Novel bioactive nanoparticles from crude palm oil and its fractions as foodstuff ingredients.

Novel bioactive nanoparticles derived from crude palm oil (CPO), palm olein, and palm stearin for use in foodstuff products were produced, and their physicochemical characteristics and stability were evaluated. The nanoparticles were prepared by homogenization, using biodegradable casein or gum arabic as an encapsulating material. The encapsulation efficiency (EE), morphology, long-term stability, particle size, polydispersity index, zeta potential, pH, apparent viscosity, color parameters, total carotenoids, and antioxidant activity were determined. All nanoparticles methods produced spherical nanoparticles with EE higher than 85%. Highly homogeneous small particles (<300 nm) showing a tendency toward a yellow color were observed after 60 days of storage at 4 °C. The nanoparticles showed a carotenoid retention index higher than 40% and an antioxidant activity higher than 1,000 µM Trolox/g oil. The bioactive nanoparticles retained the carotenoids and are proposed as a green innovative product to replace synthetic colorants and antioxidants in foodstuffs.

Cocoa's Residual Honey: Physicochemical Characterization and Potential as a Fermentative Substrate by Saccharomyces cerevisiae AWRI726.

This study aims to characterize the physicochemical properties of cocoa's residual honey and evaluate its fermentative capacity as a substrate, using Saccharomyces cerevisiae AWRI726 as the starter culture for alcoholic fermentation. The research hypothesis was that cocoa's residual honey can be used for the production of fermented beverages. Cocoa's honey has 14.14 g.100 mL-1 of dry material, containing 11.80 g.100 mL-1 of carbohydrates and 1.20% crude protein, in addition to other minor components, such as pectin, lipids, and Fe, Mn, Na, and Zn, with a carbon-to-nitrogen (C/N) ratio (9.8) most suitable for fermentation. Fermentation at 20°C for 240 hours produced a liquid with 16% v/v ethanol (14 g.L-1 in 144 h). However, 24 hours of fermentation produced the maximum ethanol yield (0.373 g.g-1) and volumetric productivity (0.168 g.L-1.h-1), which were associated with a significant increase in the specific cell growth rate. Saccharomyces cerevisiae AWR1726 performed satisfactorily in the alcoholic fermentation of cocoa's residual honey, similar to that observed in other fruit beverages, thus suggesting the suitability of cocoa's residual honey for future commercial applications.

Brazilian Cerrado soil Actinobacteria ecology.

A total of 2152 Actinobacteria strains were isolated from native Cerrado (Brazilian Savannah) soils located in Passos, Luminárias, and Arcos municipalities (Minas Gerais State, Brazil). The soils were characterised for chemical and microbiological analysis. The microbial analysis led to the identification of nine genera (Streptomyces, Arthrobacter, Rhodococcus, Amycolatopsis, Microbacterium, Frankia, Leifsonia, Nakamurella, and Kitasatospora) and 92 distinct species in both seasons studied (rainy and dry). The rainy season produced a high microbial population of all the aforementioned genera. The pH values of the soil samples from the Passos, Luminárias, and Arcos regions varied from 4.1 to 5.5. There were no significant differences in the concentrations of phosphorus, magnesium, and organic matter in the soils among the studied areas. Samples from the Arcos area contained large amounts of aluminium in the rainy season and both hydrogen and aluminium in the rainy and dry seasons. The Actinobacteria population seemed to be unaffected by the high levels of aluminium in the soil. Studies are being conducted to produce bioactive compounds from Actinobacteria fermentations on different substrates. The present data suggest that the number and diversity of Actinobacteria spp. in tropical soils represent a vast unexplored resource for the biotechnology of bioactives production.