Deficiency of sex hormones does not affect 17-ß-estradiol-induced coronary vasodilation in the isolated rat heart

The relaxation of coronary arteries by estrogens in the coronary vascular beds of naive and hypertensive rats has been well described. However, little is known about this action in gonadectomized rats. We investigated the effect of 17-ß-estradiol (E2) in coronary arteries from gonadectomized rats, as well as the contributions of endothelium-derived factors and potassium channels. Eight-week-old female and male Wistar rats weighing 220-300 g were divided into sham-operated and gonadectomized groups (n=9−12 animals per group). The baseline coronary perfusion pressure (CPP) was determined, and the vasoactive effects of 10 μM E2 were assessed by bolus administration before and after endothelium denudation or by perfusion with NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), indomethacin, clotrimazole, L-NAME plus indomethacin, L-NAME plus clotrimazole or tetraethylammonium (TEA). The CPP differed significantly between the female and sham-operated male animals. Gonadectomy reduced the CPP only in female rats. Differences in E2-induced relaxation were observed between the female and male animals, but male castration did not alter this response. For both sexes, the relaxation response to E2 was, at least partly, endothelium-dependent. The response to E2 was reduced only in the sham-operated female rats treated with L-NAME. However, in the presence of indomethacin, clotrimazole, L-NAME plus indomethacin or L-NAME plus clotrimazole, or TEA, the E2 response was significantly reduced in all groups. These results highlight the importance of prostacyclin, endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor, and potassium channels in the relaxation response of coronary arteries to E2 in all groups, whereas nitric oxide may have had an important role only in the sham-operated female group.

Commercial spices and industrial ingredients: evaluation of antioxidant capacity and flavonoids content for functional foods development

The aim of this work was to evaluate spices and industrial ingredients for the development of functional foods with high phenolic contents and antioxidant capacity. Basil, bay, chives, onion, oregano, parsley, rosemary, turmeric and powdered industrial ingredients (β-carotene, green tea extract, lutein, lycopene and olive extract) had their in vitro antioxidant capacity evaluated by means of the Folin-Ciocalteu reducing capacity and DPPH scavenging ability. Flavonoids identification and quantification were performed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). The results showed that spices presented a large variation in flavonoids content and in vitro antioxidant capacity, according to kind, brand and batches. Oregano had the highest antioxidant capacity and parsley had the highest flavonoid content. The industrial ingredient with the highest antioxidant capacity was green tea extract, which presented a high content of epigalocatechin gallate. Olive extract also showed a high antioxidant activity and it was a good source of chlorogenic acid. This study suggests that oregano, parsley, olive and green tea extract have an excellent potential for the development of functional foods rich in flavonoids as antioxidant, as long as the variability between batches/brands is controlled.

Ideal sweetness of mixed juices from Amazon fruits

Ready-to-drink fruit juices represent a large share of the market and are an important target for product development. The mixture of fruits can bring about improvements to nutritional and sensory aspects of these beverages while making used of the wide variety of exotic fruits from the Amazon region. Therefore, it is necessary to select mixed fruits and determine their ideal sweetness according to consumer acceptance. Consumers in the city of Belém (Brazil) evaluated five different concentrations of sugar using the just-about-right scale in two blends selected by preference ranking. For the cupuassu-acerola-açai blend, the optimum concentration of sugar was 9.5 g/100 mL, and for the soursop-camucamu-yellow mombin blend, it was 10.7 g/100 mL.

Antioxidant activities of kombucha prepared from three different substrates and changes in content of probiotics during storage

Kombucha is a health-promoting fermented beverage worldwide. The present study compared the free-radical scavenging abilities and total reducing power (TRP) of kombucha prepared from low-cost green tea (LGTK), black tea (BTK), and tea powder (TPK). LGTK had the highest scavenging abilities against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), superoxide anion and hydroxyl radicals, while BTK showed the highest TRP. Changes in content of probiotics in LGTK were investigated during storage as well. The number of acetic acid bacteria decreased moderately up to 10 days of storage. The number of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) decreased significantly, and their survival rate was only 0.98% at the 8th day of storage.

Glycemic index and glycemic load of tropical fruits and the potential risk for chronic diseases

The objective was to determine the glycemic index and glycemic load of tropical fruits and the potential risk for chronic diseases. Nine fruits were investigated: coconut water (for the purpose of this study, coconut water was classified as a “fruit”), guava, tamarind, passion fruit, custard apple, hog plum, cashew, sapodilla, and soursop. The GI and GL were determined according to the Food and Agriculture Organization protocol. The GL was calculated taking into consideration intake recommendation guidelines; 77.8% of the fruits had low GI although significant oscillations were observed in some graphs, which may indicate potential risks of disease. Coconut water and custard apple had a moderate GI, and all fruits had low GL. The fruits evaluated are healthy and can be consumed following the daily recommended amount. However, caution is recommended with fruits causing early glycemic peak and the fruits with moderated GI (coconut water and custard apple).

