1H NMR spectroscopy as a tool to probe potential biomarkers of the drying-salting process: A proof-of-concept study with the Amazon fish pirarucu.

Dry-salted pirarucu (Arapaima gigas) plays an important cultural role in the Amazon region - South America. In this study, we explored the changes in the chemical composition of pirarucu meat following the drying-salting process via 1H NMR spectroscopy. Combining multivariate and univariate statistical analyses yielded a robust differentiation of metabolites involved in the process. VIP score (>1), p-value (<0.05), and AUC (>0.7) were considered to selecting compounds that had significant fluctuations in their contents along the process. Our results pointed out acetate, lactate, succinate, and creatinine as metabolites undergoing significant changes during the drying-salting process. Creatinine was not detected in fresh samples. The investigation of multiple components delves deeper into the molecular nuances of the salting-drying process's impact on fish meat, providing a more comprehensive understanding of the possible chemical transformations and how the matrix's quality control and nutritional aspects should be addressed.

Development of alcohol vinegars macerated with ACAI (Euterpe precatoria Mart.) berries and their quality evaluations with emphasis on color, antioxidant capacity, and volatiles profile.

In this work, the Amazonian native acai fruit, a superfruit recognized worldwide, was used through a simple operation of maceration in alcohol vinegar to transform it into an attractive and functional product containing the acai natural colorant and its bioactive compounds. The variables studied were the proportion of alcohol vinegar to acai (8:2 and 1:1) and maceration period (7, 14, and 21 days). The final vinegar was subjected to the determination of color parameters, antioxidant capacity (DPPH, ABTS), total phenolics content (TPC), volatile compounds extracted by stir bar sorptive extraction and identified by gas-chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. The alcohol vinegars macerated with acai presented the color according to the content of acai added and maceration period employed, whereas antioxidant capacity and TPC were comparable to vinegars elaborated from fruits and red wine. Sixty volatiles compounds classified into five chemical groups were identified. The principal volatile compounds which contributed to the aroma in the products were 3-methyl-1-butanol, phenylethyl alcohol, benzaldehyde, o-cymene, p-cymenene, isoamyl acetate, and ethyl acetate. The most attractive product regarding the parameters studied was obtained from the use of the proportion of 1:1 of alcohol vinegar:acai and maceration period of 14 days. This product retained the most similar color to acai in natura, the highest values for antioxidant capacity measured by ABTS and TPC while being rich in volatile compounds due to the contributions mainly of alcohols, esters, aldehydes, and terpenes. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This work demonstrates the feasibility to produce an alcohol vinegar with an attractive color and functional properties by the addition of acai resulting in to a wide spectrum of chemical compounds of acai through a very simple operation of maceration during 14 days of a proportion of 1:1 of alcohol vinegar:acai.

Pedra-ume caá fruit: An Amazon cherry rich in phenolic compounds with antiglycant and antioxidant properties.

Species of Eugenia have been used as an antidiabetic natural source. Chemical, antioxidant and antiglycant screening of extracts from pedra-ume caá (Eugenia punicifolia) fruits were performed. 1H NMR assisted by non-supervised chemometric methods were employed for the evaluation of the chemical profiles which were distinguished according to the color of fruit maturation stages, as well as for pulp and seed fruit. Furthermore, 1H NMR fingerprint analysis of the crude extract allowed the identification of quercitrin and myricitrin, beside other nine compounds. The extracts of the yellow (YP) and green (GP) pulps presented higher antiglycant and antioxidant activities. Fresh juice from E. punicifolia was encapsulated in microcapsules produced with dextrose equivalent (DE) of 10, 20 or 30 as wall materials for the maintainment of their antioxidant and antiglycant properties. The more efficient retention of the bioactive compounds was found using the DE30. The Encapsulation Efficiency (EE) and the Retention Efficiency (RE) of this system was found around 89.7% and 97.6%, respectively. In addition, NMR spectra revealed the presence of flavonoids O-glycosylated (quercitrin and myricitrin) which might be related to the antiglycant and antioxidant activities. The YP presented larger content of quercitrin (117.6 ±â€¯0.4 mg per each 100 g of fresh fruit). Therefore, pedra-ume caá should be employed as an alternative nutraceutical source, as well as intherapeutic pourposes.

Encapsulation of Piper aduncum and Piper hispidinervum essential oils in gelatin nanoparticles: a possible sustainable control tool of Aedes aegypti, Tetranychus urticae and Cerataphis lataniae.

BACKGROUND: The encapsulated essential oils (EOs) of Piper aduncum L. and Piper hispidinervum C. DC. in gelatin nanoparticles were evaluated against Aedes aegypti Linn., Tetranychus urticae Koch and Cerataphis lataniae Boisd. RESULTS: Encapsulation efficiency of the EOs was measured for absolute concentrations of 500 µg mL-1 (79.2 and 72.7%) and 1000 µg mL-1 (84.5 and 82.2%). The loaded nanoparticles were nearly spherical and well dispersed. The nanoparticles loaded with P. hispidinervum EO had an average size of 100 ± 2 nm, while the nanoparticles containing P. aduncum EO ranged from 175 ± 4 to 220 ± 4 nm. According to zeta potential analysis, the nanoparticles loaded with P. hispidinervum and P. aduncum EOs presented values around -43.5 ± 3 and -37.5 ± 2 mV respectively. The controlled release of EOs was described by the anomalous mechanism of Korsmeyer-Peppas. Both encapsulated EOs reached lethal dosages within 24 h of exposure and total mortality of the tested pests. CONCLUSION: The present work successfully developed gelatin-based nanoparticles that served as carriers for the EOs of P. aduncum and P. hispidinervum to be applied as a sustainable control tool of A. aegypti, T. urticae and C. lataniae. The developed loaded nanoparticles presented high encapsulation efficiency and EO concentration release higher than lethal dosages. This indicates that it is feasible to use gelatin-based nanoparticles loaded with P. aduncum and P. hispidinervum EOs to control the tested pests. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.