A comunicação organizacional no setor do chocolate

O objetivo deste trabalho é discorrer sobre a comunicação organizacional entre distribuidores de chocolate. Consiste em pesquisa de delineamento exploratório contendo referencial teórico para auxiliar a fundamentação dos conceitos e para apresentar modelos teóricos para a pesquisa de campo. Contém também estudo de caso (pesquisa de campo) envolvendo duas organizações: Harald e Chocolândia. Os resultados apontam que a comunicação mercadológica dos agentes intermediários no mercado de chocolate envolve vários instrumentos comunicacionais, tantos massivos como segmentados. Alguns são peculiares, como a promoção em aulas presenciais em centros culinários próprios, outros são informais, caso da intensa comunicação boca-aboca que parece formar uma autêntica rede de comunicação e de consumidores.

Chocolate

Imagem componente do jogo “DigesTower (http://www.loa.sead.ufscar.br/digestower.php)” desenvolvido pela equipe do Laboratório de Objetos de Aprendizagem da Universidade Federal de São Carlos (LOA/UFSCar).

Metáforas do alimento no filme A fantástica fábrica de chocolate (1971 e 2005)

Pós-graduação em Educação - IBRC

A pedra e a água: uma leitura comparada de Pedro Páramo (1955), de Juan Rulfo, e Como água para chocolate (1989), de Laura Esquivel

Pós-graduação em Letras - FCLAS

O hibridismo textual em como agua para chocolate (1989), de Laura Esquivel: folhetim, almanaque, caderno de receitas e diário íntimo

Este artigo pretende discutir como se articulam, na estrutura híbrida do romance Como agua para chocolate, alguns gêneros textuais discursivos comumente dedicados à leitura de mulheres – folhetim, almanaque, caderno de receitas e diário íntimo –, cuja presença fica sugerida desde o subtítulo “novela de entregas mensuales, con recetas, amores y remedios caseros”. Esses gêneros se misturam na construção da narrativa, possibilitando, no âmbito da pós-modernidade, uma leitura crítica do papel da mulher na sociedade patriarcal da primeira metade do século XX.

Postprandial effects of dark chocolate on portal hypertension in patients with cirrhosis: results of a phase 2, double-blind, randomized controlled trial

In cirrhosis, hepatic endothelial dysfunction as a result of oxidative stress contributes to the postprandial increase in hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG).

Effect of dark chocolate on renal tissue oxygenation as measured by BOLD-MRI in healthy volunteers

BACKGROUND Cocoa is rich in flavonoids, has anti-oxidative properties and increases the bioavailability of nitric oxide (NO). Adequate renal tissue oxygenation is crucial for the maintenance of renal function. The goal of this study was to investigate the effect of cocoa-rich dark chocolate (DC) on renal tissue oxygenation in humans, as compared to flavonoid-poor white chocolate (WC). METHODS Ten healthy volunteers with preserved kidney function (mean age ± SD 35 ± 12 years, 70% women, BMI 21 ± 3 kg/m2) underwent blood oxygenation level-dependent magnetic resonance imaging (BOLD-MRI) before and 2 hours after the ingestion of 1 g/kg of DC (70% cocoa). Renal tissue oxygenation was determined by the measurement of R2* maps on 4 coronal slices covering both kidneys. The mean R2* (= 1/T2*) values in the medulla and cortex were calculated, a low R2* indicating high tissue oxygenation. Eight participants also underwent BOLD-MRI at least 1 week later, before and 2 hours after the intake of 1 g/kg WC. RESULTS The mean medullary R2* was lower after DC intake compared to baseline (28.2 ± 1.3 s-1 vs. 29.6 ± 1.3 s-1, p = 0.04), whereas cortical and medullary R2* values did not change after WC intake. The change in medullary R2* correlated with the level of circulating (epi)catechines, metabolites of flavonoids (r = 0.74, p = 0.037), and was independent of plasma renin activity. CONCLUSION This study suggests for the first time an increase of renal medullary oxygenation after intake of dark chocolate. Whether this is linked to flavonoid-induced changes in renal perfusion or oxygen consumption, and whether cocoa has potentially renoprotective properties, merits further study.

Evaluation of chocolate as a source of dietary copper

Chocolate has frequently been proposed to be a valuable source of dietary copper, but data on the copper content of major contemporary chocolate brands are scarce. The copper content of 22 brands of chocolate, many of which are sold worldwide, is thus presented here. A reliable hot ashing procedure to determine the copper content of chocolate by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy is also described. It was found that the copper contents of the chocolates analyzed here varied in the range of 1.85 ± 0.10 to 16.50 ± 1.29 μg/g. There was a linear correlation of the copper content of chocolate to its cocoa content with a correlation coefficient R2 of 0.89, showing that the copper was largely contributed to the chocolate by the cocoa. The value of chocolate as a source of dietary copper is discussed.