Cereus jamacaru DC. (mandacaru) fruit as a source of lactic acid bacteria with in vitro probiotic-related characteristics and its protective effects on Pediococcus pentosaceus during lyophilization and refrigeration storage.

This study isolated and identified autochthonous lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from mandacaru fruit and evaluated their potential probiotic and technological aptitudes in vitro, as well as the protective effects of freeze-dried mandacaru fruit on the most promising LAB isolate during lyophilization and refrigeration storage. Initially, 212 colonies were isolated from mandacaru fruit, and 34 were preliminarily identified as LAB. Thirteen isolates identified by 16S-rRNA sequencing as Pediococcus pentosaceus were negative for DNase, gelatinase, hemolytic, and biogenic amine production. The selected isolates showed proteolytic activity, diacetyl and exopolysaccharide production, and good tolerance to different NaCl concentrations while having low cellular hydrophobicity and antagonistic activity against pathogens. The survival of isolates sharply decreased after 3 h of exposure to pH 2 and had a good tolerance to 1 % bile salt. A principal component analysis selected P. pentosaceus 57 as the most promising isolate based on the examined technological and probiotic-related physiological properties. This isolate was lyophilized with mandacaru fruit and stored under refrigeration for 90 days. P. pentosaceus 57 lyophilized with mandacaru fruit had high viable cell counts (9.69 ± 0.03 log CFU/mL) and >50 % of physiologically active cells at 90 days of refrigeration storage. The results indicate that mandacaru fruit is a source of P. pentosaceus with aptitudes to be explored as potential probiotic and technological characteristics of interest for the food industry, besides being a good candidate for use in lyophilization processes and refrigeration storage of LAB due to its cryoprotective effects.

Unrevealing the in vitro impacts of Cereus jacamaru DC. cladodes flour on potentially probiotic strains, selected bacterial populations, and metabolic activity of human intestinal microbiota.

This study investigated the potential impacts of the flour from Cereus jamacaru cactus cladodes (CJF), a cactus native to the Brazilian Caatinga biome, on the growth and metabolism of different potentially probiotic strains, as well as on the abundance of selected intestinal bacterial populations and microbial metabolic activity during in vitro colonic fermentation with a pooled human fecal inoculum. Cultivation of the probiotics in a medium with C. jamacaru cladodes flour (20 g/L) resulted in viable cell counts of up to 9.8 log CFU/mL, positive prebiotic activity scores (0.73-0.91), decreased pH and sugar contents, and increased lactic, acetic, and propionic acid production over time, indicating enhanced probiotic growth and metabolic activity. CJF overall increased the relative abundance of Lactobacillus spp./Enterococcus spp. (2.12-3.29%) and Bifidobacterium spp. (4.08-4.32%) and decreased the relative abundance of Bacteroides spp./Prevotella spp. (8.35-6.81%), Clostridium histolyticum (6.91-3.59%), and Eubacterium rectale/Clostridium coccoides (7.70-3.95%) during 48 h of an in vitro colonic fermentation using a pooled human fecal inoculum. CJF stimulated the microbial metabolic activity, with decreased pH, sugar consumption, lactic and short-chain fatty acid production, alterations in overall metabolic profiling and phenolic compound contents, and maintenance of high antioxidant capacity during colonic fermentation. These results show that CJF stimulated the growth and metabolic activity of distinct potential probiotics, increased the relative abundance of beneficial intestinal bacterial groups, and stimulated microbial metabolism during in vitro colonic fermentation. Further studies using advanced molecular technologies and in vivo experimental models could forward the investigation of the potential prebiotic properties of CJF.

Insegurança Alimentar e aspectos da alimentação de sujeitos com excesso de peso de um município paraibano / Food Insecurity and aspects of the diet of overweight subjects in a municipality Paraíba

O objetivo deste artigo foi descrever os aspectos relacionados à segurança alimentar e nutricional entre indivíduos com sobrepeso e obesidade residentes em um território de abrangência de uma Unidade Básica de Saúde de um município do interior da Paraíba. Estudo transversal, descritivo com amostra intencional, realizado em janeiro de 2020 no município de Nova Floresta, Paraíba. Utilizou-se questionário estruturado com dados socioeconômicos; avaliação de segurança alimentar através da Escala Brasileira de Insegurança Alimentar; padrão de consumo; e avaliação antropométrica. Observa-se que a maior parte dos entrevistados eram do sexo feminino, com casa própria quitada, sabendo ler e escrever com facilidade e sem renda fixa. A prevalência foi maior para a insegurança alimentar e seus diferentes níveis, bem como, principalmente entre as mulheres, com mais baixo nível de escolaridade e com excesso de peso. Durante a semana, a maioria dos entrevistados realiza refeições em casa e com outras pessoas, sentado à mesa; ao seu término acham que comeram de forma suficiente. Os alimentos mais consumidos todos os dias ou duas vezes na semana são alimentos básicos da cultura alimentar brasileira. Os entrevistados consomem com menor frequência alimentos processados e ultraprocessados.

overweight and obese individuals residing in a territory covered by a Basic Health Unit in a county in the interior of Paraíba. Cross-sectional, descriptive study with an intentional sample carried out in January 2020 in the county of Nova Floresta, Paraíba. A structured questionnaire with socioeconomic data was used; food security assessment through the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale; consumption pattern; anthropometric assessment. It is observed that most of the interviewees were female, with their own house paid off, knowing how to read and write easily and without a fixed income. The prevalence was higher for food insecurity and its different levels, as well as, mainly among women, with lower educational level and overweight. During the week, most respondents have meals at home and with other people, sitting at the table; at its end they think they have eaten enough. Every day or twice a week, the most consumed food are basic food of Brazilian food culture. The interviewees less frequently consume processed and ultra-processed food.

Microencapsulation by spray-drying and freeze-drying of extract of phenolic compounds obtained from ciriguela peel.

Microcapsules of ciriguela peel extracts obtained by ultrasound-assisted extraction were prepared by spray drying, whose results were compared with those of freeze-drying as a control. The effects of spray-drying air temperature, feed flow rate and ratio of encapsulating agents (maltodextrin and arabic gum) were studied. Encapsulation efficiency, moisture content, total phenolic compounds (TPC), water activity, hygroscopicity, solubility, colorimetric parameters, phenolic profile by HPLC/DAD, simulated gastrointestinal digestion and morphology of spray-dried and freeze-dried microcapsules were evaluated, as well as their stability of TPC during 90 days storage at 7 and 25 °C. Spray-dried extract showed higher encapsulation efficiency (98.83%) and TPC (476.82 mg GAE g-1) than freeze-dried extract. The most abundant compounds in the liquid extract of ciriguela peel flour were rutin, epicatechin gallate, chlorogenic acid and quercetin. Rutin and myricetin were the major flavonoids in the spray-dried extract, while quercetin and kaempferol were in the freeze-dried one. The simulated gastrointestinal digestion test of microencapsulated extracts revealed the highest TPC contents after the gastric phase and the lowest one after the intestinal one. Rutin was the most abundant compound after the digestion of both spray-dried (68.74 µg g-1) and freeze-dried (93.98 µg g-1) extracts. Spray-dried microcapsules were of spherical shape, freeze-dried products of irregular structures. Spray-dried microcapsules had higher phenolic compounds contents after 90 days of storage at 7 °C compared to those stored at 25 °C, while the lyophilized ones showed no significant difference between the two storage temperatures. The ciriguela agro-industrial residue can be considered an interesting alternative source of phenolic compounds that could be used, in the form of bioactive compounds-rich powders, as an ingredient in pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industries.