Extrato do fruto do café verde : desenvolvimento de microcápsulas por spray drying, eficácia antioxidante e avaliação da estabilidade e segurança para uso em alimentos

Orientadores: Neura Bragagnolo, Edemilson Cardoso da ConceiçãoTese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia de AlimentosResumo: O café, em sua composição fitoquímica, apresenta riqueza em compostos bioativos, em especial os ácidos clorogênicos (ACGs), aos quais são atribuídos inúmeros benefícios à saúde incluindo a atividade antioxidante, antiobesogênica, anti-hipertensiva e anticancerígena. Como o café em seu estágio imaturo contêm maior concentração destes compostos, tanto a indústria alimentícia quanto a farmacêutica têm apresentado interesse nos grãos do café verde para a produção de extrato ou mesmo isolamento dos ACGs para diversos usos. Entretanto, muitos estudos demonstram que o extrato bruto possui maior eficácia frente aos ACGs isolados visto que outras classes de metabólitos secundários presentes no café podem agir sinergicamente otimizando a atividade funcional dos ACGs. No presente estudo, foram otimizados os processos de extração por percolação dos compostos bioativos do fruto do café verde bem como o desenvolvimento e a padronização de micropartículas contendo extrato do fruto do café verde concentrado por meio de planejamento experimental, pela técnica de secagem por aspersão. Inicialmente foi aplicado um delineamento composto central rotacional (DCCR) 22, na qual a concentração de etanol no solvente (%, m/m) e a proporção de material vegetal para solvente (m/m) foram estudadas visando otimizar o rendimento do processo e o conteúdo de ACGs no extrato. Em seguida, outro DCCR 22, avaliou a influência de diferentes proporções de goma arábica (GA) e maltodextrina (MD) como agentes encapsulantes do extrato do fruto do café verde (EFCV) e diferentes proporções da dispersão contendo agentes encapsulantes e EFCV em relação à eficiência do encapsulamento, rendimento do processo, retenção de ácidos clorogênicos, estabilidade dos compostos bioativos e da capacidade redutora das micropartículas obtidas. A melhor condição obtida para a extração de ACGs baseado no planejamento e na superfície de resposta, utilizando ácido 5-O-cafeoilquinico (5-CQA) como marcador foi: concentração de etanol entre 65 a 80% (m/m) e proporção de matéria-prima para solvente entre 0,8:10 ¿ 1:10 (m/m). Já no processo de microencapsulação, o maior rendimento foi obtido quando 80% da GA foram substituídas pela MD e utilizando a proporção de 1:3,5 (m/m) de extrato concentrado em relação a dispersão contendo material de parede. A capacidade antioxidante do extrato e micropartículas otimizadas foram analisadas em óleo de girassol, sendo que as micropartículas demonstraram serem mais eficazes em atrasar o processo de oxidação do óleo comparado ao EFCV livre e ao antioxidante sintético butil hidroxitolueno (BHT). Estudos preditivos de toxicidade in silico dos compostos majoritários identificados no EFCV demonstraram que a cafeína apresenta uma menor LD50 frente ao 5-CQA, ácido cafeico, entre outros compostos analisados. Além disso, estudo de toxicidade aguda determinou a DL50 do EFCV livre na dose de 5000 mg/kg p.c. em camundongos machos e fêmeas, no entanto, a DL50 do extrato microencapsulado não causou a morte de nenhum camundongo na mesma dosagem. Nos ensaios de toxicidade subaguda conduzidos em ratos machos, a administração oral de 1000 mg/kg p.c. do extrato microencapsulado durante 30 dias não causou nenhum efeito adverso nos animais. Deste modo, a NOAEL (no-observed-effect-adverse level) atribuída ao EFCV microencapsulado é de 1000 mg/kg p.c./dia, sendo a dose equivalente calculada para o consumo humano de 189 mg/kg p.c./diaAbstract: The phytochemical composition of coffee shows a large amount of bioactives compounds, specially the chlorogenic acids (ACGs), which are attributed a number of health benefits comprising antioxidant capacity, antihypertensive, anti-obesogenic, anticancer effect, among others. Coffee in the first stage of the growth presents higher concentrations of these compounds. Food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries have presented interest on the green coffee beans to produce extracts, or even to isolate the chlorogenic acids and other compounds to apply in different products. However, various studies show that crude extract is more effective against isolated ACGs, since other class of phytochemicals provided by coffee can act synergistically optimizing the functional activity of ACGs. In this study, two different designe of experiment were applied as to optimize the bioactives extraction process by percolation using green coffee fruit as the matrix, well as for the development and standardization of microencapsulation process of the fluid green coffee fruit extract (GCFE) by spray drying technique. At first step, was applied a central composite rotational design (CCRD) 22, where ethanol concentration (%, w/w) and solid to solvent proportion (w/w) were assessed in order to optimize the yield process and the content of ACGs in the extract. Subsequently, other CCRD 22 was applied to evaluate the influence of different amount of gum Arabic (GA) and maltodextrin (MD) (%, w/w), and rate of concentrated extract to carrier agent dispersion (w/w) on encapsulation efficiency, process yield, 5-O-caffeilquinic acid (5-CQA) retention, stability of bioactives compounds and reducing capacity of the microparticles obtained. The best condition found to ACGs extraction based on response surface, using 5-CQA as chemical marker, were ethanol concentration range of 65 ¿ 80 % (w/w) and solid to solvent proportion in the range of 0.8:10 ¿ 1:10 (w/w). The antioxidant capacity of the non-encapsulated and encapsulated GCFE obtained in the best condition of optimization process were analyzed in sunflower oil, in which encapsulated GCFE showed be more effective in delay the oil oxidation than non-encapsulated GCFE and synthetic antioxidant butyl hydroxytoluene (BHT). The predictive in silico study of the major compounds identified in GCFE achieved a smaller lethal dose 50 (LD50) to caffeine compared to 5-CQA, caffeic acid, among other analyzed. Besides, in vivo acute toxicity study found the oral single dose of non-encapsulated at 5000 mg/kg bw as LD50, both in female and male mice. However, the LD50 of encapsulated GCFE was not found in this study since the dose of 5000 mg/kg bw of this product did not cause any death. On the subacute study carried out in male rats, the 30-day oral administration of encapsulated GCFE at highest dosage selected (1000 mg/kg bw) did not cause any adverse effect in rats. In this way, the no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) attributed to encapsulated GCFE is 1000 mg/kg bw/day. And the calculated equivalent dose to human consume is 189 mg/kg bw/ dayDoutoradoCiência de AlimentosDoutora em Ciência de Alimentos302763/2014-7220261/2015CAPESFAPEMA

