Functional properties and proximate composition of cactus pear cladodes flours

The objective of this research was to study the functional properties and proximate composition of three different flours prepared from cactus pear cladodes. Immature cactus pear cladodes were dried at 60 °C, 70 °C and 80 °C. The flours were analyzed for chemical composition, amino acid profile, fatty acid composition, functional properties and color. The analyses showed no significant differences in crude protein, total lipid, crude fiber and total ash content in the flours, possibly due to the drying temperature effect. Nevertheless, during the drying at 80 °C, a reduction of the water holding capacity (55%) was observed, along with a reduction of the green color intensity (34%) - characteristic of cactus pear. The heating produced larger concentrations of tyrosine, proline, aspartic acid, and glutamic acid. In the lipids of the flours, the most abundant fatty acids were palmitic acid (C16:0), linoleic acid (C18:2n6), linolenic acid (C18:3n3), and oleic acid (C18:1n9). The cladodes flours prepared at 60 °C presented a higher quality regarding their nutritional and functional properties.

Fatty acids profile of pulp and nuts of Brazilian fruits

Fruits and nuts from the North and Northeast regions of Brazil were collected to determine the fatty acid profile of their oils. The species studied were Brazil (Bertholletia excelsa H.B.K.), Mucajá (Couma rigida M.), Inajá (Maximiliana maripa D.), Jenipapo (Genipa Americana L.), and Buriti (Mauritia flexuosa L.) nuts. Fatty acid methyl esters were analyzed by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID). Brazil nut major fatty acid was 18:3n-3 (α-linolenic acid), and Buriti nut had approximately 23 times more 18:3n-3 than the pulp. Mucajá nut presented high content of 12:0 (lauric acid) and 16:0 (palmitic acid), and Mucajá pulp showed significant levels of 18:2n-6 (linoleic acid). Considering the PUFA (polyunsaturated fatty acid) sum values, almost all fruits and nuts analyzed presented very high levels of these compounds. Regarding n-6/n-3 ratio, only Brazil Nut, Buriti Nut, Inajá pulp, and Jenipapo pulp corresponded to the desired profile. These Brazilian fruits and nuts could be of potential interest due to their high nutritive value and lipid content.

Prevalent fatty acids in cashew nuts obtained from conventional and organic cultivation in different stages of processing

Brazil is one of the three largest producers of fruits in the world, and among those fruit trees, the cashew tree stands out due to the high nutritional and commercial value of its products. During its fruit processing, there are losses in some compounds and few studies address this issue. Over the last decade the conventional system of food production has been substituted for the organic cultivation system, which is a promising alternative source of income given the global demand for healthy food. Therefore, this research aimed to characterize and quantify the prevalent fatty acids found in cashew nuts obtained from conventional and organic cultivation during various stages of processing. The prevalent fatty acids found were palmitic, linoleic, oleic, and stearic acid. The average of these fatty acids were 6.93 ± 0.55; 16.99 ± 0.61; 67.62 ± 1.00 and 8.42 ± 0.55 g/100 g, respectively. There was no reduction in the palmitic, oleic and stearic fatty acid contents during processing. Very little difference was observed between the nuts obtained from conventional and organic cultivation, indicating that the method of cultivation used has little or no influence on the content of cashew nut fatty acids.

Incorporation of conjugated linoleic and alpha linolenic fatty acids into Pimedolus maculatus fillets

The objective of this study was to investigate the fatty acid composition of Pimedolus maculatus fillets of fish fed with different diets. The fish were submitted to an adaptation period (over 30 days) and fed only a control diet (diet I). After this period, the fish were divided into two groups: one group received a diet enriched with flaxseed oil (diet II), and the other received a diet enriched with conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) (diet III). Subsequent collections were undertaken after 25 and 50 days. Compared to the control samples, fish fed diet II showed an increase in concentrations of total fatty acid omega-3 (n-3) in the fillets, with an improvement ratio of n-6/n-3. The incorporation of CLA into fish fed diet III was successful. Supplementing the diet of Pimedolus maculatus with CLA and flaxseed oil led to improvements in nutritional quality and fatty acid profile of the fish fillets.

