of process parameters (time and raw material weight (RMW)) of conventional (boiling for 10–45 min) and microwave-assisted (2–8 min) aqueous extraction on the color quality (i.e., lightness (L*), chroma (C*), and hue (H°) of anthocyanin –based colorants of red and Inubi sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) leaves. Using response surface methodology, it was found that RMW and boiling time (BT) and microwave time (MT) generally had a significant (p < 0.05) effect on the color quality of the extract from both extraction methods. The effects were found to vary depending on the extraction method and variety of the leaves used. Both extraction methods produced a brown to brick-red extract from the Inubi variety that turned red-violet to pink when acidified. The red sweet potato leaves produced a deep violet colored extract that also turned red-violet when acidified. It is recommended that the anthocyanin content of the extracts be measured to validate the impact of the methods on the active agent. Nevertheless, the outcomes in this study may serve as baseline data for further studies on the potential of sweet potato leaf colorants (SPLC) as a colorant with functional properties

Pictavia Aurea

Este volumen, titulado Pictavia aurea, reúne 131 estudios que constituyen una granada muestra de los debates y las presentaciones en torno a la cultura hispánica del Siglo de Oro que entre los días 11 y 15 de julio de 2011 se dieron en la ciudad de Poitiers (Francia) en el marco del IX congreso de la Asociación Internacional “Siglo de Oro”. Auspiciada por la Universidad de Poitiers, a través del Centro de Estudios de la Literatura española de Entre Siglos (siglos xvii-xviii) (CELES XVII-XVIII) y el laboratorio «Formes et Représentations en Linguistique et Littérature» (FoReLL), la convocatoria reunió en la ciudad francesa a 276 participantes y a un centenar de asistentes en la novena edición del Congreso de la Asociación, que celebró entonces la efeméride del 450o aniversario del nacimiento de Luis de Góngora.A Isaías Lerner, maestro de la filología hispánic