Nanocompósitos com atividade antioxidante de amido de milho/isolado proteico de soro de leite/ óleo essencial de alecrim obtidos por extrusão termoplástica

In order to improve the quality and safety of food, the active packaging emerges as a new technology based on the release of composites beneficial to food products. Thus, biodegradable films incorporated with active substances have the function of acting as a barrier to external elements, protecting the product and increasing its shelf life. They are formulated from proteins, polysaccharides, lipids or from the combination of these compounds. However, there is a need to improve the performance properties of these packages. Nanotechnologies, then, emerges with the study of many nanoparticles as additives to modify the performance of biodegradable polymers. With this, we aimed at developing and active antioxidant film of corn starch blenders and whey protein isolate with rosemary essential oil or microcapsules of rosemary essential oil reinforced with sodium montmorillonite (MMTNa + ) nanoparticles by extrusion. The films were developed and characterized in a first stage for the selection of the best polymeric blender using the following analyses: water vapor permeability (WVP), machanical properties; optical, thermogravimetry (TG), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), x-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In the second stage, montmorillonite clay nanoparticles and rosemary essential oil were added as reinforcement to evaluate its antioxidant effect. In a third stage, we studied the addition of microcapsules of rosemary essential oil (MR) as a form of protecting the active agent and its antioxidant potential in the films. The results indicate that the development of p olymeric blender with 30% of corn starch substitution is the most indicated for future work. The addition of rosemary essential oil or microcapsule of rosemary essential oil allowed for the obtaining of nanocomposites with antioxidant potential for application in food packages.

Desenvolvimento de barra alimentícia adicionada de café: estudo de marketing

The consumption of snack bars is based especially on the demand for practical and nutritious food. Coffee is highlighted for being appreciated and consumed worldwide, presenting elevated antioxidant activity, in addition to peculiar sensorial attributes. Therefore, it has great potential for use in many formulations. However, the success in the acceptance of a new product also derives from adequate marketing strategies. In this context, the present study aimed at evaluating the feasibility of introducing to the market a snack bar added with coffee, by means of sensorial acceptance and purchase intent of the consumers, in addition to identifying the best concept and the possible market segments. This work was a qualitative, by means of a focus group (content analysis), and quantitative research, by means of sensorial analysis and structures questionnaires (descriptive – frequency distribution, arithmetic mean, crosstabs and t test – and multivariate – cluster and discriminate analysis - statistical techniques). With the results, we showed that the main aspects considered by the consumers regarding the snack bar added with coffee. According to the qualitative evaluation, the consumer prefers packaging with matte colors ranging in the tones related to the coffee grain. The analysis of the quantitative data allows us to infer that the evaluations of the product regarding overall impression, purchase intent, preference and expectation before and after consuming the product are better for packaging containing the information “special coffee flavor – 100% arabic”. Regarding market segment, it was possible to conclude that, of the three extracted groups, the group of “healthy and conscious consumers” was the segment with higher potential for exploitation regarding purchase and consumption of the snack bar added with coffee.