Chemical and sensory assessment of extra virgin olive oil blends with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids from plant origin

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is known for its health benefits, although it provides a minimum amount of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA), which play an important role in the human organism. In this study, EVOO was blended with vegetable oils which are rich sources of n-3 PUFA alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and/or stearidonic acid (SDA) (chia, walnut, linseed and viper's bugloss seed oils). Fatty acid profiles, induction time, and organoleptic characteristics of the resulting blends were assessed. The n-3 PUFA enrichment in the blends was proportional to the degree of blending. Sensory analysis carried out by a trained panel showed that it is possible to enrich EVOO with up to 20% chia, linseed and viper's bugloss seed oil without altering the original organoleptic characteristics of EVOO. However, the induction time of the blends was significantly reduced compared with EVOO even after adding n-3 PUFA in small proportions, meaning that shelf-life time of these blends is much lower than that of EVOO, which should be considered when preparing these products for commercial purposes.

El aceite de oliva extra virgen (AOEV) es ampliamente conocido por sus beneficios para la salud, aunque apenas aporta ácidos grasos poliinsaturados n-3 (AGPI n-3), los cuales juegan un papel importante en el organismo humano. En este estudio se elaboraron mezclas de AOEV con aceites vegetales ricos en ácido alfa-linolénico (ALA) y/o estearidónico (SDA) (chia, nuez, linaza y viborera). Se evaluaron los perfiles de ácidos grasos, tiempos de inducción y características organolépticas de las mezclas resultantes. El enriquecimiento en AGPI n-3 fue proporcional al grado de mezcla. El análisis sensorial llevado a cabo por un panel entrenado mostró que es posible enriquecer AOEV con hasta un 20% de aceite de chia, linaza o viborera sin alterar las características organolépticas originales del AOEV. Sin embargo, los tiempos de inducción de las mezclas fueron significativamente menores que el del AOEV, incluso tras añadir AGPI n-3 en pequeñas proporciones, lo que significa que el tiempo de vida media de las mezclas es mucho menor que el del AOEV. Este hecho debería tenerse en cuenta al preparar las mezclas con propósitos comerciales.

Effects of Aloe Vera Biodiesel Blends with TiO2 on the Emission and Performance Characteristics of a DI Diesel Engine

Concerns about the effect of activities that need the use of alternative fuels, as well as a growth in demand for clean energy, have made biofuels research more well-known, and so began the search for oilseed plants that can be used to make biodiesel. Present research was carried out the aloe vera oil is used as a biodiesel in diesel engine. Because aloe vera oil having higher calorific value compare to other sources. Potassium hydroxide catalyst was used for transesterification process, which has lesser cost and more availability. And also, in this work conducted diesel engine experiments using four different biodiesel blends (B20, B40, B60, B100) and diesel fuel. Additionally, to reduce the emission nano particles (TiO2) was blended with optimal biodiesel blend (B20). The performance and emission characteristics were conducted with different biodiesel blends. In this blends, B20+ TiO2 blend gives good performance and reduction in emissions compared to other biodiesel blends.

Studies on the Mineral Compositions and Organoleptic Properties of Fermented and Extruded Ripe Plantain and Groundnut Blend

Extrusion cooking is one of the most efficient and versatile food processing technologies that can be used to produce pre-cooked and dehydrated food products. This study aimed at investigating the mineral compositions and organoleptic properties of fermented and extruded ripe plantain and groundnut blend. Ripe plantain and groundnut samples were obtained from Oja Oba market, Akure. The dehauled groundnut seeds were milled to give a paste after which the oil was removed to give fine flour, plantains were dried and milled and both were kept in an airtight container before use. The unripe plantain and groundnut flours were formulated in the ratio of (ripe plantain: groundnut) 100:0; 80:20; 60:40; 50:50 and 0:100 Sample A (100:0) = 100% ripe plantain flour Sample B (80:20) = 80% ripe plantain flour and 20% groundnut flour, Sample C (60:40) = 60% ripe plantain flour and 40% groundnut flour, Sample D (50:50) = 50% ripe plantain flour and 50% groundnut flour and Sample E (0:100) = 100% groundnut flour. A batch of the flour blends was fermented using submerged state fermentation method for 96 hours. The fermentation process was terminated by oven drying at 60°C for 24 hours and later extruded. The sensory evaluation was carried out on the products. The study revealed that fermentation had significant (p<0.05) effects on high sodium contents (ranging from 37.90±0.00 to 44.80±0.01 mg/g) of the blends, potassium (K) content was highest in fermented blends with values ranging from 115.23±0.31 to 125.06±0.06 mg/g, extrusion and fermentation increased magnesium and calcium contents ranging from 18.00±0.57 to 150.0±0.00 and 50.01±0.24 to 220.0±0.57 mg/g respectively of the blends significantly (p<0.05) while there was no significant difference (p<0.05) in iron content between all the blends. Fermented blends had the highest overall acceptability. The investigation so far revealed that the blending of ripe plantain and groundnut has the potential of producing enriched complementary food for teeming malnourished children of developing countries.

