Alternative Process for Production of Sweet Potato Distilled Beverage

Abstract Shochu is the most widely consumed spirit in Japan. In its manufacture is used koji, a solid fungus culture traditional of the Asian countries, but that makes the production process slow. Shochu can be produced from a variety of starchy sources, including sweet potato. About 7% of the world's sweet potato production is wasted due to imperfections that make it unsuitable for consumption. However, this material can be used in ethanol production. Considering the high productivity of sweet potato in Brazil, an opportunity to add value to this raw material is perceived. An alternative process for the production of sweet potato distillate similar to shochu was proposed. Koji was replaced by a mixture of alpha-amylase and glucoamylase. Process time was reduced from 14 to only 1 day. Composition analyses were performed by HPLC and GC. The experimental yield of alcoholic fermentation using pectinase enzyme reached 67.31-73.65%, but methanol was above the limits of the legislation. Without the addition of pectinase, no methanol was formed. However, there was a decrease in yield (51.65-54.75%), due to the incomplete disintegration of sweet potatoes. The distillate produced and the commercial shochu presented the same absorption bands in FTIR analysis, identifying the similarity between them.

Prática fisioterapêutica no tratamento da fibrose cística / Physiotherapeutic modalities in the treatment of cystic fibrosis

A fibrose cística (FC), denominada também de mucoviscidose, é uma doença genética do tipo autossômica recessiva que acomete principalmente crianças e indivíduos de raça branca. O objetivo deste estudo foi propiciar uma visão sobre a FC, assim como as possíveis formas de tratamento fisioterapêutico. A pesquisa da literatura foi realizada nas bases de dados SciELO e PubMed, no período de abril de 2002 a março de 2013, através da seleção de artigos científicos referentes à FC, utilizando como palavras-chave: "fibrose cística", "fisioterapia em fibrose cística" e "fisioterapia respiratória". Por meio desta revisão, pôde-se observar que, apesar da complexidade da doença, a prática fisioterapêutica, com o uso das técnicas: tapotagem, vibração, drenagem postural (DP), huffing, oscilação oral de alta frequência (OOAF), drenagem autógena (DA) e o ciclo ativo da respiração (CAR), apresenta eficácia tanto no tratamento como na manutenção da qualidade de vida dos pacientes com FC.

Cystic fibrosis (CF), also denominated mucoviscidosis, is a genetic disease of autosomal recessive type that affects mainly children and Caucasians. The aim of this study was to provide an updated view on CF, as well as potential physiotherapy treatment. PubMed and SciELO databases have been searched, during April 2002 to March 2013, using the following keywords:"cystic fibrosis", "cystic fibrosis physiotherapy" and "respiratory physiotherapy". This review showed the complexity of the disease and the physiotherapy modalities such as tapping, vibration, postural drainage (PD), huffing, oral high frequency oscillation (OHFO), autogenic drainage (AD) and the active cycle technique (ACT) have effectiveness both in the treatment and in maintaining the quality of life of CF patients.