Incorporation of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and α-linolenic acid (LNA) in pacu fillets

The objective of this study was to evaluate the incorporation of conjugated linoleic acid and α-linolenic acid in fillets of pacu fish raised in net cages and fed diets enriched with these acids. The fish were fed for 49 days, and at the end of this period the fatty acid content in the fillets was determined by gas chromatography. Concentrations of α-linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, and the total omega-3 (n-3) fatty acid in the fillets increased, improving the n-6/n-3 ratio. In addition, the incorporation of conjugated linoleic acid in the fish fillets proved well established. This study showed that the use of diets enriched with conjugated linoleic acid and α-linolenic acid results in the incorporation of these acids in the of pacu fish fillets, improving their nutritional quality.

Chemometrics applied to the incorporation of omega-3 in tilapia fillet feed flaxseed flour

This study evaluated the effect of adding flaxseed flour to the diet of Nile tilapia on the fatty acid composition of fillets using chemometrics. A traditional and an experimental diet containing flaxseed flour were used to feed the fish for 60 days. An increase of 18:3 n-3 and 22:6 n-3 and a decrease of 18:2 n-6 were observed in the tilapia fillets fed the experimental diet. There was a reduction in the n-6:n-3 ratio. A period of 45 days of incorporation caused a significant change in tilapia chemical composition. Principal Component Analysis showed that the time periods of 45 and 60 days positively contributed to the total content of n-3, LNA, and DHA, highlighting the effect of omega-3 incorporation in the treatment containing flaxseed flour.

Influence of different cultivars on oil quality and chemical characteristics of avocado fruit

The objective of this paper was to determine the chemical composition of the avocado fruit of cultivars Fortuna, Collinson, and Barker and to carry out a detailed analysis of the fatty acid composition of the pulp, seed, and peel oils. The saturated fatty acid (SFA) of the pulp oils accounted for around 22.3, 29.4, and 41.3% of the total fatty acids in the Fortuna, Collinson and Barker cultivars, respectively, and these values indicate better quality of pulp oil of Fortuna and Collinson cultivars than that of the Barker cultivar. There was very little variation in the content monounsaturated fatty acids of the peel oils between the cultivars. However, the seed oil of the Collinson cultivar was the best since it contained the lowest (30.8% of total fatty acids) content of SFA, but it had very high concentrations of 9,12-octadecadienoic (23.9 to 29.4% of total fatty acids) and 9,12,15-octadecatrienoic (9.9 to 18.3% of total fatty acids) acids.

Physicochemical, microbiological and sensory evaluation of a bioactive food blend

The potential of functional foods to decrease the risks of chronic non-communicable diseases has motivated the development of products with beneficial effects on fat and carbohydrate metabolism. The present study aimed at analyzing the physicochemical, microbiological, and sensory properties of a bioactive food blend developed to help the nutritional therapy provided to hypolipidemic and hyperglycemic patients with HIV/AIDS treated with antiretroviral therapy. The food blend was evaluated for moisture, protein, carbohydrate, fats, fixed mineral residue, total fiber content, and fatty acid composition, according to the standards established by the Instituto Adolfo Lutz. Food safety was assessed by microbiological analyses for Bacillus cereus, Salmonella spp, and coliforms. Sensory acceptance and intention to purchase were also evaluated. The food blend showed good nutritional potential, with low atherogenicity and thrombogenicity indexes, good macronutrient balance, and high energy value. The adoption of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) resulted in a product suitable for consumption. With respect to sensory aspects, the food blend showed satisfactory indexes of acceptability and promising marketing potential.

Chemical composition and nutritive value of hot pepper seed (Capsicum annuum) grown in Northeast Region of China

Chemical composition and nutritive value of hot pepper seeds (Capsicum annuum) grown in Northeast Region of China were investigated. The proximate analysis showed that moisture, ash, crude fat, crude protein and total dietary fiber contents were 4.48, 4.94, 23.65, 21.29 and 38.76 g/100 g, respectively. The main amino acids were glutamic acid and aspartic acid (above 2 g/100 g), followed by histidine, phenylalanine, lysine, arginine, cysteine, leucine, tryptophan, serine, glycine, methionine, threonine and tyrosine (0.8-2 g/100 g). The contents of proline, alanine, valine and isoleucine were less than 0.8 g/100 g. The fatty acid profile showed that linoleic acid, palmitic acid, oleic acid, stearic acid and linolenic acid (above 0.55 g/100 g) as the most abundant fatty acids followed lauric acid, arachidic acid, gondoic acid and behenic acid (0.03-0.15 g/100 g). Analyses of mineral content indicated that the most abundant mineral was potassium, followed by magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc, sodium and manganese. The nutritional composition of hot pepper seeds suggested that they could be regarded as good sources of food ingredients and as new sources of edible oils.