Utilización de un Secadero Solar en el Proceso de Deshidratación

La propuesta tiene por objetivo realizar una revisión bibliográfica que permita establecer la viabilidad del proceso de deshidratación de papaya (Carica papaya L.) en un secadero solar y su proyección a otros productos agroalimentarios. Se pretende supervisar el comportamiento del aire caliente, dentro de la cámara de secado con respecto a temperatura y humedad relativa, mediante ubicación de sensores de forma distribuida en la cámara de secado y en su exterior. En paralelo se realizará un análisis de variables del producto: rendimiento, contenido de humedad inicial y final, influencia de la forma del producto, su distribución en el secadero y análisis sensorial. Los datos obtenidos de los procesos permitirán establecer un modelo de secado óptimo para la papaya. La deshidratación mediante secaderos solares es una oportunidad en zonas de producción de esta fruta, con elevada radiación solar, permitiendo la obtención de un producto más rentable (por el ahorro en insumos), de larga vida útil y buenas características organolépticas.

Interactions between water and triacylglycerols may explain faster aging rates in stored germplasm at low temperatures

The purpose of this research is to explore the extent and significance of possible interacting factors on the viability of stored germplasm. Our work begins with characterizing the kinetics of TAG and water phase changes in peanut (Arachis hypogaea) and Papaya (Carica papaya) seeds equilibrated to different water contents and stored at temperatures between -5 and -80°C. Water and TAG phase was measured using a Perkin Elmer Differential Scanning Calorimeter. Cytoplasm ultra-structure was visualized without chemical fixatives using low temperature scanning electron microscopy (cryo-SEM) performed with a Zeiss DSN 960 scanning microscope equipped with a Cryotrans CT-1500 cold plate (Oxford, UK).

One Hundred Years of Grain Omics: Identifying the Glutens That Feed the World.

Glutens, the storage proteins in wheat grains, are a major source of protein in human nutrition. The protein composition of wheat has therefore been an important focus of cereal research. Proteomic tools have been used to describe the genetic diversity of wheat germplasms from different origins at the level of polymorphisms in alleles encoding glutenin and gliadin, the two main proteins of gluten. More recently, proteomics has been used to understand the impact of specific gluten proteins on wheat quality. Here we review the impact of proteomics on the study of gluten proteins as it has evolved from fractionation and electrophoretic techniques to advanced mass spectrometry. In the postgenome era, proteomics is proving to be essential in the effort to identify and understand the interactions between different gluten proteins. This is helping to fill in gaps in our knowledge of how the technological quality of wheat is determined by the interaction between genotype and environment. We also collate information on the various storage protein alleles identified and their prevalence, which makes it possible to infer the effects of wheat selection on grain protein content. We conclude by reviewing the more recent use of transgenesis aimed at improving the quality of gluten.