Moisturizing effect of a cosmetic formulation containing pequi oil (Caryocar brasiliense) from the Brazilian cerrado biome

Caryocar brasiliense, popularly known in Brazil as “pequi”, is a species widely distributed in the Brazilian Cerrado. The seeds are surrounded by a woody endocarp coated with a yellow fleshy mesocarp rich in oil and vitamin A, whose oil has a useful role in the treatment of skin aging and protection of human skin against UV-induced damage and skin hydration. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of cosmetic formulations containing pequi oil (Caryocar brasiliense) on skin hydration, after a single application. Hydration effect assessment was performed by applying the formulations under study (Control – no formulation, vehicle, and vehicle + pequi oil) onto forearm skin of 30 human volunteers. Skin capacitance and Transepidermal Water Loss (TEWL) measurements were analyzed before, and at 1, 2 and 3 hours after, a single application. Evaluation results of a single application of the vehicle containing pequi oil showed an increase in stratum corneum water content, indicating a skin moisturizing effect. Results of the evaluation of immediate effects of TEWL demonstrated that the vehicle containing pequi oil significantly increased skin moisture during the 3 h evaluation period. The formulations containing pequi oil showed clinical efficacy, increasing stratum corneum water content and enhancing skin barrier function.Caryocar brasiliense, popularmente conhecido como “Pequi”, é uma espécie amplamente distribuída no Cerrado Brasileiro. O fruto é composto por sementes com endocarpo rígido e lenhoso, recoberto pelo mesocarpo carnoso, amarelado, rico em óleos e vitamina A, útil na proteção da pele contra raios UV, no tratamento das marcas senis da pele, bem como na hidratação cutânea. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o efeito cosmético de formulações contendo óleo de pequi (Caryocar brasiliense) na hidratação cutânea, após uma única aplicação. Este efeito foi avaliado instrumentalmente através de medidas da capacitância da pele e pela perda de água transepidérmica após 1, 2 e 3 horas de uma única aplicação das formulações em estudo (controle, veículo e veículo + óleo de pequi) na pele do antebraço de 30 voluntários. Por meio das avaliações, a formulação contendo óleo de pequi aumentou o conteúdo de água no estrato córneo após 1, 2 e 3 horas, além de diminuir a perda de água transepidérmica, aumentando, significativamente, a hidratação cutânea durante as 3 horas de avaliação. A formulação contendo óleo de pequi apresentou eficácia clínica, aumentando o conteúdo aquoso do estrato córneo, bem como promovendo o efeito barreira na pele