Análise sensorial em sucos mistos à base de frutas e especiarias / Sensory analysis in mixed fruit and spice juices

O trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a qualidade sensorial de bebidas mistas desenvolvidas a base de frutas e especiarias. Foram utilizadas polpas de abacaxi, kiwi, limão e extratos de gengibre e hortelã como matrizes para as formulações das bebidas mistas, variando de acordo com os tratamentos. Foram testadas doze formulações com diferentes concentrações de polpas de frutos, após a avaliação dos doze tratamentos foram escolhidas as três melhores formulações para avaliação sensorial. De acordo com os resultados, verificou-se que as formulações F1(abacaxi, kiwi, hortelã), F2(abacaxi, kiwi, gengibre), F3(abacaxi, kiwi, limão), obtiveram boa aceitação, por parte dos provadores, assim como uma boa intenção de compra, principalmente a formulação F2 (abacaxi, kiwi, gengibre).

Canabinoides sintéticos: drogas de abuso emergentes / Synthetic cannabinoids: emerging drugs of abuse

CONTEXTO: A Cannabis sativa (cannabis, maconha, marijuana) é uma droga de abuso com efeitos psicoativos e potencial terapêutico bastante conhecidos. Um grande número de canabinoides foi sintetizado na tentativa de excluir ou minimizar os efeitos psicotrópicos e mantendo as aplicações terapêuticas. Os canabinoides sintéticos representam o mais recente avanço das designer drugs. OBJETIVOS: Este trabalho busca trazer informações sobre a utilização de canabinoides sintéticos como drogas de abuso emergentes, principalmente sob a forma de spice ou herbal blends. MÉTODOS: Foi realizada uma pesquisa bibliográfica na base de dados PubMed utilizando os descritores de assunto "synthetic cannabinoids", "spice", "legal highs", "herbal blends", "psychosis cannabis" e suas combinações. RESULTADOS: Foram encontrados canabinoides sintéticos nos produtos Spice, confirmando que os incensos herbais realmente surgiram como drogas de abuso emergentes. CONCLUSÃO: Não está claro se a utilização de canabinoides sintéticos e de Spice é uma moda passageira ou se irá se estabelecer em nossa sociedade. No entanto, o fenômeno das designer drugs, especialmente canabinoides sintéticos, representa um desafio presente para o sistemas de saúde no mundo globalizado, tornando-se necessária a pesquisa clínica e forense desses produtos.

BACKGROUND: Cannabis sativa (cannabis, marijuana) is a drug of abuse with well known psychoactive effects and therapeutic potential. A large number of cannabinoids chemically similar to Δ9-THC, the main active metabolite of marijuana, were synthesized in an attempt to exclude or minimize the psychotropic effects, maintaining the therapeutic potential. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this work was to review of the use of synthetic cannabinoids as emerging drugs of abuse, especially in the form of spice or herbal blends. METHODS: A bibliographic search was performed in PubMed employing the terms "synthetic cannabinoids", "spice", "legal highs", "herbal blends", "psychosis cannabis" and cross references. RESULTS: A number of synthetic cannabinoids can be found in Spice products, confirming that herbal incense emerged as new drugs of abuse. DISCUSSION: It is unclear whether the use of synthetic cannabinoids and Spice is a fad or will be established as common practice in our society. However, the phenomenon of designer drugs, especially synthetic cannabinoids, will remain a challenge to health authorities in the globalized world, requiring additional clinical and forensic research.

Production and characterization of poly-3-hydroxybutyrate from crude glycerol by Bacillus sphaericus NII 0838 and improving its thermal properties by blending with other polymers

The aim of this work was to study the production of poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) under nitrogen limited conditions by Bacillus sphaericus NII 0838 using crude glycerol from biodiesel industry as sole carbon source. Effect of various process parameters on PHB production such as glycerol concentration, inoculum size and pH of the medium were optimized. Characterization of extracted PHB was carried out by FT-IR, ¹H and 13C NMR. Results showed that the bacterial culture accumulated about 31 percent PHB in crude glycerol medium. The extracted PHB was blended with other polymers to improve its physical characteristics. The thermal properties of the polymer like melting temperature (Tm) and heat of fusion (ΔHf) were determined using DSC.

Evaluation of the types of starch for preparation of LDPE/starch blends

This study evaluated in relation the growth, and the amylolytic activity of mixed and isolated cultures of Phanerochaete chrysosporium and Talaromyces wortmanni on different types of starch. The thermal and mechanical properties in polyethylene/starch blends (proportion: 80/20 (w/w) before and after inoculation of the mixed cultures were evaluated. The regular starch Amidex 3 and the modified starch Fox5901 stood out in relation to the cellular growth and production of the amylase enzyme. In spite of the short time that the blends were exposed to the fungi, the microorganisms promoted physical and chemical changes in the structure of the blend, modifying its thermal and mechanical properties. The alteration of the degree of crystallinity and mechanical properties of the blends could be indications of the modification caused by the biodegradation process.

Nesse trabalho foi realizado um estudo sobre diferentes tipos de amido quanto ao crescimento, e a atividade amilolítica de culturas mistas e isoladas dos fungos Phanerochaete chrysosporium e Talaromyces wortmannii. Avaliaram-se também as propriedades térmicas e mecânicas das blendas de polietileno/amido anfótero (na proporção 80/20 (m/m)) antes e apos a inoculação das culturas mistas desses fungos.O amido regular Amidex 3 e o amido modificado Fox5901 foram os que se destacaram quanto ao crescimento celular e produção da enzima amilase. Apesar do pouco tempo de exposição dos filmes com os fungos, pode-se concluir que os microrganismos promovem mudanças físicas e químicas na estrutura da blenda, modificando suas propriedades térmicas e mecânicas. A alteração do grau de cristalinidade e das propriedades mecânicas das blendas podem ser indícios da modificação provocada pelo processo de biodegradação.