Comparison between freeze and spray drying to obtain powder Rubrivivax gelatinosus biomass

The use of colorants in products of animal origin is justified by the improvement in the color of foods since this attribute is considered a quality criterion. These additives can be produced using industrial effluents as substrates and appropriate organisms, such as Rubrivivax gelatinosus. Oxycarotenoids represent a class of carotenes responsible for the pigmentation of animals and vegetables. R. gelatinosus grows in fish industry effluent with the resulting production of a bacterial biomass containing oxycarotenoids. The purpose of this study was to compare the use of two drying processes - spray and freeze drying - to obtain powder biomass in terms of the process parameters (yield, productivity, and product recovery) and the product characteristics (color, proximate composition, and oxycarotenoids). No difference was detected in the yield between these techniques, while productivity was higher using spray drying. Higher product recovery and moisture were achieved with freeze drying, while ash was higher with spray drying. The freeze dried biomass was redder, darker and less saturated than the spray dried biomass. No difference in oxycarotenoids was detected between the biomasses. Although it results in lower recovery rate, spray drying was faster and more productive, and it provided the same yield as freeze drying, which makes it the method of choice for obtaining R. gelatinosus biomass.

Development of effervescent products, in powder and tablet form, supplemented with probiotics Lactobacillus acidophilus and Saccharomyces boulardii

Probiotics are living microorganisms, which when administered in adequate amounts confer health benefits on the host through a beneficial influence on the intestinal microbiota related to competition and to antagonistic and immunological effects. Thus, the objective of this study was the development of effervescent products (tablets and powder) supplemented with the probiotics Lactobacillus acidophilus and Saccharomyces boulardii, and the identification of the best formulation in terms of viability of these microorganisms. The physical properties of the tablets (compressive force applied, mean weight, hardness, and friability) were assessed, and the viability of the microorganisms in the gastrointestinal tract and their stability during storage were also determined. The results show that the microorganisms remained stable and viable during the 60-day storage period in the effervescent powder. However, the results indicated that the effect of compression force affected the viability of the microorganisms during the production of the effervescent tablets.

Stability of porridge pre-mixture made with Brazil nut flour and green banana flour with and without milk powder

The mixture of Brazil nut flour and green banana flour can improve the nutritional value of school meals, allowing for the use of regional ingredients derived from family agriculture. This study aimed to assess the stability of porridge pre-mixtures made with Brazil nut flour and green banana flour during six months of storage. Two types of pre-mixture were evaluated: with and without milk powder. These mixtures were packed in polyethylene/metallized polyester film, vacuum-sealed, and stored at room temperature. The products were evaluated for physicochemical composition, and every 30 days for moisture content, water activity, titratable acidity, pH, peroxide value and acidity of the lipid phase, total and thermotolerant coliforms, yeasts and molds, and sensory acceptance. There was no difference between the mixtures for the parameters evaluated. Moisture content, water activity, acidity of the lipid phase, and the yeast and mold count increased with storage time. The growth of yeasts and molds was more pronounced after 90 days of storage, when water activity reached the limit of 0.60. Although both products had good sensory acceptance throughout the period of study, it is recommended that the shelf life does not exceed 90 days.

Morphological characterization with image analysis of cocoa beverage powder agglomerated with steam

In this study, the morphological characteristics of cocoa beverage powder granules under minimal, average, and maximal process conditions of a steam agglomerator were studied. a stereoscopic microscope coupled to a digital camera was used for the morphological analysis. The images were analyzed to obtain shape and size descriptors. aiming to evaluate the descriptors, 150 particles were analyzed. The results showed that there was no difference between the shape descriptors - compacity, circularity, roughness, and aspect ratio - in the operating conditions evaluated. It was observed that the cocoa beverage powder granules are elongated in shape. The size descriptors, area, perimeter, perimeter of convex bounding polygon, minimal and maximal Feret diameter, were different in the process conditions for the granules of size above 600 μm. as for the minimal process conditions, especially due to low solid feed rates, there is an increase in the size descriptor values. In addition, under the minimum process conditions, in which there is low solid feed rate (400g/min) for a steam pressure of 1.0 bar, it was obtained a good granular condition with retention of 81.1% of granules on sieves with aperture size between 300 and 1190 μm.

