Influence of Homogenization in the Physicochemical Quality of Human Milk and Fat Retention in Gastric Tubes.

BACKGROUND: The retention of human milk nutrients in gastric tubes used to feed premature infants is a challenge to be overcome. RESEARCH AIMS: To evaluate (1) the performance of six homogenizers (mixing processor, piston valve, ultrasonic bath, ultraturrax, stirring mixer, and ultrasound probe) for the fat retention reduction in gastric tubes; (2) the influence of the best homogenization conditions on the fatty acid and protein profiles of human milk; and (3) the cost/benefit ratio for the inclusion of homogenization as a new step in human milk processing. METHODS: The influence of different levels and times of homogenization on reducing fat retention of human milk in probes was evaluated in this comparative prospective cross-sectional study. After homogenization, human milk flowed through a gavage and infusion pump apparatus used for feeding. Fat content was quantified before and after feeding. The techniques that reduced fat globule sizes and/or promoted a lower percentage of fat holding were evaluated for efficiency, variations in the fatty acid and protein profiles, and energy density and operating costs. RESULTS: Homogenization led to a reduction in fat retention in feeding probes. The mixer processor and the ultrasound probe reduced fat retention by 99.23% (SD = 0.07) and 99.95% (SD = 0.02), respectively, and did not negatively influence fatty acid and protein profiles. The mixer processor demonstrated low energy density and low cost for human milk processing. CONCLUSION: Homogenization promoted reduced fat retention in the feed probe and could help maintain fat nutrients of human milk during enteral feeding.

Use of ozone and detergent for removal of pesticides and improving storage quality of tomato.

The efficiencies of two conventional domestic procedures (immersion in pure water and detergent solution at 0.25 and 1%) and two treatments using ozone (immersion in water with bubbling O3 and immersion in ozonated water, both at 1 and 3 mg L-1) were evaluated for the removal of residues of the fungicides azoxystrobin, chlorothalonil and difenoconazole in tomatoes. The fungicides were sprayed on the fruits at the recommended concentration for the crop. The residues in the tomatoes and in the washing solutions were determined by extraction with low-temperature partition techniques and analysis by gas chromatography. More concentrated solutions were more effective in removing pesticide residues. The water bubbled with ozone at 3 mg L-1 was the most efficient treatment for the removal of fungicides, reaching a reduction of 70-90% of the residues. However, the treatments with the lowest concentration of ozone had lower loss of fruit mass during storage.

Characterization and evaluation of sorption potential of the iron mine waste after Samarco dam disaster in Doce River basin - Brazil.

The Fundão dam collapsed releasing 60 million tons of mining waste into the environment. The mining wastes should be better studied, since some of them are deposited on the alluvial plains soil and at the bottom of the rivers, like sediments, of the region affected. Thus, this work aims to perform the chemical, physical and adsorptive characterization of the samples colleted in region de Paracatu de Baixo. The mining waste has uneven surface, with sizes ranging from 2 to 200 µm, pHPCZ in 6.0. Are composed predominantly by kaolinite, goethite, hematite, gibbsite and quartz. It has been classified as non-hazardous residues. The adsorption studies showed the mining waste have a low Cationic Exchange Capacity. The sorption process was occurs by ion exchange and the kinetics follows the pseudo second order model (R2 > 0.78). The process is endothermic (ΔH in 29.33 kJ mol-1) and spontaneous (ΔG in -24.7 kJ mol-1 at 25 °C). The Langmuir model presented a better fit (R2 > 0.995) to the experimental data. Therefore, the methylene blue can be used as a cation model to predict the behavior of cationic species on the mining waste, with maximum adsorption capacity of 4.42 mg g-1 at 25 °C.