High-Protein bar Supplemented with Chia Seed Improves Lipidemic Parameters in Wistar Rats

Chia (Salvia hispanical.) seeds are known to have high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and fiber. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a High-Protein Bar (PB) supplemented with chia seed added to the feed on the organs, tissues, and biochemical parameters of male Wistar adult rats (n=32) divided into four groups (n=8), namely group I (ration + 20% chia seeds); group II (ration + PB without chia seeds); group III (ration + 20% PB containing 15% chia seed); group IV (ration + 20% PB containing 20% chia seeds). The shelf-life of PBs was assessed during 45 days in terms of texture, color, and antioxidant activity using the \u3b2-carotene/linoleic acid assay. The centesimal composition of the formulations showed a significantly higher value of fiber offered to group I. Animals of groups III and IV showed a lower consumption of the ration (p<0.05), while those of group I lower weight of the heart as well as of retroperitoneal, epididymal and perirenal tissues (p<0.05). The biochemical parameters showed a significant improvement (p<0.05) in testosterone levels in groups that received the rations partially replaced by chia seed-containing PB. In addition, group II, which received the ration enriched with PB without chia seed, showed the highest serum triacylglycerol value, highlighting the important role of chia seeds on lipidemic parameters. It is worth mentioning that more in-depth studies must be carried out to validate the results obtained in the current study

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost

Design and evaluation of microencapsulated systems containing extract of whole green coffee fruit rich in phenolic acids

The optimal conditions to microencapsulate green coffee (Coffea canephora) fruit extract (GCFE) by spray drying using a maltodextrin (MD)-gum Arabic (GA) mixture as carrier material were selected. For this purpose, a Central Composite Rotational Design was applied to investigate the combined effects of the MD percentage in the mixture and the extract-to-carrier agent mass ratio (m(E)/m(C)) as the independent variables. These effects were modelled by second-order polynomial models on several responses, namely process yield, encapsulation efficiency, water activity, losses of reducing capacity, caffeic acid, caffeine, trigonelline, 5-O-caffeoilquinic acid (5-CQA) from microcapsules (MCs) and 5-CQA retention after 180-days storage. The statistically significant effects were then submitted to more in-depth analysis by Response Surface Methodology. The highest process yield was obtained using a MD percentage of 80% and a m(E)/m(C) ratio of 1:1.5 (w/w). Both microencapsulated and non-encapsulated GCFE showed good stability during the accelerated stability study performed at 40 degrees C for 180 days. Surface morphology and particle size distribution of GCFE-loaded MCs were shown to be suitable for use in the food industry100CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQCOORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIOR - CAPESFUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE MATO GROSSO - FAPEMAT404522/2016-5; 304092/2016-9não tem220261/201

Antioxidant efficacy and in silico toxicity prediction of free and spray-dried extracts of green Arabica and Robusta coffee fruits and their application in edible oil