Study of the physicochemical characteristics of soursop powder obtained by spray-drying

This study aimed at contributing to the development of new foodstuffs made by soursop pulp powder obtained by spraydrying. Different concentrations of maltodextrin DE 20 (15, 30, and 45%) were added to commercial soursop pulp, which was dehydrated afterwards. The following analyses were carried out: water activity, moisture, pH, soluble solids, acidity, ascorbic acid, hygroscopicity, degree of caking, and rehydration time. The results obtained for the three powder treatments (15, 30 and 45% of maltodextrin) were, respectectively: water activity (0.19a±0.00; 0.20a±0.00; 0.18a±0.01); moisture (1.17c±0.12; 1.47b±0.05; 1.82a±0.06); pH (3.75a±0.05; 3.73a±0.06; 3.70a±0.03); soluble solids (89.67a±0.00; 89.84a±0.00; 90.00a±0.06); acidity (3.01a±0.02; 1.91b±0.03; 1.24c±0.03); ascorbic acid (18.90a±0.00; 14.48b±0.00; 11.26b±0.78); hygroscopicity (5.93a±0.40; 3.82b±0.16; 3.28b±0.38); degree of caking (78.36a±2.86; 35.38b±6.07; 24.77b4.89), and rehydration time (02.03a±0.46; 01.16ab±0.50; 0.59b±0.30). The soursop powders with 30 and 45% of maltodextrin had few significant differences in terms of physicochemical and hygroscopic characteristics, which allow us to consider the percentage of 30% of maltodextrin, in this study, as the best percentage for soursop pulp atomization.

Immunomodulatory effects of supercritical fluid CO2 extracts from freeze-dried powder of Tenebrio molitor larvae (yellow mealworm)

Abstract In order to take full advantage of Tenebrio molitor larvae (yellow mealworm) resources, the supercritical CO2 fluid freeze-dried powder of T. molitor larvae (fdTML) extraction on the immune systems of mice was carried out. The results about the effects of supercritical CO2 fluid fdTML extraction on carbon expurgation and phagocytosis of peritoneal macrophages experiments of mice indicated that the fdTML extraction enhanced observably carbon expurgatory index, phagocytic rate and phagocytic index. The fdTML extraction could stimulate response of delayed hypersensitivity. The proliferation of ConA-induced mitogenic reponse for spleen lymphocyte was also increased. The amount of hemolytic antibody in mice serum increased compared with those of the control group mice. The half of hemolysis values in serum of treated mice increased compared to the control group. Furthermore, serum NO content in all treatment groups was higher than that of the control group whereas acid phosphatase and alkaline phosphatase activity was only significantly higher relative to the control group. Our findings suggest that supercritical CO2 fluid the fdTML extraction has potential as a health food supplement.

Effects of grape powder supplementation on inflammatory and antioxidant markers in hemodialysis patients: A randomized double-blind study

Introduction: Polyphenols contained in natural sources such as grapes, have been considered pharmacological agents to combat oxidative stress and inflammation, common features in Chronic Kidney Disease patients. Objective: To evaluate the effects of grape powder supplementation on inflammatory and antioxidant biomarkers in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Methods: The double-blind placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial evaluated non-diabetic HD patients that received grape powder (500 mg of polyphenols/day) (n = 16, 9 men, 53.0 ± 9.8 years of age, 111.6 ± 58.2 HD months) or placebo (n = 16, 9 men, 52.7 ± 13.7 years of age, 110.4 ± 93.1 HD months) for five weeks. The glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were evaluated by ELISA method. Results: After the intervention period, the patients receiving grape powder showed an increase in the GSH-Px activity (16.5 (41.0) to 42.0 (43.3) nmol/min/ml) (p < 0.05) and they did not have the CRP levels increased as seen in placebo group (2.6 (0.28) to 2.8 (0.23 mg/L) (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The use of grape powder as phenolic source could play an important role as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent in non-diabetic HD patients.