Peroxidase activity and sensory quality of ready to cook mixed vegetables for soup: combined effect of biopreservatives and refrigerated storage

Enzymatic senescence processes and browning of fresh cut vegetables negatively affect their sensory properties and nutritional value and finally result in the rejection of affected products by consumers. In order to prevent quality decay, the combined effects of natural antioxidants and storage temperature on peroxidase activity and sensory attributes (overall visual quality, browning and odor) of individual and mixed vegetables for soup (butternut squash, leek and celery) were evaluated. Fresh cut vegetables were treated with antioxidant solutions as tea tree essential oil (15 μl/mL), propolis extract (15 μl/mL) and gallic acid (2 mg/mL) and stored at optimal (5 °C) and abusive (15 °C) temperature for a maximum of 14 days. The application of natural preservatives, plus optimal storage conditions, exerted significant inhibitory effects in peroxidase activity of squash, celery and mixed vegetables throughout the storage. Furthermore, propolis treatment applied on mixed vegetables retarded browning appearance and preserved the visual quality for a longer period when compared to untreated product.

Equacionamento da qualidade inicial de sementes de milho e soja para aplicação no modelo de probit

Objetivou-se, neste trabalho, equacionar a qualidade inicial das sementes (Ki), utilizada no modelo de probit, para a previsão da longevidade de sementes de milho (Zea mays) e soja (Glycine max), em função do resultado dos testes iniciais de germinação e vigor. Onze lotes de sementes de diferentes cultivares de milho e de soja foram submetidos aos testes de germinação (TG), envelhecimento acelerado (TEA), frio sem solo (TF), para milho, e tetrazólio (TZ), para soja, e a testes de envelhecimento acelerado, com condições constantes do grau de umidade e da temperatura das sementes, para determinar o valor de Ki. Dados da literatura contendo resultados de testes de TEA e TF para milho e TEA e TZ para soja também foram usados nesta pesquisa. Conduziram-se análises de regressão linear simples e múltipla para equacionar: a) Ki em função de TG e TEA para milho e soja, b) TEAm (envelhecimento acelerado do milho) em função de TF; c) TEAs (envelhecimento acelerado da soja) em função de TZ. As equações obtidas foram: Ki = 0,4230 + 0,4464 TG + 0,4131 TEA TEA M = - 0,4408 + 1,214 TF TEA S = - 0,1872 + 0,9875 TZ. A equação de Ki apresentou coeficiente de determinação ajustado (r²) de 0.80 (d.p. 0.18 probit e parâmetros significantes em p < 0.01, p < 0.02 e p < 0.05, respectivamente). A equação de TEAm apresentou r² de 0.80 (d.p. 0.24 probit e parâmetros significantes em p < 0.002). A equação de TEAs apresentou r² de 0.84 (d.p. 0.18 probit e parâmetros significantes em p < 0.005). O valor de Ki pode ser equacionado em função do resultado dos testes iniciais de germinação e vigor para milho e soja (TEA ou TF para milho e TEA ou TZ para soja).

Efeito do condicionamento osmótico na germinação e vigor de sementes de sorgo com diferentes qualidades fisiológicas

O objetivo nesta pesquisa foi avaliar o efeito do condicionamento osmótico na germinação e no vigor de sementes de sorgo, cultivar IPA 1011, com diferentes qualidades fisiológicas. O delineamento experimental foi o inteiramente casualizado com quatro repetições, no esquema fatorial 2 x 2, constando de quatro tratamentos: 1. sementes envelhecidas; 2. sementes não envelhecidas; 3. sementes envelhecidas e condicionadas osmoticamente e 4. sementes não envelhecidas e condicionadas osmoticamente. A qualidade das sementes foi avaliada por meio do teor de água (TA), massa de mil sementes (MMS), primeira contagem (PCG), teste de germinação (TG), índice de velocidade (IVG) e tempo médio de germinação (TMG), envelhecimento acelerado (TEA), teste de frio (TF), condutividade elétrica (TCE) e lixiviação de potássio (TLK). Os resultados mostraram que o envelhecimento artificial afeta negativamente o desempenho das sementes de sorgo, podendo tais efeitos serem parcialmente revertidos pelo condicionamento osmótico, sendo que essa técnica não influencia a germinação, mas promove benefícios no vigor das sementes de qualidade fisiológica superior e inferior.