Extracts of green coffee fruits (GCFEs), either of the Arabica or Robusta variety, obtained by percolation with a 68% (w/w) aqueous ethanol solution using a 0.9:10 (w/w) solid-to-solvent ratio, were tested in this study as antioxidant additives to delay sunflower oil oxidation. In addition, safety of the major secondary metabolites of the extracts was investigated by in silico modeling. For this purpose, GCFEs were spray dried either as such or microencapsulated with a 1:1 (w/w) maltodextrin and gum Arabic mixture as wall material. The encapsulation efficiencies of Arabica and Robusta GCFEs were as high as 96.9 +/- 0.04 and 97.36 +/- 0.03% and the chlorogenic acid retentions 59.61 +/- 1.3 and 73.72 +/- 2.49%, respectively. The HPLC-DAD analysis revealed higher contents of total chlorogenic acids and caffeine but a lower content of trigonelline in the Robusta GCFE compared with the Arabica one. The ACD/I-Lab, AdmetSAR, and pKCSM computational tools allowed excluding, for GCFEs major compounds, any toxicological potential in terms of Ames toxicity, carcinogenicity, hERG inhibition, hepatotoxicity, reproductive toxicity and skin sensitization. Foodstuff application of GCFE powders demonstrated that microencapsulated GCFEs were more effective in delaying sunflower oil oxidation than free GCFEs and butylated hydroxytoluene as a synthetic antioxidant. These results suggest the use of microencapsulated GCFE as a source of natural antioxidants to stabilize food products, especially unsaturated vegetable oil

Acute and subacute oral toxicity assessment of dry encapsulated and non-encapsulated green coffee fruit extracts

The coffee fruit is a high source of bioactive compounds such as phenolic acids and methylxanthines, comprising chlorogenic acids and caffeine, respectively. Extract from this matrix may be used as supplement or active ingredient of functional foods, energy drinks, cosmetics or drugs. Safety of caffeine- and chlorogenic acid-rich encapsulated and nonencapsulated hydroethanolic extracts from green coffee fruit (GCFE) was assessed by acute and subacute toxicity tests. In the acute test, oral single dosage until 1000 mg/kg per body weight (bw) did not show any adverse effect on both female and male mice according to the Hippocratic screening and clinical parameters for a period of 14 days. While the oral median lethal dose of non-encapsulated GCFE was 5000 mg/kg bw/day, that of encapsulated GCFE was not detectable likely due to the delayed release of caffeine and other compounds from GCFE. Non-encapsulated GCFE displayed a stimulating effect at a dose of 1000 mg/kg bw/day after 30 min of oral administration, but not after 60 min. Daily consumption of encapsulated GCFE for 30 days showed no adverse effect in male rats even at the highest dose. Extrapolating this value of no-observed-adverse-effect level (1000 mg/kg bw/day) to human consumption, a human equivalent dose of 189 mg/kg bw/day or 11.34 g/day could be estimated for encapsulated GCFE considering a 60 kg adult body weight

Signing avatars: making education more inclusive

In Brazil, there are approximately 9.7 million inhabitants who are deaf or hard of hearing. Moreover, about 30% of the Brazilian deaf community is illiterate in Brazilian Portuguese due to difficulties to offer deaf children an inclusive environment based on bilingual education. Currently, the prevailing teaching practice depends heavily on verbal language and on written material, making the inclusion of the deaf a challenging task. This paper presents the author's approach for tackling this problem and improving deaf students' accessibility to written material in order to help them master Brazilian Portuguese as a second language. We describe an ongoing project aimed at developing an automatic Brazilian Portuguese-to-Libras translation system that presents the translated content via an animated virtual human, or avatar. The paper describes the methodology adopted to compile a source language corpus having the deaf student needs in central focus. It also describes the construction of a parallel Brazilian Portuguese/Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) corpus based on motion capture technology. The envisioned translation architecture includes the definition of an Intermediate Language to drive the signing avatar. The results of a preliminary assessment of signs intelligibility highlight the application potential16793808CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQCOORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIOR - CAPES458691/2013-588887.091672/2014-